HT Editors pick their favourite books of 2021

HT Editors have been reading everything from brutally honest political memoirs and a staggering new novel by one of Africa’s foremost authors to a guide to 21st century sexuality and classic Nordic noir. This collective reading list is both varied and wonderful. Click on the link under each picture to learn about that editor’s favourite read of the year

SUKUMAR RANGANATHAN, Editor-In-Chief

Birds, memoirs, Indian politics and giant African novels all feature in the HT Editors’ collective list of favourite reads of 2021. (Monica Gupta)

A bit of summer even in the middle of winter; Bird Therapy by Joe Harkness (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Joe Harkness’ book begins with an attempted suicide but goes on to become a joyous exploration of birds and the pleasures of birdwatching

ANUP GUPTA, Managing Editor, Integrations

Searching for the mysteries of the universe; Space, Life, Matter by Hari Pulakkat (Pic courtesy Anup Gupta)

Hari Pulakkat’s book has captured and narrated momentous developments in India’s journey in science and technology

HARINDER BAWEJA, Editor, Special Projects

A life devoid of dreams; Rumours of Spring by Farah Bashir (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

JAMAL SHEIKH, Editor, Brunch

That healthy love for bodybuilding; Muscular India by Michiel Baas (Pic courtesy Jamal Sheikh)

Michiel Baas’ book chronicles how the obsession with fitness among some young Indian men has shown toxic masculinity the door and clarifies that muscular men are actually focused and disciplined

LALITA PANICKER, Consulting Editor, Views

A book you cannot overlook; Chronicles From The Land Of The Happiest People On Earth by Wole Soyinka (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Wole Soyinka’s third novel, set in an imaginary Nigeria, mercilessly cuts through the venal politics of the land

MANJULA NARAYAN, Editor, Books

Indian artists & John Company; Indian Botanical Art by Martyn Rix (Pic courtesy Manjula Narayan)

Martyn Rix’s work of great erudition that is also a visual treat takes you into the world of East India Company surgeons, who were enthusiastic botanists, and the Indian artists who painted the plants they collected

PAROMA MUKHERJEE, Head, National Photography Desk

Carbonic snow on the poles of Mars; This Is Mars by Alfred S McEwen, Francis Rocard and Xavier Barral (Pic courtesy Paroma Mukherjee)

A spectacular visual atlas of Mars’ surface from pictures taken by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using the HiRISE camera that has been beaming back high resolution imagery for over 15 years

RHYTHMA KAUL, Deputy Editor, Health

The era of the inland letter; Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster (Pic courtesy Rhythma Kaul)

American writer Jean Webster’s 1912 novel that comprises a series of letters from an 18-year-old orphan to her unknown benefactor is humorous, full of innocence, and tells an absorbing story that transports the reader back to a world where people still wrote letters

ROSHAN KISHORE, Data and Political Economy Editor

On politics and society; Home in the World by Amartya Sen (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Amartya Sen’s memoir is not just an account of the intellectual that Sen is; it is also an explanation of why there will perhaps be only one Amartya Sen

RUDRANEIL SENGUPTA, National Sports Editor

The genesis of Nordic noir; The Martin Beck series by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (Pic courtesy Rudraneil Sengupta)

The 10 books in the Martin Beck series by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo that sparked the genre now known as Nordic noir are superbly paced, intricately crafted, and balance the grit of a police procedural with insights into a society in flux

SONAL KALRA, Managing Editor, Lifestyle

A smile on the face, a hollow in the heart; Mapping Love by Ashwiny Iyer-Tiwari (Pic courtesy Sonal Kalra)

Filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer-Tiwari’s first novel, a journey of love, regret and despair wrapped in brilliant storytelling, feels like a textual extension of her cinematic canvas

SUNETRA CHOUDHURY, National Political Editor

The rare brutally-honest political memoir; A Promised Land by Barack Obama (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Former US president Barack Obama’s memoir had brutally honest descriptions of world leaders like Vladimir Putin and closer home, to Rahul Gandhi

VINOD SHARMA, Political Editor

Between faith and caste: The Disruptor; How Vishwanath Pratap Singh Shook India by Debashish Mukerji (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

There can be disagreement over many things about VP Singh, but not the “disruptor” moniker Debashish Mukerji has chosen for him. Indian politics changed forever after VP culled out the 1980 Mandal Commission report to enforce 27 percent reservation for backward classes.

ZARA MURAO, Editor, Wknd

Over the rainbow; Calm Down by Mae Martin (HT Photo)

British-Canadian comedian Mae Martin’s book addresses questions, concerns and fears of people new to the idea of sexuality as a spectrum in a way that is informative and funny, and moves the conversation forward rather than around in circles

ZIA HAQ, Associate Editor

Unparalleled insights into economic thinking; Economics in One Virus by Ryan A Bourne (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

Economist Ryan A Bourne’s sharply-written book explains simple economic concepts through the US government’s response to the pandemic, whose lessons are consequential for all