2. “What we must decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
What I wonder about on a weekly basis, my Hindustan Times Books debut, some admin, and Brandon Sanderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea
Dear reader,
In the two weeks that have passed, I’ve thought more than I usually do about purpose, legacy, and meaning (which is saying a lot). About the point of anything and everything, especially as “just” a storyteller. You know, your run-of-the-mill existential soundtrack. I’m sure I’ll talk a bit more in detail about this once the churning thoughts have quietened down enough for me to make sense of them; for now, here’s a quote by Rainer Maria Rilke that I’ve found comforting—
“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Keep going. No feeling is final.”
To which I add Gandalf wisdom that I return to so often that it’s been rubbed blindingly shiny—
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”
When the world is even more in disarray like now, we all cope in as many ways as there are people—sometimes our response may surprise us for being unexpected, but feel whatever it is you need to, do whatever it is that gives you comfort, what lends peace, and what bestows the steady resolve to do what needs to be done after. Keep going.
(What I’m saying obliquely, however, is that I think it’s time for a reread. Anyone who wants to join is most welcome.)
Since the last letter, I’ve managed to read one novella-in-flash for work and one essay collection for an essay that I’ve been formulating. Reading for fun still hasn’t happened but this week’s looking hopeful, send wishes!
One thing that has occupied much of my attention is sending out my early 2025 pitches. As some or many of you may know, the publishing industry works months in advance of a book’s release, and hence, placing book or author reviews in publications also happens early. This week I’ve pitched book coverage for titles coming out in January-March 2025. If you’re interested in how I decide which books to review and what the process of requesting ARCs and working with publicists looks like, let me know.
Reading for fun aside, I have read a lot on Substack in these past two weeks, which sort of straddles work and fun. At this point I have to confess that being “active” on here beyond writing this newsletter is making it even more difficult for me, a freelancer whose work overlaps with her passions and hobbies, and who wants to create better, more sustainable demarcations so that she doesn’t burn out as often.
If you’re in a similar situation (or even if you face something similar in your profession), how do you handle it? Mine’s a work in progress and I fear it will somewhat always remain so given the fluid nature of the life I’ve chosen and, of course, the fast-paced change that’s a part of the world we live in, but attempting to create something more holistic is effort and time well spent, in my humble opinion. My spidey sense tells me that I’m currently on the cusp of a breakthrough, and seeing evidence of the light on the other side is enough to keep going.
The Continents Between by Bani Basu: a book review
On that note, I’m sharing some positive news from my end: my debut for the Hindustan Times Books section.
EXCERPT
What is a homeland? What is freedom? What is the meaning of a life lived in between belonging and longing?
Acclaimed Bangla author Bani Basu’s debut novel, Janmabhoomi, Matribhoomi, translated for the first time into English by Debali Mookerjea-Leonard, grapples with these questions, among others, through the lives of the Mukherjee family: father Sudeep (a professor of biochemistry), mother Kamalika (a singer), and their children, the Indian-born Swadesh/Babu and the American-born Aratrika/Moni.
Widely regarded as one of Bangla literature’s most talented contemporary writers, Basu (85) began contributing to periodicals like Anandamala and Desh in 1980. Janmabhoomi, Matribhoomi was originally published in 1987, in the periodical Anandalok’s Puja issue and in book form a year later.
Through titled sections narrated in rotation by one of the four Mukherjees, with interventions by a third-person omniscient narrator, who sometimes takes over entire sections, the reader traverses an expansive canvas of time, place, and a host of characters in America and in India. Each voice is distinct, with an intimacy that borders on the confessional when in first person; not unlike on a stage when actors break the fourth wall. In fact, at times, in its fragmentation, the book almost reads like a play, with characters entering and exiting the stage.
For the full review, go to: https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/review-the-continents-between-by-bani-basu-101730902477077.html
If you’re interested in buying the book, it’s available on Amazon India at the link here.
Newsletter admin
This provides a smooth segue into some things I wanted to clarify. Going forward, the book buying links I share on here are affiliate links, which means that if you make any purchases through those links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no additional cost to you.
For US readers, I’ve also revived my Bookshop.org affiliate account, where you can choose a local independent bookstore that stocks the book to deliver it to you.
My storefront (https://bookshop.org/lists/books-i-have-recommended-in-my-newsletter??new-list-page=true) has all the books I’ve recommended so far on the newsletter and I’ll keep updating them as we go along. I’m setting up a storefront for UK Bookshop.org as well as Amazon India so stay tuned.
Which brings me to my next bit of admin. As subscribers who were around last year may remember, my decision to turn on paid subscribers for additional writing beyond the regular issue didn’t work out because Substack uses Stripe for their payment platform, and it’s not compatible with Indian users.
So I now also have an account with Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/anushreenande) where you can independently support the work that I do, if you so choose.
The written word has always been my most natural mode of expression and I’m privileged to work with it, whether my own, or that of others, for a living. I’m grateful for a chance to continue playing my part in the great storytelling tradition. Any and all support for my personal work, which I do (mostly) above and beyond my paid work, means that I get to continue on that journey, and is always appreciated! These alternate Sunday issues will always remain free, in any case, so don’t worry about that.
Anu Recommends: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Meet Tress, a girl who is thoughtful, soft spoken, and overly found of collecting cups from far-away sailors who dock at her island home of The Rock in the middle of the emerald green ocean. She also loves listening to the mostly make-believe stories of her best friend, Charlie who is the disapproving mayor’s son. When he is whisked away by the same mayor to find him a wife but finds himself at the mercy of the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea, Tress must set off on a perilous voyage of her own (“If every other option has been discarded as impossible, then insanity—in this case—might be practical.”).
This is the novel that, pun unintended, kickstarted Sanderson’s famous Kickstarter campaign, the campaign, he writes in the postscript to this book, he feels will be a defining moment of his career. The book he started writing in secret without deadlines or expectations, telling nobody but his wife whom he wanted to gift this, even saving the files in a hidden place on the cloud that his team couldn’t access—“I just wanted to write, free of business constraints or fan expectations. To see where the story took me and build something like I did long ago, in the days before I had so many constraints.”
Another behind-the-scenes nugget that Sanderson shared in the postscript was the fact that he wanted to write a full novel narrated by recurring Mistborn character Hoid, whom he someday wants to write the backstory for. And while the voice he wishes to land on for that will be rawer and less whimsical, he wanted this novel to feel like a story that he’d narrate. There were other guidelines he set out for himself. Thus was born this whimsical adjacent fairytale for grown ups that was the perfect companion to my summer travels. One that I could dip into and return to at leisure knowing the delights that awaited me.
Tress is a fabulous heroine with a great growth and self-discovery arc that retains what makes her so relatable and endearing to begin with. There is a motley crew of wonderful pirates that becomes Tress’ found family during her sea-faring adventures.
And Hoid makes for a great storyteller, mixing the serious and philosophical with the light hearted, the dangerous with the humorous, the sarcastic with the self-aware.
“Do you know how many grand romances would have avoided tragedy if the hero had thought, ‘You know, maybe I should ask her if she likes me first?’”
“And then Tress took the singular step that separated her from people in most stories. The act, it might be said, that defined her as a hero. She did something so incredible, I can barely express its majesty. ‘I should consider this more,’ Tress thought to herself, ‘and not jump to conclusions.’”
Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first novel of four secret novels, is a Cosmere novel but can be read as a standalone, which is why I chose it to be my Sanderson introduction (that, and when my sister recommends a book, I listen). If this is anything to go by, colour me very excited for venturing further into his worlds!
Buy print | Buy ebook | Bookshop.org (US)
I’m leaving you with a quote from the book that really resonated with me and reiterates what I shared at the start of today’s issue.
“It might seem that the person who can feel for others is doomed in life. Isn’t one person’s pain enough? Why must a person like Tress feel for two, or more? Yet I’ve found that the people who are the happiest are the ones who learn best how to feel. It takes practice, you know. Effort. And those who (late in life) have been feeling for two, three, or a thousand different people…well, turns out they’ve had a leg up on everyone else all along.”
If you’ve enjoyed today’s issue, here’s a few things you can do:
click on the heart to like it
turn this into a conversation by leaving a comment below or dropping me a line via email, even just to say hi—I always love hearing from you 😊
share it with friends and family who might like to read it
And of course, send me your recommendations and tell me what you’d like me to write about next! Let me know what you’re currently reading and watching, send me rants/ramblings/excited monologues, GIFs and memes (especially them). 🤓
Take care and I’ll see you next on December 1!
Anu
You can find me on Twitter at @AnuNande (follow for all the football chatter) and on Instagram at @anushreenande. You can support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/anushreenande.
Dear Anu, very enjoyable, thought provoking read. I especially loved the Gandalf quote. Keep them coming. :)