Hello Beautiful people! Welcome to DJ cooks and books (formerly: Indian cooks and books) I am DJ and make videos about the books I read. I also splice them with some food I cook and eat. I love reading contemporary fiction mostly but I am trying to discover other genres that I might enjoy.
I just finished the book. 1) I want to push back on Neda. You have to remember she was 21 when she met Sunny. She didn’t know better. 2) sunny wasn’t BSing her. He was very naive. He was devastated by his father destroying his apartment because it was his new identity that he crafted to get his dad to love him 3) Sunny’s last chapter was very silly, I grant you that. Not sure why Vicky is suddenly a black magician. Is he Sunny’s real dad? I was confused. Ajay suddenly doubting his sister is his sister was weird. But I still liked the book. I’ve never seen a Bollywood film and it was different than the usual trauma corn about India. Indians (much like Africans) are often shown at their worst so it was a refreshing tale to see them having rich people drama.
@@Zikomo7 Thank you so much for your comment! Yes Neda and Sunny are both young and that can make you reckless.. I get that but it still felt unnatural because they behave very mature in other instances… It is interesting that you thought this story was refreshing, but to me it still felt a little like trauma corn and that is what we used to see in some old Bollywood movies too. I recently read Little Rot by Akwake Emezi and felt like there were some similarities between that book and this book and it was interesting… maybe it’s because we are curious about other cultures and places that we find stories set in them interesting 🤔
@@Djcooksandbooks sunny was always an idiot. A sweet baby idiot but an idiot. Agree on Neda. Sometimes she thinks like someone in their late 30s and other times she’s a teenager. That’s love, i guess. And I suppose it’s refreshed to hear about psychological issues. Ajay grew up in the slums but doesn’t make it his entire personality (the way the west would love to focus on) He learns quickly that fancy suits won’t disguise his true self. His greatest shame comes from not helping his sister. Sunny is extremely wealthy but can’t get what truly wants. Nada grew up rich but not on Sunny’s level. Again, the west likes to make itself look better by making other countries/cultures look worse. I’d always suspected it wasn’t true but having actual proof is great. Even if Buntys wealth was gained illegally, it takes strategy and finesse to spread to politics, media, the law, etc. And that’s what’s usually hidden to people like me about other cultures. Little Rot sounds great! I’ll check it out
☕ Enjoyed hearing about your reading year so far! I really need to read some Kevin Wilson, all his books are so different and sound imaginative. The KU thrillers sound wild!
Thank you for watching! Yes! Kevin Wilson is so good! I hope you get to read something from him soon! And the KU thrillers are really good to get out of a reading slump!
Great Haul! I thought you had moved to Japan didn't you say you wanted to do that? I love Yūko Tsushima novels. I'm also currently reading and really enjoying Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai it's a bit of a plotless novel so if you don;t like that it won't be for you. I'm visiting Japan in the Fall and so looking forward to it! I have BookOff noted tho I don't read Japanese I thought they might carry Art ot Craft books.
Thanks Mary! I didn’t end up moving to Japan but I am glad I got a chance to visit! Mild Vertigo seems to be very popular. I might have to pick it up. I will also check out Yuko Tsushima novels! Wow! I’m excited for you to visit Japan in fall! The autumn leaves are beautiful!🍂 Yes Book offs are everywhere in Japan and they do have some art books and also so many things other than books too! The Shinjuku book off that I went to had records, video games and figurines and all sorts of interesting things! I have some clips from my time in Tokyo and I might include them in a future video!
These books all sound great! Always enjoy your hauls and reviews. 😊 looking forward to part 2! In terms of Japanese lit, I finally read Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human and The Setting Sun recently! :)
Thanks so much 😃 No Longer Human was so sad! 😞 If you liked that one, for some unexplainable reason, I think you might enjoy Red pill by Hari Kunzru… they have similar vibes but the later is a little more unhinged 😅
I thought Crooked Plow was great. I listened to Undiscovered it was just ok for me, I thought what she was doing with the idea of a novel was interesting . Not a River was one i wanted to read too, i didn't realize it was part of a trilogy. Great to see you back making videos
Not a River is a loosely connected Trilogy and I am really looking forward to reading the other two books in it because I loved the style of Not a River! I still haven’t got my hands on Crooked Plow, but I think I need to get it soon! Thank you so much for your kind words! I really like making videos and I hope I can make them more often.😊
Hello Sarah! Thanks for watching! I am so glad Jo (the commenter above you haha) mentioned your channel in their comment. I will go and check your video out now! Cheers!
I saw Sarah from Eyes on Indie mention this book in her latest video today and remembered I’d seen your video come up about it. She had me simultaneously intrigued and put off so I was keen to hear your thoughts DJ. It sounds like there’s a lot in there for such a slim book, a shame it didn’t live up to the beautiful cover for you but I’m still kind of intrigued 🤔
I was also so intrigued after I read the synopsis and saw the cover art. I thought it will be mostly from the POV of the writer's wife, but its not and that was a little disappointing for me :( It is a short book so you could give it a go. Maybe you will find something you like in it. Thanks for watching Jo! :)
The way this book is dragged at the end. I couldn't bear the new characters, new life stories being told after 500 pages, Jesus I just wanted it to end. And them I discovered that it is supposed to be a trilogy.... I will not read more 2 books like this.
I'm planning to dive deep into Asian literature someday, and I definitely saved some titles from this video. I wish to enjoy these books the same as you did. Last month I finished reading one of my all time favourite books: one hundred years of solitude, love love love it, so just for it I can say it was a pretty enjoyable month for my reading
Thank you for watching! I love reading Asian literature! Especially Japanese books! I’m glad you found some books to dive into later! I have been meaning to get to One hundred years of solitude for ages! I’ll try to read it soon! 😃
Looks like a great reading month. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us D.J 😊 My fave book of May was Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter but that’s just because it was utterly hilarious ❤
