Note: a fiftieth edition celebration article might be posted soon; as soon as I could get myself start working on it.
Welcome to this week's 5BF: reasons to write a book, grief and imagination, beguiling Kundera, secrets of being original, and more...
1 - what I read
The Englightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar - this novel exceeded my expectations in every way possible. Shortlisted for the Booker Internatioal prize 2020, Azar's debut novel was too new to appeal so strongly to me, as a classic might. But the importance of this book as it lays bare the atrocities done by the Islamic Revolutionaries of Iran after 1979, combined with its stunning work of magical realism, Azar's novel blew my mind and broke my heart - while beautifully blending heavy grief with playful imagination.
Identity by Milan Kundera - another 5-star novel by Kundera. What surprises me is that Kundera never stops to surprise with his ever so beguiling and creepy ideas and a very absorbing and sticking prose. Identity is a great read because it offers our normalcy-stricken minds some very rare and novel ideas that would definitely haunt every reader long after he/she has closed the book. Unforgettable!
2 - what I watched
Flora Ulysses (2021) - a surprisingly good, funny, and enjoyable family movie that is actually worth watching. After the daughter of a broke comic writer and a broke rom-com writer finds a squirrel with magical powers, she goes about convincing his parents that the squirrel she has is a super-squirrel, while also saving it from the animal police as the squirrel reaks some havoc. A fun movie that tells us that superheroes can also be normal people, or even a squirrel - you just have to fight for something bigger than you.
District 9 (2008) - a masterpiece of a movie, which surprisingly I had missed for all these years. Comparable to the amazing 'Avatar' in terms of tech and innovation, this movie is about the story of an alien arrival on Earth, their stay on Earth, and after their brutal treatment for 20 years by the hands of humans, their attempt at departure. With a sequel in making, it is a great time to watch this brilliant movie.
3 - Food for thought
Articles:
Ten reasons to write a book @seths.blog - a very short, but pointing article, about ten reasons why you should write a book. A timely one for me since I am in the thinking-initial stage of possible-likely attempt of writing any kind of book myself - soon. Yeah... it doesn't sound promising. But article sure does.
Your thinking rate is fixed @fs.blog - why taking time to take decisions while eliminating the pressures in a better way of making good decisions than many too many decisions on hasty thinking.
TED Talks:
I let algorithms randomize my life for two years by Max Hawkins - Taleb advices to embrace uncertainty in his book 'Antifragile', this TED talk is the implementation of Taleb's suggestion. The speaker Hawkins makes a program which randomly selects things for him to do within his set limits: places to visit, things to eat, new cities to live, and so on. Actually, it's really inspiring to the point that you'd start looking for such application yourself. What a way to live!
The surprising habits of originals by Adam Grant - by the author of the book 'Originals' this TED talk highlights three habits of the original people, and honestly, it isn't any different from the rest of us: they are late to the party (procrastinators), they have doubts and fears, and they always have bad first drafts. Who knows, maybe you and I are originals too, then it's sensible to watch this TED, talk; sensible still even if we aren't, for there are some great lessons to learn in this talk.
4 - podcast: Walter Isaacson @timferrisshow
In this podcast, Isaacson talks about his latest book which is a biography of Jennifer Doudna, a gene engineer, and one of the founders of CRISPR, a gene editing tool which can eliminate the chances of debilitating diseases in newborn baby and even in grown people as well. But with such power comes the risks of it being used for the wrong objectives. Isaacson discusses those potential misuses while also encouraging us to embrace the ways of science with an open mind.
5 - this week's quote
'what is grief if not love persevering?'