Hello!
Today I want to list my Top Indian Reads of 2017. I always try to read as diversely as I possibly can but truth be told, Indian Books are the ones I tend to enjoy the most.
Indian Books are my go to reads in general. I am always happy to slip into a book that has a familiar setting and take little effort to imagine the world. Plus we have so many talented writers in India whose work I immensely enjoy.
So let's see the Indian Books I Loved Best in 2017.
(In no particular order)
1. Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry/// A poignant story about the community of Parsi corpse bearers and their trials and sufferings. Wonderful written and thought provoking. I loved this book.
You can read my full review HERE.
2. Landour Days by Ruskin Bond/// This book which is part journal entries and wisdom and beautiful illustrations. A glimpse into a writer's process and his thoughts. Plus, I read this book when I was in Landour which made it even more special.
Full review can be found HERE.
3. Death Under The Deodars///A collection of mystery short stories. I mentioned this book in my Top Thriller Reads as well and you can find a full review HERE.
4. Zoon by Selina Sen/// Film making, Kashmir and the dark clouds of terrorism and love.
A compelling read that I am so glad I chanced upon.
Well written and enjoyable and even though I am not the biggest fan of love stories, the romance in this book of both the lead characters and of the historical characters made for interesting read.
I did a full review HERE.
5. The Lonely Monarch by Sunil Gangopadhyay/// I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Set in the theatre scene of Calcutta in the 1920s about an actor and his rise to the top as well as his personal life struggles. Beautifully written and deeply engaging.
A full review can be found HERE.
I can't wait to read more Sunil Ganguly.
6. Penumbra by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay & 7. Here Falls the Shadow by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay/// Discovering these murder mysteries from Bhaskar Chattopadhyay were some of my reading highlights of 2017. These books are old school delights. I can't recommend these enough! Incredible books and reminiscent of classic stories of Feluda and Byomkesh. So good!
Reviews for each of these books can be found here.
8. Pinjar by Amrita Pritam/// is an incredibly powerful story about a woman and her journey in life and her struggles during the partition. It was an amazing read. I've seen the movie ages ago and it was quite nice. The book is so much more and so honest and beautifully written.
9. The Adivasi Won't Dance by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar/// A collection of short stories based in and about Jharkhand. Powerful, poignant and so important. I loved every single story in this collection. Fantastic!
10. Kathputli by Ushasi Sen Basu/// One woman. Two lives. Three generations. Four places.
Chitrangda Chatterjee, 32, has been moving from one dead-end offshore job to another. Kathputli’s story begins after Chitrangda has quit her latest job and sets out in search of the perfect story for her Great Indian Novel.
This takes her to a family reunion of her grandmother’s clan, where a story of the long-lost daughter of a once-powerful Zamindar family begins to take shape.
Unravelling the mystery of Mala’s disappearance a few years after the brutal murder of the boy she loved becomes an obsession for Chitrangda. One which draws Chitrangda out of her shell; and introduces her to the unaccustomed joys of getting to know new people and places. What emerges, however, undermines the very foundation of Chitrangda’s understanding of her own family.
The novel goes back and forth between Chitrangda’s present-day search for all the missing pieces of Mala’s story and the story itself, set in 1940s Kolkata.
I loved this book and the story of generations it takes you on. I didn't want to put this book down it was so good!
Highly recommend.
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