The Book Club: July Edition

Welcome to our book club!

Given how often Jiya and I talk about what we’re reading, we thought it would be a fun idea to share some of that with you. In this monthly segment, we’ll talk about our recent reads, our favourites, and books we would recommend to you. Feel free to join us! Tell us what you’ve been reading or what’s next on your list.

Jiya’s recommendation:

‘When we remove ego, we’re left with what is real’, written by Ryan Holiday in the phenomenal book, a blueprint to many, Ego is the Enemy.

This book has profoundly impacted my life in a great way. There is an aspect of sentimental value attached that enhances its significance for me. The book is straightforward and focuses on the importance of diminishing our ego, or at least controlling it. Ryan successfully provides examples and clear, concise reasons behind why the ego impacts our lives so negatively, despite being disguised as undertones, it is indeed constantly prominent. All of our choices come from a sense of ego, which is why control over something that constantly controls us is so important.

Arya’s recommendation:

‘We smoke joints in the broadness of daylight, we drink spirits and blend them with mixers and song, letting four-minute cuts stretch time until it is unrecognisable, each second its own forever. We don’t want this thing to end, this freedom, and it doesn’t feel like it will, these moments looping, round and round, until -’ (p. 68).

Caleb Azumah Nelson is already a big deal. His debut novel, Open Water (2021) won him awards and recognition. I have yet to read it and, after reading his second work, Small Worlds (2023), it has shot to the top of my TBR.

The book follows aspiring musician Stephen through his struggles with identity, family, and artistry. Weaving tender portraits of the occupants of this small world, Nelson’s prose is poetic, often using too many words to try to get to the matter of complex and indescribable emotions. Deliberately overflowing, it is trying to capture love. Love for one’s parents, the yearning to understand them and their journeys as immigrants, that feel so out of reach to newer generations. Nelson is a breath of fresh air as a writer, unafraid to dwell in the moments, conjure vivid imagery and welcome you into Stephen’s mind. This is a writer to watch and a beautiful book to enjoy.

‘Sound helps us get closer to what we feel. Besides, language always has to be so exact and I never know exactly how I feel. Sound, and specifically, jazz and its improvisational spirit, not only allows room for error, but for this error to be something beautiful’ (pp. 116-7).

We’ll post about the book club on the last day of every month. Join us by letting us know what you’ve been reading and who your favourite authors are :)