Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: May 2021.

 Hello Loves! 

May is over and while it wasn't the best month in general, it was a stellar reading month for me. 

I read some absolutely amazing books. 

And I read a fair amount. 

Books for were my escape this month and what a refuge they proved to be. 

Let's just jump in. 

1. Childhood Days by Satyajit Ray: A memoir of his childhood and his foray into films. A great way to get to know one of the brightest and most creative minds this country has ever seen. I loved reading about his childhood, the people that shaped his curiosity and his school days and him meeting some incredible people. 

A treat. I started my month with all things Ray, given it was his 100th Birth Anniversary. And this book was just the perfect thing to read. 

4/5 

2. Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) by Satyajit Ray: Next I re-read and re-watched Sonar Kella one of my favourite stories from Ray, featuring Feluda. I love the film, I have loved it since I first saw it was a child and this story, a little different from the film, is a thing of joy too. 

5/5 

The film is available on Prime and Zee 5. 

Please watch it if you haven't. 

3. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: Another re-read. I am still in a place, where re-reading is bringing me a lot of joy. This book I haven't read since I first read it when it first came out. So over a decade. I remember reading it and having my mind blown. A re-telling or re-imagining of The Mahabharata from Draupadi's perspective felt quite new and revolutionary. I loved it. This time, I liked it. It is still a solid book and I do recommend you pick it up. But re-reading it made me see it a little bit more objectively, and I found a few things that I didn't quite love. For one, this book is incredibly skewed towards Draupadi, which I guess it would be because if told from one person's perspective it is bound to show them in a positive light. But every fault and every mistake Draupadi made was brushed under the carpet and/or unfairly explained away. Also the whole lusting after Karna was a bit much. Like a lot! I am glad I re-read it, because Mahabharat will always be one of my favourite stories and I am always up to read any version of it. But I definitely saw it a little differently this time. 

3/5 

4. A Mirror Made of Rain by Nauheed Phiroze Patel: A full review of this is already up on the blog. A book I really enjoyed. 

4/5 

5. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri: A new Lahiri book! 

A thing of joy! 

Full review is up for this one too. 

4.5/5 

5. Dead Men Tell Tales by Dr. Umadathan: A true crime memoir of a police surgeon from Kerala talking about the interesting cases from his career and a little bit of his work life. An interesting read that I loved reading, it made me once again realise that human beings are capable of being lower than low and sink to new depths. 

4/5 

6. The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Mouldavsky: I loved this book. A mix of all things I enjoy immensely

Horror Films 

Secret Clubs

Posh High Schools 

A mystery

I breezed through this book. Wanted to watch a horror film or two immediately and pick up Frankenstein, 

4/5 

7. Later by Stephen King: I don't read a lot of Stephen King but every time I read one of his books I am blown away by his writing. Even apart from his gift of scaring the pants off the his readers, he writes beautifully. This book was a joy to read. A young boy who can see ghosts and this gets him caught up in a world of trouble. 

4/5 

8. Relapse by Srikanta Verma: A tale of ex-lovers meeting and a gamut of feelings come to surface. Intense and complex. However, this wasn't for me. It fell a little flat. 

2/5 

9. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo: A book about two sisters discovering each other after the passing of their father. A joy to read and so well-done. 

4/5 

10. First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami: 8 short stories in trademark Murakami style. Odd, moody, jazz infused and soulful. I am always happy to read some Murakami and this book was no different. 

4/5 

11. Tourist Season by Jaina Sanga: Two novellas about two very quiet and gentle men and ordinary lives and dreams big and small. A pleasure to read. 

4/5 

12. It's All In Your Head, M by Manjiri Indurkar: A memoir of a woman living with mental illness and the living with the after effects of living with trauma. Such an important book and written in very simple and accessible style. I am glad I read it. 

3/5 

13. Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi: I love books by Nadia Hashimi and this one was no different. I am going to do a full review of this one because I have a lot to say. 

4/5 

14. Why is My Hair Curly? by Lakshmi Iyer: I read this book in one sitting early this morning and I loved it so much. 

A spirited young girl. 

A hint of a mystery. 

A girl who feels different and out of sorts. 

A loving nuclear family. 

A delightful read. 

5/5 

~~~~

This has been such a GOOD reading month. 

A GREAT reading month. 

14 books read and most of them loved. 

I also bought 10 books. 

So it's a been an overall excellent bookish month! 

Hope May was good for you too. 

Weekend Reads: What My Sister and I Are Reading This Weekend: A Desi Thriller and some Japanese Literature.

 Hello Loves! 

Hope this weekend is proving to be a time of rest and joy. 

I am a little worried about the health of a close relative, cooking for my family and reading to keep myself sufficiently distracted. 

Here is what me and my sister are Reading this weekend. 

In Plain Sight by Mohamed Thaver: This is what my sister is reading. 

Mumbai.

Murder. 

And an investigation. 

She is a little bit in and quite enjoying this book. It's a past paced and simple read. Perfect if you, like so many of us, are finding reading and focusing on things a bit much lately. It's a good book to pick up and breeze through over the weekend. 

The  review for this will be up once she's done reading it. 

Plot Summary: When the rapes and murders of three minor girls remain unsolved for months, a frustrated DCP Sawant calls in Police Inspector Waghmare. Renowned as Mumbai police's 'investigation machine', Waghmare is rumoured to solve crimes in his dreams. As the investigation progresses and every promising lead runs into a dead-end, Waghmare gets an uncanny feeling that the killer is watching them closely and anticipating their every move to toy with them. Then, when the body of a fourth girl is found, Waghmare and DCP Sawant are both saddled with doubts about Waghmare's fabled investigation skills. 

Told from the perspective of rookie crime reporter, Rohan, In Plain Sight is a police procedural set in the terrifyingly surreal world of crime and retribution inhabited by the Mumbai police.

Now for what I am reading right now. 

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami: Everyone who has read this book has loved it. I have heard nothing but amazing things about it and I cannot wait to see if by the end of it I feel the same. I am just 8% in and I am really, really loving it. Like a lot. I am always up to sample some Japanese literature and this one seems like a good one to sink into. Funnily enough I went into this one pretty blind, knowing next to nothing about it's plot, but that turns out to be a good thing. I am enjoying this story and these women and I curious to see where this story takes me. This will probably be the last book I read this month and it's a good to end an incredible reading month. 

Plot Summary: On a hot summer’s day in a poor suburb of Tokyo we meet three women: thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makiko’s teenage daughter Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess despairing the loss of her looks, has travelled to Tokyo in search of breast enhancement surgery. She's accompanied by Midoriko, who has recently stopped speaking, finding herself unable to deal with her own changing body and her mother’s self-obsession. Her silence dominates Natsuko’s rundown apartment, providing a catalyst for each woman to grapple with their own anxieties and their relationships with one another.

Eight years later, we meet Natsuko again. She is now a writer and find herself on a journey back to her native city, returning to memories of that summer and her family’s past as she faces her own uncertain future.

In Breasts and Eggs Mieko Kawakami paints a radical and intimate portrait of contemporary working class womanhood in Japan, recounting the heartbreaking journeys of three women in a society where the odds are stacked against them. This is an unforgettable full length English language debut from a major international talent.

Two very different books are being read but both are being enjoyed. 

:) 

Oh, I also got a new Kindle case this morning and thought I'd share. 

Isn't she lovely? 

Ah! 

My Kindle has been a life saver all these months and she deserves a new outfit! 

Hope you have a good weekend and you read something good! 

:) 

Monthly Favourites: May 2021.

 Hello Loves! 

Another month is nearly over and it's time to focus on what were the silver linings of this month. 

Aka the favourites from the month of May. 

This month felt both long and never ending and yet went by in a blur. 

It wasn't the happiest of months, like most months in this year from hell. 

But there were a few moments of joy and happiness. 

Here are some of them. 

1. Reading: My reading life was kinda amazing this month. I read some incredible books this month. I read around 15 books this month and most of them were so good. The wrap-up will come on the 31st and I can't wait to talk about my reads this month. 

I also bought some books this month! 

Physical books and ebooks! 

A good bookish month. 

A blessing. 

I read Jhumpa Lahiri and Murakami this month and honestly I couldn't be happier. 

2. Reading & Watching Ray: This month started with Ray's 100th birthday and we spent this whole month re-watching our favourite Ray films and I spent it reading this Memoir and some Feluda stories. It was the highlight of my month. 

We watched: 

Mahanagar 

Chiriyakhana 

Seemabodho 

Feluda Films- a whole bunch of them 

Kapurush Mahapurush 

3. Rainy Days: May blessed us with some amazing drizzly, rainy days and I am so grateful for milder days and perfect weather. I loved sitting on the terrace, watching the clouds and reading a good book. Simple, quiet pleasures that are seriously a blessing. 

4. Journaling + Art Journaling: I found a lot of comfort in journaling this month. It was the best way to unwind and zone out when the world feels like a lot. I journalised, collaged and lost myself in som prettiness. 

5. Luna Tote from Studio Joyeeta: I commissioned a Luna Lovegood tote from Joyeeta a couple of months back and this month this thing of absolute beauty and joy arrived and made my day. Luna is one of my favourite characters from Harry Potter. I love her quirky and zany vibe and oddness and her intelligence. So I wanted her, albeit in a desi avatar in my life. Joyeeta was the artist I could trust with it and she has outdone herself. Look how pretty! 

I am so in love. 

6. Flowers: The rains brought some bleeding heart blooms in our world. I love these little flowers and them blooming in our front balcony has made me so happy. 

7. Jewellery from Naksha Art: I got the most gorgeous jewellery pieces from Naksha Art. Earrings, Rings and Brooches and one necklace. Ah! So stunning. I cannot wait to wear these when things are back to normal. 

8. Favourite Shows: This month I watched a lot of desi content, web-series on OTT platforms and films. 

There was a lot of re-watching, Ray for most part. 

Other than that some of favourites were: 

Chupke Chupke- A Pakistani TV show on Hum TV which was a Ramzan special. It has 36 episodes and it's a light and fun and romantic and it was a good break from all things hard. All episodes are available on Youtube. 

Crash Landing on You- Our first ever K-Drama! And one we loved. So good. Warm and funny and fuzzy. 

Doctors- Another K-Drama and we are still making our way through it and we love it. 

I also watched the Friends Reunion last night and man, I cried and laughed and now I will re-watch the show again. It's been far too long and I could do with some laughs in my life. 

My other joys in May were..

Reading on my Kindle .

Sleeping Well. 

Time spent with my family. 

A little shopping. 

I hope May was good for you too. 

:) 

Book Review: A Mirror Made of Rain by Naheed Phiroze Patel.

Book: A Mirror Made of Rain 

Author: Naheed Phiroze Patel 

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Pages: 296 

How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days 

Plot Summary: Noomi Wadia, a bright, quick-tempered young woman with a penchant for getting into trouble, struggles with the fraught relationship she has with her mother. She grows from a lonely, wild-hearted teenager to a troubled adult who finds love but not happiness. Soon, Noomi realizes that her worst fears have come to pass - she is trapped in the same cycle of self-destructiveness as her mother, and she must battle her impulses or risk losing everything.

Things I Liked: 

1. First and foremost I enjoyed the writing, let's just get that out of the way. The writing and the style and voice of the story telling were all enjoyable. 

2. I love reading about families. Happy ones are great but man give me a dysfunctional family unit and I'll eat it right up. I don't know why I like dysfunctional families so much? Is it because I grew up in a largely 'normal' family? Do I want to read more stories set in families different from my own? Truth be told, we are products of varying degrees of dysfunction. Some more obvious than others. So stories set up in a family where the dysfunction is glaringly obvious and it's ramifications always manage to pull me in. I was interested in this book from the get go. It sounded like something I would enjoy and I did exactly that. 

3. Mother and daughter relationships can be tricky, wonderful and warm at once and complicated and turn into one of the most lasting cruel and twisted relationships that drive you insane. It isn't the most straightforward and one-toned relationships that popular culture sometimes makes it out to be. Mothers in general are often shown as beacons of love and light and virtuous and self-sacrificing beings, which a lot of mothers are. But we also need to talk about and acknowledge mothers on the other end of the spectrum.Ones that are manipulative, cruel, abusive and ones that leave a lasting impression on their children. The family at the heart of this book is an excellent example of this sort of a family. 

4. The family in this book- The Wadias- live in a small town and come from an affluent set-up, a family with old money. The social milieu of this book, the small-town swish set was an interesting cosmos to step into. We often read about big cities and the super rich, a very common set-up for books and films. We also, especially in the last few years have seen small-towns brought to life on screen and in books, but most of the time these show the decidedly middle-class or lower-middle class set ups, it was nice to see the rich in small towns as well, because you know they do exist! 

5. I adored Noomi's father Jeh. A gentle, kind and warm man whose life wasn't perfect, in fact like most gentle people, he was bullied by those in life and yet he held on to his goodness and was a good and supportive parent to Noomi. He just warmed my heart and even broke it a little bit. The world needs more fathers like him. He is isn't heroic but in his small ways, realistic ways he looks out for his daughter. 

6. Noomi isn't perfect. She is perfectly human: flawed, confused, lost, scarred, caught in a cycle of self-destruction and smarting from the wounds of her childhood and those of her teenage years. She's lonely, sad and turning into the person she despises the most in the world. Your heart breaks for her in part and in others you want to leap into the book and shake her and scream at her and urge her to do better. We wish her well and want to see her do better in life and love and overcome her issues. She, becomes a friend, a person who you know can do better and deserves better. She is well-written and really comes alive within these pages. 

7. The book takes you on a journey from Noomi's childhood, to her troubled teenage years and right up to her adulthood. We see her ups and downs and the ordinary days of her life, we see her world, her often chaotic world, through her eyes and that gives you a deeper understanding of her life and the issues that plague her and the ones she tries to navigate. It's a deep dive into the psyche of our protagonist and really does a great job of taking us into this world. 

8. Noomi's in-laws really, really annoyed me. They are the kind of people that have this antiquated idea of what a daughter-in-law should be and do. They are infuriating but you know what...they are real. We all know people like these, vapid, ordinary people seemingly harmless but toxic people. I know friends who have in-laws like this, and I am sure the part of the book dealing with them will resonate with a lot of people. 

Rating: 4/5 

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the writing, the honesty and the angst and the truth that so many families grapple with. I did find the second half less intriguing than the first, my interest vaned a little bit but picked right back up. But over all this is a book that lived up to my expectations. 

Trigger Warnings for Abuse, Violence, Substance Abuse and Sexual Abuse. 

This book was sent to me for review by the publisher, but the views are all mine. 

 

Life Lately: Everything kinda Sucks & Things That Help.

Dear Diary, 

Life seems too hard some days. 

Everything feels too heavy and nothing seems to be in our control. We thought 2020 was the worst thing we had to deal with but now its actually seems pleasant compared to the hell fire this year is turning out to be. 

I know all of us are struggling with, none of this is easy, none of us was built to for this level of constant stress and distress. 

I wake up every morning expecting the other shoe to drop. 

It feels like one thing after another. 

A devastating second wave.

Dead. 

Illness. 

Helplessness. 

And now we have Mother Nature coming in with Cyclones. 

Eh. 

Life seems too much. 

And today we learnt that several social media apps may get banned from tomorrow. 

Great. 

Just great. 

Ugh. 

Seriously, this year won't let up. 

I hope wherever you are, you are safe and sound and well and finding ways to cope with this unending shit fest. 

Stay strong my loves. 

Here are some things that keep me happy: 

 

Flowers. 

Dreaming about being back on the open road again. 

Pretty things I've collected, hoping for a future day when I will get to dress up again. 

Plants. 

While I didn't become a full fledged plant lady in lockdown, I am enjoying looking after the plants in my parents house. 

More flowers blooming at home. 

Stay safe you guys. 

Stay safe! 

& 

Find things that bring you joy in this joyless world. 

Friday Favourites: Brooches and Rings from Naksha

 Hello, hello,

It is another Friday, not that these days it matters what day of the week it is, but it still merits some kind of celebration!

I'll be sharing some beautiful brooches and rings that I recently ordered from Naksha, a little woman-run enterprise on Instagram. 

In the past year, we have, especially, bought only from small businesses and, more so, from women-owned small businesses. It is our way of helping these businesses survive the pandemic. 

Anyhoodles, let's get to the beautiful stuff! 

First up is this ring. It features a woman and a bird surrounded by frangipani blooms. Isn't it lovely?! 

Next up is this Gulmohur brooch. Gulmohur, also known as The Flame of the Forest, reminds me of home as the lane leading up to our home in Bombay is lined with Gulmohur trees, which would all be in bloom right now! 

This is the ubiquitous Palash. A flower that is synonymous with spring in West Bengal. It is one of the flowers offered to Goddess Saraswati (the Goddess of Knowledge) on the occasion of Basant Panchami. 

Another floral ring- a hibiscus! Who doesn't love these vibrant flowers?! We have them growing on our terrace and we live for when these are in bloom! 

Hope you enjoyed a little peek at these beautiful rings and brooches!

Have a good weekend, guys! 

Book Review: Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri.

 

Book: Whereabouts 

Author: Jhumpa Lahiri 

Publisher: Penguin 

Pages: 176 

Read On: Kindle 

How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 days 

Plot Summary: Exuberance and dread, attachment and estrangement: in this novel, Jhumpa Lahiri stretches her themes to the limit. The woman at the center wavers between stasis and movement, between the need to belong and the refusal to form lasting ties. The city she calls home, an engaging backdrop to her days, acts as a confidant: the sidewalks around her house, parks, bridges, piazzas, streets, stores, coffee bars. We follow her to the pool she frequents and to the train station that sometimes leads her to her mother, mired in a desperate solitude after her father's untimely death. In addition to colleagues at work, where she never quite feels at ease, she has girl friends, guy friends, and "him," a shadow who both consoles and unsettles her. But in the arc of a year, as one season gives way to the next, transformation awaits. One day at the sea, both overwhelmed and replenished by the sun's vital heat, her perspective will change. This is the first novel she has written in Italian and translated into English. It brims with the impulse to cross barriers. By grafting herself onto a new literary language, Lahiri has pushed herself to a new level of artistic achievement.

Things I Liked: 

1. A new novel from one's favourite author is  always, always  a good thing be. When I heard, at the beginning of the year that we were getting a new Lahiri book I was ecstatic. Obviously. I put the book on my Wishlist and meant to pre-order it come April. But then April came and brought insanity in its wake. I fell sick and in all of that pre-ordering went out of the window. I had to get this on my Kindle to read it ASAP. I didn't want to wait for a physical copy. But put that aside, I was excited to read a new Lahiri but...I was also slightly apprehensive. This was not her usual fare. Apart from the fact that this book was originally written in Italian by Lahiri and then translated into English by her, this book is different from your usual Lahiri. There is no Bengali family at the heart of this novel. No tales of the diaspora. No longing for a homeland left behind. No longing for home. These are things I love best about her books and this book wouldn't have any of it. So I wondered if i'd even like it. I was a little bit on the fence. The good news is inspite of not having any of her trademark elements I still loved this book. 

2. This novel, if you can even call it that, given it's a collection of various moments and musings. It's not quite a novel..if you ask me. Reading this feels a little like blinking, blink and you are here and blink again and you've moved to another place and time. The grocer, the stationer, work, home and homes of friends. You move along, glide along with our protagonist and it happens seamlessly. You find yourself go from situation to situation and see the ordinary life and times of a woman. There was a fleeting energy in this book, something transient and perfectly ordinary yet extraordinary. 

3. In some ways reading this book felt incredibly invasive, like you are sneakily reading someone's personal journal. Because some of this feels almost too personal to read, because these little thoughts, their musings about life and loneliness and solitude are somehow more personal than even explosive things like relationships and lust filled confessions. 

4. There is this quiet quality in this book from start to finish. A peace. I think I picked up this book at the right time. I was still reeling from the after effects of Covid and feeling most listless and depleted and this book was the perfect book to read. A perfect companion for a time I was still worried and stressed out. I also have a feeling that this book about a woman going from one place to another and one feeling to another is a good book to pick up when we are stuck at home and feeling stir crazy. 

5. The woman in this book, an unnamed narrator felt like someone I know well, she felt like a friend. She felt like she was me. A woman who enjoys her solitude for most part, who lives life on her own terms, is set in her way but there  is also a restless energy in her. Maybe she wants a little more from life. Maybe she craves a little something more. She is real and relatable and never for a moment feels like a character. 

6. I also liked that this book shows how our childhoods, even the most benign ones leave a mark. There is no escaping the wounds of childhood and the way we were raised. This book occasionally takes us back to our protagonist's childhood and we see her difficult relationship with her mother and how it still has a hold over her. 

7. Honestly, I was a little surprised by how much I loved this book. I loved this little ambling along and seeing a life of a single woman in her 40s. I liked the sad bits, the poignant bits and the humorous bits. I loved that it showed single life in all it's shades. As a single woman I liked that our lives weren't just reduced to sad longing and loneliness. 

8. The writing was lovely. As always a delight to read Lahiri's words. I will always, always want to read everything she writes. 

Rating: 4/5 

I loved this book. 

I think I read it at the right time. 

It felt like a hug from an old friend. 

However, I don't know if this is a book for everyone. I think it depends on how you see our protagonists life: do you think she's lonely? Alone? Or free? 

There may be a disjointed feel to this book and that may rub some readers the wrong way. 

So pick it up and read it if you like this sort of thing. 

Stationery Sunday: Pressed Flower Bookmarks from Papyrus Cotton.

Hello Loves! 

My love for pressed flowers might just be a little out of control. 

:) 

I can't seem to get enough. 

I came across Papyrus Cotton on IG and had to get some of her creations. 

Pressed flowers in bite sized bookmarks: Perfect! 

These are just some of the ones I ordered, I have 11 of these beauties. I will share the rest soon. 

 

Forever in love with bougainvillea. 

Look how perfectly preserved the flowers are. 

A mix of white and flowers. 

Such cute packaging too. 

Very on theme. 

So gorgeous. 

MINI-REVIEW: 

    1. The bookmarks are very well-made. 

2. The pricing is really good too. Very reasonable. 

3. I also really like the size of these bookmarks, smaller than usual but I think they'll be lovely to use in journals and A6 sized notebooks. 

4. The whole ordering & shipping process was super smooth. 

5. The packaging was wonderful and I liked that she sent some seeds too. 

5/5 

Highly recommend. 

Seeds to plant! 

:) 

Weekend Reads: What I am Reading & Watching This Weekend.

 Hello Loves! 

This weekend both my reading choice and my watching choices take me to Kerala. 

I am neck deep in all things Malayalam Crime and I couldn't be happier. My sister and I both reading the same book right now, i.e. we are buddy reading. 

A true crime book, a memoir of a Police Surgeon. 

Dead Men Tell Tales by Dr. B. Umadathan: This book was on my radar for a while, it sounds amazing. A retired Police Surgeon talks of his glorious career and the many interesting cases he encountered. I am a little bit in at this point, around 33% and I am quite happy with the writing and the cases and his personal reminiscing. 

Will talk more about it once I am done. I should hopefully be able to finish it this weekend. 

As for what I am watching, I am strictly in the same-ish league. 

Forensic:  This is streaming on Netflix and is a film full of twists and turns and follows a cop and her team trying to nab a serial killer on the loose. I watched it last night and really, really enjoyed it. It's slick and like I said delivers one twist after another. 

Fun! And low-key creepy. 

Some of the twists I did see coming but others were a nice surprise. 

Nizhal (The Shadow): This is streaming on Prime and I am currently half way through it, so I can't quite say how I feel about it, but so far so good. Slightly creepy and a has a good mystery going on. Fun. I hope the second half of the film lives up to the first half. 

I hope you have a good weekend and are safe and sound and well. 

Quarantine Comforts: OTT Recommendations

The world around us is crumbling. There is death and heartache no matter where you look. We've lost 8 family members and family friends in the past 10 days alone. My sister has lost two colleagues. It is impossible to deal with this situation in any sane way and the only thing we can do is distract ourselves. 

So, that is what we did. We watched some web series and here are the ones we liked a bit more than the others. 

1. Crash Landing on You: A South Korean heiress- Yoon Se-ri- gets blown off by a tornado, whilst filming a promotional video for her new range of active wear clothing, into North Korea. There she, literally, crash lands on Captain Ri Joeng Hyoek- a North Korean army captain. The rest of this show is just full of cute, heartwarming and funny moments. Highly, highly recommend. Watch on Netflix. 

2. Shey Je Holud Pakhi 2: The second season of Shey Je Holud Pakhi involves the police following a slew of leads to solve a very challenging murder case. This is a good one! Do watch. Streaming on Hoichoi. 

3. Kathmandu Connection: A news reader keeps getting missed calls from a number in Kathmandu. An encounter specialist cop is looking for a gang that killed a customs officer and with links to the Mumbai blasts. All roads seem to lead to Kathmandu, where Sunny, a gangster, is making his own plans to start off on his own, out from under the shadow of his boss. Set in the early 90s, Kathmandu Connection is a thriller with a nice little twist. Streaming on Sony Liv. 

4. Project 9191: What if a crime could be stopped before it was even committed? What if we could leverage social media listening and mine through all the tips sent in by citizens of suspicious activities to stop a crime before it was committed? That's the premise of this show where a small group of cops form a unit called 9191, which is focused on stopping crimes before they happen. An interesting premise and an interesting series with quite a few twists and turns. Streaming on Sony Liv. 

5. Your Honour: Adapted from the eponymous English and the original Israeli TV show, Your Honour tells the story of a judge, whose son was involved in a hit and run and the extraordinary measures taken by him to save his son. A heartbreaking, suspense-filled drama with a few unexpected twists. Streaming on Sony Liv. 

6. Undekhi: A videographer at a wedding witnesses a dancer being shot to death by the groom's drunken father. The influential family closes ranks and threatens all the eye witnesses to keep their mouths shut. However, the young videographer wants justice for the dead girl and his actions set into motion a series of horrific events that impact the lives of everyone involved with the wedding. Streaming on Sony Liv. 

Book Review: The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

 

Book: The Henna Artist 

Author: Alka Joshi 

Pages: 384 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: 4 hours 

Plot Summary: Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own. 

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

Things I Liked: 

1. The world-building in this book is really nicely done. We spend time in the Jaipur of 1955, in the homes of the wealthy and powerful- royal families and families closely related to the royal family of Jaipur. We get to see their dynamics, priorities and relationships- all through the eyes of a middle-class outsider- Lakshmi, the Henna artist. 

2. Lakshmi's journey and her constant hustle and effort to make a life for herself, build a home and live with her head held high is inspiring. Especially, in 1955 when women who chose to leave abusive marriages had very few options to live and thrive independently. Lakshmi's ability to use herbs to make medicines and poultices was as essential to her success as her ability to apply henna creatively. Lakshmi is also a nicely crafted character. She is smart, resourceful, strong yet vulnerable. She has some secrets in her past, which she is desperate to hide, even from her younger sister. Her struggle to stay afloat even when things go south show her strength and character. 

3. There are several interesting characters in this book- Samir Singh- wealthy, close to the Royal family, but sort of kind to Lakshmi. Then there are Lakshmi's clients- Samir's wife, the Dowager Queen, Mrs. Sharma etc.- these are also interesting characters, each with their own baggage and prejudices; some of them are also quite amusing. 

4. Lakshmi's sister- Radha- is a character I found difficult to connect with, but, I guess she is also realistically drawn out. Her entry into Lakshmi's carefully crafted life in Jaipur creates a bit of an avalanche, but even that is interesting to follow. 

5. This is a heartwarming story about a time when women found it challenging to create a life for themselves without the protection of a man and, if for nothing else, read this book just to see how one such story turned out. 

Rating: 4/5 

Book Review: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

 

Book: The Last Thing He Told Me 

Author: Laura Dave 

Pages: 320 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: 3-4 hours 

Plot Summary: 

We all have stories we never tell.

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.

Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.

Things I Liked:

1. I really enjoy books about secret pasts and new identities and the threat of exposure of sand new identities! That's what the premise of this book promised and I was so excited to get into this book! There is a nice thread of suspense that runs through most of the book. We wonder who Owen Michaels really is, what had he done to assume a new identity and why did he want his daughter protected more than anything else? The book does a great job of unravelling these mysteries one by one. 

2. I really liked Hannah. She is calm, collected, smart and very good at following the barely-there breadcrumbs her husband had left her. She follows her gut and does everything she can to keep Bailey safe. I read that Julia Roberts is playing her in the TV adaptation of this book and I am so ready to watch that! I loved how Hannah took seemingly small and casual mentions that her husband had dropped and used it as a starting point for her quest to find his true identity in order to assess what kind of danger Bailey was in. 

3. The actual "mystery" of the book is also nicely done. It was not too dramatic and entirely plausible. I like when that happens in books of this genre! 

4. I also liked the "solution" that Hannah comes up with in order to protect Bailey and Owen (as much as it was possible to do so) in the end. I think you'll like Hannah even more for doing that. 

5. This is a great book. There is a nice mystery, a nice mystery solving process and some nice characters. 

Rating: 4/5 

Friday Favourites: Some Comforts From this Week. (Mostly Books!)

 Hello Loves! 

This hasn't been a good week. 

Hell, the last three weeks have been straight out of a horror film with no ending in sight. 

Yet, we trudge on. 

We help.

We hold on to our sanity. 

We hope. 

This week I tried to find comforts in things small and big and found some happiness amidst this hell. 

Here are some of my weekly favourites from this week. 

1. Some happy book mail! 

A Mirror Made of Rain by Naheed Phiroze Patel. 

Got a book in the mail after ages and I am very excited to read it. 

A story about a girl growing up in a toxic family situation, also loving, but with an unstable and self-destructive mother. 

I started reading it this evening and I am loving it. 

2. Journaling. 

Planning. 

Gratitude Journaling. 

3. Simple journaling spreads using stickers, papers and sticky notes. 

4. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: Re-read this book after ages. Over a decade later this story, this world and its layered stories and characters had me hooked and distracted and engrossed. 

A wonderful book. 

So glad I finally found my way back to it. 

5. Words. 

I have been putting my muddled feelings into words and talking about the things I miss could fill volumes. 

I hope you and your family are safe and well. 

Haul: Zaira Tote from The Bicyclist.

Hello Loves! 

Today I want to share a beautiful tote we recently got from The Bicyclist. 

It's the gorgeous Zaira Tote. 

I love the minimalist design and gorgeous mix of leather and fabric. 

A timeless design and roomy enough to hold all your essentials. 

 

Do check them out if you'd like some of their well-made, high-quality handbags and accessories! This is our second bag from them and we are very pleased with their quality and customer service. 

Starry Nights Embroidered Bag from Riddhi Pankaj.

 

Starry Starry Nights. 

This painting by Van Gogh is one of our absolute favourites. 

It just makes me so happy. 

So when we saw that Riddhi had recreated it on a circle bag, we were smitten and needed it in our lives. 

I mean look how beautiful this is! 

Can you imagine the kind of artistry it would take to make something like this? 

I am glad to own this little piece of art. 

Hope you and your family are doing well! 

Take care of yourselves and stay safe!