Write-ups and book reads of our members in January, 2024
As the new year unfolded, our members embarked on a literary journey that traversed rivers of imagination, realms of mystery and corridors of self-discovery. With titles ranging from immersive fantasies to insightful non-fiction, the club’s diverse reading list reflects varied tastes and interests.
- River Of Stories by Orijit Sen
- How To Make A Story by Naomi Jones
- The Story Of Life by Catherine Barr
- The Children Who Loved Books by Peter Carnavas
- Ramayanam by Mullapudi Venkataramana
- Nenu by Brahmanandam
- Janata Express: Mullapudi Venkataramana Kathalu by MVR
- The Edge by David Baldacci
- When Fairyland Lost Its Magic by Bijal Vachharajani
- Finding Bear by Hannah Gold
- Jeevana Gaanam by P.S. Gopala Krishna
- No Reading Allowed by Raj Haldar
- She And Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai
- Angor by Jacinta Kerketta
- The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold
- Topi Rockets From Thumba by Menaka Raman
- ImPerfect by Sirisha Naidu & Kalam Babu
- Simi Stands Tall by Arti Sonthalia
- A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
- The Peacock Who Talked Too Much by Nicola Deschamps
- The Crazy Tales of Pagla Dashu And Co., by Sukumar Ray
- The Day I Became A Runner by Sohini Chattopadhyay
Nenu
This is autobiography of actor Brahmanandam. From his his family history to his awards and people he met. A well-written one.
Angor
This is a bilingual poetry collection, Hindi/English. Mostly poetry is about indigenous peoples, forests, forest dwellers and development at the cost of forests.
- Secrets Buried by Lyssa Lund
- Interview With Gems Of Medium Part 2 by Gurpreet Dhariwal
- #Meet (Ruby Knight Chronicles Book 1) by K.M. Pyne
- A Lesson In Murder: A Sarah Smith Cozy Mystery Book by Maya Wong
- Married to Magic series by Elsie Kova
* A Deal with the Elf King #1
* A Dance with the Fae Prince #2
* A Duel with the Vampire Lord #3 - The Hollows by Kim Harrison
* The Turn: The Hollows Begin With Death #0.1
* Dead Witch Walking #1
* The Good, The Bad, And The Undead #2
* Undead In The Garden of Good And Evil #2.5
* Every Witch Way but Dead #3
* A Fistful Of Charms #4
* For A Few Demons More #5
Interview With the Gems of Medium Part 2
It’s the kind of book you would want to read when you have the time to relax and think because the narrations are filled with wise words that are bound to make you evaluate your life choices. The interviews take you on a journey that will enrich you and make you a better person, better than before at least.
Every author interviewed in this collection has something worthwhile to add and it’s obvious that these people live a life we can all get inspiration from. Every story is full of passion, love and encouragement. The author beautifully wraps them for our benefit. I’m not sure whom I love more the author who painstakingly and lovingly compiled this collection of interviews with such amazing souls or the people who have taken the time to relate their stories. They are authentic and make you understand yourself, which I feel is the most extraordinary thing in the world. But that’s how it is. Isn’t it? While getting to know others, we always end up knowing ourselves better.
After reading the ‘Interviews With Gems of Medium Part 2,’ I feel like a new person ready to embark on yet another adventure of life. Just the knowledge that these amazing writers, especially the ones who wrote this book, are out there makes the world beautiful for me. This is all there is: with words, spreading love and knowledge. I highly recommend the book to all fans of non-fiction, but even if you aren’t, give this book a chance, and I’m sure you won’t regret it.
- No More Mr Nice Guy by Robert Glover
- How To Train Your Mind by Chris Bailey
- The Magic of Believing Action Plan by Mitch Horwitz
- The Bippolo Seed And Other Stories by Dr Suess
How To Train Your Mind
The author talks about the practice of meditation. In his words, “in the world of productivity porn there is some much of advice but nothing beats meditation.”
He says the simple practice of meditation can reduce mind wandering for the knowledge workers like most of us. Generally our mind is on the task 53% of the time and meditation can increase it to 70%. He does a rough calculation and states that you get back 9 minutes of time for every minute spent in meditation. He goes into many calculations but his core message is that meditation can help you because it is simple to do it. The act of doing simple thing makes it difficult to do and this is the power of meditation. He talks about 2 minute timed meditation to start with and then build on it. He quotes James clear in this.
This is a short book to listen. If you are interested to know more calculation about the power of meditation you should listen to this book.
- Starboard Secrets by Hope Callaghan
- Shelter From The Storm by Kristen Ethridge
- Once Upon A Genie by Durriya Kapasi
- Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller
- Gulgul, Ginni, Pepal, Paapad And More by Ollie Grover
The author has written a collection of 25 short stories of various genres. The book contains stories about ordinary human beings and their lives, stories about kings and kingdoms, animal fables, and the smartness of human beings. The stories do remind us of the days when we used to read moral stories as kids. Simple language has been used and the stories will connect to the readers. The illustrations enhance the story and give a visual experience to the readers. The book cover is very intriguing and draws the reader into the book. Among all the stories, Gulgul and Ginni are the best. While Gulgul is a funny story of a mysterious person stealing sweets and Ginni is an inspiring story about a strong woman. Other stories like Pinch of Salt, The Peepal Tree, and The Sandalwood Cart deserve a special mention. Overall the short stories in the book are funny and thought-provoking.
- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
- Determined by Robert Sapolsky
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
