WION newsroom on books it loved in 2023—this one emerged as clear winner

Between our top politics and technology reads of 2023, we have had enough to write about the books that defined and sometimes even dominated the news cycle this year. At the end of 2023, we reached out to individuals across our newsroom to find out what books — old and new — they loved reading the most this year. 

Here are the books that hooked WION staffers in 2023. 

Aprameya Rao, Business Journalist, WION Business Desk

VAJPAYEE: The Ascent of the Hindu Right, 1924–1977 by Abhishek Choubey | Pan Macmillan

Indian biographies often end up being too passionate and biased which defeats the purpose of critical evaluation. But former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s latest biography by Abhishek Choudhary

defies the trend — quite comprehensively. Choudhary’s book intertwines Vajpayee’s early life with the rise of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) as a political party. Along the way, we also see how Vajpayee tried to mould the BJS into an acceptable political force. The book ends in 1977 when Vajpayee becomes the Foreign Minister in Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s cabinet. I am looking forward to reading the second part, expected to be released in 2024.

Eric Njoka, News Presenter, WION

Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson | Vermilion London

When we have good times in life (enough supply of cheese), we tend to forget that situation may not be the same in the future. During food times, we tend to feel safe and secure, cosy in comfort zone, proud, and at times arrogant of our success. But when we face the challenges in our lives (when the cheese is moved away from us), the complex human brain tends to over analyse the situation. We start ranting and raving at the injustice. We feel depressed, frustrated, angry and even paralysed by our own fears of the unknown. This book has helped me balance my life

Prisha, Senior Sub-editor, WION Web Desk

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy | EBURY Press

This is an account of the most heartfelt conversation between a boy and his companion who are on a journey called ‘life’. With every page, you are likely to find an answer to a question that has remained deep inside your heart. The book is a combination of multiple emotions including the feeling of warmth and love. It’s a story to be told again and again, a lesson to be learned and revised till eternity.

Veer Vikram Mukherjee, Assistant Producer, WION Assignment Desk

The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur: How the Pulwama Case was Cracked by Rahul Pandita | Juggernaut

For all that it’s worth, the Balakot airstrikes after the Pulwama terrorist attack in 2019 were a watershed in India’s policy to combat Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur, in that context, is the product of a remarkable journalistic observation. The book presents the world of anti-India jihad in an unputdownable format.

Mukul Sharma, Journalist, WION Web Desk

Putin: His Life and Times by Philip Short | Bodley Head

Longtime foreign correspondent Philip Short meticulously describes Russian President Vladimir Putin as a consequentially ruthless leader with scheming pragmatism. I began reading this one in June 2023. This was the time when the Kremlin was shaken by an unprecedented insurrection by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group fostered by Putin himself. In less than 36 hours, the armed uprising ended as dramatically as it had begun. By the time I finished reading this over 900-page book, Prigozhin was killed in a mysterious plane crash — a remarkable coincidence between the events Short mentioned in the book with the real-time news cycle. 

Tapasya Iyer, Trainee Journalist, WION Production Desk

Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects from a Continent Divided by Aanchal Malhota | C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd

Having heard a lot about this book by Aanchal Malhotra, I picked it up with a desire to know more about the history of partition. Little did I know I would get an emotional rollercoaster ride. The stories and memories from different families made me understand how any political decision has a deep impact on the personal lives of ordinary people. The essence of the book is in its unique storytelling style which takes you to the past.

Moohita Kaur Garg, Journalist, WION Web Desk

LIES OUR MOTHERS TOLD US: The Indian Woman’s Burden by Nilanjana Bhowmick | Aleph Book Company

We have all heard the phrases glass ceiling and gender inequality, but for many of us, it is a hard pill to swallow. Are Indian women toiling away under a burden? I, an Indian woman, didn’t think so. After all, I’m an opinionated, well-educated person, pursuing a career I love. Above all, I’m the daughter of a strong woman who lived her life by her own rules. However, this book, ‘Lies Our Mothers Told Us’, opened my eyes to the invisible burden my mother carried and passed on to me. Everyone, irrespective of gender you identify as, must read this to gain insight into the gender dynamics women in India face every day.

Shomini Sen, Associate Editor, WION Entertainment Desk

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read: And Other Stories by Sudha Murty | Penguin Books Limited

Although the book is aimed for young adults, but the author takes readers back to her childhood and her native village in Maharashtra and narrates some heartwarming stories of hope and learning. Truly for all ages.

Parul Rajwanshi, Assistant Producer, WION Programming Desk

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple | Bloomsbury India

“Delhi stands on seven cities and all of us, like the seven cities, are at once several and singular,” Dalrymple writes.

This gripping travelogue is the outcome of Dalrymple’s six-year-long stay in the city. It tells you about how New Delhi came to be, who all ruled over its ever-expanding contours and built it from within too, and all races of people who’ve set foot in and settled in this mighty, mighty metropolis. 

New Delhi’s history is never in its past, and if this timeless city had to write its own memoir, it would’ve written it exactly so.

Shashwat Swaroop Garg, Trainee Journalist, WION Production Desk

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Travels in Japanese Time | Picador

It was the one book this year that blew me away. Not because of my love for Tokyo or Japanese culture, but because of how personal and grounded in realism the book felt. Sherman did an amazing job at capturing the feeling of being in Tokyo which in itself is a melting pot of culture, heritage, art, and everything in between. It truly made me feel like I’ve always been a part of Tokyo and its rich and wonderful history and culture.

Hanshika Ujlayan, Assistant Producer, WION Business Desk

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami | Vintage

This year, I was drawn to ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ by Haruki Murakami, a thoughtful memoir that weaves the author’s enthusiasm for long-distance running with his life as a writer. Murakami humanises the road, making it a partner on his trip. The Japanese literary genius describes the symbiotic relationship that exists between running and creativity. The book’s introspective narrative reveals the discipline and attention needed in both endeavuors. Murakami’s expressions of self-discovery make this book a captivating investigation of the intersections of physical and creative endurance, connecting with individuals who value isolation and tenacity.

Riya Teotia, Journalist, WION Web Desk

Whereabouts: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri | Penguin Hamish Hamilton

Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Whereabouts’ was the best book that I read in a long time. It is a captivating book that delves deep into the complexities of human emotions and the nuances of solitude. Its episodic way of writing makes the novel easy to relate to and makes one feel more close to the narrator. In today’s world of hustle-bustle, the book stands out as a place of comfort. It almost feels like a deep study of human observations, experiences, and perspectives when they are lonely in life.

Ishita Mittra, Trainee Journalist, WION Output Desk

Tuesdays With Morrie: An old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lesson by Mitch Albom | Sphere

If yellow crayon could speak, it would say what the book Tuesdays with Morrie speaks. A book richly peppered with all emotions on the spectrum leaves you longing. Longing to live more, longing to be loyal to the moment, and longing to experience more. In short, it tells you it’s okay to be sad, but you have to meet your sad self, and once you do that, it’s just another emotion. I would recommend this book to everyone. Once you begin it, you’ll find yourself running through the pages with a constant smile on your face.

Manas Joshi, Senior Sub-editor, WION Web Desk

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch | Del Ray

The book, first in a trilogy named the ‘Gentleman Bastards’ is perfect for a fantasy fan who is tired of the usual ‘good versus bad’ and is in a mood to explore the path of an anti-hero. This book with ‘Ocean’s Eleven’-esque vibes has some great world-building that any fantasy series requires in the first place. As you read about the heists that ultimately come together in a grand story unfolding (and continuing) in the background, you’d wish you were living in Camorr, the fictional city built by a mysterious alien race but now infested with con men, rich people, and power brokers, all of whom have vices very very human.

All through 2023 starting in February, Declan Walsh’s ‘Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Divided Nation‘ went to places across multiple departments in the WION newsroom.

The Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Divided Nation by Declan Walsh | Bloomsbury Publishing

As Pakistan loomed large in the news cycle of South Asia, Walsh’s work served as a reference to the country’s chequered history in a way that only one of the nine subjects is still alive by the end of the book. Walsh’s description of Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as farishtey (or angels) caused spirited discussions on the functioning of Islamabad’s corridors of power — especially after former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first arrest in May and subsequently an unprecedented attack by Khan’s supporters at army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

The book closes with the description of a 2013 attack by Baloch separatists over juniper-covered hills in Quetta in the country’s restive Balochistan province. The separatists had attacked the residence of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s conflicted and complicated founding father where he had spent his final months in 1948. 

Walsh finally describes a video showing the attack on Jinnah’s Quetta house. 

“The militants gather the paintings into a bonfire, douse it with petrol and set it alight. Moving outside, they tear down a Pakistani flag and run a revel standard up the flagpole. Behind them, the wooden structure crackles as flames lick its walls. A window shatters. Dogs bark. The masked men vanish into the night as the house of Jinnah burns silently.”