rajitha sanaka

A wonderful read, that’s what The Fox Wife is! I took a long time to read it, but it is one of those books you can finish in one or two sittings. It is entertaining, fast-paced, and draws you into the magical world of foxes. Part of the story is narrated by a female fox, Yuki, who shapeshifts into a human and sets out to avenge the death of her child. The pursuit of her killer takes her from Northern China to Japan as she finds work as the caretaker for the wife of a well-known Chinese medicine shop owner, Tagtaa. The family has a curse, which is an integral part of the story. (Obviously!) Meanwhile, Bao, a cute, gentle, righteous detective who never lies and can distinguish lies from the truth, is pursuing Yuki for a different reason. Bao also happens to be Tagtaa’s childhood friend. Fox gods, fox spirits, and fox men are the foundation of their friendship. There are fox-men for us too – Shiro and Kuro – handsome, elegant, charming, attractive, and strong. I loved the book, or may be the foxes charmed me into loving it, anyway it was a great experience!

I just finished re-reading this book, almost 10 years later and it was a beautiful experience. Again. The characters and the storytelling drew me in. I took a long time to finish the and there were days I didn’t read it but the characters were always on my mind. I thought about them often, with a longing, wanting to go back into their world. This is a common experience for me every time I read Adichie! What a story teller! 💁🏽‍♀️ The book is set in the backdrop of the Nigerian Civil War and traces the lives of twin sisters Olanna and Kainene. Their contrasting life choices come together thanks to the war. I fell in love with Kainene once again, for her strength and her resilience but more cause of her boldness, her straightforward, unfiltered nature. Every single character is note worthy for their raw, humanness. I love it dearly. And I’m glad I read it again. One complaint: People must not create beautiful characters and make them leave. It’s tragic. And it hurts. A LOT. That’s it.

In one of the early chapters in the book, the narrator talks about the warmth and the peace she feels in her home, while she stands in the kitchen, sipping tea with a view of her grand garden. It is a beautiful house, with a charming personality, a vintage home with a history. Every feature of the house perfectly matched my taste, of my dream home. I put the book aside, made a note about how I would love to live in a house like that and went on with my life! But as I got through the rest of the book, I changed my mind. I had no choice really! September arrived and as the narrator nonchalantly moved through the house, I freaked the fuck out! My heart was pounding, I was gasping now and then, slept poorly one night, but by the end of it, I was mighty impressed that a debut author was able to make me feel so many feelings! Without spoiling anything let me tell you, the house is haunted, there are rules, pranksters and the most terrifying of all things, human monsters! Warnings: 1. Read when the sun is up. 2. Take deep breaths. 3. Give yourself permission to shut the book now and then. 4. Have a bottle of water close. 5. Don’t read before going to sleep. 6. See if you can get a support group!

This is the first book I finished in 2024. It is a great book, no doubt. There is a lot to learn, a lot to think about and a lot to process! It will shake you up a bit. Palestine is a graphic memoir by Maltese journalist Joe Sacco, who spent a couple of months in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank back in 1991-92 to understand the ground reality of the Israel-Palestine situation (I mean the age-old, ongoing genocide of Palestinians.) Sacco is a talented story teller, there is no question. His visuals are powerful and the simplistic method, which seems like a peek into his notebook, lends the most powerful connection a reader can have with a writer. Here and there, we also get to see short reflections of Sacco that reminded me of my past life – when I was a journalist. One of the most striking reminders was how the pursuit of the story makes you go on with the single focus of getting as much information as you can while making mental notes of what might be the most enticing bit for the audience. We must forget we are human beings with feelings, be objective but also be empathetic, or the essence of the story is lost. Or no one can see it in the first place! This book is an education. For sure. But it is also unsettling that we have to read books like this one. That a book such as this one was written in the first place. I understand the power of stories. Yes, how else will we learn about what is happening around us, but what really has changed over the last 30 years? Isn’t it worse now? The chapter before the last one in the book is a reflection of the current situation. I urge you to read the book.

“A pulse-pounding psychological thriller about a serial killer narrated by those closest to him.” This sentence sums up the book. It’s been a while I read a crime thriller and this one blew my mind! It is a gripping read, can give you nightmares (I did have nightmares), some sleepless nights and can also traumatise you, a bit, may be. All this means the writer did a fantastic job at writing a psychological thriller, a debut novel at that! The serial killer, Aidan is a charming, soft, hardworking, caring, well-mannered widower and father of a 13-year-old, to the world. The town loves him. In the parallel life that he is living, he rapes, kills, tortures and controls his hostage until she learns that he killed several other women and her fate is decided too! The story is told from different points of view, and each one shows us a different shade of his. You want to scream and tell everyone about his double life but the writer did a wonderful job at bringing it all together. The ending is impressive. Gave me peace. I also loved the writer’s narration style, where she doesn’t reveal everything yet conveys a lot.

The book cover is beautiful, intriguing and all over the internet. I was curious but also sceptical to pick it up because the internet is a weird place. Bestsellers are often the worst! But not 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦, no. I liked it so much, I force-gifted a copy to my friend. I'm like 99% sure that she will enjoy it. I think she will stay up all night to finish it. 😜 I carried the book in hand, everywhere, and enjoyed all the attention the book cover got! I felt cool, like those #coolgirlsreadingbooks types! 🫢 Now, what is soooo great about this book. 1. The book cover. I want to wear it! 😂 2. The title. The author made the concept of yellow face relevant to the current times with the book publishing industry as the background. It sounds simple, but the storytelling makes you go ‘wow’ at like a million moments. 3. The storytelling. 90% of the book is the conversations the lead character has in her head. And it just doesn’t get boring. It is racy and keeps your heart rate up! The author calls it a ‘horror story’, and it sure feels like that. 4. The themes. Racism. Cultural appropriation. And the workings of the American book publishing industry. Definitely opened my mind, while giving me A-class entertainment. 5. The lead character. I was repeatedly shocked by the brazenness of the character, June Hayward, aka Juniper Song Hayward. I softened a bit as the story progressed, but she is a talented manipulator! 😂 A finely crafted character! Yes, the 2nd lead is equally notorious, but she's not the storyteller here, so I’ll let that be.

I read this book and now you don't have to read it. 🙂 The book cover is pretty. The book, meh! The storyline lacks depth and the characters are weak, disguised as "messy and alive". It's a breezy, vacation read, but only if you don't have any other choice. 🥴 That's it.

I saw Adichie celebrating 10 years of the novel 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘩, the book that shot her to global fame a few days ago and felt a gush of nostalgia. I was excited about the edition's book cover and the new foreword she wrote for it. Without a second thought, I decided to re-read it. I was in a reading slump and felt strongly that this one would get me out of it and it did! Here I am, out of my slump and back, excited about books, reading them and writing about them. Here are 3 reasons why you must read A𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘩: 1. It is an education. 2. It is feminist writing at its best. 3. It is a great love story.

This is a book for the female collective. It's not just a regular feminist spin off of Sita's life. It's much more nuanced with other mythological characters crossing paths with Sita, showcasing sisterhood, love, respect and looking out for Sita, and by extension women like me. ♥️ Volga projects the incredible wisdom and resilience of Soorpanaka, Ahalya, Renuka, Urmila, Sita, while acknowledging patriarchy's unreasonable definition of manliness through Rama's voice. Books like this still keep me alive, give me a reason to savour life while I battle with patriarchy everyday!

"Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language." Re-reading this essay coincided with my grief of losing something just a few days ago and yes, I have been grasping for a language to deal with all the different emotions -- pain, fear, anger, embarrassment, rejection, pity, shock, and also a little bit of relief. When so many emotions hit you at once, yes, you're grasping for a language to make sense of them. But, there is also hope, an emotion that serves well in many situations (definitely not in the case of a loved one leaving us, don't get me wrong). So, for my situation, despite my loss, I'm choosing to be hopeful. 😊 Also, no loss is too small or too big. Now coming to the main part: I re-read this essay along with the #thimphubookclub. It is therapeutic and I definitely recommend it.