Another Week, Another Stack of Books

Another week went by and I have finished another stack of books – six to be precise. You could call it a reading marathon—except I read multiple books at once, so it’s more like a slow-motion sprint across several tracks.

2025, Week 21

Books  

Finished six  books this week, all in English. First in the list Blindness by Saramago – there have been multiple speculative fiction titles recently from Japan, there was also Solvej Balle ‘s On The Calculation of Volume – many of them made into Booker lists and such, but none of them could do it like Saramago. His command is unmatched. The very choice to portray blindness as white rather than black—it forces you to stop and think: why? Solid five stars. 

American Psycho – We know the Bret Easton Ellis formula by now: wealth, excess, unreliability, violence. And yet American Psycho still hits harder than The Shards, which left me disappointed, by the end. 

Strangers on a Pier was my introduction to Malaysian writer Tash Aw. His grandfather’s migration from mainland China to Malaysia remained a quiet mystery in his early life, and in this book, he attempts to uncover that story—speaking to the man who, like many in his culture, sees the past as something not to be spoken about. It’s a solid, thoughtful, and brief read. I picked up his much-hyped latest book, South, but as is often the case when a new release gets too much attention, I chose to start with an earlier work instead. I’ll come back to South later.

On James Baldwin by Colm Toibin was solemn, reflective piece on a brilliant writer and his politics. another short one but made me wonder when I’ll ever write about a writer with such clarity and insight.

I finished two short story collections this week:-

Accidentals by Guadalupe Nettel – Disappointing overall. Aside from the title story, the rest felt flat—ordinary and forgettable.

Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte –  A fun, satirical take on social media, cancel culture and political correctness. I’ve met every archetype mentioned in this book, online. The final piece—a fictional rejection letter for the book itself—was clever and funny.

There are Irish poetry legends we rarely acknowledge in India. Thomas Kinsella was one; now, Paul Durcan has passed away, and again, silence. He was in the big leagues— Staring out the window three weeks after his death, Max, Going Home to Mayo,Winter, 1949, are some of the poems you can look up online.

Articles 

Here is my favorite literary animal KOK writing about technology – The Reenchanted World, by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Translated by Olivia Lasky, Damion Searls

I some circles Tash Aw is more famous for his articles – https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-stranger-at-the-family-table

Series 

Late in the week finished episode 6 of The Last of Us – Pascal is back. We dive into his past and the tension with Ellie. Felt like the only way to keep the plot moving was emotional fallout—again. Still solid, but predictable.

 The Eternaut – Finished the Spanish Netflix series, then picked up the graphic novel of the same name by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López. Spoiler alert: the major twist in the series is revealed in the first few pages of the book. yet to finish. 

Movies 

 Mission Impossible, Unfortunately, a letdown. Even the climactic aerial fight felt drawn-out and poorly edited. Nothing stuck.

Music 

Laura Marling: find of the week – I Was an Eagle, Hope in the Air, Doll.

Sutej Singh (Instrumental): A pleasant surprise(Indian shredding it on electric guitar?). Quietly powerful.