Bookwatch: Queenie Rodrigues shares her favourite reads

Beyond Nab End by William Woodruff: The bestselling sequel to the bestselling autobiography of the professor of world history, The Road to Nab, the memoirs starts with Woodruff's arrival in the East End of London in the early 1930s and tells the story how the foundry worker became a scholar, how war interrupted his studies, ending with a moving account of him meeting his son he’s never seen.

Twilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali: An early classic of Indian writing in English, set around 1911 to 1919 in Old Delhi, the novel deals with the themes of disintegration, degeneration, alienation, gender and social conflicts, nostalgia, the downfall of the Mughal emperors, and the effects of colonialism and imperialism on Indian Muslims.

Bitter Wormwood by Easterine Kire: The first major work of one of North East India’s major authors, Bitter Wormwood, spanning the years 1937 to 2007, tells the story of the freedom struggle of the Nagas. Through the scope of one villager’s lifespan, the novel details the series of occupations and violent setbacks that the Naga have experienced in the 20th century.

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark: The sweeping novel brings to life two love stories, ninety years apart, set against the rich backdrop of war-torn India. In 1947, American historian Martin Mitchell comes to India to document the end of British rule, with his wife, Evie, and their young son. There, Evie discovers a packet of old letters, which tell a strange and compelling story of love and war involving two young Englishwomen in 1857.

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam: The novel tells the story of the Bangladesh War of Independence through the eyes of one family. The book was awarded the prize for Best First Book in the Commonwealth Writers' Prize 2008. It was also shortlisted for the 2007 Guardian First Book Award.