Skip to main content

Books I read in 2023

It still feels 2024 just kicked in. But we are almost at the verge of the second month. Most of us begin every year with a set of new resolutions, but they aren't for me. I once tried to welcome a brand new year with lots of hope and a list of action items. I couldn't achieve even one. So why unnecessarily pressurize myself. That was the first and last time I made a new year resolution. 

Leaving aside the so called resolutions, year on year, I definitely look up to reading books regularly. Last couple of years had been good. But in 2023, with a lot happening on my personal front, I could only finish a handful of books, most of which I have already shared my review on this site. So for 2024, I have a different approach to enable me read more. I will explain more on that while I write about my first read of 2024.

For now, here is a quick recap of the books I read in 2023. In this post, I am also sharing the navigation to detailed synopsis and my review for all those books. Hope you like it!!

House of Cards: This book is written by Mrs. Sudha Murty. It is the story of Mridula who wishes to lead a simple life. She marries a like-minded person Sanjay, who eventually becomes a money-minded and greedy person succumbing to illegal ways to multiply his riches. This causes a rift in their family life. The book deals with simple yet a very strong subject which is quite relatable. Click here to read the synopsis and review.

The Henna Artist: A fictional story written by Alka Joshi, set up in Jaipur, a beautiful city in India. The lead character Lakshmi leaves her village and strained marriage and settles down as a renowned henna artist amongst the elite circle in Jaipur. But one fateful incident makes her life miserable and forces her to leave Jaipur and quit painting henna. How she bounces back and regains her stand in life is the story. This is another women centric and powerful story, which is sure an inspiration to anyone who reads. You can find my detailed review in this link.

Everything I Never Told You: Celeste Ng is the author of this book. It is a fictional family drama of a mixed race family, whose daughter is found dead in a lake near their home. The author made a wonderful attempt to detail the dreams, emotions and inner struggles of the family members in their own voices. If you wish to read the full synopsis and my review, click here.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: This is the true story of a women student who became an entrepreneur when Kabul entered into a politically unsafe situation under the Taliban rule. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon did a fantastic job in documenting Kamila's life. Through this book, she spoke about the importance of girl child's education and woman's financial freedom - two essentials for defining any nation's development. The synopsis is available in this link.

California Summer: Written by Anita Hughes, California Summer is a romantic novel set up in a small beach town. After an unexpected break up with her college sweet heart, Rosie moves to a beach town, to find the true purpose and love in her life. It has a wonderful story, strong characterizations and a great message to the readers - "finding happiness within", making it a perfect beach read. Click here to read the full synopsis and review.

The Invisible Girl: I picked this book after coming across a series of great reviews about Lisa Jewell's work. It is a thriller in which a young girl goes missing. Police suspects a teacher who lives in the same street as her is responsible for the disappearance. Answers to "Why and how the girl went missing, who did it and what happened to her" is precisely the story. I didn't particularly like this book, as the narration was dull, dragging and not compelling enough, given the hype about the author and her novels. So I didn't even bother to write an exclusive post on it.  

The Joy of Less: Authored by Francine Jay, the Joy of Less is a book on minimalism. In this book, Francine explains the concept of minimalism and means to adopt it in simple terms. If you are inquisitive to know about minimalism or unsure where and how to start decluttering, this is the book you should refer to. You can read the complete synopsis and review here.

Like what you read? Follow me on YouTube for fresh videos and updates on every new post!

Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2024 at 12:19 PM

    Nice list of books you read... Keep reading

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Anex Monkey Smart Watch

Hello Readers,  Welcome back. While browsing through a weekly flyer by Canadian Tire, my eyes got hold of a smart watch, primarily for its name - Monkey Smart Watch. It's original price was $89.99. On account of Father's Day, the price was slashed 70% and offered for just $24.99 (from June 9th to June 16th).  As it was listed on Canadian Tire website, I thought the product should be genuine and googled to know more about the product. But there weren't sufficient reviews online. So I decided to try it myself and booked it online. This smart watch was launched in the last quarter of 2021 as Anex Monkey Smart Watch. Last year, it had been sold for just $19.99 as part of Black Friday deal. Even after 5 days of waiting, Canadian Tire didn't process my order. On the other hand, the stock was vanishing real quick and only 80 watches were available in our near by store. When checked with their customer service executive, I was told to cancel my online order or wait until they p...
32 comments
Read more

5 Magical Christmas Books for Kids: Perfect for Holiday Story Time

It's the holiday season and what better way than to spend reading those magical Christmas stories to your kids. Whether you have a cozy story time by snuggling under the blanket or read the book sipping hot chocolate by the side of the fireplace or just before tucking your little ones to bed, these wonderful books are sure to bring joy and lots of Christmas cheer to your little one(s) and your family.  I also have some exciting ideas for you to make the most of this holiday season, along with creative tips to keep your kids happily engaged during the winter break. Do check out the below articles. I am sure you will find them useful. Things to do during Christmas Activities to engage kids during winter break Winter worksheets for kids Now, let's dive into the books that are going to win those tiny hearts and spark their imagination this holiday.  1. How Many Sleeps Till Christmas: This heartwarming kid's book is written Mark Sperring and Sebastien Braun. It is the story of...
8 comments
Read more

Gearing up for First day of School

The day you first held your little one, the first time he smiled at you, those first steps, first tears, first words, first bike ride... You would have experienced countless firsts with your child so far. Before you knew it, your kid is just few days away from a very important milestone - his first day of school.  If your kid is starting kindergarten this academic year, I totally feel you. I was in the same state of mind, exactly an year ago. After tending to my son for more than 3 years, that too as a stay at home mom, he is very attached to me. I was with him literally 24 x 7, except for those very few minutes I sneak into the washroom. The thought of how he would survive those 7 hours of school without me, haunted me for days. Next his preparedness to face the whole new world (without us) was dreadful. I had infinite questions/ doubts in my head. It is quite natural if you have an endless loop going on in your head. In this post, I sum up my experience of preparing my child and ...
8 comments
Read more

Book: To All The Boys I've Loved Before

It's been a very long time since I read a romantic novel. I came across this book and looking at the title, felt it should be interesting. True to my intuition, "To all the boys I've loved before" written by Jenny Han , was an enjoyable read.                                                               Just to give a sneak peak into the novel, it is the story of a teenager named Lara Jean. She is the middle one amongst three sisters and has a habit of writing love letters to the boys she has a crush on. Instead of giving it to the boys, she secretly stores them in a hatbox in her room. One day her younger sister, posts all those letters to the boys. Amongst those letters, one was addressed to their elder sister's boyfriend. Rest of the story is how Lara handles the consequences and stops the impend...
8 comments
Read more

First snowfall in 2021

First snow fall at our place, was technically yesterday. But all we had was only flurries (light shower of snow). Today though we had flurries since morning, the real deal started now. Yay, it is snowing. This is just the beginning for the season. Sharing a glance of the snow fall for my readers.  I had my first snow experience in the USA and it was surreal for a person like me, who hails from one of the hottest places in India. First time snow is always fun. But honestly, it isn't as enticing as it appears. Especially, commutation becomes really challenging during and after snowfall and this season witnesses a lot of road accidents. Cleaning snow is a very critical task and physically tiring. It is a punishable offence if we don't clean up snow on our cars before hitting the roads. Personally I am not a fan of bundling up, but we are left with no choice, if we have to step out.  Irrespective of all these, year on year I look forward to snowfall and marvel at it.  Follow ...
5 comments
Read more