Check Out These Books This Summer

By N. LOTHUNGBENI HUMTSOE

Find a comfortable spot and begin reading:

. ‘Moth Smoke’ by Mohsin Hamid: This is an intriguing modern take on the relationship between Emperor Aurangzeb and his brother Dara Shikoh set in modern-day Pakistan. It brings alive pages of history and yet makes it very relevant and relatable to the millennial and Gen Z audience.

.’Chemical Khichdi: How I Hack My Mental Health’ by Aparna Piramal Raje: This is essential reading for all those attempting to understand what goes on in the mind of someone suffering from a debilitating mental illness. Raje, who comes from the noted Piramal family, describes in threadbare details her struggle with bipolar disorder and how she manages the disease. She makes a very pertinent point – that being privileged does not make one immune to a mental illness.

.’Open House’ With Piyush Pandey: For fans of India’s most loved ad man, Piyush Pandey, this is a must-read, even if you haven’t read his first book Pandeymonium. In this book, Pandey responds to all the questions he has been asked by people over the years, including how he maintains his mustache to whether there is sexism in advertising.

. ‘Gun Island’ by Amitava Ghosh: This is an exceptional read, and arguably one of Ghosh’s finest. The book could be treated as a sequel to Ghosh’s 2004 book The Hungry Tide and takes off from where that ended. Ghosh paints a portrait of all that is eroding the world and etches out memorable characters in this story that transcends borders and spans three continents.

. ‘The Illuminated’ by Anindita Ghose: From debutante novelist Anindita Ghose comes a powerful and pertinent piece of literature, which holds a mirror to the times that we are living in while capturing the tenderness of a relationship between a mother and daughter. Riveting.