<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1449c7e80680e0d7076jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="2014"/><figcaption>Photos: MOMO AND UNCLE YETI</figcaption></figure>In the high Himalaya of Nepal, a little dumpling child Momo wakes up to the sight of the majestic mountains. While on an adventure to climb one of the peaks, Momo receives an invitation from a family member via postcard to travel to a different land with a promise of an exciting undertaking.Thus begins the journey of Momo to New York to find Uncle Yeti who went there to sample the various food the city has to offer.Washington DC-based Nepali-American author Sibani Karki chronicles Momo’s voyage to the Big Apple in a new children’s book, Momo and Uncle Yeti: Adventures in New York City. Her poetic prose is accompanied by artist Oleg Goncharov’s spectacular illustrations which make the book a visual treat for both children and adults alike.“The book represents my own journey to the US as a child from Nepal and also some of my favourite things in life: travel, good food, cultures and family,” says Karki, who moved to the US when she was 11.New country meant new people, new experiences, and living between two cultures. It was also an opportunity to connect with and share her own Nepaliness. And one way Karki does that is through food.As any immigrant can attest, food brings one closer to home. With food, one makes new friends, can court lovers, understand a new country, hold on to memories of a home left behind.“Momo parties happen more frequently here than in Nepal,” says Karki. “More than food, momo is a feeling. And having a momo party is an opportunity to get together, share stories, and reconnect with friends and family.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1489c7e80680e0d7077jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="2038"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a14c9c7e80680e0d7078jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="2028">As someone who enjoys myths, Karki knew she had to include the Yeti as one of her characters. However, Karki’s Uncle Yeti is not scary. He is jolly, has an insatiable hunger and loves getting lost in new cities while hunting for new tasty food.Like many Nepali children, Karki did not grow up with a book culture at home and developed a reading habit only after moving to the US. At bookstores, she often found herself in the children’s book section leafing through the colourful pages with vivid images.But what was missing in the books was the representation of characters with life experiences and culture people like she could relate to.She started writing the story of Momo and Uncle Yeti in 2016 while at Columbia University. But it was not until the pandemic that she finally got a chance to sit down and collate it into a book.While she ran the rhymes by her family, she struggled to find an artist for the illustrations. A few collaborations fell through as the art style wasn’t what she was looking for. Then, a chance meeting with designer Larry Issa at a farmers' market helped her connect with illustrator Oleg Goncharov.There was a catch: Goncharov did not speak English, and lived in Crimea. So, the entire conversation between the two happened on Google translate. One cannot tell, leafing the book, of the struggle to communicate between the two."Working on the story of Yeti and Momo was a completely new experience for me. Despite the fact that I have been illustrating books for more than 12 years, I have not yet worked on a project in which fairy-tale characters would travel to the real sights of the city. So the idea to add more fabulous creatures besides Momo and Uncle Yeti was born. And dragons, fairies and others appeared on the pages of the book. I am very glad that Sibani supported this idea," says Goncharv.From realistic depictions of the airports and landmarks in Kathmandu and New York to a more creative approach in assimilating animals and humans, Goncharov’s gorgeous images add another dimension to Karki’s words.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1509c7e80680e0d7079jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="2021"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1559c7e80680e0d707ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="2000">“From my experience with my nieces Kaia and Yara, I know that children sometimes take to the smallest characters in the book. They will notice the small ladybug rather than the big main character. Since it is a children’s book, not everything had to make sense. The anthropomorphism in the book is also to show the cohesion of animals and humans,” she explains.Coming from a close-knit family, the names of relatives are scattered through the book. Pramila Soon Pasal is named after her mother, Shyam Chiya Pasal after her father. The names of her brother, sister-in-law, husband, nieces also make an appearance.Karki now works as a gender specialist at the World Bank and has also included other aspects she is passionate about in the book. At Times Square where Momo goes looking for Uncle Yeti, the usual advertisements are peppered with social messages including those of gender equality, inclusivity and positivity.Rosy cheeks with big inquisitive eyes, Karki’s Momo enjoys discovering new places, eating new food, solving puzzles, and is gender neutral. “Often, we see that adventure is associated with boys. But I want the children to see themselves in the pages and connect with the characters. So, Momo is not a he or she or they, Momo is just Momo,” she says.While New Yorkers have a reputation for being brusque, there is also a sense of community in the city’s diversity. This comes across as Momo runs (hops?) around the city looking for Uncle Yeti.Karki’s Momo and Uncle Yeti are very Nepali and the high-rises of the Himalaya and New York will make it relatable for not only the global Nepali audience but also those who are familiar with Nepal – weaving a sense of adventure, appetite for food and travel, appreciation of one’s family, and tolerance of different cultures.The book is available on Amazon and through <a href="http://momoandyeti.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://momoandyeti.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1674927440572000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0utod-G9c1SxsA3V4qwocb">momoandyeti.com</a>. It will soon be launched in Nepal.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1599c7e80680e0d707bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="986">Momo and Uncle Yeti: Adventures in New YorkSibani KarkiIllustrations by Oleg GoncharovPathways LLC, 202238 pages$19.99<h2>Sathi</h2>Sathi is an exquisitely illustrated bilingual book for children and adults that tells a fairy tale story of an abandoned dog, who is scalded on Kukur Tihar by a city shopkeeper. Sathi, the dog, is miserable and in pain as she licks her wounds by a garbage pile, until she finds a benefactor who takes her to the real-life animal shelter, KAT Centre in Kathmandu. She is cared for at the dog home, and the burns on her back heal slowly. She makes friends with other dogs at the shelter who have also been attacked, abandoned, or hit by cars, and finally emigrates to a new forever home in Canada.Sathi: The Street Dog from Kathmandu, Nepalसाथी: काठमाडौँ सडकको एक कुकुरJuluIllustrations by Jenny CampbellNepali translations by Angeela Shrestha and Suraj ShresthaVajra Publications, 202144 pages$14.95<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a15d9c7e80680e0d707cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1750" height="1352"><h2>The Wak-a-Too</h2><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1629c7e80680e0d707djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="1918">Another international children’s book featuring Nepal is the soon-to-be published The Wak-a-Too by Nepali film-maker Eelum Dixit (who himself became a father recently), and is lavishly illustrated (pictured, right) by the US-based Dutch designer Eveline Wijdeveld. The book begins with an ornithological overview of Nepal, including its urban birds and then takes children into a dreamlike fantasy world of the Wak-a-Too. At the end of the book, young readers are asked to draw their own versions of the imaginary Wak-a-Too and post them @thewakatoo on Instagram and Facebook.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1669c7e80680e0d707ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1309">The Wak-a-Tooby Eelum DixitIllustrated by Eveline WijdeveldVery Tale Books, 202345 pagesHardback: $27.99<h2>Are You a Snow Leopard?</h2><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a16a9c7e80680e0d707fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1724" height="1313">Written by Sandra Shiwani Van Doesburg and illustrated by Kanchan Burathoki, Are You a Snow Leopard? tells the story of Hiuko, a snow leopard who goes looking for others of her kind to befriend. As she traverses through the mountains, she meets and befriends other animals found in Nepal: Ooney, the yak, Chulbuli, the blue sheep, Jooney, the black bear, Bhukule, the red panda, and finally Tiktikey, the snow leopard.Sandra and Kanchan met in fourth grade in a boarding school in Nepal. After high school, Kanchan went to Boston and Sandra to Rotterdam. They reconnected 15 years later to work together on the story of Hiuko, which primarily has an underlying message of diversity and inclusion. The book also features photographs by renowned wildlife photographer Chungba Sherpa.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a16e9c7e80680e0d7080jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1570">Are You a Snow Leopard?Sandra Shiwani Van DoesburgIllustrations by Kanchan BurathokiVan Doesburd Creative Works, 202128 pagesHardback: Rs1,850 | Paperback: Rs1,550<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1729c7e80680e0d7081jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1250" height="1040"><h2>The Ambassador’s Dog</h2>This delightful children’s book is the tale of Lo Khyi (Lo for Mustang, and khyi, which fortuitously means both ‘dog’ and ‘happiness’ in Tibetan), a pup that dared to dream big and who went on to become the source of happiness for Scott who adopted the dog to America after his tenure in Nepal. ‘Scott’ in the book is Scott H DeLisi, who served as the real-life American ambassador in Kathmandu from 2010-12. The Ambassador’s Dog has a dream-like quality to it, but at its heart is a story of optimism and positivity. Lo Khyi is a canine medium for an important message: set goals for yourselves and believe in them. And somehow (stars will align, or you will find avenues) your dreams will come true. Sadly, Lo Khyi died of old age recently at his home in Virginia, and DeLisi wrote a tribute on his Facebook page: ‘He had become a dog of near mythic proportions in my mind – surely he would find a way to live forever. But, of course, for as long as there is a single copy of The Ambassador’s Dog to be read by someone with an open heart, he WILL live forever.’<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230208140216/63e3a1769c7e80680e0d7082jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1258">The Ambassador’s DogScott H. DeLisiIllustrations by Jane Lillian VanceVajra Publications, 202040 pagesRs1,600Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/a-tibetan-mastiff-pup-who-dares-to-dream/">A Tibetan Mastiff pup who dares to dream</a>, Sonia Awale

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Adventures of a little dumpling named Momo (and other books)

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccbfb9c7e80680e08bbf0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1694" height="750"/>In the middle of love stories, I pause to sigh and wonder. How different these people are from me, yet how well I understand their feelings. From dozens of books that touched my heart, here are 14 personal recommendations:<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccbfe9c7e80680e08bbf1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="136" height="227"><figcaption>Emma by Jane Austen, John MURRAY, 1815, Rs264</figcaption></figure>1. If you are looking for Classic Romance, read Emma by Jane Austen.It is my favorite of all the Jane Austen novels. Emma as a heroine is annoying, all-knowing and a reminder of our arrogant, youthful selves. Mr. Knightly as the gentlemanly suitor might not be as breathtaking as our beloved Mr. Darcy, but he is quite adequate. The village of Highbury is a languid and enjoyable world to lose yourself in.2. If you like the enemies-turned-lovers trope, read The Hating Game by Sally ThorneThe first 70 pages of this workplace romance are strange and awkward, and then it suddenly gets cute and tense and romantic. The dialogues and intensity are the butterfly-inducing kind. It is quite cliched and theatrical, but the journey is enjoyable. It is hilarious in parts.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccbff9c7e80680e08bbf2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="154" height="227"><figcaption>The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, WILLIAM MORROW PAPERBACKS, 2016, 384 pages, Rs1000</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc019c7e80680e08bbf3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="147" height="227"><figcaption>Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott, ROBERTS BROTHERS, 1868-1869, Rs400</figcaption></figure>3. Gift Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott to the little and big friends in your life.Patience, friendship, first love, courage – what beautiful things Little Women leaves us with! The four March sisters exemplify the bond that runs deep and strong all through our lives, even in the midst of skirmishes and differences. And Laurie – he is the friend we all pine for. A book recommended to everyone eight years and above.4. For lovers of Bildungsroman romance, Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy is a comforting read.It starts out as simple friendship among adolescents and expands to include so much more: their ethical and moral choices, career, loyalty. It is innocent, and beautiful, and the characters undergo everything we do during your adolescence, and grow into relatable adults. Reading it now, I wonder if there is no subtle moral policing inherent in Binchy’s books. Even so, this novel will make you yearn to walk the streets of Dublin.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc029c7e80680e08bbf4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="227"><figcaption>Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, CENTURY PUBLICATIONS, 1990, Rs809</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc039c7e80680e08bbf5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="146" height="227"><figcaption>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer &amp; Annie Barrows, DIAL PRESS, 2008, Rs250</figcaption></figure>5. Afficionados of historical romance will be delighted by The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.Read for its wonderful, witty, strong protagonist Juliet and the full-of-life letters she writes to people, known and unknown. Also read for the general feel of the novel - warm, hopeful, always eager to believe the better sides of people. It is set just after the second world war so it should be depressing, and it does not shy away from describing the devastation and pain, but it is still uplifting. Sometimes it is too sweet to be believable, as if it is a Disney movie where all good characters get their due and bad ones are punished. But even this childlike poetic justice will touch your heart.6. If you are tethered to the idea of first, forever love, read An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy. Two kids fall in love, and never grow out of it. It is not the best book stylistically, but the stirring love story evokes such tenderness, sadness, and detachment... it has to be felt, not read. It is set in the charming bylanes of a small town in Bengal. The story spans three generations and multiple characters, and can leave you feeling quite forlorn.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc049c7e80680e08bbf6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="227"><figcaption>An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy, FREE PRESS, 2008, Rs632</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc059c7e80680e08bbf7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="187" height="300"><figcaption>Normal People by Sally Rooney, FABER &amp; FABER, 2018, Rs1118</figcaption></figure>7. Those who like their love stories to be undefinable, complicated, yet all-consuming, should read Normal People by Sally Rooney.Normal People will put readers in a state of abnormal anxiety and heightened unease. It will revive first loves and passionate infatuations, sensual encounters and bodily frustrations. The novel holds a power, a sly, uncommon draw that goes much deeper than its mundane tone. There is only one thread of a story, a well-worn one at that. Popular boy and the uncool girl have a fling in school, which unravels because of the boy’s refusal to acknowledge the relationship. In college, the girl suddenly turns into a sparkling swan. She is now a head-turner, while the boy is unpopular. He grapples with depression; she with her own demons. They meet, separate, reconcile, come together, part. That is the story—without any other surprise or suspense. But this inability to live with and without a person has been picturised in such beautiful and sad detail, that the allure of the novel lies therein. Read to ache.8. If you believe in love as destiny, reach for Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire.Kamila Shamsie has a command over language that is extraordinary, a way of distilling situations into a few well-chosen words that drip with beauty and context. Home Fire is a marvelous retelling of the Greek tragedy Antigone - a sister seeking justice for her brother, even though the entire world might think him wrong. In London, responsible elder sister Isma looks after her twin siblings after their Jihadi father dies on way to Guantanamo, and their mother passes away soon after. The twins behave like a single soul, their relationship uncanny and surreal. When the brother is lured away, by ISIS to Syria, and begins looking for a way back, his twin Aneeka would do anything to deliver him back to safety - including beginning a tumultuous affair with the son of the Home Secretary. But it is a dangerous, passionate, mysterious game that unfolds... The triangulated relation of lover-beloved-brother is tender, unearthly, nothing more needed between them than a touch and two words. It is very much a novel of the times, of families torn apart in meaningless exchanges of fidelity, identity, faith. Yet it is an age-old story, of having to choose between the impossible and the improbable. A book that is for the heart.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc069c7e80680e08bbf8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="288" height="450"><figcaption>Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, RIVERHEAD BOOKS, 2017, Rs866</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc079c7e80680e08bbf9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="227"><figcaption>Fragile Mountains by MK Limbu, VAJRA PUBLICATIONS, 2005, Rs450</figcaption></figure>9. Multiple love stories set in Nepal? Try Fragile Mountains by M.K. Limbu.Limbu’s underrated novel is an ode to our country, and the hundreds of crisscrossing loves and fates that exist within. A girl pines fervently for her soldier beau, but finds happiness with someone else. A couple thirst for the love of a child. A young girl is lured to the mountains by her dashing boyfriend, but eventually settles for someone else. A young man loves the idea of foreign riches. A slow, leisurely walk through the forests and hills of Nepal, filled with the adoration of its beauties and the diversity of its people.10.   Lovers of fantasy and young adult fiction will devour His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.“We'll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams... And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won't just be able to take one, they'll have to take two, one of you and one of me, we'll be joined so tight...” After eons of them walking together, slaying fantastic beasts and saving the world, readers will weep a little when Will and Lyra turn to each other with these words. It is the simplest and purest kind of love, one that springs from companionship.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc079c7e80680e08bbfajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="152" height="227"><figcaption>His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, SCHOLASTIC, 1995-2000, Rs1896</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc089c7e80680e08bbfbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="300"><figcaption>Small Island by Andrea Levy, HEADLINE REVIEW, 2004, Rs250</figcaption></figure>11. If you are looking for a book to describe your soul sister, grab Small Island by Andrea Levy.Two women. One a Jamaican native, educated and vibrant, disbelieving that anyone could shame her for the color of her skin. Another a British, sympathetic and understanding, but still held back by the idiosyncrasies of her race and class. Their paths cross in an ‘amazing’ manner. The novel attacks racism. Hard, swift, and with precision. It makes us think of our privileges, the ways we are subtly discriminating or being discriminated against. The best part is its intersectionality. It talks of Jamaicans and Indians with equal passion, shows us the hypocrisies of the Scandinavian and Americans in equal measure. It deals with serious issues, but it tells the story with humor and compassion. Hortense and Queenie are the heroines we need, to remind us to love our selves.12. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is a little bit of every kind of love: Friends-turned-lovers, sad love, queer romance, brotherhood, love for life. This might not be the typical romance, for readers will need to wade through many hundred pages before getting to it. Those pages, lingering over the histories of four friends in New York, are agonising and traumatising. But what a gamut of emotions the novel manages to capture. This is for readers who have liked ‘A Fine Balance’, or ‘The Year of the Runaways.’ Several trigger warnings.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc099c7e80680e08bbfcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="142" height="227"><figcaption>A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, DOUBLEDAY, 2015, Rs958</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc0a9c7e80680e08bbfdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="147" height="227"><figcaption>Honour by Elif Shafak, VIKING, 2012, 342 pages, Rs798</figcaption></figure>13. Familial love, hurtful love, the kind of love that does not hesitate to kill… look no further than Honor by Elif Shafak.Elif Shafak was born to be a writer- that everyone knows. Her artistry and magic shines through in this novel set in Turkey and London. Beloved twin sisters are forced to lead separate lives in two continents, yet their fate is linked together through their history of blood. This novel, especially on the day that celebrates love, is a reminder of the dangerous and toxic forms love can take and culture that garbs itself as concern and protection. It is the love that we want to free ourselves from.14. And the perfect chick lit? The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella.This is how chick-lit should be done – improbable, dramatic, wild, genuinely funny, and with a supercharged heroine. Top lawyer with zero household skills ends up as a housekeeper and falls in love with the resident gardener. It is a rollercoaster of a ride!Honorable Mentions: Lara Jean series, Sister of My Heart (Part 1 and 2), All the Light We Cannot See, The Kiss Quotient, The Bride Test, Red, White &amp; Royal Blue, The Guide.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011110/636ccc0b9c7e80680e08bbfejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="227"><figcaption>The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella, BANTAM PRESS, 2005, Rs499</figcaption></figure>Richa Bhattarai is a writer and book reviewer.

stories

Adventures of a little dumpling named Momo (and other books)

14 books to read, gift, love this Valentine’s

Shanti Chaudhary: Poet-at-large