Reading Challenge 2019

"There is no friend as loyal as a book"

---Ernest Hemingway

It's January and it's time to decide on my TBR for 2019. For the past few years, I have been participating in Goodreads Reading Challenge. This time, though, apart from that, I wanted to be part of another Reading Challenge. In the past few years, I have read some really amazing books of fiction. This year, though, I want to explore non-fiction on a greater scale. I am keen on learning something new. So I decided to participate in a Non-fiction reading challenge. My goal in 2019 is to read at least 18 non-fiction books, which roughly translates to 1.5 books per month.

I am participating in 2019 Nonfiction Reading Challenge at Doing Dewey.

I am participating in 2019 Reading Challenge at SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews.

At SMS Nonfiction Book Reviews, the challenge is simple:

• Read at least 3 books on a topic you’ve not read much about but would like to learn more about.
• Challenge runs Jan 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019
• You can use any types of books (physical books, ebooks, audiobooks etc)
• You can overlap your books with other challenges
• You can pick your books as you go or pick ahead of time, whatever you prefer
• You can use children’s nonfiction too
• You can pick your topic now or later and you can change it anytime before you read your first book.
• It can be something you’ve never read about or something you’ve read a bit about but not a lot.
• Pick ANY topic you want.
• You can review the books or just write down your thoughts.
• You can have a blog or not. Social media is fine.
• Use #LSNReadingChallenge if you want

Here goes a tentative list of the books meant to be read in 2019:

1. Money Smart: The Indian Woman's Guide to Managing Wealth by Reenita Malhotra Hora & Divya Vij

2. Indian Mutual Funds Handbook by Sankaran

3. The Problem That Has No Name by Beity Friedan

4. Option B by Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant

5. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King

6. Everything you wanted to know about Investing by Shalini Amarnani

7. Seeing Like A Feminist by Nivedita Menon

8. The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

9. Coffee Can Investing by Saurabh Mukherjea, Rakshit Ranjan, Pranab Uniyal

10. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

11. Income Tax Guide For The Taxpayer by Subhash Lakhotia

12. Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood

13. The Curse: Confronting the Last Unmentionable Taboo: MENSTRUATION by Karen Houppert

14. Chanakya's 7 Secrets of Leadership by Radhakrishnan Pillai & D. Sivanandhan

15. The Heartfulness Way by Daaji

16. Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani

17. The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen

18. A Room of One's Own and Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf

However, this is just a tentative list. I may pick-up new books as the year progresses or I may skip a book or two from this list. So lets start reading!

Book Review: I am a home to butterflies

I am a home to butterflies by J. Alchem
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"This collection of poetry is all about you and me, but I am afraid it will no longer be about 'you and me' once a reader picks it up. It will then be about them only."

Yes, the themes around which the poetries of this collection revolve around are the ones anybody can relate to. So when the reader starts to read them, these poetries become his/her own. The serenity of love, the sharp heartache that love brings, the laughter and the tears depicted in this collection are felt by all at least once in their lifetime. I'd rather call them quotes instead of poetries, as most of them are very short- some of them even have only a line or two.

The poetries in this collection are arranged in a few groups, each depicting a particular theme, such as Life, You, Love, Obstacles, Break-up, Awakening, Wisdom, Love again. I fell in love with some of the poetries, took screenshots of few and shared with my friends. I am sure if you read this book, you will also be tempted to take screenshots of the poetries. They beautifully convey such deep emotions in so few words. I'd like to share few of my favourites here:

"There is another sky

under the sky

that's you, for me."

"The world

is already

full of temporary people

you,

please,

don't be one."

"And then you left

leaving a story

incomplete."

The second part of the book is named as Letters. It contains a few letters written by a man who is separated from his lover. Strangely for reasons unknown to the reader, they are all written on the 19th day of different months. Reading these letters has been a painful experience for me. I felt choked by emotions. The last of these letters is a reply from his estranged lover, which brings an unexpected twist at the end.

Overall, a good read. The book can be finished within just an hour. So if you love poetries, do give it a try.

P.S.: I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. But the views expressed here are unbiased.

View all my reviews

A New Year's Poem

We belonged to an era bygone-

We believed we would get what we long,

For the first day of the year is auspicious,

"কল্পতরু" would grant us wishes precious.

So, make a wish

On this auspicious day-

And see how this comes true.

Because the world is a wish-granting factory,

All you need to do is seeking blessings of the Almighty.

We believed in such fairy-tale,

That wishes made on the first day of the year never fail.

Now the pages of old poetries lie tattered,

Crisp, yellow pages- here and there- scattered.

And when I try to pen down a new poetry-

It still reeks of melancholy,

Nostalgia,

Wishes that never came true,

And sibilant whispers of old, long-forgotten fairy-tales.