Another month slips by. My reading literally crawled this month. I couldn’t summon the energy to read. I blame it on the hot summer days of Chennai. I did read a couple of books from my to-be-read list and discovered some great writing along the way.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Set in post-WW1 London, the book shines light on Mrs.Wray and her daughter Frances who have to take in lodgers to make ends meet. Enter the Barbars. Shakeups occur. Capturing the class and gender issues in the post WW1 Sarah Waters guides the book into the climax. My issue with this book was its meanderings. It drifted quite a bit before coming to the thrilling bit at the end. The writing is exquisite but a bit too much. Recommended read

She Will Build Him a City by Raj Kamal Jha 

I read this book as a part of the #TSBCReadsIndia challenge. Set in bustling Delhi, the book is filled with pieces of the people who make the city run. The love, horror, the belongingness and ignorance of people. It is a book that takes time to get through you. It is chaotic with clashing thoughts and drifting nameless characters. It is horrific and heartbreaking at places. It is surreal and often falls into the fantasy genre. It is poetic and drifts along. It reminded me of Midnight’s Children. It is not a book for everyone but definitely one worth spending a few weeks reading.

The Storied Life of A.J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

This book will remain a favourite read in the years to come. I loved the setting – bookstore on a remote island. The cast of characters were spectacular and I find that most readers said the same about this book. Bibliophiles seem to love characters who carry literary prejudices. It is a quick read with some great quotes that any book lover will love. I found the book a bit too saccharine with a sweet romance woven into the plot. A wonderful read

Don’t Let Him Know by Sandip Roy

The best part about this book is how vividly I could conjure images of Romola, Avinash, Amit and others in America and Kolkotta. The images overlap with the words and it gives a comforting feeling as you read along. The story is set as a short stories linked up together giving it a rather disconnected feel. This is the kind of book I would keep in my bag when heading for a vacation.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I must have been the last person to get my hands on this much acclaimed book. I was sort of disappointed. The book is more of a personal diary and bored me quite a bit. While I loved the idea of setting short-term goals, I wish the book had something more. As someone mentioned, this book falls into the “stunt” genre. I was quite relieved to find that I was not the only one who found the book annoying. Don’t waste your time on it.

5 books is a monthly series featuring some of the books I read and loved recently. For more book updates and to check my current reading list, head to my Goodreads account