India’s top publishers, editors share their favourite books to read during the monsoon season

V Geetha publisher cofounder Tara BooksThe 90 Day Cast by Joelle Joulivet Tara Books an illustrated book for adults comprising a set of 90 self portraits by Joelle who composed them while recovering from a neck injury inspirational for those who are looking to sketch their rainy afternoons awayWalking is a Way of Knowing by Madhuri Ramesh and Manish Chandi Tara Books for children and young persons who wish to explore the forest or the hills during the monsoon A wonderful tale of walking wisdom from tribal eldersNaveen Kishore publisher SeaGull BooksA forthcoming book I just worked on Veacutenus KhouryGhatarsquos The Fiancee Rode In on a Donkey SeaGull has some beautiful passages on downpours in the desert Itrsquos a lyrical novel set in 19th century North Africa about a young Jewish girlrsquos travels across the desert with Christians and MuslimsThere are several melancholic titles like Nabarunrsquos Hawa Hawa SeaGull and Rajkamal Chaudharyrsquos Traces of Boots on Tongue SeaGull that behove the monsoon moodPriya Kapoor publisher Roli BooksI never tire of recommending The Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips Penguin Random House A brilliant brilliant haunting debut set in Kamchatka far eastern Russia Given what Elisabeth Gilbert has done with her forthcoming book set in Russia it may have been cancelled in todayrsquos worldGods of Willow A Coming of Age Story by Amrish Kumar Roli is a witty moving endearing comingofage novel set in the backdrop of the India I grew up in mdash at the cusp of liberalisation witnessing the rise of communal violence and politics and a feverishly changing world And yet itrsquos a universal story of a boy relationships and growing up one Mumbaiwalas will especially relate to since half of it is set in their cityI donrsquot gravitate towards business books or ldquohow tordquo books but I do read everything that JR Moehringer ghost writes Shoe Dog by Phil Knight Simon amp Schuster is possibly a book you can read in one sitting A great story told very wellRenuka Chatterjee vice president publishing Speaking TigerBetween Heaven and Earth Writings on the Indian Hills edited by Ruskin Bond and Bulbul Sharma Speaking Tiger is a favourite because what better than curling up in an armchair and reading about the hills on a rainy daySong of the Golden Sparrow by Nilanjan Choudhury Speaking Tiger is funny clever and also gives one plenty to think about And if you canrsquot go outdoors because itrsquos raining mdash itrsquos a good time to thinkPriya Krishnan senior editor TulikaThe short story collections by Somerset Maugham take you places mdash the South Sea Islands Indochina Paris the West Indies His prose style though easy glints with wisdom irony and humour With a great sense of time and place he builds drama as deftly as he can evoke quietude And this makes his stories ideal to dip into while sipping cups of tea or coffee as the skies open up And there is a short story called Rain by MaughamParthibanrsquos Dream Tulika Kalkirsquos famous novel translated by Nirupama Raghavan when she was all of 15 is a pacy thriller with its nonstop action that takes you back to a time of kings and kingdoms courage and conspiracies Itrsquos perfect for an adrenaline rush when Nature has slowed things downI would also recommend Kazuo Ishigurorsquos The Remains of the Day Faber and Faber or Isabella Hammadrsquos The Parisian Vintage that I recently read Ishigurorsquos Zen butler and his understatement is a brilliant portrait of a man and the times as is the protagonist in The Parisian whorsquos not Zen at all but all too humanSudeshna Shome Ghosh publisher editor Talking CubNimmi Daruwalarsquos life is as hilarious as it is relatable Therersquos never a dull moment in the books in the series with her eccentric school principal the friends who make life interesting and Nimmi herself one of the funniest sweetest characters in Indian childrenrsquos books Nimmirsquos Crawful Camping Days by Shabnam Minwalla Talking Cub is the latest book in the series of four middlegrade novels and we recommend curling up with one or all of them on a rainy afternoonCiphers villainous villains two heroes on a mission a treasure hunt mdash and a dog Travel from Kolkata to Shillong to the beautiful Khasi Hills in search of a lost treasure Filled with action and adventure on every page The Treasure of the Khasi Hills by Hemendra Kumar Roy Speaking Tiger translated by Jashodhara Chakraborti from a classic Bengali novel will have readers turning the pages breathlesslyDid you knowThe earthy smell of rain is called petrichor It is derived from the Greek words ldquopetrardquo stones of earth and ldquoichorrdquo golden fluid that flows from the veins of the immortalsThe Guides Top 5 Monsoon Reads1 Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater2 Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai3 Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala4 Rain in the Mountains by Ruskin Bond5 Life of Pi by Yann Martel