By Priyanka Vaid:
The best buddies in any season, books, are way too many to select from. So, here’s an effort to make your ride through the book stalls a little less tiring while eyeing the best ones to read. This is my pick of the top 5 books of the year 2012 that a reader could lay her/his hands on.
GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn
The New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn talks about a marriage gone terribly wrong in this suspense psychological thriller. The woman disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary and as the police sets out to investigate the case, the husband is caught in a stream of lies and inappropriate actions. But, he might not be the killer, and if he is not, then who is? Set along the Mississippi river in Missouri (USA), the story keeps you hooked with its innumerable surprises and an interesting switch from one perspective to the other. The book grips you with a pure but nasty addiction.
THE RACKETEER BY John Grisham
The undisputed master of legal thrillers continues with hot-button issues in his latest fiction. It is about a black attorney, Malcolm Bannister, wrongly convicted and serving ten years in a minimum security federal prison. At the five year point, he figures out a way to be released by claiming to know exactly who killed a federal judge and took all contents of his personal safe. Once started, Grisham makes it hard to put down with fast-paced action and high-level believable detail. Published in October, The Racketeer has been at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for the past two weeks.
IMPATIENT OPTIMIST: Bill Gates in his own words — edited by Lisa Rogak
This is the story of the youngest ever self-made billionaire, founder and former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates. This book comprises of quotes from the man himself which immediately strike a chord with the reader. Gates retired from the daily operations of Microsoft in the year 2008 and since then has devoted himself to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Being the story of an industrialist, it could be mistaken to be meant only for the management-aligned minds but it makes for a good-read for an ordinary reader as well.
THE SECRET OF THE NAGAS (Shiva trilogy #2) by Amish Tripathi
To add an Indian author to the list, this second book of the Shiva trilogy is a sequel to the Immortals of Meluha. Amish Tripathi explores the Indian mythology and adds an interesting twist to the story of Shiva told to us as kids by our grandparents through his work of fiction. In a journey that takes him through the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for truth in the land of deadly mysteries to find that everything is different from what it seems. Amish’s writing style showcases him as more of a conversationalist than a writer. It makes for an enjoyable read with its colloquial style.
CRAZY LITTLE THINGS by Tracy Brogan
At the end let me give you the name of a book to read while you relax, lying in your bed, tired at the end of the day. ‘Crazy little things’ is about a woman who is trying to restart her life after a divorce. She wants to relax and heal and surely spend some time away from Men! But, to her dismay (or surprise?) she bumps into a man while on a vacation to her Aunt’s beach house. The story is full of romance, emotions and doesn’t keep from tickling your funny bone.
I am sure I would have missed out on a certain few that you might have liked more, so let me know which ones are the definitely maybe’s that could have gained a spot here.