Either I read too many thrillers, or I somehow end up reading similar books very close together. I wish I hadn’t read The Last Mrs. Parrish before this one. Because even though The Wife Between Us is infinitely better than that book, the main idea is so similar that it looks like the same person shared their ideas with the authors!
The Wife Between Us starts out as a simple enough narrative, told in two alternate voices, one a first-hand narrative, and the other in Third Person about a girl called Nellie. The first twist comes out of nowhere. Even though I had read the blurb and was ready to question everything, I didn’t see that one coming. I was able to predict a couple of things but not the first twist. For me, this turned everything I thought upside down, and I had to go back and read a few things again. This twist was so good that I had very high expectations from the rest of the book.
Alas, the second part of the book is just spent in clearing up all that happens in the first part. All loose ends are dealt with and everything is neatly tied up. Not a good idea for a Thriller. While you want to know what actually happened, all the suspense is dead and you just read on to find the motives and conclusion. The one thing that the authors seem to think we don’t know, is glaringly obvious from almost the beginning. At a time when domestic abuse is in the spotlight, it is impossible to misconstrue any clues about its existence.
The most unnecessary part of the story comes in the Epilogue. There was no need for that twist, if you can all it a twist. It just emphasized the feeling that the writers were trying too hard. Sometimes, it is ok to leave a few stories untold, a few ends untied. After all, that’s what happens in real life. It sounds too good to be true to have all your demons laid to rest in one go.
Overall, I like the book even though there wasn’t anything different about it. I liked the way the authors have dealt with domestic abuse and its aftermath. A domestic abuse victim can never want another person to go through the same experience, no matter how desperate they are. A good one time read.
When I bought Caraval, I didn’t have much idea about what it was. I had seen it on Instagram and really liked the cover, so I bought it without really looking at it. When I read the blurb, I was dismayed to see that it seemed to be quite similar to The Night Circus which is one of my favourite books of all time. So, it was with mixed feelings that I picked this one up to read.
To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. Of course, it can never compete with the magic of The Night Circus, but this is as close to it as a YA novel can hope to be.
It is somewhat amateurish but once you let your imagination soar, you can picture everything so clearly in your mind. I feel that is what fantasy novels are all about; if you can see it in your mind’s eye then they have achieved their objective.
The story is not too complicated. It is about two sisters trying to escape their abusive father. Both of them have different ideas about what escape means, but both want the other sister to have a better life even if it means endangering their own. The one thing that stops this book from being amazing is the weak character development. I just felt that halfway through the book, the writer decided to write a sequel and make Donatella its heroine. So, suddenly you find that everything that was being said about her wasn’t true and she is actually a very intelligent and secretive young lady. Scarlett Dragna comes off as a bit dull and one dimensional. The world around her is more interesting than she herself. Same goes for Julian, who somehow manages not to be the mysterious man he was supposed to be. Dante and Lagend, by comparison seem more interesting than Julian, which I’m sure the author was not aiming for.
Despite this, it was fun to go into this world where everyone is lying and nothing is as it seems. Stephanie Garber has created a compelling imaginary world; I wish her characters had also been as compelling.
I liked the book overall which kept me interested enough to want to continue reading. This one is for all YA Fantasy fans.
I was going through a major reading slump when I read Gone Girl, long before it became a blockbuster movie. I would leave books halfway through, nothing managing to catch my interest. Until Gone Girl, that is. I read it in one night, and spent the rest of the week lying awake, suspicious of everyone around me. That is how powerful Gillian Flynn‘s writing is.
Since I seemed to like her writing style, I thought I’d buy the rest of her books and read them too. Dark Places, a bit tamer than Gone Girl, was also quite crazy and left me with a bit of a hangover. But nothing could have prepared me for Sharp Objects.
Flynn’s debut novel, Sharp Objects, is so disturbing that even thinking about it makes me shudder. It is certainly the most creepy book that I have read in a long time. It is a book that has a must read for all fans of Gone Girl. There is just something about it that will make your heart beat faster, and your eyes dart around for anything suspicious, even when you’re at home, in your bed!
What makes Gillian Flynn an excellent writer of thrillers, is her portrayal of deeply disturbed, dark female protagonists. Some accuse her of misogyny; for me, she is someone who is not afraid of venturing into themes that make others uncomfortable. It is not easy to accept that a female protagonist can be a screwed up failure, with hardly any redeemable qualities.
The one thing that I find common in the three (four, if you count The Grownup, a short story) females from her books, is their inherent selfishness and strong survival instinct. They care about themselves before they think about anyone else, and that is what makes them so appealing. As a rule, women in fiction are thought of as selfless beings, out to do good in the world, and even heroines who are badass and have done some really bad stuff are somehow redeemed at the end of these tales. Gillian Flynn shows no such mercy to her characters. They remain screwed up, maybe to a lesser degree, till the end.
It is not just the female protagonist that is the main draw for Flynn’s books. It is the overall atmosphere. Her settings suck you in, and you get lost somewhere in the streets of these dark and menacing places, which spit you out violently at the end. It is such a shock to come out of her world, that you feel disoriented after finishing the book.
All the best to my favourite contemporary writer of thrillers. I cannot wait to read more of her books.
In honour of Valentines Day, this post is all about Romance novels and my love for a good romance. I have always been a closet romance freak. By that I mean that I have a closet full of trashy romance novels that I like to take out after every few months or so, and sigh about how bloody sexist they are! Yet, I cannot bring myself to throw them away.
Right now, however, I just want to talk about a few romances that have a special place in my heart. These include both classics and not-so-classic books that I think every romantic-at-heart should read.
Before I begin, let me tell you that my most favourite love story of all time is not a book. It is just one chapter in a series of books, and it leaves me heartbroken every time I read it. Yes, I’m talking about Snape and Lily’s story. If you have no idea who these people are, then you need to read Harry Potter, NOW! And if you have read and loved the books like I do, then you will know what I’m talking about. “Always.”
Disclaimer: I do not like sad endings, so don’t expect to find Gone With The Wind or The Notebook here. Also, for those who consider it a romance, Wuthering Heights is not a romantic novel, so I will write about my love for it in a different post.
Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
I have been in love with Pride and Prejudice since grade 7. It was in our curriculum, and I have never enjoyed studying more than when we were reading this book. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy have been my favourite couple forever. In the real world, I would probably slap the face of a man who talks to me so condescendingly, but Ms. Bennet definitely has better manners than I do! Even so, I love this maddeningly clueless man no matter what he does; and he does redeem himself at the end.
Over the years, I have owned several editions which have somehow managed to get lost with each of my moves. I love this book so much that I have all the sequels/ continuations/ retellings in e-book form! Of course, none of them come remotely close to the original.
I have never tried to find the literary merits of this book, nor have I ever tried to recount the social issues presented in it. I’m proud to say that I love it as a love story and will continue to do so. I don’t want to look into deeper meanings and motifs in the book. I still read it sometimes, and enjoy it for the all the happiness that it gives me. It is by far, the book that I have read the most number of times!
The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
One of the most read books on my shelf, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a poignant, sometimes funny tale of a Time Traveler and his wife. It looks like a lot to read, boasting almost 600 pages, but once you start reading you cannot put it down.
It is a great love story; Clare first meets Henry when she is six and Henry is thirty-six. Henry, however, first meets Clare when he’s twent-eight and she’s twenty! This is how it goes on all their lives and they have to accept it and move on with their lives.
I fell in love with this sometimes funny, sometimes sad story when I first read it many years back. It is told in different times with both Clare and Henry as narrators, and it takes a lot of concentration to get the timeline straight in your head. All the more reason to admire Audrey Niffenegger for managing to write in such a way as to convince the reader that all this is possible.
Some might argue that it has a sad ending, but for me the ending is perfect. This was the only logical way for the book to end. It is not easy to resolve matters in a book about time travel. There are always a lot of questions left unanswered.
A superlative book that is right up there on the list of my favourites!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus is one of the most vividly written books that I have ever read. It brings to life a world that is black and white, yet feels so full of life that you want to keep on reading. The circus is not an ordinary circus, and the word “magic” feels inadequate to describe the wonders contained within its boundaries. It is a story that doesn’t feel like a love story, yet it is one of the most poignant ones that I have read.
It is the story of a contest where the contestants are not aware of what the contest is. It is the story of two powerful men pitting their best against each other but coming out empty handed. It is the story of completely different individuals coming together to mount a spectacle that the world has never seen. In the end, it is the story of love, hope, perseverance, commitment and the constant vagaries of time.
What stands out in all of this, is the strong love that Celia and Marco feel for each other. Their love transcends the boundaries of magic, time and even space. They sacrifice everything to be with each other and to them, it doesn’t matter which world they exist in, as long as that world allows them to be together.
Paradise by Judith McNaught
Ah, here is the truly romantic book, written by the best writer of Romance Fiction. But, hey, this isn’t the book that she’s most famous for! That’s right. Every romance reader is aware that Whitney, My Love is the book that is the most beloved my Ms. McNaught’s die hard fans. I am a huge fan. I have all her books, and I love all of them in varying degrees. It is impossible for me to pick a favourite among Double Standards, Perfect, Almost Heaven or any of the other wonderful books; but if I absolutely have to, I will always pick Paradise.
The story of Meredith Bancroft and Matthew Farrell is full of misunderstandings and cliches. It is impossible to believe that I have read these 800 plus pages so many times that the books is falling apart at the seams! It is the oft-written-about story of star-crossed lovers who fall in love, get married and then get separated because of the villianous father of the girl.
Fast forward to a decade later, and Meredith is engaged to her childhood friend, Matt is a hotshot businessman, and Meredith’s business is in trouble. Oh, and there is the small matter of her still being married to Matt because of a fraudulent lawyer. What follows is a story as old as a typical romance novel. Why I love it, is because Meredith makes every stupid mistake on her own.
While there is some emotional blackmail involved, eventually it is she who decides whether to be an idiot or not. And the secret feminist in me rejoices that at least in this book I will not have to go through the torture of the heroine forgiving the hero even if he has been the cruelest to her. To me, when a hero is vile, he needs to grovel proportionately, and no woman should forgive him without proper compensation! So, yes, I love this book unashamedly and its poor condition vouches for my love.
The Man in The Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
I know what you’re thinking. A love story by Agatha Christie? Are You crazy? Maybe I am, because I have loved this book ever since I read it more than 25 years ago. And no, Christie never wrote a romance novel. This is eactly what she always wrote, a mystery. I must have bought at least 5 copies of this book since I keep losing it somehow.
This is the story of Anne Beddingfeld and how she fell for a man wanted for murder, a man in a brown suit. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue in this story; and even more drama and action. And while the story is essentially a romance, there is not much romantic about it.
The mystery of the murder of a Russian dancer, Nadine, and the disappearance of some diamonds is what this whole book is about. The narrator however, falls in love with a man whose name she doesn’t know, and who is by all accounts a murderer. What follows is a tale full of deception, high speed chases and crazy characters.
I absolutely love this gem from the Queen of Crime.
A psychological thriller set in the world of gymnastics, this is book takes a peek into the world of competitive sports. I have watched gymnasts perform amzaing feats on TV, but never wondered about their lives; how they have to maintain a compact physique, and at the same time be strong enough to withstand the rigorous demands of their chosen profession. This book not only gives insight into the lives of gymnasts, it also shows the struggle that their families have to go through, though, surely, these families are nothing like the Knoxs!
Katie and Eric Knox are living their dreams through their daughter, sometimes at the expense of their younger son. Their lives revolve around somehow getting Devon to make the Olympics team one day. Katie still harbours some guilt from an accident that resulted in Devon’s deformed foot, and as a result puts all her efforts into giving everything to Devon.
When an hit-and-run causes the death of a boy, the whole community is left shocked. Devon’s gym gets caught in the eye of the storm, and Katie and Eric can see their dreams getting shattered. Rumours start flying about everyone and Katie can’t help but start digging about the accident. As she goes deeper, Katie finds herself unraveling secrets that are better left alone and that may threaten the entire fabric of her family. She is left reeling as more and more secrets come to light, and leave her determined to do what is right for her and her children.
Sometimes, parents will go to great lengths to ensure the well being of their children. Here, the parents will go to any length to make sure their own dreams are not shattered. Is it a crime to want the best for your children? Is it selfish to be willing to go to any extremes for the happiness of your children? This book proves to be a true thriller.
This book is another good book from 2017. I find that it is not given the credit it deserves. Reading it was so much fun, something that we forget that we need in our lives. Ever wonder why all the famous monsters in fiction are male? Whatever happened to their female counterparts? Or what if they had female versions, only no one knew about them? This book takes some of the strangest creatures from literary fiction, and makes them into someone you would want to go on an adventure with. Even while facing the horrible villains, you want to stay with this gang of girls and see how they get out of each scrape.
When Dr. Jekyll’s daughter, Mary, is left penniless after her mother’s death, she decides to find her father’s former colleague, Edward Hyde, who is wanted for murder even after so many years. The reason for her interest is of course the reward that still exists on his capture. Mary asks for help from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson who only agree to humour her.
When she insists on accompanying Dr. Watson to an orphanage, she has no idea that she is about to meet Mr. Hyde’s daughter, Diana, who declares herself Mary’s sister! Diana is an uncouth, untidy, feral child who has no use for rules and etiquette. She tries Mary’s patience, antagonizes Mary’s housekeeper and is a thorn in everyone’s side. But she is more than willing to go along with Mary to search for the elusive Mr. Hyde.
As they set off on an adventure, they gather with them a motley crew consisting of Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein, all considered monsters and misfits in a society obsessed with perfection. In the course of their crazy enterprise, they discover a secret society of mad scientists and gradually realize that some of these scientists are up to no good.
As the author takes them through London, get ready for an insane and funny ride with female monsters who have been ignored by authors over the centuries. A thoroughly engaging and entertaining read.
I know it’s a bit late to talk about what was hot last year, but I thought I would give it a go. I had been going through a reading slump for the last six years or so. In September 2017, I decided to end this slump and get back to my old habits. Hence, my list of the best books of 2017 is not that long. I have read some really amazing books that have made me very happy to be back with my most beloved possessions. The following books are not in any particular order, just random ranking as they came into my head.
I have always loved History as a subject, but books based on the two World Wars leave me feeling depressed. So, as a rule, I avoid reading about these wars. The Alice Network proved to be a surprise in that regard.
It is a very sad story based on very real people who sacrificed their lives during the World Wars. Yet, it is a completely immersive tale. Women spies have been a source of fascination and wonder since time immemorial. Everyone has definite ideas about female spies; they’re either pious angels, or promiscuous devils; either black, or white; no greys.
The Alice Network forces you to look at female spies as courageous women who served their countries. They took risks and endangered their own lives. Their ground realities were starkly different from everyone else. They operated in a reality that we cannot even fathom.
Written in the voices of two different women, in two different eras, this book tells us about how spy networks were the backbone of the two sides during both the wars. I found it hard to put the book down as it took me through two wars simultaneously, and merged two stories together seamlessly. The wit and intelligence presented are based on truth. This makes me more in awe of the great women of the Alice Network.
This book is definitely worthy of heading the list of the best books of 2017.
This is by far my favourite book from last year. It is so far removed from my usual favourites that even I was taken by surprise.“Fall in love whenever you can.” The last rule of magic is the enemy of the Owens family. They are cursed in matters of love, yet they are destined to be followed by love all their lives.
The Rules of Magic is a magical book. It pulls you in and refuses to let you go. It is about the lives of the three children of Susanna Owens. She wants to keep them away from the cursed legacy of their family. But it is a great folly to hide your true self. Truth has a way of coming out. It is better to accept who you are than keep lying for the rest of your life.
The story may be about witches and magic, but what it embodies is true for all human beings. Life is full of good and bad, so accept everything that life throws at you and draw strength from these experiences. Loving and losing is all part of life, and avoiding love does not mean avoiding pain. The only way to live is to be true to yourself.
After a long time, a book has touched me so much that I could feel the pain of the characters. As I look back on the book, I can find nothing out of the ordinary that makes it special, but it is true that I cried with the characters. It has touched my heart somehow and I see myself picking up this book to read again and again. It reaffirms my belief that in order to live well we must “Love more, not less.” Another one of the best books of 2017.
I had never read anything by Celeste Ng before. Little Fires Everywhere was my introduction to the author. And what an introduction!
The book starts with actual little fires everywhere in the Richardson house in Shaker Heights. From there, we’re taken back in time to around a year ago and how the events from that time culminated in the house being burned to ground. It is a good lesson in how there are always two sides to every issue. Everyone looks at things according to their own experiences.
Sometimes there is no right or wrong way of doing things, you just have to make the best of what you have. Reading the book left me feeling quite emotional. I really hate it when things are not tied up neatly and everyone doesn’t get their just deserves. But I also love such climaxes because they leave a lot to your imagination. And that way the book experience is never the same for two people. It is not a thriller. There are no murders, no crazy psychopaths, no robberies, no mysteries. This is just the story of how a few months impacted so many lives; a small glimpse into a community during the 90s. A good read and a worthy contender for the list of best books of 2017.
What an intense thriller! I had never read any books by Karin Slaughter and this was a great introduction to the author. The narrative is quite graphic, and not for the faint of heart. It grips you from the first chapter and you find yourself wanting to know what happens next.
The story revolves around a family torn apart by a tragic attack twenty eight years ago, which leaves all of them with scars, both physical and psychological. Charlotte thinks that she has come a long way from her nightmarish ordeal almost thirty years ago. She is a good lawyer, not like her notorious father who is willing to represent anyone regardless of their guilt.
One morning, she is caught in a school shooting. It threatens to expose everything she has worked so hard to keep inside her. As things get worse, Charlie’s life starts to unravel around her and there is only one person who can help her become whole again. But they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a long, long time, and there are some wounds that just refuse to heal.
There are some sequences that are truly horrifying and leave the reader close to tears. However, the solid narrative and story make it very hard to put the book down. Underlying the narrative is the theme of a father’s love for his daughters and how he believes, I think quite rightly, that everyone needs a different kind of love. One of the best thrillers that I have ever read. Definitely a must read for all lovers of this genre and definitely one of the best books of 2017.
When I picked up this book, I absolutely expected to get bored with it and have trouble finishing it. After all, I have never had patience with long, rambling narratives about people’s lives. So, it was a surprise when I it took me one day to finish it because I couldn’t put it down!
This is the story of Evelyn Hugo, a Hollywood mega star, and her equally famous and ill-fated marriages. Evelyn wants to tell her real story to the world, but only if Monique Grant writes it. Intrigued by why a Hollywood movie icon would want a little-known journalist, Monique agrees to write the biography, little knowing the effect it will have on her.
The character of Evelyn is such that you dislike her, yet root for her at the same time. She is ambitious and ruthless, but there are some aspects to her life that are very painful. Like her One True Love, and her best friend, who is ready to do anything for her.
As far as the book itself goes, while captivating, it feels like some parts of the story are just glossed over without any details. I don’t like lengthy narrative, but there are a couple of things that required more detail. Still, it does not take anything away from the story itself. It sort of reminded me of A Woman of Substance and Master of the Game, but only because of the strong female protagonist who will go to any lengths to get what she wants. It sure does deserve a place on the list of the best books of 2017!
There’s nothing I like better than old-fashioned mystery solving. These days Thrillers are all the rage, Crime Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Mystery Thrillers, and so on and so forth. I am a big fan of these Thrillers too. But nothing beats the good old mystery solved by a detective, professional or amateur. From Famous Five to Nancy Drew and from Sherlock Holmes to Hercule Poirot, there has always been something about detectives that has made me want to be one of them.
Enid Blyton was the most prolific writer of mysteries. The Famous Five, The Five Find Outers, The Secret Seven, all made it look so easy. There was always a mystery to be solved in the neighbourhood. Too bad our neighbourhood was nothing like that. We had a pretty dull life because we didn’t have any mysteries to solve!
Enid Blyton paved the way for Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, those cool teenagers who always got pulled into adventures and came out of them unscathed and triumphant! How jealous I was of these teens who could drive their own cars and go around fighting criminals and villains without worrying about studies or school. In contrast, my life was full of homework and school projects that were as boring as ditch water! So, I continued to live precariously through these awesome individuals who never seemed to age.
I read all the adventures of Sherlock Holmes with a wide-eyed wonder. He was a genius and could solve any mystery. However, as I grew older, my awe turned into irritation at how self-centered and mean he appeared to be. It was only after watching the retelling of Holmes in the series Sherlock that I was able to forgive him and change my views about him. But not by much.
In recent times, I have liked both P.D. James and Robert Galbraith. Though I find that their books have more action and broken limbs than exercising brains and collecting clues. With P.D. James, there is the added boredom of pages and pages of descriptions ranging from the scenery to the appearance of a character, making the readers yawn and think about leaving the book halfway. Still, her books are well worth the odd yawn or two because of the great stories she spins.
Robert Galbraith, while very good, carries the additional baggage of actually being J.K. Rowling which puts a much bigger burden on those poor shoulders. And Cormoran Strike, while one of my favorite characters from recent times, is somewhat violent and prone to being beaten up a bit too much for my liking. Yet, I have devoured the books and wait impatiently for the next one.
The ultimate Queen of Crime, for me, has always been Agatha Christie. I have read even her more mediocre books with much excitement and pleasure. Poirot, of course, is a favourite, for even though he is egocentric, he is never mean. I don’t care that much about Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence but I still read their books when I don’t feel like reading anything else. For me, there are no other books like And Then There Were None and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. These books are perfection, the best mysteries that anyone can write. I am also partial to The Man in The Brown Suit, The Passenger to Frankfurt, Murder on The Orient Express, andDeath on The Nile.
As I write this, I realize that almost all the writers I have written about are females! With the exception of Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes, all characters have been created by extremely talented female authors. It also occurs to me that both Holmes and the Hardy Boys have always come across as cocky and self-centered! Well, that’s kind of funny I think. I wonder why it took me so long to realize this. Oh well, more power to women, I guess. I will keep reading and loving mysteries, no matter who writes them or who solves them. After all, my favourite TV sleuth has always been Scooby Doo!!!
The first book I really fell in love with and wanted to read again and again, was A Little Princess. I don’t remember when or how old I was, but I absolutely loved that book. Then came The Chronicles of Narnia and Anne of Green Gables. It’s not as if I grew up hating Enid Blyton or not reading her; I was reading too many of her books as it was, I just didn’t fall in love with them like I did these books.
It sounds strange now, but there were quite a few books in our school curriculum that I couldn’t get enough of, A Tale of Two Cities and Pride And Prejudice being two that I still re-read from time to time. That was the time that I found Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Rebecca. I do love a strong female protagonist in a book! Around the same time, I borrowed a library book called The Seven Dials Mystery written by one Agatha Christie, and thus began my obsession with mystery and crime thrillers. I still stop and buy Agatha Christie books when I see them in a bookshop.
As I look back, it is hard to believe that I found time to read so many books since, like any teenager at that time, I was also reading a lot of Sweet Valley High and Sweet Dreams. Romance novels have been a weakness of mine ever since I started reading them. I still have piles of Harlequin and Mills & Boon books stashed away in my closet where no one can see them! I also happen to have quite a lot of books by Julie Garwood, Sandra Brown and Julia Quinn. And of course, I have ALL the books written by Judith McNaught which I still read from time to time. So I’m not just a Crime Thriller and contemporary literature kind of girl. I love a good romance too. Though, I would rather read a happy ending than a sad one in romance novels. This is one of the reasons I have never managed to read The Fault in Our Stars or The Notebook. I do confess to loving A Walk to Remember beyond anything else, but that may be because that is the only book whose movie adaptation made me cry more than the book itself.
When you have read so many books in your life, it becomes impossible to say which books are your favourites. As I write, I can think of so many books that I want to read again and again. Maybe I will write about those books some time later. For now, these are some of my favourite books!
I cannot remember a time when I didn’t love to read. My mom tells me I started reading at the age of 4. I could read Urdu as well as English. It is impossible to list all the publications that my parents subscribed to. The number kept increasing as the kids got older. In the beginning, we were only allowed to read Urdu magazines for kids, Naunehal, Taaleem-o-Tarbiyat, Saathi etc. There were no English magazines for kids at that time. Thankfully, my school library had all the English books that I could hope for.
As I grew older, I got my hands on Readers Digest, Mag Weekly, She, Daily Dawn, Daily Jang, Akhbar-e-Jahan, Imran Digest, Jasoosi Digest, then later on, Time, Newsweek and for a while, even The Economist. I read everything I could lay my hands on; my friends used to tease me that all the books in the library had my name at least once on the issue cards. No one ever stopped me from buying books and I grew up thinking that it is perfectly normal to finish a book in a day or two (I still think that, by the way.)
After graduation and marriage, it was my good luck to stumble upon The Readers Club. It was the best thing that could happen to a person like me. I was in heaven. I don’t think I have read as many books as I read during the time.
In 2010, we decided to move to Dubai, I packed my books and for the next 6 years, kept buying more and more, while reading less and less. At first, I thought it was the kids. They were too young, I was too busy with them. For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to read. Then in 2016, we moved again. This time the destination was Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It took me a year to come to terms with the fact that the kids are grown up now. They’re in school all day. Life in Riyadh is not busy, infact it is the opposite of busy. So, I decided to pick up my first love again. I’m astonished by the speed with which I have been reading for the last 3 months! Looks like I’m making up for lost time.
I don’t know what made me decide to put my passion into words, but I’m trying to do what I know best. Read.
