A few years
ago, I found myself facing a reading block, as it were. I would only go to my
comfort reads, namely Wodehouse and Christie. No matter how many times I read
them, I would always guffaw at one and be fascinated by the other. Then I
discovered book clubs. They enticed me and then nudged me to get out of my
comfort zone. Over the years I have become a part of three vibrant reading
communities. The choice of books varies and swings wildly from bestsellers, to
Booker Prize winners, to run-of-the mill stories, to autobiographies, to sagas, and
everything in between.
Over the
past few months, I have read these:
1. 1. What the Body Remembers by Shauna
Singh Baldwin: A tale of two wives set against the backdrop of the partition of
India. Though the Partition comes into it near the very end, the book is a
detailed account of the life, systems and beliefs of almost a century ago. I
read it with great concentration, as I was to speak on it at a special book
meet centered on our Independence Day. I found that I had been so wrapped up in
the story that I hardly looked at my notes. I enjoyed narrating the salient
points in the story and the questions from the other readers, thereafter.
2. 2. Normal People by Sally Rooney: This
book’s claim to fame is that it was never the book choice we were supposed to
read! One of my book clubs also discussed TV shows and series, and movies too.
They had been discussing the series by the same name, based on this book, and I
went ahead, downloaded it on my e-reader and was all set to wax eloquent about
it (I didn’t like it much) when I discovered that the book of the month was
something else entirely. I came in for a lot of good-natured leg-pulling and we
refer to my faux pas at each subsequent meet!
3. 3. What You are Looking for is in the
Library by Michiko Aoyama: This is a set of short stories, in each of which the
main character is looking for some answers about their life, career choices,
and struggles. By chance or design, they find their answers in the library,
with a little help from a wise librarian. While the premise was nice and the
stories were feel-good, they became a little monotonous and repetitive. Maybe
something was lost in translation (The original is in Japanese).
4. 4. Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez:
This was a much- needed palate cleanser after many heavy and depressing books
read by us in another book club. A delicious rom-com, it still had depth. The
premise of the book got to some readers and they were close to tears while
talking about it. It shows that no book can be dismissed as light reading--- it
touches different readers in different ways.
I have now
started reading The Chola Tigers by Amish, having picked up a signed copy
recently. It promises to be a fast paced, thrilling narrative which I am sure I
will enjoy.
Writing
about reading is by far the easiest thing to do!
This blogpost is a part of the Blogchatter Half Marathon 2025
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