The Book Club: 5 books at a time

What to read, what not to read... what’s that book everyone is talking about? Don’t worry. We’ll clue you in...

What to read, what not to read... what’s that book everyone is talking about? Don’t worry. We’ll clue you in...

Everybody is reading: The Oath of the Vayuputras: Shiva Trilogy 3 by Amish Tripathi
You’re either hooked to the bestselling trilogy or (like me) gave up half-way through the first one. It’s a fictionalised account of the Hindu God Shiva. But sometimes, it’s okay to wait for the film adaptation.

The book by an Indian-American longlisted for the Man Booker: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
It’s about two inseparable brothers growing up in Calcutta in the ’60s – Udayan finds himself drawn to the Naxal movement, Subhash leaves for America but is forced to come back when…

The book most made fun of this year: Dan Brown’s Inferno
Yes, Brown’s readers worship him... yada yada. But the critics had a field day when the book was released – Danny can’t write to save his life.

The intellectual conversation starter: A Matter of Rats: A Short Biography Of Patna by Amitava Kumar
A slim book full of interesting anecdotes – the eccentrities of Subodh Gupta; Deewan Bahadur RK Jalan who had a penchant for collecting European artifacts (including Napolean’s four-poster bed) and more.

Read The Book Thief (2005) by Markus Zusak before the film adaption releases: It’s about a young girl living in Nazi Germany and her relationship with books. It’s about the Holocaust and a Jewish man that Liesel and her family are hiding in their home. It’s narrated by death. It’s a powerful must-read. The trailer looks amazing!

From HT Brunch, September 15

Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch