May 2026 Recap!
This month was quite the embodiment of ‘May summer holidays’ for me. I have been transitioning into a new role at work. So, the first half of the month, I was handing over, so I didn’t have a lot on my plate. And, in the second half of the month, I was taking over, so I had some reading and studying to do. All in all, very less responsibility and zero chance of failure. After nine years of corporate life, I allowed myself to stop feeling guilty over ‘slowing down’, and enjoyed the month the best way I know how…
That means I read a lot, watched a lot, wrote a lot, cooked a lot and shopped a lot too. It’s never easy moving on from something you have done for almost a decade, so I tried my best to put those thoughts aside, indulging in them only as much as was required and completely immersed myself into these escape routines, which paid off really well. See how my month was!
~~BOOKS~~
I read EIGHT BOOKS across 2443 PAGES in MAY! Seven of these eight books were from my physical TBR. I LOVED one book – Strangers to Ourselves. I LIKED five books. I DNFed one book – Yesteryear. And, I HATED one book – Bunny. They were all different genres, spanning from Thriller, Literary, Horror, Memoir, Contemporary, Mystery and Magical Realism.
~~BUNNY by MONA AWAD~~
I had Bunny on my TBR for the longest time, so I finally took a leap and read it, and what a grave error that was. I don’t always read the blurb before buying or reading a book, because these days blurbs give away a lot or they are not a true representation of the story and some times they are just false advertising. I hated every minute of the time I spent reading this book. I have rated Bunny by Mona Awad at 0/5 stars!
~~THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA by SUJATA MASSEY~~
The Star from Calcutta is the fifth book in the Perveen Mistry Investigates series, and I have to say that after the last three average books, I quite liked this one. This time the Mistry lawyers have a very high-profile client from the film industry. This alone made it all the more interesting. You would think that given it was 1920s, the actors would be more grounded with some sense of morality. But, as we read, we understand just how complex and multi-dimensional they are. And all of it unfolds very nicely because of the masterful writing. I have rated The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey at 3.5/5 stars!
~~LETTERS FROM THE GINZA SHIHODO STATIONERY SHOP by KENJI UEDA, TRANSLATED by EMILY BALISTRIERI~~
Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop is a short book consisting of five stories revolving around five customers all of whom visit the shop for various needs. We have a young man who wants advice on fountain pens to write a letter to his grandmother. We have a working woman wanting to buy the same organizers that her mentor gave her when she first met her. We have a high school girl and boy who are vice-captain and captains who keep records of their kyudo practice in notebooks that spanned more than ten volumes. We have a romantic story of a young man mailing postcards to a young woman from various cities and countries he travelled before they got married. And, we have a chef who wrote the tiniest of observations in memo pads because that’s how his mentor groomed him at the start of his career. I have rated Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda, translated by Emily Balistrieri at 4/5 stars!
~~STRANGERS TO OURSELVES by SHASHI DESHPANDE~~
I finished reading Shashi Deshpande’s ‘Strangers to Ourselves’ weeks ago. It captivated me. When I was going over my notes and pondering over the story, I was captivated yet again. Sometimes reviews come easily. But other times, it feels like a futile attempt to capture my thoughts on a book that is so nuanced that there is no possible way to overpower that brilliance and detail. It almost feels insulting to write this review, because how can writing that touched me so much has rendered me without any words of my own to write? But, I shall write a review soon! I have rated Strangers to Ourselves by Shashi Deshpande at 5/5 stars!
~~THE KILLER QUESTION by JANICE HALLETT~~
The Killer Question revolves around Sue & Mal Eastwood, who are the landlords of a pub called ‘The Case is Altered’ which is tucked away at the end of a lonesome street in the countryside. Their specialty being Monday quizzes, we see a lot of characters who are all regulars at The Case for their quiz alone. We also see other pub landlords on the group chat. For the most part, we wonder whether the new team called ‘The Shadow Knights’ were genuine or cheating because they won every time, and by a big margin. We also find a dead body right outside The Case in the nearby river. n a parallel, we soon read about the Eastwoods’ previous lives before becoming landlords at the pub. Years later, their nephew Dominic wants to create a documentary of the whole thing. I have rated The Killer Question by Janice Hallett at 3/5 stars!
~~A MAN’S PLACE by ANNIE ERNAUX, TRANSLATED by TANYA LESLIE~~
When you read the works of some authors, there is a dilemma. Is this completely generic or absolutely brilliant? Most times, I feel that it’s both. It’s the brilliance in the generic. Annie Ernaux is one of those authors for me. I don’t think I have ever loved any of her books, neither have I hated any. The in-betweenness of not knowing how to feel is where we are tethered to her brilliance.
On the surface, ‘A Man’s Place’ is about her father, and ‘A Woman’s Story’ is about her mother. We read about their entire lives in the manner of less than 100 pages. Initially, it sounds so technical and factual. Completely devoid of emotion. It feels like she decided to write these books as a way of remembering her parents; the good, the bad and everything real. No sugarcoating. Just documenting their lives. But then randomly, we see glimpses of dialogues that convey more than they have the right to. We read about small gestures that shouldn’t hold the power that they do. We get to know the father and the mother, and can’t help but find our own father and mother in them, even if in very small parts or tiny mannerisms. I have rated A Man’s Place by Annie Ernaux, translated by Tanya Leslie at 4/5 stars!
~~BEFORE I KNEW I LOVED YOU by TOSHIKAZU TAWAGUCHI, TRANSLATED by GEOFFREY TROUSSELOT~~
When books are able to bring out the best and worst of human beings, I consider it a book well written. We are all just a bundle of complicated emotions and feelings that surface at any given time. At times, our feelings are so intense, they tend to contradict each other. We want to do the right thing, but the weight of it is so heavy that we secretly hope some obstacle will come in the way of us doing the right thing. This helps us to manage our guilt, because at least we tried, didn’t we? Before I Knew I Loved You is a book of four short stories all glorifying those contradicting, intense and heavy feelings. I have rated Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Tawaguchi, translated By Geoffrey Trousselot at 4/5 stars!
~~YESTERYEAR by CARO CLAIRE BURKE~~
The first and last books I read this month were both disasters! I decided to read Yesteryear was for two reasons: the hype and secondly Anne Hathaway has purchased the film credentials for the adaptation. I DNFed this book 20% in. I have read many books revolving around influencer culture and I think I have disliked most of such books, so that was the first thing that set me off. The next was when Natalie goes back in the 1800s, there is barely any story. It shifts into a parallel story of Natalie’s college days which was immensely dull. When I realized this wasn’t for me, I read the major spoiler on some of the reviews, and I was just glad I saved some time by not dragging myself to the end of it.
~~STATS & MORE~~
~~LIFE LATELY~~
- I still haven’t started full time workouts but I am trying to do them on weekends without a miss, and on weekday evenings if I am not exhausted. Slowly, I will find a way to be better at this!
- Maharashtra Day was, of course, just a reason to dress up at work, yet again!
- Went to Reserve Benne in Thane which was the latest hype. It was SO average.
- Thane Reads had its 100th Edition, and I was so happy to attend!
- Just sibling things + movie time with fam.
- Had a lot of time to check out new recipes and actually make them! I usually look at 3 to 5 recipes and then mix and match them and somehow the end result is always delicious! Mango mochi was not worth it though. I would stop making these trending recipes if it wasn’t fun. LOL
- Got to have flowers!
- I wrote a short story which I had been working on for a long time. My dad (who is also an avid reader) loved it, my mom said it brought her to tears, and my brother approved! I will continue to being proud of it.
- Career Move!
- Memes
- More relatable memes!
- Gen AI Doodles of my Insta account.
- Went to see The Sheep Detectives with Aishwarya!
I am hoping work will be more hands-on in June, we will be graced by monsoons and happiness will continue to cherish us.
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.
