2012 Reading Challenge

I set out to read 60 books, I ended up with 35 (same as last year!)

Of course I did not finish the challenge. But then I tried and did the best I could to reach the goal. Hopefully I will read the same or even more number of books in 2013.

So here are the books I read this year. (I know its 10 days early and I can still fit in a book or two but I have other things on my bucket list so don't mind spending these 10 days not reading.)

Stats from goodreads widget!

My most favorite books from this year were 'The Paris Wife' by Paula McClain and 'Hi-Fidelity' by Nick Hornby, '1Q84' by Haruki Murakami, 'Pratispardhi' by Kiran Nagarkar.

The most difficult read was a tough choice between 'Cloud Atlas' and 'The unbearable lightness of being'. Though I liked both!

I hope to read much more in 2013 too!

Wish you all a good-read 2013! :)

Standing up

Letting evil thrive : 

from here

I am thinking about the numerous times I have ignored guys (sometimes guy-friends) indulging in blatant objectification of women. I also have close guy-friends using the term 'RAPE' lightly around women. I have ignored that too. Instead of ignoring I think I could have spoken up and shown my irritation/anger over such objectionable behavior. Of course, saying all such talkers are repressed psychopaths is a harsh judgement but not taking anything related to RAPE or women's respect and privacy and space seriously, seems even more judgmental to myself.

I hope we make topics of taboo a point of discussion. I hope no girl sees her any weaker. I hope sexuality is not repressed but willingly accepted. I hope families treat girls and boys as equal. I hope boys are taught to respect women and their space by example. 

I hope the victims heal. But we as people heal better and faster.

I hope we become more proactive and thus have the need to be less reactive.

Showing up

Today I felt like showing up here, so a picture post for things on my mind for the past few days.

Idyllic! Perfect even!
here

My home is going to have this movie-watching-heaven attic!
here

It's easier to recreate the fairy-tale like spaces for day dreaming :)
here

Wish you all a merry Christmas and a grand year end ;)

'This is water'

Because, literary worship sometimes is the only way out to feel sane.

'[T]he real value of a real education [has] almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over:

‘This is water.’

‘This is water.’

It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out. Which means yet another grand cliché turns out to be true: your education really IS the job of a lifetime.'

Taken from - http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/12/this-is-water-david-foster-wallace/

~nightflier