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Recent Reads: May 2021
What should you read next?
Find out what books I’ve been reading in May 2021 and whether I liked them or not.
So you can decide which ones to pick and which to skip.
Here’s the 14 books I read this month sorted by their ratings in descending order.
Unique Book Recommendations to help you find your next read!
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
DICOMY – Department in Charge of Magical Youth has entrusted Linus Baker, a pot-bellied, by-the-book caseworker to supervise and give his detailed report on the functioning of a particularly special orphanage situated at the edge of the cerulean sea. This particular orphanage is special because the six children in it are very different and have magical powers unlike any other. Also, their master Arthur Parnassus is the most mysterious of them all.
What Mr. Baker doesn’t realize that going to the island will change him and his life forever?
Must-read, re-read, recommend it and love it. A profoundly magical journey.
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Mahabharata is an epic that is close to the heart of millions of Indians. Read this mesmerizing retelling of the epic through the eyes and mind of the one most important woman to the whole epic. Draupadi aka Panchali, the wife of the Pandavas, the daughter of King Drupad.
Understand the intricate workings of a woman’s mind from a historic era. Get answered all your questions about the Great War of Kurukshetra. Understand a side to all the characters you’ve never seen before.
This is a retelling like no other. This book is going to my list of unputdownable books.
Nothing like a good short story collection to get you out of a reading slump. Short stories pack explosive content, character, plot, action and thrill in a few pages. And when you want to read these stories from authors like Sadat Hassan Manto, who have been known to be remarkable in their field, you should start right now.
This collection has 12 gems that transcend boundaries and lay bare the most primal of human emotions, desires and longings. As are the stories so is the translation impeccable keeping alive the essence of the stories? Don’t miss this short collection.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Why do adults behave and think differently to kids? What is it that imparts an uncanny ability to kids to befriend anybody although he/she is absolutely different from them?
The author a pilot, crashes into a desert and discovers a little guy, the prince who is from another planet and is visiting earth. The author’s imagination and conversational skills are amazing.
This short and sweet novel will have you thinking about the most basic and practical of questions we should be asking as humans. Simple, beautiful, moral and extremely thought-provoking this evergreen classic will make it to your list of your favorite books immediately.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Have you ever given our existence a serious thought?
Did Questions like - When did our species begin living? How did we multiply? How did we spread across the world without planes and boats? Are we descendants of the same species or different species? Will be continue to live forever? Have we attained humankind was destined to attain or are we still unsatisfied and looking for something more? Have we become God?
Well, it’s time to give it a serious thought this exemplary work of Yuval Noah Harari and don’t forget to follow it with Homo Deus, to get a look into the future.
Alice’s adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
While playing with her sister in a garden, Alice embarks on an adventure of her own. She follows a rabbit into the trunk of a tree and falls down into a world unlike anything she ever imagined. With never ending tea parties, mice that talk, vanishing cats, and executing queen of cards, Alice is completely mesmerized by this new and magical world .
Dive deep into a child’s depth of imagination with this forever children's classic that has been adapted into several equally magical movies and retellings.
Night by Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel, the Nobel-prize winning author wrote this book about his own experiences in the German war when he and his family were transported and imprisoned because of being a Jew. Moving between 2 – 3 concentration camps, Wiesel relives his deepest horrors, hardships and cruel and inhumane conditions during the period. He says he wrote this book so that we don’t forget that this happened, because forgetting would be unfair to those he died there.
Experience the darkest era of human history, with an account of the Holocaust that will give you shivers and nightmares.
The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott
Sara Grayson, just lost her mother, who was a bestselling author of a book series that had also been adapted to movies. After her death Sara is told of her mother’s last wish. That Sara should write the last novel in her record-breaking series. Sara is shocked, she is riddled with unanswered questions. Moreover, the search for the answers exposes her to ugly family secrets that had been buried so far.
A fun-filled light read that will leave you with a warm heart and a new favorite.
Letters from a Father to his daughter by Jawaharlal Nehru
Indira Gandhi was 9 – 10 years old when her father Jawaharlal Nehru wrote these letters to her as they were away from each other for the summer. These letters talk about the beginning of the world, the beginning of human race, they talk about India and they talk about people in general. The letters are so insightful to a young mind, that I feel every father must read these letters to their children when they are young enough to understand the world that is beyond their tiny grasps.
The Killing of Aarushi and The Murder of Justice by Rajesh Talwar
Everyone in India is aware of the double murder of Aarushi Talwar and their domestic help Hemraj in Noida, the capital of the country. The most sensational case in recent times, had an equally sensational verdict with Aarushi’s parents Rajesh and Nupur Talwar being convicted for the crime.
But was that what really happened? What really happened? Find out for yourself with this short book by another Rajesh Talwar who presents you with facts, court clippings and a well-researched and detailed analysis of the tragic event.
7 simple rules: How to live peacefully despite everything by Sam Sadar
The author has listed down how the pandemic has multiplied all our already existing problems. He has also given us simple tips to ace these problems and continue to persist with grace.
Sam Sadar has used varied examples from real life to do this. The book is short and offers some very fundamental but essential advice.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The tragic and touching story of George and Lennie that has continued to woo readers for decades now. The two migrant workers have dreams like each one of us. But destiny has other plans.
In this story you’ll discover a bond of friendship and companionship so strong that it’ll give you goals. Would you protect your less fortunate friend against all odds? Would you kill for friendship and expect nothing, absolutely nothing in return?
A short classic, detailed and intricate by the legendary author John Steinbeck, who has also written gems like The Pearl and The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden.
Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi’s renowned book—Hajar Churashir Ma in the original—is a disheartening and yet dispassionately analytical story of a tenderhearted mother, Sujata, who is suddenly informed of her teenage son’s death. . . .
The novel centers on the suffering of a mother who awakens one morning to the unbelievable news that her son is lying dead in the police morgue, reduced to a mere numeral: Corpse No. 1084.
I experienced a disconnect with the writing style of the author as there was no clear demarcation between the dialogues of the characters. Confusing at times, the narrative often switched to a completely new place with a new person. But you could give it a read for the uniquely different storyline.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Quite an unimaginable plot to this classic that has been extensively studied in many schools across the world. An honest and hard-working salesman wakes up to his worst nightmare. He has been transformed into an ugly giant bug with several thin legs and a hard shell like back. His family is shocked beyond belief.
The story narrates how he copes with the situation physically and mentally hoping against hope that he would transform back to his original self soon. A tragic story with an equally tragic ending that might gross you with the details but a wildly unique story that must be read.
That’s all friends for May. I hope you had as good a reading month or better still.
My Upcoming reads for June 2021.
I plan on catching up on my NetGalley backlist. 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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