Two Books. No, Make That 3.

There is always a book waiting in the wings begging to start, midway through or almost done. Of all the books I read these months past, these 3 couldn't be left without giving a mention here. This doesn't mean the rest of them I read were garbage. Many were decent reads if not great, like Christin Hanna's The Nightingale, A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles or The Silent Patient by  Alex Michaelides. But the three books detailed below, reside in my cache memory till I give a formal farewell before shelving them away in the core memory.

Becoming By Michelle Obama
No introduction is necessary for the much admired former first lady's soul inspiring memoir. One thing that stands out is the sheer volume of information imparted with such an economy of words. I envision Mrs. Obama, sitting serenely scanning her entire life, her brain churning all the memories and deftly yielding a comprehensive summary in lucid prose that became this book.

She is extraordinarily gifted and I understand this great nation was blessed to get the Obamas as a package. His brilliance, universality, and love of humanity, blending perfectly with her insight, unbound intelligence and pure energy. They truly complete each other. That the country was governed by this union of spirit and wisdom for 8 years is a matter of simple good fortune. Where I used to think of her as a really smart person, I now believe her to be a pure soul untouched by evil. This is her strength and the bedrock of her personality. The role played by her parents, brother, and extended family is an important one in the making of Mrs. Obama. Her father with the unwavering work ethic, of infinite love laced with the right dose of humor, her mother a watchful, caring, and diligent presence who did everything possible to nurture all aspects of her individuality without interfering and her brother who loved and protected her unconditionally. Together they created their own little heaven with the little they had which then spilled over to the Obama family of four.

I don't like being a fan of anyone.  I am a true believer of personal power so long as one puts in the effort. But I have to say that the universe somehow conspired to give us this true soul and her spouse to be inspired from. Personal tragedies often shape what we become and inspiration is the mantra that can make a difference in that struggle. And lucky for us, we have inspiration in a bottle.. I mean.. a book.

All The Light That We Cannot See By Anthony Doerr
The protagonist in this story is blind and we are shown the world through her inner eyes. The tap, tap of her stick against the pavement keeps us in suspense whenever she is on the move. Anthony Doerr is a painter of words who brings to life this world war II era story in occupied France replete with a museum, secret boxes and keys. The girl's story is intertwined with that of an orphan boy in Germany who became a soldier of the same war on the other side. The two worlds keep colliding and blending, strewn so with pearls from Doerr's bountiful cache of words. Delightfully written, with evocative chapters, this is a must read.

Where The Crawdads Sing By Delia Owens
The book kept popping up every now and then in various booklists but it wasn't until a friend recommended it that I added it to my phone notes. From there it reached the next logical step of purchase with my self prescribed book-a-month allowance. Here is the thinking behind the allowance: at this stage in my life, if I cannot buy a simple book to read and enjoy, then why-oh-why do I exist? There, I am happy we are on the same page:-)

Author Delia Owens grew up in the coastal lands of Georgia which may have prompted the writing of this book about a little girl bringing herself up in the marshlands off the Carolina coast. Every sentence is alive with fantastic critters from this coastal world inhabited by the Marsh Girl. The beauty of a great blue heron is so palpable that I envisioned I touched it. I lived among the gulls and canoed across lagoons looking for fish and digging for mussels, collecting feathers from the myriad of visiting birds, and pocketing shells churned out by the sea from every part of the world. More than the story or the lonely girl child, it is this living, throbbing, coastal life that kept me captivated. More so because it transported me to the rain drenched lush green land of Kerala that I had spent my magical childhood in. Short and sweet. A book to read.