February 21st is International Mother Language Day, and with that in mind, I finally got around to reading a Tamil gem from my TBR. This week’s featured book: The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan (translated by N. Kalyan Raman), set in rural Tamil Nadu where a small goat is likely to capture your heart.
As I weave through various book memes, these stories remind me how language, like light, reveals and connects the worlds we live in, and binds us all.
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The Book-ish Five of My Mother Language
The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan
The Story of a Goat: A Novel by Perumal Murugan, translated by N Kalyan Raman
Perumal Murugan explores a side of India that is rarely considered in the West: the rural lives of the country’s farming community. He paints a bucolic yet sometimes menacing portrait, showing movingly how danger and deception can threaten the lives of the weakest through the story of a helpless young animal lost in a world it naively misunderstands.
(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday
BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.
Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.
3 Friday 56
THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by by Anne at HeadFullofBooks. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up and visit others in the linky.
4 Book Blogger Hop
The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
When writing reviews, do you align your text to the left, center, right, or justify it?
Depends. I mostly leave it in the default mode, but have done all of them intentionally at times.
5 Other Bookish Memes and Stuff
Armchair Travel with These Amazing Children’s Books
Going a bit beyond this week’s mother language theme, here are 10 children’s books that let you travel the world from the comfort of your chair: some may even take you closer to the land of my mother tongue!
(For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday)
- Around the World with the Ingreedies is a tasty romp around the world! And there are recipes too!
- The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales by Dawn Casey with illustrations by Anne Wilson is a book that appeals to my love of folk tales. And the art work – much love for it too.
- The Boy Who Loved Maps by Kari Allen and illustrated by G. Brian Karas.
- Smithsonian Children’s Illustrated Atlas from DK.
- Of course I had to include Aaron Becker’s Journey, one of my favorite wordless series.
- Once Upon An Island by Alice Albinia is stunning, and so very cool. I love the concept and loved exploring the islands from around the world featured here.
- A Place Called Home: Look Inside Houses Around the World is just what it is and delights readers with the details of homes everywhere.
- The Snail and the Whale
- Lonely Planet’s The Travel Book is a great addition to any bookshelf, and for all ages.
- The World at Night by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Paula Bossio
From Flashlight to Darkness through Twilight Zones
For my Six Degrees this time, I kept it simple – playing with title words.
Flashlight –> Flashlight –> My Friend, The Light –> Shine –> My Shadow –> The Lights Dance in the Night –> The Night Walk –> Flashlight
I begin with, as always, the starter book (one I have not read, as per usual), Susan Choi’s Flashlight.
Then I move from one Flashlight to another – this time, Flashlight, Lizi Boyd’s gorgeous, wordless picture book where a child’s beam of light reveals nighttime wonders.
Next up, with My Friend, the Light by Susie Miles and Joyce Aldrich, that glow becomes companionship, as light itself feels like a gentle friend walking beside you through the dark.
And if I have light beside me, of course, I begin to Shine: A Wordless Book about Love, where images rather than words celebrate how love lights us up from within.
And when I shine, it means somewhere nearby, My Shadow quietly follows. This picture book featuring Robert Stevenson’s famous poem (and one I love), illustrated by Sara Sanchez, is a classic, playful exploration of the “other me” trailing along wherever the light hits just right
Shadows stretch long… especially at night.
In The Lights That Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer, darkness turns spectacular as the sky fills with shimmering northern lights.
After watching the sky glow, I take The Night Walk by Marie Dorleans, a quiet, contemplative journey where an ordinary landscape becomes magical under moonlight.
And on a night walk, what do I reach for? A Flashlight of course, to close the circle!
Five Books Translated into English I Need to Read
- One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan (tr. Aniruddhan Vasudevan ). Intimate, powerful story of love, desire, and social norms often recommended as an accessible entry point into contemporary Tamil literature.
- Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy (tr. Gowri Ramnarayan, Kalki’s granddaughter): Epic historical fiction with lush world-building and unforgettable characters which is a landmark work in Tamil fiction.
- Sangati: Events by Bama (tr. Lakshmi Holmstrom): Visceral Dalit feminist classic exploring caste, gender, and lived experience
- Stories of the True by Jeyamohan (tr. Priyamvada Ramkumar): Philosophical, elegant stories blending moral depth and narrative beauty.
- Tomorrow Is One More Day by G. Nagarajan: Quietly moving tale of friendship, resilience, and everyday life.
These are all on my TBR, and some – like One Part Woman and Ponniyin Selvan – have been lingering there far too long!
📚 Bookish Challenge of the Week
The Mother Tongue Minute: Title Switch Edition
Here’s a little challenge for you this week:
- Take the title of the book you’re currently reading (or just finished).
- Translate it into your mother tongue (if it is English, pick any language you wish)
- Post only the translated title.
And then… let the rest of us try to translate it back correctly!
Reading Compass
All these bookish journeys have my reading compass spinning! Next week, I’m hoping to travel from rural Tamil Nadu to a Brave New World. I read it long ago, but my son (who I passed The Darling Buds of May to) convinced me to revisit it – thanks to a viral meme based on Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay.
What about you? Where is your reading compass pointing right now: north, south, east, west… or straight back home to a comforting reread?
And Now, the End of This Post
Dear reader, if you have read this far, thank you! And hope you enjoyed this literary armchair journey through language and light. Which one was your favorite part? Any books you would add to any of these sections? How would your six degrees look like? And your favorite read (or one on your TBR) in your mother language?
