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Recent Reads: April 2021
3604 pages and 16 books this month. So I averaged about 120 pages every day or one book in 2 days.
Huge, I’d say. How did I manage this?
A couple of factors.
First, I picked mostly short books to read. Other than Leigh Bardugo’s Fantasy series and Gail Honeyman’s book I did not read anything over 300 pages.
Second, unfortunately, I tested positive for Covid-19, so I was quarantined with a mild occurrence of Covid. But that disaster came with an opportunity of plenty of free time to read more books.
Third, I have a habit of reading multiple books at a go without of course confusing the plots.
So, if you’d want to read more books this month, I’d say set a goal of reading at least a few pages every day. Pick shorter books so when you complete them you have a sense of accomplishment that further motivates you to read more.
That said, let’s move on with what books I read and recommend this month.
Unique Book Recommendations to help you find your next read!
Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley
Imagine your life if you could learn and remember information easily, quickly, and effectively?
Contrary to popular belief that a photographic memory is something you’re born with, the author of this book, Kevin Horsley believes that just like any other skill, memorizing intricate things and reproducing them at the required time is possible through disciplined and focused efforts using strategies and techniques shared within this book.
Some of these strategies shared like the Car Method and Mind-mapping can easily be put to use as soon as today, while some of them like the ones used for remembering dates and names will take practice and time.
Read details about these strategies through Infographics here.
Read this short and very useful book on Kindle Unlimited today.
The Punished: Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India by Janhavi Misra
The 12 stories shared in this book are shared with the hope that we as readers get to understand the people we want to kill.
All we think about is about the person and their crime but rarely do we think about the way it affects their families, and it affects them tremendously.
This rare book is written as part of the interviews conducted for Project 39A between 2013 and 2016.
A few things that come out through most of these stories are that these people are products not only of their own but also of the communities within which they are rooted, their lack of formal education, their impoverished backgrounds, and the role of media.
Read this book to understand the power of a story.
A magical world of thieves and convicts who are on an impossible heist that will make them rich beyond imagination.
Need I say more?
Get lost in this fascinating world and escape into a gripping world of six young boys and girls with very unique skillsets who are ethically bad, but morally you know they are fighting for a just cause.
I promise you, a new fictional crush on at least one of the six of the crows.
A duology, this series has been gaining immense popularity currently owing to the Netflix series releasing last month that is based on another series by the same author Shadow and Bone.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
A fitting sequel to the already popular Six of Crows this book starts with one of the Crows kidnapped by the man who promised them a heap of money beyond their dreams, but ultimately swindled Kaz and his Crows out of them.
But fear not Kaz and his ingenious brain creates mind-bending elaborate schemes to hoodwink the biggest of the crooks and the largest of their elaborate plans. He also avenges the loss of his brother in the process, but the bitter-sweet ending will leave you sad but satiated after reading this enchanting conclusion.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Five unmarried daughters, a not so well-to-do righteous Mr.Benett and his wife whose only aim in life is to find her daughters rich, handsome men, to be married off to.
But one of the daughters, Elizabeth has a mind of her own and refuses to give in to her mother’s whimsical plans and more so to a proud and stiff Mr.Darcy who she keeps crossing paths with unexpectedly only to realize, she has ardently fallen in love with him.
A true classic with its flowery prose and powerful dialog with a charming plot that has been adapted to more movies all over the world than any other classic.
My rating: 5 stars
Published in 1926
Genre: Non-Fiction/Autobiography/Memoir/Indian Translated Literature
Pages: 144
Karukku by Bama translated by Lakshmi Holstrom
The first memoir by a Dalit woman, Karukku is a powerful book in Dalit Literature.
Starting with stories from Bama’s childhood, it takes us through her journey in becoming a nun who wanted to help other Dalit impoverished like her.
But the reality of that life so unnerved her and finally made her quit her noble goal to help others rise out of the drudgery.
Some of the growing incidents in her village will leave you numb and the atrocities of the police will have you questioning their role as peacemakers.
An impactful book that will leave you feeling guilty of your privileges.
Ganesha’s Temple by Rohit Gaur
As an Indian kid, I grew up on stories from Indian mythology and Indian gods.
But these stories had me wondering if there would ever be epic fantasy stories featuring Indian gods and kids like me, who became the heroes of the stories, helping the mythical gods out of their misery and downfall.
Well, my wish and dream just came true with this epic series created by author Rohit Gaur.
Truly, fascinating the book comes complete with maps and charming mythical creatures and demons journeying across islands to rescue Ganesh’s sacred tools at the hands of a human boy, the chosen one.
These Hills Called Homes by Temsula Ao
Short stories based in Nagaland about the Naga wars, the local people conducted to free themselves of the Indian armies’ atrocities, from a period bygone.
Although now, Nagaland is a free and happy and self-sufficient and happy state, there was a time when the local people created underworld organizations that were feared and kept extremely secret.
Members from the local family joined these organizations as men of resistance and it is their stories to freedom that are shared here.
My rating: 4 stars
Published in 2015
Genre: Fiction/Indian Translated Literature
Pages: 124
Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbag
A family moves from a house infested with ants and shaped like the bogies of a train to a spacious bungalow, with independent bedrooms for each family member.
Everyone is happy with the move. But what they do not realize is the long-lasting impact it will have on a conservative South-Indian family that finds itself amidst an overnight rags-to-riches transition in more than one way.
The narrator, a sensitive young South-Indian man, does know how to process the changes in his family. So he runs away every day to an old-world café, where he finds companionship and life-changing advice from a prophetic restaurant waiter.
Shanbag’s deep insights into family dynamics will leave you thinking about the book long after you’ve finished it. A must-read story in Indian translated writing.
To The Survivors by Robert Uttaro
Understand what it takes to be a survivor, from these true stories by rape victims.
All these survivors need is a listener, to listen to their story, a believer who has faith in them and a supporter who stands with them whatever action they decide to take after the event.
The author of this book, Robert Uttaro, needs a special mention for taking painstaking efforts to compile these stories and giving out a very clear and practical message through them.
His kind gestures and relentless work as a THP volunteer, an organization that helps rape victims heal, will touch your heart.
That Long Silence by Shashi Deshpande
All Jaya wanted was to live like one big happy family. To know that at the end of the day her family was under one roof – safe, enclosed, in a secure world. She sacrificed her love of writing for that.
But her safe bubble is broken when her husband gets tangled in some fraudulent transactions at work. Her son starts behaving strangely and brings back her fears of being a disappointment at being a mother.
Her happy family delusion is broken when she realizes – People don’t change. One memory at a time she takes us to and fro through her most vivid recollections of her lost loved ones. Appa her father, Kusum, her niece, Kamat, her friend, Vimala, her sister-in-law, even her coveted job as a writer.
But post the vanishing of her husband, she realizes that she still has a number of choices. And now she alone has to cherry-pick how to take things forward.
A striking interpretation of Krishna’s astute advice to Arjun at the end of the Gita – Do as you desire. The writing is intricate, but the plot twists and emotional commotion inside the mind of the dominant character Jaya will keep you hooked.Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
It is 1947 – the year of the unpleasant India – Pakistan Partition. But the villagers of Mano Majra, a village on the borders between India and Pakistan, are not worried by it.
Until someone is massacred.
And a Sikh boy, the village thug, who also happens to love a Muslim girl, is the prime accused. And then the train carrying hundreds of slaughtered and mutilated Sikh bodies arrives in the village and the village turns into a battleground. The suspected Sikh boy is their only hope.
This book will journey you into the partition era and make you feel all the anguish in your core. Khushwant Singh’s provocative writing has made this book an Indian Classic.
Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
Barkha is a proud and attractive young man, but as an untouchable, he is an outcast. The book describes a day in Bakha’s life. Imagine a daily life of humiliation, abuse and hard work that is so gross and menial that no one appreciates it.
This book is set in the pre-independence era. A Preface by E.M. Forster points out that this book is about the strange business of the human body relieving itself. A topic considered uncouth and not even discussion-worthy.
This novel expresses anger in a raw form you will not find anywhere else. Mulk Raj Anand’s powerful writing will touch your heart with this untouchable’s story.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A simple but different girl.
The same clothes to work, the same lunch at the office, and the same dinner at home every night. The same vodka every Friday night, the same routine whatsoever. No friends, no family and she thinks she’s happy and missing nothing. Until the day she meets a stranger and encounters their kindness and then she realizes everything in her life is missing.
A heart-warming story filled with fun and humor that is bound to tug at your heart. Miss Eleanor Oliphant is a fictional acquaintance you’ll remember for a long time.
Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore
“The water in the vessel is sparkling, the water in the sea is dark. The small truth has words which are clear; the great truth has great silence.”
Gitanjali or ‘Song Offerings’ is a collection of 103 poems selected by Rabindranath Tagore from his books of poetry written in Bengali.
It was these poems that took the western world by storm and gained worldwide recognition for this Nobel Prize-winning Indian poet.
This collection is available for free with your Kindle Unlimited Subscription.
“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.”
Why I Killed Gandhi by Nathuram Godse
“I could never conceive that an armed resistance to an aggression is unjust. I would consider it a religious and moral duty to resist and, if possible, to overpower such an enemy by use of force.”
Nathuram Godse assassinated Gandhiji on 30 January 1948.
The trial began on 27 May 1948 and concluded on 10 February 1949.
He was sentenced to death.
The book contains the original statement of Nathuram Godse.
“In condemning history’s towering warriors like Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Gobind Singh as misguided patriots, Gandhiji has merely exposed his self-conceit. He was, paradoxical as it may appear, a violent pacifist who brought untold calamities on the country in the name of truth and non-violence, while Rana Pratap, Shivaji and the Guru will remain enshrined in the hearts of their countrymen for ever for the freedom they brought to them.”
That’s all folks for April. I hope you had as good a reading month or better still. Do share your recent reads in the comments below.
My Upcoming reads for May 2021.
I plan to read a lot of classics. Also, I plan to listen to audiobooks this month using my Audible membership, those being non-fiction books mostly. I will also be reading a few books as part of the reading challenges I’m participating in.
So stay tuned and keep reading.
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