Where did 2023 go? Am absolutely stupefied that I have not uploaded a single post on my blog for the past year. No wonder I do not get any fresh followers….resolution of 2024: definitely to rectify such lapses, to which end I already uploaded a book review yesterday. As for this post, will do a recap of books I read in 2023:
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gramus: my top book of 2023. A highly relevant tale peopled by quirky, endearing characters.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tommorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: A close second for the top book of 2023. For a non-gamer like me to enjoy a book set in the world of gaming is testament to the writer's prowess. This is an engaging novel about friendship through its various ups and downs.
The Mountains Sing by Qai Mai Phan Nguyen: an absorbing narrative set during the land reforms of Vietnam.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin: An extremely overrated book! I cannot get over the buzz and hype that surrounds this book. The books' premise sounded like so much fun, unfortunately, it could not live up to such expectations. Spoiler alert: the writer resorts to a cop out by attributing the protagonist's strangeness to mummy issues!
When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka: Another novel which seemed very promising; it deals with the Japanese internment during WWII; but while it did provide one with insights it failed to go beyond that. What caught my attention though is how the writer clearly referenced Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men; but this is no great American novel even though it deals with the shattering of the American dream.
Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak: Standard novel by Shafak that is engaing and tugs at one's heartstrings but falls short of Forty Rules of Love.
The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale: Delhi's Covid novel serves as a chronicling of life in pandemic struck Delhi.
Summer Fishing in Lapland by Juhani Karila: A delicious romp in irreverent Northern Finland peopled by both humans and creatures of another dimension. Great for fans of Gaiman.
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama is a really first-rate novel. It has it all: engaging characters, an engrossing storyline and a variety of themes. What makes it all the more refreshing is that it is a Tibetan novel that deals with complexities that faces Tibetans today ranging from eviction from one's homeland to art theft.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese made it to both Oprah's and Obama's book lists. While this is not the most sophisticated of novels I have read, I think that the appeal of the book for the Western audience lies in it's exotic Christian world, where strangely enough the Indian is a shadowy backdrop at best. Change all the names of both places and people and you could be anywhere in the Christendom. Even the themes are so Christian such as the punishment of adultery or the treatment of lepers. Not a brilliant book but compared to some of the duds one has read in the recent past not a bad book, just not something I would really reccomend though.
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