Solitude and Books

Have you ever had a friendship that felt so safe and special that you could not imagine your life without it?  That is the kind of warmth I found in Hearts and Hiccups by Divya Ramaswamy. Set in college, this sweet romance brings together friendship, love, dreams, grief and the confusing little moments of growing up. Nia is brilliant, awkward and dependable, Amanda is the cheerful chaos everyone needs, and Jay is calm, sincere and quietly caring. There is no tiring big drama added just to keep things moving. Instead, we get small moments, playful conversations, misunderstandings and thoughtful acts of care. Nia, Amanda and Jay are not perfect, and honestly, I liked that. They make mistakes, get confused and sometimes hurt each other. But don't we all? The story begins with fun college days, silly jokes and easy friendship before slowly touching deeper emotions like grief, loss and healing. I enjoyed how the book does not rush these feelings. Nia...

 ✨️"Maybe that's the gift, if it is one. Not answers. Just permission to trust something before you understand why." — This captures the main message of the story I feel, reminding us that we don't always need to have everything figured out to move forward and trust our path. _______________________ Finishing this short story of 90 pages, felt like sitting by a quiet river after a long walk just like Aruni's gradpa and him. It is a moving tale about a boy named Aruni who leaves his home to search for answers, only to discover that life isn't about solving every mystery. The story focuses on the essence of ordinary things: tending a fire, carrying questions without needing immediate answers, and learning to sit comfortably with the unknown. The characters from Meher and her heavy gift to Pallav and brave young Kiv, bring meaning. ✨️"The saving isn't the point, boy. It never was. The going is." — Spoken by Palla...

This is a real story. Not a story, but a biography of the author, Moa Ijaz. It is his life through his nani's love, childhood sexual abuse in the most unexpected place, teenage perceived guilt and shame, and adulthood mental health breakdown. From infancy till his middle age, he shares how family, friends, relatives, and society downgrade us, and how that leads to us losing our identity, lowering our confidence, and later becoming like a "ghost." But why all this? Just because of some conventional, meaningless rules of families and society that refuse to look deep into the issues that need upgradation. I really felt for him. The evil preacher, who was really far from being God's voice, installed the virus, as the author says. But I would say he corrupted the thought process of a very pure human mind, leading him to feel shame, along with the shame he received from teachers, peers, and even his small uncle. I wish parents would be more open to sit and speak...