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.
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