Posted by Welcome to a Manic Monday, folks! Hard to believe it’s June already, and harder to believe that I missed posting last week only because…I got too busy!
What you may or may not know about me is that June is birthday month! Not just for me but also various members of my family.
I love being a Gemini even though we’re viewed as a wonderful but somewhat troublesome sun sign! I’m always seeking out fellow Geminis and I’ve also noticed a lot of creative people are born in June.
Here’s a few of my favourite authors who are born in the same month as me!
Indian:
Born on this very day 20th June, the author of that masterful tome A Suitable Boy is one of my all-time favourites! My sister has set aside that book for her retirement, because at 500 pages you need that much time to read it! I finished it during one of my many summer vacations, and absolutely adored it. The story, the characters, and the exquisite sentences – they all gladdened my heart and inspired me to write too, even if I have less than a tenth of the talent. This is not the only book of his on my shelf – I also love his Beastly Tales, The Golden Gate and An Equal Music.
I read his debut novel Q&A well before the movie Slumdog Millionare burst onto the scene. The innovative storyline (), unique format (short chapters based on the questions and how the characters get their answers), flipping timelines – all of it captivated me and I read it in a matter of days. The movie didn’t impress me much (with credit to Shania Twain) due to its deviation from the novel, but the book remains on my shelf.
He’s controversial and slightly more literary and hence difficult to read, but I still liked Midnight’s Children, though his latest one Quichotte (published in 2019), disappointed me.
International:
Fredrik Backman (born 2 June)
I’ve read only one book of his A Man Called Ove, and despite my initial hesitation I landed up loving it!
Audrey Niffenegger (born June 13)
I’d easily rate her debut novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, as one of my top favourite and simply one of the best books I’ve ever read. The timelines confused me and gave me a slight headache at first, but I loved the central romance between Clare and Henry.
You can read his humorous The Devil’s Dictionary here. June 24 is his birthday.
Just another day later, June 25 is the birthday of this brilliant author. 1984 (and Big Brother) was weirdly prescient, and Animal Farm is a fantastic satire.
I loved Life of Pi so much that even though it’s the only book of his that I’ve read I had to include him in the list!
There are other noted authors who were born in June, such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (who also composed Vande Mataram in addition to penning several landmark novels), and Anita Desai.
Among other celebrities I admire, Steffi Graf (14 June) and Venus Williams (17 June) also share my birth month! There must be many more but these are two of my favourites.
Do you know any famous authors born in June? Not just authors, I’m happy to be informed of any illustrious personalities that can claim they are Gemini!
Gargi's World 