What have I been reading? - III

The end of the year is here! And I cannot wait to indulge in writing about books I read in the latter half of 2017. Earlier 2017 books here and here.Fantastic Beasts and where to find them by J.K. Rowling: Finally picked this book by JKR. I love the Harry Potter universe and I could live with additional tidbits about it. Fun read, written in characteristic JKR witty style.The color of magic by Terry Pratchett: I started re-reading this series because my library has the entire discworld collection. What! Yes, all the 47 books! Terry Pratchett is the best and it feels extremely weird to imagine that he is no longer around. This is my small, belated tribute to the wisest of them all.Hooked by Nir Eyal: Again, found this in the library and picked it up as it's also relevant to what I do in my day job. Some basic and good insight and advice. But I did not get its structure. Also, the exercises at the end of each chapter if noted down and followed through are pretty good homework.Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie: I feel the most conflicted about this book. I picked it up as it was a part of the Booker shortlist. Also, subconsciously I was looking for more nuanced stories and perspectives from different religions. This book is based on the Greek tragedy Antigone. I may not ever read the Greek tragedy, but this one is a very good interpretation of the same. Based in the UK, in a Muslim family, torn by post 9/11 events and world, the characters and settings are contemporary. But I just could not wrap my head around the decisions the characters took and the way they acted. There was politics, love, betrayal, sibling rivalry, tragedy. Everything from a plot perspective, but the way it unraveled felt kind of underwhelming to me. And having said that, I was pretty involved in the book until the very last word. I was moved and touched. But I also had problems with it. As I mentioned earlier, so much conflict!Good night stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo: What are you even doing if you have not read this book! Kidding! I had ordered it for my then 6-month-old niece (It starts early in this household. She is now 1yo). I fell in love with it the moment it arrived. This book contains some of the less known (to me, duh!) stories of women of extraordinary courage. The artwork is equally exquisite and crowd-funded. The book has an equally fascinating backstory, of how it came into being.  A part 2 is also available now and I'll be ordering that next year :)When breath becomes air by Paul Kalanithi: This book shifted things in me. There is something about the way Paul examines his own life and its meaning in the last few years, months, days he has left. Do read if you get a chance!Three body problem by Cixin Liu: Yaar, everyone's been raving about these books. So I got them as part of a book barter. And I must say I liked the first installment very much. Even though, I could not understand a ton of really mind-bending physics it dealt with. The story and character building in it are top notch! Liu takes time exploring all connected themes, sociological aspects of the science and the threat involved. It makes you wonder about how our civilization has thrived and continues to sustain. Also, makes you think about the moral stand of the various factions, scientific and non-scientific. I mean making one think of a scientific problem from a sociological perspective is a work of a patient writer. At times it also comes across as an objective discourse on our civilization. If you want to read a heavy on science and philosophy book, then definitely pick it up!