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Was always told that if I wanted to read Murakami, this is the book I should read first, and it did not disappoint. A brief, but interesting insight into his world of running and how it impacts his writing, instilling discipline and an overall simplistic life. Puts a lot of things into perspective.

Saying Neel Mukherjee is an gifted writer would minimise the extent of his craft. In five novellas, he narrates the harrowing dichotomy between the rich and the poor, highlighting the necessity of their coexistence. Told primarily from the latter’s POV, in the five novellas, we are taken on a journey of struggle, grief and despair, at the hands of the wealthy.

Highlights are the stories of Renu and Milly.

The experience of reading this book was just excellent. Remarkably funny and witty, Arikawa describes the relationship between Satoru and Nana over a journey proving necessary for both. An emotional rollercoaster.

Jamies’ prefaces to each chapter are beautifully written. The letters themselves, while quite repetitive, are indicative of the difficult time Kahlo had away from her family, especially her mother, in the US. Not speaking the language, unable to immerse herself in the culture, and unwilling to build friendships all led to a desperate loneliness and urge to return home.

An attempt to narrate a deep, misunderstood relationship between a mother and daughter, but comes off as plain weird and at times, mildly disturbing.

Another soulful novella by Backman, where he describes the relationship between Noah and his grandfather, as the latter begins to lose his memory. Filled with so many beautiful moments, I wish this book was longer and I could have more to read.

Backman is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers. He’s witty, sharp and has an incomparable ability to grasp his reader’s attention quickly. This is a book that intimately focuses on his characters rather than a story. The plot unfolds carefully while allowing characters to unravel as well. A hard lesson at empathy and reminding us that everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. Phenomenal.

I had to constantly remind myself to savour this book. Backman skillfully highlights beauty in the every day mundanity of life through the eyes of a 60-year old widower, who believes life isn't worth living after the death of his wife. This book has love, grief and humour, all in equal measure. Highly recommend.

4.5* I read Bourdain’s books so slowly because I dread finishing them, always leaving me desperate for more. In this travelogue, he visits a number of countries world over for the perfect meal, interacting with the locals, learning the culture and trying different cuisines. Barring the chapters on England and Cambodia, the rest exacerbated my desire to travel and eat my way through the world during Covid times.

Quite conflicted about how this pans out. While timely and detailed to understand the dynamics between Palestine and Israel, Yousef’s story doesn’t come across as sincere, glossing over some of the atrocities committed by Hamas, and then his subsequent conversion to Christianity.

Great if you’re looking for something trashy. Poor writing and character development.

While many of them trailblazers in their respective fields, it’s surprising to see not a lot of them experienced much discrimination in an industry typically known to be very male and star-oriented. Some favourites include Geeta Tandon, Sneha Khanwalkar and Hetal Dedhia, all of whom defy odds honestly capture the struggles that come with being a female stunt artist, music director and gaffer respectively.

Quite overly specific but hard not to be when fighting for (what one may argue is) the most powerful position in the world. Loved the BTS of the campaign trail and anecdotes of her interactions with some exemplary people along the way.

A range of different stories to learn from. My favourite was the hilarious letter exchange between two passive-aggressive moms about their respective daughters, fighting about whose background was harder to conquer. Also impressed with how characters overlapped into subsequent chapters, looking at their stories from an alternative lens.

Needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but sheds light into the lives of the Trumps over the years, describing Fred Trump’s varied treatment of his sons and how he influenced 45 into becoming one of the world’s most dangerous men. With a background in comparative literature and clinical psychology, Mary L. Trump remarkably tells us about how he meets all nine criteria of narcissism, and various other disorders.

An incredibly moving and in-depth look into what is only a fraction of black lives in America. There are, no doubt, a number of issues PKC hasn’t covered and some which would take a lifetime to explain. She describes her motives behind founding the Black Lives Movement, fighting for prison abolition and LGBTQ+ rights, and how she continues to advocate for those who lack the means to do so for themselves. Powerful!

3.5* Loved the gothic vibes and how beautifully the author paints a picture of the house and the characters, making them easy to love or hate. First of its kind that I’ve read and it didn’t disappoint in the run-up to Halloween. However, wish there was a bigger horror/suspense element to it. Would’ve given it that extra star.

Having read and absolutely loved Homegoing, my expectations for this book were pretty high. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book as much, but there are still a number of moments where she describes Gifty’s relationships with Nana, her mother and God so beautifully.

To say Gyasi is a gifted writer would be an understatement, and I am forever left in awe of how poetically she weaves her words together.

DNF. Was too slow and didn’t enjoy however much I read.

So far, so beautiful.

So far, so beautiful.