tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229422012024-03-08T08:50:38.636+05:30Unmana's WordsUnmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.comBlogger960125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-48856833292195299442021-09-04T12:16:00.002+05:302021-09-04T12:16:39.371+05:30Anyone still here?<p>It's been too long, I know. How have you been doing, my loves?</p><p>I had a couple of really tough years but am okay now. If you have specific questions, ask me in the comments, but for now here's a few highlights.</p><p>We have a lovely home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-69gb4kXeNBk/YTMUm3w1q-I/AAAAAAAAopE/-r4vTR4a1YkXO8dgt-wOjRN950lg4P4uQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/bedroom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-69gb4kXeNBk/YTMUm3w1q-I/AAAAAAAAopE/-r4vTR4a1YkXO8dgt-wOjRN950lg4P4uQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/bedroom.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R72Iz7Kc2V8/YTMUnQ375_I/AAAAAAAAopM/wViQCSCk62c_ZmRqyzVx5iF5LVqK1ONaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/guest%2Broom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R72Iz7Kc2V8/YTMUnQ375_I/AAAAAAAAopM/wViQCSCk62c_ZmRqyzVx5iF5LVqK1ONaACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/guest%2Broom.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0w2XrP6NSDw/YTMUoARsgII/AAAAAAAAopU/vGjS9UKH9JYRDTBPVuZy4msptbuU0g5QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/living%2Broom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0w2XrP6NSDw/YTMUoARsgII/AAAAAAAAopU/vGjS9UKH9JYRDTBPVuZy4msptbuU0g5QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/living%2Broom.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jV9q0_ZeBdo/YTMUlDJCkVI/AAAAAAAAoo8/gu2nMuHKfuIrY8GqrrtNL-D-SCWzKHv1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-09-04%2Bat%2B12.06.04%2BPM-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jV9q0_ZeBdo/YTMUlDJCkVI/AAAAAAAAoo8/gu2nMuHKfuIrY8GqrrtNL-D-SCWzKHv1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-09-04%2Bat%2B12.06.04%2BPM-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Nilesh has become an artist.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4X0zAstuDlU/YTMVDb5Xb0I/AAAAAAAAop0/b0lWsv_4cn8IERinnCqqN7PXvqtWPEHBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/paintings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="839" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4X0zAstuDlU/YTMVDb5Xb0I/AAAAAAAAop0/b0lWsv_4cn8IERinnCqqN7PXvqtWPEHBACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/paintings.jpeg" width="262" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I also like painting and sketching a bit, with far less skill and work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oVnUfutJOY/YTMVMALep-I/AAAAAAAAop8/Up7jRW3cE4oRHt0lE6rvsBJS9rOngmqvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/ice%2Bmelting.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oVnUfutJOY/YTMVMALep-I/AAAAAAAAop8/Up7jRW3cE4oRHt0lE6rvsBJS9rOngmqvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ice%2Bmelting.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wyJ34qn95-k/YTMVLzLiQwI/AAAAAAAAop4/PE1A2Yr51zQPUwNsOKnKLIWscIecFegxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-09-04%2Bat%2B12.06.04%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wyJ34qn95-k/YTMVLzLiQwI/AAAAAAAAop4/PE1A2Yr51zQPUwNsOKnKLIWscIecFegxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-09-04%2Bat%2B12.06.04%2BPM.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I had an essay featured in the book <a href="http://jaiarjun.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-shout-out-for-skin-stories-essays-on.html" target="_blank">Skin Stories</a> published by Point of View in late 2019. (If you want the book, you'll have to <a href="https://m.facebook.com/POVMumbai/videos/1583937728619451/?refsrc=deprecated&_rdr">email PoV.</a>) Here's Nilesh standing next to me holding the book at the launch.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl_MmVOPUZI/YTMVXRvHWII/AAAAAAAAoqE/teBLZdSGzsActaPHoJbgLbwZ1MDHmoKOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Skin%2BStories.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl_MmVOPUZI/YTMVXRvHWII/AAAAAAAAoqE/teBLZdSGzsActaPHoJbgLbwZ1MDHmoKOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Skin%2BStories.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>We live near the sea.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQA1S4jaJ_0/YTMVcVeXQrI/AAAAAAAAoqQ/4GilNx4Wzfg8PzrGuMkaS2HCUNsJP7XjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Unmana%2Bsea.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQA1S4jaJ_0/YTMVcVeXQrI/AAAAAAAAoqQ/4GilNx4Wzfg8PzrGuMkaS2HCUNsJP7XjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Unmana%2Bsea.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I host a weekly <a href="https://www.clubhouse.com/event/PG6DeROm">poetry reading room on Clubhouse.</a> (Even if you've never used Clubhouse before, it's easy, <a href="https://www.clubhouse.com/event/PG6DeROm" target="_blank">the link </a>will take you there.)</p><p>Okay, now your turn. What had you been up to?</p>Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-14596128077730778712019-01-28T13:01:00.000+05:302019-01-28T13:01:07.076+05:30When Apollo becomes Cassandra: Re-reading Arundhati Roy’s The Algebra of Infinite Justice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is a discomfiting experience rereading Roy’s essays after so long. I agree with her more now than I used to: my political views have moved so far left I’m probably to <i>her</i> left now. But I am surprised to find myself grimacing at the prose here and there: where is the luminous writing I had always associated with her? Some of this is strident, uneven in tone, cliched. Was she so celebrated by then, I wonder, that the editor did not edit much, grateful just to be able to publish her?</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I tell myself I’m being unfair. The years since the essays were published means they have lost much of their urgency. The tone of outrage that now feels overwrought must have been much more powerful as an immediate reaction to unspeakable events.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I am struck by, over and over again, is her prescience. She reminds me of Margaret Atwood. Both prophesied to their respective lands of the impending doomsday, and we ignored Cassandra, as she always is ignored.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the essays are not about art, she brings up the old question of whether artists ought to focus on art or be involved in the world around them. If there is no world left, Roy seems to say, what will we write about? Who will write, if everyone is destroyed? If we don’t save the world, how can we save art?</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And maybe also: If we don’t stop our government from committing horrific crimes, what right do we have to continue with our privileged lives, to enjoy art, to make art? What right do we have to live when we look away as others are killed? Art should be the best of humanity: our best instincts, our most intelligent thoughts directed into works of such sublimity that they rival nature and challenge time. But adopting neutrality towards state-sponsored brutality and genocide displays the worst of humanity: an instinct that is both self-serving and will, soon enough, be self-destructive.</span></div>
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-72067496841144241362019-01-01T13:29:00.000+05:302019-01-01T13:29:15.393+05:30Happy new year, if you're still reading<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This has been a hard year.<br />
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It seems so privileged and oblivious to even say this, because the world has had a hard year. The world is burning down, but it’s not one brilliant conflagration that sears everything clean, it’s a blend of slow messy relentless poisons that leave us gasping and waiting for the end.<br />
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But petty as my life is, here’s what it’s been like: I’ve spent a lot of it in pain and a lot of it working and a lot of it worrying about work and my health. As a result, I’ve been cranky and angry and in too much pain and exhaustion to not show it to my partner, who deserves so much better, who’s nearly always gentle and patient and should have more kindness and love than I’ve been able to offer.<br />
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And then: my partner lost his father. I’ve seen friends and colleagues go through hard times. I’ve distanced myself from friends who seemed content to only spend time with me as long as they could use me, who took my kindness and hard-won calm and patience as an invitation to take as much as they could get.<br />
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As a result, I’ve retreated. I’ve only had energy for some things, and I’ve let go of everything that seemed optional. As a result, I’ve grown lonely, I’ve grown shut in, I would travel to Kolkata every few weeks and spend the rest of my time holed in at home and only going to the office. I haven’t visited my mother in two years. I question my priorities all the time, never sure I’m giving the right things, the right people, enough of my time and attention, always wondering if I’m being too selfish or not selfish enough.<br />
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It’s New Year’s Day and I’m in office and I was in office till 8 last night and I’m not even supposed to work on Mondays and Tuesdays and my life looks very different from what I expected a year ago and my carefully constructed part-time job and enough-time-for-life life has slowly broken down. I want to get it back up, but I’m not sure it’s possible.<br />
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But yet. Yet.<br />
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There’s so much I have to be grateful for.<br />
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Nilesh, most of all. Always Nilesh. He’s comforted and loved and waited and advised and cooked and baked and smiled and joked and given me so much of his time and attention and love. Even if I had nothing else, this would make me rich.<br />
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Bhuvi, who’s grown from a friend to THE friend. With whom something feels real and solid and not like one rough wind will blow it away. Who’s capable of the kind of kindness and dependability I’d only so far found in Nilesh and tried to build in myself.<br />
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My few other friends who’ve been around for a while, and who are family. Whose conversations, presence, silence I can sink into without having to explain myself. Who may not talk to me in months but it doesn’t matter, because we’re both here.<br />
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A couple of new budding friendships. Isn’t every beginning and gradual deepening of a relationship so exciting, so full of promise?<br />
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My colleagues, especially my team. So much love and gratitude for them, for their brilliance and their youth and their optimism and their kindness. The biggest reason I'm pouring in so much time and effort into my job is because I want to work with them, I want to make things better for them.<br />
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Money and privilege. This year would have been so much harder if I hadn’t had a ton of those.<br />
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Late in 2017, I got myself two tattoos. Both of them reminders of what I value most: art and love. Reminders of who I am. I was explaining them to a friend recently, and that was a reminder, because even though they’re on my skin, they’re easy to take for granted, easy to ignore. I had another conversation with another friend last month that reminded me that I need to remember my goals, that I need to again reach for the kind of life I want.<br />
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So I want to start going back to that this year. Not get swayed – much – by what others expect of me, but do what I want to do. Stop worrying about opportunities and openings and lost chances. Stop living out of fear, and live with love.<br />
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I wish you the same.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-28896065047979887952018-01-22T20:22:00.002+05:302018-01-22T20:26:55.212+05:30Offline<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="p1" style="text-align: left;"><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I owe a lot to social media. I made most of my current friends on Twitter. But I’ve spent less and less time on Twitter these days. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">This is partly because I’ve been unwell and in pain, and typing is physically painful. But also because I realised spending time away from Twitter helps me think, gives me time to read, to engage more deeply and meaningfully in conversations with friends. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">(Not to say Twitter doesn’t have meaningful conversations; I have learned so much from it. But many of the people I most enjoy following are also spending less time here, and also because I’ve found (finally, which others have been saying for years) that people (including me, at times!) are often kneejerkly accusatory instead of thoughtful, bringing their personal pain forth in defensive reactions that don’t usually further engagement and kindness. I’m not saying that outrage isn’t good or needed; this is about my inability to deal with the kind of engagement Twitter requires. I’m beginning to feel jaded, seeing the same conversations over and over, and I want to spend time introspecting and channeling my thoughts into longer writing, and into improving myself. I'm also spending more time reading fun books of the kind I used to love -- crime, romance, children's crime stories -- without guilt and with immense pleasure.)</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I don’t think I’ve been missed; no one has said so, but my friends continue to reach out and talk to me, so I am not missing much either.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">(And I’m enough of an introvert to not need, or even want, many friends. Right now, my circle is small and rich and full, and I am content.)</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I have also withdrawn physically, becoming more of a recluse, for the same reasons. I am taking strength and nourishment from my home, my husband, my self, my closest friends. I am pouring that strength into my work, into my relationships, and have little left over.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I was becoming quiet on Instagram also, but have started posting regularly again, just to keep track of my life and my reading. But even when I don’t, I don’t feel like I disappear. I was afraid I would, away from social media and not proactively reaching out to friends. I haven’t: my sense of self seems stronger than ever, and I feel lucky and grateful. </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">This is not to say I don't want to hear from you, if you want to reach out. I would love to hear from you. This is only to say that the open-endedness of Twitter, which had been one of its primary charms, has grown difficult for me, and I prefer one-on-one interactions with friends. If you email/text/call me or comment here, I'd be very happy to hear from you. And even if you don't, I hope you're doing well. I hope you're taking care of yourself in these difficult times.<br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">But if you have wondered why, this is why. And much love and gratitude to the friends who have reached out and continue to do so, who don’t wait for me to reach out, who don’t let me disappear from their lives.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">All of this is to say: I don’t know when I’ll start posting here or tweeting regularly again. Soon, I think, but not as often as I used to. If you want to see what I’m reading or what I’m up to, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unmana_bombay/"><span class="s2">look me up on Instagram.</span></a> These days I’m finding pictures and emojis easier than words.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br />
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<div class="p3"><span class="s3">So </span><span class="s1">💜💕💖💪✊💋</span></div></div></div>Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-85997890339678671112017-12-01T11:17:00.000+05:302017-12-01T11:17:11.067+05:30Books I read in November<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eleven books, but I also spent much time feeling unwell (cold and flu) and watching a </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lot </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of Netflix: the entire (latest) season of five shows: Gilmore Girls, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Alias Grace, Riverdale, and Mindhunter. (All excellent in different ways, except for GG, which is largely about nostalgia.) (Someone take away my Netflix: yes, this was all in two weeks, and that's at least a full workweek worth of tv-watching.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Kuttiedathi and Other Stories </i>by M.T. Vasudevan Nair (and translated by V. Abdulla)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of a big box of books <a href="http://sunayanaroy.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">Sue </a>had generously sent me. I've been trying to read more Indian writing. The stories here are of variable quality, and I almost always feel I'm missing something when I read in translation. I didn't much like the title story, but a few were moving and overall the collection has stayed with me. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Why I Am Not A Feminist </i>by Jessa Crispin</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This brilliant book offers some incisive criticism of contemporary feminism, though I don't agree with all its arguments. It seems relevant for us in India, even though it's a very western perspective. My friend <a href="http://theladiesfinger.com/im-not-feminist/" target="_blank">Srinidhi reviewed it </a>for the Ladies Finger.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Home Fire </i>by Kamila Shamsie</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book has been getting a lot of buzz, for good reason. It's a retelling of Antigone, but read it even if you know nothing of Greek plays. It's beautiful, brilliant, heartbreaking; about love (familial and romantic) in the time of terrorism. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Unraveled, Unlocked, </i>and <i>Unveiled </i>by Courtney Milan</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I reread a bunch of Courtney Milans over two days when I was too sick with the flu to do anything else. <i>Unraveled</i> remains my favourite by her; I also have very fond memories of <i>A Kiss for Midwinter,</i> which I haven't read in a while. I like heroes who have professions they do good in, basically, and aren't rich entitled landlords.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ethan Frome </i>by Edith Wharton</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Wharton, and this is one of her most celebrated, but meh. I'd much rather reread <i>Age of Innocence. </i>Apart from everything else, the framing of the narrative was very unconvincing. Why would Frome -- known to be taciturn and reclusive -- tell an acquaintance/client every single embarrassing detail of his personal life just because he had to stay over overnight due to a snowstorm?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Never Let Me Go </i>by Kazuo Ishiguro</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first Ishiguro: it's taken me a long time to come to him but I definitely want more. I love SFF that feels so real and has so much heart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two Magnus Chase books: <i>The Sword of Summer </i>and <i>The Hammer of Thor </i>by Rick Riordian</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I really like the first of these, at first.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> I hadn't liked what I tried of Rick Riordian after the first Perch Jackson series, so I was really glad that he's back to form in this one. But somehow Magnus Chase remains a less compelling character than Percy Jackson, even though he had much promise. Samirah is wonderful, but we don't get enough of her. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved the early part of the second book, again. Especially because Alex. Alex is a wonderful, complicated, attractive character. But I didn't love the book overall. Among other things, there was a very unsavoury episode of coercing and robbing a weaker being, without excuse or reparations or even remorse. Percy Jackson wouldn't have done that, Magnus.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fear of Flying by Erica Jong</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was my favourite book in recent weeks. The cover proclaims it an erotic novel, but it is so much more<span style="background-color: white;">: it's inspiring, thought-provoking, life-affirming. It's a meditation on women's lives, on work, on writing, on love. I paused often to reread and copy down lines for their wisdom and beauty.</span></span></div>
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-51039658155096190632017-10-31T22:47:00.000+05:302017-11-01T13:02:52.732+05:30Books I read in September and October<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I seem to have read more than usual lately: not least because for a few days I did nothing but read, wanting to get through some of the several dozen books I'd got in Bangalore's wonderful bookstores (Blossom and Bookworm) and which I had no room to pack and haul home. I also wanted to read a couple of books on the shelves of the friends who were generously hosting me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a good time for crime. (Sorry.)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Ministry of Fear </i>and <i>Brighton Rock </i>by Graham Greene</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Ministry of Fear </i><span style="background-color: white;">not only kept me awake while waiting for a late evening flight at the end of a looong day (and week), but I was so engrossed I read on the airport shuttle and in queues and forgot to turn on my phone till I was at the baggage carousel. <i>Brighton Rock </i>was probably even better: unfortunately my copy got stolen (I'd foolishly kept it on the table <i>outside </i>my hotel room) before I could finish it. But I've finally read Graham Greene and now I want to read all his books. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Miss Silver Intervenes </i>by Patricia Wentworth</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love elderly women detectives in cosy mysteries. Miss Silver is great fun, and I want to read more Wentworth too.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>A Kiss Before Dying </i>by Ira Levin</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book has been on my wishlist forever (since I read <a href="http://jaiarjun.blogspot.in/2011/07/on-kiss-before-dying-complexities-of.html" target="_blank">Jai's post on it: read this if you want a review)</a>. It's about a handsome young man who preys on rich young women — narrated mostly from his perspective. It's a gripping read.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The High Window </i>by Raymond Chandler</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is only my second Chandler, but I thoroughly enjoyed it (much more than I did <i>The Big Sleep). </i>It's so stereotypical noir it sometimes reads like a parody, but the plot and writing are so taut it works really well.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Final Curtain </i>and <i>Dead Water </i>by Ngaio Marsh</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I enjoyed both of these, even though the mysteries were somewhat predictable. Marsh is a master of the cozy mystery, kind of like Christies with a slower pace and more meat.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Haroon and the Sea of Stories </i>and <i>The Ground Beneath Her Feet </i>by Salman Rushdie</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think Rushdie should write more (or maybe exclusively) children's stories. There's something about his sense of humour and his imagination which works wonderfully in a child's fantasy universe. On the other hand, I eyerolled at manifestations of these traits in <i>The Ground Beneath Her Feet, </i>which I worked at for weeks and finally gave up because it was such a plod (and it's some 600 pages too).<i> Haroun, </i>though, is wonderful: it still has satirical references to the real world but is the kind of Indian fantasy we don't have enough of, with a hero who travels to a fantasy world, (SPOILERS AHEAD) rescues it from destruction through bravery and empathy, falls in love with a plucky girl, and in the process fixes not just his family's problems but that of the entire city. I'm going to buy copies for the kids in my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>The Liberation of Sita </i>by Volga</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This much celebrated book is a collection of short stories on the same theme that reads </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">much like a novel. It's a retelling of the Ramayan from Sita's perspective, and what's beautiful is that it gives Sita a sisterhood. Surpanakha, Ahalya, and Urmila mentor Sita and offer their affection. I think the translation is a bit clunky at times, but overall it was an easy read, and I'm sending it to my mother.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Empty Grave </i>by Jonathan Stroud</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last of Lockwood & Co, a fun YA ghost hunting series with a girl hero/narrator, perfect for a day spent in bed waiting for the cramps to go away. (Stroud is awesome at humour, at fantasy, at teenage angst; romance is not his thing.) But if you haven't read him yet, try the Bartimaeus series: I'm a big fan.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Corridor </i>by Sarnath Bannerjee</span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Weird, interesting graphic novel set in Delhi.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Between the World and Me </i>by Ta-Nehisi Coates</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you've read any Coates at all, you know what to expect. This book uses the memoir format to delve into the black experience — including, of course, racism — in the USA. It's brilliant, like all of his writing. Have you read <i><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/01/my-president-was-black/508793/" target="_blank">My President Was Black? </a></i>I finally finished this long essay on Obama and American politics last week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? </i>by John Sutherland</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9HWYlyZD7v4/We9zRkpCmhI/AAAAAAAASO0/gb-oa6THcjU8HLNJYDGqFfJmzyTfs34vACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-24%2Bat%2B9.50.20%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Illustration of Amelia Earhart" border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9HWYlyZD7v4/We9zRkpCmhI/AAAAAAAASO0/gb-oa6THcjU8HLNJYDGqFfJmzyTfs34vACLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-24%2Bat%2B9.50.20%2BPM.png" title="" width="259" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sutherland explores mystifying asides in classic literature: such as how did Lady Catherine de Bourgh hear a rumour of Elizabeth's engagement to Darcy, when gossipmaestro Mrs Bennet had no idea? (SPOILER: In this case the answer he offers is Charlotte Collins nee Lucas. <span style="background-color: white;">I don't agree: Charlotte was not so mean-spirited as to try to sabotage Lizzy's relationship: from what I remember she seemed genuinely happy at the prospect of her friend making such a brilliant match.) </span><span style="background-color: white;">The essays were overall less exciting than I'd hoped. </span></span></span></div>
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</b></i></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls</b></i> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also a great concept but somewhat disappointing experience. Highlighting 100 women who "rebelled" is important, and the illustrations are magnificent (the one above is of Amelia Earheart). But the writing is less than perfect, and lacks nuance, perhaps limited by the one-page-per-woman format. I'm leery of a feminist book that glorifies, for example, Margaret Thatcher, without even hinting at problems. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>A Quiet Kind of Thunder </i>by Sara Bernard</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a beautiful book this is. The best kind of YA romance: two wonderful young people, strong friendships, complicated family relationships, and enough emo love to give me all the feels. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, </i>and <i>The Story of the Lost Child </i>by Elena Ferrante</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd read the first Neapolitan Novel last year; I gobbled up the rest last month. So much to love; such brilliant, interesting, selfish, principled women characters.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Sula </i>by Toni Morrison</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is my third Morrison, and I think I like it third too, after</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bluest Eye, </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">which is brilliant and beautiful and I want to reread often, and</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Beloved. </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it's a complex tale of black women's lives and female friendships and female violence.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Ordinary Love </i>by Jane Smiley</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A novella about motherhood and family. Smiley is great at family relationships, and I enjoyed rereading this one, though my favourite of hers (I've only read three) remains <i>A Thousand Acres, </i>a retelling of King Lear set in a contemporary farm.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Frenchman's Creek </i>by Daphne du Maurier</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is... not what I expected? It's sort of a mix of historical thriller and erotica without any actual sex. It was strictly okay.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Razor's Edge </i>by Somerset Maugham</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Typical dudeliterary novel with "ideal" young man and lots of annoying rich people, including the narrator (who is less rich but super annoying). It was well written and enjoyable, despite my occasional eyerolling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />A Necklace of Skulls </i>by Eunice de Souza</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Found this treasure in my friends' home and greedily devoured it in one afternoon. I'm not a great reader of poetry, but the poems here are so accessible, so simple, without being simplistic. The poem 'Untitled' gut-punched me, even though I have no one to feel that way about. (TW: grief, death.) </span></span><br />
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-78855100529857746812017-10-20T12:47:00.000+05:302017-10-20T12:47:18.452+05:30Inktober<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm doing Inktober and trying to draw every day, with mixed results. Here are a few: the rest is up <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unmana_bombay/" target="_blank">on Instagram.</a> Let me know what you think!<br />
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-705111502505069932017-08-31T09:53:00.000+05:302017-08-31T09:53:02.873+05:30Books I read in August<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm in Bangalore for a while, and it's not been a great month for reading, because I'm spending a lot of time hanging out with friends. No regrets!<br />
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But look at this magnificent haul of second-hand books.<br />
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<b>Picture Books and Graphic Novels</b><br />
(from the shelf of friends I'm staying with)<br />
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<b>Three Pigeon books by Mo Willems</b><br />
I like The Pigeon Wants a Puppy best. Not only does it remind me of myself (when I was a kid, and also like right now because <i>I do want a puppy dammit!)</i> but it also has Pigeon hilariously promising to water it once a month. Get it for the babies in your life, even if they're adults.<br />
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<b><i>A Gardener in the Wasteland </i>by Srividya Natarajan and Aparajita Ninan</b><br />
This <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX7JX5mAY8B/?taken-by=unmana_bombay" target="_blank">beautiful, beautiful book </a>describes the work of Jotiba and Savitri Phule. The art is gorgeous, and I don't know enough about the Phules, so this book was a lovely introduction.<br />
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<b>Everything else</b><br />
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<b><i>The Inner Courtyard </i>edited by Lakshmi Holmstrom</b><br />
I've been wanting to read this, and was got it as a gift recently. It's a lovely collection of stories by some of the most eminent writers of twentieth century India (and one from Pakistan/UK).<br />
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<b><i>Ghachar Ghochar </i>by Vivek Shanbhag</b><br />
A friend had lent me her copy and asked me to read this book ages ago; I finally got around to it. Fittingly, because I read it soon after coming to Bangalore and the book is set here. It's a thin, delicate novel, much more nuanced than it appears at first.<br />
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<b><i>The Girl on the Train </i>by Paula Hawkins</b><br />
This book was really popular a year or two ago, and I can see why. It's a thriller, but an extremely intelligent one. It reminded me of Emma Donoghue's <i>Room</i> in style, though in genre it's probably closer to <i>Gone Girl. </i>I found <i>Gone Girl </i>extremely disappointing ultimately, and this book is everything that one wasn't.<br />
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<b><i>The Cosmopolitans </i>by Anjum Hasan</b><br />
Another book I've been intrigued by since it first came out, and finally got around to reading. I loved its meditations on art and artists, and Anjum is, of course, a very good writer. (Check out <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/multilayered-maps-of-modern-india-anjum-hasans-fiction/" target="_blank">this beautiful piece</a> on her fiction.) I felt the novel handwaved a rather major incident (and flaw in the character), and I felt one plot twist was contrived and sort of predictable, but it's a really interesting book that's stayed with me.<br />
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<b><i>How Fiction Works </i>by James Wood</b><br />
This is a surprisingly easy-to-read, engaging book on literature and art. I loved it and mean to reread it soon.<br />
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<b><i>In an Antique Land </i>by Amitav Ghosh</b><br />
This amazing book blends history and memoir and is set in Egypt and India (mostly Mangalore). It's Ghosh's personal account of discovering the story of an Indian slave owned by a Jewish Egyptian who moved to India in the fifteenth century.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-32485847450175231492017-08-10T13:19:00.003+05:302017-08-10T13:19:57.466+05:30Books I read in July<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've left home and am living in friends' homes in a different city for a while <span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11px;">— </span>if it works out, till October. My laptop conked off and I had internet issues and health issues, but here I am finally with my books of July.<br />
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</b></i> <b><i>A Conjuring of Light </i>by V.E. Schwab</b><br />
I am really enjoying Schwab's fantastically (heh) light touch and her wonderful heroine, Lila Bard. Highly recommend this series: start at the beginning, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.in/Darker-Shade-Magic-V-E-Schwab-ebook/dp/B00SEU9TZK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">A Darker Shade of Magic. </a></i>The Kindle books are not expensive.<br />
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<b><i>The Strange Haunting of Model High School </i>by Shabnam Minwalla</b><br />
This is the YA ghost story that is not scary. You have school, friends, boys, competition, mean girls, and a friendly but sad ghost. Pretty entertaining stuff.<br />
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<b><i>Boats on Land </i>by Janice Pariat</b><br />
I finally read this book I had heard about for years. The stories and writing are hauntingly beautiful, and I always have a weakness for stories and characters from Assam or even Shillong.<br />
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<b><i>The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter </i>by Theodora Goss</b><br />
This novel fascinatingly combines science fiction with a Victorian London in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are at work, and the daughters of certain fictional mad scientists are in need of help. But Holmes is not the hero, he is more of a romantic interest: the women save themselves. This is one book that I greatly recommend to everyone.<br />
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<b><i>Mr Majestic! </i>by Zac O'Yeah</b><br />
I'd been curious about O'Yeah for a long time but never read anything by him until this book. It's a thoroughly entertaining and curiously realistic thriller that I must imagine someone is planning to make into a popular movie right now. I rarely rarely enjoy thrillers based in India, but this is the real deal.<br />
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<b><i>The Foucault Reader </i></b><br />
I'm not always a big fan of "readers", but they help me decide whether - and which of - an author's books to read. I'm new to Foucault and this was a very interesting introduction to his work. I'm more interested in his literary/art theory, but his social theory is interesting too.<br />
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</i></b> <b><i>The Algebra of Infinite Justice </i>by Arundhati Roy</b><br />
I vaguely remember reading these essays when they had first been published in Outlook and other magazines. Rereading them had me marvelling at her prescience, while also often feeling disappointed that her prose seems less luminous than in my memory. (I might share further thoughts on this book in a separate post later.)<br />
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<b><i>The Blind Lady's Descendants </i>by Anees Salim</b><br />
I'm surprised that I haven't read Salim before. This is a beautiful, clever book about family and sanity, and how much the two affect each other. The prose is enchanting; I found the protagonist/narrator annoying, but was compelled to read on nonetheless.<br />
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<b><i>Murder in Mahim </i>by Jerry Pinto</b><br />
At times more anti-bigotry treatise than murder mystery, this was a fun and also deeply moral book. For more, read <a href="https://thewire.in/138274/in-murder-in-mahim-jerry-pinto-pours-out-his-anger-without-being-didactic/" target="_blank">this lovely interview</a> of Pinto by my friend Shreya.<br />
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-91724166619101809092017-07-07T17:18:00.001+05:302017-07-07T17:18:48.982+05:30Self-promotional announcement: the food blog is active again.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dairyfreeglutenfree" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnUuq--YR1o/WV90zEGAcqI/AAAAAAAAQkM/VB_6ZLnXqCExnnihnUqebvOEQp6H39t_gCLcBGAs/s320/Rice%2Band%2Btomato.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
In the last couple of years, various friends have adopted dairy-free or gluten-free diets for themselves or their children. I have often found myself offering suggestions, since I got on the bandwagon years ago.<br />
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So I decided to <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dairyfreeglutenfree" target="_blank">revive this blog</a> and share my tips for cooking or finding food that's safe for my body. <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dairyfreeglutenfree" target="_blank">Check it out or follow me on Tumblr</a>, and do recommend it to friends who might be interested.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-27937939069391644562017-06-30T11:49:00.000+05:302017-06-30T11:49:03.843+05:30Books I read in June<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had exams through most of June, so this is going to be a shorter post than usual. (On the other hand, I have spent a lot of time painting to relieve stress: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BVjZvkmA5k6/" target="_blank">check out</a> the results on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unmana_bombay/" target="_blank">my Instagram.</a> As always, I'm not including books I didn't finish, even though I may have read most of them (sigh).<br />
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<b><i>Partners in Crime </i>by Agatha Christie</b><br />
Something reminded me of this book and I was dying to reread it. It's light, meaningless fun, and Tommy and Tuppence are Christie's best couple. Tommy reminds me a lot of the Guy, but I have nowhere near Tuppence's spunk and coolz.<br />
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<b><i>Windfall </i>by Jennifer E. Smith</b><br />
A nice YA that deals with family and romance and (surprise!) the role money plays in life. A bit too optimistic to be believable, but that's most of the fun of reading such a book.<br />
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<b><i>Karachi, You're Killing Me! </i>by Saba Imtiaz</b><br />
I hear the movie (<i>Noor) </i>was awful, but the book is quite fun, though predictable. I loved the depiction of journalism and Karachi, and would read more books that just follow their heroines through their exciting jobs please, personal drama and romance not required.<br />
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<b><i>House Made of Dawn </i>by N. Scott Momaday</b><br />
Apparently one of the first popular and critically acclaimed novels by a Native American. It's too misunderstood-violent-man genre for my taste, but the writing is good and the depiction of Native culture is interesting. As always though, I felt I'd have appreciated a woman's point of view.<br />
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<b><i>Cuckold </i>by Kiran Nagarkar</b><br />
I had thought this was Serious Literature, and wasn't prepared for how fun and smutty this was. It's a fictionalised account of the life of Mirabai and her husband, told from the husband's point of view. It reminded me of Philippa Gregory.<br />
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<b><i>A Right Honourable Gentleman </i>and <i>The Year of the Crocodile </i>by Courtney Milan</b><br />
Two short stories by a writer whose romance novels I love, but these are eh, meh.<br />
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<b><i>Love Poems </i>by Emily Dickinson</b><br />
I have no intelligent critique of poetry, but this is a slim little volume of Dickinson's work, which is good for me because I like poetry in small doses. I think I'm going to return to it again soon.<br />
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<b><i>The Bluest Eye </i>by Toni Morrison</b><br />
I'd read this <a href="http://www.unmana.com/2016/12/books-i-read-in-november-and-half-of.html" target="_blank">just in December,</a> but this book has something new each time. This is the kind of fiction that seems to me truer than non-fiction, because it is both beautiful and profound.<br />
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-53428303212037386972017-06-15T09:21:00.003+05:302017-06-15T09:21:44.869+05:30My Interview with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I met<a href="https://scroll.in/article/836208/women-dont-have-to-be-good-to-be-the-hero-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni-whose-next-book-is-on-sita" target="_blank"> Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni,</a> author of acclaimed novels like <i>Palace of Illusions </i>and <i>The Mistress of Spices, </i>earlier this year. We talked about the importance of women's stories, and she told me about her next book. </div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
When you really look back and read the character of Sita as presented by many people in the history of the <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Ramayan</em>, Sita’s not like that at all. At some point a patriarchal interpretation of Sita was created and pushed onto women. Sita is very demure, she’s obedient to whatever her husband says, she’s a doormat, she accepts everything that happens to her – and ladies, you better be like Sita.<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
That’s what I want to counter. Look, it’s not just me: it is already there in the story. It’s just, the patriarchal spin has been given to it. Sita makes a number of important choices, some of them right, some of them wrong. She’s a very active character. My goodness, she’s the world’s first single mother in literature, and she brings up those children with great courage.</blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
It will be a challenging project. I pray that I can do a good job.</blockquote>
<a href="https://scroll.in/article/836208/women-dont-have-to-be-good-to-be-the-hero-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni-whose-next-book-is-on-sita" target="_blank">Read it all here.</a> </div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-35255529602723115072017-06-05T14:59:00.000+05:302017-06-05T14:59:06.367+05:30Books I read in May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A funny coincidence: each of the three book posts I've done this year has 18 books each. This one has... ten. Next month will be even fewer I suspect. Oh well.<br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>Novels I read for work</b><br />
<b><i>Friend of My Youth </i>by Amit Chaudhuri</b><br />
I found this typical of Chaudhuri's oeuvre: excellent at capturing the small moments, veering between boring and profound, and you suspect profound because it seems intensely self-aware. Anyway, I had great fun writing <a href="https://scroll.in/article/837435/is-bombay-the-real-friend-of-my-youth-whom-amit-chaudhuri-writes-about-in-his-new-novel" target="_blank">the review for Scroll,</a> in which I used internetspeak to mock the novel's somewhat prissy tone. <a href="https://scroll.in/article/837435/is-bombay-the-real-friend-of-my-youth-whom-amit-chaudhuri-writes-about-in-his-new-novel" target="_blank">Read it.</a><br />
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<b><i>The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe </i>by Romain Puertolas</b><br />
This book is being made into a Hollywood movie starring Dhanush, and<a href="https://scroll.in/article/838311/dhanushs-hollywood-debut-meet-the-author-of-the-novel-the-movie-is-based-on" target="_blank"> I interviewed the author.</a> The book itself is hilarious fun, if you can get past the racist stereotypes, the misogyny, and the casual transphobia. Nice cover though.<br />
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<b><i>Romance and YA</i></b><br />
<b><i>Baaz </i>by Anuja Chauhan</b><br />
I have to give up and admit Anuja Chauhan is just not for me and trying to understand why everyone loves her. I liked <i>Pricey Thakur Girls</i> but the others I've read have been meh. The hero of Baaz is the kind of annoying know-it-all I would give a wide berth (okay, maybe after lusting after him first). The heroine is great but seems to be there just to make the hero look cooler. I don't know, man. Read if you like Chauhan, I suppose.<br />
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<b><i>Duels and Deception </i>by Cindy Anstey</b><br />
This is more my kind of romance, even though I've forgotten most of the book in less than a month since I read it. It was more feminist than most romances, which to me is essential: the heroine is young and her flaws are evident but relatable, the hero is really nice for a romance hero, and the plot is nonsensical but fun. Excellent timepass.<br />
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<b><i>If We Kiss </i>by Rachel Vail</b><br />
Like all of Vail's books that I've read so far, this YA romance was sweet, light, hopeful. I read this late one night when I couldn't fall asleep, and it was just what I needed.<br />
<br />
<b>Non-fiction</b><br />
<b><i>Living a Feminist Life </i>by Sara Ahmed</b><br />
A brilliant book that I read slowly for weeks and am not done thinking about. I highlighted so many lines that I want to return to. It made me think of so much, not least friendship and solidarity.<br />
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<b><i>We the Children of India </i>by Leila Seth and Bindia Thapar</b><br />
I saw this book recommended after Leila Seth's death, and ordered it immediately to gift to a nephew. It's beautifully explained and wonderfully radical, and Thapar's illustrations are gorgeous.<br />
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<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>How to Read Literature </i>by Terry Eagleton</b><br />
A surprisingly funny, very readable book on literary criticism: kind of a basic introduction. Highly recommend this.<br />
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<b><i>Signs and Images </i>by Roland Barthes</b><br />
Look at this beautiful hardcover!<br />
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Okay, the book itself is great if you're interested in cinema and images and criticism. I wanted to read more Barthes, and this was really good (and less expensive than many of his books).<br />
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<b><i>A Lover's Discourse </i>by Roland Barthes</b><br />
More Barthes. A bit dense, especially as I don't know most of the material he refers to, but I found some of his comments about how lovers are viewed (and gendered expectations) very interesting.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-52468082646991047712017-05-31T14:22:00.000+05:302017-05-31T14:22:28.017+05:30How food intolerances took over my life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have never written much about my food intolerances, even though they've been a big part of my life, even before I knew I had them. I finally wrote the personal essay that's been stewing in my head for years (with the encouragement of my lovely friend Shreya, who commissioned and edited it).<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Merriweather Sans"; font-size: 16px;">My body had never seemed really part of me. In the last few years, I have learned to know it, to care for it, to even love it instead of resenting its limitations. I am amazed now at how strong it is... In spite of all the poison I have fed it, my body continues to function and heal itself.</span></blockquote>
<a href="http://blog.sexualityanddisability.org/2017/05/foodallergies/" target="_blank">Read it here.</a> </div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-53818727146201352912017-05-02T15:35:00.002+05:302017-05-02T15:35:58.366+05:30Books I read in April<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've started to put up books I'm reading <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unmana_bombay/" target="_blank">on Instagram,</a> to have an instant record of what I read, and to make it easier to put this post together at the end of each month. Let's see if that works.<br />
<br />
April was probably the most books I've read in a month, ever. (I also watched a lot of TV -- <i>Riverdale, </i>which isn't all that great but is entertaining, and <i>The Get Down, </i>which is better and which I watched in a little over two days straight. Yeah, some eleven hours of it. I also caught up on <i>Jane the Virgin.</i>)<br />
<br />
Books! Ahem. I have eighteen books this time, which is the same <a href="http://www.unmana.com/2017/04/books-i-read-in-february-and-march.html" target="_blank">as last time.</a> Only last time's post was for two months, which means I've read twice as many books this month. Let's get to them.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Leila </i>by Prayaag Akbar</b><br />
I just finished this beautiful, devastating book. It's a dystopia set a few decades ahead in India, and the way things are going right now, this future seems all too possible. It echoed <i>A Handmaid's Tale, </i>though the central conflict here is a mother's search of a lost daughter.<br />
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<b><i>The Scarlet Letter </i>by Nathaniel Hawthorne</b><br />
It had been a long time since I'd first read this, and I didn't remember much apart from the bare bones. It makes a rather big deal of extramarital sex (Hester hadn't seen her husband for two years! everyone thought he was dead!) but apparently those were the times. As I said on Instagram, the Puritans were stupid. (Also, Hester was a big introvert - that's the only way I can explain the ending and really much of the book.) It's also a rather overly sentimental overwrought book without a lot of nuance, but it's surprisingly intriguing nonetheless. All in all, meh.<br />
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<b><i>The High Priestess Never Marries </i>by Sharanya Manivannan</b><br />
I went into this book of short stories with very high expectations, given all the praise I'd seen. So I was a bit let down at first. The prose is lyrical, and in fact many of the stories seemed to me more poetry than stories, not having much plot or characterisation. There were a few I really liked though, and Manivannan can doubtless write beautifully.<br />
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<b><i>Women at War </i>by Vera Hildebrand</b><br />
A meticulously researched account of the all-women Rani of Jhansi regiment in Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army. A bit dry: read it for the facts, not for the prose.<br />
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<b><i>The Hate U Give </i>by Angie Thomas</b><br />
One of the most beautiful books I have read recently. A young adult novel that doesn't shy away from the realities of being a black teenager in America. Apparently it's inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. If there's one book I would recommend from this list, it's this one.<br />
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<b><i>Rebels Like Us </i>by Liz Reinhart</b><br />
Similar themes as <i>The Hate U Give -- </i>teenagers, high school, racism, romance. But it's heavier on the teenage girl friendships and romances, and lighter on the activism. The racism is real and present and appalling, but there's less violence and trauma.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>A Room of One's Own </i>by Virginia Woolf</b><br />
I reread this and found it still beautiful, still relevant. Many of us upper class and upper middle class women still don't have money or a room (office/study) of our own to make art in, let alone less privileged women.<br />
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<b><i>Orientalism </i>by Edward Said</b><br />
I had read of Said's ideas filtered down through different channels: it was time to go to the source. So much that still applies, so much that still rings true -- and has even gotten worse perhaps, with the West (and not just the West) becoming increasingly close-minded towards Muslims. I realised that Said's criticism about how the West views the Oriental/Arab is similar to how Indian Hindus view Muslims also.<br />
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<b><i>The Diary of a Social Butterfly </i>and <i>The Return of the Butterfly </i>by Moni Mohsin</b><br />
A fictional journal of a rich socialite in Lahore, who is the Marie Antoinette of our times. Often searing and funny to the point of despair. You'll laugh till you cry. These two books helped me pass two awful days when I was ill in bed.<br />
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<b><i>Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil </i>by Melina Marchetta</b><br />
Terrorism, racism, parenting, teenage angst, family, romance, crime and a thrilling finale -- this novel has it all. Why someone hasn't made a (good) movie of this yet, I have no idea. Highly recommend it.<br />
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<b><i>Vicious </i>by V.E. Schwab</b><br />
A reimagining of Frankenstein. Anti-heroes and grey heroes. A young girl hero. Crime and compromised cops. A thrilling novel with a perhaps too pat ending and easy tying up of threads.<br />
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<b><i>A Darker Shade of Magic </i>and <i>A Gathering of Shadows </i>by V.E. Schwab</b><br />
I loved the first novel in this series. The second, as the second of a trilogy tends to be, is a massive setup for the third, and ends on a cliffhanger. There's magic and young heroes and romance and royalty and parallel worlds. There's a heroine who is a thief and a pirate and the bravest person you ever saw. I'm saving the third book for a bad day when all I can do is read.<br />
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<b><i>Brilliant, Lucky, </i>and <i>Gorgeous </i>by Rachel Vail</b><br />
I discovered Rachel Vail recently through a friend and obviously loved her, since I read everything I could lay my hands on. Young adult books are what I read when life is difficult and I need to get through the day. I find them engrossing, though they dredge up old teenage emotions, and I often cry through them. I especially loved <i>Brilliant </i>in this series, and <i>Gorgeous </i>was good too. The heroine of <i>Lucky </i>I found more self-indulgent and boring.<br />
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<b><i>Well, That was Awkward </i>by Rachel Vail</b><br />
A beautiful tale of friendship and romance and coming of age. This is my favourite Rachel Vail so far.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-15613063066747038282017-04-18T15:06:00.000+05:302017-04-18T15:07:24.143+05:30Books I Read in February and March<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I not only didn't post the Feb list, I even forgot to keep notes on what I've read. So this is going to be an incomplete list. Also, a lot of the reading I did was for the English literature course I'm taking. I've put off posting this forever, so I'm only doing really brief impressions instead of paragraph-long ones. 18 books in two months.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Plays</h3>
<b><i>Tara</i> by Mahesh Dattani</b><br />
About a girl who's discriminated against by her family, and narrated by her twin brother who carries that guilt, this play was more nuanced and interesting than I'd expected from the description.<br />
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<b><i>The Hairy Ape </i>by Eugene O'Neill</b><br />
Ugh. The white working class man is the worst victim ever. Women are upper class and bitchy and weirdly delicate, fainting at the sight of hairy sweaty topless men who <i>work. </i><br />
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<b><i>Death of a Salesman </i>by Arthur Miller</b><br />
I'd always loved Miller, but my favorites are <i>All My Sons </i>and <i>The Crucible; Salesman, </i>I've always felt, is less nuanced and <i>interesting. </i>I am older now, and have more sympathy, and recognised and appreciated the "capitalism is bad" bits, but the cardboard cutout of the devoted wife annoys me.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Rereads</h3>
<b><i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i> by Mark Twain</b><br />
I found this much more grownup and difficult than I had remembered. I'd read it just as an adventure story earlier and found it less fun than Tom Sawyer (don't judge me) and more boring. This time I read it carefully, and read about it, and wow. If Twain was going for satire, the end <b>is </b>brilliant, though I found it painful to read through - but I suppose it <i>is </i>about making us uncomfortable. (<a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/literally-psyched/is-huckleberry-finns-ending-really-lacking-not-if-youre-talking-psychology/">A couple</a> <a href="https://thefifthe.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/its-all-in-the-ending-a-refutation-of-the-critics-of-huckleberry-finns-ending/">of links</a> if you're interested.)<br />
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<b><i>The Great Gatsby </i>by Scott Fitzgerald</b><br />
I had dismissed the book the first time I'd read it as frivolous and sexist. It is both those things, but this time I appreciated the beauty of the language and the tightness of the plot. Still totally misogynistic and classist, though. (I really liked <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/schulz-on-the-great-gatsby.html" target="_blank">this scathing piece.</a>)<br />
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<b><i>The Color Purple </i>by Alice Walker</b><br />
I was less traumatised by this novel this time around, and enjoyed it even more. I didn't even mind the ending, which I'd earlier felt betrayed by as a cop out.<br />
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<b><i>The Catcher in the Rye </i>by JD Salinger</b><br />
I've become a more careful and kind reader. My impression of this book was that it was boring and very boy-centric; this time I was less dismissive and more appreciative. I can understand the appeal to teenage geeky boys, but it's not something that speaks to me, or was ever meant for me. The writing is also a bit ineffective, maybe? It's not clear how smart the protagonist is (he seems really stupid sometimes, and I don't get whether we're supposed to agree with everything he thinks or not), and we never see anyone else's PoV.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Non-Fiction</h3>
<b><i>Sexual Politics </i>by Kate Millett</b><br />
Brilliant. An incisive look at sexuality and misogyny in literature and society. Trigger warning: some of it, especially the opening chapters, is difficult to read because of the long excerpts from misogynist books, including graphic descriptions of rape and violence.<br />
<b><i><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The Cambridge Introduction to Scott Fitzgerald </i>by Kirk Curnutt</b><br />
This was interesting, especially if you're a fan of Fitzgerald. If not, don't bother.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<br /></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Other Classics</h3>
<b><i>Sister Carrie </i>by Theodore Dresier</b><br />
For a nineteenth century novel, this was surprisingly liberal and feminist. The protagonist leaves her lower middle class family to find herself in the growing city of Chicago, and immediately "loses herself" (that is, her chastity). The novel foreshadows deep doom for her, which never materialises. What's waiting for her at the end of the novel is (spoiler warning!) independence and success, while she rejects the lover who had patronised her and the one who had abducted her kills himself in poverty and despair.<br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i> <b><i>Kanthapura </i>by Raja Rao</b><br />
There are so many brilliant Indian authors I hadn't read. I was afraid this book would be stodgy and boring; it definitely wasn't. The most wonderful thing about it was the narratorial voice: the old conservative grandmother telling a tale about the struggle against colonialism and casteism shaking up her little village, and the courage the villagers found.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<br /></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Fantasy and YA</h3>
<b><i>The Gameworld Trilogy </i>by Samit Basu</b><br />
For some reason, I'd only read the first of these years ago, and I knew I had to remedy this. I enjoyed it even more this time around, because I've read more of the fiction it's referencing and satirising and mocking. It's delicious, especially the first and second books, and Basu is laugh-out-loud funny. I need to find more of his work.<br />
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<b><i>Unfriended </i>by Rachel Vail</b><br />
One reason I love young adult books is that they are so hormonal. Full of angst and emotion: reminds me of my passionate teenage feels without the despair. This one is typical and very good.<br />
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<b><i>Daughter of the Pirate King </i>by Tricia Levenseller</b><br />
A seventeen year old girl who is a pirate captain, and allows herself to be captured by an enemy ship because she wants to spy on them. Our heroine is much fun, even without her magical abilities.<br />
<br />
<b><i>First Class Murder </i>and <i>Jolly Foul Play </i>by Robin Stevens</b><br />
Love this series; will read every book. (I don't think they'll hold up that well on a reread somehow, but they are really fun schoolgirls-solving-murder books.)</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-19548102175785226992017-02-06T11:35:00.001+05:302017-02-06T11:36:16.425+05:30Attending the Jaipur Lit Fest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some self promotion, for those of you who are not on Twitter. I made it to the Jaipur Lit Fest for two days--I was supposed to go for four, but had some misadventures. I wrote about it for Women's Web.<br />
<br />
I attended <a href="http://www.womensweb.in/2017/01/women-at-the-jaipur-lit-fest-jlf/">the mansplaining and manels session </a>which had Suhel Seth (just to troll us, I suspect):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "varela round" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Suhel Seth was asked a question on the HeForShe campaign and said, “I have no opinion.” Everyone wishes he would say that to all questions. (“Do you want sugar in your tea?” “I have no opinion.”)</span></blockquote>
I <a href="http://www.womensweb.in/2017/01/ruchira-gupta-interview-jlf/">interviewed Ruchira Gupta</a> on her work towards ending human trafficking, her views on the feminist movement, and on building a feminist workplace:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "varela round" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">We have tried to have over-representation of women in our organisation, so more women are employed than men. We have also tried to feminise the workplace itself; in most of the offices there’s a bed with nice colourful rugs and cushions, so that women can bring their children and children can play there. Our work hours have become more flexible based on the needs of the women working there.</span></blockquote>
And<a href="http://www.womensweb.in/2017/01/women-at-the-jaipur-lit-fest-jlf/"> my most personal piece,</a> about listening to women:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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Almost everyone I met or talked to at any depth (barring volunteers, service workers, and so on) was a woman. Most of the people I heard from on stage were women (not that there were more women speakers — on the festival website, I counted around 130 women and over 200 men, including six men called David). But I was amazed at the number of <a href="http://www.womensweb.in/2014/03/books-inspiring-change-for-women/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0077cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">feminist voices</strong></a> around me.</div>
</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Varela Round", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
Women warn women about skeevy men. There are things you don’t say in a larger audience, but are murmured to each other when women meet. Men of power and privilege who are sexual predators. Women warn each other with stories: this happened to a friend.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-43895114426293245302017-02-05T11:12:00.001+05:302017-02-05T11:12:47.952+05:30Books I read in late December and in January<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I took a month long holiday in Jan and traveled to four states. (It was more sedentary than it sounds: I focused on people rather than places and didn't travel a lot within the states. But it was an amazing break.) Pictures, if you are interested,<a href="https://www.instagram.com/unmana_bombay/"> are on Instagram.</a><br>
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Anyway, reading. Since I was staying at friends' and family's homes, most of these books were borrowed. (Very grateful for my friends' well-stocked libraries.) I read a lot, so am categorizing the books into literary, romance, and children/YA.<br>
</div></div><a href="http://www.unmana.com/2017/02/books-i-read-in-late-december-and-in.html#more">Read more »</a>Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-50593892340745903292016-12-19T08:28:00.000+05:302016-12-19T08:36:47.830+05:30Books I read in November and half of December<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I meant to do this in early December, I did. And here we are and it's Christmas week. So I might as well do this now and do the next one early Feb.<br />
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It's a tiny bit embarrassing how much of my reading is romance, even though I say it's not my favorite genre. Nice to have found out something about myself. Also, I read less in November but I'm beginning to cover up for it now.<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://amzn.to/2i4UYQ8">Clear Light of Day</a> </i>by Anita Desai</b><br />
I hadn't read any Anita Desai except the <i>Village by the Sea </i>when I was in college, and the last few pages of that book were missing (I still remember my disappointment). This book did not disappoint me, meandering around the lives of a family, going to unexpected and still familiar places. Our two protagonists and point of view characters are Tara, the younger sister, the baby of the family who was supplanted by the arrival of their brother. Who was unambitious and only craved a normal life, which she got and seems vaguely dissatisfied with. And Bimla, the older sister, friend and closest companion of awe-inspiring older brother Raja. Raja declares he wants to be a hero when he grows up; Bimla promptly follows suit. Tara says she wants to be a mother, and invites the others' ridicule. Yet as her aunt consoles her, Tara is the one who gets what she wants most unambiguously. Though I found Bimla pretty damn heroic in her determined singledom, her stubbornness, her fierce protectiveness of her family.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://amzn.to/2hK1Za6">The Bluest Eye </a></i><b>by Toni Morrison</b><br />
I had started this a few years ago, but I was depressed at the time and couldn't somehow get on with it. Thankfully I kept the book, and this time I was pulled in by its power. The book is an uncompromising attack on beauty standards and racism, especially internalized racism. It's a feminist look at how young girls are stripped of their self-esteem and victimized. And all of this in Morrison's beautifully poetic language.<br />
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UJDW6Q/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o03_?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Just William</a> </i>by Richmal Crompton</b><br />
I heard of the William series on Twitter a few days ago, and was skeptical. How can a British schoolboy be anything but annoying? But this book was actually great fun. William is like an older British version of Dennis the Menace -- only more interesting. And it's free for the Kindle, so try it out.<br />
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<b><i>Coolie</i> by Mulk Raj Anand</b><br />
This is a longer novel than <i><a href="http://www.unmana.com/2016/10/books-i-read-in-october-and-last-week.html">Untouchable,</a> </i>following a young boy who is sent off to town to work, and moves from one job to another. It's more of a story, and reads a bit like the episodic sagas of Dickens. But I found <i>Untouchable </i>the stronger story, maybe because I really liked the protagonist Bakha, and he seemed a fully realized, interesting character. Munoo remained a bit elusive for me, even though I spent more pages with him.<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://amzn.to/2hyu723">Hold Me</a> </i>by Courtney Milan</b><br />
Milan's latest novel is probably her best so far. <i> </i>We have an Asian American hero, a Hispanic heroine, and a sensitive portrayal of trans people. But most importantly, we have a hero who is interesting and flawed and good. The heroine is as awesome as all of Milan's heroines -- rather more so. <br />
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<b><i><a href="http://amzn.to/2hXG8z2">The Dagger in the Desk</a> </i>by Jonathan Stroud</b><br />
This short story is part of the Lockwood series and is available free on the Kindle. It's just an episode where Lucy and her companions go ghost-busting, and is a fun, light read.<br />
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-51780596450298255082016-11-15T21:44:00.000+05:302016-11-15T21:44:09.563+05:30Things to do when the world seems especially scary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Hide from the world.</b> Opportunely be sick through the apocalypse, so you are behind on the horrifying news, and have less energy to care about impending doom. Take your time getting better, watch lots of Gilmore Girls and Elementary and Jane the Virgin.<br />
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<b>Spend time with friends.</b> Argue and try to make sense of the world that has stopped making sense. Or just breathe in each other's company. Do something together and be glad that you have this. That you are not alone.<br />
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<b>Have sex. </b>Masturbate. Revel in your imperfect body. Derive pleasure that is forbidden to those incapable of understanding consent or love.<br />
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<b>Read. </b>Read think pieces, read how things went wrong, read how bad they are going to get. Face your fears. Hold them in your hand and look at them. But also read the funny stuff. The jokes that maybe aren't so funny, the ones that make light of serious business. The enemy is too scary to laugh at, but we can still laugh at ourselves.<br />
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<b>Build solidarity.</b> Learn about how it's affecting others, even if due to a combination of laziness, illness, and selfishness, you do this mostly by reading online. Shake off your usual curmudgeonliness to ask your household help if she has enough money and food to get by. Give her the one Rs 100 note you had (with a 500 and the promise of more soon as you can get some) and rummage through your packed food to find stuff she can use. At the ATM, after you and your partner finally get some cash, offer some to a woman standing in line with you whose card didn't work. She refuses, and you continue to worry about her. You feel guilty again for your luck and privilege.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-79970785241738947412016-11-07T19:36:00.001+05:302016-11-07T19:36:39.995+05:30Gilmore Girls is the only show I’ve ever wanted to live in<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1">(Minor spoilers for the first four seasons)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I didn’t watch Gilmore Girls back when it first aired. I remember watching a few scenes back when I had a TV (some six years ago), but I found it a bit boring and never got hooked. But it kept popping up as a pop culture reference. A few weeks ago, after the umpteenth tweet by people whose judgement I respect, I decided to give it a try. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I started at the beginning, and have been binge watching my way through (season 4 episode 18, so you know not to spoil me). And while the show still gets boring at times (I don’t bother to hit pause when I get up to get food or do the laundry), it is probably the nicest<i> </i>thing I’ve watched on TV, in a long time. (<a href="http://theladiesfinger.com/jessica-jones-ptsd/"><span class="s2">Jessica Jones</span></a> was the <i>best, </i>but I wouldn’t call it <i>nice</i>.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It’s boring enough that I don’t obsess over it. But when I’ve had a bad day at work or I’m sick, it’s perfect. (Boring might be unfair: but there are lots of episodes when nothing much happens, just like life! Lots of times when the main characters are being even more self-absorbed than usual, and you don’t care that poor Rory might actually not be the best in her class for a few episodes!) </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I usually don’t bother to read about the show either (compared to when I was watching <i>the Good Wife,</i> and would obsessively read everything I could find about it), but did read a couple of recaps recently, and the reviewer said something about how the Gilmore girls don’t treat their men well: that is, Luke and Dean. </span></div>
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</div><a href="http://www.unmana.com/2016/11/gilmore-girls-is-only-show-ive-ever.html#more">Read more »</a>Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-57554602163621995872016-10-31T20:05:00.001+05:302016-11-07T19:35:18.630+05:30Books I read in October (and the last week of September)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This month had a vacation, so I got lots of reading done. Much of it was frivolous.<br>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/2f0FjDQ" target="_blank"><i>Carry On </i></a>by Rainbow Rowell</h3>
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A Harry Potteresque fantasy but with more interesting protagonists (gasp, my blasphemy!) A school of magic, a "chosen" hero, a supervillain, a rival in school, a smart girl best friend, a love interest that slowly devolves into a love triangle, it's got it all. A thousand times more fun than the Cursed Child. <br>
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<b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lockwood-Co-Screaming-Jonathan-Stroud-ebook/dp/B00CJ05F1S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1476192287&sr=1-2&keywords=lockwood&linkCode=ll1&tag=wwwunmanacom-20&linkId=eadc9e774d55152bb0a7cbb407f317d2">Lockwood and Co.:</a> </i>Four books in the series by Jonathan Stroud</b></h3>
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Another fantasy YA series by this author, this one lacks the brilliance and depth -- particularly the class consciousness and social commentary -- of <a href="http://www.unmana.com/2013/11/class-and-equality-in-bartimaeus-series.html">Bartimaeus.</a> However, it's a fun set of books. Our very young protagonist, Lucy, and her team (Lockwood and George; the three of them form the firm Lockwood and Co.) find and eliminate ghosts. The characterisation is a bit lazy (Lucy is Kitty from Bartimaeus, Lockwood is a nicer Nathaniel -- or Nathaniel who had a loving family and is therefore less screwed up, George and another character make up Bartimaeus), and there seems to be little personal growth: the main characters behave and speak much the same as they did in the first book (even though they were tweens in the first book and should have changed a lot by now). But hey, girl who fights ghosts and has no personal demons (these belong to the eponymous Lockwood), fights with swords, and is brilliant at what she does. Also, as the series is for children, the ghosts aren't scary (I can't read actual horror). If you are interested, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lockwood-Co-Screaming-Jonathan-Stroud-ebook/dp/B00CJ05F1S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1476192287&sr=1-2&keywords=lockwood&linkCode=ll1&tag=wwwunmanacom-20&linkId=eadc9e774d55152bb0a7cbb407f317d2">start with the first book.</a><br>
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<b><a href="http://amzn.to/2dSo8S9"><i>The God of Small Things</i></a> by Arundhati Roy</b></h3>
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The announcement of Roy's second novel and some related tweets praising this one made me want to reread it. This time (my fourth read, probably), I really slowed down (I read really fast and often skim through and miss stuff). This time, I noticed how outrightly feminist the novel is. I also noticed how very fatphobic and generally appearance-focused it is. Good people are beautiful. Bad people are ugly. It's actually that simplistic. </div>
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</div></div><a href="http://www.unmana.com/2016/10/books-i-read-in-october-and-last-week.html#more">Read more »</a>Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-69966734685922321812016-10-26T23:07:00.002+05:302016-10-26T23:07:56.288+05:30The atheist at the festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What's the etiquette around being an atheist during Diwali or Durga Puja or any of the big Indian festivals? How do you handle it?<br />
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I'm not friendly with the neighbours and have no family around who would want me to visit or do something special on a festival. But there's so much minor stuff to deal with, so many ways in which you always feel like an outsider, whether you're an atheist or a religious minority (I assume). Like having to refuse prasad when a kind colleague offers it (I have dietary issues and need to be extremely careful what I put in my mouth). Or wondering if you should dress up in Indian clothes because everyone else is or dress extra casual, just to signal you're not celebrating?<br />
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We always stay home, never visit family during the season. We don't want to participate in the rituals, and it would be rude and awkward to be there but refuse to participate. (I have once or twice made an exception for Bihu, because the few God-worship-type rituals around it are easy to avoid: Bihu is mostly about eating and meeting family and buying or gifting clothes.)<br />
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In any case, that doesn't matter because if I'm in Mumbai, no one else around me celebrates Bihu, and the two of us aren't home alone wondering if there's something better we should be doing. Even reading or watching TV is difficult because of the noise (I'm not sure which is worse: Diwali crackers or Navratri music). <br />
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I have more or less solved Diwali by staying home, lighting candles, and sitting in the balcony for a while to watch others blow up their money in fireworks. (Hey, as long as we can't avoid the pollution and noise and exploitation of workers, might as well enjoy the pretty.) <br />
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But sometimes, I wish we had more people to do this with. I think of families gathering and then snuggle closer to my one-person family. Even friends are all too busy with their families at this time. So I guess we'll just go in, turn on Netflix with the volume way up, and decide to make plans with our friends soon, once they are free.<br />
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Or maybe this year we could go to Marine Drive and watch the fireworks from there. I've heard it's beautiful.</div>
Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-78717137329059975912016-10-03T21:23:00.000+05:302016-10-03T21:23:03.316+05:30Friendship, Writing, and #inktober<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I can't draw to save my life. Or that's what I always used to say. I always wished I could draw, even a little bit, and I look at people's sketches and water colors on social media with wonder, and wish someone would gift me one.<br />
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Now I've finally decided I'm going to try. I'll be bad at it, but who cares. I don't want to be an artist, I just want to have fun.<br />
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So I'm participating in Inktober. Where you make ink drawings through October.<br />
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Recently, I've been putting up handwritten drafts of poems on Instagram, so starting today I'm going to try and do one a day, and do a bit of drawing around it.<br />
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Here's the first. Don't mock me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLGyaSWBF7K/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">On bad days, I go over a mental list of my friends Like a rosary that restores my faith #poem #handwritten #inktober #friendship</a></div>
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A photo posted by Unmana (@unmana_bombay) on <time datetime="2016-10-03T15:37:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 3, 2016 at 8:37am PDT</time></div>
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Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22942201.post-29248907480524811802016-09-21T22:40:00.000+05:302016-09-21T22:40:11.480+05:30Books I read in August and September<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was so late I thought I might as well combine these, even though I expect to read a few more by the end of the month.<br>
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<b><a href="http://amzn.to/2cY8bJo" target="_blank">Changes (The Magic Jukebox Book 1)</a> by Judith Arnold</b><br>
You know what I thought of this one.<br>
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<b><a href="http://amzn.to/2caSQYz" target="_blank">A Civil Contract </a>by Georgette Heyer</b><br>
I reread a bunch of Heyer, because I wasn't well for a few days and a Twitter conversation sparked some nostalgia. I have reread this book at least twice because I didn't remember reading it earlier, which is not much of a recommendation. I get Heyer's going for how some life partnerships can be reasonable and practical rather than romantic and passionate, but fuck that. As usual, the heroine is much better and smarter than the hero, and she deserves a man who's wild about her, not one who is vaguely condescending and thinks she's not pretty and doesn't have the right background, but after all she's really nice and her father gave him a lot of money so he could continue the upper class life he's used to and even become a gentleman farmer because he's not one of those <i>idle rich. </i><br>
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</div><a href="http://www.unmana.com/2016/09/books-i-read-in-august-and-september.html#more">Read more »</a>Unmanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02430139387595895191noreply@blogger.com0