HYDERABAD: The author of ‘The Wedding Season’, Su Dharmapala has just released her second novel ‘Saree’. Set in Sri Lanka, India and Australia, ‘Saree’ is the story of a young weaver, whose creations transform the lives of all those who come into contact with it . A social media manager, writer and blogger Dharamapala shares her top five reads with City Express
My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards
When I was a little girl, I loved this book. I must have read and re-read the collection of stories at least a hundred times. I loved the fact that there was, in print at least, a little girl, who was about as naughty as I was. It was brilliant. I was no longer alone in the world. All the other mainstream female characters in books were very good girls. None of them seemed to rip their clothes, get into unending trouble, have tantrums or even get punished for sheer ornery behaviour the way I did. And ‘My Naughty Little Sister’ gave me a run for my money!
Harry Potter by J K Rowling
I have loved all seven of the Harry Potter books and am considered to be a doyenne when it comes to Harry Potter trivia. I love the books for their humour, adventure and the fact that J K Rowling is unafraid to tackle the big questions in children’s literature. What is the meaning of life and death? How is choice a greater force than destiny? The books are also layered with history and mythology - bringing together over 2,000 years of European history into seven children’s books which goes to show you - the best way to teach history is through stories.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ first as a thirteen-year- old and to this day I have a copy of it sitting front and centre on my bookshelf. And over the years, I have loved the book for different reasons. As a young girl I loved it because of the love story. Elizabeth Bennet is loved by Fitzwilliam Darcy despite all the shortcomings of her family. As a young woman; I loved Elizabeth Bennet for her sheer audacity and her cutting wit. As an older person, I enjoy the prose and style of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ for it’s keen observations on human relationships and insights into characters.
My Place by Sally Morgan
I read ‘My Place by Sally Morgan’ within weeks of immigrating to Australia in 1989. Published in 1987, it is a memoir of a young woman growing up in Australia with all it’s joys and perils, while a very dark cloud about her identity hangs over her. My Place resonated so deeply with me because I was trying to find my place in Australia. Who was I to become? What was my destiny to be in this great brown land? Is belonging to a place a function of heritage or a sense of deep connection?
Nine Lives by William Dalrymple
There comes along books in your lifetime that will change you and challenge your views on almost everything; William Dalrymple does that with ‘Nine Lives’. A mix of memoir and spiritual exploration, it challenged everything I knew about spirituality and religion and how our individual experiences with the divine forces may be explained. Each one of the experiences detailed in ‘Nine Lives’ showed me the power of divine love and how very important divine love is to our growth.