My Favorite Books by Penguin India for #TheBookBlogTrain

Penguin India is one of the leading publishers in India and even internationally Penguin Random House holds a strong position. It publishes books in every genre, with diverse writers from across the globe with Penguin India primarily promoting Indian authors. And how can we forget the Penguin Classics. They are a delight to own and read. Penguin comes up with different and beautiful editions of our favorite classics each year and we can’t help but hoard them in every cover.

Here are a few of my favorite books published by Penguin India:

1. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid: 
   Changez, a Pakistani immigrant in America, finds himself at a crossroads when a plane hits the Twin Towers on 9/11. He is divided amongst the two countries and their situations. The “fundamentalist” in him takes birth and he flies back to Pakistan where he is narrating this story to an American man in a tea shop who is nothing more than a perceiver or spectator of Changez’s journey, much like us.
   
   At a cafe table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter…
   Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.
   
   But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.
2. Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan: is a collection of short stories set in the Gulf, of people mostly from the South Asian Countries and their struggle to have a living in the UAE. There is quite a variety of content in these 250 pages. Some are somber and simple, while others are brutal and blunt.
   
   Guest workers of the United Arab Emirates embody multiple worlds and identities and long for home. 
   In the United Arab Emirates, foreign nationals constitute over 80 percent of the population. Brought in to construct the towering monuments to wealth that punctuate the skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, this labor force works without the rights of citizenship, endures miserable living conditions, and is ultimately forced to leave the country. Until now, the humanitarian crisis of the so-called “guest workers” of the Gulf has barely been addressed in fiction.
   Deepak Unnikrishnan delves into their histories, myths, struggles, and triumphs. Unnikrishnan presents twenty-eight linked stories that careen from construction workers who shapeshift into luggage and escape a labor camp, to a woman who stitches back together the bodies of those who’ve fallen from buildings in progress, to a man who grows ideal workers designed to live twelve years and then perish—until they don’t, and found a rebel community in the desert.
   
3. Encounters of a Fat Bride by Samah Visaria: When you are not the “ideal” person, your conscience goes for a toss. You constantly fight a battle with your mind and your surroundings. Encounters of a Fat Bride is a very realistic story of Madhurima, who is “fat”, weighed by society norms and is in a phase of life where companionship is a must-have. It is a fun read that keeps you turning the page until you cannot turn another page. It’s witty, funny, relatable! And more than anything, it brings to picture the reality of many girls and guys who have complexities and face criticism everyday of their lives.
   
   Madhurima Pandey is twenty-five, single, and gradually coming to terms with the annoying ‘you’re next’ nudges from family and friends. But soon they realize that chances of finding a groom for her are slim-mainly because she’s not. At 93 kilos, she knows she isn’t the ideal weight for marriage, even if her family believes she’s the ideal age.
   Despite her reservations, the hunt begins, and so does a spree of rejections until Harsh comes along.
   Madhu cannot believe that a boy with no obvious flaws has agreed to marry her. Low self-esteem makes her suspect he’s either impotent or a homosexual, but she doesn’t turn down the proposal immediately.
   A negligible period of courtship and a hurried engagement follow. But does Madhurima really find her happily-ever-after? Or are there more surprises in store?
   Jovial, witty and unapologetically honest, Madhurima Pandey’s story of struggle and survival in the run-up to her D-Day gives you a refreshingly new take on the big fat Indian wedding.
   
4. Small Acts of Freedom by Gurmehar Kaur: is a book full of emotions and memories written with the perspective of three women. One of the author’s, the other of her mother and her maternal grandmother.
   Her mother and grandmother, both, raised a pair of daughters without a husband. Her father was posted in Kargil and they couldn’t do anything to keep him away from war. It talks of how these 3 women were affected by war and what followed for Gurmehar many years later.
   This book is written in different timelines. And what I love the most about it is how the author changes tone when she’s writing as her mother, as her 8-year-old self, as a 3-year-old and then again as a teenager. The letter, in the end, made me cry from the very first line. Such stories live in the hearts of many human beings in this country and beyond. We need to have a heart to relate to them and feel empathy towards them.
   
   In February 2017, Gurmehar Kaur, a nineteen-year-old student, joined a peaceful campaign after violent clashes at a Delhi University college. As part of the campaign, Kaur’s post made her the target of an onslaught of social media vitriol. Kaur, the daughter of a Kargil martyr, suddenly became a focal point of a nationalism debate. Facing a trial by social media, Kaur almost retreated into herself. But she was never brought up to be silenced. ‘Real bullets killed my father. Your hate bullets are deepening my resolve,’ she wrote then. Today, Kaur is doubly determined not to be silent. Small Acts of Freedom is her story. This is the story of three generations of strong, passionate single women in one family, women who have faced the world on their own terms. With an unusual narrative structure that crisscrosses elegantly between past and present, spanning seventy years from 1947 to 2017, Small Acts of Freedom is about courage. It’s about resilience, strength and love. From her grandmother who came to India from Lahore after Partition to the whirlwind romance between her parents, from her father’s state funeral to her harrowing experiences since her days of student activism, Gurmehar Kaur’s debut is about the fierceness of love, the power of family and the little acts that beget big revolutions
   
5. Mrs FunnyBones by Twinkle Khanna: Bollywood saw many actors come in and leave without much talk. But there is one actor who’s words spoke louder than her acting. She quit movies and pursued her love for and talent of writing and has been giving us amazing columns to read each month. Twinkle Khanna is witty and funny. She is relatable and admirable, she is sassy and quite amazing. This book is about her and all other women making a living while balancing home and kids.
   
   Good morning, it’s 6 a.m. and I am wide awake because the man of the house has decided that he needs to perform a series of complex manoeuvres that involve him balancing on his left elbow. When I fell asleep last night, there was a baby lying next to me. Her smelly diaper is still wedged on my head but aside from this rather damp clue, I can’t seem to find her anywhere. I could ask my mother-in-law if she has seen the baby, but she may just tell me that I need to fast on alternate Mondays, and God will deliver the baby back to me . . .Full of wit and delicious observations, Mrs Funnybones captures the life of the modern Indian woman—a woman who organizes dinner each evening, even as she goes to work all day, who runs her own life but has to listen to her Mummyji, who worries about her weight and the state of the country. Based on Twinkle Khanna’s super-hit column, Mrs Funnybones marks the debut of one of our funniest, most original voices
6. 10 Judgments that changed India by Zia Mody: brings forth ten important cases that shaped the future of India’s judiciary and law. The book not only focuses on the specific case details but also it’s the social and political impact. The legal analysis done by SC on these cases is simplified for a layman by the author for ease of reading. A very important book on the subject.Here are the Supreme Court’s ten pivotal judgments that have transformed Indian democracy and redefined our daily lives. Exploring vital themes such as custodial deaths, reservations, and environmental jurisprudence, this book contextualizes the judgments, explains key concepts and maps their impacts. Written by one of India s most respected lawyers, Ten Judgements That Changed India is an authoritative yet accessible read for anyone keen to understand India s legal system and the foundations of our democracy.
   
7. Love, Take Two by Saranya Rai: The modern day Romeo-Juliet entwined in a Bollywood rom-com, that is Love, Take Two for you. It’s not just a romantic novel. Yes, the lead pair falls in love, then there is trouble in paradise shortly after and finally things settle down like they always do. But, apart from romance, there is humor, the general camaraderie on a Bollywood set, the struggles that actors and the likes have to face being in the public eye always, and the equation between two equally headstrong people portrayed really well. It felt like we are watching this movie being made for real. What I loved most was that the intro page of each chapter adorned a scene from the film (or the story of Heer-Ranjha). It was written in the author’s style, her own interpretation of it.She’s tall, beautiful and one of Bollywood’s leading ladies.
   He’s goofy, loves to wear outlandish clothes and is constantly getting into trouble with reporters.
   When Vicky Behl and Kritika Vadukut meet on the sets of the period drama Ranjha Ranjha, everyone agrees they have serious chemistry–not just on screen. But after her devastating breakup with Raunak Rajput, Kritika doesn’t know if she can handle being with a Bollywood actor. If only Vicky wasn’t so damn charming . . .
   
   Will the pressure and scrutiny of Bollywood allow them to live happily ever?
   
8. The Diary of a Domestic Diva by Shilpa Shetty Kundra: Do you want to eat healthy while you binge your favorite delicacies? Go no further, you will find a healthy take on your favorite shakes, drinks, snacks, dishes and desserts in this book. I’ve personally tried a few of the juices and desserts and they are quite amazing. This book serves for a good cookbook that you may buy for yourself or even to gift someone.
   Do you find it difficult to cook the food you and your family enjoy during a busy day? Do you worry if it is delicious as well as nutritious? With Shilpa Shetty’s quick and hassle-free methods, cooking good food is now easy. In this book, the actor and entrepreneur brings you fifty of her most special recipes-some of which feature in her popular Sunday Binge videos on Instagram. These favourites of the Shetty-Kundra household have been created to give you variety, taste and the occasional food coma. Welcome to the world of the Domestic Diva!
   
9. Ninety-Seven Poems by Terribly Tiny Tales: A well-curated anthology of poems that definitely draw themselves in your imagination. Ninety Seven Poems is the work of 97 different poets of India with a uniqueness to each. Terribly Tiny Tales brings together these people to express their talent in lesser and better words with the feel intact. Some of these were beyond words!
   
   This is a book of pictures.Of a park bench and a prescription. And a toothbrush in a mug. It’s got half-lit cigarettes and broken geysers. And a cute apartment in Prague. There’s a fortune cookie, some pigeons in cages and stars tumbling from the sky. There’s the usual traffic, a digital wristwatch and a violin from Uncle James.
   
   We can go on, but you’d rather see for yourself.
   For we think this book has pictures.
   But some say it’s full of poems.
   After their first bestseller, Terribly Tiny Tales and Penguin come together on the same page once again.

Future TBR:
1. Sudha Murty: I wish to read books by Sudha Murty. I’ve seen people recommending some great books and I recently bought “Wise & Otherwise”.

2. Arundhati Roy: She is no unknown name in our industry. She has written two of the most talked about books and I wish to read both this year. 

Do share your favorite titles published by Penguin India in the comments below 🙂

“This article is written as a part of #TheBookBlogTrain conducted by Vidhya Thakkar and Siddhi Palande powered by Penguin India and Redwolf should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. Hosts are not responsible for any infringement caused.”