What have I been reading?

Tah-dah! This is exciting. On an otherwise unbearably rainy weekend. (Apart from the drenched, rain-soaked long run I could log today). Anywho, 2019 has been a bit positive when it comes to reading and books. So doing my half-yearly round up of the books I have read so far. Because writing about books you read isn't as great as reading them. But rituals are rituals. So here we go!

• People in the trees by Hanya Yanagihara - T gifted me this book for my 2018 birthday. And I promptly started 2019 with it! It's richly written and works as a research paper when it comes to its subject. But the problem is the protagonist. He is 'Problematic'. So I ended up keeping a distance from him, his story and did not feel invested. People in the trees might appeal to you if you care about where we live and how we live. Hanya Yanagihara is an amazing writer and I am glad I picked it up!
• New Delhi Times by Gulzar - Bought this while prepping for a storytelling session based on Gulzar stories with a friend. I have not watched the movie, but reading this screenplay I want to! Gulzar can write deeply political stuff too and that came as a revelation.
• Mirza Ghalib by Gulzar - Again bought this as part of Gulzar research for the storytelling session. I like poetry. Urdu poetry is a bit dense for me cos of my lack of understanding of the nuances of the language. So reading about Ghalib felt daunting. I read this with complete attention but I am not sure I have it what it takes to appreciate the poetry of Ghalib. I know a lot more about his life now tho!
• Red Birds by Mohammed Hanif - Read a book by a South Asian (non-Indian) Pakistani author after a long time. Thoroughly enjoyed the wit and sarcasm in it. The story revolves around the futility of war but it takes shape as a satire. A white soldier gets stranded near an abandoned airbase which is now a refugee camp in Pakistan. And the stories of 3 main characters, which includes a dog, intertwine. Despite the grim setting and underlying tragedy, this was a great read.
• Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak - If you know me enough then you know that book thief is one of my favoretest books. I can recommend the hell out of it and bore anyone to their wits ends. So I was eager to lay my hands on the new book my Mr. Zusak. Disappointed to report that I did not get the point of this book. Why? For the first 100-150 pages, I had no idea what was happening. Either I am too thick or I was not in the right space. I really wanted the story and the book to get under my skin and impact me as the book thief had. Alas!
• The good sister by Drusilla Campbell - I have found a new book barter friend (S) in my running group. She lent this and a couple of other books to me. This book tells the story two sisters (and 4 generations of women) through the heavy lens of postpartum depression, trauma, abuse. It was a disturbing read, to say the least. It made me look at motherhood differently. We can be mothers without being one. You know what I mean?
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - D lent this to me (She never lends her books to anyone so I am super special :D). Everyone swears by this book. I was surprised by how a book about writing was an easy, breezy read. The book is peppered with anecdotes from Anne's life. It makes it feel like a story and not like an advice book. Some of the writing exercises she asks one to do are worth every paisa tho! Padho!
• Riot by Shashi Tharoor - Got this in the book barter with S. This was my first Shashi Tharoor (to those who don't know he is an Indian bureaucrat and a politician, with good looks and even better English). I read it with an open mind. I wasn't aware that Tharoor had written political fiction. As the name suggests the plot revolves around a riot and the death of a foreigner. As the story unfolds you realize how the various people are entangled in the mess. There are customary reactionary leaders and politicians, romantic idealistic bureaucrats and regular people. The book did not affect me much, but it was a good read.
• Annihilation of Caste by B. R. Ambedkar - I have heard so much about BR and his intelligence. Glad to have finally read this. That too during his birth anniversary month. I have always been a non-believer in caste. But it took me a really long time to understand and accept that the world around me did not work that way (I used to naively think that 'because I did not believe in it, it did not exist). Caste is deeply rooted in our daily conditioning. It's a way of life for many of us. I am in awe of the way BR takes down the caste system in a clear, intelligent way. I feel we are fortunate that the politics around the time we (India) got our independence was idealistic enough to have BR as (one of) the constitution-writers.
• Normal People by Sally Rooney - WTF was this book! It tore me and deeply affected me. I felt like Marianne and Connell could be anyone. They did not leave my headspace for days. Few things stood out to me. The nuances and pressures of becoming or trying to become a functioning adult in the world. Connell got social validation in life soon by fitting in, whereas Marianne did not by virtue of being a misfit earlier on. She later gets it cos of her brilliance and strong financial background (her parents are wealthy). The latter adult life is a struggle for Connell as he thinks he isn't brilliant enough. I found everyone in these two characters on some level. I hope that after the events of the book, they somehow find each other again.
• Self-Help by Lorrie Moore - S lent it to me (she is another person who doesn't like lending her books to anyone, so I must be special or a nag :P). This was a collection of short stories written in Lorrie's characteristic snippy, snarky style. I resonated with the writing style a lot. The first story was about an extramarital affair from the other woman's perspective. So evocative. Read her if you haven't!
• Terrific Mother by Lorrie Moore - Seeing how much I liked Moore's writing style, S gifted me this short story book. It was a weird story. But I still have the characters and their predicament with me. I would not want to live through what Adrienne had to, but how she copes with it was healing to read.
• Family History by Dani Shapiro - This I got from the runner friend S. I could not relate much with the main character and her story. It was filled with privilege. If the author had chosen to write this from the perspective of the child, then it would have been more effective.
• Too much happiness by Alice Munro - First Munro of my life! (Thanks to S for lending it!). What a gifted writer. At first glance, some of the stories seem seemingly mundane, but then she pulls out something magical and makes them profound. Loved everything in it!
• Someone like you by Roald Dahl - I was again helping S for a storytelling session on Roald Dahl. The event focused on his writing for adults, so that's how I discovered this side of the prolific author and experimenter! These are some really wicked, twisted stories with abrupt and unexpected endings. Some are subtle, some out there. But all have the characteristic Dahl-ness of wit. Read if you had never heard about his writing for adults.
• God of small things by Arundhati Roy - I had chanced upon seeing AR at Delhi airport a few months ago. I wanted to fangirl, but I realized I had not read ANY of her books. Essays and other writings yes, but novels NO. This book was in the stash that P donated to me before moving countries. I had no idea or what to expect despite knowing this book had got rave reviews and awards. I am quite aware of AR's politics, so was all the more intrigued. Anywho, I did not get as invested as I would have liked. I liked the book, all right, but it did not stay with me. So find writing about it even weird.
• Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh - Heard an interesting interview of the author by BooksonT. I had ordered the book before that, so as soon as it landed in my lap I started reading it. Love how a powerful author like AG took the challenge of climate change and wrapped it in folklore and mythology. Its the story of an antiquarian who gets involved in a bizarre set of events which link to a mysterious story about Gun Island. Learned so many new things and this book piqued my curiosity. Read!