This year, in fine print

jots down his list of personal favourites.

My Revolutions
Hari Kunzru
Hari Kunzru's third novel "" the first that doesn't have a direct Indian connection "" is a vivid depiction of a dynamic era and a powerful study of the relationship between idealism and extremism.

Though located in a very specific period "" the counterculture of 1960s Britain ""it has much to say about the forces acting on the world today, reminding us of the dangers inherent in wanting to change the world to fit a personal vision of Utopia.

The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers
Sarnath Banerjee
This sprawling saga, which covers many time-periods and places but is mostly set in 18th century Calcutta, heralds the coming of age of the Indian graphic novel. It has colourful characters, a consistently engaging story, some droll humour and many fine illustrations.

In both quality and size, this one is much more substantial than Sarnath Banerjee's first book, Corridor.

Men in White
Mukul Kesavan
The most compelling thing about this collection of essays about cricket is Kesavan's recognition of the conflict between fair-minded sports analysis and that visceral feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when a cherished team does badly.

His pieces are a reminder of what our reaction to sporting victories and defeats tells us about ourselves. Such awareness is always welcome, given the intensity of the Indian cricket-lover's relationship with his sport.

The Assassin's Song
M G Vassanji
Vassanji deserves a much higher place in the pantheon of Indian-origin writers. Ambivalence is central to his work; running through his stories is the question: what can we ever really know about ourselves, our motivations, the accumulation of events that make us what we are?

The Assassin's Song examines the conflict between duty and individuality, faith and pragmatism through the story of Karsan Dargawalla's struggle with his responsibilities as the keeper of a Sufi shrine in Gujarat.

Romancing with Life
Dev Anand
Statutory warning: this isn't a recommendation "" Anand's autobiography isn't worth its price unless you're a rabid fan. However, it is a significant book for it shows that you don't need a great literary memoir to capture the essence of a personality.

Romancing with Life is overwritten, meandering, pompous and full of unintended humour, but it's an immediate representation of Dev Anand on the page in a way that a better written, better edited book could never be.