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Six books you can actually finish
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Frustrated readers, here are some books that you can actually finish. (Shutterstock/-)
T
em>Tsundoku (積ん読) is a Japanese word that roughly translates as "the act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piling it up together with other such unread books". It's a word for when you have a pile of books with the plastic wrappers still left on, or need an airplane journey to finish half a book because sometimes you just need suspense at every page-turn, or a book whose length does not intimidate you.
You could even hit the jackpot and have an attention span that requires all three of these conditions to be met; a problem a lot of us have but don’t talk about. Luckily, there are books, some of them works of literature, that don’t stretch your brain with ornamental language coupled with intricate philosophy woven through the lines.
Frustrated readers, here are some books that you can actually finish.
Known as a unique interweaving of space and time, Aleph is an autobiographical encounter of Paulo Coelho that touches on spirituality, parallel universes and reincarnation. Coelho finds that he's in a place that he cannot withdraw himself from. He wakes up feeling tired and unwilling to live, and while he loves his wife immensely, has no desire to make love to her. During his travels he comes across a girl named Hilal, who claims to be a fan of his writing, and insists on following him throughout his journey.
While her persistence initially irritates him, he slowly warms up to having her around. He convinces his agent to let her come on their book tour with him, and it is right there in the middle of a train ride that they witness an Aleph. What makes this book riveting is the fact that you can’t resist the desire to dive right into the next chapter after you’re left with the lingering questions of the chapter you’ve just finished. Coelho gives you answers to the questions you don’t have yet, as he does with all his books.
The only word that could ever be used to describe this book is juicy. In his memoir, Anthony Bourdain narrates un-put-down-able and brutally honest tales from the kitchen, ripe with his opinions on the glorious American burger, his very first tasting of an oyster (which he describes as a ‘vaguely sexual-looking object’), and how he considers his happy days as the ones where he was frenzied on dope and working overtime with his sous chefs. He truly slams down and uncovers the secrets of New York restaurants.
Structured like a multi-course meal, the descriptions of food make you want sniff your book to see if your senses are playing tricks on you, which is why you want to keep reading. You’ll also find little handy-dandy tips and tricks about what not to order where or when. Bourdain takes his dream-like career and pens it down in an undoubtedly interestingly palpable way. So, if you like food and hot sexy chefs with potty mouths, this book is for you.
My Heart and Other Black Holes
My Heart and Other Black Holes is a debut young adult novel by Jasmine Warga, and addresses suicidal behavior among teenagers. Sixteen-year-old Aysel wants to end her life, but is not sure if she can do it alone, and thus starts the search for a “suicide partner”.
This beautifully-written, dark novel evokes feelings of sympathy and provides you a point of view that is completely different from cliché YA books. We always blame the suicidal one for being foolish and reckless, but this book gives us an insight into their minds, psychology and thought patterns. Warga’s writing style makes it a book you definitely won’t be able to stop reading.
Haruki Murakami’s After Dark is a work of fiction that teaches you how to read proactively. There’s not much that happens on the surface, two sisters named Eri and Mari are the main focus. They are polar opposites, one is a fashion model who is in a dramatic comatose slumber, the other is a young student sitting alone at a Denny’s. Although, from 11:56pm to 6:52am on a winter night, Mari encounters a bunch of people who are distinctly separate from her. The dark serves as a pathway to reveal the inherent connections between these people, and the novel’s plot intensifies as it progresses.
In its 201 pages, we catch a glimpse of the lives of others and take the role of observers. Murakami makes the city alive and shows people as inhabitants of a setting and how their lives revolve around Tokyo.
Mulk Raj Anand is often said to be an Indian English literary virtuoso, and his work ‘Untouchable’ proves why this is the case. An emotionally stirring novel of just 150 pages, Anand unleashes the bitter reality of the life of an untouchable named Bakha, a latrine cleaner. In the Hindu community, the caste system lives on and its lowest members are sickeningly marked as untouchables.
Anand documents a day in the life of Bakha and the various slander, ill-treatment and disparagement he receives remind readers once again of society’s deep flaws. The futility of Bakha’s fight for freedom is evident, which makes this novel even more touching. As a latrine cleaner, Bakha ponders each day why he has to be treated the way he is. “Untouchable” provides readers with a social awareness of not only the stupidity of the modern-day caste system but humanity in its raw essence.
Rainbow Rowell’s young-adult book about misfits will hit you right in the feels. Set in the mid-1980s, a half-Korean boy named Park meets a chubby redhead named Eleanor. As she dresses like a boy and is a stop-sign for bullying, Park decides to sit next to her on the bus. The two grow closer and closer and we learn more about how totally different their lives are. We also read about Eleanor’s problematic and dangerous stepfather, Richie.
As Park’s home comes to serve as a safe-house for the two 16-year-olds and seemingly odd lovers, we gain a sense that things are fishy. How can two things that are so different fit so perfectly? Rowell appeals to the empathy and curiosity in her readers, which is why you should absolutely pick this book up. (asw/jas)
We hope you love our recommendations and for your information, TheJakartaPost.com may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
