A few weeks ago, I borrowed Dear Girls from my local library, thinking about how Ali Wong was a badass woman, an inspiration, and wanting to see what she had to say. Dear Girls, her memoir, is a letter to her daughters in which she recollects things she’s done in her life. She warns them not to read the book before they turn 21 and I agree one hundred percent because boy, oh, boy, there’s some stuff that’s not share-worthy at all. Especially not to one’s daughters. But going into the book, I had some really high expectations – from the book, from actor Ali Wong, and from comedian Ali Wong, and from writer Ali Wong.
Tag Archives: Nonfiction
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf | Book Discussion / Thoughts | Part 2
A few months ago, I talked about one of my very first books of 2022: Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. It wasn’t a review, for how can I review a book of that stature? As it stands tall and stands up for women through time and space? As it calls out the misogyny and sexism that we have come to take as ‘normal’? As it shows us why Virginia Woolf is a much-loved figure in English literature? How could I have done all that? No, never in a thousand lives! I merely took my favorite quotes from the book and wrote a piece about why Woolf is so relevant. A book discussion/thoughts of sorts. That was part 1.
And here, finally, is part 2.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf | Book Discussion / Thoughts | #Blogtober22 – Day 20
Earlier this year, I had the extremely transformative experience of reading Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. I didn’t think it would affect me the way it did, especially since Woolf’s To the Lighthouse was a disappointing one for me. But as I progressed with A Room of One’s Own, I was consumed by it. I read in awe as Woolf detailed the sexism that women writers face in a time when women didn’t have the freedom to do as they wanted. So many scathing points written sometimes with detached politeness, other times with undisguised annoyance, and at yet others narrated stoically – they sit with you for all of eternity, like they’ve settled down in my mind.
And what a way to condense the book into one sentence:
A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.
In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri and its Themes | Book Discussion
When I read Jhumpa Lahiri’s memoir, In Other Words, in which she shares her journey of learning Italian, it was as if she was echoing my deepest, darkest fears. With the themes she tackles throughout the book, of immigration, of even sexism and colorism, she brings so many relatable concepts to the fore. Because when you start learning a new language, you not only discover how the different parts of the world are different. You also learn more about yourself, the grit and determination that constitute you, what your actual goals are, what you want to do with life, where you want to be at any given moment in time, and why you want to do whatever it is you want to do.
Nectar of All World Religions: 1000 Selections from 11 Spiritual Traditions by Ishwar Joshi Awalgaonkar | Book Review
Religion can be a tricky path to navigate, because the more you discover, the more you tend to become confused as to which is the right one. But there is no right one. Just one that you feel most comfortable and at home in, which helps you grow and makes you a better person as much as it pulls devotion out of you. So what do we do when we are this confused? Should we flit from religion to religion? Or should we randomly choose a religion based on how many tenets of it we like? Or can we get the best of all worlds?
Ishwar Joshi Awalgaonkar answers these questions in his second book, ‘Nectar of all World Religions’.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot | Book Review
I had heard about this non-fiction book and that it was simply amazing but I had never heard of Henrietta Lacks before. When I hadn’t read this, I went, “What is this book?” And when I finished it, I went, “Why didn’t I know about Henrietta Lacks when the whole world knows about her now?”
Unstoppable by Maria Sharapova | Book Review
Before I say anything else, let me get this out of the way: I’ve got a whole new level of admiration for Maria Sharapova now that I’ve read her autobiography!
“The ITF didn’t draw any attention to the fact that they were suddenly banning a supplement that was being legally used by millions of people. That was their mistake.”
Commentary on Sita Returns by Charu Walikhanna – Part 2
Part 2 of my rant on the issues pointed out in the book, Sita Returns: Modern India Through Her Eyes by Charu Walikhanna.
Commentary on Sita Returns by Charu Walikhanna – Part 1
Part 1 of my rant on the issues pointed out in the book, Sita Returns: Modern India Through Her Eyes by Charu Walikhanna.
The Invention of Everything – Insights on Life, Food, and One Good Thermos by Everett De Morier | Book Review
The thing about today’s world is that it is lost in a haze of mindless competitions and artificial nourishments. What if we actually do something to rectify this situation? With this, too, there is a problem. We have the right intent to do something that will make our lives easier, but most importantly, as the author says in this book, the lives of those around us easier. Because isn’t that what a good life is all about? Keep your comforts but make sure they don’t cause any discomfort to those around you.
The Melodramatic Bookworm 