Chill with thrill
The Jack Reacher series
“Any novel by Lee Child that features his iconic character Jack Reacher makes for a great lazy weekend read. These are fast-paced, simply-written and extremely thrilling. So for me, I would curl up in bed with a Jack Reacher adventure with a cup of coffee and read away if I had a free weekend!” —Bilal Siddiqi
Irish delight
Normal People
“Normal People by Sally Rooney is a short book but extremely poignant coming-of-age novel about two Irish teens. If you enjoyed perks of being a wallflower this is one book you’ll love!
—Gurmehar Kaur
Timeless appeal
{{/usCountry}}Timeless appeal
{{/usCountry}}Pather Panchali
“In a world as crammed with events and the unrelenting noise of social media, it is nice to return to a writer like Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. In this new edition of Pather Panchali (Song of the Road) in Rimi’s translation, one lives among trees and children, a world that hasn’t almost been touched by the poison of capitalism. I find myself closing my eyes between paragraphs, calmed by Bandopadhyay’s writing, but also to live in it for as long as I can.”
—Sumana Roy
Sister act
Celestial Bodies
“Jokha Alharthi won the Man Booker International Prize 2019 for her novel Celestial Bodies. Told through the stories of three sisters in the village of al-Awafi in Oman, it tells of change and continuity through the daily process of living, which resonates deeply with life in India. I loved the pace of this book, and the rhythm of its storytelling.”
—Namita Gokhale
In retrospect
The Body Myth
“I’d recommend Rheaa Mukherjee’s The Body Myth. This is because it will make you re-examine things you thought you knew well: illness, extra-marital love, philosophy. And the best time to have your moorings shaken is when you can cut off from the world and just read...”
—Arunava Sinha
From HT Brunch, January 19, 2020
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