Monsoons are officially the ‘pull out your favourite scented candle and curl up with your favourite book’ season. There is a certain romantic notion that goes with reading on a rainy day and to top that up with a scented candle is a pristine luxury that one must not forgo. Since scent is most strongly connected to memories, they become a vessel that sets the tone of a day or evening.
However, before you drown into your reading stupor make sure you monsoon proof your home. It is possible that excessive moisture in the air could cause more damage than good to the interiors. While we make the most of this season, it's only fair to protect our houses from the rain's harmful consequences. Therefore, to fix these problems, timely maintenance pre-monsoon or later is ideal. During monsoons, the risk of moisture and vermin within cabinets is greater. To keep silverfish and other insects away, place camphor balls in your closets, as well as neem leaves and cloves. Use safe wiring. During the rainy season, electrical problems are predicted. When operating any electrical equipment, it is critical to observe safety precautions. Cover the joints well and make sure your household items have good wiring. Why not give your rooms a stylish design while also ensuring safety by concealing the wirings? Also, be certain that each fuse is used separately. Mosquito breeding is one of the most serious monsoon problems. These venomous insects are capable of making your life a living hell. Don't worry, however. You may easily find your way to a mosquito-free home if you take a few measures. Make sure your house doesn't have any open water storage. Keep them in covered pots at all times. Similarly, keep an eye out for clogged drains. Allergies can become quite acute. So, if you know you're sensitive to dust, vapours, or pollution, you'll need to wear a mask when you go out. Carry your anti-allergy medication with you at all times, as directed by your doctor.
And now that you are all set to feel the monsoon winds in your skin and sip some hot chocolate, we have made a list of some beautifully sleepy books to perfect to curl up with while the pitter patter of the rain drowns out noise of news channels from the living room. We’ve got some wonderful suggestions for you to read or even re-read this monsoon.
1) The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
This book will haunt you and creep into your bones with an excruciating feeling of foreboding and inevitability. Roy's work, which is loaded with lush writing and a heartbreaking tale, depicts an India that is clinging to its past traditions but still looking to the future. The lucid depiction of a sleepy village in Kerala is such that you can't stop seeing and smelling everything. Nothing, however, prepares you for the core of the story.
2) Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Owens juxtaposes a magnificent tribute to the natural world with a deep coming-of-age narrative and a disturbing mystery in Where the Crawdads Sing. Owens' debut novel is thought-provoking, insightful, and emotionally touching, reminding us that we are permanently changed by the child within us, as well as subject to nature's beautiful and deadly mysteries. The narrative explores how seclusion affects the personality of a poor girl who, like us all, is genetically predisposed to belong to a community. The rich ecosystem and natural history of its wild species are sprinkled with hints to the mystery.
3) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
For most of us Norwegian Woods happens to be the introduction into the Murakami world. Norwegian Wood, set in the 1960s, takes us on a journey through the reflections of the protagonist Toru Watanabe, who reflects on his childhood as a participant in student demonstrations and the people he met during that time. Is there no romantic narrative, then? There are references to love, but no love stories. Loneliness, existential boredom, sadness, and suicide are major themes in Norwegian Wood. Though, like with most Murakami stories, these ideas are introduced subtly. At times, the novel made me reminisce about the past and evoked powerful sentiments of nostalgia. This is a book that I can confidently recommend to readers of any genre or style of writing.
4) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Stop what you are doing, soak into a warm bath hide yourselves away with this book! It's the treat you deserve. Unflinching in its wartime recollections, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an epistolary novel set in the Channel Islands, namely Guernsey, during the German occupation during World War 2. Shaffer's only book, she poured her her heart and soul into it, and it's beautiful. It's clever and makes you laugh even while you're crying. Her niece, who was the other family storyteller, finished it when she fell ill.
It's a love tale, a narrative about bravery in the face of adversity, and a storey about human perseverance.
It's a love tale, a narrative about bravery in the face of adversity, and a storey about human perseverance.
5) The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
What a relief to know that love and hope are alive and can be found even in the most dire and terribly unimaginable of circumstances. Author Heather Morris conducted years of interviews with real-life Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov, which resulted in this beautiful and hopeful narrative. It's harrowing, enlightening, and unforgettable.
6) Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
What could be more monsoon than than a sweeping tale based of a japanese countryside. This is a novel to savour slowly, rich and full of diverse characters and shows a big deal of the classic Japanese tradition. Its captivating narrative, which captures your attention right away and keeps you wanting more throughout, contributes to making this novel a remarkable book worth reading.
7) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Long after you have done reading this book, you'd probably still want to sob your eyes out clutching it close to your heart. This is a book to treasure. The depth of the descriptions, as well as the fullness of the characters' emotions, cannot not but raise you up. It's also nice to read such a balanced narrative, in which regular Germans - even those who are blond and blue-eyed - are just as much in danger of losing their lives, of being persecuted, as Jews. Statutory warning for the heartache that you might have to live with post this and also the heachache from all the crying.
We would love to know what you're reading this rainy season. Happy cozying up! :)
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