No one quite understands the problem of plenty like a bibliophile. Too many books to read, too little time. Industry markers and reading patterns over the last two years alternated between the shadow of the pandemic, hope and good-old celebrity goss. Sales of Prince Harry’s Spare rocketed up in proportion to his popularity; Michelle Obama didn’t want old pal Meghan Markle anywhere near her book tour of The Light We Carry. Current affairs has currency: Blowing Up Ukraine: The Return of Russian Terror and the Threat of World War III by historians Yuri Felshtinsky with Mikhail Stanchev sold its film rights at the London Book Fair.
The pandemic did prompt a surge of delightfully dark content. The New York Times Magazine commissioned a collection of short stories—The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic (2020)—by Margaret Atwood, Tommy Orange, Edwidge Danticat et al. In Just the Two of Us (2020), Jo Wilde writes about how a couple on the brink of divorce rediscover love during lockdown. Crime, mystery and thrillers as usual stay on their high perch: among the anticipated reads are Srinath Rao’s Meow Meow, the true story of Baby Patankar.
The much-awaited second instalment in the Lady Joker series by Karol Takamura is due this year. Self-help books remain an evergreen genre—read Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab and Attention Span: Find Focus, Fight Distraction by Gloria Mark. The Greatest Self-Help Book (Is the One Written by You) by Vex King and his beauty-influencer wife Kaushal is meant to encourage readers to love themselves. For historical fiction and non-fiction fans, come Kate Thompson’s The Wartime Book Club, Akshat Gupta’s Hidden Hindu 3 and Black on Black by Daniel Black.
Going with the times, Indian history and mythology are having their spotlight moment, with children’s books such as Daaji’s Tales from the Puranas and A Complete History of India by Roshen Dalal wooing young minds with new narratives. Technology is the arbiter of the 2000s and has altered the biblioscene considerably.
The main challenge for publishers, booksellers and libraries is from audio books, the global market for which was valued at $4,219 million in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.4 percent till 2030; although e-books are far ahead with the market value likely to be $18.7 billion in 2026. To measure up, libraries are offering podcast rooms with studios and even renting out equipment. Bookending 2023 looks to be fun.
Editor’s Choice
Smoke and Ashes: A Writer’s Journey Through Hidden Histories by Amitav Ghosh
There’s tea and opium, there’s China and Europe, there’s also indigenous understanding of the environment combined with personal history it is in a way a memoir on Ghosh’s literary preoccupations over the last two decades.
On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory
by Thomas Hertog
A compilation of the brilliant scientist’s final thoughts on the universe from one of his closest collaborators, Thomas Hertog. During their research, they revisited their Big Bang origin theory to come up with a ‘striking fresh vision of the universe’s birth that may ultimately prove to be Hawking’s greatest scientific legacy’.
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
From the rugged hinterlands in Uttar Pradesh to the urban life in Delhi, Kapoor’s latest is an action-packed story of a crime family told in the backdrop of a mysterious accident. It has been called India’s answer to the Godfather.
The Half-Known Life: In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer
The renowned travel writer reflects on his half a century of travels from Iran to North Korea, from
the Himalayas to the ghostly temples of Japan—in an attempt to find the ‘elusive’ paradise where ‘anxieties, struggles and burdens of life fall away’.
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
Set in a city called Bisnaga in India, the Booker-winning author’s first novel since Quichotte in 2019 brings his quintessential magic realism into play as it follows the journey of a woman who builds a fantastical empire that lasts over 250 years.
Romance
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
A yet another heartwarming romance from the bestselling author that revisits the
opposites-attract trope, but this time between two competing physicists who, after ‘academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans’, predictably fall for each other.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
In this romantic comedy almost begging for a Hollywood reproduction—the American writer gives us two former lovers who pretend to be together for a week for the sake of their closest friends who are visiting. Will the play-act rekindle old emotions or will it give their lie away?
Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah
A debut that looks at romance from an unconventional lens. The British-Ghanaian author writes about what happens beyond the happily-ever-after, and how one finds love for their partner and themselves in a ‘marriage in crisis’.
The Naani Diaries by Riva Razdan
When an overachieving New Yorker gets dumped, she is devastated. For hope, she turns to her grandmother’s love story recorded in a diary in this novel about love and family.
Fiction
Yellow Face by RF Kuang
The darkly funny contemporary thriller by the bestselling Chinese author is the story of a white woman, told in first-person, who claims her dead Asian author friend’s unpublished work as her own
Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments by Hema Sukumar
If you are an Alexander McCall Smith fan, you will love this debut novel set in Chennai. This is a heartwarming tale of a retiring dentist, an engineer and a British chef, who despite their differences and complicated lives, join hands to save the one thing they have in common—the Grand Life Apartments.
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein
From the Commonwealth Short Story Award-winning Caribbean writer, here is a book that juxtaposes luxury with poverty, and talks of race and class in the Trinidad of the 1940s. What happens when the opposing worlds collide and two families set up in different worlds are forced to come together?
Old Babes in the Woods by Margaret Atwood After her Stone Mattress in 2014, the Booker-winning author is back with another bouquet of short stories. Ageing, loss, grief, friendship and love, all find a mention in this anthology, some of which have earlier appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine.
Chronicle of an Hour and a Half by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari
Petty grievances and savage speculation fuel this chaotic story set in a WhatsApp-obsessed village in Kerala. Suddenly nothing seems simple or safe, as residents—spurred by rumours—bay for each other’s blood in this edgy and tautly written story.
The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
Here are two characters in different timelines, with the immigrant crisis in the US and Europe as a backdrop. The award-winning Spanish writer effortlessly weaves together the past and the present in this tribute to parent-child bonding.
The Guest by Emma Cline
From the bestselling writer of The Girls, comes a story set in the chilling and evocative world of 1969 California. Alex—pretending to be someone she isn’t—is your perfect storybook literary heroine, who has a long-standing relationship with destruction and turmoil.
The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman
With the London plague and the Elizabethan theatre as a backdrop, the story is told through the eyes of two fantastical outcasts a trainer of hawks who sees the future in bird patterns, and another, an aspiring theatre star. It is all about dreaming big, achieving and losing it all.
How Dinkar Lost His Job and Found a Life by Gurpartap Khairah
A coming-of-age story of a not-so-young Indian boy, who gets control of his life only after he is fired from his job. A significant book for the current times when the rat race to success is only getting tougher.
Mister, Mister by Guy Gunaratne
A Syrian poet after fleeing his war-torn country finds himself in a detention centre in the UK. Through his conversations with his interrogator, the Sri Lankan-origin British author sheds light on
the ramifications of war and explores what it means to belong.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Back after a decade of her Booker win, this psychological thriller with its satirical writing is a sort-of Macbeth in New Zealand. As for who Macbeth is, you can take your pick from the plateful of characters.
The Bee Sting by Paul MurrayAre you trying your best to be a good person in a world that is constantly challenging you to do otherwise? Then this tragicomedy should be your go-to book this year. As a family is caught on the wrong foot at the wrong time, is there still a shot at a happy ending?
I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore
Moore is back after 14 years with her signature humour, exploring love and rebirth, passion and grief. As she lets her pen spout wit and wisdom, we come across a mysterious journal from an era gone by, a therapy clown and an assassin, all thrown in together in a theatrical ghost story.
A Spell of Good Things by Ayobámi Adébáyo
Set in modern-day Nigeria, the novel focuses on the ties of family and the moments and secrets that weigh on it. It also exposes the gaping divide between the haves and have-nots and what happens when the fragile wall that separates them comes crashing down.
The Light at the End of the World by Siddhartha DebCrisscrossing different timelines—from the present to the 19th and 20th centuries—the author writes about buried truths, parallel universes, spacecraft and aliens. Coming out with his first novel in
15 years, the narrative encompasses all that is magical and more.
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
The actor writes about how a young boy’s fascination with his soldier-uncle inspires him to create
a comic book that finds its way to a filmmaker who wants to turn it into ‘a colossal, star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film’.
Non-Fiction
The Book of Compassion
by HH the Dalai Lama and Kailash Satyarthi
Two globally renowned spiritual and moral leaders show how simple human behaviour is at the heart of the world’s most pressing problems, from inequalities to injustice, and reveal their vision for a globalised compassion that promotes freedom, joy and inner peace
Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman by Charles DunstFrom the renowned international relations scholar comes a new book that demonstrates why autocracy (think China, Russia) is not a solution to combat institutional rot and how nations can take it upon themselves to stand for democratic values
Shikwa-e-Hind: The Political Future of Indian Muslims by Mujibur RahmanWhile the economic future and cultural rights of Indian Muslims have been a perennial topic of discussion and debate, it is the political future of the community that needs attention. Political scientist Rahman explains why.
Marx in the Nude by Nidheesh MK
Chronicling the impact of Communism on the social and political life in Kerala, the book examines how a party that started out as anti-establishment, is now finding itself almost inseparable from the establishment through stories of grassroots-level workers Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India by Manoj Mittan. A legal history of caste in India that scours through legislative and judicial records to tell riveting tales of how caste has operated over two centuries of reform and modernisation
The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule by Angela Saini
In this book, the journalist and author goes to the roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how patriarchy first became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present
Mafia Queens of India by Hussain Zaidi
The true stories of the female underworld/mafia dons such as Jenabai Daruwali, Ashraf Khan and Mahalaxmi Papamani, who dominated various parts of the country with their power and stealth over the past decades. His previous books include Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia and Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts.
The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession by Alexandra Robbins A year-in-the-life account of three school teachers in America that features essays combined with reporting to reveal the biggest issues facing teachers today, including school violence, outrageous parent behaviour and inadequate staffing
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption by Katy Kelleher
Human beings have always been drawn to gorgeous objects, but why? American writer Katy Kelleher explores our obsession with all things pretty, and in the process, unveils the fraught histories of makeup, flowers, perfume, silk, and other beautiful objects.
Why We Die by Venki Ramakrishnan
While exploring ongoing research on increasing the lifespan of humans indefinitely, the Nobel Prize-winning chemist weighs in on the cultural, social and ethical ramifications of such studies, and what humankind might lose in its pursuit of youth
Detective/Mystery/Crime
Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra
The second in the 1920s Bangalore crime series by the author, the whodunnit follows our sari-clad detective Kaveri on yet another adventure as she draws on her wits to uncover a murder mystery and find the killers before they find her
A Death in Tokyo by Keigo Higashino
Set in the heart of Tokyo, the third and penultimate novel in the Detective Kyoichiro Kaga series sees the seasoned sleuth in the face of a public murder, with an obvious suspect—a fleeing man with the wallet of the murder victim. But there’s more than what meets the eye.
The Mysterious Case of Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
From the horror-film writer and novelist comes another thrilling mystery where a true-crime author sets out to write a book on the Alperton Angels—the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn was anti-Christ—but as she investigates, she finds out that the truth is something stranger than they had imagined
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
With a nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, the psychological suspense thriller by the bestselling
author follows the life of a recently widowed actor who goes on an investigation spree after her neighbour disappears under unexplained circumstances
Lady Joker 2 by Kaoru Takamura
Inspired by the real-life Glico Morinaga kidnapping, an unsolved case that terrorised Japan in 1984-85, this novel reimagines the watershed episode in modern Japanese history, bringing the saga to a gripping conclusion
The Stranger in the Seine by Guillaume Musso
A nameless woman is found in the waters of the Seine.
A celebrated musician comes back from the dead. As a police captain investigates this bizarre case, his own fate gets intertwined with that of the suspects.
Bad Liars by Vikrant Khanna
When a fund manager is found dead in his house, without an alibi, his wife is the prime suspect. She is also the direct beneficiary of his death. The case takes a chilling turn when two more unlikely suspects with contradictory statements appear.
The Beast Within by Rudraneil Sengupta
The body of a young girl is found spiked on the boundary wall of a posh Delhi bungalow. Nothing about the death seems to add up in this layered novel that uncovers the city in terms of place, social geography and psychological complexity.
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
A feminist revenge thriller where a woman plays along with the rumour of having killed her vanished husband, hoping to keep away unwanted advances, but when another woman wanting to get rid of her abusive husband approaches her for help, her reluctant agreement sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of all the women in the village. This is the US-based writer’s debut novel.
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
The author of American Psycho sets his latest novel in a fictionalised version of the 1980s’ Los Angeles, where he follows a group of teenagers who try to separate the truth from their imagination as a serial killer takes the city by storm
Shehan Karunatilaka, Booker-winning author
The Things We Carry by Tim O’Brein: A collection of stories about the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War
Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman: The neuroscientist-writer imagines 40 different versions of after-lives to see if they are any different from reality
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut: The American novelist applies Charles Darwins’s evolution theory to a group of stranded people to show how they adapt for survival
Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang: A sci-fi that travels through events between timelines that are set in motion after a spaceship with aliens lands on earth
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher: The Star Wars actor recollects how she weathered the demands of a competitive career as an actor, fighting manic depression and facing the challenges of being a single mother
BUSINESS & TECH
Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
The economists revisit the man vs technology debate and argue that the latter’s path was once—and may again be—brought under control, provided we reshape the vision to innovate and understand who really gains from technological advances
Integrity by Frances Haugen
Written by the Facebook whistleblower, this is a critical examination of the social networking platform, offering an insider’s view on working at the company that allegedly made profits at the expense
of employees’ safety
The Amul Story by RS Sodhi
Amul’s former Managing Director explores the brand’s mantras to success and longevity, establishing, in the process, that profitable businesses can be run with community purpose as a first imperative. It also claims to show how a truly Indian company can give the world’s most dynamic MNCs a run for their money by upturning all the textbook wisdom they’ve peddled through Western ideas
of management.
Startup Sultans by Archana Rai
How did the startup phenomenon begin? What triggered the explosion of entrepreneurial energy? The book seeks to answer such questions while illustrating how this wave of economic change differs from earlier ones in the history of Indian business.
More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender and Ability Bias in Tech by Meredith Broussard
The American researcher looks at how racial and sexual biases go beyond being bugs in humankind’s society and percolate into technological algorithms, and attempts to establish that neutrality in tech is a myth
Translations
Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated from Korean by Anton Hur
In this wonderfully warped world of magical realism and horror, there are the running themes of past misdeeds and settling scores. The stories are set against post-war South Korea.
Greek Lessons by Han Kang, translated from Korean by Deborah Smith and Emily Yae Won
From the Booker-winner comes an emotionally investigative novel where loss—of voice for one, and sight for another—brings two ordinary people closer in unexpected ways
Nowhere People by Manoranjan Byapari, translated from Bengali by Anchita Ghatak
The two-time JCB Prize-shortlisted writer turns his lens on the people living in squatter settlements, and chronicles the absences in their lives—be it a place to call home, or their missing names from the electoral rolls
Tirukkural: The Book of Desire by Tiruvalluvar, translated from Tamil by Meena Kandasamy
Kandasamy’s is the second-ever translation of the classic text done by a woman, making it an important addition to Indian feminist literature. The original text is celebrated for its free-spirited approach towards the subject of sex, and the book recreates it with authenticity as the translator writes about ‘female sensuality, agency and desire’.
Magadh by Shrikant Verma, translated from Hindi by Rahul Soni
With themes of metaphysical angst and mortality at its core, this is a collection of poems that might have been written ages ago, but continues to resonate with readers
Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan, translated into Malayalam by Benyamin
The debut novel delves into the histories, struggles and triumphs of the Indian labour force taken to the Middle East in order to construct and serve the towering monuments that comprise the glitzy skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Sahela Re by Mrinal Pande, translated from Hindi by Priyanka Sarkar
Written in epistolary style, the story has a mother-daughter singer duo at the centre to celebrate a bygone era when music had worshippers, not followers
Assassin by KR Meera, translated from Malayalam by J Devika
This new book from one of the most important novelists of the current times, unfolds as a literary thriller. It explores questions of identity, gender and power, and reflects on the fate of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy in independent India.
Kalindi (Brahmankanya) by Shridhar Vyankatesh Ketkar, translated from Marathi by Shanta Gokhale
Originally published as Brahmankanya in 1930, the novel, which has been hailed as brave and ahead of its times, continues to remain relevant with its story of a woman daring to find an identity and love outside the shackles of caste and patriarchy
The Dark Hours of the Night by Salma, translated from Tamil by GJV Prasad
The firebrand poet and author, who has faced the ire of the government in the past, captures the lives of Muslim women across generations in rural Tamil Nadu through their rebellions and compromises in
a male-dominated world.
Podcasts
It’s Giving Fashion
From red-carpet looks and street style to fashion trends on social media, it is the go-to podcast hosted by musician-actor Shea Coulee for those feeling lost or overwhelmed about putting an outfit together
Let’s Make a Rom-Com
From the makers of Let’s Make a Sci-fi, comes another season of audio fun where Canadian comedians Ryan Beil, Maddy Kelly and Mark Chavez decode the recipe to the perfect romantic comedy and why it continues to be the most popular cinematic genre across the world
Bot Love
Joaquin Phoenix’s Her was categorised as a sci-fi film owing to its futuristic premise of a human falling in love with an AI assistant.
A decade later, this podcast shows it wasn’t fiction after all. Featuring true stories of people developing relationships with chatbots, it redefines the idea of modern love.
The Desi Crime Podcast
An ongoing desi podcast that brings to listeners some of the biggest stories of gore over the years, including the Jessica Lall murder, the Charles Sobhraj case and most recently the killing of Shraddha Walker
How I Masaba
She is a designer, entrepreneur, actor and the most recent addition to her bio is of a podcaster. Masaba Gupta chats with achievers across the fields to bring inspirational stories.
Some of the guests include Vidya Balan, Sania Mirza, Mithali Raj, Anita Dongre, Faye D’Souza and
Anoushka Shankar.
Jayasri Burman, Visual Artist
Jungle Nama by Amitav Ghosh: The story of the Bon Bibi legend, a popular folktale
of the Sundarbans, where the inhabitants of the marshlands worship a deity of the forests told through evocative illustrations
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi: The Booker-nominated novel is centred around the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship and how the latter comes to terms with the oddities of the bond when her mother is faced with an illness
How the Earth Got Its Beauty by Sudha Murty: The master storyteller weaves in fascinating tales about the origins of all the things—from mountains and seas, to flowers and animals—that make the earth a beautiful place to live in
Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore: A collection of poems in which the Nobel Laureate contemplates the idea of love, devotion and the perennial conflict between materialistic and spiritual desires
Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi: The 1974-novel for which the author won the Jnanpith Award, tells the story of the mother of a revolutionary who is killed brutally during the Naxalite movement in Bengal. His corpse is numbered 1,084.
Historical Fiction/non-fiction
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama
A powerful meditation on displacement, the Tibetan writer, in her debut novel, explores the human hankering for belonging and feeling rooted to people and places. Told through the lives of four people over 50 years, the book provides a moving portrait of the little-known world of Tibetan exiles.
Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler
Lady Macbeth is among Shakespeare’s most iconic characters, but little is known about the historical figure she was inspired from. The theatre actor and writer tells the story of Grouch, who was destined to be queen, but when obstacles come in the way, she stops at nothing to claim her crown.
Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton
This multi-generational novel is based on the debut writer’s mother’s posthumously discovered diaries. Set between the last years of the Chinese Windrush in 1966 and Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997, it deals with issues of identity, the price of belonging and how the search to unravel a secret can bring forth many hidden truths.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
The award-winning author’s latest novel is set against the backdrop of the Tichborne trial, which took
Victorian England in the 1860s by storm, as it attempts to differentiate between fact and fiction
The Broken Script: Delhi Under the East India Company and the Fall of the Mughal Dynasty, 1803-1857 by Swapna Liddle
With Delhi at its centre, this story looks at the ‘hybrid half-century’ when the Mughal empire in India was on its way out, and the British were emerging as a fast-growing military and political power
Aryans by Charles Allen
Reportedly based on genetic data researched by Harvard University, the book is expected to challenge the Hindutva view on Aryan migration. The British historian, who passed away in 2020, draws on existing information on Indo-Europeans and interprets them to shed light on the possible origins of the Aryan homeland. Allen has 25 books to his credit, most of which are on Indian history.
A History of India Through 75 Objects by Sudeshna Guha
A Mughal knife made out of a meteorite, a necklace that was split between India and Pakistan at Partition, and through other such objects, historian Sudeshna Guha examines how changing times influence the ways in which the past is interpreted and recalled
Revolutionaries: The Other Story of How India Won its Freedom by Sanjeev Sanyal
The renowned economist looks at India’s freedom struggle through the perspective of revolutionaries such as Vinayak Savarkar, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose, Bagha Jatin and Sachindra Nath Sanyal among others. It interweaves intrigue, drama, assassination, global espionage and treachery with the heroism of the revolutionaries.
Black on Black: On our Resilience and Brilliance in America by Daniel Black
In his first essay collection, the novelist and scholar investigates racial tension in America and the ongoing fight for visibility, change and lasting hope. Among the topics covered are police brutality, AIDS crisis and queer representation in black church.
The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives by Naoise Mac Sweeney
The British archaeologist and historian looks at Western history, both real and imagined, with a fresh approach–– through the lives of 14 figures, who played a role in the creation of the Western idea. There’s Herodotus, a mixed-race migrant, Phylis Wheatley, an enslaved African American, medieval Arab scholar Al-Kindi and more.
Memoirs/Biographies
Lata Mangeshkar: A Life in Music by Yatindra Mishra, translated by Ira Pande
The award-winning Hindi book, Sur-Gatha, tells the life story of India’s most famous vocalist based on the author’s decade-long conversations with Mangeshkar. It also explores lesser-known aspects of the singer’s life, providing a rare glimpse into the person behind the revered enigma.
A Life in the Shadows: A Memoir by AS Dulat
In the first-ever memoir by a spymaster, Dulat lets readers into his personal and professional life—right from his childhood in Lahore and New Delhi, to his early years as an intelligence officer during which he met international spymasters, world leaders and celebrities
Ratan Tata: The Authorised Biography by Dr Thomas Mathew
The book paints an intimate portrait of the much-celebrated but private individual by chronicling his growing up years, his joining the Tata Group as a junior, and the challenges that came after
A Lucky Man: The Memoirs of a Radio-wala by Mark Tully
The author looks back at his legendary career as a radio journalist to write about his encounters and experiences with some of the biggest newsmakers of the time such as Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Bhindranwale, Devi Lal, Narasimha Rao, LK Advani, Bhutto, Zia ul-Haq and Mujibur Rehman.
Transitional: In One Way Or Another, We All Transition by Munroe Bergdorf
The trans-activist and model draws from her own journey, complemented with inputs from fellow changemakers to show that transition is part of human existence and how our differences can help build an inclusive society
Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform by Rachna Bisht Rawat General Bipin
Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, was in the midst of steering one of the most radical transformations in the Indian military when he died in a helicopter crash. The book, compiled from in-depth interviews with his friends and family members, pays tribute to his astute leadership, while also revealing the man behind the uniform.
The Life and Death of a Coffee Baron: The VG Siddhartha Story by Kingshuk Nag
Three years ago, the owner of Café Coffee Day disappeared close to Mangaluru. His body was found in a local river two days later. In this riveting tale of a success story gone tragically wrong, the author unravels the rise of VG Siddhartha and the factors that led to his death.
Tipu Sultan: A Definitive Biography by Vikram Sampath
Known for his biographies of Gauhar Jaan and Veer Savarkar, the subject of the historian’s next book is Tipu Sultan, opening a window to the life and times of one of the most contentious figures of Indian history.
Talking Lives by Javed Akhtar with Nasreen Munni Kabir
In this memoir, Akhtar takes the reader through the ups and downs of his extraordinary life—his early childhood in Lucknow, getting a break in the film industry, and his later years as husband, father and
a successful screenplay writer. He reflects on the friendships and collaborations that were the highlights of his personal and professional life as well as the disappointments.
Insatiable: My Hunger for Life by Shobhaa De
From her favourite lassi to her obsession with kasundi, the celebrated columnist takes her readers on a flavourful gastronomical tour through India, peppered with her encounters and experiences with politicians, actors and artists to show how food brings people together in the most unexpected and delightful ways
Anahita Dhondy, Chef
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel: A heartwarming romance set in Mexico, where the iconic Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is given a happy ending with food playing Cupid
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy: A moving story of a boy learning life lessons with his three unlikely friends told through compelling drawings that have made it beyond the pages of the bestselling book to T-shirts, posters and lamp-shades
Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India by Colleen Taylor Sen: More than just a collection of recipes, this cookbook by the Canadian-American expert on South Asian cuisine decodes the diverse culinary culture of India through the lens of religion, morality and even philosophy
Children’s Books
Ghost Stories by Ruskin Bond
A collection of short spooky stories set in the hills about wandering ghosts, ghastly ghouls, magnificent monsters and haunted bungalows, written in Bond’s inimitable style
Tales from the Puranas by Daaji
A sequel to the bestselling Tales from the Vedas and Upanishads, the book unearths the philosophy and learnings of the Puranas with a collection of captivating stories retold by spiritual leader Daaji
Mahi, the Elephant Who Flew Over the Blue Mountains by Anand Neelakantan
This is a tale of an elephant who wants to fly. Although aimed at the middle-grade readers, the allegorical story about friendship and loyalty promises to be equally engaging for adults.
Tails & Tales by Reeja Radhakrishnan
A celebration of the stories of animals and birds who lead a quest, forge a friendship, avenge wrongs and save the world like superheroes, all exquisitely illustrated and beautifully retold from our folklore traditions
The Truth Detective by Tim Harford
It investigates the facts and figures of the world around us, giving young readers the tools to separate genuine information from fake news and misleading data
Sci-fi/Fantasy
The Silent Womb by Nidhi Upadhyay
Even as a woman desires for a baby to revive her dead marriage, her geneticist-husband embarks on a journey and creates ‘the world’s first genetically altered foetus’, but the mutant is far from what was wished for
The Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta
In this fantastical tale, two sisters live inside and are keepers of ‘the whale of babel’ and pray to an enigmatic figure called ‘Great Wisa’. While one is content with their world, the other attempts to escape, unravelling an age-old mystery and triggering a discussion on the idea of choice.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
The bestselling YA fiction writer weaves a tale of romance between a scholar of myths and a mysterious heiress, but the lines between real and magic only get blurrier as the husband accidentally uncovers
the secrets of his wife
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
Reminiscent of Noah’s Ark, a ship carries elite graduates—the best of the best—in the face of Earth’s destruction. In search of a livable planet, the ship meets with an accident. As the suspicion among the crew grows, the ship needs to be set back on its course in deep space before calamity strikes again.
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Set in the distant future comprising three novellas thousands of years apart, it talks of a time when everyone on the planet—from animals to humans and artificial intelligences—is considered ‘people’. The search is on for humanity’s fate among the stars.
The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
In 1830s’ New York, Ana is almost dying when she turns into an immortal like her grandfather. Cut to 1984, and the story moves between her mysterious past and her present. Can she keep the past from encroaching on her present forever?
The Curator by Owen King
Stephen King’s younger son, Owen’s third novel is set in a Dickensian city. Cats are worshiped here, while a violent revolution is underway in this historical fantasy.
The taut writing keeps the plot focused.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
A professor, interested in faerie folklore, travels to a small town. The journey throws up heartwarming and enchanting stories of friendship and love, seeped in magic.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
Amid a stark land hides a horrifying secret. This new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of The Changeling, focuses on a woman living on the edge and harbouring
a secret past that would change everything forever.
Meru by SB Divya
A futuristic novel set in a world where the “post-human descendants called alloys” are going beyond the earth to explore galaxies. Meru documents one such expedition where an alloy and an adopted human child of alloy parents venture out to find other habitable planets.
Food
Biting Off More than I Can Chew: A Maverick Chef Remembers by Rahul Akerkar
Packed with tawdry tales, juicy anecdotes about celebrities, and recipes to punctuate the narrative, it offers a sneak-peek into India’s rapidly evolving dining scene
The Big Book of South Indian Cooking by Rakesh Raghunathan
With over 200 easy-to-follow recipes updated for the modern chef, this book celebrates south India’s incredible diversity and its rich culinary history like never before
The Grain Book: Cooking with Grains for a Healthier Life by Anahita Dhondy
Chef Dhondy has spent years experimenting with grains and adapting recipes around them. Be it wheat, rice, millet, corn or rye, in her new book, she uses them all to recreate popular dishes and cook up some of her own.
Yatindra Mishra, poet
Kudrat Rangbirangi by Kumar Prasad Mukhopadhyay: A documentation of the landmark moments in the history of Hindustani shastriya sangeet, where the exponent of the Agra gharana writes about the music of the region in the early 90s
Sunlight on a Broken Column by Attia Hosain: Set in Lucknow in the backdrop of Partition, the novel reexamines the idea of independence and what it means for different people, in this case a 15-year-old girl, who is moved from an orthodox household to a ‘liberal’ set-up, only to find herself feeling more claustrophobic than ever
Hind Swaraj By Mahatma Gandhi: Deemed seditious and banned by the British,
this seminal historical text contains Gandhi’s criticism of modern civilisation as advocated by the imperial power
Antima Aranya by Nirmal Verma: A poignant tale of humans’ search for solitude and companionship, exposed through the inevitability that is old age
SELF-HELP
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Rooted in the latest research and best practices used in cognitive behavioural therapy, the therapist-author presents simple yet powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries in all aspects of life
Attention Span: Find Focus, Fight Distraction by Gloria Mark Based on the psychologist’s decades of research, it attempts to decode reasons behind our decreasing attention span. From the challenges of multi-tasking to the impact of social media, it looks at how overuse of technology can affect concentration.
Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way by Jonah Berger
Words are how we persuade, communicate and connect, but certain kinds of words—precisely six—are more effective than others. In Magic Words, bestselling author Berger writes about the science of language, and how using specific words can have a more lasting impact.
You Are Not Alone by Cariad Lloyd
The popular comedian and podcaster turns author with this book, where she talks about dealing with grief and loss. Lloyd, who lost her father at the age of 15, draws from her own life experiences as well as her learnings from her podcast, Griefcast, to offer suggestions on how to navigate loss and the loneliness that comes with it.
The Perfect 10: 10-Minute Workouts You Can Do Anywhere by Yasmin Karachiwala
The celebrity fitness trainer shows all you need to start your fitness journey is 10 minutes. This is a guide to 10 easy and short-time workouts that will help you stay in shape and feeling healthy.