Summer reading

 Here are just some of my recommendations

It’s that time of year again. The summer holidays are finally upon us. And that means it’s time for my annual ritual of sharing my summer reading list with you. Here, in no particular order, are some books that I have enjoyed over the last few months — and which you might like as well.

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz 

I have been a fan of the Atticus Pund novels and Horowitz’s ability to tell a story within a story without confusing the hell out of his readers. This, the latest in the series, is set in London and the South of France, and revolves around the death of a matriarch written by a disturbed writer who may be cannibalising the story of his own famous family for the plot. Horowitz has made the cosy crime genre his own — and this may be his best effort yet. 

When The Going Was Good by Graydon Carter

I am old enough to remember a time when magazines were where it was at. And at the centre of that world was the foppish figure of Graydon Carter, the now-legendary editor of Vanity Fair. In this memoir, he tells us the stories behind the stories that appeared in VF. And in examining his life, he brings the media world of that period to life as well. 

Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway

It’s a brave son who takes on the legacy of a famous father — and manages to do him proud. But that is exactly what John Le Carre’s son, Nick Harkaway, has done in this book that revives the much-loved character of George Smiley. Set in the time period between The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the story revolves around a Soviet spy whose cover is blown after an assassin sent by Moscow tries to kill him. The plotline, the writing, the slow build-up, and of course the comeback of Smiley, all hark back to the glory days of John Le Carre. A true triumph. 

Delizia by John Dickie

Readers of this column will be well aware of my love for all things Italian. But even if you don’t share that love, you will enjoy this book if you are a lover of Italian staples like pasta, pizza and tiramisu. And you will be intrigued to learn that some traditional Italian recipes are not in fact traditional at all, but of relatively recent origin 

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby

I came to this book rather later, and rather shamefully, via a story about the recent dramatisation of the novel on the BBC. Sadly, the TV series has yet to be released in India but until then you can gorge on this gorgeous book. The Miss Austen of the title is not Jane, the novelist, but her elder sister, Cassandra. At the end of her life now, Cassandra is determined to preserve her sister’s legacy by finding all the letters she wrote to a friend and destroying those that portray Jane in a less than flattering flight. The recreation of the Austen universe is a joy to behold and the real-life parallels with Jane’s life are hard to miss. A treat for all Austen fans. 

Summer reading

 What to read over your summer break

 

It’s that time of year again. The heat is on, the holidays are looming, and it’s time to decide what you want to read as you laze on a beach, by the poolside, or up on a mountain. Here are just some suggestions to get you started. 

 

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

 

What if you meet a stranger in a dog park one day and realize that you know her deepest, darkest secrets? That’s what happens to ‘Greta’ when she bumps into the woman she has christened ‘Big Swiss’ in her mind. Greta, an audio transcriptionist for a sex therapist, introduces herself to Big Swiss and a complicated – and not entirely honest – relationship between the two women develops which will change both their lives

 

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

 

Sally Diamond can’t figure out what she did wrong. Her father had told her that when he died she should put him out with the bins. So, that’s what Sally did, incinerating his dead body along with the household waste. So, why is everyone so angry with her, and why have the police been involved. This dark, twisted, and yes, strange story will keep you up all night as it delves into Sally’s past, where nothing is as it seems.

 

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

 

Mom murders, suspense in suburbia, domestic drama; they may seem like tired old tropes. But in the hands of Disha Bose, they come alive in her debut novel set in Ireland. Ciara Dunphy is the momfluencer with a picture-perfect curated life, who seems to have it all: a loving husband, amazing children and a beautiful home. But it all comes crashing down when she is found murdered in her home. As Mishti Guha, Ciara’s best friend, and her fellow mom, Lauren Doyle, get dragged into the mystery surrounding her death, the only way to clear their names is to air, you guessed it, the dirty laundry.

 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

 

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for a weekly live comedy show (think Saturday Night Live), in her late 30s, divorced, and disillusioned with love. When her colleague, Danny Horst, starts dating a famous and hot actress who is way out of his league, she writes a sketch about how this would never happen with an average looking woman and a hot, famous male star. But then, that week’s show host, Noah Brewster – an ageing pop icon – arrives on set, sparks fly and Sally begins to wonder if she is finally starring in her own romantic comedy.

 

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

 

This is the fifth book in the Hawthorne-Horowitz series and unlike the others often lapses into third-person narrative. But that doesn’t impede the flow of the story which begins, as always, with a murder. This victim this time is an unlikeable character called Giles Kenworthy, who ends up dead with a crossbow bolt in his neck. Every single neighbour in Riverview Close – where he recently moved – has a motive to want him dead. And it is up to Horowitz to convince Hawthorne to share the name of the killer with him.

 

Read Alert

Summer holidays are the best time to get stuck into a good book

It’s time for our annual tradition. You head out for your summer break. And I share my reading list with you in the hope that you may enjoy some of the titles I loved. So here goes with this year’s summer reading list. Dive right in! 

• Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: This is one of the best book I have read in the past decade. When chemist Elizabeth Zott has to resign from the all-male team at a research institute she is offered a job as the host of a cooking show. Against her own instincts she signs on and her revolutionary, science-based approach to cooking soon makes Supper At Six a national sensation, with housewives following her lead to change things around — ‘one molecule at a time’.

• The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett: This is the first of three whodunnits which feature — wait for it! — Queen Elizabeth II as the sleuth who investigates murder mysteries with the help of her close aide, Rozie. The conceit works brilliantly, with the author weaving in scenes from royal life lived on royal estates with the intricacies of an investigation run by an invisible royal hand. An absolute treat for those who love both the late Queen and suspense thrillers. 

• Whips by Cleo Watson: If you adored Jilly Cooper then you will absolutely love this whip-smart (pardon the pun!) debut from former political aide to Boris Johnson, Cleo Watson. (And if you haven’t read Jilly Cooper then drop whatever you’re doing and go out and buy a copy of Riders!) Set in the dog-eat-bitch world of Westminster, this is a bonkbuster in the best Cooper tradition, with politicians standing in for polo players. And though Watson insists that her characters are not based on real people (ha!) half the fun lies in deciphering the faces behind the caricatures. 

• Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner: This memoir by the indie rock singer, Japanese Breakfast, came out a couple of years ago but I only read it recently on the recommendation of Brunch editor, Rachel Lopez. Michelle Zauner writes movingly about the death of her mother and her fear that she will lose her Korean heritage in her mother’s absence. Her only recourse, she writes, is to cook the dishes her mother used to make for her. The only way to cope with her mother’s loss is to become her - at least in the kitchen. A universal story of love and loss that is, nonetheless, life-affirming, this will resonate with everyone who has ever grieved for a loved one. 

• The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan: What happens when a young, frazzled mother has a bad day and ends up abandoning her infant daughter for a few hours? She is reported by her neighbours, loses custody of the child, and in a dystopian world, is sent off to a school set up for women who have to be retrained in the art of good motherhood. In the tradition of Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, this chilling story will leave you thinking hard about how we idealise motherhood and the unbearable pressure we bring to bear upon mothers, both good and bad. 

Page-turners

Here’s a list of the books that have kept me entertained over the last month

The best news I have had in months is that Bahrisons, my go-to bookshop in Khan Market, has opened a new branch in Delhi – yes, in the middle of a pandemic, no less. If this isn’t confirmation enough that the book market is thriving then I don’t know what sign would suffice to convince doubters that reading is a more popular activity than ever before.

I guess we have Coronovirus to thank for that. Having being stuck in our homes for months, with nowhere to go and no one to see, many of us have rediscovered our love of books and of reading. When the world around you is stressful and fatiguing, there is nothing quite as relaxing as opening a book and disappearing into an alternate universe that demands nothing more of you than a willingness to engage.

I should know. I have been indulging in my fair share of escapism over these last few months, finding shelter in old books that have the comfort of familiarity, seeking to expand my horizons by rooting out new and unfamiliar works, and begging friends and family for book recommendations when I run out of titles.

Well, today I am returning that favour by recommending some books that I have read recently. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

This is Book Five in the Cormoran Strike series, written by J.K. Rowling under an assumed name, and it is the best by far. Written at a leisurely pace, as the author takes detours to develop characters and delve into such issues as feminism, this is much more than a murder mystery – even though it revolves around a cold case of a woman who disappeared many decades ago. There is, nonetheless, an urgency to the story that will keep you reading late into the night. For my part, I could not put it down.

The Order by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon is back at the Vatican, investigating the suspicious death of a Pope, while being stymied at every turn by a mysterious and powerful cult organization. In case the plot sounds familiar to regular readers of Silva, it’s because it is; we have seen regular iterations of this formula over the years. But this spy thriller ventures into new territory, examining the origins of Christianity and its relationship with the Jewish community. Yes, there are shades of Dan Brown, but this is gripping read that stands on its own merits.

The Spymasters by Chris Whipple

We tend to think of the CIA as some mythic beast with vast powers. But this book shows us that it is like any other government department: often confused, riven with infighting and at the mercy of politicians. This masterly summary of the CIA’s progress over the last 60 years or so captures many of its failures. It did not predict the fall of the Soviet Union and it was wrong about Saddam Hussain’s alleged weapons of mass destruction. Read this, and you will end up feeling more kindly towards R&AW and our own spies.

Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff

The First Lady of the United States has always come off as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma (with due apologies to Winston Churchill). And even after four years in the White House, Melania Trump remains a mysterious figure, waving robot-like at her rare public appearances but saying very little of note. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff’s book provides us with the first glimpse of Melania in private, revealing her in unguarded moments as the two women negotiate a friendship that goes very wrong. The portrait of the First Lady that emerges in this unrelenting take from an insider is not at all flattering. Which, I guess, comes as a surprise to no one at all.

Diary of an MP’s Wife by Sasha Swire

It is safe to say that Sasha Swire was dispatched to social Siberia from the moment the advance copies of this book began circulating. This gossipy, occasionally cruel, always snobby account of the doings of David Cameron’s inner circle (while he was Prime Minister) is astonishing in its frankness and candour. Which is exactly what makes it such delicious reading – best devoured with a glass of wine after the day’s work is done.

Story time

Here’s a list of my best reads of 2018 – happy reading!

This is the last time I get to talk to you this year. The next time I appear on these pages, we will be into 2019. But before I wish you a Happy New Year, I would like to share some of my happier moments of 2018 with you. And – as some of you may have guessed – they revolved around reading.

So here, in no particular order of importance, are some of my best reads of 2018. If you haven’t read them already, pick up a copy and enjoy them over the holiday season. And Happy Reading to all of you!

Becoming, Michelle Obama

This is, quite simply, a brilliant book. By now, everyone knows the highlights of Michelle Obama’s life. But what this elegant, evocative, and extremely frank autobiography gives us is the real woman behind the image. The young girl who grew up with so little and yet managed to go to Princeton and Harvard. The high-flying lawyer who gave up her big-bucks job to do something more meaningful. And then there is her love story with Barack Obama, the man who would change the course of her life, told with a sometimes startling honesty.

The Other Woman, Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon, one of my favourite fictional spies, is back in the centre of action in this new thriller. The plot will seem familiar to dedicated readers of spy fiction. There is a mole (a double agent) ensconced in the higher ranks of the British intelligence service. And the only way to identify this mole is by raiding the memories of an old woman who is the key to the mystery. But Allon is more than equal to the task, though it does take its toll on his tired and ageing bones.

Lethal White, Robert Galbraith

While this book could have done with a little editing given that it runs to some 600-odd pages (but then, who would dare take a pencil to the work of the great JK Rowling, writing here as Robert Galbraith?), it still qualifies as a great read. The novel-like spread allows the characters of Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott to develop in complexity and scope. So much so that you don’t really mind that the murder mystery at the heart of the story takes a long time coming.

Lullaby, Leila Slimani

This is not an easy read. The book opens on a murder scene. Two children are dead, at the hand of their nanny, their bodies discovered by the mother. The novel then goes back in time, tracing the events that led to this bloody, macabre scene. How did a nanny who seemed devoted to her charges end up killing them? What were the petty humiliations and snubs that turned her against those she was meant to love and protect? You will be chilled to the core as you read on, but this is not a book you can put down no matter how much it breaks your heart.

The Wife Between Us, Greer Hendrcks and Sarah Pekkanen

On the face of it, this is a book about a jealous ex-wife who is obsessed with the fact that her ex-husband is in love with and about to marry a much younger women. But as you read on – and I will post no spoilers here – you will discover that nothing is quite as it seems. And the twist in the tale is guaranteed to take your breath away.

Ladder of Years, Anne Tyler

Delia Grinstead seems to have a great life with a doctor husband, three children, and a lovely home (even though it is being rather noisily renovated). And the family is going off for a beach holiday, along with her sisters and nieces. So, why does Delia walk away from the beach – wearing just a swimsuit and robe, carrying a tote bag with 500 dollars in it – and keep going till she reaches a small town where she can start a new life? You are going to have to read this one to find out.

Broken Ground, Val McDermid

This book marks the return of one of my favourite female fictional detectives, DCI Karen Pirie. The book opens with Pirie still in the depths of grief about her dead lover, which she attempts to walk off every night by tramping the streets of Edinburgh. That’s before she’s drawn into a cold case, when a body is dug up in a remote spot in the Highlands. But, of course, as is usual with McDermid, things soon take an unexpected turn. And Pirie had to use all her wits to come to grips with not one but two killers.

Remnants of a Separation, Aanchal Malhotra

We have had many books that tell the story of India’s Partition through the lived memories of people. But this is the first book that tells that story through the medium of the objects that people carried with them as they made the often-bloody crossing to India from what is now Pakistan. Malhotra draws out these stories with ease and retells them with the empathy that owes something to the fact that she belongs to a Partition family herself.

I could go on but as you can see, I have run out of space. So, here are just a few honourable mentions: The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz; Fear by Bob Woodward; and Anatomy Of A Scandal by Sarah Vaughan.

Page-turners

As the year comes to a close, here's a list of the best books I read in 2017

Yes, it's that time of year again. When newspapers and magazines begin doing their year-end round-ups. The political highlights of the year. The top ten people of the year. The twenty best places to eat at. The highest-rated holiday destinations. And so on and so forth.

So, in that same spirit of year-end nostalgia, I present to you my own list: the top five books I have read through the year. Needless to say, this is an entirely subjective list, far from comprehensive, and does not include many superb books that came out in 2017. But it is stuff that I read and loved -- and I hope you will read and love too. 

* Little Fires Everywhere: This is Celeste Ng's second novel and it is even more assured than her first, Everything I Never Told You. Set in American suburbia, the story starts with a fire that burns down the home of Richardson family. But the fire is not at the heart of the book, family is. Or rather, families. There are the Richardsons with their picture-perfect house, home to four teenagers. There is peripatetic single mother Mia Warren and her 15-year-old daughter Mia who have a mystery at the centre of their lives. And then, there is a third plot line that involves a custody battle for a baby whose birth mother returns to claim her. It's takes a rare talent to sew all these multiple strands together without losing control of the plot. But Ng is that rare talent, so you are in safe hands.

* Ties: I have to confess that I downloaded this book by Domenico Starnone for ulterior motives. No, not because it has been translated from the Italian by Jhumpa Lahiri (who has also written a foreword). But because Starnone is married to Anita Raja who was recently 'outed' as Elena Ferrante, one of my favorite writers and there had been some speculation that the Neapolitan Novels I so loved were actually the work of Starnone. Well, having read Ties, I have my doubts about that theory. But that said, this book stands up on its own merits, sketching out the life of an ageing couple, with all the indignities of growing old, juxtaposed brilliantly with flashbacks of their young selves. 

* A Legacy of Spies: All the pre-release publicity revolved around how John Le Carre was bringing back George Smiley in this book. But frankly, that was a bit of a red herring. Smiley is referenced constantly through the book but remains offstage, emerging for a cameo at the very end. But that doesn't make this spy thriller (in the loosest sense of the term) any less enjoyable. You have to be a Le Carre aficionado to truly appreciate how the back story is woven in. But even if you are coming to Le Carre for the first time ever, you will be caught up in the sheer skill with which he swings from past to present. Speaking for myself, I was a bit disappointed with the end, but you can read and make up your own mind.

* What Happened: The title doesn't have a question mark at the end but I always hear one as I imagine Hillary Clinton saying in plaintive tones, What the (expletive deleted) Happened? Maybe that's because the author's voice comes through so strongly and clearly as she dissects all that went wrong in her 2016 presidential bid. Many critics have scoffed at the fact that Clinton blames everyone but herself for her electoral loss in this book. But that wasn't how I read it. To me, the book portrayed a woman, who had nothing more to lose, coming clean on how the mistakes she and her campaign made changed the course of American history even as she acknowledged the damage misogyny and sexism had done to her cause. In another decade or so, this will be essential reading for all students of politics. 

* House Of Spies: If you haven't read The Black Widow by Daniel Silva, then drop everything you are doing and read it now. Because Silva's latest, House of Spies, takes off from where The Black Widow left off. The central character is, as always, the legendary Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon, now ensconced at the head of his country's secret service. But even the demands of that job can't keep the intrepid Allon off the field, as he tries to track down and destroy the lynchpin of ISIS, a shadowy character who goes by the name of Saladin. After a momentary dip, when his novels became a tad formulaic, Silva is on top form again, weaving suspenseful stories that will have you up till the early hours of the morning, telling yourself, "Okay, just one more chapter!" Remember, you have been warned. 

Reading List

Here are my top picks from among the books I read over the past year

I don't know about you, but when it comes to discovering new and exciting authors, I rely on two sources. The first is Amazon, which prompts me towards new finds based on the books that I have already bought or downloaded. And the second is the kindness of friends, those like-minded souls who call me up excitedly to tell me about that 'brilliant new author' that I simply must read. And honest to God, neither source has let me down till date.

So today, in the spirit of passing it forward, I am sharing with you my list of the most amazing books I have read over the last year. I can't recommend them enough!

* All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: I had my doubts about this one. It is set during the Second World War. It's two main protagonists are a blind French girl and a young German boy which is a member of Hitler Youth. It didn't sound very promising at all. But I trusted the word of a good friend and bought it. And I am very glad I did. The story is amazing in itself but it is the lyrical quality of the writing that draws you in. Acutely observed, beautifully articulated, this is a book that will stay with you

* The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker: Originally written in French, the release of its English edition was marked by rather sniffy reviews. But it is telling that even those reviewers who carped that there was nothing special about the book confessed that they had, nevertheless, found it gripping. And they were right about that at least: this is cracking good read. A young author struggling with writer's block goes to visit his mentor and old professor, when the body of a young girl who disappeared 33 years is discovered on the professor's property. Buried alongside her is a manuscript copy of the novel that made the professor, Harry Quebert, famous. So, did he do it? Or didn't he? The young author grapples with these questions as he attempts to save his saviour.

* Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little: If you liked Gone Girl, you will love this. The 'dear daughter' in the story is Janie Jenkins, who is convicted of her mother's murder and sentenced for life only to be set free on a technicality after ten years. Is she guilty or innocent? Even Janie doesn't know for sure. So, she sets out to find out what really happened on the night her mother died, dodging a media machine determined to hunt her down and a crime blogger who is obsessed with her guilt. This one will keep you awake all night.

* You by Caroline Kepnes: This is a story about obsessive love, told from the point of the view of the stalker, a book store manager who fixates on a young student who visits his book store. Sounds appalling, right? And yes, on the face of it, it certainly is. But such is the skill with which Caroline Kepnes depicts a sick mind that by the end of the story you find yourself immersed in the world of the narrator, in which the usual moral codes don't apply. And even more shockingly, you begin to see things from his perspective, even though you know in your rational mind that he is pure evil.

* The Widow by Fiona Barton: Written by a former journalist, this is a book that is deceptive in its simplicity. The story unfolds through the viewpoints of different characters: the widow (of the title) whose recently-deceased husband was once accused of abducting a child; the reporter who tries to persuade the widow to sell her story to her newspaper; and the police detective who was investigating the case of the missing child. The constantly-shifting perspective is unsettling, especially as you discover that nothing is quite what it seems.

* Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans: This is one of the quirkiest books I've read in a long time. Set during the period of the Second World War (honestly, what is this recent obsession with World War II?) it tells the story of a lonely orphan being brought up by eccentric godmother, whose faculties are rapidly declining. After her death, he is evacuated to the country where he is taken in by yet another eccentric woman. The bond between these two damaged creatures evolves slowly as they become partners in petty crime, and create a dysfunctional family all of their own.

* The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob: This is yet another tale of Indian immigrants in the West, struggling with dislocation, straining against family ties, and trying to do the best they can as they navigate the tightrope between two cultures. But don't let that put you off. Mira Jacob has a lightness of touch which makes Jhumpa Lahiri seem wooden and clunky. This novel, spanning continents and generations, sparkles and shines with wit and humour even as it shines the spotlight on familial relations and the immigrant experience.