- By Bound Team
The past year was one roller coaster ride for sure. Some months were dragged out and some flashed by our eyes before we could even process it. Some of us crossed out a few things on our to-do lists and some of us procrastinated on it. In the whirlwind of life, you may have missed out on some stellar and exciting reads that Indian authors have produced in 2024. From books on the political landscape of India to the sci-fi world of culinary competitions, you have a lot to catch up on!
That’s where we come in! The Bound team has collected the best nonfiction and fiction books of 2024 that everyone should read! Get out a pen and a notepad and note down these amazing novels by some of the best authors and experts! This is the Recap of 2024’s Best Books!
Non-fiction Books We Loved in 2024:
1. The Many Lives of Syeda X by Neha Dixit:
Journalist Neha Dixit delivers a fascinating look into the journey of a faceless Indian working-class woman from the 1990s to the present day. From Banaras to Delhi, Syeda X escaped the horrifying aftermath of riots with her family following the demolition of the Babri MasjidIt is a must-read for anyone who wants to put their ear to the ground and learn more about the impact of the Babri Masjid riots and the lives of poor migrants struggling in this country.
2. The Rise of Asian Paints by Anupam Gupta:
This book chronicles the rise of the biggest paint company in India in 1967, following the remarkable story of its founder, Champaklal Choksey, and his associates. The book provides a guide of business lessons pertinent to today’s leaders and entrepreneurs, starting with the investment of top-tier talent and ending with the separation of management and ownership. Anupam Gupta narrates the tale of an Indian institution and its visionary founder.
3. Speaking with Nature by Ramachandra Guha:
With this extensively researched book, Ramachandra Guha questions the narrative surrounding sustainability and the environment in India. He presents ten outstanding voices on the perils of environmental abuse in an Indian context, illuminating the little-known prehistory of global movement outside of Western nations. In this powerful book, Guha challenges the wealthy and exclusive perspective of environmentalism by bringing the idea of “livelihood environmentalism” to the fore.
4. Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada by Shahu Patole:
The poor man’s plate is placed on the table in this translation of a historic Marathi publication. A plate composed of ingredients not included in the Savarna dictionaries and free of oil, ghee, and milk. In addition to examining the Dalit community’s culinary preferences, this book looks at the pervasive casteism found in Hindu texts and various facets of cuisine. Each varna determines what should and shouldn’t be consumed. This book sheds light on the extensive effects of caste and the varna system on dietary choices.
5. The Lion and The Lily by Ira Mukhoty:
Awadh was one of the richest and most coveted regions in all of Hindustan. The legacy and journey of this once empire of Hindustan have been the focus of bestselling author Ira Mukhoty’s work. Basing her book on Persian, English, and untranslated sources as well as work by art historians, Ira crafts the story and timeline of some of the most important figures of the periods. From the Nawabs, and Warren Hastings to the powerful begums, this book is an adventure through the ancient Indian period.
6. Gods, Guns and Missionaries by Manu S. Pillai:
Manu S. Pillai takes the readers on a journey exploring the tumultuous dynamics of the Hindu cultures and European imperialism and its impact on the Indian identity. He studies the social forces which would prepare the ground for Hindu nationalism and understanding the past of India with the European power in India growing and the British Raj. It is a deeply ambitious book as it dives deep into the popular narratives of India’s present and the past.
7. Lilliput Land: How Small is Driving India’s Mega Consumption Story by Rama Bijpurkar:
With millions of small consumers who simultaneously earn and spend, India is one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. Rama Bijapurar questions the oversimplified perception of the Indian population regarding the Indian economy and embraces the opportunities and complexities that the new India has to offer. With millions of small suppliers operating their businesses and conducting daily transactions, India’s economic growth is virtually growing past boundaries.
8. My Passage to India by Annabel Mehta:
She recounts her extraordinary story for the first time in this book, starting with her early years in wartime England and continuing through her journey to India in 1966 to visit her boyfriend, Anand Mehta, in Bombay. The journey then included marriage, motherhood, grief and loss, and the challenges of living in two very different worlds: the upper-middle-class South Bombay environment of friends and family, music, cricket, and vacations with her grandchildren, and the extreme poverty and deprivation of the slums she experienced while working.
9. The Money Trap by Alok Sama:
In his gripping, uncanny personal journey, The Money Trap, Sama describes his experiences working with Masayoshi Son, the legendary founder of SoftBank. Son is a visionary trailblazer who aspires to be known as “the crazy guy who bet on the future” and whose goal is “happiness for everyone.” Sama takes the reader on an exciting journey as he makes friends with heads of state and billionaire CEOs, negotiates massive international deals, and deals with a mysterious dark arts smear campaign that negatively impacts his personal life.
10. Dance to Freedom by A.K Gandhi:
The untold stories of tawaifs—unknown heroes in India’s struggle for independence—are revealed in Dance to Freedom. This book highlights their artistic genius and tenacity in the face of British oppression, as well as their crucial role in the freedom movement.
Fiction Books We Loved in 2024:
1. Interstellar Megachef by Lavanya Lakshminaryan:
An Earthly chef named Saras Kaveri comes to compete in the renowned interstellar culinary competition Interstellar MegaChef. Serenity Ko, a corporate prodigy, creates a food sim and requires a cooking mentor while on a required break following a wild night. They work together on innovative food technology that has the potential to transform their futures after a fortuitous encounter.
2. The Sentence by Gautam Bhatia:
Jagat, a young man from poverty, is convicted of murder. The ultimate punishment for his crime is to spend a century in the sleep of death, with the possibility of resurrection if his innocence is ever established. Following a bloody conflict, Nila M. is preparing to become a Guardian, a peacekeeper between the anarchist Commune of Peruma City and the capitalist Council. Her job is to demonstrate Jagat’s innocence. The morality of a reversible death sentence is examined in the narrative, along with the significance of justice and ideals.
3. Summer of Then by Rupleena Bose:
A 26-year-old PhD candidate in English literature balances her writing with her career, her morals with her emotions, and her identity with her family’s past. She strays along a traditionally aimless path, working odd jobs as a researcher and proofreader. She ends up in a suffocating marriage and an equally immobile but romantic adulterous relationship with her husband’s best friend. Against the backdrop of sexual assault and harassment, Summer of Then is a debut novel that explores women’s interiority, particularly the frequently unsettling intimacies of romantic, platonic, and sexual relationships.
4. Mother India by Prayaag Akbar:
The story of two young people in modern-day Delhi is told in Mother India. Mayank works in the seedy basement studio of a right-wing content creator, plodding away to earn a respectable living despite having only a mediocre education. Nisha works as a salesgirl for pricey Japanese chocolate in a posh mall. Mayank is enamoured with Nisha after he finds her glowing on Instagram like a beacon, and the video clip he creates for his studio has serious repercussions for both of them. Prayaag Akbar’s new book, which is unexpected and sparkling, brilliantly depicts what it’s like to be young and alive in modern-day India.
5. Biopeculiar by Gigi Ganguly:
As he gets ready to retire, a cloud herder gathers his flock. Meanwhile, the Weather Department is in a panic due to the impending retirement of its most gifted vocalist. When confronted with a particularly difficult case, a sour inspector must also cope with a damaged reputation and depressed colleagues. Even though she blames one species for everything, Gigi Ganguly’s speculative short stories are infused with a rare kindness, a profound love for the natural world, and serious concern about the crises that surround it today. These stories delve into the world we believe we know, uncovering realities that frequently slip our notice.
6. Instruments of Torture by Aparna Sanyal:
Enter the darkest, most profound torture chambers of the soul, where nightmares are created and rapacious dreams reside. The darkness of the mind is exposed in these pages. The true meaning and impact of each title emerge as the relationship between the various torture devices and their psychological counterparts is revealed, whether it is a forbidden love affair that takes root in a place of worship or an agonized man who is given hormone drugs to “cure” his dwarfism. These stories are all named after medieval torture devices.
7. Eden Abandoned: The Story of Lilith by Shinie Anthony:
Lilith. Untamable, wild Lilith. The only woman for the only man on the planet, she is the object of Adam’s love. Until Adam brings Eve in her place. Eve was submissive, meek, and biddable. Adam gripes to God, “Lilith is demanding, short-tempered, and unnatural in her sexual desires.” Dissension is delicious, so Lilith, who was expelled from Eden, wanders the world, becomes an expert in the dark arts, and challenges the establishment. She is now the Lilith, the demon seductress and night monster. and a killer of children. The irresistible seductress, Lilith. The contentious former resident of Eden goes on a rampage to uncover her true self and potential. Past Adam. Past Eden. above God.
8. RAW Hitman 2 by S. Hussain Zaidi:
The double murder of gangsters Raju Pargai and Amit Arya in September 2011 shook the state of Uttarakhand. Pargai has found himself in the higher ranks of criminals quickly due to his smuggling of weapons in India, however, this has put him on the radar of the Indian intelligence agencies. The agencies have ordered an assassin named ‘Agent Lima’ to put him down. Laxman Bisht, an NSG Commando, has been arrested from his home in Haldwani and accused of double murder. The story of these three characters gets twisted and shrouded in mystery and suspense.
9. Girls Who Stray by Anisha Lalvani:
A, 23, who wishes to remain anonymous, returns from a small British university with a worthless degree to her new home in Noida, a place where weak men live, and the dissolution of her parents’ marriage. A chronic procrastinator, overthinker, anxious, and unstable, she uses snootiness as an overcompensation for her low self-esteem and sense of alienation, despite her intense desire to fit in. Her self-awareness is the only thing that saves her. Before long, A finds herself elbow-deep in an affair with a property developer and subsequently in a double murder. Faced with the anxieties of crime and the precarity of living in a hypermodern city marked by seething inequality, A navigates heartbreak and tiny acts of freedom.
10. Never Never Land by Namita Gokhale:
Arya escapes Gurgaon’s towers and bright lights for The Dacha, a remote cottage in the Himalayas, as she is lonely and at a personal and professional dead-end. She finds herself in the company of two grandmothers of 90 years old and a mysterious girl who may be her sister. With these three women, she finds herself experiencing the vanity of youth and the vulnerability and tenderness of old age and its courage. She explores and makes peace with her quiet desolation in the hills.
These were just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more such books waiting to be uncovered and read. The novels mentioned will leave a lasting impression and restart that reading marathon in you. All you need to do is get one of these titles and grab a cup of coffee, a cosy nook to disappear in, and dig into the fantastical stories!
Let us know in the comments which book was your favourite and if you know of any other great book from 2024!
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