The season of literary awards and festivals has begun. The Man Booker and DSC Prize longlists are already out. As is the Shakti Bhatt Prize shortlist. The respective winners, including the Nobel for Literature, shall be announced in the months to follow. While these should help book lovers put together a solid reading list, don’t miss these five books that are set to release in September:
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie’s 13th novel, which comes after his 2015 work of magic realism Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, is a modern epic set in contemporary America. It follows the fortunes of the billionaire Golden family from Bombay – Nero Golden and his three sons – and is narrated by their American neighbour, a film maker who sees in the Goldens the material for his art. It starts in 2008 — with Barack Obama’s swearing in — taking on themes such as identity politics and terrorism, including “the insurgence of a ruthlessly ambitious, narcissistic, media-savvy villain sporting makeup and coloured hair”.
Miss Laila, Armed and Dangerous by Manu Joseph
Manu Joseph’s Miss Laila, Armed and Dangerous — touted as a satirical thriller — begins with a building collapse in Mumbai. Two terror suspects come under the intelligence unit radar — including a teenager named Laila. According to the book’s blurb, the novel takes a long hard look at “at the entire system — not just politicians, the bureaucracy, the police and lackeys, but also the good folks.”
The Parrots of Desire: 3000 Years of Indian Erotica edited by Amrita Narayanan
Author and clinical psychologist Amrita Narayanan delves into the 1000-year old erotic tradition in India to put together this anthology, which compiles various aspects of erotic love. The collection includes erotic writing from the Rig Veda; the work of the Tamil Sangam poets, out-of-print short stories by Kamala Das, and contemporary writing as well, among other such literature.
Everybody Lies: What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Everybody lies all the time, argues Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, an economist and former Google data scientist, but in their Internet searches people reveal their deepest secrets – “about sexless marriages, mental health problems, even racist views”.
Using this enormous database of secrets, Stephens-Davidowitz reveals the biases of our society, and gleans insights and information that may help put forward important questions about our civilization is headed.
Empire by Devi Yesodharan
Devi Yesodharan’s well-researched work of historical fiction is set in 11th century India in the Chola Empire. Aremis, a 12-year-old child, is taken prisoner when a Greek pirate ship is captured by the Cholas. She is raised to be a skilled warrior and eventually becomes the Chola emperor’s bodyguard. The emperor seeks to rule the Indian Ocean and a great war is in the offing.
Source: Hindustan Times
