Archive | August 2010

Ash by Melinda Lo

Aug30

Title: Ash
Author: Melinda Lo
Genre: Young Adult/ Fantasy
Source: Library
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
Rating: 4 out of 5

My Thoughts: By now most of us know this book is a retelling of the favorite childhood fairy tale -Cinderella. But this is book is similar enough to remind you of Cinderella but different enough to have a flavor of its very own.

Aisling or Ash has to live with her step-mother and 2 daughters after her parents death.  Ash has grown up in a world where people are afraid of magic and the disbelief is beginning to take hold. People no longer believe in magic and curses and fairies. But there are some who do. Ash’s mother was one of them. After her parents death, to get away from her everyday deary life,  Ash finds refuge in the jungle close to her house.

And then she meets Kaisa. Kaisa is the King’s head huntress. Gradually there forms a bond between Ash and Kaisa. What I loved most about the novel is how the author describes their attraction effortlessly. There is no talk about how Ash is attracted to a women. It seems natural which is just as it should be.

I didn’t like Ash as a character but I understood her most of the times. I was more enamored by Kaisa. She seemed like such an intriguing person. Also, loved the fairy tales in the novel. I had lots of fun reading them.

One thing I would like to admit here is that I did not feel a lot of romance between Ash and Kaisa. I was wondering if it was the writing or if the situations themselves weren’t romantic enough when suddenly I had a weird thought. I tried substituting Kaisa with a man in my head and tried to re-imagine the situations. I have to say the romance was nicely and beautifully built.

It probably happened because I am not a lesbian and I found it difficult to get into the romance, which again takes me to another point. If I as a non-lesbian can find it difficult to get into lesbian romance, it would be difficult for GLBT people to get into a man-woman romance as well. Isn’t it just unfair that we have such small number of GLBT books and even lesser awareness about them?

I was always with GLBT literature but now I feel very strongly about it. I hope we have more books like Ash.

Booking Through Thursday: Reading Questions

Aug19

1. Favorite childhood book?
I did not read a lot when I was young, but I remember reading ‘Round the World in 80 days’  many times.

2. What are you reading right now?
Ash by Melinda Lo. Loving it so far.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
By request if you mean reserve, none. My library charges some amount for reserving books.

4. Bad book habit?
None. Really. May be sometimes I dog ear. Sometimes.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
I have 5 books checked out
Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods
Ash by Melinda Lo
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
Yakuza Moon by Shoko Tendo
Disasters from the Edge by Anderson Cooper

6. Do you have an e-reader?
No

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
Only one.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
This cannot be answered in short but in one word-drastically.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
The Blue Notebook by james Levine .

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Many-but the latest is Bonobo Handshake which I just finished yesterday. Hope fully a review will be coming up soon.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Once in a while I do.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Memoirs, YA, Romance, Women’s fiction.

13. Can you read on the bus?
I can if I read very slowly.

14. Favorite place to read?
My bed.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I avoid lending books to people who don’t handle them properly or worse don’t return them.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
Yes

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only when they are academic books.

18.  Not even with text books?
see 17

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English. I also read Marathi sometimes. Hindi takes more time to read.

20. What makes you love a book?
It could be anything from the plot to the writing to the setting.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
see 20

22. Favorite genre?
YA, memoirs (non-fiction), Women’s fiction, Romance

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Horror. I just don’t seem to find the right books.

Favorite biography?
I don’t think I have read many biographies.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
A couple but I’m not a fan.

26. Favorite cookbook?
None. I google.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
For me most of the memoirs I’ve read have been inspirational in some way or the other.

28. Favorite reading snack?
I avoid eating while reading. But chips could work.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
The Handmaids Tale.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don’t pay a lot of attention to the critics.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I feel bad and uncomfortable but it’s something that has to be done.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Arabic

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
ummm…I don’t remember a book intimidating me.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Again…none

35. Favorite Poet?
I don’t read poetry. I love a couple of e.e.Cummings poems though.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Usually 6 because that is the limit.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
A couple of times

38. Favorite fictional character?
Darcy

39. Favorite fictional villain?
The Harry Potter one.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Romance, YA, chick lits

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
A couple of months when there were exams but lately only 10-15 days.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Many.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
TV

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Memoirs of a Geisha. The Magan Fowler version of Anne of Green Gables.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Kite Runner
Twilight

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Rs. 2000

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Sometimes, mostly when it’s non-fiction

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
If I don’t like it obviously and if I have to leave it for some reason, it’s difficult to get back in.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
yes

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I like to keep my books

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
A couple.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
The blue Notebook

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
many

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
again, The Blue Notebook

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Romance

I was about to leave it halfway but I had already answered 20 so I decided to finish it. There were a few repetitions and besides it was too long. I guess I have less patience these days.

Weekly Geeks – cover contrasts – Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Aug16

Compare/contrast international covers. Which do you like best? (From Weekly Geeks)

I have always loved beautiful covers, so much that I’ve picked up many books just because of the covers. If I have to give you a list of covers I like, it would most definitely never end. So I will list down the covers of one book.

Everyone had heard of Michelle Moran and her book Nefertiti by now, so I’ll get directly to the covers. They are a mix of hardcover and paperback. I found more covers but they were very small, more like thumbnails.

I LOVE all the covers except the last 2. The last one looks like a horror novel and the second last looks like contemporary YA. But the others are gorgeous. Which ones do you like? or not like?

Swallow by Tonya Plank

Aug12

Title: Swallow
Author: Tonya Plank
Paperback: 402 pages
Publisher: Dark Swan Press (December 11, 2009)
Genre: Fiction
Source: Author
Set in: New York
Rating: 4 out of 5

My thoughts:
When I read the book synopsis, I thought this would be a serious book since it deals with a psychological disorder called Globus Sensate where Sophie feels like something in stuck in the throat as a result of which he/she may find trouble eating or in extreme cases- breathing.

So when I opened the first page I was prepared for a sad saga. But Swallow is far from sad. It’s a look into the life of a New York lawyer (intern) who seems to be awkward, lacks confidence and generally looks down upon herself. Sophie Hegel is working as an intern in a New York firm acting as a criminal appeals attorney. I obviously had no idea that there are attorney’s just for appealing cases. But I did get a lot of information about it from this book.

Sophie seemingly has everything. A hot-shot lawyer for a boyfriend-Stephen, a fabulous New York apartment which she lives in with her Stephen and a job as an intern which could possibly turn into a permanent one.
But as a reader you learn from the very first chapter that Sophie had self-worth issues. Coming from a small town in Arizona, Sophie never feels like she completely belongs and is not comfortable with people she thinks are more successful and more sophisticated than her.

Things start going wrong when Sophie discovers that she has problem swallowing even simple things, including drinks. After confirming that she has no physical problems she is hoping to find answers from her psychiatrist. This book is not about a disease. It’s about Sophie’s struggles, not only with her self-issues but also with her relationships- her mother, her sister who has 3 children out of wedlock and her father who makes pornographic movies.

As I said I expected this book to be dark and serious but it actually reads like a chick-lit or a light novel, which was a welcome change. In spite of this, the author never undermined Sophie’s problem or made light of it which I really liked. Sophie is a very likable character most of the time and although you get a good glimpse into Sophie’s character, I wish some of the other characters were explored in little more detail, like Stephen or her father, whom I really disliked and was intrigued by at the same time. At times I thought the book was not moving at all, especially in the middle. But it really picked up pace for the last 100 pages which was nice.

Would I recommend Swallow? Yes, definitely. I found it very entertaining. But if you expect to find more details about the psychological disorder, you’ll be disappointed. Go into it expected a light hearted novel and you’ll enjoy yourself. I would even go as far as calling it a Beach read.

Oh and by the way, do you know that the author Tonya Plank is a dancer? I find that really cool.

Awards:
Gold Medal, 2010 Living Now Book Awards * Gold Medal, 2010 Independent Publisher Awards * Finalist, ForeWord Book of the Year Awards * Finalist, National Indie Excellence Awards * Kindle Top 10 Best Seller, Legal Fiction / Anxiety Disorders

The Blue Notebook by James Levine

Aug10

Title: The Blue Notebook
Author: James Levine
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal library
Set in: Mumbai (India)
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (July 6, 2010)
Rating: 2 out of 5

My thoughts:
By now I guess everyone must have heard or read about this book. It’s a story of Batuk from rural India who was sold into sex slavery by her father when she was just 9 years old. The Blue Notebook chronicles her life as a prostitute in Mumbai.

I almost feel bad saying I did not like this book. I found it too dramatic at times. When writing about a topic like this dramatization is something that is least expected. Although it can be explained by saying that Batuk was very melodramatic and it reflects in her writing, there comes a point when it becomes too much. That could be because all the books I’ve read on this topic have been non-fiction and most of time very straightforward. I found it irritating that she referred to ‘sex’ as ‘sweet cake’ for about a million times in the book. Also the depth of her writing is a little too mature for a young girl.

I just felt that as a fictional character Batuk went through all those atrocities for nothing. What was the point of describing all those rape scenes in endless detail? As if the word ‘Rape’ in itself is less disgusting.

The problem about fictional books on harrowing topics like child prostitution is – where do you draw the line? When a fictional book is set in an actual city like Mumbai, there comes a time when you start questioning whether these things actually happen. I felt there were a few details added to make the book more sad, which it already was. Child prostitution is a very important issue where lives of thousands of children are ruined everyday. But I did question a couple of things in the book, like the descriptions of what happened in the Orphanages. I know that a few orphanages are used for prostitution but I find it hard to believe the things described here. When my thinking tilted towards towards ‘Not possible‘ instead of ‘Maybe‘, that’s when I started loosing interest in the book.

The writing was brilliant but at times I felt it was too lame, like the author was trying too hard. All I want to say is that if you want to read about things like child prostitution and be aware of what is happening in the world, it’s much better to read non-fiction books and there are non-fiction books that read like fiction. (case in point-The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam)

Mailbox Monday and What are you reading?

Aug9

First of all, A very happy National day to all Singaporeans.

Mailbox Monday: I’m not counting books that came in my mailbox but books that came in my house. I went to the Borders sale here and although it was not much of a sale (according to me), I couldn’t resist picking up 3 books.

The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas by John Boyne: Heard a lot about this book and seen raving reviews.

The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins: What attracted me to this book was the title and what kept me mesmerized was the cover. Besides it has been named ‘The Best book of the Year” by so many newspapers. Has anyone read this?

Things I’ve been Silent About by Azar Nafisi: I was attracted to the title again but I got real interested when I read it was a memoir by the author of ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’. Having read that one either but as I’ve set before I love reading books set in the Middle East. Again, anyone read this?

When I was in India last month, I bought 3 books which is tremendous self control. Since I would not be able to carry many books with me, there was no point in buying many.

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer:I had finished Eclipse before the movie Twilight released but after watching the movie Twilight and not loving it, I was put off by the book too. I just didn’t feel like reading it. But I finally bought Breaking Dawn at 20% off and gobbled it within 2 days. Loved it. I think it was the perfect end to the series. I wish she would have continued it though because it definitely had the scope.

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan: Again, an author I’ve heard rave reviews about mostly from Swapna. Finished it really fast too and loved it. A proper review coming up soon, I hope. It definitely deserves one.

The Best of Ruskin Bond: I LOVE Ruskin Bond so this book is really no surprise, I just had to get it.

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What are you reading?


The Blue Notebook by James Levin: Not loving it as much as I thought I would, but I’ve just started reading it so I’m still hopeful.

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On another very important note, I have completed the REVIEW database, yay. It’s not really much, just arranging the reviews alphabetically, but it does take a lot of time doing it manually. But it’s done. I still have to link a few reviews, mostly the latest ones but that could be done anytime.

Posted on August 9, 2010, in Uncategorized. 23 Comments

The Night of the Miraj by Zoe Ferraris

Aug6

Title:The Night of the Miraj
Author: Zoe Ferraris
Source: Personal Library
Genre: Mystery
Set in: Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
Rating: 4.25 out of 5

My thoughts:
I love reading anything set in the middle east, so when i saw the desert on the cover, I picked it up without realizing what the book is about. I was surprised when later I read the synopsis carefully and noted that it was a thriller. I don’t know many thrillers set in the desert. Imagine my surprise when I found out that ‘Night of the Mirage’ is the book ‘Finding Nouf‘ with a different name, a book which had been on my wish list for some time.

A rich 16 year old Nouf goes missing taking with her a truck and a camel. Assuming she is either kidnapped or has ran off into the desert, her family takes help of a family friend Nayir who knows a lot about the desert. Nayir takes help of Katya, Nouf’s brother’s fiance, who works in the forensic department. As Nayir and Katya learn more about Nouf and her life, we as readers get to see inside the life of the rich of Jeddah and also get a glimpse of a society which likes to keep its women under wraps and their family honor intact under any circumstances.

Set in Jeddah, this book offers a unique setting which the author has bought to life. It feels like you are actually inside Jeddah and are looking at real people and real issues. The Night of the Miraj is not just a mystery but it also shows the changing face of the society when it comes to women and their position in it.

Recommended. I’m really looking forward to City of Veils, the follow up to The Night of the Miraj.

And Then I Found Out The Truth by Jennifer Sturman

Aug3

Title: And Then I Found Out The Truth
Author: Jennifer Sturman
Genre: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Point; 1 edition (July 1, 2010)
Source: Publicist
Rating: 4 out of 5

My Thoughts:
I loved the first book in this 2 book series so when presented I grabbed the opportunity to review the next book. Besides I was dying to know what happened after ‘And Then Everything Unraveled‘.

In the first book, Delia’s mother goes missing and is declared dead. Delia has to move places and go stay with her aunts in New York where she also meets Adam. Adam, other than being her love interest, helps Delia to find out more about her mother. And Then I Found Out The Truth is a continuation and needless to say it contains spoilers. You can try reading the second book without reading the first but I really wouldn’t suggest it.

So if you haven’t read the first book, this review contains spoliers. Skip to the end to know what I think of this book.

**********spoilers begin*****************

The first book ends where Delia finds out that her mother is not dead but is hiding somewhere in South America. In the second book she finds out the reason and the corporation involved in it. She and Quinn try to find out answers and although Delia does get sidetracked by Quinn and her friend (she is after all her teenager), she does get on track eventually. Besides, it gives the reader more to enjoy and laugh about.

**********spoilers end*******************

This book was as enjoyable as the first and as much fun. I was so happy to finally get all the answers. Even though this is a mystery involving Oil drilling, it does not get into the details. It is just a very happy and feel good book like the first one. The only thing I wished was this was one book instead of two. I really don’t see the reason for splitting the two books since both are pretty small. I hope in the future this book is offered as a two-in-one promotional pack or something like that.

On the whole, if you want a fun and light book to go to, something to lift your mood, this book is just for you. I can’t wait to see what Jennifer Sturman comes up with next.