Ahead of the gifting season, Kunzum Review got in touch with Moutushi Mukherjee, Commissioning Editor, Classics and Translations at Penguin Random House. Here’s her list of best books for the gifting season:
1. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
An ‘essential read’ by the New Yorker, here is a collection of splendid stories from master storyteller, Jhumpa Lahiri that are based in the heart of Italy, and her adopted home, the city of Rome.
2. On the Edge: 100 Years of Hindi Fiction on Same-Sex Desire by Ruth Vanita
Little-known fact about the rich legacy of Hindi fiction—its quiet exploration of same-sex love and desire in India. A first-of-its-kind collection, On the Edge selects prominent Hindi writers and their short stories on same-sex desire.
3. All that Sizzles by Sakshama Puri Dhaliwal
A spicy meet-cute romance that blends so well with Christmas warmth and cheer. All that Sizzles is sure to make you chuckle into the new year.
4. Sakina’s Kiss by Vivek Shanbagh translated by Srinath Perur
Exquisitely translated from the Kannada by Srinath Perur, Sakina’s Kiss is a delicate, precise meditation on the persistence of old biases—and rattled masculinity—in India’s changing social and political landscape.
5. Soma: Poems by A.K Ramanujan
A glimpse into AK Ramanujan’s experimental poems whose style and themes set them apart from everything we know about the man.
6. Empire Building: The Construction of British India: 1690–1860 by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones
An account of the East India Company’s impact on India and how that changed the subcontinent forever. Rosie Llewellyn-Jones talks steam engines, military power, chambers of commerce and the myriad other elements that defined British India.
Pick these books from any Kunzum store or WhatsApp +91.8800200280 to order. Buy the book(s) and the coffee’s on us.
