The Bells of Old Tokyo
The Bells of Old Tokyo is a beautiful journey across time and space. Anna Sherman does such a good job of transporting the reader across history and present that I found it meditative.
Category: Travelogue
Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China’s Countryside
One of the best books I read in 2021. Though I bought it for the two keywords in the title, it went far beyond that. There’s travelogue, technology, culture and community, future and sometimes even a bit of contemplative philosophy, and together, it provides fantastic perspective and insights into rural China.
Coromandel
As the title suggests, this is a view of South India through many lenses – history, culture, society, politics – that have shaped it across centuries. It’s an extremely accessible and insightful read that is bound to give you many a-aha moments.
Arrow of the Blue Skinned God
If you don’t judge by the cover, you will be fine. It is less mythology and more travelogue, with a focus on the deep impact that the Ramayana has had on our culture – individual, societal and political. Published in the 90s, this also works as time travel if you are a 70s/80s kid.
Travelling In, Travelling Out
A travel book after a while. I liked how the book takes travel beyond the literal and conventional meaning of the word. There are all kinds of journeys in here – the simple physical movement from one place to another, to the exploration of the self within, “thought to thought”, seeing things in a different light and so on.