Book 8: The Idiot by Elif Batuman Right off the bat, I wrote a 3000 word essay because of this book and thankfully, a literary magazine published my essay, as well. It would seem as though it has been a lucky book for me. But was it good? One way to find out is to... Continue Reading →
On Loneliness and Learning
I forget to make notes during the week about the things I want to say. Instead, I talk to myself and say them out loud. Then, I forget about them. Whispering nothings and mutterings to the universe is an unconscious habit. Now I understand why my grandmother used to talk to herself while washing vessels,... Continue Reading →
Book 7: There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak Outside in the courtyard, the pine trees tower over him, silvery and needle-sharp, as if a giant seamstress has used the green hillside as her pincushion. Shafak, Elif. There are Rivers in the Sky (p. 302). (Function). Kindle Edition. Whenever I post about Elif... Continue Reading →
Book 6: The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy The first time I read Deborah Levy was when I was doing my world reading challenge in 2016. She came up as my writer for South Africa, somehow. Now that I think about it, I could have read something else for South Africa. At the time,... Continue Reading →
Book 5: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles But Fate would not have the reputation it has if it simply did what it seemed it would do. Towles, Amor. A Gentleman in Moscow (p. 80). (Function). Kindle Edition. I'm wary of book blurbs who exclaim loudly, and by that I mean, both in superlatives... Continue Reading →
Newfound Roads and Shades
As someone who has started driving in my Indian city, I see things that have no business being on the road. I am way past romanticising organised chaos; I cannot abide. This newfound skill has unlocked a new pathway in my brain which has given way to a whole host of emotions. At this point,... Continue Reading →
Book 4: The Railway by Hamid Ismailov I've read The Railway in two different periods of my life -- one when I was reading "world literature" for a year and this book was my pick for Uzbekistan, and second is this year when I was trying to take my literary reading seriously, or so I... Continue Reading →
The Minutes Come to Pass. Slowly.
The other day I was trying to record a video of myself talking and I wasn't able to do it successfully. I'm unable to jump onto the talk-to-the-camera bandwagon but I try, and I fail. I wanted to talk about the new "cool-girl" phenomenon as I call it; about how we're all expected to be... Continue Reading →
Book 3: When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut I picked up this book because of many recommendations on Reddit and because the title describes the current situation of our planet. This is a fictionalised non-fiction book that paints a picture of the lives of eminent scientists (physicists, chemists, and biologists) who... Continue Reading →