“As a reader, I’m a time traveller, a voyager. When I read, I dive deep into other minds, discover the shape of someone else’s thoughts, revisit experiences through other people’s passions, see them refracted. Reading shows us that horizons are not limits, but gateways,” says Ranjit Hoskote, poet and author, Jonahwhale.
10 books you need to devour this month:
CALYPSO, David Sedaris, HachetteThis book of essays is all observational humour underscored by musings on life and death. It is a misanthrope at his best, and Sedaris manages to shock, disturb and offend in the best way possible.
LESS, Andrew Sean Greer, HachetteWinner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this laugh-out-loud satire follows the journey of a jaded, (almost) famous 50-year-old novelist who hits the road (and goes to almost any means) to avoid attending the wedding of his ex-boyfriend.
A PLACE FOR US, Fatima Farheen Mirza, Penguin Random HouseThe first publication by actor Sarah Jessica Parker under her SJP for Hogarth imprint, this debut time-jumps between the old world and the new, as an Indian-American Muslim family gathers for a wedding. Contemporary culture and faith collide in a story that ultimately transcends religion to become a universal portrait of family life.
THE OUTSIDER, Stephen King, HachetteIn the horror maestro’s latest, a baseball coach is arrested for a young boy’s murder. King’s supernatural elements mix with contemporary politics — Black Lives Matter and Make America Great Again — to make this a page-turner.
GOODBYE FREDDIE MERCURY, Nadia Akbar, Penguin Random HouseThis electrifying debut from across the border tells the story of another Lahore: that of drug-laced love triangles and insidious political power play, all stitched together by Akbar’s sparkling, witty prose.
SHARP: THE WOMEN WHO MADE AN ART OF HAVING AN OPINION, Michelle Dean, HachetteJump into the minds of Susan Sontag, Joan Didion, Nora Ephron and other noted women writers who transformed much of the cultural milieu of the 20th century through their work. Recommended reading for aspiring essayists.
POLITE SOCIETY, Mahesh Rao, Penguin Random HouseWhat goes on behind the closed doors of south Delhi society? The protagonist Ania Khurana, intent on playing matchmaker to the powerful, cracks the door open as she takes us through the outrageous parties and the goings-on of the city’s super rich.
WARLIGHT, Michael Ondaatje, Penguin Random HouseIn 1940s London, Nathaniel and his sister Rachel are abandoned by their parents and taken in by a man known as The Moth. It is only 12 years later that Nathaniel begins to piece together the fragments.
THE EMPTY ROOM, Sadia Abbas, ZubaanTrapped in a bad marriage, a painter tries to hold her life together in the turbulent Karachi of the ’70s, as violence and political instability tear through the city.
21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, Yuval Noah Harari, Penguin Random HouseThe man behind last year’s runaway hit, Homo Deus: A Brief History Of Tomorrow, returns with a non-fiction read that addresses what is really happening around the world right now. If you want to be informed on everything from fake news and populism to raising your kids right, this is for you.
4 books on Ranjit Hoskote’s shelf:
Indica, Pranay Lal
Nets of Awareness, Frances W Pritchett
The Foreigner, Richard Sennett
What Painting Is, James Elkins