I’m sitting in front of my bookshelf that’s messy and unstructured, quite like life itself. Some books are placed perfectly in their place, others have toppled and reshaped themselves, trying to fit in, while some others are holding on to dear life. To squeeze together everything about 2019 in a post is a herculean task. For I can never write in words how much books have changed me inside out, how every story has molded how I view the world and how every character taught me empathy, resilience and love. I quit my job earlier this year to focus on working in the publishing industry. After interning for 3 months at BEE Books , I started working as an Editor which has been a lifelong dream. It was unnerving quitting a full time job to pursue a career in publishing knowing there aren’t many options where I live. I also travelled a lot this year, and spent quality time with family & friends. .
I didn’t write much at all considering it was supposed to be top priority. But hey, it’s never too late to start working on what you want.
In terms of reading, it has been quite a learning experience. I’ve read non-fiction & fiction, each widely contrasting to one another. I’ve had bouts of reading slumps, life getting in between everything, losing motivation et cetera. Through it all, I managed to read 42 books which I’m content with. The quantity doesn’t really matter at the end of the day, but if you want to read as many books as you can in a lifetime, such measures of counting and setting up reading challenges must be employed.
Here are the books I loved and recommended to everyone this year(in no particular order of publication):
- Educated by Tara Westover: If there’s one book you can read this year, let it be this one.
- The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
- My Sister,The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
- The Empty Room by Sadia Abbas
- Small Days & Nights by Tishani Doshi
- Eating Wasps by Anita Nair
- A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Here’s hoping 2020 to be a blessed reading year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
Books & Teaa 