The Book Satchel

A blog about conversations about books, reviews, chats over coffee/tea and the happiness of reading.

[thebooksatchel]

Some weekends are evil when they ripen because they whoosh you back to childhood memories. We have been extremely competitive in narrating one another’s old stories today (hey! I’ve got better ones. I need extra chances. Agree?). - - I think the best antidote to nostalgia is an episode of House. He is cocooned in the duvet with Suits. Ah well, I guess we would always be opposites. - - Tell me if you did something a little different or a little surprising compared to the other days. I’ve gotta figure out what triggered my nostalgia outbreak. . . #weekendsaway #bookishgirl #bookpages (at Grandmama’s Cafe)

[thebooksatchel]

Any of you keen on TV shows? I am not a huge fan; more of the conservative kind that thinks FRIENDS is the best show out there. I usually get bored after two seasons of any other show. - - That’s another reason that The Toymakers is sitting unread on my pile. PS: It would make one FABULOUS movie. So much magic and toys!! - - I have started watching House; just finished Season 1. I have watched many episodes long time back but never one after the other. I hate medical dramas but I kind of like the cold, sarcastic Dr.House (I am a killjoy, ain’t I?) - - How many seasons do you think I would last with this one? 😝. Who is a TV show character that you’ve found interesting. - - #bookishlove #breakfastonbed #cupsinframes

[thebooksatchel]

And here I am drowning in my anticipated releases of 2018 and not reading them! I happen to be a very slow reader this year and I have no idea way. Distracted? Day dreaming? You fill in the blanks. I have no excuse. - - On the side of boosting my image and shattered confidence, I have been enjoying The Toymakers by Dinsdale. It isn’t all magical and happy only; the book becomes slightly more greyer. Loving the magic but it does get pretty slow in pacing. And The Chalk Man is fast paced and full of twists (too many twists if I may poke fun). What should I pick next? - - How’s your reading goin’ in the New Year? . . #booksbooksbooks #books2018

[thebooksatchel]

Do you feel like you are a puzzle with many sides? And each person who comes into contact with you knows a bit about you but never the WHOLE YOU? Or do you feel you are an open book for everyone? - - Isn’t it fascinating? Our real life friends know a part of us; our online friends know another; family knows another part of us; colleagues know another and so on? Janice Pariat illustrates this idea beautifully in her latest book. Each chapter lets us see a bit more of the narrator and makes us question whether we even know her at all, upon reading the last chapter. Recommended! - - #booksonbed #bookishlifestyle #thebooksatchelreviews

[thebooksatchel]

My old friends might remember how much I loved The Bear and the Nightingale (new friends, go check out the book ASAP. It is fantastic). Good news! The sequel is released this month and it was on my list of anticipated reads of 2018. - - I devoured the ARC of The Girl in the Tower last year and was waiting to publish my review. It is up on the blog today. Take a look. Link in bio.💕 - - This book has more of Vasya and more of action. There is more of backstory and of course Arden’s beautiful writing. I am already itching for the third book in the series. - - If you loved the first book or if it is on your TBR, put your hands up! (Extra claps if you bought the book because of my consistent nagging 😝). . . #bookishphotos #booksonbed #thegirlinthetower

[thebooksatchel]

Today is a grey day. (Grey books, get the reference? 😝). Today is the day all the plans went haywire. I had been planning to shoot some pics for the ‘gram but ended up falling into a rabbit hole of distractions. Then I fell into a ten min power nap that extended all afternoon. I think I have trained my hands to automatically snooze the alarm. Sigh. The only good thing that happened today was my cup of ☕️. - - I’ve been warming up my new year with fiction reads. I need to start reading The Ivory Throne (non fic) from where I left off last year. It was so good! Talking of which, I have at least ten partially read books from last year that I really need to tick off. - - How was your weekend? I went to a movie (Mayanadhi, Malayalam) and really liked it. . . #bookseverywhere #quietthechaos

[thebooksatchel]

Good things come when you least expect them. This book is one that crossed my path in an unexpected fashion. It is like nothing that I have read before. In fact I don’t have any other book that I can compare it with. And this is our story. - - I didn’t select or notice this book at the bookstore. In fact I didn’t know anything about this book or author before that day. My husband pointed it out to me when I became desperate that I couldn’t find that one perfect book amidst the thousands of books at Kinokuniya. I read the blurb, then a page; loved it; bought it. - - But what I didn’t expect is to love it SO MUCH. I always thought I hate fragmented narratives. But time is a fluid entity in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book was written as a result of a failed screen play. But I could visualize each scene in my head. Just brilliant! My first read of 2017. And it is a favourite read. - - #readeverywhere #nothingisordinary_ (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

[thebooksatchel]

Join me for a cup of ☕️? Aha! I spy a stack of 2018 releases that are on my anticipated list. Any guesses? (I guess one of them is super easy because of the sketch on the sides). Will reveal the titles soon. - - Story behind the pencil in shot- I love scribbling away with pencils (the ones that can be sharperned) and I often lose my stash. They DISAPPEAR, no fault of mine I tell you! And while I was clearing away junk from the house over the holidays, I came upon this one with a fully loaded case of pencil leads in a pouch from my husband’s school days. Ah! I am a sucker for old junk wrapped in memories. So that’s my new adopted ‘Wing Man’. - - What’s your favourite? Pen, pencil, ink pen,stylus? . . #whatisee #thesincerestoryteller

[thebooksatchel]

So I am back to reading now. I guess I have at least ten books partially read and carried over from last year. But that’s the story for another day. I am at a dilemma whether to finish A General Theory Of Oblivion (which is half read and fabulous), recommendation courtesy of @karachigeek, or pick up The Silent Duchess, highly praised by @bookmusings which was part of @theboxwalla Oct box. - - I didn’t concentrate on reading in Dec, and was on a hiatus on my blog as well. But I did things that didn’t involve either in real life. And trust me, I feel so refreshed! PS: Now don’t blame me if I bombard you with posts on the blog. I need to publish away all the drafts 😝. - - ➡️ Did your reading schedule has suffer because channeled your time for something else? Let’s celebrate the small badges in life as well. Let it be anything - spending time with someone, taking care of your health, learning a new skill, binge watching shows; anything at all.💕🎉 . . #unitedbookstagram #translatedbooks (at Mumbai, Maharashtra)

[thebooksatchel]

Thank you! Thank you for all your New year wishes, comments, DMs, emails, snail mails, suggestions for The Book Satchel; everything! Thank you if you have been a silent participant in this Insta family. Your love and support has inspired me SO MUCH. I am not kidding - I think I’ve the best squad on Instagram. Thank you for being YOU. - - If you are new here - My name is Resh. I love books, food, all things creative as well as coffee and tea (Ha!). My hobbies include gawking at pictures of food (professional Food Gawker here) and re watching FRIENDS. Come and say hi below whether you are an old friend, a new one or someone who hasn’t said hi before. Tell me a little something about yourself; anything - a hobby, a dream, something funny. I’d love to connect with you this year.💕 - - Talking of the last year, I have quite a few hauls to show you guys- there is a Universal Studios Haul; then some fab books I received in Dec, both gifts and some from publishers and I have some books that were added to my shelves as early as Oct that I haven’t shown you yet. Oh my! All in good time. So STOKED that Jan has begun. Today is the day I start reading again after a rather long break in Dec. - - What about you? C’mon. Today is all about YOU. So tell me, I am all ears 😘 . . #stillchristmas #unwrapping #onthebedproject

[thebooksatchel]

And it is HERE! New year, new you? New year, old you? What is your agenda? - - Here are some of my favourite books of 2017. I started the year reading a piece written by a friend. I might not read today but just spend the day with friends and loved ones. But tomorrow, that’s when ALL the reading begins and I am SO EXCITED. Cheers to lots of books this year. - - I have set a goal on Goodreads for 52 books this year and I am plotting so many plans (that don’t include reading) in my head to make the year more awesome!!Have you set any goals or lists? . . #newyearnewme #newyearnewstart

[thebooksatchel]

Today’s post is a behind-the-scenes (BTS) look at styling an overhead shot. It took hours (I mean it, hours!!), a million deleted shots and lots of trial and error on the height and shadows to get one picture right. - - And that’s what I want to tell you on the last day of this year. If you want to try out something new, DO IT. It will be frustrating, it will take up a lot of your time, you will probably give up many times (I gave up twice that same day) and also you will end up being very very hungry😋. But that’s the first step. And there is no easy way out of it. - - Bring to life what’s in your head. We will see about the rest later. The happiness is worth the frustration. That’s my mantra for the next year. Happy New Year all! - - - Tip: For overhead shots have placeholders to define the frame. This takes up a lot of time because it is difficult to visualize as a first timer. But placeholders sure help! Try, fail, repeat until you nail it. I had help while shooting this. Now I need to figure out a way to do this by myself. . . ➡️ #myBTSshots - Tag your pics so that I can see your creative process . . #whpresolutions2018 #2018iscoming

[thebooksatchel]

We sat down to talk about our plans for next year and ended up with no solid plans, lots of ☕️ and many rounds of UNO. Okay then, tomorrow we will make ALL THE PLANS. - - If I had to narrow down my 2017 releases to a single favourite book, it would be What it means when a man falls from the sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah. - - Tell me ONE favourite book of yours among the new releases. Or tell me how you are planning to spend New Year’s eve. Or tell me anything at all. . . #newyearseve #2018iscoming

[thebooksatchel]

This holiday season has been exceptionally good to me. Look at that! Very pleased to receive the Dec box from @theboxwalla whose titles are no doubt the best. I’ve always praised their incredible book choices that showcase translated works, and underrated authors; and the Dec titles are no lesser. - The box includes Kiran Nagarkar’s first novel, 4321, translated from Marathi and Eileen Chang’s Half a Lifelong Romance which was translated into English in 2014 even though the original was published in 1950. - - Very eager about Nagarkar because I’ve heard so much about him (mostly about his famous novel, Cuckold). I might binge read this one and his newer novel, Jasoda. 4321 is said to employ cinematic techniques in writing, and I am very very curious to see how that was implemented. - - Books + the lovely ‘A Winter day’ card from @obviousstate = one happy girl here.😍🎁 . . Any translated books that have caught your fancy recently? Two of mine- Madonna in a fur coat by Sabahattin Ali (Turkish, again from the Boxwallah collection) A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo (half read, Portuguese) . . #coffeefliicks #boxwallabook #diversebooks

[thebooksatchel]

Isn’t it the best thing when the mail gods take pity on you and deliver the right packages around Christmas time? So excited to have the new Slightly Foxed quarterly under my tree. I am a big fan and I know for sure my Jan reading is sorted. - - I just got back from dinner (pizza anyone?😝)and was greeted with a huge crowd of residents and security personnel outside my building because a snake is trapped in the elevator 😱(omg!) and they are trying to get it out. Next on the list - hot chocolate for him, black coffee for me and a movie (Recommend your feel good movies please) . . #makingwinter #asimplechristmas

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****GIVEAWAY***** Woohoo! I was extremely happy to partner with @harpercollinsin for this giveaway because of two reasons - their latest titles are too good and the Harper Broadcast is without doubt one of THE BEST newsletter in the Indian publishing scene. Not saying this because of the giveaway - but I have genuinely loved and devoured every issue of the newsletter and I am so happy to tell you guys about it. Also, here are the books I have chosen for you guys from the list. There will be THREE winners and each winner will get two of the titles. - - Rules (India only) 1. Follow me and @harpercollinsin 2. Like and tag two friends in comments below for one entry. You can do this upto three times. - For extra entries : 1. Repost this pic on your account with hashtag #SatchelHCChristmas17 AND #harpercollinsbooksanta for one extra entry. You can do this upto two times. Do not tag us. You can mention us in caption. 2. Follow +Like+RT this pic on Twitter for one extra entry 3. Follow+Like+ comment on FB post for one entry 4. Subscribe to the newsletter via www.harpercollins.co.in . Send a screenshot of the Harper Braodcast newsletter in your inbox (such that your email handle is visible too) to [email protected] with subject 'Satchel Harper Collins Christmas 17'. Mention your social media handles (if any) in the email. Both new and old subscribers will receive the newsletter before Dec 31st. Please note there won’t be confirmation replies for individual emails. - - The prizes will be dispatched by HC office. Parental permission needed below 16 years of age. Public accounts only. The giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram. The giveaway ends on 1st Jan, 2018. . . #janicepariat #indianbooks #kirannagarkar #gulzar

[thebooksatchel]

****INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY *** I am so excited to partner with @picador for this giveaway. There are THREE copies of The Un-discovered Islands by Malachy Tallack and illustrated by Katie Scott up for grabs. The book is all about ex- islands, forgotten lands, products of imagination and human error. How cool is that?😍 - - Rules: 1. Follow @thebooksatchel and @picador 2. Like and tag two friends in the comments (you can do this upto three times. 3. Mention a place you would love to go to and spend the New Year. - - The package would be sent from Picador office. Public accounts only. Parental permission needed below 16 years of age. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram. . . #theundiscoveredislands #booksbooksbooks