Literary Fiction¶
Contemporary works exploring the human condition.
â¤ď¸A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry¶
Unrelentingly bleak and stays with you long after you are done with it. Four lives intersect during India's Emergency. For a brief period, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, there is a glimmer of something better.
â¤ď¸When We Cease To Understand The World, by Benjamin Labatut (2025)¶
Literature collides with Science as the author probes the edges of human understanding during the Second World War. Blending fiction with real events turns out to be a marvelous choice.
Narcopolis, by Jeet Thayil (2025)¶
An opium-filled ode to old Bombay, full of highs and (mostly) lows. Shades of A Scanner Darkly and Trainspotting but with a more Indian vibe.
Bewildered, by Richard Powers (2025)¶
The life of an astrobiologist and his son in a world blind to the impact of climate change. Very well written but quite bleak.
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt (2025)¶
A dark, fascinating novel about a group of elite students obsessed with ancient Greek language, philosophy and ritual.
Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2024)¶
I was an Ishiguro fan after Remains of the Day, and this book is almost as good.
A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (2024)¶
Time weaves its way through several interconnecting stories. Reminded me a bit of Cloud Atlas.
The Dead, by James Joyce (2020)¶
Short and bitter-sweet story.
Nabokov: The Mystery of Literary Structures, by Leona Toker (2020)¶
A detailed look at several of Nabokov's books. A fruitful area to get lost in.
â¤ď¸Luzhin's Defense, by Vladimir Nabokov (2020)¶
What can I say? It's Nabokov and Chess and obsession, in language and form that only he can create.
Despair, by Vladimir Nabokov¶
Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout (2020)¶
Well-written, poignant stories of old age, depression, families and so on, centered around an outspoken, strict school teacher.
Shakespeare, by Bill Bryson (2021)¶
A slim book, what I liked most was how the times and place were brought to life.
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel GarcĂa MĂĄrquez (2023)¶
A dreamy, looping novel. Found the recurring names confusing -- but it was clear this was intentional.
To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf (2023)¶
My first Woolf novel. I liked the rich inner monologues of the characters.
Under the Skin, by Michel Faber (2023)¶
I don't read horror usually but I really enjoyed this one. There are larger and deeper themes that make it a deeper book than it appears.
â¤ď¸The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2023)¶
A butler whose mission is to serve a worthy master reminisces about his life's journey.
What We Can Know, by Ian McEwan (2026)¶
A thoughtful look at how history remembers its heroes. In the near future, a historian looks at an 'Immortal Lunch' hosted by a poet.
Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy (2022)¶
A mercilessly bleak book that Iâm glad I read but intend to never read again.
The Stranger, by Albert Camus (2022)¶
A murderer is judged by a society he cannot relate to. Told from the perspective of an indifferent, apathetic character.
Look at the Harlequins!, by Vladimir Nabokov (2022)¶
Nabokovâs last published novel. The protagonist feels like the closest imitation of the author. Beautiful, lyrical prose.
American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis (2022)¶
Extremely disturbing. Maybe something like Dorian Grey if he was a yuppie, but quite gruesome.
Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe, by Thomas Ligotti (2022)¶
The dreaming, slumbering ghost of Lovecraft is alive and well in this collection of horror stories.
Nausea, by Jean-Paul Sartre (2022)¶
A gloomy but nice book about a lonely writer pondering his existence.
â¤ď¸Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov¶
The Authenticity Project, by Clare Pooley (2021)¶
A gift; not the usual genre but interesting in its own way.
Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk (2021)¶
Our great depression is our lives. Reread this. Immensely quotable book.
Golden Gate, by Vikram Seth (2021)¶
This is a technically brilliant book but ultimately dealt with themes outside my usual genres.
Haunted, by Chuck Palahniuk (2021)¶
Ahh this one is not for the queasy. A collection of uncomfortable short stories about cynical wannabe authors stuck in a writersâ retreat.
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (2022)¶
A bleak book to end a bleak year. McCarthy heaps one misery upon another on a father/son duo traveling in a harsh and unforgiving post-apocalyptic world.
Post Office, by Charles Bukowski (2023)¶
Trash. I'm not sure why Bukowski is rated so highly. Certainly not for this pointless book.
I Used To Know That, by Alan Joyce (2023)¶
A short read. A collection of anecdotes about famous authors.
Glory, by Vladimir Nabokov (2023)¶
One of his russian books, translated by his son. The writing is as always, luminous in places. The protagonist is a lot more decent than the usual odd characters Nabokov writes about.
Our Man in Havana, by Graham Greene (2023)¶
An enjoyable satire of the incompetent people running the government's secret service.
The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath (2023)¶
The story of a bright girl dealing with mental illness. Appears to be semi-autobiographical, which is quite sad.
No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy (2023)¶
I was already going through this when the great writer passed away. This one is more straight-forward than his earlier books like Blood Meridien, but is still a very great read.
The Glass Palace, by Amitav Ghosh (2024)¶
Amitav Ghosh is at his best when he is writing historical fiction like this. A sprawling multi-generational story across Burma and India during the pre-independence period. Brings that era to vivid life.
The Double Tongue, by William Golding (2024)¶
A short novel, Golding's last one before his death. The story of an oracle and her cynical priest, set in Delphi during Greece's twilight years.
The End of the Affair, by Graham Greene (2024)¶
A fine, powerful, bitter novel about a turbulent affair during the second World War.
The Iron King, by Maurice Druon (2024)¶
An excellent historical novel based on King Philip the Fair. I don't know enough French history to discern fact from fiction but the book was very enjoyable.
Make Me, by Lee Child (2024)¶
My first Jack Reacher book. Enjoyable and moves at a good pace. Recommended as a light read.
The Miniaturist, by Kunal Basu (2024)¶
About a painter in Mughal India. A pleasant evening's read.
Mother Mary Comes To Me, by Arundhati Roy (2025)¶
Not an easy read. The author revisits her life, from her difficult childhood to her years as an architect, a foray into films, her writing career and her activism. The complex relationship she had with her mother is approached frankly but with nuance and compassion.
Fatherland, by Robert Harris (2025)¶
The fifth book I've read of this excellent author, and as always a unique blend of history and speculation. This time the author imagines an alternate history where Germany won the Second World War.
The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley (2025)¶
A thriller to change the pace a bit. A bunch of snobbish rich couples spend the New Year in a remote, snowy retreat and things start to fall apart as one of the guests is killed.
Second Sleep, by Robert Harris (2025)¶
My third consecutive book by this author. This one is purely fictional, and it is better to go in blind with this one. A priest goes to a remote town after his predecessor passes away, and has to solve the mystery of his death.
Dictator, by Robert Harris (2025)¶
A gloomy conclusion to the trilogy as Cicero chased out of Rome, and returns, but to unpredictable allies. No decision seems straightforward here and Rome's decline to dictatorship seems inevitable.
â¤ď¸Lustrum, by Robert Harris (2025)¶
It turns out this is book two of a trilogy. It covers the life of Cicero when he joins the Roman Senate and watches the rise of Caesar and his triumverate. As my first literary exposure to this period of history, it was fascinating to see the story from the 'other' side, i.e. not Caesar's.
I, Claudius, by Robert Graves (2025)¶
A sprawling history of several Roman emperors from Augustus to Tiberius and Caligula, ending with the author himself: a stuttering, limping Claudius who preferred to be a historian.
The Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri (2019)¶
I didn't like this all that much. It seemed like a slightly foreign view of Indian life, so the characters didn't seem to feel natural.
Circe, by Madeline Miller (2020)¶
Lovely book.