Sehgal Family and Friends Series by Sapna Bhog

I just wrapped up a six book series called Sehgal Family and Friends by Sapna Bhog. Six love stories: 

1. Take a chance on me - Kabier Sehgal and Keya Karia 

2. Let's start with forever - Sameer Sehgal and Raashi Dewan 

3. Breaking all the rules - Rithwik Bali and Aisha Solanki 

4. Living on the edge - VJ Bellani and Diya Thakur 

5. The long road home - Rishi Sehgal and Mehak Khanna 

6. Every breath you take - Nirvaan Kapur and Rhea Sehgal 

As is the case with series these days, there are common characters running through the books but the books can be read independently most of the time. In fact, I had read the fifth book in the series first and because I got curious about the other characters, I started reading the books in order. 

The books are about a patriarch Janak Sehgal, a wise old man with a liberal outlook, and how he influences the love stories of his grandchildren and their friends. The Sehgal young generation and their friends are a very close-knit circle, all in the age group of 20s to early 30s, who party together but also stand out for each other and confide into each other regarding everything. The books move in chronological order except Books 3 and 4 which take place within the same timeline.

The books follows a common trajectory. The two protagonists, both with a past, get off on a rocky start and hate each other for whatever reason. But irresistable physical attraction brings them together. Just when they start getting along well, some misunderstanding embedded in their past crops up. But eventually love wins and all misunderstandings are cleared out. All characters are similar too. The men are tall, well built and good looking who have lavish lifestyles and are big on no-strings-attached dating and one-night-stands. The women are all stunning and beautiful with firebrand attitudes, fighting spirits but are all virgins. That's the only thing that irks me with this series and most romance novels, especially with billionaire male protagonists - why is it okay for men to sleep around but women need to be virgins to appear as good character girls? Even if it is depicted that the man doesn't care, the authors clearly do. 

Anyway, the books were good time pass reads and managed to keep my attention engaged. Now, when all books are over, I feel I could do with one or two more. I am now curious about how Rohan Bali and Jiya Dewan's chemistry could have panned out. Also, Shauna Sehgal is still single and there was a hint somewhere that Janak Sehgal could have considered Akash Karia as a suitable match. Maybe Sapna Bhog could consider two more books in the series.

P.S. I had revised the yearly books reading target to 24 books and I am already 17 books down. I hope I will be revising the target many more times by a dozen.

#bookreview
#24BooksToRead2022
#recentread
#justfinished
#yearlyresolution

A Love Cookie by Jenny Fox

Off late I have read a few office romance novels most of which included billionaire bosses as male protagonists. This book despite having that commonality of office romance with a billionaire boss, was a refreshing change. Ophelia Valentine is lovable and cute; and I love that she is confident in her own body and chooses to make herself a priority. The billionaire boss too, for a change, is not an egotistical, possessive, spoilt, stalker brat.

The food references are enticing. I used to consider myself a foodie but I doubt I can rival Ophelia's love for food and sweets. It is also interesting how all chapters are named on desserts, drinks and delicacies.

Overall, the story is simple and somewhat relatable as far as toxic relationships are concerned. The toxic relationship between Ophelia and her boyfriend seems all too real because it is all too prevalent between many real-life couples. However, it is heartening to see how Ophelia's friends and colleagues are rooting for her all through. The language used and the interactions between friends are sweet. Ophelia's billionaire boss, despite being socially awkward and blunt, is cute.

I actually read the book in one and a half day in the middle of the week, which I think says much about the happy and endearing the book is. Not just that, I recited the book to my teenage daughter over two nights and am absolutely fine in case she picks it up to read (which I am not so much in case of most of the billionaire romances that I have read so far).

P.S. Surprisingly, I am doing much better than my expectations in this year's 12 books in a year resolution. Since I am picking up most light romances to read, I am already 8 books down. But, I am not posting reviews for all books that I have read as I don't think that all of them deserve me spending time to write a full-fledged reviews.

#bookreview
#12BooksToRead2022
#recentread
#justfinished
#yearlyresolution

Awesome start to the year with Madhuri Tamse's books

I have started the new year with a bang. In the first 11 days itself, I have managed to wrap up three books which has been that most I have read in 10 days in forever. But, it helps when the books are sweet, romantic easy reads. The three books I wrapped up are all by the same author, Madhuri Tamse. The books in question are Royal Vows, No Wedding Bells and Marriage Bubbles; in the order that I read them but the correct order should actually have been reverse. Although they were standalone stories but they had a few common characters.

Royal Vows

The story was sweet and readable but to a lot of extent unrealistic. A painter being hired by a Royal Family to teach the prodigal son painting and then accommodating her within the Royal Palace when her work would probably not stretch beyond an hour every day... If this was unrealistic, imagine the painter volunteering to act as the Nanny for her student's daughter and even travelling on trips and staying in the same suite with the father and daughter. Having said that, the book was leisurely paced and the characters of Ruhi and Raunak were well-etched enough to keep one hooked. I had not heard of the author at all and had been intrigued by the book summary while browsing through Amazon. The fact that the book encouraged me to pick another one, and yet a third one later should say something.

No Wedding Bells

I picked this book when, at the end of the previous book, I read that this was Avni and Aryan's story; Avni being Ruhi's sister who had briefly appeared in the previous book along with Aryan. I was intrigued so I picked it up immediately after. The story was, like the previous one, easy to get hooked to. The only part that irked me was Aryan stalking  Avni.

Marriage Bubbles

This book is Advay and Jiya's story and these characters had appeared off and on in "No Wedding Bells" and again I was intrigued. The book is a standalone part of the "Accidental Marriage" series meaning the characters get married accidentally at the outset itself. Advay is Aryan's cousin and I am not sure why the Bohra brothers consider stalking their women is okay? However, despite the accidental marriage part being stupid (aka the Bollywood movie "Ek Main Aur Ek Tu"), the rest of the story was still believable; much like people falling in love in arranged marriages. On the contrary, the end ruined the experience for me.

The common thing about the books which I enjoyed the most is that all three books are about the journey of couples falling in love. In none of the books, there is one Eureka moment where the character realises that he or she has fallen in love (except in case of Aryan). And that experience makes these books pleasurable.

#bookreview
#12BooksToRead2022
#recentread
#justfinished
#yearlyresolution   

Year-end Report - 2021

Every year since last five years, I start the year with a resolve to read at least 12 books in a year, that is, 1 book per month. I usually start the year well and then end up getting busy with life and losing control of the resolution, so much so that I never end up completing my resolution; except this year.

As usual, I started the year fine but reached a dry spell sometime around the middle of the year. Then in the last 2-3 months, everything changed. Few months ago, I started seeing all these sponsored posts on Facebook of book excerpts by "Pay by Chapter" reading apps which publicise "Free Books" (well, to give them benefit of doubt, the books are free but the coins/rewards/points to open each chapter may be paid; and you may eventually end up paying more than a normal book). I read those excerpts. While most pertain to werewolf/shifter romance, which I usually steer clear of, there were a few that were not paranormal and caught my attention and I would end up searching for the books. That lead me to subscribe to "Kindle Unlimited" and I started reading free books that came with the subscription. I also installed two "Pay by Chapter" apps but those are only for specific books that I became curious about and which I read through daily free coins. But, honestly, I am not a fan of these apps.

The point is that that was when everything changed about my reading style. First, I don't stop myself from putting down books that I don't like. I am the kind who felt guilty about not completing the books I picked up but didn't like but now I may debate about whether to quit, but I have quit quite a few books in between, some even more than half-way through. Second, I now am usually reading 2-4 books at the same time, on various devices. It basically means that I am putting my daughter's Kindle and my phone to good use.

Although most of the books that I have read did not excite me, these are a few that I read and remember off the head:

1. Inappropriate by Vi Keeland - My most recent read, and one which I completed this morning only. This is by far one of the better ones that I have read. I loved the story and the characters, Ireland and Grant, especially Grant. The comebacks and dialogues between the two characters are absolutely loveable.

2. Happily letters after by Vi Keeland - It's a cute and a totally unrealistic story. But it was sweet enough to make me pick up another book by the author.

3. Ved Maya by Vineeta Malhotra Taneja - Vineeta is a friend and I had already read her 'The Nameless Encounters' long back. Ved Maya and her third book had been on my TBR list for a long time and I had even once started reading Ved Maya earlier but had put it on hold 'to resume soon'. Finally, picked it up and lapped it up in one weekend. Again, Ved was my favourite character. Loved his "I don't have a girlfriend, but I'm committed" nature.

4. Roohi Shekhar by Vineeta Malhotra Taneja - Although if I had to choose between Ved Maya and Roohi Shekhar, I would choose the former; but Roohi Shekhar did not disappoint either. It was just as sweet and engrossing. The thing I love about Vineeta's writings is the effortless depiction of everyday urban young generation in Indian cities. The dialogues (Hinglish) and the banter between friends is so relatable and her books make for light easy read any day. Vineeta inspires me to write myself and that's the best part of her books.

5 & 6. Love Hate Relationships and Love in Relationships (LHR2) by Goodness Shadrach - I picked up the second book first and because I got curious after reading the Prologue, I decided to search the first book first. Luckily, it was available free to read on the internet. So, I ended up reading both parts in the series. I now feel I could have skipped these. But, the first book started well, and in the second, it all just went downhill.

7. Chained to the Mafia by Maya Lara - The less said the better.

8. The Arranged Bride by Mattii - Just slightly better than the one on number 7.

There were a few others but I cannot even remember their names right now. Honestly, they were more or less all the same romance cliches. Also, I re-read Harry Potter 1 again and planned to read the others too but didn't get around to.

I am also currently reading two stories on "Pay by Chapter" apps. I manage to read only about 1 or 2 chapters in a day with the free coins but so far I am enjoying them. The books are not edited, the language is not perfect and there are grammatical mistakes. Normally they are a put off for me but these two books have managed to keep me hooked.

1. The Alpha King's Hated Slave by Kiss Leilani - It was initially three books, namely, "My Slave, My Property", "My Master, My King" and "My Woman, My Possession" but on this app it was published all combined under a new name. I might have ignored it altogether because the word "Alpha" tends to make it appear like a werewolf romance but it is not. And the story got me hooked despite it being erotic in nature. I am about 60% through.

2. The Hired Bride by Seemran Haider - Another book that got me hooked because of the fun banter between the two lead characters. So, far I am enjoying it a lot and I am about 40% through. Interestingly, I started reading this to collect coins for another book on the app. But, I left the original one after a few chapters and stuck to this instead.

#bookreview

#12BooksToRead2021

#recentread

#justfinished

#yearlyresolution

#missionaccomplished

Intertwined by Jerilee Kaye

I continue to be distracted by the sponsored posts on Facebook by free book reading apps. Very often I read the book summary and while I continue to be repulsed by all those books that have werewolves and pack stories, I once in a while find myself intrigued by some of the extracts. Intertwined was one such book whose extract I found a bit interesting. I eventually ended up reading it till the end. As I continued to read, I got hooked and I ended up finishing it in three days, much with the guilt of prioritising it over my work.

My last two reads, a set of two books actually, were similar ebooks, but, this book is way better than those, not just in terms of story and plot but also in the writing style, language and plot structure. I remember that in in case of my last two reads, I had felt that the author needs a good editor to edit the flow and check Grammar. In Intertwined, at least all that is taken care of. There are a few dialogues that are repeated again and again but, in my opinion, apart from that hardly any portions of the book need to be taken off and the grammatical errors are bare few.

The story starts in true Disney style movies, in High School with its dating scene and peer pressure on hooking up, and it soon progresses over the next 16 years of the characters lives. The protagonists are a bit cliched - the guy is a tall, handsome, brooding, super rich boy and the girl is a sweet, romantic, beautiful and innocent girl - and the ending is predictable too - they fall in love and spend the rest of their lives together. The book is all about how they reach their blissful ending of ever after. The story is simple, warm and sweet and makes you fall I love somehow with the characters. In fact, I have since re-read many of the parts of the book again because I found them super cute and they lingered on in my mind. Overall, it is a fun one-time read.

#intertwined

#jerileekay

#bookreview

#12BooksToRead2021

#recentread

#justfinished

Married to the Devil's Son and Return of the Devil's Son by Jasmine Josef

Since last few months, I keep getting these sponsored posts on Facebook about apps where you can read free books by budding authors. They always have catchy one or two sentences which are supposed to be like the summary (usually it's not a summary and just some sentences to get readers intrigued) followed by an extract, say the first few chapters etc. I often get myself reading these extracts just to pass time. More often than not they are pathetic translations of Chinese or South East Asian novels by some unknown budding authors which more often than not harbour on similar plots - A beautiful young girl unwillingly gets married to an extremely handsome, rich entrepreneur (or sometimes even a prince) with a bad reputation and how she manages to win over him and make the marriage work. There is always a vamp typical 70s-80s Bollywood movie or Ekta Kapoor's soaps style who is vile, vicious and totally 'un-sanskari' whereas the heroine is totally opposite. I hardly get any motivation to read the full extracts, leave alone try to get the app or go to the web and look for the whole book. There have been times when I have done that. "Escorting the Billionaire by Leigh James" was one such book for me, in fact, the first one where I actually made the effort. To say that it was borderline porn and quite disappointing is an understatement, because I am the kind of person who has never even had a Mills and Boons phase in my teenage. Thereafter, I had been vary of reading full books from these extracts. I did try twice. The second book that I tried turned into a full blown porn novel after few pages and I left it in between. Mind you, it's not in my nature to leave books in between no matter how boring, cringing or dragging they are. I would have long phases of no reading time but I would usually not pick up another book before I finish a book. So, it was quite a tussle inside me whether I should read through whole of it or just leave it there but eventually I told myself that I have much better things to do. Then after few weeks I went all the way with another book and started reading it online. It was some bad translation of a Chinese Novel and felt a bit interesting at the beginning. After reading about 170 Chapters (to be fair they were not very big Chapters), I realised that the story is practically going around in circles where the end is predictable but the author is deliberately delaying it by introducing new characters and replaying the same story line with the lead protagonists. Just trying to check how many more chapters there were to go, I found that the book had about 2000 chapters. Whoa! My inclination died then and there and I left it.

Now, "Married to the Devil's Son" was yet another a free novel type that I stumbled upon on Facebook. The story was not much my type as it had Demons and Witches and I never kind of liked these fantasy books unless it was the Harry Potter series which was to the point when it came to making it realistically possible writing. But, I guess I was in the phase where I was neck down in work, typically exhausted by day end, and was looking for a very light, no brainer kind of read. This book somehow fitted the bill. So, I went ahead and looked for a full version online. I found it quite easily and, in fact, this book even had some reviews on Goodread. 

I eventually read the full book and even picked up the sequel since the first book was left at a somewhat intriguing point. Apparently, there are one or two more books in the series but I don't plan reading them. The story is okay; it's light, frothy and romantic. There is not too much character building except for describing physical appearances of the characters (and guess what they are all very good looking and exquisite, both men and women). Also, the language is not very refined, there are many grammatical and spelling errors. I think the author, Jasmine Josef, can do with an editor here. But other than that, it was a total timepass and I have no issues documenting these books here as my 6th and 7th books of the year, as part of my 12 books target for the year.

#DevilsSonSeries
#JasmineJosef
#12BooksToRead2021
#recentread
#justfinished

The Gita: For Children by Roopa Pai

I had read the Bhagvad Gita earlier twice in my mid-twenties. It wasn't any famous or popular version, rather just a simple Sanskrit to Hindi literal translation. I could understand it then but, honestly, there was no retention at all. I am anyway not much into non-fiction books and I just presumed that it was probably the reason why I didn't enjoy it much.

I had a few years later attented the Book Launch of The Gita: For Children with my daughter, who was maybe 6 or 7 years old then. I was mighty impressed by Roopa Pai. Surrounded by kids, she held their attention rapt. She asked quite a few questions related to Mahabharata and my daughter, fresh off various Krishna and Arjuna related animated movies, gave quite a few answers correctly. "Oh dear, I am mighty impressed with this little girl," Roopa said on the mic and my daughter puffed up with happiness. She started pestering me to buy the book. After the session, I went up to Roopa and asked her what would be the right age for my little girl to read this book. She said she was too young but maybe 13 or 14 years would be better because she would be able to understand the thoughts better. Now, when she has reached that age, I decided to buy the book for her and even before she picked it up, I decided to give it a go myself.

I simply loved the book. Written in conversation style and as a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, it is very easy to understand. Not just that, it explains the 18 learnings from the 18 Adhyay with simple real life examples that young adults can relate to and also gives tips on how to imbibe the learnings from the Gita into their day to day life. Honestly, most of us adults can use these tips as well.

So, if you are looking for a translation of each and every shlok / prose, then, this is not the book for you. Neither will it give you spiritual analysis and deep prodding to question yourself or explore your inner self. But if you are looking for a light reading which explains the crux of the most famous ideology of life and gives you simple tips to imbibe these learnings into your everyday life, this is absolutely the book for you.

#thegitaforchildren

#roopapai

#bookreview

#12BooksToRead2021

#recentread

#justfinished

Escorting the Billionaire by Leigh James

The less said the better.

P.S. I am only posting this because I spent time reading this so this should go down in my 12 books of the year. But on a serious note, I should have kept away from this. 

#EscortingTheBillionaire

#LeighJames

#12BooksToRead2021 

#recentread 

#justfinished 

Tharoorosaurus by Shashi Tharoor

I wrapped up my third book this year and I am already so proud of myself. But to be fair, this was a shorter book as compared to the ones I usually read. Nevertheless, it was not the book to be read semi-consciously. Why? The name of the author should be clue enough to why. The book is Tharoorosaurus by none other than Shashi Tharoor, the author whose every sentence has to be read twice to grasp what he is saying.

Fortunately for me, it was not a book to read in one go since it basically picks up 53 heavy-weight words and explains their etymology, origins and various anecdotes related to those words. So, there need not be any continuity in reading, which meant that it was a perfect book to be read while dealing with the stress of your teenager's final exams and the hectic work routine.

To start with most words chosen by the author, in consistency with his public image, were long tongue twisters which were more often than not unheard of before. Yet, not all words were unknown to me. Out of 53, I knew about 22-23 words already (not their origins but their meanings) and have been using them regularly. As for the other, even though it was interesting to read about them, I doubt whether I would ever remember them and use them ever. Well, maybe a couple but definitely not most.

The anecdotes and stories backing the words were interesting; although I have to admit that the political references - laced with direct attacks on Modi / BJP and spiked with self-praises - were annoying. Nevertheless, all-in-all it was a fun read.

#tharoorosaurus

#shashitharoor

#bookreview

#12BooksToRead2021

#recentread

#justfinished

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

I saw the movie Hidden Figures sometime last year and I was so moved that I immediately bought the book to read. But, I picked it up only now when I have some leisurely time to spend. I read somewhere that Margot Lee Shetterly, when asked about the differences between the book and the movie had remarked that if the makers would have stuck to the book, it would have been a documentary and not a feature film. I tend to agree.

I started the book with great excitement and as I progressed, I hoped it would pick up pace soon. Then, I was 60 pages through (out of 265) - almost a fifth of the book - and only one of the characters from the movie has been introduced (not just out of lead characters, not even the supporting cast). Moreover, there is no mention at all of one, only the drop of the name of the second and hardly any details about the third till now. The book is supposed to be real life inspirational stories of three Black women, and not just the movie but all reviews about the book as well as the Wikipedia entries on the book and the author said so. I had started to feel cheated as I was not finding it as promising as I had thought it would be. In fact, the book read more like a "Black History" textbook.

I soon realized that the book was not going to be anywhere near the movie. It continued to leave the story of these three women in the middle and switched to each other, not moving simultaneously and going back and forth in time which lead to so much confusion. Moreover, it talked about so many more women; numerous political incidents; and rattled names which probably African Americans or the people who have read American History are aware of. But for a layperson like me, it was chaotic and bewildering and at the end of it, I don't remember any of them, least of all the years when they achieved the big feats mentioned in the book.

I had high hopes that at least the part where John Glenn had entered space (where the movie was focused) would match the movie. It was basically the most exciting part of Katherine Johnsons journey and had inspired me to take up the book. I kept waiting for at least some characters from the movie, like Al Harrison (played by Kevin Costner), Virginia Mitchel (played by Kristen Dunst), Paul Stafford (played by Jim Parsons). It had soon dawned on me that these characters did not exist in reality and were a work of fiction. The book narration of the John Glenn space mission was as bland as hypoallergenic food. On that note, the one thing I can say is definitely misplaced in this book is the book cover showing all these fictional people. All in all, the book ruined the movie too for me.

Maybe the problem was not really with the book; the problem was with me having watched the movie before the book and having super high expectations from it. But, I doubt I would have picked up the book ever without first watching the movie. I am not a non-fiction person per se and many times while reading the book I wondered why am I even torturing myself by reading it when I am clearly not enjoying it as much as I had hoped I would. But the elusive John Glenn space mission kept me hopeful and going forth. Once through the said part, and disappointed big time, I left the book for days and didn't go back to it. But I hate leaving books unfinished so I finally and laboriously wrapped it up.

I am not saying that the book was not important. It is insightful and would be enlightening for anyone who enjoys reading about history. I am also not saying that understanding the setting of the environment and the facts and events of the time and age in which the real story of the three women is based is irrelevant. Probably the book helps in more appreciation of the circumstances under which these ladies achieved what they did. It's just, for me personally, the book was a tad too insipid. 

#hiddenfigures

#margotleeshetterly
#bookreview
#12BooksToRead2021
#recentread
#justfinished

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Last year, just like a few years before that, I didn't complete my resolution of reading at least one book a month. I started well and was very gung ho once lockdown happened assuming that since I was home, I will now get more time to read. But I soon realised that being at home and working from home are two different things. And then I picked up something that I didn't like and things just went downhill from there. I kept telling myself that I need to finish it soon and pick up another one, but neither of that happened.

This year, since I am on leave for a few days at the start of the year, I did pick up a book. Since it was a very captivating read, I finished it too. Besides it wasn't a very big or difficult read either. To say that it was interesting would be grossly undermining this book which is well known to be one of the best suspense novels since ages. I read it as a kid in school and decades later, I had forgotten most of it - I mean the characters etc., not the suspense and how it is revealed. Despite that, it made for a very gripping read. 

I am no authority on the nuances of literary works i.e. the finesse of writing, or the vocabulary used, or even development of characters. I am no analyst, only a connoisseur; and one who very profoundly enjoys Agatha Christie's very British style of writing. The characters, I find are very intriguing and each one of them adds to the story and development of the plot. The epilogue is not just the highlight of the book but also paramount because one could never guess the murderer without reading it even despite having gone through every detail in the chronology of the events in the novel. No one could ever guess who the culprit is without Agatha Christie telling us. Moreover, what could be a better mark of skillful story weaving if not the fact that as bizarre as the events in the book are, they are still absolutely believable, and not once does one feel like putting the book down on account of duplicitousness. 

To conclude, this is a book to enthral adults and young adults alike. In all likelihood, once you are beyond page 15, you will not put it down until you read it through till the end. 

#andthentherewerenone

#agathachristie 

#bookreview

#12BooksToRead2021

#recentread 

#justfinished 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

My daughter was prescribed this book in school and when I learnt that it was about the Holocaust, I was somewhat excited and I picked up the book myself. Was I disappointed? Big time! The book is supposed to be about the terrible and horrible things that happened in the Auschwitz concentration camp... Except that it is NOT!!! 

The story is narrated by a 9 year old German boy who develops an unusual friendship with a Jewish boy inside the camp. They interact and meet secretly for months and apparently talk a lot and yet there is not a single mention of what goes inside the camp. The names are all masked and "Auschwitz" becomes "Out-with" and "Führer" (Hitler) becomes "Fury" with the excuse that the 9 year old boy cannot pronounce the words correctly. Although the attempt is to portray that the children didn't understand the holocaust (neither the one outside the camp, nor the one inside it) but even the incidents that happen in front of the boy's eyes are missed out in explanation on the pretext that the boy cannot bring himself to mention it (such as the incident with the waiter Pavel when he spills wine on Lieutenant Kotler). It's highly surprising that in all those conversations Shmuel never once tells Bruno why he hates the soldiers and what he is going through (maybe he doesn't understand the why of it but he could have talked about the beatings or the bruises and how he got them).

I felt that in doing away with the disturbing stuff, the author is not doing the readers any favour, even if they might be young adults. On the contrary, he is absolutely undermining the holocaust. He is misleading the readers about what may have gone inside the camp - like a kid could everyday wander about and spend hours undetected; or a child go actually go under the fence (I had heard that the fences were electrocuted).

Coming to the book otherwise, although this is a young adult fiction, it can very easily be read by younger children. The language is very simple, words and phrases were repeated again and again and, as already mentioned, there was nothing disturbing in the story to trouble the innocent minds. If you want to introduce your 9-10 year olds to holocaust literature, this could be your pick. But, if you want to actually understand what the Jews went through during that horrifying period of History, avoid this book and pick some other.

#TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas
#JohnBoyne
#HolocaustLiterature
#FourthBookOfTheYear
#12BooksToRead2020
#recentread
#justfinished
#booklover

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a well known classic and probably read by many people my age when they were in school. But I hadn't read it yet. My daughter was prescribed this book in school and I took it up also an opportunity to read it.

A small and easy read, all I knew about the book when I started reading it, was that it is a satire on communism using animals. As I read a few chapters, I started noticing similarities with the Russian Revolution although I only vaguely remembered studying about it in school. A little more into it and I kept picking up interest and started surfing the internet about which character in the book represents whom. Now, I don't plan to go into a critical analysis which has already been a subject of many Thesis worldwide. I would just say that I enjoyed the book overall. The end was quite predictable and although it didn't leave me with a smile at the end, I also didn't feel stupid having read the book.

#AnimalFarm

#GeorgeOrwell

#Satire

#ThirdBookOfTheYear

#12BooksToRead2020

#recentread

#justfinished

#booklover

The Night Manager by ‎John le Carré

Seldom does it happen that I find screen adaptation of a book better than the original; and this must be one of those rare occasions. 

It all started with when during one of my travels, I was surfing TV channels in a hotel in Prague because I just couldn't sleep. I was passing through one of the German language channels when I spotted Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Debicki on the screen. I stopped just to make out what movie that is and I got so hooked to it that I watched 4 episodes 4 days in a row, skipping sight seeing to watch a series in a language I was not very comfortable in. Also, I had read the Wikipedia page too on the first night itself. I watched the series twice again in English and had already fallen in love with Tom Hiddleston even before he spoke his first word on the screen.

Now, having read rave reviews of the book and having heard a Tom Hiddleston interview where he was all praises about the book, I picked it up. How severely disappointed I was with the same. Not only I found the narratives overtly stretched, I did not find my interest building up in the story either. It is one of the reasons that it took me so long to finish the book as I felt bored and distracted. The only reason I carried on and finished the book was to see how different it was from the BBC series.

The screen adaptation is excessively modified and I think makes for a more realistic and interesting plot. But I must make allowances for the time period in which the novel is set in and remember that there were no gadgets or cellphones or GPS trackers or satellites to track people; and there were no wire and online transfers of funds either. But for me the biggest sore point in the book was the climax. Apologies for the spoiler but I cannot forgive le Carré for not giving a proper closure to Richard Roper and his illegal transactions. Just rescuing Jonathan Pine, and Jed along with him, is simply not enough for me.

Although the review pertains to the book (I hardly comment on technicalities anyway), I would like to write a few words about the casting. Maybe because I had seen the screen adaptation first, but every time I read anything about Jonathan Pine, I could easily visualise Tom Hiddleston as Pine; same with Hugh Laurie as Richard Roper; or Tom Hollander as Corky; in fact, pretty much every character except Burr (for obvious reasons) and Jed. Elizabeth Debicki is not even remotely close to the Jed in the book both in terms of physical description or in terms of characterisation.

Now, I need to catch up on the series once again to get over my disappointment.

#TheNightManager

#JohnleCarré

#SpyNovel

#SecondBookOfTheYear

#12BooksToRead2020

#recentread

#justfinished

#booklover

When Breath Becomes Air

Nopes... I haven't finished my second book of the year already. But I had read this while I was traveling in last November and I remembered that this book of all deserves to be here as a review. To be honest, I was skeptical about picking this up because I had heard that it has a lot of medical jargon and I wondered whether I would even be able to get a hang of it. Also, this is supposed to be an autobiography and I am just not a non-fiction person. But, I did pick it up even if out of curiosity around what is in it to generate such hype and have amazing reviews.

For start, it was an easy read. There were all those medical terms but I had kind of blocked my mind from delving too much over them. Moreover, it helped that it was gripping right from the word 'go'. The writing is actually pretty neat, thoughtful and well structured. So much so that I felt that Paul was not wrong in thinking about career options in literature though he didn't pursue them until this book.

Unlike some of the reviews, I didn't really find it heavy. I didn't shed a single tear and believe-you-me I shed tears on snaps. So, I don't know why most of the readers say that it's heart-breaking. I mean, the book is an auto-biographical account by a terminally ill person so the scenario is heart-breaking but other than that, I did not think it was a sob-story. In fact, I had an image of Paul as someone very optimistic and a happy person to be describing his life so beautifully even while on death-bed.

I found the climax abrupt but to be fair to the person, his death was too sudden and that's how the story ends. And then one thinks that is exactly how fragile life is. For me though the best part of the book was how Paul sheds light on the patient-doctor relationship in a deep and humane manner. And the rest was all about transition of this person from leading a normal life with the eventuality of death only at the back of your head to a life where that eventuality is in the foreground of everything you do. Under the same shadow of a meaningful life, Paul comes to the conclusion that suffering and striving are the main components of a meaningful life.

#WhenBreathBecomesAir

#Autobiography

#PaulKalanidhi

#booklover

The Institute by Stephen King

I have re-adopted / re-kindled the reading resolution this year. I am not a fast reader so 12 books in a year (i.e. one book each month) looks both reasonable and not overtly ambitious considering that I more often than not struggle for time. What helped was that my daughter's exams are around the corner so her Kindle was free which I borrowed and kept in my handbag. So, every free time, no matter how short, has kind of become reading time. I was able to wrap up my first book yesterday. It took a couple of days over a month but that's okay as I might be able to make up few days if I pick up some shorter book.

The reason it took over a month was two-fold. First, I was not able to decide which book to read. I have quite a few unread books with me but I wanted to pick up something which I could recommend to my daughter to read after her exams. Something that meets her interests but is one level above from what she has been reading off late. Now, Science Fiction or Scientific Thrillers (I hope I mentioned the right category where this book falls into) is not my cup of tea but that's my daughters favourite genre. So, I searched the most well-known author of the genre and tried to select a book which might be of interest to her and also has really nice reviews on Goodreads. Second, since it was not my preferred genre, I had a really sluggish start. I dragged the book initially but took over it seriously only once I had hit February.

Now coming to the book... As I already mentioned the start was sluggish. I found the book boring in the beginning. It picked up my interest only after the entry of Luke Ellis, the lead protagonist, which happened well after a quarter of the book. But, did it pick my interest or what? The book thereafter was almost un-put-downable, if that is even a word. The characters were well-etched (although - spoiler alert - I wondered if Luke is such a brilliant child prodigy then why is his talent not any useful or displayed during his stay in the Institute but people may argue that there is some explanation to that in the book) and you almost are able to form a mental picture of how they might look like. The language is crisp, smooth and simple enough to keep you hooked. There are swear words used freely (and that too by 12 year olds) but that is not any problem for the adult readers although that is the only one thing which is making me indecisive about letting my 13-year old read the book. Not that 13-year olds nowadays are not aware of these words. Last, I was slightly disappointed with the end, especially the climax which let me slightly down. It was quite dramatic but just not the kind I would have liked. Then again, it's my personal view totally. In the reviews, people had mentioned that the plot is similar to the Netflix series "Stranger Things" but I cannot comment on that since I have not seen the series myself.

#TheInstitute
#StephenKing
#Thriller
#FirstBookOfTheYear
#12BooksToRead2020

#recentread
#justfinished
#booklover

We should all be feminists

"Some people ask: 'Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?' Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general - but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women. That the problem was not about being human, but specifically about being a female human. For centuries, the world divided human beings into two groups and then proceeded to exclude and oppress one group. It is only fair that the solution to the problem acknowledge that."

#humbled 

#truerwordshaveneverbeensad

#feminist

#feminism

#Adichie

#ChimamandaNgoziAdichie

#recentread

#justfinished

#booklover

#booksthatmakeyouthink

Dear Ijeawele

I just finished reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book "Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions". This small book should be used as a parenting checklist in today's times. The author weaves beautiful words and includes very relevant examples while giving us fifteen suggestions about how to raise a feminist daughter or I would rather say, a feminist child, for I believe that some suggestions given by her are equally relevant for raising up boys.

I have already been following a few while bringing up my little one and some are not applicable to me (like normalizing the fact that your spouse participates in your chores). Yet there are still a few suggestions that I need to remember and imbibe in my behavior. I think that should be my task for this year.

Next on the list... "We should all be feminists" by Adichie.

Persuasion and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

I have been sluggish on my two pacts this year, and especially sluggish on this one. I have moved at a snail's pace since the start of the year and had contented with two unfinished books and two kids novel's to speak of.

Though, I would love to pick up books I have not read earlier, I recently picked up two of Jane Austen's novels back to back for quick, leisurely reads. I have said it before and I will say it again, Jane Austen is my most favourite author as an adult, along with probably J.K. Rowling. When I was in my teens and early-twenties, Jane Austen introduced me to romance and when I set foot in my thirties, she introduced me to feminism. I have read all her books multiple times with ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Emma’ and ‘Persuasion’ being my absolute favourites.

I can pick up a Jane Austen book anytime anywhere and read it. What I love in her books is how all her characters are absolutely real and so perfect in their imperfections. Moreover, despite the fact that her books were based and written in early 19th Century England, much of the context and the details of the society are still very relevant for the contemporary yet traditional Indian set-up where men still dominate the patriarchal society and marriage is often an obsession with the women. And in this orthodox set-up too, women, much like Jane's protagonists, still tend to stand out with their individual and independent views. That's exactly what I love about Jane's work.

So, when I did pick her books, first 'Persuasion' and then 'Mansfield Park', I couldn't keep them down though I had read both of them before. I love Anne's character from 'Persuasion' for her consistency and will power and though I find it a bit difficult to relate to Fanny Price from 'Mansfield Park', I am able to appreciate her for her values and beliefs and I can identify with her absolute sense of decorum and propriety.

They were good reads, alas!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

So, finally I did complete the book last week. It was again a kid's book, meaning that I read the abridged version which took me probably 5 hours when you take out the frequent breaks.

The ending was kind of sad and it fails me why we would want our kids to read books where almost everyone dies in the end. Oops! Did I just give a spoiler?

But as a classic, it is a good book and it gives us a peek into the lives of people in 19th century Paris.

I would still recommend this one despite the heavy feeling I got after finishing it.