Mundane Musings

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni My rating: 4 of 5 stars I had started reading Chitra Banerjee's The Forest of Enchantments with a casual detachment thinking this was a reproduction of Valmiki's Ramayan. Any self respecting Indian has in some time or the other gotten introduced to the story of the valiant and perfect prince Lord Ram and his suave, strong, utterly wronged wife Sita. I didn't expect this book to be different. I empathized strongly with Sita who had to keep proving herself to her husband and his praja (citizens), in spite of wrongs done to her . And though Valmiki's Ramayan is a colossus that deals with a lot of other stories including Ram's unfair banishment from Ayodhya, Sita's story demands empathy and just retribution. So Chitra's retelling of the classic is important and relevant. Chitra Divakaruni's Forest of Enchantment focuses on Sita's side of the story - from the time she marries Ram, taking her ...

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 3 of 5 stars I finished The Queen's Thief series with this final book which traces Sophos' story. Like the previous book The King of Attolia where the story is said from the general Costis' point of view, this book too hardly has Eugenides as the principal character. I had liked the first two books purely because it was written with Eugenides as the focal point. This fourth book was not my favourite among the four. Still it made for a breezy read with the usual political intrigue and suspense and innuendos which fall in place as the plot moves on. This last book is about Eugenides' friend Sophos' rise to the throne of Sounis. There is not much action or adventure in this book, but there is a lot of good dialogues and suspense. I have been reading a lot of YA books even though I am so much older, and not the intended reader anyway. However, I think N.K.Jeminsin's books were much better than this serie...

Nutshell by Ian McEwan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nutshell - Ian McEwan What a marvellous conceit this book is. It tells the story of a woman having an affair with her brother in law,and of the two plotting something sinister. Only, the story is told by the most unexpected narrator - the foetus of the unfaithful woman. And far from being gibberish the language and tone of the narrative sways to the other end of the scale - it is eloquent, astute, perceptive and exquisite. How can the author get away with this you wonder? Right from the first part of book.. ."So here I am, upside down in a woman. Arms patiently crossed, waiting, waiting and wondering who I'm in, what I'm in for" we understand that this is no ordinary narrator. He is sharp and he peppers his monologues with exceptional opinions about things in life which he has experienced second hand through his mother's womb. "I'm hearing pillow talk of deadly intent and I'm terrified by...

I had a tough time choosing a title for this post, as everything short and interesting seemed to suggest a list of books of 2017 that I had read. Though this title is unassuming, the books that are listed here are not. 2017 was a great year in books for me, especially due to the Goodreads Reading Challenge . The Challenge gave me a sense of direction and discipline in choosing and reading the books for the year. I completed my target of 22 books, which I sneakily brought down from 24 when I realised I wouldn’t be able to complete on time, only to overshoot the target by exactly 2 books. Here are a few recommendations for interested souls :D Of the books I had read in 2017, the stand outs were: Room - Emma Donoghue Wild - Cheryl Strayed Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery Rules of Civility - Amor Towles A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman Our Souls At Night - Kent Haruf A Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood Some books inspire, some bo...

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a true prize winning book, written in that particular style that these books often come in. That said, after reading the book my most pressing urge was to re-read it -rather leisurely this time, connecting the time lines and the journeys of the various characters. When I had started to read this book, I found myself losing my attention plenty of times. I wanted to push on and finish the book, just the way I felt when I had read The Handmaid's Tale or Cloud Atlas. The latter books, both, were a beautiful read as the I moved on through the initial parts. The same too with The Narrow Road to the Deep North, only I wouldn't use the word 'beautiful' to describe this meandering, philosophical, prose-y book. At first I had trouble connecting with the Australian POWs and the back and fro movement of the story, but slowly I got caught up by the effects of this side of the war that I have...