Reading Challenge 2016

Hello! So last year was a big reading year, but this time I decided to scale it back and pledge to read 25 books. Also, if anyone on Goodreads is interested in joining the book club ‘Our Shared Shelf’ in support of the  UN’s HeforShe Campaign, please do! It’s moderated by Emma Watson where a single book highlighting feminism is selected each month and the last week is set for discussion, so I’m really excited to participate in it, however I can! Happy reading to everyone!

p.s Books marked with an asterisk are re-reads 🙂

January

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling*
• Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

February

• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
• The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

March

• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

April

• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

May

• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Bad Beginning*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Reptile Room*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Wide Window*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Miserable Mill*

June

• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn*
• My life had stood a loaded gun by Emily Dickinson
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling*

July

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

August

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
• The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
• The Perks of Being Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky*

September

• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Austere Academy*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Ersatz Elevator*

October

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

December

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini *

25/25 books read

Inspirational Celebs

While celebrity culture today often gets out of hand, there are still some who make  wonderful role models:

Emma Watson

As if playing Hermione Granger wasn’t enough of a reason for me to adore Emma Watson, she’s shown the world that education doesn’t have to be ousted by a career in the film industry.

“Acting and studying are in no way mutually exclusive, are they?” -Emma

Studying while filming  the HP movies, she received straight A’s in her A-levels, demonstrating how similar she is to her character. Graduating from Brown University in 2014, she’s very vocal about how important education is for anyone and everyone.

I found a post about how Emma’s dad  had saved money to send her to a good private school even when times were tough. Fully aware and appreciative of this, she only asked for the school uniform as her birthday present. That, to me, says a lot about her priorities.

“It sounds so geeky, but I really do like studying and reading, and if I’m not working on Harry Potter, then my greatest relaxation is to sit with a book. That’s how I escape stress—in literature.” -Emma

Apart from this, she’s now a UN Goodwill Ambassador fighting for gender equality via the HeforShe Campaign. Her first speech at the UN was educating as well simple, like a stepping stone into the complexity of feminism.

Kalki Koechlin

Kalki makes her point in different ways and that’s why she’s so interesting to watch or read about. Her monologue last Women’s Day about India’s patriarchal society and life as a woman deserves to be remembered once again. That wasn’t, however, the only time she spoke up about women’s issues. In a video titled ‘Rape? It’s Your Fault Women’, she sarcastically points out how ridiculous it is that women are to blame for rape instead of the rapist himself.

It’s clear that she’s not a poster feminist and that genuinely knows what she’s talking about when it comes to women’s sexuality and struggles, pointing out that the power equation in marriages/relationships tilt in favour of men, considering how India still doesn’t have laws that support married women and that marital rape is not yet considered a crime.

Demi Lovato

We often think that inspirational people are all pros devoid of cons but Demi Lovato, in my opinion, is a great role model in how she turned her life around.  After going to rehab for alcohol and drug abuse and seeking treatment for her eating disorder, she took it upon herself to serve as a role model to others by being extremely and openly communicative of her struggles and becoming a mental health ambassador.

“I’ve been open about my struggles because part of my recovery includes being honest with myself and others, and I’m inspired to use my success as a platform to help others suffering. If you’re hurting, don’t be afraid to seek the help you need! Speak to someone — it may just change your life. As a mental health advocate, I created The Lovato Treatment Scholarship, which funds individuals that can’t afford treatment for mental illness.”- Demi

She took responsibility for past transgressions and learned how to be accountable for her actions which a lot of us still need to learn. Never does she project herself as a glamorous celebrity on stage but rather highlights how she too has flaws, making her someone we can relate to.

p.s Happy Women’s Day to everyone!

Do you know what Feminism is?

If I were to ask a single question and determine whether or not someone could be my friend based on the answer, it really is quite simple…

Do you understand what feminism means?

Sadly the word is a very misunderstood one but as Emma Watson rightly said in her UN speech for the HeforShe Campaign, it is not the word that matters but rather the idea behind it. So the better question to be asked is actually…

Do you understand what feminism is?

I sincerely hope you do because whether you are a man or woman, boy or girl, feminism should matter to you because…

Feminism is not synonymous to man-hating or believing in superiority over men but rather gender equality. It means affording equal rights to both men and women. It’s justice.

Perhaps you’re a feminist and you don’t even know it. 

Maybe we could be friends but we don’t know it.

Isn’t that a shame?

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