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Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306314135-90CPVJDTA04CP40E5XYK/fullsizeoutput_1503.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306319058-3KOR9F62RNU5098R05UW/fullsizeoutput_147b.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306337277-NF71TD5KTD45GFHORCWS/fullsizeoutput_147d.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306329029-5R2HHYRGYIJAGWMA60TS/fullsizeoutput_147e.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306334048-2NU9XZ1NLFHWI07Q0KM8/fullsizeoutput_147f.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306338455-QVBHSHVQFY4Z44JNIT73/fullsizeoutput_1480.jpeg Around the World and Back Again 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306408636-6XTEDOR7C6HWCYXYZ2E7/617136a9-33b5-4045-bdc8-637f479af958.jpg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174487675-ZQUFDWFH3OOBSCVDDBSH/IMG_5532.JPG Around the World and Back Again - Spices! Indian spices at a spice mart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174485864-XLLNVOG1QKRDISQUVZOD/IMG_5533.JPG Around the World and Back Again - Artist Exhibitions An international art fair was happening while we were visiting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174492180-3EQTLRXKSTSE710R91N0/IMG_5536.JPG Around the World and Back Again - Holi Powder Holi is the festival of colors, and in preparation, this shop had huge piles of holi powder and colored incense sticks. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to play Holi in India with family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174538018-81XLCR4A7REFU4ZCJY3L/IMG_5537.JPG Around the World and Back Again - Making Colored Incense Sticks Within the shop, the artisans were rolling the incense sticks. It was awesome to watch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174496165-J9XUONEVAR1UYOMNC6SW/C3E4ED3C-FA4D-4A14-AB29-292EE75D853C.JPG Around the World and Back Again - My parents It was great time with family in the Kumarakom backwaters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174527555-22B8EEEEGNJ4YD5C3S9I/IMG_5559.JPG Around the World and Back Again - The Indian Ocean I’ll say it a billion times, I was meant to live by the ocean. The waves here were especially rough but it was beautiful none the less. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567174500723-YQ1TB96ISGSF2ZUZ88EH/IMG_5561.JPG Around the World and Back Again - Resort living :)) Kerala is God’s Own Country, and man did I feel good resting in the warm sun. The water was warm, even in the middle of January. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190455788-9IZ92B3BAXJHOYEU43R2/IMG_6208.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190459507-OVRNC9PYBWB3QWZJ2XZ7/IMG_6175.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190461090-EHM2VHBS0JJ2FGHIEJ6K/IMG_6131.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190462633-KPRYH34R3YO452CJVSEV/IMG_6263.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190464296-ZC0HELJK9ZWLM3RNGUG3/IMG_6348.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190466463-19XXHMJDGPS7B76FBKDF/IMG_6186.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190467893-LRI91GYJCTVR593FE7Y1/IMG_6141.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190470326-AVXMOP00TXVBTKLRZLIW/IMG_6191.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190471814-65H0EEIO0YEZ19N6YDT6/IMG_6297.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190472823-074MJ011PRE93935B75Q/IMG_6240.jpeg Around the World and Back Again - Michaelangelo's David https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190474725-SVU9D9KKLHPGFFVS9553/IMG_6202.jpeg Around the World and Back Again https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1567190476285-ZM3PICW0KRA40M8O8OF4/IMG_6153.jpeg Around the World and Back Again - Fresco Painting https://www.chaichatriya.com/aboutcnc daily 0.75 2021-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624926570313-GEWAY2WU2SBZ7WOVOHBZ/F834A2D9-0345-41F7-9834-DFA7444BE6A5.jpeg About Chai & Chat - Hey there! My name is Riya – I love chai and I love chatting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624928051915-1TR587E5K1MLRRK75U41/coffee+collection.png About Chai & Chat - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.chaichatriya.com/decade-challenge daily 0.75 2021-06-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1578003016393-T54CKOKH4EMCF94LP206/Thetippingpoint.jpg Decade Challenge - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell A book about how things turn into epidemics, following the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. It was a truly interesting book that has served as a powerful text in the world of behavioral psych-based marketing. Read: Jan 1st, 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1578114523083-LC5W268Q1ZCJQU1UDE50/contagious.jpg Decade Challenge - Contagious By Jonah Berger In this book, Berger explains his six principles (STEPPS) behind why things catch on. Another marketing staple, it’s a truly interesting read filled with fascinating examples of things that go viral. Read Jan 3rd, 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1579199301129-N0D2UL7TV8LMOGR82CES/dorian+gray.jpg Decade Challenge - The Picture of Dorian Gray An Oscar Wilde classic - Dorian Gray is the purest and most elite of society. In a wild chase for youth and beauty, he sells his soul… to a painting. This gothic horror novel was hauntingly beautiful as an exploration of virtue, morals, and human philosophy. Read: Jan 16th, 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1585665566245-CPTIX6Q1M5JE6GL1SF2A/autobio+of+red.jpg Decade Challenge - The Autobiography of Red By Anne Carson This novel written in verse was the strangest thing I’ve ever red, and I can’t tell if in the best way or the worst way. In all, it seemed rather ineffectual in most moments and rather profound in others. 5/10. Read: March 29th, 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1588299093933-459BUKSWUNHYI9ATQD8Y/100+years+of+solitude.jpg Decade Challenge - 100 Years of Solitude By Gabriel Garcia Marquez Words can’t describe this book. Literally. And yet I’ll try anyway. It’s a masterpiece telling of a small town through the history of its founding family, the Buendias. Marquez’s prose fills you with every emotion his characters feel - winds of confusion, love, lust, longing, solitude, loneliness sweep around your room as you try to make sense of the Buendia family. Marquez raises his characters with affection, offering a deep view into their psyches and there’s something in every character that offers moments of reflection and recognition, even as there’s nothing relatable in the Buendia family. This is artistry in every way. It makes you wonder at the creativity in some people’s minds. Would definitely recommend for those prone to feelings of nostalgia. Read: April 24, 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1588299233484-QLUS2OEAGNMV7A814YQ2/buttermilk+graffiti.jpg Decade Challenge - Buttermilk Graffiti By Edward Lee An interesting story of the immigrant cultures and communities around America. A little dry, over-written, and slightly problematic. But not a terrible read. Lee has an inspiring philosophy on life that he communicates through his stories and his food; but like with so many recipes, it’s a philosophy you have to shape and improvise and mold to be one that fits your own palate. Read: April 29th https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1588525195301-3XBJ6ZTRIQWYX80XIFYP/nocturnes.jpg Decade Challenge - Nocturnes By Kazou Ishiguro You know that time of day where the sun has just gone down and it’s still barely light out? You know how that’s the time of day when you know something is ending, when there’s melancholy in the air of which the extent of its sadness hasn’t fully been discovered yet? This is a beautiful collection of five stories told about that time. Five stories about ends to romantic stories that aren’t quite ends. Definitely worth a read. Read: May, 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1590607607674-ZBQ3NYRFR07A5UOO6641/go+set+a+watchman.jpg Decade Challenge - Go Set a Watchman By Harper Lee What a beautiful story. There’s so much controversy wrapped up in this book, from it’s publication to it’s inception. It contradicts To Kill a Mockingbird in every way possible, where it dismantles those we were originally taught to idolize. This is a story of coming of age - once again, years later. This is the story of humanizing that which we chose to idolize because we knew no better when we were kids. This is the story of Jean Louise growing up once again after she’s already grown up, and it’s the story of taking off rose-colored nostalgia glasses and becoming an independent person. And strikingly, it’s the story of the hypocrisy of humanity, a deeply psychological understanding of the ways our minds and our politics work. We come to realizations in this story that might have been there all along but that we genuinely didn’t or couldn’t recognize in the naivety of childhood. A beautiful read. Read: May 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1590608420401-H7HODU7B8NQ0P1WZQVZW/if+you+see+me+don%27t+say+hi+.jpg Decade Challenge - If You See Me, Don't Say Hi By Neel Patel A fantastic collection of short stories put together to build up and dismantle the model minority, to show the incredibly nuanced existence of South Asian Americans. Read: May 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597513966090-14S4JNGUSOZLRP5C0435/guest+lsit.jpg Decade Challenge - The Guest List by Lucy Foley A truly captivating murder mystery, told in multiple-perspective flashbacks. Highly recommended for an easy read on a stormy night. Read: May 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597514136935-EHI7I3DDQ8PKEX09ZMES/whered+you+go+bernadette.jpg Decade Challenge - Where'd You Go Bernadette? By Maria Semple I actually really enjoyed the format of this book - it was such an interesting way of presenting a narrative, through different snapshots and written records. As much as it may have seemed absurd at times, I really did enjoy the read. Read: June 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597514286244-QWJ4ME1R93NS394NXDS3/i+love+you+so+mochi.jpg Decade Challenge - I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn A lighthearted book club read that held more significance that you would expect from a teen romance. Kuhn was a master of busting stereotypes in an almost meta way- although, at times, the writing could be a bit frustrating. It’s definitely a great coming of age novel for YA readers. Read: June 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597514904714-47WSUVEZQDHY4LOYBYAY/book+of+longing.jpg Decade Challenge - The Book of Longings By Sue Monk Kidd A historically-accurate novel that tells the story of Jesus’s fictional wife, Anna. Brilliantly written and truly captivating as you delve into the world of BC. Read: June 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597515093283-E4NW2UZ54C3276HYYYQU/tatooist+of+auschwitz.jpg Decade Challenge - The Tattooist of Auschwitz By Heather Morris Holy wow, this is required reading for every human being in our times. The harrowingly true story of a Holocaust survivor, and his unimaginable passion for life and the woman who kept him alive. Read: June 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597515283223-2AVB81Z1YSAXDH5GJGS0/normal+people.jpeg Decade Challenge - Normal People By Sally Rooney I couldn’t get enough of this book. It was absolutely incredible and heartbreaking in every sense of the word. It felt like I was reading about my own life, but told in a much better way. This was a powerful book, and pyschologically beautiful. Read: July 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1597515422673-HLW6TMBV2J6CNCMB1AL8/crazy+rich+asians.jpg Decade Challenge - Crazy Rich Asians By Kevin Kwan I didn’t really enjoy this book. It was junk food in that it was a nice easy read to enjoy on the beach or when you want to escape, but it was really poorly written, the characters were utterly two dimensional, and it felt like the author missed the book’s own irony in trying to be satirical of the rich. Not my favorite read, honestly speaking. Read: Aug 2020 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1606175135894-XK7SRE5NZ26S9LZSTFD6/Henna+Artist.jpg Decade Challenge - The Henna Artist Read: Aug 2020 A pick from Reese Witherspoon’s book club, this was a beautiful story of independence and making your own way through the harsh realities of the world, all set to the backdrop of post-partition India and making for a fantastic period piece. Personally, it rung a chord for me in speaking about the fragilities of life, how one small movement, completely out of your own control, could create a downward spiral of events. It was intricate portrayal of the class separation in India, with themes of feminism, caste, and just enough forbidden love to maintain the idealism of romance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1606175135930-LKUBZPFST0SFPKKARITG/water+for+elephants.jpg Decade Challenge - Water for Elephants By Sara Gruen An adored classic. This was a truly wonderful read that accompanied my transition back to school. I spent many nights reading for hours about the horrors, the magic, the suspense and intrigue of the circus world. I’d wake up the next morning bleary eyed but never regretting the hours spent with this novel. My skin crawled with every scene with August, and my heart leapt with Rosie. A great read, and much, much better than the movie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1606175134212-U4ZU9UFW77EAVKB11DQ7/anxious+people.jpg Decade Challenge - Anxious People By Fredrik Backman I don’t have enough words to explain what this book meant to me. More than once over the course of reading this novel, I gave myself a sinus headache by unabashedly sniffling over the characters in the book. Backman has the unique ability to melt your heart with his books – with the realness of the themes folded into the absurdness of the scenes. This is one I’d recommend to all the anxious souls out there who are looking to make peace with their own restless souls https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1606175133944-B1WI56SLC5EZ1DP7H0I9/leave+the+world+behind.jpg Decade Challenge - Leave the World Behind By Rumaan Alam This was supposed to be a deeply reflective commentary on the apocalyptic nature of our COVID-filled world, with themes of environmentalism, racism, and humanness. But… for me, it more than flopped. Of it, I wrote to a friend, “It was such a poorly written book with absolutely no plot and an endless barrage of thinly veiled existential crises and “holier than thou” preachings. I’m annoyed that I spent so much time on it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1606175132700-PFVW6DATH84Q8ZV6M2GQ/educated.jpg Decade Challenge - Educated By Tara Westover This is a book that will stick with me for a long, long time. Tara’s story is unbelievable, in the best way possible. As a senior in my bachelor’s program, I’ve been quite jaded about the college experience – but Educated reminded me of the point of school and education. Reminded me of the reasons we go to college, the reasons we engage with learning – because for so many of us, education is the way out and the way up. It’s why I’m here in this country as the child of immigrants. It’s why we spend so much of our lives working toward a piece of paper – and it’s something we should never take for granted. Especially as we navigate the polarized ends of our political landscape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1606175132638-9JTHDN7BK6GOA88D7R4X/in+defense+of+elitism.jpg Decade Challenge - In Defense of Elitism By Joel Stein A great, witty read about the political factions we find ourselves in. Joel Stein has been a favorite author for a long time – he’s one of the reasons I began writing. I would rip his columns out of the copy of the Time magazine that was delivered to our house weekly and tape them to my journal, aspiring one day to find a voice for my own writing as wry and humorous as his own. To read 300+ pages of this cherished writing was a treat in and of itself, as was his analysis on the political landscape we find ourselves is. He redefines the conservative-liberal divide as the populist-elitist divide; and it’s a theory I’m now on board with. He’s that good. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995727239-CXDCXOZJUAYQATWJ4MIW/the+people+in+the+trees.jpeg Decade Challenge - The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara A beautiful, and yet disturbing, story about anthropology and scientific discovery. Yanagihara will never cease to amaze me with her rich characters. Read: June, 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995744000-R0RQH2JP8C91TYEGH1U9/chronicles+of+narnia.jpg Decade Challenge - The Chronicles of Narnia By CS Lewis A classic and beloved children’s fantasy series about a far away world called Narnia. I never actually finished it as a child, so I decided to read it again, and it’s delightfully addicting. I’m counting as 7 books – don’t be too upset with me for this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995729015-ZBYRI873JM2I6WDTF3IL/the+unconsoled.jpeg Decade Challenge - The Unconsoled By Kazou Ishiguro Another masterpiece by Ishiguro – you can truly never go wrong with his writing. The Unconsoled is a waking dream, or nightmare, and it awes the reader to know that a book like this can exist – one that defies convention and springs for convenience over logic. One that feels magical and yet isn’t. What a book. Read: June, 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995740979-WE5IW03TZ517ALCAAVDW/gold+diggers.jpeg Decade Challenge - Gold Diggers By Sanjena Sathian This was a really special book. A debut novel by a talented author, it was like this book was written for me. It’s the story of Neil, an awkward first-gen Indian American coming of age in suburban America. The scenes are set in what seems like snapshots from my own life, the plot is fantastical and gripping. For me, it was the same concept as Black Panther. The story wasn’t so much what gripped you as it was the fact that it was representation – an ordinary story that felt like it reflected me and my people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995742939-ZUIMB0HX1LTU6YP3VHRE/house+on+mango+street.jpg Decade Challenge - The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros People tend to love this book, and so almost everything you could write about it has probably already been said. I myself was rather ambivalent about it, although I appreciated it in that it was likely for Mexican Americans what books like Gold Digger was for me. It was certainly a heartfelt read. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995744326-TNIP31VCDLI8H9TNNORP/secret+life+of+groceries.jpeg Decade Challenge - The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr Now this is one of those books that sticks with you. A scathing, long-form, muckraker piece that uncovers the human, animal, and environmental exploitation that brings the food we love to eat to our tables. As someone with a mild, yet permanent, fascination with the work of immersion journalists, this was a true treat to read, as Lorr literally lives the lives of those he writes about and he tells their stories with graceful aplomb. Read: May 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995753050-VS5JX8Q6VJHBOQ41JSUH/invisible+life+of+addie+la+rue.jpeg Decade Challenge - The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab I understand the appeal, but honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the novel. It had so much potential – it could have been a fascinating historical fiction novel of this girl who danced with the devil, but instead it tried to appeal to the romance angle, which I really didn’t care much for. Worth a read, but it didn’t fully live up to the hype. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995748190-ZDHDOYSQ7L4NH0BJC4CK/a+little+life.jpeg Decade Challenge - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara This book has made the all-time favorites list. it is quite possibly the most heartbreaking story that completely arrests you with its prose. it’s like the characters are real. Like I’ve lived this life alongside them. There’s a perversity with it – as the reader, you’re privy to something that seems extremely private and personal, and yet you can’t look away. Each character offers so much to the study of human conditions – if there’s someone who understands how to write flawed, nuanced beings, it’s Yanagihara. Check out the long-form review I wrote about this book here (coming soon). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995756727-JUCLFSBOFOA0Y43YQGFL/eleanor+oliphant.jpeg Decade Challenge - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gaill Honeyman I enjoyed this read. I really did. It felt simple, and yet touched your heart in an unexpected way. It’s no simple curmudgeon story, though. It’s got an incredible voice, and likable characters that you can truly empathize with, in a slow build but one that feels rewarding at the end of it all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995761786-CYJ7HIBY3C8R4Q22BWGZ/a+burning.jpeg Decade Challenge - A Burning by Megha Majumdar I didn’t love Majumdar’s writing style, as I felt it to be a bit too obvious and stiff at times, but I appreciated the pace of the story and the way she talked about corruption, religious and class injustice, and India. Made for an interesting read - I think Lovely stole the show for me as the most layered and intricate character. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995764984-PQA3CIIZJGXCCETYJM23/vanishing+half.jpeg Decade Challenge - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett This book gave me vibes like The Help – but slightly less gripping. It was highly rated, people across America seemed to love it, and it had a special resonance in light of the BLM movement in the summer of 2020. And while I agree with the bandwagon chants for the most part, it wasn’t the book of the year for me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624995767875-8UPOL9TPQFQOTBK1IHX9/missed+translations.jpeg Decade Challenge - Missed Translations by Sopan Deb I really did enjoy this memoir retelling of Deb’s family history. As I’ve just closed the book and set it down after devouring every last page, I’m left with a sense of awe. In that Deb’s writing is truly ingenious. For the few days I was reading his story, I felt like I was sitting next to him on his journey, hearing him narrate his story to me. His voice was powerful in this way and the structure with which he told it made for a really good read, pulling on all the right sentimental and intellectual strings. At the heart of it, this book for me was about the immigrant experience. It was about Deb’s search of self through his family history. I will say though, that even in telling his own story, Deb isn’t a reliable narrator. It’s clear that his voice carries a strong editorial hand and you won’t get full answers to every question you have and to every experience he relates. And yet somehow, this is okay. Because it’s his story and his truth. And the pieces that felt unfinished, I completed with my own immigrant experiences. https://www.chaichatriya.com/stories daily 0.75 2024-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1588703752181-H3ZT0UDIMZB39B4CNN5L/james-garcia-3Cch4FRDqPg-unsplash.jpg Stories https://www.chaichatriya.com/chats daily 0.75 2022-05-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624978743438-YGD3GSFKR17JSBNAG4JR/IMG_7063.jpeg Chats - Let’s Chai and Chat. Welcome to the Chats! Here, you’ll find original pieces on everything from considerations about life to trends in the business world. Use as directed: grab yourself a mug of your favorite beverage and let’s chat! Comments are encouraged! Please, add your thoughts in the comment box of each post and let’s start a conversation. https://www.chaichatriya.com/emails daily 0.75 2020-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1598912552746-7CIS16C6TW6TA3EH32JC/C505B919-74FB-4797-91D9-6EC083A6F055_1_201_a.jpg Email Updates Me, extremely happy that you’re here and want email updates for my pieces <3 https://www.chaichatriya.com/about-me daily 0.75 2021-04-27 https://www.chaichatriya.com/my-research daily 0.75 2021-04-27 https://www.chaichatriya.com/home-ready daily 0.75 2022-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624900393107-46GTB6ESEGMBEIOCB0SH/6370193B-50EB-4A7C-97C0-D9518F6B24FD.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624928399090-X27K9A72RQH9VZYEKTY5/IMG_7063.jpeg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624929173202-FVTW8YXD8NKW0NGWBVZB/IMG_5140.jpeg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624929196017-5P3AXM5NRKDT6WX0BUIZ/IMG_5536.JPG Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1577306350147-KMG4UOLQSY8WJCMHCOF8/fullsizeoutput_1482.jpeg Home - What’s behind chai and chat? Read about the philosophy that guides our love for chai-ing and chatting. https://www.chaichatriya.com/the-arts daily 0.75 2024-01-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624992930043-X247J5X6GYPM7UVP54I5/arts+pic.jpg The Arts - Make it stand out an installment of glass art from the dale chihuly museum in seattle, wa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624993281486-YWM38XWGO6XFRC1FTOR1/IMG_5140.jpeg The Arts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/1624993525981-VJIOG066JUYLTK16LW90/writing+arts.jpeg The Arts https://www.chaichatriya.com/intro-kin-1 daily 0.75 2024-07-30 https://www.chaichatriya.com/what-is-chai-copy daily 0.75 2024-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59dd184d90bade8c33011a2f/1510263885742-2YY0IL2NXJHRZ111TKA6/DSC_5497.jpg What is Chai? (Copy) https://www.chaichatriya.com/about-kin daily 0.75 2025-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d3dd9fc472bf9000196d89f/9f9f5cad-bcf9-4743-a12b-71bd1350143a/IMG_2214-Edit.jpg About - she fancies herself a writer