Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is now currently being hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Blurb from Goodreads

A magnificent romantic/historical/adventure novel set in India at the time of mutiny. The Far Pavilions is a story of 19th Century India, when the thin patina of English rule held down dangerously turbulent undercurrents. It is a story about and English man – Ashton Pelham-Martyn – brought up as a Hindu and his passionate, but dangerous love for an Indian princess. It’s a story of divided loyalties, of tender camaraderie, of greedy imperialism and of the clash between east and west. To the burning plains and snow-capped mountains of this great, humming continent, M.M. Kaye brings her quite exceptional gift of immediacy and meticulous historical accuracy, plus her insight into the human heart.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! We are three weeks into 2023 already. Interestingly, rather than it feeling like New Year’s day was just yesterday, I feel like it was weeks ago. I guess I have been busier than usual these past two weeks that’s why that was how it felt. This was despite the fact that I was still feeling a little sluggish following all the holiday celebrations. Anyway, I hope that you were able to recuperate during the weekend and that you are greeting the first day of the week with renewed enthusiasm. I hope that in this coming week, you will be able to accomplish everything you set out to achieve. I hope that your week will be productive. However, if you are not up to it, I hope you spend the week resting and recovering. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

To kickstart the blogging week, I am posting a new Goodreads Monday update. Like what I did in the first two months of 2022, I am utilizing the first few weeks of 2023 to catch up on books released in 2022 I already have but I am yet to read. I am currently Candice Carty-Williams’ People Person. This is my first novel by the British writer who arrived at the literary scene back in 2019 with her sensational debut novel, Queenie. I kept encountering the book and many of my fellow book lovers have nothing but good things to say about the book. It was an okay read so far. Unfortunately, I excluded M.M. Kaye’s The Far Pavilions – the book I featured in last week’s Goodreads Monday update – from my 2023 Beat the Backlist challenge although I just might read it should I have the time later in the year.

Oh, I deviated again. Let’s go back to the aim of this update. For this post, I am featuring Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water. It was while searching for books to add to my 2023 Top 10 Books I Look Forward to List that I came across Verghese and his sophomore novel, The Covenant of Water. The book was listed by both readers and literary pundits as a 2023 anticipated release. The book immediately grabbed my interest, hence, its inclusion in my own most anticipated 2023 releases list. Verghese, I just learned previously worked as a physician before switching careers. In 2009, the Ethiopian-born Indian-American published his debut novel, Cutting for Stone. The book was warmly received by both critics and readers alike.

Verghese was already in his fifties when he took writing seriously. It is never too late to pursue what we are passionate about. This was something I also noted in other successful writers who practiced different professions before finding new meaning through writing. Sidney Sheldon, Amor Towles, and Maryse Condé come to mind. This only gives me more reasons to look forward to Verghese’s work; hopefully, I also get to obtain a copy of his debut novel. Honestly, I was a little apprehensive about the book when I learned that it was set in India. You know, own voices and all. I admit I was kind of relieved that the writer has Indian roots. I understand that, with in-depth and extensive, research great books can be produced even without necessarily having to be a part of or have experienced that culture. Still, it does hold me back when I learn that a writer is writing about a culture different from his or hers. I try to keep an open mind though.

Anyway, I hope I get to obtain a copy of The Covenant of Water once it is released on May 2. How about you fellow reader? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!

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