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!
:)
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