What have I been reading - III

Continuation from here.

Prescript - as an afterthought I hardly bought any new books this year and read from the 2017 baggage/pileup pictured here. I am a little relieved to have cleared some of that load in 2018 :D

• Known and strange things by Teju Cole - KT gifted me this book for my 2017 birthday. It only took me less than a year to get to it! I follow the eccentric Teju Cole on Twitter (now he is on a सन्यास aka indefinite hiatus from the platform. He is on and off on Instagram for those interested). When I started following him there, he was the creator of the rather viral and heartwarming flower report thread on Twitter. He also posts (used to?) pictures with short descriptions from his world travels there. And the essays in this book capture that. A curious, smart, weird person talking about the world in a fun, eccentric way. If you are an essay person, then this might amuse you.

• On Photography by Susan Sontag - I had read so much about Susan Sontag before picking this book as the first one from her repertoire. It did not disappoint. Although a couple of the essays needed context. You need to know the works of the photographers she is talking about in order to understand her critique or admiration. But as a generic read for someone who has zero skills with the camera and cannot even click a selfie, Susan's musings seemed timeless. Her insights on the impact of photography on culture are on point. Also, a very intelligent woman this. Read!
• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Sanders - Had gifted this to a reader friend for her birthday and when opportunity knocked, I promptly borrowed it. It took me a lot of time to understand the structure and language. But once I was immersed in Lincoln's life, I was moved. The book is based around the time when Abe and Mary lost their beloved son Willie. It's a moving tale of loss and acceptance, life and death. If you never happen to read this, my favorite George Saunders video tidbit here. (which I really hope you watch/listen to).
• The paper menagerie by Ken Liu - Again had borrowed this book from a friend eons ago. Finally got to reading it in 2018. Ken Liu is majorly known for writing science fiction stuff. But this book is a collection of all kinds of short stories. I loved most of the stories. Most of them were a mix of folklore/mysticism and science fiction. Really recommend to anyone wanting to read some great, thought-provoking stories.
• The fifth season by N. K. Jemisin - Got this as a birthday gift this year. This is part of a trilogy, for which NKJ has won the Hugo award for all the individual parts! And it had been time that I had read some good fantasy fiction. Thus, was more than elated when this landed in my hands. Weird world, weird premise, involves a lot of geology and geography terms. But makes real people out of its underdog characters. It also has an undertone of oppression and the oppressed. Some meta references to the world around us (or so I felt). Can't wait to get the other 2 parts and find out what happens next. Highly recommend if you are into fantasy fiction.
• 14 stories that inspired Satyajit Ray by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay - Raise your hand and join the club if you have not watched a single Ray movie. So this book can be a good starter for people like us (at least a few out there?) who want to know what Ray's storytelling was all about. I loved each and every story in the book! From fantasy, social commentary, caste and gender politics, tragedy, love, relationships it had everything. Will not say anything about any of the story as I really hope you read this! (A friend had lent me her copy of the book btw).
• Birthday stories (a collection) by Haruki Murakami - Murakami is one of my favorite writers. I get his worlds and characters. I bought this at the airport (impulse purchase) before going on a 2-week long vacation. I had already packed another book for the vacay, but you know the heart wants what it wants. So it began. Murakami started collecting stories based in and around birthdays from contemporary fiction writers when he realized there were not many out there. What a bizarre collection this! From assassins to clueless 13 year olds, this book covers it all. It also had a great short story by David Foster Wallace which is so good that I implore everyone to read it and re-live how it is to be a young boy/girl again. Very happy that I ended my 2018 with this book!
• Karwar to Kolhapur via Mumbai by Smita Deo - This is a photographer friend's book (where he contributed pictures). It was a recipe book so I will not claim to have read it end to end. But whatever parts I read those evoked a nostalgia. Of places and times from the past. Its a memoir plus cook book for those interested in such genres.