5 new books to make your June reading list exciting

Arshia DharPublished on Jun 13, 2023

5 new books that will make you slow down

From a no-holds-barred memoir by a Dalit writer, to Ruskin Bond spilling delicious secrets on how to lead a full life, June’s reading list surely packs a punch

From a no-holds-barred memoir by a Dalit activist, to Ruskin Bond spilling delicious secrets on how to lead a full life, June’s reading list is anything but ordinary.

The month of June brings with it myriad stories—from the secrets to leading a good and sustainable life, to ones that inspire change within us. There are lessons on self discovery; there are tales of heartwarming female friendships; there are moments of life-altering epiphany as well; but most importantly, these are books that compel us to take a moment, slow down, and introspect.

The Golden Years: The Many Joys of Living a Good Long Life by Ruskin BondRuskin Bond, 89, has now retired to live an idyllic life in the serene hills of Landour. With each passing year, his contentment with leading the life he has built around himself, his family and his books, has only become more resolute. Bond seeks pleasure in the little things inside his room, and the great outdoors full of nature’s wonders, interesting people, delicious food and long strolls.Bond’s newest book, The Golden Years: The Many Joys of Living a Good Long Life, has been penned in his trademark style—full of wit, warmth and his characteristic whimsy. The writer tells us in his simple words the secret to living a long and good life—one that never goes out of style.Publisher: HarperCollins India — **The Golden Years: The Many Joys of Living a Good Long Life** byRuskin Bond
Ruskin Bond, 89, has now retired to live an idyllic life in the serene hills of Landour. With each passing year, his contentment with leading the life he has built around himself, his family and his books, has only become more resolute. Bond seeks pleasure in the little things inside his room, and the great outdoors full of nature’s wonders, interesting people, delicious food and long strolls.

Bond’s newest book, *The Golden Years: The Many Joys of Living a Good Long Life,* has been penned in his trademark style—full of wit, warmth and his characteristic whimsy. The writer tells us in his simple words the secret to living a long and good life—one that never goes out of style.
**Publisher:** HarperCollins India

Water in a Broken Pot: A Memoir by Yogesh MaitreyaWater in a Broken Pot by Yogesh Maitreya, a well-known Indian Dalit publisher, writer and poet, is a memoir that haunts you with its seering personal accounts. Maitreya’s experiences of pain, deprivation, loneliness, isolation and the political consciousness of his caste identity make this story one of resilience in the face of brutality.The book is a journey of self-discovery told through intimate prose, in which the writer-narrator revisits his roots of being brought up in a working-class family by a father who struggled with alcohol, but also had a love for cinema. It’s a story of intergenerational trauma, of struggles of being lost and left to fend for oneself in India’s hostile and casteist education system, and of heartbreaks and heartaches.Maitreya’s vulnerable yet radical voice that he discovered on his quest for the written word while trying to make ends meet, is what makes this book a compelling read.Publisher: Penguin Random House India/India Viking — **Water in a Broken Pot: A Memoir** **by Yogesh Maitreya**
*Water in a Broken Pot* by Yogesh Maitreya, a well-known Indian Dalit publisher, writer and poet, is a memoir that haunts you with its seering personal accounts. Maitreya’s experiences of pain, deprivation, loneliness, isolation and the political consciousness of his caste identity make this story one of resilience in the face of brutality.

The book is a journey of self-discovery told through intimate prose, in which the writer-narrator revisits his roots of being brought up in a working-class family by a father who struggled with alcohol, but also had a love for cinema. It’s a story of intergenerational trauma, of struggles of being lost and left to fend for oneself in India’s hostile and casteist education system, and of heartbreaks and heartaches.
Maitreya’s vulnerable yet radical voice that he discovered on his quest for the written word while trying to make ends meet, is what makes this book a compelling read.
**Publisher:** Penguin Random House India/India Viking

I’m a Climate Optimist: An Easy Guide to Lead a Sustainable Life by Aakash RanisonWe often wonder what we can do to lead a more ‘sustainable’ life, one that’s friendlier to the planet. With this book, writer Aakash Ranison answers questions about day-to-day hacks that cover food, textile, transportation, education, business, beauty, tourism, and everything in between and beyond.Ranison aims to demystify climate change and sustainability for his readers, simplifying the jargon-heavy discourse that otherwise drives conversations on the subject, thereby encouraging people to set achievable goals and consumption habits.Publisher: Penguin Random House India/Ebury Press — **I’m a Climate Optimist: An Easy Guide to Lead a Sustainable Life** **by Aakash Ranison**
We often wonder what we can do to lead a more ‘sustainable’ life, one that’s friendlier to the planet. With this book, writer Aakash Ranison answers questions about day-to-day hacks that cover food, textile, transportation, education, business, beauty, tourism, and everything in between and beyond.

Ranison aims to demystify climate change and sustainability for his readers, simplifying the jargon-heavy discourse that otherwise drives conversations on the subject, thereby encouraging people to set achievable goals and consumption habits.
**Publisher:** Penguin Random House India/Ebury Press

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women: A Novel by Lisa SeeLady Tan’s Circle of Women by The New York Times-bestselling author Lisa See is a story of sisterhood, and of women rallying around women and holding them up. It is also a glorious reimagining of the life of a woman who was considered extraordinary in the Ming dynasty, and would certainly be considered extraordinary even today.This historical novel is inspired by the true story of a 15th-Century woman physician from China, Tan Yunxian. Raised by her grandmother who was among the few Chinese female physicians back in the day, Yunxian is trained in the fundamentals of Chinese medicine, or the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man is not allowed to carry out on a female patient.Yunxian grows up learning about women’s ailments along with a midwife-in-training, Meiling, with whom she forms a wholesome life-long friendship. However, when the former is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from practising medicine, a decision she challenges and pushes back against to become one of the pioneers in the field whose remedies are still used five centuries later.Publisher: Simon & Schuster — *Lady Tan’s Circle of Women: A Novel***by Lisa See**
*Lady Tan’s Circle of Women* by *The New York Times*-bestselling author Lisa See is a story of sisterhood, and of women rallying around women and holding them up. It is also a glorious reimagining of the life of a woman who was considered extraordinary in the Ming dynasty, and would certainly be considered extraordinary even today.

This historical novel is inspired by the true story of a 15th-Century woman physician from China, Tan Yunxian. Raised by her grandmother who was among the few Chinese female physicians back in the day, Yunxian is trained in the fundamentals of Chinese medicine, or the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man is not allowed to carry out on a female patient.
Yunxian grows up learning about women’s ailments along with a midwife-in-training, Meiling, with whom she forms a wholesome life-long friendship. However, when the former is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from practising medicine, a decision she challenges and pushes back against to become one of the pioneers in the field whose remedies are still used five centuries later.
**Publisher:** Simon & Schuster

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher MarieYet another story of a formidable female camaraderie that changed the world, The First Ladies—by the The New York Times-bestselling authors of The Personal Librarian—charts the remarkable tale of the friendship between Mary McLeod Bethune and former First Lady of the US, Eleanor Roosevelt.Bethune, daughter of formerly-enslaved parents, revolts against white supremacists who try to tarnish her work. She powers through as an activist and educator, and soon enough, her work earns her widespread recognition, even in political corridors. Roosevelt herself is mesmerised by her and is keen on making her acquaintance. As the two become fast friends and graduate to becoming life-long comrades and confidants, they take on the world to lay the foundation for the modern civil rights movement, armed with their shared beliefs in justice and equality.Publisher: Penguin Random House — **The First Ladies** **by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Marie**
Yet another story of a formidable female camaraderie that changed the world, *The First Ladies*—by the *The New York Times*-bestselling authors of *The Personal Librarian*—charts the remarkable tale of the friendship between Mary McLeod Bethune and former First Lady of the US, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Bethune, daughter of formerly-enslaved parents, revolts against white supremacists who try to tarnish her work. She powers through as an activist and educator, and soon enough, her work earns her widespread recognition, even in political corridors. Roosevelt herself is mesmerised by her and is keen on making her acquaintance. As the two become fast friends and graduate to becoming life-long comrades and confidants, they take on the world to lay the foundation for the modern civil rights movement, armed with their shared beliefs in justice and equality.
**Publisher:** Penguin Random House

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5 new books that will make you slow down

From a no-holds-barred memoir by a Dalit activist, to Ruskin Bond spilling delicious secrets on how to lead a full life, June’s reading list is anything but ordinary.

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