July 2024 Wrap-Up!

Posted On July 30, 2024

 Hi Readers! After a reading lull in June, I finally got my mojo back this month. Despite the tremendous work load, I was able to read a lot. I think probably because there was tremendous work load, I just had to put myself in a fictional world more often to destress. I read SEVEN BOOKS across 1921 PAGES in JULY!

~~BOOKS I LOVED~~

~~DAYTRIPPER by FÁBIO MOON AND GABRIEL BÁ~~

I read this graphic novel in a day, but I know I will keep going back to it. It’s such a wonderful book with a profound message about life, dreams and death. Grief is talked about in a very delicate way. Artwork is just brilliant. We are able to feel the emotions of all the characters, almost be in the same environment as them. The twin brother writers are so talented. This was unlike any book I have read before and it will hold a special place in my heart.

I have rated Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá at 5/5 stars!

~~MURDER IN MAHIM by JERRY PINTO~~

Usually when I read a book, I like to read the core genre content for 85% of the novel and prefer some kind of social commentary for the remaining 15%. And, I absolutely love it when the two are gelled together in a way that still stays true to their respective qualities. I found that brilliance in Murder in Mahim. There are multiple murders, sex workers and corruption, and revolving it all are the sentiments of the people who are labelled different, all happening in the underbelly of Mumbai, the city that really never sleeps.

I have rated Murder in Mahim by Jerry Pinto at 4/5 stars!

Book Recommendation: Murder in Mahim

~~TARA by KORAL DASGUPTA~~

I love how in all the five books of the Sati series, the original text is all about the men, which is why it only made sense to have the retelling all about the women. In the fifth book of the Sati series, we get to know Tara, the wife of Bali and Queen of Kishkindha and also the pishachini she was known to be before Bali even entered her life. Unlike passing references in Ramayana, in this short book, we are introduced to her as a brilliant woman-monkey with a sharp presence of mind and an empathetic heart. We read about the enemies to lovers story between Tara and Bali, which I was not expecting but enjoyed nonetheless. We read about Bali’s death with a new light to it. And we read about conversations between Bali and Tara after his death. This book had everything to it: poetic writing, an actual retelling which did not shy away from taking a bold view, emotions written with feelings to make it a truly worthwhile read. 

I have rated Tara by Koral Dasgupta at 4/5 stars!

Indian Mythological Retelling: The Sati Series by Koral Dasgupta

~~BOOKS I LIKED~~

~~OUTLINE by RACHEL CUSK~~

I think it is impossible for to have different opinions for different books of Rachel Cusk’s. While reading Outline, I felt the same way as I did when I read Second Place. The writing is both brilliant and frustrating. If you are not in the mood, it is impossible to forcefully read her books. But, if you are in the right mood, you will be struck with multiple epiphanies, perhaps just in a few pages. Because I love structure, I wasn’t able to wholeheartedly love the book, but I appreciate the lessons I learnt from it.

I have rated Outline by Rachel Cusk at 3/5 stars!

~~SEEK YOU: A JOURNEY THROUGH AMERICAN LONELINESS by KRISTEN RADTKE~~

If you read the Goodreads blurb, you will be fascinated by it. I had to rethink why I didn’t like the book, because if any readers read through this gist, they might feel like picking it right away. I think the major problem I had was ironically how disjointed the chapters and sub-chapters were from each other. At times, there didn’t seem to be any immediate relevance to a few pages being remotely related to loneliness. At other times, it felt that the exhaustive research wanted to see the light of the day, because that seemed like the only reason to include it. As for the art, it was beautiful. I loved the use of different colors for different chapters.

I have rated Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke at 2/5 stars!

~~BOOKS I HATED~~

~~MORE DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP by SATOSHI YAGISAWA~~

This one is a sequel and that can be tricky. There are books where nothing happens but you are still moved. And, then there are books where actually nothing happens at any level whatsoever. This book was in the latter category for me. Simply the absence of content in the story was astounding. This book, on an iota of surface level tries to talk about grief, escapism, individuality, trauma and perspectives. But, the part of the story leading up to these themes is written in a disjoined manner with the profound epiphany lasting only a paragraph. And, it is always called out, so you don’t really get a chance to read between the lines. Even if it wasn’t called out, you wouldn’t be able to understand what the hell was going on.

I have rated More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa at 2/5 stars!

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop: An Unnecessary Sequel

~~NEVER LET ME GO by KAZUO ISHIGURO~~

This book has been on my TBR for years, and after it was recognised in NY Times Top 100 books of the 21^st century, I picked it up. It was utterly disappointed and bored by death. The concept was brilliant, of course, but the slow burn with minimal plot was too much bear. It was only 288 pages, but I decided to give it up halfway through. So, it’s a DNF!

I have rated Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro at 1/5 stars!

~~JULY READING STATS AND MORE~~

A lot of short books, a combination of physical and e-books, an average 3 stars rating. But one thing I am proud of are the diverse genres of the books this month!

~~LIFE LATELY~~

The entire month was spent indoors aside from work commute. But, I spent it well, consuming a lot of content in the form of books, movies and tv shows and also consuming delicious food. I made Mexican Burrito Bowl, Spaghetti in Pesto sauce and Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki sauce.

Until next time,