Books and Cleaning Sprees!

Hello!

I’ve realised that when life gets too much, rationality, sanity and calmness are harder to come by in practice than in theory. But there’s also something else that I’ve learnt- panicking doesn’t help.

When you know that there are bigger things to deal with than stick to your new year resolutions, the best is to enter a reading spiral while you continue your cleaning sprees. Both things work for me. While I’ll abstain from talking about the doldrums in my kitchen cupboard and how I’ve been handling them, I would love to talk about the books that helped me sail through the last one month. Yes, this is a very late post and covers my reading list from January and only part-February.

1. Around the World in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh : I started this book in late December and read it into early January. It covers the travelling adventures of the author around parts of Europe, Russia, Mongolia, North Korea, Canada, Kazakhstan, Venice, Tibet, China and more! What endeared this book to me is the fact that it isn’t about the wonders of the world or tourist spots. You find them all over the internet, don’t you? This book is about the railways that connect parts of the world, it is about journeys, people, cultures, history- a macrocosm in a microcosm, if I may say so.
2. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah : Drama, romance, friendship, coming-of-age – Firefly Lane is all of that and more. I wouldn’t say the book enriched me in many ways, but its end felt particularly relatable and emotional. It was also the best part of the story for me.
3. The Lost Chapter by Caroline Bishop : This book has its moments. There aren’t many curves in the story or even surprises, but the internal dialogue and author reflections in this tale of friendship (again!) was my takeaway.
4. The Bookworm by Lavanya R.N. : This children’s book was the bright spot in my wet and windy days. Trust me, reading saves many of us and just like me, the bookworm is no exception!
5. The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas : I am not a lover of thrillers/mysteries/noirs but I’d read You Beneath Your Skin by the author and it gave me several reasons to pick this one up. I am also a fan of her literary flash fiction. The story is well-researched, the setting is good. In fact, the nuances and detailing are the highlight. The book is full of red herrings. Cleverly done, is how I will put it. Though I must confess sorely missing Anjali Morgan and Jatin (protagonists, YBYS).
6. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie : Yes, I am aware I am late to read this one, but as they say better late than never. There’s a reason why this book made it to the best seller list and won awards. I am in love with the portrayal of characters, the seamless blending of events with their lives, the complexity of relationships – how can one have so many possible layers in one story. The women characters are so well done. Evocative use of language.

I haven’t read a book of poetry for some time but I do try and visit some poets, one of them, Rosemarry Wahtola Trommer, with whose poetry I relate so much. I am sharing a link to one of her poems that spoke to me.

There is nothing you can fix.
The only thing to do is love her. (Read more…)

So, the thing is that the frost will take its own good time to thaw. Until that happens, more power to books and to cleaning sprees!

Free Featured Image. Thank you Nino Carè from Pixabay