All the write choices

Four novelists tell us why they write, what inspires them, and what books you should be reading too

- Urvee Modwel

If you know anything about HT Brunch, you know we’re nuts about books. And we’ve been holding the #BrunchBookChallenge every year since 2014. Each year we set ourselves reading targets: 24 books: check. 48 books: check. More Indian authors, more women writers, more classics, more unfamiliar genres: all checked. And along the way, we’ve found a priceless community of readers and writers.

What’s the plan for 2023? Aha. Here’s where the plot thickens! This year’s challenge is a reboot. Read 24 books before the year ends. And try to read as diversely as possible. Fat novels, slim novellas, Indian language translations, Russian sci-fi, Chilean magical realism, Botswanan detective series, Iranian graphic novels, Pakistani memoirs, American explainers – it’s all good.

Each time you finish a book, tag @HTBrunch on Twitter and Instagram using #BrunchBookChallenge.We’ll cheer you on, push you to read more, help you connect to your favourite authors and fans, maybe even send you free books.

Where do you start? Four top fiction writers recommend the titles they’ve loved. Perhaps you might too. Dig in!

I love narratives that intertwine
Priyanka Khanna

"At the age of seven, my mother gave me a journal to write in, I think that ignited my love for writing," recalls Khanna, 41. "I also think it showed me the power of thought and expression; journalling every day is rightly touted as a way to gain clarity."

Khanna has spent over a decade writing and editing fashion pieces. She describes her first novel, All The Right People (2022), as being, "at its heart, a story of female friendship and of three women finding their way."