I have been an avid reader since I was a young kid.
It started with going to my high school library, though they had very few books apart from course books.
But I was glad to find some of the gems that time.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Mitchell, Mark Twain and etc.
That time I had no idea about these authors and their work.
I was just a happy kid who is so indulge in the story and writing and imaging the world they have created.
As I started exploring more, I got to know about their other work and who they are.
All this while I was a part of something extraordinary and these books are in every one’s list.
So over the years I read many books but still there are a few books close my heart and I read them over and over again.
There is no specific order or genre, I just loved them so much I guess.
I hope you can give it a try to read them or if you have already read them, let me know your thoughts and what you like the most about the book.
Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami —
Many years back, one of my friends visited Japan and brought some souvenir as a gift from their travel to Japan.
And I think that was the very first time I was so much drawn to Japanese culture and art.
That’s probably why I just absolutely love drinking Matcha (green tea).
And I discover Haruki Muramami totally by accident.
In my opinion this book is one of the best works by Murakami after 1Q84.
What I like with Murakami is that all journeys take us outside the normal bounds of reality to some fantastic alternate world.
Kafka on the Shore is no exception.
One of my favriote quote -
“Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That’s part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads — at least that’s where I imagine it — there’s a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our own heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in awhile, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you’ll live forever in your own private library.”
I’ve read almost all of his work by now but this book is something I always want to re read and find something new and get more understanding about the character and world that he has created.
This book is story of a a fifteen-year-old young boy Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home in search for his long-missing mother and sister.
Other favriote quotes:
“We’re so caught up in our everyday lives that events of the past, like ancient stars that have burned out, are no longer in orbit around our minds. There are just too many things we have to think about every day, too many new things we have to learn. New styles, new information, new technology, new terminology … But still, no matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away. They remain with us forever, like a touchstone.”
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand—
I can dedicate a full story on this book.
It’s a long read however it’s so inspiring, motivated and enlighting at the same time.
It’s freasily so realistc and characters like you see everyday.
How she did it, I don’t know.
And this book is still relevent like anything inspite of published in 1952.
This book really makes you take a good hard look at yourself and your behavior, that made most of the people hate this book.
Atlas Shrugged is noted as a controversial book — some love it, some hate it, due to each-his-own political philosophy.
Well, I am a lover.
The ideas were thought-provoking and though she paints a picture that people can actually be as selfish as the main protagonists, which is absolutely crazy to me.
Some of my favorite quotes from this book are:
“What greater wealth is there than to own your life and to spend it on growing? Every living thing must grow. It can’t stand still. It must grow or perish.”
“I take no pride in hopeless longing; I wouldn’t hold a stillborn aspiration. I’d want to have it, to make it, to live it.”
Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell —
I have read a few huge books in my life including Lords of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones to name a few.
Some are a struggle to get through and others are so captivating.
This is one of them where you don’t count pages but just indulge in it completely.
The uncomfortable part of the book: the depiction of race, dialect, and other Civil War era activities in the South.
Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936.
The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
Written from the perspective of the slaveholder.
I see that it’s hard for some people to enjoy the book because, honestly, Scarlett O’Hara (the heroine) may appear like, well, a bad and selfish person. Or worse.
But, despite her cold, cynical approach to everything, the horrible way she treats everyone, her childishness, her selfishness, her other faults, she has many redeeming qualities and she has a negative story arc, so give her some grace!
The story itself is amazing.
Some people may not be able to handle that much drama, but for me, it was absolutely wonderful.
And it probably has the best characters in the world.
They’re all very human, and every one has a back story.
“Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.”
“Make up your mind to this. If you are different, you are isolated, not only from people of your own age but from those of your parents’ generation and from your children’s generation too. They’ll never understand you and they’ll be shocked no matter what you do.”
“Now you are beginning to think for yourself instead of letting others think for you. That’s the beginning of wisdom.”
Have you read any of these books or have interesting recommendations? Share in the comments.
That’s all for today.
Hope you enjoy reading today’s edition in Curiosity Tuesday Newsletter.
Share this newsletter with your friends and anybody you feel would enjoy it.
See you next week.
Love,
Ankita