Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's Blog, page 36
December 16, 2020
What I'm Reading
Another stellar book club pick this month! we have not yet discussed it so I don't know what EVERYONE thinks but personally, I adored it. A slim mystery novel set in a village in Tamil Nadu in the 1920s. A young woman, a devadasi, one of the caste of women who is pledged to the temple and therefore can have multiple patrons, is missing and in her place, there's a gold statue on the altar. The book is told from multiple points of view, each showing a little more of the story until you piece together what exactly went down like a quilt. It's not a big shocking twist, but there are one or two bits that were totally surprising. Read it even if you know nothing about temples or devdasis, you'll quickly realise how little you actually need to know to be sucked in to the plot. #bookstagram #mrmbookclub #120in2020 #girlmadeofgold #gitanjalikolanad
December 11, 2020
What I'm Reading
Very much enjoyed this memoir by TV personality and comedian Trevor Noah, primarily because of the life he endured before he became famous, in post apartheid South Africa. It's essays about a boy growing up but also, the story of his mother, a formidable woman who fought against all odds to better herself and her children. I was also surprised by the book,not a typical "celebrity memoir" instead dealing with being mixed race in South Africa in an insightful and tender way. You'll like it too, I think. #120in2020 #bookstagram #mrmbookclub
December 9, 2020
Today in Photo
A little government mandated COVID messaging for you all. Cartoon + mural + REAL LIFE!! #coronavirusdiaries #wearamask
via Instagram
December 5, 2020
What I'm Reading
Initially, I've gotta say, I didn't think I'd read this book. JK Rowling went from being an author I admire to one I'm appalled by. It was also how she dug in her heels about her TERF opinions, how she refused to admit she might be even a little bit wrong. This is the woman who constructed a magical world where people who were different could still have equal rights, and yet, and yet. But by now I was invested in Cormoran Strike, she can plot like a bitch so her stories are always gripping and I have to admit, after I saw this one review that said her TERFy views carried over to the book, I was curious to see how bad it could be. ***MILD SPOILERS AHEAD, STOP READING HERE *** There is a transvestite villain who lures women into a sense of false confidence by dressing in women's clothes which is just some regressive 1970s bullshit typecasting there. Not even Strike or Robin turn to the reader and say during all this, okay but this is fucked up. There's no explanation offered for his behaviour except that he's a sociopath and at this point you might say, "But M, she's allowed to not explain why the serial killer is the way he is" to which I say this is a book that is 40% longer than it needs to be, because it dwells so endlessly on all sorts of things, most irritatingly Strike and Robin doing day to day shit and thinking endlessly about their relationship. Ufff, I JUST WANT MY MURDER MYSTERY, why do I need to read ENDLESS internal monologues about their well being. It could have been at least 200 pages shorter and that's a fact. Should you read it? Eh, I don't know. If you're curious maybe. It's looooong so it will take you a good chunk of time and I'm not sure the pay off is worth it, even as a committed Strike fan, because you might wind up hating them all in the end. (Robin grows more and more irritating.) Off to cleanse my palate with the new Tana French now. #bookstagram #troubled blood #robertgalbraith #120in2020
Today in Photo
Doing our jigsaw yesterday, looks like we're figuring out a crime or something. The Case of The Missing Pieces. Both K & I haven't done a jigsaw since we were kids and he was rather inclined to mock my "old lady pastime" but this jigsaw which I bought for myself from my mum for Diwali (only arrived yesterday though) is so engrossing we didn't realise how long we'd spent on it until I checked the clock, K's eyes burning, my back killing me, and we'd been sitting there for four hours straight after dinner. I was super intimidated by the size once I got it open but K began by helping me separate the pieces into themes and slowly got sucked in himself. It's mostly the genius of this jigsaw, it's called The World of Shakespeare and features an elaborate illustrated view of London, the Globe Theatre, London Bridge, the Tower, the river set in Elizabethean times and peopled with Shakespeare characters. "I found Juliet's head," I'd say triumphantly, while K constructed the murder of Ceaser. Amazing fun and so addictive. (Before you ask, off the big bad rhymes with Pamazon. Just search.) #jigsawpuzzle #shakespeare #cozywinternights
via Instagram
December 4, 2020
December 2, 2020
December 1, 2020
What I'm Reading
Addie made a deal with the devil, she wanted to live unfettered forever. But everything comes with a price, in her case, she drifts through history and time, forgotten, never remembered, never able to make her mark on things. I loved this book, it felt dreamy even while the narrative was straightforward, no purple prose when regular black and white will do (biggest peeve these days, feeling impatient with a lot of books that are full of sound and fury signifying nothing.) it's a longish novel but a thoughtful one, and of you've been examining your own life lately, indeed who amongst us is not, then I'd urge you to read this. (7 books to go!) #bookstagram #mrmbookclub #120in2020 #veschwab #theinvisiblelifeofaddielarue
November 30, 2020
What I'm Reading
I love Penelope Lively (have you read Moon Tiger? It is amazing.) I've read threes books by her so far - - this is the third and the most "generational." It starts in the 30s, pre-war, a young couple falling in love and goes on with their child and their grandchild, the years unspooling in front of us. I love this kind of novel and have secretly always wanted to write one, so always a pleasure to read a well written version. (Took me longer than usual to finish my yearly reading challenge but we're on the last leg! Only 8 books to go. My annual best books I read post will go out in my newsletter later this month so sign up--link in bio--so you don't miss it.) #bookstagram #mrmbookclub #120in2020 #penelopelively #consequences
