What I’ve been Reading – Dec’21

It’s that time of the year for me when stories that were accepted earlier are getting published. I am beyond ecstatic to reveal my story published in Issue 59 of the most venerated Vestal Review! It’s an amazing feeling to have a piece accepted by a publication that I have been reading and following for years, not to mention submitting regularly to and getting rejected. The message ‘persistence is key’ has been really enforced for me this year. To top it all, I received an email from the editor David Galef to say they have nominated my piece ‘Mother, Believing’ for inclusion in the anthology Best Microfiction 2022. I sincerely hope to make it into this prestigious collection!

In other news I’ve devoured quite a few books and made a slim dent in my TBR pile. It’s a wild mix of genres this time, from literary fiction to a spinoff of a classic and finally one of my usual writerly reads.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

I know Sally Rooney is revered the world over and her books have sold a million copies, but after reading this one, I decided it’s just not my cup of tea. It was the first novel of hers I’ve read, and I found it too slow and plodding for my tastes. I came across this article which I agreed with, though for different reasons: I Love Sally Rooney’s Novels, But They Aren’t Written For Me

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

This is George Saunder’s first novel and the winner of the Booker Prize <2019>. It has parts of his usual humour in it, but other than that its mostly experimental, a bit weird and not at all what I am used to reading but I still liked it, to my own surprise!

Mr. Darcy’s Diary

This is another one I stumbled upon while browsing books on Amazon as part of the Great Indian sale, and I’m so glad I did! If Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s perspective, this is what the resulting book would look like. It was a superb read, using lots of text and references to the original, naturally, but in a way that didn’t feel contrived. I enjoyed this one and will probably dip into it again at some point.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

I’ve heard of this series so many times but when I finally picked it up and read the first page, I simply couldn’t put it down. it starts with a fabulous fight scene and continues in an equally exciting fashion. I finished this 500-page tome in 3 days! Someone, please release the movie already!

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I’ve read this book before, but sometime back I saw the movie which inspired me to read the book again. It was an enjoyable read too, and just one of her books that I dive into whenever I feel like it.

The Author Blog by Anne R. Allen

If you are a writer of fiction like me, you must be wondering what to blog about. This book spills the beans. I find Anne’s style of writing very easy to understand and she manages to break down complex-sounding tasks into simpler ones. This is my current read and I hope to finish it during the week.

That’s all I’ve read since last month! In total I’ve come up to around 24 books this year, which beats my previous years’ records. But to be honest I’d like to read a lot more, and a new Kindle I got a few months back should help me chip away at my TBR pile faster than before.

Let me know your favourite new reads in the comments! I’m always looking for book recommendations!