Gifts from the sea and pirates who steal the light: The March book bingo round up
Grab a cuppa and step into the world of books!
Dear reader,
Have you ever felt like you had crawled into the pages of a novel?
Delhi experienced some freak weather this month. One weekend, I sat at one of my favorite cafes nursing a steaming cup of Americano, chatting with a friend. I had just started reading The Light Pirate, a dystopian novel about hurricanes and storms that sweep away Florida. While I was telling her about the book, the sky outside the cafe window turned an angry grey, the rain came down in sheets, and a metro train chugged past our window, suspended above the roads, the white of the train carriages a sharp counterpoint to the storm-grey clouds. It felt like the novel was coming to life around me — a rather surreal experience, that!
Books I read
Finale by Stephanie Garber
The exciting world of Caraval comes to a satisfying close with Finale, as the sisters Scarlett and Tella, and Legend himself are forced to make choices that will forever change and define them. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything. The world building in this series was spectacular, and the breadth and scope of it just blew me away! If you enjoy fantasy as a genre, you will love this trilogy!
The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas (A book published in 2023)
After years of dancing in Mumbai’s bars, Tara Mondal was desperate for a new start. So when a client offered her a life-changing payout to indulge a harmless, if odd, fantasy, she accepted. The setup was simple: wear a blue-sequined saree, enter a crowded railway station, and escape from view in less than three minutes. It was the last time anyone saw Tara. Thirteen years later, Tara’s lover, Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput, is still grappling with her disappearance as he faces a horrifying new crisis: on the city’s outskirts, women’s dismembered bodies are being unearthed from shallow graves. Very little links the murders, except a scattering of blue sequins and a decade’s worth of missing persons reports that correspond with major festivals. Past and present blur as Arnav realizes he’s on the trail of a serial killer and that someone wants his investigation buried at any cost. Could the key to finding Tara and solving these murders be hidden in one of his cold cases? Or will the next body they recover be hers?
An intense, fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat thriller that will have you feverishly turning the pages to find out what happens next, with an ending that you will not see coming. This was a roller-coaster of a ride that will appeal to lovers of crime and thrillers.
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (A book with a bird on the cover)
Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at the Dellawisp she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a young woman with a past, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, and three ghosts. The sudden death of one of Zoey's new neighbors sets off a search that leads to the island's famous author and to a long-estranged relative of the sisters. Each of them has a story, and each story has an ending which hasn't yet been written.
If you’ve read any of Allen’s books, you know she’s the queen of magical realism. In that respect, Other Birds doesn’t disappoint. Allen sweeps you up in a beautiful story of found family and magical enchantment, with a side of hurt and heartbreak along the way. But somehow, Allen waves her magic wand and makes the hurt somewhat easier to bear. A beautifully heartwarming read.
Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
In this inimitable, beloved classic, Anne Morrow Lindbergh shares her meditations on youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and contentment as she set them down during a brief vacation by the sea. Lindbergh draws inspiration from the shells she collects while out on the beach to muse on life, relationships, the need for solitude, and the creative life. She casts an unsentimental eye on the trappings of modernity that threaten to overwhelm us: the time-saving gadgets that complicate rather than simplify, the multiple commitments that take us from our families. Writing at a time before the internet was even invented, her words remain surprisingly relevant and current. As she records her thoughts during a brief vacation, an escape from her everyday demands, she helps modern-day readers contemplate all that we have lost with the advent of the smart phone and social media, and perhaps opens up a space for contemplation and creativity within our own lives.
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels gradually wreak havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker; his pregnant wife, Frida; and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds to search for them. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before. As Florida continues to unravel, Wanda grows. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature. Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.
This was hands down my favorite read this month! I’m not a huge fan of dystopia {yet}, but this book is sweeping in its scope and lyrical in its delivery. It raises questions on the necessity of community and shines a light on the human tendency to ignore things that do not immediately concern us. The storm is a palpable character, especially in the first part of this book, which is perhaps why it seemed to come to life around me when we experienced a freak spell of rainy weather here in Delhi. Even if you never read dystopia, I think you may just like this book. Go ahead, give it a try!
Recommendation corner:
Have some of the bingo prompts got you scratching your head, wondering what to read or maybe even what it means? I got you covered! Every month, I will pick 2 bingo prompts and share a couple of recommendations with you. And just so you’re not here all day reading this, I’ll link you up to Goodreads so you can check out the book and add it to your Want-to-read shelf. Here we go!
A book that focuses on cooking or baking
You could absolutely pick up a recipe book or a foodie’s memoir for this prompt. A Blissful Feast by Teresa Lust or Korma, Kheer and Kismet by Pamela Timms are interesting food memoirs/essays. But more fun, and generally heartwarmingly delightful, are what I think of as Southern fiction — Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber, and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender are all books that fall into this genre. And then there are the books that include recipes as part of the story. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is one that I quite enjoyed a number of years ago.
A book with a bird on the cover
This book bingo prompt is as straightforward as it sounds. Read a book that has a bird on the cover. The beauty of this prompt is that it can be in any genre at all! Fancy a bit of magical realism? Other Birds, which I read last month, is a great pick. Historical fiction? Try The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman. Literary fiction? The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami may be right up your alley. Enjoy memoir writing? You may like H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald. Nature and non-fiction lovers may enjoy The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman.
On my to-read list:
What can I say? I’m an enabler! In this section, I’ll share a couple of books from my TBR list. These will generally include a mix of upcoming releases and books that have been around for years but never made it into my orbit.
The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner
1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike. Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…
I had read and enjoyed Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary last year, so when I saw she has a new book out, I had to read it! And what’s not to like about seances and murders?
The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
Ringmaster — Rin, to those who know her best — can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. And the circus they lead is a rare home and safe haven for magical misfits and outcasts, known as Sparks. With the world still reeling from World War I, Rin and her troupe — the Circus of the Fantasticals — travel the midwest, offering a single night of enchantment and respite to all who step into their Big Top. But threats come at Rin from all sides. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their show and everyone in it. It takes the form of another circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin's circus has something he wants, and he won't stop until it's his.
Circus and time travel — do I even need to say anything more? What a fantastic combination this should be! And for an added bonus, it covers two of this year’s Book Bingo prompts.
Expected publication date: 13 June
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home. When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.
This book has been popping up all around me since a while now. I’m drawn to it every time I visit a book store. Amazon suggested the book in its recommendation list, even before I had ever looked for it online. It even popped up on Instagram. So I finally had to put it on my TBR list. Have you ever had a book that’s stalked you? Tell me about it in the comments!
For the love of poetry
I couldn’t stop smiling when I read this poem! As women, we often tend to obsess over the shape of our bodies. But every body is unique, is beautiful, is valid, is worthy. Much like Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman, Homage to my Hips is a celebration of womanhood, a reminder to women to love ourselves as we are, and to strut into a room, confident and proud!
Homage to my Hips
Lucille Clifton
these hips are big hips they need space to move around in. they don't fit into little petty places. these hips are free hips. they don't like to be held back. these hips have never been enslaved, they go where they want to go they do what they want to do. these hips are mighty hips. these hips are magic hips. i have known them to put a spell on a man and spin him like a top!
Monthly round-up
Things that caught my attention this month
⫸ Lamenting the lost art of letter writing: A radical art form showing ‘the full catastrophe of human life’.
⫸ 2,000 years of kindness: Because we all need reminders from time to time that kindness matters.
⫸ I’ve been binge-watching Locke & Key on Netflix. SO good! I’m in awe of the way fantasy writers’ minds work.
⫸ Why everyone feels like they’re faking it: A fascinating read on the development of the idea of the impostor phenomenon—more commonly referred to as impostor syndrome—and why some women are pushing back fiercely against the idea.
Thank you for being here and for spending some time in my bookish world. Hit reply and tell me what you’ve been reading and enjoying this month!
Happy reading,
Shinjini