Books

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(Note: Tony has the vibe of a typical पेठेतला म्हातारा पुणेकर )
~6/26

Annhiliation of Caste

Current Read

6/26

Religion for Atheists

The author seriously needs a hug. Cause wdym people should be allowed to have orgy once every year ?? 😭 My insta algo has been promoting the agenda of DNF  but I won't be falling for that. Another DNF
~6/26

or also known as

The Surgeon of Crowthorne. 

Long before Google, we had dictionary (well, the internet was only limited to internet cafes back in the day). I vividly remember the girls in my school rickshaw carrying mini dictionaries, secretly flipping through pages to look up scandalous words and bursting into laughter among themselves. Whatever they were reading was never shared with us younglings.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) wasn't just a reference book. It was an object of curiosity and endless discovery. Even back then, I used to wonder how its makers had managed to catalogue every single word in the English language. So getting my hands on a book that actually answers that question was immensely satisfying. 

This book tells the remarkable true story behind the creation of the OED. Its compilation was one of the most ambitious scholarly projects ever undertaken. As definitions and quotations poured in from volunteer contributors, the committee overseeing the dictionary, led by Professor James Murray, noticed that one man stood out from all the others. Dr. W. C. Minor had submitted more than ten thousand quotations for inclusion. When the committee sought to honor him for his extraordinary contribution, they uncovered a startling truth: Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was an asylum inmate charged with murder.

~5/26-6/26

Building Ugly India

Ok, clickbait book cover, but originally I was interested in reading Punjabi Baroque, but the book was priced at $700 on Amazon!!!(WTH Jeff?) So I, instead, read this article - "Building Ugly India" by the same author, which perhaps encapsulates the same nuances in the book but in a concise way. 

***

It is quite disheartening to think that, despite being one of the largest economies in the world, we still struggle with basic infrastructure on a daily basis. The roads are like a permanent open-heart surgery patient of MC, constantly dug up, endlessly under operation. The moment you look up to wrinkle your nose at the visual clutter of ugly political birthday banners (my biggest “ick,” even before I knew it was a word), you will find yourself stepping onto the pink of gutkhas. 

As a dilettante of architecture, design, and literature, I loved Bhatia’s witty critique of urban India’s subpar built environment. Towards the end, he raises a question. How different India would have been had we adopted a different course? Is it too late to reorient ourselves? It reminds me of the recent AIQ?IQ??? 🤨 AQI!!!(iykyk 💀) drop in Mumbai when 1000+ construction sites were halted for चंद दिन. Now, I am no expert in weatherology, so I don't know if the winds coming from खालचं अंग, वरचं अंग played a role. BUT the point is, measures were taken, and the impact was immediate. So perhaps it isn’t entirely out of our hands. 

केल्याने होते आहे रे केलेची पाहिजे...

  
~4/26

The palace of illusions

 I have much to say about this book BUT for now  I'll just say it's amazing. Go pick up a copy and do yourself a favour.

~4/26

A princess remembers 

After 2 back to back substandard reads, I finally found a worthy read for the month of September ahhh!! I know it will suffice for the month of Sept cause hello back to school, and its a nice 400-page read. I just wanted to let out my excitement somewhere lol so here I am. Anyway, I am currently on chapter 4 and can't wait to get back and write a full review of the book. eek!
Update: I read half of it but couldn't keep up cause I didn't have a physical copy 😭

 
~9/25

Love is a dog from hell

Rupi Kaur, girlie, I owe you an apology. Turns out you’ve officially been replaced. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Bukowski would land in my “hatred prison,” but here we are. The poems (can I even call them poems?) were atrocious, sexist, misogynistic, and outright pedophilic. OH. MY. GOD. I wanted to pull out my eyeballs mid-read. Couldn't even get past 30 pages. Absolute waste of time. 

 
~9/25

The Vegetarian

I picked this up after all the buzz surrounding its 2024 Nobel Prize recognition, but honestly, I couldn’t push myself past the first 50 pages. The plot felt exhausting, and I couldn't connect with any character. Coming from a country where vegetarianism is the norm, I also struggled to relate to the premise. I know some books are meant to be layered and symbolic, but this one just didn’t pull me in enough to want to unravel those layers. Not for me!!

~9/25

Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom

Picked up this short story for a quick read during my visit to the Rinconada library in PA. Honestly, this book is not for me cause it's eerie, depressing, symbolic, and a bit too bleak. I am not in the right headspace to read such literature right now. Nonetheless, it was my first Sylvia Plath read, so I just wanted to document haha. Perhaps it might resonate more with you, dear reader.

~8/25

Ghachar Ghochar

"Wealth shouldn’t strike suddenly like a visitation, but instead grow gradually like a tree"

"It's not we who control the money, it's the money that controls us"

***
In a recent ChalChitra Talks interview, Namita Dubey and Vaibhav Munjal were gushing over this book, and I knew I had to pick it up. This hypnotic novella unspools the story of an Indian family whose swift rise from rags to riches alters not only their way of life but also the fabric of their relationship. It touches upon topics such as corrosion of values, patriarchal hierarchy, gender roles, and feminism. The book has an open ending, which I normally don't like, but this one was an exception.

~8/25

Mixing work with pleasure

For those who know me, it’s no secret how deeply I revere Studio Ghibli.  In this book, Suzuki shares the BTS of Ghibli’s genesis, what it was like collaborating with the two creative titans: Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata. Their artistic temperaments, though contrasting, together shaped the soul of Ghibli. Miya-san often let his imagination fill the gaps of fading memories to create something uniquely original, while Takahata placed great emphasis on realism and precise detail. He also honors the many unsung hands who shaped the studio’s magic. One can only hope that this legacy continues - to enchant, inspire, and nourish our souls :)

~8/25

Almond

A beauteous coming-of-age story that follows an unlikely juxtaposed bond formed between a boy named Yunjae, who has a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it difficult for him to feel any kind of emotion, and Gon, who feels far too much. At its core, it’s a reflection on how our “normal” might look strange to someone else, and how understanding begins with patience. I’ve always loved stories that center around younglings and their quiet struggles - to feel loved, to be understood, to simply be seen. It’s my favorite genre, and Almond fits right in with cherished gems like Totto-chan, Taare Zameen Par, and Wonder. Easy book to quell your reading slump!

~7/25

I came upon a lighthouse

 A heartwarming memoir that captures the unique bond between a millennial, Shantanu Naidu, and the legendary octogenarian (a word that I learned from this book) industrialist, Ratan Tata, forged through their shared love for dogs. This beautifully written book offers a glimpse into the lesser-known side of Mr. Tata, a side that has been oblivious to the world. It left me eager to explore more the life and values of Ratan Tata.

~1/25

Good Material

A large part of the book is written from a man's perspective who has been recently broken up with, making you wonder about the woman’s pov until the end when it all clicks into place. The book beautifully captures how women perceive being loved and it's just so simple...like listening, remembering, showing up, asking if you are okay...

व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली 

Known for his humorous and sarcastic writing style,  this book by Pu La is a collection of character sketches of people that he (might have) met in his life. My favourite characters from the book are Antu Barva (biased cause of similarity in our last name? yes!), Chitale Master, Sakharam Ghatne, Namu Parit and Narayan. A timeless read that resonates with anyone familiar with the nuances of Marathi culture.