Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2024.

 

Hello Loves! 

January is over and while so many people were complaining how long it was, I like January and the air of freshness and hope it brings with it. 

I try to read happy and good books in January, fully believing that what I read in January will shape the rest of my reading year. 

Well, January was largely a good reading month. 

I read 18 books. 

Out of which 6 were read for Japanuary. I have talked about all of those book in yesterday's post, so you can go on over that post and read my detailed thoughts about those books.

I read a fair number of kidlit, which I love. 

And some contemporary fiction. 

I read mostly physical books and a some books on my iPad. 

I read three graphic novels. 

Lots of translations. 

I bought ten books this month. 

A solid reading month. 

Let's talk more about each book I read this month. 

BOOKS OF JANUARY 2024: 

1. Animals in the House by Ruskin Bond: My first book of the year had to be something I knew I would love and who better than Ruskin Bond to kick start my reading for the year? 

I read and loved this little chapter book. 

I have a review up for this one. Go see. 

4/5 

2. How the Bamboo Got it's Bounty by Sudha Murty: Another chapter book and a thing of beauty and wisdom. 

Loved it. Reviewed it. See here. 

5/5 

My first five star read of the year. 

3. Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman: Read the newest edition of Heartstopper and it was so nice re-visiting the whole gang. 

Reviewed this one too. 

4/5 

4. Welcome to Paradise by Twinkle Khanna: I was honestly surprised by how much I ended up loving this book and how much these stories moved me. 

Review for this one is up too. 

Seriously, pick this up. 

4.5/5 

5. The Gallery by Manju Kapur: I have read all of Manju Kapur's books, some I have loved and some left me a little bit conflicted. But I always look forward to the stories and people she conjures. This one was quite a ride and full of very real and unvarnished people. 

Reviewed this one too. 

4/5 

6. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider: A fun and funny little comic book/graphic novel about books and bookish people and even the agonies and ecstasies of being a writer. This was adorable and funny and for a bookworm like myself very, very relatable. Enjoyed this immensely. 

4/5 

7. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins: Hmmm...I am a little confused about how to feel about this book. Like, a part of me enjoyed this as I was reading it curled up in bed on a cold night, but then when I finished it..after reading it in pretty much one sitting..I don't know if I liked it all that much. The writing and the story were good, but there is something to be said about a book where every single narrator is kinda lying to you. I get unreliable narrators but this is taking it too far. This was giving Race 3 vibes.  

Hmm..

OK overall. I am happy to have read it but it's not one I would recommend. 

3/5 

8. The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao by Lindsay Pereira: This book is incredible. I read it at the perfect time and was moved, angered and deeply affected by this tale set in Bombay in 1992. A sorta re-telling of the Ramayana. This book is truly brilliant. 

I will do a full review soon. 

4/5 

9. A River Sutra by Gita Mehta: I have had this book for over a year. I bought while randomly browsing some second hand book shopping because it sounded like something I would like. This is a novel told via some interconnected short stories. A retired of sorts bureaucrat lives on the banks of the holy Narmada river and comes across a varied cast of characters. A monk, a courtesan, government officials, cops, singers and Sufis. We hear each of their backstories and I really enjoyed the book and I am so glad I chanced upon it. 

3.5/5 

10. Love and Lust, Stories and Essays: A book I read via Kindle Unlimited. Some excerpts and stories from a host of writers, Manto, Vikram Seth, K.R. Meera and others. A quick read full of love and a whole lotta lust. 

3/5 

11. The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar: I loved this book. I didn't quite enjoy the author's last book, so this one was picked up with slight reservation. But this book took me in from the get go. A book about family secrets, an ailing mother and her son and decades long misunderstandings and family secrets. So good. So damn good. Please, pick this up. I am sure you'll love it. 

4.5/5 

12. Kolum Kanna by Vibha Batra: I read the sweetest book to end my reading this month. This is a story about a young boy who is a talented kolum artist and all he wants to do is participate in a kolum contest but people are hell bent on keeping him and his dreams in check. This book was so warm and sweet and full of kind people. A great book for kids and even grown-ups. 

4/5 

Now for the six books I read for Japanuary. 

13. to 18. 

The Premonition 

Sweet Bean Paste 

What You Are Looking for is in the Library 

She and Her Cat 

The Strangers 

Himawari House 

You can read my thoughts about these books OVER HERE. 

💛💛💛💛💛

A good reading month. 

I can only hope the rest of the year is just as stellar. 

Oh, and if you think I read a lot of books...let me tell you about my sister who read some 52 books. 

Yup, 52.

All romance. 

She is finding a lot of comfort in some romance reads and has been reading like a woman possessed. 

😄

I hope January for good for you too. 

See you in February. 

6 Japanese Books I Read for Japanuary.

Hello Loves! 

This year I decided to actively participate in Japanuary, a reading challenge/theme where people read some Japanese books in January. 

I knew I didn't want to ONLY read Japanese books all month long, that kind of commitment I only make for Indian Books in August. But I wanted to read a handful books from Japan. And I did just that. I honestly thought I'd read like one book but to my surprise I read 6 books and now let's talk about them.  

1. The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto, translation by Asa Yoneda: I read Kitchen by the same author last year, after hearing nothing but great things about it for ages. I didn't quite love as much as so many other people seem to. I liked it enough but I didn't love it. 

So I picked this one up with some trepidation. 

This novella is a story of young woman of nineteen, who uncovers a big secret related to her family and herself. 

OK not a real Spoiler Alert but she finds out she was adopted into her family and the woman she thinks of as her eccentric aunt is actually her biological sister. This revelation and excavation of old memories makes her go on a journey of self-discovery, connect with her aunt and figure out some odd feelings. 

I did enjoy the writing and the whole feel and atmosphere of this book. 

BUT..

OK, let's get into some problematic aspects.

For one, our protagonist finds out she is not related to her family by blood or biology and sorta almost immediately develops some feelings for her little brother. I mean the boy who she's thought of as her little brother her whole life. She finds out they don't share similar DNA and she's like..ooohhh let me hit that. 

What?

 How messed up is this?

Then there is eccentric aunt/biological elder sister who has her own can of worms. She's a music teacher in a high school, who had a relationship with one of her students, got pregnant, got an abortion and is now ghosting said ex-student/person she groomed/abused. 

As I was reading this, I kept gasping and feeling a little sick about said things. 

It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't look past it. 

Rating: 2.5/5 

2. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, Translation by Alison Watts: This book was so sweet and wholesome and sad and cozy and heartbreaking all at once. It was such a comforting read and at the same time taught me something new. 

It's mainly about two characters. A young man, who has made some mistakes in his past and now is a little lost and working rather listlessly in a pancake shop. Enter an old lady who has obviously deformed hands (and secrets of her own) but a killer recipe for the most perfect sweet bean paste and a refreshing look at life, even though her life has been...let's just say...rather unfair and bleak. 

I love books about two unlikely allies coming together and teaching each other some valuable life lessons. 

I especially love books about kindly older people. 

This is such a good book, I cannot recommend it enough. 

Rating: 4/5 

3. Himawari House by Harmony Becker: I am so glad I even managed to squeeze in a graphic novel from Japan this month! I adore graphic novels and this one was quite lovely. 

About three girls, sharing a home for a year in Tokyo, this a story of finding kinship, growing up and resolving some issues. We have a Japanese American girl, a Korean girl and a girl from Singapore- each grappling with some unresolved issues. Love, heart-break, identity and friendship forms the crux of this tale. 

I really enjoyed all the story lines and how realistic they came across as. 

The art was really pretty too. 

Rating: 4/5 

4. What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyoma, translation by Alison Watts: This book is perfect for anyone who loves books, libraries, a touch of magical realism and just oodles of warmth and kind and sweet people. These are interconnected short stories all connected to a little community center and a library and a librarian with the knack of recommending the perfect book to help you out. God, I wanted to step into this world. 

So good. 

Worth all the hype. Pick this up. 

Rating: 4.5/5 

5. Strangers by Taichi Yamada, translation by Wayne P. Lammers: I also managed to read a spooky book for Japanuary. This one is about a forty something year old man, recently divorced and lonely and living out of his work space. He meets an neighbour and begins a relationship. But the thing driving him crazy is running into his deceased parents, still living in his old neighbourhood and at the same age as they were when they passed away decades ago. Hmmm...mysterious..mildly spooky.

Frankly, this was a OK read. 

I didn't particularly love it. 

Very very mid. 

Rating: 2/5 

6. She and Her Cat by Makota Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori: Japanese books and Cats are a match made in heaven. 

🐱🐱🐱

This one is once again a set of interconnected stories set in the same neighbourhood and told from both human and kitty perspectives. 

Sweet, occasionally sad and just exactly what you expect from some classic Japanese stories. 

I enjoyed this quite a bit. 

Rating: 3/5 

Monday Moods: January Planner and Journal Pages.

January was a mix of colours and themes in my planners and journals. 

I used a lot of stickers from my stash, I am trying to be better about actually using and not hoarding my supplies. 

Here are some planner pages and some pages from my gratitude journal, before the ink. 

Mushrooms and teacups and a vintage vibe in this week’s spread. 

A sharply dressed woman to inspire me to be productive. 

Flowers, butterflies and girls with flowers. 

Pinks and reds. 

Week One might be my favourite thing ever. 

 

Sunday Sweetness/// Books, Sunshine & Notebooks.

Today has been a sleepy and cozy Sunday.

Making the most of these gentle days before Spring arrives with its heat. 

I read a little. 

Wrote a little something.

Slept. 

Ate out. 

Spoke to my Parents. Got some gossip.  

A cute notebook from Diary of a Flower Girl. 

She is so precious, I don't even want to use her. 

Blurry. 

Nothing like being lost in a good book. 

My book cart. I am thinking of moving some books around and lining up my 24 Books for 2024 here. 

That ways I stare at it the whole time and make sure I read them. 

Gloriously sunshine-y days. 

The view out my window today. 

Books, Laptop and Writing on my Mind. 

All good things. 

Monthly Favourites: January 2024. (Planners, Mug, Books, Totes, Crochet + iPad).

 Hello Loves! 

January is almost over, doesn't she always feel unduly long?

I don't mind. I like January. I like how she is an importunity to set goals and get inspired and have hope. 

I like her. 

And this January has been good. 

Very Good. 

Here are some of most favourite things/feelings and moments from January 2024. 

(I am hoping I keep up with sharing my Monthly Favourites all through 2024.) 

JANUARY FAVOURITES: 

1. Planners and Journals: As always, I loved setting-up and moving into my new Planners and Journals. It brought me so much joy and I have absolutely loved my new set-ups. 

My Daily Life Planner. 

My Blog Planner. 

My Gratitude Journal. 

Daily Journal. 

Book/Reading Journal. 

I have loved them all. 

It's like the highlight of January for me, to set up a plethora of new journals. 

Here is my Reading Journal. 

A thing of joy. 

2. Book Buying: January made me add 10 new books to my shelves and I am one happy puppy. I like starting the new year with new books and I added some amazing books to my shelves and I couldn't be more grateful and happy. 

3. iPad Mini: I have had my iPad Mini for a little over a year and I love her. 

In January, I just really fell in love with her. 

I started a Pinterest account, which I've been enjoying a whole lot. 

I also read some 6 books on my iPad. 

And watched videos and even took pictures. 

I am really, really enjoying her. 

Oh, and I added a ton of new stickers to jazz up her cover. 

Sadly, finding a cute cover for an iPad mini is not the easiest. So I will jazz things up on my own. 

4. Favourite Mug: I bought one new mug in January and I love her. 

She's from Weaving Homes. 

I love how bright and happy this mug is and hold the perfect amount of coffee. 

5. Crochet Daisy Tote: I got this tote bag back in December from Nelumbo Crochet. The frog dangly thingie is also from her that I've had for a while, it keep a pair of earphones in it. I use this tote to hold my current read, occasionally my iPad and a pouch with some of my annotation supplies. It's so cute and cozy and unbelievably soft and cuddly. 

Perfect for winter. 

I will move out of her the minute it gets hot in Mumbai. 

6. A Mumbai Winter: The first half or so of January was unreasonably and unfathomably hot. Like winter was no where on the scene. And then..some magic happened and we were blessed with some cold and mellow and wonderful days. 

Blessings! 

The AC went off, the quilts (the light kind) came out, candles were lit, tea was brewed and life was good. 

I cannot tell you how much I love Winter. I am my best version when the weather is cold and agreeable. 

I hope these gentle days last a little while longer. 

7. Ins and Outs of 2024: I don't often partake in trends. But this one had my whole heart. To list out things I wanted In and Out of my Life in 2024. 

I did this on the first day of the year and I am mighty pleased with the list and I hope I can do most of it, if not all of it in 2024. 

Goal setting in general has been a favourite thing for this month. 

8. Reading: I picked some great books to kick off my new year. 

I started with books I knew I would love and I did. 

I also read some amazing Japanese Literature for Japanuary. 

And a whole lot of other great books, which I'll talk about more in my Reading Wrap-Up. 

So glad my reading life started on a very good note. Now only if the rest of the year goes along in the same vein. 

Oh, while I read some 17-18 books this month, my sister has read some 37 books!!!!!! 

All romance and most of which she's loved a lot! 

9. Mental Health: I am so so so grateful that my mental health and general emotional well-being was so good in January. I tend to get very overwhelmed at the New Year rolls around. But this year I made a very conscious effort to just calm down and not put too much pressure on myself. 

So this chill frog was basically me all month long. 

And it is my most favourite thing ever. 

Mental Peace is EVERYTHING. 

10. Calm Days: I have worked quite hard at managing my swirling thoughts and finding calm in chaos and trying my hardest to hold on to my sense of calm. And I am so incredibly grateful that January was full of calm days. And I am really proud of ME for sticking to my goal of keeping calm and not letting every little thing get to me. If you have Anxiety you know this is easier said than done. So I am happy that January me managed to keep her calm. 

I hope the rest of the year is similarly good. 

(This is a journal I've been hoarding since end of 2022 and saving it for a good..well bad day.)

Other Faves this Month Were: 

Lebu Cha 

Chocolate Milk Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake 

Not shopping a whole lot. Being sensible. 

More Reading. Less TV. 

Good Skin, after months. 

Trimming my bangs. 

Blogging every day. 

My Parent's Wedding Anniversary. 

Organizing my room. 

Cozy TV shows. 

My sister reading like a happy little maniac. 

😊😊😊😊😊

You were so good January. 

Thank-You. 

More Please. 

🙏🙏🙏

Friday Favourites: Embroidery + Tea + Cold Days + Bookishness.

Embroidered Things and Things made with hands and love. 

Reading an old book. I am still trying to include my older books into my reading, and also the few second hand books I own. 

Currently Reading The River Sutra by Gita Mehta.

 

Avocado Toast and Sandwich for an easy dinner. 

Positive reinforcement from a bookmark, always a good thing. 

A highlighter I like. 

And my book wrapped in a book jacket. The jacket is from Handivity Designs. 

 Tea ☕ on a cold day. 

So so so grateful for the weather being good here finally. More 🙏 please. 

Book Haul: Four New Books (January Books Part-II).

Hello Loves! 

Bought some books in the very beginning of the month. 

This haul is a little different, because I bought two books I have already read and loved. I very rarely buy physical copies of books I have read on my Kindle but every once in a while, I read something that I love so much that I need to add the book to my shelves. 

I read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and The Covenant of Water last year and fell in love, and I needed to have these books on my shelf...you know take up some physical space. 

Similarly my sister read God of Fury back in December and wanted a physical copy. 

So this haul is mostly acquiring some very loved books that we will re-read and re-love and be besotted with. 

So let's see what I've added to my shelves... 

This book is such a warm and cozy read. Very Japanese in so many ways and just a perfect read for anyone who loves books and is going through the motions of living and breaking up and coming into themselves. 

I loved this book and I cannot wait to re-read it and make my sister read it. 

I am going to give Sally Rooney one more shot. I read Normal People back when it came out and I didn't love as much as most people seemed to love it. 

So  I waited till the hype around this book died down before I picked it up. 

My sister loves this. 

Like a lot. 

Had already re-read and annotated this one. 

The Covenant of Water was my favourite book of 2023 and I can't wait to jump back into this world and have my heart all wrapped in this gorgeous book. 

Lots of happy reading in my future. 

24.1.24 A Happy Day.

24.1.24

Had a perfectly ordinary and fun and peaceful day. 

Thought I'd document some of it on the blog. 

Currently Reading and absolutely lovinggggg this book. 

The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar is about a tempestuous mother and son relationship, and family secrets and so much more. I am 65% in and I am hooked and so invested in this story. Highly recommend. 

Planner Time and Journaling Time is my favourite. 

My planner tote of the moment. 

My Daisy Tote that hold my current read, a pouch full of my annotation supplies and iPad. 

Fresh strawberries🍓 

Flowers, on brooches.  

This one is from Vastriyan. 

The nights are cold and I need to find something spooky to read and watch.