Bharath

Funny story on why I read this book. I went to the library and I already picked two books that I wanted to read. For some reason, the number 2 did not sit right with me and I decided to borrow a third book. I jumped into my shelf of ‘must-read-before-i-die' on Goodreads and stumbled upon Sweet Bean Paste.

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa is a beautiful tale of friendship between Senatro, a not-so-happy confectioner and Tokue, a 76-year old woman, who wants to work at Senatro's shop. What begins as a mere employment relationship slowly evolves into a beautiful friendship.

I am rather confused on how exactly to review this book. Its not that there isn't any fluff in it. It's just that this book was an experience that's hard to put into words. I think I would rather write about the aspects I liked and did not.

The aspects I liked in this book was it's simple language yet deep impact. Some authors use wordy words to make an impact on readers and then there are Japanese authors, who for some reason, have this innate ability to leave a deep impact effortlessly. The other aspect I really liked is that the author focused more on the relationship between his two characters rather than dwelling too much into the past. Maybe an underlying message to not care about past much?

Although I enjoyed reading the tale of Sentaro and Tokue, I thought their internal conflicts, especially those of Senatro could have been presented better. I could not empathize or understand Senatro as much as I could with Tokue for the lack of his story. I think that is the only complaint I have.

If you like to read something breezy where nothing phenomenal is happening, where there are no strong plot points but just the interactions of the characters, you would totally enjoy this!

Imagine you live in a world where you are to deal with the absurdity of bureaucracy. A bureaucracy where you are told you are arrested but also assures that nothing in your life changes except for occasional appearances at the court. Now, how this uncertainty impacts a respectable bank officer, Josef K. is the story.

At its core, I think the philosophy behind The Trial (subject to correction) is that you are only a monkey in a well planned out circus. Sometimes, without your control, your thoughts, judgements and capabilities are impacted. In this absurd system, there is hardly anything you can do but wait for it to consume you.

Now, this is what I understood. And I really liked the philosophy behind the book. However, I could not engage with the book as a whole. I lost track of things and the occurrences of events and found myself rereading a few chapters. Of course, it is no fault of the translator. Entirely mine. I might not have started with the right mood and expectations. I was hoping for more of a narrative revolving around the psyche of Josef K rather than the weight of bureaucracy.

Knowing now what The Trial offers, I look forward to revisiting it someday when I'm ready to question the systems around me more deeply. I think I'll find greater meaning in it then.

BookTok actually got it right this time. This book left me with such a heavy heart—I just sat there for ten minutes, not moving. If I had been alone, I probably would have cried.

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of a small part of Greek mythology, focusing on two Greek princes: Achilles and Patroclus. Told from Patroclus' perspective, we follow their journey—from their first meeting, to growing up together, to falling in love. Achilles is destined to be the greatest warrior of the Greeks, while Patroclus is... just Patroclus. Their love story begins in Phthia, takes them to Troy, and eventually leads to the Trojan War.

That's all I'll say about the plot. Even though the ending is obvious, I went in with no knowledge of Greek mythology, and the book still hit me hard. Patroclus' narration is beautiful, and Madeline Miller's writing is effortless yet so powerful. Retelling mythology in a way that feels fresh and personal is no easy task, but she absolutely nails it.

You should read this book. No excuses. Don't worry if you're not familiar with mythology—just focus on the love between Patroclus and Achilles, and the forces that try to keep them apart. It's heartbreaking, but so worth it. Now, I will go to the bathroom and weep.

This is a beautiful story between the Housekeeper and the Professor. One day, the Housekeeper is employed to take care of a maths professor who is in his 60's. Although he doesn't have any physical ailments, he has a condition-his memory resets every 80 minutes. Yes. Exactly 80 minutes. Now, how the Professor manages his life, what kind of impact the Housekeeper leaves on him and what happens when the Housekeeper's 10 year old son who builds a friendship with the forgetting Professor is something you should read for yourself.

I absolutely loved it. I devoured it in like 3 or 4 sittings. This is a very easy and engaging read with only 180 pages. Although the author doesn't dwell much on each character's history, you would not feel disconnected. This book will leave you with smiles, tears and grief too. It is not really sad but yeah, you get it!

If you love A Man Called Ove, I am sure you would love this one too!

Okay, I've just finished Notes from Underground—and wow, this is easily one of the most complex books I've read. To give you some context, I've read The Picture of Dorian Gray and Animal Farm, and compared to those, Notes from Underground feels like a deep dive into the most twisted parts of human psychology. It's not an easy read, but it's fascinating.

So, how to explain this book? Imagine three types of people:
1. A bad person who doesn't realize they're bad, just doing whatever they want without a second thought.
2. A good person who knows what's right and wrong, and chooses to do good because they care about the impact of their actions.
3. And then there's the Underground Man (TUM), who knows exactly what's right and wrong, but deliberately chooses to do wrong—just because he can. He does it to assert his freedom, to feel some twisted sense of superiority, and to mess with people simply because he despises both them and himself.

Picture a moment from your own life where you've disagreed with someone—maybe your parents or a friend—not because you actually believe in your stance, but just out of spite. We've all been there. Now, take that feeling and imagine living your entire life like that—constantly doing things out of spite, sabotaging yourself and others, but being painfully aware of it the whole time. That's TUM in a nutshell.

See, the book is not about how bad TUM is. What according to us (at least me) is a bad person? Someone who doesn't think twice to sabotage others. Well, TUM is that guy and also, he doesn't think twice to sabotage himself! How twisted is that? This book is like a deep dive into his thoughts. He obsesses over every little detail, analyzes his motives very critically, and then, even when he knows he's acting irrationally, he'll go ahead and do it anyway, just to show that he is free to make bad decisions.

He is a man who cannot stand happiness or peace because they make him feel inferior and weak. So.. he destroys any chance of those things just to feel powerful. Notes from Underground is not just a story - it's a deep dive into human nature, free will and self-destruction.

It is a tough read. But is it worth it? Absolutely yes!