Books that I have read

I am starting this journal to remind me of all the books I have already finished reading since I cannot remember them afterwards. I'll be adding the date on which I finished it, so I know how much time I took between books, and a few details about it to help recall the plot. I'm adding this one today, although I have read many, many more, and will keep adding as many as I can remember from the past. All those books that I have read before and don't know the date of finishing will be written as BTWM (Before Tuesdays With Morrie):

 12 March 2021 Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom- Story of a man who reconnects with his old professor named Morrie, whose diagnosed with ALS and is on his last days. He visits him every week on Tuesday and learns a lot of lessons about life and love, and all that matters in life. Very light and quick reading, but leaves the reader with lots to think. It has a unique style of writing dialogue. 

Favourite quote: "When you learn how to die, you learn how to live."

BTWM Mr Sampath, The Printer of Malgudi;  The Financial Expert; Waiting For The Mahatma by R. K. Narayan - These are three short novels in one.  The first one is of a man who starts as a Founder and Editor of a newsletter called The Banner, but is dragged into the film business by his printer, the titular Mr Sampath. But his experiences there disillusion him and he returns to his work. The second one is the experiences of Margayya and how he tries to succeed financially, only to fall back once again. The third one is about Sriram, and how his infatuation makes him a disciple of the Mahatma and the freedom movement, but all his hard work is of no avail. Typical R. K. Narayan style novels, simple language, simple settings, simple conflicts and then resolution. All three deal with the protagonist aspiring to achieve more, yet never really gaining anything. 

 2020 Stephen King's It - This novel is focused on a small town named Derry who is terrorised by a monster called Pennywise or It. It comes back after every 27 years and preys on the people, especially children until 7 of them decide to bond as the Loser's Club and defeats It. But it does not end there. All of them, except Mike, leave the town, only to return 27 years later to kill It once and for all. This book is not just a book, it's a journey into the psyche of the human.  It took me all of 2020 to finish reading it since it is so hefty and left me with so many thoughts, which is a testament to its brilliant writing. It's not just a typical horror novel but has so many underlying themes and concepts that it blows my mind. Right from the origins of Pennywise, to the formation of Derry and its sewer network, all the major and minor characters, the attacks on the innocents, and the two confrontations of the Losers Club and It, everything has been thought out meticulously. The theme of love, friendship, power, different types of fear, homophobia, racism, sexism, mental disabilities, adults turning a blind eye, childhood trauma manifesting into adulthood, and so much more are dealt with in such detail that proves that Stephen King truly is The King Of Horror. 

1 May 2021 The Colour Purple By Alice Walker- The whole novel is written like a series of letters, primarily by Celie, the protagonist. She begins writing them to God initially and then moves on to her sister Nettie. The whole story is based on her experiences, her life, the tragedies she faced and how she overcame them. As a child, she is physically and sexually abused by her stepfather, gets pregnant twice and he sells them off. Then marries her to a man called Mr. and leads a worse life until she meets Shug, a singer who she falls in love with her after changes her life. We also learn about Nettie and her missionary life in Africa. Through Celie's life, we also learn about the coloured situation in those times, and how much they were made to suffer at the hands of the white. Favourite lines - "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it", "And I thank God he let me gain understanding enough to know love can't be halted just cause some peoples just mean and groan-  I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ast. And that in wondering about the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, he says, the more I love."

21 May 2021 The Help by Kathryn Stockett- A wonderful account of the lives of the coloured maids in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s written from the perspective of a white woman. A book within a book concept, about how a white woman writes down about the lives of the coloured maids who raise white children, and how it affects everyone's lives. Shows not just the discrimination based on colour or gender, but on economic class as well. A powerful commentary on racial bias and humorous in parts as well. My favourite lines - "Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, we are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought." 

7 June 2021 A Prisoner Of Birth by Jeffrey Archer- Another great thriller by Jeffery Archer. Danny Cartwright, a simple man with big dreams, whose whole life changes the night his best friend is murdered. Classic Jeffrey Archer style. Great and easy to read with the usual twists and turns. Based on the famous Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

17 June 2021 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka- A very interesting novel, part of the absurdist movement after the Second World War. Typical Kafkaesque style of writing. It's the story of how a man named Gregor Samsa wakes up one day to find himself turned into an insect, and the resultant toll it takes on his family financially. There are various interpretations to it like a man is nothing but an insect stuck in the cogs of the machine. I believe that Gregor is only valued as a human as long as he was able to earn for the family, but when he becomes dependent on them, he is not welcome as a mere parasite. Very thought-provoking and intriguing. 

25 December 2021 The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco- My third time reading this book, but found it as intriguing as ever. Narrated by an old monk called Adso of Melk, the events of this book is set in an abbey in Italy, known worldwide for its enormous library. Set in ancient times, when there was a lot of unrest regarding various factions of Christianity, Adso narrates how, during his youth, he travels along with his master Brother William Of Baskerville to this famed abbey to investigate a series of murders occurring there. Various factors play a major role, especially the labyrinthine library, the differences among the monks, lust for sex, power, knowledge, etc. As Adso and his master try to figure out who the murderer is, they discover many secrets of the abbey and ultimately find the mysterious killer, a book by Aristotle. It shows how knowledge in ancient times was controlled by the learned, and suppressed, only to be given to the privileged few. A must-read for all. 

Favourite lines - 

Learning is not like a coin, which remains physically whole even through the most infamous transactions; it is, rather, like a very handsome dress, which is worn out through use and ostentation. -

As excess of sweetness makes the warrior flaccid and inept, this excess of possessive and curious love would make the book vulnerable to the disease destined to kill it.

Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry.

2 January 2022 The Shadow in The Mirror by Deepti Menon- This was a gift for winning something, so had to read it. A young pregnant woman falls off the roof of her balcony, and a journalist is convinced she was murdered. Absolutely trash book by a wannabe thriller writer. The language was flawless, but almost too much to make it seem very non-believable. Too many unnecessary character backstories, which do not bring the plot forward at all. The murderer will be easy to guess the minute they make an entrance, nothing too major here. It could have worked better as a short story than a novel. 

10 January 2022 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis- Fantastic read as always. A very short but interesting novel. Four kids Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are alone in a big house and one day find themselves in the land of Narnia through a wardrobe. They come to know a faun named Mr Tumnus and get into so many adventures that they end up becoming kings and queens. It is a children's book, but well-written enough to be enjoyed by adults. 

1 February 2022 Prince Caspian by C. S Lewis- Second book in the series. Enjoyable and imaginative, though it began to be a little meandering and tedious at times. The four of them return to Narnia again to find that hundreds of years have passed already and that the Telmarines now rule over Narnia. One of them, Prince Caspian, who should be the true ruler, finds his life in danger and flees, and comes in contact with the Old Narnians. War adventures ensue, and Caspian ultimately wins. Great book. 

15 February 2022 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis- Third book in the series. Much better at the imagination this time. This time only Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia, along with their cousin is Eustace, who is vile in the beginning but changes after his adventures. They accompany Caspian on a sailing adventure, trying to look for seven lost Lords on different islands, and lastly to the End of the World. Enjoyable. 

1 March 2022 The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis- We return to Narnia to embark on another great journey for the fourth time. Eustace along with school friend Jill end up in Narnia after being chased by bullies. But once there they are given a special task by Aslan himself, to find Prince Rillian, son of Prince Caspian the tenth, who is now old. He had been kidnapped at a young age by a powerful witch, and Eustace and Jill go on a treacherous journey through mountains, giant land and then the Underworld, where he's finally found. Great read. 

8 March 2022 The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis - This one is about one of the adventures that occurred during the reign of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. A poor boy named Shaasta decides to escape his hard life and joins hands with a talking horse named Bree to go to Narnia. They are joined by a girl Aravis and another horse Hwin, who encounter various things until they finally reach their true destination. Loved it. 

14 March 2022 The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis- Another great read. This one is about the origins of Narnia, of how it came into being when Professor Digory, the one we meet in the first book when was a little boy who brought Narnia to life and meets Aslan and also brings the White Witch into Narnia. He was the nephew of a magician who had discovered how to travel between worlds and forced Digory into his experiment. He first visits a desolate place called Charn where he meets the White Witch and who later travels with him to Narnia. 

26 March 2022 The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis- The last in the series of the Chronicles of Narnia. It is about how the world of Narnia ends and Aslan returns to his own country. It begins with the ape Shift and the donkey Puzzle finding a lion's skin and taking advantage of it. Puzzle is fitted with the skin and forced to pretend to be Aslan, while Shift brings about his evil plans to work, which in the end turns out to be bad for him. Jill and Eustace return for this one, and also Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Caspian, and various other Kings and Queens of old. It is more than just a fantasy novel, it's a commentary on many philosophical concepts like the Garden Of Eden, Plato's theory of art being only an imitation of reality. Will miss this. 

22 May 2022 Emma by Jane Austen- One of Austen's best works, representing the life and times she lived in. Emma Woodhouse, a rich and slightly vain girl, who takes it into in her head that she is a best match maker, and meets Harriet Smith, a simple naive girl who adores her. She tries to fix her first with a Mr Elton, but he actually wants her. Then she meets Frank Churchill, who she think she fancies, but then tries to pass him on to Harriet. But he turns out to be already engaged. When she fixes her heart on Mr Knightley, Emma realises she actually loves him too. She finally marries Robert Martin, the one who actually loves her. 

Classic Austen novel, with simple language and easy wit. Simple life dramas were here speciality, subjects of marriage and family. All her side characters are well fleshed out along with the main ones, almost to the extent of caricature. An enjoyable read.