Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: August (Indian Books in August).

 

August is one of my favourite months of the year and a lot of it has to do with the glorious books I read alll month long. 

Another edition of Indian Books in August has come to an end and I am so glad August brought so many amazing books and stories my way. 

I read a total of 19 books. 

Most of them from India and the subcontinent and only four books took me out of India. I read four graphic novels/comic books. But mostly stayed firmly within my reading goal. 

I also bought 7 books this month. 

I read books from all corners of the country. 

I read mostly physical books but also read on my Kindle and a lot on my iPad. 

It's been a good reading month. 

So let's jump into it. 

BOOKS OF AUGUST: 

1. The Greatest Indian Stories Ever Told, Edited by Arunava Sinha: I started my month this wonderful books which is pretty much the best thing to read this month. I cannot think of a better book to read in our month of celebrating all things India. Stories from all corners of the country, most of them translated and from all time periods, this collection is a great representation of India in all her diversity and glory. I read this book through the month. I read this intently and slowly and mindfully, I would read a couple of stories at a time and I didn't rush it. I finished it yesterday and I cannot recommend it enough. Seriously, pick it up and make your way through it, slowly and steadily. 

Also it's a such a gorgeous book. Inside and out. 

4.5/5 

2. Playthings- Toys of Terror by Neil D'silva: A little kidlit, a little spooky and a lot of heart. Set in Mumbai, in a housing society very similar to mine, this book is about four friends solving a supernatural crime. Beloved children's toys are turning into instruments of terror and doom. And now a creepy clown (the worst!) is out to get another young boy. This one was fun and nostalgic and spooky too. 

3/5 

3. I Kick and I Fly by Ruchira Gupta: This book and it's people just have my heart. Set in a small town, within a community of nomads where women are forced in sex work to provide for the family, a young girl who wants to break free from this cycle of drudgery and wants to make a life for herself and her family. She has dreams of breaking out of her impossible situation and be more than what her circumstances force her to be. This was a wonderful story of resilience, hope and the power of dreams. It was hard to read in parts, the crippling poverty and descriptions of sex work were not an easy thing to stomach. But given that this is inspired by true events, I think it's important to read and bear witness to. An incredible story and characters to root for. 

4/5 

4. The Direction of the Wind by Mansi Shah: Set in 1998 and 2019, this split narrative tale is about a mother and daughter. 

The mother, Nita, leaves home and husband and daughter behind to go chase her dreams. She has always dreamt of being an artist in Paris and in 1998 she leaves to see if she can live her dream. 

Sophie, the daughter, was told that her mother is dead. And only after the death of her beloved father does she realize that the truth had been kept from her. So she takes off to Paris to find her mother and some answers. 

It was an interesting read, about family and dreams and the cost of chasing those dreams. Overall this is a book I enjoyed, the only thing that irked me is that both women, one in 1998 and one in 2019 act the same way when in Paris. They are scared and overwhelmed, which makes sense of Nita back in 1998, who has never traveled abroad and never on her own and the world seemed much larger and she was a woman living in the confines of family and domesticity. It makes less sense for Sophie, a woman in 2019 to feel so out of sorts in Paris. Felt a little off to me. 

3.5/5 

5. Naturalist Ruddy by Rohan Chakravarty: This was so cute. A book about animals and jungles and curious animal behaviour, so much to learn and know. It's perfect for kiddos who love wildlife and want to learn more and it's great for adults too. The art was gorgeous too. 

3/5 

6. The Parted Earth by Anjali Enjeti: A story about Partition, loss and young love. This starts off in Delhi in 1947 and then we go to London in the 1950s and the US in 2019. Stories of various people affected by the Partition and how the effects of this linger on and through generations. I really enjoyed this book, the main story of a young couple separated due to the Partition and then we have  an additional story about a very dark chapter of the Partition. The end was a little hurried and I felt like this could/should have been a longer read. But still. This was a good read. 

4/5 

7. Rooh by Manav Kaul: This book felt like a memoir, poetry and melancholy. There is so much sadness, homesickness and beauty in these pages. I really want to read more Manav Kaul, maybe even in Hindi. This broke my heart and I loved spending time in this world. 

4/5 

8. Radiant Fugitive by Nawaaz Ahmed: This was my most disappointing read of the month. It had so much promise, it's about a Muslim family and how the eldest daughter has been estranged from her family because she's Queer. It's about a little family reunion, told from the perspective of an unborn child..it should have been interesting and partly it was. But after a point, hearing from a baby just got confusing and annoying and this just didn't work for me. 

Nope. Not my cup of tea. 

1/5 

9. Manjhi's Mayhem by Tanuj Solanki: This is what I'd classify as Mumbai noir. There's darkness, humour, a hiest, love, lust and caste and caste based discrimination. This was such a ride. It felt like a film. A love song to Mumbai in all her gritty glory. I breezed through this book. 

3/5 

10. A Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor: From Mumbai's grittiness to Delhi and dirt and doom and self-destruction. We follow a young girl in Delhi, 2000. She meets a man and enters a whirlwind relationship. He's older and unsuitable and full of tall tales. 

This book is nicely written and it brings this world and this character to life but after a point something about this tale of dirt, dust and Delhi didn't work for me. I didn't warm up to our main character, at all and this relationship gave me the ick and overall this book and they style in which it was written felt a little too try hard. 

Not for me. 

2/5 

11. The Book of Hope- The Better India: I picked this book up on Independence Day, what better time to read a compilation of tales about Indians doing inspiring things big and small? This book was a happy and hopeful read full of goodness. I liked the hours I spent with this. 

4/5 

12. What a Desi Girl Wants by Sabina Khan: I read the author's previous book last year and quite liked it..it was called Meet Me in Mumbai. This one is a sapphic love story, a tale of family reunions and blended families. It was sweet and funny and felt like I was watching something desicore on Netflix. Light and fluffy. 

3/5 

13. Under The Tamarind Tree by Nigar Alam: I am happy I managed to squeeze in a Pakistani book this month, I usually try to read books from the subcontinent and this year I only read from India and Pakistan. 

This book is quite wonderful. 

Split between 1964 and 2019 and some bits in 1947. This is the story of four friends who grew up together and how one night changes everything and their futures. We go back and forth and learn about their lives and I was so invested in this story and these people. 

So good. 

The ending felt so real too. Like this is life and this is what being an adult is like and some friendships, even deep and loving, sometimes aren't forever and that's just life. 

4/5 

14. My Years with Apu by Satyajit Ray: So so so glad I read some Ray this month. This book is about the blood, sweat and vision and dream behind the wonderful Apu Trilogy. Especially the first film. I loved leaning more and seeing how this masterpiece came about. So good. 

5/5 

15. The Golden Years by Ruskin Bond: And some Bond to wrap things up. Some musings, vignettes, essays and wisdom all in Bond's inimitable style. I read this late one night and really felt like I was sitting with a wise old uncles and learning things about life and growing older. 

So good, as always. 

4/5 

These were all the Indian Books I read and now for four books I read from elsewhere. 

16. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll: This was a re-read and a perfect spooky book full of beautiful art and some dark stories. I loved it the first time I read it and I also really loved it now. 

4/5 

Then I read three books by Sarah Anderson which I really like. 

17. Adulthood is a Myth 

18. Herding Cats

19. Big Mushy Happy Lump 

These were sweet and funny and fun. 

4/5 for all. 

~~~~~

So that's another August done and dusted and all wrapped up. 

A good reading month. 

I read some amazing books and some were a bit meh but overall a reading month I can get behind. 

Hope August was good for and you read some amazing books. 

:) 

The Days of August: Books, Coffee, Totes, Bookmarks and Annotations.

Hello Loves! 

August flew by. And in a good way too. Time makes no sense to me sometimes. 

I really meant to be more active on the blog this month but for no real reason I've just let things slip. 

I have been reading, I've read some 14 books so far and I am currently reading something nice. So reading has been good and I can't wait to talk about my reads in my wrap-up on the 31st. 

August has been mostly quiet, oddly hot (where are the rains?), a little book buying and bookshop hopping and a lot of reading and watching films- old and new and cringe and good. 

I got some happy mail and cleaned like a maniac and chilled and had some tech issues, my phone's battery swelled up and I had to buy a temporary cheapie phone :( with a sucky camera. 

Woe is me. 

Mercury Retrograde is doing a number on me. 

:( 

But overall things are going OK. 

Here is a look like at what life has looked like this month.  

This little guy makes me so happy. 

It's my little annotation station, that holds my annotation supplies and is a perfect companion to my books and reading time. I recently added these sticky tabs to my kit and I am slowly getting around to use them. I don't use them willy nilly like a lot of people on BookTok do..I find this manic tabbing a bit concerning. I am only tabbing quotes I really love and bits that resonate with me. 

Book and Bookmark- words that ring true. 

A little book, drink and bookmark situation. 

Both bookmarks are from Paperfinity, you can find them on IG. 

This is what I am currently reading- My second book by Mitra Phukan and one I am quite enjoying. 

A capacious tote and some darling buttons. 

Sis carried this to a work meeting and it fits everything and then some. 

It's from a shop called Lazy Bun on IG. 

There is nothing quite as lovely as sitting in a coffee shop, people watching and reading a good book. 

I was reading My Years with Apu by Satyajit Ray and sipping on some Vietnamese Cold Coffee. 

Bliss. 

:) 

I hope August has been good for you too. 

And I hope you've been reading good books and feeling at peace. 

Recommendations: Best Indian Books in Recent Years

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Indians! 

Here's hoping we continue to enshrine the principles on which our Republic was founded and continue to appreciate our diversity! 

Sharing a list of recent Indian books that are absolute 5-star reads! Each of these is highly recommended. 

 

1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is an absolute must-read. Easily the best book we've read in years! Full review here. 

2. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is a very relevant book to read about the lives of various characters in present-day India. Highly recommend! 

3. Villainy by Upamanyu Chatterjee has been fully reviewed here and is a must-read! 

4. The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale is set during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and is a wonderful, immersive read. Full review can be found here.

5. The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar is a story of a mother-daughter duo and the trials and tribulations faced by them. A must-read! Full review can be found here.

6. Chronicles of Lost Daughters by Debarati Mukhopadhyay is an interesting, heartbreaking story of the fate of Indian indentured labourers, who were sent to Guyana in the late 19th century. A must-read. 

7. A Burning by Megha Majumdar is based on the events of 2020 and can give you a bit of PTSD but it is an absolute must-read. Highly recommend. 

8. Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan is about the hypocrisy of our society when it comes to romantic relationships between young people. A relevant little book to read. 

9. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappa is a brilliant book about the lives of the invisible (to the police, society) people, who live in our slums. It is an absolute must-read. Full review can be read here. 

10. Dirty Women by Madhumita Bhattacharya takes on societal prejudices and biases when it comes to women and the choices that they make. Set in Calcutta in 2002, this book is centred around a single (unwed) mother, whose daughter goes missing and the media frenzy that ensues thereafter. Full review can be found here.

Hope you enjoy these recommendations and if you pick up any of these, do tag me on Instagram. 

Have a great day, guys! 

13 Indian Books for 13 days of August

 Hello, hello,

We are almost halfway down August! Where is the time flying? For us, Indians, the mid-point of August is extra special because it marks our Independence Day. A day that millions of our countrymen and women died for. A day that makes us teary eyed and so proud of how far we have come and have determination and hope for the future. 

In the spirit of our Independence Day (and month), I always read only Indian Books in August. This is something I have been doing for a few years now and if you scroll down and check on the tags, you can find hundreds of wonderful books written by Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi authors. I include all subcontinental authors as part of the books this month because the struggle for Independence was a collective one and all three countries will forever be linked by our common struggle and heritage. 

This month, as usual, I have been reading some wonderful books written by and based in India and the subcontinent and so, I thought I would share some recommendations here as well. 

1. Four Chapters by Rabindranath Tagore is a collection of short stories about nationalism and blindly following a cause/ leader without thinking. A timely read for the times we are living in! 

2. One Small Voice by Santanu Bhattacharya is split between Lucknow in the 1990s and Mumbai in the early 00s. It is a story about the rise of communal tensions in India and the outcome of lives directly touched by communal hate. 

3. City of Indicent by Annie Zaidi is a collection of twelve inter-connected short stories set in Mumbai from various walks of life. A very stirring collection of stories. 

4. Quarterlife by Devika Rege is about three brothers set in Mumbai. A coming-of-age and the story of India post-2014. Again, a timely, relevant and moving book. 

5. Ambapali by Tanushree Podder is a fictionalised re-telling of the story of Amrapali, the nagarvadhu of Vaishali in ancient India. The story follows Ambapali's rise to fame, her decadent lifestyle and how she became a Buddhist in her later life. A wonderful read. 

6. Not a Disaster After all by Buku Sarkar is a collection of short stories showing vignettes in the lives of various characters. Very well-written and such a lovely book! 

7. Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tells the story of three sisters and the different directions their lives taking in the pre and post-Independence years. Filled with incidents of hope and heartbreak, this is a good book to pick this week. 

8. Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra is an absolute must-read for anyone from the Indian sub-continent. This book contains lived experiences and stories of people from the subcontinent whose lives were torn apart by the Partition. What you choose to take when you leave your home forever takes on so much meaning and has so many associations with it. This is a wonderful, wonderful book and you simply must read it! 

9. In the language of Remembering by Aanchal Malhotra is also another absolutely wonderful collection of stories about the Partition and the impact it had on the lives of families. An absolute must-read. 

10. Where Mayflies live Forever by Anupama Mohan tells the story of the impact of a violent act on a small village. It is not the easiest book to read but a very important story nonetheless. The narrative is brought alive from the perspective of multiple people in the village and is very well-written and engaging. 

11. Soft Animal by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan is, in many ways, a portrait of a marriage set against the Lockdown of 2020. Very lovely little book and worth reading. 

12. What We Carry by Maya Shanbhag Lang is a memoir about a mother's dementia and the examination of a mother-daughter relationship in the context of the dementia diagnosis. A very interesting book on the parent-child dynamic. 

13. Terminal 3 by Debasmita Dasgupta is a wonderful (and beautifully illustrated) graphic novel about a young athlete from Kashmir. It tells the story of a young woman's dream to compete in international sports and about the ground realities of the people of Kashmir since 2014. A must-read. 

Hope you pick up some of these books and if you do, do tag me on Instagram! 

Have a great week ahead! 

Book Review: The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard

 

Book: The Trap 

Author: Catherine Ryan Howard 

Pages: 306 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours 

Plot Summary: Stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, a young woman accepts a lift from a passing stranger. It's the nightmare scenario that every girl is warned about, and she knows the dangers all too well - but what other choice does she have?

As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief - one moment thinking he is just a good man doing a good thing, the next convinced he's a monster. But when he delivers her safely to her destination, she realizes her fears were unfounded.

And her heart sinks. Because a monster is what she's looking for.

She'll try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait?

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise of this book was very interesting- a girl whose sister has been taken by a serial killer sets out every night hoping he'd abduct her as well. A dumb plan but what else would a sister do if the police had no leads and her missing sister was the third (or fourth? Or God-knows-what-number of girl) to go missing? So, I was curious to see where this story would go and boy, did this story take off and how! 

2. This book is told from the perspective of 5-6 people and they bring the story alive. 

We get to see Lucy's life one year after her younger sister- Nicki- has gone missing. Lucy's life is at a standstill; she is not able to move on because every waking moment she is haunted by the thought of what happened to Nicki? Who took her? Is she dead or alive? And in order to get her own answers, Lucy has been out at nights putting herself at risk. It is heartbreaking to see how lives are shattered when someone we love goes missing and there is no closure of any kind for families. Lucy and the families of the other missing girls have all fallen apart waiting to find out where their girls are. 

We get to see some chapters from two detectives' perspective- Denise and Angela- who are working (against the system, so to speak) to see if the right missing women have been linked together to the same abductor/ killer. 

We also have a few chapters from the killer/ abductor's perspective and those are cold yet interesting. 

3. This book, much like the author's other books, has a few nice little twists and I am 90% sure you won't see the big one coming. Not going to say anything else as I don't want to spoil the book for you! 

4. This was a fast-paced read but with a lot of emotional depth as well. There are parts of this book that will just break your heart! 

5. The ending was so satisfactory! :) Not saying anything more on this! Go read this book! 

Rating: 4.5/5 

Book Review: None of this is True by Lisa Jewell

 

Book: None of this is True

Author: Lisa Jewell 

Pages: 385

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours 

Plot Summary: Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th. 

A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.

Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.

Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise of this book really got me excited! Imagine meeting your 'birthday twin'- born on the same day at the same hospital. I don't know about you, but I have always wondered about them! I was the only girl born on my birthday in that hospital and I often wonder what has become of my boy birthday twins (or more!). So, anyway, Alix (a podcaster) meets her birthday twin, Josie (a housewife) at the resto-bar where they are both celebrating. Alix notices that Josie's life is different from hers by the way Josie dresses, talks and the person Josie is at dinner with- a much older man. The next day, an already obsessed Josie, meets Alix outside her kids' school and teases that her life is podcast-worthy.. Interesting, right? 

2. This is an extremely atmospheric book. You can feel Josie's oppressive obsession with Alix and her complete disregard for Alix and her family's space. It was so triggering and annoying to me because I am someone, who always firmly establishes boundaries and I can't abide anyone trespassing on those boundaries! So, you can imagine how powerful the writing is that you can feel this sense of claustrophobia just leaping off the pages! So nicely done! 

3. Josie is a loathsome but interesting character. She is clingy, needy, annoying and, very obviously, an unreliable narrator. I mean, the book cover itself gives that away before you even get into the book. As a reader, you know Josie can't be trusted and you keep wondering if there is any truth at all to what she says. 

4. The book is fast-paced and dark-and-twisty and just the perfect kind of read for a rainy day! 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. Alix, as a counterpoint to Josie, was a very bland, boring and meek character. She is so gullible and ignores so many red flags that I felt the urge to get into the book and shake her! Look, is the author trying to say that Alix is a privileged nice person, who thinks everyone else is also nice and straightforward? Maybe, but, is anyone really that gullible? Okay, forget gullible, but imagine you don't like the idea of a complete stranger staying in your house but you are not asking her to leave! How weird and unrealistic is that? Okay, now, even if I ignore this and assume that some people are too nice to set any kind of boundaries or kick someone out of their house, answer me this- as a podcaster, would you start recording with someone and listening to their story without doing one iota of research on them?! Your recording studio is in your home, where your kids live, and you are letting a literal stranger off the streets into your home without doing any research on her! Without even Google-ing her! Come on! No one is that naïve! 

2. The last 15% of the book was pointlessly slow. We could have gotten to Josie's real backstory much earlier. 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Book Review: Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

 

Book: Everyone Here is Lying 

Author: Shari Lapena 

Pages: 326

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~4 hours 

Plot Summary: Welcome to Stanhope - a safe neighbourhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbours become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Things I Liked:

1. I really enjoy reading about the dynamics and relationships of people in small communities. There is something always so interesting about how people, who live in close quarters, interact with each other. This book is set in a small-ish neighbourhood and when a nine-year-old girl goes missing all kinds of hidden resentments, secrets and such rise to the surface. 

2. The book is very fast-paced and interesting. There is never a dull moment as all the key events in the book take place over a period of approximately 72- 80 hours or so. There are plenty of suspects and red herrings and new revelations about the Wooler family, the missing girl- Avery- and even various other people in the neighbourhood keep the narrative interesting. 

3. There is not a whole lot of character study or development, given the limited scope of the story, but even then, as a reader, you do get a sense of who the key people are.. William Wooler is a successful doctor but is unhappily married and having an affair. The reasons behind his unhappy marriage are interesting and the author takes her time to slowly reveal how the demise of a happy marriage took place. William's wife- Erin- is a devoted mother; perhaps too blind to the faults of her daughter, making too many excuses for Avery's atrocious behaviour in school and at home. Their dynamic and also the child-parent dynamic in this book is very interesting and sort-of nuanced. 

4. There is an interesting twist in the story but I do think it is not such a surprise. I don't want to spoil it or even discourage you from reading the book. This is an interesting crime thriller but it is not-very-difficult to guess what the twist is. That's all I am saying. 

5. The book also delves with themes of othering of those different from us and the perils of trial by media. There are two suspects offered up by women in the neighbourhood and both go through hell because of biases and prejudices. I appreciate the author for bringing this aspect of the dangers of sensationalism by the media in murder and missing persons cases. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. The ending was not satisfactory for me. I am sure a lot of people would've enjoyed it and I think I know which direction the author is planning on taking but I'd rather she'd fully taken it instead of how she left it. Sorry for being vague but I don't want to spoil the book :) This is not a deal breaker at all and, I think, most people would be absolutely okay with the ending. 

Rating: 4/5