My 2017 in Books

It is the end of the year, and statistically GR says,

I have completed 143 books against a target of 125.
Page count - 33748 (with 4 books missing the related data)
Average rating - 3.8

Several 5 stars this year, so naturally it was a great year for me.

Started with FD's Idiot, and ended with M.R. James's creepy cutesy horror story, (well the kind of horror actually suited for kids like me) a fabulous year, particularly the period ending August. The last four months brought me several things to focus, or reasons to quote for not focusing on reading.

Some best reading experiences this year -

* Dostoevsky, falling in love with his rants, admiring his women, taking emotional rides with his narration. My last FD for the year was a gentle creature, which I picked just like that to pass a brief period of feeling low for no reason I wanted to break down and so I chose a FD. And one of the best pieces ever read. It is this kind of love that touches my heart, which is also why every other popular love story doesn't go well with me.

* Brothers Karamazov - Immediate thought - was this good or was Idiot better. Well Idiot was my first FD, and I love it more. BK is a masterpiece, FD's perfection.

* Short Reads - One of the best things that happened to me. Several novellas, anthologies and short stories. I have always loved these over long books, reason these need enormous talent to keep the reader hooked. It was one of the reasons for the magic number of 143.

* Failed Experiments - Popular reads that totally failed, the genres I never ventured into safely, tried experimenting and failed miserably, one and two stars. But that was good too, I tried and only then failed. :-)

* Randomly my best reads out of the 5 starred ones other than FD,

Ghostwritten
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

* Books that surprised me,

Train to Pakistan
The Library of Unrequited Love
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character

* Made me Ecstatic, ultimate reading experiences

A Room of One's Own
Chess Story
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Like Water for Chocolate


* Reco-es that were lovely and totally stumped me,

Breathing Lessons
A Clockwork Orange
Dandelion Wine

* Books that sounded better due to lovely discussions,

When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife
Miss Laila, Armed and Dangerous
A House to Let

* Books that I read with friends, successfully completed and loved,

The Woman in White
Norwegian Wood
The Count of Monte Cristo
Farewell My Friend

* Books that I wish I unread,

Paper Towns
The Handmaid's Tale

Bloody Kids by Andrew Holmes

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating: precisely 3.8 stars.



I stumbled upon the author's thread requesting a review, found the blurb interesting and so chose to read and review this book. I have almost read 0 books in Horror genre, so technically this probably is the first time I chose to read one. Needless to mention the catchy and creepy subtext children shouldn't play with chainsaws.

The author's first novel, ‘Sleb’, has been shortlisted for the WH Smith New Talent Award in the UK. His other works ‘All Fur Coat’, ’64 Clarke’, and ‘Rain Dogs And Love Cats’, also seem critically well received. This book is definitely a 4-5 stars for any fan of the genre. It was a bit horrible around 70% and somehow it was unfathomable or scary to imagine such kids. But the story didn't sound unreal.

At the outset, the cover is perfect for the genre and the title. The plot and the characters are interesting and engaging. There is never a dull moment since the beginning of this fast paced horror story, that has each chapter alternating between past and present. The element of mystery on who and why continues until the end, and the twists and turns of events made me seriously pray for some miracle to steer the story in a different way.

The end looked a bit hurried. If not for the reduced reading time that I am prone to these days, I would have completed in a day or two, such was the narration and story-line. Highly recommended for horror fans.

An Awfully Big Adventure by Aniesha Brahma

The novel starts with the story of the heartbreaking divorce of Yoshita's parents, and the author has brilliantly narrated the effects on the nine year old, her emotions, beliefs, all the time not taking sides with either of the parents. This is totally from the viewpoint of the young kid, and forms the core of the story.

The story then ventures into the second marriage of Mr. Ray, to a widow Mrs. Bannerjee, thereby adding Tanay, her son to the story. While Yoshita's belief in fairy tale and fantasy have disappeared since the great debacle that is the divorce of her parents, Tanay is still strong about these and is a true believer. Add to it the age difference between the two, and that explains their disagreements most of the time.

The author has refrained from taking the usual route of wicked step mom  or the wicked step dad, and kept the premise simple, real and more positive. This is laudable, and gives better scope in reflecting the feelings of the young kids, and ponder on why they feel the way they do, is it because of the circumstances that led to their parents becoming single parents or due to their age?

On Tanay's tenth birthday they accidentally end up at a magical place, The Charmed City. What unfolds is a really awesome adventure for the two and the reader. It's a magical ride through known fairy tales, characters already heard about, but kept simple and lovable. The conversation between the characters are funny and make an interesting read. 

Aniesha Brahma has given a wonderful tale, reinforcing the need to believe in magic, and have hopes. The end of the story suggests the adventure is only briefly closed, so a series could be expected, wish the series keeps the interest of the readers intact.

I would definitely recommend this book to kids aged 9 and above. 

You came like hope - Jyoti Arora

After Lemon Girl and Dream’s sake comes You came like hope from Jyoti Arora, a novelist and blogger from Ghaziabad, India. She is a Post Graduate in English Literature and Applied Psychology. Jyoti has developed books for kids and abridged 24 famous English novels like Jane Eyre, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn etc.,

In you came like hope, Jyoti has tried to show a different side of domestic abuse, not the usual kind of women abused. The underlying plot of this seemingly simple love story is the tale of a married man, a supposedly good man, really very good enough to not understand the evil designs of a woman. This woman is a spoilt child knowing not what she really wants, and ends up marrying the good man without an iota of why. What happens is a grave mishap, not one actually, several, one after the other. The man doesn’t understand what to do, and actually reaches the maximum limits of his patience, and his reaction costs him and his family dearly.

Cut to the story of Peehu, the younger twin of Pakkhi. Though the twins are absolutely identical in their looks, they are chalk and cheese when it comes to their attitude in life. While Pakkhi is more smarter or more focused and chooses Uday, who completely adores and admires her, Peehu is full of remorse over an incident, that doesn’t sound that strong enough to make her insecure and lacking in confidence. Meanwhile an accident causes Pakkhi’s death and makes Peehu take her place without a choice, in fact it is a misunderstanding of the people around her.

The author explores Peehu's doubts and her confronting of the bitter truth and coming out of it. Meanwhile Adih, his issues, his niece, his family’s woes are brought out. In many ways the two complement each other. But well there are several things that throw spanners to spoil the possibility of a sweet and chocolaty love story between them.

Who or what are these wrenches and what happens to Peehu and Adi? Is there any hope for people who become victims to highhanded people who make others dance to their whims and fancies? To know more please grab your copy of you came like hope.

A fast paced quick read, this is a love story narrated in a simple style that can go a long way in giving you hope.

Mamá Graciela’s Secret by Mayra Calvani

I am so happy to review this beautifully illustrated book for tiny tots. The story and the illustrations are both as sweet and beautiful as fresh air. The plot is quite appealing to the palate, set in a beautiful island and served with yummy fried food that are loved by all the islanders. 

I love cats and Sheila Fein has illustrated each cat uniquely, in fact Mama Graciela's face slightly resembles her cats after they start invading her restaurant. 

Mayra Calvani introduces the problem, the stakeholders, the only visible solution, and the possible influences towards making the right decision, step by step. Though a very short story, the plot has several messages, like love for animals, love for people more than things, a peculiar problem, and the problem solving technique. Very crisp and fresh, I would recommend this book to kids in the age group of 6-10 also.

Publication date: October 10, 2017

Written by Mayra Calvani

Illustrated by Sheila Fein

MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing

www.maclaren-cochranepublishing.com

36 pages, 3-7 year olds

Reading guide at: www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com

Book info:

ISBN: HC 978-1-365-86153-6

SC 978-1-365-86155-0

ISBN Dyslexic Font Version:

DY HC 978-1-365-86154-3 DY SC 978-1-365-86156-7 

Cover Reveal

~ Cover Reveal ~

Title: You Came Like Hope

Author: Jyoti Arora

Word length: 53,000 words

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Peehu:

“I heard them mourn my death. I lay in the next room. Motionless, silent, and staring at the ceiling.”

Adih:

“When it comes to a broken person, some of them are expert at blinding you. Spend an entire evening with such a person, but you may still not know how he is crushing inside.”

Uday:

“Who would say no to him? He is smart, intelligent, super handsome, rich, suave and sophisticated. He’s perfect!”

Pooja:

“Pooja gave no explanation. She asked no forgiveness. She just arrived in his home, resenting him for being her husband.”

Arunav:

“He had smiled as if nothing was wrong.

He had behaved as if he still had his dreams and hopes.

He had pretended as if it didn’t hurt.

But it did.”

Does Destiny hold the key to our happiness?

Is it always the feeble that is the victim?

Love can be the embrace of heaven. But what happens when it unleashes hellfire?

Lose yourself in the intense narrative of You Came Like Hope as it unleashes a rollercoaster of emotions, uncovers some bitter truths, challenges widespread prejudices, and forces you to reconsider your beliefs.

Releasing on 23^rd November 2017!

About the Author:

Jyoti Arora is a novelist and blogger from Ghaziabad. You Came Like Hope is her third novel, coming after Dream’s Sake and Lemon Girl. She is Post Graduate in English Literature and Applied Psychology. Besides reading and writing novels, Jyoti enjoys checking out latest technological innovations, watching movies, and listening to old Bollywood songs.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Several hours since I completed this wonderful novel, and I am still contemplating on whether to review or leave it with the rating. This happens to be my first read of the year that I shelved after completing Part I in about a week, due to the focus this required owing to the various layers to each monologue and conversation.

Being the most accomplished of Dostoyevsky's works, The Idiot's central character is an innocent, pure and simple man with a heart that is so forgiving and accommodating even for the worst sinner ever. Dostoyevsky contrasts the pretentiousness of the Russian Socialist society with the childlike innocence of Prince Myshkin, drawing parallels from the life of Christ himself.

The suicidal tendencies and emotions of Ippolit, self-realization of Ganya, murder instincts of Rogozhin, the shallow superficiality of General Ivolgin are all portrayed so wonderfully and against the compassion of Prince demarcates the evil and the good brilliantly. The story of Marie is one of my favorites.

Of the two women vying for Myshkin, Nastasya is more expressive and volatile with her emotions. Blame it on her impulsiveness or masochism for bringing on the world crushing over herself and Prince towards the end. Aglaya is a confused woman too, but she is more secretive about her attraction to Myshkin and her turning down Prince several times all the while shaming him brutally makes her more manipulative than Nastasya.

“One can't understand everything at once, 

we can't begin with perfection all at once! 

In order to reach perfection 

one must begin by 

being ignorant of a great deal. 

And if we understand things too quickly, 

perhaps we shan't understand them 

thoroughly.”

Breathing Two Worlds by Ruchira Khanna

About the Book:

Neena Arya, a Delhi-born goes abroad for further studies and decides to settle down there. Determined to be a 'somebody' from a 'nobody' she blends with the Americans via the accent and their mannerisms while having a live-in relationship with her European boyfriend, Adan Somoza.

When illness hits home, Neena rushes to meet her ailing dad. Tragedy strikes and amidst the mingling with relatives and friends, she finds herself suffocated with the two different cultures that she has been breathing since she moved to the United States. How will she strike a balance between both the cultures as she continues to support her widowed mother? Will she be able to do justice to her personal and professional life after the loss?

Amidst the adjusting, she bonds with an ally and learns about ties beyond blood. On what grounds will she be able to form an invisible thread that she has longed for since childhood?

Breathing Two Worlds ventures into cultures and ethnicity allowing Neena to ponder upon her foundation and priorities.

Available on Amazon

Book Trailer: 

Excerpt:

"Oh!" the Mom answered, but could not contain her curiosity with one hand holding the hyper toddler and the other on her hip she could not resist, "You two don't look like brother-sister, hmmm. So, what is your relationship?" she inquired with a slight smile in a soft voice but without any inhibition. A handful of seniors sitting in the same room observed all the drama and nodded to each other while their fingers were moving on the Tulsi neck beads.

Neena rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "Jeez! We Indians are always darn inquisitive."

Nikhil immediately got up and started walking towards the dining area. This was happening to them for the umpteenth time, and he was now tired of clarifying things. He had lived in this country for half a decade now and still he could never understand the fascination Indians had for marriage and children. 

Neena was confused at first because it was unlike Nikhil to be so rude. On the contrary, sometimes Neena referred to him on lessons in patience but today it was different. But then she didn’t have a choice; she felt it was rude to walk away from the young mother leaving the conversation unanswered. Moreover given Indian mentality in all possibility, she might even follow them till she had a convincing answer to her question. 

My Review:

Note: Free copy from the Author in exchange for an Honest review.

This is a decent paced story and the story revolves around Neena, her beau, their family and their cultural identity issue.

My first suggestion to the author and the publishers - Please change the book cover. There are certain very badly written stories that catch your attention only because of their awesome covers. This story deserves a better cover for sure.

The last 10% was a bit of a drag and doesn't make an impact as did the first 90%. This is that portion of the story where Neena loses her complete control and comes across as being too helpless. That was totally opposite to the Neena we know, maybe due to her situation, but doesn't sound convincing. The sudden change in Neena and Adan was too huge, to say the least.

The writing was good but could have been better, certain words were clearly out of place. 

About the Author:

Ruchira Khanna, a biochemist turned writer, left her homeland of India to study in America, where she obtained her Master’s degree in Biochemistry from SJSU and a degree in Technical Writing from UC Berkeley.

After finishing her studies, Ruchira worked as a biochemist at a Silicon Valley startup for five years. After the birth of her son, Ruchira took a job as a technical writer, so that she could work from home. Soon, she began doing freelance writing work as well.

Her love of writing grew and she started working on her own books. After four years of freelancing, Ruchira published her first book, a fiction novel for adults called Choices.

Then came the children’s book The Adventures of Alex and Angelo: The Mystery of the Missing Iguana. She got a thumb’s up review from Kirkus Reviews.

In January 2016, she has published her second fictional novel Voyagers into the Unknown. It talks about the quest for happiness as the heavy hearted tourists travel miles from different parts of the world to Raj Touristry in Agra, India. Return to their respective home with a healed heart. This book talks about their journey!

In Breathing Two Worlds, Ruchira talks about ethnicity and cultures, and helps to strike a balance via a fiction-drama novel as her characters breathe two worlds.

In addition to writing books, she is a holistic healer associated with Stanford Healing Partners and also maintains a blog of daily mantras on Blogspot, called Abracabadra. Ruchira currently resides in California with her family.

Find her on: Website Blog

Finders Keepers (Finders Keepers #1) by Russ Colchamiro

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Blurb - Traversing Europe, New Zealand, and the backbone of Eternity, Finders Keepers is a raunchy, sci-fi backpacking comedy that not only tackles friendship, sex, commitment, and desire, but also God, reincarnation--and what really happened to the dinosaurs!

On a backpacking trip through Europe, Jason Medley and Theo Barnes stumble through hash bars and hangovers; religious zealots and stalkers; food poisoning and thunderstorms; cute girls; overnight trains; fever-pitch hallucinations--and the spectre of adult responsibility!

But when a jar containing the Universe's DNA falls from Eternity, these new friends find their loyalties put to the test . . . unaware that a motley crew from another realm is chasing them across the globe, with the fate of the Milky Way hanging in the balance.

For fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Christopher Moore, Tom Robins, Third Rock from the Sun, Groundhog Day, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. 

Finders Keepers is the first book in author Russ Cochamiro's scifi comedy trilogy.

Review - 

Rating - 3 stars.

The story is drafted around Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, blending travelogue and a little fantasy all along. Writing was quite stunning at places, while at certain places it did not make much of sense, felt a little incomplete and disjoint.

There could have been a brief introduction on who is who, or a back story as the characters just popped in and it takes a few chapters to get into the mood of the story and know the characters and what they are up to. Maybe a prequel would be welcome.

The target audience seem to be men in the age group of eighteen to twenty-five, and I think they would strike a cord with the content and the humor. 

Check out the Illustrations here

Other Books in the Series:

Genius de Milo (Finders Keepers#2)

Astropalooza (Finders Keepers 3)

January Reads 2017 - I

It is too late to be creating a reading log for the year in April. But still with nothing much to post and boast, thought I would keep both my reading and writing operating with these posts. This year being a good one in that I could read more than 70 books by March thanks to the GoodReads group that lured me into taking up challenges and races.

This being more than the annual target I subject myself to I am falling into a slump. So, I am trying to plan my reading, make a few lists, try completing a few yearly challenges and blog about all this. So I am starting with my January reads here, the list followed by reviews and rants whenever I come across the need to. So I completed 19 books in January, shelved one, The Idiot on 17th after completing Part I.

1. Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor, #1)  by Jill Shalvis
    This happens to be the first book I started the year with, a light read with lots of cliches and usual characters that are in a mess which gets fixed by the end of it all. Though not my kind of read, it was a sweet way of starting the year with nothing to think leave alone over think.

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J. K. Rowling
    Another great one from the witch herself, this was also a pleasure to watch with kids, more so I knew the beasts, their inside story and other facts better. That reminds me I am yet to start the Cursed child.

3. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
    Too old to start a Christie am I not? This happens to be my first Agatha Christie ever. I did enjoy reading it but I think I would have apprreciated better at a younger age.

4. It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong
    This happens to be my first non fiction this year, an autobiography at that. But couldn't enjoy this as much as I really wanted to, on the one hand sounds inspirational, on the other sounds rants of a pompous and egotistical person. Ghost written by Sally Jenkins, there are tiny packages that come embellished and crafted a little if not totally.

5.  Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
     This is the third book I read of the author and whatever order they were written, the order in which I read makes me like the author better. Fangirl was a failure for me, though the writing was brilliant, there was so much of loathing by both the main characters. Eleanor and Park was a breather and Attachments is by far the best, the characters being more relatable.

6. Lady Cop Makes Trouble (Kopp Sisters, #2)  by Amy Stewart
    This is part of a fictional series based on Constance Kopp, the first women police officer in rural New Jersey in 1917, and her sisters. It was an enhancing experience to read the related history and anecdotes. Though it happened to be the second in series, it could easily be read as a stand-alone. But the story has too many fictional elements.

7. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
    This was a read aloud with my son and it was fun.

8. Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee
    This was the first serious book that I read this year, detailed review already posted here.

9. The Hobbit  by J.R.R Tolkien
    A long awaited journey into the fantasy genre that I fail to grasp. This was a weekly group read of a small whatsapp group bookclub that I am part-of. I understand these stories were created like bedtime stories, and so the narration and style have just one goal, to put the listener to sleep, and this it did. Every time I started reading this story I ended up going to sleep instantaneously. We took up the audio version and thankfully completed. The narrator was Rob Inglis and it was a wonderful experience listening to him on my way to and from office. It felt like back to childhood, closing eyes, visualizing the story, laughing, feeling ticklish and giggling. I have seen the movie several times, but still this was simply awesome.

** to be continued