Hello Loves!
August is over and done with and with that comes to end my yearly reading tradition of reading only books from India and the Indian Subcontinent.
It is usually one of my favourite reading months of the year and this year was no different.
I read a total of 20 books and I loved most of them.
I read books from India, translated books, a spot of non-fiction, a memoir, some essays and books from across the border.
A solid good month of reading.
And I can't wait to talk about my reads, so what are we waiting for?
Let's jump right in shall we?
BOOKS READ IN AUGUST 2022:
1. The Chronicles of Lost Daughters by Debarati Mukhopadhyay, Trans. by Arunava Sinha: I started my month with this absolute gem of a book and it was a perfect way to kick start my reading month and it was something that also ticked off reading something in honour of Reading Women in Translation.
This book is set in a era I love, the Golden Age in Bengal. The age when some truly magnificent people lived and changed lives in Bengal. Tagore, Kadambari Ganguli, Ishwar Vidyasagar, Ramkrishna...and so many more. I have read Those Days by Sunil Gangopadhyay (which if you haven't read, you absolutely must!) and this time period just makes me feel like I am walking alongside some remarkable people. This book, while talking (a little) about those great men and women, also shows us a less than perfect side of society and really, really shows us the ugly side of our society. The deplorable position of women and the rampant abuse that they were subjected to in the name of tradition and culture are laid bare. This was such a powerful and eye-opening read that I am so happy I read and I cannot recommend it enough.
4/5
2. Paati Goes Viral by Prabhu Viswanathan: Then I needed to read something lighter and warmer. So I picked up a little kidlit book. Also, I love and will always be up to read about Grandmothers. So a book about a Paati who travels the world, finds new connections and becomes a little viral was a perfect pick me up. Good fun this. I read this via Kindle Unlimited.
3.5/5
3. Teething by Megha Rao: Next I picked up some contemporary poetry. I am not a poetry person but once in a while I like to read a little from this space. This book and it's writer got a lot of buzz when this book came out and I was curious to pick it up.
Hmm...this wasn't for me. And while some poems were quite powerful and moving, on the whole this felt like reading an angsty person's IG posts. Not terribly good.
2/5
4. Lalita Kothandapani and The Heinous Crime by Aruna Nambiar: Another fun book to balance out the gloomy reads. This one is a about an older woman who writes a book and then goes on to low-key stalk (only on socials) her publisher, or rather some one she hopes will publish her book. Fun and relatable and immensely enjoyable. Another book I read via Kindle Unlimited.
3/5
5. I Came Upon a Lighthouse by Shantanu Naidu: Then I read a little memoir. Not the most traditional memoir, it's more of a slice of a person's relationship and a story of a very special friendship and mentorship. And of course, it's about the great Ratan Tata. I had been meaning to read this book since it first came out and I am glad I read it. It was light and fun and enjoyable. Perfectly alright, not great but good. I really loved the chapter on the Nano, it might be my favourite bit in the book.
3/5
6. The Associations of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan: This book was very, very buzzed when it came out back in 2016 (I think). I have had this on my shelves since pretty much 2018 and I kept meaning to pick it up. This was another good but heavy read. It's about a small (relatively) bomb that kills two teenage brothers in Delhi in 1998. The book is mainly a look into the aftermath, and rippling consequences of this senseless act of terror.
We see the parents reeling from this unthinkable loss.
The friend who survived but is changed forever.
And we see the terrorists and bomb makers perspective too.
I really liked this book. I oddly enjoy (not sure if that's the right word) books like these. Books that make me stop and think and see the same event and it's effect on multiple people.
Really good.
4/5
7. Panchali by Sibaji Bandopadhyay, Art by Sankha Banerjee: Then it was graphic novel time and time to read about my favourite epic. I'll be honest I will always and forever read about The Mahabharata, every version and every new angle makes me happy and always gives me something to think about. This one was no different. This book is both beautiful and I especially appreciated that it shows people in all their shades and flaws. The thing I love best about the Mahabharata is that how no one, not one single character is perfect or remotely flawless and I loved that book even shows our supposed heroes in not the best light.
A good book to pick up if you adore this epic as much as I do.
3.5/5
8. One Thousand Days in a Refrigerator by Manoj Panda: Another book that I have had for far too long, this month I did my best to read older books from my shelves and this book of Odia short stories was a great pick. I liked pretty much every story in this collection. They were a good mix of rural and urban stories and I breezed through them.
3.5/5
9. & 10. Adi Parva and Sauptik by Amruta Patil: I have wanted to read this books forever. Like seriously since they came out, luckily for me, I saw that the box-set was heavily marked down on Amazon and I promptly got them and read them in quick succession. And I loved them. They are about the Mahabharata too, but not in the most obvious or direct way, there is also a spot of Vedic and Puranic history, which I loved so much. I will do a full proper review soon.
4/5 for both.
11. The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad: This book was so so so good.
Set in Pakistan in the late 1960s and early 70s, it's essentially about a man and his search for his mother and sister, his family in the infamous red light area of Lahore. Faraz Ali was taken out of his mother's home when he was five by his father's famiy, all in a bid to give him a respectable home and upbringing, away from his mother and her profession. An act of love but not quite. All his life Faraz has wondered about his mother and is first home. Now, all grown up and a cop, he is back in the locality to investigate the death of fifteen year old sex worker. He has been asked to hush up this death but he wants answers and wants to find his family...even if it may cost him everything.
We see this world from Faraz's perspective, for most part but we also see his sister and her life, as a former actress and how her life has panned out.
Like I said I absolutely loved this book and the people we meet here. I love reading about subcultures and different communities and how they live, and reading about the lives of courtesans and sex workers is always a difficult but thought provoking experience.
Highly recommend.
4/5
12. Breaking Free by Vaasanthi, Trans. by N. Kalyan Raman: Another work of translation and another historical fiction and a book that was so so so good. Like I was saying, reading about lives different from the ones I know and the ones we don't often hear about are ones I love diving into. This book deals with the lives two women born into the Devdaasi clan. Two women who have very different reactions to the life path set out for them. One is happy to pursue the artistic route and is a gifted dancer and thinks nothing wrong with the way women in her family and community life. Another, wants nothing to do with this demeaning lifestyle. She wants out and through grit and determination, she makes her way out.
A compelling read that I enjoyed very much.
There is also a hint of a mystery, which is always a good thing be.
The ending was a little rushed in my opinion, but still a good read.
4/5
13. The Sari Shop by Rupa Bajwa: I read Tell Me a Story by Bajwa a few years ago and it broke my heart and made me cry and I loved it. Call me crazy but I love and weirdly automatically love books that make me cry. I pretty much immediately went out and bought The Sari Shop and it took me some four years to pick it up! *Cries in Bookworm Problems*
This book is set in a Amritsar, in a sari shop in a bustling bazaar in the old city. Our protagonist, Ramchand is an ordinary man. A young man who hasn't had the easiest or happiest life. He is like a million other men in India, who work very hard for very little. Money is tight and so is respect. He sees how the other half lives thanks to his job and can only imagine what their lives are like, a life he wants to maybe get closer to and he thinks the way to get to that dream is by learning English and he begins to learn the language in earnest.
He just breaks your heart.
I wanted to somehow reach out to him and help him and wish him well. Such a wonderful book, sad..quite sad but so good.
4/5
14. Penumbra by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay: A re-read of a thriller that I love and I picked this up when it was raining and I wanted something atmospheric and murder-y. This one is a perfect pick for when this sort of mood strikes. A house in the middle of nowhere, a party and murder.
Good fun.
4/5
15. Janani- Mothers, Daughters and Motherhood Edited by Rinki Bhattacharya: This would have made for a perfect read for Mother's Day. Nevertheless, this was a perfect read. Whether you are a mother or not, this collection of personal essays, will have you hooked and will give you a lot to think about. I love how inclusive and representative this book was. Mothers of all kinds and mothers with a lot of differences were included her. There were essays about loss and grief and choosing not to be a mother. I personally was very chuffed to read an essay from my former professor.
A solid book and a perfect read for moms and honestly anyone really.
4/5
16. Manolita by Sara Rajan: Something light and sweet was needed to balance out some heavy books and this book about a ichadaari seal hit the spot. A young woman meets a mysterious and odd girl who...may just be extraordinary. Sweet and quick and fun. Another Kindle Unlimited read.
3/5
17. Mahashweta by Sudha Murty: Another re-read and a book I love. One of the earliest Murty's I read a while back and it was so nice going back to this world. Anupama is a kind and simple girl, who marries the man of her dreams but this happiness is not long lived because soon after her big, fat, opulent wedding, white patches appear on her skin and this changes her life and her relationships irrevocably. The book is so realistic and seeing Anupama find herself and her self-worth is truly a satisfying reading experience.
4/5
18. The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid: Oh boy. This book. Oh.
Well, the premise is interesting enough. White people wake up in non-white bodies and life is not as smooth as it used to be. Violence, identity crisis and racism erupts. Hmmm..OK. I get it..but..there is nothing much else. Anger, racism and then slow acceptance...OK. Low key pointless and really nothing special. I have always had a mixed bag reading experience with Hamid. I have read all his fiction and I guess I am not a fan.
2/5
19. A Full Night's Thievery by Mitra Phukan: Squeezed in another short story collection which I've had since 2020. I really loved these stories, set in Assam, stories about marriages, music, magic and thieves and life and violence and love. So good.
4/5
20. & 21. The Wind on the Haunted Hill and Getting Granny's Glasses by Ruskin Bond: I ended my month with good, old joy aka Ruskin Bond. Two teeny tiny books that feel like a warm hug. Both are re-reads and both are absolutely amazing. Love. Love. Love.
5/5
Done.
A very happy reading month in my corner of the world.
Hope August was good for you too.
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