Book Review: Anxious People - Fredrik Backman

Title: Anxious People

Author: Fredrik Backman

Publisher: Michael Joseph (3 September 2020)

Genre: Humor/Contemporary Fiction

Price: Rs. 489 on Amazon

Pages: 352

Some books, you don't want them to end. This is one of them. It has been a while since I wrote a book review here and I couldn't think of a better book to come back with. I usually mention my verdict in the end, but I'll be brave enough to say it right now. This book is a must read for everyone. I usually don't judge people based on the books they like or don't like, but if someone says that they did not like this one, they'll not be making it to my good books for sure. 

Action Replay + Gratitude List: September & October 2020

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I didn't write a single post in October, so you can imagine how busy I have been. Also, didn't August, September and October just swoosh by? I mean March alone felt like 3 whole months, so when months just pass by so quickly it does take some getting used to. September and October was dominated by office work and everything else had to take a step-back. I was working on something that I had never worked on before, in fact no one on my team had worked on it before. It was all about trial and error, days of going through documents, reaching out to people who might have an idea about it and trying not to lose your self-confidence in the process. That's the thing about a new piece of work, right? It is never easy but it is always worth the effort. I'm done with it now and I'm pretty happy with the way it has shaped up. Never giving up and asking for help instead of struggling for days was the key. As Dumbledore says, "Help will always be given to those who ask for it".

Shedding Light On Entitlement

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Over the past few weeks, with innumerable scandals coming to light, social media is filled with statements from every celebrity, every media house and people whom you have never heard of before. Every statement ends with a line that says, 'This is my final comment on the matter, please do not reach out to me for more statements'. The daily Quora notifications that I receive are only revolved around these scandals with common people like you and me wanting to know intricate details about the how and why of what happened. Why do people feel entitled to know everything about a celeb? I know they chose to live their life in the eyes of the public, but even they are entitled to a sense of privacy. How hard is it for people to understand that? This hit a new low with the passing of Sushant Singh Rajput. Some actresses were bullied and trolled because they did not share their grief on social media. A tragedy is usually personal and everyone deals with it their own way. The best way, the most dignified way to deal with it is, silently. No name calling, no washing dirty linen in public, no yelling on prime time news. In a publicity hungry country like ours, no one will let this happen.

Witch Hunt

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It is not a new concept

Blaming the woman for everything

The queen is the scapegoat

For protecting the king

Dear woman, please don't worry

You are magic, you know it

Don't listen to the voices

Coming out of that patriarchal pit

Simpler Times - I

This was the scene I woke up to this morning. As I made my cup of black coffee and walked to the coffee table with the newspapers in my hand, this is what I saw. For a minute I froze thinking about how everything is about technology these days. We have a thousand books at home and yet the Kindle is always in use. There are only two people at home and yet we have four laptops and innumerable earphones and headsets. The iPad is only used in my Bookstagram photography and the iPod is unused because I've left its charger at my work desk back in office. Funnily enough, none of these things make us happy. The only thing natural in the above picture, along with the freshly brewed coffee is the baby money plant and yellow Gerbera that bloomed in my balcony garden. These are the only things that make me genuinely happy. While the husband and I have never enjoyed materialistic things, we have ended up buying things out of necessity, and some of them were won as part of various writing contests. They make life easy, yes, but where is the joy associated with it?

How To Identify & Extinguish Gaslighting

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Have you heard of the term called gaslighting? Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or a group of people come together, and make you question your own reality. It’s the act of manipulating a person by forcing them to question their thoughts, memories, and the events occurring around them. A victim of gaslighting can be pushed so far that they question their own sanity. It is the worst form of emotional abuse ever! While political figures, cult leaders and influential people use it the most, it is more common than you think. 

Gaslighters are usually people who have a thirst for control and power and don't think twice before manipulating people for their own satisfaction. They’re self-absorbed and don’t have time or interest in others unless it serves a purpose for them. They aren’t empathetic and don’t have the ability, or the interest, to understand what another person is feeling or experiencing. While all gaslighters are narcissists, not all narcissists are gaslighters. Gaslighters are usually people who are close to you and know you well to a large extent. Since this is a form of emotional abuse that is hard to put a finger on, you need to watch out for the signs. Has this happened to you anytime recently or anytime ever?

Action Replay + Gratitude List: August 2020

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And the birthday month comes to an end! August moved comparatively slower than other months and it was good because it gave me a chance to slow down as well. The last few months were about rushing with the times, but August helped me calm down and relax a bit. Yes, I'm someone who constantly likes to be busy, but I found my calm in my own way. Since I had a work release in August, most of the month kept me busy with work and I'm not complaining at all. My time management skills have improved and I have found my own rhythm in my way of things. I was able to balance my work, household chores, reading, writing, working out and other small things pretty well. August has been a very content month in terms of getting things done.