The pandemic is history. The lingering effects of the isolation induced by the coronavirus that plunged readers into bubbles of fantastical and criminal worlds have begun to disappear. We are back to reality, and raring to go, which means non-fiction will rule the roost in 2024. With important political events—from the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls—a slew of books on the country’s past, present and future have been lined up for release. While Ravan’s Lanka by Sunela Jayawardene, Babur: The Chessboard King by Aabhas Maldahiyar and Anand Neelkanthan’s Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons offer mythological insights to understand the politics behind the Babri Masjid demolition and the subsequent building of the Ram Mandir, books such as The Idea of Democracy by Sam Pitroda.
The Indian Reality by Ram Madhav and Shaping of the Bharatiya Renaissance by Bhupender Yadav are likely to shed light on India’s transition to Bharat. There are also engaging biographies of personalities who have lived rich, inspiring lives. Predictable favourites include Enzo Ferrari (by Luca Del Monte), Biju Patnaik (by Bhaskar Parichha), Shivaji (by Uday Mahurkar), Kamal Haasan (Hariharan Krishnan) and Shabana Azmi (Sathyarth Nayak).
Now that we have returned to business as usual, the books too have started to reflect our urge to achieve success, and what better to turn to stories of people who have made the impossible, possible? Impossible to Possible: Maruti’s Incredible Success and How It Can Change India by RC Bhargava, Embrace the Future: The Soft Science of Business Transformation by R Gopalakrishnan promise to be the guiding light.
There are remnants of the pandemic that have continued to stay on, for the better. The first is the emphasis on wellbeing. Health, with a focus on weight loss and fitness, has reemerged as an important non-negotiable aspect of our lives. Books such as Yuktahaar: The Superfoods by Munmun Ganeriwal, and Magic Pill: How the New Weight Loss Drugs Will Change Our World by Johann Hari only factify the observation. Audiobooks and podcasts, which caught on during the lockdowns, are thriving, with 270 million people worldwide expected to listen to audiobooks in an average month in 2024.
Fiction fans, do not lose heart. You will have, albeit less in number compared to the last few years, enough to dig into. Stories of resilience, belonging, sisterhood, and reimagined classics—think Come and Get It by Kiley Reid, Acts of God by Kanan Gill and James: The Powerful Reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Percivell Everrett—will keep bibliophiles busy. Even as sci-fi and murder mysteries seem to have gone down the priority rung, there’s just enough to keep the thrill for the crime buff going. There are the classic international favourites—Camino Ghosts by John Grisham, A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci, as well as the homegrown gems like Ashwin Sanghi’s Razor Sharp: A Kutta Kadam Thriller and S Hussain Zaidi’s The Black Orphan.
But 2024 will be the most fruitful year for the young ones, thanks to a diverse range of children’s books slated for release. From stories of nature and mythology to Indian history and religion, it’s a mixed bag. After all, it’s best to start them young.
Editor’s Choice
Knife by Salman Rushdie Speaking out for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, about the traumatic events of August 12, 2022, Rushdie answers violence with art, and reminds us of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable. Knife is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again.
Like Being Alive Twice by Dharini Bhaskar
This could seem like a regular love story but the times that Poppy and Tariq live in are not ordinary. The city has transformed. Every citizen’s life is now governed by a scorecard, with the degree of access to housing and work dictated by how they have fared. The laws are unforgiving.
The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World by William Dalrymple
The historian highlights India’s oft-forgotten position as a crucial economic and civilisational hub at the heart of the ancient and early mediaeval history of Eurasia. From Angkor to Ayutthaya, he traces the cultural flow of Indian religions, languages, artistic and architectural forms.
Shashi Tharoor’s Wonderland of Words by Shashi Tharoor
In his latest book, the great wordsmith of a politician takes readers on a voyage of discovery through a treasure trove of astounding words, displaying to best effect his mastery of the English language.
The Hill of Enchantment: The Story of My Life as a Writer by Ruskin Bond
A new memoir by the beloved author, which full of stories he has never told before about his life, his sources of inspiration, people he has loved, people he has lost, and a myriad other absorbing details about his long and successful life as a writer.
Until August by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The final and the “lost” novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author, who had requested that it remain unpublished. Marquez was suffering from dementia. His sons, however, have now decided to release the book 10 years after his death.
Memoirs/Biographies
Utpal Dutt: Playwright, Performer, Propagandist, Provocateur edited by Mallarika Sinha Roy and Sayandeb Chowdhury
There are few who have left a more remarkable legacy than Utpal Dutt. This book brings the multiple worlds of Dutt, his many lives and varied voices and his thriving legacy under one critical and discursive dome.
Kamal Haasan: A Cinematic Journey by Hariharan Krishnan
It will look at the legendary actor’s illustrious career through a fascinating study of more than fifty of the superstar’s landmark films across industries.
Snakes, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll: My Early Years by Romulus Whitaker with Janaki Lenin
Hailed as the ‘Snakeman of India’, the legendary Romulus Whitaker’s fascinating memoir focuses on his lifelong love affair with serpents. The tales are hair-raising and often hilarious, laying bare the secrets of the extraordinary natural world.
Biju Patnaik: The Rainmaker of Opposition Politics by Bhaskar Parichha
Pilot, freedom fighter, businessman, politician... Biju Patnaik wore multiple hats and with elegance. Parichha follows the journey of this towering regional icon. Navigating triumphs and trials, he forged an unwavering connection with the people of Odisha. Expertly manoeuvring the corridors of power in Delhi, he shaped the state’s destiny and defined Opposition unity.
Shankar Mahadevan Live: An Authorized Biography by Ashis Ghatak
The first and only definitive authorized biography of the singer. Extensively researched and packed with endearing incidents and enduring accounts from his life, this book captures Shankar at his most multifaceted self: singer, musician, composer, friend, family man, guru and a man beloved by millions.
Enzo Ferrari: The Definitive Biography by Luca Del Monte
Drawing on years of original research conducted in Italy and abroad, this book lays bare the hidden aspects of Ferrari's career—from his earliest failed business ventures to his political dealings with Italy's fascist government, Allied occupiers, and even Communist leaders.
The Authorized Biography of Shabana Azmi by Satyarth Nayak
The biography will look at Shabana the performer as well as the person—from her growing up years in a commune to her life in Janaki Kutir and beyond; from the poetry and communism of Kaifi Azmi to the feminism and theatre of Shaukat Azmi that shaped her worldview. The book will also explore her activism that has made her a champion of social and humanitarian causes.
Tilak by Vaibhav Purandare
Through the dramatic and controversial life of Lokmanya Tilak, this book throws light not only on an important era of the freedom movement but revisiting a style of mass politics based on religious and cultural regeneration that finds tremendous resonance once again in India today.
Ebrahim Alkazi: Holding Time Captive by Amal Allana
It’s a daughter’s tribute to her father. From Alkazi’s student years in England, to his theatre movement in Bombay and Delhi, this book charts the theatre giant’s meteoric rise and his unwavering commitment to put Hindi theatre on the map. Taking on a dysfunctional bureaucracy, he developed his own independent institutions for the promotion of the visual arts. The author’s personal perspective adds veracity and sensitivity.
Emperor Shivaji by Uday Mahurkar
An examination of why Emperor Shivaji was the greatest Indian of 1,000 years based on his contribution to diverse areas, including diplomacy and administration based on the Chanakya Niti, war strategy and objectives, social reform touching the common man, culture, spiritualism, fort construction and his contribution to the overall history of India.
Fiction
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas
In the smoldering third instalment in the Crescent City series, Midgard is brought to the brink of collapse, and the fate of the world rests on the hope of rebellion. But the fight for survival, freedom, and love may cost everything.
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
A tension-filled story about desire, consumption and bad behaviour told through the story of two women navigating different problems, which bring them together.
Acts of God by Kanan Gill
Blending vivid inventiveness and uproarious storytelling, with an intriguing interrogation of the very nature of existence, this book marks the evolution of one of India’s finest comedic voices, who weaves a story about a Danish policeman who accidentally becomes a clothing-optional leader of a worldwide group of Science Haters.
Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life by Upamanyu Chatterjee
A study of the extraordinary experiences of an ordinary man; a study of both the majesty and the banality of the spiritual path, this novel marks a new phase in the literary journey of one of India’s finest writers.
Choice by Neel Mukherjee
A scathing, compassionate quarrel with the world, which exposes the myths of individual choice, and confronts our fundamental assumptions about economics, race, appropriation and the tangled ethics of contemporary life.
James: The Powerful Reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Percivell Everrett
From the Pulitzer Prize Finalist comes a heartbreaking and powerful retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck’s friend, the enslaved Jim, who emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins.
Letting Go by Amrinder Bajaj
A story of an ageing couple faced with terminal disease. As the wife tries to care for the husband, past quarrels and a harrowing present come together to create a powerful tale of surviving crisis that, despite its despairing theme, is remarkably a vibrant, alive, and eventually a winning story.
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clark
A bewitching and haunting tale about a 19-year-old girl, who can talk to trees. Her life takes an irreversible turn when on one snowy afternoon, she encounters a blackbird and a fox.
No Place To Call My Own by Alina Gufran
This novel explores what it means to be a young Muslim South Asian woman today, through the story of Sophia, whose reckless but bold journey across her twenties coincides with the rise of religious divisions in 21st-century India, eerily mirrored in the disintegration of her parents’ interfaith marriage.
Shanghailanders by Juli Min
An illuminating rendering of family, which also paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of Shanghai itself—from the roads taken by a driver swerving past self-driving cars of the future, to the intimate apartments.
Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili
The story of Saba who follows a mysterious trail of clues left behind by his missing father Irakli, which leads him back to their homeland of Georgia, one that they fled 20 years ago.
Non-Fiction
The Watershed Year: Which Way Will India Go by P Chidambaram
As India prepares for the next Lok Sabha elections, this book looks back at the last 10 years of the BJP government during which it undertook widespread changes, while reminding us that democracy is not just voting once every five years, but has to be practised every day, through debate and dissent.
2024: India in Free Fall by Sanjay Jha
With the country set to go to the polls, the former Congress spokesperson raises urgent issues-from the othering of Muslim minorities and the bulldozing of citizens’ rights and even homes, to the surreptitious dismantling of the judiciary and the unfettered growth of crony capitalism and plutocracy.
Essays on Violence: Pollution, Sacrifice and Madness by Priyadarshini Vijaisri
It changes the way we think of caste ideologies, histories and academic representations by tracing how the “magico-religious” beliefs on pollution as a state of danger were transformed into notions of dirt, and presenting an alternative form and autonomous space for understanding ritual violence.
The Cobra’s Gaze: Exploring India’s Wild Heritage by Stephen Alter
Undertake a fascinating journey of discovery through the wild places to uncover multiple layers of meaning associated with the flora and fauna of the country’s woodlands, mountains, rivers, deserts, and coasts, and meet king cobras, snow leopards, rare crocodiles and blind dolphins, man-eating tigers and Kottigehara dancing frogs among others.
The Hindi Heartland by Ghazala Wahab
A comprehensive account of the Hindi heartland, which measures about a million sq km, sends the largest number of parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha, and has given the country more PMs than any other region, but is also home to some of the country’s poorest, most illiterate and crime-ridden districts.
Modern Hindutva Concepts for the 21st Century by Subramanian Swamy
This book seeks to articulate the rediscovery of Hinduism’s Sanatana Dharma, traditionally known as core Hindutva concepts developed in the last century, within the framework of the Constitution and Supreme Court judgements, and provides a fresh look at Hinduism.
Fraternity: Constitutional Norm and Human Need by Rajmohan Gandhi
Part of the Ideas of the Indian Constitution series, this engaging monograph examines the idea of fraternity, while emphasizing the need to uphold the constitutional norm of fraternity in our increasingly divided country.
Secularism: How India Reshaped the Idea by Nalini Rajan
It examines the tension between religious freedom and state intervention in India—a tension that comes with the idea of ‘principled’ state intervention in matters of religion, as mandated by the Constitution—in order to understand how a distinctive secularism shaped modern India.
The Demolition, The Verdict, And the Temple: The Definitive Book on the Ram Mandir Project by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay
A deliberation on whether the opening of the Ram Mandir is really the ‘Epilogue’—or a new chapter in the Ayodhya saga, and whether after the Ram temple fulfils the religious aspirations of hundreds of millions, how many in the country, especially those who wield political power, will remain mindful of the sensitivities of those who do not belong to dominant communities?
Health
Magic Pill: How the New Weight Loss Drugs Will Change Our World by Johann Hari
Borrowing from his own experiences, the author takes an investigative look at drugs promising weight loss, while analysing mankind's complex relationship with food and our bodies.
Dr Sid Says...: Weight Loss, Health Ka Boss by Dr Siddhant Bhargava and Azhar Bhabha
An entertaining and informative guide featuring detailed food and exercise plans and a step-by-step approach to weight loss.
The Hormone Shift: Navigate Menopause with Purpose and Power by Dr Tasneem Bhatia
The book breaks down what is happening behind the scenes in a woman’s body and explains how the wisdom of eastern modalities like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, when integrated in modern medical treatments, can help.
Unashamed: Notes from the Diary of a Sex Therapist by Neha Bhat
Borrowing from the stories of her patients, Bhat, who has been a sexual therapist for over a decade, attempts to break down the walls around the topic of sex and desiring it, in this part psychoeducational and part self-help book
Yuktahaar: The Superfoods by Munmun Ganeriwal
This book redirects the focus on gut health, and offers a 10-week holistic programme, consisting of season-wise meal plans, exercise routines and sleep hygiene tips, that will help achieve your wellness goals.
Food
Tasty Tiffins: 40 Easy and Delicious Meal Plans for Kids by Archana Doshi
A collection of thoughtfully curated tiffin plans featuring easy recipes—from the humble roti-sabzi lunches to fun continental fare—which will ensure your child is well-fed.
The Big Book of Everything Chocolate by Shivesh Bhatia
From the popular food blogger comes a behemoth collection of 100 recipes made with chocolate. From quick 15-minute chocolate bars to elaborate cakes, there’s something for everyone.
India’s most legendary restaurants edited by Ruth D’Souza Prabhu
A collection of stories behind the seven Indian restaurants—Paragon in Kozhikode, Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba in Murthal, Tunday Kababi in Lucknow, Peter Cat in Kolkata, Mavalli Tiffin Room in Bengaluru, Karim’s in Delhi, and Ram Ashraya in Mumbai—that made it to the 2023 Taste Atlas, featuring the 150 most legendary restaurants in the world, told by seasoned food writers.
Lazzatnama: The Taste of the Indian Food by Pushpesh Pant
The food connoisseur brings together the recipes for mouth watering dishes—baghare baigan, tchok wangen, potoler dhorma, bhapa doi—from across the country to show how our signature recipes have evolved.
The Sattvik Kitchen: The Art and Science of Eating Right by Hansaji Yogendra
In the second volume on sattvik food practices, the yogi, philanthropist and spiritual guru reintroduces the age-old remedies that can help us deal with modern-day health issues, using easy, wholesome yet delicious mouth-watering sattvik recipes.
Romance
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
When a 20-something Hera, going through an existential crisis, falls for her older and married colleague, Arthur, the stage is set for a perilous, hilarious and an eye-opener of a love story, which soon transforms into a lesson in self discovery
Not in Love By Ali Hazelwood
When in love, acceptance is easier than denial. This is a lesson that biotech engineer Rue Siebert and Elu Killgore, who wants to take over her company, learn by revisiting the opposites attract trope in this whirlwind of a forbidden romance.
All the Colours of the Dark By Chris Whitaker
The greatest love stories are the ones that remain unfulfilled, and Whitaker sets out to tell one such tale with this novel, which is a missing person’s mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story, with a unique twist on each.
The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada
Written originally in 1979, this Japanese novel translated to English by Cat Anderson, is an ode to self-love, expressed through the heartwarming story of a bookshop owner, who decided to join a meet-up site where people meet for 30-minute bursts to find romance, to breathe fresh life into her otherwise mundane existence.
Sports
Golden Sportspersons by Tanushree Podder
Featuring success stories of the likes of Neeraj Chopra, Abhinav Bindra, Bajrang Punia, Achinta Sheuli, Mary Kom and Hima Das, this is a collection of inspirational tales about the lives of ambitious and dauntless sportspersons from India, many with disadvantaged backgrounds, who refused to succumb to their circumstances and fulfilled their dreams.
The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay By Christopher Clarey
An intimate biography of one of tennis's living legends, which paints an inspiring portrait of the international sports star, based on the author’s interviews with Nadal and his coaches across different tournaments over the years.
Children’s Books
A Star Named Bibha and Other Stories by Anwesha Sengupta, Simantini Mukhopadhyay, Supurna Banerjee
A collection of short biographies of thirty such trailblazing women of India who have broken the glass ceiling, and done it in style. Read about Durgabai Kamat, Amrit Kaur, Amrita Pritam, Fatima Beevi and many other such inspiring women of India.
The Boy With a Hundred Questions Stories of Faith and Belief by Nalini Ramachandran
This is the story of Nine-year-old Shunya, whose biggest grouse is that his parents chose a name for him that means ‘zero’. Even as he takes all the jokes in his stride, when he loses his closest friend—his grandfather—he begins to question the ways of the universe, life and death, and faith and God.
How to be Happy by Ruskin Bond
From the beloved children’s author who has lived a wonderful life, comes a book full of simple advice on all the small and big things one can do to be happy and to make others happy too.
Our Potpourri World by Ranjit Lal
This is a book that breaks down the seemingly complex phenomenon of climate change into its basic elements-- mass deforestation, over-fishing, over exploitation of natural resources, pollution and more—and teaches the young minds what is making the planet increasingly uninhabitable.
The Incredible History of the Indian Revolution by Sanjeev Sanyal
The author’s 2023 bestselling book documenting India's struggle for freedom, not through usual perspective of the non-violent movement, but through the equally significant story of armed resistance to colonial occupation, has been adapted for children.
The Gutsy Girls Who Led India by Ilina Singh
A collection of stories of brave women warriors across the ages and from various regions of India. This collection of gutsy women warriors, queens and leaders includes Queen Didda of Kashmir, Queen Velu Nachiyar, Chand Bibi, Rani Laxmibai, Rani Durgavati among others.
The Chelo Chelo Series: The Rain Harvesters by Sylvia Sikundar
Part of a larger series, this book attempts to introduce important environmental issues to young readers such as water pollution, the harmful impact of pesticides, conservation of endangered species, recycling and deforestation through the story of two young children, their animal friends and family.
The Ghoul School by Vibha Batra
The story of a 10 -year-old ghost of a boy, goes to a school for ghouls, where he is learning how to scare the living daylights out of humans, haunt creaky crumbly old buildings, walk with his feet turned backwards, but he doesn’t want to do any of that. He has his heart set on becoming an entertainer, and maybe even making friends with a human.
The Chicken Pox Club Investigates by Shabnam Minwalla
Join Paromita Mehra, founder of the Chicken Pox Club, as she, along with the other unfortunate members of the club all afflicted by chicken pox, start an investigation following a shocking death in a Mumbai highrise
The Case of the Missing Turtles: An M4 Mystery by Mallika Ravikumar
The three children, Malhar, Meera, Mirchi, and the dog Munna make the M4. In their second case, they are pulled into the murky world of illegal wildlife trade and poaching. As they grapple with the case, they realize they are up against a dangerous poaching syndicate.
Persian Nights by Alaka Rajan Skinner
Set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, this graphic novel is gentle and subtle story of cultural identity and one’s sense of home, told through the journey of a young Indian girl, her father who is a professor, and their family, who relocate from India to Iran.
Everything Sucks by Andaleeb Wajid
When an unfortunate incident forces a popular influencer with a million followers and her aspiring Instagram star friend to unplug from their phones, they discover the opportunity to reevaluate their priorities in a world where authenticity is scarce and relationships are defined by likes and shares.
Cobra in My Kitchen and Other Adventures with Animals by Zai Whitaker
Giving you an insider’s view of the world of cobras and taipans, frogs and turtles, crocodiles, and lizards is naturalist and writer Zai Whitaker, taking you from Papua New Guinea to the Andaman Islands and from the Western Ghats to the east coast of India, where she lives.
A History of South India for Children by Pradeep Chakravarthy
Written in an easy style by theme, and peppered with illustrations, photographs and tips for museum or monument visits, this very first history of south India for children tells the thrilling and eventful story of the proud past of this large part of India.
Historical Fiction/non-fiction
How The World Made The West: A 4000 Year History by Josephine Quinn
The book argues that the true story of the West is bigger than the established paradigm, while calling for a major reassessment of the West and the concepts that define it.
India, Bharat and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey of a Divided Sacred Geography by J Sai Deepak
Book 3 in the Bharat Tetralogy series, it will apply the lens of decoloniality and take the discussion forward from the second book that covered the period from 1740 to December 1924. It will continue to track the journey of Christian and Islamic colonialities in Bharat, and also touch on the global developments that shaped the discourse on human rights and constitutionalism.
The Incarcerations by Alpa Shah
The bestselling and award-winning author of Nightmarch returns with an explosive book on the Bhima Koregaon case.
Battle of Vathapi series by Arun Krishnan
A well-researched and fast-paced historical saga in three parts, set in 7th-century India, depicts the conflict between the Chalukyas and the Pallavas for supremacy over South India.
The Lion and the Lily: Rise and Fall of Awadh by Ira Mukhoty
The story of how Awadh, through its begums and nawabs, negotiated the complex currents to establish a luminous court far from the chaos of the Mughal Delhi, and the unexpected ways in which French adventurers, soldiers and artists shaped this journey
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes
A thrilling, colourful narrative enriched with the latest archaeological discoveries, takes us through the landscapes of both ancient and modern time, compelling us to ask why we create.
First Encounters: How England and Mughal India Shaped the World by Lubaaba Al-Azami
An exploration of the broad diversity of the first English entrants to Indian shores, revealing a tempestuous and transformative period of England’s mercantile and global birth against the backdrop of a rising Indian imperial power.
The Idolaters by Manu Pillai
The book looks at India’s extraordinary past and the startling colonial connections that have shaped independent India’s narrative, while examining the influence of the West on Indian beliefs and culture and how its present self-image was conceived.
Babur: The Chessboard King by Aabhas Maldahiyar
Gripping, anecdotal and deeply researched, this book delves into Hindustan’s economic landscape during Timurid rule and portrays Babur as a multifaceted ruler, challenging the typical depiction of an infallible conqueror and a good human being
Crosswinds: Nehru, Zhou and the Anglo-American Rivalry Over China by Vijay Gokhale
This book recounts the story of how the sudden establishment of the People’s Republic of China impacted Asian geo-politics, and also tells the story of how the tensions between China and America complicated British policy in the Far East, and led to Anglo-American rivalry that, in turn, influenced India’s foreign policy.
CRIME
Razor Sharp: A Kutta Kadam Thriller by Ashwin Sanghi
Sanghi brings forth a dogged investigator in embittered ex-cop Prakash Kadam. It reminds one of Idris Elba’s Luther. When a serial killer stalks Mumbai, Kadam is perhaps the lone man who can bring the perpetrator to justice. Battling police sluggishness and antiquated forensics, he must find the killer before someone close to him gets hurt.
The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino
Fourth in the series, it brings the story of Detective Kaga to a conclusion. He faces an acid test as he takes on a murder case that has an uncanny similarity to his own mother’s death a decade ago. As Kaga gets down to doing what he does best, he cannot help but delve into his own past to arrive at unanswered questions long left festering.
Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander
In this knife-sharp debut thriller, the life of a girl—almost blessed by destiny—changes forever when a dark attack envelopes her elite graduate school, claiming the lives of many of her classmates. Years later, she must fight her past demons as they threaten to upset her present and unsettle her future. Will she have the courage to face the truth?
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
A fortune-teller tells a 17-year-old girl that one day she’d be murdered. After 60 long years, in which Frances Adams tries her best not to make the prophecy come true, one day she is indeed found killed. Her great-niece takes on the onerous task of finding the murderer, with some help from Frances’s legacy—a treasure trove of detective journals maintained over the years.
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham
The bestselling author, famous for his lawyer series, returns with a new thriller set on Camino Island. A resort developer wants to take over a cursed island. Almost deserted, actually. The lone inhabitant, Lovely Jackson, doesn’t plan to give in so easily. A breezy read, the story shows how the past is never too far to spring a surprise when you least expect it to.
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
It’s 1968 in southern Virginia, rocked by racism. A murder case shocks the city. Two lawyers—one white and the other Black—take on the unfair system to save their wrongfully-accused Black defendants. Reminiscent of A Time to Kill, the two lawyers are as different as chalk and cheese, but are bound by adversity. Will they manage to get the impossible done?
The Somnath Cipher by Priyanka Pathak Narain
As political events force a public debate about our history and we rewrite what we know about our stories, the book draws on documented history, accurate locations, real historical people to spin an alternate fiction that is bound to capture popular imagination with its riveting plot and cast.
The Black Orphan by S Hussain Zaidi
Inspired by true events, this is a tale of love, terror and revenge where a daring officer, who specializes in taking down terrorists, and a fiery young lawyer who defends those wrongfully arrested on terrorism charges lock horns in the courtroom and outside.
A Nest of Vipers at the Bangalore Circus by Harini Nagendra
Sari-clad sleuth Kaveri Murthy is back in the third instalment of the Bangalore Detectives Club series, where she’s chased by police and thugs through Bangalore, as she searches for clues to a vanished man.
Self-help
The Winner’s Mindset by Shane Watson
The champion cricketer gives readers a window to his personal journey to discovering a way to tap into his skillset at will. He makes his case using in-game experiences, scientific methodology and an easy-to-understand mental skills framework.
The Longevity Factor: How Nas Daily’s Nuseir Yassin Transformed Himself and So Can You by Jitendra Chouksey
Through the transformative journey of Nuseir Yassin, a global influencer with a staggering following of over 70 million, this book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to take control of their lives and add meaningful years to their journey.
Your Pocket Therapist by Annie Zimmerman
Delve into your past to identify old, unhelpful patterns as advised by psychotherapist and TikTok personality Dr Annie Zimmerman, who will help heal past trauma.
Translations
When the Earth Bloomed by Manoj Kuroor, translated by J Devika
Set 2,000 years ago in the landscape of Tamilakam (modern day Kerala and Tamil Nadu), a community of bards travels the land in search of a runaway child. As the mystery of what happened to Mayilan unfolds, the bards walk through the five landscapes of classical Sangam poetry, meeting famous kings and poets beloved to this day.
Maria, Just Maria by Sandhya Mary, translated by Jayasree Kalathil
A thought provoking look at the question of identity told through the story of a Syrian Christian girl in Kerala, who finds herself dissociating from the reality around her following the death of her grandfather, who was her sole companion
Talashnama by Ismail Darbesh, translated by V Ramaswamy
Originally written in Bengali, this novel that is at once a thriller and a piercing look at society began as a series of facebook posts. It takes an introspective look at the complexities of the Bengali Muslim society, and the misunderstanding of politics within it.
How to Love in Sanskrit by Suhas Mahesh, translated by Anusha Rao
A delightful book of translations of Sanskrit love poetry that navigates through nursing a broken heart, brewing the metaphorical love potion, turning a beloved someone and more.
Your Utopia by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur
A collection of stories of loss and discovery, idealism and dystopia, death and immortality told in the author’s sometimes haunting, sometimes gross and at all times funny voice.
The Thief: The True Story of Manianpillai's Life by Manianpillai with G.R Indugopan, translated by Nandakumar K
The mind boggling true story of a thief, who fled from Kerala to the neighbouring state of Karnataka, established a tobacco business there, became a multimillionaire, and then went on being wooed by political parties.
You M Mukundan translated by Nandakumar K
Unnikrishnan's debut novel is an instant success, but hemmed in and threatened by intolerant forces, he is rendered mute. And then he drops off the map. Many decades later, he returns to hold a press conference at which he announces that he will die on a specific day of the following month.
The Meat Market and Other Stories by Mashiul Alam, translated by Shabnam Nadiya
The first English volume of this Bengali author’s work features stories based on encounters between ordinary people, which transcend into the unexpected and surreal world of alternate realities in ways that leave the reader feeling uncanny yet comfortable
Mithun Number Two and Other Mumbai Stories by Jayant Kaikini, translated by Tejaswini Niranjana
The second collection in the series brings you the extraordinary tales of ordinary people like the trapeze artiste of Diamond Circus, a little village boy working as a domestic helper with a city family, a differently abled girl whose brother wants her quota STD booth, the ageing owner of a used furniture shop who sees a woman coming out of his mirror, and a chawl boy who sets up a kite business.
Podcasts
A Piece of Cake with Gregg Wallace
In this health and lifestyle podcast, host Greg Wallace, also a former dessert man, is joined by experts in the wellness and self-development space, who share easy-to-follow advices to get your fitness journey up and running.
Murder 101
Quite like the podcast in the series Only Murders in the Building, this is a crime thriller audio show that promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. It is set in a small Tennessee town, and follows the investigation of a group of highschool students to catch a serial killer.
Tortoise Investigates
An AmazonMusic production, this brings together the best of investigative journalism—from anti-vax movements to the ‘bare-knuckle’ romance between Donald Trump and Rudy Guilaiani, and a mother’s fight for justice for her daughter’s murder.
Business & Tech
Our Future is Biotech by Andrew Craig
A quick and engaging guide from a biotech expert on how innovation and research in the field is redefining human life by making it healthier, safer, wealthier and happier. It also lays the ground for what the future of biotech is and how interested investors can profit from it.
The Venture Mindset: How to Make Smarter Bets and Achieve Extraordinary Growth by Ilya Strevulaev and Alex Dang
A transformative playbook for delivering extraordinary results in modern organisations, from a Stanford professor and a technology executive. It features nine principles that promise extraordinary results, no matter the industry.
The Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul by Kurt Wagner
Featuring expansive research and exclusive interviews, this account by the Bloomberg journalist not just unravels the fight over the world’s most influential social media platform, but also exposes the messy reality that come with building a global social network.
Our Next Reality: How the AI-powered Metaverse Will Reshape the World by Alvin Graylin and Louis Rosenberg
The book takes ahead the AI story that’s been in the making, presenting the pros and cons of an AI-driven future and looks at whether the new world we're creating will be a technological utopia or dystopia, and the best way forward.
Mastering the Data Paradox by Nitin Seth
It deep dives into the numerous possibilities that come with the advent of the AI age, where data, which has already become a central driving force, shaping industries and fuelling innovation, comes first, and how it can be used to create a better tomorrow for individuals, enterprises and the world.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Can’t by Shinie Antony
A fantastical and thought provoking story about existence told through the story of an eccentric woman, who survives on water capsules, because water burns her skin, speaks several languages, and rejoices in retelling stories about her husband's lovers.
Shakchunni by Arnab Ray
A fantastical tale set in colonial Bengal that brings to life the Bengali lore about the demon that possesses married women. Told against the backdrop of the Bengal famine, the tale follows the awakening of the Shakchunni, who is unleashed when Narayanpratap, one of the two sons of the Raibahadur Banerjee, the lord of Shyamalpur, is married to the poor but ethereally beautiful Soudamini.
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
An enchanting and unforgettable historical mystery, which explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. This is a novel about dead bodies found in the snow, a mother seeking revenge, and old folk tales that may very well be true.
The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness
In this highly anticipated new novel in the All Souls series, Diana and Matthew’s epic tale continues as Diana, who meets her father’s family—the Proctors of Ipswich, Massachusetts—for the first time, must travel back in time to discover the origins of the darkness within her self, and her family.