Reading Update January, February & March 2018

Hi guys! I hope you are all doing very well. I have just been a little busy lately and could not manage to post anything here. Today, however, I felt like I had to talk about the books that I have been reading for the past few months because it's been literally ages. I initially wanted this post to be about the books that I am currently reading, but then I felt like it would be unfair to the books that I have already finished since the start of this year and haven't had the chance to talk about. So, in this post, I am going to tell you guys about all the books that I have read since the start of 2018, as well as the books that I have been reading but haven't finished yet. So, here goes the list:

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker

Okay so we had this book in our university course but I never got to read it thoroughly because of shortage of time, and more importantly, to enjoy as much as I wanted to. At the time I was more concerned with reading all the critical interpretations of the work and although I skimmed through it as much as I could, I still feel like I didn't give the novel enough time and attention.

For some unknown reason, however, I just kept wanting to read it again even though I've got plenty of newly bought books at my shelf. So, I finally decided to give it a go. I think what kept me from reading it for so long was that I always thought that I should finish the books that I have already started and when I did finish those, I would go on to pick up a new one and forget about Dracula once again. Not this time though! I started reading it and finally managed to finish it which I'm very happy about. 

For those of you who do not like to read long books, this one is probably not for you. It has about 500 pages but let me tell you that it is completely worth your time. If you are a fan of Gothic literature then this is something that you'll enjoy very much and if you're not, then this is a great book to get yourself introduced to the amazing genre of Gothic fiction. What made the read even more amazing was the fact that I usually read it during night time. I was actually scared pretty much all the time. 

So, the novel is about Jonathan Harker's, an Englishman, journey into dark, strange land of Transylvania to meet the even stranger persona of Count Dracula at his castle. Everything about the journey is so mysterious and scary including the frightened fellow passengers in the coach, the howling wolves that appear out of nowhere, and the gargantuan mountain of Transylvania. The novel gets darker and darker as the protagonist realizes that Dracula in fact possesses supernatural qualities and seems to want to hold him hostage in his castle for no apparent reason. I don't want to spoil the novel for anyone who might be interested in reading the novel so I shall stop talking about the plot now. 

Overall I loved reading the novel. The way Stoker has symbolically represented the inner recesses of human mind is just amazing. His novel makes a comment on how human lust knows no bounds and how deep down every man is essentially a monster craving for domination over others. It also presents a subtle critique on the power-relations of human society. Moreover, the novel is concerned with the Victorian ideal of female sexuality. It shows how the female identity in the Victorian England was reduced to either an "angel in the house' or a Medusa. Dracula actually personifies the ever strengthening female sexuality as the threat to masculine ego in particular and the patriarchal society in general.

I really recommend this novel to all of you and I hope that you guys will love it as much as I did. 

2. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin

First of all, I received this collection of short stories as a new year gift and I am very thankful for that. I think books are one of the best gifts to give to someone you love and care about. So when I got it, along with some other books, I intended to read it sometime in the future because I was already reading a few books at the time. I had no intentions to start reading it straight-away, let alone finish it in a matter of days. I just wanted to get a sneak peek of what the book felt like and started reading the first short story and I was hooked INSTANTLY!! I just loved the simple tone of it so much that I was eager to finish it all in one go. I didn't do that though, I put if off for a few days and tried to read other books but I just couldn't get it off my mind. I finally gave up just devoured the whole of it in a go. 

These short stories basically set all in Punjab, Pakistan and all of them are related to each other because of one central character of the Feudal family of K. K. Harouni yet you not have to read all of them to make sense of any individual one. I liked that idea of having a connection between all the stories because I feel like it gives it more of a context. 

The novel mainly focusses on the women of Pakistani society, both belonging to the upper and lower classes, maneuver their way into the power structure by using sex as a tool. Mueennudin also depicts how corruption seeps through all the layers of society and also a complete abeyance of law and order in the face powerful influence. And through all this conundrum of power and corruption, you get to experience the vivid depictions of social, political and economic life of Pakistan.          

3. The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed

This made an extra-ordinary read in the month of February. The Collaborator is a story about a young Kashmiri lad, also the narrator of the novel, who gets to experience the conflict in the Indian Occupied Kashmir unfold before his eyes. The novel explores the various aspects of the resistance movement in the occupied region and how it impacts the lives of common people in Kashmir. It sheds light upon various approaches to the armed struggle against the brutalities of the Indian Army and its many repercussions. The narrator also reflects upon how the infiltration of weapons and militants from across the Line of Control helps worsen the situation in Kashmir for ordinary people.

The unnamed narrator of the book is shown to be consumed in a psychological dilemma as all of friends disappear one by one to join the struggle for freedom and cross the border to Pakistan to receive training. He feels betrayed by his friends as they other him by not letting him join them in their journey but also, at the same time, feels uncertain about the prospect of abandoning one's village to take up violent resistance. The novel also highlights the effects of these boys' crossing the border on their families left behind. 

This was indeed a heartbreaking read and I would tell you guys to read the novel if you want to know more about the serious humanitarian crisis going on in Kashmir from the point of view of a Kashmiri writer.

4. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan

This is another book that I am currently reading and enjoying. I bought this one a few months ago and had no idea about it whatsoever. Fortunately, it turned out to be an exceptionally interesting read. I like to read history books that are told like a story because that makes them so much more easy to read and remember. This one is just like that. 

More importantly, it discards the anglo-centric view of history and brings a fresh perspective to it where the East occupies the centre stage. One thing that I have loved the most about it is its account of the influence of the civilizations of the East on the West and vice versa. One gets to know so much about the origins of so many different traditions and rituals. I am still in the beginning chapters of it but would love to give you guys an review of this book once I have finished it.

That's it for this post guys. I am reading a few more books too these days but I will discuss in one of the future post. I hope you like this one, see you soon, Goodbye!!