This year, all senior year students of the University of Delhi had an extensive summer break from June 1 to August 15. Like most of them, I expected myself to indulge in a lot of activities, but alas, the only worthwhile thing I did was to read books (blame the bibliophile in me). However, before the break began, a busy college schedule combined with several co-curricular engagements didn’t allow me to devote much time to reading books. Hence, during the summer, I decided to curate a ‘to-read-list’ and now when I look back, I have indeed ticked off most parts of it!
As an ardent book lover, I believe, reading books helps a lot in understanding yourself and the world around you. The places it makes one travel to and the topics it exposes one to make a person more knowledgeable and empathetic towards one another and their various circumstances.
Hence, in order to help my fellow bibliophiles curate a reading list, here’s me sharing my summer reads:
1. SOPHIE’S WORLD by JOSTEIN GAARDER (1994):
I started off my summer with this book. Based on the life of a fictional character named ‘Sophie Amundsen’, the book explores her encounter with a few postcards which were without a sender’s name and came with confusing messages. These postcards eventually turned out be long letters about the emergence and growth of philosophy, ranging from ‘Plato’ and ‘Socrates’ to ‘Aristotle’ and ‘Karl Marx’. The book is a thriller mystery hence I don’t intend to give away any spoilers!
2. SHORT STORIES FROM PAKISTAN translated by M. ASADUDDIN (2007):
I came across this book while scrolling through Instagram reels one fine day. After being unavailable online for over a year, when it was finally available, I immediately bought it without a second thought. And thank god I found it because this has to be one of the best short story collections I have ever read. From knowing the names of several places in Pakistan to getting an idea about the lives and lifestyles of people in Pakistan, these short yet heartwarming tales are for those like me who wish to visit Pakistan someday and know about its many fascinating tales.
3. HALF A RUPEE STORIES by GULZAR (2013):
‘Gulzar’ is an Indian maestro and artist who knows how to touch millions of hearts through his poetry and storytelling. Thus, when I came across this book, I had set my expectations high. And guess what? it exceeded way beyond my expectations. The stories ranged from love and separation to partition, loss, and social evils. It was the story between ‘Sahir Ludhianvi’ and ‘Javed Akhtar‘ that especially touched my heart. All in all, the book just makes me feel proud that we are living in a time when storytellers like Gulzar exist and continue to win our hearts through rich literature.
4. MENAKA’S CHOICE by KAVITA KANE (2015):
I have always believed that there are very few writers like Kavita Kane who can write and express mythology so brilliantly and fluently. She often takes up female characters from Indian mythology who have been overlooked in these tales. ‘Menaka’s Choice’ is based on the celestial apsara ‘Menaka’ and the folklore of how she seduced the ‘Brahmarishi Vishwamitra’. She provides a fresh take on the original folklore. Her narrative style made me realize two things, firstly, beauty can also bring with it sacrifices and sufferings, and secondly, a woman is often forced to become a pawn in the hands of a man.
5. LALLAN SWEETS: WHERE FOOD LEADS TO LOVE by SHRISTI CHAUDHARY (2020):
As the title suggests, the book is a sweet comforting story about a famous family sweet shop named ‘Lallan Sweets’ and how the protagonist, ‘Tara’, embarks on a road trip to find out the secret ingredient of the ladoos (a type of Indian sweet) made by her grandfather, ‘Lalaji’. There are two things I loved about this book: firstly, the references to the ’90s Bollywood era through songs and movies- the theme song of Tara’s journey was the classic ‘Made In India’ track sung by Alisha Chinai in 1995 and secondly, it taught me an invaluable lesson- often the journey is more imperative than the final destination.
The bookworm in me had the best summer holiday and I can proudly say that it helped me get a grasp of so many different topics that boosted my knowledge. My ‘to-read list’ has a long way to go but I am glad that I chose books which were significantly different and succeeded to amuse me!