The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes

 I read this for the Barnes since I read "The Sense of an Ending" earlier, and what a marvellous book it is.

It talks about the life of Dmitri Shostakovich a Russian composer who was put out in front of the world as a representative of art and culture on behalf of Stalin's Russia. It goes deep in the thoughts of the artist and how it shifts from being artistic to survivalistic.

There are different ways to look at it and the easiest is to call the people opportunistic. They can be criticised for getting moulded to the external factors and not being true to their art. This sounds moralistic but until you get down to the basic idea of staying alive. Dying for the ideas or not abandoning your ideas sound heroic but is it possible for everyone to do that?

I'm not a connoisseur of music but after reading this book I actually listened to some pieces from Shostakovich, and I couldn't find them to be following any pattern that it might have been pushed into. Maybe I need more ear training and exposure to a much larger repertoire.

Read this one. It is small but gives you some big idea on how not to judge people on their life choices. You are not in those shoes and never going to be because we come with our own shoes.

Peace!

The UnAmericans by Molly Antopol

 If you write well the readers are going to love it. I was never a fan of complications specially when it comes to telling a story.

The one here is so simple and beautiful that you can breeze through them. They are fresh, and all of them leave you with a thought.

I don't have any favourite here as all of them are equally good. Read it for the simplicity of storytelling.

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Amnesty by Aravind Adiga

 Why I even picked this one? The answer lies in the second chances.

He lost me on White Tiger but I was still interested in reading one more before I say no more.

So, going forward nothing from Aravind.

This one was equally haphazard and incoherent as the white tiger. Trying to push the pace and pack one day of an illegal immigrant, a murder, a lot of details in 200+ pages and it failed to register anything.

Peace

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

 I did read the Beloved so this was an easy choice because as a writer there is no comparison for her.

However, what I didn't get was the idea of your childhood defining who you're going to be. I understand that a difficult childhood (specially in dangerous living conditions) can affect your thought process but the whole idea of missing love sounds too romanticised to be true.

This is exactly the case here and it was a difficult for me to connect here. It might not be fair to compare it with a film script but by the end of it this is what it looked like. Not like that film scripts are any less scholarly than any other format but this one failed to make the mark.

I would have skipped this one and picked something else but then I read it all and realised skipping was the better option.

If you're a fan of her writing, skip this one, and maybe pick something else from her writing.

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Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy

I am not sure if this is a different way of writing or my brain is wired to avoid over complicated writing.

I read this but don't understand a single character in the whole book. I have read books which have an open ending and they leave you with a thought to ponder. But not this one. It was written all over the places and I couldn't focus on what was told here.

I couldn't connect with the whole Arjun and Karna analogy here.

Maybe not a book for me!

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Red Birds by Mohammed Hanif

This is what you call dark comedy.

A lost pilot, a prematured kid and a bunch of misfits in a war torn camp. And, yes, there is a dog with the thoughts of his own.

While reading this one a lot of situations look so comic until you realise that they are sitting in a war zone. War is never a solution and it pushes backs or wipes out the generations.

It is written with all seriousness on a lighter note.

Worth a read!

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Maps by Nuruddin Farah

 This is the first one in the trilogy but I'm not sure if I'm going to read the other two.

What I gather is that the whole trilogy is around the people who are searching for an answer to the question "who am I".

For quite some time I used to think that this is more of a thought gymnastic, and I've not changed my thoughts much. I still think that these thoughts are amusing and even entertaining depending on what you're going through in your life but if you look closer these questions sound non-consequential. Which means you're going to answer it as per your current mind set. Most probably your answer will differ (if you're giving it a serious thought) at different point of time. And this is not a bad thing because we are mostly wired to react and not respond.

I'll not be looking for the other two books in the trilogy but if you're looking for a different narrative on life and interested in hearing a different version of somebody's take on life, this might be a bit different in terms of treatment from anything you've read/seen/heard earlier.

Peace

Van Gogh's Ear: The True Story by Bernadette Murphy

All I was looking for was a new take on the events when Van Gogh cut his ear.

But a lot of this book goes into details of how difficult it is to get information around a century old event. I did like some of the information but that was not what it looked like from the title. Another thing, I was not looking for anything sensational.

So, if you already know the story from some good sources (Not Lust for Life) than this one has not much to offer.

Van Gogh was a painter with exceptional talent, and it is well established now that he had the mental health issue. Read this sentence again, I'm not saying he was mad. Unfortunately, the patients didn't get as much care and medical support at that time. And it is a surprise that Van Gogh ended up with such an amazing work even with those health issues.

So, next time when you hear a painter gone mad for Van Gogh, you would better come up with a right answer rather than writing things off.

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Japan: The Paradox of Harmony by Keiko Hirata , Mark Warschauer

I wanted to read Hirohito and the making of modern Japan, but I still have to start it and instead I found this one and thought that this would be a good commentary on the modern Japan.

And yes, this is a real good one covering various topics from culture to economy and aging population. The arguments presented in this book are well backed by research and reasoning. It has been a bit critical to many things which has been traditionally followed in Japan as a culture or tradition, but it is not possible to judge the effect of such things in just one book. It would require more volumes, but this will help you understand the basic issues that Japan is facing, and aging is just one of them.

Another thought was that every society is unique, and the rise of Japan was exceptional after the World War. There are things which look a bit like marching backwards but eventually that can't be the only index, and in that sense a lot of progress which came with discipline, subordination, and longer work hours can be maintained with a fresh approach rather than attributing the slow changes to traditional ways.

Worth a read, and don't expect you to be a specialist in economics, culture, or social sciences. Bonus point, I got to know so many new words in Japanese which might be helpful in further readings.

Peace

Ragnarok The End of the Gods by A S Byatt

I was stuck with a lot of changes recently which doesn't mean less time for reading but less intent of reading. On top it I picked up one which is utter rubbish. I'm still reading it and when I'm finished will post it here.

Meanwhile I picked up another one in parallel and this being rather thinner got completed sooner. I've read a few of them on Norse mythology and I do look forward to read some more on the same topic.

Even with less interest in knowing how it all ends, I did pick this up (yes, I can pick the real ones again). This is about Ragnarok but this comes with a thin little girl who is speaking about Norse gods and Ragnarok in a personal narrative. There were some passages where it sounds more of an autobiography or coming of age but it is less of that.

Raganarok is technically known as an end of Norse gods but if there was an end than they were not god. This is a catch phrase but a closer look does reveal the point that they never claimed to be gods. Maybe with some superpowers but never an inhuman existence. Or you can differ on this point as well.

Coming back to this one, it tries to bring all the stories together and ends on Ragnarok. There are not much details of everything here but that was not the target in the first place. Actually, I'm still struggling with the whole idea behind this book but one thing which I felt was that this is not a book about mythology but a scrutiny of author's own thoughts while growing up with the Norse mythologies. It tries to draw some parallels in the stories and the real life but that doesn't mix well.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for a retelling with more human commentary than this is a real good one.

Love!

 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

This was not a fan moment or the Nobel aura but I saw this on the isle, and since I already read the other works earlier so this was an easy pick.

I didn't understand what AF (artificial friend) stands for until it was explained later in the book. Same is the case with "lifted". It could've meant anything but here it was for the people whose DNA was altered.

The story is in a dystopian future, and the narrator is a robot Klara (AF) who was bought by a lifted girl. The girl is having some life threatening issues due to the lifting.

Well, the AF is sensitive, and a good observer. Since it takes its power from sun, it believes that sun is the nourisher of the world, and can actually bring the dead to life.

And there is a love angle of dying girl (Josie) and a not lifted boy (Rick). There is a scientific subplot as well but that will be a spoiler.

Nobody can say anything about author's writing style, and this one does a justice to his reputation.

It is very much possible that some readers might find it stretching or boring but I looked at it as a story of life even when death was just around the corner. I was not really looking forward to the end of it (like in case of a detective novel) but for me it could have ended anywhere but still complete.

The larger thought is that with all the scientific advances if we end up somehow preserving the human consciousness than it is not going to make much difference in isolation. We all have a personality/consciousness but this doesn't belong to us only. It is formed by the people and environment around us. You take it away from those people and out of the environment than it is not what it was.

Sounds complicated! But yes worth a read.

Peace!

The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? by Michael J. Sandel

This took some time to digest. It does ring a bell but will not say that it echoes my thoughts.

Fairness is an unfair word, and there is nothing like an equal opportunity. But the one thing which was very clear was how the politicians sometimes pick up a wrong tagline, and try to mould everything around it. You can't bend a lot or you will break it.

So, the idea here is that does merit is the new oppressor. It is very much evident that the society claps for the success which actually influence everything to a rat race. If we're going to change how the meritocracy works, the first task would be to change the perception of it. And this is not just for the higher education, where the book starts and ends, but also for all the other criterions of the success.

Maybe the whole idea of doing good in life has to be separated from the money you earn. I'll not go into who should be taxed more or the wage equality but a lot of these ideas need a closer scrutiny before forming any opinions.

Peace

Human Origins by New Scientist

This one is a collection of different experts of evolutionary biology and Anthropologist and Archaeologists.

It is dedicated to the evolution for humans, and tries to explain a lot of points from evolution biology perspective. The one thing it does not do is to try answer everything. In fact, it claims that everything that we know about our evolution is changing fast with all the new evidences, and technical advances that we have made in the last two decades.

This is a well balanced book, and avoid creating any hype around the subject. I remember reading Yuval Noah Harari's books which kind of left me with unease. I'm not saying that they are any less important but Yuval's books go too much into interpretation with an storytelling structure. Which is not a bad thing but the one thing it does is that it dilutes the message of science, and adds more of a fictional record.

Hence, Human Origins has done a better job with not sounding very sensational.

Evolution may be a subject for scientist to find out but it gives us a better perspective of where we come from which I believe will make us appreciate what we've now.

Definitely worth a read, and don't try to memorise all the dates because they are still evolving too :) 

Peace

The Science of Mythology by C.G. Jung, Karl Kerényi

This is a collection of four essays by Jung and Kerényi which put together their thoughts on Mythology and Psychology to establish how the two fields can be analysed from a common point of view.

I didn't buy the title for the first time because it sounds so counterintuitive because there is nothing in mythology which can be called as science. Even the dictionary definition is "a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition". Which I think is well defined because those myths represent a particular thought or narrative which is more imagined rather than found naturally.

So, the myths are treated like that beautiful story. Any further dissection to find out some hidden meanings are going to remove the essence of why it was created in the first place.

I also don't agree to the point that these myths define human psyche. Myths were a collection of thoughts of a smaller group (myth-makers?) which was adopted by a larger group later by different channels (mostly art - poetry, drama, sculpture, paintings, books etc), and became the part of society. But that doesn't mean that they started having a life of their own. Force fitting some of the psychological conditions with a myth was not the best thing. It actually complicated the things much more with some imaginary accounts and characters.

This one really needs an open mind before you start accepting a lot of things here as normal or logical.

I don't have any expertise on any of these two subjects but defining everything within the two myths of Divine Child and Maiden Goddess may be a good idea for religion but it can't go beyond that.

One thing which I missed badly was a pronunciation of a lot of Greek words here which were given as is.

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Babur: Timurid Prince and Mughal Emperor, 1483-1530 by Stephen F. Dale

This one is a short biography of Babur based on his autobiography and the accounts of some of his contemporaries. It does include a larger part from the actual translation of the autobiography.

Being short/concise this does cover most of the aspects of Babur's life in short, and doesn't try to overwhelm the reader with a lot of historical commentary which might not be very useful for a non-academic reader.

I didn't read much about Babur actively earlier, and this was my first book which was dedicated to him only. I never liked the idea of putting the soft side of such raiders like Babur who would just kill a few thousand and go back home writing some poetry or praising natural scenery or building next garden. A common argument is that those were the times of hardship, and it was a dog eats dog world but this is a lame excuse. There were poets, artists, astronomers and what not who were not responsible for mass slaughter, and their work was much superior than anyone else.

His autobiography which is the base for all the myths around him can be really read as a narcissistic account. Here he talks only about himself, and never gives credit to anybody or praises anyone who is better than him. And, yes, most of his biographers end up eating out of his hand. The skull towers get a mention in footnote or a blink-miss but the poetry gets the whole limelight.

After completing it I realised that he was just a person low on self esteem who was always looking for acceptance and approval from others. He was less of a dynastic founder but more of a raider who was interested in anything from a sheep to a gold coin. And his whole idea of being special was that he was related to Genghis Khan which in his opinion gives him the right to greatness.

Worth a read if you're into history.

Peace

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

 No question on why I picked it up. I did like the "The remains of the day" and was looking forward to read some more of his works.

The story is about lost memories, and revenge. It asks the question if the lost memories are better be lost. What if we get back all of our memories on a condition that we'll have to take all of them: good or bad. It sounds hypothetical but maybe a comparable scenario would be to check if we can move over the bad memories as an independent choice. The answer is not easy to provide and much difficult to act upon.

We were worse but we did improve to something which we're now. It can be bad or not so bad, best case good enough. But did the worse part can be written off or forgotten. Can you being better than earlier gives you any right to the things that you have now.

A lot of parts start backwards, and it takes time to find out whose perspective we're looking at which might be.a writer's style for this one but this was a bit annoying as a reader because as you progress you've already a few characters in mind based on the pronouns and finding someone else later is bah.

Worth a read even if you're not a fan!

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How to Argue with a Racist by Adam Rutherford

It starts with accepting the limitation of this work but claims to prepare the reader from a scientific know-how to see the trap.

I've read the ones which were more detailed, and had better arguments but this one does what it claims to do. This talks about top 4 stories and builds the narrative around it.

The one thing which is a given is that people in power talk about it for their vested interest, and everyone else is getting influenced by it in a wrong way without knowing what they mean when they start showing such behaviour. Yes, science don't have all the answers, and you can't do much when people start filling those gaps with something for their own.

A quick read, and good for the readers who are into it for the first time.

Peace

Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel

 I noticed that I've started thinking about why I picked up my recent books. There is no pattern but I think my choices were a bit dependent on what showed up in the library. And if I had a faint notion about the writer or the topic I'll just pick it up.

I try not to fall for the bestseller label while picking up the book, and this one was a conscious choice even when I was not sure what should I be expecting.

I do remembers a few things here and there, and I remember the name of this writer which showed up in my Youtube suggestions. I do watch some Ted talks but I'm no fan, and think most of them are a bit overhyped. I guess, this Ted behaviour prompt the algorithm to suggest this video from this author. I just remembered the name somehow but didn't register the topic of that Ted talk.

I saw this book, and remembered the name. Hence this one got picked, and what a stupidity to pick this one up.

First thing, if there are any problems in a relationship don't try to find out the solution in your sex life. This sells well in the market but doesn't do anything for the reader. 

Second thing, I don't mind a pex (pep + sex) talk but this one was utter rubbish. If you want to delve deeper maybe take Sex at Dawn which talks about it in more evolutionary terms, and do put some good ideas out to think about.

As an after thought don't go for something which has the Youtube views, and Fortune 500 as the credentials.

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The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

 I didn't watch the series when I came to know that this is based on a book. Usual choice :)

Finally, I got this in my hands, and will say that I got hooked to it. I generally don't stick to the books to complete but this was one of those exceptions which had such a fast running narrative that I finished it in a day.

This is an amazing book with a very tight plot. We can see Beth growing over a period of time from a non-existing child in an orphanage to the queen of chess board.

Of course it has its dull moments which actually felt like being written to add the pages or maybe for the script but that can be overlooked.

Definitely worth a read even if you've watched the series!

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The Awakening by Kate Chopin

 The biggest news is that this has an introduction from Carmen Maria Machado, and after reading this you can actually skip the rest of the book. You know on the very first page what is going to happen.

I'm not into thrillers where you don't want the secret to be out until you reach the last chapter. I always appreciate introductions because it gives you a perspective on what you're going to get into. You can have a same or different impression after completing the book but introduction is good to have. But not the one written like this one.

I read the introduction, and lost the urge to read the rest of the book. But I still pushed, and unfortunately I started looking at the whole narrative in the light of how it was going to end. And another thing where I think the whole introduction falls flat is to connect it with feminism but I look at it from a point of unfulfilled desires, and maybe some psychological issues which applies to a character irrespective of the gender.

So much for the introduction!

For the book, it is a dark read but worth reading for the style Kate Chopin was able to portray the mindset of a lonely woman who needed a companionship but felt rejected from everyone she had the expectations from. Edna is no Anna but she is a strong character in her own narrative.

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