My 2021 Book Recommendations
As a boy, my husband was a voracious reader, feverishly consuming comics and tales of detectives: Agatha Christies, Tarzan of the Jungle, The Jungle Book, Amar Chitra Kathas, Hardy Boys, Famous Five, you name it. I, on the other hand, hardly touched a book that was not a textbook.
There were many reasons for it. Firstly, after my mother passed away, my life had become like a sea at storm. I moved every two years, staying with new relatives and making new friends. Second, my father wanted me to be academically successful. He encouraged me in learning math and grammar and science, but he was not a fan of casual reading. Lastly, I grew up in towns where I couldn't access many books. We didn't have a public (or even a private) library in Kumbakonam and Avinashi, two of the dusty towns I spent much of my childhood in.
So, when I immigrated to Canada and found a public library with its rows of books, I was thrilled. I couldn't believe I could borrow twenty-five books at once, free of charge, and keep them for a month at home! I soon became a glutton for books. At first, my reading was purely informative - lots and lots of nonfiction. Material to prepare me for GRE exams, programming books, and books to deepen my critical thinking. Then I slowly started warming up to fiction and books that entertained me.
But even today, my love for nonfiction endures. This year, I have read 34 books so far, 25 out of which are nonfiction.
In Praise of Slowing Down
Of all that nonfiction I read this year, one that stands out is Carl Honoré's "In Praise of Slowing Down". It is a book about why you should, and how you can slow down, in your life. From slow food to slow medicine to slowing down to do better work, it makes a great case for a gentler pace.
This gospel on slowing down speaks to my heart. I have an innate desire for speed in everything I do. I take after my grandma for that. My grandmother was like a whirling dervish in her kitchen. She would often process five things in parallel, flitting like a hummingbird from one task to the next. She had three dishes cooking on the stove at once, a sink full of stainless-steel dishes soaped up, and laundry she was in the middle of hanging up on the clothesline. The house rang with the clatter of dropped plates and spoons when she worked.
Like my grandma, I love speed. I abhor being late to appointments. I grow impatient quickly. My first thought when I wake up is often my list of to-dos for the day. I multitask till the cows come home from the high mountains. Which is why I sorely needed this reminder on the virtues of slowness. Slowing down can often help us do things faster and better. More importantly, slowing down can help us take care of ourselves better.
"Like a bee in a flower bed, the human brain naturally flits from one thought to the next. In the high-speed workplace, where data and headlines come thick and fast, we are all under pressure to think quickly. Reaction, rather than reflection, is the order of the day. To make the most of our time, and to avoid boredom, we fill up every spare moment with mental stimulation…Keeping the mind active makes poor use of our most precious resource. True, the brain can work wonders in high gear. But it will do so much more if given the chance to slow down from time to time. Shifting the mind into lower gear can bring better health, inner calm, enhanced concentration and the ability to think more creatively." - Carl Honoré
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Another book I enjoyed this year is "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr. This book spans several centuries, telling the story of five characters who are all misfits in their different worlds. Anna, a girl in Constantinople in the fifteenth century, loves books in an era when girls were not taught or allowed to read. Omeir, a boy in Bulgaria around the same time, is born with a facial deformity that makes his society loathe him. Zeno, a young man in Idaho in the 1950s, is gay and grows up in the home of his religious stepmother. Seymour is a boy on the spectrum, growing up in Idaho in the 2000s. His cognitive differences make him struggle in school and in society. Constance, a girl living in the post-apocalyptic future yearns for what she imagines to be the loveliness of earth when all around her are looking forward to a future on a different planet.
All these characters are wonderfully portrayed. Weaving through these five stories are some common themes: love of books and stories, libraries as sanctuaries that provide refuge for misfits, and an ancient mythological story.
I relate to these characters that are outsiders in their own realms - I have been one, personally and professionally, most of my life. Doerr's writing is mesmerizing, and his words dance through your mind. The storytelling is unique. As you read more, more layers are peeled, and more truths and structures are revealed. This process of slow understanding is like solving a puzzle, something that is quite rewarding and refreshing.
"Sometimes as he stares into his fire, the tale Anna used to tell comes back to him, of a man transformed into a donkey, then a fish, then a crow, journeying across earth, ocean, and stars to find a land without suffering, only to choose to return home in the end, and live a last few years among his animals." - Anthony Doerr
Other books I'd recommend from my reading this year
Mama's Last Hug : Written by primate researcher Frans de Waal, this book makes the case that emotions and traits typically claimed to be uniquely human - like joy, empathy, shame, mirth, and free will - are found in animals too. Rats like to be tickled. Cows feel separation anxiety. Pigs feel hope. Monkeys expect fairness. The author lays out an account of these from his decades-long research. I love books that teach me new things and help me see the world with new eyes, and this book certainly did that.
Midnight Library : This is a magical novel by Matt Haig about life choices. Nora Seed, the protagonist, is given a chance - as she stands between life and death - to make some of the choices that she regrets not making in her life. As she makes each of them now, she gets to see where they might have led her to. The book helps you think deeply about regrets. It reminds you to cherish what you have at the present moment, much like the parable from Greek mythology in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
My entire book list from 2021 is here.
For me, 2021 has been a fertile year for reading. I am grateful that I could create space in my life to read books. Reading gives me new insights and perspectives, sharpens my empathy, and is great for my mental health. If you like reading too, I hope you can do more of it in 2022. Happy reading, folks!