Ten Best Reads in the First Half of 2016

The list includes the best books read till June, 2016. This is a super late list, but better late than never.

1. RUBY by Cynthia Bond

Ephram is on his way to Ruby’s hut with an angel cake. To the town folks she is a mad, possessed woman; to him she is the same girl he fell in love with as a boy. As the church, people and haunted spirits try to dissuade him from the journey, read what keeps him going.

Ruby is one of the most powerful contemporary books that I have come across. I was enthralled by the prose as well as the unapologetic way in which Bond handled the different themes of the novel. This is a brilliant debut and a must read. Ruby is an Oprah club read as well as in the Bailey’s prize shortlist of 2016.

Warning : There is quite a bit of abuse – sexual, child and mental.

Read : Ruby by Cynthia Bond — Madness and Magic in An Ethereal Love Story

2. SOMEONE AT A DISTANCE by Dorothy Whipple

Someone at a Distance is the story of an ordinary family torn apart by the entry of a French woman named Louise. It is the story of trust, love and family bonds. Whipple is a genius at drawing the reader  to the short sightedness and trusting nature of the wife and the manipulative mind of the ‘other woman’. I loved how Whipple could wreck the emotions of the reader.

Read : Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple is a heart wrenching tale of choices, a marriage and two women

3. THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE by Haruki Murakami

A man’s ordinary life, spent cooking, reading, listening to jazz  and drinking beer at the kitchen table, turns strangely  interesting as he embarks on a bizarre journey, guided  by various characters, each with a peculiar story. Disappearing cats, visits by psychic women in dreams and a dried up well in a cursed plot of land – this book has it all.

I immediately fell in love with Murakami on reading this. I enjoyed how Murakami is able to keep the reader captivated even when nothing makes sense. Normally I dislike huge books and try to avoid them. But this one kept me glued to itself. You can read my review of the book here.

4. A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness

A monster visits a boy seven minutes after midnight, offering to tell him stories. Connor has problems of his own – he is bullied at school, his mother has tumour and his dad is in America being part of another family. Does he need the monster in addition to all this?

When I started this book, I did not realise I would be so taken aback by the fast narrative and lucid story telling. A majority of the readers who read this book have shed tears at the end. That includes me as well. No doubt, this is an amazing read.

Read : A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness – Heartbreaking and “un-put-down-able”

5. FABLES : 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL by Bill Willingham

Snow White, an ambassador from Fabletown, visits the Sultan to get his help in defeating the enemy. She tells him stories in order to save her life – Seven dwarfs take pleasure in indulging in unforgivable offences. Until a girl determined to re-write their fate comes forth. A big bad wolf is born to the North wind and a wolf. He grows up to “huff and puff” the pig’s house. A tribal girl amasses powers of witchcraft. And so on, each fairy tale capsuled in a new story. I LOVED this read. The art was beautiful and each chapter was illustrated by a different artist. This book would be suitable for a mature audience, not children.

Read : Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham – The Most Beautiful Book

6. THE HEART GOES LAST by Margaret Atwood

A couple sign up for a social experiment project whereby they can live in luxury for a month, the only condition being that the next month they have to stay in a prison while another couple called their Alternates take their place and live in their house. Each month the two couples repeat the house-prison-house schedule. But what happens to the marriage when they develop feelings towards their Alternates?

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in a dystopian world that is eerily realistic. It is a perfect book for readers with evil, twisted minds. The climax is brilliant. Those who love dark reads might want to give this one a try.

Read : Book Review: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (this one’s too good to skip)

7. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf

I had a tough time choosing which was my better read by Woolf this year, Orlando or To TheLighthouse. I enjoyed both immensely and equally. Orlando is easier to get into and the prose is beautiful. However I loved the themes that Woolf plays around in To the Lighthouse. It was nice to experience the characteristic ‘stream of consciousness’ style of Woolf.

The book is a very realistic one. It talks about the brevity of life, the change in our thought process as we age and the battle between the intellectual and the creative mind. Most importantly, the book talks about the relationship between an artist and art.

8. MR. FOX by Helen Oyeyemi

A writer loves killing off the heroines in his books. He is married to a Daphne Fox and things are going fine until his imaginary muse, Mary Foxe, enters the scene. Mary tries to change the course of his stories  by transforming him (and wife) from author into subject and thus unfolding a different story. Meanwhile Daphne suspects her husband is having an affair. And then Daphne and Mary meet each other face-to-face.

It took me a while to get into Mr. Fox.  The narrative is a highly unusual one. The author and muse keep interchanging roles and there are many stories within the main story. This isn’t a book for everyone.

Read : Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi : Prerequisites and After Effects.

9. SOUTH RIDING by Winifred Holtby

South Riding is a sprawling portrait of provincial life in England between the wars. The book deviates from the strict structure of a novel and branches out into chapters dealing with the life of different country folks. It is the story of a neighbourhood in a nutshell.

I have a particular liking to things associated with Yorkshire. And I included South Riding immediately to the list after I read it. It is a lovely slow paced read about English country life. It has many sections with  references to traditionalism, modernism, local government etc to name a few. The writing steals your heart with the innovative adjectives used.
Read : South Riding by Winifred Holtby – Old Yorkshire life and Reforms

10. ONE PAIR OF HANDS by Monica Dickens

If you love silly things, tea times, trivial things of life or a good book this is the one for you. Monica Dickens is full of humour and wit that I found myself closing the book and slapping my forehead in exasperation more than once. Chuckle, grin, loud laughter, slap-the-thigh-laugh, roaring laughter and smiles – this book made me experience them all.

Much unlike the serious Charles Dickens, her great grandfather, Monica is bubbly as she takes us through the ‘upstairs downstairs life of 1930s’. I loved this read and will be putting a review soon.