My screen time is divided in two sections, one is weekdays and the other is weekends. In between dinner and snuggle on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I watch television series. The only exception was Game of Thrones rerun which I've binged incessantly before the grand finale. There are innumerable good content out there and I feel really sad for people who are still stuck with Saas-Bahu Saga, reality shows, and such craps. May be my privilege is talking here. I'l continue this rant in another post. The list in no particular order:
1. Mirzapur (Season 1)
2. McMafia
3. Sacred Games (Season 2)
4. House of Cards (Season 6)
5. Made in Heaven (Season 1)
6. Game of Thrones (Rerun-Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) and Finale
7. Bard of Blood (Season 1)
8. Sharp Objects (Mini series)
9. The Family Man (Season 1)
10. Killing Eve (Season 1)
11. Leila (Season 1)
(Continued from Movie Recap-Part 1)
July
1. Article 15
2. An Extraordinary Journey of a Fakir
3. Kavacha
4. Dumbo
5. Shaft
6. Ant-Man
7. Kalank
8. De De Pyar De
9. Kidnap
10. Aftermath
11. London Boulevard
12. The kid who would be king
August
1. The Mountain Between us
2. Monsoon Shooting
3. India's Most Wanted
4. Christopher Robin
5. Aladdin
6. Avengers End Game
7. Rustum
8. Mauruder
9. Ant man and the Wasp
10. Sonchiriya
11. Maharshi
12. Secret life of Pets 2
September
1. Hobbs and Shaw
2. Jersey
3. Batla House
October
1. Jabariya Jodi
2. Pailwana
3. Total Dhamal
4. Srinivasa Kalyana
5. Mission Mangal
6. Walk among the Tombstone
7. The next three days
November
1. Gubbi Mele Brahmastra
2. Arjun Patiala
3. Super 30
4. Need for Speed
5. Dream Girl
6. Asuran
7. Chhichhore
8. Saaho
9. Drive
10. Cold pursuit
December
1. Angel Falls
2. War
3. Kathasangama
4. Masquerade Hotel
5. Kingdom
6. Kumbalangi Nights
7. Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma
8. Nagarabavi
9. Bootayyana Maga Ayyu
10. Gemini Man
11. Section 375
At the risk of being tedious and boring I'm saying it once again. I love movies. That's it, that is the statement. One of the reasons I would like to live a healthy and long life is to watch as many films as possible. Only a fellow movie buff can understand this level of craziness. I was born to a cinephile parents and married to one. It goes without saying hubby is the comrade in this charade. without much fuss here is the list of films I've (We've) watched in the year 2019.
January
1. Genius
2. Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai
3. Periyeru Perumal
4. Kateyondu Shuru Aagide
5. Hebbuli
6. As Karala Ratri
7. Manto
February
1. Thugs of Hindostan
2. Beyond clouds
3. Batti Gul Meter Chalu
4. Zero
5. Jalebi
March
1. Vishwaroopam 2
2. 96
3. Uri
4. Green Book
5. Naticharami
April
1. Gully Boy
2. Photograph
3. Milan Talkies
4. Kesari
May
1. Kedarnath
2. Manikarnika
3. Ek ladaki Ko Dekha To
4. 2.0 (Robo)
5. Petta
6. Badla
7. Tumbaad
8. Aravinda Sameta Veera Raghava
9. Super Deluxe
June
1. The Hunger Games
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
5. John Wick
6. John Wick-Chapter 2
7. John Wick-Chapter 3: Parabellum
8. The Maze Runner
9. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
10. Maze Runner: The Death Cure
11. Madmax
12. Madmax 2
13. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
14. Mad Max: Fury Road
15. Kavaludari
16. Luka Chuppi
17. Student of the year 2
18. Nata Sarvabhouma
19. Bell Bottom
20. Chambal
21. Amar
21. Captain marvel
22. Hotel Mumbai
23. Killer Elite
The year 2019 I've read many new authors, which were mostly recommended in Goodreads. And I've sticked to many of old favourites. I've tried my hands on two books that were long-listed for Man Booker Prize, and a all time classic. My most cherished genres are thriller and mystery, so it is not a surprise I've scored in that pretty well. I've failed to break the jinx of sci-fi and horror genres. I'm jotting down a list for no particular reasons.
The best book that I read in 2019:
To Kill a Mocking Bird-Harper Lee
Not-So-Good book that I read in 2019:
First Night-Sophie Kinsella
A classic that I thought I'l never enjoy:
To Kill a Mocking Bird-Harper Lee
A book that I read after watching the television drama of the book adaptation:
Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords-George R.R. Martin
A book that was intriguing enough to put the screen adaptation in the "TBW" list:
Normal People-Sally Rooney
A book that haunted me in days to come:
My Lovely Wife-Samantha Downing
A book that I couldn't decide whether I liked or not:
Into the Water-Paula Hawkins
A book that I abandoned in the middle:
Faithful Place-Tana French
A book that I wish I had read in 2019:
Becoming-Michelle Obama
A Kannada book that I read in 2019:
Chikkadoddavaru-Shivarama Karanth
A Travel book that I read in 2019:
Apoorva Paschima-Shivarama Karanth
A unfinished series of 2019:
A Song of Ice and Fire-George R.R. Martin
A series that I've started in 2019:
Nothing
An author that I've read most in 2019:
Kristin Hannah
A book that I was embarrassed to read:
Hero-Samantha Young
An author that I wish I read earlier:
Harper Lee
A series that was decent enough to made me watch the movies and get disappointed:
Hunger Games
A book of new geography:
Purple Hibiscus-Chimamanda Adichie
In my last post "The Year that was 2019" I've mentioned my reading challenge for the year was 50. However, while reading my last year's post I've realized that I had set my reading goal for 2019 as 60 books. This is what happens when I neglect my writing space. Over the period I had forgotten what object I had set for myself and started believing in another number. What remains is I had missed my target miserably. I'm not the one to be bogged down by the failures. With full gusto and energy I have taken up the challenge to read 50 books in the year 2020, that is 4 books per month on an average. I console myself saying I had picked two books in 'Game of Throne' series which are astonishingly of huge volume. I've been largely partial to few authors, that made me to pick their work in a row. In 2020 I intend to bring diversity in terms of genres and authors. Without much ado here goes my list;
January
1. Catching Fire-Susanne Collins
2. Betrayal-Danielle Steel
3. Mocking Jay-Susanne Collins
4. Into the Water-Paula Hawkins
February
1. Apporva Paschima-Shivaram Karanth
2. A Great Alone-Kristin Hannah
3. Nightingale-Kristin Hannah
March
1. Last Anniversary-Lianne Moriatry
2. Hero-Samantha Young
3. Nine Perfect Strangers-Lianne Moriatry
April
1. Everything I Never Told You About-Celeste NG
2. Home For Christmas-Nora Roberts
3. The Wife Between Us-Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
May
1. An Anonymous Girl-Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
2. In a Dark, Dark Woods-Ruth Ware
3. Clash of Kings-George R.R. Martin
June
1. My Lovely Wife-Samantha Downing
2. The Girl Before
July
1. Big Girl-Danielle Steel
2. Family Ties-Danielle Steel
3. Bitter Sweet-Danielle Steel
4. Angels Fall-Nora Roberts
August
1. Montana Sky-Nora Roberts
2. First to Die-James Patterson
3. Normal Things-Sally Rodney
September
1. The Silent Patient-Alex Michaelides
October
1. Dead to You-Lisa McMann
2. Dating Game-Danielle Steel
3. Before Anna-Alex Lake
4. Comfort and Joy-Kristin Hannah
November
1. Between Sisters-Kristin Hannah
2. Storm of Swords-George R.R.Martin
3. Purple Hibiscus-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4. To Kill a Mocking Bird-Harper Lee
5. Digging In-Loretta Nyhan
December
1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. Chikkadoddavaru-Shivarama Karanth
3. Summer Island-Kristin Hannah
4. Home Again-Kristin Hannah
5. Wedding Night-Sophie Kinsella
How was my year 2019? Well, all I can say, I was happy, super busy and content. I can remember last year's new year celebration like yesterday and here I'm in the year 2020. This space has been neglected and the guilt continues. Same goes to our travel blog. I was out of my mojo or had I the blogger's block when it comes to writing. Let me reflect the highlights of the bygone year.
Thankfully no deaths in the family this year. Since my father's untimely death whenever I say goodbye to loved ones my instant thought is probably this is the last time I'm seeing them alive. It is quite an obsession and I can't get this feeling out of my mind. The good part is now I consciously make an effort to give my cent percent attention, time, and care to them. However guarded I'm about this phenomenon when death strikes it brings all the pain and sadness creating an emptiness in your heart. This year I'm grateful for having my loved ones alive and kicking.
This year I have ticked off Egypt from my bucket list. As I have said many times before Egypt, Greece and Italy were my top 3 list in terms of traveling. Standing in front of Pyramids is an ethereal experience, so is cruising in Nile like Pharaohs. The presence of heavy military forces all over the capital was unsettling a bit. Neither the political unrest nor harassing Egyptians could not dampen the spirit of our holidays. The next country was Oman, my first in middle east. Other than yearly vacation we traveled quite less than what I would have liked. Melukote, Chikmagalur, Mantralaya and Thanjavur. That is mainly because of hubby's eye issue for which we had to go to the ophthalmologist every alternating weekends. Since I could not drive the travel took a major back seat.
I failed the reading challenge too. My set goal was 50 books for the year. I could read only 40 books. When I told this number hubby was astonished. According to him 40 is a big number. My reading was oscillated between all genres except sci-fi and horror. Maybe this year I will try to break this barrier by at least reading one book of these two genres.
Compared to last year the films that I have watched is less as well. The number is still staggering 110 and on an average 1 movie in three days. The list ranged from excellent to good to average to bad. I'm glad to say I've attended International Japan Film Festival this year, which was amazing to say the least.
The reason for declined number in films is binge watching on television series, especially the rerun of Game of Thrones before the grand finale which consumed a lot of time space. Also this year we have watched many plays and cultural performances that kept us busy on the weekends.
This year I have reduced my social medial time to less than an hour including FB, WhatsApp, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter. Among these I sheepishly admit I'm a little addicted to Twitter and I'm going to detox myself from this platform in the coming year.
This year I tried consciously not to get into arguments with bigoted family, friends, or acquaintances, but for a few occasions. I have decided to declutter them from my life slowly as they bring only hate. As I'm a sensitive person I don't have the energy or time to deal with such vicious people who don't have the sense to know what is right and what is wrong.
Year 2019 has been kind. Let's see how year 2020 pans out.
