2009-in books and otherwise…

A year back I would have never thought that my life would be like this, in a different country and finally married to J. But somehow, most of 2009 has been a blur. I don’t remember much before my wedding which was in November, so almost an entire year is kind of hazy.

But if I think hard last year was a year of events. One of my close friends got married and now she is in Germany. I always wondered what her husband would be like and I’m really happy that she got the kind she wanted. Another of my close friend gave birth to a baby girl, I’m an aunt now I wish I could see her.

Whatever the case, life is never going to be the same, for them and for me, in a good way though.

Back to Singapore , I love this place but I also miss home a lot. Singapore is very organized, there are no surprises, everything runs very smoothly and apart from family and friends that’s exactly what I miss about home. The spontaneity, the feeling that anything could happen anytime.  I miss the constant buzz of energy, I don’t know how to explain it better. It could get a little boring after a while in Singapore but life is definitely easier here.

Anyway, I am looking forward to exploring more of Singapore, the neighboring places and just enjoy being with my husband.

Reading has always been a constant, but 2009 has been great in that respect too. I read a lot of books that I might not have if not for my blog.

If I have to list books that have stayed with me, they would be

Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe: A great way to look at old African traditions and culture.

Mommy I’m still in here by Kate McLaughlin: This was my first book on Bipolar Disorder and I was shocked at how some people live everyday without having any control over their lives.

Jane Eyre: Need I say more?

Cutting Loose by Nadine Dajani: This is one of the very few chicklits that has stayed with me after so many days. I cannot wait for the author to come up with the next book.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran : What can I say? My favorite period in the history. I cannot get enough of Michelle Moran too.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: This book was beautiful, I have no other words to describe it.

My Father’s Paradise by Ariel Sabar: I learned so much from this book- about Kurdish Jews and a dusty village called Zakho.

Behind Every Illusion by Christina Harner: I loved the atmosphere created by this book so much that even if I close my eyes today I can see it all. Although I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, this is one book that has had an impact on me.

A hundred and One Days: I love reading about war journalism and this one was really good.

Jasmyn by Alex Bell: Again a fantasy that was very different and it was based on a fairy tale. It was beautiful.

Carrie by Stephen King: My first Stephen King book.

Where the Heart is by Bettie Letts: A heart warming story about a teenage pregnant girl and how she finds hope and love at the most unexpected places.

The entire list of books read in 2009 is here.

I’m not very strict in my reading goals but last year read 45 books and I said it would be great if I would be able to read 50 in 2009. I read 90 without stressing about numbers at all. That according to me is GREAT reading year.

I hope 2010 is great for everyone in all respects.

A very Happy New Year from us to you and yours!!!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 400 pages
Source: Library
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

About the book: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf–her wolf–is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My thoughts:
Isn’t that a great Synopsis? I had wanted to read this book for a long time and I snapped it when I saw it in the library. But I was really disappointed.

Firstly, I was kind of surprised that Grace fell in love with a wolf before even knowing that he could shift back to human. There is of course a reason for that but it was weird that she doesn’t once question her obsession with the wolf. When she finally comes to know that the wolf is a human, Sam, she falls in love with him too and then she doesn’t want him to go back to being a wolf. Kind of makes sense but still a little weird.

Sam turns into a wolf in winters and he afraid that after some time he is going to remain a wolf forever. He has to find a way to stay with Grace forever.

While I liked the concept I didn’t like the execution so much. It was very long winded with the same things repeating over and over again. It was Sam trying not to turn and Grace wondering why she cannot change. The atmosphere the author created in Mercy Falls was great, I could imagine myself being there and starring at the wolf’s roaming through the woods. But other than that there was nothing much. The writing at times felt a little juvenile. So I guess teenagers would really like this book because it also has that pining for first love feeling.

If you love YA, go for it, else skip it.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (October 22, 1999)
Source: Library
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My thoughts:
I had very high expectations from this book and although I loved it I wouldn’t say it was exceptional.

Speak is about a teenage girl Melinda who is an outcast at school. She is struggling to find her voice which was silenced by something that happened to her at a summer party. I am guessing everyone knows what it is, I won’t mention it here for the few who don’t. Although there are hints as to what exactly happened and it is quite easy to guess, that is really not the purpose of the book.

I’s about not blaming yourself, not let the guilt take you down and silence you forever. The writing was exceptional, that was the only thing that make me go through the book because at times the book does get boring. It’s just Melinda complaining about her parents, her friends, the cheerleaders, the jocks and basically everyone around. And I do think that it is necessary to show the state of mind of a teenager who has gone through a traumatic situation. But sometimes it does get a little too much. But inspite of all this I did love Melinda’s voice, her observations were very funny and sarcastic at times which made for good reading.

Besides I think the ending was very neatly wrapped up, a little too neat. I am all for neat endings but for a topic like this it was a little unbelievable. How many girls get to this even? Anyway, it’s still a good book for teenagers. I loved it but it didn’t blow my mind the way it did for so many others.

2009 Challenges

It’s time to update my Challenges for 2009. I really did not keep track of all the Challenges, so it took some time to track and link the reviews.

2009 Pub Challenge : This was the easiest challenge of all which I did not have to keep track of. So in a way it really wasn’t a challenge at all I’m sure I’ve read more than 9, but for now I’ll stick to 9 because I don’t have the patience to link more
COMPLETED
1. A Duke to die for by Amelia Grey
2. The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
3. Saffron Dreams by Shaila abdullah
4. That Went Well by Terrell Harris Dougan
5. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
6. Falling in Love by Pauline Trent
7. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
8. Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman
9. The Everafter by Amy Huntley

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World Citizen Challenge (Major Level)
COMPLETED
1. Mommy I’m still here by Kate McLaughlin (Memoir/Worldwide Issues) This is a book on bipolar disorder.
2. The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk by Palden Gyatso (Memoir/ history)
3. Screw Cupid by Samantha Scolfield (Worldwide Issues) I am not sure what category this book fits under.
4. A Hundred and One days by Asne Seierstad (History)
5. Secret Daughter by June Cross (memoir)

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The Baker Street Challenge NOT COMPLETED. I had to read 3 books but I couldn’t
1. The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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Chunkster Challenge 09
COMPLETED
I don’t remember how many minimum books I had to read for this and I cannot find the link. So I’ll consider it completed.
1. Jane Eyre

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Casual Classics 2009 NOT COMPLETED. I just read one book – Jane Eyre, I think minimum was 4.

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Orbis Terrarum Challenge
COMPLETED
1. Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah (Author born in Pakistan)
2. Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Havely (Author born in Austria)
3. Cutting Loose by Nadine Dajani (Author born in Lebanon)
4. Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe (Author born in Nigeria)
5. The last Empress by Anchee Min (Author born in China)
6. A damsel in distress by P.G.Wodehouse (Author born in England)
7. The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk by Palden Gyatso (Author born in Tibet)
8. It happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina (Country of Origin: Italy)
9. Amen: The Autobiography of a nun by Sister Jesme (Author born in India)
10. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (Author from Australia)

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4R’s Challenge
COMPLETED
1. Carrie by Stephen King

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R.I.P IV
COMPLETED
1. Xombies by Walter Greatshell
2. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

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Only 2 Challenges not completed, that’s not bad I think and even if it is I’m not stressing about it too much.

How about you? Did you manage to complete all?

Weekly Geeks: How do you handle a book?

I haven’t done a meme in a long time and love doing memes. So I thought I would do a previous Weekly Geeks – How do you handle a book? I think they are fun questions.

How do you choose what to read? Is it random or planned? Based on your mood, challenges, titles, covers, topic? Before blogging I usually just went around the bookstore and picked up whatever I felt like-very random. Sometimes I would remember a book mentioned by someone on Shelfari and I would pick that. Now a days it’s mostly recommendations from other bloggers but sometimes it’s random too.

What process do you use for reading? Do you take notes while reading? Annotate your books? Just read? ummm…just read. If I like a para or a sentence too much I underline it or dog ear. I know.

What happens when you are done reading? Do you wait to review or write immediately? Do you revisit and revise before posting? I try and write the review the same day I finish the book. I read the review at least twice to correct any grammatical errors but I avoid revising too much. I would end up disliking everything I write that way.

What other tasks do you go through after reading a book? Is your blog the only place you post a review? Do you keep lists of readings? Catalog genre, page numbers, gender of authors, etc.? After I post the review on my blog, I post it on Goodreads, sometimes on Shelfari, B&N, Powells if the author or publicist requests for it. GoodReads is the place I catalog my books, but I am not very detailed about it. No page nos and gender of authors for me.

What happens to the book when you are done with it? Does it end up in your home library? Go back to a public library? BookMooch? Home Library. I have a problem, I don’t like giving out my books. I do lend it to friends but I make sure they come back to me. I am working on it

Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman

Title: Everything Sucks
Author: Hannah Friedman
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: HCI Teens; 1 edition (August 3, 2009)
Source: Author/ Publicist
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

My thoughts:
If I have to use just one word to describe this book, it would be “Honest”. Hannah Friedman is very upfront about everything-sex, drugs, peer pressure and so much more that teenagers deal with. What I mean by honest is that she doesn’t say I did drugs and sex at a young age and found out that it’s really bad and you shouldn’t do it and wait to find real love and all that stuff. She puts it the way it is. She delves into things that most of us would like to forget and never talk about. So in a way, I see many teenagers or probably even adults applauding her for being so upfront.

Everything Sucks is a memoir of a teenage girl, the author, who is born into a dysfunctional family. Her dad was a struggling musician and he took Hannah out of school for a year of traveling and touring. Also, she has a monkey as a sister. Just when Hannah thought she would be labeled as a freak forever, she is granted scholarship in a prestigious school, a school where all the rich kids study. Here she experiences different kind of pressure and issues.

So basically what I want to say is, you might like this book if you ever thought you would never fit in or even if you had absolutely no problems in high school ever. It’s just a funny and honest look at the authors teenage years.

I just thought I would mention that I really wouldn’t like a girl younger than 15 to read this book. But I’m not really sure. Considering how advanced today’s teenagers are, I wouldn’t be surprised if a 12 year old can relate to this book.

Also, please do watch Hannah Friedman’s YouTube channel. You’ll like it.

Where the heart is by Billie Letts

Title: Where the Heart is
Author: Billie Letts
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Oprah’s Book Club edition (June 1, 1998
Genre: Adult Fiction
Source: My bookshelf
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My thoughts:
I bought this book in a second hand bookstore. There is already a movie made on this so I’m sure I would never have picked it up for normal price. I would have preferred watching the movie instead.

Anyway, I’m so glad I picked it up because I ended up loving it. I read this before the wedding so my memory is not that sharp but I do remember all the lovely characters from the book, most of all Novalee, so I guess that’s a big plus.

The book begins with Novalee Nation and her boyfriend traveling on road to get to some place where the boyfriend could get some job. Novalee is a teenager and is pregnant. Somewhere mid-journey when they stop at Walmart, the boyfriend chickens out and leaves Novalle at Walmart and drives off.

So here she is, 17 and pregnant, with no one to turn to for help. So she hides in Walmart and manages to stay there until the baby is born. But along the way she meets some people, strangers, who take her in and shower her with love and give her a place she could call home.

At times I think everything turned out to be too easy for Novalle, like everything just fell into place. I’m not sure that really happens in real life. What is the future of a 17 year old pregnant girl with no job, who knows no body in the town and has absolutely nothing going for her? It’s a miracle alright, something we have stopped believing in long ago. May be it’s time we stop being so cynical and believe there are people who are as unselfish as the ones Novalle met in that small town.

So in spite of what I now call a minor problem in the book, I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading Where the Heart is. It’s a heart warming story with endearing characters. You will find yourself rooting for Novalee and falling in love with her adorable little girl.

It’s a book that’s perfect for Christmas. Besides, isn’t that a perfect title?

Updates…from Singapore…

Hi everybody, how are you all. I just thought I would post an in general update before resuming with regular blogging.

We reached Singapore on 8th Dec after a lovely week in Goa.

• We spend the next week setting up house, buying grocery and house hold stuff. My husband (I had wanted to say this for so long ) went to work on Monday and I spend time cleaning up the house.

• It’s weird sitting at home doing nothing, I’m going to resume my job hunt asap.

• Singapore is a cool place, very systematic and organized, I feel it even more aswe flew directly from the chaotic Mumbai.

• We visited the Night Safari here and it was beautiful and like everything else very organized.

• I love the weather here, it’s warm, just the way I like it.

• And you know what? I got my Library card from a regional library here and I’m so excited. It’s on my husband’s name as I don’t have my permanent visa yet. There are not many English books but I still love it. It would take me some time before I’m going to be tired of it. I got these, they were all in my wishlist :

• I really like the way Singaporean women dress, they are chic and stylish without being over the top. Not many people wear Jeans here though, so I guess I’ll have to slowly change my wardrobe. It kind of makes sense since it’s hot here.

• Singapore is expensive and I really have to stop converting dollars to rupees everytime we shop.

• We saw 2 movies since we are here:

New Moon: Boring, I mean really:  we couldn’t wait for it to get over. I kept telling my husband there is some really nice climax to the story but everything was kind of meh. Jacob was good though and so was the forks background.

RocketSingh-Salesman of the year: Really good concept and a good movie overall. We really liked it.

Wedding day snaps!!!

Click on individual pics if you wish to enlarge…

Wedding Registration process was the first thing we did in the morning. The Registration office guys had come to the wedding place, so it was very quick.

Marriage Registration first thing in the morning

me-signing papers

The Ring Ceremony: We have a lot of rituals for this ceremony which go on for about half an hour before exchanging rings.

Ring Ceremony

Ring Ceremony

Haldi: In which everyone applies haldi (turmeric paste to the bride and the groom and sometimes each other as well )

My elder sis

The Actual Wedding: This was a 3-4 hour long ceremony. I have tried to include pictures of all the rituals

Mehendi pics!!!

I was uploading some pics to Picasa and since there is still relative quiet in the house as everyone is coming tomorrow, I thought I would post some pics before they get lost. (click to enlarge)

At lunch: the same day of the mehendi.

My younger sis, my elder sis and me

I day to go…