Tag: Coffee

Golden Gate By Vikram seth & Wild Sheep Chase by Murakami Book review.

The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth. 

The Novel  follows the lives of five characters who are  in their mid-twenties and set 

In  California describing the  Silicon Valley life in the Early  Mid 80s.

 John is working in as an Electronics Engineer He is successful in his work and is happy with his job. But he doesn’t have a life besides his work. 

A Book, That isn’t like anything that I have read in all these years. 

No! It’s not exactly a poetry Book like Pablo Neruda’s or a Rupi Kaur. 

But It’s a novel! That’s written in a very novel way. 

It’s written in a prose style &  verses style. 

Writing is very poetic and The Word Play makes it beautiful read. 

This is one book, You should give it  A Shot, If you are looking to read a different style of writing with a literary twist to it. 

The Wild Sheep Chase by Murakami 

Having this time to read as many books and more books than the previous years. Instead of just reading one book a year by Murakami. This year I have already read three books from the author in the last six months.  At regular intervals. 

“The Wild Sheep Chase” Wasn’t even a book that I thought would be enjoyable, But having all the elements of a typical Murakami book (Mystery, Love, Loneliness and an experience) This book had yet another Animal/Insect character called the Rat and of course sheep too! This is what makes the book such a fascinating and enjoyable read that you can’t get enough of it and wonder how some simple ideas can be written in so much length, that keep the readers wanting more…

“The Wild Sheep Chase” has been my Tenth Murakami read since, I first read his “Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage” about five years ago… A story about characters who all have a name that has a meaning and reference to colour. But Tsukuru Tazaki doesn’t have a name which signifies any colour and how lonely and left out he feels by his friend’s circle and in the world. 

Thrillers Books Worth Reading!

It’s very difficult to find thriller books, that keep you engrossed till the last page. And if you have found it by the same author twice, it couldn’t be better. 

Keigo Higashino a Japanese Author! Ah! Yes, another Japanese author. 

Journey under the midnight sun is about A group of children playing inside the building have found the body of a pawnshop owner, 

Detective Sasagaki’s investigation unearths more questions, but never reaches any conclusions. One of his chief suspects, the partner of a woman who the pawnshop owner visited on the day of his death, dies in a car crash soon afterwards. 

Though Sasagaki’s suspects there is more to the deaths, the case is abandoned. But, Twenty years later there are some leads that hints sasagaski that he could finally solve the mystery. 

This is one Book, I came across after enjoying reading “Midsummer Equation by Keigo Higanshino” 

  and what surprises me most about the author and his books is that when you are searching for “Best Thriller Books” You only come across American authors & British Authors, but none of the  Japanese authors, in the first few links and in the first few reviews. And I wonder why? “Japanese authors” are really underrated. This whole curiosity for “Japan” For me grew after I visited the country, it was a place I wanted to know more about? 

Keigo Higanshio is best known for his book “The Devotion of Suspect X” 

Yasuko Hanaoka accidentally kills her ex-husband, when circumstances rose to an unendurable level of ghastly behaviour from him. What follows is an elongated and witty brain-game between the investigator and her accomplice, Ishigami, who aided Yasuko in covering up the murder. ”The Devotion Of Suspect X”is the story about an ingenious plotter, and clever Dr Manabu Yukawa, who helps in solving the case.

In case you are looking to read a nice page-turner and are finding it difficult which one to start with you could surely start with “Journey Under The Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashnio” 

Plotters By Un-Su-Kim 

I have been in a frame of mind, where I am enjoying some nice thrilling stories, 

That is a quick read, written in a way, where you want to know what happens next. 

And after reading Keigo Higanshino’s ”Midsummer Equation ”last year and Under the midnight sun, I found Plotters by Un-Su-Kim a South Korean writer. And having watched some really good thriller movies by Korean Filmmakers, Maybe I had high expectations from Plotters, And as the story unfolds it becomes a predictable story, with not much material to keep you holding to know why, Whereas Books like “Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins” “Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn” Keeps you engrossed. 

While I am not saying  “Plotters”  wasn’t a good read, It certainly wasn’t as good as these, But very much alike like a series I just watched on the streaming platform “Giri/Haji” where The main underworld boss, hires people to do the damage (Assassins/HitMan)  But surely questions if we continue behaving like Assassins/Hitman all for that chair to be the boss for a reason, That we might think we hold the power, Power to continue the same racket/Practice where nobody gains anything, but only losses.

Plotters are read for those, who enjoy a little cliche story and someone who just would like to enjoy a crime story of how the Mafia works in a very simple, plain and easy to understand read. 

Some Thoughts Running on My Mind.

The Rain drizzling and fading away the view, making it blur for the eyes to see what comes across next.

In the midst of the joy! You look back and remember it was just summer now!

And now here monsoon has arrived.

The honking on the streets have subdued,

The rejection of not finding any public transport is dearly missed.

The argument over, not having any change and deciding who will forge the “change”

Every day was a new day! Yet every day some of the battles were same.

Whether it was what to order today

or whether it was were to begin today?

The frustrations and anxiety to explain the delivery boys the address was the same every day,

Google occasionally on some applications was stubborn to get it accurate.

Some Days – We ate out one meal where we looked at the menu to decide what to eat, unlike the struggle of making a menu every day at home for three meals.

While some filtered and cancelled

the outdoor sound with their earphones, Others got used to the terrific traffic sound that nearly deafened them until they reached their destinations.

The Bumper to Bumper traffic has been out of sight, yet is still in the mind.

The sound of the crowds at crowded places, the fight to squeeze yourself in and find a place is long forgotten.

The sound of the coffee machine pouring out some freshly brewed coffee with some eggs & desserts is occasionally remembered.

2020 Lockdown Itinerary!

More than halfway through 2020. I ended up reading about a dozen books, Losing track of time. It hardly made me realise it’s been five months, I haven’t travelled anywhere at all. Not even Mumbai which is the closest Metro city from my hometown Nashik.

This also made me question am I liking it to be in one place, without moving at all.

Well, To be honest. It’s a first for me and while I couldn’t travel physically anywhere. Not even to a restaurant or cafe.

I have been having the best of food cuisines right from Thai, Chinese, and Italian pizzas to freshly baked desserts and cakes at home. This doesn’t mean I don’t miss going out.

I Sure do because, when we go out, We go for the experience of going somewhere, Trying something new, different or sometimes just for the ambience and service of being served, rather than helping ourselves. You also go for the occasional noise that’s part of the environment. People chit-chatting having conversations, to you finding the solution and clearing your doubts from not knowing what to order, to going with the suggestion by the waiter serving you to missing out a menu option, that the order table guest has just ordered.

As far as travelling goes as a tourist- The Books have been helping me by taking me to America by going on a history tour by having a well-researched guide (Bill Bryson) To telling me about Indian history by making me meet Historians such as William Dalrymple. Reading makes me feel sometimes “Lost in Japan” by either overhearing a mysterious case “Under The Midnight Sun” or giving it a realism-magical sense of the place by letting me know about “Kafka on The Shores” To making me Revisit Turkey But this time also making me experiencing the “Snow” by a local Orhan Pamuk and taking me to a lesser-known city in the country Kars.

Reading made me understand a doctor’s life by sharing the concept of “Being Mortal” to making me meet some interesting personalities, Michelle Obama & Robert Iger.

All these experiences while sipping coffee and hopping around the different corners of my home, enjoying the weather and trying to do my best while sitting at home.

But, Yes Travelling physically cannot be replaced by reading books. But, reading can comfort you in planning out your next travel journey.

Indian Matchmaking! Now Streaming

It’s Funny! How many things I have done related to weddings, Right from a  show on a popular television channel that highlighted a designer doing a makeover for the bride for their wedding to ending up in Wedding planning with a destination wedding planning organisation to being one of the contenders for the series on the streaming platform. And over the years, working with so many different aspects of weddings & relationship, there are quite a few things I learnt, and quite a few questions to those who answer aren’t justified. 
While working on the makeover for the bride about five years ago, I realised girls and women are now taking their time to settle down, They are more confident and independent. 
While working with wedding planners – I Realised marriage is more of a “Show Business” 
And while auditioning for “India Matchmaking” It was the first time  I got the answer to some of the question, which I always looked for. 
“Why do people get married” – A Question which is never asked by the boy & girl who would be spending their life together. 
What do I really look in a partner – The Answer to this question is always looking at a friends/ role model’s marriage and answering those points without looking into what the person is actually looking for?
Why haven’t you found anybody yet and why arranged marriage? – Maybe it truly is the fault in my stars. 
And lastly, when the series streamed and I watched the complete series, none of the genders knew exactly what they were looking for in each other? 
While the fascination for the west and international audience on the concept of “Arrange Marriage/ Matchmaking”  questioned them about the Indian culture of marriage in many ways, Why is our media shying away from admitting who we are actually? 
Why is marriage so important? Today thank god. Marriage by some isn’t prioritised like a Goal or landmark. While for the others their only “Goal” is to be married not because they are “ready”, not because they have “connected” but rather because of the peer & family pressure that forces them not to question what marriage is? Why some question it too much and have high expectations, others just follow the checklist one should follow in a regular “Life”