Books in 2023 – A good year!

If the books we read is a measure of the quality of life we lead, then 2023 was an immensely gratifying year. I do not remember any other year where almost every book I read made me so warm and alive . The thing about really good books is that you want more and more people to read them, and it is with that intention that I hereby list my top 5 of 2023.

5. Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann

To be honest, I became interested in this book only after reading about Di Caprio’s movie project with Scorsese. I didn’t know much about native Indians, but was deeply moved after reading this account of the Osage tribe. The history of most nations is splattered with blood, but the cold-blooded avarice of the white man couple with the simplicity of the trusting Osage comes together to create one of the biggest injustices in modern history. Very well researched and written as a mystery thriller, the book is far superior to the recently released movie.

4. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

Written more than half a century ago, ‘In Cold Blood’ offers an intriguing insight into a real-world murder. The story is straightforward, but the style of writing is so distinct from anything I have read before. Towards the end of the book, I almost felt I was the one writing the book, whilst simultaneously being the murderer, the investigator and the victim. Hair rising stuff.

3. The Wager, David Grann

Killers…Moon led me to this one, and it proved to be superior. Grann’s method is to pick up some of the most interesting incidents in history, research them to death and then some, and then proceed to document his findings with the appropriate seasoning of fictional liberty. This one takes us aboard a 1750 British warship tasked with attacking Spanish interests in present-day South America. Of all the books I read this year, this would be the most unputdownable.

2. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande

Turning 30 is that inflection point where mortality becomes real for most people. Our parents are no longer young, and most of have lost some of our grandparents. The ambition and carefreeness of youth is replaced by growing concern and anxiety for those we care about. What gets lost in the conversations we have with our parents is how they would like to live their remaining lives, and indeed how they would like to end it. Filled with accounts of several acquaintances, patients, friends and family, Being Mortal is the one book I would implore everyone to read.

1. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry

I seldom expected that the best book I read this year (and perhaps top 3 all time) would be a western. Occasionally, if we are lucky, we read a book that becomes part of us. Lonesome Dove is a fictional account of Texas rangers making their way from near Mexico all the way to Montana. They encounter Indian bandits, snake-filled river crossings, and grizzly bears. But really, the plot does not matter. The writing is just so good, there is not a single page that isn’t filled with wit, humor and a unique observation of life. I will definitely re-visit this book in a few years.

Couple of notable mentions that did not make my top 5 but are very very good – East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Mathew McConaughey’s autobiography, Greenlights.

An year that was difficult professionally was made joyous by these books, and I owe a lot to them.