A story in letters

....the written kind.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I had almost forgotten what it was to read a book like there was no tomorrow. The kind that makes you set all your chores aside and just lounge in a comfy couch, book in hand. To go along with the book I was hooked to, I made samosas and dipped them in tangy Maggie's tomato-pudina sauce- again some thing I haven't done in a very long time. It has been a while since a book has kept me in one place, aching for more. I have been on a reading hiatus for some months now and the bestseller lists from NY Times or the Washington Post weren't cutting it for me. But I had pre-ordered the latest book in the Mma Ramotswe series which arrived last week(Tea time for the traditionally built). I want to believe that jump started my reading habit. Once that was out of the way in a short span of two work days, I decided I'd check out Guardian.UK for the bestseller list across the pond. And I am so glad I made that leap. For this was what I picked at the library.
Aside, what are your usual sources for good reading material?

The whole book is in the form of letters back and forth between various characters. The story is set in post-WW2 Britain, ravaged by long years of war. Its about a writer who is on a book tour of her latest release- a humorous take on the effects of war. A farmer in Guernsey writes to her asking for some help finding more works of Charles Lamb. He also mentions in the passing about this literature club that they have- the Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society. And thus she gets introduced to this Channel island of Guernsey. Aside, this was the first time I was hearing about Guernsey and the way the characters in this quaint little islet come alive is so endearing, I would book myself on the next flight out there in a heartbeat! She starts interacting with other people from this island, hearing about their experiences with the German occupation and the rationing and curfews that had been imposed on their lives, cramping their style and coercing them to start the Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society. How this title came about, who were its members, what did they do for a living...all make up for some wonderful reading and even more beautiful letters- the ones that make one store them in shoe boxes to be read and re-read for generations to come.

The writer eventually decides to go visit Guernsey and see for herself all these friends that she has made through letters, who have gone through trying war times and have still emerged as survivors in their own right. There are many small incidents in the course of the letters and the book that are utterly cute. There is one character in the island and in the club- Isola. She is by far my favorite. She finds some letters written to her Granny Phin(short of Josephine) that are traced back to Oscar Wilde. Yes, Oscar Wilde himself wrote 8 letters to her grandmother.

What happens next? Does the writer find fodder for her next novel out here? Who are the other members? What do they do? Find out for yourself and get carried away to this charming and precious little island- a journey in words, a time capsule ride into the past, a vacation well spent.

Ready, set.....go!

For a vacation, I mean!

TGIF

A bright and sunshiny Friday
A blue and less used jacket by day
A quick shower and its work time
The jacket beckoned like a chime
I need something warm, but light
So thought I, perhaps this is right
As I slip it on, a rustle I hear
The pockets seems to be drawing me near
In my hand goes to find what fills
And out come two crisp hundred rupee bills
Its Friday and I'm a rich 'un
With warm thoughts and some spring sun
There's definitely spring without a care
Both in my step and in the air

A memoir

Dreams from my father : A Story of Race and Inheritance
~Barack Obama

My reading cart has never been this bare for this long. I finally managed to finish this memoir, and while I might have taken a long time to finish it- it by no means implies it was not a good read.

Oh, it was. A very inspiring and honest piece of work. If you ever wondered what the formative years of a US President could have been...this is the most relatable, realistic account you could find. And don't be surprised if your chest wells in pride at such a young achiever that has made his way to the topmost position in the country. It could have be you...or me...or any one of us. And that's what make it stand out.

Definitely worth a read...go check it out!

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
~Carl Jung

From the front yard

..this spring!

All time high-April

You see, the thing about nostalgia is that it can be sweet, it can sometimes be saddening. There are some songs that make me want to bawl and most times I can never tell why. It feels like an era bygone, of simple times and reasonable needs. A slice in time that can never be rewound. And conditioning tells you not to hold on to it, for what's gone is gone and whats now is a gift, the present. It seems silly to weep over what you haven't experienced. Perhaps that's what makes it alluring and exciting-what you didn't know. You can create fantastic tales from period settings, can't you? The mind is such a foolish dreamer, it can make mountains out of molehills and create sepia tinted fantasies from the past, or the future even, for that matter. Never able to stay with the current...

Oh well, see- all this rambling is because I've been listening to 70s music for some weeks now and I was glad we got to April finally, cos its that much-awaited time to post this month's all-time high. Something I look forward to quite eagerly. So here's my pick, from the movie 'Umrao Jaan'.



zindagi jab bhi teri bazm mein laati hai hamein
ye zameen chaand se behtar nazar aati hai hamein

surkh phoolon se mehak uTathi hain dil ki raahen
din Dhale yun teri aawaz bulaati hai hamein

yaad teri kabhi dastak kabhi sargoshi se
raat ke pichhle prahar roz jagaati hai hamein

har mulaqat ka anjaam judai kyun hai
ab to har waqt yahi baat satati hai hamein