8 Things To Do In 2020 - Year in Review (Part 1)

Hello Readers! We are now toward the end of the year! I feel like both ‘where did the year go?’ and ‘how is it possible that it happened this year? It was ages ago’ to be extremely normal. It is especially suitable for the year 2020! I constantly feel like some of the books I read this year, I had actually read years ago! While being mentally stuck in March, physically we are in December. Given how crazy the year was, I completely understand that it is only human for me to not have completed my 2020 Goals.

I started the year with ’20 Things to do in 2020’ & then amended it to only ‘8 Things to do in 2020’! So, here is a gentle reminder that it is perfectly okay if you did not achieve the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Here’s to all of us because we survived the year! 2020 struck with all its confusion, ambiguity, fear, stress, anxiety, but it also gave us time, opportunities, faith, lessons & infinite strength to cope with everything that life has to throw at us! Here’s to all of us!

Having said that, I am super proud of myself this year. I achieved 7 out of my 8 Goals! Because I had a lot of time, I used it to read books & write book reviews. This is why, I had no anxiety on achieving 2 of my goals which were to Read 75 Books & Write 50 Blog Posts! Also, with that time, I took to the kitchen & finally learnt some basic & some fancy meals to prepare! While I can now bake a cake, I can also make Chapatis! I also set a low bar for doodling this year, which was to doodle twice a month. I may not have done it every month, but I have 24 doodles! Means do not always need to justify the end, right?

Moving on to one of the more interesting things : Taking a photo every day! I still can’t quite believe how I managed to do this with being stuck at home for 9 months! This sure helped to access the creative side in me & also kept me entertained throughout the year!

I also started doing chores on a regular basis! For a 26-year old, it should be second nature, but still proud of this! And, I also achieved 2 of my personal goals this year, of which 1 I had removed, but somehow that worked out for me! Yay!

And now moving to the one thing I did not do : Writing 2 short stories. I sure had the time, but I used it to read something already written, instead of writing something of my own. But, that’s okay. There’s always tomorrow! Only happy vibes in December!

So, this is me starting the first post of the ‘2020 Year in Review’ posts! Stay tuned to know the best books, best web series, top posts of the year & finally a concluding post straight from my heart!

Until next time,

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult Book Review!

Hi Readers! Finally got a bit of time this weekend to write this much awaited review! This was the first time I read one of Jodi Picoult’s books. Given that it was a war-time historical fiction made it even more interesting to read. I bought the hard cover version which had 446 pages, which made my interest pique even more! When I picked up the book, I read straight for 100 pages & once I was in that depth, I knew it would only get better & so it did! Check out the review below!

 

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

“Some stories live forever . . .

Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t, and they become companions.

Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret—one that nobody else in town would ever suspect—and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. When does a moral choice become a moral imperative? And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy?

In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths we will go in order to protect our families and to keep the past from dictating the future.”

~~CHARACTERS~~

The Book is divided into 3 Parts with the highlight in each part being a different person & their story. We have Sage Singer who is the protagonist of the novel. She is your underdog; the one who has major insecurities, who is shy to talk to people & who prefers being on her own. There is an incredible character growth in Sage which I enjoyed reading, especially because it is so subtle. All the while, we are reading stories of other people where Sage is not in the forefront & yet when we conclude the book, it is obvious how much her character has developed.

Part 1 focuses on Josef Weber & his story. The Josef Weber in the present is this kind old neighborly gentleman who teaches kids German. So, when he discloses the big secret that he was a Nazi SS soldier in WWII, it completely shifts the reader’s perspective of him. We hear his story from his childhood up until the period he served under Hitler & finally till the present. He is a man who I was unable to figure out, no matter how much I dissected his character. He had a closed mind, was selfish & had no emotions whatsoever in his early life. Despite this, his story of him as a Nazi was somehow incredibly humanized to make the reader feel uncomforted & it sure worked!

Part 2 focuses on Sage’s sweet old grandmother Minka & her story. We see Minka when she was a little girl, how she had a best friend & a boy she liked before everything went to shit & then how she survived the war. Minka’s story is a big one & also very moving. We see Minka suffer through it all with all her close people being taken away from her & yet she stays strong through it all. She is a woman with dauntless courage, insurmountable hope & positivity & a miraculous zest for life!

~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~

When you read such a complex story intertwined with philosophy, it is only natural that you are going to need a few days to process the book. I finished reading The Storyteller 2 weeks ago & I am still gathering all these infinite thoughts I had about the book.

~~WRITING~~

As I mentioned above, the book is divided into 3 parts with different sub-stories in each which connects to the main story. In the first part, we get to know Sage & Josef. The chapters here were from point of views of multiple characters – Sage, Josef & Leo. This is why, this part was my favourite because there was a good balance between all the characters. The breaks from one person’s dialogues to other’s were essential & held my interest.

Part two was only & only Minka’s story. It was a pretty BIG MONOLOGUE, unlike the writing in part one. While Minka’s story had a lot of interesting curves, it was still a bit of a challenge to read it because after a point it became somewhat monotonous. If the writing here would even have been from point of views of Minka, Darija & people from her earlier life, it would have become easier to read. Also, even though Minka was a victim & Josef was a Nazi soldier, the writing was such that it made me empathize with Josef & find his story to be more sentimental.

Part three, to me, felt a little extended. There were details that could be edited, but overall it rounded the story very well in this part of the book.

In conclusion, I think it was a genius move on the author’s part to make the evil seem more human than the victim. Even in my head I was not able to accept this for a while, but now after reading the whole book, I can say so here.

~~PREDICTABILITY~~

In terms of predictability, there was always the one big question from the beginning – Will Sage help Josef die? And I knew she would. That aspect was quite predictable even with the twists toward the end. Apart from this, the only unpredictable factor is at the absolute end. Now, I am a thorough reader, which is why I spotted that ‘particular error’ while reading it first-hand. I have no idea how an FBI detective could have missed it in the story. The author probably did a good effort to end the story the way it did, and I enjoyed that twist. But, I already foresaw it, so it didn’t have a surprise factor for me.

~~PHILOSOPHICAL TOUCH~~

Now, this was an aspect I wasn’t REALLY expecting. That’s why it made all the more sense to have it in the story. It was intriguing how Sage was trapped in dilemmas on whether to help Josef die or not. All the morals that came into it were described so well. The light & shadow game of words & thoughts between forgiveness & mercy was something I found was a classic touch to an otherwise amazingly written novel.

~~CHARACTER-DRIVEN~~

The Storyteller was an exceptional character-driven novel. From Sage Singer to Josef Weber to Minka to Leo to Mary to Ania! No matter how small a character was, they all had DEFINING ARCS, which made the story come out live in front of the reader!

 

Jodi Picoult’s The Storyteller is engaging, perspective-driven & character-driven with a beautiful playful game of words in the philosophical sense. I have rated The Storyteller at 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

Until next time,

Last Book Haul of the Year!

Hi Readers! How are you all? Well, I forgot to tell you about all the books I bought in November. So, here’s a combo post of my recent book purchases last month & this month. I do a lot of research into buying books now that I have read my fair share of bad books. So, I am hoping that from all these EIGHT BOOKS, I will enjoy at least more than half of them! Check out the fab list!

 

~~LINCOLN IN THE BARDO BY GEORGE SAUNDERS~~

This historical fiction novel has been on my TBR for a long time. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2017. It has all three aspects about a novel that I LOVE: Historical Fiction. War. Literary Award Winner. Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“In his long-awaited first novel, American master George Saunders delivers his most original, transcendent, and moving work yet. Unfolding in a graveyard over the course of a single night, narrated by a dazzling chorus of voices, Lincoln in the Bardo is a literary experience unlike any other—for no one but Saunders could conceive it.”

 

~~LOVELY WAR BY JULIE BERRY~~

While Lovely War may not be as popular as some of the other war-based historical fiction novels, I am really looking forward to reading it. I think it will be completely different from the books I have read in the same genre, mainly because of the romantic quotient into it. Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“It's 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She's a shy and talented pianist; he's a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it's immediate and deep--and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who's played Carnegie Hall, he's a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that's before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who's already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers' fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.”

  

~~SHUGGIE BAIN BY DOUGLAS STUART~~

This year, I followed the Man Booker Awards pretty closely. I checked who made it to the longlist, the shortlist & then finally who won. As you all must know, Shuggie Bain won the Man Booker Prize in 2020 & I instantly ordered the book! The story seems full of emotion & portrays the realities of life. Once I start reading this book, I am sure it will hold all of my attention! Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“A heartbreaking story of addiction, sexuality, and love, Shuggie Bain is an epic portrayal of a working-class family that is rarely seen in fiction. Recalling the work of Edouard Louis, Alan Hollinghurst, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, it is a blistering debut by a brilliant novelist who has a powerful and important story to tell.”

~~GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER BY BERNARDINE EVARISTO~~

I think every person on Goodreads has read ‘Girl, Woman, Other’. It has been on my list forever. I had started reading it on e-book once, but soon I realized this is the kind of book I can read better when I have a copy of it. So, here it is finally & I will get to it soon! Another win is that it won the Man Booker Prize in 2019! Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“Teeming with life and crackling with energy — a love song to modern Britain and black womanhood

Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.

Joyfully polyphonic and vibrantly contemporary, this is a gloriously new kind of history, a novel of our times: celebratory, ever-dynamic and utterly irresistible.”

 

~~THE NIGHT CIRCUS BY ERIN MORGENSTERN~~

The Night Circus is the one book that has intrigued me for quite a while, and so I finally decided to order it. I have high expectations from it & will probably read it soon-ish! Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.”

 

~~THE NAMESAKE BY JHUMPA LAHIRI~~

I think most of you now know that I absolute love Jhumpa Lahiri. I read ‘Unaccustomed Earth’ and ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ & loved both of them! I am really looking forward to reading this one. I am pretty sure once I start reading this, I will finish it in a couple of days. Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“In The Namesake, Lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and, most poignantly, the tangled ties between generations. Here again Lahiri displays her deft touch for the perfect detail — the fleeting moment, the turn of phrase — that opens whole worlds of emotion.”

 

~~THE WAY OF KINGS (PART ONE) BY BRANDON SANDERSON~~

Technically, I bought this book for my brother. But, he has pestered me enough for me to accept reading this book. The reviews are amazing & I am pretty sure once I start the first book, I will want to read the entire series right away. But, I am waiting for the motivation to hit just right. The Goodreads blurb is ironically to big to read, so you can just check it out here!

 

~~DANCE, DANCE, DANCE BY HARUKI MURAKAMI~~

Finally, two new Murakami books to the pile! Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“High-class call girls billed to Mastercard. A psychic 13-year-old dropout with a passion for Talking Heads. A hunky matinee idol doomed to play dentists and teachers. A one-armed beach-combing poet, an uptight hotel clerk and one very bemused narrator caught in the web of advanced capitalist mayhem. Combine this offbeat cast of characters with Murakami's idiosyncratic prose and out comes Dance Dance Dance.”

 

~~BIRTHDAY GIRL BY HARUKI MURAKAMI~~

And this is super short & cute book. Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

“She waited on tables as usual that day, her twentieth birthday. She always worked Fridays, but if things had gone according to plan on that particular Friday, she would have had the night off.

One rainy Tokyo night, a waitress’s uneventful twentieth birthday takes a strange and fateful turn when she’s asked to deliver dinner to the restaurant’s reclusive owner.

Birthday Girl is a beguiling, exquisitely satisfying taste of master storytelling, published to celebrate Murakami’s 70th birthday.”

 

So, that’s all for now, folks! With these additions, the unread pile on my bookshelves have totaled up to TWENTY ONE!!

Until next time,

November Reads!

Hello Readers! November was a crazy month! And now, I am even more busy with work than I was at any point of time during the entire year. Can you believe it that I don’t have the time to either read or write blogs posts here? I literally had to get up early, sacrificing my sleep to write this post! So, I hope you enjoy it! November being the busy month that it was, I was still able to read FIVE BOOKS! I have written the reviews for a few & I promise that the review of ‘The Storyteller’ will be up soon! Here we go!!

 

~~CIRCE BY MADELINE MILLER~~

As I had mentioned to you guys earlier, I had both the Madeline Miller books for a long time, but I never picked them. But, when I started reading Circe, I was captivated! I absolutely enjoyed reading it. I loved how the story was incredibly fast paced & also how amazing it was to feel the women power through Circe! I have rated it at 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

Check out the full book review here!

 

~~LITTLE WOMEN BY LOUISA MAY ALCOTT~~

I have struggled with reading Little Women like I haven’t struggled with anything else in my life! I finally DNFd this book after my many attempts over the past 4 months miserably failed! I think when this book was written, it gained the popularity it did because of that day & age. But, reading it in 2020 is a big NO. The book hasn’t aged well at all. From the preachy Marmee March to the too brilliant or uptight 4 sisters, nothing worked for me in this book and so I finally quit it!

 

~~THE PEOPLE IN THE TREES BY HANYA YANAGIHARA~~

Hanya Yanagihara remains in my top favourite authors even though she has written only 2 books! Ever since I read ‘A Little Life’, I have not been able to shut up about it AT ALL. So, it was only obvious some time soon I was to read the only other book written by Hanya Yanagihara! And, I was glad to have read it! I have rated it at 3.5/5 stars on Goodreads.

Check out the full book review here!

 

~~THE STORYTELLER BY JODI PICOULT~~

I had taken a one-week break from work last month & during that time I read The Storyteller! It only made my vacation better. This is another historical fiction novel with stories from the World War II. So, it obviously rushed onto the top of my TBR. I bought a Hardcover version with 446 pages! I finished reading this approximately 2 weeks ago & I will write a full review on this soon because it sure deserves it! It didn’t make an impact on me like ‘The Nightingale’ or ‘All the Light You Cannot See’ did, but it came very close. I look forward to reading more of Jodi Picoult’s books! I have rated it at 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

 

~~HOME BODY BY RUPI KAUR~~

I am always looking for a collection of poems to read & that Rupi Kaur had a new book out, I had to read it! From her earlier books, I completely loved ‘Sun and her Flowers’, but ‘Milk and Honey’ did not make much of an impression on me. And, now, Home Body has again won me over! The book is divided into 4 parts; mind, heart, rest, awake. My favourite parts were rest & mind! I have rated it at 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

 

That is all, my readers! I know this was a super rushed post, but better than nothing, right? As promised, I will write The Storyteller book review very soon & also tell you about my November & December Book Hauls!! Stay tuned!

Until next time,

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara Book Review!

Hi Readers! It’s been a long time since my last book review! Well, after reading Madeline Miller’s Circe, I picked up another book that had been in my TBR for a long time, which was Hanya Yanagihara’s ‘The People in the Trees’! Ever since I read ‘A Little Life’, I have not been able to shut up about it AT ALL. So, it was only obvious some time soon I was to read the only other book written by Hanya Yanagihara! It took me 3 weeks to read this book despite it being a medium-paged book. And, it took another week to contemplate it. But, I am finally here to let you all know about my thoughts on the book! Here we go!

 

~~INTRODUCTION~~

The People in the Trees is an autobiography of a fictional scientist named Dr. Abraham Norton Perina. His whole story is penned in a few pages right at the beginning of the story giving us an idea of his life. It begins with a newspaper article stating how Norton is faced with the charge of sexual abuse by one of his 43 adopted children. It goes on to mention the Nobel Prize he won for his research of immortal life but with mental decay after the consumption of Opa’ivu’eke, which is a turtle found on Ivu’Ivu, one of the three islands of the Micronesian country U’ivu.

So, basically you already know what to expect from the book. In my experience, I’m not a fan of such reveals at the beginning. Though it doesn’t give us the entire story, it sure takes away the mystery. But, anyway, I still found the story extremely intriguing. Probably more so than any non-fiction biography, which says a lot!

~~CHARACTERS~~

The main and only character, I suppose I could say, is Dr. Abraham Norton Perina. While reading the book throughout, he comes across as someone who is leading a life apart from himself. He either doesn’t care about other people or does not possess the intelligence to understand the repercussions of his decisions toward other people. When he published his paper about immortality, he did not think about the impact it would cause to Ivu’ivu. Also, when he started adopting a dozen children after a dozen children, what was his thought process? It did not seem like he loved them at all, but only adopted them to cover his guilt of destroying Ivu’ivu. As a scientist, he might have an inquisitive & insightful approach to people & subjects, but as a human being, he was a big failure for me. I read page after page of his entire life story & when he reached the age of 71, I was not pleased with the person he had become.

~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~

~~WRITING~~

After reading a bit of the novel, you understand how much amount of research, insight & intelligence it takes to come up with such a story. The scientific aspects, the invention of these islands & various trees & animals surrounding it. There was just such incredible writing. For the first 65% of the book, we read about the first time that Norton had visited Ivu’ivu along with Tallent & Esme. This being the major part of the book, it set the foundation of the story, which is incredibly interesting. You cannot put the book down during that part of it. After this part, the narrative shifts entirely from Norton’s professional life to his personal life. I didn’t care much for this change, because it completely changed the focus of the novel. I think it would have been better if there was a good merge of the two throughout the novel rather than the clear demarcation.

 

~~DESTRUCTION OF THE COUNTRY~~

Post Norton’s discovery, we see how it transformed Ivu’ivu. We see all the pharma companies getting into the island & destroying it only for the sake of a possible scientific discovery. It physically pained me to read that part, because in the most subtle way, Hanya Yanagihara has showed how we are doing the same thing to OUR PLANET! We are facing such a dire climate crisis because of so many reasons & reading this book makes it way too real. Because the first part of the story was written with magnificence toward the island is the reason why I could feel the pain when it was destroyed.

 

~~ONE MAIN CHARACTER~~

When I read ‘A Little Life’, I immensely enjoyed it because even though Jude was the main character, we also had all these other main characters – his friends & also so many others. It rounded up the story really well. Whereas in ‘The People in the Trees’, we only have one character, which is the exact opposite. But, even in this case, I enjoyed reading it because the one-character portrayal was immensely absorbing! You feel like you want to know everything about this fictional scientist!

‘A Little Life’ brings out the challenges of living with mental illness & captivates the reader through this. But, in ‘The People in the Trees’, we get the message of saving the Earth. Both are important topics & written through such an intense angle that it becomes impossible to not act on those. I hope Hanya comes up with a new novel with just as important a message as these two! I have rated Hanya Yanagihara’ The People in the Trees at 3.5/5 on Goodreads!

 

Until next time,

Circe by Madeline Miller Book Review!

Hello Readers! After being in my bookshelf for months, I finally decided to read Madeline Miller’s Circe. And now I am obviously cursing myself for putting it off for such a long time! It was such a refreshing read & was fun to read a new voice. Being a person who is not much of a fan of Mythological genre, I need to say this – Read the book despite your preference for the genre! It will surely blow your mind & you just might have a new favorite author or genre.

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

Now, usually I love to write my own description of a book that I loved, but to sell the book, I’m adding the Goodreads version. This is what finally made me read it!

“In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.”

~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~

~~WRITING~~

The first thing I loved about the book was the FIRST-PERSON NARRATION. Now, I have read books with first person narration before, but NOTHING LIKE THIS! It was so powerful that it kept me completely hooked to the story. Also, the writing was incredibly FAST PACED. So much story progresses just in the first 40 pages! Both these things clubbed together, made it an exhilarating read.

~~CHARACTER-DRIVEN~~

The whole novel is strongly character-driven, which brings out the story even more beautifully. Circe’s character arc is obviously exceptional, but also the minor characters have impressive arcs.

Circe really started out with lying by her father’s feet begging for acceptance to telling him off that he need not count her as his daughter. She went from adoring her little brother Aeëtes to not giving a damn about him. She went from being unsure & confused to being confident & resilient. Not only was her art as a witch an incredible transformation, but also her own self grew as wild as the island in which she was exiled. The little girl who helped her uncle Prometheus, grew up to be a powerful witch of Aiaia who knew what she what & took it.

 

“You have always been the worst of my children,” he said. “Be sure you do not dishonor me.”

“I have a better idea. I will do as I please, and when you count your children, leave me out.”

 

All the minor characters also have an interesting story line which is hard not to wonder about. Characters such as Odysseus when he was with Circe & then when he was in Ithaca seem like two entirely different persons. While the role of Telegonus was more of a son, I liked how the author voiced him his own identity. I also liked the connection between Circe & Daedalus. Not to mention the perfect character portrayal of Pasiphaë & Aeëtes. No matter where you are in the story, the characters will always make you continue reading it & that was exceptional!

~~WOMAN POWER~~

I think the main aspect here is the empowered transformation of Circe. Even though she is the daughter of the sun & a goddess herself, we see common patterns. Just like mortals, even Circe craved her parents’ attention when she was little. Only when she was exiled, did she slowly start to understand her self-worth. From randomly making a few flowers work their wonders to studying witchcraft in depth. Deciding to transform men who force themselves on her. Cautiously deciding to get pregnant before Odysseus was to leave. Creating all the charms for Telegonus’ protection. Welcoming people on her island & allowing them to stay while always being vigilant & brave. Having the intelligence to let Athena all wrapped up & finally finding the courage to stand up to her father. There is so much growth in her character. And just so much strength & hope & courage & I am here for it! Even though this is a story about Circe’s power, it is also about how Circe reached that power through pain, loss, death, love, desire & hope. Who wouldn’t want to read something as amazing as that?

~~MYTHOLOGY BACKGROUND~~

The main reason I put off reading Circe is because of its genre. Neither did I especially like reading mythological fiction nor did I have any knowledge of Greek mythology. But, not once did I have to google who is who. With zero knowledge of the actual story, I read this novel & came to love it. So, if you have any such doubts, just forget those & read this book right away! I have rated it at 4/5 on Goodreads!

Until next time,