At PinkLungi, we have a crazy bunch of enthusiastic writers who are also avid book readers. They not only read them, but they also devour them. So we took a tour of their personal library and asked them to offer some recommendations for the readers. Here’s a list of July book recommendations by a few PinkLungi members. Hope you enjoy them!
Also Read: Books on Magical Realism by Malayali Authors
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez
Recommended by: Arja Dileep
Chronicle of a Death Foretold tells the story of Santiago Nasar’s death and the events that lead to his murder. From the book, we get to know that the Vicario brothers murdered him as he was responsible for their sister losing her virginity. The story, however, takes place 27 years after the murder by a narrator who goes back to his village to connect the dots.
Arja shares, “I loved how the author employed the interplay of fate and free will combined with his descriptive style to portray the untimely death of Santiago Nazar.”
You Can Buy It Here.
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
Recommended by: Musthafa Azeez
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman is an honest guide of how modern media has taken on a greater role in our life than we have imagined. Written in 1985, this book shows us the negative influence of consuming media content, which has shaped various discourses of communication over the years.
Musthafa shares, “It basically dissects the impact television has had on our collective psyche. It explains and offers an antidote to current problems such as social media, consumerism, and excessive entertainment. Postman proves in 1985 that the future isn’t Orwellian (oppressive), but Huxlean (frivolous). We are not being marched in chains to oblivion, we are dancing headfirst into it. One of my favourite books!”
You Can Buy it Here.
Also Read: 7 Books That Will Take You On A Mental Vacation
The Liberation Of Sita by Volga
Recommended by: Padma Mohan
The story of Ramayana is about Rama’s exile and return to Ayodhya, in plain and simple words. However, in The Liberation Of Sita, Volga turns the table to focus on Sita. According to Volga, Rama abandons Sita, who goes on a journey of self-realisation. She comes across other women and learns of their experiences of ‘being held back’ by men around them. It is a revolutionary tale told from the eyes of Sita.
Padma shares, “I feel everyone should give it a read for it seems like a fresh approach to discovering more about Ramayan’s female characters. It’s a short book (90 pages), a quick read with very easy vocabulary. Sita’s tale of self-realisation is engaging as it talks about how the female characters of Ramayana are misunderstood by the world. The characters give a very different perspective to the whole story.”
You Can Buy it Here.
Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak
Recommended by: Mahima Jose
Three Daughters of Eve, also known as Confused Quest, tells the story of an affluent, middle-aged housewife, her childhood life in Istanbul, her student years at Oxford University where she fell in love with a professor of philosophy. It takes one polaroid photograph of three young women and a man for her to recall, or rather re-cherish, the times of her past.
Mahima shares, “The book is basically about a Turkish woman’s quest to find her identity. A major part of the story is all about how her life at University with two friends – one who is a free-spirited feminist and another who is a devout, has her flanked by faith and doubt; getting torn between being rebellious and compliant. You should read it if you enjoy:
- being in discussions or arguments revolving around identity, feminism or religion
- plots centering friendship and reconciliation
- narratives that go back and forth in time, covering right from the protagonist’s childhood to current times.”
You Can Buy it Here.
Milk Teeth by Amrita Mahala
Recommended by: Aishwarya Gopinath
Milk Teeth is Amrita’s debut novel. It tells the story of childhood friends Ira Kamat and Kartik Kini living in the same building in Matunga. They’re caught in the web of arranged marriage proposed by their parents. Despite knowing each other for years, both Ira and Karthik have a side to them that is unknown to each other. Ira thinks about her ex-boyfriend, while Karthik struggles to find his own identity.
Aishwarya shares, “What I really liked about the book is that it is based in Mumbai. I’ve always been fond of the place. The author really captures the essence of Mumbai while interweaving middle-class struggles in it. It’s a story of finding acceptance and love in the middle of chaos. Amrita’s writing reminds me of Anita Nair’s work.”
You Can Buy it Here.
Also Read: LGBTQIA+ Books You Need To Read Right Now
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Recommended by: Navaneeth Krishnan
There is a reason why this book is the #1 New York Times bestseller. James Clear’s manual to form good habits and let go of bad ones will make you succeed in life. Atomic Habits goes deep into helping you understand how to cultivate your own potential by “making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible”.
Navaneeth shares, “This book taught me about how we can use the power of compounding in our day to day habits. For example, I’ve started doing ten situps a day after waking up from bed. And someday hopefully this small habit change will have a larger impact – my legs being more muscular! The key is to append an already existing habit with a minute change, so it does not feel completely new.”
You Can Buy it Here.
Tripwire: (Jack Reacher 3) by Lee Child
Recommended by: Shahabas M
Ex-military Jack Reacher is hired by his former commanding officer to investigate a Vietnam War veteran who was MIA but has apparently turned up alive. This suspense thriller uncovers a lot of mysteries, and Jack Reacher finds himself caught in it.
Shahabas shares, “I am a huge fan of the Jack Reacher series, and this was recommended to me/gifted to me by Musthafa. I like fast-paced thrillers, and this is an amazing book that you can get hooked on very fast. A page-turner, for sure!”
You Can Buy it Here.
Heir To The Empire by Timothy Zahn
Recommended by: Govindan Kurumangattu
A Star Wars fanatic? Well, Heir To The Empire is the perfect book for you. This book is the first instalment of Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy. It occurs five years after Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and set in 9 ABY. Heir To The Empire introduces a new villain, Grand Admiral Thrawn who will keep you hooked throughout the book.
Govindan shares, “Richard (a friend from my office) recommended it because he is a fellow Star Wars fan. I had heard about Admiral Thrawn in videos and in The Rebels series. Rich said that the Thrawn in the books was better. And boy was he right! This book is first of the Thrawn trilogy and is the sequel trilogy (movies) we deserved.”
You Can Buy it Here.
Also Read: 9 English Coming-of-age Novels You Should Read Now
These are our July book recommendations.
If you have more to add to this list of July Book Recommendations, let us know in the comments below.
[…] Also Read: July Book Recommendations By PinkLungi Members […]