Review- Smörgåsbord of Musings by Rathnakumar Raghunath

 Smörgåsbord of Musings on Goodreads

                                                                 BOOK SUMMARY:

Smörgåsbord of Musings is a collection of poems, anecdotes and random thoughts expressed from the points of view of different people - men, women, non-binary persons, kids, teenagers, adults - all going through different things in life. People living happy lives, some not-so-happy lives, people in love, hopeless romantics, people dealing with heartbreak, the ones who believe life is better with a bit of whimsy, this book, hopefully, has a little something that resonates with everybody, lets the reader find the silver lining when needed and discover the joie de vivre even when times are hard.

Release date: October 27th 2020

Published by: Goya Publishing

Page numbers: 233

REVIEW: 

To be honest, the reason I decided to read Smörgåsbord of Musings is because the author Rathnakumar Raghunath is a friend of one of my closest friend and favourite person, Aditi, so I was a 100% sure that the book and the person behind it would both be inspiring and incredible. While we started interacting with each other, I realised Rathna is a genuinely kind, supportive and just an overall splendid human, which made me extremely curious about his book. Reading a book written by someone you know is always a challenge because somewhere, there is that slight pressure of being truthful and nice. I knew I would like Rathna's book because I liked the person behind it, but I had no idea that reading the book would made me appreciate and look up to the person even more. 

Smörgåsbord of Musings is a collection of a variety of stuff written by Rathna. Now I always say that I love books that make me feel- what it is that they make me feel, doesn't matter, as long as I feel something, you know? This collection had me go from ah to oh to aw to ugh to what not in a matter of some 200+ pages, and I love when a single book makes me experience the plethora of human emotions. Rathna's writing was simply awe-inspiring. He has presented the world with an exquisite collection of his writing that is so relatable, it will take the reader on a journey of their own life. Trust me, each and every part of the book made me feel belonged in the sense that it gave me a sense of comfort knowing that there is something that I have been through that is put down so terrifically in words by someone who has been through the same. It's just so magical, isn't it, how simple words connect us?

I had told Rathna that I wanted time to devour his book. I had actually meant to say savour because I wanted to feel each and every page. I got so hooked on to the author's writing though, that I ended up devouring it anyway, in less than 3 hours! This is one book I know I will keep going back to. With all my favourite parts marked with a post-it... that's the one sign for me that what I'm reading is not just going to stay with me, but that I will go back to it for that same sense of belonging, comfort and oneness that I felt while reading it. If your book makes me run to grab my sticky notes and makes my review seem endless, your writing just made me experience euphoria, so thank you, dear writer. 

A book like Smörgåsbord of Musings is a rare masterpiece that encompasses the profuseness and richness of feelings and an assortment of themes- touching on literally each and every one of them. The one and only downside to this book was that I wish there were more handwritten works. There was one and it was enthralling to read something in the writing of the writer- there's always something very charming about it that makes the reader connect with the writer in a personal way. Another negative I have is that the adorable bookmark I got out for this book was of no use as the book was unputdownable. 

I don't suppose I have done justice to the book with my words, but hey, I tried. As someone who has been following Rathna for quite some time now, I know it in my heart that he has written this with all his heart and it shows. His book is literally him in all his sincere, grand and simply majestic glory. I often get asked for book recommendations and I find myself getting confused as to what book to recommend to someone without really knowing what they like. There are books that make the reader happy, sad, anxious, depressed, angry, elated and just a basketful of emotions. But they have to pick different books to feel one or two of these. With Smörgåsbord of Musings, the reader will feel all of these and I know that henceforth, I will recommend it to everyone whether they ask me for recommendations or not. This book is like a one time investment for it explores the vastness of human emotions and experiences in one single read. 

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Rathnakumar Raghunath in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

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