Shrill by Lindy West: A triumphant, often hilarious, and always honest rumination about body positivity, feminism and Internet trolling, this book essentially slammed its way into my heart. A must-read for all those who have wrestled with self-doubt at some point in their lives (and isn’t that all of us?).

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou: Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal reporter who broke the story, this book – which unfolds like a thriller – tells the mind-boggling tale of Theranos and the almost $9 billion scam run by Elizabeth Holmes. While being a scathing indictment of Silicon Valley, the book is also incredibly hard to put down and stands as a testament to the very best of investigative journalism. 

 

Those Pricey Thakur Girls by Anuja Chauhan: Who doesn’t love a deliciously rougish hero? This book bundles all that and then some in Dylan Singh Shekhawat – one of the best-written heroes in Indian fiction. Set in the era of Doordarshan and Maruti 800s, this Indian Pride and Prejudice is both hilarious and familiar, and stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. 

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino: No mystery has left a deeper impression on me than this one. It’s at once thrilling in its solution and incredibly tragic in its outcome. I have read everything the author has written since, and while his style is unmatched and his books exemplary examples of well-crafted mysteries, this one remains his best work till date.  

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss: Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings in this fabulously plotted (though still incomplete) fantasy series. A powerful and mysterious hero, a thrilling origin story and a world at siege – these books have it all.