Hi friends,
Thank you once again for writing back with your list of amazing books. I started this exercise in April as more and more people were asking me for book recommendations.
Reading habits are like eating habits. All that “Midnight Diner” and “Jiro dreams of Sushi”, even MasterChef series is about fine writing.
We are weaving into our individual taste in good processes- be it words or ingredients. So I thought I’d ask around as to what my fellow readers were consuming.
Ultimately what you consume builds you or breaks you down.
Here are some lists that my students and friends were reading. Please kindly share with all those who love food for the soul.
The list will continue to grow as our taste changes and adapts.
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1. Master Reader Sonam Ukyab. My childhood friend from school. Stays in New York and reads a lot (has abandoned physical books- only e-reader).
Fitness, books and movie buff – in that order (I think).
· Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing
· The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
· The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
· American Prometheus - J Rober Oppenheimer
· Hunger - Knut Hamsun
· Disgrace - JM Coetzee
· Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby
· Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
· Long Walk To Freedom - Nelson Mandela
· The White Tiger - Arvind Adiga
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2. Khedup Gyelek. Former student. Now a University Professor in Thailand- English Department. Writes. Have read his drafts. Influenced by Magic Realism.
· The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy Douglas Adams (the whole series).
· The Barn’s Wondrous Caper Sarnath Banerjee (Graphic Novel)
· 100 years of Solitude G. Marquez
· A House for Mr. Biswas V.S. Naipaul
· Catcher in the Rye J.D Salinger
· The adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
· Kafka on the shore H. Marukami
· Animal Farm G. Orwell
· The Empire writes back (non-fiction)
· The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes Jamyang Norbu
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3. Maahin E Alam. My student and co-editor. Now heading over to UBC.
Designing addict and an avid reader.
· The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
· 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
· The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro
· Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
· And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini
· The Glass Palace - Amitav Ghosh
· To kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
· Ghare Baire - Rabindranath Tagore
· The Fifth Mountain - Paulo Coelho
· The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
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4. Raman Mohora -former student and protégé.
Final year at St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi. President of the Student’s Union.
Avid reader and a great human being. Going to change it all for the better.
· To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
This coming of age novel confronted us with uncomfortable questions about racism,
prejudice and the nature of morality.
· City of Djinns – William Dalrymple
This book served as my beginner’s guide to Delhi as I had read it right before moving into the city. Dalrymple explores the city of Delhi and its past through interesting anecdotes and the lives of the many people he meets there. This book made me fall in love with Delhi.
It is a must-read for students who want to study in Delhi.
· 1984 – George Orwell
If Animal Farm is the appetizer in a full course Orwellian meal, 1984 is fit for the main course. This book talks of a dystopian totalitarian surveillance state which, although seemed far-fetched when I first read it, is alarmingly turning into reality. Read it if you don’t believe me, but let me remind you, ‘Big Brother may be watching!’.
· Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree – Tariq Ali
This book is based on the Reconquista (reconquering) of Islamic Spain by the Christian forces, in particular, the Kingdom of Granada, where a Muslim family is faced with the fear of impending eviction amidst increasing intolerance.
It serves as a grim reminder that history tends to repeat itself if we do not learn from it.
· The Hungry Tide – Amitav Ghosh
The Hungry Tide has a human touch to it as is characteristic of other works by the author.
It is a tale of displacement of refugees and is set in the Sundarbans. Just like the intermingling of the river and the sea in the delta, the novel brings together the lives of a foreigner, an urban man and a native and along with it - the question of identity.
· Muna Madan - Laxmi Prasad Devkota
Muna Madan is a Nepali epic composed in the ‘Jhyaure’ folk tradition and struck a chord
in my heart with its lyrical quality. It is a tale of love and longing between two lovers
forced into separation by poverty and the promise of a better life. Economic migration is a hard reality for most of us. For non-Nepali readers, an English translation of the book by Padma Devkota is also available.
· India After Gandhi – Ramachandra Guha
This book documents the history of India in a straightforward fashion. This book is easy on the reader as Guha simplifies the many strands of our past without losing out on the complexity of the various factors and processes which make up our incredibly diverse nation.
· Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller
Brilliant specimen of American theatre. Ironically, this play was a scathing attack on capitalism or the ‘American Dream’ . It considers capitalism as a fruitless pursuit and shows the tragic hero as a victim of this ‘oppressive’ system.
· Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
This book, like 1984, is relevant now more than ever. In a world which is getting increasingly intolerant and where dissent is discouraged, this book ‘ignited’ in me, a passion to fight for self-expression and the right to dissent.
· The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
This book makes it to my list as it was one of those books which left me with more questions than answers after having read it. This book makes you question the basis of your beliefs. While I do not agree totally with the arguments Dawkins puts forth, this book did help foster a spirit of debate, tolerance and scientific enquiry in me.
Honorary mention:
· Animal Farm – George Orwell
· A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924
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5. YPG – Yash Palzang Gurung, another former student. History Honours from St. Xavier’s Mumbai. Back home now in Sikkim. Doing good for his fellow citizens.
· War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy(F):
Profound reflection on human nature. Fictionalised history of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
· Identity by Francis Fukuyama(NF):
All those thoughts about identity that you felt but couldn’t articulate.
· World Order by Henry Kissinger(NF):
A beginner’s guide to International Relations.
· Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger(F):
Holden Caulfield’s short adventure after escaping from his boarding school.
· Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway(F):
A man goes fishing. Hemingway got the Nobel Prize for this.
· Idea of India by Sunil Khilnani(NF):
Dissects India into 4 tropes. Essential reading for History and Political Science.
· Broken Ladder by Anirudh Krishna(NF):
Amongst the best books to understand Poverty in India. And, maybe, a way forward.
· The Godfather by Mario Puzo(F): Better than the movie.
· Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Mark Weatherford (NF)
Genghis Khan is too often condemned as a barbarian who only pillaged and looted.
This necessary work explains his secular side and how his empire was built on more
than just violence.
· Goldfinch by Donna Tart (F):
A unique take on the idea of love.
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6. Master Reader when it comes to books. A dear friend in Kalimpong.
Teacher - Physics. Huge influence on many including me.
His reading list will be unmatched. Try.
Am limiting to non -fiction.
· Debt - The First 5000 years. David Grabber.
An anthropological investigation into the origin of debt and money.
A magisterial book that upends many theories about economics.
· Micro motives and Macro behaviour. Thomas Shelling.
A book that explains human behaviour.
How small decisions by random individuals scale up and become
- riots , epidemics etc. Influenced other books like Tipping Point & Freakonmics.
· The Periodic Table - Primo Levi.
A beautiful short autobiographical book that takes a humane, humorous reflection on the travails faced by the author ( an Italian Jew) in the hands of the Nazis.
· Faustus in Copenhagen- Gino Segre .
1932 was the miracle year of physics. It was also in this year when the top physicists of the time come to Copenhagen on the invitation of a father like Neils Bohr to work, socialise, gossip and enact a play. It focuses on the lives of 7 physicists - Heisenburg , Pauli, Dirac etc. But it’s also a prescient book anticipating the bad years to follow.
· Undercover Economist - Tim Hartford
Another brilliant book on game theory. In lucid language it analyses the dynamics of everyday decision making and policy formulation.
· The Drunkards Walk - Leonard Mlodinov
A lucid book on the history probability theory that ask explains why things aren’t always what they seem.
· Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb
Another book on probability theory and it’s application in every day life. Explains how human mind sees patterns when there are none and gives rise to superstitions,
explanations and rationalisations.
· Antifragile- Nassim Taleb
Explains how stress makes stronger. A cantankerous book that derives it’s erudition
from ancient books , fractal theories of Mandelbrot etc.
· Skin in the Game - Nassim Taleb
Explains the malaise of modern bureaucracy that makes policy decisions for matters
whose downsides and risks they don’t share. Has a soft corner for the entrepreneur who has maximum skin in the game and oxygenate the economic eco system.
The above three books are part of the four book series called Incerto ( uncertainty in Greek). The second book being The Black Swan
· The Emperor of Maladies - Siddartha Mukerjee
A brilliant book that investigates the history of cancer and mankind’s effort to
come to terms with it and cure it. Is about science , humanity and policy politics.
A very easy riveting read.
· Thinking, fast and slow- Daniel Kahneman
A book that explores the mind and it’s twin paradigms of decision making and choices.
Also gives a vocabulary or pithy terminology for explains decisions.
· Owning the Earth - Andro Linklater
A sweeping magisterial book that tries to investigate the origins and concept of owning a piece of land. Not as simple as it sounds.
· Steven Storgatz - Sync
A study that investigates harmony of systems in the universe. From Circadian rhythm , to misfiring cells during epileptic attacks, superconductivity to the harmonious ordering of the glowing of random fireflies , the book explains all.
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7. Karan Amin. Delhi. My college buddy and roomie. Entrepreneur and a reader.
Balances both.
· The Shining - Stephen King
A recovering out of work alcoholic trying to write a book, takes up a job of maintaining a hotel during winter break. He travels to this desolate place with wife & son. Little he knows about the horrors that await him.
· Conqueror Series (5 books) - Conn Iggulden
A historical account of the mighty Genghis Khan. There is no better series written.
· Taipan - James Clavell
A story about a fight of supremacy between 2 business houses in British era Hong Kong.
· Shall we tell the President - Jeffrey Archer
FBI fouls an assassination attempt on the President.
· Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth
A thriller till the last page, this one is about Jackal an assassin out to target the French president De Gaulle.
· River God & The Seventh Scroll - Wilbur Smith
Interwoven stories. River God about ancient Egypt in times of Pharoah’s & seventh Scroll about modern day archeological journey of Egypt.
· The Bourne Series - Robert Ludlum
A series about James Bourne. A government assassin has gone rouge. Or has he?
· In the name of the Father - A.J Quinell
Vatican’s effort to foil an assassination attempt on the Pope, but Russians.
· The Century Trilogy - Ken Follet
Fall of Giants, Winter of the world & Edge of eternity
The trilogy follows five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh through various times in the 20th century
· Black Widow - Daniel Silva
Mossad’s Gabriel Allon launches an operation against ISIS terrorists at heart of blast in Paris.
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8. Samdup Dorji Lama, just finished 10 years in North Point.
A brilliant scholar who has tons of opinions due to his reading habit,
and much to the chagrin of his debate opponents.
· The Namesake- Jhumpa Lahiri.
The first of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novels, this tale of an Indian family torn between retaining their ‘desi’ connection and adjusting to their new life in suburban America is surely worth a read. It eloquently depicts the journey of a man in search of his identity only to realize that he had been running away from it the whole time.
· The Fault in Our Stars-John Green: An insightful novel that explores the notion of living life to the fullest. It is the story of cancer-ridden girl, Hazel, whose life takes a unexpected turn when she meets Augustus Waters at her Cancer Kid Support Group. Surely a great read for the romantics among us!
· The Glass Palace- Amitav Ghosh:
The ‘Glass Palace’ is a poignant and spectacular multi-generational saga that encompasses the fall of empires, the struggle for freedom and the horrors of war in our beloved subcontinent. It all begins with a stateless orphan, Rajkumar, who falls in love with Dolly, a royal chambermaid, while toiling in Mandalay. Then enfolds what is truly a monumental and magnificent epic.
· Jonathan Livingston Seagull-Richard Bach:
This novella by Bach (no, not the composer) revolves around a seagull who detests mediocrity and aims at attaining the highest echelon of accomplishment in flight. It is a story of self-belief and self determination that is inspirational to the core.
· The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald:
One of the finest works by Fitzgerald, ‘The Great Gatsby’ is undoubtedly a true American Classic. Set during the Roaring Twenties in glamorous New York City, the novel primarily focuses on the romance between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan and the impediments they face in their affair. However, the novel is much more than a simple love story. It is also a reflection on the hollowness of a life which is filled with over –indulgence and debauchery.
· Stay Hungry Stay Foolish- Rashmi Bansal:
The book narrates the fascinating stories of 25 IIM Ahmedabad graduates who went on to become trailblazers in their respective domains. Though they took different paths to success, the one thing that bound them was their belief in the power of their dreams.
This book will surely appeal to the entrepreneur in you!
· 21 Lessons for the 21st Century- Yuval Noah Harari:
An insightful offering by Harari aims to address some of the most urgent questions
concerning today’s global agenda such as the advent of populism, the Trump phenomenon and even the fate of the planet itself. Harari has aimed at providing some clarity on these issues and to engage the readers in a discussion regarding the future of our species.
· The Argumentative Indian- Amartya Sen:
A must-read for all Indians and ‘Indophiles’, the book discusses the long pioneering
tradition of debate and deliberation that is a distinguishing feature of our Indian identity.
It has highlighted a ‘kaleidoscope of ideas and subjects’ dealing with the idea of India.
· The Verdict- Prannoy Roy and Dorab R. Sopariwala:
This is a book that will enthrall those who have a keen interest in all things political.
Two of the sharpest psephological minds of India collaborated to produce this brilliant work on ‘The Great Indian Elections’. Packed with a load of detailed statistics and complimented by a lucid explanation, this book explores various aspects of the largest electoral democracy in the world.
· A Brief History of Time- Stephen Hawking:
A New York Times Bestseller, ‘A Brief History of Time’ delves into our understanding
of the universe and tries to explain where we came from and where we are headed.
Written in a clear and accessible style, the book can be enjoyed by even readers with
no prior knowledge of the subject. It is truly a masterpiece by one of the brightest minds of the 20th Century.
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9. The following lists were sent by two students of class 10 in Darjeeling (2020).
Readers and thinkers. Their reading list is reposes my faith in power of the WORD.
Student 1
· Endless Night ~Agatha Christie
This book is somewhat inspired by William Blake's auguries of innocence, these lines to be exact : ~"every night and every morn ,
Some to misery are born,
every morn and every night,
Some are born to sweet delight
some are born to sweet delight
some are born to endless night
It portrays a rather cryptic interpretation of the above lines and has a well scripted and thoroughly compelling and enjoyable storyline.
· The Alchemist ~ Paolo Coelho
Coelho illustrates a colossally panoramic picture in the most magnificent way conceivable,
as we embark on a journey with the young boy we learn to listen to and follow our hearts
and pursue our dreams
· All the Light we cannot see ~Anthony Doer
Set amid the consequential WW2 this books provides the readers a dynamic perspective
and implores contemplation.
· Wuthering Heights ~Emily Bronte
Written in a manner that evokes the manifestation of both emotions and pragmatism, this is book is what I deem a must read
· A little Princess by Frances H. Burnett / Heidi ~Books that made me cry as a child and
taught me to persevere and be resilient but most importantly it taught me the value of family.
· The Book Thief ~Markus Zusak
Follows the journey of many individuals during the WW2.This book personifies Death who acts as a narrator of the tale. A book about love, friendship, resilience and humanity( and a girl with an affinity for books)
· Pride and Prejudice ~Jane Austen
Teaches us how imprudent being impetuous is. The characters show ,I think personally ,
exemplary character developments ( especially in Darcy's case).
· The Goose Girl ~Brothers Grimm / Shannon Hale
Originally written by the Grimm brothers and retold by Shannon Hale this is a fairytale that has depth of character. It follows the story of a betrayal and of the strength that is required to overcome it .
· The art of dancing in the rain ~Garth Stein /A dogs purpose ~W. Bruce Cameron
Books that are about finding happiness in little things and navigating through life and find its purpose.
· The handmaid's tale ~ Margaret Atwood
Set against the backdrop of a dystopian totalitarian world this book is about valuing
the freedom we take for granted and about how a single thought that raises awareness
is enough to spark a revolution that is potent enough to change not just the present
but the future no matter how painstakingly slow the liberation may seem though most people wouldn't agree with me on this. It serves sometimes as an admonishing to stay wary of people who exploit our rights if we wish to prevent the advent of such a devastatingly fastidious future.
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10. Student 2
· Originally El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha,
later translated as The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, or simply,
Don Quixote ~Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two volumes.
The first volume: 1605,1612(translated). The second volume:1615,1620(translated)
The story of a Hidalgo, Alonso Quixano, who having devoured innumerable chivalric romances, sets out on an adventure to restore order in the world, under the name Don Quixote, along with his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, who responds to Quixote's out fashioned sermons on knighthood with wit and pragmatism. It is a very fascinating story, where the knight errant(Don Quixote) visits an inn imagining it to be a castle, chases windmills believing them to be Giants and steals a barber's basin mistaking it to be the mythic Mambrino's helmet among other absurdities.
· Origin ~Dan Brown
A science fiction in the Robert Langdon series, published in 2017, this book answers the
following questions and I quote "Where do we come from? Where are we going?"This book provides with an explanation to how the organisms were born, and how,if we could speed up the time, we would be able to create life by creating a primordial soup with some compounds, if I am not wrong.
· Black Beauty ~Anna Sewell
This book fills the heart of the readers with love, kindness and sympathy for animals. It is a story of a young colt, who, while growing up, faces hardships, and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness, and later, near the end of the story, when he becomes very old, reunites with James Howard, who used to be Black Beauty's old master's squire, who used to treat him with love.
· The Invisible Man ~H.G. Wells
I loved this novella for its grotesqueness, more than anything. However, I believe this book deserves to be read rather than retold.
· The lottery ticket~ Anton Chekov
It is, according to what I think, related to how the people are, when it comes to money. The husband and wife in this story, start to despise each other, believing that the other
one would spend the money won by the lottery ticket, in a manner that is not suitable for the same, but later on, they realize that they hadn't even won the ticket.
· The Odyssey ~Homer
The journey of a king called Odysseus who returns after the victory in the Trojan War, but faces difficulties, when he blinds Poseidon's son, a cyclops, telling him that he is "nobody" but later on overconfidently, mentioning his name. He later on reunites with his wife, Polyphemus, and his son, and the king and his son, kill every suitor who had come to woo Polyphemus, believing that Odysseus was dead, for in any case, he had been away from his home for more than twenty years.
· The Shiva Trilogy ~Amish Tripathi
There are three books in this series, namely, The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas, and The Oath of the Vayuputras. I love this series because it shows that women, whom the society perceives as weak, can be warriors, through the twin sisters -Kali and Sati. This book also shows Shiva as a human but an exceptional warrior, very much different from what we see in the Hindu Mythology.
· The Alchemist ~Paulo Coelho
This book relates to how a person finds a treasure when he follows his dreams.
It makes you believe that you must never give up on your dreams, and must be ready to fight for it, no matter how hard it seems to be.
· The Divergent series ~Veronica Roth
According to my perception, this book tells us that whatever we see around us, is not the only truth. Thus, we must be ready to perceive something that is totally different from our world.
· Sita -Warrior of Mithila. (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series)~Amish Tripathi
This book is very feministic, and shows Sita as a warrior princess instead of a person
who depends on others for her survival, as is shown in the traditional story. Sita is very muscular and can even lift the Bow of Shiva,very easily, which even the great warriors had failed to lift. She was a good administrator and also, a prime minister in Janak's court.
Amish has described her as a "Gorkha Princess".
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