I read the book "The Love Hypothesis"

I finished reading the book on June 3, 2022 somewhere around midnight! 

 

Image: From GoodReads page

It just took longer for me to sit down and finish reading a book, and it happened to be that "The Love Hypothesis" happened to be the one book I finished after a long time. Everyone has a reason for reading a book. For me, I liked Richa's book review and went for this one and borrowed one from the library. The book reached our house via the Corvallis benton County library's home delivery support the second week of May. Well! Perks of being a Ph.D. student is that you hardly finish reading your book and are never able to finish those and you end up barely reading for pleasure. I remember Suman saying this- PhD is so intense I hardly read for pleasure. Well, I have stopped having any time for anything for long. Maybe time management is my weakness. I really need to work on this and be able to manage things, read and work. this is for some other time- that how I mess things up. For now about books.

Well, my fascination with getting the books from the library never ends, and thus this book came home too. One thing that drew me to the book was the life of a PhD student and the academic life in general. I finished the read yesterday (June 3, 2022) in a couple of sittings before my finals week because I just needed this liberation of my thoughts to gather and work for the week ahead! It made me realize I can finish books in 5-7/8 hours. It's been a while since I did that!

I could relate to so many instances. Like the one as follows (such important one to think abut when doing research). Need to be kept in mind always.

And at many points, I saw AJ as the professor giving suggestions to their students. Why they are the way they are.

Academia is heart-wrenching at many times. You feel like a fool when you don't know but there are some who are supportive as well as a critique. So, so be it. There are times when you don't know the things you don't know and you will slowly know and move ahead. You will keep fighting the way you do.

It's tough. But maybe it will keep getting easier. Will take time but maybe it will. 

Metta!
Images: Shot by me from the book (Image 1, 2 & 3: Pg 89, 119 & 120 respectively)

Read more

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad: A Review!

The book :-)! PC: @KanchanOjha

After Pyjamas are Forgiving and Matilda , The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad stands to be the third book I finish this year. Thanks to @TwinkleKhanna who binds with her writes. A continuous three hours of sitting and the book was done. This is what I like about the book;

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad is a compilation of four different stories from India. There's disparity in all the four stories, with an only similarity that each story ends with a strong message. 

The first story starts with "The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad." This is the story of the vibrant Lakshmi Prasad-a girl who changed the view of the village at how they perceived girls. The metamorphosis of a girl child from burden to celebration is the limelight of the story. The spotlight for me remains the ritual of planting trees under girls name.

Second story is of sixty-eight-year-old Noni Appa in "Salaam Noni Appa" where the author portrays elderly life. The difficulties and challenges of elderly life is versed well in the story. The complications of relations and what matters to us at the end adds to the flavor. 

Independent Elisa in "If the Weather Permits" holds the burden of the societal norms as the keepsake. There's a tussle between absurd norms and a glee life-where Elisa fights for her covets, failing each time. 

Finally Bablu Kewat plays "The Sanitary Man from a Sacred Land". He fights for giving women a hygienic and comfortable life by introducing cheap sanitary pads to the poorest of females. Amidst this fight he was left alone, ostracized and abandoned by family and peers. Yet with a narrow escape he conquered. A story of self-defiance, struggle and victory also based on the true story of Arunachalam Murunganantham.

From fluttering in the paddy fields to driving a dented white fiat and from becoming a carefree young one to an ambitious one, the author binds you to her write with a great visual detail. I give a 3.5 ***  

Happy Reading :-)!

Also find the review @GoodReads

Metta !!

Read more