I do not love you except because I love you by Pablo Neruda

Pagla Saheber Kobor by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay

শীর্ষেন্দু মুখপাধ্যায়ের লেখা পাগলা সাহেবের কবর বইটি আমার কেন ভালো লেগেছিলো তার একটু আলোচনা 

দেবী- হুমায়ূন আহমেদ/ Devi by Humayun Ahmed

"যখন মানুষের খুব প্রিয় কেউ তাকে অপছন্দ, অবহেলা কিংবা ঘৃণা করে তখন প্রথম প্রথম মানুষ খুব কষ্ট পায় এবং চায় যে সব ঠিক হয়ে যাক । কিছুদিন পর সে সেই প্রিয় ব্যক্তিকে ছাড়া থাকতে শিখে যায়। আর অনেকদিন পরে সে আগের চেয়েও অনেকবেশী খুশি থাকে যখন সে বুঝতে পারে যে কারো ভালবাসায় জীবনে অনেক কিছুই আসে যায় কিন্তু কারো অবহেলায় সত্যিই কিছু আসে যায় না।”

The Golden Fortress by Satyajit Ray

Reading The Golden Fortress by Satyajit Ray in Bengali
সোনার কেল্লা - প্রথম অধ্যায়

Please, do not cheat. Test the inner detective in you and answer the following questions after you have heard the video only once:

1. What was the first Hindi song playing in the neighbor’s house?

2. What is the name of the past client that referred Feluda to his current client?

3. What is the name of the bookstore of his current client?

4. What is the address of the client?

5. Who was kidnapped mistaken for Mukul? How old is Mukul?

6. Which three places in Rajasthan were mentioned by Topsey?

7. Which astronomer stated that the planets move around the sun in an elliptical path?

8. Which two cases were missed by Topsey after the Gangtok case?

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

''The evening is the best part of the day.'

It was a very well-written book and though I don't agree with the definition of 'dignity' by the protagonist, Stevens, I respect him for the sacrifices he had to make to render his services to his employer, even on the occasion of his father's imminent death. His ideology stopped him from living a different, maybe even more fulfilling life. However, he seems to be representative of the English butler who kept the wheels of many important households running, while himself being invisible behind the scenes.

My bantering skills are at par with Stevens's, so I do understand his struggle to converse light-heartedly. Now, I can't wait to see the movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson that was nominated for eight Academy Awards. I had to wait until I finished reading the book to see how a successful screenplay is adapted. Also, the story arc of Mr. Carson in Downton Abbey was remarkably similar to Stevens. Probably heavily 'inspired' by the book.


View all my reviews

How to read more?

I have been working on my Goodreads challenge this year (a pledge of 24 books). I have to average two books a month to complete my goal, and I have been wondering how to accomplish it. Tania di is my school senior from Holy Cross who has already completed 7 books for her 55 books challenge and I often see her progress on my Goodreads newsfeed. I found it very inspiring and I had to ask her how she does it.

She advised the following:

'I got rid of my TV, cut out my Netflix subscription and spent all my free time reading in some form. Audiobooks is probably another reason I can get through more. Audible/library audiobooks etc. I listened to these for hours during my long drives which I had to do daily for a few years. I also play them while playing games or doing chores. '

To be honest, I never really enjoyed audiobooks much, but those seem to be something to take into account if I want to complete my reading challenge this year. I used to listen to NPR when I cooked meals. I can switch to audiobooks once in a while.

I usually read before going to bed, and I fall asleep by the time I have read about twenty pages. I am working on cutting down TV time. Honestly, it is not much of a challenge because after a while, TV feels boring and I feel like going back to reading.

I carry a book everywhere I go. I travel quite frequently, and long flights are ideal for some light reading. I even take my iPad to my manicurist. There is a good 45-mins reading time available when she is working on my feet. You can carry a book if you are expecting a long wait for a doctor's visit. Basically, encourage yourself to use all the hidden minutes in a day.

Also, using the progress tracker in Goodreads make it like a game where I try a little harder to complete one more page before I give up.

She also opined that I could skim non-fiction. A lot of non-fiction is fluff writing to fill a book when the message is rather short. She mentioned speed reading, and though I am someone who likes to take time to devour good writing, it might work for books where comprehension is not the main objective. Whatever your goal is, I hope you take time to enjoy reading some good books this year. Good luck!

You may like some classic audiobooks here