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I will always love the Daevabad Series, and its a good time as any to remember some excellent reasons to read this fabulous, mostly nuanced fantasy series.

 “Greatness takes time, Banu Nahida. Often the mightiest things have the humblest beginnings.”

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“I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.” ― Kate Chopin, The Awakening

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Before I visit someplace I find reading something about it through travel guides, history books or simply novels really useful. You get a good sense of the historical and cultural context which deepens your travel experience.

For a trip to Istanbul, my personal recommendations are-

Fodor’s Istanbul’s 25 Best – A short travel guide that gives you the highlights on what to do Istanbul. Carry this along and you don’t really need your own itinerary.

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk – A novel set in the Ottoman era that is a part murder mystery and part primer on Islamic art. Brilliantly written with a fascinating cast of characters that describes the Istanbul of many moons ago!

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Ismail Kadare's Finest...

This poignant novel was my pick from "Around the World in Books" challenge for the country of Albania.

“I have a whole army of dead men under my command now, he thought. Only instead of uniforms they are all wearing nylon bags. Blue bags with two white stripes and black edging, made to order by the firm of ‘Olympia.” ― Ismail Kadare, The General of the Dead Army

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10 Mystery Novels Everyone Must Read

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Linghun Explores grief & Loving

Linghun is my most interesting read of the year. Ai Jiang’s short novella on its face is a morbid story about grief and longing. Set in a housing community, where the homes allow a family to commune with the ghosts of their loved ones. A tragedy of lives of refusing to move on. In around 100 pages, Jiang evokes so many emotions by focusing on how Wenqi’s life changes as her parents force her to live in this world and grieve for her lost brother. Hidden somewhere in the pages, it’s also the story of the immigrant’s experience of grief of losing their home and never finding peace in the new world.

“Feelings, emotions, experiences, are all part of humanity's shared language, and in Linghun, that shared language is grief. Grief is a language that tears us apart, but it is also what brings us together. Remember, you are never alone.” ― Ai Jiang, Linghun

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“Some men are born lucky. Others are born Marcus Didius Falco.” ― Lindsey Davis, The Silver Pigs

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“The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard. The real story is, the miller’s daughter with her long golden hair wants to catch a lord, a prince, a rich man’s son, so she goes to the moneylender and borrows for a ring and a necklace and decks herself out for the festival. And she’s beautiful enough, so the lord, the prince, the rich man’s son notices her, and dances with her, and tumbles her in a quiet hayloft when the dancing is over, and afterwards he goes home and marries the rich woman his family has picked out for him. Then the miller’s despoiled daughter tells everyone that the moneylender’s in league with the devil, and the village runs him out or maybe even stones him, so at least she gets to keep the jewels for a dowry, and the blacksmith marries her before that firstborn child comes along a little early. Because that’s what the story’s really about: getting out of paying your debts.” ― Naomi Novik, Spinning Silver

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“With love, you don't even need butter on your bread; without it, an elaborate feast is necessary to make you come to the table.” ― Dorothy Whipple, Someone at a Distance

Read review here...

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Greene Always Manages to Entertain

“Christmas it seems to me is a necessary festival; we require a season when we can regret all the flaws in our human relationships: it is the feast of failure, sad but consoling.” ― Graham Greene, Travels with My Aunt

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One of my top reads this year....a simple novel with so much depth.

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One of my top reads this year....a simple novel with so much depth.

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Excellent Retelling of Foundation of Han Empire!

“The more perfect the ideals, the less ideal the methods.” ― Ken Liu, The Grace of Kings

Once upon a time, there was a cruel emperor who ruled over thousands and made their life miserable. A trickster rebel leader and a righteous military heir align to bring a new world order. And so, the stage is set for The Grace of Kings, a fictional, mythical retelling of the Chu-Han contention and the foundation of the Han Empire. Kevin Liu weaves a compelling, complex, page-turning narrative around the politics of a fictional warring land. But the references, characters, and all the shocking major plot points all come from historical sources - underlining that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Not a dull moment as we follow the fate of Kuni Garu, Jia Matiza, and Mata Zyndu as they swing between the desire to do the right thing and ambition. They love, betray, and are both kind and cruel. After all, in the real world, there are no perfect heroes.

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The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh's writing stole my heart. In a novel without a central plot, a story told only through the mishmash of human memories, Ghosh creates something sublime and heartbreaking. Straddling events from World War 2 to Bangladeshi independence, Ghosh writes of people in its shadows and the human need for belonging.

In 200+ pages Ghosh creates a story of a family of cousins separated by cities, continents, and borders and yet connected by that tenuous collection of blood and shared memories. Ila, Tridib, Nick Price, May, Grandmother…they are all shadows and we only see parts of their whole. But not sure what magic Ghosh weaves, and as I close the last page, I feel I have left them behind and it breaks my heart.

The Shadow Lines will hit the top of my reading list this year.

P.S - I am feeling the giddy joy of discovering an author whose work I know I will love - and now I have an entire collection of his works to discover.

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Is it every too late to start an annual reading challenge. This wonderful 52BookClub challenge has some standard and intriguing prompts. And all the prompts are free to interpretation. For instance, I am going to cheat and repeat the books for some prompts. And if I actually make it to 52 books, I am sure I can find something that fits each category.

On week 26 I have done 10 prompts (with 9 books!).

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My personal top 10 favorite Mystery Reads...

Favorite mystery reads...what are yours?