10 Popular Books I Want to Read in 2020 | Book Blogger | India

Hello readers' fam! We have been together for more than one year and I'm back with another Top 10!

10 Books I Want to Read in 2020

10 Books I Want to Read in 2020 | Book Blogger | India

I read many books this year, more than I expected I could read. All these books were review copies I got this year and most were debuts. For some reason, I couldn't read more popular books so these are 10 books I'm gonna read in 2020.

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1. An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by Shashi Tharoor

An Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor

It's been a few months that I am planning to read Shashi Tharoor books but didn't get to get my hands on any of it. So, my first goal would be to read Shashi Tharoor, and for that, I have selected this one title which I think can be my good first read by Shashi Tharoor.

Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India (published in India as An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India) is a historical text by Shashi Tharoor, an Indian politician and diplomat, about the effects of British Colonialism on India.


Buy An Era of Darkness from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZC4wsQ

2. Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji by Manu S. Pillai

Rebel Sultans by Manu S. Pillai

Manu S. Pillai is an Indian historian and author known for his debut non-fiction The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore for which he won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2017. This year I listened to his interviews and talks and speeches, I was just amazed by this personality. The knowledge he shared with his audience was perspicacious and I couldn't stop listening to his interviews. He changed my perspective about 'history' and now all I want to do is explore more.

In Rebel Sultans, Manu S. Pillai narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth. Packed with riveting tales and compelling characters, this book takes us from the age of Alauddin Khilji to the ascent of Shivaji.

Buy Rebel Sultans from Amazon: HERE

3. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

While talking about popular Indian authors, we cannot overlook Suzanna Arundhati Roy, best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the biggest-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. She is also a political activist involved in human rights and environmental causes.

2019 has been a very different reading year for me, I mostly read review copies and could not read the books which I really wanted to read. One of my friends recommended this book right after he finished reading this book, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, her second novel published in 2017, twenty years after her debut. Also, I would be reading The God of Small Things, but this is my first pick.

Buy The Ministry of Utmost Happiness from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QxkaSm

4. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattnaik

Jaya by Devdutt Pattnaik

I have been reading the first few pages of this book whenever I get a chance, in the library or in Crossword stores, but now I want to just dig into it and read the whole book. Jaya is one of the best modern adaptations of Mahabharata and as I said I have already started reading, I wish to continue. Devdutt's retellings are the way to go if you are looking for mythological retellings.

Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian mythologist, speaker, illustrator and author, known for his prolific writing on sacred lore, legends, folklore, fables and parables, and for challenging wilful misinterpretations of ancient Indian scriptures, stories, symbols and rituals.

Buy Jaya from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MKdBuv

5. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

As you all know by reading the post: Top 10 Favorite Books of 2018, Erin Morgenstern and her  The Night Circus has charmed all the readers with the phantasmagorical tale of the two empowered magicians. Now after so long wait of six years, she is back with another (her second) captivating novel. The Starless Sea will be following a character named Zachary Ezra who finds an unusual book in the library in which he encounters his own childhood. Strange right? Intriguing. There is much more in the synopsis. Have a look at the Goodreads page. It is going to be as fantastic as The Night Circus. I am craving more of Erin Morgenstern's 'fairytale in one way or another'.

Buy The Starless Sea from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2rDK2Dw

6. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

Legacy of Orisha was declared a trilogy by Tomi Adeyemi. The first in the series Children of Blood and Bone was completely successful and made it to #1 on The New York Times Bestsellers List. The story follows the character Zelie Adebola whose mother was killed by a brutal King Saran who rules over the land of Orisha. The second in the trilogy was released late this year on 3rd December. After reading the Children of Blood and Bone, I was waiting for second release desperately because this is the story you cannot wait to explore.


Buy Children of Virtue and Vengeance from Amazon: https://amzn.to/36izvNq

7. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale, originally published in 1985, is a dystopian novel written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. It is set in a near-future New England, in a totalitarian state resembling a theonomy that overthrows the United States government.

Margaret Atwood is such a phenomenal writer, I adore her writing. I recently signed up for her MASTERCLASS and I'm loving it so far and as a pre-requisite, I have to have a sound knowledge about her literary works so that would be my first step towards learning to write from her. 

Buy The Handmaid's Tale from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2F4p7gd

8. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Among all these non-fiction, fantasy, dystopian novels I wanted to include historical fiction and I could not come up with a better idea than reading this one. All the Light We Cannot See is a war novel written by American author Anthony Doerr, published by Scribner on May 6, 2014. It won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Set in occupied France during World War II, the novel centers on a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths eventually cross. I'm am really eager to read this book.

Buy All The Light We Cannot See from Amazon: https://amzn.to/39s4oka

9. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This book doesn't need any introduction but here we go. The Book Thief is a historical novel by Australian author Markus Zusak and is his most popular work. Published in 2005, The Book Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into 63 languages and sold 16 million copies. Recently I bought The Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak during the BookChor sale. But I think it would be really unaesthetic to not read The Book Thief before I read anything from Markus.

Markus Zusak is an Australian writer of German origin. He is best known for The Book Thief and The Messenger (US title: I Am the Messenger), two novels which became international bestsellers. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2014.


Buy The Book Thief from Amazon: https://amzn.to/37lKiq3

10. Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I was very excited to read this book when it was launched. I got the audiobook of this and I have already started reading it, few chapters in and I am loving this. No doubt this book is going to be the best book I'll be reading next decade. I hope so.

Becoming is the memoir of former United States first lady Michelle Obama published in 2018. Described by the author as a deeply personal experience, the book talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother.

Buy Becoming from Amazon: https://amzn.to/35cZu7w

I hope, you guys enjoyed this 'End of the Year Series'. So these are all the books I want to read. I wish you all the readers a Very Happy New Year, have a great reading/writing year ahead. Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout the journey of this blog.

FIN

If you have survived through this, please give it a chance! Holly crap. I wrote a book! (Sorry Superwoman for stealing the line.)

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(Click on above image to buy Winged Sisters)

Thank you so much for reading y'all. I hope you enjoyed and got some recommendations.

Comment below if you have read any of this and tell me your views on it.


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