mixedbagComments Off on My Reading Shelfie – Dec 2015
And then there’s one more – a pdf book.
Two history books, one engaging story about a great personal victory and one with invaluable life lessons intertwined with mythology. It’s a good mix of my favorite genres so naturally, I’m very excited about this collection.
But time continues to be something that’s in short supply. With my parents leaving for India, my “me time” has taken a severe beating. However, reading and blogging are like lovers that don’t like casual flings. They demand commitment. I miss my parents sorely and to top that, M’s afternoon naps are getting shorter (some days she doesn’t nap at all, quelle horreur!). All this contributed to losing my blogging mojo and put me on the precipice of quitting. And then just in time, inspiration came, as it usually does..in an unexpected way – in the form of a movie.
“Wild’ is based on a novel by Cheryl Strayed. It is the true story of Cheryl Strayed, who hikes the long and treacherous Pacific Crest Trail (which goes all the way from Mexico to Canada) to cope with the death of her mother. It is a wonderful and emotional story of a woman on a quest for self-discovery. I highly recommend this movie!
Wild gave me some much-needed motivation to get back on track with blogging.I know I have to plow through this block. I have to put a ring on it and make a conscious effort to make time to read and to write. I’m sure all bloggers go through phases like this. Do tell, how do you get your mojo back? I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
And now on to my ‘to-read’ list –
Umrao Jan Ada – The Courtesan of Lucknow. This story was originally published in Urdu in 1899. Umrao Jaan is the tragic story of a young girl from a modest family who is kidnapped and sold to a kotha in Lucknow. Umrao Jaan, although a courtesan, is also known to have been a great poet and an Urdu scholar. Bollywood has paid a couple of tributes to Umrao Jaan and although I know the story, it will be nice to read the (translated) work of Mirza Hadi Ruswa and explore the social dynamics of a Lucknow 100 years ago.
Mughal History – it seems like I cannot get enough of it. This book was recommended by a very talented fellow blogger – Deepak, who blogs here. This book brings me almost full circle on Mughal history. Having read quite a lot about the Mughal reign in India, right from Babar to Shahjahan, this book takes me further- to the last Mughal – Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was crowned when British power in India was on a steady rise and Mughal power was on the decline. William Dalrymple also happens to be one of my favorite authors. I loved his ‘City of Djinns’, so this is a treat!
Brain on Fire – My month of madness is author Susannah Cahalan’s true story. She has a sudden seizure one night and shortly afterwards she is hospitalized for paranoia, hallucinations and insomnia. She is diagnosed as having a rare disease where her brain is attacked by her own body. I have always been intrigued by the workings of our brain. I’ve been through severe post-partum depression myself and anxiety and depression still continue to to pay me friendly visits at times. So I’m looking forward to reading this and hopefully understanding a little more about how to cope when our brain acts up.
The Nomad Learns Morality by Tomichan Matheikal. This book is a collection of short stories which question what really is “right” or “wrong” as we know these terms. These stories take from mythology – from the Ramayana and some fiction to throw light on moral dilemmas faced by mankind since time immemorial. Why I’m really excited about this book is because I’ve been following this author for a while now and I am a fan of his writing style. Mr. Matheikal is a prolific writer and he blogs here.
So that’s it for the ‘to-read’ list. I’m hoping to review some of these books soon.I’d really welcome book recommendations from you. So if you’ve come across a great book, pass it on!
