Kim : The Top 10 books that have stayed with me

There's a chain going around on facebook to name the Top 10 books that have stayed with you for whatever reason. I was tagged by a friend - Arindam Nath. This isn't a list of the Best Literature you have read, but books that have stayed with you for whatever reason.

Here's my list:

1. The Dalai Lamas Cat and the Art of Purring - David Michie - this is the first book that spoke to my very heart. I've never felt as deeply connected to what was written in a book as I did with this one. It also awakened an interest to learn more about Buddhist philosophy. I've been recommending this to everyone I know for awhile.

2. Game of Thrones series - George RR Martin
2.1 A Game of Thrones
2.2 A Clash of Kings
2.3 A Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)
2.4 A Feast for Crows
2.5 Dance with Dragons (Dreams & Dust, After the Feast)
The most phenomenal series ever. The width, breadth, scope of this fantasy is mind boggling. Loved every word of the series and can't wait for the next one.

3. Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - he describes a city that was at once familiar and unfamiliar and I fell in love with Mumbai all over again.

4. Following Fish : Travels around the Indian Coast - Samanth Subramaniam - Food travel is the most interesting reason to travel, I loved the idea behind this book and its so beautifully written and it covers my home town Mangalore in one section.

5. Korma Kheer & Kismet - Pamela Timms

6. The Taj Mahal Trilogy (The Twentieth Wife, Feast of Roses, Shadow Princess) - Indu Sundaresan - I think she is the only Indian Author of Indian Historical Fiction and it was fascinating to read the stories of Mughal India through the eyes of the Women of the Ruling Families.

7. Shiva Trilogy (Immortals of Meluha, Secret of the Nagas, Oath of the Vayuputras) - Amish Tripathi - What a brilliant attempt to Humanise a God. This is a series completely different in construct and concept, from anything written before on Indian mythology.

8. The Cousins War series (Lady of the Rivers, White Queen, Red Queen, Kingmakers Daughter, White Princess) - Philippa Gregory - Another beautiful work of Historical Fiction set in the Cousins War in Europe, told through the lives of the Women involved. An interesting glimpse into history, it also showed me glimpses of the inspiration fro Game of Thrones.

9. Habibi - Craig Thompson - the Best Graphic Novel ever!

10. 1857: The Real Story of the Great Uprising - Vishnu Bhatt Godshe translated by Mrinal Pande - A true story, but from the Indian perspective, this book is about facts through the eyes of the author and it is much stranger than fiction. It also put the First War of Indian Independence into perspective for me


 I just HAD TO add this one to the list -
11. In Search of Sita - anthology edited by Malashri Lal & Namita Gokhale - what a unique blend of alternative versions, speculative fiction and other forms of narrative writing. A familiar story retold in a myriad ways, all in one book, what more could you want?


I've also done a #10foodbookchallenge on my jhovaan blog where I have listed my Top 10 Food Books, in case you would like to take a look