The year 2018 is about to end and, in fact, has already ended for certain parts of this world already. Overall, to me, it was a good year once again as most of the years so far in my life have been. I am pretty sure that many of you must have spent it in better ways and now that it’s about to end, there must be no regrets visible as we are ready to welcome a new calendar, a new resolution and a new spirit – 2019. Nevertheless, as we push the 8 to become 9 on the calendar, let’s take a look back into the year we had in terms of literature that created a buzz and the readers (who could not read) can have a go in 2019.
Political Literature was on a shine as books after books emerged and eminent politicians (and otherwise as well) like Tharoor and even the silent PM, Manmohan Singh also launched their books. The Accidental Prime Minister was only one point and now it has confronted The Paradoxical Prime Minister by Shashi Tharoor. Though the book produced significant controversies, it still kept the readers attracted. Manmohan Singh’s executive autobiography, changing India has not been impressive in the terms of a wide readership because it’s not meant to be so. It has been prepared for a limited readership and that, it might have received.
Out of political corridors, the fiction in Indian English literature has been on high with the works by Chetan Bhagat and also by some of the debutants and seemingly new authors. The novel by Chetan, Girl in Room 105 remained a bestseller for a long time. Also, I have to mention books by debut authors like Suraj Laxminarayanan, Elephants in the Room, and novels by less famous novelists that I have read this year were also remarkable and praiseworthy. The number of books being written by these old and new authors in India highlights one thing – there is a future in writing and also, there is a future for the readers!
Coming to the non-fiction genre, do let me tell that the books by the likes of Sadhguru, Sanjay Dixit and many spiritual and religious authors remained in the limelight and as I have mentioned in the earlier section, the newcomers (to the writing, not to spirituality) also kept the ball moving. Ananda Karunesh’s book A Thousand Seeds of Joy was liked and appreciated by the readers as it has great qualities and also a diverse message for the readers. My experiences with the books mentioned and many I could not mention were amazing! Other than spiritual books, authors also tried their hands with several other non-fiction genres. Lal Bhatia’s debut book – Indicting Goliath, was in the limelight because it directly alleged that the authorities in the USA have been unfair and unjust to him! Indicting Goliath exposes the corruption and money-laundering on a grand scale!
Ashwin Sanghi’s book, Keepers of the Kalachakra, also attracted the fiction readers and continued for a while as it was released earlier in 2018. The thriller novel connects the past and the present to offer a power-packed fiction. I would also love to mention the recent book that I have read, Pravin Anand’s Mumtaz and Tajmahal, through simply written, the book offers a very good romantic re-telling of the love story – Mumtaz and Shahjahan. The book deserves a place on my book-yearbook 2018 because it was one of those rare books that I had to finish in one reading as it kept my attention secured and fixed until I finished it.
So, friends, my year in books, 2018, has been a good one and I had the opportunity to read various genres and various titles and all of them cannot be mentioned here. Still, I will try to create a list and the interested readers can move ahead and buy the books they like from Amazon – by clicking the book title. I hope you all enjoy a very blasting new year’s celebration and a very Happy New Year in Advance!
Get Keepers of the Kalachakra – Ashwin Sanghi
Get Girl in Room 105 by Chetan Bhagat
Get The Paradoxical Prime Minister by Shashi Tharoor
Get Emotion and Relationships by Sadhguru
Get Pearls of Vedic Wisdom to Succeed by Dr Yogi Devaraj
Get A Thousand Seeds of Joy by Ananda Karunesh
Get Indicting Goliath by Lal Bhatia
Get Mumtaz and Taj Mahal by Pravin Anand
Get With You; Without You by Prabhat Ranjan – English
Get Elephants in the Room by Suraj Laxminarayanan
A look back by Alok Mishra for Literature News
Not so wide but a very good and light collection with almost every kind of books on the table… I will read the ones I like here. Keepers of the Kalachakra and A Thousand Seeds of Joy sound very interesting to me right now.