Paint a picture

I'll paint the picture
with one colour,
and a single brush
if you like.
It will be my shades that 
will create the divide.
You'll see the strokes of joy and sorrow.
Add to the mellow glory
Of the life we share.
I'll pick the red from
flurry of evening clouds.
Dip my brush
in feathers of winter notions.
Add shades of Passion
and make a canvas
that rejoices.
I'll watch it bleed,
I'll watch it heal.
The sunset that smiles
With every last breath it breathes.

Evening sky © inkypages

Thank you for your time.

P.S.- The image I added is not edited and it’s without any filter. Pretty, right? 🤗

PASSION

A guilty passion
brews from the dreams,
from the smothered needs.

Would you walk away? or
Would you embrace the inevitable?

BOOK REVIEW: Men without Women by Haruki Murakami

“You are a pastel-colored Persian carpet, and loneliness is a Bordeaux wine stain that won’t come out.”

Stepping into the world of Haruki Murakami is a journey in itself, one which you will neither forget nor regret. The only condition to experience this world is to step into his world with an open mind. Murakami’s writing style in this collection of short stories is a first-person narrative. The seven short stories that make up this collection is a mesmerizing tale of alienation, loss and pain. If you have read Murakami’s earlier works you must be familiar with his peculiar style of writing. The stories are different from each other, yet they carry a vein of familiarity and kinship. This collection of stories present to you emotions like pain and loneliness, yet at the end of each story, you would want to know what happened next. Being a master of open-ended stories and with characters having an offbeat sense of values the author will make you question the sense of right and wrong. This experience would either leave you annoyed or with a bittersweet aftertaste.

Quotes I loved from the book Men without Women

• “Whether you want to or not. But the place you return to is always slightly different from the place you left. That’s the rule. It can never be exactly the same.”
• “I wish there was a machine that could accurately measure sadness, and display it in numbers that you could record. And it would be great if that machine could fit in the palm of your hand. I think of this every time I measure the air in my tires.”
• “If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s not easy to look for it.”
• “dry ground welcoming the rain, he let the solitude, silence, and loneliness soak in.”
• “Dreams are the kind of things you can—when you need to—borrow and lend out,”
• “No matter how empty it may be, this is still my heart.”
• “But the proposition that we can look into another person’s heart with perfect clarity strikes me as a fool’s game.”

Murakami is famous for his dreamlike stories, but this collection is like short fragments of earlier works which remained incomplete. There are moments when you become invested in a story and the story ends abruptly.

Anyway, the book is a series of short stories, I’ve included my ranking for each:
1. Drive My Car – ★★★★
2. Yesterday – ★★★
3. An Independent Organ – ★★
4. Scheherazade – ★★★★
5. Kino – ★★★★
6. Samsa in Love – ★★★
7. Men without Women – ★★★

8 Books for Beginner Readers

Well, I know what you must be thinking that here is one of those articles by those self-professed avid readers or bibliophile ranting about how they love books and that’s why they are here to convince others to read as well.  

Let me start by asking you this, did you ever find yourself feeling lost and bored during this period of self-isolation? Did you feel unproductive during this period? Did you feel caged and stuck? Did you find yourself wishing for this time to be over so that you could run away? If your answer is yes, to any of the above questions, this article is for you. 

To be upfront with you, I am here for the above-mentioned reason, but that is only part of the main reason. The first and the more important cause to write this piece was my chance encounter with a lost soul.

This lost soul was a young man. A passionate photographer and trekker during his free time. With every conversation I had with him, it became clear to me that he was in the middle of a life-crisis. His life seemed to be a mess. With the nation on a lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to do the one thing he loved, going on treks to clear his mind. 

He talked about how he loved being in between of nowhere, the courage it took to complete a challenging trek. I was spellbound throughout most of his adventure stories. 

He told me that the lockdown and all this free time was taking a toll on his mind. One day he asked me, “are you happy?”. I said yes. I wasn’t lying to him but divulging into my existential crisis at that moment and going into the debate of, what do you exactly mean by happy?, didn’t seem to be a good way to go. So, I focused on dealing with him, as he seemed to be in need of a pair of ears to just listen to him. What he said was more important. He just said, he wasn’t happy and he was looking for peace, and all the things in his life didn’t make sense to him. He was planning to switch careers and leave his family business. He was truly lost, both emotionally and psychologically. We all have felt the same at one point in our life. But, the important part is how we spring back on our feet and what will give us the strength and guidance to do the same.

This was the point when I suggested that he should start reading. This was instantly called out by him, to be a cliched advice. I didn’t blame him. I suggested this with no proof. So, this is me building a case for books to entice the lost souls I meet in this journey to join the adventure of becoming a book-loving soul. 

Why is reading important?

1. Reading is not just a hobby to pass time. It is an art and a lifestyle choice. 
2. Mind is a muscle. By this logic, reading books can be called an exercise. So, the next time you are called out for being a lazy bum for sitting on your sofa with a book. Tell them that you are exercising the most important muscle in your body.
3.  Books provide food for thought which helps you to develop your thinking ability to build connections between event. You will be amazed
4. Books make you good at conversations. The wisdom you gather by reading help you gain a diverse perspective on things. 
5. Writing a book takes time and effort, if you read good books by successful people you can be indirectly mentored by them. 

Above mentioned are a few of the arguments to convince you to take up reading as a habit. These 8 books for beginner readers will cater to a wide range of genres and tastes, so that there is something for everybody.

Here are 8 books for beginner readers:

1. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams 
2. Time Stops at Shamli- Ruskin Bond 
3. The Call of the Wild – Jack London 
4. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger 
5. Immortals of Meluha (Shiva Trilogy) – Amish Tripathi
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Series)- J.K. Rowling
7. Little Women- Louisa May Alcott
8. Alchemist- Paulo Coelho

1 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

The story follows the main character Arthur Dent, the last human survivor. Arthur is rescued by Ford Prefect- a human-like alien writer. Arthur is saved moments before Earth is destroyed to build a hyperspace bypass. The characters of the book are easily distinguishable and perfect for a beginner reader to remember. This story will surely make you laugh out loud. For instance, there is a depressed robot by the name Marvin who hates everything. But he will make you laugh at every step. The plot of the story revolves around their adventure, but it the writing style of this book, that you will enjoy the most.

Genre- Comic sci-fi

Themes- adventure, friendship

Published – 1979 

Pages-150

2 Time Stops at Shamli- Ruskin Bond

This is a collection of short stories. The setting includes small towns and villages. The characters are orgainic and relatable. A beginner reader would appreciate the simplicity of this novella. These stories bring out different emotions in a reader. From being nostalgic and dipped in loss and grief, the stories also bring you back to the land of hope and happiness. 

Genre- fiction, short stories 

Themes- lose, happiness

Published-1989

Pages-184

3 Call of the Wild- Jack London 

This story is about a dog. I think this would suffice for all the animal lovers out there to pick up this book. This novella follows the story of a dog named Buck. From living a happy life to be stolen and sold to dog traders. The story is filled with emotions and adventure. This a tale of tenacity and fortitude. 

Genre- Adventure Fiction

Themes- adventure, animals, love, nature.

Published-1903

Pages-172

4 The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger

The protagonist of this novel is a sixteen years old boy named Holden Caulfield. A beginner reader would like the timeless tale of teenage anguish and the feeling of estrangement. The book is narrated by Holden in a stream of consciousness style which engages the readers. The book is easy to follow. You’ll get an insight into a young boy’s mind who thinks he is the superior voice in most rooms. You find the importance of satisfaction in this story. This book will remain relevant to readers of all ages.

Genre- Coming-of-age, fiction

Themes- Growing up, independence, identity.

Published-1951

Pages -277

5 Immortals of Meluha-Amish Tripathi

Set in ancient India which is divided into two kingdoms. The Suryavanshi’s and the Chandravanshi’s. The two clans are always at war with each other. The protagonist of this book is Shiva who is trying to live up to the prophecy of him being the savior of the Suryavanshi’s. As a beginner reader, you will be able to follow the story with ease and also enjoy the meticulously crafted ancient setting of the novel.

Genre- Fantasy Fiction 

Theme- philosophy of good and evil

Published-2010

Pages-415

6 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s- J.K. Rowling (Series)

I am well aware that this is the second time I am sliding in a complete series. I do not have a choice but to coerce you into becoming a Potterhead like me. I am sure many of you must have watched the movies and if that is not the case, I would urge you to pick the first book of the series and start reading it. The people who have watched the movies would also find themselves enjoy the book thoroughly. The first book starts with the story of an orphan named Harry Potter who is living a miserable life. It is on his 11th birthday that a mysterious visitor comes into his life and ushers him into a world of magic and mystery.

Genre-Fiction Fantasy, Mystery, drama

Themes- Coming-of-age, love, good verse evil, loyalty

Published-1997

Pages-309

7 Little Women- Louisa May Alcott

This is a classic and for all you F.R.I.E.N.D.S tv. show fan out there, you owe to Rachel to read this classic once. The book will appeal to readers who grew up with siblings. It is also a coming-of-age story circling the lives four March sisters.

Genre- Coming-of-age

Themes- love, friendship, the importance of family 

Published-1868

Pages-449

8 The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho 

The book is written as an allegory, so this is an extended metaphor for life itself. If you have ever had a dream of becoming something in life and feel unmotivated to achieve it, this is the book for you. There are several lessons to be learnt from this book. The most important being that you create your destiny.

Genre- Fantasy Fiction

Themes- Quest, adventure, wisdom and life 

Published- 1988

Pages-182

So, these are the 8-book recommendation for beginner readers. A new task could be daunting, but it is never too late to acquire a fruitful trait.

Conclusion:

If you are still around and wondering what was the point of the story I shared in the beginning, I am glad you asked. The point of the story was that while we were subjected to a worldwide pandemic and a lockdown with minimal human contact, people were feeling lost and unproductive. I would argue that, though I was anxious and lost, I still felt periods of peace in the refuge of the worlds presented in the above-mentioned books. I read Harry Potter again, read Little women, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and a few other books. The lost soul I mentioned, is not so lost anymore and he is finally a fellow Potterhead. We plan on going on a trek someday and hope the world is a better and braver when we come out of this unfortunate situation. In times like these, we all feel unproductive and bored. Reading could bring calm to the chaos in the soul. It can take you places you dreamt of or to places that you could have never imagined. 

Thank you for reading.