Some random thoughts about some reads over the last few months. Better unedited thoughts than nothing...
Madhulika Liddle’s The Englishman’s Cameo was also a book that I picked having read something good about it on a blog. It’s a murder mystery set in Delhi of the Mughal era, Shahjahan’s time to be precise. What I enjoyed was the lucid writing, the writing style fit the era. But somehow it wasn’t a page turner - maybe it was because of the language and the plot, a detective story set in an era where it can unfold with only the aid of the protagonist's keen observation - I just can’t put my finger on it now. But I remember being quite glad when I turned the last page over. The ending itself was quite disappointing, very rushed up - in contrast to the tone of the book. Muzaffur Jung, however, is an impressive creation.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri was a wedding gift. I wish I had jotted down what I felt when I read it because it would probably sound like I was on a high. An effortless read, a page-turner, an honest tale with characters well etched out. Every line breathes life.
When I was out of books to read, and unwilling to commit myself to a library book, I eyed my husband's 'Thinking in Systems' a primer by Donella Meadows. This got me thinking, and I was glad to read something of a value of a different kind. Maybe I'll put down something on this book later on.
Madhulika Liddle’s The Englishman’s Cameo was also a book that I picked having read something good about it on a blog. It’s a murder mystery set in Delhi of the Mughal era, Shahjahan’s time to be precise. What I enjoyed was the lucid writing, the writing style fit the era. But somehow it wasn’t a page turner - maybe it was because of the language and the plot, a detective story set in an era where it can unfold with only the aid of the protagonist's keen observation - I just can’t put my finger on it now. But I remember being quite glad when I turned the last page over. The ending itself was quite disappointing, very rushed up - in contrast to the tone of the book. Muzaffur Jung, however, is an impressive creation.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri was a wedding gift. I wish I had jotted down what I felt when I read it because it would probably sound like I was on a high. An effortless read, a page-turner, an honest tale with characters well etched out. Every line breathes life.
Invisible Lives was a light read thrown in between at the suggestion of the librarian. I'd call it chick-lit, but not a very good one at that. It's probably one of the better written ones in the Indian writing category, but that wasn't what I was looking for.
Sister of My Heart by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni was another wonderful read. Divakaruni is probably the only author whose works I will pick up without hesitation. Narrated alternately by two 'sisters' it takes one through their lives from the time they are born, through to their adulthood. Anju and Sudha's narration and perspectives of what they see around them is what adds life to the tale.
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino is or was supposedly the rage in Japan when it came out. It's easy to see why. A must read for anyone who enjoys a tale, genre no bar. A fast paced page-turner this is a book full of surprises till the very last word. This is a lot given that the crime is perpetrated a few pages into the book with all details laid to bare for the reader.What's the suspense about then, you ask? Just read it.
When I was out of books to read, and unwilling to commit myself to a library book, I eyed my husband's 'Thinking in Systems' a primer by Donella Meadows. This got me thinking, and I was glad to read something of a value of a different kind. Maybe I'll put down something on this book later on.
And now, the trigger for this post which was like a head fake. These days I find myself unwillingly to (ok, chicken about) reading anything too 'emotional'. "Nothing too sad", seems to be an oft-used phrase at the library. The first time I said it, there was a pause before I was assured "that's fair enough". I don't know if it's a good change to become suddenly restrictive in what you read.Sometimes for no reason other than, I don't feel like reading a tale of this sort (this is really new to me, a look at my shelfari will tell you that) So there goes 'The Famished Road' by Ben Okri, its fate decided less than a day after it was issued. Just because I don't feel upbeat about reading something with all these innumerable spirits thrown in. Maybe, no, I'm sure from the books I've read in my previous reading life that there's more to the book than these spirits, but whatever it might be, it just isn't enough for me to keep reading it right now. I'm growing up, or old... I'm just growing.
