These books are haunting me!

My reading list for 2024 is set. Want to steal some for yours? There are book recommendations for everyone.

“That’s how it is with books, isn’t it: They’re not in a hurry. They’ll wait for you till you’re ready.” - Charles Bukowski

An apt sentiment for all the books in my TBR. They have been patient for me and this is the year that I will meet them. This list will remind me of them because I don’t have one and keep forgetting the names. You can also take it to boost yours. There will be something for everyone because I read almost everything.

Without further ado, let’s start with the

Heavy stuff

• 1984 by George Orwell - I loved the Animal farm so I am hopeful for this one too.

• The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli - The concept seems nice.

• The Art of War by Sun Tzu - I have read some of the famous quotes and they do paint a good picture.

• Kafka - I have a short story under consideration at various magazines. The editor-in-chief at Beneath Ceaseless Skies told me that my piece is Kafkaesque. So I thought I should at least be familiar with his work that is reflecting in mine. If someone would be so kind as to help me on where to start with the writer, I would appreciate it.

A bit lighter

• Night circus by Erin Morgenstern - A fairly tale around circus. Count me in.

• The buried giant by Kazuo Ishiguro - “The book also has the whittled-wood texture of fable.” This line by Anne Thomas sold me on this one. You can find more of her favorites here.

• And the mountains echoed by Khaled Hosseini - Always wanted to read him. might as well start with this one and then move to others.

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - It’s a shame that I have the most beautiful paperback of this one and still haven’t read it.

• Normal People by Sally Rooney - Youtubers is to blame for this one. Now I have to read it.

• The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho - Again an author I have hard highly about. But the introduction of this book fascinated me.

Let’s get philosophical

• Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia - Who doesn’t want to know the secret to a long and happy life?

• Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - This will be my third autobiography. And comes highly recommended by some of the podcasts I have been listening to.

For the nights I don’t want to sleep

• Agatha Christie - I have read a lot of Poirot but the movie A haunting in Venice made me wanna go back and indulge in the adventure of this little man again.

• Jennifer Government by Max Barry - Scoot recommended this in one of his notes. I think this book has the potential to be read in one sitting.

• The Housemaid by Freida McFadden - It is on so many Youtuber’s favorite list. And I don’t think I have read much of contemporary psychological thriller. So, I hope this will be a good one to start.

• Stalker by Lars Kepler - I have read the first four and loved them. Joona Linna is a fresh portrayal of detective with whom you can actually relate.

Don’t know where to put these

• The Ballantyne Novel series by Wilbur Smith - The sole reason for me to read these books is that there is a speculation that the S.S. Rajamouli might adapt these novels. If you don’t know him yet, he is the director of RRR movie. And you should definitely watch his Bahubali movies.

• Monster, Volume 1 by Naoki Urasawa - I have never read Manga before and I am pretty excited for this one. I am gonna get into it as soon as I figure out how to read it and if most of the book is actually supposed to be black and white, and the cover is supposed to be back to front and upside down too.

• The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak - I think I am more interested about the culture in the book.

The Indian fiction

• Victory City by Salman Rushdie - I read “A Sackful of Seeds” which is drawn from the book in The New Yorker a while back and I knew that I was gonna read it. But I have a problem with hardcovers. Thus the wait to get my hands on the paperback.

• Project Fable by Sujan Sundareswaran - I love the whole idea of it. But I am gonna wait till he completes it. Hopefully this year. And then I will binge read the whole thing.

• Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor - It had been on my list for quite a time and then I saw it on the list of Clara too. I think I might just devour her whole book guide.

• A Nest of Vipers by Harini Nagendra - Kaveri has my heart from the beginning of this Bangalore Detectives Club series. May 2nd couldn’t come faster.

• The Shiva trilogy by Amish Tripathi - I loved the Ram Chandra series. I have high hopes for this one too.

• Samsara: Enter the Valley of the Gods by Saksham Garg - Just the title is enough to draw you in, Right?

• Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - She never disappoints. Just have to wait for the paperback to roll out for this one too.

• Such a Long Journey and The Scream by Rohinton Mistry - I have read the other two. He writes the kind of books that transport you to the worlds of his characters.

• The Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh - Again, a writer that I haven’t read yet but is so widely read.

• The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal - Would love a fun read.

Romance

• The Empyrean 3 by Rebecca Yarros - Till then I will keep rereading the first two.

• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross - I saw Fourth Wing and a lot of Leigh Bardugo on a note shared by Olivia Rafferty. And I though I like her taste. Not ashamed to admit that I have taken a screenshot of that note and might read all the books that she loved.

• Ana Huang - She has two upcoming releases this year and it’s just not enough.

• Lauren Asher - I do hope she releases more than one book this year.

• Rina Kent - She is one of the best writers I have ever read. She writes the characters that become a part of you. You can’t just read one of her books. I have lost count of how many times I have reread her works.

• Danielle Lori - She has been absent for so long yet I know that she will come back with a bang. Can’t wait.

  ---

I should stop here.

Let me know if you have any recommendations. Happy reading!