Happy things Meme…

I was tagged by Melody for this Six Happy Things Meme.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. List 6 things that make you happy.
3. Post the rules and tag six more people.
4. Let your tagger know when you have completed your mission.
 
6 things huh?

• My family although they are a pain at times
• My hobbies, be it reading or watching movies, taking long walks or shopping.
• My boyfriend. It’s surprising how much you can love someone even after such a short time (1 year here)
• My Kathak classes. I remember how happy I used to feel for hours afterwards. I don’t go anymore. I left when I went to Bangalore for 6 months. The timings don’t suit me now.
• My friends. I don’t know where I would have been without them.
• Writing. Not always though. But sometimes writing is very therapeutic.
• Discover, NatGeo, HBO, Star Movies, Zee Studio and Disney. I won’t be able to watch Television if not for them.
• Riding on my bike sans Traffic, which is a very rare occurrence.
• Buying books. (That comes under shopping right? Never mind, I think it deserves a separate line)
• Music. With Sonu Nigam. Or Kishor Kumar. Or Rehman. With full sound.
• Internet friends, that means you all.

And oops!!! I stopped counting sometime after 3. And I don’t think I will remove any of the above. Thanks MelodyI had fun writing this
 
I am really bad at tagging. Okay, let’s see
Huwey and
Hemanshu, I have never tagged you before right? There’s always a first time

Review: Jane Eyre

I wanted to read Jane Eyre since a long time but couldn’t make myself do it. Firstly, because I find classics really difficult to read. Secondly, it’s too long. The 490 pages copy I have has very small font and everything is kind of crowded with the next chapter starting on the same page the previous one ends.
 
So when I picked up the book to read I was expecting a very difficult read. But the first 100 pages were a breeze.
*contains spoilers*
Jane Eyre is an orphan who is living with her aunt, who is not a very compassionate woman, nor are her cousins. She suffers a lot in that house. Jane is a spirited girl, she believes she should be treated fairly and even knows there is injustice in the way her Aunt and her cousins treat her. She also believes in speaking her mind.
 
The Aunt gets tired of her and sends her to an orphanage school at the age of 10 where she spends the next 8 years of her life.’ I loved the life she described in the school. This section I found very similar to Anne of green gables. Not that there was anything similar in their circumstances but I found their natures quite similar.

“A great deal: you are good to those who are good to you. It is all I ever desire to be. If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.”

Jane works for 2 years as a teacher in the same school before she gets bored with the monotony and decides to explore something else. She applies for the post of a governess and gets a letter from Mrs. Fairfax. When Jane reaches there she finds out that Adele, her pupil is Mr. Rochester’s ward and Mrs. Fairfax is the housekeeper.
 
Mr. Rochester is the hero of course. As romance builds up, Rochester proposes to her and on the day of their marriage she finds out that he is already married, albeit to a lunatic. She leaves the house the same night without informing anyone and loses touch with him. She builds a life for herself as a village school teacher and in the end returns to find Rochester blind and his wife dead.
 
What I really liked about the book was that the author seemed to talk to the readers directly. She addresses the readers pulling them into the story very quickly.
 
I found the book a little too descriptive and the language, although very beautiful, very tedious a times.
 
At the very end, when Jane learns of Rochester’s ill fate from the manager of the Inn, she decides to go and meet him. I was so excited at this point, I could hardly stay still. I wanted to find out what happened instantly. But again, there were so many descriptions of the path and of the house, I was really irritated.

I proceeded: at last my way opened, the trees thinned a little; presently I beheld a railing, then the house—scarce, by this dim light, distinguishable from the trees; so dank and green were its decaying walls.  Entering a portal, fastened only by a latch, I stood amidst a space of enclosed ground, from which the wood swept away in a semicircle.  There were no flowers, no garden-beds; only a broad gravel-walk girdling a grass-plat, and this set in the heavy frame of the forest.  The house presented two pointed gables in its front; the windows were latticed and narrow: the front door was narrow too, one step led up to it. 

 I mean hello? At this point I wasn’t really interested in reading about whether there were flowers in the path or not. I was way too impatient and I admit I skipped a lot from that chapter.
 
And Rochester? I think he spoke too much. At one point I wanted to say, ‘Oh stop talking already’. I thought he was selfish and manipulative. I realized that I will love the book more when I read it for the second time. As I already know the story I won’t skip anything and I am sure I will appreciate the language even more.
 
Although I loved the book and although it’s supposed to be one of the greatest love stories, Pride and Prejudice is still on top of my list. And Darcy is still the yummiest of all the literary heroes.
 
For those who have read the book, is there anything about it you did not like?

This book is one down for the Classics Challenge and one down for the Chunkster Challenge. yay…

A curse dark as gold…

This book is a retelling of the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin.

The story is set is a small village called Stirwaters. Charlotte Miller’s father dies leaving her a mill. She and her sister try everything to get the dying mill running and make some money out of it to make ends meet. But some problem or the other keeps coming up. One day she learns that her father had taken a huge loan for the mill which no one knew about and the loan repayment date is coming closer.

Enter a man who promises to spin gold from straw. She agrees because she is desperate and has no other way to replay the loan. As time passes and some problem or the other keeps coming up, this stranger keeps popping up at the right time.

The author has brought the life of the Millers in this small town to life. The writing is beautiful, almost flowery. I found the story quite stretched at places. I think it’s mostly because I already knew the story and I just wanted to get to the part where the man asks for her baby in return of a favor. The author took her sweet time getting there.

Also I did not like the character of Randall so much. As Charlotte’s husband I expected him to stick around. But I thought he kind of gave up which was really disappointing for me. But yeah, in the end he did redeem himself. I loved Rosie, Charlotte’s sister. She was lively, vivacious and interesting to read about. Another problem with the book was the author did not mention the ages of the characters which was really confusing at times.

But In spite of everything the end was so worth it. A perfect nail-biting suspense. The curse was a really good twist and kept things interesting. I don’t have any complaints about the writing, it was beautiful, but this book could have been better with a little tightening of the story.

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BTT: Inspired…

Since “Inspiration” is (or should) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?

This is a really nice question. But I am not really sure how to answer it. The one line answer would be ‘I love reading’ so I don’t really need an inspiration. But that’s not entirely true right? Let’s say like most of the readers I am inspired to find new authors, new stories and new worlds that are far different from my own. That’s the exact reason why I love to read memoirs and travelogues too. I love to learn something about different cultures, different cities through books.

My reading is also inspired by my mood. Like yesterday I was in a mood to read some classic. So I browsed through all the classics I have and picked Jane Eyre. Some of you guys have been raving about Jane Eyre and that’s why I picked it over others.

So it also means that I am inspired by my fellow bloggers and the suggestions I keep getting. That has in fact broadened my horizons as far as reading is concerned.

I am also inspired to read about things I love. For example I love to watch documentaries about wildlife and nature, so if I get some book related to that or set in such an environment I would love to read it.

What else? Book stores inspire me too. Whenever I am on a reading block and even my favorite genre is unable to get me back on track, I go to a bookstore. Just being near so many books and browsing through them gets me back to my reading. Mostly. What inspires you?

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Things that make me happy…

I am so happy and excited and honored and thrilled for the awards I have received.
J.Kaye has awarded me these 2 awards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Elizabeth has awarded me the butterfly award. Actually there were 2 awards on her post, so I am a little confused as to which award she has given me, lol !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks ladies, the gesture is very much appreciated

 
I am so sorry but I don’t have 10 blogs to pass on these awards to, admit it, most of you have already got them…
 
But yes, I would like to pass on the ‘Butterfly’ award to fabulous!!!
 
Fab, consider it a belated birthday pressie…and yes, you could award it to 10 bloggers, so what if I broke the rules?

Mommy I’m still in here…

Title: Mommy I’m still in here
One family’s journey with bipolar disease
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Genre: Memoir
Behler Publications
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am constantly surprised by the knowledge books provide, the way they let you experience and imagine things that could never have been possible otherwise. The way they tell stories that surprise, horrify or humble you. Mommy I’m still in here is one such story. As the tag line says ‘It is the story of a family’s journey with bipolar disease’.

I don’t know about others but I knew nothing about bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness.

Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live. It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it; an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide.

The author Kate had a perfect family with husband Mark and 3 children Chloe, Michael and Monica, all 3 years apart. Everything is going fine when the eldest daughter Chloe at the age of 17 suddenly experiences severe mood swings and depression. After doctor appointments and observations Chloe is diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. As the depression and mood swings increase, Chloe also starts hallucinating. She sees and hears things that are not there. Her relationship with her mother and siblings becomes strained due to her constant mood swings.

Kate also goes through a series of emotions like confusion, desperation, grief and guilt. Kate blames herself for not recognizing the signs early even though she knew there were a lot of cases of depression and substance abuse in the family.

When after constant monitoring Chloe’s illness becomes somewhat manageable, her son Michael is diagnosed with the same illness. He starts drinking and taking drugs to feel normal.

We can imagine what a mother goes through when one of her child falls sick, this twice is a mother’s nightmare. Kate has made a lot of sacrifices for her children. She explains the difficulties of living and caring for a chronically ill person. This one dialog had chills running down my spine. It’s when Chloe attempted suicide by cutting her nerves and after Kate patched her up.

Through it all, Chloe did not fight me, did not talk, and did not respond. When we were finished, she raised her face to mine and stated matter-of-factly, “Next time I’ll cut the other way, straight down the vein. It’ll be faster and you won’t be able to fix it.”

This is also Kate’s story. She learned not to blame herself when she finally admitted to herself and to others that she is not responsible for what happened or will not be responsible for what happens in the future. Kate says she has come to terms with the fact that eradicating her children’s illness is not the solution.

If we believe that disabilities must be altered or abolished, then we imply that the absence of disability equals a good life. But does it? Because if that’s true, one might deduce that anyone with a disability is inferior. That line of reasoning leads to a horrible, deeply disturbing, and dangerous arena.

Disability does not require solution or abolition, but understanding, and when necessary, temperature to allow the disabled to function more fully.

Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental illness. It does not go away. Chloe and Michael will always have it. It will forever alter their lives, and as a result, will alter ours too. Nevertheless, we embrace the experience and anticipate future legs of the journey because we know that this world, this life, offers everybody opportunities to learn and grow and evolve.

Okay, I’ll stop else I’ll end up quoting the entire book. All I can say is please, please, please read this book. It is sad, horrifying, depressing, uplifting, encouraging, gripping, informative, moving and hopeful. I hope Chloe, Michael and even Monica is doing fine. I hope the entire family is doing fine. I would like to take back my sentence ‘The author Kate had a perfect family…’ and correct it to ‘The author Kate has a perfect family…’. A family that supports one another, that understands each others problems and accepts it without judgment is nothing more than perfect.

Did you know that Napoleon, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Sylvia Plath, John Keats, Virginia Wolf, Vincent Van Gogh were possibly victims of Bipolar disorder?

For more information on juvenile onset bipolar disorder visit this site: jbrf
For Kate’s blog, go here.

This review is for Author Marketing. Thank you so much for the book Paula. And this book is one down for the World Citizen Challenge. yay…

The last Empress

The first book Empress Orchid is about how a young village girl of 17 called Orchid becomes the Empress of China. The book ends with her husband’s death and with her taking the reins of the kingdom. All I can say is please read Empress Orchid. Here is my review from last year.

The next book ‘The last Empress’ is about her rule as an Empress.

It was the time when the foreign powers like Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and Russia were trying to rip china to pieces and trying to establish their own trade in the country. It was the time of tremendous turmoil when the missionaries came to preach Christianity and set up churches in the country. It was also the time of the Boxers Rebellion which the shook the entire country and the Forbidden palace as well.

When her son, the Emperor of China died of a disease she had to take over the reigns of the country and also train a new emperor. She chose her sisters son Gong and adopted him. But Gong was basically a weak child and was plagued by depression in his twenties. At the age when she wanted to retire and let her adopted son manage the kingdom, she realized her son was unable to take the right decisions for the benefit of her country. He embraced the wrong people and the Empress was unable to do anything about it.

It’s amazing and sometimes shocking to see how foreigners exploited China on its own land. They came to China under some pretext or another and when there was no reason for them to be there, they refused to leave. When there were uprisings because of the foreign invasions, they had the audacity to demand more money and acquire more land in China. Even the missionaries were used for this purpose. When the Chinese rebelled against the missionaries and their agenda to convert as many people to Christianity as possible, the people rebelled. Some of the missionaries were killed. Again the foreigners had the audacity to ask compensation for it.

China was eroding slowly and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The people of China blamed the foreign invasions and in turn the government for not getting them under control.  On top of all this were the natural calamities like floods and draughts.

And caught between the midsts of all this was the Empress of China. Her husband failed her, her son failed her too and the adopted son was very easily disheartened. She was the only hope of the Chinese people. At the age of 61, instead of watching her son take over the throne and give her some rest, she had to endure her son’s illness, his depression and finally his death. She took over the reins because of her love for China and its people. In spite of all this she was always held responsible for her husbands and sons death and many other wrong doings all because people thought she wanted to stay in power.

Anchee Min described the Empresses possible state of mind very well. She brought to life one of the strongest and most famous personalities of Chinese history. She gave a human touch to her that was far different from what the historians and the foreign reporters put forward. She showed her daily struggle with the court members, training an heir for China and repressing her inner feelings and cravings for love. Just reading about what she faced exhausted me.

After reading the first book Empress Orchid, I was fascinated by a woman called Orchid or the Last empress of China, but after reading this book I feel honored for knowing this woman even if it’s just through a fictionalized account.

Essentially there are 2 different viewpoints to what the Dowager Empress of China was. One that she was an evil mastermind who wanted only power and the other that she was a result of circumstances and did her best for China and it’s people. I am ready to believe the later.

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Photoblogging: cleaning the bookshelf…

As you can see, my small bookshelf was stuffed with books; there was absolutely no space to fit in more. And each shelf here has already 3 rows of books. So I decided to do a little cleaning so that I have a nice, clean bookshelf this year. 
 
These are all the books I own, some 150 I think. I sorted the books and made a separate stack for the ones I haven’t read.
 
Here it is-my TBR pile…
 
So on the top shelf went all the books I have read and the bottom shelf contains all the books from the TBR pile.
And see how much space I got now. I think I can cram in 40 more books easily.
 
On another note, here is the cat J got from London. It is battery operated and it walks and meows all the same.
 
So that’s it for now, what’s the situation of your book shelves?

BTT: The best?

It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?
(It’s an oldie but a goodie question for a reason, after all … because, who can’t use good book suggestions from time to time?)

Favorite books huh? I have seen a lot of Best of 2008 posts around but for some reason I haven’t done any. I have listed Books read in 2008 and mentioned names but I guess this is something I have been waiting for. A motivation. Actually I was so tired after linking so many reviews for ‘Books read in 2008′ that I did not want to do ‘The best books’. But here they are, finally.

Sybil : This was a very different book for me in the sense I got to dwell in the mind of an unstable woman and got to really understand what multiple personality was all about.

Empress Orchid : Reading this book was like watching a movie. I am reading the sequel ‘The last Empress’ currently and I am loving it just the same.

I’m not scared : This was one of the best thrillers I have read in 2008.

Legends of Pensam: I think I haven’t yet read a book whose language was as beautiful and lyrical as this one’s. I might just read it again to experience the sheer beauty of the words again.

Seduce me at sunrise: This one was as romantic and steamy as a book can get. I have a new favorite romantic author.

Anne of Green Gables: Can a girl be sweeter than Anne? I don’t know why I waited this long to read this book. I am looking out for the sequels now. I am glad there are quite a few.

The book Thief: I loved that the narrator of this book was death; it gave a different flavor to the book. I don’t think I need to say more as most of you might have already read it.

And last but not the least
Fairy Tales of the Allied nations: If you like Fairy Tales, nothing like this book.

——————————————————————
Jace gave me an award
I think it’s really pretty. Thanks Jace.

On to 6 things now. I am listing them in no particular order.
Before I continue, here are the rules that come with this award:

~Mention the blog that gave it to you.
~Comment on their blog to let them know you’ve posted the award.
~Share 6 values that are important to you.
~Share 6 things you do not support.
~Share the love with 6 other blogging friends.

Can I mention anything 6 instead? I think I will go for the 6 most memorable occasions in 2008 with or without the exact dates. I am bad at remembering dates.

1) When J proposed to me and I said no, lol. I think he proposed to me at least 50 times more which brings me to the next point.
2) When I proposed to J. There is even a post somewhere with the entire mail I send to him. Wait, here it is.
3) The day I moved to Bangalore. I think 21st March 2008.
4) My sister’s marriage. I think it was 11th July 2008. I really hope it’s the right date. Or was it 9th July?
5) The day I told my parents that I want to marry J. I don’t remember the date, in fact I want to wipe it from my memory altogether. But it was sometime in September.
6) The day I left Bangalore. I think it was 29th August. My blog actually helps me remember most of the dates.

So there. I am supposed to nominate 6 others, but really, the ones I want to nominate have already got the award.