Amma: Jayalalithaa's Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen

Author: Vaasanthi

Genre: NonFiction, Politics, Biography 

Rating: 3/5

Verdict: No surprises, offers nothing new for someone already familiar with Tamilnadu politics. A very quick read.  

I've been wanting to read this one for a while now. It is a very swift read and a quick run through of Amma's life from her childhood to her political life. For someone already quite familiar with Indian politics, lived in India and followed the news, this book offers nothing new.  It just felt like a collage of a lot of newspaper articles/wiki pages put together. The author has deliberately and carefully stayed away from writing in detail about the controversial topics that surrounded Jayalalithaa's life and only touched upon those events in each chapter which is quite alright. I enjoyed reading about Amma's childhood and her relationship with her mother. This part of her life was something I hadn't read or known about before so it was quite interesting.  Many of the incidents described in each chapter although known to everyone brought back memories of my childhood when I watched those with keen attention with my family in the news channels and newspapers. 

To me, personally this book gives an insight into how sexist Indian politics was/is and how one woman fought through all the turbulence in an entirely male dominated political world and emerged victorious. I would've liked to see more pictures from Jayalalithaa's childhood and adolescence and I also felt that the author did not do a good job of documenting in detail about all the welfare schemes created by Jayalalithaa which had heaped a lot of praises. The crisp language makes it a good read despite its over simplification of the content presented.

How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life

Author: Signe Johansen

Genre: NonFiction, Cultural, Self Help

Rating: 2/5

Verdict: Not much about Hygge as much as it is a collection of recipes and some superficial advice here and there. 

My husband received this book as a holiday gift from his manager. I was quite intrigued by the title and the front cover was dreamy, what better reason to start reading this on New year's day especially after an unprecedented year going by. We were all trying hard to adjust to the new normal and in the process I couldn't read much at all. 

Reading the initial few pages of this book felt like I was having a conversation with a close friend who lives in Norway. We've talked so much about life in the Nordic region and I used to be amazed at how everyone enjoys the harsh winters as much as the beautiful summers. I loved the first two chapters where Signe talks about how being outdoors is being alive and I completely believe in that. I love spending time outdoors with the family and making lots of fun memories. Just being out and staring at a mountain or listening to the sound of a creek or a stream helps clear the fog in your mind. 

But just when I thought the book was getting unputdownable, the author put together a bunch of recipes - almost 90 odd pages dedicated for this section and there weren't many options for my dietary choices and it really didn't appeal to me. I just glossed over them to the final section of the book. The rest of the book was pretty disappointing with just a few tips here and there about living spaces, specific furniture and the likes. 

Overall for me, it started out exciting and wore off pretty quickly. The book is not really about hygge, just a bunch of recipes and KonMari-type tips put together. I was really looking forward to reading about the cozy feeling of contentment and the nordic ways of living that makes them a happy bunch but didnt find it.