I've decided to clean up this blog, so it will be closer to its namesake, well, half of it at least: reading. I've finally picked up reading again after a long while of on and off. A few months ago, I got myself a Kindle, and a Kindle cover to go with it. The cover is a colourful and thriving tree, with distinctly shaped leaves that seem to flow like water against a white background that shimmers as the Kindle is tilted. Makes for a satisfying and heartening swell inside when I snap the cover shut.
I'm going to pre-empt (and hopefully not jinx myself), that this year (2024) will see me getting back into reading again. I've tried multiple ways of reading more in the past few years. 2020 and 2021, whenever possible, I'd make trips to the library (since it was literally round one very near corner to my workplace). That trickled to a stop as I wound up borrowing ebooks on my phone instead. (However, I realised I would binge read till 3 or 4 in the morning, and eventually stopped that.) Last year, I endeavoured to read for knowledge and turned to nonfiction, almost exclusively. I ended up reading not more than three nonfiction books.
I cannot recall the exact shift back into reading fiction again. Was it because I finally figured out that I could not sustain myself on nonfiction? Did it start from my recent trip to Germany where I stocked up on books to counter any possible moments of boredom I would find? Did it have to do with conversations with friends about books they read? Or perhaps it was a mixture, perhaps they all mixed and meshed into one another. And maybe that doesn't matter either.
One thing that might matter, is that I want some form of preserving my thoughts on the books I read, the things I took away from them. So here goes:
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BOOK #1: Becoming by Michelle Obama
This is a memoir from Michelle Obama, starting from her childhood up till Barack Obama left office. She speaks of hope, finding hope, of strength and resilience, of staring straight at fear, of believing, of constantly moving forward. She spoke of so many things and in such a conversational manner too. Her sentences were easy to follow and understand, she has a way of writing that presents a certain point and then she circles back to the same point so-very effortlessly. If anything, it makes the emotions she wants to portray so much more powerful.
My biggest takeaway from this book was about hope. About understanding that change can happen, and even if one doesn't feel like it is possible, it doesn't mean that one should not attempt to try. This one stuck out, on a deeply personal level, because I sometimes feel like I'm in an environment where change by an individual doesn't mean anything. Then again, it is personal. Having read this book fills me with hope. And with hope, maybe I will someday dare to dream big, and aim high.
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BOOK #2: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
This book is a lovely read, the story is set in India and spans three generations from 1900 to... 1970s or 1980s? I no longer remember. What I love about this, is that the story starts with a young girl called Mariamma, who receives extremely short notice that she has been arranged a marriage. Her father had died years before, and her mother and her were ill-treated by Mariamma's uncle, who took over the possessions of his deceased brother. Thus began Mariamma's separation from her dear mother. Through the story, we learn about lives of more characters, who didn't seem to have anything to do with Mariamma (also known as Big Ammachi). Lives were born, and lives were ended, the different threads of the story intersected and weaved together and went their separate paths. The story ends with Big Ammachi's granddaughter, who is her namesake, fulfilling the dreams of Big Ammachi and also accidentally (well, in some parts at least) finding out about her parents. It definitely felt very wholesome.
Reading this book was very peaceful, the descriptions were so vivid, and the humour was written out just enough. There were quite some time skips or skips from one thread of the story to another, and sometimes I get confused. A book like this is probably better read as a physical copy rather than as an ebook. The book touches on some attitudes regarding the colonial era, how the hierarchy played out, how the local Indians were treated by the British. It was refreshing to read a book that pertains to this time period and location. It did give me some pause, because growing up in Singapore, which also was a British colony, I had never given much thought about how the locals felt about the British back then? As a kid, and a teenager, I never gave much thought to it, no one around me spoke about that nor seemed to wonder about that.
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BOOK #3: Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
I just finished this book slightly around forty-five minutes ago, right before I embarked on this blog post. This book is set in modern times, dealing with very modern themes, specifically Covid and lockdowns, the book also touched on the BLM movement briefly, yet long enough that it stuck. It is a very down-to-earth read. And definitely a MUST READ if you want a list of book recommendations AND a simple and short review of what the book entails. Many lives intersect in this read, some stay for a longer timer, while some come and go. It is filled with quiet care and love, punctuated with bouts of uncertainty and fear, but it all comes to a comforting end. Everything will be fine, everyone is surrounded by people who care. And if one wants to be alone, there are always books to be read. This book really felt like an ode to books. It's great!
I've read many books in the past and I believe this is the first book I'm reading that is set in the present day. There is something really special about reading a fiction book talking about the days in covid, in lockdown. I wouldn't say I experienced the same fear as was alluded to in the book, because I was employed and I have faith in the government to do the right thing, even if it might be unpopular or difficult. The emotions in the book were put out in the open and they were so relatable and human. It was a really comforting read, even in a world where things are mostly "back to a normal".
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One little curious thing I wanted to mention, is that these three books feature really strong women. Book #3 "Found in a Bookshop" was particularly women-centric. Book #2 featured really resilient women through the forms of "Big Ammachi" and "Mariamma", who were steadfast even through moments of difficulties, but of course, it was at heart much more about family and community. Book #1... need more be said? ;)
I hope to update this blog as I read more books, rather than to end up sitting here for close to an hour typing this. We'll see what I next read. Till next time!
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