If you have been on this little
blog for some time now, you’ll probably know that I’m an avid reader. A book
on the coffee table, another on the nightstand, on the refrigerator in the
kitchen, in the bathroom and sometimes on the shoe rack and in the car. That’s how
I tend to carry books everywhere I go. Sometimes,
I get so broke yet the urge to buy books and read becomes arduous for me. It is
unhealthy, I know.
With 2015 as the National Reading
Year, I often hear people picking a book to read. It’s never too late to start
anything, I believe. This small step by an individual will go a long way once
the reading habit is developed. My brother and sister has picked up this habit
as well. It’s such a delight to see a book on their nightstand. It fills me
with immense joy.
I have recently completed reading
these books amongst others and I’d recommend if you’re looking for light summer reads like me (I’m forever on the hunt for good book
recommendation).
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
One of the most important works
in American Literature, The Great Gatsby is a novel that offers damning and insightful
views of the lives that are corrupted by greed which is incredibly sad and
unfulfilled in the roaring 20’s.
The events are narrated through
Nick Carraway, a young Yale graduate. Upon moving to New York, he rents a house
next door to the eccentric millionaire, Jay Gatsby. Every week, Gatsby throws a party at his mansion
and all the great and the good come to marvel at his extravagance and gossip
about him.
Despite his high-living, Gatsby
is dissatisfied.
Long ago, Gatsby fell in love with a young girl, Daisy who is
now married to Tom Buchanan.
The novel portrays the unfinished
love affair of Gatsby and Daisy, Tom’s suspicion and his mistress, Gatsby’s
fortune through illegal gambling and bootlegging.
However, the reality of the situation
is that Gatsby is a man in love. Nothing more. He concentrates all of his life
on winning Daisy back.
This book is definitely one of my favorites.
Frankenstein by Mary
Shelly
I enjoyed this gothic classic
five years ago. Five years later, I picked it up and felt the same enjoyment as
I did for that very first time. The story, and in particular the language blew me
away.
Also known as The Modern
Prometheus, it is about a scientist who
creates a monster and the awful events that follows.
Victor
Frankenstein, obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and
bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, he assembles a human being from
stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the
creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the
once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous
revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.
However,
I like the fact that the book allows reader’s to see events from the monster’s
perspectives. I could sympathize with his loneliness when humans spurned him
away. It’s a painful book. It’s hard to believe that this book was written by
an 18 year old girl in 1818.
My Beautiful Shadow by Radhika Jha
Set
in Japan, it tells the tale of a young Tokyo housewife, Kayo whose obsession is
beautiful clothes and accessories. A drug that threatens to destroy her life as
a good wife and a mother.
Reunited
with her beautiful childhood friend whose life appears glamorous, Kayo wants to
become her. In that pursuit, she is pulled deeper into a dark underworld of
yakuza, debt and prostitution.
So
far I have been fascinated with Murakami’s works and whatever little I have
come to know about Japan is through his books. Compared to Murakami’s Tokyo,
Jha’s Tokyo is a total different world. It’s about neighbors being your police,
judges and your jailors. It’s about the Japanese bias against Koreans who
probably owns small businesses and the Americans whom her husband seems to
enjoy working for.
A
powerful tale of one woman losing her way and a mesmerizing tale of consumerism
gone mad.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
This
was my all time favorite book as a child. Now even as an adult, I enjoy reading
it as it brings back happy memories of my times spent in Tsirang with my mother
and brother.
Our
quaint little house was in the middle of a guava, mango and orange orchard. On summer
afternoons on weekends I used to sit down under the guava tree in my turquoise little
frock and read Heidi while my brother used to pluck guavas and hand me down. He
was my soldier and my provider.
These happy memories were tucked inside the
book and it never fails to bring a smile on me till today.
Memories
aside, Heidi is a story of a five year old orphaned girl who is left by her
aunt to stay with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Heidi soon becomes a local
favorite. Several years later, the aunt snatches Heidi from the Alps to become
the companion of the wealthy but specially challenged child in Frankfurt.
Transported
to the anonymous city, Heidi is lonely and longs for the Alps and in the
meantime she learns to read and turn to God. The story encourage honesty,
integrity, kindness and deep religious faith-the sort of reading that parents
should encourage but sadly seldom do.
Emotion Code by Bradley Nelson
I
was curious when a friend talked about emotion code and the trapped emotions
all of us have. A couple of conversation and I was already intrigued. So I asked
him to email me the pdf copy and the audiobook. Boy, it was truly fascinating.
The
book talks about a form of energy healing that helps to get rid of emotional
baggage. The Emotion code uses muscle testing to find and release trapped
emotions that affect your health, your relationship and your successful
mechanism.
It’s one of the simplest and the most effective form of energy healing.
It
provides you with amazing facts and research which helps to understand your
body to a greater level. Interestingly, you can check your trapped emotion
yourself and treat it as well.
I got
pretty excited about the book and shared it with a couple of friends and
family. If you would like, I’d love to share. Drop me a message in the comments
section below.
Have
you got any recommendation for this summer?
