Saturday, January 31, 2009
India reading list
I'm sure you're all planning a trip to India now. Right? Since I know you are, here's what I think you should read:
Start with some basic guide books. Fodor's Exploring India is a good overview, to help you get your head around where you're going and what to see. I moved on to the Rough Guide to South India etc. for more detail, although in a generalized way. Culture Smart India is about as good as those guides usually are (i.e. they tend to overstate the amount of cultural "difference") but it worth reading, although maybe while you're still in the bookstore. Healthy Travel Asia & India however was practically essential for wading through the vaccines, medicines and preventive measures. Of course, your doctor should tell you what you need to know, but I found it really useful to have a written, comprehensive guide.
For more specific recommendations, I like the Wallpaper guides (Mumbai and Delhi) for shopping, architecture and sometimes restaurants and Time Out Mumbai & Goa for restaurants and nightlife. Not that we ended up doing much of that--more time, more time!
If you're going to Kerala--which I insist that you do--Kerala: Holiday in the Garden of the Gods is great for both photos and hotel recommendations.
In the Golden Triangle, the Eyewitness Guide for Delhi, Agra & Jaipur makes an excellent substitution for a guide. I would recommend getting a guide for the Taj Mahal anyway, simply to help you through the logistics, but everywhere else, a good book like this and a driver are more than adequate.
I'm big on background reading. I picked up this Taj Mahal book at Rizzoli and really liked it. Don't be intimidated--it's short and very readable. I also made a trip to Idlewild Books, which is really well curated. There's a ton of non-fiction on India out there, so it was helpful to have a well chosen selection. Since the Mumbai attacks, everyone in the whole world has been reading Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found, to the point where it was difficult to find a copy for a while. I haven't finished it yet, but it's pretty good. And you've already heard me plug Temptations of the West, but I'll do it again here: read this book. I had picked up Planet India too at Olsson's when there was still an Olsson's.
Idlewild is great for fiction too, and I had a hard time choosing. I went with The Alchemy of Desire which has been totally engrossing. It's a little bit long, but I haven't put it down yet. It's set in Delhi (and other parts of India) and has a completely different feel and tone than the Jhumpa Lahiri/Monica Ali/Kiran Desai expat voice we've by now become very familiar with.
Lucky for you, I own all of these, so let me know when you want to borrow.
Start with some basic guide books. Fodor's Exploring India is a good overview, to help you get your head around where you're going and what to see. I moved on to the Rough Guide to South India etc. for more detail, although in a generalized way. Culture Smart India is about as good as those guides usually are (i.e. they tend to overstate the amount of cultural "difference") but it worth reading, although maybe while you're still in the bookstore. Healthy Travel Asia & India however was practically essential for wading through the vaccines, medicines and preventive measures. Of course, your doctor should tell you what you need to know, but I found it really useful to have a written, comprehensive guide.
For more specific recommendations, I like the Wallpaper guides (Mumbai and Delhi) for shopping, architecture and sometimes restaurants and Time Out Mumbai & Goa for restaurants and nightlife. Not that we ended up doing much of that--more time, more time!
If you're going to Kerala--which I insist that you do--Kerala: Holiday in the Garden of the Gods is great for both photos and hotel recommendations.
In the Golden Triangle, the Eyewitness Guide for Delhi, Agra & Jaipur makes an excellent substitution for a guide. I would recommend getting a guide for the Taj Mahal anyway, simply to help you through the logistics, but everywhere else, a good book like this and a driver are more than adequate.
I'm big on background reading. I picked up this Taj Mahal book at Rizzoli and really liked it. Don't be intimidated--it's short and very readable. I also made a trip to Idlewild Books, which is really well curated. There's a ton of non-fiction on India out there, so it was helpful to have a well chosen selection. Since the Mumbai attacks, everyone in the whole world has been reading Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found, to the point where it was difficult to find a copy for a while. I haven't finished it yet, but it's pretty good. And you've already heard me plug Temptations of the West, but I'll do it again here: read this book. I had picked up Planet India too at Olsson's when there was still an Olsson's.
Idlewild is great for fiction too, and I had a hard time choosing. I went with The Alchemy of Desire which has been totally engrossing. It's a little bit long, but I haven't put it down yet. It's set in Delhi (and other parts of India) and has a completely different feel and tone than the Jhumpa Lahiri/Monica Ali/Kiran Desai expat voice we've by now become very familiar with.
Lucky for you, I own all of these, so let me know when you want to borrow.
