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Picking a top 10 books for the year 2016 was a tough choice for me, it's not beacuse I read lot of books this year but the concept of selecting top books has always befuddled me and it's not that I don't have a list of favourite books but selecting some books over the others from my favourite list is a very strange, alien and difficult thing for me. Whenever, I'm asked for books which I would reccomend to others I awlays find it tough to pick, I am rambling too much, ain't I? Anyways here are my top 10 books which I read in 2016 :
Catch-22 by Joesph Heller.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir.
Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Middlemarch by George Eliot.
Stoner by John Williams.
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin.
Voices From Chernobyl by Sveletna Alexievich.
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
Honourable Mentions :-
The Door by Magda Szabo, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
I haven't included Infinite Jest in the list since most of the time I spend reading the book was during the November & December of 2015.
Parva --- by SL Bhyrappa, the original work is in Kannada , I feel the english translation is a decent one too. This is a brilliant take by the author about Mahabharata
https://www.amazon.in/Parva-tale-Peace-Love-Death/dp/817201659X
Disclosure : I personally like any works or takes about Mahabharata .
India's struggle for independence India since independence The argumentative Indian Ten judgements that changed India (You need a little background on Indian law/Indian constitution for appreciating it). From Dongri to Dubai (super fast paced ) Annihilation of caste (This one is a bomb).
I love reading armchair economics books. Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest & Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics The undercover economist Freakonomics Superfreakonomics
If you have never tried an audiobook before I would like to recommend this free audiobook from LibriVox...
The Card, by Arnold Bennett
The Card tells the story Edward Henry "Denry" Machin, living with his washerwoman mother, and the manner in which he (as the local newspaper would have put it) effected an entrace into the higher echelons the public life in the "Five Towns". Denry himself is aware of his position as – not just any card but – the ace of spades that the Five Towns were ever to witness and strives to live up to it.
This little-known comedy read by one of the star readers on LibriVox, Andy Minter, turns into one of the best works in the LibriVox catalogue.
It was supposed to be adapted by BBC into a three-part series a long back but the producers backed off. Rushdie even wrote the screenplay for it and it was published later.
EDIT: Here's the link to buy the screenplay book. The language is extremely simple, so people who find the actual book a difficult read can try this. I'm paraphrasing the description to the book on Amazon website below (apparently it wasn't the producer who backed off).
> In 1993, Salman Rushdie's novel MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN was declared the 'Booker of Bookers', the best book to win the Booker Prize in its first 25 years. The BBC began the process of adapting it for television. After three years had passed, two producers and two directors had come and gone, and the first scriptwriter's attempts had been set aside, Salman Rushdie agreed to adapt his own work. The result has been hailed as one of the most brilliant adaptations in television history. Within months of the screenplay's completion, the project was ready to start filming on location in Sri Lanka. Then, just weeks before principal photography was to begin, the Sri Lankan authorities abruptly changed their minds and withdrew permission to film, without giving any reasons. In his enthralling introduction, Rushdie describes the evolution of the screenplay, and the project's political defeat. As for the screenplay itself, it cries out to be filmed. Perhaps one day it will be.
Books I liked in 2016:
- Promise of Blood (fantasy)
- Bird by Bird (whimsical book that teaches life and writing)
- Binti (Short story, won Hugo)
- Fifth Season (Hugo, Post apocalyptic fantasy)
- Bad Science (non-fiction)
- Sandman: Overture
- Persepolis
- Library at Mount Char (one of the weirdest books I've read, fantasy)
- Lolita (finally!)
- Watchmen (loved it!)
I'll remember 2016 for making me wait another year for both "Winds of Winter", and "Doors of Stone". Fuck you 2016.
I'm a homeless student, currently lodging at a PG. I pirate books and read on kindle, I'm going to start building my own physical library the day I get my first paycheck.
You once told me to get The Wealth of Nations, I ordered paperback, shit quality. That's another problem, quality of paperbacks in India.
I recently installed Comics on my Redmi Note 3 and I am intrigued with the guided view feature. Makes reading comics hassle-free.
Man's Search for Meaning is a wonderful read. Not at all heavy. I'd highly recommend this book for a person who's dipping toes in the philosophical waters. The Gene by Siddharta Mukherjee is sitting idle on my table. Read the first 2 chapters and it's amazing. Being Mortal and Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande are among my top 10 ten books. Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is my current book on philosophy and Stoicism.
I checked on flipkart. They weren't delivering to my city. So I checked Amazon. They had cheaper books.
I picked -
Tamas (Bhisham Sahni)
Zero to One (Peter Thiel)
Untouchable (Mukul Raj Anand)
The Accidental Prime Minister (Sanjay Baru)
Total: Rs. 717
> I have read both and trust me, the Arthashashtra does not have any of this. You should seriously read the Arthasashtra.
I read it a decade ago, hence the hazy memory. Even if you omit the treatment of Shudras as it isn't in the Arthashastra, the rest of the book is equally antiquated.
My point isn't that it wasn't brilliant when it was written - I'm sure it was - and just as pathbreaking as The Wealth of Nations or Das Kapital. But it isn't relevant today, nor are TWON or DK. And people who read it with the intention of applying it TODAY are morons. It should be read with the intention of understanding and gaining insights into the socio-economic-cultural aspects of Chanakya's period.
- The Captain's Daughter by Aleksandr Pushkin
- The Motorcycle Diariesby Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
- The Sun That Rose from the Earth by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
- The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré
- The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven S Skiena
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ7D5YC4
Kissing Cherry
Throughout all of Cherry's years of life, she has never experienced something so right but just so wrong at the same time. After getting promoted at her job, Cherry finds herself in the middle of a rock and a hard place... a very very hard place. Cherry finds herself battling her emotions, her job, and her own cherry.
You may want to check out the kindle stealth-help book Diary of a Successful Loser: Looking beyond that Humble Brag
Stealth help genera, unlike self-help tries to motivate with personal stories and uses a person's experience to inspire readers to better their lives or themselves
You may want to check out the kindle self-help book Diary of a Successful Loser: Looking beyond that Humble Brag
Send me a DM if you want a copy to read and review
Read the diary of the 17-year-old woman who joined Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army. Lt Bharati 'Asha' Sahay Choudhry was born in Japan and wrote about from her time in the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. The diary was originally written in Japanese and is called The War Diary of Asha-san: From Tokyo to Netaji's Indian National Army (HarperCollins). It's available on <strong>Amazon</strong> and in bookstores.
Lt Asha is 94-years-old and happens to be my grandma-in-law; she lives in Patna, Bihar. The book reads like Anne Frank's diary with an element of revolutionary Bhagat Singh!
Kindle Stealth-Help "<strong>Diary of a Successful Loser: Looking beyond that Humble Brag</strong>" FREE 9-12 November.
Summary: A stealth-help book with life stories that will leave you inspired.
All of us are successful losers – Losers because of the setbacks. Successful because we have overcome setbacks, loss and failures. This book is targeted at those who find typical self-help books - with preachy quotes and advice off-putting.
In this stealth-help book, the author narrates notable failures and setbacks that have been part of his life journey in ways that he didn’t anticipate. These stories hold a mirror to typical experiences that we are likely to encounter in a life journey
- Bullying, teasing and jibes
- Setbacks that reshape one's career
- Breakup of a relationship
- Loss of a loved one
- Difference of opinion with a boss or colleague
These chapters in a life story, when stacked on top of one other. make for a memorable layered cake.
I would like to introduce to you my first novel: Bhramaputra.
It is available on kindle and paperback here.
​
The premise: In his pursuit of absolute freedom, Siddharth Mehta is lured by Krishnamurthy's ghost into seeking a mythical flower, with the promise of becoming God.
_______________________
'You're not one of those lazy atheists are you, who murder god only to make a fool of themselves?' Krishnamurthy asks.
'I murdered God to set myself free'.
'And are you? Free?'
'I do whatever the fuck I want, Krishnamurthy - which is far better than God can say, because what he does, is nothing'.
'God is a chemical, you see, and no chemical can do anything without human ingestion. You have a lot of them in your blood right now, but unfortunately, you don't have the right one'.
Laughter among the selves. 'What's the right one?'
'It's found in a flower called the Bhramasutra. It grows in the forest of the devs, in the autonomous region of the natives. If you but inhale its scent, you're granted entry into the land of the immortals, and with the right guidance, you become one of them. Guidance, which I can provide'.
'That's surely some first-class bullshit - even if such a flower exists, can God violate Newton's laws? We are forced to conclude, Krishnamurthy, that you - himself merely a fantasy - are peddling more fantasies'.
'Okay then tell me this: If I am your fantasy, how do I know things you do not? For instance, that my corpse lives underground, sealed in a glass-covered casket. You may go and have a look if you want. In fact, why not? Follow me.'
​
If you find the book interesting, please read and share it with people around you.
Hello everyone!
I am very excited to announce that after a three-year journey, my first novel📔, An Away Game - Stories from the Stands, is up on <strong>Amazon</strong> now. 🤩
It is a story of three oddballs and their journey to the Football World Cup⚽ in Russia. Add to it themes of nineties nostalgia, summer romance, and friendship; this one's a breezy read.
As you know, two things help get anything noticed on Amazon: sales and reviews.
I hope you'll get one for yourself & enjoy it or gift it to your friends and family who love football, travel 🛫or even the Slavic culture!
And if you enjoy the book, a review would be a tremendous help! Again, here’s <strong>the link</strong> to An Away Game across different platforms.
Thank you! 🙏
Read this: https://www.amazon.in/Penguin-Classics-Ardhakathanak-Half-Story/dp/0143100548
Autobiography of a Jain guy from 17th century. The first of its kind, the first autobiography written in Hindustani ( this book is English translation).
Not homes, but I wrote a book that references the art and architecture of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. It's a 118-year heritage property, but there are descriptions about their Wasabi by Morimoto restaurant, The Rajput Suite, the lobby and the painting in the lobby by MF Husain. A lot of action takes place in these locations. It also covers some modern architecture like Amdavad Ni Gufa etc and The Tata Institute of Fundamental Sciences in Mumbai.
If you're looking for non-fiction, you'll find a few issues of Architectural Digest helpful.
I wrote a book a few months back, but it's a bit on the science fiction side. Not aliens or a space Odyssey, but speculative fiction around Dr Homi Bhabha's research that is uncovered and leads the protagonist to a parallel universe. It's set in present day Mumbai.
That aside, I finished Sniper's Eye by Mainak Dhar sometime back and I thoroughly enjoyed the first person narrative.
S. Hareesh’s Moustache (Meesha in the original). and many more.
Look of books by Christopher Jafferlot. He is one of the very very few people who conduct credible empirical long-duree work on Indian politics.
Kudos on finishing the book !
I started the book without knowing pretty much anything about it, only that it was big and the author killed himself.
By the end, I knew everything there was to know about DFW and he became my favorite author.
Have you read his essays? If not, this is a great place to start, http://www.openculture.com/2012/02/23_free_essays_stories_by_david_foster_wallace_available_on_the_web.html
a compilation and well researched book
I recently published my first short story on kindle as writing hobby. Here is link. Its horror story. See if you like that.
Having just read it a few months back, I recommend the John D Smith edition, which is the only 'complete' translation in a single volume. I promise you, that you won't get any other translation in a single book.
There's a reason I put 'complete' like that: the filler parts of the Mahabharata (and there are a lot) are summarised instead of a whole translation. If that bothers you go for the 10 volume Bibek Debroy edition.
While not a translation not even a comprehensive commentary, I recommend https://www.amazon.com/Difficulty-Being-Good-Subtle-Dharma/dp/0199754411 after you have read the story. It is a commentary with humor, personal anecdotes and interesting observations. Highly relevant for our current times.
The Masnavi in English.
For Urdu you will have to visit bookstores that sell Urdu books, old part of cities usually have such stores. We used to have one which was titled IIRC Pairahan e Yusufi.
Coudn't find the other one, but i think you'll have to look around a lot if you wanna get less famous classics cheaply. Also, imo 300-400 is a fair price for a 1st hand novel. I consider myself lucky if i am finding it cheaper.
Thanks for the recommendation but going through all of his work's synopsis only " The Devourers" appealed to me. Is that what you were pointing towards or is there any of his other works that you recommended giving a shot?
Before COVID I was fortunate to have gotten a chance to visit the lovely state called Sikkim where I was introduced to the rich Lepcha culture!! I had the opportunity to read some local folk tales and was surprised by how I'd never heard of this before.
From my side one book I really liked was 'Dont ask any old bloke for directions'. This is a story written by an IAS officer from Sikkim, about his Cross country journey from Kerala back to the North East on his Royal Enfield Thunderbird. It's a small casual read which I really enjoyed.
I'm also open to any good recommendations if someone has any.
Name: Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Author: Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
Avg Rating: 4.15 by 20045 users
Description: If you want to build a better future, you must believe in secrets. The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things. Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It comes from the most important skill that every leader must master: learning to think for yourself. Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique. Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.
Pages: 195, Year: 2014
Bleep, Blop, Bleep! I am still in beta, please be be nice. Contact my creator for feedback, bug reports or just to say thanks!
I have read both and trust me, the Arthashashtra does not have any of this. You should seriously read the Arthasashtra. It is a fascinating economic treatise with some very valuable insights into the sociocultural set up of India of the Mauryan era.
It is very similar in construct to Cameralism.
Like I said, it is far seeing and almost modern in thought. According to Eric Hobasbwam, his treatise is equivalent to The Wealth of Nations in scope and he is true imo as Chankya spends a lot of time in creating a formula for the right wage (labour theory of value)
See if you can find a PDF copy of this old book by B C Sen.
Give it a read, you won't regret it.
From tariff regulation to systematic regulation of trade which includes the caveat that monopolies (unless it is a state monopoly like say...brothels) should not be allowed. On tax for instance, the norm in the ancient (and even medieval world) was to tax what the market would bear so to speak, not so Chankya's views. He clearly saw that over taxation would cause long term misery for the state and hence recommends a very just and fair tax system (he goes into it at length, this is just a tl;dr), heck he even advocated / put in place a graded tax system with luxury goods topping the tax rates while entry level commodities (such as say food grains) were completely waived.
I've actually flirted with Marxism for a while, I still was to some extent when you told me to read The Wealth of Nations. After that I just kept on reading prominent economists of last century, Keynes, Friedman, Samuelson and then moved on to not so popular ones. I had free couple of months with nothing to do.
Niche genre/kind, I guess. Less popular history books, or something non-fic that's not popular or even published in India so it's imported. On a student's budget, that is pretty tough, many of those don't even have a kindle version or I'd buy that.
Edit: For example - http://www.amazon.in/The-Invention-Science-Scientific-Revolution/dp/1846142105/