On December 23rd, we celebrated our Secret Santa. Initially, I thought I would be the one who was going to be late, but I arrived first. Dhwani came next, followed by Bhavik, and later on, others joined. We were all in a festive mood and very excited. Once everyone was in, we had to put the books we had for our “Santee” in a big envelope and write their name on it. After distributing the gifts, the Santees had to open their presents (books) and guess who their Santa was.
Ankur opening his Gift
Rajeshwari opening her gift
Pritam opening his gift
Bhavik, Dhwani and Meher opening their gifts
Ankur received “Kafka on the Shore”; his Santa was Dhwani. Pritam got “A Search in Secret India,” and his Santa was Bhavik. Rajeshwari received “Swami and Friends” by RK Narayan; her Santa was Meher. Meher got a collection of classics, and her Santa was Pritam. Dhwani got “Faking It” and I was her Santa. I received “Circe” and my Santa was Ankur. Bhavik got “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and his Santa was Rajeshwari.
We shared stories about how we selected the books for one another, and Bhavik told us about the book he recently read, “Sophie’s World.” As the story was philosophical, and thanks to his presentation, the overview sounded so good. Dhwani got “The Spy Family Manga,” sparking my interest in reading Mangas. I spoke about “Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch” and suggested watching it on Prime. I’ve been so into the show that I’ve watched both seasons seven times as of now. Recently, I got the audiobook, and it was really good. I took a break from “Dorian Gray” and divided my travel time between “Dorian Gray” and “Good Omens.”
Bhavik talking about his book
Dhwani About her Book
Ankur’s wife and daughter joined us, and she received Becoming by Michelle Obama as a gift from Ankur. It was an all-around fun day for all of us. We talked about a lot of things, which if I start writing will never finish it.
Well, this was our last Bookclub meet of the year and we’ll meet again in January, 2024.
While coming back home, I was listening to “Dorian Gray” (YES, AGAIN) and was in the chapter of Sybil. Although I had already read the book multiple times and knew the end of Sybil, I couldn’t help but wonder that she had been under a dominating mother and then found her prince charming in Dorian. Dorian becomes infatuated with Sybil. He is captivated by the characters she plays on stage and falls in love with the idealized versions of those characters rather than the real Sybil. When Sybil’s acting fails to meet Dorian’s expectations one night, he becomes disillusioned and loses interest in her and rejects her and she takes her own life.
Love is indeed a complicated thing.
Current Reads and Watches:
I am not getting time at all but for ARC read from Book Sirens and Netgalley I am reading ‘Let there be Dark‘ and ‘Men Going Mad – Two twisty tales‘. Once it is done I will start reading ‘Circe‘ and ‘Murder your Employer‘
I had rewatched ‘Good Omens Season 1 and 2‘ twice, this was my 7th rewatch all over and I am still on ‘Grimm season 5‘. I really want to watch ‘Death’s game‘ too on Prime. Also, i hope Netflix gets some good shows soon.
