It’s only August and I have already finished my goal of reading 50 books this year. Here are the five books that I enjoyed reading the most from them.

  1. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid – This novel was so breezy and enjoyable that I stayed up all night to finish it. It’s something I hadn’t done in YEARS. Reid’s story deals with racism and how even the most well-meaning people can be total dicks. The debut novel made it to the the Booker Prize 2020 longlist last month. So happy for Reid!
  2. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – Okay, this is not one book, but a three book series which is absolutely adorable. Set in an all boys high school, Hearstopper is the story of how openly gay Charlie falls in love with the clearly straight jock Nick, only to realize the feelings are mutual. If you are looking for some cute LGBT material, this is it.
  3. Are You My Mother by Alison Bechdel – This graphic novel memoir by Bechdel is painfully honest, self-introspecting and is peppered with a lot of insights of a famous psychoanalyst. She grapples to explain her relationship with her mother and does a pretty good job of it. Her mother doesn’t really approve. Of course.
  4. Jerusalem by Guy Delisle – Another graphic novel, I can’t help it if I love the medium too much. Delisle gives us glimpse of the politics, religious tensions & internal conflicts in the region in his unique comic book style drawings and refreshingly personal perspective.
  5. The Nasties by Mark Hurst – This novel falls in the horror genre and is the story of how a 10-year-old is tasked with fighting sinister monsters devouring children in his sleepy little town. In an earlier book review post I had mentioned how the book reminded me of Stephen King’s ‘It’, and well King is the King of Horror, so that’s obviously meant to flatter the author.

P.S – I published my second book ‘Love, Loss, Lockdown’. It’s a collection of short stories set against the Covid19 pandemic in India, get a copy if it piques your interest.