If you live in Bangalore, you must know that its no joke to say – when it rains in Bangalore, the roads turn to rivers. There is no space for the water to run-off and the flooding slows down the traffic or worse, it brings the traffic to a grinding halt. And if you are often caught in one of these traffic pile ups, your view of monsoon in Bangalore will we like mine 💦

Hence it is advised that if it is raining in Bangalore, don’t set foot outside; lock yourself in, sit by a window enjoy the rains from the comfort of your home in the company of the next two books.

The first one “Bucket List of a Traveloholic” by Sarika Pandit. This is one of the books whose title exerts the gravitational pull and you give in. The book is worth the surrender.  The author is at one of her alumni meets and she writes “As I stumbled through the profusion of wine and visiting cards, it suddenly occurred to me that my batch-mates were investing in their future. They were investing in real estate, buying fancy cars and what not, while I was busy blowing up my savings traipsing across the globe and refusing to live beyond the ‘now’. Apart from the stamps on my passport, I had nothing to show for my experiences and the years gone by.”  I loved the book ❤️

The book is funny and delightful as she takes us through her list. She laments “My twenties were whizzing past my eyes and I hadn’t even made it to Bangkok yet.” I am way over my twenties and have not seen Bangkok yet. 😏

And what’s on her bucket list ? To list a few – Learning a Local Language in a country – Spain, Cruising the Nile – Egypt, A Woman Backpacker in India – Khajuraho (this chapter truthfully portrays the perils of females travelling to remote locations in India, always good to know what you can expect and be prepared), On an Alcohol Trail – Greece and many others. I am not giving out on her full list 😀

It is impossible to not get infected by the wanderlust itch after reading this book. To end I have to mention one more pearl of wisdom from the author – do not travel with more than two companions – you spent more time deciding than doing. Check it out, you will enjoy the book !!

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I have a confession about the next book – I started with this book first, but left it mid-way and I picked it up last to finish. There is no compulsion to finish a book just as there is no compulsion to finish everything on your plate. But unfortunately it is something that has been implanted in me since childhood and hence still keep at it.

The book is titled “Every Mile a Memory” by Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma. The author is an IAS Officer it is here that I discovered my current favourite lines “…. no place is an absolute reality, but only a series of reflected images in the minds of its residents, visitors, travellers and tourists.“

The author goes out of his way to discover and establish an Indian connection to every place he visits and in retaliation I end up keeping track of the places that he mentions without an Indian connection. And I missed the element of humour that was superabundant in Sarika Pandit’s book. The book however gives a very honest account and thereby you can tailor your expectations if you are planning to visit these places. The author covers UK, Europe, Turkey, Morocco and a few places in India. For him its not about the feeling of ” I am here and I want the world to know”; he is respectful of the past and humbled by the fact that he is at a place that has made history and want to soak in the feeling of being there and then present his perspective to the readers.

This completes my list of books for the this monsoon season.

Till next post, take care !!