[2019 in Books for Book lovers] Alak's Books

10 min read

Social media lets us be creative with our names. I think The BookXpert is the perfect name for a blog and social media handle for someone who loves books. I am happy to have Alak, aka, The BookXpert with me today.

Like all posts in the 2019 in books series, remember that Alak’s words are in italics and since this is a bookish discussion, all book links open in a new tab so that you can refer to them afterwards.

Welcome to Armed with A Book, Alak. 🙂 Tell me a little bit about your love for books.

Thank you so much Kriti! I have been reading since as long as I can remember. The love of books runs in the family. My mother is unfortunately saddled with three book hoarders 😛 I love reading non-fiction and mystery. There’s a lot of non-fiction book reviews on my blog.

Do you participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge or set reading goals for yourself? If yes, how do you usually choose this goal and what was your goal for this year?

I have never set any kind of reading goals for myself actually. I just read what I like, when I like. Not really comfortable with the idea of having to read a certain number of books by year end.

Are you an avid Goodreads user? What was your reading goal this year?

I’ve been using it since 2012 and I am envious of anyone who never sets a reading goal! Go you! I wish I could do that! I had 50 as the goal this year and at the time of writing this, I have read 89 books. It’s been fun being immersed in reading so many books and stories. 🙂

That’s impressive! Almost 8 books a month! I agree it is so much fun.

How do you choose your books to read?

About 75% of the reading I do these days is for blog tours that I sign up for, if the blurb sounds interesting. I really love non-fiction genre, and books in this genre are few and far in between, so I go to a store to pick some up. Which book I read when depends on my mood entirely 😛 .

I do know that you schedule your reads in advance. Your reading is so structured!

Thank you! 🙂

How do you make it work? Do you ever feel not in the mood to read a certain book you’d decided to read in advance?

Yes that happens often. Things get pushed if I am not feeling like reading them but it depends on how important it was to read them. I get books from NetGalley, BookSirens, publishers as well as the authors themselves. Since I love doing author interviews, the ones sent by authors are the most important and I usually have 3-4 per month that I commit to in this category. Since I am talking to the authors that month, that really helps me read their book – I promised to write about it and interview them! That’s good motivation because it is material for the blog as well.

With the other three and my own TBR I am more lax and if some book isn’t working out for me that month, I’ll move it. That happened with The Passenger by John Marrs and This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger this year. Could not get into them so another time. I have not given up on them! I am just not ready to read them right now. 🙂

Do you ever start and put down a book?

I do, sometimes. It’s been with books that I thought I would love, but didn’t once I started reading them. That usually when the language is so difficult I have to keep looking up words in the dictionary, or the content becomes dry. I bought The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari on the recommendation of 2-3 people, tried my best to stay awake while reading it, and eventually gave up.

About the books this year

Were there any books this year that challenged your thinking or you learned a lot from?

I love this question! There were a few, one that stood out in particular was Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. It’s about the time he spent in concentration camps during the Holocaust. How he was so weak and touted to be the first to die when he entered, but was actually one of the few to be living when they were freed. It’s such an inspiring book, I don’t think there is anyone who will not fall in love with it!

What are your favorite genres to read?

If you had asked me 6 months ago, I would have said historical fiction but I hardly read any this year! I really enjoyed dystopia and science fiction this year and will be writing more about them at the end of the year.

Can you recommend some good books that really impacted you and why they did?

Friday’s child by Georgette Heyer – Hands down a long time favorite! It is so funny. Like I mentioned to Mae in our conversation, “When I want a good chuckle, be around friends, that’s my go to book because it feels like home, with a splash of silliness and some tummy aches from laughing.” There are days when I need that book really bad and I know exactly where to go to feel better. This book is definitely not everyone’s style – I have had friends try to read them so I know.
Resilience Road by Beth Koritz was an amazing read for me. I related to it in so many ways! She talked about how life seems like there is a checklist we follow, but ultimately we don’t have to. She also shared her journey as someone who has an auto-immune disease, something my aunt has as well. Many things that Beth mentioned I had experienced in some form and it was great to have them said by someone else. Some of this I didn’t even share in my book thoughts post so you are one of the few people who know. 🙂

Thanks! Will check these out.

I know it is hard to give recommendations, especially when we read so many books in a year! If you had to choose, tell me about four books that I should check out and why.

Haha that is true! I actually have to look up my own blog to remember which books I’ve read this year. Here are some amazing books I think you’ll love:

Frog Under A Coconut Shell by Josephine Chia– This book is so underrated. It’s the journey of a Malay Peranakan woman from her childhood spent in slums, to her affluent present. She talks about how her mother made ends meet for their family, what were the challenges they faced, the mindset of her father.

Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl- I have described it above so won’t elaborate here.

My friend, Varun, recommended this one too!

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom- This is a description of a series of meetings between Mitch and his professor Morrie Shwartz, who is suffering from ALS and is slowly losing control over his muscles. They have discussed everything- from Suffering, Happiness to Death. Morrie’s lovable self makes you adore him immediately and there is so much you can learn from this book.

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle– My personal favorite works. I doubt you’ve left them unread, but they’re the absolute cracking mysteries I ever read. Especially The Valley of Fear- it’s an absolute masterpiece.

I read Sherlock Holmes many times, growing up. It’s been a while since I have revisited that.

What are some pointers that influence your book buying? What are the kind of books you like to read? What are the points you like to include in your reviews about the books you read? I read your review of The Braid today, and it was so detailed!

Thanks! I go into quite a depth when I really connect with a book. 🙂 The Braid is the perfect example. I got it as an ARC from NetGalley but just had to go buy it – it was so impactful! I buy books based on the cover (haha) and the synopsis. I love reading about habits and success so that can be a weakness.

I read most genres and am happy to explore. When I am reviewing, I just think about personal connection that I had to the books – things that it reminded me of, quotes that rang true, characters that inspired – whatever pops out to me goes into the post. I like to look for themes – I just usually don’t know what they are in advance. It is a bit of a witch hunt.

Yep. Books are like surprises that we can unpack at our own pace.

Couldn’t have said it better! What do you include in your reviews usually?

I love reading non-fiction to know how people live in different parts of the world. Learning something new from a book means a lot to me. I also pay attention to the authors’ writing style, the general pace of the book, etc.

The Year Ahead

Would you change anything, whether it is your reading habits, review routine or reading goal, for 2020?

I love this question! I am planning to change my review routine. Planning to take up fewer tours and read more on my pace and according to my taste in 2020, and writing better posts on the books I read, put some more effort into the Instagram. 😛

I also want to get into reading more of Hindi literature, though that could take some time.

What are your bookish and blogger plans for 2020?

Ariel and I are hosting a book bingo challenge so I am super excited for that! You are joining us for #armedwithabingo so that’s amazing! I will also be taking part in an A to Z reading challenge and hosting one of their readathons – never done that before.

My TBR for 2020 is already as long as the number of books I read this year so I’m looking forward to seeing how I tackle that challenge – I’m always trying to get better and better and push myself.

Armed with A Book wise, just writing regularly and collaborating more with readers through series like these. Like you mentioned about blog tours – I want to limit myself to one a month but I know some of the organizers really well so it’s hard to turn them down. I’m still new to book blogging so the need to be in almost everything needs to be worked on.

Looks like we have talked about everything I had in mind and more! Anything you want to add?

Want to mention that I love the idea of this series. Reading these posts about other readers has been informative. I got to know them, and you, better!

Thanks, Alak! It has been a pleasure to have you here! 🙂