Books

"Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all."

                                                                                                               --Henry Thoreau 

Last updated on Oct 17, 2021

Sorry, this is pure show-off. 

Read this post about this page.

The following is a list of the most memorable and influencial books I have read so far. Some of them are Malayalam books and many are English or English translations from other languages. You will notice that this list covers a range of genres from classics to kitsch. If someone asks me why I read kitsch, I will give the Zizekian reply: without kitsch, no classics; without bad taste, no good taste; without fall, there is no rise.

I will update this list over time. 

Any comments/discussion on any of the books in the list -- Welcome!

2021

232. For the Love of Physics, Walter Lewin

231. Second-hand Time, Svetlana Alexievich

230. Amora: Stories, Natalia Borges

229. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

228. നിരീശ്വരൻ (Nireeshwaran)[Malayalam], V. J. James

227. The Order of Time, Carlo Rovelli

226. The Broken Circle - A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan, Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller

225. 1Q84 - Book Three, Haruki Murakami

224. 1Q84 - Book One and Two, Haruki Murakami

223. American Civil War, Hourly History

222. The Inquisition, Hourly History

221. English Civil War, Hourly History

220. King Arthur, Hourly History

219. William The Conqueror, Hourly History

218. Inca Empire, Hourly History

217. American Revolution, Hourly History

216. Native American History, Hourly History

215. The Crusades, Hourly History

214. The Industrial Revolution, Hourly History

213. Suleiman The Magnificent, Hourly History

212. Mark Polo, Hourly History

211. The Great Pyramid of Giza, Hourly History

210. Mughal Empire, Hourly History

209. Indus Valley Civilisation, Hourly History

208. The Dutch East India Company, Hourly History

207. The East India Company, Hourly History

206. Silk Road, Hourly History

205. Russian Revolution, Hourly History

204. French Revolution, Hourly History

203. World War II - Dunkirk, Hourly History

202. Ottoman Empire, Hourly History

201. Che Guevara, Hourly History

200. Fidel Castro, Hourly History

199. Cold War, Hourly History

198. Nuremberg Trials, Hourly History

197. World War II - Auschwitz, Hourly History

196. German Revolution, Hourly History

195. The Spanish Flu, Hourly History

194. Word War II, Hourly History

193. Kaiser Wilhelm II, Hourly History

192. Vietnam War, Hourly History

191. Emperor Hirohito, Hourly History

190. Winston Churchill, Hourly History

189. Franklin Roosevelt, Hourly History

188. Mao Zedong, Hourly History

187. Korean War, Hourly History

186. A River in Darkness - One Man's Escape from North Korea, Masaji Ishikawa

185. Relativity - The Special and General Theory, Albert Einstein

184. Benito Mussolini, Hourly History

183. Joseph Stalin, Hourly History

182. Vladimir Lenin, Hourly History

181. Black Holes - The BBC Reith Lecture, Stephen Hawking

180. The Renaissance: A History from Beginning to End, Henry Freeman

179. 1984, George Orwell

2020

178. Disgrace, J M Coetzee

177. After Dark, Haruki Murakami

176. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson

175. Seven Brief Lessons in Physics, Carlo Rovelli

174. Women As Lovers, Elfriede Jelinek 

173. Conversation in the Cathedral, Mario Vargas Llosa

172. The Rebel [Audio Book], Albert Camus

171. The Metamorphosis [Audio Book], Franz Kafka

170. Laburnum for My Head: Stories,  Temsula Ao

169. The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

168. Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami

167. An Artist of the Floating World, Kazuo Ishiguro

166. Men without Women, Haruki Murakami

165. Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami

164. The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak

163. Roots of Yoga, James Mallinson and Mark Singleton

2019

162. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

161. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

160. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, Daniyal Mueenuddin
159. The Brain: The Story of You, David Eagleman
158. Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, Devdutt Pattanaik

2018

157. Less, Andrew Sean Greer
156. The Martian, Andy Weir
155. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
154. Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda
153. Age of Enlightenment: A History From Beginning to End, Hourly History
152. Napoleon: A Life From Beginning To End, Henry Freeman
151. Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, Sri M
150. The Middle Ages: A History From Beginning to End, Henry Freeman
149. History of Ancient Civilization, Charles Seignobos
148. The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories of the Four Million, O. Henry
147. World War 1: A History From Beginning to End, Hourly History
146. Adolf Hitler: A Life From Beginning to End, Hourly History
145. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
144. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, Kazuo Ishiguro
143. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
142. Nationalism, Rabindranath Tagore
141. Mein Kamph, Adolf Hitler
140. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
139. Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Arundhati Roy
138. Crime and Punishment, Fydor Dostoevsky

2017

137. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari
136. The Very Best of Ruskin Bond, Ruskin Bond
135. Meditation, Eknath Eswaran
134. 366 Readings From Buddhism, Buddhist Literature
133. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
132. The White Castle, Orhan Pamuk

2016

131. If On A Winter's Night A Traveller, Italo Calvino

2015

130. Dubliners, James Joyce
129. The Book of Disquiet, Fernando Pessoa
128. എ മൈനസ് ബി  (A Minus B)[Malayalam], Kovilan
127. തോറ്റങ്ങള്‍ (Thottangal)[Malayalam], Kovilan
126. ഏഴാമെടങ്ങള്‍ (Ezhamedangal)[Malayalam], Kovilan

2014

125. മലയാളത്തിന്റെ സുവര്‍ണ്ണ കഥകള്‍ (Malayalathile Suvarna Kathakal)[Malayalam], Kovilan
124. കോഴി (Kozhi)[Malayalam], V. K. N.
123. തട്ടകം (Thattakam)[Malayalam], Kovilan
122. മീരയുടെ നോവെല്ലകള്‍ (Meerayude Novellakal)[Malayalam], K. R. Meera
121. The Island of the Day Before, Umberto Eco
120. The Time of The Hero, Mario Vargas Llosa
119. The Black Book, Orhan Pamuk
118. Madame Bovary, Gustav Flaubert
117. The Story Teller, Mario Vargas Llosa
116. Alamut, Vladimir Bartol

2013

115. Slavoj Zizek, Tony Myers

114. ആടുജീവിതം (Adujeevitham)[Language: Malayalam], Benyamin, [English Translation: Goat Life]

113. My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk

112. Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco

111. The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce

110. Prague Cemetery, Umberto Eco

109. Joseph Balsamo, Alexander Dumas, pere

108. Strange Pilgrims, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

107. The Mysterious Flames of Queen Loana, Umberto Eco

106. The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, Jose Saramago

2007-2012

105. The Meaning of Life, Terry Egleton

104. പയ്യന്‍ കഥകള്‍ (Payyan Kathakal)[Malayalam], VKN

103. Bagavat Gita, Hindu Holy Book

102.  Cancer Ward, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

101. The Age of Reason, Jean Paul Sartre

100. The Immoralist, Andre Gide

099. A Little Larger than the Universe, Fernando Pessoa

098. Snow, Orhan Pamuk

097. Baudolino, Umberto Eco

096. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

095. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

094. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

093. Immortality, Milan Kundera

092. Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera

091. The Art of Love, Erich Fromm

090. Man for Himself, Erich Fromm

089. എന്റെ കഥ (My Story)[Malayalam], Madhavikkutty

088. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

087. The Castle, Franz Kafka

086. The Trial, Franz Kafka

085. America, Franz Kafka

2005-2007

084. Marx's Concept of Man, Erich Fromm

083. Memories of my Melancholy Whores, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

082. Pedre Paramo, Juan Rulfo

081. Death in Venice, Thomas Mann

080. Beyond Good and Evil, Friedrich Nietzsche

079. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche

078. Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

077. In Praise of Idleness, Betrand Russel

076. Identity, Milan Kundera

2003-2005

075. Joke, Milan Kundera

074. Embers, Sandor Marai

073. Candide, Voltair

072. Voice of the Master, Khalil Gibran

071. You Can Win, Shiv Khera

070. Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

069. ഒരു ദേശത്തിന്റെ  കഥ (Oru Deshaththinte Katha) [Malayalam], S. K. Pottekkadu

068. ഒരു തെരുവിന്റെ കഥ (Oru Theruvinte Katha) [Malayalam], S. K. Pottekkadu

067. Ignited Minds, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

066. Thirukkural, Tamil Holy Book

065. The Significance of Life, J. Krishnamurthi

064. Lajja, Thaslima Nasrin

063. Wings of Fire, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

062. Broken Wings, Khalil Gibran

061. Lust for Life, Irving Stone

060. The Prophet, Khalil Gibran

059. Mirrors of the Soul, Khalil Gibran

1999-2003

058. All the Names, Jose Saramago

057. Slowness, Milan Kundera

056. Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Calmus

055. The Stranger, Albert Calmus

054. Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse

053. The Plague, Albert Calmus

052. Nausea, Jean Paul Sartre

051. Damma Pada, Buddhist Holy Book

050. Exile and Kingdom, Albert Calmus

049. മഖാന്‍ സിങ്ങിന്റെ മരണം (Makhan Singinte Maranam), T. Padmanabhan

048. കടല്‍  (Kadal), T. Padmanabhan

047. പ്രകാശം പരത്തുന്ന ഒരു പെണ്കുട്ടി  (Prakaasam Parathhunna Oru Penkutty), T. Padmanabhan

046. നീര്‍മാതളം പൂത്ത കാലം (Neermathalam Pooththa Kalam), Madhavikkutty

045. യാ ഇലാഹി (Yaa Ilahi)  [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

044. ഭൂമിയുടെ അവകാശികള്‍ (Bhoomiyude Avakaashikal) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

043. അനര്‍ഘ നിമിഷം (Anargha Nimisham) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

042. പ്രേംപാറ്റ (Prempaatta) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

041. മതിലുകള്‍ (Mathilukal) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

040. പ്രേമലേഖനം  (Premalekhanam) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

039. ശബ്ദങ്ങള്‍  (Shabdangal) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

038. ജന്മദിനം (Janmadinam) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

037. My Experiments with Truth, M. K. Gandhi

036. ബുദ്ധനും ബുദ്ധധര്മ്മവും [Malayalam Translation of The Buddha and His Dhamma], B. R. Ambedkar

035. ഗുരുസാഗരം (Gurusagaram) [Malayalam], O. V. Vijayan

034. ചൂളൈമേടിലെ ശവങ്ങള്‍ (Choolaimedile Shavangal) [Malayalam], N. S. Madhavan

033. ഹിഗ്വിറ്റ (Higuita) [Malayalam], N. S. Madhavan

032. മരുഭൂമികള്‍ ഉണ്ടാകുന്നത് (Marubhoomikal Undakunnathu)[Malayalam], Anand

031. ആള്‍ക്കൂട്ടം (Alkkoottam) [Malayalam], Anand

030. ഗോവര്‍ധന്റെ യാത്രകള്‍ (Govardhante Yathrakal)[Malayalam], Anand

029. Blindness, Jose Saramago

028. ഡല്‍ഹി (Delhi)[Malayalam], M. Mukundan

027. മയ്യഴിപ്പുഴയുടെ തീരങ്ങളില്‍  (Mayyazhiyude Theerangalil)[Malayalam], M. Mukundan

026. Ends and Means, Aldous Huxeley

025. A History of Philosophy, Frank Thilly

024. ഖസാക്കിന്റെ ഇതിഹാസം (Khasakkinte Ithihasam) [Malayalam], O. V. Vijayan

023. മനോമി  (Manomi) [Malayalam], Madhavikkutty

022. Ideas and Opinions, Albert Einstein

1996 - 1999

021. A Brief History of Time, Stephan Hawking

020. ബ്രിഗേഡിയര് കഥകള്‍  (Brigadier Kathakal) [Malayalam], Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

019. ആറാംവിരല്‍  (Aaram Viral) [Malayalam], Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

018. മൃദുലപ്രഭു (Mridulaprabhu) [Malayalam], Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

017. യന്ത്രം (Yantram) [Malayalam], Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

016. നെട്ടൂര്‍ മഠം (Nettoor Mattham) [Malayalam], Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

015. വേരുകള്‍  (Verukal) [Malayalam], Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

014. അനുരാഗത്തിന്റെ ദിനങ്ങള്‍  (Anuragaththinte Dinangal) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

013. അസുരവിത്ത് (Asuraviththu) [Malayalm], M. T. Vasudevan Nair

012. ശിങ്കിടി മുങ്കന്‍  (Shinkiti Munkan) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

011. ആനവാരിയും പൊന്‍കുരിശും (Aanavaariyum Ponkurishum) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

010. സ്ഥലത്തെ പ്രധാന ദിവ്യന്‍ (Sthalathe Pradhaana Divyan) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

009. ബാല്യകാലസഖി (Baalyakaalasakhi) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

008. ന്റുപ്പൂപ്പാക്കൊരാനേണ്ടാര്‍ന്നു (Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

007. പ്രേമലേഖനം (Premalekhanam) [Malayalam], Vaikam Muhammed Basheer

006. മഞ്ഞ്  (Manju) [Malayalam], M. T. Vasudevan Nair

005. നാലുകെട്ട്  (Nalukettu) [Malayalam], M. T. Vasudevan Nair

004. ഷെര്‍ലക്ക് ഹോംസ്, മിക്ക വാല്യങ്ങളൂം (Malayalam translations of most of the Sherlock Holmes), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

003. ടാര്‍സന്‍, 24ല്‍ മിക്ക വാല്യങ്ങളും (Malayalam translations of most of the 24 volumes of Tarzan), Edgar Rice Burroughs

002. Lost Horizon, James Hilton

001. ഓടയില്‍ നിന്ന് (Odayil Ninnu) [Malayalam], P. Keshavadev