LOL: Life Of Leo

Title: The Poet X Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Publisher: Egmont (1 May 2018) Genre: YA/Literature & Fiction Price: Rs. 359 on Amazon Pages: 320 As an avid reader, it is very important for me to start the year with the right book. Books and stories affect my mind and I wanted the year to start off with a healthy, positive book. I do a lot of research on the book that I would read first at the start of a new year. This year was no less. I go through ample book reviews, check out award winning books, see what my fellow bloggers and bookstagrammers have recommended and then come to a decision about the book. Last year I went with ' The Dutch House ' and this year I chose to go with 'The Poet X'. The Poet X is a much loved book and I had never read anything by the author so far. Shalini has been praising this book and as someone who trusts her reviews and choices, I knew I was making the right choice.

Image Source We're done with January too? Wow, where are the days going? I still remember the first day of the year and now we're already on the second day of the second month of the year. But, you know what, January has been a wonderful month and no matter how fast it whooshed by, it made a huge impact. January helped me get a reality check and sort out and align my priorities better. As a person with multiple passions and interests, I usually have more than what I can handle in my kitty. I try to do too many things and while I usually succeed in getting them done, it does take a toll on me. It also adds to the guilt incase something gets missed out. Now, I'm more realistic about what I should do and how much I can handle. This has simplified my life to a large extent.

Image Source My word of the year for 2020 was ' Balance ' and I'm mighty pleased with myself regarding how I fared. 2020 was a challenging year for all of us, but it was a year of immense learning for me. It taught me so much as a person and helped me look at life in a much better way. Thanks to the lockdown and being safe at home, there was ample time in hand, but it was initially chaos. With time, I learnt to manage time better and was able to balance everything that was on my plate. It wasn't easy and like everything else, it took time, but, I got there.

Image Source Reading has been an important part of my life since I can remember. In books, I've always found solace and peace. In books, I've found companionship and happiness. In books, I've lost and found myself. A large part of the person that I am today is because of the books that I've read. They have helped me look at life differently and taught me innumerable lessons. They have helped me groom myself and let me travel to a gazillion places without moving from my seat. In short, books are a vital part of my life and always will be.

Image Source It feels good to be back here, it has been a while, I know. I wouldn't say that this was an intentional break from blogging, just that other things kept me busy and I decided to focus on that. Before I knew it, the year was done! 2020 has been called a lot of names by many people, but if I were to be honest, I'd say that 2020 was not the worst year of my life. In fact it was a pretty good year for me. I know that it was a tough time for the world and we lost many people, but if there is one thing that 2020 taught me, it is to make peace with the situation at hand. Thanks to this, I come out of 2020 a much better and a much calmer person. When I look back at what I was ten or twelve years ago, and then look at who I am today, I surprise myself. My partner (I'll no longer be using the word husband) recently told me that I have mellowed down so much and he doesn't see that angry tyrant in me anymore. We've been together for a decade, so he would know. I co

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. 

Image Source 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

Image Source 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. Th

Image Source 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