The Rape Trial by Bidisha Ghosal was a quick read for me! I read it in just two days and I really liked it. . With a gripping narrative, this book revolves a lot around rape, and rape culture and the surrounding factors like the repercussions of rape for a woman versus a man, the societal standards (often hypocritical), as well as power play, the political and the personal, etc. . The book reads really fast also! However, I felt that at a few points there were some loopholes and a round of editing could have been done. Overlooking that, the writing style and overall narrative of the author is really well executed. . The book also talks about the justice system and lays bare and opens discussion on whether it is wise for the common man to take justice into their hands or to leave it to the law (especially when the law is not effective) and such. The characters are also developed throughout the story and their depth well portrayed. I like the relations among all the characters. Moreover, the psychological aspect is an important one here. . This was quite an interesting read. I rate it 3.75/5 stars!
Sixteen Stormy Days is about the sixteen days of debate in 1951, which led to the controversial first Amendment of the Indian Constitution. This book was a truly well-researched treatise on the why and how behind the major change in Indian Constitutional history.
In eloquent prose, the book goes over the changes that
were made in the Constitution, which had been worked on for three years prior
to this abrupt and fast sixteen-day debate. With the passing of the Amendment
as the Constitution (First Amendment) Act of June 1951, various changes were
brought in – most of which cause heated debates even today. To name a few, the
fundamental rights were qualified in favour of the State, enabled the
caste-based reservation system, restricted the right to property, to name a
few.
Most importantly, the book also sheds light on the
support as well as the opposition that this Amendment garnered. The author also sheds light on the various
icons behind it – such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, etc. Most
importantly, it depicts how the originally liberal Constitution was
reconfigured in a way that would be favourable to India’s first government,
which turned to be authoritarian. What started as a major move by Jawaharlal
Nehru and the super-majoritarian government, radically led to a system of
coercion and repression on a vast majority of the Indian people.
The narration is smooth, however, having never had
political science or history as my subjects, I found it a bit exhausting to
read. Perhaps that is something a few readers may face but let me tell you that
the end is worth it. You will come out a bit wiser and also perhaps with more
questions, which will lead you down on a path of learning. I think this was a
really well-penned book by the author. It was informative and with the eloquent
writing, the reader really captures the attention of the reader. It was also a
really quick read once I got into it.
Raavanputr Meghnad by Kevil Missal is a new mythological fiction that follows the lesser-known Meghnad, Raavan’s favourite son, who fought on Ram’s side!
Ravanputr Meghnad
Mythological Fiction in Raavanputr Meghnad
Towards the beginning of this month, I had picked up Vyasa, a graphic novel on the Mahabharata. As such, it was only fitting that I also read a fictional twist on the Ramayana as well. Ravanputr Meghnad by Kevin Missal is based on the Ramayana, more specifically, Raavan’s favourite son Meghnad. However, the storyline is not true to the actual Ramayana and has been fictionalized, so do keep that in mind before picking up the book.
The plot was an interesting one and it helped me to imagine another way in which the story may have happened. I quite enjoyed the path it took especially in regards to the development of Meghnad’s character. The change, which occurs especially after his meeting the love of his life, a Naga princess, was quite fast towards the middle. It is at this point that he realizes that his ways may not have been entirely right.
Narrative style
Changing narratives also kept the plot interesting and I liked getting glimpses into the actions, and thus, the minds of the various characters such as Meghnad, Prameela, Suparnika, and Laxman.
What I did not like about this mythological fiction
However, since it was inspired by actual mythology, the setting has been the same. As such, I think it was a strike against the book that the characters used modern slangs, which seemed out of time for the characters. Moreover, the author tried to bring in comedic elements through the familial bonds, which I do not think worked very well.
Verdict:
Overall, it was an enjoyable and quick read. I was absorbed while reading it and did like the overall arch. If you like mythological stories written with a twist, this is definitely one you should pick up soon. I rated it 3.75/5 stars.
What the Eyes See is a smashing short story collection of 7 short stories; namely Sira, The Game, The Dreamcatcher, 1978, What the Eyes See, Karma, and The Angel Numbers.
What the eyes see
Synopsis of this smashing collection:
How much of what you see can you believe? How much can you trust yourself and the people around you? Some time into the future, a 60-year-old man is suspicious about the Artificial Intelligence he has procured for his home. Back in the ’70s, a man visiting his hometown for vacation has the most terrifying experience of his life. In Delhi, a young woman gets a beautiful gift, which she later realizes might not be so beautiful after all. In Dubai, a young entrepreneur realizes that giving a lift to strangers might lead to horrifying consequences. These and many more… What the Eyes See is a collection of dark stories to take with you into the night.
A smashing anthology!
What the Eyes See is a collection of 7 short stories; namely Sira, The Game, The Dreamcatcher, 1978, What the Eyes Se, Karma, and The Angel Numbers.
These stories all have unexpected twists that will totally take the reader by surprise; I know I certainly was! I love that although the stories are linear in a way, they have a certain element that while disrupts the flow, only makes the reading experience better. A strong point in all of these short stories is the climaxes that are strong and powerful. I love the way they punch through the narrative.
Themes, and styles
The writing style is great and fluid and intertwined with the wonderful imaginative powers, this collection provides a strong suit. A good mixture of suspense and horror, the stories also cover the themes of artificial intelligence, and the effect it can have on humanity, mortality, dystopia, magic, revenge, illusions, family, etc. the concepts of the plots for the different stories are really unique and has a wide range although, at the end, there is a common thread of horror/mystery running throughout.
Verdict:
The cover is also well made and really reflects the
atmospheric nature of this collection. I quite enjoyed this book and I rate it
4/5 stars.
What if it’s You? by Mitali Meelan was a gender-swap on the classic tale of Cinderella that we have all grown up with. It is set in contemporary India!
What if it’s you?
Read till the end for the exclusive author’s interview!
I was a bit hesitant going into the book because retellings of fairytales, that I enjoyed as a kid, is kind of a make-it or a break-it situation. But I am so happy to state that this book flew past my expectations! I absolutely loved this story and simply devoured it.
A gender-swap on Cinderella, set in contemporary India!
In this story the roles are reversed – we have Vihang who has a cruel stepmother and Saira who is a famous movie star. Their love story is quite an unconventional one and their HEA too also seems to be likewise. I really liked that the author has included a very modern literary conclusion to the story – with an open and ambiguous end. I am also very eager to see what the future holds for these two characters.
Progress in this modern gender-swap fairytale
As such, this was a very plot-driven novel and I love the character transformations that occurred especially in regards to their relationship with one another and how it affected their emotional well-being.
Themes, characters in this gender-swap tale
The book also covered a lot of themes; some of the most important ones were that of illusions and image, friendship and self-discovery. Regarding the other characters, the stepmother was the epitome of the stereotypical stepmother. She was surely a cruel one who is so often found in fairytales, both classic or otherwise. As for the stepbrother Chetan – I do believe that he could have been better. But he was really influenced by his mother. And on the same note, I think his mother’s behaviour towards Vihang, had his own basic understanding warped. But what can I say about the father! I absolutely hated how he treated his own blood and believed a woman he met later on in life, more than his own son. But on the other hand, I can understand this very human folly – his blind emotional attachment towards the new wife.
A fantastic modern-day gender-swap YA story!
I quite enjoyed this book and I rate it a 4/5 stars.
Mitali Meelan is the author of three novels – What if it’s you, A Long Way Home (published by HarperCollins India) and The Guest (published by Black Ink Books), as well as Coffee and Ordinary Life, a collection of poetry. Meelan also has an audiobook on Storytel titled And Then We Met Again, voiced by best-selling author Ravinder Singh. Today, we come to get another glimpse into her life! Read on to know more about the person behind this wonderful story!
When did you realize you needed to write?
In my second year, when I wrote my first novel, The Guest. I felt that if I don’t write the stories of these weird, loud voices in my head, I might go crazy.
What would you say your writing process is like?
I plot my entire novel before I start writing the book. However, my actual writing process is messy. I don’t write scenes sequentially. I write whichever scenes I feel the strongest about and dive in. And I almost always end up writing a different book than the one I intended to write or plotted at the beginning. Some elements, plotlines, even characters change altogether midway.
But in the end, I’m always happy with the result because the book I plan before I write the first draft doesn’t foresee all the loopholes I’ve missed and roadblocks I’ll hit later. And there’s a lot more fun in writing a book this way, than just writing a meticulously plotted story that doesn’t give me the liberty to stray.
Any special quirks while you write?
I can type without looking either at the screen or at the keyboard. This is told (and imitated) by my sister. When I’m deeply into a scene (typing it), I will sometimes look to the side or towards the sky with a possessed look on my face. I’ve also been told it’s kind of scary. You wouldn’t want to see it.
What was the weirdest thing you had to research for when writing the book?
For writing What if it’s you? I only researched the current retelling on Cinderella with gender-swap, to ensure I don’t write something that’s already been done. But for A Long Way Home, I had to do some weird searches, like:
The inside of a real dance bar with dancing girls and the kind of clothes they wear.
What happens when you shoplift in India and can you get away with it.
What’s the maximum punishment you can get if you shoplift in India, etc.
For another unpublished book of mine, I had to research the consequences of a homicide.
What inspired you to write this particular gender-swap story?
The lack of fairytale retellings in the Indian setting and in the Indian market. I love retellings but none of the contemporary Indian authors were doing it. So I decided I should.
What do you think happened to the characters after the book ended?
If you could wait until the next and final book in this duology releases, you’ll find out.
(Yay!! So we have a sequel coming out!!!!!)
What are your favourite books?
The Palace of Illusions and The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni,
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho,
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini,
The Liberation of Sita by Volga,
Plays by Vijay Tendulkar and Mahesh Dattani,
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.
If you were deserted on an island, which three people would you want to have with you? Why? Criteria:
One fictional character from your book – Vihang, from ‘What if it’s you?’ He is a fun-loving, sarcastic guy who will do the cooking and find the best way to go about on the island while making the whole stay entertaining.
One fictional character from any other book – Othello, a past crush. The able-bodied war hero of Shakespeare, full of pride. He’s so opposite to Vihang that it would be fun to have them together on the island.
One famous person that is not a family member or friend – Ellen DeGeneres because I could take her along everywhere if I could.
What’s something you are really good at, that few people know about?
I’m somewhat good at playing the keyboard and finding notes on it by hearing a song. I don’t know what the notes or chords that I play are called because I’m not formally trained. But I can locate the notes once I hear the song, a thing I’ve inherited from my father who is much faster at it (although untrained). I do want to get formally trained in playing piano though.
What if it’s you? synopsis
A retelling of Cinderella with role reversal set in contemporary India
What if hearts met first and then the faces? Would love look different?
A 19-year-old movie-star returns to her hometown to finish her education. Having traded her childhood for fame and success, she now craves for a simpler college life and deeper friendships that go beyond flattery and fakeness. The town, however, gives her everything else but that.
So she hides a letter in a bookstore and asks the recipient to be her pen pal. Hoping to find one meaningful friendship in this old beach town of South Goa, she adds only one condition for her recipient to follow. They won’t reveal their identity until they form a strong bond of friendship first.
The letter is discovered by Vihang, a 20-year-old guy who gets bullied in college and bossed around at home by his stepmother and stepbrother. On a default flight mode, Vihang takes whatever life throws at him with a pinch of salt (and loads of sarcasm). As Vihang’s own life begins to fall apart, the girl starts becoming his escape from reality. And neither of them realises when the feeling of love begins to bloom.
Embroidered Life, by Sara Barnes, follows the craft of embroidery as practiced by Sarah K. Benning. And it is the ultimate craft inspo!
Embroidered Life
Craft of Sarah K. Benning
From beautiful botanicals to bold affirmations, the work of self-taught fiber artist Sarah K. Benning gives any embroidery enthusiast, art lover, or plant fanatic a new appreciation for the craft of needlework.
I absolutely loved the art that is this book in itself. It sheds light on Benning’s embroidery process and her successful business model, while also offering behind-the-scenes insights that really inspired me to pick up the needle and thread after almost a decade.
Aesthetics of this craft
There are also some amazing pictures of the various embroidery works done by Benning and they are so lush and beautiful! A lot of her works feature nature and plants and the colour green overall, and it was no wonder I was so very attracted to it. Following each picture, the author has also included notes to explain the meanings and processes behind the stitches.
How it inspired me
It also obviously pushed me to make my own embroidery piece and so I too ended up embroidering my personal logo. I had a great time making it and I realized that it is a kind of meditation. It just feels so good to sit down in the warm sunshine every morning and do the stitching. I really felt at peace doing it.
Craft for life!
Moreover, the book is so aesthetic, and the addition of the die-cut case with actual stitching on the front cover just amps up the aesthetics! Like the embroidery which is a very physical thing, the inclusion of this stitching on the front too is iconic for emulating that sense of touch.
A smashing book!
I think by now it’s obvious I think it is a 5/5 star book, don’t you?
Lost Transmissions is a lavish storehouse on lost or under-appreciated works of sci-fi and fantasy, in various fields like fashion, music, literature, etc!
Lost Transmissions
I received a review copy from the publishers in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Sci-fi and fantasy storehouse!
This book is an amazing collection of essays, interviews, etc. If you are into sci-fi/fantasy, this is definitely a book you need to pick up. It also has been specifically divided into segments of Literature, Film & TV, Architecture, Art & Design, Music, Fashion and Fandom & Pop Culture.
Why pick up this sci-fi/fantasy book
I personally have been interested in fantasy for quite some time now. However, sci-fi is a genre that I need to explore more, and so this was a perfect revelatory starting point for me. Whatever your interests might be, it covers the wide ground. That is why, I believe, this book has something for everyone! The content is very expansive and since it covers a myriad of different topics, it also throws light on how sci-fi has affected broader culture. Not only is this a very informative book, but it is also really fun to read.
My likes and dislikes:
While the literature segment was my favourite, I skimmed through the fashion and music segments. I am sure that for some others, those two might be interesting. One of the pieces worth mentioning is ‘On Fantasy Maps’! A mention by me about a piece on the Voynich Manuscript was enough to make Dad eager to read the book too!
A superb cover and apt title!
The cover, as well as the whole presentation of the book, is superb. The illustrations also help make this a definitive book in the genre. The title was also very apt – as the book does talk about forgotten sci-fi related stuff – “transmission” is a really well-chosen word.
This little book was a refreshing read. Despite its easy and seemingly normal subject matter, this book has the capacity to change your outlook.
A Little Book of Magical Plants by Ruskin Bond
Synopsis:
In this little book full of whimsical illustrations and thoughtful quotations, Ruskin Bond introduces us to his favourite plants. Meet the resilient rubber, the tantalizing tomato, the generous grass, the dainty dahlia, the nifty neem and many others. Bond’s simple and descriptive prose brings these apparently inanimate beings alive—each with a distinct identity, a singular quirk. A Little Book of Magical Plants is a handy guide to discover more about this often ignored world of ‘green growing things’.
My review:
This little book was a refreshing read. Despite its easy and seemingly normal subject matter, this book has the capacity to change your outlook. I think I read it at the perfect time – just in time for the new year. Through the simple yet descriptive prose that Bond is so famous for, he introduces us to his favourite plants. What is magical is how he opens our eyes to make us see the qualities each of these plants possess. We too should be just as resilient and kind and accepting of our own quirks.
A Little Book of Magical Plants by Ruskin Bond
At a time
when we as Indians are getting shocked every day because of the gruesome crimes
happening against women, let us all pledge to be kind and brave and always
stand up against whatever is wrong. I loved how nostalgic the writing seemed to
get at times. The author adds his own anecdotes and it just lends a special
flavour to the writing.
There are
also beautiful illustrations that are very soothing to the eye. Moreover, the
quotes are presented in calligraphy adding another layer to beauty to this
already adorable book.
This classic poetry collection is an intensely private reflection on Walt Whitman’s attraction to and affection for other men.
The classic poetry collection is an intensely private reflection on Walt Whitman’s attraction to and affection for other men.
One of the most beautiful books that I have ever owned, Live Oak, With Moss, is simply filled to the brim with the poet’s haunting love for the beloved. Whitman’s longing just soaks the page and flows to your heart. The way the poet has combined nature with these poems is stunning. It made these so much more potent, real and raw. Apart from this burgeoning sense of longing, these subtly erotic poems are filled with the hope for a distant time and place when there will be a wholesome space for all these men to gather and simply be themselves.
I am reading Song of Myself from Leaves of Grass, for a class this semester. So, reading Live Oak, With Moss was illuminating in a way I never thought possible. I was overwhelmed by the words and the emotions they swelled up in me.
Live Oak, With Moss, is without a doubt, one of the best collections I have ever read and felt.
A consuming historical fiction novel, The Orange Grove is set in 18th century France. This historical fiction is full of suspense, rivalries, and secrets!
The Orange Grove, by Kate Murdoch
Historical fiction
A thoroughly entertaining and delicious read, The Orange Grove by Kate Murdoch, is a historical fiction set in 18th century France. From the synopsis itself, I could imagine that it would be full of political rivalries, power plays, secrets, etc. So I had high hopes for the book. I am glad to say that it definitely exceeded my expectations.
Synopsis
With a glorious world-building, the plot largely takes place in Blois, in the chateau of Dux Hugo d’Amboise. Inhabited by the Duc, his wife the Duchesse, and five mistresses, it is a regal world. But this aspect itself was baffling for me – for a modern-day woman like myself, this is a curious living situation. As one would aspect, the women, although living in a more or less harmonious existence, often have certain insecurities brewing between them. The Duchesse is acquainted with the ways of her world – any respected nobleman could have mistresses. However, Charlotte is only okay as long as the Duc loves only her. But when the Duc takes on a new mistress, a young noblewoman. He seems thoroughly besotted with her and so, Charlotte feels threatened. And it is from this insecurity that rises, that the story really starts.
The setting
The author portrays the tense environment well. It is clear that the author has done extensive research on this subject and this historical era. The women resort to underhanded means and ways to gain favour at the Duc’s hand. There are various secrets which, if revealed, may shake the roots of the power relations. The setting and plot have been well constructed.
Characterization of Henriette
The character of the protagonist, Henriette, is a morally sound person, I feel. She too has secrets to keep, just like everyone else, but I admire her willingness to help and support another woman instead of viewing her as the enemy. I think this has been the root cause of disharmony among women throughout history. Women are raised to perceive one another as competitors. However, in recent times, this has definitely changed I believe.
Characterization
The characterization when it comes to the others too is well done. We see the characters escalating toward a certain point, the climax so to say, and then follows their rise or downfall. What is also commendable is how wonderfully the author has kept the reader engrossed throughout – whether it is in the case of Henriette, her daughter Solange, Solange’s cute friendship with Tomas, the other mistresses, the tarot reader Romain, etc.
Themes
The themes of friendship, enmity, status and power, morality, loyalty, etc. have been thoroughly played through the characters in the book. In the end, it was thrilling to see how these people support and hate or pull tricks on one another all for the sake of power. Fashion, culture, sexuality, entertainment, culture, etc have also been shown throughout the lives of these characters. It has been a consuming read and I enjoyed each and every page of this novel. I rate this 4.5/5 stars.
A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys is a retelling of 6 popular stories from Greek mythology. The author lends his humourous spirit to this collection!
A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys
Greek Mythology: Stunning art pieces
First off, I want to just spend a moment to rest my eyes on the stunning cover! I love the yellows and the browns and it is just so aesthetic! The warm tones provide the perfect spot of colour in this dismal weather.
A Wonder Books for Girls and Boys
A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys is basically a retelling of 6 popular Greek stories – The Gorgon’s Head, The Golden Touch, The Paradise of Children, The Three Golden Apples, The Miraculous Pitcher and The Chimaera. Most of us have already heard of Medusa and Midas in some morality play or moral stories, in one way or the other. This, Hawthorne’s method, too, proved to be a hearty experience.
Writing style
The stories are written in the story-within-a-story format and in this way, the author has involved a brilliant framing device. ‘Cousin Eustace’ a bright lad of 18, is telling these stories to his younger cousins, adding his own flavours to the curry, so to speak. Hawthorne’s blend of humour abounds this collection.
The stories are not truly ‘faithful’ to the actual Greek legends, but instead, Hawthorne has added his own spirit and essence to these. He has rewritten these stories in a gothic or a romantic style. Although essentially the same, there are many funny instances that will make you laugh out loud at times. Each of these stories provides an exceptional experience to the reader and makes for one hell of a time!
Although there are also morals clearly thrust forward, it is not overbearingly so. Thus, it proved to be an interesting read and not preachy at all! I rate this book 4/5 stars and recommend it to you all. It is quite short and you can read it in an hour. You could also read it out to your children or siblings and I am sure that they will love them as well.
Hey guys! So today I have two poetry recommendations for you. I read both poetry collections recently and I adored them for their raw individuality.
Swallowtail by Brenna Twohy
Swallowtail: A deep dive into the dissection of popular culture, and how the brightness and horrors of it can be mirrors into the daily lived experiences of women in America.
Swallowtail by Brenna Twohy was a great read. The most prominent themes include loss, grief, and coping. The words penned by the author, though burgeoning with the grief of a broken heart, are poignant and resonates with the deepest sadness in the reader. Rape culture has also been addressed here and it is stark in its imagery and leaves the reader gasping. Pop Culture References from Survivor as well as Harry Potter have also been brought in.
I absolutely loved it and rated it 4/5 stars! Including here, links to Amazon, Goodreads
Poetry by Atticus
I admit I like THE DARK BETWEEN STARS much more than I did LOVE HER WILD. This one does not only revolve around love but also delves into the deeper themes of self-love, etc. There is a certain dichotomy and duality with both the happiness and the sadness that trouble us. In this collection, the poet writes about falling in love, being in a relationship with someone, and then the aftermath of a breakup as well. He includes scenes from Paris, Jazz clubs, wines, sunsets, etc. Thus the whole collection is a sensory experience that is experienced wholeheartedly by the reader. As such, it is as if the reader is in the moment, experiencing this whole slew of emotions and the beauty lives on.
You Beneath Your Skin is an enjoyable thriller set in India and as a thriller, it sheds light on the rape culture, acid attacks, etc.
You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas
Why pick up this thriller:
With a thrilling premise, You Beneath Your Skin proved to be an important read. So if you wish to start with crime fiction, this might just be the one for you.
A slow beginning:
The book started slow but did pick up the pace pretty soon. So I think that if you can just power through the first few pages, it will prove to be a pretty interesting read.
Plot and themes:
The plot was well developed and the book delves into important aspects of the female population, more specifically, the various things women have to face. Rape and acid attacks are horrible issues that are plaguing society today and the author has included this in the book. For me, it was bittersweet as reading about the suffering is never wholesome, but it is also necessary at the same time that we understand that this is a reality and acknowledge its presence and the injustice. Brushing it aside it a gross insult to survivors and through the book, the author has tried to address this situation.
Writing style and title:
With a crisp writing style, the plot is full of unexpected twists and turns and you just cannot put it down. Once a person delves into the read, the reader will understand how significant and meaningful the title is. Politics and the power that the higher-ups wield, and how they use it, also forms the backdrop of the political situation in the book.
Verdict:
It was an overall good read. I rate it 3.75/5 stars.
I had read the poet’s previous work Unlocked Silences some time ago and had quite liked his writing style. It had come out in 2018 and was widely accepted. I remember finishing it in one day, as I devoured the words one by one. I put page flags on almost every page and it is only perhaps due to the absence of flags right now that I did not do the same thing to Ease.
Ease, by Mukhpreet Khurana, 2019
Ease: A Poetic Journey Within is a poetry collection that focuses on spirituality, self-love, healing, and gratitude. This poetry collection is a collection of raw, unfiltered and simple poems.
In Unlocked Silences, the author had focused a lot on spirituality and the individual. This has continued in Ease and being of a spiritual turn myself (as much as I am able to), I related with it a lot.
Themes in this poetry collection
Ease is a collection of ‘raw, unfiltered and simple poems’, poems that will touch you each time you read them. And no wonder I got so many queries asking me which book it was after I posted snippets on my stories. Many of the poems, abstracts, and musings revolve around the themes of self-love, individuality, healing, and gratitude. In today’s fast-paced world, it provided me relief.
The individuality of this work
The poems are all thought-provoking and especially because of its non-romance centric scenario, it was a panacea to me. I loved it too and look forward to more of the author’s works. Khurana’s rhythmic and lyrical tunes and spirituality permeate through the works and render a sensory experience to the reader.
There are also collaborations with other writers and the end product is magical. It is always interesting to see how the voice of an artist comes out in case of collaborations. It was also a great pleasure and surprise when I found that one of my dearest friends Tahoora has also lent her talent to this collection. She is an amazing artist and I am so happy to see her work manifested into this book!
I rate this
book 4/5 stars and wholeheartedly recommend it to all those who are looking for
a dose for spirituality, self-love, and gratitude through non-romance centric
poetry.
The Octopus Curse is a poetry collection by Dr. Salma Forook and I have yet to come across a more aesthetic anthology of poetry. Needless to say I loved it!
The Octopus Curse by Salma Farook is a collection of powerful poems, focusing on love, heartbreak, resilience, travel, self-love, feminity and women’s issues, etc. I have read What Your Soul Already Knows by the author last year and I had found it to be the best motivational book there ever was, without sounding too preachy and such. As such, when the author approached me for her second book, of course, I had to say yes!
Like her previous book, the words in this book too continue to be just as meaningful and full of depth. I love how the execution has been made. The words are rhythmic and lyrical and thus very heart warming as well as soothing to the ears. Through these different pieces, the author has inspired the reader to confront their feelings and accept them and most importantly, to be at peace with themselves.
How stunted,
Limited,
This language is!
I have searched and searched
But, never found a word
For pain coming so surely,
That you feel it already,
Long before it
Even arrives.
-‘Visceral’
Aesthetic:
The book is a work of art and a more aesthetic poetry collection, I have yet to come across. I am so glad I got to read this book when I did because this was just the right time for me. Perhaps, if I had read it at some other moment of my life, it wouldn’t have touched me as much as it has. Many thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy.
I pray that death be kind,
Not as much to the buried,
As to those left behind.
-‘Funerals are for the living’
Here’s one poem that I absolutely loved. Check this one out!
You lift your chin up
Like the cocking of a gun
Your eyes flash the coldest fire,
Your words erupt,
The hottest ice.
I see you wear your anger
Like a bulletproof vest
Over your pain; I must say,
Even as you walk away,
It looks bloody glorious
On you
-‘Woman’
You can also check out the book here: Amazon (the ebook is free upto 5th of November), Goodreads
Dalal’s Street is a satirical thriller of dark humour which explores the complex interplay of human relationships in the Indian scenario.
Synopsis of this satirical read:
A group of young Indian business school
graduates are attracted to jobs in a high paying trading company. This batch of
hardworking, intelligent and ambitious friends is focused on success in the
fast paced, hyper competitive world of stockbroking where greed, use of cunning
and wealth are the stepping stones to survival and success,. The survivors are
the winners.
A satirical thriller of dark humour in which
superfast action to tip the scales of finance and fortunes to one’s favour and
achieve quick wins are the order of the day, Dalal’s Street explores the complex
interplay of human relationships and etches out the rise of the protagonist
through a test by fire.
A satirical read
Dalal’s Street was quite an interesting read in many ways. While I did like the overall aspect of the book, I have to admit that there were times when I felt a bit disconnected probably because it focuses so much on the financial sector, something which I admittedly do not know much about and am not very much interested in, to be honest.
Plot:
The book follows Varun Agarwal, the son of a man who had lost quite some money in the Harshad Mehta scam. As such, the father is strictly against the son entering into this world of finance. However, disregarding his father’s wishes, we see Varun jumping headlong into this and joining a company through the campus placement program. Varun has 3 other friends – Pooja, Devika, and Anil – who also join the business. The plot was unique and well-written. It was cohesive and included a good insight into the stock brokering world.
The downfall
Things only take a downward turn from this point. We see all of these people try to survive in an extremely competitive world, thus applying ways which they perhaps would not have, had they been in the right frame of mind. We see them lose their morals and step on others to try to be the best. This competition proves to be the thing that unspools the darkest sides of themselves.
Writing Satire
The author has also applied a humorous writing style to make the dark humor bearable. It is too dark otherwise. The degeneration of the human goodness and the innate humaneness is shocking but ye-opening at the same time. We as humans have become so materialistic today that it is not that shocking either, contrary to what I have just stated now. This book has left me with very mixed feelings. For now, I shall rate it 3/5 stars.
Crown of Oblivion is a brand new fantasy series set in a dystopian world! Also compared to The Hunger Games, this is one new fantasy series I’m very excited to read.
Crown of Oblivion is a brand new fantasy series set in a dystopian world! Also compared to The Hunger Games, this is one book I’m excited to read through.
Fantastic cover:
Can you imagine a bolder book cover than this? I personally love this cover for what it invokes in me – to go on despite whatever! I’ve also attached this picture of the wonderful merch that comes along with the preorder!
Pre-order goodies:
A signed bookplate, a beautiful enamel pin, an Astrid bookmark, and a quote graphic!
Processed with VSCO with m5 preset
Synopsis of this fantasy book:
Astrid is the surrogate for Princess Renya, which means she bears the physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. Astrid has no choice—she and her family are Outsiders, the lower class of people without magic and without citizenship.
But there is a way out of this life—competing in the deadly Race of Oblivion. To enter the race, an Outsider is administered the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memory clear of their past as they enter a new world with nothing to help them but a slip of paper bearing their name and the first clue. It’s not as simple as solving a puzzle, however—for a majority of the contestants, the race ends in death. But winning would mean not only freedom for Astrid, but citizenship and health care for her entire family. With a dying father to think of, Astrid is desperate to prevail.
From the beginning, the race is filled with twists and turns. One of them is Darius, a fellow racer Astrid meets but isn’t sure she can trust. Though they team up in the race, as Astrid’s memories begin to resurface, she remembers just who he was to her—a scorned foe who may want revenge. Astrid also starts to notice she has powers no Outsider should—which could help her win the race, but also make her a target if anyone finds out. With stakes that couldn’t be higher, Astrid must decide what is more important: risking her life to remember the mysteries of the past, or playing a cutthroat game in order to win her—and her family’s—freedom.
Guess who is loving this fantasy!
So I am just a couple chapters in and I’m loving it. The beginning itself was so dramatic and wonderful, that I am curious to see how the story unfolds.
The Dutch House is a hauntingly beautiful family saga following the lives of the inhabitants of the eponymous and magnificent Dutch House.
The Dutch House is a hauntingly beautiful family saga following the lives of the inhabitants of the eponymous and magnificent Dutch House.
Synopsis : At the end of the
Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to
begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to
enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a
lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for
his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older
sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the
house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are
thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all
they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them
that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.
Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot
overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are
only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they
return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But
when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the
relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is
finally tested.
The Dutch House
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett is a beautiful and haunting saga revolving around the characters, all stemming from the eponymous Dutch House. Throughout the novel, we see the house as a character in itself. It forms an intrinsic factor is affecting the lives of all the people involved. Because of the opulence, this house brings with it with its majestic architecture, it also brings with it a huge responsibility and the issue of image.
The Dutch House’s meaning
On the one hand, we have Cyril Conroy who had bought this magnificent house as a gift for his wife; it is his pride and he loves it. His children Maeve, and her younger brother Danny love all its nooks and crannies. But on the other hand, to his wife, it is nothing more than a burden, one that intimidates her.
The characters of Sandy and Jocelyn
The house help Sandy and Jocelyn are also portrayed as characters who love the children, the lady of the house and are always permanent fixtures, who, although on the side, are unavoidable and welcome rather. They add the warm bits throughout, showering the children with love and care where there is a lack.
The bold and brave: Maeve
I simply loved Maeve’s character. She is shown as this hard-working and kind soul who just goes on and on even in the face of hardships. I love her role, especially as an elder sister. She is always there for her brother and never hesitates to give up so that he can achieve more.
The indulged brother: Danny
Danny, on the other hand, felt like a bit of a spoilt person to me. He is forever incapable of making mature decisions, I felt and was confused as to what decision to make. He seemed like a passive person most of the time and that makes him a bit unlikeable to me.
The evil stepmother: Andrea
Coming to Andrea, the ‘evil’ stepmother, I feel that she is sort of an enigma. The author has not really provided a solid back story to her and her two daughters which is why I think I have mixed feelings for her. On the one hand, I hate her for being the typical cruel stepmother and on the other hand, my mind is still holding on, unable to let go without knowing more about her.
The Dutch House is a beautiful book
Overall, I loved the way the author has written this beautiful book. It is a truly beautiful and nostalgia-inciting book, one that pulls you into the world. The way the house got back into the particular owner’s hands (I am not going to give you a spoiler), felt as if the story had come to a full circle. In a way, it was satisfying to behold. This has been one of the best books I have read this month, without a shadow of a doubt.
Aashish Chopra in Fast, Cheap and Viral has tapped into the surprisingly simple but effective means to make viral content!
Synopsis:
In Fast, Cheap and Viral, the ace marketer shares the secrets behind his success – all of them learned and honed on his journey. This one-stop super-guide to viral video marketing gives you the low-down on: HOW TO GRAB EYEBALLS in a sea of content. HOW TO DRIVE ENGAGEMENT (because views can be bought, but engagement is earned). WHY STORYTELLING BEATS PRODUCTION VALUE and behind-the-scenes tips and tricks. HOW TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND and kill job insecurity.
For every student, entrepreneur, blogger, marketing manager or leader who dreams of reaching millions on a shoestring budget, this book is the definitive manual on sustainable viral success.
Viral Content:
I received
a review copy from the publishers in return for an honest review. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
This
is definitely a book that every content creator, blogger, and influencer
must-read. It is an engaging masterclass where the author tells of the simple
yet the most effective means to make sure that your content is great. Since the
book is also written based on the author’s experience, these are all tried and
true methods that will surely help if one puts them into use. The only way to
find out is to do these things yourself!
Moreover, the author has included illustrations, or rather, infographics, that summarized the already concise and precise words. Each chapter focuses on one key aspect that you need to focus on and the sum total of all, is a book full of tips to make it to the top of the content creation ladder. The inclusion of examples as well as a great method as it made sure that the reader could relate it to real-life events and thus reality.
A content manifesto!
Definitely a very informative and functional read. I rate it 5/5 stars! Stay tuned because an elaborate post is coming up soon!
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
So hey guys! How’s it going? A couple of days ago, I uploaded my second YouTube video and it was sort of a how-to. How to decorate an autumn-themed bookshelf and reading nook? This is the most comfortable place for any book lover, and for that matter, anyone, to be honest. You can watch movies and listen to music and just chill with the homies. Autumn is the best time of the year when the world is just so photogenic and the temperature is great.
I had a ton of fun doing this. So without further ado, let me share the thoughts I kept in mind while creating this setup. I hope you guys try it out too.
Autumn colours
Since I was recreating a Fall look, the colours I focused on were yellows, browns, reds and dark browns and a bit of black as well.
I tried to organize them in an order of increasing saturation. So I went from yellow, orange, red to a bit of brown, dark brown and a few purple ones too.
Autumn decoration
For decoration, I focused on three things:
A background – I used my DIY page-wallpaper for this. This adds depth and texture to the whole scene.
A bit of green – Yes, this is very much contrary to the theme, but rules are meant to be broken yeah?
Plaques – I put up my NorthEast creator Award plaque for display as well as this beautiful peacock one, which was my grandmother’s.
The autumn-y nook
In this area, I simply put down an old mattress, covered it with a white bedsheet and then strewed some brown cushions over it. You can also throw a shawl or a warm and soft blanket over it.
Candles and fairylights!
The most easy way to make something atmospheric? Candles all the way! I lighted up a few and put them all over the area. Fairylights are the other option. You can have both or you can have either. They also render a very photogenic effect to the place.
I would suggest putting a small table or stool nearby, for your ease and convenience, and where you can perhaps put your music player, or laptop or food.
And so, here’s how you make the best autumn-themed bookshelf and reading nook! I hope you enjoyed this post and I have a few more ideas coming up for this DIY segment of my blog! I’m excited and I hope you are too!
The much-awaited giveaway is here. I promised to do a giveaway when I reached 2K followers and now that all the books have arrived, here it is!
Firstly, I really want to thank you all for the love you have given me. It means a lot. And my YouTube channel has received so much support as well! Wow! I was flabbergasted. I will be shooting the next video this Sunday and I am very excited for it! I really think you will love it!
The books for the giveaway are:
Kashmir’s Untold Story: Declassified
Wonderland
The Intelligence Trap
Inferno
Origin
Yoddha: Dynasty of Samudragupta
The Monsters Still Lurk
Something I Never Told You
Rules:
Follow me.
A shoutout would be lovely and easy for me to add as entry.
Most importantly, comment below which book you’d love to win!
You can comment on my latest posts as I have included those as entries. This is optional.
Tagging your friends is optional.
Just a few points to keep in mind:
There will be 8 winners and each will get the book of their choice. (By order of winning)
I will ship the books in my Flipkart boxes so as to reuse them.
This giveaway is for the residents of India only.
This giveaway is open to followers only.
The giveaway closes on 9pm Saturday, 26th October and I will declare the winners on Sunday in a live session.
This is not affiliated with Instagram or any book publishers.
And that’s it! I like to keep it pretty simple. Hope you all have a lovely time and may the luckiest people win!
I read this poetry collection over the course of two weeks because I usually read poetry quite slowly so that I actually feel the words and can mull them over. Walk With Wings was an enjoyable read that I delved into. The poems were all divided into 5 sections: Monsoon Love, Winter Sorrow, Autumn Grace, Spring Resilient, and Summer Freedom. In short, poignant verses, Tene’s poems are a compilation of reflections on her experiences, thoughts, and feelings through love, loss, pain, healing, and resilience. The collection takes you through the life story of the author while offering advice, notes, and affirmations, which were written to empower the author during difficult times. Walk With Wings tells the story of Tene falling in love, making bad decisions, learning from her mistakes, and discovering how to love her life and herself.
The
pieces here deal with hard work, discipline and the sacrifices we have to make
in order to pursue our dreams. They have been so relatable to me and I was in
love. It is always empowering in a way – to know that what we are feeling is
not just us. So many people are suffering and knowing that gives a sort of
strength – if so many others are dealing with these issues, and progressing,
perhaps we can too?
A few
of the pieces felt like quotes so irked me a bit, but then again, the content
is something you can easily relate to and that makes it the best, I think. Self-love
and empowerment are the two common threads that link all the different pieces
in the book. I think that my personal favourite is Summer Freedom perhaps,
because it is a process I am going through myself – I am healing myself by
learning to accept my own self. I am de-stigmatizing the faults I had
previously found in my skin which had once made me so very uncomfortable in
this skin I wear. Very enjoyable read and i rate it 4/5 stars.
#qotd : Do you have certain books you go back to whenever you need some healing?
A suggestion I have is What Your Soul Already Knows by Salma Farook. It is another book that I loved and I keep going back to it. It is a self-help/motivational book. I am generally not much for this genre but this one book was amazing.
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay is a debut novel and it is included in the short-list of the prestigious JCB Literary Awards, 2019. It is a beautiful story from what I could make out from the synopsis.
Gorgeously tactile and
sweeping in historical and socio-political scope, Pushcart Prize-winner Madhuri
Vijay’s The Far Field follows a
complicated flaneuse across the Indian subcontinent as she reckons with her
past, her desires, and the tumultuous present. With
rare acumen and evocative prose, in The Far Field Madhuri Vijay
masterfully examines Indian politics, class prejudice, and sexuality through
the lens of an outsider, offering a profound meditation on grief, guilt, and
the limits of compassion.
The fact that it had a beautiful cover was a great
attractor for me as well. I have been thoroughly loving the book so far. Although
it begins on a note of grief, the writing is beautiful. There is a sort of
whimsical and nostalgic about the book, from the very first pages itself and I
am in love with the writing style. I hope the author brings out more books so
that I can get my hands on it soon.
Many readers may argue that the protagonist is problematic – she comes off as self-centered and living in a bubble that essentially separates her from the world around her. Her actions seem immature and the fact that they are repeatedly done is a factor that irked me at times. The overall arch of the book, however, was worth enjoying and I loved every bit of it except the times I was frustrated because of the decisions Shalini took, which were her own. She has an individualistic streak and I am not sure if everyone will enjoy it. It certainly proved problematic for me at some points. I rate this book a 3.75/5 stars.
Thanks a lot to Harpercollins for providing me with a
copy of this amazing book. I am also hoping to pick up Milk Teeth and Perumal
Murugan’s One Part Woman followed by Trial by Silence and A Lonely Harvest. I
have been following the Award this year and these are the books I intend to
read from here.
Do you follow such literary awards? Are you picking up
any award-winning books in the near future? If yes, which ones do you plan to?
The best books are the keys to life. Bibliophiles will delight in adding these tiny illustrated classic novels to their collection!
Isn’t this keychain the most cutest ever? I am so in love with it that I want to keep it swaddled up in cotton! Hah!
Illustrated by Jane Mount, this is basically an enamel keychain which I love with the entirety of my heart!
As for other updates, the giveaway books are all here! I have 3 hardcovers, 2 (quite thick) paperback novels, and 3 more regular-sized paperbacks! And I know I am being very cryptic here. There’s also a cute notebook to be won! I just have to click the pictures now and after that, I’ll formally announce the giveaway! And boy, there are already more than 100 entries so far!
In terms of reading, I finished The Catcher in the Rye and The Hate U Give – both for college. I have American literature and I am also doing a presentation on racism, hence these two books, respectively. Have you read either of these? What were your views on these books?
I received a review copy from the publishers in return
for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
With that
catchy title, the book sure did capture my attention from the very beginning. I
was excited to pick up the book and although it was a good enough read for me,
I think maybe my expectations were too high going in.
The book
roughly covers the time period from the arrival of Alexander until the very
recent headlines-making event of the 370 article ruling. For those who did not
know, the argument of the secret of the Rozabal Line too will be one of a great
shock perhaps.
For the
most part, the book read like a cross, somewhere between a historical fiction
tale, and a political and/or historical textbook. While it does give a solid
base to the history of Kashmir’s ‘origin’, the book, I feel, pretty soon turns
towards conspiracies and such theories. It is entertaining, yes, to humour
them, but I felt that it moved away from the original course it was supposed to
have taken. I also believe that this book has the power to capture the reader’s
mind and turn it into the direction the authors want them to take – as a
certain blurb says, this book is a pretty “forceful statement of the Indian
case in Kashmir” and as such, it was not really very neutral. However, in the
larger context, bringing in the relation of China is a pretty powerful move and
sheds light on some important situations in the past, and hence, the present as
well.
The naming
of the various chapters was also done in terms of water, such as Unfathomable
Depths, Lashing Waves, Emerging Abyss, Rising Tsunami, etc., and in a way, I
really liked that. I feel that these titles really justified the social and
political scenario of the times that the chapters were focusing on.
Verdict:
I rate it
book a 3.75/5 stars!
About the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast
Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
It’s common knowledge that Kamasutra originated
from India – the “how-to” guide of how to pleasure each other. Many centuries ago
they thought deeply into the subject of erotic love. Though in modern India sex
is always a hushed subject, something happens behind the closed doors,
something never almost never publicly spoken. What can you expect from a
society where now also most marriages are arranged by family, where most people
have their first sex after marriage, where so many people never even see the
naked bodies of their partners?
There are a plethora of stories to be told from
every nook and corner of this big country. Stories around love, lust,
frustration, despair, loathing – stories around real man and woman and the
complications of life.
Nasha is the first compilation of Maya Balsi`s stories.
The stories include are :
Red Earth , Blue Sky, Green Sea
The light I see Through Darkness
Never Deny Me Your Laughter
Have A Nice Journey!
We walked in the woods
My review:
I received
a review copy from the author in return for an honest review. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
The
last time I read erotica was when I
tried reading Fifty Shades of Gray. Keyword : Tried. And I couldn’t do
it. The details were sort of too explicit for me – it’s not that I am
uncomfortable reading about sex, but rather the sex in the book made m so. So
for quite some time, I stayed away from them. But then, I also came across
books by Alexa Riley and Penny Wylder, and I was quite happy.
A
few days ago, the author approached me and asked if I would be willing to
review her book. Since I have not read any erotica by an Indian before, and
since the synopses of the stories seemed quite good, I decided to say yes. I
thought I would pick this book up for some leisurely weekend reading but when I
read the acknowledgement, I knew I had to dive right in. Sex is surely a
paradox in India because like the author says, and is corroborated by
statistical data, there is a huge market revolving around it. And with a
rapidly growing population, we know it is not cranes that drop off brand new
babies into the arms of eager parents.
In
the first story, Red earth, Blue Sky,
Green Sea, there was a good buildup of the story and it was quite
atmospheric. It is about the sexual awakening of two girls, a silent rebellion
against society’s rules, norms and the taboos.
Although short, the characters in this story are well fleshed out.
The
second story The Light I See Through
Darkness, is one told through the point of view of a prostitute. Her
helplessness in well shown here and in a few words, the author has described
her mental agony. At 42, the protagonist says that she feels and looks like a
grandmother, which in itself shows how difficult her life has been. As she
scouts for potential customers, we understand that her main aim is to collect
enough money for her daughter’s education. There was one remarkable line said
here, and I quote, “Little do they know, we are keeping them safe from the
clutches of rogues who would do anything to satisfy their lusts”. This is more of a magical story with a very
unexpected, yet nice, ending.
The
third story, Never Deny Me Your laughter,
aptly showed the restlessness of our modern lives. Apart from the obvious,
there are a lot of human emotions and feelings contained in all of these
stories. Very dynamic in its entirety.
The
fourth story is Have A Nice Journey.
It featured infidelity so I am not sure how comfortable I am with that because
cheating is a big NO for me. This was an okay story, and not one that I enjoyed
much, unlike the others.
The
last story was We Walked in the Woods. This
story did focus a bit on mental health, I felt. It was apt in depicting the
moral dilemmas we often face because of our own feelings. Pritha is one such
person. There is such an underlying connection between sex and the multitude of
emotions that come with it. the ending was open-ended and I was thought of
various ways it could have ended.
Nasha
was a good read overall. I do think that a bit more editing can be done
regarding the typing errors, and some grammatical refining. I also did find
certain discrepancies. Nonetheless, this is a book I can easily recommend to
you all. If you want to explore the erotica genre more, then this is also a
book you can pick up.
Verdict:
I
rate this book a 4/5 stars.
About the
reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Hope you all are doing well. I have been having a really hectic time this week and last weekend and I am trying to cope. Also, the temperatures have really cooled down so it’s been great.
I wanted to give you all a reading update of this amazing collection that I have been reading recently. So, Walk With Wings is a poetry collection by Tene Edwards. It has a total of 5 sections and recently I have been reading the one named SPRING RESILIENT. The pieces there deal with hard work, discipline and the sacrifices we have to make in order to pursue our dreams. They have been so relatable to me and I was in love. I have been reading this section slowly because I really wanted to savour the feeling.
I have also been watching Mindhunter on Netflix and I love this show. Holden is my golden boy, you know?
#qotd : Do share your current reads, or series that you are watching at the moment. Any games you like? I used to be a PUBG fanatic, that is until the classes for this semester started!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or more specifically, The Millennium Trilogy has been an international bestseller and very well renowned. I’ve had the first three books as hard copies for quite a few years now, although I have still not read them yet. However, the synopses of these books have been very intriguing to me. Moreover, David Lagercrantz has done a continuation of the series, and after hearing all the amazing things about them as well, I decided to pick them up. Of course, the fact that Hachette was coming out with the sixth book The Girl Who Lived Twice, was another major force that pushed me towards this decision. I really am thankful to Hachette for sending me a copy of the latest book! So without beating around the bush, let me announce that I will be doing a major month-long readathon (23rd September to 23rd October) of this series. You all are welcome to join me.
I have started reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and I am really liking the story so far. I am intrigued to see how the author plans to intertwine all the various narratives. I am including the synopsis of all 6 books in this post so, do swipe down to check them out. As far as I know, they are all standalones as well so you can join in even if you have just one or two books from the series.
#qotd : any specific thriller books you want to pick up next?
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption. An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.
The Girl Who Played With Fire: Part blistering P thriller, part riveting police procedural, and part piercing exposé on social injustice, The Girl Who Played with Fire is a masterful, endlessly satisfying novel. Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past.
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest: The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy. Lisbeth Salander – the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels – lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge – against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.
The Girl In The Spider’s Web: She is the girl with the dragon tattoo—a genius hacker and uncompromising misfit. He is a crusading journalist whose championing of the truth often brings him to the brink of prosecution. Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female superhacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering. Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Salander for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. The secret they are both chasing is at the center of a tangled web of spies, cybercriminals, and governments around the world, and someone is prepared to kill to protect it . . . The duo who captivated millions of readers in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest join forces again in this adrenaline-charged, uniquely of-the-moment thriller.
The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye: From the author of the #1 international bestseller The Girl in the Spider’s Web: the new book in the Millennium series, which began with Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Lisbeth Salander – the girl with the dragon tattoo, the brilliant hacker, the obstinate outsider, the volatile seeker of justice for herself and others – has never been able to uncover the most telling facts of her traumatic childhood, the secrets that might finally, fully explain her to herself. Now, when she sees a chance to uncover them once and for all, she enlists the help of Mikael Blomkvist, the editor of the muckraking, investigative journal Millennium. And nothing will stop her – not the anti-Muslim gang she enrages by rescuing a young woman from their brutality; not the deadly reach from inside the Russian mafia of her long-lost twin sister, Camilla; and not the people who will do anything to keep buried knowledge of a sinister pseudo-scientific experiment known only as The Registry. Once again, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, together, are the fierce heart of a thrilling full-tilt novel that takes on some of the most insidious problems facing the world at this very moment.
The Girl Who Lived Twice: The sixth in the Millennium series featuring THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.
"What will you do now?" "I shall be the hunter and not the hunted"
The girl with the dragon tattoo is finally ready to confront her nemesis, the only woman who is evidently and in many ways her match. Salander will not wait to be hunted. When she strikes it will be a double blow: vengeance for recent atrocities, and the settling of lifelong scores. For months now Salander has been closing in on her target. She has moved from Stockholm, her hair is newly styled, her piercings are gone. She could pass for any other businesswoman. But not all businesswomen have a Beretta Cheetah beneath their jacket. They do not wield the lethal power of a hacker’s genius. They do not carry scars and tattoos to remind them that they have survived the unsurvivable. The new episode in David Lagercrantz’s acclaimed, internationally bestselling continuation of Stieg Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo series is a thrilling ride that scales the heights of Everest and plunges the depths of Russian troll factories. It begins with the discovery of Mikael Blomkvist’s number at Millennium magazine in the pocket of an unidentified homeless man who died with the name of a government minister on his lips. Blomkvist, at extreme risk to himself, tracks down his old friend and will protect her as far as he can. But he is powerless to crush her enemies on his own. And for Lisbeth Salander, the personal is always political – and deadly.
And the last in my series is here! Things have been going
well this week.. I am in a better place mentally and I am waking up feeling hopeful.
I think this is a very subjective thing – dealing with the occasional bouts of
depression we all suffer from. An important thing I wish people would realize
is that it is natural for us people (in this cut throat world) to feel
depressed sometimes, but it does not mean that we are suffering from depression.
We need to stop romanticizing mental illnesses. Anyway, enough of my rant.
Moving on, I got a total of 38 new books in August, including
review copies, gifts from friends and book I ordered on my own. Some of the
books I featured in my semester readings post are also new ones I got in
August, but since I had already shown them, I thought I should show the rest. So
here are the rest of the new books I got in August:
Mary Barton
Vanity Fair by Thackeray (this was a gift from a
friend)
The Bluest Eye
The Wings of the Dove
Madame Bovary
An American Marriage
Dark Blade
The Shadow Lines
Great Expectations (this was a gift from a
friend)
Sea Prayer
Catwoman (this was a gift from a friend)
Origin
Black Leopard Red Wolf
The Far Field
The Forest of Enchantments
The Interpreter of Maladies
Upon a Burning Throne part 2
Nahoror Niribili Saa (Assamese novel)
Sanglat Fenla (Assamese novel)
Did you get any new book in August? Or were you really good
at following the book ban (unlike yours truly)? Do share your views and drop a
comment. I always reply to your comments and also drop one in your accounts or
spam with likes. Have a great day ahead, guys!
In a small kingdom somewhere in the Himalayas,
the beautiful young Princess Ramya cannot sleep. It all started soon after her
mother, the queen, passed away, when the princess was only twelve. Her father,
the king, tries everything to make his little princess sleep, but nothing
works. The princess develops such an inability to sleep that she becomes known
in her kingdom and far beyond as the Sleepless Beauty.
The king wishes Princess Ramya to marry and take over the
reins of government, but the princess is determined not to marry till such time
as her sleep is restored. Eventually, the king announces a competition whereby
whichever prince succeeds in getting Princess Ramya to sleep will win her hand.
Meanwhile deadly foes of the kingdom wait and watch in the wings, planning to
launch a surprise attack. This exciting, romantic tale, with comic interludes,
will appeal to readers of all ages.
My review:
I got the book as a part of the review
program in Outset. (https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in)Opinions expressed in this review are
completely my own.
The
Sleepless Beauty is quite a unique approach at a fairytale. The name itself is
very interesting and when you delve into the read, you find that it is a cool
mixture of the magical fairytale along with a serious modern day health issue that
so many of us face. I think that it is this scenario which is so unlike any
other that I wanted to read the book myself.
Understanding
oneself is a theme that is seen here and again, this is something we all can perhaps
relate to. Sometimes we are so confused with what we like, what we are, what we
want that it gets us very confused at times but it is willpower and
determination that makes us go on and on.
Ramya
is a character I loved very much; she is relatable and I am sure you all will
find a bit of yourselves in her. Her problem and how she deals with it, is the
crux of the story and apart from the serious relatable themes and motifs, there
were some hilarious scenes too. the princes are really funny and their attempts
and tips to help Ramya are just as funny. Raja Bhoja is a great dad too and I loved
their relationship with each other.
The
fact that this fairytale is set in an Indian setting is a plus point. The writing
style is good and understandable and you can surely gift this book to any kids
you may know. The language is simple and fluidic and it’s a pleasure to read. The
story captures you attention from the beginning until the very end and I was
hooked. However, the book can do with a little bit of editing.
Verdict:
I think it was a pretty interesting read. I rate
it 3/5 stars.
About the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast
Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Alexis Bass’ Happily and Madly is
a mature, twisty, compulsively readable YA suspense novel about a young girl
who embraces a fate bound in love and mystery.
Maris Brown has been told two things about her destiny:
1. She will fall happily and madly in love.
2. She could be dead before she turns eighteen.
The summer before that fateful birthday, Maris is
in the wealthy beach town of Cross Cove with her estranged father and his new
family–and the infamous Duvals. Since the youngest member of the Duval family,
Edison, is back from college and back in the arms of Maris’s new stepsister,
her summer looks to be a long string of lazy days on the Duval’s lush beach.
But
Edison is hiding something. And the more Maris learns about him, the more she’s
given signs that she should stay as far away from him as possible. As wrong as
it is, Maris is drawn to him. Around Edison, she feels truly alive and she’s
not willing to give that up. Even if it means a collision course with destiny.
My review:
I received
a review copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed
in this review are completely my own.
I
think that Happily and Madly was a great psychological novel. In one way it
really reminded me of WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart. I found the protagonist –
Maris a very sharp girl with lots of potential. Like Sepp (another character
that I absolutely loved) said, she does not ever “miss a thing”. The characters
in this book all have their own secrets and the way the author goes about them
is manifested in some very fluid writing. Chelsea is also a person I liked –
she is so unlike what one would expect a stepsister to be… the author has made
some really great female representations, where not everyone is trying to
one-up the other and it is refreshing. George, Trisha, Pheobe, Edison,Oswald,
Warren, Sepp, Karen as well as Michael and Katherine Ellis, Richard and Linda
Ellis, and also Gloria and Renee, form the background feel. The backdrop of
the novel is very relaxing and
juxtaposed with this thrumming mystery. I was so glad I read it when I did – in
the beginning of summer. The book deals with many themes such as putting
oneself out there, with the chance of being completely rejected, and to turn
the vulnerability out on oneself. It also shows what it is like – the
unexpected closeness we sometimes feel for people we have just met – like Maris
and Finn, or even Maris and Chelsea. When Maris is once thinking in
retrospection, of when she was in the fortune teller’s bathroom when the women
client was afraid she was dying, the fortune teller had told her to do whatever
was necessary for her to feel alive. Maybe that is why Maris takes risks – not
only because she does not want to have regret but also because she wants to
feel alive.
Although
it was a really enjoyable read, I felt as if the ending was a bit rushed.
Verdict:
I
rate this book a 3.75/5 stars.
About the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
The second StoryWorld novel set in the
glamorous, pressurized world of a live London TV station.
StoryWorld is the nation’s favourite morning show, and producer Liz Lyon wants
to keep it that way. Her job is to turn real-life stories into thrilling TV – and
keep a lid on the cauldron of conflicts and resentments that constantly simmers
off-stage.
In this gripping novel of power, rivalry and betrayal, Jane Lythell draws on
her experiences of working in the heated world of live TV. Liz Lyon must
balance the monster egos at work with the demands of her teenage daughter – and
the man she’s just started dating – at home. It’s all in a day’s work.
My review:
I received
a review copy from the author in return for an honest review. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
After having read Woman of the Hour, I knew that I simply had to pick up Bhind her back as well. Liz Lyon returns with her crew in this sequel and it is a delight to see her navigate the rarely stable environment at work. Just like the first novel – Woman of the Hour, this one too just compels you to dive right in. Compared to the first book, I felt like this went at a slower rate, not that I am complaining.
Lythell
has brought back the various themes we saw in the previous book as well, and
she has not failed to keep them fresh. It is undoubtedly a new scenario and
thus, new ways to work with. There is a new character this time in – Lori Kerwell,
who is the new Head of Sales and Marketing. She is a difficult character I admit,
one of those we see sucking up to the authority and trying to build a power
base around their colleagues that they can dominate over.
I
am quite happy to see Fizzy back and Zachary sounds amazing. I do have my
complaints regarding her, but oh well! Ledley’s character has gone over some
drastic change and it is bound to give you a shock when you read through. It is
not pleasant but very understandable for the reader that power truly does
something to the people.
Explosive
secrets are nothing new on the StoryWorld station and this time it is no
different. The romance element has a strong suit here and I really loved it. I
found Douglas very understanding and ideal, although human and flawed in his
own ways. Moreover, I loved how Harriet, Flo and Ziggy’s character arc have
developed.
through
Fizzy, we also get to see the, what one may call, the ‘darker’ side of
motherhood/pregnancy. She is too worried about her figure, breastfeeding etc
and hardly seems to devote enough time to her son. She repeatedly sems to be
confused whether to choose her career or her baby. And oh my god, I still hate
Bob.
Whatever
your reactions may be, I bet they were as if you have known these characters in
real life. That is how real Lythell makes them and I personally would not have
them any other way.
Verdict:
I
really enjoyed this book too and rate it a solid 4.5/5 stars!
About the author:
I live by the
sea in Brighton, East Sussex, UK.
My debut novel THE LIE OF YOU has been
translated into seven languages and will be released as a feature film later
this year starring Tuppence Middleton, Lydia Wilson, Rupert Graves and Luke
Roberts.
My two psychological thrillers THE LIE OF YOU
and AFTER THE STORM were published in 2014 and 2015 and were USA Today
bestsellers.
My next, WOMAN OF THE HOUR, reveals life at the
TV front-line through the eyes of producer Liz Lyon. It came out in July 2016
and the follow-up BEHIND HER BACK was published in 2018. My publisher is Head
of Zeus and my agent is Gaia Banks of Sheil Land.
I love to hear from readers and I’m on Twitter:
@janelythell and Instagram: jane_lythell_writer
About the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Whether we are in a classroom or in the outside
world, we are always forced to choose who we are. Always expected to walk
towards a fixed goal. Never be uncertain, never fail or never alter our course.
We are either artists or scientists or businessmen. We are being constantly
reminded to embrace these identities with greater force. As they say, the more
we remain folded in our fields, the better specialists we are.
Fluid shatters this myth by arguing that great minds who have
changed the fate of humankind are actually the ones who failed, faltered or
remained uncertain, yet never bothered to stay pasted to a rigid line.
They were more. They were fluid.
In captivating storytelling narrative, Ashish Jaiswal takes
us through groundbreaking research unravelling what binds the likes of Leonardo
da Vinci, CV Raman, Steve Jobs, Charles Darwin and other geniuses and why being
fluid like them could be our biggest winning strategy in the age of artificial
intelligence.
Read to learn the approach required for world-class
innovations, groundbreaking solutions and game-changing ideas.
My review:
I received
a review copy from the author in return for an honest review. Opinions
expressed in this review are completely my own.
Fluid
is truly one heck of a read. Without being too preachy, which is common with
books of this kind, the author has conveyed the idea of how necessary it is to
not be simply restricted to only one disciple or way of life.
I
believe the title is quite captivating and apt for the subject matter. The cover
is just as appropriate and suits the theme the author has set before us.
Including
the various stories of successful men and the way they became so is a stroke of
genius. And the fact that the author tells us about famous men whose names we
have already heard of, but whose stories perhaps we never knew, and even if we
did, never to this much of depth. This was an inspiring part running amok
throughout the book. Moreover, including fictional tales will also make it easy
for non-fiction readers to relate with. The personal anecdotes of the writer
are also on point and give us an intimate and thus more realistic view into his
logic and his arguments.
The
language used was lucid and easy to understand. Including various diagrams is
another plus point. The research is well
done by the writer and it shows in the finished copy. Howver there were a few printing
errors that should be looked into.
I
think that this was a truly intriguing ass well as enlightening in its own
sense. I learned, but I was also entertained and that makes this a perfect read
for you, whatever be your age.
Verdict:
I
rate this book a 4.5/5! I will be picking this one up again.
About the reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Publisher:
Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln
Children’s Books
Genre:
Children’s Non-fiction
Format:
Ebook
Language:
Language
No.
of pages: 32
Synopsis:
New
in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Vivienne
Westwood, the flame-haired fashion designer and impresario.
When Vivienne was a young woman, she wasn’t sure
how a working class girl from England could make a living in the art world. But
after discovering her passion for design and jewelry making, she erupted onto
the fashion scene with a bang. Vivienne’s designs became iconic, and she became
famous for letting her clothes speak for themselves. This moving book
features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra
facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with
historical photos and a detailed profile of the designer’s life.
Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling series of books and
educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people,
from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved
incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.
This empowering series offers inspiring
messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books
are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers.
The hardcover versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed
gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme.
Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games, and other fun learning tools
provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to
children.
Inspire the next generation of outstanding
people who will change the world
with Little People, BIG DREAMS!
My
review:
This book was a great read. Firstly because
it was about THE Vivienne Westwood (one of the greatest fashion designers
ever!) and that says a lot in itself. I love her designs, admittedly the less edgy
ones. Nonetheless, she is an inspiration to so many people that when I got the
opportunity to review this book, I jumped at it!
Westwood was born in 1941 and as such, she
saw the war years. It was a tragic period but she survived and her optimism for
life, shined through. In school, Westwood saw a classmate being bullied and
while many just stood in the sidelines and watched, she stood up for him. For
the reader, that is a very inspiring thing to read about – to stand up against
injustice.
The book also talks about various other
themes such as the importance of friendship and supporting one’s friends, while
also, being independent and supporting oneself. This is a great necessity that
we all need to understand and participate in today. Being able to stand on
one’s feet is not some kindness we do to our parents, rather it is for our
betterment only. In this case, being able to also know when it is time to move
away from friends and family is important and I myself have gathered much
strength from this – we all need to fly away from the nest sooner or later.
There is also a lot of importance give on
self-acceptance, something that a majority of us today, sorely lack in. It is
important too not let the naysayers get to us – as Westwood shows vibrantly
throughout her life. It is of the utmost importance that we be or own persons
and do what makes us happy and following our dreams, even if, at times, these
dreams look far-fetched.
Moreover, we also see another important issue
talked about in this book – that of environmental issue. Today, global warming
and many other threats to the environment ae more common that perhaps the pins
in Westwood’s pincushions.
I think that this book is surely a great gift
for children – it has so many lessons to be learnt and most importantly, it is
not done in a preachy manner at all. There are colourful illustrations that
captured my attentions from the very beginning and I was totally invested in
the book.
Verdict:
I absolutely loved the book and I think this
is a great gift for all kids! I rate it a 4/5 stars.
About
the author:
Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona,
Spain, is a writer and creative director perhaps best known as the author of
much of the Little
People, Big Dreams series. Each book tells the childhood story
of one of the world’s female icons in an entertaining, conversational way that
works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, allowing them to identify with
the characters in each story.
About
the reviewer:
Nayanika Saikia, is one of the foremost book
reviewers from the North-east and Assam, and is also an admin for the official
India bookstagram page on Instagram. She publishes her own reviews and
recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc. on her bookstagram
account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast Creator Awards 2018,
as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
💥
So my #bookstagram bestie Gayatri @per_fictionist and I are holding a weekend #readalong for the amazing #cityofbrass #and #kingdomofcopper , book 1 and 2 respectively of the #thedaevabadtrilogy which is an epic fantasy set in the 18th century Middle East ! This is truly a fantasy book unlike any other!
We are absolutely very excited for this and we invite you all to join us! Tag me and Gayatri and we will share all of your favourite quotes, pictures and reviews!!
.
1. The readalong spans from Friday, 15 to Sunday, 17 !
2. You can read the books in whatever format you have !
3. Gayatri and I will be giving regular shoutouts to the participants!
.
.
#qotd : have you read this fantasy series? If not this one, then any other Middle East inspired ones?
Update:
I have finished reading both these books and I absolutely loved them both! Click on the links below to check out my reviews!
Having done extremely well with my reading the previous couple of months, I have become very much ambitious with my TBR for the month of March! This time around I am hoping to read a huge number of books:
Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan (this is for my Indian Writings in English paper)
The Reason is You by Nikita Singh
Behind her Back by Jane Lythell
Woman of the Hour by Jane Lythell
The Heist Artist by Vish Dhamija
Something I never Told You by Shravya Binder
99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai
Killing Time in Delhi by Ravi Shankar Etteth
The True Lie by Vinod Bhardwaj
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (as a part of my buddy read with @fannatality)
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, and
The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty (as a part of the weekend readalong with @per_fictionist )
My hopes are undoubtedly very high. Nonetheless, I am currently reading 99 Nights in Logar and quite liking it so far. And I have also been able to read a total of 6 books this month.
Hey guys! Hope you are doing well! I am currently reading #99nightsinlogar by @jamil_jan_kochai_author @bloomsburyindia and I am enjoying it quite a lot! I am currently 136/276 pages in and I hope to finish it by tomorrow night.
So anyway, here are the rest of the books I bought in February. I have already lent a few and so I couldn’t include them in the pics.
Emma’s Secret by Barbara Taylor Bradford
A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Norwegian Wood by Murakami
Half Torn Hearts by Novoneel Chakraborty (a signed copy!)
Shikhandi by Devdutt Pattanaik
Songs of the Cauvery by Kalyanaraman Durgadas
Feminist Rani by Shaili CHopra & Meghna Pant (I also met Meghna Pant and got this signed!)
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (got this as a gift for my mom!)
One Day by David Nicholls
A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
#qotd : What are you all currently reading? Are you enjoying it?
So how are you doing, guys? I haven’t been able to stay up to date because unfortunately, I was down again with my terrible allergy attacks. Nonetheless, I hope that it’s over for me. Anyway, I had such plans for the weekend – I hoped I would be able to do some study. But well, better luck next time to me!
So I got 44 new books in February! And here’s part 1! Not all of these books are ones I have bought – I got some second-hand, some in exchange of books I gave away, and some include review copies, etc.!
Playing with Boys by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Steampunk – An Anthology of FANTASTICALLY RICH and STRANGE STORIES, edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
How I Became a Tree by Sumana Roy
By the Brahmaputra and other Poems by Srutimala Duara
Wonderland by Stacey D’Erasmo
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm: The Woman by Eric Wiggin
So back in February 2018, I read a only 4 books and so this time around, I knew I had to beat myself. I have an overall reading goal of at least around 10 books each month in 2019, and so with great gusto, I went it, with quite high hopes!
And I ended up reading 20 books and I was very happy about it. So without further ado, the books I read are:
The Wake-Up Girl by Niharika Jindal (Click here to check out the review)
Moromor Deuta/Dear Father by Bhandra Nath Saikia (Click here)
Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley (Click here to check the Finding Esme Box post; click here to check the Finding Esme Unboxing post; click here to check the Finding Esme Review!)
I am really happy with my progress and hope to read some more good books in March as well!
Publisher: Greenwillow
books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Genre: Children’s
literature
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
No. of pages:
352
Reading level: Middle-grade
Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she
discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm in Texas. Fans of Wendy
Maas and Lynda Mullaly Hunt will love this perfectly pitched story about
friendship, family, and loss from Suzanne Crowley, the acclaimed author of The
Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous. After her grandfather died from a heart attack while
driving his tractor, Esme has avoided returning to the spot where he lost his
life. But when she follows her little brother, Bo, up the hill while chasing
fireflies, she makes an incredible discovery—dinosaur bones peeking out from
underneath the abandoned tractor. Esme
sees the bones as a message from her grandfather; a connection beyond the
grave. But when word gets out that Peach Hollow Farm is hiding something
valuable, reporters, researchers, and neighbors arrive in droves. Esme must
find a way to understand who has her best interests at heart—especially as the
memories of her grandfather begin to slip away. From acclaimed author Suzanne Crowley, this engaging adventure set on a
Texas peach farm is just right for fans of Rebecca Stead and Ann M. Martin.
My review:
I
had honestly no idea that I would come to love this book so much! Finding Esme
is truly a one of a kind middle-grade novel that I enjoyed delving into, as did
my brother!
Speaking
about the characters, the protagonist Esme is one I found to be utterly wonderful
and dynamic in her own rights. She is so matured for a mere twelve-year old and
while it awed me a lot, at times, I could not help but feel sad for she has
lost quite a part of her childhood. As she so ardently asserts to her
grandmother, she is after all a kid who has been force to grow up too early. It
also does not help that Bee admittedly treats her like an adult.
Bee
on the other hand, is a hard woman. She has faced a lot in her life and her
great tragedy perhaps defines a lot of this novel – I believe this backstory is
crucial in the way it has also defined the lives of Esme, her brother Bo, her
mother June Rain and her father Harlan. (If you want to know what great tragedy
I am talking about then you should surely read this book!) It is not a tragedy
in as much as a terrific incident or something of catastrophic expanse, but the
implications of that melancholy secret is utterly poignant and moving.
Speaking
of Bo, I absolutely loved this cuteball! Having a brother myself really made it
possible for me to relate to Esme on another level – the bond that one has with
siblings is simply unbreakable. Bo is fun and offers the bit of humour in this
story. One cannot help but fall in love with him. His understanding of the
things around him is also utterly profound and I found him, in some amount,
very enigmatic.
June
Rain broke my heart. It is only towards the end that we know so much as to why
she is what she is and behaves as she does. Sweetmaw, who is Bee’s sister is
also another lovable character. I also quite liked Finch’s character and he
truly is a good friend to Esme. We also see his story as the author really
wraps around the lives of the people with each other. The end product is
utterly magical.
The
plot was also really enjoyable and while the overall pacing was good, I think
that the beginning was a bit slow. Nonetheless, it wraps up the story
perfectly.
The
themes of family, friends, love, were well evolved in the story. We see so many
shades of human emotions that it was an utter ride in itself. Love, hatred,
jealousy, competition… everything was included and the result was something
very real. The supernatural element was also what I think formed a lot of the
backbone in this story, but of course that is a personal interpretation. I suppose
I cannot stress enough on how deep and impactful this middle-grade novel turned
out to be! And as such, I feel that this is a story people of all ages will
enjoy – the kids for the mystery, and the adults for the various hidden layers
of meaning and implications within the story.
Verdict:
I
absolutely enjoyed this story and I rate it a 4.5/5 stars!
About the
author:
Selected among Book Sense and Indie Next top
picks, and Amazon and Bookbub Editor’s Picks for Best Books, Suzanne writes
novels that School Library Journal calls “amazing” and
“poignant” and VOYA calls “heart-stirring” and
“marvelous.” Suzanne, the author of both middle grade and young adult
fiction, is a wife, mother, a crafter of dollhouse miniatures, an avid
traveler, dog hugger, nap expert, and chocolate lover extraordinaire. Suzanne’s
novels have received starred reviews in SLJ, KLIATT, VOYA and BCCB, and have
been selected for state and national reading lists. After living all over the
United States, Suzanne and her family now make their home back in her native
state of Texas. www.suzannecrowley.com
About the
reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com
.
Moromor Deuta is truly a book that I suppose almost every Assamese youth has read, and if not, then it is surely something that I would recommend them all to.
So this year, I have my very own reading challenge #readyourmothertongue wherein, I read at least 1 Assamese (I am from Assam, and my mother tongue is Assamese) book each month. Now I do not read as many Assamese novels as I do English ones and as such, my proficiency in considerably less in this language. I am trying to get better at it, however, and that is why I had picked up the famed Burhi Aair Sadhu by Lakshminath Bezbruah, for my beginner’s pace in January. In February, the book that I picked up – Moromor Deuta – is s story for kids, with its easy language, but the meaning is universal and it touches all of us.
I was first introduced to this story years ago when I was sick (I had the pox) and I had to rest and I was so bored that my mother bought me new books. One of them was ‘Dear Father’, a story which was originally written in Assamese, but Mom had got me an English version. I had loved the seemingly simple plot then and continued to pick it up again and again over the years. But this time around, as I read the real version in my mother tongue, it touched me deeply. This story will resonate within all the readers’ hearts.
The plot, while seemingly a simple one, encompasses a variety of morals and various themes. The family bonding, parents’ and siblings’ love is by far the focal one in my view and the author leaves with a bang. The reason why I read the English version, again and again, all those years back, is simply why this book, and this time in my mother tongue, did not fail to strike me – when I used to be angry with my parents, I inadvertently used to pick this one up and the message, which was loud and clear, continued to calm me down – it is simply that no matter how harsh one’s parents may seem at times, they never even once fail to think of the betterment of their children. And even if their rules and their authority may seem too much at times, we kids need to understand that they always have or good in mind.
The language used by the author is simple and easy to understand – I certainly did not find much difficulty in reading this book, considering that I haven’t read any ‘novel’ in Assamese before. I am truly enjoying this reading challenge and I hope it will be successful in bringing you closer to your roots as well.
Verdict:
I rate this book a solid 5/5 stars.
About the reviewer:
Nayanika Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam, and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .
Title: Unstoppable:
75 Stories of Trailblazing Indian Women
Author: Gayathri
Ponvannan
Illustrated
by: Mithila
Ananth
Publisher: Hachette
India
Genre: Non-fiction
Format: Paperback
Language: Englsih
No. of pages:
272
pages
Recommended
for: All
ages
Synopsis:
Meet the wonder women of Indian history!
They flew planes, swam across oceans, led armies, performed stunts, built
cities and captured historic moments on camera, despite being constantly told
to stay home, because that’s what ‘good girls’ did.
These were women who dared to dream and worked hard to turn their dreams into
reality, who shaped their own destinies and refused to let anyone tell them
what to do.
Featuring the amazing adventures of Janaki Ammal, Rani Abbakka, Nadia Wadia,
Sarla Sharma Thakral, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and many others, Unstoppable is a
collection of 75 power-packed stories of the extraordinary Indian women who
broke the rules to change the world around them for the better.
My review:
Unstoppable
is truly an amazing read. I picked up this book and finished it in just one day
– all the accounts of the women were so very inspiring and just made me keep on
turning the pages continually. I also affirm that the author Gayathri Ponvannan
and the illustrator Mithila Ananth, are two great women themselves and have
made this project a wonderful gift for all youngsters.
Firstly,
I would definitely recommend everyone to give their young relatives this books,
both boys and girls, although I do believe that this would have a deeper impact
on the girls. Reading this book at in impressionable age would be of the utmost
benefit for the young minds. It is a compilation of some brave women, who
braved all odds, and were willing to move against the tide, despite all odds,
to achieve their dreams and for what they believed was right.
Apart
from the struggle of realizing their dreams, it has so many accounts of women
fighting for their country, that I admittedly got goosebumps – almost in every
account. I simply loved reading this collection and cannot stress it enough. Moreover,
it is so shameful that we hardly know all of these women – women because of whom
we are where we are today. Had it not been for these kinds of people, maybe my
girlfriends and I would have been long married, denied education or even living
behind the purdah today! And while so many of us blame all the men, we cannot deny
that there are some men who are so very progressive that they are also behind
the position women have today. The accounts in this book feature some amazing
and truly wonderful fathers, brothers and husbands, who were very supportive of
their female relatives. This will definitely also inspire the boys growing up
today.
I cannot assert how much I loved his book, enough. The language is easy, keeping in mind the young people who will read it. The writing style is engaging and the illustrations are fun to look at. I am sure it will inspire everyone, just as it inspired the 20-year-old me. I again would like to add that this book should be read by everyone, disregarding whether one is 12 or even 120 years old!
Verdict:
I
absolutely loved reading this book and I rate this a 5/5 stars.
About the
reviewer:
Nayanika
Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam,
and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She
publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction
etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the
NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines
etc. She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com
.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED!!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME
EVER, CLEAR AND CONVINCING EXPLANATIONS….
Netaji Bose, who led the Indian National Army to
wage battles against the British, allegedly died in an air crash in Taipei,
Taiwan soon after the Second World War came to an end. Did he really die in the
air crash or was it a fabrication? This question was considered by three
inquiry commissions, the last of which came to the clear conclusion that there
was in fact no air crash. Each report is carefully dissected by the author, a
trained international lawyer and public intellectual.
If Bose did not in fact die in the air crash,
where did he go, what happened to him, and when, where and how did he meet his
end? Why did Prime Minister Nehru keep Bose-related files away from the first
committee that conducted an enquiry? Why did India’s first prime minister order
that surveillance be carried out on the Bose family for decades? Why did Prime
Minister Morarji Desai speak of new evidence that challenged the conclusions of
the first two inquiries that Bose had died in an air crash? Why did Desai
subsequently fall silent? This book provides explanations on all the important
questions that have plagued Indian minds for decades. The mystery behind the
springing tiger’s disappearance is finally unlocked.
If Gandhi’s non-violent struggle represented the
feminine spirit of ‘ahimsa’ Bose and the INA’s struggle represented Indian
manhood in its fullest flowering. In freedom struggles across the world, some
of those who fought the hardest are subsequently ignored. If we apply the
necessary corrective to the history of Indian independence, the author argues,
we will change India’s view of itself and its place in the world, past, present
and future.
My review:
Having
never come across a book on Subhash Bose exclusively, The Vanishing of Subhash
Bose was a pleasant surprise and subsequently, a gripping read as well. The
entire book, right from the very first page itself, could attract all of my
attention and kept me sucked in until the very end.
The
fact that the book is very much based on research and available information,
and then only some conjecture, makes the reader all the more intrigue, while
also realizing the importance and significance of the book. The author has
obviously put in a lot of research into this book, which is full of fats and
such details.
Now despite the fact that this book is so full of such details and facts, the author has been able to keep the reader occupied with a great interactive writing style that does not bore the reader. However, having said that, I do feel that this might be a bit of a polarizing book – for people who absolutely may hate history, this book may not be for them, but then again, the entire topic is so very intriguing and curious that I think that if the reader just keeps on reading the first few pages, he will certainly fly through the next.
Everybody
has theories as to what might have happened, thus leading the reader to
conjecture wildly. But this book does not depend merely on such things but real
events corresponding and related to the entirety of this situation.
The
writing style of the author is easy to understand and also very engaging.
Relating the simple, and “non-major” aspects of this enigmatic man’s life was
also very interesting. The author has truly done justice to this non-fiction
book, by adding true facts and details, without surprisingly making it boring.
I
really do think that this book is worth giving a read.
Publishers: Becomeshakespeae.com Synopsis:
A tale of utter desperation and fierce hope. And a fight for honour. Meet Sawera. A beautiful and sensual woman. Born in Pakistan, raised in the Middle East and abused wherever she goes. Struggling to find acceptance, which eludes her over and over again, she ends up being an outcast. Who belongs nowhere and to no one. Used and manipulated by the men she loved, from the depths of her soul she claims her self-respect, along with the faith to overcome her pitiful circumstances. Where does she find her strength? What is the breaking point? How does she get over the demons of her past? Follow the story of Sawera, a child born of midnight into the dawn of new hope. Uncover the secrets and conspiracies that make her the woman she is. Read her story, a story of survival. Reviews: “A gripping page turner that didn’t leave for a moment, a phenomenal story showing the brutal realities of life in the author’s signature light-weight style ” : Mahesh Bhatt
“An engaging, sensational story with deep thematic resonance” : Gulf Weekly
“Perturbing, piercing, yet able to warm the heart” : Rohini Bakshi (Author, Oxford Alumnus and Sanskrit Scholar, UK)
“An enthralling social satire that makes you introspect” : Sumit Agarwal (National bestselling author)
“A saga that haunts the reader until the last page. Unput downable”: Rohini Sunderam (Author & Founder member of Bahrain Writers’ Circle) My Review:
One thing that really influenced me and made me pick up this book was the collection of reviews by actual critics and well-renowned persons. The synopsis pulled me in more.
The plot of the story is well made, and the narrative of the first person, through the protagonist Sawera was very engaging. The author has done a really good job with it- she has been able to keep he reader interested till the very end. I was one such hooked-on reader, who could hardly keep the book down once I picked it up. The autobiographical way in which the majority is written, has a very convincing tone and at times one forgets that it is, although inspired by many such women, merely a fiction novel.
The characters incite a multitude of different feelings in the reader. There is firstly pity and sadness- seeing the condition and pity to which Sawera is subjected; there is anger at all the people who afflict such cruelty upon her, and lastly, there is shame- for one comes upon different versions of themselves, and it is not a pretty picture, that the characters reflect in the reader.
The themes of social justice, reality in those tmes, poverty, female subjugation, orphans, depression, rape etc., all are showcased in a very raw and real manner and you cannot help but cringe at some points – not because of the writing, no – but because of the real situations that the author puts into words. The entire story is raw and cruel and pulls at your heartstrings, and as a reader, I too couldn’t help but curse the bad-luck of Sawera. However, it made me realize that life is not always roses – there are so many such women who are suffering every day, every hour and every minute.
Although the book is not set in the exactly same time as today, so many of the events and situations are still relatable- because so many of these heart-wrenching things are regular occurrences even today. Nonetheless, Bahir was a beautiful book and I am determined to recommend it to each and every one of you. My verdict:
I rate this story a 5/5 stars!
