recap: may

Rating: 4.11 stars

May in one line: cortisol and adrenaline competing for the first place, only to end up in a tie

Word of the month: garrulity (noun- the habit of talking too much, especially about trivial matters)

Featured:

• Books read:

  • Convenience store woman by Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)- a story about a middle-aged woman who doesn’t feel like a “normal” part of society works in the convenience store and enjoys it. enjoyed earlier part of the book, got annoyed by the end. supposedly about self acceptance, but the protagonist felt like a pushover. i expect more from my female leads. period.

  • Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa (translated by Eric Ozawa)- a story set in a cozy cafe in japan and the community it hosts. divided into 3 parts, each from a different person’s pov— when they reunite with someone from their past. while all stories were heartwarming, here’s my ranking of the stories: 2nd>3rd>1st. reading this book was like when you drink a coffee with the perfect aftertaste that makes you want to linger in that feeling longer. 10/10 recommend.

    (ps: can’t wait for the english translation of its sequel More days at the torunka cafe to come out soon)

  • The Houseguest and other stories by Amparo Dávila (translated from Spanish by Audrey Harris & Matthew Gleeson)- a short story collection of horror stories. gothic fiction is not my go-to genre, but gave it a try nonetheless. what i found interesting was that the element of horror was mysterious and open ended. could read only the first 3 stories before losing interest. overall, i felt more pity at the state of characters than horror. officially, my first DNF of the year.

  • Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag (translated from Kannada by Srinath Perur)- a novella about the changed family dynamics that went rags-to-riches. it felt like going on a fun road trip, trailing off the asphalt and ending up in a cliff. it was more unsettling than the gothic fiction. i have so many unanswered questions, definitely gonna keep me up at night(s).

  • Boy Parts by Eliza Clark- a privileged, toxic woman with questionable decision making skills? sign me up. if you liked MYORR by Otessa Moshfegh, this one is right up your alley. although, it is far more graphic and should’ve come with a trigger warning label. the protagonist is a fetish photographer who views men through the lens of her camera, constantly attempting to establish a power dynamic over them. it also explores the thin line between consent and abuse, growing darker and more unsettling as it unfolds. while the premise and psychological exploration were intriguing, the plot left behind quite a few loose ends. overall, a mixed bag of emotions.

  • She Who Remains by Rene Karabash (translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel)- one of the books shortlisted for the international booker 2026 that caught my attention. in this, a journalist interviews the last sworn virgin of albania. as she recounts her story, she revisits her past, unraveling a relentless sequence of tragedies. reading this felt like unearthing one trauma after another— unnerving, but make it beautiful prose. it started off incredibly strong, but somewhere along the way, got derailed. there was so much worth exploring that, instead of diving into one aspect, it attempted to be everything all at once. would’ve appreciated it a lot more had it stayed true to itself: shedding more light on the life of a sworn virgin. however, the writing style may be its redemption. 10/10 for prose, as it remains strikingly impactful throughout.

  • The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- currently a few pages in.

• Media consumed: Perfect Crown (rom-drama), Filing for love (rom-com), Off Campus, Cocktail (movie), My Royal Nemesis

• Songs on loop: Click Clack Symphony by Raye, Gulaabo by Sanjith Hegde, Re More Piya by AKS, Piya Ke Bazar by SEVASHI, The bitch is back (Ella’s version), Cherry pie (Ella’s version), Girls by The Kid Laroi, Baby Don’t You Lie To Me! by The Fratellis

From my camera roll:

first mango shake of the season!

sad and amused by how perfectly this broke, as if this moment was always its destiny :’)

the leaves look like a painting!

this can knock you out faster than lassi :p

maturing is realising he was right about everything #ogfeminist

indian landscapes are incomplete without a jcb XD

i fear i’ve lost her to hamza sigh

brb drooling over fresh jamuns *_*

new goal: be as dramatic as these clouds

straight out of a cartoon :p

a portal to another dimension

yearning for this biryani aarghhhh (had it yesterday :P)

visual representation of how life feels like lately :3

reading while commuting is definitely chic ;)

oh shit, graham! look what you made me do :p

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