The real problem isn’t planning, It’s that we take our plans to be something they aren’t. What we forget, or can’t bear to confront is that, in the words of the American meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein – ‘a plan is just a thought.’ We treat our plans as though they are a lasso, thrown from…
Category: Books
Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen: More room for miracles โจ๐
It was a routine year end visit to the Sapna book house at Indira nagar in Bangalore for the usual purchase of the next year’s desk calendar and a diary; this was easily accomplished on the second floor of the shop. But succumbing to temptation, I went to check out what was on display at…
An enchanting escapism: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles ๐จ
But with a dour expression, the German replied that the only contribution the Russians had made to the West was the invention of vodka.”I will buy a glass of vodka for any man in this bar who can name three more.” he said “I will take you at your word and happily accept your challenge.”…
Roads๐ฃto Mussoorie by Ruskin Bond: A memoir to savour ๐
I can never seem to get enough of Ruskin Bond’s Mussoorie stories; a hill station I have never been to in a district called Uttarakhand I hope to visit some day; but not this summer. May is the second month of scorching summer heat and more cloud watching, hopeful of the impromptu rain to cool…
Onam in a Nightie๐: Buoyant & nostalgic, stories of homecoming and serendipitous conversations ๐งณ
I kept away from this book as long as I could; I found the title a bit of a put off. But the yellow cover wouldn’t let off, the book appeared in every bookshop I visited and was very visible. I had not heard of the author before and finally in one of the bookshops,…
A delightful Japanese culture trip ๐ฏ: Orienting by Pallavi Aiyar๐
I have watched the series James May: Our Man in Japan on Amazon Prime twice and it was in these episodes that I first heard the Japanese word Gaijin meaning foreigner. It was a good travelogue series and showcased the beautiful and crazy of Japan handpicked from the north to south of the archipelago. That…
Wisdom of the North โ๏ธ: Wintering by Katherine May ๐
January 2022, the Kochi airport departure terminal wears a deserted look. In keeping with the trying pandemic times, the theme seems to have shifted from aesthetics and comfortable experience to merely functional. Most of the eating joints have been shut. As a precautionary measure in the uncertain times I arrived at the airport well in…
Reading lists (2021) ๐
“In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.” reads the lines from The Alchemist. The book whose English edition was first published in 1993, was surprisingly the most popular…
An exquisite deconstruction: City of Djinns by William Dalrymple ๐
Looking for a travelogue on New Delhi !? Here’s a fantastic read ๐ I bought it second hand from Blossoms on Church Street, Bangalore; published in 1994, the book still carries names of it’s prior owners; a handwritten inscription of Ms. Ramani from London and a sticker at the back with the full address of…
Sparkle for the dreary daysโจ: How Proust Can Change Your LIfe by Alain De Botton ๐
The edges of the book are worn out; it’s a second hand book from the bookshops on Church Street, Bangalore. The title was first published in 1997. My second Alain De Botton book; the first one was The Art of Travel ๐ The perfect muse to (or not) travel ๐ง I have heard of and…
An ode to all God’s creatures, big and small…๐ (My Husband & Other Animals by Janaki Lenin) ๐
Browsing at the second hand bookshop Book Worm on Church Street, Bangalore, yes, I was drawn to the book by its title; I have not heard of Janaki Lenin before nor am I an animal lover. It also helped that there is a printed remark by Rahul Dravid on the back cover, saying the book…
A pick-me-up for motivation ๐
I was seated at a cafe looking forward to a few idle hours in the company of a book and some tasty food. As I was about to order, I recognised a familiar face emerge through the doors; a distant relative. Both of us were surprised to see each other. “What are you doing here?”…
The good old days… ๐
This is my second RK Narayan book; second hand, bought from Blossoms on Church Street ๐ A Sunday browsing second hand books๐ญ๐ My first RK Narayan book was a travel book The Emerald Route ๐ Celebrating Karnataka: Beyond Bangalore๐ฑ I have not read his most famous books with setting in the the town of Malgudi,…
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri ๐
“I dislike waking up and feeling pushed inevitably forward. But today, Saturday, I don’t have to leave the house. I can wake up and not have to get up. There’s nothing better.” Yes, I bought a copy too. Amidst the pandemic, lockdown and cyclones raging outside, Amazon is still delivering ๐. It’s a rare buy…
Landour Days by Ruskin Bond: Seasons in the Hills ๐ฒ๐ธ
April-May is school vacation; schools close for the summer and families plan to escape the heat and head for the hill stationsโฐ. Our routine in Kerala for several years was to hop into our car and drive to my parents home. The kid and grandparents are ecstatic to see each other and I am happy…
Tourist in my city ๐
I never imagined I will call Bangalore as my city. Kochi has always been my city simply because it is where my home is – a house of my own. Hubs definition of home is different; he plays to the gallery. He was asked once in our family WhatsApp group by my cousins on his…
The perfect muse to (or not) travel ๐ง
I stumble into books; this one was an accidental discovery in an in-flight magazine; on their list of the five best books on travel and it was the first one the list. I remember watching Alain De Botton on YouTube once and I was very curious on what he has to say on travel. I…
A charming slice of life ๐ฐ๐
One chapter a day would be the ideal pace for reading the book Goodnight and God Bless by Anita Nair, I reasoned as I ordered the book from Amazon and awaited it’s arrival. The reviews said it was a collection of bedside ruminations by Anita Nair and would be a good bed time read. But…
A Sunday browsing second hand books๐ญ๐
Downtown Garden City still has a green canopy! โ๏ธ It’s Sunday and since November last year, when we started going about the city again, once a month visit to Church street has become a casual routine. Three- fourth of the Church street has been closed to traffic and it has now become a popular backdrop…
Hampi chronicles: Who’s telling the story ๐โ๏ธ (๐ Fab books on Hampi ๏ผ๐)
The drive to Hampi from our hotel Hyatt Place was nearly an hour. We chose a weekday to visit Hampi, weekends are more crowded. As you get off the NH and drive through the winding SH into Hampi, a smile begins to form; a thrill of excitement and mystery overwhelms you (maybe it’s just me…
Miles and smiles 
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