Top 5 Books of 2014

What a fantastic year of reading! Agreed that 2014 flew by and was probably not my best year , I owe a debt of gratitude to all the literary adventures I went on which made this year endurable.

I don't , nor ever , have had any resolutions. However this year, the upcoming year precisely , I have decided to do the  ' Top 5 Wednesday ' tag starting from today. Basically , every week a new genre or theme will be added to the Top 5 Favourites list (which will have its own category on the blog) and will be posted every Wednesday .  This week's Top 5 coincidentally falls on New Year's Eve. Perfect timing I'd say ! So here are my most favourite books that I read in 2014.

5)  Every Day by David Leviathan 

This book wounded me emotionally. The helplessness of the situation , the inability to have control over life and the attachment I had with the nameless , faceless , gender-less character ' A ' was heart wrenching.  There is a slight philosophical bend underlining the plot that is not overly preaching yet gets you thinking - Can you really choose between the heart and the mind?  A full fledged review is up on the blog.

4) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 

A cult classic , Murakami weaves a poignant coming of age tale. Each character well-rooted and dynamic with their own internal conflicts , this is one contemporary novel that no one should miss.

3) Making Faces by Amy Harmon

I cannot talk about this book enough. Such an unexpected emotional roller coaster ride. Mostly this book revolves around the different kinds of loss we feel , especially loss of beauty and how the characters cope with it. Several points in the book make you reflect on the multifaceted aspect of 'beauty' and personal conflicts regarding it.Detailed review is up on the blog too.

2) 1984 by George Orwell

Most people who have read this book have deemed it as 'mind boggling ' or 'weird' and couldn't digest the concept. I come under the opposite category of people successfully frightened by this book. Orwell has envisioned a dyspotian world so evil and controlling that you would think even moving your arm or leg unnecessarily would get you into trouble beyond your worst nightmare. A society built entirely on fear and oppression with no way out. Hands-down a pioneer in the dystopian genre.

1) The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Who would have thought a 100-odd page book would hit me so hard?! My father had been pestering me to read this for a while now and since this isn't fiction, I guess that's why I took so long to get to it. BOY! Did I miss out! For something that was written in the 1920s,  this book's suitability has stood the test of time.  More than just a read , its mostly a life guide on human conditions like love , marriage , children , giving , trade , crime , laws , freedom , passion , religion , pain , death so on and so forth, it answers everything in minimum words relevant to every generation. Anyone and everyone should own a copy of this.

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Phew! Narrowing down your favourite books to just 5 is a real challenge. I wish I could mention each and every title that I read and loved this year.
Year-endings always manage to make me somber and reflective. This year was a real challenge for me and I am proud of being able to triumph it. Bad experiences make great life lesson and most lessons were learnt in 2014.
On the bright side , I did get my blog up and running. For all those who read my rant-y posts and support me nonetheless , I can't thank you enough.

See you all on the other side!

Love.

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Book Review : Every Day by David Levithan

Pages :  322

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4/5

Review :  Oh. My. God. This book was so unexpectedly beautiful that even now writing about it makes my heart heavy. Of course I picked it up for the unique story line. Little did I expect it to have such a lasting impression on me.

A is a person who wakes up in a new body everyday from the time he was born. We aren't told A's gender or age or any details of him that may define him as an individual. He has no friends , no idea where his family is and confides in no one about his condition. Until one day he wakes up in 17 year old Justin's body and meets his girlfriend Rhiannon and falls in love with her immediately.

There are plenty of YA fantasy and dystopian authors with the most compelling and mind boggling plot line but not many have been this poignant. 

This book is real. The situations that arise in this book are all relatable. A struggles in professing his love for Rhiannon and most of the time though Rhiannon eventually accepts it , the everyday changes in A makes it really difficult for her to be in a  consistent relationship. There are days when A becomes a woman , on those days he ( assuming ) notices that Rhiannon keeps a slight distance from him. There are days when A  may be an older guy , a disabled person , an obese teenager , a metal head , a maid , an alcoholic, a drug addict. He's lost count of all the people he has been , all the areas he has been in. But somehow , although not always he manages to make an effort and tries to be with Rhiannon and every time she sees him she needs to process who exactly he is ever so frequently. As a protagonist, A doesnt whine or constantly complaining about his condition , he has a very clear strategy to which he strictly adheres to and truly tries to  take the day as it comes.

The helplessness of the situation is heartbreaking but true. Just like in our day-to-day life ,we may have come across people who we really wish had stayed but it just didn't happen.This book primarily and on the whole questions the choices we make , who we are and what it's like to be in someone else's shoes. Time being an essential component in the novel also makes you realize the value of being just ordinary , of being just okay.

Seeing that most love stories , great love stories included, have either ended in cliched triumph or in death , this is one story where it has been abandoned due to situation, which genuinely and realistically tells you that love cannot conquer it all. So don't be surprised by the slightly philosophical shades in the book. 

Since the main topic is about not being able to have a fixed body of their own , the relationship between A and Rhiannon is very tender. There aren't a whole lot of times when Rhiannon has been physically attracted to him and A is hesitant in being intimate with her because he feels using someone else's body would be morally wrong. 

Rumor has it that David Levithan is set to publish a sequel to this book in 2015. Although the urge to know what will happen next and what other avenues A might explore in order to control his condition and be with Rhiannon  , I see this book as an excellent stand-alone. Yes , most readers might be annoyed by the fact that not a lot has been justified and all  arisen questions may have been left unanswered but that's the beauty of it! 

I personally feel that this book would be excellent for a book club discussion. The opinions and views that each one would have would be extremely diverse with a tinge of one's own philosophical essence. Some would want to nit pick on every detail and explore the driving force behind A's actions and some would want to try to work within the situation. A likely chance that an array of opinions would highlight  every possible angle in the story. Either way this book is a must read for all. Highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. 

Final Rating : 5/5

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