Those who know me, know that I am an avid reader. I love reading and read almost all genres. I stay away from horror, fantasy and supernatural as I have not really gotten into them but will read anything else that I can lay my hand on.
Every year I do the Goodreads book challenge. Last year I read 25 books and this year I aim to read 30. Between my kindle and physical books, I am well on the track, having read 10 books so far. This year I have also vowed not to buy any books, partially as I am focussed on environmentally sustainability and partially coz my book case has no more space to carry any more books. So I have started borrowing from my local library and also using the excellent Kindle Unlimited to read. It has been amazing as my reading has certainly widened and I can now access books that were not always easily available in the market to buy.
I started the year by reading the magnum opus of Kiran Desai – The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. At 700 pages, it is one of the longest books I have read possibly second only to A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. I could not get into the story straight away but as I read I got sucked in. As someone of Indian origin living in another county, the book makes you uncomfortable. It brings forth the thoughts that most of us have had at some point in time but have never been written down. It showcases the blatant patriarchy of the culture. It talks about the complicated human relationships and the feelings that accompany like guilt, anger. It is a big book and I will probably read it again at some point to absorb it more.
My next two books were by Australian author Sally Hepworth- The Mother-in-Law and Mad Mabel. Both the books were interesting. I loved the local setting to the stories, bringing in that familiarity. While not ground shattering, I enjoyed both books and will probably read more by the author in near future.
I first heard about Randa Abdul-Fattah when the Adelaide Writers Fest was cancelled as the invitation to her was withdrawn and the whole literary community protested in response. When I researched on her books, I was intrigued and ended up reading two of them – The Lines We Cross and Discipline. They were the most notable books I have read this quarter. The author has written, possibly from her own experience, about the convergence of race, beliefs and freedom in the west which seems to portray itself as the flag bearer of free speech. But does freedom means the same for everyone and do we really have free speech? While I found the writing a bit scattered, I could not put either of the books down. Such a powerful narrative. I am looking fwd to listening to her at the upcoming Sydney Writers Fest.
I read a few other light reads on my kindle but the next notable read for me was The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. Set against the backdrop of the Iran uprising of 1953, it is a love story. I was fascinated by the authors vivid description of Tehran of the 50s and the rich culture of the Iranian people. The love story was sad and soulful and I enjoyed the book.
I am hoping to read another 10 in the next quarter. Hoping I can manage the streak!