15 books we want this year

After a delightful 2015 in the world of books, here’s a list to look forward to in 2016. It’s time to make some room in your book shelves

Bookworms, we had a glorious reading year in 2015. We had the highly-anticipated book from Pulitzer winner Harper Lee, who gave us ‘Go Set a Watchman’, the sequel to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ after more than 40 years.

Paula Hawkins and Tilly Bagshaw brought back two gritty females from original creations of Stieg Larsson and Sidney Sheldon respectively; with Lisbeth Salander in ‘The Girl on The Train’ and Tracy Whitney in ‘Reckless’.

From the Indian authors, Twinkle Khanna gave us a witty ‘Mrs Funnybones: She’s Just Like You and a Lot Like Me’, Amitav Ghosh’s final part of the Ibis trilogy came with ‘Flood of Fire’ and Anuradha Roy gave us the Booker Prize nominated ‘Sleeping on Jupiter’.

Seems like a tough readers’ year to beat? Of course not! 2016 is here and it is come with its own share of notable and favourite authors’ books waiting for readers, from both the international and Indian front.

There’s a new Elizabeth Strout book, for one, and a new Annie Proulx; new novels by Don DeLillo, Curtis Sittenfeld, Yann Martel and Stephen King. Time to make some room in your shelves…

Anticipated releases

End of Watch, Stephen King Projected release: June
Both a stand-alone novel and the final episode in the Hodges trilogy, ‘End of Watch’ is going to be a tense read, which will take the series into a powerful new dimension. Bill Hodges will be back on the trail of his nemesis Brady Hartsfield; the criminal the press calls ‘The Mercedes Killer’.

The Noise of Time, Julian Barnes Projected release: February
Barnes’s new novel — his first since 2011’s Man Booker Prize-winning ‘The Sense of an Ending’ — concerns the life of the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri Projected release: February
The Pulitzer winner is foraying into the realm of non-fiction with the book. It is at heart a love story of a long and sometimes difficult courtship, and a passion that verges on obsession: that of a writer for another language. For Jhumpa Lahiri, that love was for Italian, which first captivated and capsised her during a trip to Florence after college.

The High Mountains of Portugal, Yann Martel Projected release: February
With this highly anticipated new novel, the ‘Life of Pi’ author returns to the storytelling power and luminous wisdom of his master novel. The fourth novel by Martel is touted as an allegory that asks questions about loss, faith, suffering, and love.

Walking the Himalayas, Levison Wood Projected release: February
From the adventurer, who penned ‘Walking the Nile’ comes the book—packed with action and emotion, more than anything ‘Walking the Himalayas’ is a story of personal adventure and striving beyond the limits of convention.

Hot Feminist, Polly Vernon Projected release: February
Drawing on her dedicated, life-long pursuit of hotness - having dismissed many of the rules on 'good' feminism at some point in the early 90s—Polly Vernon, Grazia columnist, Times feature writer will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about being a feminist when you care about how you look. It is modern feminism, with style, without judgment.

My Name Is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout Projected release: January
The latest novel from the Pulitzer winner, author of ‘Olive Kitteridge’ centres on a mother and daughter’s tumultuous relationship.

Our Impossible Love, Durjoy Datta
The dimpled author is already on his national tour signing away copies for fans with the story of Aisha and Danish, who come to learn that “Life teaches us what ‘love’ truly is. And, love gives definition to ‘life’.”

The Janson Equation, Robert Ludlum and Douglas Corleone Projected release: January
Ludlum hero Paul Janson returns in the fourth book of the series.

Cometh the Hour, Jefferey Archer Projected release: February
‘Cometh the Hour’ is the penultimate book in the Clifton Chronicles and, like the five previous novels - all of which hit the New York Times bestseller list - showcases Jeffrey Archer's extraordinary storytelling with his trademark twists.

Empire of the Moghul: Traitors in the Shadows, Alex Rutherford Projected release: May
The sixth gripping novel in the action-packed ‘Empire of the Moghul’ series by Alex Rutherford, is perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Robyn Young.

Own It: Leadership Lessons from Women Who Do (Limited Hardback Edition), Aparna Jain Projected release: January
#NotAllWomen are victims. #NotAllMen are the problem. But there’s enough of both to warrant this book. For years, we read leadership books from male authors, who spoke for both genders. Well, it’s time that women give a voice to each other.

Import editions
These editions may not find themselves on stands in India, but, why must we suffer? Amazon and Flipkart will help you get these import editions.

Eligible, Curtis Sittenfeld
In Sittenfeld’s modern retelling of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Liz is a New York City magazine writer and Darcy is a Cincinnati neurosurgeon.

Zero K, Don DeLillo
From the author of the glorious ‘White Noise’ comes a seductive, spectacularly observed and brilliant new novel that weighs the darkness of the world—terrorism, floods, fires, famine, plague—against the beauty and humanity of everyday life; love, awe, “the intimate touch of earth and sun”.

The Gun, Fuminori Nakamura
We’ve been bowled over by Keigo Higashino’s ‘Journey Under the Midnight Sun’. This could be another crime gem from Tokyo. Nakamura’s Japanese debut is a noir-spun tale that probes the violence inherent to aesthetics.