Editor's Pick : February 2021

“In February there is everything to hope for and nothing to regret.” — Patience Strong

February brings the advent of spring, colours and festivals that take away the bleakness of winter and promises a better year ahead. Let’s renew our energies into reading and try these insanely interesting books this month. From a folklore retod to loads of history (both in fiction and non-fiction), from a novel on publishing to another on heartbreak – we have it all this month. Here’s my recommendation for this month of love and more. 

Jungle Nama – By Amitav Ghosh, Illustrated by Salman Toor

Sunderbans is a beautiful maze of mangrove studded with folklore about the god and goddess of the land – Dokkhin Ray and Bon Bibi. Amitav Ghosh re-tells this legend about goddess Bon Bibi, rich merchants, poor villagers and the mangrove in twenty-four syllable couplets. Illustrated by Salman Toor, this book is a collector’s edition for Indian Literature lovers. 

Amah and the Silk-Winged Pigeons – By Jocelyn Cullity 

Cut to the East India Company and Lucknow in those times. Enter Amah, a female military guard of African descent in India. Her queen Begum Hazrat Mahal was also of African descent and enlisted Amah to ward off the British. This beautiful historical novel is about a group of strong, independent women fighting for their queen. Jocelyn Cullity’s British family lived in India for five generations and she researched extensively to write this one. Should be amazing! 

The Time of the Peacock – By Siddharth Chowdhury

This is an insider take on the Indian publishing industry, especially the clique of the Delhi circle. There are Seths, Rays and Nairs, the who’s who of the Indian literary world and lots of mayhem. I would be intrigued to read this one for obvious reasons. Coming from a veteran editorial consultant, this should be a treat for us, editors. 

The Split – By Laura Kay

What’s life in February – the month of love – without a delicious rom-com? So, I recommend The Split by Laura Kay – an intensely funny story of love, heartache, friendship and family. 

The Tale of the Horse – By Yashaswini Chandra

‘India on a horseback,’ – that’s how this book can be summed up, it is essentially the history of horses on the subcontinent’s landscape. From the south Indian kingdoms to the Mughal empire, local breeds of horses like Kathiwari and Marwari, stories of amazing horsewomen like Chand Bibi adorn this gem of a book. I hadn’t imagined there could be one so rich with the prospect of wonderful pieces of history quilted together about horses. And the author Yashaswini Chandra is a horsewoman too! 

There are a few other wonderful books releasing this month too, we’ll be sharing them on our social media, do keep an eye on us. Keep reading!