It’s 2020, the Coronavirus is here, and we all are stuck at home. So, why not do a tag about it. This is the “Stuck at Home” book tag. I got this tag from Addy’s blog, who got it from Emma’s blog. Please do check them out. They have some awesome book recommendations and loads of fun stuff. Feel free to do this on your blog as well. Here goes.

• What am I currently reading?

Circe by Madeline Miller and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K.Rowling.

I was not into mythology because it was always shoved down my throat by holier-than-thou relatives. While I am not against mythology and culture, I don’t like them forced upon me. The medium and method of consuming these stories differ from one person to another. My interest in mythology started when I picked up Myth = Mithya by Devdutt Pattnaik; I was hooked on for life. Since then, I have read many books related to mythology – from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions to Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy.

Harry Potter is a re-read as it has been a long time since I checked up on the wizarding world. I want to relive the magic of falling in love with books. And in times like these, we all need a little magic to perk us up, don’t we?

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• My favourite “can’t leave the house” activity.

Streaming, reading, and writing.

During the first 2 months of the lockdown for me, April and May, I mainly binged Amazon Prime, Hotstar, and Netflix. I bought subscriptions for all of them even though I was on the verge of going broke. After a while, the overwhelming choice of series and movies started getting on my nerves and I decided to get over my reading slump and writer’s block. After all, if not now, then when? I started reading again and blogging in June.

Another reason I started reading was that a friend of mine, who is an awesome artist, was reading regularly – along with her painting, drawing, and work. It got me thinking about my dumb reasons for not reading. So, I picked up a book and haven’t stopped since.

I did try a few home workouts, but my lethargy and general lack of discipline took over and I abandoned them after day 2. My athleticism left me the moment I turned 10. As I’m working from home, I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary. I am glad about my reading and writing though.

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• A book I’ve been meaning to read forever.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

When I finally do read this book, it’ll be my first from Adichie. I have only seen her TED talks and interviews and am absolutely blown away by her eloquence and intellect. I have always enjoyed listening to people who tell captivating stories. If they can hold my attention for more than 15 minutes, then they have found a fan in me. Adichie is one of the few who has succeeded in doing this. If a 15-minute talk by her can have such a deep impact on me, I can only imagine how I will feel after reading this book. Okay! My fangirl rant is over. As you can see, this book is more about the author than the book itself, but it has great reviews, so it’s a win-win overall.

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• An intimidating book on my TBR.

Middlemarch by George Eliot.

I bought this book almost 3 years ago because I wanted to collect all 26 of the Penguin Drop Caps collection. (At one point in my life, I used to splurge on books. Alas! Those days have passed on.) Little did I know this book would be almost 1000 pages. The longest book I’ve read is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I read it in a little over 10 hours because I was a freak and was eager to know what happened to Voldemort after he came back. I digress. Middlemarch was the only book in my price range at that time, so I went ahead and purchased it. Barring for some bookstagram photos, I haven’t really taken it off my shelf. It keeps staring at me asking me as to when I’ll get around to it. Looking at it now, I’ve made up my mind to finish this book by the end of 2020.

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• Top 3 priority books on my TBR.

I found The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa at Shakespeare & Company in Paris, France. I spent almost an hour in the bookstore unable to figure out which book to buy. The book cover caught my eye and I knew I had to buy this immediately. I also bought On The Road by Jack Kerouac. A worthy spend, I must say.

As much as I pride myself a book nerd, I haven’t read a single Austen novel. This copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was my prize for composing a poem out of the words Pride and Prejudice as part of a contest held on Twitter. This was my very first Austen novel (owned, not read).

How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a highly recommended book – from businesspeople to teachers. I am not a fan of non-fiction but the reviews and recommendations for this book were overwhelming. So, I did the sane thing and bought a copy to see what the fuss is all about.

My three priority books – one fiction, one classic, and one non-fiction. I intend to finish them this month, but going by my streak, I highly doubt it. Fingers and toes crossed!

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• Recommend a short book.

Animal Farm by George Orwell.

This book is 95 pages long and should take you about 2 hours to read. I took nearly 6 hours to finish because I kept getting distracted. This book made me realise how slow of a reader I am. Animal Farm is a fantastic read that will make you realise why George Orwell is considered one of the best writers of the 20th century. His thoughts on politics and society are captured perfectly in his works. Animal Farm and 1984 are two of his most popular books, but you should also check out his essays and other books.

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• Recommend a long book.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

Oh, Gawd! I was sure this book would bring the apocalypse. Page-wise, this book is not long (313 pages). It is your life that ebbs away while reading that makes it a long read. This book was really, really, really boring. I know it is every YA reader’s dream book and it brings tears to their eyes, but it was a tedious read for me. I did not even finish it.

I don’t get the charm of these books. I can only guess it is because of the genre, Young Adult. Another reason could be the author, John Green. He is intelligent, charming, engaging, and funny. But his personality definitely doesn’t spill onto his books.

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• Something I’d love to do while stuck at home.

Learn the hula-hoop and juggling.

It has been my childhood dream to learn juggling. I used to practice it in school but didn’t get too far. I abandoned it when the years caught up to me (I tried my best to run away from them, but apparently, time doesn’t work the way I thought it did). In case you didn’t get it – I got old. Now that I’m stuck at home, I can maybe start again. The hula-hoop is another fun activity I want to try. I already have the hula, I just have to get hooping.

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• What do I plan on reading next?

All three books on my priority list mentioned above.

• The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

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Tag, You’re It!