Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I’ll have a long beard by the time I read them.
-Arnold Lobel
For lovers of books, a bookstore is nothing short of a heaven. Reading a book in its physical form or reading one on Kindle or Nook, words are enough to get the reader glued to the pages or the screen alike. While Einstein says that reading is a way to improve our thinking, he is also of the view that when intention meets knowledge, we get inspired- inspired to read even more! Couple your inspiration with the quest for learning more and you’ve got a secret recipe that’ll keep your soul nourished and motivated for life.
We have compiled a list of books to look forward to in 2019 and we’re sure they’ll distend your interest and will be a delight for the book lovers across the globe.
1.‘The Scent of God’ by Saikat Majumdar
The book is Majumdar’s third novel, which is set in an elite all boys’ boarding school in the late 20th century India. The protagonist, Anirvan, dreams of becoming a monk, but he also finds himself drawn towards a fellow student. Monastic celibacy, their kind of love and the lack of recognition for their kind of love… this book sparks a lot of questions.
2.‘We Are Displaced’ by Malala Yousafzai
A continuation of this Nobel Prize winner’s first memoir ‘I Am Malala’, ‘We Are Displaced’, is also part memoir and part communal storytelling. She shares her experiences visiting refugee camps around the world and views her own displacement in the process. This promises to be a good read.
3.‘A Gujarat Here, A Gujarat There’by Krishna Sobti
A strong, majestic and feminist novel, Krishna attempts at building a new home and new life after the partition. A compelling read for sure.
4.‘Gingerbread’ by Helen Oyeyemi
This is the sixth novel from this renowned British Author who weaves magical realist tales through her work of art. A sympathetic and receptive story of a mother and daughter, and the discoveries made by the daughter along the way is truly captivating.
5.‘The Fate Of Butterflies’ by Nayantara Sahgal
Just like the title of the book, the author is known to flutter quite a few wings of her own and vex others in the process. She builds her narrative around the contemporary times in India in all its gory and glory.
6.‘Good Talk’ by Mira Jacob
An eye opening yet, beautiful account of what it means to mother a brown boy and what it means to live in America post 9/11, as a person of color, as a woman, as an artist…’Good Talk’ isn’t just Mira Jacob’s personal story, it also shows the increasingly fractured world we live in. Painful at some places and often hilarious, this book is a must read.
7.‘Small Days and Nights’ by Tishani Doshi
A journey replete with discoveries, ‘Small Days and Nights’ is a book with myriad of emotions, chaos and fury. Grace, the protagonist returns to her native place only to find herself caught up in situations, she had never dreamt of. Captivating!
8.‘The Lost Girls of Paris’ by Pam Jenoff
Inspired by true events in 1946, Manhattan, the book depicts the journey of Grace and how her simple life takes a turn into a world of spies in Occupied Europe. A beautiful tale of courage and sisterhood, this book is unput-downable.
9.‘City of Girls’ by Elizabeth Gilbert
Story of a young seamstress in New York City, who dares herself into adventures and sees life as both, fleeting and dangerous. ‘City Girl’ takes you on a roller coaster of experiences, emotions and professional scandals. The most anticipated book of 2019, get your hands on it.
10.‘The Rules Do Not Apply’ by Ariel Levy
The New York native writes a daring and honest account of her deeply intimate recollections of her infidelity. This book discusses trials and tribulations of the author set against the social and gender binary in our modern life. Already a best seller, the book offers a sign of hope within the conventional boundaries of feminine success, which is measured by marriage and motherhood.
