Skip to main content

Book Haul ahoy !

It was a wonderful, refreshing break after a few months. We went off on a trip to Mahabaleshwar and it turned out to be only a tad short of heaven (nothing beats Kashmir). We were continually surrounded by fluffy clouds, that kept rushing up at us and leaving our hair and clothes damp. Visibility could not have been more than 200 metres and with only my hoodie on, it was remarkably freshening. Naturally, reading wasn't exactly the topmost on my mind. It was good to be back on the hills. Sadly I'm now back, and before the grind could take over, my husband took me out to buy books (bless him !). We returned with a bag of tomatoes, a packet of flattened rice flakes and three books. 

Go Set A Watchman: Naturally, it had been on my list ever since The Guardian ran sneak previews of the book. I had been putting off for the simple reason that our shelves are bursting with unread and half-read books, but what the hell now !its never too early or late to buy books.

The Martian: I talked S into buying this. Two of my colleagues were bowled over by this and it needs to be read before we watch the movie. And we'll, the cover had Matt Damon...

Zero to One: S picked it and I dispiritedly turned to the summary. And then I learnt that Peter Thiel - the author of the book - funded SpaceX, so well, my respect grew multifold, as did my sense of ignorance.

And before I know it, my bedside is weighing down under the pile. Is that a problem ? Not by a stretch ! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My favourite book-reading corners

I'm in a heady mood today and the weather is egging me on. Its been raining intermittently over the last week, and I've been dying to find the time to sit by the window, the rain lashing at it, while I sip my tea and turn the pages of the book at hand. Also, this weekend comes after numerous ones when both S and me have been extremely busy, so that relaxation seemed a distant luxury. Its nearing 6 in the evening now, the breeze is soothing and the sun is getting hazier behind the cottony grey clouds. I am thinking of all the nice little spots where I have managed to curl up and read, and then some more which I wish to come across eventually. 1. This is where I first dipped into the world of books; by the double-paned wooden windows was my single bed, where I lounged after school (back when additional tuition classes had not begun ruining my life). I remember reading my first Hardy Boys there there.To this day, the greenish, glittering beams of sunlight filtering through t...

These are a few of my least favourite things ...

I have been feeling pretty mad lately; its the end of the fiscal year (which is synonymous with doomsday for everyone - the one in the job and the one tackling the one in the job) and though I have had a lot of 'free' time, most of it has been going into making time for me to be able to read anything besides corporate papers in the weekdays. Either way, I am touchy right now and little things set me off. Little things like... 1. There was a not-so-battered copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire lying in the heap at the foot of a second-hand bookseller. Really ?? You had the heart to give away the book where Cedric died ? And Voldemort returned ? I am astounded (disgusted ?) at your emotional strength. 2. An acquaintance said she found Hurt Locker so boring, she walked off the theatre at interval. I am sorry the movie wasn't a musical.  3. Another acquaintance refused to come to Les Miserables. Oh I am so sorry, there are no guns blazing in this one....

The Relevance of Myth

Like good manners, mythology, in all cultures, is an inadvertent, yet obvious ingredient in a child's rearing. This in itself, is something of an aberration, given that mythical incidents and characters are hardly ever the epitome of ideal or good behaviour. The ultimate outcome is all that matters. Mostly it pertains to the good-over-evil card, or absolute faith or sheer strength. As children, these tales generate awe. To adults, well, we just note the discrepancies; some of us move on, others hold on. The real purpose of mythology is not to mobilise our good senses. These can be viewed as guides in leading a sane life. Mythology appears based on  very real experiences. Their characters, when one considers dispassionately, are as flawed as me and you. They are scared, hurt, ecstatic; they wage wars, plunder, have fits of anger, cheat, love, lose and do every other thing in the book (pun intended) to live by. Their condensation into a powerful rhetoric is what does the tric...