Issue 9 / On The Shelf: Our Must-Read Books For August

by Matthew Currie

On The Shelf: Our Must-Read Books For August

Aug 08, 2015

August's top reads include the end of an epic historical trilogy, a geek-tastic memoir and Philippa Gregory's latest Tudor Court novel.

Flood of Fire
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
by Amitav Ghosh

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux}

Celebrated author Ghosh wraps up his acclaimed Ibis trilogy with this rip-roaring historical fiction. The year is 1839 and Britain is on the verge of war with China over the latter’s attempts to embargo the opium trade. Eager to have this lucrative industry reinstated, the British Foreign Secretary orders India’s colonial government to send an attack force to Hong Kong. The story is told through the eyes of Kesri Singh, a solider in the East India Company, and over the coming weeks, he’ll see death, corruption, spy games and profiteering as one superpower goes to war with another for the right to flood its streets with narcotics. Arriving in the U.S. after an international release a few months back, Flood of Fire has earned praise not only for Ghosh’s rich, stirring prose and vividly drawn characters, but also his incisive, sharply observed commentary on the current war on drugs.

The Friendship Rose
(Partridge Publishing)
by Purushottam Mahajan

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Partridge Publishing/amazon.ca}

“Roses are red, violets are blue . . .” — we’ve all heard this clichéd bit of poetry ad nauseum over the course of our lives. But what if colour was a foreign concept to you? What would a flower petal, a towering oak tree, a summer’s night be to you then? Such is the case for Purushottam Mahajan, a man who hasn’t let his lack of sight keep him from perceiving the beauty that the world has to offer. It’s a unique perspective he shares with the rest of us in this collection of poems.

Ahmedabad: A City in the World
(Bloomsbury India)
by Amrita Shah

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Bloomsbury}

Indian journalist Amrita Shah paints a one-of-a-kind portrait of a city and, indeed, a country in transition. Framing Ahmedabad as both the launching point for Gandhi’s struggle against British oppression and the “stronghold” of Prime Minister Modi’s push for a new, market-led India, Shah hits the streets to get a perspective of the new India from all walks of life. Crossing paths with everyone from female bootleggers to urban renewal architects to a poet-turned-civil-servant, the book is an enlightening trip through the past, present and future of a six-century-old metropolis.

You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
(Touchstone)
by Felicia Day

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Touchstone}

Thanks to her work in cult favourites like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Felicia Day has become something of a nerd-culture icon. But far more than just an actress who landed some high-profile parts, Day is a savvy entrepreneur and, indeed, an innovator. Constructing a brand around her own inherent geekiness, Day singlehandedly launched both a popular podcast network – Geek & Sundry — and a groundbreaking web series — The Guild — earning a reputation as one of the foremost names in new media, while helping redefine how success can be achieved in the entertainment biz. This funny, inspiring memoir looks back on her unlikely journey to the top (or, at least, slightly above the middle).

The Taming of the Queen
(Touchstone)
by Philippa Gregory

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Touchstone}

Philippa Gregory continues her bestselling series of Tudor Court novels with the story of Kateryn Parr, the final bride of Henry VIII. A 30-year-old widow, Kateryn is understandably less-than-thrilled when she catches the eye of a man who killed his last four wives. Having no choice, she weds the mad king, and proceeds to bring a remarkably progressive school of thought to the highest seats of power, uniting the royal family, becoming the first English queen to publish under her own name and pushing for religious reform. But soon enough, Henry’s affections give way to suspicion, and her political enemies begin to circle the new queen like vultures.

The Man in the Monster: An Intimate Portrait of a Serial Killer
(Penguin)
by Martha Elliott

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Penguin}

In the early 1980s, Michael Ross raped and killed eight young women. He was convicted and sentenced to death. When a Connecticut Supreme Court overturned six of the convictions, it would seem like a critical step in skirting justice and saving his skin. Instead, Ross, claiming he didn’t want to put the victims’ families through another trial, asked to be executed. It was this that caught journalist Martha Elliott’s attention. Over the next 10 years, as Ross sat waiting to die, Elliott would visit him once a week. What was revealed in their conversations was a seemingly remorseful man who had found both medical treatment and religion while behind bars. What’s more, she found a man just as eager as she was to explore what had possessed him to commit such heinous crimes — an exploration which is chronicled in this thoroughly fascinating and challenging tome.

Eileen
(Penguin)
by Ottessa Moshfegh

^{Photo credit: Courtesy of Penguin/ew.com}

One of the hottest up-and-comers on the literary scene, Ottessa Moshfegh offers up this alternately creepy, funny and poignant debut novel. Set on the outskirts of Boston, just before Christmas 1960, it centres on the title character — an “unassuming but disturbed” 24-year-old who divides her time between cleaning up after her deranged alcoholic father and working as a secretary at a corrupt private prison for boys. She wiles away the days with twisted fantasies and dreams of the city — until her dreary existence is brightened by the arrival of a vivacious new prison counsellor named Rebecca who takes a liking to her. Eileen is thoroughly smitten, but it’s not long before her new friend has her on the hook for a shocking crime.

Matthew Currie

Author

A long-standing entertainment journalist, Currie is a graduate of the Professional Writing program at Toronto’s York University. He has spent the past number of years working as a freelancer for ANOKHI and for diverse publications such as Sharp, TV Week, CAA’s Westworld and BC Business. Currie ...