December 2017 - Confessions of a Readaholic

If you want to read at least one book in 2018, make sure you read Harari’s Sapiens.

The book is recommend by many over the past few years on the Internet but few have talked about why read this book and in my opinion one of the best published work in the history of mankind. I know Harari’s work is famous and that might be a turn off for you but give me a chance in this review to let you convince to give it a shot in the coming year. Read this one book, even if you don’t have any reading plans or generally do not read books, or haven’t read it.

Why? Because this book will transform the way you think about everyone you are surrounded and yourself. Harari’s work which was published in 2011 for the first time, did not spike my interest until later this year and I think, it has a major impact on me. In Sapiens, Harari talks about how out of 6 similar species our own, Homo Sapiens, not onlysurvived over 70,000 years including the environmental conditions but is actually the reality of How Humans Got Smart?

Very few Indian writers talk about money and in the book Dream Big the co authors Mukesh Jindal and Arunraj talk not only about money but offers you pragmatic and healthy tips on financial planning.

I love to find out how sci-fi novelist approach a story. The possibilities of storylines, if you are sci-fi writer, are endless but only researched sci-fi books thrive for a longer period of time and have an ability to entertain a reader. Similar is Dean de Servienti’s upcoming trilogy, Quantum.

Very often, the most interesting stories are those that are not told. They need to be felt, heard with the heart and mind, deciphered from between the lines. Saudade, in essence, is a collection of 9 short stories centred around the lives of people from different walks of life, shaped by circumstance and traditional conformance.

These tales are subtle, but can change the way the story ends. As with Che Guevera’s Legacy, where a young boy is forced to come to terms with the reality of political idealism. In The Inscrutable Case of a Lilac Saree, Zuhara Ammaye, bogged down by the loneliness of old age, struggles with the reality of her predicament. The shocking tale of sexual abuse of a young boy in My Name is Arif Mushtaq and I am Gay, where happiness is finally found and yet horrifically lost. Or the paranormal powers of a young woman in Beevitha and the mysterious events that unfold.

Europa by Hywel Pinto is his latest book and another treat for science fiction and fantasy fans to enjoy. Got released earlier this year, this book possess a strong storyline that is entirely new from a conceptual point of view with extraordinary pace. I am a big fan of Star Trek and I really enjoyed this novel. Now let me convince you for the same.

Goodreads is a great web tool when it comes to track your bookish life. I have been using it for about 5 years now and I still hang out there sometimes but mostly use to track all the books I have read/reading/TBR, etc. Over the past few years, I am managing to complete my Goodreads reading challenge and since then this post has become a tradition to be published on this book blog.

You have to retweet this Book Giveaway (this post) Giveaway Link on Twitter/Facebook (don’t forget to mention me on Twitter: @amanhimself and on Facebook @readaholicconfession)

On receiving the book you have to write and upload the review on your blog/Goodreads.com/Amazon.in

And lastly, do visit Mr. Merchant on Facebook (here) and share some of his post with your audience (also tag @readaholicconfessions such that I can verify)

Whenever I read a book that is takes a different concept and blend it into fiction, it excites me. Dancing Stars by Sujata Morab is one of them as the book deals with characters portraying humans beings whose fate and lives have major effect by their revolving planets (or stars or zodiac).

In 2017, I started my voracious reading journey with the word “productivity” in mind. In my workflow, I wanted to be as productive as I could but later realise that it has its limitations. First limitation that I come across as I continued on my path as I found that there is a vast field and there are sub-niches that fall under that word. I had to make a decision on how will I benefit more in terms of productivity itself but more importantly having/developing that mindset? I came across 28 books throughout the year. Few were recommendations from people who share similar goals as mine and few were picks of my own.

Pages: 149, Paperback

Published: September, 2017

Cover Rating: 5/5

This year, I have read few short stories. Recent addition being Saudade written by creative Indian Writer, Husna Mohammad. Saudade is a collection nine different stories that cover a variety of topics but every one of them share same geographical location: Kerela, Southern India. The stories revolve around the social, political and cultural environment that exists in the region.The title itself explains by the meaning of the word Saudade, which is incidentally the running thread in most of the stories.

Short stories generally mean different plots and these stories are centred around the lives of people from different walks of life and shaped by their own fate and circumstance. The first story, “Che Guevera’s Legacy” narrates the story of a young man, enamoured by political idealism and inspired by Che Guevara who at a later stage is forced to come to terms with reality. Then moving on to other stories there is a story full of illusions and probably witchcraft, and other topics like loneliness of old age, struggles with reality, sensitivities of traditional excluvism and the last one (one of my favourites from this book) is about a young boy who is sexually molested.

I have to compliment the author of the book on her understanding of variety of themes and then transforming them with her creative imagination into written pieces such that we, readers, could feel those emotions that the author wrote with. The writing style is smooth and highly appreciable. The narrative voice is a mixture of third and first person but mostly third. The formation of characters in these stories are at their best but again, I will put much emphasis on the vastness of storylines and how realistic they are.

My favourite picks from Saudade are Che Guevera’s Legacy, because of the historical point of view and conflicting political ideologies, Beevitha, for the imaginative touch, The Diary of an Insomniac and My name is Arif Mushtaq and I am Gay. These written pieces are a must read for any reader. Not only these pieces provide an outlook of Indian society as a whole but also they are well written with a flow and showcase different yet important themes.

4 out of 5

About the author:

Husna is a writer, poet and freelance content strategist. She is a dentist by profession, with a journalism degree. She abandoned a lucrative career to follow her dream of being a full time writer. Her first book, My Lyrical Symphony, an anthology of eclectic poems, was published in 2008. Husna currently resides in the picturesque coastal town of Cochin, Kerala, in southern India.

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December 17, 2017

What to Read in 2018? A List of books worth your time December 17, 2017 In 2017, I started my voracious reading journey with the word “productivity” in mind. In my workflow, I wanted to be as productive as I could but later realise that it has its limitations. First limitation that I come across as