Thoughts on: The Idiot

“It wasn’t the New World that mattered…Columbus died almost without seeing it; and not really knowing what he had discovered. It’s life that matters, nothing but life — the process of discovering, the everlasting and perpetual process, not the discovery itself, at all.” The Idiot is one of Dostoyevsky’s most tragic novels I’ve read so…

2020- A Year in Books

I guess it goes without saying that it’s been a terrible terrible year. Amidst all this turmoil however, books shone through the darkness like a beacon of hope. For many including myself, they offered me comfort, respite and some form of distraction, at least for a little while. Many people quarantined in their homes for…

Literature: A Journey

I have been losing myself in stories since the moment that I learnt to read. Words have embraced me through all my years of growing up and my second home has always been in-between the pages of a book. Through all these years reading has been a constant reminder that I am not alone and…

The Master and Margarita – Mikhail Bulgakov

The Master and Margarita takes place in the same setting where it was written- the USSR at the height of the Stalinist period. During that time, artists had to work under strict censorship and were often subject to imprisonment, exile and sometimes even death. Thus, for Bulgakov, there was never any question of publishing the…

Paintings & Books parallels

What is art if not another form of storytelling? Every frame surrounding a painting is like the cover of a book, forever holding a story in its embrace. It is not surprising then when we are met with this palpable reverential silence in art museums, as people turn in on themselves and allow their minds…

Classics Recommendations

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo "A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in--what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” I'm going to start with the longest book on the list. Les Misérables is one of my all-time favourite books and I don’t have enough words…

London Bookshops

I just got back from a blissful week in London, and I miss this gorgeous city already. While I did visit the city multiple times, this time I wanted to fully indulge my bookish fancies and visit as many bookshops as I could...and buy loads of books in the process! By the end of the…

Thoughts on: A Little Life

It has been such a long time since I've been thoroughly invested in a story, and A Little Life was worth all the angst, tears and hours of lost sleep. Thankfully, this book is over 700 pages long, which meant that I didn't have to part with it too quickly. During the time it took…

Thoughts on: The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.  Le Cirque des Rêves offers an experience that is truly unique and remarkable. Every black and white tent holds a mystery, an extraordinary experience that will leave your senses wanting more. However, behind the scenes there is…