#delhibookstagrammer

[thegirlbythefirelight]

To go back to Murakami after what seems like ages (it has been- last year somehow I missed reading any of his books 🫣) is to go back to life. 24 short stories, what our writer calls sprints, written in between his novels, (you guessed it right-marathons) are perfect for anyone who wants to sample his style. On offer are- crows that know the difference between cakes, a one-legged surfer, a couple who take off to Greece on a whim, unexplained disappearances and cats, of course they are Mhrakami's mysterious cats. This was my fifth by him and the one that left me most disappointed. Apart from 3-4 stories, the rest were less nuanced than what I had expected. Short stories lack the room to flesh out their characters, mostly, & someone who prefers character-driven tales vis a vis plot-driven narratives, the commitment they demand and offer is inadequate. Also, I felt at sea with some stories- neither I could understand their meaning nor the metaphor behind them, if any. But. Great if you want bite-sized Murakami morsels. Also great if time is at a premium (when isn't it?). My favourite - If you liked this read: For #magicrealism: •Kafka On The Shore- predictably the better Murakami to start with. •The Invisible Life Of Addie Larue •The Night Circus •The Master & The Margarita • Beloved •Midnight's Children For #Japaneseliterature: •When the Emperor Was Divine •Never Let Me Go •Before The Coffee Gets Cold •The Easy Life In Kamusari #shortstoriescollection #harukimurakami #blindwillowsleepingwoman #japanesefiction #contemporarybooks #fantasyfiction #asianliterature #delhireader #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #2023readingchallenge #januaryreads #murakamiharuki #murakamibooks #bookaesthetic #indianreaders #indianbookstagram #bookstagramindia #kindleflatlay #booksandtea #winterreads #mybookfeatures #readerslife #alwaysreading #bookdragon #bookishthoughts #alwayswithabook #readingchallenge2023 (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoEWLOirrKz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lavinadua]

✨Spending my day in my study room, near my book shelf is literally the best feeling ever!! ✨ & the current weather in delhi is adding all the more to it! ❤️ This also makes me feel like buying more books (as usual :P) but I’m waiting to buy books from Janpath when I go there in the coming week!!💟 Hint Hint: A book Haul can be expected 📚 📕What are you currently reading?? 📕 💭Tell me in the comments section below! . ✨Follow @youmeandbooks_ ❤️Like 📑 Save & 🚀 Share _____________________________ #Books #booklover #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookblog #bookstagrammer #nonfictionbooks #bookclub #youmeandbooks #lavinadua #bookreviews #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagrammer (at Gurgaon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVR_ZWEB1SI/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegirlbythefirelight]

Our story begins with our mothers'- for when she is conceived, one half of us is already present in her. Metaphorically, yes? But let's come down to the bare bones. A girl is born with all the eggs she will ever have- we are a part of our mothers long before we become an idea, a desire, a wish. I've avoided picking this book for the longest time; I am known to cry copiously, especially at emotionally charged words. And an ode to a dead mother who ends her life at 51 years was certainly going to have me weep buckets. It didn't. Handke writes about his mother seven weeks after her death-in parts to make sense of this loss & to capture the entirety of 'her'. So he begins- she as a child, as a young woman learning the vocabulary of this world, a wife, a mother, an essential but ignored limb of the society, a matron who finds herself (better late than never) to only realise just how late that is & then… I didn't know there were controversies around Handke. This work, though, is just a testimony to love felt and experienced. This pithy German book, mere 78 pages, is held down by the beauty of the prose. Grief has words and more than wrenching your heart out- they wipe the muck off our vision. If sadness were words- A Sorrow Beyond Dreams would be those. And what it really says is… It's already too late, it's already too less. Go tell your mother you love her. #peterhandke #asorrowbeyonddreams #germanbooks #pushkinpress #nobelprizeliterature #austrianliterature #translatedliterature #translatedbooks #delhibookstagrammer #indianreaders #bookstagramindia #addictedtobooks #coffeeandbooks #bookishthoughts #neverwithoutabook #nonfictionreads #nevernotreading #januaryreads #2023readingchallenge #indianbookstagrammer #mumbaibookstagram (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn8b4EzLM6q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

As I begin to write this, I'm trying to pin down what this story is about- India's first lady doctor or child marriage? Does it catch the Indian women emancipation movement in its nascent stages or capturing the downfall of the last nawab of Awadh is its aim?  It's all this. Which is part of its charm & also the reason why it overpowers you. But let's start from the beginning.  Krishnosundor & his family leave their village with a promise of better days but life sells them off as plantation slaves. His sister, Bhubonmoni, his two daughters & his wife- their lives form the crux of this story. The first 150 pages pulled me in; the story took off immediately but I found myself emotionally overwhelmed. I asked @pepperandpetals the one who loved this book and gifted it to me, if things get better. She encouraged me to continue reading & I am glad I listened to her.  The story is well-researched & apart from the protagonists there are others who held my interest- I mean, Rabindranath Tagore is practising his poetry & Kadambini Ganguly is studying to be a doctor here. The tapestry is rich with memorable characters, sewn with the silk of the Indian history.  @arunavasinha has done a fantastic job with the translation and I wish @debarati.mukhopadhyay more success with her book. The Indian historical fiction scene is richer because of her work.   Trigger warnings: Child marriage, rape, gender & caste issues.  #chroniclesoflostdaughters #bengalitranslatedliterature #debaratimukhopadhyay #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagrammer #indianbooks #historicalfiction #translatedbooks #indianreader #indianbookstagrammer #bookstagraminda #translatedliterature #alwaysreading #bookblogger #bookishthoughts #bookdragon #2023readingchallenge #readingchallenge2023 #januaryreads #delhireaders (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnoYS4Vr1MC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

💭Still hanging onto the coattails of 2022, I am reluctant to say goodbye. After Covid, January feels too early to celebrate. March, people, March- that seems safe to decide the flavour of 2023.  George Orwell’s collection of Essays was an experience similar to reading Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley (If you haven’t read it, I recommend it)- the writing is taut, no frivolity of either words or ideas. The breadth of the collection isn’t limited to literature- it is decidedly political. His views about the Spanish Civil War, the politics of the English language take care of that. For someone who gravitates more towards the personal experience of living, Orwell’s memories of public school horrors (Such, Such Were The Joys), his account of ‘Shooting An Elephant’ as a police officer in Burma, and a not-so-brief discussion on Charles Dickens are uncompromising and entertaining. I favoured ‘Books Vs. Cigarettes’ & ‘Why I Write’ the most- two delightful compositions. The first is his proof through which he justifiably demonstrates that owning books isn’t an expensive hobby- the price of books is far less than the value one gets from them. ‘Why I Write’- well, why does anyone write? It’s a quirk of nature- like being right-handed or having a painful wart. But returning to Orwell: he takes us on his writing journey in a few words- “I wanted to write enormous naturalistic novels with unhappy endings, full of detailed descriptions and arresting similes, and also full of purple passages in which words were used partly for the sake of their sound.” Listen, just read that essay- it's insightful and honest, and if I were to talk about it more, I’d end up letting all the cats out. If you liked this, read: •Giving Up The Ghost •The Source of Self Regard-equally political and entertaining •What I Talk About When I Talk About Running •Slouching Towards Bethlehem •The View From The Cheap Seats #georgeorwell #nonfictionreads #shootinganelephant #nonfictionbookclub #nonfictionreads #essaycollection #delhireader #delhibookstagrammer (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnOUy1IL_FE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

What makes a book tick? Especially a long one? Betty Smith's magnum opus skins your heart. There's a beautiful melody to it. And the reality of 1920's Brooklyn is a backdrop one is unwilling to shake. Francie Nolan is growing up & takes us along with her through the convoluted truths about her life that she discovers as her world expands. Her father is an alcoholic, her mother a scrubwoman and her brother the apple of her mother's eye. There was much to love about this story- foremost that Francie could claw her way out of that poverty because she was a reader. It helps she has a heart of gold. And she knows precisely what she deserves. The easy friendship between Francie & her brother, her & her father, Johnny Nolan, were particularly endearing. I love strong heroines. I like women doing well, breaking any kind of ceiling, or even just attempting to. Which is why Ms Nolan will stay with me for a long time and someone I will revisit again over the course of my life. All books come to us at the right time. I wish this fine one, with a name as poetic, had come to me sooner. If you liked this, read: •The Goldfinch •The Dutchouse •The Easy Life In Kamusari •The Glass Castle #delhibookstagrammer #delhireaders #atreegrowsinbrooklyn #bettysmith #indianreaders #indianbookstagram #bookstagramindia #booksbrat #booksaboutlife #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBpKo_SliJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

Slower than usual. Going through a lean phase of reading. Still reading but lesser and slower. Which is why the updates have dwindled. Any way I don't attempt to promise regularity because that's too much pressure and I find that I need more breaks from social media than others. How much is too much? Who knows? The time is flying because I am watching all the junk on screens. Some great stuff too. And no, no guilt associated with it. The lean phase will pass. Reading is breathing, after all. Till next time. #nevernotreading #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #indianbookstagram #indianreaders #whatareyoureading #bookishthoughts #bookstagramnewbie #newtobookstagram #happinessisbooks #bookblogger #readersaesthetic #readingallthetime #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #readerslife #booktags #bookdragon #bookobssesed #addictedtobooks #readingmakesmehappy #readinggoals #readingchallenge2022 #bookishphotography #readerslovebook (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Chv-n2nLySK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

My younger one started school this month. She had been home far longer than expected and so this development was welcome and a bit surreal. On the day we, she and I, went to check out schools at some point she walked into a classroom and refused to come out. There wasn't a farewell or a goodbye kiss. Hell, I could have done even with a lingering glance. Between her and I, it was me whom her principal was counselling. 😂 I guess this is how birds fly from home- one day nestled between your wings, chittering away a thousand stories and the next soaring towards their own skies, unbelievably certain, unwittingly innocent. So the first day I stayed till school got over. The second too- what if she needed me? She didn't. I have a peninsula of calm that I didn't know how to explore. I didn't remember the last time I had an hour to myself. Now half a day, stretches before me. I haunt the cafes around when the kids are in school. Surprisingly, my part of the city is generous to its artists. I nurse just a mere cup of coffee and read and write and no one disturbs me- they don't present the cheque, they don't even ask if I want something else. They leave me alone. Absolutely. One even offered to open its doors at 8 am, if only I could get going that early. I was speechless, just a smut of a smile in lieu of such indulgence. But then again I shouldn't have been shocked- I have survived in life mostly on the kindness of strangers and generosity of their acts, each one so magnanimous in its thought and effort. And so, I also thank you- for being in my circle of life. When I started out, it was only with the intent to chronicle my reading journey. To find people to whom stories and words mattered. Who would share a part of their life in responding to what I wrote here. Thank you for indulging me. #writingjourney #writersuniverse #bookblogger #bookishthoughts #bookstagramnewbie #bookcollector #bookobssesed #coffeeandbooks #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #indianbookstagram #indianreader #indianbookstagrammer #booksandwriting #bookstagramfeatures #readersread #alwaysreading #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading #indianwriters #bookishflatlay #raw_books (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCUZoGrArb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

It is a tale told well. But it is cruel. And sadly, it is so to his family. Karl Ove Knausgard has written or ripped his heart, his life open in this series ‘Min Kamp’. ‘A Man in Love’ is just that- a story about young love, about marriage- the pretty, the tricky bits, about small progressions, little challenges in life- kids, apartment changes, in-laws, tiffs with one’s partner. The tragedies of youth, the permanence of decisions, the wounds we inflict, and those we survive. This story, the series, throws up some ethical questions. Repeatedly I had been astonished by the acuity of Knausgard’s observations about the mundane shards of life. As frequently, the divulged details, his feelings about situations, yes, but more about the people in his life left me shocked and, at times, feeling like a voyeur. We are all unkind, to our loved ones the most, but to put it down on paper and make it permanent is self-destruction of another kind. He remarked once- “When I started out on ‘Min Kamp,’ I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to write something majestic and grand, something like ‘Hamlet’ or ‘Moby Dick,’ but found myself with this small life - looking after kids, changing diapers, quarreling with my wife, unable to write anything, really.” That’s simple enough to understand. But how much is too much? It is not easy being a writer’s family. And Knausgard’s work proves that on a very different plane. If you read his interviews, he comes across as such a genuine and gentle person. And so I look at this book differently- we have felt so many of the things that Knausgard writes about- the shames, the frustrations, the horrors of being in situations we have no control over, of people, we are bound to through various threads- and I salute him. His writing is authentic and scary in its leap of faith. He has bled on paper., like how good writing demands you to. He has scarred himself and his family. His work is as real as it comes. #amaninlove #karloveknausgard #norwegianbookseries #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagrammer #indianbookstagrammer #womenwhoread #favouritereads #favouriteauthors #readingallthetime #literaryfiction (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwaQqZvr_y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thegirlbythefirelight]

'Into Thin Air' by Jon Krakauer I don't know how to write about this book- every adjective that I think of is saddled with the weight of death. A retelling of the events that unfolded in the deaths of his fellow mountaineers, the book is a personal account by @krakauernotwriting of what happened and make sense of the whys. What worked for me: • Sherpas, local Nepalis who ace mountain climbing, have not been shuffled as footnotes to the mountain climbing experience. They literally set the stage for the non-Nepali folks to climb- from carrying supplies to setting ropes and yet in the 90s a tour guide charged $65000, while the Sherpa who works the hardest made about $2500. Go do the Math. As someone from the subcontinent and from a country whose heritage includes examples of this kind of exploitation, it's safe to say- it made my blood boil. • I knew there are risks in mountaineering- high altitude sickness is something we are advised about while doing our acclimatization when travelling to higher altitudes- but the book delves into that and others in more depth and covers a larger risk base. It was scary- how the body turns against itself when so out of its comfort zone. • Krakauer's writing is fascinating. He has written about a horrific episode with remarkable clarity and coherence. I wanted to devour everything that he has ever written. Sharing one of the pic that I have from the Himalayan range. And another of a quaint railway station in the foothills of Himalayas. Sunday mornings armed with a flask of tea and sandwiches, we would head to this platform and chill. Only two trains frequented this station- one arrived in the morning. Another left at night. This station is neither so laid-back nor as quaint anymore. #intothinair #jonkrakauer #nonfictionreads #nonfictionbookclub #nonfictionbooks #mustreadbooks #bookrecommendations #mountaineeringbooks #womenwhoread #indianbookblogger #indianbookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagram #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #newtobookstagram #newbookstagram #newbookstagrammer #nevernotreading #bookishthoughts #bookishlove #booksbooksbooks #unitedbookstagram #unitedbookstagramindia (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaeJanYLlac/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegirlbythefirelight]

I'll make a short work of this. 'How We Disappeared' A 13 year old Kevin is charged with the mission to find the truth about his family's past. The reason? His dying grandmother tells him a secret she almost carries to the grave. At the end of the spectrum is Wang Di, a survivor of the Japanese occupation of Singapore. If you read enough books or watch dramas, you can predict where this is going. The arc of this story encompasses the plight of comfort girls who were held captive, mistreated (putting it mildly) and later abandoned in the face of defeat. I was slightly impatient with the book for having figured out the plot too early and because I had already read a couple of books dealing with the occupation earlier. But that's on me. Is the book well-written? Yes. The characters? Well-formed. The storyline? Fleshed out. It punches all the right spots. If this is your first read about the atrocities committed during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, Singapore and the region- trigger warning. If you want more material on the occupation: 1. The Rape of Nanking 2. The Narrow Road To The Deep North #howwedisappeared #jingjinglee #japaneseoccupation #worldwar2history #worldwartwohistory #historicalfictionbooks #historicalfiction #asianhistory #singaporebooks #asianfiction #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading #bookblogger #readingchallenge2022 #2022readingchallenge #octoberreads #readingwomen #readersaesthetic #bookishthoughts #bookdragon #booksaboutwar #booksandcoffee #delhibookstagrammer #delhireaders #delhibookstafam #indianbookstagram #indianbookstagrammer #indianreaders #coffeeandbooks (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkKtpYULD1a/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=