2024 in Books
Here are some of the books I enjoyed reading this year.
Translation State
I loved Ann Leckie's Ancilliary Justice series and since then I stay on the lookout for anything new by her. Translation State doesn't disappoint.
Ann Leckie
Love in the Time of Cholera
I had not read anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez yet. Took a while to get going with this book and get adjusted to his style, but ultimately well worth it.
Gabriel García Márquez
To Kill a Mockingboard
Loved it. Can't believe I hadn't read this earlier! Harper Lee's characters remain just as compelling, if not more especially Atticus and Scout.
Harper Lee
The Elephant Vanishes
My first Murakami as well. Collection of weird and poignant short stories.
Haruki Murakami
Red Mars Trilogy
I don't recall where I first heard about this trilogy. Regardless, I'm glad I picked it up – it felt quite timely given Musk, SpaceX, renewed interest in Mars, our ongoing struggles with climate change. I stopped after the 2nd book, wasn't feeling compelled to read the third. The science and nerdy details are pretty fascinating, but like all good sci-fi, the real juice is in the relationships and the drama that unfolds between the characters.
Kim Stanley Robinson offers one vision of how the geopolitics of a colonized Mars might unfold. And it reinforced some of my beliefs: humanity's problems will remain with humanity; humanity needs to figure out how to manage climate change caused by our actions, regardless of if / when we become multi-planetary.
Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson
Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir
Brilliant. Moving. Gut-wrenching. Growing up in India, Kashmir was ever-present in the political consciousness. Nevertheless, until this book I didn't quite grasp what life was really like for the people of Kashmir living under the shadows of the Indian army, Pakistan and the terrorists. Can't recommend enough.
Malik Sajad
दीवार में एक खिड़की रहती थी
I've been slowly building up my Hindi collection and learning about more Hindi authors, both old and new. This book by Vinod Kumar Shukla was a delightful discovery, masterfully blending the banal with the surreal.
Vinod Kumar Shukla
अपराधी कौन
I got to know more about Shivani – a giant of Hindi literature – through several episodes of The Seen And The Unseen. This book is a collection of short stories, centered around incarcerated Indian women. I am not sure if they are true stories or not, but it doesn't really matter. I believe Shivani spent some time in jail herself. Her prose was a bit hard to read in some parts (and that might simply be the limits of my own Hindi), but the stories are powerful. I have a bunch more of her books that I want to work through in 2025.
Shivani
