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@_read_with_s

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It’s Pride Month, and if you asked me, I’d have a bunch of movie recs but not so many books. I have read a few, but it is something I am yet to explore and would love to.

Red, White, and Royal Blue follows the story of two lovers, initially rivals, of course, trying to navigate their love story amidst the power dynamics of the two nations. I liked the flirty banter and the occasional chemistry, which served right for the story plot. Add a fair amount of politics, and it follows.

If you are looking for a silly romance that is LGBTQ-friendly and something that implies that even if life and love are not so easy, there are endless possibilities for them. This is the kind of book I’d read and pass on to someone else.

PS: I think I liked the movie better than the book (not such a hot take, I know).

[bookstagram, book reviews, pride month, june reads, books, fiction, love story, romance] by @_read_with_s

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4 months ago

When I picked this up last summer thinking that it was a very short read, I didn’t know that it would bring me despair.

George and Lennie had dreams. But the plot questions whether having a dream is enough considering the social barriers and poverty. Each of the characters has been given their own story. If you put yourself in their place, they all had dreams of their own. While some wanted to be independent with their own land, some wanted to show love, and some others just wanted to be loved.

Loneliness serves as the central theme of the story. As Steinbeck said in his 1938 journal entry—

“Try to understand men; if you understand each other, you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, and writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”

One must try and understand the other in order to exist in a realm of order. If not, there’s going to be crushed dreams, isolation, and even worse things.

A short but high impact read. I am looking forward to reading Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden soon. I know for a fact that I will not be disappointed.

[bookstagram, book reviewz, literature, fiction] by @_read_with_s

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4 months ago

Happy Pride month folks! by @_read_with_s

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4 months ago

If you are looking to dip your toes into Greek mythology, I’d say start with these.

The song of Achilles is heartbreakingly beautiful. The way it is written is meant to consume you. You will feel love, but you will also feel grief. It’s the kind of read that will leave you with a void, but I assure you that you don’t want to miss something so beautiful.

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

Circe, the woman you are. This book should serve as a reminder of the damage, heartbreaks, and disappointments one must endure as a woman and how it makes us evolve to be the stronger version anyone has ever seen.

“It was my first lesson. Beneath the smooth, familiar face of things is another that waits to tear the world in two.”

[bookstagram, books, thoughts, reviews, the song of achilles, madeline miller, fiction, greek mythology, love is love] by @_read_with_s

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4 months ago

What is this?

This is me being accountable. For the longest time now my reading has been on and off. Never constant. I have had so many failed stages trying to get out of the slump.

But things are looking up now. Reading is part of every day. And I can almost feel that my real self is getting fulfilled as it recognises something it loves.

So here’s my June TBR. And I am getting my hopes up. It’s okay if I don’t finish them all. I know that. But I am definitely going to try.

Who’s my inspiration? It’s @books.and.bougainvillea ❤️

Babe, let’s get ready to fail together or come out in flying colours. by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

not now, mommy’s yearning.

Are we planning to make this a routine? Hell yeah!

[bookstagram, books, quotes, thoughts, yearning, aesthetics, moods, love, literature, love stories, grief, feelings] by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

Books I’d get you if I actually liked you. Because I want you to feel it all too :)

[bookstagram, book recs, reader, aesthetics, photos, vibes, moods, fiction, good reads, literature] by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

Reading Lispector feels like a rite of passage.

So, it’s true that this is nothing but witchcraft. I would like to pour you a strong drink if you want to get through this with a sane mind. I feel intellectually challenged as I dive into the stream of thoughts in Joana. Maybe that’s what she wanted all along.

There’s a reality, but no, you will not be able to grasp it. Joana will very well teach you how to live in your head and away from your body. Weaved around her childhood and marriage but not plot-driven. It may startle you. The perspectives may be subtle, but they’re so forward that they have the capability to destroy you.

I am not an alien to her thoughts. There is so much poetry woven into different dimensions all along the way. One can only try to comprehend the flow of events. It’s challenging, intense, and the kind of book that will move you out of the box.
It felt right for me!

Now that I am in this world, what should I read next?

[bookstagram, reviews, reader, book thoughts, clarice lispector, literature, fiction, books, art, philosophy] by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

A lot of time has been spent on the internet alongside the physical books in the current times.

Why not make something out of it?

From mine to yours!

Ps: I am planning to make this a Friday weekly just to bring in the right amount of whimsy and warmth to our staggered lives.

With love
S <3

[bookstagram, books, quotes, aesthetics, reader, warmth, fyp, Pinterest, edits, carousels] by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

Reading Anxious people felt like watching life unfold on its own irrespective of who you are. The title of the book itself sets the tone of the book. I would say Backman’s storytelling peaked here.

I’ve lived through the book, and I did that by making stops in between to make sure I take it all in. If you plan to dive into this book expecting something spectacular, I am warning you that you’d be disappointed. In fact, this read is something that is to be treated as another mundane day in your life.

As we grow up, we try and gather as many fragments of life as we can. It includes perspectives, emotions, choices, and whatnot. No matter how hard the present is, we wake up hoping for a better tomorrow. Backman did nothing but weave that entire narration into a series of dramatic events.

Funny, witty, and heartwarming altogether would be my final verdict. But do not be fooled; I did get lost in between trying to get an in-depth idea of the happenings. People are talking, they are moving, they are not stable, and they are almost always frustrated about things. Maybe it’s just one way of looking at life. Or maybe it’s them doing life, trying to fit into the roles others want them to be.

I love how, towards the end, Backman emphasizes mental health by talking about anxiety and how it influences people. The book may oddly seem like a string of random events, but when you keep going, it all makes sense in the best way possible. At this point I feel like if I ever write anything I just want it to be as beautiful as Backman makes me feel with his words.

[bookstagram, book reviews, reader, books, anxious people, feel good] by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

Reader’s Note

All these years and it’s still been a struggle. To be a reader or to be seen as one. Reading came disguised in many roles over the years. From reading for fun to reading for escapism to reading for actual intellectual stimulation, the journey has been vast and never contained.
If I remember right, high school was the first time I was recognized as a reader. I longed for library periods. I remember receiving a book that needed saving. The pages were coming out, and the spine was a mess. I knew that if I had to read that book, it needed to be handy at the least. So, thirteen-year-old me had gone to a bookbinding press to save a book. This action was something that came naturally to me, but in the eyes of my teacher, it ended up being a great “Let’s all learn something from her” kind of act!

I am sure we all had moments like these that drove us a little closer to who we are as people. I might have complaints for all the other traits, but this is one of those traits I feel grateful towards my mother for. She used to read a lot. She finished multiple books in a week. And yet when I roamed around the house with a book in my hands, she asked, “Why do you read so much?”.
Fast forward to my bachelor’s; I don’t remember much of reading there. It was a very distracted phase. I did read, but I think it’s safe to admit that it was not my top priority! Thanks to the Covid years, I finally came back home with a space full of books and reconnected with the reader I am.

Thereafter, the ability to get consumed by a book went up and down in phases. However, in between everything that happened, be it graduation or shifting cities or finding home in a strange city, there has been only one thing that remained constant. A book that clung on to me. Read or not read, there was always a book.

So, here’s to the reader I was, the reader I am, and the reader I will be. by @_read_with_s

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5 months ago

My reading week look like this.

I am constantly trying to stay in touch with whatever is happening inside Lispector’s mind. Trust me it’s not easy. If you lose track it’s a maze. You will take a lot of time to find your way back to it.

I picked up The Little prince to read alongside. I am still stuck in the first page because I got a metaphorical brain stroke at the moment.

Also, I finished reading There is something between us which is a debutant novel and liked it. I thought it was warm and sweet. I so wanna sit and write down a review for the same.

I really wanna keep up the reading pace which is so much better than what I had in a long time.

I drink coffee everyday and try to move and eat healthy and read few pages before bed. I guess that will be enough for now.

How is your week going?

[bookstagram, reading, fiction, coffee, updates, reader, lifestyle, books, hobbies, growth, literature, Lispector, classics, philosophy] by @_read_with_s

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9 months ago