January 2024 Wrap-Up!

Posted On January 31, 2024

Hi Readers! After 84 years, January has finally ended! But, what a month to start the year! I feel like I did a lot of fun stuff, read quite less, spent time with my people, worked more than I did all of last quarter, worked out more too, tried new things and explored! If the first month sets the precedent for rest of the year, then bring it on! I read FOUR BOOKS across 1357 PAGES in January. Check out what I read, what I watched, statistics for them & what I have been up to!

~~BOOKS~~

~~THESE DAYS by LUCY CALDWELL~~

I read this book because it won the Walter Scott Prize in 2023 and the blurb really intrigued me. In this book, we see how Belfast is bombed on four nights, divided into sections titled The Dockside Raid, The Easter Raid & The Fire Raids. Imagine the impact of a bombing every night. Would you be alive? Would your family make it? Or would your entire street vanish along with the houses and the people living in them? Unimaginable, isn’t it? And, despite the author picking such a devastating era, the impact the writing had was unfortunately not powerful enough. Like many wartime historical novels I have read, I felt that this one had a lot of potential, but it went unrealized. I have rated These Days by Lucy Caldwell at 3.5/5 stars!

You can read the full review below!

These Days by Lucy Caldwell: A Wartime Historical Fiction Novel Based in Belfast

~~THE GOODBYE CAT by HIRO ARIKAWA~~

The Goodbye Cat, quite like The Travelling Cat Chronicles by the same author had that feel-good and wholesome effect. But, it was in seven short stories rather than one long story. Some stories are meant to be novels, while some are meant to be short stories. (When it comes to cats, I prefer novels over short stories. When it comes to modern relationships, I prefer short stories over novels.) Nevertheless, The Goodbye Cat did not fail to create a sweet place in my heart. I have rated The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel at 4/5 stars!

You can read the full review below!

Book Recommendation: The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa

~~THE GLASS PALACE by AMITAV GHOSH~~

This book is my first 5 star read of the year. I had to take my time with it given how complex and long it is. But, I absolutely loved it. This is exactly the kind of book I was dreading to read. Multiple generations with a lot of characters. Mostly all flawed, yet you root for them. Tragedy after tragedy. And people still finding their tribe and fighting to stay alive! I am yet to write a review on this one, but when I do, it will be a long one! I have rated The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh at 5/5 stars!

~~THE MILL HOUSE MURDERS by YUKITO AYATSUJI~~

Right at the beginning of the book, we read about the premise of the book. A woman who falls off a high tower. A painting that has disappeared. A man who vanishes from a locked room. Another man who was found cut up in the incinerator. Makes the recipe for the perfect murder mystery, isn’t it? The plot in itself was amazing, and what made it an even elevated reading experience was how the entire book is written. Most of the other mysteries are so watered down and predictable that it has become a bit of a snooze fest. But, Japanese murder mysteries always win with their unpredictable story lines. I have rated The Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, translated by Ho-Ling Wong at 4/5 stars!

You can read the full review below!

Japanese Murder Mystery Book Recommendation: The Mill House Murders

~~STATISTICS: BOOKS, MOVIES, SERIES & MORE~~

While four books are the least I have ever read in January in the last 4 years, given how much I had going on, I still consider it quite a feat! Somehow I am finding it hard to get back into reading e-books because I instantly fall asleep or lose my concentration. This is probably for the best as I have over 90 books in my physical TBR! I also read two books for January in Japan as I usually do every year whether it is January or not. I think I am finally feeling the craving for reading thicker books. They are just more satisfying than the tiny but mighty ones. So, hopefully more of that this month! Check out the other stats below!

~~LIFE LATELY~~

It’s because I was having a fabulous time living life outdoors, I was unable to give much time to reading. The highlight this month was definitely ART!

I went to Upvan Arts Festival with my parents, which showcased paintings made by color pencil by the artist Shashikant Dhotre. Then, I visited 3 galleries in Juhu & Worli with my parents during the Mumbai Gallery Weekend. We first saw Reclaiming Spaces by Nirvair Singh, which had photographs of Mumbai. Then we saw When the Moon is Nine Months Full by Seema Kohli at Tao Art Gallery, which was just stunningly beautiful. Last one was Evolution of Now: A Young Collectors’ Pop Up Exhibition at Kathiwada House, which was quite unique. Then, another weekend, I went to 6 more galleries in Colaba & Kala Ghoda with my friend Suruchi. Of these six, I loved ‘Ghosts in my Sleep’ by Sohrab Hura at Experimenter Colaba, ‘Just A Little While Longer’ by Ricky Vasan at Galerie Isa 9, ‘Island in the Sky’ by Muhanned Cader at Jhaveri Contemporary, ‘Sentient Being Dissolve’ by Yasuke Asai at Artisans’ Centre. I think I love this new hobby of admiring all kinds of art!

Aside from this, January was my dad’s birthday and also my parents’ anniversary. So, we celebrated that with delicious food and flowers!

Until next time,