Does reading make you sensitive?

I was in a random bookish discussion with a friend the other day and this question just snaked in my mind. And I began to think about it.

As I started to think about all the books I have read, I realised a few things.

I have experienced things in the books. Things that I haven’t experienced in my real life (and obviously don’t want to experience some of them). For instance, best friends committing suicide. A close friend committing suicide is one of the most common events in YA books. Some describe it at length. Some focus entirely on how the person’s life changed completely by that one event. Death, in general, has been described ‘beautifully’ in books. The sense of loss… does that make one sensitive to suicide?

Some other books describe lives of people from different perspectives. The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho is a fine example. For those of you who haven’t read this book, it describes the same event of a woman’s life through the eyes of different people. And each person has a different point of view about the same event/action. Some call her an angel, some call her a witch.
Does a book like this make you sensitive to other people’s situations?

Does it make you more sensitive to relationships and the society at large?

Tell me what you feel in the comment.

 

Review: Turtles All The Way Down – A Must Read

Books that talk of mental illness have a special place in my heart. I cannot really say why, but books like Perks of Being a Wallflower, Norwegian Woods and now Turtles all the Way Down will probably always be on the ‘books I can read over and over again’ shelf.

Turtles All The Way Down, the latest by John Green was a brilliant read and a bloody fast one too. But before everything else, here’s a confession that I need to make: I have never read a John Green book before. So I won’t be able to tell you how the book compares with the other ones.

Turtles is the story of Aza, a girl carefully named for her father wanted her name to cover all the alphabets. Like most young adults, she has a best friend, Daisy, and a crazy love story going on in the background. Her love story with Davis Pickett has a mystery angle to it as well, in which Aza and Daisy go on to look for a runaway billionaire which has a promise to make them rich. All these stories run in the background of the central theme: Anxiety.

The book has an overall philosophical tone to it, which gets a little over-the-top sometimes. But otherwise when you’re done with reading and you lie on the bed thinking, it all makes sense. This is a book that makes you wanna think, really.

Among the many reasons as to why you should read th book, the prime one that strikes me is this : the characters are real. The people in the book are so real you’d think you could really meet one of them in real life. For instance, Aza has a car named ‘Harold’. Yes she has named it and she has a relationship with the car as if it were a person. Her emotions with the object are real. We all know at least one person who has real relationships with objects.

Another thing that’s commendable about the book is John Green’s knowledge about other things. Animals, stars, medicine, tech and so many other things. It is amazing to read so many new things.

This is a book you shouldn’t give a miss. It is a must read. Young or adult.

Oh and, the cover is beautiful.

Book: Turtles All The Way Down
Author: John Green
Publisher: Penguin Random House, UK
Pages: 286 (Hardcover)
Rating: 4.5/5

Sad Modern Lover

It’s sad to be a lover today.
Our letters are mails,
Our calls, texts.

I wish I loved you back when
letters were the real deal.
I’d keep all of them safe, and
wouldn’t fear them getting ‘deleted’.

I would’ve smelt them,
for your beautiful hands would’ve touched them.
I would’ve traced each word with my fingers,
for your heart must have whispered each phrase.
I would’ve kissed them, thinking I’ve kissed you,
for you must have spoken the words out loud.

And I would’ve held them close,
thinking I’ve embraced a part of you.

It’s sad to be a lover today.

5 Superb Women Authored Books You Could Start Reading NOW

Firstly, I am not a huge fan of ‘Women’s Day’. Sorry if that bothers you, but women and men and other genders are all amazing and fabulous. And women are superb beings. And one day is just not enough to celebrate a woman.

Anyhoo, here’s my list of the awesome women authors you have to read. HAVE TO. Women are rad, but these authors kick ass! A few months ago, or maybe last year, I don’t remember, I got down to reading only women authors. Specially coloured authors like Alice Walker, of course Angelou, Octavia Butler and the likes. Then there was Katherine Stockett, our very own Sudha Murthy (I love her!), Louisa M Alcott, Sylvia Plath, the very rad Sandberg etc etc.

So what happened when I read women authors for about two months. I felt somehow more confident, happier and proud. Being a woman, it is so good to read stories about other women. And if you’re someone who thinks that women stories are all about their ranting and are sad depressing stories then oh you’re so mistaken.

So without boring you to death, here’s my list of the amazing women authors you could start reading right away.

1. The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
I read this on my Kindle, but oh I so want the physical copy of this book after reading this. It is a book I could re-read. It is a classic. I will not give you the synopsis of the tale, but I will tell you this… The story will make you feel miserable and will then set your spirits free. The relationship between Celie and Shug Avery is what you should look out for.

2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Like women who don’t follow no rules? This book is going to introduce three marvellous women to you and will leave you with a laughing heart. And what’s better, the villains and the heroes of the book are both women. So no man-beating here. It is a fast read.

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
I cannot explain this book to you, you gotta read this wonderfully poetic and powerful book to fall in love with Angelou.

4. Pinjar by Amrita Pritam (Hindi & Punjabi)
Pinjar is a heart wrenching tale of Puro, that puts forth the harrowing situation of women during the Indo-Pak partition. What’s amazing about the tale is how Puro embodies the injustice and the frustration it accompanies with it, and yet, like most women she rises from her ashes only to find immense strength and courage in her. Read it for the marvellous storytelling of Amrita Pritam.

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Most of you must have read this already, but if you haven’t, please, please do. And if you have, this is a book worth a re-read. A story of a mother and four little women, struggling through the trials and tribulations of the Civil War. Everybody loves the March family, and I swear you would too.

So go ahead and read all these lovely books. Thank me later!

हटा दो

तो फिर हटा दो वो झूठे लाज का घूंघट
वो तौर तरीकों के जाले
वो नज़ाखत वो अदाएं …
फिर ही तो मिल पाओगे मुझसे तुम
बेबाक , बेशरम, बिना झूठ बिना सच
बिना खुद के , बिना मेरे ।

फिर हटा देना वो सोच के दायरे
मैं क्या देखूंगा
क्या सोचूंगा
क्या कहूँगा
जब आना मुझसे मिलने
तो बस अपनी रूह लाना…
नंगी, अनछुई,
ना साफ़ ना मैली।

5 life-lessons taught by a 13-year-old

Anne Frank, the diary of a young girl is a book that comes under ‘must-read’ in everybody’s list. It is not only an awesome book for historians, but an emotional roller coaster for everyone. As emotional as the book may be, it is also surprisingly uplifting and humorous.

What some readers will appreciate is the sheer wisdom that Anne Frank exhibits at an age so young. And through that wisdom and understanding, I’ve lifted five amazing quotes from the book that will really encourage you to look at life in a new light.

Just when you think you don’t have the time, remember this.

So many things, so often, make us so sad. But if only we remember that the world still exists and the flowers still bloom, and the birds still chirp, we’ll continue to be happy.

Life isn’t so easy, and people aren’t always kind. But just because they don’t care about your opinion, doesn’t mean you cannot have one.

Always be thankful. Always.

Even after a long lazy day I have felt tired and wasted and guilty. But a day full of work and production has often left me tired, sure, but so so satisfied.

Such wise words are worth every re-read of the book. If you’re someone who is still unaware of the blazing light that envelopes the reader, you must really really pick this book up as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.

It Is So Hard For Me To Read Non-Fiction. Help!

A new year is here and I am absolutely glad that I am entering this year loaded with books to read. I have on my list four Man Booker awardees, namely, The Underground Railroad , Lincoln in the Bardo, A Horse Walks Into A Bar and The Sellout. These books will take about two months to finish. So yeah, I’m sorted for the beginning of the year.

What I am sad about and want to change in the year 2018, is that my shelves are loaded with fictions. If you go through my Goodreads, you’d see a variety of fiction novels. But alas, I have not read one non-fiction. It is so very difficult for me to read a non-fiction. Why, you ask?

Consider this. I really wanted to know about the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. And I have an absolutely amazing book, The Siege: The Attack on Taj by Adrian Levy, sitting on my bookshelf (my husband’s actually). I picked that book up. The author starts with the names of all the real people in the attack. After the list, he starts telling us about a father-daughter duo who worked at the Taj. A real father-daughter duo. And that was it. I couldn’t read further. I knew that either one of them was going to die, or rather all the people on the list. Yes, characters die in fiction, but fictional characters. Not real people!! Do you understand? I cannot live with the idea that all the people who suffered in the book suffered for real. Their pain was real, their losses were real.

GIF source- giphy

My eyes welled up when I realised that the father-daughter duo would either die or get separated for life. And I couldn’t take it anymore. This is the reason I cannot read non-fiction. I get too attached to the people. So I need your help here.
I really want to read all the lovely books out there, but what is it that I am doing wrong? Am I picking the wrong books for the start? Am I reading it wrong? Or what is it?

Do you have some tricks or tips under your sleeve that can help me read better without crying a river?

Help!

Is Amazon Kindle the right thing for you?

Amazon Kindle is absolutely amazing. Hands down, it is the best gadget for all your reading needs. A decent Kindle costs about Rs. 10,000. And although Amazon tempts you with discounts and brings down the cost by three grands, you’re not sure if you should spend that hard-earned money on the device. I have owned a Kindle for five years. And I have decided on these 9 questions that will help you decide if you should buy the gadget.

1. Do you love showing off your book collection?
   Yes – The Kindle is not for you. All your books are digital. However expensive, beautiful or show-off worthy, they’re inside your device. So you cannot really sport a wonderful teak bookshelf.
   No – Buy the damn thing. If you’re someone who doesn’t care about who sees what you’re reading, then the Kindle is for you.
2. Do you lend your books to others and love sharing the experience of reading?
   Yes – If you’re a lender and like it when people read your books and enjoy it, then the Kindle is not for you. Kindle does not allow sharing books, at least in India. They do offer this in the US, but not in India.  
   No – If you hate people taking your books or even touching them, the Kindle is for you. Your books stay yours, now and forever. You just don’t share because you can’t. Yay!
3. Do you wear spectacles?
   Yes – I wear specs myself, and half the time, I forget them on my bed post, or my side table, or in the pocket of a coat. I am often seen squinting to read something. And when I don’t have my specs, reading a book can be a nightmare. A paper book, that is. But my dear Kindle lets me set the font size. Specs or no specs, I can read my books with minimal stress. If you can totally relate to this, you need a Kindle.   
   No – But, do you often find text to be too small, or the size being a problem when you’re on a bus because it all gets so shaky? A kindle can solve this problem. It can adjust font size and font face. Which is absolutely great.
4.  Do you travel a lot and read a lot during those travels?
   Yes –  I haven’t met a person who likes to travel heavy. And a Kindle weights about 200 grams. That’s feather light. And in 200 grams, you can carry hundreds of books without the weight! And what if you’ve finished your book and need a new one? Well, just download a new one! All you need is the internet. 
   No – Well, if you don’t travel a lot, you could probably do without a Kindle. But that is when you don’t travel to work as well. Because reading on a Kindle is a hundred times better when you’re on a bus or are crushing between people in the metro. Sometimes in the rush, your book falls, you have to shut it because there is no space, people go tugging at your bookmark etc. But in a Kindle, one button and there you go. You’ve closed your book, put the bookmark, and what’s more, the size lets you slide it into your bag, or jacket pocket with utter ease. Your books wont crease!
5. Do you read many books at once?
   Yes- Buy the Kindle. One, because it can carry thousands of books on the device without any ‘space’ problem. Two, it bookmarks your last page read on every book without you having to remember where you stopped. You can read many books with absolute ease, without even having to carry the load.
   No- You don’t need a Kindle just for its feature of holding a thousand books at once.
6. Are you forgetful?
   Yes- So, you forget your book at home, at office, on the metro, in the car? Buy a Kindle. You will remember carrying it just as you remember carrying your phone. And you’ll never be without a book again.
   No- You mean you’ve never forgotten to carry your book with you? Well. Okay.
7. Do your devices always show ‘low battery’?
   Yes- Relax, you need to charge your Kindle only once a fortnight. And that’s when you’re reading all day. And if you’re also reading all night, probably a recharge once a week will do it. I’m serious. The battery life of the device is killer.
   No- Then you have one less device to charge! A Kindle needs to be charged only once in a fortnight! Isn’t it a dream device?
8. Do you read at night?
   Yes- And if you have someone sleeping next to you, you can turn those lights off and turn on your Kindle. No, it does not strain your eyes. The lights in the Kindle don’t work like a mobile phone’s, it is soft and adjustable. Which is pretty cool.
   No- Then you can probably do with the cheapest Kindle. It does not have backlight, but has all the other perks.
9. Do you really want to read the books but find them way too expensive?
   Yes- You’d be glad to know, Kindle versions of books are often very cheap, or they are available at considerable discounts. So that’s a plus.
   No- But who minds cheaper, yet legal, books?

So there you go. decide for yourself if you really need it. As for me, I love the device. It is awesome to own one. Even if you don’t use it everyday, you can always read on it sometimes. Some books are way too expensive, and Kindle comes to the rescue. Some books are hard to find or are not available in your country, use Kindle versions. A Kindle is a beautiful gadget, to own and to gift.

 

The Amazing Reading Challenge: Book Bingo

We all set goals to read a certain number of books each year, and some of my more ambitious friends set one for each month. Some other like me get lost about what to read next and appreciate a challenge now and then to help us catch on reading habits. So here’s a challenge I thought would really help one read.

You must all have played bingo. Remember those 5×5 boxes with random numbers with the goal of the game was to finish one line?

So I found a book bingo on Goodreads and another one on the Penguin website. But they were not  made for the Indian audience. So I designed my own! Yay!

The rules are real simple. Let me run you through them:

1. Pick a line of five squares. It can be vertical, horizontal and/or diagonal.
2. Each book you read can fill only one square. No two squares can have the same book.
3. Tick the boxes off as you finish reading the book and you can write the name of the book as you finish, just to keep a track.
4. Celebrate your win!

Here’s the bingo for you to download and print.

Usually, this game is played in a library. But like me, you can play this with your friends. What I am currently playing with my friends is this; we have all decided to race to complete one line. And whoever completes the line first gets a book from each of the other players. Fun no? And when one line is done and one person has won, you can print a new box and start all over again. This time picking a different set of books for the same line or you can try a different line altogether. Trust me, it is going to be so much fun!

So till now, I have only completed an autobiography – Lone Fox Dancing (Ruskin Bond), which I think I will put under ‘Indian Author’ so as to complete the second last horizontal line. And am currently reading the Schindler’s List, which I think I will put under ‘Based on True Story’. But, let’s see.

This is a great opportunity to find new books to read, and explore new genres. I had never read an autobiography, but looks like I really liked it. So I will try reading more of them. And I also have ‘Open by Andre Agassi’ in my mind. The book looks promising. And them probably I will dwell into ‘A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway’.

So go on people, get reading with your book club, friends, make it a family feud or just play by yourself. The idea is to keep reading and getting to know more characters. 🙂

Happy reading.
Do tell me if you downloaded it and are playing it. Also, share your completed bingo with me.

Show me some love!

Read them ‘fore they turn to films in 2018

Everybody loves a good book and we all love to watch our favourite books in the form of movies. Yeah, we all can criticise it later about how major chunks of the book were missing in the film, but nevertheless. With the dearth of original thought and mostly every aspect of love and war covered in movies, film makers are bound to turn to books. And some of the best books are being directed by some of the best film makers.

Then there are some of us, like me, who want to read the book before they watch the movie. Like, when Life of Pi came out, I wanted to watch the movie so very much, but just because I had not read the book by then, I did not watch it. So, before these books turn to movies in the coming year, you have about two months to read them, because the films are going to be irresistible!

There are more than twenty such books. But I’ll list down eight, if you’re to finish one book a week. 🙂

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

The book has been voted as the best science fiction of the 21st century! And only one man could probably do justice to the racing plot – Steven Spielberg.
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade finds himself solving puzzles and competing with players who are ready to kill, for the winner is promised immense power and fortune.
Spielberg with Warner Bros. is all set to thrill us. And before he does, go read it!
Buy it on Amazon and while your order arrives, watch the trailer.

2. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven 

Are you a John Green fan and ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ is your love bible? Then this book is for you, and so is the movie that stars Elle Fanning (Super 8 fame).
The story revolves around Theodore Finch, a boy who loves the idea of death and Violet, who is grieving for her dead sister. When the two meet on the ledge of the school bell tower, it is unclear who saves whom. And they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, only to make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
Buy it on Amazon and while your order is delivered, watch the trailer.

3. Calling Sehmat by Harinder Sikka 

The book by Harinder Sikka is being turned into a film named ‘Raazi’ which would be directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Karan Johar. It will see Alia Bhatt as Sehmat.
The book is about a Kashmiri woman who married a Pakistani Army Officer so as to provide the Indian intelligence with invaluable information during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Sehmat devised unique ways in her quest to get closer to the top brass in Pakistan. She almost single-handedly torpedoed Pakistans war plans through indefinable courage, wit and determination and was responsible for saving lives of scores of Indian soldiers.
Read it before it hits the cinemas in May, 2018. Buy your copy here.

4. Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadows Taylor 

Hold your breath, because Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fathima Sana Sheikh are set to star in the adaptation of the novel in the film – Thugs of Hindostan. It is set to release on Diwali, 2018.
Confessions of a Thug is the most influential novel about India before Kipling’s Kim and was one of the best-selling crime novels of the nineteenth century. In the course of a confession to a white ‘sahib’ the imprisoned Ameer Ali recounts his life as a devoted follower of Thuggee, a secret religious cult practising ritual mass murder and robbery. Taylor uncovered evidence of the crimes committed by bands of Thugs as a Superintendent of Police in India during the 1820s.
Read it now so you can boast about how you know the entire script of an Aamir Khan movie! It has a cheap kindle edition that you can download on your phone and read wherever whenever.

5. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter 

Love a nice animated film? Then you better read this before it hits the screen this spring.
Peter Rabbit warns naughty children about the grave consequences of misbehaving. When Mrs. Rabbit beseeches her four furry children not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden, the impish Peter naturally takes this as an open invitation to create mischief. He quickly gets in over his head, when he is spotted by farmer McGregor himself. Any child with a spark of sass will find Peter’s adventures remarkably familiar. And they’ll see in Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail that bane of their existence: the “good” sibling who always does the right thing. One earns bread and milk and blackberries for supper, while the obstinate folly of the other warrants medicine and an early bedtime.
Everybody loves this world famous children’s book, and it is a must read and a must have for everyone, kids and adults alike. Buy it and put it in your bookshelf and I promise, it would be a beautiful addition. Oh and you can also watch the trailer.

6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

This book has seen many an adaptations. But this one will star Johnny Depp. Yes, Depp. So if you haven’t read this book yet, go for it. Buy it, borrow it, steal it, but please read it.
As the plot goes, a scientist, Griffin, creates a serum to render himself invisible. And unable to reverse the invisibility he decends into madness.
I’d say, read the book anyway. It is over a hundred years old book. Published in 1897. Yes. So go ahead, read it.

 

 

7. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.
Meg’s father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?
You’ve totally got to read this one. And I bet you’d want to after you watch this trailer.

8. Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 

Clever, tragic, funny, mysterious, unexpected. These are only a few words people have used to describe the book. Vonnegut is an author you’d fall in love with. Sooner the better.
Broad humor and bitter irony collide in this fictional autobiography of Rabo Karabekian, who, at age seventy-one, wants to be left alone on his Long Island estate with the secret he has locked inside his potato barn. But then a voluptuous young widow badgers Rabo into telling his life story—and Vonnegut in turn tells us the plain, heart-hammering truth about man’s careless fancy to create or destroy what he loves.
Buy it. It has a bloody 4.02/5 rating on Goodreads!

So yeah, that’s the list of the most amazing and compelling storytelling that’re going to hit the screens the coming year and if you’re a reader and a film buff, you really gotta read these books. Watching a film after reading the book is a joy you shouldn’t miss.