Book of the Month : June 2015

After May, June was a mixed bag. I guess every month can't be a winner. But I was able to see some foreign locales and get interesting cultural insights this month, so it was not a total loss.

Without further ado, Phil presents to you...

Sugar and Other Stories by A.S. Byatt - 2 / 5

I've been wanting to try Byatt but had always been rather intimidated. So I thought I'll start with her short stories. Seemed simple enough. I still don't know if that was a good idea or not, because I simply did not understand her. The language was convoluted and so were the plots.  A couple of stories were nice, like 'The Day E. M. Forster Died' and 'The July Ghost', but most of it went over my head. I felt like a 5 yr old trying to read Shakespeare. Not a collection I enjoyed on the whole.

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter - 2 / 5

The idea behind the book sounded super interesting. Brothers Grimm and Hans Anderson more so, had changed the folk stories to make it more palatable for children. In doing so, he took out the morbid and morally confusing aspects. So Carter set out to rehash the familiar fairy tales, from their popular PG rated version back to the the original tales full of sex and violence. Sounded exciting and I was all set. Except, like Byatt, this woman too writes highly convoluted sentences which felt like a cipher than a statement. The basic stories were interesting, especially comparing how the original actually unfolds vs. the popular versions. But I felt it was much too complicated a writing just to say a few fairy tales.

Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie - 3.2 / 5

She seems to be my go-to gal whenever I want some light reading. This was a collection of 4 stories and the title story I thought was brilliant. So was Triangle at Rhodes but the other two (Dead Man's Mirror, The Incredible Theft) were just ok.  I 'm starting to feel comparatively, that novels are more of her strong point than short stories. But still worth picking up coz after all she's the 'queen of crime'!

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo - 3.5 / 5

It's not easy to deal with death and all the more when you are a child. I love how deftly DiCamillo has dealt with the subject.  I feel her writings remind you what it means to be a kid - the intensity of emotion, of both joy and sorrow, the ease of forgiveness borne out of the need to grow, feeling trapped between adult needs and your dependency on people less than perfect. It reminds you childhood can be both a wonderful and a terrifying place. While this was not as brilliant as 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane', there is no doubt that DiCamillo is a powerhouse in children's literature.

Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski - 3.7 / 5

If you are looking to read a book on Thailand and get a feel of the people and place, I'm not sure if this is something I recommend. You do get a vague snap shot of the history of Northern Thailand but since the book mostly tends to deal with American missionaries and anthropologists, you don't get a feel of it's native people. But that doesn't change the fact that it is an engrossing read and you do get a good insight into the lives of people who leave behind a way of life to embrace a whole new culture, like missionaries and anthropologists. Berlinski successfully blurs the lines between fact and fiction creating an extremely believable story. If not for the disclaimer by Berlinski, you would walk away feeling that you were reading about a true incident.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - 4  / 5

Both the book and the movie had been on my list of must-read/watch-cult-fiction and I'm happy to report the book is everything it promised to be. It panders to your most childish notions of good and bad; and does it with panache. The base story is the most cliched bunch of Bollywood story bits mashed together ( drama, laughs, emotion, romance, action) but the narrator makes all the difference. Goldman makes you laugh so hard and in spite of knowing where the story is heading, builds suspense and drama like no other. Pick it up for a good old fashioned adventure!

Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap - 4.1 / 5

I had never been to Thailand when I took up the book, but it din't matter because Lapcharoensap is just brilliant at capturing the place though his short stories. The stories have at their heart universal themes but it's drawn in distinctly Thai flavors. The language has a wonderful clarity that brings everyone he writes about alive.Most of the stories have a mix of sadness and hope, and seen mainly from a young person's perspective. It feels like the struggle of leaving behind childhood and it's innocence and straddling between adulthood is part of Thailand trying to define itself.  You get the sense that people are tired of being exploited by the foreigners but are too polite and too dependent to push back. It's hard to pinpoint why it feels so Thai, but it does. It's warm and alive, the stories and you get to bring back some lovely memories of the place and the people with this book.

And now to the Book of the Month. She's one of my favorite writers and her prose is so fine tuned that reading her words is like the feeling of being covered in satin.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman - 4.5 / 5

Anne Fadiman's At Large and At Small, a collection of familiar essays, is one of my most read (and loved) books. So, it stood to reason that I should try her book - 'The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures'. The title threw me off. It sounded like a Ph.D thesis report of an anthropologist - dry.  To say I was wrong doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how wonderful it was. She took a medical case file of a child with epilepsy and turned into a narrative of humanity and it's follies. Most of us like to think of ourselves as broadminded, especially the more educated. But no matter how broad minded we are, we have our blind spots and Fadiman highlights how we ignore them. She explores the two cultures, Hmong and the western medicine dispassionately. Sherwin Nuland said of the account, "There are no villains in Fadiman's tale, just as there are no heroes. People are presented as she saw them, in their humility and their frailty--and their nobility."

It took me almost a year to finish. Not because it's anything less than spectacular, but because it's so wonderfully empathetic to all the pain and human emotions that I found it hard to read it without feeling the pain myself. It can leave you feeling like a raw wound but out of that pain comes compassion and understanding of your prejudices. It opens you up to accepting those with whom you have nothing in common other than humanity. Fadiman proves again and again that she's one of the most underrated and brilliant writers I've ever come across.

Well, that's it for June. Wish you all happy rains and happy reading!
Take care,
Phil!

Book of the Month : May 2015

May was an absolute revelation.. Like I said it here, it was the month for women power. It happened entirely by accident that ( except for the last two books) that almost all I read was by women ( except one). I have to say, I din't expect to be a different experience.  I have never really thought about authors really having a gender. I mean, it's a incidental thing, and never thought it was something which could influence their writing. I was pleasantly surprised to find I was wrong.

Anyways, I have already ranted why, so I'll get on with it!

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" by Lena Dunham - 1.5 / 5

I don't know what kind of girl she is, but she is definitely not the kind of girl who should be allowed to write a book. In a book,  least one character should be likable, preferably the narrator. But there is only consistent character, that is Dunham and she's comes across as the embodiment of the privileged white girl with first world problems. I had watched a couple of episodes of  her hit show Girls and I had found them quite funny imagining of course that she's being ironic about the bunch of whiny loser girls. But turns out she's not. And the more you read the book, the more irritated you feel at her whining, why life is not going as planned though she doesn't take any effort. For the longest time I wondered if this is some sort of age gap at work,if  this is how the new kids think, the entitlement. But she's barely 2 yrs younger to me so that theory went out to the window. Her stories are disjointed and there's a marked lack of continuity between chapters. And honestly by the end of the book, you are quite clueless what the hell she has "learned".

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie - 3 / 5

It felt a bit tame for Poirot, but I found it interesting because it shows the human side of his secretary Miss Lemon. The ending also was a little contrived and far fetched. Not Agatha Christie's best work.


Dunham's book made me a little suspicious of picking the next one afraid it is going to blow up in my face. But I knew I would eventually read it anyways ( coz I loveee her), so might as well get it over with. So that's how I ended up with...

Bossypants by Tina Fey - 3.2 / 5

And it was everything that you want and expect from Tina Fey. She's warm, funny, engaging and most importantly, grounded. I was a wee bit disappointed that most of the book is about her professional life and you don't see much of her personal life ( I believe she's saving that for her autobiography when she's 80). But I do love her energy and enthusiasm especially when she faces discrimination. Her attitude is more like "Life is not fair. Ok, so we'll work harder and then say 'HA HA' to life!' and what's not to love about it. There are a couple of chapters which are rather random but overall a fun read.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling - 3.4 / 5

I love Fey and I always will, but Mindy totally stole my heart with this book. I don't always find her show funny but her book was hilarious. She too is warm, funny, grounded. I love how she has made it plain that any success that she enjoys is through sheer grit and doggedness. She's not dismissing that luck and perhaps even talent might have played a part but mostly it's sticking with it till it works. The book is like a light, refreshing chat with a friend, so go pick it up for a pick-me-up! :)

Tamarind City by Bishwanath Ghosh - 3.4 / 5

I have a theory that anyone who loves Chennai ( or Madras, as purists insist) is someone who can look beyond the superficial and see you for who you are. I'm yet to meet a person who loves Chennai and I've not liked. On the surface, yes, it's hellishly hot and humid. But if you keep that aside, spend some time, you'll also find out that the place is gorgeous amalgamation of good people, charming culture and cosy beaches. So when Mr.Ghosh, an outsider who has been charmed ( like myself) takes it upon himself to explore my favorite city I knew I would love it. He's done a lovely job of presenting the historical Madras and the present day Chennai. Towards the end the book it becomes more about him and less about the city and I found the narrative a tad weak there. I don't blame him because the city becomes so intertwined with your soul that you stop identifying it as something separate. But that doesn't always make it more interesting for the reader. Overall, if you thought you knew Chennai, well, think again and pick up the book because it's going to totally surprise you. And if you are not a fan of the city, then too pick up the book because you'll find out why you should be!

PS: He was the only male author in the month of May. But as far as I'm concerned his subject was female, so it all works out!

Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie -  3.6 / 5

It was a bit underwhelming for a Pulitzer prize winner. The prize sets up a huge expectation. I feel this is one of those books which, had I approached without the Pulitzer tag I would have enjoyed it more. Her language is lovely and her characters, though quite mundane, are memorable. I think that's what makes this book a great read. She takes almost clichéd characters and given them a new life within the framework of the cliché. We get a glimpse of the inner workings of the dowdy spinster and the beautiful and spoiled actress. How life is exactly as we imagine when we judge someone  and fit them into a box; and yet it is never as we expect it either. Quite an interesting exercise in 'not judging a book by the cover'.

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo - 3.7/ 5

Thank you Mr. President!

I have Barack Obama to thank for having led me to this book and the lovely DiCamillo. It was in his book buying list (here's the list) and there were enough books that I had enjoyed before, so thought I'll pick up some and try. I found the blurb for Flora and Ulysses quite ticklish so I got my hand on it immediately ( also got 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomena' by Anthony Marra but have not read it yet).

The book is about the self-described 10 yr old cynic Flora (she reminds me of a 10 yr old Calvin, Bill Watterson's that is) and the superhero squirrel Ulysses with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry. It's so wonderfully relate-able, especially Flora's relationship with her parents. It has abundance of humor laced with an underlying sadness and K. G. Campbell's illustrations capture it perfectly. It's a funny blend of book and comic and the technique as been used to the maximum effect. You really don't know where to draw the line ( Is it a comic? It is a book?). But that doesn't matter because it works to pull you into the story.

I love that DiCamillo treats her young readers as perceptive individuals who are quite capable of understanding that people can be both good and bad. Quite a refreshing approach to a children's book to have characters who are grey rather than black and white in their personalities. She also uses language which might be a little above a child's but again I love that she's challenging her young readers to grow and learn. It's a wonderful ride getting to know Flora and her weird family (and of course Ulysses), one I'm sure you will enjoy even if you are no longer 10 yrs old!

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear - 3.7 / 5

There are not many female detectives who have captured the imagination. After reading Maisie Dobbs I, for the life of me, can't figure out why. She's not flamboyant like Sherlock or Poirot, but I loved her practical, no nonsense approach to problems. I also loved the story premise, set after the World War. So often we hear the exploits of the soldiers in the war but rarely do we bother with what happens after. We think that it was the war itself which was the hardship and that once it is over, they will move on like the rest of us. Winspear has explored the sensitive issue brilliantly without taking away any of the excitement that goes into a mystery. And nor has she kept the personal life of the protagonist, Dobbs, non-existent like in the case of Holmes. Instead she uses it to enrich the experience of getting to know Dobbs. I can't wait to pick up more of the series.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott -  4 / 5

If ever you are faced with a writer's block, this is the book to pick up. Or because you have never tried writing because you are afraid to find out what that would be like, pick up Bird by Bird. Or you just love books, then too you should pick it up. What Lamott does give you behind-the-scenes of writing a book. Not the edited, stylised version but the sweat, blood, tears and bare bones that makes writing what it is. It's not always pretty but it's wonderfully fulfilling. And she does it with gentle humor and grace. Even if you don't have any dreams of being a best selling author ( you don't have to lie to me :-P) it's still a lovely read because you really start to appreciate the effort it takes to be called an author.

And finally it's time for the book of the month..

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo - 4.5 / 5

I could not believe this was a children's book because it was so wise and beautiful and sad. It broke my heart. It really did. And yet I could not help but loving it fiercely! I know DiCamillo credits her young readers with far more grace and understanding than most adults do, but here I was a little skeptical if this is something I would want to give to a child to read because it was so heartbreaking.

The story line is simple enough, though the language is a little more advanced at times for a children's book. But that is all secondary. Edward Tulane, the porcelain rabbit who gets adopted and loved by different people at different points of his life carves out a space for himself in your heart whether you want it or not. Not just Edward, each character shines with realness; they are imperfect yet all the more beautiful because of it. As Edward's pride diminishes, as his heart grows warmer and filled with love, your heart too swells till it feels like its going to burst. Well, in my case, I guess it did because I found myself bawling away as I was closing the book. It made me intensely grateful for the people I love and who love me. It reminded me to not take the wonderful blessings I have for granted. Most importantly, it showed me what love, real heartbreaking kind of love can do. For that alone, you should pick up the book. Again, it'll hurt, but think of it as growing pains for your heart!

Well, that's the 10 books which made up May. See you soon!
Take care and Keep reading, folks!
Phil!

Book of the month : Jan 2015

Usually, at the beginning of the year, I don't take resolutions. The last resolution I took was roughly a decade back about never taking resolutions and I'm proud to say I've stuck to it longer than most people do with their annual ones. Instead, I open my dairy or blog and write down all that I had been grateful for the previous year and all that I hope the new year to be. This year I was shifting houses so I din't have time to do my usual reminiscing and hoping. In a way, that was good. It broke the flow. While there is a lot to be said about looking back and being grateful for all the wonderful memories and blessings ( and I firmly believe it should be done regularly for a happy life), the whole new-house-in-the-new-year seemed like a good place to take a few resolutions and I hope I stick to them with the same fervor I had stuck with my last one.

Won't bore you with all the details other than the one which is relevant here i.e to read 100 book this year. I did roughly about 50 last year. But funny thing is I barely read even 5 books in the first half of year. But then out of the blue I decided on a social experiment on myself : to keep off social media as long as I can and see what the difference is.  And the difference was the rest of the 45 books, among other changes. Suddenly I had time for a whole bunch of stuff I always wanted to do. So this year, to keep myself from being tempted to return to the rather soul-sucking-time-consuming-yet-ever-so-shiny-world of social media, I will read. And read a 100 books at that. And while I'm reading I might as well tell people what was worth the time and what wasn't because let's face it, not all books are written equal. And thus born was the 'book of the month' blogging resolution! :)

Ok, now that you have suffered though the back story, let's get to the point.

Books read this month, in random order.. actually why... not all books are written equal so why should they be presented equally. I will present them in the order of my rating.

Assuming Names by Tanya Thompson - 2.3 / 5
Supposedly based on a true story, I found the book dead average. I mention the true story bit because it usually that makes the narrative more compelling/inspiring/horrifying etc etc (depending on what the author is saying). It's not that I completely disbelieve her, it's just that I don't completely believe her. There are some aspects of the story which provide an interesting insight into human nature. But most of it, in spite of being a rather racy read ( and by that I don't mean loads of sex, just how fast paced it is) is lacking.. hmm.. I would have to say soul for the lack of a better word. I'm not really invested at any point in how any of the people in the book are faring. Good, bad, ugly.. it's all the same to me. Just the unusual story line keeps you occupied for a while but when I kept the book down there wasn't really anything for me to take away from the book. But as time pass, it was pretty ok. The only thing I really appreciated about the book was how little time it took as I wanted to make up the time I had taken in reading the next one.

The complete stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote - 3 / 5
This is a tough book to rate simply because I din't like the early stories but loved the ones at the end. Given that the stories were given in the chronological order of their year of publishing, it was fascinating to see the evolution of the writer. The initial stories felt rather gimmicky or forced at times. But as the years roll by you can see him, moving through words and imageries with grace. I would say definitely pick this 'coz it's not often you realise how a writer changes and grows, plus the stories about him and his aunt are nothing short of literary gems if you ask me. And a word of advice, skip the intro! Such a spoiler!

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie - 3 / 5
Not her best work, but honestly even then she stands out. I'm yet to be disappointed by Poirot and this one doesn't either. But it does fall short of the usual awe he inspires. The plot seems a tad bit contrived else it's impeccable as all of Christie's work.

Heartburn by Nora Ephron - 3.3 / 5
Well written chick lit is such a joy. It's the equivalent of your favorite candy. While it might not always have the best nutritional values, you certainly would have a bland life if you don't bite into one occasionally to celebrate or uplift yourself. This one is funny yet bitter sweet. Which is why I liked it. Unabashedly recommend all the girls to pick up your nearest Ephron.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - 3.5 / 5 
This one has been on my to-read list for a long while being on a lot of 'Must read classics' lists and was finally happy to move it to the other side of the ledger. Well written and deviously plotted out, my only gripe against it is the length. It could easily have been least a 100 pages shorter. In part, it can be justified saying that's the narrative style and all, but you can so easily lose the reader half way though the story... well, almost. He does rather cunningly keep you hooked.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - 3.8 / 5
Yet another classic which had been on the to- read list yet I kept delaying it coz I was worried if I would get bored. I'm always secretly worried about classics boring me though more times than not I'm absolutely love them. This was a book that I grew to like the more I thought about it. My immediate reaction after the book was extremely well written but a bit hollow. Yet the more I thought about the characters and their motivations the more the book seemed to shine. More over there's a certain easiness to read, with the light sardonic tone that she uses, that makes the book feel rather fresh. She's kind of like a Rembrandt with words. Rich with details, some characters shine with extraordinary light and others in the background dimmer but no less textured and nuanced which brings the whole scene alive. But unlike the other classics I did not come away with a feeling of awe. The story was fairly predictable which might be the reason I dint immediately take to it.And though in most cases I'm a complete sucker for bitter sweet endings, this one made me dissatisfied. Not because it felt incomplete but because it was too true to life. A little leniency for her characters could have been spared I felt. But then again, perhaps because of the ending the book might stay with me longer. Especially since she stayed true to her characters. But there's no doubt in my mind for whatever flaws it may have, the book is most deservedly a classic and worth the read.

And finally, the BOOK OF THE MONTH...

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - 4.5 / 5
Even before I finished the book I knew this was going to be the book of the month. Even though I had at least a couple more books to finish before this month ends, I knew this was going to be the book of the month! It was just simply that lovely. Deliciously endearing book. Weirdly enough I could relate to the main character who incidentally just happens to be the Queen of England. Written so frankly that one is lead to believe that this story might in deed be true. So go, run and pick your copy today! ;)



So until next month, stay calm and keep reading! :D
Phil!