Eight Lesser Known Books Worth a Read

Not all books make it to the bestseller list of all time. And often you may find real gems from among the pile of books that are lesser known to people. Here are eight such books that made it to my personal favourite list. You could say it is my very own personal bestseller list of 2019.

Memory Man by David Baldacci

It was my first Baldacci, and the first book in Baldacci’s Amos Decker series (there have been four so far in the series). Amos Decker is the detective at play, solving mysteries and murders. Having suffered a head injury that ended his football career, the trauma induced a condition called hyperthymesia and synesthesia. The result of this- is never being able to forget anything! Weird as the condition may sound, it is this ability that gets him to crack cases and get behind those involved in some heinous crimes. 

As Decker returns home one evening, he finds his wife, young daughter and brother-in-law, brutally murdered. His family destroyed, and the identity of the killer being a mystery, Decker’s world comes crumbling down. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the streets. But a little over a year later, all of a sudden, a man turns himself up to the police, confessing to the crime. It is around the same time, a high school shooting rocks the town, where innocent lives are snuffed out. Decker has to jump in, as he realizes that the school incident is related to the killing of his family. Plus, Decker is sure that the man who surrendered is not actually the one behind it all. There is someone else. Decker has to uncover this stunning truth before it is too late. In a constant chase of clues, Memory Man is a thriller that you would not want to put down. Fast-past and an edge-of-the-seat kind read, it will keep you hooked right till the end.

Also Read : Seven mysteries to thrill you over the weekend

Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

Three strong characters were all that was required to write this tale of friendship, love and jealousy. Simple in every way, yet when their lives entangle, the complexities that arise are hard to straighten out. And sometime a single error could trigger a ripple effect and cause devastation.

Sasha and Xavier have been friends for over a year. They seem to be perfect in each other’s company, enjoying the little joys of life, until Xavier begins to date Ivy. Ivy is the cool and sassy spoilt kid, who has a certain aura around her. Popular in every way, her follower account on Instagram always on the upward curve. She doesn’t care much when she cheats on Xavier. Xavier on the other hand, takes the cheating seriously, to end up with depression. Sasha, helps Xavier come out of it all, falling in love with him in the process. However, Ivy soon decides get back to Xavier. Sasha realizes she needs to protect the gullible Xavier and hatches a plan to keep her away from him, until it all backfires. What ensues is a twist of fate, and Sasha has to carry with her a grave secret, the burden of which becomes too heavy for her.

What starts out as a simple love triangle moves on to become a fast paced thriller of sorts. With a plot that’s loaded with twists, be assured, this is one page turner. There may be potions which may sound over dramatic, yet go with the flow and the eventuality would take you by storm. A bit melodramatic too, with two youngsters professing their love, but then I realized it’s a YA fiction that’s targeted for a younger age bracket.

The Last Girl by Nadia Murad

I have read books on war, books on the holocaust, the genocide and the aftermath. But, if there is one book in recent times which made me sit up and reflect, it’s got to be The Last Girl– the story of Nadia Murad, who was held captive by the ISIS, and her struggle to break free. The book is a brilliant narrative of her painful years, when the ISISI forced out her entire village, brutally torturing and killing people. Born in Kocho, a village in the Northern part of Iraq, Nadia belonged to the Yazidi community. The community follows its own age old traditions and rituals; it is close knit and lived a simple life mostly out of farming. For the Islamic militants, this community was something to detest. They believed in eradicating the “non-believers”. Either members convert to Islam, or else they were forced to embrace death. On August 15th 2014, with tensions mounting up in Iraq, the militants storm into Kocho village, pulling out the so called non-believers.

The men are brutally tortured and murdered; the women raped and forced into sexual slavery. Nadia’s family is destroyed. Six of her brothers are killed and their bodies pile on top of each other in a mass grave. The women are herded to various parts of the country and sold in a thriving ISISI slave trade. Young girls are sold multiple times to different men, where they are not only sexually exploited, but also tormented physically and mentally. Escape is almost impossible and most girls resort to killing themselves. Nadia, herself, is held captive by several men, raped and beaten ruthlessly. Finally, she finds a way to escape, a narrow one indeed, to the home of a kind hearted soul, who finds a way to smuggle her out to safety.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

The complex web of thoughts is often so difficult to untangle. When mixed with religious, political and radical thinking, it becomes nothing but a fatal concoction. Home fire by Kamila Shamsie is one such web, with politics and religion being pitted against a family’s love and relationship. The book is supposedly a modern take on the Greek tragedy Antigone. I haven’t read Antigone, hence wouldn’t be able to comment or compare the two. To me, Home Fire is a fresh perspective on human emotions, relationships and radical thinking.

Having lost their mother and grandmother at a young age, Isma the eldest of the three siblings takes over the reins of her home. Her siblings, the twins Aneeka and Parvaiz, become her responsibility and her first concern at the cost of her own dreams and ambitions. Growing up in London, the three also carry a shameless legacy- that of a Jihadist father. He has been dead since long, yet the tag associated with him haunt the three from all angles, despite their attempts to bury it deep within. As the twins turn 18 and begin to live life on their own, Isma finally departs to build her dream and travels to America. Away from her siblings, yet her thoughts still centre on them. The head strong Aneeka joins university to pursue law. Parvaiz, on the other hand, embarks on his own journey to understand the legacy of their father. He takes the road to Syria, trains and joins the Islamic State in its war. Parvaiz disappears in this pursuit. However he does resurface. When he does, Isma’s worst fears are confirmed.

Amidst all this turmoil, enter into their lives Eamon, the son of a powerful and prominent British politician. Eamonn has his own struggles-his ambitions, his Islamic background and his father’s political position. What draws Aneeka and Isma to Eamonn? Is it love, attraction or opportunism? When their lives get entangled what ensues is an emotional battle. The fates of two families get intricately woven together and as Kamila Shamsie herself asks, “What sacrifices will we make in the name of love?”

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike

I read The Graveyard Apartment, and trust me I was spooked. Through the book, I had goose bumps and despite the predictable plot of horror I ended up reading it page by page. This book was published in the year 1986 by Japanese author Mariko Koike, who is well known for detective and horror writing. It has been translated from the original by Deborah Boliver Boehm in the recent years. The Graveyard Apartment is a terrifying tale of Teppei and his family who move into an apartment building in the heart of Tokyo. The apartment cost them half of what it ought to and the family is happy to have found a perfect home.

In this idyllic setting there exists a devil force, a deep dark and potent one, owing to the fact that the building faces a graveyard and crematorium site. Slowly strange and terrifying occurrences begin to happen. Deep down in the basement of the building, there are unknown forces lurking and its presence can be felt by one and all. One by one, the resident families begin to shift out, leaving Teppei and his family as the last ones to move out. However, the family soon realizes that they cannot. The evil force all around gets stronger and they find themselves trapped within its vortex. How do Teppei and his family tackle it? Are they able to conquer the evil force and leave the creepy apartment building?

Finding Gobi

Finding Gobi is a feel good book about a little pup called Gobi. In the year 2016, a seasoned marathon runner Dion Leonard unexpectedly comes across a little stray dog when he was completing a 155 mile race across the Gobi desert. Across the heat of the desert and a dangerous mountain terrain, Gobi keeps up with Dion step by step. Gobi’s determination inspires Dion over the miles he ran. When Gobi is lost in one leg of the race, Dion is determined to find him back. And there begins a lovely bond between man and dog that sets one’s heart aflutter.

An amazing real life story, the book is beautifully written and truly inspirational. It is a brilliant testimony of doggy devotion and perseverance.

The Puffin Book of Holiday Stories

From among all the bestsellers in India, The Puffin Book of Holiday Stories turned out to be a favourite book for my children. The stories are drawn from everyday objects and experiences. From the clever parrot called Carrot who enters summer school, to a young boy who swallows a whole snake, the tales are hilarious. The book features some lovely authors such as Ruskin Bond, Sudha Murty, Shabnam Minwalla, to name a few. The collection has stories of courage, humor, adventure, friendship and family.

Also read : Seven Books Recommended For Ten Year Olds

Mango Cheeks, Metal Teeth by Aruna Nambiar

With an interesting title, “Mango Cheeks, Metal Teeth” is the debut fiction of Aruna Nambiar. The book took me by surprise with its brilliant style and content, bringing back my lost faith in Indian writing. Set in small town Ambalakunnu in Kerala the plot may well seem simple. Yet, as a story teller Aruna Nambiar’s web of words ensures readers get to take something out of the book when that last page is turned over.

It is three simple plots woven together seamlessly. A long summer in 1980’s, when life was far simpler than the fast-paced gadget driven one we live today. The Madhavan Nair family live in their palatial ancestral home in Ambalakunnu with a horde of domestic help. It is vacation time and eleven year old Geetha with her siblings Raju and Mini arrive at Ambalakunnu to spend time with cousins Divya and Vikki. As grandparents, the Nairs are more than happy to have their home filled with their chatter, as they scamper around its vast spaces. The children spend time strolling around the markets, listening to their grandfather(Apoopan) narrate stories of ghosts and monsters, play card games and satiate on the yummy food of grandmother(Ammooma). Not to forget the far too many sibling fights and quarrels with cousins. Close to the Nair home is the family of Koovait Kannan, a previous domestic help of the home, who have suddenly risen up in social strata, thanks to their new found economic opportunity in the Gulf. The only other high profile family in Ambalakunnu is that of Ration Raman-the man whose riches could be traced to the unlawful income earned from his humble ration shop. His son Venu, appointed as the constable in the small town, is to wed the daughter of Koovait Kannan.

As the summer days unfold, the three families come face to face with complex moments and shades of life. Their paths intersect more than once and what transpires is a classic timeless saga. At the brink of growing up, eleven year old Geetha finds herself drawn into it all- resulting in a hard hitting memory that would stay with her for years and years to come. In Aruna’s own words, “… that metamorphic summer in Ambalakunnu as the time when she left her childhood behind and stepped into adulthood”.

Featured image: Pixabay

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