Books

I finished The Old Man and The Sea and was spell- bound. I knew it was a classic, but I hadn't expected it to be so good. I can't pinpoint what exactly was so captivating about it. But there were times when I deliberately put the book down because it was too painful to keep reading. After an endless struggle, when the man finally reels the fish in, it seemed too simple to be actually real. And when the sharks came, it was just too painful to bear. It was as if they were biting away pieces of me and not the fish. Every time they bit into the flesh, it was my own loss. I swear, the pain was too intense to bear. I had to stop reading it to stop the hurt, even when my mind wanted to race ahead to reach the end. I really really enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone who cares a whit for books.
Next on agenda is One Hundred Years of Solitude, also by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I have a ton of books lined up to be read, now that I'm home. My aunt wants me to start working in the office as soon as possible. Seems we are short staffed and in need of translators. But I don't want to fall in the trap. It's a thankless job. Have been translating English to Hindi since donkey's years.