Monthy Reading-Wrap Up: April 2021.

 Hello Loves! 

How have you been? 

Safe I hope. 

Well I hope. 

These days nothing feels real. 

Nothing feels good. 

April didn't go according to plan.

April kicked our ass. 

My reading took a beating. 

I planned on reading a whole lot of Bengali literature this month and read a lot. 

Well, from April 11 onwards my sister fell sick. 

On the 16th I started showing symptoms. 

Then everything went for a toss. 

My books kept me sane and kept me company.

I read a fair amount and let's talk about my April Reads. 

Oh, I didn't read all Bengali books. I dipped out of my chosen genre and read some other books as well. 

Here's what I read in April. 

1. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: Started my month perfectly with the perfect book. I re-read this book after a long time, for the third or fourth time. And it was just as exquisite as I remembered. This book will break your heart and sink into your skin. 

A lovely, lovely book.

4/5 

2. Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl: A bit of a disappointment really, I had some high hopes going in and when I figured this was a YA groundhog day sorta deal, I was very put off. This trope is not my favourite at all. 

So I kinda switched off mid-way. 

Well-written but just not my cup of tea. 

2/5 

3. That Bird Called Happiness by Nabendu Ghosh: A collection of short stories, set mainly in the 60s and 70s, these stories about love, longing, film stars and relationships and life. These stories were so good. I am so glad I randomly picked up this book. 

4/5 

4. The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain: I did a full review for this one already. 

It's already up on the blog. 

5. Restless Waters of the Ichhamati by Bibhutibhushan Bandyapadhyay: I am still reading this book. I am only 75 pages in and I need to hunker down and read it. I am really enjoying it, I was reading it right when I fell sick, so I took a break from it. I will get back to it soon. 

6. The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh: Another re-read of another favourite book after years. Loved it. Cannot recommend it enough. A brilliant book. A perfect book to read if you've been meaning to read some Ghosh. 

7. Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas: A prequel of sorts to to THUG that I didn't even know about. It took me sometime to figure out this was the same world, but in the late 90s. I loved this book, this world, it's people and the sense of kinship and community in this story. 

4/5 

8. One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi: I love books set in Afghanistan, even if they break your heart and make you weep buckets. It's a place I love being back in. I've read a few books by Nadia Hashimi and really enjoyed them. This one is a her first foray into young adult fiction and about the phenomenon of Bacha Posh. Which basically means turning a young girl child into a boy for practical and superstitious reasons. 

I enjoyed this book. For most part. I did feel like it dragged a bit in the middle but it was a heartfelt and moving read. 

3.5/5 

9. First Light by Sunil Gangopadhyay: This book at over 756 pages is a little beast! 

:) 

In the best way possible. 

This was my Nobo Borsho Read. I started reading the book on the 15th of April and I am only 555 pages and have so much left. 

I am taking my time with this book and taking it nice and slow and savouring it. 

I am in no tearing hurry to finish it up, I will read it a slow pace and finish it whenever I do. 

10. Satyajit Ray in 100 Anecdotes by Arthy Muthanna Singh and Mamta Nainy: Read, Loved and Revised as well. 

Next I read some absolutely delightful books from Story Weaver  when I was in desperate need of some comfort and cheer. And I found just that and then some. 

I read some 15 odd books in one sitting and came back smiling and comforted. 

If you want something to take your mind off things and if you have a child in need of some stories and distraction, this is an incredible resource for lovely books. 

:) 

Here's what I read, I loved them all! 

11. Around You: States of Matter by Sukanya Sinha 

12. Rani's First Day of School by Cheryl Rao

13. Hide and Seek by Dropti Sharma 

14. Bed-Time Stories by Kanchan Banerjee 

15. The Race by " 

16. My Sister and Me " 

17. A Butterfly Smile by Mathangi Subramanian 

18. The Girl Who Could Not Stop Laughing by Meera Ganapathi 

19. Manikantan Has Enough by Anil Menon 

20. There's a Hole in my Galaxy by Ananya Dasgupta 

21. Arya in the Cockpit by Nandita Jayaraj 

22. Raju's First Flight " 

23. A Helping Hand by Payal Dhar 

24. Behind The Lie by Asha Nehemish 

25. Only Fools Go To School by Charuta Rao 

26. Who Stole Bhaiya's Smile? by Sanjana Kapur 

A good reading month. 

Not the best. 

But not the worst. 

:) 

Book Review: The Therapist by B.A. Paris

 

Book: The Therapist 

Author: B.A. Paris 

Pages: 304 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: 3 hours 

Plot Summary: When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive.

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem.

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise of the book, like most of B.A. Paris' books, was very interesting. A couple move into a new house in a posh gated community with a mysterious past. Their neighbours are cautiously friendly but a bit cagey about the history of their house, something, which Alice noticed early on and was concerned about. So, what did happen in that house two years ago? Interesting, right? 

2. The build-up of the mystery was nicely done. Also, there is a bit of intrigue about Leo and Alice's respective pasts. Both have some secrets they are trying to keep from each other as well as the people around them. Plus, there is the mystery of the house itself and of its previous occupant- Nina, The Therapist. 

3. There is an interesting mix of characters- from our protagonist- Alice- who moved to London and in with her boyfriend with a lot of hopes and dreams of starting afresh. She is keen on making friends and building a future and life in the gated community. The other women in the gated community are, mostly helpful and kind but some of them have silent and not-so-silent resentments. The relationship between Alice and the other women in the neighbourhood develops nicely and slowly as she gradually gleans information about Nina and what could've led to her brutal murder. 

4. There are a few decent twists and red herrings in the book, which are not very predictable- always a good thing in the thriller/ murder mystery genre! I don't want to get too much into any of these because I don't want to spoil the book for you! 

5. The book is fast-paced and taut with not much meandering or navel-gazing at all. Characters are also well developed, the plot is also well developed and there are some breadcrumbs but not too many that the big reveal is easy to guess. The author gives you just enough of a trail to lead you to the killer but doesn't make it obvious! 

Rating: 4/5 

This is a nicely done murder mystery and, finally, a B.A. Paris book I actually enjoyed!  

Stationery Sunday: Writer's Journal Set-Up.

Hello Loves! 

A few weeks ago my sister bought this gorgeous leather notebook cover and surprisingly it came with an A5 notebook that my sister didn't need. 

So I quickly claimed it to use as a Writing Journal. 

A place to scribble and write and a place to make a list of stories I want to tell. 

But of course, before all of that, I had to make it as pretty as possible. 

So I did just that. 

I am super proud that most of what I used came from beautiful packaging from VnV Shop. 

I re-purposed an envelope. 

&

And the packing paper. 

Why waste such perfectly beautiful things?!

 

This is the cover. 

Used a postcard from Sunny Skies and Starry Eyes. 

And a Girl Sticker from my favourite La Dolce Vita. 

All the little stickers  and flower ephemera are Ali Express a long time ago. 

A closer look. 

Perfect writerly vibes. 

This is most of the material I used. 

All from Vnv Shop. 

And now for the inside pages. 

I loved making these pages so much. 

A little art journaling sneaked into my writing journal. 

Now that my journal is all pretty and aesthetic AF, it's time to actually start writing in it. 

Which is always the hardest part. 

:) 

Friday Favourites: Painted Pouches from Tanuka Draws. (Haul).

Hello Loves!

Today has been a day and a half. 

Early this morning my sister tested positive for Kutti Karuna. 

She had been sick since Sunday evening and got tested on Tuesday and the results came in this morning. 

She is luckily feeling pretty normal.

She doesn't have a temperature. Or body ache. 

Her blood oxygen level is also good. 

So we are hopeful that she on the mend. 

Keep her in your prayers. 

:0 

I am of course stressed beyond words but trying to stay positive. 

Talking about staying positive. 

Look at these happy little pouches we recently got from Tanuka Draws.  

Look at these spunky women! 

Tanuka makes art prints, bookmarks, totes, notebooks and pouches. 

It's all lovely. 

And look how beautiful the packaging is?! 

Almost too cute to want to even open. 

Absolutely darling! 

Tanuka's art is so vivid and lovely. 

And her women so spirited. 

I had got some bookmarks from her before and this time we got ourselves some tote bags and these pouches. 

My sister is using the red pouch to keep her work planner and some pens organised. 

I might use my pouch, aka the girl with a coffee cup pouch for keeping some journals and pens. 

:) 

Subho Nobo Borsho + What We Are Reading Today!

 Hello Loves! 

&

A Shubho Nobo Borsho to You. 

Also a Happy Vishu, Ugadi and Gudi Padwa and Baisakhi to everyone. (Albeit belated!)

I love this time of year. 

All of us have something or the other to celebrate. 

New Year. 

New Beginnings. 

Ramzan. 

And we could all do with some joy right about now! 

New Year plans are quite sedate this year, which is no surprise. 

I mean given how things are...there is no going out or celebrating with people. 

I am grateful to be home with the family. 

Maa has cooked some delicious food and I'll be making us some dinner. 

:) 

Now on to what we are reading today. 

Well, I have been celebrating Nobo Borsho all month long through my books. 

Reading only Bengali Books in April. 

Currently I am somehow reading 3 books at once! 

Something I never ever do! 

Ever! 

Here's what I'm Currently Reading: 

The Restless Waters of the Icchamati by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay: I am a little over 70 pages into this book. 

I have had this book since 2018 and have been meaning to read it ever since. 

Finally started it early this week and have been slowly chipping away at it. 

Set in Bengal in 1860-ish, this is set in cruel and conniving world of Indigo plantations and the many kind of manipulations and exploitation that runs amok. 

Descriptive, moving and full of characters real and flawed and powerless. This is a book I am enjoying quite a bit. I am glad I am taking my time with it and not rushing through. This book's pace is fairly languid and slow and it requires a slower reading time. 

First Light by Sunil Gangopadhyay: The sequel to the wonderful and wondrous Those Days, this book I have meant to read since 2018 when I read Those Days during Pujo. My father finally got me this little tome this month and I have been saving it to read for Poila Boisakh. 

I started reading it this morning and I am just barely 3 pages in, and already I can tell this is going to be a good read. 

A very good read. 

Set at the turn of the 20th century, this book features some of the best that Bengal has produced: Rabindranath Tagore and the members of his household and Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna and several others who were turning to Nationalism and fighting for our freedom. 

It sounds amazing and I am so ready to dive into this world. 

The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh: I didn't even mean to start this one but one night, I couldn't sleep and got this on my Kindle and started reading a little bit...and then a lot! Like how do you stop? 

This is my third time reading this incredible book and man...Amitav Ghosh's words just...he is so brilliant. 

This was my first exposure to his work and I read agesss ago, when I was a teenager and then again in my early 20s and each reading made me appreciate this book and it's world. 

I am 50% through reading it and I love it so much. I have missed Tridib. Really missed him. 

If you've been meaning to get into Ghosh, this book right here is a great place to start. 

The pouch is from Tanuka Draws and is a great accompaniment to the book. 

Now for what my sister is reading today. 

My sister has been sick for the last two days, running a high fever and feeling very down and out. She wanted some time off from her Kindle, which is full of thrillers and perfect for when you're feeling poorly. 

So I set her with this. 

Those Days. 

She has been meaning to read this for a while and no time like the present to get her reading on. 

I am sure she'll love it as much as I did. 

So there you have it, on this auspicious day, the first day of 1428 I am reading not one but three incredible books and I hope this streak of good reading continues through this year. 

Have a good one you guys. 

Happy Reading! 

:) 

Haul: Brooches from Kai Studio + A Mini-Review.

 Hello Loves! 

Want to share some very unique brooches with you today. 

I fell in love with Kai Studio's creations at first sight. The colour palette and the wonderful mix of clay and embroidery. 

It's too beautiful for words. 

They also make keychains, earrings and necklaces,  some of which I am going to get next. 

:) 

This time we got two little fishy beauties. 

A Bengali getting Maach, of course! 

Look how pretty! 

Siting pretty with my current read. 

Matching quite well! 

A chunky fishy. 

Look at her sweet face! 

So pretty! 

Mini- Review: 

1. These brooches are light weight and perfect to wear and not have the fabric of your clothes pulled down  or snagged. 

2. The quality is great. 

3. They are so freaking cute, I cannot even! I honestly want to get them all. 

4. They have a lot of options to choose from. You can get the same design as a brooch, pendant or even earrings. 

5. The delivery was swift too. 

So beautiful! 

Go check out Kai Studio and get yourself something unique and oh-so-pretty. 

I highly recommend. 

I Miss Home! Books + Toys + Home Decor + Backpack

Things I Miss. 

Home! 

 

Two happy girls. 

My books. 

My precious books. 

Sweet faces. 

My corner full of books. 

Can you tell how much I miss my books!? 

Backpack. 

Stationery bits. 

A sloth. 

Kindle. 

More books. 

All red spines. 

My cost bed. 

Cushions and plushies galore.

The view out my bedroom window on a rainy day from last year. 

Hello Loves! 

I've been away from home, Bombay, for six months now. 

Six months. 

I miss home. 

I miss my books. 

My bed. 

My plushies. 

My old life. 

Don't get me wrong, I love being here too. 

I do. 

And I am so grateful that we have a place to be and stay safe when things back home seem to be on fire. 

But ghar to ghar hai na. 

I don't even know when I'll be able to head back.

Not any time soon, not when things are so bleak. 

I will be here and find joy in life here. 

:) 

Book Review: Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

Book: Every Vow You Break 

Author: Peter Swanson 

Pages: 320 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours 

Plot Summary: Abigail Baskin never thought she’d fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He’s a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind—a refreshing twist from her previous relationships.

But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident—and the sexy guy who wouldn’t give her his real name—out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life.

Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears—and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special. Something real—and he’s tracked her down to prove it.

Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.

General Thoughts: I have always enjoyed reading Peter Swanson's books. They are dark and twisty and the protagonists are not always kosher, if you catch my drift! So, when I saw his latest book up on the Kindle Store in India, I immediately jumped to get it! 

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise was rather interesting. A woman, who had an extramarital affair three weeks before her wedding, finds herself being stalked during her wedding and honeymoon by her one-night-lover! So, there was a lot of tension and intrigue implied in the plot summary, which got me interested. Swanson's characters, like I mentioned above, are a bit grey and sketchy and so, I was interested in seeing how Abigail handled this uncomfortably awkward situation. 

2. The book started off well. We get to know Abigail and her personal history- her broke parents, her sexual history, which she shared with the dude she slept with during her bachelorette weekend and her internal struggles on whether she is doing the right thing by marrying the safe and rich- Bruce Lamb. We also get to see her freaking out over her lover's sudden appearance in her life, especially, because they had not shared their real names or any form of identifying information about each other. 

3. Abigail and Bruce honeymoon in an exclusive island off the coast of Maine. There are luxurious cottages, the whole island accessible to them and world-class food. They barely even get there, then the mysterious Scottie, her lover, shows up there and starts wanting to rekindle their one-night dalliance. Scottie believes he is in love with her and Abigail, who has come to her senses, is not in love with him. The build-up of tension is done well. 

4. There are some sketchy characters that Abigail and Bruce encounter on the island. Abigail feels uncomfortable and doesn't understand why she feels that way. Bruce, who has been coming here for years- for corporate retreats and such- finds nothing amiss. So, the build-up of this conflict between the newlyweds is also done well. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. Sigh! I had guessed what the deal was in the first 10% of the book! Normally, I would not let that annoy me because I am willing to see how the story unfolds. However, when you pay over Rs. 600 for a book and the plot is so glaringly obvious, it becomes really disappointing! 

Rating: 2.5/5 

I always say that I read a LOT of crime fiction and very few books surprise me! So, if you want to read something suspenseful and tense, then do try this book! 
 

Stationery Sunday: The Botanical Kit from The Bodhi Journal.

Hello Loves! 

The Bodhi Journal has been a very happy discovery. 

We've ordered quite a few things from them in the last few months. 

This was our first batch of things we got from them. 

Some beautiful postcards. 

Stickers. 

&

A whole Botanical Kit, which is full of ephemera, paper bits and stickers.  

I am so happy there are incredible places to buy stickers and stationery from in India. 

Makes my stationery-loving heart very happy. 

:) 

Some floral stickers in multiple sizes and shapes. 

So utterly gorgeous. 

I've used a few of these already in various journal spreads. 

More stickers. I especially love the circle stickers. 

Slightly larger stickers. 

These are great to use in my junk journal which is an A5 size. 

So, so beautiful and perfect.

 The quality of these is good too. 

A kit is a good way to kickstart some art journaling and junk journaling. 

Plus perfect to do up your planner pages. 

This is how everything came packed. 

So pretty, I hardly had the heart to open it up. 

Brown paper packages wrapped up in string...

If you love stationery and are always on the lookout for pretty things to add to your stationery stash...check out The Bodhi Journal and treat yourself to some of their stuff. 

They also make these amazing stamps, the only reason I am not buying any is that I own a LOT of stamps and inks but barely use them. Plus buying stamps now will mean, having to buy inks and things and cart it all back home. 

So I am resisting the urge! 

:) 

Book Review: The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain.

 

Book: The Family Tree 

Author: Sairish Hussain 

Pages: 528 

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Read On: Kindle 

How Long it Took Me To Read: A Week (with several breaks) 

Plot Summary: Your roots can always lead you home… Amjad cradles his baby daughter in the middle of the night. He has no time to mourn his wife’s death. Saahil and zahra, his two small children, are relying on him. Amjad vows to love and protect them always. Years later, saahil and his best friend, Ehsan, have finished University and are celebrating with friends. But when the night turns dangerous, its devastating effects will ripple through the years to come. Zahra’s world is alight with politics and activism. But she is now her father only source of comfort, and worries she’ll never have time for her own aspirations. Life has taken her small family in different directions – will they ever find their way back to each other? 

The family tree is the moving story of a British Muslim family full of love, laughter and resilience as well as all the faults, mistakes and stubborn loyalties which make us human.

Things I Liked:

1. I love reading about families. Large families, happy families, messed up families, dysfunctional families and nuclear families. They are some of my favourite things to read about, so from the offset this book had me interested. This family unit is quite unique, a father raising his two young children on his own, we follow this little unit through the years and see them navigate some pretty difficult things. I loved getting to know these people and see their lives through the years. Starting in the 1990s right up to 2018. 

2. The family of Amjad, Saahil and Zahra is at the heart of this book. A broken family, following the passing of Neelam (Amjad's wife), we see them trying to cobble on and make it work. The first quarter of this book we see the early years of this family, following the days and years immediately after the passing of Neelam. We see Amjad dealing with his own grief and loss, and at the same time trying to be both parents to his young son and his newborn baby girl. He is struggling, trying to do basic home chores and raising a little baby, his pain and confusion and struggle are palpable and you find yourself rooting for him and his family. 

3. The book takes into this world and immersive and engrossing. We get a taste of what it means to be a Muslim in the West today. The rampant Islamophobia, the daily micro-aggressions and being on edge constantly is bought to life so well in this book. It will break your heart! And even though we read about these things in the Newspaper and in personal essays, reading about it here, seeing young children and a family go through this makes it incredibly real and makes this an important read for those to wish to understand this a bit better. 

4. There are three main characters in this book: Amjad, Saahil and Zahra. 

Amjad: The book starts with him, in the aftermath of his wife's untimely death. He does his best to raise his two children, worry about their futures and fight his mother on remarriage. Amjad is a wonderful man, reminiscent of all  desi dads and reading about him and getting to know him will just warm your heart. We see them through the years, go through joys and pains and holding on and doing right by his family. He is such a good man and such a good Dad. Not perfect, but good. 

Saahil: He will a little bit break your heart. From being a 10 year old who loses his mum and has to pretty much grow up overnight and become a sort of parent to his baby sister, not complaining about any of it. Seeing him grow up, do well and have dreams and aspirations and then have those dreams collapse was just...ugh! He is a well-written, slightly infuriating and relatable character. 

Zahra: We end up spending a lot of time with Zahra in the second half of this book. We pretty much follow her from the day she's born to her mid-twenties and through the course of this book she feels like someone you know or she feels like you. A woke, well-informed, socially and politically aware young woman who sees the problems in society and does her bit to solve them. I really liked her. 

5. The other characters in this book, the so called secondary characters are also wonderful and so important to this tale. I especially loved Amjad's Ammi (mother), his friends Harun and Ken, Zahra's best friend Libby and Ehsan- Saahil's best friend. All of these people get enough space and their stories and voices add to the narrative. Especially Harun, Meena and Ehsan, I loved this family and their arc broke my heart. 

6. Race and Racism is an integral part of this book and story and shapes very critical outcomes in this story. Like I said before, this book shows us what it feels like being Muslim in today's world. The constant othering and being on the defensive, being asked a million seemingly innocuous questions but they're intent being far from innocent. Racism also plays a horrible role in changing the lives of several people in this book. I feel like stories like this should be required reading for anyone who claims to not understand Racism. 

7. The thing I loved best about this book was how one single night, one incident and one horrible act of violence can completely change things and alters lives. This devastation from one stray night is shown so brilliantly. 

8. Oh, before I forget to mention it, I really enjoyed the writing. It felt smooth and easy and full of some amazing characters that felt real. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

Well, I did really enjoy this book for most part, but somewhere along the 45% mark, it begin to slowdown and not in a good way. It dragged a bit and I would have preferred it a little bit shorter. Also, certain things were repeated over and over again and that added to the slow pace of the book. 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Haul: Calendar Bookmarks from Seedhi Jalebi.

 Hello Loves! 

I recently came across these super cute calendar bookmarks on Amazon from the brand Seedhi Jalebi. 

I got these to use in my journal and not quite as bookmarks. 

These bookmarks are cute and printed on really nice and thick paper. 

Aren't these adorable? 

Also Hedgehogs! 

:)