The notepad: Maheen Humayun

Maheen Humayun scribbles her love for the written word on our notepad

Maheen Humayun studied literature and creative writing from John Cabot University in Rome. She is now the author of the novel Special, and scribbles her love for the written word on our notepad

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen



More so than the plot itself, it’s Austen’s ironic take on the gothic novel that made me love her. I think it’s safe to say that anyone invested in the 18th century British fiction would find Austen’s dry humour hilarious, more so, the way she herself comes in and speaks about the importance of the novel at random points in the story.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf



Every character Woolf created in this novel is so enrapturing. Lily Briscoe illustrates a struggle to create a painting while balancing her life around everyone else’s expectations, Mrs Ramsay is the woman every Pakistani girl is told to become, yet doesn’t want to. I think To The Lighthouse symbolises the creative journey every artist or writer goes through at some point in his or her life and that’s why it is so striking.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett



I think every avid reader has that one book they read in their childhood, that they can never forget. For me, it was this one. It’s a story about survival, one that every little girl should read because of the lesson it teaches about the fickleness of time, and life.

Hamlet by Shakespeare



This is probably the only play Shakespeare wrote where his character’s nature is greater than the play itself. The layers of Hamlet are so deeply embedded in the narrative that every scene and act is essential, to understand him.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams



Williams has a way of taking a character and making him or her so distinctive in your memory. This play is known for being raw, and real and that is what makes it significant for me.

Tuesday’s with Morrie by Mitch Albom



Based on a true story, I don’t know how anyone can read this book and not be infatuated by it. Morrie has so much wisdom to impart, and that along with Albom’s prose is the best combination in literature.

Beloved by Toni Morrison



Endurance. I think that’s the one word that really connects with this novel for me. The way Morrison plays with the notion of identity and the limits of language resonates. Her power over the narrative is so strong that it’s almost impossible not to love her writing.