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10 underrated books for you to chance upon (like I did)

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That's the thing about books. To each his own. Recommendations and reviews work only to a point. I, for one, love to randomly pick up books and read. Here are a few of my favourite underrated books which I feel one must pick up at least once in life:

1. The Small Island by Andrea Levy 
Not the usual black vs white terror story but a beautiful, subtle, bittersweet tale of a journey through ups and downs of life. It made me wonder why I got that book for Rs 50 at a Books by Kilo exhibition. She is definitely a magician when it comes to words. For those who prefer short stories more, you may start with Six Stories and an Essay by the same author.  

2. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, popular for We Should All Be Feminists 
Simply for the detailing and the brusque nature of her storytelling. Can't imagine anyone else writing about water scarcity like she did in the book (that's definitely not what the tale is about though). But such is her writing, that certain things stay like broken shards of glass, stuck to skin. For those who prefer short stories more, you may start with Zikora or even We Should All Be Feminists by the same author. There are passages that stay with you for a long time. One such passage from the book is as follows: Papa did horrible things but he was not a monster. It is about colonialism and also about the fact that she thinks in English and how it in itself is a result of colonialism.

3. Taj by Timeri N Murari
Historical fiction has always felt more to me than just that. How else can I explain what I felt when I walked in the premises of Taj for the first time in my life? It was as if I had known it since ages and the very stones were talking to me in our own secret language (okay, I'll stop being dramatic, but seriously.) 

4. Remnants of a Separation by Anchal Malhotra
Made me dig up my own past and pester my parents and in-laws to know more about my ancestry. They did sit up wondering it's just Covid lockdown induced craziness. But I discovered a little stool (which has been in the family for over 70 years) and painted it. The impact of the book was that brilliant. It sits as a work of art today rather than shrivelling in the balcony.

        The stool with a fresh coat of paint 

5. Whorelight by Linda Ashok
A poetry book that made me recommend it to a student who looked at me with a puzzled smile and asked, "You've read it?" Both of us were pleasantly surprised simply because it's not a very famous book but should be. We've been on a secret mission since then, spreading the word. Yay! Mission accomplished, once again. 

6. Fatal Accidents of Birth by Harsh Mander 
While the privileged lot lives yet another day, Mander opens up a can of worms and there is no other way than sitting up and taking note of it. Brutally honest and nerve wrecking at times, it's definitely an eye-opener. 

7. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 
While I can be great at making people cry with my words (or so my mom thinks), this made me cry, laugh and feel a million things in a matter of seconds. Reading it made me look at my own life from a distance and wince a little less. 

8. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom 
Not sure if it is underrated but one of my ex- colleagues makes it a point to gift a copy of it to whoever he meets and strikes friendship with. When I read it, I realised why he thinks of it as a great gifting material. 

9. Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern (the second novel by the Irish writer mostly famous for P.S. I Love You) mostly reminds me of how I devoured the book sitting on the last bench of my class while my Physics teacher went on and on about Bernoulli's principle (or was it theorem?). But it, in no way, can be held responsible for my 3 out of 80 score in the final exams and the resulting supplementary exam). You can find my reviews of other books written by her by clicking on the names of those books here: Lyrebird, The Time of My Life.

10. The Kite Flyers by Sharad Paul 
A tale set in the village where Kaveri flows by, beautifully described by the author with an amazing flair for designing a 'maanjha' with politics, education, passion, love, life of transgenders and strength of friendship. The intensity of the words are far reaching even though it is not a very heavy read. The tale would last for a long time in the hearts of the readers.


Now that you have some books to choose from, here's an image by Vimal Chandran. Guess nothing could have suited here better. Been a fan, since a long time now! 

Happy reading, folks! :) 

Comments

  1. SumeetJuly 22, 2021 at 7:12 PM

    Along with books if anything I genuinely enjoy reading is your blog and any piece you pen down to actually recreate the moment for a reader.
    Continue to enlighten, entertain and spread the joy of expressing and reading through your words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Divya NambiarJuly 22, 2021 at 8:31 PM

      Thank you for those words. I hope you still continue the 'Tuesdays with Morrie' gifting trend. I am so glad I was one of the lucky ones. :)

      Delete

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