Books Read in August 2023!

Posted On August 30, 2023

Hi Readers! August seems like the longest month ever, but in the best possible way. I achieved a lot of milestones and generally had a happy month. My favourite colleague did leave the workplace, which was the saddest moment during the month, but we have the kind of friendship that will continue even after this. So, I read TWELVE BOOKS across 2595 pages in August! I read two books for the Discovering India Marathon. I read five books for Women in Translation month. I also read all the four books from the Sati series by Koral Dasgupta. And the last one was a DNFed book shortlisted for the Booker.

~~THE SATI SERIES by KORAL DASGUPTA~~

The Sati Series by Koral Dasgupta comprises of five books based on the five Panchkanyas; Ahalya, Kunti, Draupadi, Mandodari and Tara. These books are supposed to be a retelling with a modernist perspective that shine these women in a fairer, more feministic light. To truly understand how well a retelling is written, you need to know very well about the original stories. I did do a few Wikipedia searches before reading each of these books just to get a background of what I was getting myself into. Unfortunately, for the first three books, what I read on Wikipedia in 10 lines was what was described in the book in 200 pages albeit with a captivating first person narrative and lyrical prose. The only one that stood out was Mandodari.

I have rated Ahalya, Draupadi and Kunti at 3/5 stars and Mandodari at 4/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~WESTERN LANE by CHETNA MAROO~~

Usually, I don’t read the Booker books, because I have almost never liked them, whether it’s the shortlist, longlist or the winner itself. But, this year I thought, let’s give it a try. I love how there’s a community on bookstagram that dedicates themselves to read the entire shortlist. That’s a nice aspiration to have, isn’t it? So, I read the Goodreads blurb of all the books and liked 10 of the 13 books. I started reading the shortest book of the lot, which is Western Lane by Chetna Maroo, a debut. I hated every minute of reading it. The book is supposed to have themes around grief, but they are so subtle that they are almost non-existent. I read about half of it, but had to DNF it. I have rated Western Lane by Chetna Maroo at 1/5 stars!

~~DISCOVERING INDIA MARATHON~~

~~THAT LONG SILENCE by SHASHI DESHPANDE~~

That Long Silence was published in 1989, so I would like to believe that the portrayal of a wife has changed a lot over the years. But, given the fact that I could find Jaya’s life all too feasible made me sad. Despite people being vocal about gender equity, this story sounds all too familiar and probably represents the major women population who are in their 50s and 60s. If I start talking about this, it would be endless, so I am going to stick to my thoughts on the book alone. To me, That Long Silence was multi-faceted, not only in its depiction of the role of a wife, but also in depiction of various familial bonds. Another layer which subtly focuses on the raw human emotions is how a person behaves dictated by the ignanimous ‘society’. I have rated That Long Silence by Shashi Deshpande at 4.5/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~ASAHI by PRIYA TENDULKAR~~

I read a book written in my mother tongue Marathi for the first time. Priya Tendulkar’s book ‘Asaahi’ has 36 short stories written in 145 pages. The chapters are not more than 3 pages so it’s a quick read. The language is also simple which was the main reason why I read this book. Having never read a Marathi book before, I didn’t expect much, but I found the content of this book quite good. I have rated ‘Asaahi’ by Priya Tendulkar at 4/5 stars.

You can read the full review here!

~~WOMEN IN TRANSLATION MONTH~~

August is Women in Translation Month! This initiative is for books written by women who write in languages other than English to reach a wider audience. Before we get into the #WiTMonth book recommendations, here is the official link to the WiT website if you want to learn more about it. I posted an article earlier this month curating a list with most genres. You can check it out here!

~~I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN by JACQUELINE HARPMAN, TRANSLATED by ROS SCHWARTZ~~

Reading a book like this always makes me feel similar to the protagonist. In this case, it was utterly bleak with a constant aura of hopelessness revolving around me. I read the book in two days and during all this time, I had that doomed sort of sadness play touch-and-go with my mind. This book, though short, has a clear-cut linear story. It is bleak. It is hopeless. It is doomed. It is sad. But, what I took from this bleak-hopeless-doomed-sad book was something profound. Just because they were free of their cage, did not mean their freedom had independence. They were still bound by the act that put them there in the first place. They were bound to a place which they were unsure was Earth or some other planet. They were bound to each other. They were bound forever. This freedom with restraint can be perceived as either happy or sad depending on how you perceive your life. I have rated I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, translated By Ros Schwartz at 4/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~ALMOND by SOHN WON-PYUNG, TRANSLATED by JOOSUN LEE~~

Almond is the story of Seon Yunjae, who is diagnosed with alexithymia which is the inability to identify and express one’s feelings. It was incredible to get into the life of someone with alexithymia. It was difficult to understand Yunjae’s life but the more I read, the more I understood. I must say, all the characters were written really really well. I liked staying with these characters for the entirety of the novel. The writing and tone of the book was brilliant, keeping exactly in line with the person who has this condition. It was no nonsense and just straight sentences like a documentary. It achieved its purpose that way. I have rated Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung, translated By Joosun Lee at 4/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~DIARY OF A VOID by EMI YAGI, TRANSLATED by DAVID BOYD and LUCY NORTH~~

Diary of a Void is a 213-page book packed with a sparkly gift paper sheet with fancy ribbons. But when you open it, you realize that the packaging was better than what’s inside. Yes, the book has the right idea. But, it’s not written very well, either from a societal aspect or from a story aspect. Achieving the combination of humour and story telling and societal impact was tricky. If it had been done perfectly, this book would’ve been a masterpiece. But, unfortunately it failed on all the three parameters making it an average read for me. I have rated Diary of A Void by Emi Yagi, translated By David Boyd And Lucy North at 3/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~THE PACHINKO PARLOUR by ELISA SHUA DUSAPIN, TRANSLATED by ANEESA ABBAS HIGGINS~~

Nothing fascinating happens in this 176-page book. You’d think that why not read it if it’s just 176 pages. But, honestly I’d have skipped it if I had known how the story is written. The blurb makes it quite interesting but what is mentioned in it is all that happens. There are exceptional books where the concept of identity is written beautifully. In this one, it just felt way too flat. If you love plot driven books then this one’s not for you. If you love character driven books with satisfying character arcs then this one’s not for you either. If you love books where things happen between the lines, then you might like it. But the space between the lines is so narrow that you might miss the overall intention of the book. I have rated The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin, translated By Aneesa Abbas Higgins at 1.5/5 stars!

You can read the full review here!

~~THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE by GU BYEONG-MO, TRANSLATED by CHI-YOUNG KIM~~

The Old Woman with the Knife is a cozy mystery with an old woman assassin as the main character. I loved reading this book for various reasons. The way it starts immediately captures you into the story. The mystery is quite thrilling if you look at it from an aging old woman assassin’s point of view. I also liked her back story to understand how she became an assassin at a young age and simply kept at it. Lastly, the revenge story was something I really enjoyed reading. You cannot be entirely practical while reading a book like this. All you can get from this book is entertainment. I have rated The Old Woman with The Knife By Gu Byeong-Mo, translated by Chi-Young Kim at 4/5 stars!

~~AUGUST READING STATS~~

~~LIFE LATELY~~

As I said, August was pretty great. I went to Pune over one weekend. Even though it was a very short visit, I got to meet my colleague for the second time and we had a great time! Luckily, my parents liked the café I chose when we went for dinner in Pune. I met my friend Suruchi after a long time. We chose a restaurant which was quite away, so we got 6 hours worth of time to talk about whatever we missed sharing. I met my relatives last weekend as well, which is always enjoyable. I surely clicked a lot of photos, got some new individual photos to post and a few book photos for future use! Anyway, here are a few happy smiling clicks for you!

Well, August definitely did not just sipped away like a bottle of wine. I had the best time in this month. I hope September is just as fabulous as August was. How was your month? Did you read a lot? Did you do anything exciting? Tell me in the comments below!

Until next time,