History, for most people, is a drag. It’s only a particular kind of mind that wants to read history. But what if history was given a twist and the factual events were tweaked and an element of surprise, a bit of mystery and a dash of the fantastic is added to it? You get to learn the history as well as enjoy an epic adventure at the same time.
We’ve curated 16 books that do just that.
Dive right in.
Greek Myths: A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins
Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of the most enduring stories of all time in this beautifully produced, spellbinding new collection.
Very informative how women weaved Greek myths before the powerful role of women in these myths was obscured later.
Shogun by James Clavell
Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, Shōgun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion.
This book is a roller-coaster from start to finish, even when it doesn’t seem like there is anything going on.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. But life is unpredictable. So she ends up being the reluctant star of a America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
An insightful, part tear-jerker, truly hilarious at times work with more than enough charisma to make you want to be the best version of yourself?
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
A sequel to the best seller The Handmaid’s Tale (out now in graphic novel format as well), Atwood’s The Testaments answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.
it’s not merely a fantastic novel, it’s the “meta” experience of reading.
The Museum of the World by Christopher Kloeble
At 12, an orphan in Bombay, Bartholomew can speak 12 languages. This leads to him being hired as a translator for a pair of German brothers. With them he embarks upon the greatest expedition of his time, which takes them across India and the Himalayas. But Bartholomew has his own agenda: he wants to establish the first museum of his remarkable, complex native land. And for this, he is willing to risk everything – even his life.
Poignant and compelling, with semi-poetic but witty language, that grips the narration of this adventure story and keeps you hooked you till the end.
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
A novel inspired by the true story of the once racially integrated Malaga Island off the coast of Maine Stunning, deftly crafted, and mesmerizing by an affirming storyteller.
Sharvay by Mansi
The heroine, Sharvay, is an orphan, the daughter of a dasi, a mixed-caste person of low social standing, bonded to the royal princess of Kavipura as a spittoon holder. But she is determined to devote herself to a life of learning and becoming a philosopher. Can she overcome the socially imposed limits of caste and gender to access Sanskrit and philosophy?
A must read for all who love an adventure that also ignites your mind to ask the right questions.
Razia by Meena Arora Nayak
Meena Arora Nayak has added flesh, bones, and a magnetic personality to Sultan Razziat aka Razia Sultan in this enthralling work of historical fiction. Sometimes she’s up, high on a throne, and sometimes she’s down, deep in a dungeon. At all times, though, her fighting spirit never lets her down.
The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham
Norway, 1942. War rages, and operation Shetland bus is in full swing. Under cover of darkness, Rumi Orlstad and other locals smuggle British agents, fugitives and supplies across the North Sea to the relative safety of Scotland. And then comes the twist. Exciting, suspenseful, tragic and romantic, the Resistance Girl is simply put historical fiction at its best.
Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantle
Though he battled for years to marry her, Henry VIII has become disenchanted with the audacious Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over a few terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy. There are no endings. If you think so you are deceived as to their nature. They are all beginnings.
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
In contemporary Sierra Leone, a devastating civil war has left an entire populace with secrets to keep. A sweeping tale of love and betrayal in juxtaposed ways that spans decades, and captures it in such an effective and spellbinding way that it leaves you numb .
Rilke in Paris by Rainer Maria Rilke and Maurice Betz
Paris proved to be complicated for Rilke. Over the next two decades, he would flee the city in distress only to return as if he were powerless to stay away. An astounding collection of Rilke’s ruminations on Paris life at all levels of society.
The Spy by Andrew Gross
Kurt Nordstrum has lost everything. His fiancée. His unit. His cause. When Kurt learns of the Nazis’ atomic research in his homeland, he teams up with a group of patriotic fighters, driven by one goal: to disrupt activity at the heavily guarded factory.
Defectors by Joseph Kanon
Former CIA agent Frank Weeks, the most notorious of the defectors to the Soviet Union, is about to publish his memoirs, and what he reveals will send shockwaves through the West.
Set against the paranoiac atmosphere of the Cold War, The Defectors is a smart and authentic exploration of espionage and betrayal.
The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes
Inspired by the true story of the Council of Books in Wartime–the WWII organization founded by booksellers, publishers, librarians, and authors to use books as “weapons in the war of ideas”–The Librarian of Burned Books is an unforgettable historical novel, a haunting love story, and a testament to the beauty, power, and goodness of the written word. A love of books, a fight against injustice and a yearning to help end the war led three women in three cities to band together and take on book banning.
The man who loved books too much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Set within the world of rare-book collecting: the true story of an infamous book thief, his victims, and the man determined to catch him.
A peek into the rare book world and a man who thought he could steal his way into having a grand library.
Pick these books from any Kunzum store or WhatsApp +91.8800200280 to order. Buy the book(s) and the coffee’s on us.