BySiddhi Jain

September 14, 2019 (IANSlife) The equinox is almost upon us and the season is about to change. As autumn nears and as you take a break from Onam and Ganesh Puja festivities, we suggest some titles – classic to contemporary – to learn about the new mutating world.

1. The Carpet Weaver by Nemat Sadat

Afghanistan, 1977. Kanishka Nurzada, the son of a leading carpet seller, falls in love with his friend Maihan, with whom he shares his first kiss at 16. Their romance must be kept secret in a nation where the death penalty is meted out to those deemed to be 'kuni', a derogatory term for gay men. And when war comes to Afghanistan, it brings even greater challenges-and danger-for the two lovers.
From the cultural melting pot of Kabul to the horrors of an internment camp in Pakistan, Kanishka's arduous journey finally takes him to the USA in the desperate search for a place to call home – and the fervent hope of reuniting with his beloved Maihan. But destiny seems to have different plans in store for him.

2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Made into an American TV series, The Handmaid's Tale is a timeless classic. In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future where environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to the Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive.

3. And...The sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.
"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in."
-- Margaret Atwood

4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo

Transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible KonMari Method. Japan's expert declutterer and Netflix star Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once and for all with her inspirational step-by-step method.

5. An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma

A contemporary twist on the ‘Odyssey’, ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ is narrated by the chi, or spirit of a young poultry farmer named Chinonso. His life is set off course when he sees a woman who is about to jump off a bridge. Horrified by her recklessness, he hurls two of his prized chickens off the bridge. The woman, Ndali, is stopped her in her tracks. More follows when they fall in love.
‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ is a heart-wrenching epic about destiny and determination. It is on the shortlist for Booker Prize 2019.

6. Happiness: Your Route-Map To Inner Joy by Andy Cope

Happiness is irrespective of seasons. Happiness, calm and enlightenment need not be elusive concepts, which we hear of in theory but are never able to capture. This funny, practical book by Andy Cope, the Doctor of Happiness, will show you how to transform your thinking, change gear and find a fresh new perspective that will leave you better focused on the things that matter, healthier and a great deal happier.

7. ‘Me’ by Elton John (Official autobiography)

In this upcoming memoir, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life, from his rollercoaster lifestyle as shown in the film Rocketman, to becoming a living legend.
In ‘Me’, Elton also writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father. In a voice that is warm, humble, and open, this is the legend on his music and his relationships, his passions and his mistakes.

8. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

'In the first minute following her death, Tequila Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away...'
For Leila, each minute after her death brings a sensuous memory. Each memory, too, recalls the friends she made at each key moment in her life - friends who are now desperately trying to find her. The book has been shortlisted for Booker Prize 2019.

9. ‘Quichotte’ by Salman Rushdie

Inspired by the Cervantes classic, Sam DuChamp, mediocre writer of spy thrillers, creates Quichotte, a courtly, addled salesman obsessed with television, who falls in impossible love with a TV star. Together with his (imaginary) son Sancho, Quichotte sets off on a picaresque quest across America to prove worthy of her hand, gallantly braving the tragicomic perils of an age where “Anything-Can-Happen.” Meanwhile, his creator, in a midlife crisis, has equally urgent challenges of his own.

10. Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire by Ira Mukhoty

In 1526, when the nomadic Timurid warrior-scholar Babur rode into Hindustan, his wives, sisters, daughters, aunts and distant female relatives travelled with him. These women would help establish a dynasty and empire that would rule India for the next 200 years and become a byword for opulence and grandeur.
An attempt to chronicle the women who played a vital role in building the Mughal empire, 'Daughters of the Sun' is an illuminating and gripping history of a little known aspect of the most magnificent dynasty the world has ever known.

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Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in

Editing by Ritu Pandey and N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe