The Distant Echo

 Val McDermid

Bestselling, award-winning author Val McDermid delivers her most stunning story yet in The Distant Echo---an intricate, thought-provoking tale of murder and revenge
 It was a winter morning in 1978, that the body of a young barmaid was discovered in the snow banks of a Scottish cemetery. The only suspects in her brutal murder were the four young men who found her: Alex Gilbey and his three best friends. With no evidence but her blood 
on their hands, no one was ever charged.

Twenty five years later, the Cold Case file on Rosie Duff has been reopened. For Alex and his friends, the investigation has also opened old wounds, haunting memories-and new fears. For a stranger has emerged from the shadows with his own ideas about justice. And revenge.

When two of Alex's friends die under suspicious circumstances, Alex knows that he and his innocent family are the next targets. And there's only way to save them: return to the cold-blooded past and uncover the startling truth about the murder. For there lies the identity of an avenging killer...

This is my first read by The Wire in the Blood author Val McDermid. Don’t look at me like that! I only got back into crime recently and I tend toward the noirish end of crime (AKA everything goes wrong, you know who did it just not what’s going to happen to them because of it, but it’s bound to be bad) rather than the puzzles-to-solve whodunit end of the spectrum. This mostly has to do with how phenomenally lazy I am. Plotting a good detective novel takes a great deal of effort.

I would imagine.

So McDermid managed not only to weave a big fat mystery engagingly through a BIG FAT NOVEL of 500+ pages but managed to make me afraid for the outcome, caring about the characters — even ones I didn’t like! — and while I had an idea who the killer would be, I had no idea how it could be proved.

And yes, I cried. I remember asking a famous writer if he cried when he killed off a very beloved character and he looked at me like I was insane. I kind of thought he was either lying or a bit of a dick (maybe both). I’ve always shared Robert Frost’s opinion, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” McDermid made me cry for my favourite character and curse her for killing [gender suppressed as mildly spoilerish]. She also gave a new shape to my nightmares. I even tweeted her that she had done so and she tweeted back because she knew what it would be:

bottle dungeon.

Oh yeah. Shudder. I can’t recall the last time I had to stop reading because I couldn’t take it. I have read and watched a lot of horror in my day and while I wince with empathy, I seldom stop. I had to stop. And then I had to read to find out what happened even if it were the worst. The sweat’s popping out just thinking about it again. Claustrophobia is a terrible thing.

So yeah, read it. And shudder.

The Sculptress

Minette Walters

Rosalind has no idea what awaits her inside the prison. As a journalist, she knows all about the case - how Olive Martin had been found cradling the bodies of her dead mother and sister, how she had pleaded guilty and been nicknamed 'The Sculptress'. But Roz thinks Olive is hiding something.

A chilling story from a master of the crime/suspense genre. A monstrously obese woman is in prison having confessed and pled guilty to the murder and brutal dismembering of her mother and younger sister some years previously. A writer, who is dealing with emotional damages of her own, is assigned by her publisher to write a book about the affair. She uncovers several discrepancies between the confession and the facts in the case which lead her to dig ever deeper until she finally reveals the truth and sets a great miscarriage of justice right. Or, is that what happens? With Ms. Walters we are never sure. This is the fourth story of hers I have recently read and I can now say she is incredibly gifted at doling out the relevant information in such a way that one is always caught by surprise by the ending. Maybe not in total, but the fine details are kept close to the vest right up until the last paragraph. In this particular case, we are left with the uneasy feeling that maybe the truth is still hidden, or has been twisted to suit. We are not sure whether another travesty has not been set in motion. Ms Walters' sleuths are rarely the professionals that populate other crime novels. There are usually policemen involved, but not as the prime movers. She always seems to use a regular Joe or Jane with multiple layers of damage and mistrust, and rampant insecurities to ferret out the truth. This tale is no different. Part of the joy of reading Ms Walters is becoming acquainted with her protagonist. They are always presented with their warts and blemishes in full view and we are all the more ready to accept them as fellow seekers of truth because they are so 3-dimensional. I have a couple more of her books on my shelf. I shall soon have to begin looking for more! Long may she write!

A Dreadful Murder: The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard

Minette Walters

A body is found in the woods . . .
Based on the true story of the shocking murder of Mrs Caroline Luard, which took place in Kent in August 1908.
Caroline Luard is shot dead in broad daylight in the grounds of a large country estate. With few clues available, her husband soon becomes the suspect . . . But is he guilty?
Bringing to life the people involved in this terrible crime, in A Dreadful Murder bestselling author Minette Walters uses modern detective skills to attempt to solve a 100-year-old crime.

This is an interesting short read. It is based on a real murder which took place in Kent in the early nineteen hundreds and the author has written an imaginative reconstruction of it. Caroline Luard is found dead as she was walking home. 

Her husband was the last person to see her alive and the person who discovered her body. He is a friend of the Chief Constable who quite rightly calls in Scotland Yard to investigate. It is a story of animosity against Caroline’s husband and anonymous letters falling thick as leaves in Vallombrosa.

Even though this book is written in simple language and designed to be read by people who may not read very much I still found enough in the story to keep me reading. It is an intriguing mystery and it is up to the reader to make up their own minds about who did it. If you want a quick read which is part fiction and part non-fiction then give this a try.

Four Warned

Jeffery Archer

These four short stories from a master storyteller are packed full of twists and turns.

In Stuck on You, Jeremy finds out exactly the best way to steal the perfect ring for his fiancée.

Albert celebrates his 100th birthday, and is pleased to be sent The Queen's Birthday Telegram. He is, however, confused . . .

In Russia, businessman Richard plots the ideal way to murder his wife. He begins to have a clever idea when his hotel warns him: Don't Drink the Water from the taps.

And as Diana, a busy single mother, drives to have dinner with friends, she realises that a black van is following her. Soon terrified for her life, she does whatever it takes to stick to the warning given to drivers: Never Stop on the Motorway . . .

Every reader will have their favourite story – some will make you laugh, others will bring you to tears. And, as always, every one of them will keep you spellbound.

Quick Reads is a World Book Day initiative.

Four short stories all with a nice little sting in the tale!

Writing short stories is a particular art and not one that all novelists can get to grips with; but Jeffrey Archer manages it particularly well. The art of the short story lies in keeping it short, obviously, but still keeping the reader informed and expectant all at the same time. Archer is, first and foremost, a storyteller and it's that ability that's at the forefront here. None of these stores is predictable and they all hold your attention with clever little twists and turns It's an easy read and one that can easily be achieved at a single sitting for the avid reader - so not a book for holidays or long journeys but a good one to curl up with by the fire, knowing you can make a good dent in it before calling it a night.

Following Fish:  Travels Around the Indian coast

Samanth Subramanian

In a coastline as long and diverse as India's, fish inhabit the heart of many worlds—food of course, but also culture, commerce, sport, history and society. Journeying along the edge of the peninsula, Samanth Subramanian reports upon a kaleidoscope of extraordinary stories.

In nine essays, Following Fish conducts rich journalistic investigations: among others, of the famed fish treatment for asthmatics in Hyderabad; of the preparation and the process of eating West Bengal's prized hilsa; of the ancient art of building fishing boats in Gujarat; of the fiery cuisine and the singular spirit of Kerala's toddy shops; of the food and the lives of Mumbai's first peoples; of the history of an old Catholic fishing community in Tamil Nadu; of the hunt for the world's fastest fish near Goa.

Throughout his travels, Subramanian observes the cosmopolitanism and diverse influences absorbed by India's coastal cities, the wthdrawing of traditional fishermen from their craft, the corresponding growth of fishing as pure and voluminous commerce, and the degradation of waters and beaches from over-fishing.

Pulsating with pleasure, adventure and discovery, and tempered by nostalgia and loss, Following Fish speaks as eloquently to the armchair traveller as to lovers of the sea and its lore.

I believe in discovering books on my own. I do not believe in recommendations because I am scared that most people do not know what I love to read or do not care to ask. It is a fact. Most people just put a book in your hands and tell you, “You must read this.” There is nothing more to that interaction. And yet there are times when I am completely taken in by a recommendation and love it to the core. This was the case with, “Following Fish” by Samanth Subramanian that was highly recommended by a dear friend and rightly so. 

“Following Fish” is a lot packed in one book. It is about food and about travel and about empathy and about different cultures existing in one country, which is India. Subramanian travels the length and breadth of the coastal parts of the country and discovers Fish, right from how the process of catching fish goes on to the making and to the cultures that influence this category of “sea food”. 

What I loved about the book was its simplicity of language and at the same the core remained intact. Not at any given time does Samanth move or change tracks rapidly. Even his travels were planned and thereby the writing that emerges is fantastic. The writing is easy and not at all taxing. In fact in most places it is even funny given the nature of a travelogue when infused with food at its core. He speaks of tragedies such as tsunamis and he also talks of happy times. In the most basic way, the balance is created and maintained. 

My most favourite part in the book, but obviously had to be about Mumbai and its fish. About how fish is revered in the city and what place does it have. What I also found most endearing was the way Samanth combines history with all of this. I am a firm believer in the concept of the past and how it links to everything we are made of, so this worked for me superbly while reading the book. The good thing is that this book reads very simply so and at the same time speaks of so many different things. A read if you love to travel or love food or love both. 

A Prearranged Love

Anusha Vishnampet

A love story with a difference

Spirited and independent Rekha Ramkumar met handsome and cocky Arjun Kalyan on a blind date. He called her shorty and she threatened to dump a drink on his lap. They vowed to never see each other again but fate had the last laugh...

When they are forced to work together on his companys marketing campaign, Rekha sees a new side of Arjun, one that she finds hard to resist. While Arjun is increasingly fascinated by Rekha, having once rejected her, could he convince her that she was The One?

A Pre-Arranged love by Anusha Vishnampet is a very cute story. It is about Rekha Ramkumar, working with Flash Advertising & Marketing Solutions. She lives with her mother Sheela in Hyderabad. Her mother wants her to get married and ettle down in life and arranges for her to meet her friend, Sunita’s son, Arjun Kalyan, a software developer at Softech, over a cup of coffee. They meet and the result is disastrous. Rekha and Arjun end up calling each other names. 

As luck would have it, her company is selected to make a corporate video and TV and Print Advertisement for his company. And they meet again. They are courteous to each other initially because of the professional relationship and later become friends. 

The flow of the story and the storyline is very good. A very beautifully written book.

Thorn

Intisar Khanani

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family’s cruelty and the court’s contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future. 

But powerful men have powerful enemies—and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman’s, giving Alyrra the first choice she’s ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she’s never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometimes the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

I loved this book, absolutely loved it. It’s an object lesson for me, actually, in not pre-judging a book, because this one ticks so many of my ‘no’ boxes: it’s YA, it’s a fairy-tale retelling, it’s first person present tense (“I back away...”, “I gaze at him”), it’s more or less a romance, it’s about a princess who doesn’t quite fit in, it has villains with no redeeming characteristics. Had I known all that beforehand, I would never have touched it and I would have missed a lovely, lovely story. As it was, it popped up on a list of free books, I started reading the sample and just kept reading, couldn’t put it down, in fact.

For those who know their fairy tales, this is a reworking of the Goose Girl story. I didn’t know anything about it, so maybe I missed a few subtleties, but I felt it worked perfectly well without any prior knowledge, and apart from a few oddities (like the talking Horse!) there was nothing in there that couldn't be found in conventional fantasy. One of the great strengths of this book is that the characters all feel truly rounded, so even though they are fulfilling traditional roles (the princess, the prince, the witch and so on) they have great depth and believable personalities. The villains seem at first glance to be simplistically cruel and evil, but they all have enough backstory to make them credible, if not exactly sympathetic.

The magic in the book is quite powerful, but the fundamentals are explained clearly enough to be believable, even the talking Horse. The author has thought everything out very carefully, and it works so well that when the heroine is rescued by magical means, it makes perfect sense. Not that she has to be rescued very often, mostly she is perfectly resilient and self-sufficient, and manages to get herself out of trouble and help others as well. I liked, too, that the magic is simply an integral part of life, everyone accepts it and it’s properly regulated. Interestingly, there is also religion, never explained or central to the plot, but just there, as a natural and perfectly normal thing. There are also social customs which are alluded to without full explanations, like a system of debt between people (if someone helps you out, you owe them a debt of comparable value). At one point there’s a discussion of a gift, and whether it incurs an obligation (a debt) or whether it’s just a gift, freely given, and a decision is reached without any attempt to explain the ‘rules’ of such an arrangement to the reader. I rather like this relaxed attitude towards world-building. Some things just are, and don’t need to be elaborated.

The character of Alyssa, the princess, is central to the story, naturally, and the first person narration makes it imperative that she is both likeable and believable. I feel the author pulls this off magnificently. Of course Alyssa makes mistakes sometimes, but she copes well with the strange events which overtake her, and is strong-minded, caring and intelligent without ever turning into the tedious type of kickass female protagonist so often depicted in fantasy these days. On the contrary, she often feels overwhelmed and suffers a great deal, but she always tries to do the right thing, as far as she can. There is a certain amount of angsting, but it's actually understandable, given Alyssa's predicament.

The plot rattles along very nicely, with some unexpected twists and turns. There are villains, of course, so bad things happen, but there are also friends who help out from time to time, just as in real life. Also realistic is that physical encounters have physical effects - if you roll down a cliff, for instance, or get beaten up, there will be cuts and bruises, maybe even broken bones, and time needed to recover. The climax is a bit of a show-stopper, a wonderful outbreak of magical manipulation with everything at stake, and no real certainty of how things will go. And the author neatly side-steps the clichéd ending. It's a fairy story, so of course good triumphs over evil, but the way that is achieved is refreshingly different. And there's not the obvious happy ever after, either. Rather, there's an acknowledgement that a lot has happened and there are bound to be scars, and a tentative sense of moving forward.

This book surprised me. It may be YA, but it addresses some very profound issues, like the nature of justice, the corroding effect of revenge, questions of loyalty and trust and honesty, and the inner goodness (or not) of people, regardless of what they look like, or their rank. The romance element follows a traditional path but with great originality and commendable restraint. The writing style is eloquently literate, and I barely noticed the use of first person present tense. I had a very few minor quibbles - there were a few places early on where I wasn't clear about relationships or what exactly was happening - but nothing major enough to spoil my enjoyment. A terrific read. Five stars.

The Giver

 Jois Lowry

 

Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

This book is perhaps the best refutation that I have seen in some time of a common philosophy of pain that is sometimes found in the popular media and in some versions of Buddhism. According to this philosophy, pain is the ultimate evil, and so, to eliminate pain and suffering we must give up desire, and individuality. Self is an illusion, and leads to pain; desire and agency are dangerous, so we should give them up and join the cosmic oneness "enlightenment" to find a utopia without pain. As George Lucas unfortunately has Yoda say to Anakin, "you must give up all that you fear to lose."

And, of course, this is hogwash. Choice, agency, adversity, love, desire, and real pleasure are dangerous, they can lead to pain, but without them life has no purpose. Love could lead to the loss of that which we love, but life without love is empty. Purpose comes from choosing. Purpose comes from overcoming adversity. Yes, you could choose poorly, and that could lead to pain, choice is dangerous, but without it, life has no meaning, it is colorless. Greatness in life is found by overcoming adversity, not by the absence of adversity. Without opposition, there is nothing to overcome, and thus there may be no bad, but there is also no good, there may be no pain, but there is also no joy.

The Lightning Thief 

Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Really is there something I could say that hasn't been said? Doubtful, but in utterly stupid human style I will write a review anyway attempting to tell people how cool this book is.

This is plainly an awesome idea. I had always wondered what happened to the kids of half gods/goddess and humans. Here's the story to quench your curiosity. Percy Jackson has been dumped around from border school to border school. He has never been quite like anybody else, but as the end of sixth grade approaches he'll find out how unique he actually is...

I picked this up thinking that I would enjoy it, but not to the extent of really being hooked so fast. Literally from the first pages I knew I was gonna finish this book. It's geared towards middle grade readers and mostly male I think, but really all that goes away when you're reading this. As an older reader I did see most of the twists coming but that is because the author is generous about hints, which I have always liked. What really sold it for me though is the action. I have mentioned this numerous times, but I'll say it again, I am a total sucker for action scenes . Give me a good fight sequence and I'm there.

A few reviews mention how this is ripoff of Harry Potter, and now that I think about it I could see where they are coming from. There are definitely similarities, but to be honest I didn't really catch that, (I guess I'm kind of dim...I shouldn't probably admit to that *shakes head* moving on) because the world the author set was so original that the similar setup can be easily forgiven.

We all love heroes. Especially ones like Percy. People never expect much from him, and that's what makes this journey of his so personal to the reader. You root for him and are so glad that his muscling his way through it. It has the feel of cheering for the underdog. And I'm guessing this underdog is going to blow everyone out of the water.

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

 

 It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids - as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

 

 If you want a fast read, this book is not for you. If you only like happy endings this book is not for you. If you don't like experimental fiction, this book is not for you.

If you love to read and if you love to care about the characters you read about and if you love to eat words like they're ice cream and if you love to have your heart broken and mended on the same page, this book is for you.

This story is narrated by Death during World War II, and it is the story of a young German girl who comes of age during one of the most horrific times in recent history. Death has a personality. If something bad is about to happen, Death warns you ahead of time. My favorite part is when "he" stomps on a framed picture of Hitler on his way to retrieve a thousand souls from a bomb raid. Death is trying to understand the human race as much as the humans are. When "his" job becomes unbearable, he watches the color of the sky as he gathers the souls and carries them away. The descriptions of the sky are like nothing I've ever read.

A few quotes: In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water. p.164

The town that afternoon was covered in a yellow mist, which stroked the rooftops as if they were pets and filled up the streets like a bath. p.247

He was more a black suit than a man. His face was a mustache. p.413

He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It's his only detriment. he steps on my heart. He makes me cry. p.531

There was once a strange, small man. He decided three important details about his life:
1. He would part his hair from the opposite side to everyone else.
2. He would make himself a small, strange mustache.
3. He would one day rule the world.
...Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. p.445

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank

 

 Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.

In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annexe" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.

In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short. 

Why do we write reviews?
You have a lot of reasons I guess.

But for this review there is only one. I am writing this for my conscience.
Ever since I have rated this book, I always end up asking myself that, have I rated it with something it deserved or was it just out of sympathy (some call it pity vote)?

Reading other reviews (although most people just rate it and proceed) posed me with many other questions and also gave me idea of what people generally think about her and her diary.

So I’m going to start with-
DO WE DESERVE to review or even rate this book diary?
Yes it is a diary not a book. And aren’t diary meant to be something personal? Yes they are, but it was Anne's wish to get her diary published and she even went on to fictionalize the diary by changing names.

When I started this book I knew how it would end and who doesn’t! I had the least of the expectation, knowing that she was 13 years old but she just surprised me by the outlook she carried of life. She thought and wrote over few such things that didn’t occur to my mind until I read it but have applied throughout my life.
She at times made me laugh, at times made me feel sad. If she felt something, her writing definitely made me experience it and thus she overcame my expectation by large margin.

I have read in lot of review that her thoughts were way ahead of her age.
Of course they were, difficult conditions make you mature and responsible, but there were also other people living under the same roof and in same condition, the suffering had even effect on them. I remember the letter exchange between two sisters, at that point after reading Margot’s letter, for the first time I realised Anne was still child among them.

Some say she could visualize herself and her thoughts and actions from different perspective and thus realise her fault.
The thing with diary is that it is a lopsided view of the events. She would write her thoughts and what she wrote of others were her interpretation of them.....I have it in my mind but can’t put it in words and why should I! Does it matter what kind of girl was she? 'NO’ from me.

Last thing that occur to me is that many people found it uninteresting and tiresome.
I liked it, it couldn’t get any better. I mean they were in hiding for their life in a same house for two years without even opening the window; they were not solving murder mystery. I remember that when I was halfway through the book, I would every now and then turn to the last diary entry and count the days that remained. I felt very sad and depressed and it would have been the last thing to occur to me that it was uninteresting; I was just taken by her wish to see the outside world again, feel the fresh wind and to go to school, but...

This is not a book to enjoy much; we read it to gain the insight of hardships that people had to go through during this holocaust. Through this book she give us best view of the worst of the world. No one has ever benefitted from war; all it gives is pain and misery.
All this being said there is nothing to review the book, but accept it as written account of the vices of the war.

The worst question that seemed to have been slapped across my face was: Would this book have meant the same if Anne had survived the holocaust and lived to become old? Would it have been famous as it is now?
Well she didn’t survived and with her ended answer to this question and no one can bring her back.

To Kill a Mocking Bird

Harper Lee

 

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.

 “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”(p. 20)

I love this book and this idea of reading being like breathing. As Scout did, I read early too, and often. Every night before bed I would read and still do. I saw a Twilight Zone Episode once where the main character loved to read and only wanted to be left alone to do so. After falling asleep in the vault of the bank where he worked, he awoke to a post-disaster world where only he was left. He busily gathered together all the books he wanted to read, all organized and stacked up. Just as he chose one to start with, his glasses fell and he stepped on them trying to find them. It was terrible and I remember feeling horrified that this man would never get to read again! Such a thought had never occurred to me. This semester I had to get glasses myself after suffering migraines from reading. I was so nervous at the eye doctor because the thought of not being able to read was too much for me. Of course, I only needed readers, but when I ran across this quote, I thought about how much like breathing reading is for me.


“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (p. 87)

Never say die! Fight the good fight no matter what! I love the anti-defeatist message in this quote. Even though Atticus knows the deck is stacked against him, he tries anyway. He understands that sometimes you have to fight the un-winnable fight just for the chance that you might win. It makes me think that what he’s trying to teach his children is never to give up just because things look dim.


“...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.” (p. 120)

As Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” That’s really all that matters. At the end of the day, when you lay down, you have to know that you did the right things, acted the right way and stayed true to yourself. Again, Atticus understands that the town is talking; he has to explain to his kids why he continues against the tide of popular thought. He sums it up so well here.

“We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”(p. 320)

I love the sad way this quote sounds. It is clearly the thoughts of a child, for hadn’t Scout just given Boo his dignity as they were walking home? Hadn’t she and Jem given him children to care for and watch over? But she knows too, even from her child’s perspective, that they could never give him anything close to what he had given them—their lives. It just sounds so beautifully sad.

The Hunger Games

Suzzane Collins

 

 The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The 'tributes' are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.

When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

 

In a place once known as North America, now known as Panem, is a very rich City surrounded by twelve Districts. Every year because this very rich City, known as The Capitol, is so rich and likes to think they control all the Districts - which they do - there is something known as The Hunger Games This is where two children, one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of twelve to eighteen, have to leave their families and compete in The Hunger Games, a live event that is aired on TV's all over Panem. When Katniss Everdeen, aged sixteen from District 12, has to volunteer to take the place of her twelve-year-old sister Prim after Prim's name is called forth to become the 23rd member to compete in The 74th Hunger Games, she promises to Prim that she will win! 

Katniss doesn't believe she's coming out alive - but she's not going down without a fight.
Because District 12 is so poor, Katniss has been close to death many times from starvation but she's made it through it. But this is a different kind of close to death; this Katniss doesn't know if she can survive.
She doesn't want to hurt, or kill anyone but when it comes down to it Katniss' instinct is to survive. But when she starts to have confusing feelings about the boy from her district who is also her fellow contender, things get worse, and then she teams up with the girl from District 11 and only one person can survive. But who will it be? Will her feelings get the better of her? Will she let someone else win so they don't have to die? If Katniss is going to win she's going to have to be brutal. She's going to have to kill!
This is the second time I have read The Hunger Games! And since reading it the first time round I've wanted to read it again! But I just have so many books I haven't read and it's hard to balance it right but finally I've decided to read them again! The Hunger Games was DEFINITELY the best series I read last year! I would really suggest reading it if you haven't yet! It's really different from lots of the other stuff I read. And it's a good book to take you somewhere else; I could really get into The Hunger Game and I've been able to get into it reading it the second time round. Although it is more difficult reading it the second time round because I have now seen the film and I imagined it completely differently to how they did it in the film - and I liked my version better. I'm going straight onto the next one, Catching Fire, as you can't resist reading them all as quickly as possible as soon as you've started!
The book was 100% better than the film. A good book to sit down with on a horrible rain day! It makes you happy to be alive and happy to know that you are not going to be entered in a competition where you are to fight to your death every year. But it's a great story! And a great idea for a story. It's one of the books I wish I had written myself! One of my favourite series of book ever! I highly suggest reading it, and hope Suzanne Collins goes on to write more teen fiction as The Hunger Games was so good! I would read anything by her without batting an eyelid! One of the best authors out there at the moment in my opinion! Good job Suzanne Collins!

Memoirs of a Geisha

Arthur Golden

 

 Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it.

In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable.

 

  A Cinderella romance that unexpectedly swept me away! Memoirs of a Geisha is a very picturesque and dramatic tale of a young village girl taken from her family and raised in Kyoto as a geisha.

Usually I don't go in for romance. Don't get me wrong, I love love. But I prefer my love stories to be true. There is something immensely powerful about real love. As far as I've been able to discover, much of this story is based on the actual events of the life of former geisha Mineko Iwasaki. Why do I think so? She sued Golden for defamation of character. Apparently he included details she'd told him during their interviews that were not meant for print. Well, that's good enough for me!

I was dazzled by the details and enchanted by the well-paced plot. It's not for everyone, but if you liked the movie version you shouldn't be disappointed by the book, being that the two are identical in most ways.

 

If God Was a Banker

Ravi Subramaniam

 

Two young managers graduates, with nothing similar in family backgrounds and temperament, join New York international Bank on the same day and take entirely different routes to success.

Came across this book by chance in Jaipur when attending a talk by Jeffrey Archer where Ravi Subramaniam was the moderator. This was his debut fiction novel. The book reads like a film, but gives you an insight on the probable follies, exploits, games played within the corporate foreign banking environment in India. Sometimes they say, too much intelligence is a bad thing, it makes you do deviant things. I especially liked the character of Naresh, a uniquely Indian character. Shrewd manipulator,...more Came across this book by chance. This was the author's debut fiction novel. The book reads like a film, but gives you an insight on the probable follies, exploits, games played within the corporate foreign banking environment in India. Sometimes they say, too much intelligence is a bad thing, it makes you do deviant things. I especially liked the character of Naresh, a uniquely Indian character. Shrewd manipulator, crafty exploiter of weakness for his own self-gain. I wished that the Swami character need not have been too perfect, he too should have had some flaws besides his lack of fathering capabilities and coming from a fatherless, poor family. It was almost as if to make him too virtuous. I was pleased with the portrayal of women in this book. Several of them were morally questionable and highly tolerant of subjugation which is a realistic look at the roles many educated women play in a man's world. A useful look at the way hierarchy and promotions take place within an organization and it was interesting to see how employees are shifted to global offices as part of the complex scheme, Makes you look at foreign bankers far less favorably. I look forward to reading more of his tales. 

The Incredible Banker

 Ravi Subramaniam

 

It would feature in "The Must Read Novels By Indian Author" List for me (provided I ever think of making such list and find the patience to do it)...not that the author hadn't impressed me with his "If God was a Banker" tale...but this one is again a gem coming from him...

And gem because he talks about finance (to a gal with major in Finance in MBA and still scared of someone asking her if depositing money in bank would be debit or credit), and makes it sound so simple...he talks banking and he makes you wish equally to be a part of that industry as well as thank God that you aren't in it...and of course, the way he brings two totally different areas together...the Naxals and the banks...you don't expect this from Indian authors..all I expect are college stories, love stories and of course the new buzz topic, Mythology..

Accepted the novel wasn't a lot too believable (on second thoughts, it was...what if it has happened, or is still happening...on smaller, tough to detect scale) and is an amazing read...after reading loads of Indian authors in last few weeks, this one made sure I am totally hooked...and of course, convinced me that I can still continue to look forward for Indian Author Writeups...

The Bankster

Ravi Subramaniam

 

The uneasy calm in Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) is shattered when a series of murders rock the façade of the compliant and conforming bank that GB2 has built up over the years. Who is to blame? Who is driving these intriguing and bone chilling murders? What is the motive behind these gruesome killings? No one has a clue.

And when Karan Panjabi, a press reporter and an ex-banker digs deeper, he realizes that he has stumbled on a global conspiracy with far reaching ramifications - a secret that could destroy not only the bank but cast a shadow on the entire nation. With only thirty-six hours at his disposal, he is running out of time and must trust no one if he wants to stay alive and uncover the truth.

In the racy build up to unraveling the mystery, stranger than fiction characters emerge, faith get shattered and ivory towers come crashing down. Bankers build their careers on trust, or so everyone thought - till the day the truth within GB2 gets revealed. Is the banker at GB2 fast turning into a Bankster? Or was he always one?

Spinning an intricate web of lies, deceit and treachery, bestselling author Ravi Subramanian is back. A master storyteller of financial crime, this is his most chilling thriller yet.
 
The book cover said, “Meet the John Grisham of Banking – Wall Street Journal.” That put me on alert mode immediately because I love John Grisham. He is THE BEST when it comes to legal thrillers. So obviously the quote on the cover raised my expectation from the book and at the same time it also made me a bit vary. I haven’t read any of his previous books and so I kept wondering whether it would really be that good? I have to admit that I dilly-dallied a bit only because I did not want to be disappointed.

I need not have worried…

The story starts in Angola and swiftly shifting to Kerala giving us a glimpse of diamond racketeering. Then the focus shifts onto the Head Office of Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2). A number of deaths within a short span among the employee ranks of GB2 break the calm. The seemingly normal deaths – suicide and road accident – seems just that till one person, and ex-employee turned journalist, digs deep and comes up with a theory that makes these deaths look not so random or natural. On the other hand there’s a social activist who may have more to his character than what it seems.

The plot is a multi-faceted, complicated web that manages to entangle its readers completely. There are three parallel stories going on that keep you in the loop with the complete picture yet successfully blind you from the main culprit. You will keep guessing and trying to work your way through. The story ties in a variety of industries, objects, locations and people with scoop on the banking industry, blood diamonds, social activists and what not. From murder to politics to racketeering to money laundering, this novel has it all with a top up of some very interesting characters. On one hand we have spicy characters like the present employees of Greater Boston Global Bank – Vikram, Zinaida, Tanuja and Indrani. On the other hand we have colourful characters like social activist Krishna & my favourite character - Journalist Karan.

The Krishna Key

 Ashwin Sanghi

 

Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age—the Kaliyug.

In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar.

Only, he is a serial killer.

In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret—Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind.

Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna’s most prized possession. From the sand-washed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice.

Ashwin Sanghi brings you yet another exhaustively researched whopper of a plot, while providing an incredible alternative interpretation of the Vedic Age that will be relished by conspiracy buffs and thriller-addicts alike.

Now I was going to start my review with

*Drumrolls* Ladies and Gentlemen ,may I present to you Indian Da Vinci Code and was stumped when everybody on the blogosphere said so. So no point in talking more on it.

The book is divided into 108 chapters and each chapter starts with 108 shlokas which tell us the story of Krishna. After these shlokas, the present day story continues.

Now, on the plot. Krishna has been the most intriguing God in Indian Mythology. He has left 4 seals which when brought together would give The Krishna Key which perhaps points to elixir of life or may be something else.Watch out for that in the book folks.

The history of Mahabharata and Krishna is seen from four different perspectives. One of a historian. Another of an archaeologists. Another one of a scientist and lastly, a perspective of a geneticist. All the four perspectives are interesting and give clues to find Krishna Key. Also I had a shock of my life correlating these perspectives. They are absolutely stunning and make you wonder about the truth we have been hearing to all our lives.

Each character is well-defined and yes they do tend scatter here and there but the pace of the story makes up for it. It has two kick-ass women protagonists to watch for.

Well too much is too bad. The story tends to give in too much of information citing facts and evidences. It is an adrenaline rush in the beginning but for the last 150 pages or so I was too tired to sink in the information. It gave an impression of dispersed information and seemed like had-the-information-so-had-to-put-it. Still,it is a teeny-weeny negligible POV (my point of view) to ignore.

In essence, The Krishna Key is a fast pace thriller which will give you an adrenaline rush. You will have tough time to put it down but at the same time last few pages will exhaust you a bit.So, please have a mug of coffee ready.

Lastly, my oh my, where was I. Why did I not read Ashwin Sanghi before. There is a special place for Mr.Sanghi on my bookshelf now. Keep writing my new-found favorite author.

The Oath of the Vayuputras

Amish Tripathi

 

ONLY A GOD CAN STOP IT.

Shiva is gathering his forces. He reaches the Naga capital, Panchavati, and Evil is finally revealed. The Neelkanth prepares for a holy war against his true enemy, a man whose name instils dread in the fiercest of warriors.

India convulses under the onslaught of a series of brutal battles. It's a war for the very soul of the nation. Many will die. But Shiva must not fail, no matter what the cost. In his desperation, he reaches out to the ones who have never offered any help to him: the Vayuputras.

Will he succeed? And what will be the real cost of battling Evil? To India? And to Shiva's soul?

Discover the answer to these mysteries in this concluding part of the bestselling Shiva Trilogy.

Let me be honest. When I heard that Amish was writing his third and final novel to the Shiva Trilogy, I was kinda relieved. Thinking that we would finally get some closure to Shiva's life, I greedily picked up the book and went through with it. Now as I have turned the final page of India's most successful series in recent times, I sincerely wish it had gone on just a bit longer.

The first 200 pages or so were quite boring and honest to God, I was planning to shut this book and place it in an already overcrowded bookshelf in a section I have called I wish I hadn't. Had this been a single book with no books before or after it, I would have done so without a second thought. But, due to the fun I had reading the previous novels, I knew I just had to get through with it, just hoping for the best. And so, I went on.

And, I haven't regretted doing so one bit, the story actually picked up, the moment I thought it had become bland and I was hooked. Lots of emotion, drama, action, war etc filled the 300+ pages. Saying any further will only act as a spoiler since there are a lot of twists and turns each linked to each other in some way or another.

Amish has definitely done a great job bringing closure to all the major characters in the trilogy. Couldn't have asked for anything less or anything more.

The Secret Of The Nagas

Amish Tripathi

 

The Secret of the Nagas is the second novel of the Shiva trilogy series by the Indian author Amish Tripathi. The story takes place in the imaginary land of Meluha and narrates how the inhabitants of that land are saved from their wars by a nomad named Shiva. It begins from where its predecessor, The Immortals of Meluha, left off, with Shiva trying to save Sati from the invading Naga. Later Shiva takes his troop of soldiers and travels far east to the land of Branga, where he wishes to find a clue to reach the Naga people. Shiva also learns that Sati's first child is still alive, as well as her twin sister. His journey ultimately leads him to the Naga capital of Panchavati, where he finds a surprise waiting for him.


The Secret of the Nagas was in high demand before its release, with 80,000 copies pre-ordered. The book quickly reached the top of best-seller listings, selling 95,000 copies the first month, before going for a re-print. Over 1.7 million copies of the Shiva Trilogy (The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras) books have been sold and a gross retail sales of over 40 crore (US$6.9 million). Although the book was commercially successful, The Secret of the Nagas received mixed reviews from critics. While it received praise for its "impressive conception" and story development, it also received criticism for Tripathi's usage of non-literary language.

The first book ended on a rather surprising note and I must warn you, the second book ends on a shocking one. Starting over from where Sati was left under attack by a Naga, the episode turns into a dramatic action sequence. From there, the story picks up and Shiva and Sati both start their journey from Swadweep to Kashi and several other kingdoms, with just one motto in mind- to find the evil Naga who killed Shiva’s best friend Brahaspati. Vengeance is the only thing on Shiva’s mind and he will not stop at any cost. For this, he is ready to make a deal with any devil. His dark path is surely to lead him on till the gates of the serpent kingdom.
In this journey, Shiva and his team come across the fact that an evil plague is rising everywhere and certainly, in most of the kingdoms, it has already risen. Simultaneously, a prince is murdered, an entire kingdom is dying and treachery seeps in from the most unexpected place- the perfect kingdom of Meluha!

The Immortals of Meluha

 Amish Tripathi

 

1900 BC. In what modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived. This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills!

The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.

Is the rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant Shiva, really that hero? And does he want to be that hero at all? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, by duty as well as by love, will Shiva lead the Suryavanshi vengeance and destroy evil?

The book is based on the belief that perhaps the actions, the deeds and karma are the only deciding factors in transforming an ordinary man to Mahadev - God of Gods.

WHAT I LIKED THE MOST ABOUT THE BOOK
Using the same characters, places and names which are associated with Lord Shiva -Mansarovar,Sati, Nandi, Daksh, Gunas, makes the whole story very believable and easy to relate to.Many euphoric moments throughout the narrative, especially the episode when Neelkanth inspires the Suryavanshi army to...more The book is based on the belief that perhaps the actions, the deeds and karma are the only deciding factors in transforming an ordinary man to Mahadev - God of Gods.

WHAT I LIKED THE MOST ABOUT THE BOOK
Using the same characters, places and names which are associated with Lord Shiva -Mansarovar,Sati, Nandi, Daksh, Gunas, makes the whole story very believable and easy to relate to.Many euphoric moments throughout the narrative, especially the episode when Neelkanth inspires the Suryavanshi army to believe in 'Har Har Mahadev' - each and every person is Mahadev. The climax and the final revelation to Neelkanth. His inner struggle, turmoil, frustration and desperation to find the answer, the solution and the final realization. Interweaving the sub plots of Saptrishis, Vasudevs, brief history of Devas and Asurasa and Rudra in the narrative without confusing the readers anywhere. Liked the detailed description of places and situations which helps the readers in understanding the story and moving along with it. A completely original plot brilliantly amalgamating mythology, history and fiction to create a mesmerizing saga. I would like to give 10/10 for the imagination of the author. The author has fictionalized and simplified the mythology to such an extent that it can easily be followed by all, thereby increasing its reach extensively.

After reading this book, I was wondering, perhaps the 'page-turner' term was coined for such books. This book completely lives up to the term.Definitely one of the stories which will remain with the readers for a very long time and I am sure Shiva/Neelkanth/Mahadev will be in their hearts forever.