Skip to main content

January 2026 Reads—Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Han Kang, James Baldwin And More

Image
By on

Seventy-nine? Looks like this is the number of books I'll read this year. Why? Because I read fifty-nine books in 2024 and sixty-nine in 2025. I can do it. Not fretting, though. The number of books is not important. What's really important, real readers know.

To summarise the books I read in Jan:

1. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

2. Human Acts by Han Kang

3. My Friends by Fredrik Backman

4. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

5. James Baldwin, The Last Interview and Other Conversations

6. Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman

7. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

8. The Day the World Stops Shopping by J.B. Mackinnon


1. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

About free will, rationalism, ego, and contradiction. This is a reread. This time, I am more empathetic to the underground man compared to last time. I guess I grew a little. I may not get the full depth and meaning of the book. But I got enough to find it interesting.  Also, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is one of my favourites.


2. Human Acts by Han Kang

About the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. This book did something to me. I'll keep the details to myself.
But "when the body dies, what happens to the soul?" 

3. My Friends by Fredrik Backman

About friendship, grief, art and a summer 25 years ago. I am getting the hang of Fredrik Backman's formula (have read two of his books before). Enjoyable, nonetheless. Reminds me to read Mary Oliver's "The Summer Day".
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

4. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

A young woman finds refuge, purpose, and transformation while living above a small Tokyo bookshop. It's okayish.
"No matter where I went, no matter who I was with, if I could be honest with myself, then that was where I belonged."

5. James Baldwin, The Last Interview and Other Conversations

I read his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and I know when I like an author. Picked this up to get to know him better (though he died before I was born). 

6. Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman

đź‘€Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference. Yeah. You! Don't stop at good intentions. Real-world deeds are more important than intentions.

By the way, got to know Ralph Nader, American lawyer and political activist and his method: "expose an injustice, come up with solutions, and then bring together a coalition of activists, lobbyists, politicians and experts to make those solutions happen."

7. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Gay novel. Something I won't actively seek out to read. But I don't mind reading anything by James Baldwin. He writes beautifully.

8. The Day the World Stops Shopping by J.B. Mackinnon

What would happen if consumer culture slowed down and how radically different (and possibly better) life could be beyond endless buying.

"The most savage of consumerism's ironies is that those who consume the least often suffer far more of consumption's harms that those who consume the most." 


I also started two other books but didn't finish. It's alright. Happy Reading, Folks!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Books I Read in June 2025— Arundhati Roy, BR Ambedkar and More

By on
 Today is the last day of June, and I feel compelled to jot down the books I read this month to reflect on my experience and learnings. These are the books: ~The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen ~My Seditious Heart by Arundhati Roy ~Annihilation of Caste by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar ~History of Modern Manipur by Lal Dena Just four. It's okay, really. There is no compulsion to read 6/7 books every month. Reading fewer books doesn't mean I'm learning less. In fact, I learned more deeply. The books this month have been impactful in different ways. Clearly, there is a shift in my choices, and I feel this was meant to be. Meaning, I'm leaning more into nonfiction now. I guess I've always been angry and frustrated deep inside. Angry about the climate crisis, social injustice, discrimination, violence, war, exploitation, etc., etc. I was just deluding myself, living in the comforting world of fiction, escaping all these thoughts. As I read more nonfiction, I get angrier, but I k...
2 comments
Read more

Wake up, Wake up, Children of the Land!—Poem by Tombi

By on
Wake up, wake up, Children of the Land! You hear and hear, yet turn a deaf ear. You see and see, yet close your eyes. You know, you know, but pretend not to know. Wake up, wake up, Children of the Land! The world has seen the light of science. Has your time not come? Are you still chasing ghosts of old history? Have you forgotten? Do you not remember? Who are you? Where do you come from? To which place do you belong? Who are you to ignore the past that shaped you? Is your behaviour still human nature? Wake up, wake up, Children of the Land! There will be rain. There will be flood. Does fear still dwell in your heart? A tiger does not spare a deer. Have you forgotten? Do you not wish to write a new history? Do you not wish to be brave? Be wary, even as you sleep, Your own blood has turned cold. Like seeks like, and power pairs with power. That history, written by the mighty, Do you wish to let it rule again? Do you not wish to end it? Do you not wish to become Our fath...
Post a Comment
Read more

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

By on
So I recently watched the 2017 Russian adaptation of Anna Karenina , an eight-part series by Mosfilm (one of the largest and oldest film studios in the Russian Federation and in Europe, according to Wikipedia). This one takes a unique narrative approach, presenting the story from Vronsky’s perspective.  Let me tell you—I was absolutely enthralled. From the acting to the costumes, the sets to the overall production quality, I liked almost everything about this adaptation, except for a few scenes and bits here and there. The performances felt authentic and moving, capturing the essence of the novel’s characters with remarkable fidelity. So satisfying was this adaptation that I’m not eager to seek out others. Somehow, I feel that no other version could match the artistry of this one. I’d like to explore more films and series by this studio, and I most certainly will. And I don't know why it's got such low ratings: 6.3/10 on IMDb and 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. It DESERVES much higher!...
Post a Comment
Read more