*in no particular order.
This is going to be weird mixture for sure. On paper, I definitely like to tell people that I don’t have any favorite genre, but in reality (which I realized after I wrote this post), I definitely do have a heavy bias. I wouldn’t say that my bias surprised me though; I wouldn’t expect anything else from an engineer.
The Hyperion Cantos: A masterpiece in science-fiction. Honestly, it’s still the best thing I’ve read in the last two years. Now wait. I know what you’re thinking, science-fiction literature, you should stop taking me seriously right now. Even though you probably are right about that, give these books a chance. The sheer intricacies of intergalactic politics, woven with a thick layer of different religions (yes, I too was surprised that I liked it), and fictions based on true science kept me hooked throughout all four books. The plot lines are spread over two centuries, and it’s amazing that Dan Simmons didn’t leave a single loose end. If you enjoy shows like House of Cards (objectively, Kevin Spacey’s personal life, however horrible, aside) and you love the classical science-fiction genre, you’d love these books.
??????????? (The Traitor): One of the things I consider myself lucky for, is being Bengali. I’m lucky to have been able to read this book (Narayan Sanyal, the author’s political beliefs aside) when I was in fourth grade (this book is definitely not for fourth graders, don’t blame my parents, I had a habit of stealing books from our library). It literally changed my life, and I’m not using that word like a sorority girl does. That book made me interested in science in fourth grade, and that made me read more of my elder sister’s sciencey books, and that made me even more interested in science, and this whole feedback loop continued on to make me an engineer today. This book is about the real-life Manhattan Project during World War II, and how a lonely scientist smuggled out America’s most guarded secret to Russia. You should read it, even if it means learning Bengali.
Watchmen: There’s the movie, and then there’s this new HBO show. But they all started with this classic DC comic. This is a story of one misguided megalomaniac, and his strange way of saving the world by threatening the lives of everyone (too real?). Read it, please don’t watch the movie if you haven’t, and definitely don’t watch the show; both were terrible waste of my time.
The Fall: One of Camus’ last ever fictions, this one makes me regret not knowing French to read it in its original version. Camus tells the story of a man who tries to find a solution to being a hypocrite. The realism of this novel shook me to my very core. This was the first Camus I had ever read, I didn’t know what to expect, and honestly, nothing has come close yet.
Harry Potter: What’s there to say? It’s my escape from the real world. Everyone needs one, and I have my Harry Potter books and my MCU movies as mine.
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