Hitting the books

Get on the couch, read!

After what seemed like an eternity, a drought, rather, I finally got back to reading. And in a week, finished three books. An upliftment, to say the least. What was I thinking, leaving the books aside for such a long time. Weeks, months? I'm not sure, its unacceptable, that's what it is.

The three are a mix of the known, the recommended and that which fell pleasantly on my lap. The known was Orhan Pamuk - Silent House. I love his style of writing and how the characters tell the story and weave the complex details seamlessly. Its his second book, written in 1983 but was apparently only recently translated. Its class struggle, its love, its wastefulness, ego, death, causes with no real meanings. Potent mix for conflicts. I must get his The Museum of Innocence next and actually go to the museum in Istanbul next.

The recommended title was really the one that got me high. If not for work, I would have been finished reading it in a day. The Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin It was gripping, vivid, and real. Its a coming of age story that introduces the conflict right at the start and then goes on an intense and suspenseful, yet innocent, journey. So well written, mesmerizing. My friend, Tazeen, who recommended the book, has reviewed it much better than I would - and I agree with all she says:-)

The unknown is a collection of Georgian short stories, titled Contemporary Georgian Fiction, by 19 writers in the post-independence era. The lengths vary, some more succint and powerful than others. Lots of pain, liberation, agony, disappointment, suicide and anger in the stories but gives an insight into places I have never looked before - geographically and metaphorically.

Lots of introspection especially with Tarttelin's Golden Boy, but also in the anthology.

"Mika thinks a person's life is but a slight ripple on the surface of existence. A few faint circles and then - gulp! - eternal invisibility...." (From Real Beings, by Teona Dolenjashvili)

I'm back on track.