The ‘Readers’ Recommend List’ is a community-curated listicle of must-reads, handpicked by our passionate readers.
Hey there book lovers!
We took to our Twitter to find out what books you’re currently devouring and wow, you came through! The responses were delightful and we’d love for the world to discover your favourite titles. So here’s a list of your highly recommended books, handpicked by fellow reading enthusiasts like you. Read on!
@NotSo_Debonair:
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
“This was the trouble with families. Like invidious doctors, they knew just where it hurt.”
A stunning novel that explores themes of love, loss, and social injustice in a lush and evocative prose. Roy creates a nonlinear narrative that mirrors the nonlinear nature of memory and human experience, challenging the reader to consider the ways in which we construct our own realities and make sense of the world around us.
@Ankitkejriwal92:
Manjhi’s Mayhem by Tanuj Solanki
“This was another thing with the middle class: the big things happening in their lives could be seen on their cars.”
A tight mystery and anti-hero who refuses to back down make this noir crime thriller – with broken noses, bloody heads, and murder – an explosive novel. Unputdownable and full of wit in equal measure, it makes some sharp observations on the middle class in India.
@anjaliagarwal05:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”
This historical fiction novel takes you on a journey through the glamorous and turbulent world of Old Hollywood, as seen through the eyes of a legendary actress. Fun fact: The character of Evelyn Hugo is based on a combination of real-life Hollywood legends like Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford, and Marilyn Monroe.
@gojiberriiii:
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
“I don’t want loose women in my family, he had cautioned all his daughters. Warnings were delivered communally, for even though there was usually the offending daughter of the moment, every woman’s character could use extra scolding.”
Based on Alvarez’s own experiences as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, the novel offers a powerful commentary on identity, culture, and family through the eyes of four sisters who emigrate from the Dominican Republic to the United States. Alvarez’s writing is both witty and poignant.
@aniscapular:
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
“The need for personal glory is like cigarette addiction: a habit that feels life-sustaining even as it kills you.”
The story follows a number of characters as they grapple with Bix Bouton’s revolutionary technology, “Own Your Unconscious”—a device that allows people to upload and share their memories. Egan’s writing is both vivid and haunting, and the story will leave you questioning the nature of reality and the power of the mind.
@megha_raha:
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Is there any place we’re not moving through? Disoriented, lost, at sea, at odds, astray, adrift, bewildered, confused, uprooted, turned around. I’m related to these related terms. These words are my abode, my only foothold.”
The book’s unique structure, told through a series of brief vignettes, offers a fresh perspective on the genre of the novel and creates a powerful and evocative reading experience. Fun fact: Lahiri wrote the book in Italian and then translated it herself into English, which adds an extra layer of linguistic richness to the text. The Italian title is called “Dove Mi Trovo”.
@theblahcksheep:
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
“Fictions could be as powerful as histories, revealing the new people to themselves, allowing them to understand their own natures and the natures of those around them, and making them real.”
This is an epic tale of a woman named Pampa Kampana who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries. Brilliantly narrated in the style of an ancient epic, Victory City is a saga of love, adventure, and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.
Happy reading!
