30 June,2025 09:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Varma
Representation Pic/istock
Matthew Reynolds's book takes you through all the nuances of the subject: history, ethics, and rules of translation, and the ever-evolving desire of human beings to connect via language. It has introduced me to languages I didn't know existed, like Vote, Pite Saami, and Manx. It's also taught me about Kanbun-Kundoku, a text that allows Japanese readers to understand Chinese text, making it an amorphous, middle language. Moreover, readers can find examples of moments where language started wars and where empathetic translations ended them.
I am obsessed with modern history, especially dictators and their political ambitions. This gripping read by Phillips O'Brien offers sharp insights into how the upbringing, personalities, and obsessions of Stalin, Hitler, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Mussolini shaped their strategies during World War II. It's a compelling, fast-paced alternative to heavy biographies, and I am truly enjoying this read.
I have been a Fredrik Backman loyalist ever since I read A Man Called Ove. Every book of his has captured my heart and left me savouring the chapters like few other authors have. This book feels like a careful blend of the tones employed in Anxious People and the Beartown trilogy, two of his most impactful and poignant works. Lending gravity and urgency to art is what he does masterfully in this book. It makes you feel seen and less lonely in the most vulnerable ways, with such gentleness that you don't feel skittish through it all.
I came across Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the career diplomat and ex-Governor [of West Bengal], on a news channel more than a decade ago. I was impressed by his genteel nature and wise perspectives. Although I never got around to reading his works, I recently came across his latest book online. It traces the forces that shaped India, those that threatened to divide or weaken it, and those that kept it united. The book uses the past as a lens that informs India's present, and gazes at its probable futures.
Douglas Adams's book has been on my reading list for a long time. The first book in the six-part series has been picked by a Bandra-based book club that I'm a part of, so I finally get to read it. The novel appears to have a silly plot and witty writing, but contains subtle philosophical layers underneath. It falls under the usually separate genres of science fiction and comedy. There are aliens, a doomsday scenario, space travel, and multiple bizarre situations, all underlined by a search for the meaning behind the universe and its existence.
Nearly everything? Bill Bryson has covered so much in this book. It includes the history of science, among other things, and is written in Bryson's typical humoristic style, making even the dullest topics a treat to read. He talks about not just inventions, discoveries, and events, but also about everything that was happening on the peripheries. That's what makes this book interesting. It is extremely informative and fun to read. I would recommend this to anyone who labels themselves as even mildly curious.
