Goals for 2017

Whenever I drop in here, I am filled with nostalgia (as also happens with my other blog). It’s a pity that I haven’t written about any books in a long while. But this year I want to change that.

  

 

1. I want to read at least 35 books this year and review all of them. So, I’m targeting about 3 books in a month. 
2. I want to review at least 24 children’s books; also since over the last 5 years, I have read some amazing children’s books.

New Year is always an exciting time for me. I love making plans, creating new goals for the year. I love the anticipation, the positivity, the hope that a New Year brings. It is just an opportunity to start over. Forget the past. Look ahead!

The Art of Reading Multiple Books

Of late, I have started reading several books simultaneously, which does not mean I have a book on my right hand and another on my left. It just means I pick up a book, read a few chapters, and then I pick another and read a few chapters / pages from that and so on. And why would I do that? It saves time. 

Image courtesy: theguardian.com

Certain books like thrillers or chicklits can be read in one sitting but there are books like the ones on health or parenting; they demand slow reading. Then there are travel books which can be read chapter-wise. There are some heavy duty books, about complexities of life, which you need to read after breaks. There are some big books like the one I read recently, Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar; they deserve some leisurely time and attention. 

So, if you love reading, you can easily bunch up different genres and make the most of your time. Since I am always short of time, so I thought of this ingenious way to read more books in the available time. It is not that difficult really. If you read 2 books from the same genre, it will be tricky. I am reading a parenting book, a health-related book, a non-fiction on Afghanistan, a book on English language and a Fiction. Simultaneously. 

In the Mailbox

Though I buy [both for me and my 2-year old son] and receive a lot of books, I hardly ever do 'In The Mailbox' post. But yesterday, we received a bunch of our toddler's books which I had ordered a few days back [3 are yet to come], and both of us were equally excited. He was delirious with joy, opening all the packages and looking at so many new books. 

All the books were for him except one review copy of 'Aisle Be Damned' by Rishi Pipariya from Jaico Books. It looks like a fun book and I cannot wait to start it. 

His bunch includes:

1. The Gruffalo's Child: He already has 'The Gruffalo' and loves it, so naturally I got him this sequel to the very popular first book. 
2. Room on the Broom: I have already finished reading this one and it is another lovely story from the same authors as above.
3. Dear Zoo: This is a Flap book and it has already been opened 25-30 times. He gets so excited looking at the animals hidden behind the flaps. It is a must have. It has simple and minimum text. I think it can be enjoyed around 2 years of age. I have realised that though he had flap books earlier but now he is enjoying them much more. 
4. The Snail and the Whale: Another wonderful book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
5. Love You Forever: I remember I first came across this book in one of the episodes of FRIENDS [the American sitcom] in which they are celebrating Emma's first birthday. Joey forgets to bring any gift, so he picks up this book and reads it to them. It makes them very emotional. And certainly, it is a lovely and very, very emotional book. This is a book which your child [and you] can read for a long, long time. I could get only a Paperback so I am really worried if this will survive for long. The Hardbound edition was really expensive.
6. Hide-and-Seek Pig: This is another flap book and an instant hit with my son.

C.S.Lewis said "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” And if you have read children's books, you would know that it is true. Just take 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' for example. I am amazed by this little book. How much of information and knowledge is packed in this fascinating story which is about a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly at the end. Or take 'the Gruffalo'. It is another wonderful story.

Now the problem at hand is that our toddler thinks he can read his books on his own. What ensues is he would read the alphabets or tell the prominent colours on the pages or tell the various things on the page, and sometimes even try telling the story. For now, I let him be. I read him the stories when he is busy playing with his puzzles and there are less chances of pulling the books. 

My Books Wish List

Image courtesy: 123rf.com

If you are a Book Lover who buys a lot of books, you would know how exciting it is to make a books wish list, almost as good as buying them. So, I, ever the list-maniac  created this Wish List page, to make my book hoarding easier. Buying books are my instant pick-me-ups, and I also love giving and of course getting books. So, check out my Wish List here. You can suggest a few too.  

Books Round-up: 2012 in Books and 2013

Non Fiction

Though I read only 21 books (not counting the various Parenting books which I used as reference since I did not read them start to finish) last year, yet it was a good year. I was focused on reading and reviewing books, as I have eliminated TV from my life completely. Had it not been for reviewing almost every book that I read, I would have actually read many more. Till the time I review the book, I usually do not proceed to the next one. 

Fiction

For 2013, these are the few things which I have decided to do:

• I am targeting 48 books - technically 4 books every month. On the face of it, it looks completely doable.
• I have also decided to do 40 or more book reviews. 
• I would focus on the books which I really want to read, and not pay any heed to other voices
• I would focus on diverse subjects and explore new authors in literary fiction. There are several authors I have never read before - from Naipaul to Rushdie, from Ruskin Bond to Vikram Seth - there are many explored territories.

Book Recommendations: Books on baby development and child care

Market is flooded with child care books and like in everything else, the internet comes handy in selecting just the right one for reference. I would also suggest discussing with fellow mothers. It always helps to get recommendations from others in the same boat. And at the end of the day, follow your instincts.

What to Expect: the First Year by Heidi Murkoff (with Sharon Mazel) – This book is only for the first year of the baby, so it addresses all the issues which you might have during the first year, and at 800 pages is pretty exhaustive in exclusively addressing the first year of a baby’s development and care.

It is divided into 4 Parts:

Part 1. The First Year – This gives you month by month account of a child’s development, what to expect each month and various issues one might face, for example, feeding issues, colic, baby necessities, child-proofing, etc.

Part 2. Of Special Concern – This chapter deals with concerns like baby’s health in changing weather, planning for travel, when baby is sick, most common health problems, first aid do’s and don’t’s, special needs baby, adopted baby, etc.

Part 3. For the Family – Concerns of a new mother, notes for father, when you have an older child at home

Part 4. Ready Reference – It contains baby’s first recipes across months according to his development, Common home remedies and Common childhood infections.

This book is pretty detailed and extremely useful for the first year, but it will be almost redundant after that.

Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care – Another favourite with new parents, this book will be handy till the time your child is 18 years. It is divided into 6 sections:

Section 1. Your Child, Age by Age: It covers all aspects from before your child is born till the time he is eighteen years of age

Section 2. Feeding and Nutrition: From Breastfeeding to starting solid foods and addressing eating disorders; the chapter focuses on the food-related issues and nutrition.

Section 3.  Raising Mentally Healthy Children: Emotional needs, balancing children with work, discipline, sexuality, stresses – are some of the issues addressed in this chapter

Section 4. Common Developmental and Behavioural Challenges: Sibling rivalry to annoying habits, toilet training to therapies – this chapter focuses on the behavioural challenges in children and how to address them

Section 5. Learning and School: This chapter covers the areas related to school, from starting to various problems faced by school going children.

Section 6. Health and Safety: General medical issues, immunizations, overall health and common childhood illnesses; are part of this chapter

Of course, since this book has a wider scope, diverse topics have been touched upon. It has been a good reference book so far.

Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different – How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men – Let’s face it, girls and boys are different, their inherent natures and tendencies are usually different. A mother, most of the time, is the primary care giver for children. With girls, we have our own experiences to fall back on a lot of times but it is a little different with boys. If you have observed, girls are usually more talkative and like to play with toys, while for boys ‘action speaks louder then words’. They need a lot of physical activities to release their energy. We end up getting frustrated with this inherent need of boys.

This book at 200 odd pages, attempts to help us understand boys, so that we help them develop into happy individuals. It covers the three stages of boyhood, the role of dads, mothers and sons, developing a healthy sexuality, sports, etc. It is a great book. (There is another book Raising Girls too but I have not read it, so would not be able to comment).

By the way, since I am at it, I would also recommend this article: Raising Boys - A dad's parenting advice for moms.

All these books are good reference books but every child is unique and a mother must follow her instincts to decide what is best for her child. The books will only act as guides to help you take informed decision. They are generic. Only you know what is best for your child or what your goals are.

Images source: flipkart.com

Libraries for Books

Since the time I moved to Pune, about 5.5 years back, I have bought a lot of books. The frequency peaked in the last 1-2 years. I love reading but I am not able to read as much as I buy. You know what I mean! I just love buying great books.
Anyways, like all the things, I have to set a good example for my baby. So I decided enough of buying books left, right and centre, let me join a library. That ways I will always have good books around and I will be able to inculcate library habit in my kid too. Imagine if he sees my mindless buying of books, what is he going to imbibe? No prizes in guessing.
My little research and some observation brought these 3 names to my mind:
1. Librarywala: I was a member about 3-4 years back for a month, neve utilised the opportunit much. The good part is I neve withdrew my Registration and refundable deposit, so technically I am still a member. I wrote them a mail and they activated my membership. They have a host of plans and reasonably good collection. So I am going to start off with them. Let me see how it goes, then I will look at other libraries too.
2. Tender Leaves: It is another online library. It works more or less in a similar way as librarywala. They have good plans but since I am already a member with librarywala, so I will be trying out them first. I found them on Facebook ads. The collection did not seem to be as exhaustive as librarywala though.
3. JustBooksClc: Just Books is a chain of physical libraries. I saw one at Vimannagar near Naturals. It is the closest from my home and I may check them out too.
4. British Council Library: I have seen one on FC road while going to college but never walked into it. I have heard a lot about it and they have some great workshops for kids too. Though it is long way from home but I will surely check it out.

Book List Oct-Dec 2011

I wanted to put up the list of books which I recently acquired in last 3 months. I have been caught up in the new responsibilities of taking care of a baby but that did not deter me from attending the Book Sale by Goa-Based Broadway Book Centre and the Landmark Book Sale, while also buying several books from Flipkart and Indiaplaza.

Here is the list:

From the Broadway Book Sale: Each one bought for Rs 50. The price was a major deciding factor. I would not have bought even single one of these, if it had been for anything more. I felt this Book Sale was more suited for the college crowd. There was nothing from Indian Publishers and nothing in Non Fiction.

1. Nanny Returns by Nicole Karus and Emma Mclaughlin: I had earlier bought ‘The Nanny Diaries’ from a similar Sale at Rs 50 (the hardbound edition), so when I saw this one, I got it. I am not too fond of such books but they are fine for general time pass reading, you know, immediately after you have read some heavy-duty stuff.  

I have read ‘Inconceivable’ by Ben Elton and it was quite funny, so I bought both the books listed below:

2. Dead Famous by Ben Elton

3. Past Mortem by Ben Elton

4. From Here to Maternity by Sinead Moriarty: Bought this one for the obvious reasons. I remember reading another book called ‘I don’t know how she does it’ and it was hilarious. Hope this one is on similar lines. Yet another general time pass stuff.

5. Monster by Allan Hall: I am sometimes drawn to real life crime stories. I have read ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote and look forward to reading more on true crime.

6. The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam: I have heard a lot about “Maps for Lost Lovers” and have it too. I have not read it yet. This one is also from the same author.

From Landmark Book Sale: The discounts at Book stores are not really great. Great discounts would only be on a handful books but that’s about it. So I looked for getting something on the “3 for 2” offer. And this offer also works for you only if all the books are of similar price. I usually end up buying several magazines on my visits, I prefer buying books online. Nevertheless, after a lot of research, I got the following books. First three are on the offer, rest as indicated.

I read these 2 books long back, and I wanted them for my collection:

7. India Unbound by Gurucharan Das

8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

9. The Pregnant King by Devdutt Pattnaik: It is related to Mahabharata and I had been thinking of getting this for quite sometime now.

10. Don’t go Away, We’ll be right back by Indu Balachandran (on a special price of Rs 99)

11. Byline by M.J.Akbar (at 10% discount on the cover price)

I was heartbroken to see ‘First Day First Show’ for Rs 99. I recently bought it for Rs 374! But that is something which you cannot plan.

I bought the following from Flipkart and Indiaplaza:

12. Dr Spocks Baby And Child Care by Robert Needlman, Benjamin Spock: Smita told me it is a good reference book on Child Care. So how could I not have it J

13. Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni, Moyna Chitrakar: After collecting several perspectives on Mahabharata, I have started expanding my ‘Ramayana’ collection. It also happens to be my first Graphic Novel.

14. The Best Of Quest by Laeeq Futehally, Achal Prabhala, Arshia Sattar: I first read about the book in Pune Mirror. I have bought books on Eunice De Souza’s recommendation earlier also, like ‘the Locust and the Bird’. Later on, I read a lot about 'the Best of Quest' in many articles and magazines.

15. Lucknow Boy by Vinod Mehta: Since I follow Outlook and the book is a memoir of its editor, I kept finding more and more about the book through his column on the last page. I found it fascinating enough. Memoirs are interesting only when they are honest and provide new revelations. There’s nothing exciting about sugar candy talk and reading something which is already a public knowledge. This issue of Outlook even featured excerpts from the book. The book sounds salacious!

Following 2 had been recommended by a friend who has studied psychology. I was discussing about reading on child psychology.

16. Developmental Psychology by Elizabeth Hurlock

17. Child Development 6ed by Elizabeth Hurlock

18. Half The Sky - How To Change The World by Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl Wudunn: I had my eyes on this one for a long time but only imported editions were available which were quite expensive. I recently bought it for a good price.

Some more additions for my ‘Ramayana’ collection. These have interesting perspectives on Sita and Ram, which reminds me of a superb animation film 'Sita Sings the Blues'.

19. In Search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology by NamitaGokhale, Malashri Lal

20. Lost Loves by Arshia Sattar

Following are supposed to be from Ravana’s perspective.

21. Ravanayan (Issue 1) by Vijayendra Mohanty, Vivek Goel

22. Ravanayan (Issue 2) by Vijayendra Mohanty, Vivek Goel

23. Ravanayan (Issue 3) by Vijayendra Mohanty, Vivek Goel

24. We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver: I discovered this book while reading an article on parenting. I found this highly recommended for all parents:

The above listed books have been bought only between October and December, and December is not over yet! One of these days, I would like to put up the list of my entire collection. I recently categorized and re-organized them.


Image Source: http://www.dailyclipart.net

Interesting book on Censorship

As my husband pointed out the other day, I hoard books, and don't read as much as I buy them (an argument he brought up when I was nagging him to take me to the Book Sale). Well, book collection is certainly a bigger passion than book reading. Anyways, I am always on the look out for interesting books and new subjects to read. Over the years, I have discovered that Non-Fiction is several times more interesting than Fiction. Quite by chance, I read about this book called 'You can't please everyone' by Kobita Sarkar. But I have not been able to find it on any book shopping sites so far. If anybody finds it on any of the sites, please put in a word here. 


Image source: http://8ate.blogspot.com

Books on Pregnancy

When I discovered that I was pregnant, I searched for best books to refer on Pregnancy. There are several books but after checking out reviews and getting references from people who had gone through this, I zeroed in on 3 books.

Image source: Flipkart

1. What to Expect When you're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
'What to Expect when you are expecting' is like a bible when you are expecting, and I think, even several non-readers have referred to it during pregnancy. I have found answers to every possible question that I had, in this book. 
From before you conceive to what to expect month-after-month (also week by week), and from special cases to post-partum weeks; you will find answer to all your questions in this 600-page book, in an easy question-answer format. 

Image source: Flipkart

2. Passport to a Healthy Pregnancy by Gita Arjun

I carried this one even when I was leaving for hospital, to read about post - delivery because, you see, I was 12 days early. I had not read everything.
Written by Dr. Gita Arjun - an eminent obstetrician and gynaecologist - this book is extremely reader friendly. It attempts to explain how pregnancy happens, foetal development, various tests in different stages of pregnancy, about the entire nine months and labour and delivery. I think the hindi / marathi version of this book is called "Garbha Sanskar". It is an excellent book to refer in Indian context.

Image source: Flipkart

3. PREGNANCY: What The Indian Woman Always Wanted To Know ButWas Afraid To Ask by Nutan Pandit
Nutan Pandit is not a doctor but she has immense knowledge and extensive experience related to child birth. You would say, why another book when the other two answers all the queries.
This book is a little different. It starts with dealing with a lot of myths around pregnancy. The book has several illustrations to facilitate understanding. Apart from usual discussions on conception, pregnancy, labour and delivery; the book takes a look at how labour has cme to be associated with 'pain', understanding the process of natural child birth, understanding and dealing with various problems or discomforts during pregnancy through home remedies, exercises, issues related to feeding, etc.
The language is lucid and illustrative, and everything has been discussed in an interesting way.

Related: Books on Baby Development and Child Care.

Why Men Can Only Do One Thing at a Time and Women Never Stop Talking

Title: Why Men Can Only Do One Thing at a Time and Women Never Stop Talking

Author: Allan + Barbara Pease
Publisher: Manjul India
Pages: 120
Genre: Non Fiction / Self Help
Rating: 9 out of 10

I happened to read a review of this book here, and it came across as a fun book. Since I have been in between books for a while now (owing to my other preoccupations), I wanted to pick up a quick-read to make myself feel better.

I have never read any of those “Man-Woman” books, say, “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus”. But the tit-bits from the book were hilarious and I really wanted to give it a shot. Of course, such books tend to stereotype all men and women but broadly, even when you can relate to some parts of it, it is fun.

To begin with, I did not have a relationship issue to sort out or I did not, for that matter, needed a book to help me better understand my spouse. I have been in a relationship for too long now to figure that out myself. The experience of reading this book was akin to watching ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’ or the latest ‘Pyaar ka Punchnama’. The key to enjoying such books or movies is to be able to laugh out loud at the many gender oriented jokes or observations. Admit it, many are even true!

Apart from the fact that it is a very short book (I finished it in a couple of hours, in a single sitting), the best part of this book is that it is filled with interesting illustrations.

I have pulled out a few of my personal favourites from the book:

• It reiterates the fact that women have a peripheral vision. In just one look they observe and note everything in the vicinity; while men have ‘tunnel vision’. That’s why they’re always so obvious when they look at other women. They have to turn their heads. See this ad and you would understand the point better.
• The illustration of a woman’s brain and a man’s brain is simply hilarious. You have to see it yourself to appreciate it.
• Women want to talk about issues in great detail, while men do not understand or appreciate this. No faults there, it is just how they are. I will relate from personal experience. If I talk to somebody on phone, I will be able to recount the entire conversation verbatim, while if I ask my husband to just tell me what conversation he had on phone (with whoever), he will be completely blank.
• Then there is the perpetual argument about what women say and what they actually mean!
• And my all time favourite about the depth of what women and men think. Here’s a joke to that effect, though not from the book, which I have often shared and it never fails to amuse:

*************************************************************** 

Her Diary

Today night, I thought he was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a cafe to have some coffee.

I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment. Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk, he agreed but he kept quiet and absent.

I asked him what was wrong - he said, "Nothing."

I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.

On the way home I told him that I loved him, he simply smiled and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior; I don't know why he didn't say, "I love u, too."

When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there and watched TV.; he seemed distant and absent.

Finally I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later he came to bed.I decided that I could not take it anymore, so I decided to confront him with the situation but he had fallen asleep. I started crying and cried until I too fell asleep.

I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.My life is a disaster.

His Diary

Today India lost the cricket match against Bangladesh. Damn it!

***************************************************************

There are several such gems which I can go on and on about. So, without spilling anything further, I would recommend this book to every guy or girl who has been or is in a relationship. You would be able to relate to it better. But remember to have fun while you read it.

I have passed it on to my husband, who by the way has read about 2 books (non-academic) in life, and he is also enjoying it quite a lot.  

(Image source: Amazon)