We are ready for Diwali – Weekly life and reading update

Hello readers! I hope you all are well and had a lovely week. My week had been busy with all the reading, catching up with the posts on the top of house cleaning and with last bit of house cleaning is done, just small things are remained to do, we are ready for Diwali!

We do house cleaning every year this time so that the house looks good when guest visits to wish our Gujarati New Year just next day to Diwali. It’s all a different matter that there are hardly any guests at our house as every year we all decide to gather at one place than going house to house, which is at my mom’s on my side, at my husband’s uncle’s house on my husband’s side. Even though no one visits us, now that we are back in my hometown, neighbors and relatives use the house cleaning as a topic of conversation, “did you do the house cleaning”, “we did it way before everyone”, “we didn’t have time this year because of so and so”, “we called cleaning service this time, I can’t possibly do all the cleaning on my own”… We have to have something to say to such conversations and also it gives us a reason to declutter the house (which is my reason to clean the house if nothing else) but it’s usually believed if haven’t cleaned the house we are still not ready for Diwali.

This year we felt bit tired and took longer to deep clean the house. I still can’t figure out how house gets so much cluttered and dirty even with everyday cleaning. Also, my in-laws are coming for Diwali. So I’m trying to read as much as I can along with all other chores before Diwali week starts.

I finished most of HP embroidery, a little bit of detailing is remained to do .

Last Week I finished

Meat by Dane Cobain

It took me long to finish this book. It’s a horror thriller survival story about factory farming and how that cause widespread zoonotic disease that was spread to humans turning them into zombies. All the animal cruelty, blood and gore is horrible to read. It’s more plot-driven story, there isn’t very much depth to characters but they are still interesting and I enjoyed reading the terrifying retribution of animals against humankind. One thing I didn’t like is the end. It’s more like I still cannot digest the end and it felt rather implausible.

The Belle of Belgrave Square (Belles of London #2) by Mimi Matthews

I love this book. More than first book in this series. This is most romantic book I read this year. It was love to read the love story of Julia and Jasper, their meeting, eloping and courting is so lovely to read. There are so many heartwarming and romantic scenes that made it swoon-worthy with no sex scenes. I loved Julia and I rooted for her from the beginning but it’s Jasper I found most interesting.

Pet That Cat!: A Handbook for Making Feline Friends by Nigel Kidd, Rachel Braunigan

This is actually pretty short book but as I was reading this to my kid (who didn’t care what I was reading and was more interested in illustrations) I took long to finish the book. It cute books for young readers with many useful information that will help young readers to know cats better before they adopt one.

Currently reading

Okay, yes I said millions time I read one book at a time but this week, I have many things to manage and also I need to finish all these books this week only.

Donut Fall in Love (Donut Fall in Love #1) by Jackie Lau

A baker provides the sweetest escape for an actor in this charming romantic comedy.

Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. After the sudden death of his mother and years of constant work, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesn’t know how to talk to his dad—who now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum.

Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but there’s no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees.

As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like they’re cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen.

This isn’t on priority but I have second book in the series and that is releasing next week so I wish to finish this before I can start second one. This is lovely and fluffy so far and there is all delicious donuts and cupcakes. I’m not big fan of Donuts but I can’t resist cupcakes.

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Emery Blackwood’s life was forever changed on the eve of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence among the community that fractured her world in two. She’d once longed to run away with August, eager to escape the misty, remote shores of Saiorse Island and chase new dreams; now, she maintains her late mother’s tea shop and cares for her ailing father. But just as the island, rooted in folklore and tradition, begins to show signs of strange happenings, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that no one wants to remember.

August Salt knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night that changed everything. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from the past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises that span generations threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily’s death once and for all.

A rural island community steeped in the mystical superstitions of its founders and haunted by an unsolved murder is upended by the return of the suspected killer in this deeply atmospheric novel. Evocative and compelling, Spells for Forgetting is a vivid exploration of lost love and the unraveling of a small town and its many secrets.

This is Instgram buddy read. Most of the group members finished this but I just started this and read first five chapters. So far this is atmospheric read. There is mystery, magical realism and I can sense lots of emotions in upcoming chapters. This is my first book by author so this one will decide if I will get the Fabel duology or not.

Chuckle Merry Spin: Us in the U.S. by Khyrunnisa A

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TONGUE IN CHEEK, A HILARIOUS ACCOUNT OF HER TRAVELS IN THE U.S.

When Khyrunnisa and her husband, VK, decide to travel to the U.S. for their daughter-in-law’s graduation ceremony, they enthusiastically throw themselves into the preparations. Very much at home in their beloved Thiruvananthapuram, the duo has never before travelled abroad. Visas procured and warm clothes packed, they set forth. And what an adventure it turns out to be—full of peculiar restaurant rules, tipping norms, confusing subway stations, interesting places and entertaining conversations.

In this relatable and giggle-inducing travelogue, Khyrunnisa returns to doing what she does best—finding humour in everyday life. We chuckle along and shake our heads in recognition, as we accompany her from one destination to another. Keenly observed and hilariously narrated, Chuckle Merry Spin is suffused with the joy of adventure and the warmth of friends and family. A book for all times.

Now this is a priority read. I must review this book this weel and I’m just starting it! It’s a short travelogue so might finish it in one sitting. So the synopsis says it’s a fun humourous travel non-fiction. A first non-fiction travelogue I will read so I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

What I’ll Read Next

Nothing! I’ll just finish my current reads this week.

Words of the week

connubial – relating to marriage or the relationship between a married couple; conjugal.

bluebeard – a man who marries and kills one wife after another

tripe – Nonsense

felicitations- words expressing praise for an achievement or good wishes on a special occasion.

querulous – complaining in a rather petulant or whining manner.

portentous – of or like a portent; of momentous significance.

martinet – a person who demands complete obedience; a strict disciplinarian.

Thank you for reading! Let’s chat..,

How was your week?
What did you read last week and planning to read next?
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Just in case you missed–

Abhimanyu by Anuja Chandramouli – Book Review
September Highlights and Books – Monthly wrap up

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