Reading List - September

I am one of those readers who likes to have a balanced diet, unless it is something like Harry Potter, which will have my whole, undivided attention at all times of the day (bad news for my academic endeavours in the past and my professional engagements now). Since I am not very picky about what I read, I have, on an average at least three books in my WIP list. This month, these three are on my bedside:

1. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters: This was the result of my random browsing through the booklist of the British Council Library, and I was caught by the synopsis… “This is the story of four Londoners – three women and a young man with a past – drawn with absolute truth and intimacy… Their lives and their secrets connect in sometimes startling way. Wars lead to strange alliances…”. The book is partitioned in three sections and I have just finished the first one. So far it has captivated me well enough.

2. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield: It has been nearly a year since I bought this book at an airport, and though I read about half of it, I left it mid-way. That’s not an indication of the quality of the book. In fact, it is enormously educative and though the title appears partial to wannabe astronauts, I can assure you, this one goes far deeper. Chris Hadfield gives remarkable perspectives on everything in life and frankly, it is very inspiring. Of course, anyone with an amateurish fixation with space-travel (I guess I am one of them) will find it easier to read, though everything has been broken down in very easy-to-understand, laymanish concepts. It is only that the occasional instructive tone does not always make it a fun read, which is why I need to read the next title alongside.

3. San Andreas by Alistair MacLean: I picked it out of habit at the bookstore I mentioned in my last post, and am yet to crack open the spine. The summary notes a lot of ships and submarines and sabotage and betrayal. At the risk of sounding morbid, I confess I can already feel the tention building in my stomach !

Time to get my cup of tea. And let the reading commence…

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Side Reads - A Book of English Essays - Edited by W.E. Williams

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