It’s September and none of the book lovers need to be reminded of its importance. It’s no lie that most of us even count the months till the season announces its approach. The crowds will soon be storming the book shops and the much awaited annual exhibitions for whichever reason that lures them to books; the absolute passion for reading, the enchantment-bound stories or merely the discounted prices. Whatever it may be, it is the time of the year to put the nerdy glasses on and go bargaining to fill the shelves and couches with what we all love most.
For the convenience of all the all top rated story hunters, here are the lists of books you should neither miss nor think twice on.
The New York Times Bestsellers
These are proved masterpieces that have grabbed the attention of the western world readers. For the English book readers, there is no doubt in the excitements the stories will provide. The New York Times bestsellers often include books that are nominated for various awards including GoodReads awards. Following are a few attention grabbing books found in the list.
Children’s Series
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts I & II
-This is a follow up by John Tiffany and Jack Thorne based on the world wide phenomenon by J. K. Rowling, so you may ease down that heartbeat.
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
– This is now a major motion picture from the dark and gothic loving director Tim Burton, starring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Judi Dench, but that does not mean you should leave this book out.
- Old School -Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney
-C’mon, now who would miss this simply awesome illustrated diary? This is apparently the 10th book in the series, but new readers can start from here.
- Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Rick Riordan
-In this companion to Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, the son of Poseidon returns to give readers his unique and unforgettable insight into twelve larger-than-life personalities from the classic Greek stories
Young Adult
- The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
-the author of the famous Percy Jackson series brings out yet another incredible Celtic gods entangled fiction
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
-the second book of the Court of Thorns and Roses Series
- Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
-Dark Artifices Series begins here.
- Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
-Anyone keeping tabs on Red Queen Series? Here is book two.
- This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
-Here to horrify the readers is the story of a student’s calculated revenge that turns into the ultimate game of survival.
Fiction
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
-Promised psychological thriller and addictive story set in London, is soon to be a major motion picture.
- The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
-Reviews promise an emotional and nail-biting story on an Australian coast.
- In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
– Suspense and twisted psychological thriller is a major award winner not to be missed.
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
-A romantic fiction sure to contend the young hearts. It is followed by the sequel, After You.
Science
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
-A memoir by a physician who received a diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36.
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
-See how we make Habits, get on with Habits and break away from Habits.
Nominations for Swarna Pusthaka award (ස්වර්ණ පුස්තක සම්මාන)
English readers are often elated with the wide range of books flowing into the island from around the world. The Sinhala readers on the other hand find their own bliss in the books that find their way to the lists of national awards for the best books. Here are this year’s top ten Swarna Pusthaka nominations.
- “Ahambakaraka” (අහම්බකාරක) by Liyanage Amarakeerthi
- “Maharavana” (මහාරවණ) by Tennyson Perera
- “Paradeshi” (පරදේසි) by Eric Illyaparachchige
- “Kolambaya and Shenhaiyah” by Sunethra Rajakarunanayake
- ” Asandimiththa” by Saman Wickremaarchchi
- “Septembaraye diga davask” (සැප්තැම්බරයේ දිග දවසක්) by Kapila Kumara Kalinga
- “Avalama and Ehatuwa” (අවලමා සහ ඇහැටුවා) by PB Jayasekera
- ” Manikkawatha” by Mahinda Prasad Malimbulage
- “Walakuku Bemma” (වලාකුළු බැම්ම) by Chandraratne Bandarage
- “Hithuwakkari” (හිතුවක්කාරී) by HB Gunaratne
- ” Dulwala ahankarai” by Sumudu Nirani Seneviratne
- “Wolfendhal Street” by Nadie Wasalmudaliarachchige
Eric Illyaparachchige, Liyanage Amarakeerthi, Sunethra Rajakarunanayake are not unfamiliar authors for readers of top rated and well reviewed novels. Most of these writers are popular for being nominated for awards and being largely loved and praised by the readers. From the 123 novels that were nominated for the award, Liyanage Amarakeerthi won the 2016 Swarna Pusthaka award for his “Ahambakaraka” (අහම්බකාරක) novel.
Though there are no lists to be provided, comics, biographies, narrations and several other categories of books will be out there to snatch your heart away this season. Translations also find their way to the buyers with their original book’s popularity which is why they occupy a significant place in the local reader’s favorites.
No matter what, a good book will never leave a reader empty. Even the simplest of them all is capable of turning a man wiser than he was before. A few pages turned today will somehow become a better decision made tomorrow. When there is so much to explore within the spellbound words that weaves the stories, why waste time?
references:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/?_r=0
image credits: http://img.talkandroid.com/uploads/2013/11/stack_of_books.jpg