- by Apurva Purohit
The CEO of Radio City 91.1 FM, with her wit, style, anecdotes has written her side of the story of coroporate dynamics, issues women face at work and home and what could be done to adapt to the expectations - be it at home or at work - and it made a fabulous read. What I particularly enjoyed is the way I could connect to most of the incidents in the book and while my reactions wouldn’t have been the same, majority of women do make those choices and majority of the men I do meet have the same mindset. It is frustrating to work as hard as your male counterpart, only to be always seen as a second fiddle that has to be carried on, but never have a driver seat. Come promotions or hikes, there is always that risk of not getting your share - because you are female!
Some of the points she made in the book do ring a resounding bell. I particularly agree to the point that we do not need reservations to be promoted, to get a place at the table, to voice our opinion. We may not have a loud voice, but we do have a sound logic and we don’t need reservations to carve a place for ourselves in the corporate world, provided the judges do perceive us to be co-workers and not just females. However, in this time of fighting for equality, despite having commanding women in leadership roles, it still is a sad reality that our work ethic or competency are not the only factors that decide whether we get that role or no. And hence, sometimes, that reservation does make sense, despite the feminist in me biting her tongue in mute anger at this statement.
Other point that hit the nail is the pregnancy phase of a women’s life. Men, have some physical limitations - lets face it, men are incapable of having a child. It is the women who need to bear that burden. And during that phase, it is difficult to put career in the forefront - men have the luxury of pursuing their goals, careers - but women don’t. And it is not just the pregnancy phase, but beyond that - as, again, lets face it - Indian men are brought up with the mentality of being breadwinners of the family and hence, taking care of a person and house is incomprehensible to them. Women, on the other hand, are ‘allowed’ to pursue their hobby of a career, as long as the home life is undisturbed. SO, she is perpetually in the state of having to make choice of family, husband, child - (I think woman becomes a mom than a wife when she is married!!) - donning multiple hats that constantly stress her out and despite all that, she still manages to stay sane! And because of this lack of support - from family do we see a lot of women throw away all the hard work they have put in, from late nights cramming for exams to developing a work ethic that allowed her to carve a name for herself as dependable only to quit after getting married or carrying a child.
Few more - about people assuming that you are a home maker and during a party, the inevitable draw towards the couch to discuss latest cooking fag or shopping spree while men sit at a bar(figuratively), discussing latest business news, PM actions, probably career options, building networks and the hushing of conversation as though you are incapable of participating in the conversation - God, I hate this particular one...
And Apurva Purohit, shares some of these stories that she witnessed and throws in her words of wisdom with an experienced hand. Her suggestions and the wit with which she handled some of the situations that she faced and the facade she has to put to deal with them, made a fabulous read.
I urge fellow career aspirists to give it a go, both men and women - there certainly are some eye openers for men and pointers for women.
Happy Reading!
Monday, July 30, 2018
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Friction
- By Sandra Brown
Crawford Hunt is a Texas Ranger, who is recovering from his grief over losing his wife in a car accident. In the aftermath of loss, he takes up drinking, loses perspective of life, relinquishes custody of his daughter to his in-laws. But, one day, he wakes up determined to take control of his life and to get his daughter back. But his in-laws, particularly Joe Gilroy, his father-in-law, is fighting tooth and nail against him, for giving up custody of his granddaughter. His fate resides in the hands of Judge Holly Spencer, who though can sense the obvious love between Crawford and his daughter, is still wary of his past. During his custody hearing, a masked gunman walks in shooting randomly and kills the bailiff. Crawford, as was his natural instinct, protects the judge from a bullet and kicks the gunman on the knee. In the scramble that follows, the gunman escapes the courtroom, with a pursuing Crawford Hunt. The gunman, seemingly escapes to the roof and Crawford Hunt, tries to convince him to put his weapon down, which he does not listen to. The gunman shoots and misses the officer following Crawford hunt and is taken down by a SWAT team sniper. With his thoughtless act of running behind an armed gunman, without back up, seems to have put a black mark on his custody hearing and the odds of him getting his daughter back dwindle down.
Holly Spencer is an ambitious judge, temporarily presiding bench and is currently campaigning for judgeship. Post shooting incident, recovering from the jitters of shock and disbelief and confronting her fears in her own home, she is visited by Crawford, who questions her about the shooter and probes about his case. In the emotional outburst that follows, Holly is left sobbing and is comforted by Crawford, which eventually leads to a romantic interlude that leaves both of them in a compromising state. When the police investigation leads to the fact that the gunman shooting in the courtroom and the gunman shot by the SWAT team are different and that the shooter is still at large, there are bigger things at stake than just their feelings for each other.
The story that follows is a thrilling page turner of suspense, hot headedness mixed with jealousy and a bit of pettiness. The bits and pieces of the past thrown for each character, gives a bit of depth to each character. The story progresses at a break neck pace. Though the perpetrator shows his hand early, it’s the reason behind the shooting that keeps the novel moving forward. Thrown in between are few scenes between Crawford Hunt and his daughter Georgia, which were sweet and realistic, keeping an undercurrent of emotion running throughout the novel.
What I did not like in the novel are the romantic interludes between Crawford hunt and Holly, though they were well written, just did not seem to bind the story well enough. If I have to be picky, Joe Gilroy’s emotional anger and his actions to win the custody hearing were petty and irritating. The police offer leading the investigation of the shooter needed a regular boot up his ass, but then, that did not happen quite regularly enough. And my biggest disappointment was that the ending was a bit too far-fetched and certainly not to my liking.
However, despite the ending, the book is still worth a read for all suspense lovers. There is thrill, there is mystery and there are characters that steal your heart. So, give it a go!!
Happy Reading Fella readers!!
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Runner (Sam Dryden #1)
- By Patrick Lee
When I started this novel, it was already a bit late in the night. And let me tell you at the beginning, don't you dare open this novel, just before you go to bed; for, in case you think you could cozily drift to sleep after turning few pages, you are sadly mistaken. You will just toss and turn around on the bed until you give up and open the darn book again and rush through to the ending. It's that kind of a book. And if you are like me, you will enjoy every bit of it, despite what it costs the next day! An adrenaline pumping, blood gushing, absolute whopper of a thriller. Patrick Lee with his first Sam Dryden novel sets a pace that ticks like a timer on a bomb and rushes the readers through its pages for the ending.
Sam Dryden is an ex-Secret Service agent, who is living a quiet life in El Sedero, a small Southern Californian coastal town. While taking a nighttime run on the boardwalk, he runs into a young girl who is running away from heavily armed men intend on killing her. This Runner seems to know nothing about herself save her name, Rachel, and remembers nothing more than the past two months she was held captive, from which she is trying to escape and urges him to help her. Eventually, they escape from the immediate vicinity, only to realize that they were running from far more powerful force who seems to be just a step behind them in their plan to find a safe place. While trying to find an escape, he tries to get more information from the girl and realizes she could read his thoughts. Upon questioning, she tells him she had no idea how she could do it and that there seems to be more to her story, since someone is hell bent on killing her and she has no idea why! And the story kicks up a notch, with Dryden and Rachel trying to figure out a way to thwart their enemies, yet uncover who Rachel really was. Will the truth set her free? Why is she being hunted? Why can she read minds? In search for finding answers, she puts herself and Sam in crossfire. Will they escape unscathed? Every page turned is a preview of the next, with impending doom just hovering around the corner, like a tornado that is gathering around, ready to dance its way to destruction in the blink of an eye.
Sam Dryden is an instant super hero, yet only a human, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a good dose of empathy. Rachel is a mystery to begin with and is uncovered layer by layer, garnering sympathy along the way. Gaul, the main antagonist in the novel is smart, calculative and every bit a match to Sam Dryden's determination to keep Rachel alive. Patrick Lee does a fantastic job to keep the readers on the edge of their seats.
In this age of technology and biometrics, there hardly is a sphere that seems unimaginative to us humans. Every new invention gets us that bit close to those science-fiction realities of either finding ourselves in Zombie land or being overtaken by machines or creating a new race altogether. Yet, we cannot live without these inventions, if only to test the boundaries of science that seem to stretch only as far as our imagination could go. Ah, the possibilities!!Or the repercussions!
I urge all the fellow thrill seekers to pick it up and enjoy the roller coaster. It's one hell of a ride!
Happy Reading Fella Readers!!
When I started this novel, it was already a bit late in the night. And let me tell you at the beginning, don't you dare open this novel, just before you go to bed; for, in case you think you could cozily drift to sleep after turning few pages, you are sadly mistaken. You will just toss and turn around on the bed until you give up and open the darn book again and rush through to the ending. It's that kind of a book. And if you are like me, you will enjoy every bit of it, despite what it costs the next day! An adrenaline pumping, blood gushing, absolute whopper of a thriller. Patrick Lee with his first Sam Dryden novel sets a pace that ticks like a timer on a bomb and rushes the readers through its pages for the ending.
Sam Dryden is an ex-Secret Service agent, who is living a quiet life in El Sedero, a small Southern Californian coastal town. While taking a nighttime run on the boardwalk, he runs into a young girl who is running away from heavily armed men intend on killing her. This Runner seems to know nothing about herself save her name, Rachel, and remembers nothing more than the past two months she was held captive, from which she is trying to escape and urges him to help her. Eventually, they escape from the immediate vicinity, only to realize that they were running from far more powerful force who seems to be just a step behind them in their plan to find a safe place. While trying to find an escape, he tries to get more information from the girl and realizes she could read his thoughts. Upon questioning, she tells him she had no idea how she could do it and that there seems to be more to her story, since someone is hell bent on killing her and she has no idea why! And the story kicks up a notch, with Dryden and Rachel trying to figure out a way to thwart their enemies, yet uncover who Rachel really was. Will the truth set her free? Why is she being hunted? Why can she read minds? In search for finding answers, she puts herself and Sam in crossfire. Will they escape unscathed? Every page turned is a preview of the next, with impending doom just hovering around the corner, like a tornado that is gathering around, ready to dance its way to destruction in the blink of an eye.
Sam Dryden is an instant super hero, yet only a human, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a good dose of empathy. Rachel is a mystery to begin with and is uncovered layer by layer, garnering sympathy along the way. Gaul, the main antagonist in the novel is smart, calculative and every bit a match to Sam Dryden's determination to keep Rachel alive. Patrick Lee does a fantastic job to keep the readers on the edge of their seats.
In this age of technology and biometrics, there hardly is a sphere that seems unimaginative to us humans. Every new invention gets us that bit close to those science-fiction realities of either finding ourselves in Zombie land or being overtaken by machines or creating a new race altogether. Yet, we cannot live without these inventions, if only to test the boundaries of science that seem to stretch only as far as our imagination could go. Ah, the possibilities!!Or the repercussions!
I urge all the fellow thrill seekers to pick it up and enjoy the roller coaster. It's one hell of a ride!
Happy Reading Fella Readers!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Pines Trilogy
- By Blake Crouch
Wayward Pines is a tiny town with population of four hundred and sixty one. People are friendly and they live in Victorian style houses surrounded by picket fences and have barbeques on a nice Summer evening, with crickets chirping in the woods nearby. They live in the moment and smile and laugh and engage in social rituals. In short, they live in paradise on earth, where their kids go to school which does not give them any homework! Anyone who visits the town is persuaded to stay there by the sheer beauty it offers.
Ethan Burke is a Secret Service agent who travels to Wayward Pines, Idaho, in search for missing agents, along with another Secret Service Agent Stallings. In a freak accident, he finds himself on the side of a river, without a wallet or phone or badge or gun, severely battered with no memory of where he was and what happened. He begins walking along the town roads, with severe headache and tries to remember anything about the roads or the houses he seem to find himself amongst. Finding the locals, he starts asking them questions and their answers were not very forthcoming. However, his loss of memory is short lived and upon receiving a treatment at the local hospital, he seems to remember where he was and what he had to do. However, the Sherriff in town was not very supportive, nor were the locals. He seems to think that there is something wrong with the town, because all his attempts at finding the answers seems to be thwarted, either by recurring headaches or the Sherriff or the locals.
He meets a bartender girl, Beverly, who seems to be the only one willing to provide him answers. But in an intended display of mob mentality, Beverly is torn apart by the locals and Ethan is left alone to find answers he came looking for and trying to find an escape route from this town, which seemingly looks like an impossible task, because the exit roads seem to loop back into the town. And when he finds the other missing agent, Kate, who seems to not only be happily settled in the town, but looks much more aged that he remembers her to be, he thinks he may be losing his mind. Warned by her to just adapt and not try to escape, because they are watching and listening, with sensor activated cameras in trees, street lamps and houses, he realizes that he cannot live in this jail, however beautiful it looks from the outset. So, he sets off into the woods, only to find the town boundary surrounded by an electrical fence which looks like it could fry anything that approaches it, with a warning about danger beyond the fence. However, he is determined to leave the town and he keeps walking further into the woods and finds himself climbing an impossible mountain in the hope of escaping the town. During his climb, he encounters an almost human looking monster called an abby, that is bent on killing him. In the struggle ensued, he kills it and escapes into a cave that he crawls into, only to find himself back in the hospital. David Pilcher, the psychiatrist tries to calm him down, when Ethan refuses to stay another minute in the town without understanding what is going on. That is when he is told the truth that they are the only living human kind on the planet and that the year is three thousand and the remaining human species is extinct and the earth is taken over by abbies. He is taken to the town fence and is shown the borders.
The eccentric David Pilcher is the one who orchestrated this entire charade of civilization to keep a semblance of peace in the last humane society. When Ethan questions as to why he could not just tell the people the truth, he explains that having told the people the truth, people refused to believe it and killed themselves and hence he had no choice but to enforce rules and consequences for breaking the rules. And he urges Ethan to take the role of Sherriff and handle the peace keeping in the town. Thus, Ethan finds himself now holding the secret about human kind and playing the charade along with everyone. However, as with every well set society, there are rule breakers and when its discovered that few people in the town have found ways of communicating without being discovered, he is asked to investigate. And his investigation leads him to a place in forest, where a group of people have let go of the charade and are breaking all the rules and talking about their past lives and sharing their emotions. Ethan empathizes with the group, but being the Sherriff and for the greater good, he could not disclose what is going on. Having found himself in a situation where he needs to maintain the charade, yet his core values push him to explain the truth to his fellow companions, he is forced to walk on the fence line of right and wrong. The rest of the series focuses on how Ethan burke embraces the truth about human extinction and how me makes his choices at every turn for the greater good.
Wayward Pines, by Blake Crouch is a no non-sense, fast paced thriller that is guaranteed to scintillate all your adrenaline senses. It tells a fascinating science fiction tale that engages the reader and talks about the people who live in a seemingly beautiful paradise with enforced rules. It is a page turner and a definite read for all mystery/science fiction lovers.
Happy Reading fella readers!!
Wayward Pines is a tiny town with population of four hundred and sixty one. People are friendly and they live in Victorian style houses surrounded by picket fences and have barbeques on a nice Summer evening, with crickets chirping in the woods nearby. They live in the moment and smile and laugh and engage in social rituals. In short, they live in paradise on earth, where their kids go to school which does not give them any homework! Anyone who visits the town is persuaded to stay there by the sheer beauty it offers.
Ethan Burke is a Secret Service agent who travels to Wayward Pines, Idaho, in search for missing agents, along with another Secret Service Agent Stallings. In a freak accident, he finds himself on the side of a river, without a wallet or phone or badge or gun, severely battered with no memory of where he was and what happened. He begins walking along the town roads, with severe headache and tries to remember anything about the roads or the houses he seem to find himself amongst. Finding the locals, he starts asking them questions and their answers were not very forthcoming. However, his loss of memory is short lived and upon receiving a treatment at the local hospital, he seems to remember where he was and what he had to do. However, the Sherriff in town was not very supportive, nor were the locals. He seems to think that there is something wrong with the town, because all his attempts at finding the answers seems to be thwarted, either by recurring headaches or the Sherriff or the locals.
He meets a bartender girl, Beverly, who seems to be the only one willing to provide him answers. But in an intended display of mob mentality, Beverly is torn apart by the locals and Ethan is left alone to find answers he came looking for and trying to find an escape route from this town, which seemingly looks like an impossible task, because the exit roads seem to loop back into the town. And when he finds the other missing agent, Kate, who seems to not only be happily settled in the town, but looks much more aged that he remembers her to be, he thinks he may be losing his mind. Warned by her to just adapt and not try to escape, because they are watching and listening, with sensor activated cameras in trees, street lamps and houses, he realizes that he cannot live in this jail, however beautiful it looks from the outset. So, he sets off into the woods, only to find the town boundary surrounded by an electrical fence which looks like it could fry anything that approaches it, with a warning about danger beyond the fence. However, he is determined to leave the town and he keeps walking further into the woods and finds himself climbing an impossible mountain in the hope of escaping the town. During his climb, he encounters an almost human looking monster called an abby, that is bent on killing him. In the struggle ensued, he kills it and escapes into a cave that he crawls into, only to find himself back in the hospital. David Pilcher, the psychiatrist tries to calm him down, when Ethan refuses to stay another minute in the town without understanding what is going on. That is when he is told the truth that they are the only living human kind on the planet and that the year is three thousand and the remaining human species is extinct and the earth is taken over by abbies. He is taken to the town fence and is shown the borders.
The eccentric David Pilcher is the one who orchestrated this entire charade of civilization to keep a semblance of peace in the last humane society. When Ethan questions as to why he could not just tell the people the truth, he explains that having told the people the truth, people refused to believe it and killed themselves and hence he had no choice but to enforce rules and consequences for breaking the rules. And he urges Ethan to take the role of Sherriff and handle the peace keeping in the town. Thus, Ethan finds himself now holding the secret about human kind and playing the charade along with everyone. However, as with every well set society, there are rule breakers and when its discovered that few people in the town have found ways of communicating without being discovered, he is asked to investigate. And his investigation leads him to a place in forest, where a group of people have let go of the charade and are breaking all the rules and talking about their past lives and sharing their emotions. Ethan empathizes with the group, but being the Sherriff and for the greater good, he could not disclose what is going on. Having found himself in a situation where he needs to maintain the charade, yet his core values push him to explain the truth to his fellow companions, he is forced to walk on the fence line of right and wrong. The rest of the series focuses on how Ethan burke embraces the truth about human extinction and how me makes his choices at every turn for the greater good.
Wayward Pines, by Blake Crouch is a no non-sense, fast paced thriller that is guaranteed to scintillate all your adrenaline senses. It tells a fascinating science fiction tale that engages the reader and talks about the people who live in a seemingly beautiful paradise with enforced rules. It is a page turner and a definite read for all mystery/science fiction lovers.
Happy Reading fella readers!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Kane and Abel
- by Jeffrey Archer
This is the story of two protagonists - William Kane and Abel Rosnovski, told from their birth to their grave. Each was born continents apart to very different fortunes on the same day. They had little in common, except the zeal to succeed in life.
Abel Rosnovski's mother died giving birth to him in a forest. A small boy who was hunting mistook the cries of labor to be that of an animal in pain and went to investigate. Finding the little boy with the umbilical cord still attached, he takes his hunting knife and severes the cord and takes the little boy to his mother, who already had eight mouths to feed with little means to do so. She christened him Wladek and took care of him, along with her other children. He is different than all his siblings of his adopted family and was always keen on learning and studying, thus finding himself in a Baron's castle as a competition to his only child, Leon, and getting private education. When a war broke out and the castle was taken over, Baron and all alive in his castle were taken prisoners of war. Thus, in a short span of time, Wladek, who was carefree in a castle found himself in a dungeon, with no hope but death to set him free. Eventually, he was taken to a Russian prisoner camp from which he escapes and travels to America, with nothing but a silver arm band, given to him by the Baron on his dying bed. Thus the small boy from Poland reaches America with hopes of succeeding in life.
William Kane was born in a banker's family. His father, Richard Kane was a millionaire and the chairman of Kane and Cabot bank and he was destined to be his prodigy from the moment he was born. During Richard's travel in Titanic, William loses his father when he was barely seven and he vows to be everything his father was when he grew up and so he does. Eventually, by the time he reaches Harvard, he has built himself a reputation of being a shrewd investor and makes himself a small fortune by investing in stocks before he even had his first pay check. He harbors an ambition to be the chairman of the Lester bank, the then largest bank, owned by his best friend's father, Charles Lester.
Abel on the other hand has a harder life than William, working his way through the ranks as a waiter and learning English during night, while working in the morning. Being a waiter to the corner table, allowed him to be privy to some interesting conversations which allowed him to invest intelligently in stocks. Eventually, fortune favors him in the form of David Leroy, who insists that Abel become the manager of his Richmond group of hotels. And thus Abel gets his first big chance. One tragic day, David Leroy unable to find a backer who can pull his hotels out of trouble and failing to secure any financial backing after approaching Kane and Cabot bank, commits suicide, leaving Abel the owner of the Richmond group of hotels and in charge of a sinking ship.
Abel, despite his valiant attempts could not find any backers and thus, he meets William Kane who was already working in Kane and Cabot, appealing his bank to reconsider backing him up, showing his proposal as to how he intends to bring the Richmond hotels out of trouble, if he could get a chance. William does try to persuade his bank to back Abel without much success and hence had to issue a notice of thirty days to find a backer or close the hotels. Abel, after his meeting with William, pledges that he will destroy William Kane, as he believes that Kane did not give him or David Leroy a chance and hence resulted in Leroy committing suicide.
And thus begins the tale of Kane and Abel, two different protagonists, one a born millionaire and other a penniless Polish immigrant and how fate brings them together and how they progress from two strangers to arch rivals and eventually to their destruction.
Jeffrey Archer does a phenomenal job in weaving a web of intricate emotions in the back drop of banking and investments, with two very likable protagonists, who in their own justified way, were bent on facing each other off. Spanning three generations of Kane and Abel, this story unfolds at breath taking space, through the times of war and depression, through Hitler regime and America's rise, yet never having a dull moment. As a reader, I could hardly favor one protagonist over the other. The ending was beautiful and poignant and so befitting these characters of Kane and Abel, that it did have my heart weeping for them.
I loved the book, for its story and its portrayal of biblical Cain and Abel. It is a brilliant novel and a must read for all those who enjoy a good story.
Happy reading, fellow readers!!
This is the story of two protagonists - William Kane and Abel Rosnovski, told from their birth to their grave. Each was born continents apart to very different fortunes on the same day. They had little in common, except the zeal to succeed in life.
Abel Rosnovski's mother died giving birth to him in a forest. A small boy who was hunting mistook the cries of labor to be that of an animal in pain and went to investigate. Finding the little boy with the umbilical cord still attached, he takes his hunting knife and severes the cord and takes the little boy to his mother, who already had eight mouths to feed with little means to do so. She christened him Wladek and took care of him, along with her other children. He is different than all his siblings of his adopted family and was always keen on learning and studying, thus finding himself in a Baron's castle as a competition to his only child, Leon, and getting private education. When a war broke out and the castle was taken over, Baron and all alive in his castle were taken prisoners of war. Thus, in a short span of time, Wladek, who was carefree in a castle found himself in a dungeon, with no hope but death to set him free. Eventually, he was taken to a Russian prisoner camp from which he escapes and travels to America, with nothing but a silver arm band, given to him by the Baron on his dying bed. Thus the small boy from Poland reaches America with hopes of succeeding in life.
William Kane was born in a banker's family. His father, Richard Kane was a millionaire and the chairman of Kane and Cabot bank and he was destined to be his prodigy from the moment he was born. During Richard's travel in Titanic, William loses his father when he was barely seven and he vows to be everything his father was when he grew up and so he does. Eventually, by the time he reaches Harvard, he has built himself a reputation of being a shrewd investor and makes himself a small fortune by investing in stocks before he even had his first pay check. He harbors an ambition to be the chairman of the Lester bank, the then largest bank, owned by his best friend's father, Charles Lester.
Abel on the other hand has a harder life than William, working his way through the ranks as a waiter and learning English during night, while working in the morning. Being a waiter to the corner table, allowed him to be privy to some interesting conversations which allowed him to invest intelligently in stocks. Eventually, fortune favors him in the form of David Leroy, who insists that Abel become the manager of his Richmond group of hotels. And thus Abel gets his first big chance. One tragic day, David Leroy unable to find a backer who can pull his hotels out of trouble and failing to secure any financial backing after approaching Kane and Cabot bank, commits suicide, leaving Abel the owner of the Richmond group of hotels and in charge of a sinking ship.
Abel, despite his valiant attempts could not find any backers and thus, he meets William Kane who was already working in Kane and Cabot, appealing his bank to reconsider backing him up, showing his proposal as to how he intends to bring the Richmond hotels out of trouble, if he could get a chance. William does try to persuade his bank to back Abel without much success and hence had to issue a notice of thirty days to find a backer or close the hotels. Abel, after his meeting with William, pledges that he will destroy William Kane, as he believes that Kane did not give him or David Leroy a chance and hence resulted in Leroy committing suicide.
And thus begins the tale of Kane and Abel, two different protagonists, one a born millionaire and other a penniless Polish immigrant and how fate brings them together and how they progress from two strangers to arch rivals and eventually to their destruction.
Jeffrey Archer does a phenomenal job in weaving a web of intricate emotions in the back drop of banking and investments, with two very likable protagonists, who in their own justified way, were bent on facing each other off. Spanning three generations of Kane and Abel, this story unfolds at breath taking space, through the times of war and depression, through Hitler regime and America's rise, yet never having a dull moment. As a reader, I could hardly favor one protagonist over the other. The ending was beautiful and poignant and so befitting these characters of Kane and Abel, that it did have my heart weeping for them.
I loved the book, for its story and its portrayal of biblical Cain and Abel. It is a brilliant novel and a must read for all those who enjoy a good story.
Happy reading, fellow readers!!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Harry Potter
- By J.K.Rowling
When I was introduced to Harry Potter series, I was twenty three. I have never heard of the name Harry Potter before that. And being an avid reader, I tell you, most of my friends were surprised that I have not read Harry Potter by then. So, I took their word and read a couple of chapters of Harry Potter and Philosopher's stone in Crossword and was hooked. I picked the entire series that day and completed the series in three days and nights. I tell you, I could not believe that I lived in a non-Harry Potter world until then. And since then, I have read Harry Potter enough number of times that it should be recorded as a crime, honestly! But when it is Harry Potter, written as J.K.Rowling has done, it is a crime to NOT have read it, oh, at least a million times!! So, now you know, I am crazy about this series.
J.K.Rowling created a magical world that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. She created adventures that are thrilling and characters that are easy to connect with. As thoroughly enjoyable as the stories are, the relationships and the values portrayed throughout the stories, kept me hooked to them. These books have made such phenomenal character study for me.
Harry Potter, for his experiences, should have been bitter with life, should have wanted to throw tantrums and scream at the unfairness of it all. Yet, he manages to be a grounded person with amazing strength of character and phenomenal amount of grit that should raise goosebumps for anyone. Parallel to him, his nemesis, Voldemort, with similar background grows to be cunning, solitary, dark, friendless wizard hell bent on destroying the world. Harry finds himself with friends who are loyal, courageous and generous, while Voldemort is surrounded by people who are afraid of him, whom he mistreats as servants rather than confidantes.
The books all lead to the grand showdown between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is a supremely powerful wizard, who crossed the realms of dark magic and considers himself unbeatable. Harry Potter is still studying in the school of witchcraft and wizardry. He is a novice in magic. The fight between these two should have been completely one-sided, yet Harry's ability to still love despite everything life has shown him, gives him the one strength that Voldemort did not have. His determination to stand up for the greater good despite all the odds, his perseverance when the ride gets bumpy, his trust in his friends and his kindness to all magical creatures alike make him a cut above Voldemort. And hence, the showdown was a phenomenal ride for me.
Aside from such thrilling tale of two wizards, these stories also teach a lot of values:
- life can be difficult, but with loyal friends, it could turn out to be a fascinating adventure
- that sometimes, evil may have the upper hand, but in the end, good will always triumph
- that no matter how small you are and how naive you are, persistence and hard work will pay dividends in the end
- that no amount of love is enough and to keep loving despite all odds is a tribute one can give to one's life
Every time, I am compelled to read the series as a whole. I could never stop myself with just reading a single book of the series and every time I choke up by the ending. I am overwhelmed with the emotions that gush up by the time I am done with the series. Every time, they rage wildly inside me from the beginning, turning into a mini tornado as the series progresses. Love, hate, anger, despair, surprise, heart break, joy and triumph - all ride in one huge rainbow until the very end and burst out like sparkles at the very end.
There are a lot of characters in the novels and most of them are quite dear to me. Hermione Granger, the little miss-know-it-all and Ronald Weasley - with his surprising courage and loyalty, Harry's two best friends through his adventures, who stand with him until the very end, form an integral part of this series. The relation between these three is fabulously portrayed and is quite entertaining to the readers. Weasley twins are hilarious pranksters who liven up the sometimes dull moment. Albus Dumbledore is another favorite character of mine, who is a genius with prodigal skill and the master behind the triumph of good in the end. Dobby, the house elf! Ah, I was in tears when he died. Severus Snape - I share a love hate relationship with this character, but to borrow Harry's words- he is one of the bravest character of the series. Sirius Black -this is one character I absolutely want a bit more of!! It just wasn't enough. Harry should by all means have had more time with him. But that is just a testimony to J.K.Rowling's penmanship in creating characters that are so enjoyable and loving.
I urge everyone to read the phenomenon called Harry Potter and enjoy the ride into the realms of magic. It is beautiful and brilliant.
When I was introduced to Harry Potter series, I was twenty three. I have never heard of the name Harry Potter before that. And being an avid reader, I tell you, most of my friends were surprised that I have not read Harry Potter by then. So, I took their word and read a couple of chapters of Harry Potter and Philosopher's stone in Crossword and was hooked. I picked the entire series that day and completed the series in three days and nights. I tell you, I could not believe that I lived in a non-Harry Potter world until then. And since then, I have read Harry Potter enough number of times that it should be recorded as a crime, honestly! But when it is Harry Potter, written as J.K.Rowling has done, it is a crime to NOT have read it, oh, at least a million times!! So, now you know, I am crazy about this series.
J.K.Rowling created a magical world that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. She created adventures that are thrilling and characters that are easy to connect with. As thoroughly enjoyable as the stories are, the relationships and the values portrayed throughout the stories, kept me hooked to them. These books have made such phenomenal character study for me.
Harry Potter, for his experiences, should have been bitter with life, should have wanted to throw tantrums and scream at the unfairness of it all. Yet, he manages to be a grounded person with amazing strength of character and phenomenal amount of grit that should raise goosebumps for anyone. Parallel to him, his nemesis, Voldemort, with similar background grows to be cunning, solitary, dark, friendless wizard hell bent on destroying the world. Harry finds himself with friends who are loyal, courageous and generous, while Voldemort is surrounded by people who are afraid of him, whom he mistreats as servants rather than confidantes.
The books all lead to the grand showdown between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is a supremely powerful wizard, who crossed the realms of dark magic and considers himself unbeatable. Harry Potter is still studying in the school of witchcraft and wizardry. He is a novice in magic. The fight between these two should have been completely one-sided, yet Harry's ability to still love despite everything life has shown him, gives him the one strength that Voldemort did not have. His determination to stand up for the greater good despite all the odds, his perseverance when the ride gets bumpy, his trust in his friends and his kindness to all magical creatures alike make him a cut above Voldemort. And hence, the showdown was a phenomenal ride for me.
Aside from such thrilling tale of two wizards, these stories also teach a lot of values:
- life can be difficult, but with loyal friends, it could turn out to be a fascinating adventure
- that sometimes, evil may have the upper hand, but in the end, good will always triumph
- that no matter how small you are and how naive you are, persistence and hard work will pay dividends in the end
- that no amount of love is enough and to keep loving despite all odds is a tribute one can give to one's life
Every time, I am compelled to read the series as a whole. I could never stop myself with just reading a single book of the series and every time I choke up by the ending. I am overwhelmed with the emotions that gush up by the time I am done with the series. Every time, they rage wildly inside me from the beginning, turning into a mini tornado as the series progresses. Love, hate, anger, despair, surprise, heart break, joy and triumph - all ride in one huge rainbow until the very end and burst out like sparkles at the very end.
There are a lot of characters in the novels and most of them are quite dear to me. Hermione Granger, the little miss-know-it-all and Ronald Weasley - with his surprising courage and loyalty, Harry's two best friends through his adventures, who stand with him until the very end, form an integral part of this series. The relation between these three is fabulously portrayed and is quite entertaining to the readers. Weasley twins are hilarious pranksters who liven up the sometimes dull moment. Albus Dumbledore is another favorite character of mine, who is a genius with prodigal skill and the master behind the triumph of good in the end. Dobby, the house elf! Ah, I was in tears when he died. Severus Snape - I share a love hate relationship with this character, but to borrow Harry's words- he is one of the bravest character of the series. Sirius Black -this is one character I absolutely want a bit more of!! It just wasn't enough. Harry should by all means have had more time with him. But that is just a testimony to J.K.Rowling's penmanship in creating characters that are so enjoyable and loving.
I urge everyone to read the phenomenon called Harry Potter and enjoy the ride into the realms of magic. It is beautiful and brilliant.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sculptress
- By Minette Walters
I have to say, I have mixed feelings about this novel... while I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, it still left me slightly disappointed.
Rosalind Leigh is an author drowning in her own misery when her agent issues an ultimatum to find a story, like yesterday. Further to that, she is asked to write the story on Olive Martin, a convicted murderer.
Olive Martin is not easy to like. She is a heavy set woman, with fondness to eating and a temper like wild fire when riled. She lives in an unhappy house, with her mother, sister and homosexual father. On her birthday, having been disappointed with her family not throwing a party for her, she gets into an awful row with her mother and sister and finally hacks them with an axe and rearranges the pieces. Then suddenly, she finds a bout of compassion for her father and she does not want him to see the monstrosity that she committed and so, she confesses her crime to the cops. Her lawyers could do little to help her find a lenient verdict and she is sentenced to twenty five years of prison life.
In prison, she is called sculptress for the wax figurines she carves each day. During the arrest or the trail, nobody bothers to ask her as to why she committed the crime. Until now, when Rosalind visits her in prison, to find her side of the story. While Olive looks grotesque, she manages to make an impression on Rosalind which is quite contradictory to that of a psychopath capable of hacking people. And Rosalind wonders, if Olive Martin did commit the murders for which she was convicted. In her research to understanding more about Olive, Rosalind identifies a series of inconsistencies that makes her believe that Olive did not commit those murders. But, Olive insists that she did. Why?
The novel progresses with Rosalind's research, unraveling Olive's life in bits and pieces, each new piece adding more to the puzzle. Olive and Amber, her sister, have been inseparable growing up. So why did Olive kill her? No one seems to remember Olive exhibiting any wild or irrational behavior, yet she committed gruesome murders. Why? The cop who arrested her, found her talks to be non-threatening and yet, the violence found at the murder scene speaks loudly that he needs to be wary of her. And when Rosalind visits Olive in prison, she seems to be touched by her compassion for her misery. How can a person capable of compassion commit such heinous crimes?
As we reach ending, I personally felt that the novel went a bit flat. The pieces of the puzzle fall together to complete the picture, yet something is quite left unsaid. While I enjoyed the writing and the ease of story telling, I am dissatisfied with it, like just eating a spoon of ice-cream while the bowl of it is left untouched! Definitely savory, but not fulfilling.
Having said that, just for the thrill of reading a mystery, I would recommend this book.
I have to say, I have mixed feelings about this novel... while I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, it still left me slightly disappointed.
Rosalind Leigh is an author drowning in her own misery when her agent issues an ultimatum to find a story, like yesterday. Further to that, she is asked to write the story on Olive Martin, a convicted murderer.
Olive Martin is not easy to like. She is a heavy set woman, with fondness to eating and a temper like wild fire when riled. She lives in an unhappy house, with her mother, sister and homosexual father. On her birthday, having been disappointed with her family not throwing a party for her, she gets into an awful row with her mother and sister and finally hacks them with an axe and rearranges the pieces. Then suddenly, she finds a bout of compassion for her father and she does not want him to see the monstrosity that she committed and so, she confesses her crime to the cops. Her lawyers could do little to help her find a lenient verdict and she is sentenced to twenty five years of prison life.
In prison, she is called sculptress for the wax figurines she carves each day. During the arrest or the trail, nobody bothers to ask her as to why she committed the crime. Until now, when Rosalind visits her in prison, to find her side of the story. While Olive looks grotesque, she manages to make an impression on Rosalind which is quite contradictory to that of a psychopath capable of hacking people. And Rosalind wonders, if Olive Martin did commit the murders for which she was convicted. In her research to understanding more about Olive, Rosalind identifies a series of inconsistencies that makes her believe that Olive did not commit those murders. But, Olive insists that she did. Why?
The novel progresses with Rosalind's research, unraveling Olive's life in bits and pieces, each new piece adding more to the puzzle. Olive and Amber, her sister, have been inseparable growing up. So why did Olive kill her? No one seems to remember Olive exhibiting any wild or irrational behavior, yet she committed gruesome murders. Why? The cop who arrested her, found her talks to be non-threatening and yet, the violence found at the murder scene speaks loudly that he needs to be wary of her. And when Rosalind visits Olive in prison, she seems to be touched by her compassion for her misery. How can a person capable of compassion commit such heinous crimes?
As we reach ending, I personally felt that the novel went a bit flat. The pieces of the puzzle fall together to complete the picture, yet something is quite left unsaid. While I enjoyed the writing and the ease of story telling, I am dissatisfied with it, like just eating a spoon of ice-cream while the bowl of it is left untouched! Definitely savory, but not fulfilling.
Having said that, just for the thrill of reading a mystery, I would recommend this book.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Leaving Time
- By Jodi Picoult
This was a random pick which was on my to-read list for sometime now. I usually shun away from Jodi Picoult novels as they are not my usual cup of tea. Having said that, reading Leaving time has been a fabulous experience, albeit an emotional one.
Alice is a scientist, researching elephant herds and studying their empathy responses, primarily grief, in an elephant sanctuary, along with her husband Thomas. Thomas owns the sanctuary and has three employees - Gideon, Grace and Nevvie. One night, Nevvie is found dead, trampled by an Elephant and Alice is severely injured. Alice is rushed to the hospital, from which she disappears on the same night. Thomas is institutionalized in a traumatic turn of events, leaving Jenna, a three year old, in the care of her grand mother.
Ten years later, a thirteen year old Jenna is obsessed about finding the truth of her mother's disappearance. In the quest for truth, Jenna methodically searches the missing person's list and unclaimed Jane Doe's on the internet every night. When the searches have been futile, in a desperate attempt, she seeks out a psychic, Serenity, who once specialized in missing persons. Serenity, though was not very keen on finding the truth, on the happen chance of finding Alice's wallet in the elephant sanctuary, close to the site of where Alice was found, she signs up for finding the truth about Alice. Jenna, however, does not want to leave the chance of finding her mother purely to a psychic, who needs visions to find answers. So she hunts down the investigative officer, Virgil, who was working the case on the night of her mother's disappearance and is thrilled to see that he is now a private detective. She approaches him to enlist his services in finding Alice.
The rest of the story, told from varying perspectives of Alice, Jenna, Serenity, Virgil, interlaced with life in an Elephant sanctuary, is an emotional ride in search for answers. In a captivating tale of intrigue, Jodi Picoult leaves no stone unturned to engage the reader. The Elephants in this novel are as much a part of the story, as every other character in the novel and reading about them has been a fascinating, though elaborate experience. And the ending? I did NOT see that one coming. I had to go back and re-read it, to make sure I read it right. And just on the off-chance that I misread it again, I read it, AGAIN and sure, I still did not see that ending in my wildest imaginations. While this is a well executed story, it saddened me.
In her own words: "The moral of this story is that no matter how much we try, no matter how much we want it … some stories just don’t have a happy ending."
In case you are picking this up, do read it on a weekend, with a day to spare, to get over the emotional gut-wrenching this novel seems to unload. And if you happen to be the sort of reader who gets into the heads of characters, like me, do keep some tissues handy!! Don't say I did not warn you!!
Happy reading, fella readers!
This was a random pick which was on my to-read list for sometime now. I usually shun away from Jodi Picoult novels as they are not my usual cup of tea. Having said that, reading Leaving time has been a fabulous experience, albeit an emotional one.
Alice is a scientist, researching elephant herds and studying their empathy responses, primarily grief, in an elephant sanctuary, along with her husband Thomas. Thomas owns the sanctuary and has three employees - Gideon, Grace and Nevvie. One night, Nevvie is found dead, trampled by an Elephant and Alice is severely injured. Alice is rushed to the hospital, from which she disappears on the same night. Thomas is institutionalized in a traumatic turn of events, leaving Jenna, a three year old, in the care of her grand mother.
Ten years later, a thirteen year old Jenna is obsessed about finding the truth of her mother's disappearance. In the quest for truth, Jenna methodically searches the missing person's list and unclaimed Jane Doe's on the internet every night. When the searches have been futile, in a desperate attempt, she seeks out a psychic, Serenity, who once specialized in missing persons. Serenity, though was not very keen on finding the truth, on the happen chance of finding Alice's wallet in the elephant sanctuary, close to the site of where Alice was found, she signs up for finding the truth about Alice. Jenna, however, does not want to leave the chance of finding her mother purely to a psychic, who needs visions to find answers. So she hunts down the investigative officer, Virgil, who was working the case on the night of her mother's disappearance and is thrilled to see that he is now a private detective. She approaches him to enlist his services in finding Alice.
The rest of the story, told from varying perspectives of Alice, Jenna, Serenity, Virgil, interlaced with life in an Elephant sanctuary, is an emotional ride in search for answers. In a captivating tale of intrigue, Jodi Picoult leaves no stone unturned to engage the reader. The Elephants in this novel are as much a part of the story, as every other character in the novel and reading about them has been a fascinating, though elaborate experience. And the ending? I did NOT see that one coming. I had to go back and re-read it, to make sure I read it right. And just on the off-chance that I misread it again, I read it, AGAIN and sure, I still did not see that ending in my wildest imaginations. While this is a well executed story, it saddened me.
In her own words: "The moral of this story is that no matter how much we try, no matter how much we want it … some stories just don’t have a happy ending."
In case you are picking this up, do read it on a weekend, with a day to spare, to get over the emotional gut-wrenching this novel seems to unload. And if you happen to be the sort of reader who gets into the heads of characters, like me, do keep some tissues handy!! Don't say I did not warn you!!
Happy reading, fella readers!
Friday, March 27, 2015
The Good Girl
- By Mary Kubica
I have to say, I have a hate-like relation with this book. I read the book in one sitting, could not close it and let it be, at any point during my read. But, the more I think about it, the more I dislike it.
This book is about Mia Dennett, who was kidnapped and forced to live in a cabin by the abductor, Colin Thatcher. Eve and James, Mia's mother and father, seem to handle this abduction in two different ways; one with guilt and other with disbelief. Grace, Mia's sister, copes with this with her detached indifference. When finally found by the cops, Mia insists that her name is Chloe and that she does not remember much of anything else. Gabe, the investigator, seems to spend days waiting for information, while Mia seems to develop empathetic feelings towards her captor.
The characters were just flat out boring. Eve Dennett was the easiest to connect with, but certainly not to my liking. James Dennett was beyond annoying. Gabe was pathetic, Grace has a graceful mention, while Colin was just too unbelievable to be true and Mia, well, just falls flat. The more I think about characters, the more irked I am with them.
The story was told in three POV, with mix tense, the present ongoing story interspersed with past to unravel the in-between. While the story keeps the interest alive through the scores of pages, my issue is that this mix of past and present did not just click with the story. There were no good twists to the tale and the story was a bit flat, albeit slightly emotional. The final twist looked more as an after thought than part of the story.
Not the sort of book I would recommend to people. While it certainly makes a captivating read, it just is not compelling enough to feel that there is something amiss if not read.
I have to say, I have a hate-like relation with this book. I read the book in one sitting, could not close it and let it be, at any point during my read. But, the more I think about it, the more I dislike it.
This book is about Mia Dennett, who was kidnapped and forced to live in a cabin by the abductor, Colin Thatcher. Eve and James, Mia's mother and father, seem to handle this abduction in two different ways; one with guilt and other with disbelief. Grace, Mia's sister, copes with this with her detached indifference. When finally found by the cops, Mia insists that her name is Chloe and that she does not remember much of anything else. Gabe, the investigator, seems to spend days waiting for information, while Mia seems to develop empathetic feelings towards her captor.
The characters were just flat out boring. Eve Dennett was the easiest to connect with, but certainly not to my liking. James Dennett was beyond annoying. Gabe was pathetic, Grace has a graceful mention, while Colin was just too unbelievable to be true and Mia, well, just falls flat. The more I think about characters, the more irked I am with them.
The story was told in three POV, with mix tense, the present ongoing story interspersed with past to unravel the in-between. While the story keeps the interest alive through the scores of pages, my issue is that this mix of past and present did not just click with the story. There were no good twists to the tale and the story was a bit flat, albeit slightly emotional. The final twist looked more as an after thought than part of the story.
Not the sort of book I would recommend to people. While it certainly makes a captivating read, it just is not compelling enough to feel that there is something amiss if not read.
Ugly Love
- By Colleen Hoover
Miles Archer has two simple rules, Do not ask about his past and do not expect a future with him. But with twists only life can offer, he finds himself at cross roads, where his rules may have to be broken, his past has to be confronted, his present has to be corrected, if he wants his future to be cherished. Does he have the courage to do it?
Sometimes life has a way of making one moment just perfect and the next, a raging tragedy. Miles experiences love at its best and finds himself wading through the ugliness of it. Is he capable of recognizing a lifeline? When faced with feelings that threaten to push him past the self imposed prison of unhappiness, is he brave enough to unveil the chance at happiness that life offers or is he too hardheaded to laugh in the face at a new beginning?
A compassionate and emotional story, told in alternating tones of past and present with a heartbreaking rendition of love and loss, interspersed with passion and hurt. This story is no light read, but definitely a fast read. I could not put the book down, despite the string of emotions it left me reeling in.
Author Colleen Hoover has an easy style and a fantastic articulation. She manages to evolve her characters quite well as the story progresses. She certainly captures the attention of the readers and holds it till the last page, prodding their emotional quotient along the way, stirring up feelings of sympathy, loss, love, hope and redemption. And I loved it, for all its bittersweet, painful and moving story line.
If you are interested in an emotional love story, feel free to pick it up!
Miles Archer has two simple rules, Do not ask about his past and do not expect a future with him. But with twists only life can offer, he finds himself at cross roads, where his rules may have to be broken, his past has to be confronted, his present has to be corrected, if he wants his future to be cherished. Does he have the courage to do it?
Sometimes life has a way of making one moment just perfect and the next, a raging tragedy. Miles experiences love at its best and finds himself wading through the ugliness of it. Is he capable of recognizing a lifeline? When faced with feelings that threaten to push him past the self imposed prison of unhappiness, is he brave enough to unveil the chance at happiness that life offers or is he too hardheaded to laugh in the face at a new beginning?
A compassionate and emotional story, told in alternating tones of past and present with a heartbreaking rendition of love and loss, interspersed with passion and hurt. This story is no light read, but definitely a fast read. I could not put the book down, despite the string of emotions it left me reeling in.
Author Colleen Hoover has an easy style and a fantastic articulation. She manages to evolve her characters quite well as the story progresses. She certainly captures the attention of the readers and holds it till the last page, prodding their emotional quotient along the way, stirring up feelings of sympathy, loss, love, hope and redemption. And I loved it, for all its bittersweet, painful and moving story line.
If you are interested in an emotional love story, feel free to pick it up!
Invisible
- By James Patterson with David Ellis
One of the best crime thrillers I read in recent times. Certainly a page turner that kept me hooked. James Patterson is not new at weaving a web of suspense, nor is his style unknown. He is a master plotter and this book does not disappoint his fans. Along with David Ellis, he manages to keep the reader engrossed in the plot with interesting twists and keeps the adrenaline pumping all through the novel.
Emmy Dockery is an FBI research analyst who lost her sister in a fire accident. Though the police rule it out as an accident, she believes its a murder committed by a serial killer capable of pulling off a perfect crime that looks like an accident. Without support from her superiors, she launches her personal mission, scouring through the internet for fires that look like accidents and the more she researches, the more convinced she is, that the fire was no accident but a perfectly executed murder. Having been disciplined by her superiors and mocked by newspapers, she turns to her ex-fiance, Harrison Books Bookman, who was an ex-FBI agent, to help her. Having gone through her research, though he is skeptical about the case, he believes in her and manages to get an approval for a small team of four members to take the case further.
The rest of the novel is about revelations: Is Emma, in her own mind fabricating a case because she is unable to accept her sister's death as an accident? Or, is Emma's research true? The truth in either case is tantalizingly close with every page turned, yet that bit far, to keep you engrossed, with enough twists in the plot to keep even an avid crime reader in suspense.
Not a book to overlook, definite read for any mystery lover.
http://www.amazon.in/Invisible-James-Patterson
One of the best crime thrillers I read in recent times. Certainly a page turner that kept me hooked. James Patterson is not new at weaving a web of suspense, nor is his style unknown. He is a master plotter and this book does not disappoint his fans. Along with David Ellis, he manages to keep the reader engrossed in the plot with interesting twists and keeps the adrenaline pumping all through the novel.
Emmy Dockery is an FBI research analyst who lost her sister in a fire accident. Though the police rule it out as an accident, she believes its a murder committed by a serial killer capable of pulling off a perfect crime that looks like an accident. Without support from her superiors, she launches her personal mission, scouring through the internet for fires that look like accidents and the more she researches, the more convinced she is, that the fire was no accident but a perfectly executed murder. Having been disciplined by her superiors and mocked by newspapers, she turns to her ex-fiance, Harrison Books Bookman, who was an ex-FBI agent, to help her. Having gone through her research, though he is skeptical about the case, he believes in her and manages to get an approval for a small team of four members to take the case further.
The rest of the novel is about revelations: Is Emma, in her own mind fabricating a case because she is unable to accept her sister's death as an accident? Or, is Emma's research true? The truth in either case is tantalizingly close with every page turned, yet that bit far, to keep you engrossed, with enough twists in the plot to keep even an avid crime reader in suspense.
Not a book to overlook, definite read for any mystery lover.
http://www.amazon.in/Invisible-James-Patterson
Bad Luck and Trouble
- by Lee Child
Jack Reacher is an ex-military US army major, hitch hiking his way through the United States of America, to whichever place he thinks up next. With toothbrush, passport and a recently acquired ATM debit card, Reacher has minimal luggage and is always on the go. No permanent address, no phone, no email, he is as close to being untraceable on the planet as one can get. So, when tracked down by his past unit member, Frances Neagley, with a distress code that few in the world could understand, he immediately responds.
Back in his military days, Reacher was the head of a special investigative unit in the military, the Special Investigators. He hand picked eight members, who were the best the army could offer, and together they worked as a team to bring the bad guys down.So, when someone from this unit calls for help, it sure as hell is not for finding lost keys!
When he meets Frances Neagley in LA, she shows him an autopsy report of Calvin Franz, who was part of their unit. He was tortured and thrown out of the helicopter when alive, left as coyote food. His death has been brutal and vicious. She wants him to put the old unit back together to avenge Calvin Franz's death.
"You do not mess with the special investigators", was their tagline. But, now, someone did and in a gruesome way. And someone has to pay!
Reunited with survivors of his old unit, Reacher sets about hunting down the perpetrators. Trusting one another as they once did, not so long ago, they retrace the steps of Calvin Franz, only to find that they are facing something much bigger than avenging their own. What will they do?
Lee Child has done a phenomenal job of showcasing Jack Reacher, with a flare unmatched in crime thrillers, as yet. He weaves a web of suspense that leaves you breathless. He kicks up the adrenaline a notch, with every turning page. And he ties up the tale with a fascinating ending that leaves you in awe. He does not disappoint with this one. It is written with precision and dexterity well known to all his fans.
For me, personally, Jack Reacher is an enigma. For a while now, Reacher is shown as a drifter with his set of morales and a simple rule: You mess with me, you get what you get! He retaliates with precision and with a menace unmatched and unparalleled. And he delivers, every time.
However this novel is different to others, in that it is emotional or as close to emotional as Reacher could get. Military was an integral part of his life for a very long time. And the camaraderie he had with his Special Investigative team is more than that of his family loyalty. They believed in a code and they had each others back. And when someone messes with one of them, they would be dead men walking, as simple as that.
"You don’t throw my friends out of helicopters and live to tell the tale." - Jack Reacher.
That guy, I tell you, he tingles my spine and warms my heart. This is one book, you do not want to miss.
Happy Reading, fella readers!!
Jack Reacher is an ex-military US army major, hitch hiking his way through the United States of America, to whichever place he thinks up next. With toothbrush, passport and a recently acquired ATM debit card, Reacher has minimal luggage and is always on the go. No permanent address, no phone, no email, he is as close to being untraceable on the planet as one can get. So, when tracked down by his past unit member, Frances Neagley, with a distress code that few in the world could understand, he immediately responds.
Back in his military days, Reacher was the head of a special investigative unit in the military, the Special Investigators. He hand picked eight members, who were the best the army could offer, and together they worked as a team to bring the bad guys down.So, when someone from this unit calls for help, it sure as hell is not for finding lost keys!
When he meets Frances Neagley in LA, she shows him an autopsy report of Calvin Franz, who was part of their unit. He was tortured and thrown out of the helicopter when alive, left as coyote food. His death has been brutal and vicious. She wants him to put the old unit back together to avenge Calvin Franz's death.
"You do not mess with the special investigators", was their tagline. But, now, someone did and in a gruesome way. And someone has to pay!
Reunited with survivors of his old unit, Reacher sets about hunting down the perpetrators. Trusting one another as they once did, not so long ago, they retrace the steps of Calvin Franz, only to find that they are facing something much bigger than avenging their own. What will they do?
Lee Child has done a phenomenal job of showcasing Jack Reacher, with a flare unmatched in crime thrillers, as yet. He weaves a web of suspense that leaves you breathless. He kicks up the adrenaline a notch, with every turning page. And he ties up the tale with a fascinating ending that leaves you in awe. He does not disappoint with this one. It is written with precision and dexterity well known to all his fans.
For me, personally, Jack Reacher is an enigma. For a while now, Reacher is shown as a drifter with his set of morales and a simple rule: You mess with me, you get what you get! He retaliates with precision and with a menace unmatched and unparalleled. And he delivers, every time.
However this novel is different to others, in that it is emotional or as close to emotional as Reacher could get. Military was an integral part of his life for a very long time. And the camaraderie he had with his Special Investigative team is more than that of his family loyalty. They believed in a code and they had each others back. And when someone messes with one of them, they would be dead men walking, as simple as that.
"You don’t throw my friends out of helicopters and live to tell the tale." - Jack Reacher.
That guy, I tell you, he tingles my spine and warms my heart. This is one book, you do not want to miss.
Happy Reading, fella readers!!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
My Sister's Grave
- By Robert Dugoni
Oh Boy!! It was a fast paced, adrenaline pumping, emotional ride to closure. I could hardly take my eyes off the page.
Sarah Crosswhite disappears on a storm ridden night, while driving home. In the subsequent investigation, Edmund House, a convicted rapist , is tried and arrested for Sarah's murder, though her body was never found. The evidence was flimsy and the trial was a mere formality. The town moved on, however, her sister Tracy and her family, did not get the closure they sought.
Twenty years later, a dog digs up a bone that is identified to be that of Sarah Crosswhite. At that time, Tracy is with the Seattle Police department, as a detective, still trying to find the answers as to what happened to her sister on that fateful night. The evidence found in her sister's grave conflicts with the evidence twenty years ago. Tracy, convinced of a cover up, intends to seek justice. She reaches out to her childhood friend Dan O'Leary, who is now practicing law in Cedar Grove to help release an innocent from jail and to reopen the investigation of her sister's murder.
The rest of the story, moving between past and present, unveils the truth, bit by bit, as to what happened to Sarah. In her quest for truth, Tracy steps on a lot of shoes, but, she perseveres to the end, to find the answers. But, can she handle what she finds? Should she have left the dead for the dead, instead of seeking answers that should have been left buried, along with her sister?
Robert Dugoni does a fabulous job of keeping the suspense until the very end and misleading quite convincingly. I loved the characters in the novel. Just when I thought, this is the one who did it, I am faced with another side of the character, that had me rethinking! The characters had different shades, each contrasting and humane.
For a crime thriller, this still managed to evoke all the emotional triggers of love, affection, loyalty, friendship and courage, which was a pleasant surprise. The novel was well written, precise and logical. And the final twist?? I sure did not see it coming, I can tell you that much!
Not the sort to pick up if you are in a hurry to be somewhere. And certainly not for a bedtime read, you won't get any!!
For all fellow readers, who love a good crime thriller, this is a MUST read!!
Oh Boy!! It was a fast paced, adrenaline pumping, emotional ride to closure. I could hardly take my eyes off the page.
Sarah Crosswhite disappears on a storm ridden night, while driving home. In the subsequent investigation, Edmund House, a convicted rapist , is tried and arrested for Sarah's murder, though her body was never found. The evidence was flimsy and the trial was a mere formality. The town moved on, however, her sister Tracy and her family, did not get the closure they sought.
Twenty years later, a dog digs up a bone that is identified to be that of Sarah Crosswhite. At that time, Tracy is with the Seattle Police department, as a detective, still trying to find the answers as to what happened to her sister on that fateful night. The evidence found in her sister's grave conflicts with the evidence twenty years ago. Tracy, convinced of a cover up, intends to seek justice. She reaches out to her childhood friend Dan O'Leary, who is now practicing law in Cedar Grove to help release an innocent from jail and to reopen the investigation of her sister's murder.
The rest of the story, moving between past and present, unveils the truth, bit by bit, as to what happened to Sarah. In her quest for truth, Tracy steps on a lot of shoes, but, she perseveres to the end, to find the answers. But, can she handle what she finds? Should she have left the dead for the dead, instead of seeking answers that should have been left buried, along with her sister?
Robert Dugoni does a fabulous job of keeping the suspense until the very end and misleading quite convincingly. I loved the characters in the novel. Just when I thought, this is the one who did it, I am faced with another side of the character, that had me rethinking! The characters had different shades, each contrasting and humane.
For a crime thriller, this still managed to evoke all the emotional triggers of love, affection, loyalty, friendship and courage, which was a pleasant surprise. The novel was well written, precise and logical. And the final twist?? I sure did not see it coming, I can tell you that much!
Not the sort to pick up if you are in a hurry to be somewhere. And certainly not for a bedtime read, you won't get any!!
For all fellow readers, who love a good crime thriller, this is a MUST read!!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Sleep Tight
- By Rachel Abbott
People do all sorts of daft things for no reason that anybody else can understand...
I LOVED it. I absolutely loved it. Rachel Abbott has done a phenomenal job of evolving the characters and the story, in a way that is captivating, enticing and ruddy brilliant. I have to say it, just one more time: I freaking loved it!!!
Ah, Olivia, my heart goes out to you! What an ill fated life did you live? Her boyfriend leaves her and their two month old child, Jasmine, without so much as a word. A few weeks later, her parents are dead. And a few months later, she seems to be living a perfect life, married to a doting husband. A few years into marriage, she has two kids and lives in a semblance of luxury. Except, one day, Robert disappears with the kids, or so Olivia believes. However, he returns. A few years later, she disappears, along with the kids. There seems to be nothing amiss in the house, no chaos suggesting something out of ordinary and yet, something was missing. There were absolutely no photos of the kids or of Olivia in the house. Everything else looks the same. Except, for a LOT of blood that was cleaned, behind the locked doors of Robert's study. The cops investigating the disappearance seem to find a bread crumb trail, yet picking the crumbs left more questions than answers.
This is a dark tale of love, friendship and passion told at a mind-numbing pace and just when I thought its over, there was another curve ball thrown! Boy, I could not put this down and I could not get the characters out of my head.
What happened to Olivia and her kids? Why is the door to Robert's study locked? Whose blood was it in his study? Did he kill Olivia and the kids and buried them somewhere? Or was he a victim of some heinous crime? What happened to all the photos in the house? As the investigation progresses, unraveling the mystery, who is good and who is bad, who is the victim and who is the culprit? Every link is tied in the end, but that end was a fabulous journey, through the minds of the characters. Tom Douglas, the smart and determined chief investigator along with Becky, his partner, who is equally determined, together peel off the layers to a gripping finale that will surely keep you at the edge of your seat.
I dare you to put it down!! Have fun, fellow readers!!
People do all sorts of daft things for no reason that anybody else can understand...
I LOVED it. I absolutely loved it. Rachel Abbott has done a phenomenal job of evolving the characters and the story, in a way that is captivating, enticing and ruddy brilliant. I have to say it, just one more time: I freaking loved it!!!
Ah, Olivia, my heart goes out to you! What an ill fated life did you live? Her boyfriend leaves her and their two month old child, Jasmine, without so much as a word. A few weeks later, her parents are dead. And a few months later, she seems to be living a perfect life, married to a doting husband. A few years into marriage, she has two kids and lives in a semblance of luxury. Except, one day, Robert disappears with the kids, or so Olivia believes. However, he returns. A few years later, she disappears, along with the kids. There seems to be nothing amiss in the house, no chaos suggesting something out of ordinary and yet, something was missing. There were absolutely no photos of the kids or of Olivia in the house. Everything else looks the same. Except, for a LOT of blood that was cleaned, behind the locked doors of Robert's study. The cops investigating the disappearance seem to find a bread crumb trail, yet picking the crumbs left more questions than answers.
This is a dark tale of love, friendship and passion told at a mind-numbing pace and just when I thought its over, there was another curve ball thrown! Boy, I could not put this down and I could not get the characters out of my head.
What happened to Olivia and her kids? Why is the door to Robert's study locked? Whose blood was it in his study? Did he kill Olivia and the kids and buried them somewhere? Or was he a victim of some heinous crime? What happened to all the photos in the house? As the investigation progresses, unraveling the mystery, who is good and who is bad, who is the victim and who is the culprit? Every link is tied in the end, but that end was a fabulous journey, through the minds of the characters. Tom Douglas, the smart and determined chief investigator along with Becky, his partner, who is equally determined, together peel off the layers to a gripping finale that will surely keep you at the edge of your seat.
I dare you to put it down!! Have fun, fellow readers!!
Monday, March 9, 2015
You
- By Caroline Kepnes
I should say that this random pick was one of the best I read in recent times. Oh Gosh, it is deliriously creepy, unbelievably sensual, impossibly addictive. By the very subtext of the novel, I should not have liked the book, let alone loved it.
Joe Goldberg is obsessed. The story is about his object of obsession, told from his perspective. Guinevere Beck, or Beck as she likes to be called is an aspiring writer, who has no clue about life, who has some serious issues and is selfish enough to use people to get to her objective. While browsing in Mooney bookstore, she catches the eye of Joe Goldberg, who works there and he is instantly obsessed with her. While ringing her bill at the counter, they flirt a little and Joe decides that she is THE ONE. From that moment on, he stalks her every minute - quite literally!! Active on networking sites - Twitter and Facebook, and into emails and texting more than calls, Beck provides an easy access to her personal life to anyone on the internet. And he swallows up the whole of her social networking and gets hold of her mobile phone on a freak encounter and hacks into her email and inserts himself into her life, creating a fabricated life that eventually makes her fall for him. Will she find out about his secret? How does he play the act of an innocent bystander, while all the while knowing more about her than he confesses? In that narrow walk on the tripwire, who trips first?
For a debut novel, Caroline Kepnes was brilliant in her story telling and her play of words. She told a compelling dark tale of obsession, that left me astounded at her audacity for creating a character (Joe Goldberg) that snuck into my mind and played havoc with right and wrong, while I rooted for him. I should have cursed him for existing, yet, I could not help but be absorbed into his mind and live in it. The obsession was like a weed, growing in my mind too and that is the beauty of the novel. The characters just grow on you. While other characters have good roles to play and are introduced via Joe's reading of Beck's emails, they all play an important role in the novel. No character is undeserved, no word is misplaced and the novel is constructed intelligently, to drive you to obsession, page by page.
You, by Caroline Kepnes is definitely worth a read!
I should say that this random pick was one of the best I read in recent times. Oh Gosh, it is deliriously creepy, unbelievably sensual, impossibly addictive. By the very subtext of the novel, I should not have liked the book, let alone loved it.
Joe Goldberg is obsessed. The story is about his object of obsession, told from his perspective. Guinevere Beck, or Beck as she likes to be called is an aspiring writer, who has no clue about life, who has some serious issues and is selfish enough to use people to get to her objective. While browsing in Mooney bookstore, she catches the eye of Joe Goldberg, who works there and he is instantly obsessed with her. While ringing her bill at the counter, they flirt a little and Joe decides that she is THE ONE. From that moment on, he stalks her every minute - quite literally!! Active on networking sites - Twitter and Facebook, and into emails and texting more than calls, Beck provides an easy access to her personal life to anyone on the internet. And he swallows up the whole of her social networking and gets hold of her mobile phone on a freak encounter and hacks into her email and inserts himself into her life, creating a fabricated life that eventually makes her fall for him. Will she find out about his secret? How does he play the act of an innocent bystander, while all the while knowing more about her than he confesses? In that narrow walk on the tripwire, who trips first?
For a debut novel, Caroline Kepnes was brilliant in her story telling and her play of words. She told a compelling dark tale of obsession, that left me astounded at her audacity for creating a character (Joe Goldberg) that snuck into my mind and played havoc with right and wrong, while I rooted for him. I should have cursed him for existing, yet, I could not help but be absorbed into his mind and live in it. The obsession was like a weed, growing in my mind too and that is the beauty of the novel. The characters just grow on you. While other characters have good roles to play and are introduced via Joe's reading of Beck's emails, they all play an important role in the novel. No character is undeserved, no word is misplaced and the novel is constructed intelligently, to drive you to obsession, page by page.
You, by Caroline Kepnes is definitely worth a read!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
A mother’s sin
- By Lynda Page
A saga, thought provoking and leaves you astound about the harsh truths of life. A saga of a martyr fighting for her salvation to live a life as a normal human being.
Diane Kirby (Dee), daughter of a hard nosed prostitute, has to fight her mother’s legacy to find a place of her own in this world. Not wanting to follow the foot prints of her mother, she fights for a life, a chance to make a life, any chance! Not getting any affection from her mother and being taunted for not choosing to live up to the family tradition, she lives a life of desperation. Finding a comfort and affection in her aunt Madge, she tries to pick her shreds of life, but she faces disgust and dead ends in the light of her mother’s dark life. After her mother dies in an accident, she finds herself face to face with ruthless criminals, who mistreat her and she finds herself fighting not only for the life of the person she loves but also for her self pride. This novel is written in a different time, with the perspectives of a different time, yet not very different from the present.
The novel is a misery lit, written as it should be written, tragic and dark. Dee’s character is compassionate, loyal, and sturdy in her conviction. “You do what you have to do”. Though the novel does not support or condemn prostitution, the author certainly questions the morality of the issue: How can a prodigy be responsible for a mistake she/he has little to do with? One does what one is capable of, in the light of circumstances and though the novel does not sympathize people earning their living by selling their body, it does portray that they are also people who dream of a knight in shining armor and they too have a heart, through Madge. The novel also shows the difficulty of fighting preconceived notions about a person and questions the conscience of the society by choosing to assume the life of a person, owing to the family back ground.
Though I am not much into misery sagas, I just had to give this one a try, particularly after seeing the book cover! Rightly, the novel left me toiling on the bed and staring at the ceiling and pondering about the monstrosity or cruelty of words and the damage they can do to a person’s morale. How many times do we find ourselves bending into something we do not approve of in another person, yet simply satisfy ourselves with a simple reason – circumstances? How many times do we condemn another person for the actions he/she does, without having a remote idea of the circumstances that would have driven a person to such extremes? What right does anyone have for a profanity, when one can’t choose the womb they are in?
A fiction misery, simple and lucid style of writing and definitely touching.
A saga, thought provoking and leaves you astound about the harsh truths of life. A saga of a martyr fighting for her salvation to live a life as a normal human being.
Diane Kirby (Dee), daughter of a hard nosed prostitute, has to fight her mother’s legacy to find a place of her own in this world. Not wanting to follow the foot prints of her mother, she fights for a life, a chance to make a life, any chance! Not getting any affection from her mother and being taunted for not choosing to live up to the family tradition, she lives a life of desperation. Finding a comfort and affection in her aunt Madge, she tries to pick her shreds of life, but she faces disgust and dead ends in the light of her mother’s dark life. After her mother dies in an accident, she finds herself face to face with ruthless criminals, who mistreat her and she finds herself fighting not only for the life of the person she loves but also for her self pride. This novel is written in a different time, with the perspectives of a different time, yet not very different from the present.
The novel is a misery lit, written as it should be written, tragic and dark. Dee’s character is compassionate, loyal, and sturdy in her conviction. “You do what you have to do”. Though the novel does not support or condemn prostitution, the author certainly questions the morality of the issue: How can a prodigy be responsible for a mistake she/he has little to do with? One does what one is capable of, in the light of circumstances and though the novel does not sympathize people earning their living by selling their body, it does portray that they are also people who dream of a knight in shining armor and they too have a heart, through Madge. The novel also shows the difficulty of fighting preconceived notions about a person and questions the conscience of the society by choosing to assume the life of a person, owing to the family back ground.
Though I am not much into misery sagas, I just had to give this one a try, particularly after seeing the book cover! Rightly, the novel left me toiling on the bed and staring at the ceiling and pondering about the monstrosity or cruelty of words and the damage they can do to a person’s morale. How many times do we find ourselves bending into something we do not approve of in another person, yet simply satisfy ourselves with a simple reason – circumstances? How many times do we condemn another person for the actions he/she does, without having a remote idea of the circumstances that would have driven a person to such extremes? What right does anyone have for a profanity, when one can’t choose the womb they are in?
A fiction misery, simple and lucid style of writing and definitely touching.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
– By Kim Edwards
A very touching piece of writing. When I first picked this book, I did it out of my own frustration. I was down in a pit and I wanted to get myself out of this world and the only way in which I can do that is to catch a book. I went to Crossword and picked a few books. It was a random pick and when I read the back drop, I thought, lets see! And, it made a fabulous read.
A single act out of conviction has affected the journey of quite a few individuals. Each is right in one’s own mind. One stage or the other, we each take a decision based on our own view of a particular situation, unperturbed by the repercussions. Since we cannot predict the future, we cannot undo a lot of our actions and we think, lets face the consequences and not many have the strength to do that.
This novel is about a doctor (David), who takes a decision, which he thinks is apt, considering the situation. His wife (Norah), is in labor on a stormy day and he has to deliver his own children in his office rather than the hospital as planned. Norah is carrying twins, which neither knew! The first born was a boy, healthy and fine. The second child is a girl, a child about to change the course of his life. The girl is born with the sure features of Down’s syndrome and David, not wanting his wife to carry the grief and pain of a retarded child, takes a decision of admitting his daughter in an institution for retarded children, a task he assigns to his trusted nurse, Caroline Gill. Caroline, having seen the institution, takes a impulsive decision of bringing up the child, on her own and moves out of the city, to pick her own threads from scratch, else where.
The act of David was selfish and it changes the course of five individuals. He gets caught in the moment and is never the same person again in his life. The grief, he thinks he is saving his wife from, unfortunately is a bane on his conscience and the course his personal life takes, is sad to read.
The act of Caroline, though brave and touching, was not described in a way that did justice to her character. The every day minutiae of life that describes a person was missing, making the character tad bit dissatisfying.
The novel starts of as a collection of tiny bits and pieces of the character’s lives, but fails to carry the same detail all through the novel. It describes the inner turmoil of the characters in a splendid way and in fact, many a time, we peep into ourselves, where we fight every day demons in our lives, to attain sanity.
The theme of the novel revolves round photography, a memory captured in a still, to wring your soul in future! The author uses the photography to describe David’s emotions well and the language and the style of her writing are captivating to the soul. It sure is worth a read.
A very touching piece of writing. When I first picked this book, I did it out of my own frustration. I was down in a pit and I wanted to get myself out of this world and the only way in which I can do that is to catch a book. I went to Crossword and picked a few books. It was a random pick and when I read the back drop, I thought, lets see! And, it made a fabulous read.
A single act out of conviction has affected the journey of quite a few individuals. Each is right in one’s own mind. One stage or the other, we each take a decision based on our own view of a particular situation, unperturbed by the repercussions. Since we cannot predict the future, we cannot undo a lot of our actions and we think, lets face the consequences and not many have the strength to do that.
This novel is about a doctor (David), who takes a decision, which he thinks is apt, considering the situation. His wife (Norah), is in labor on a stormy day and he has to deliver his own children in his office rather than the hospital as planned. Norah is carrying twins, which neither knew! The first born was a boy, healthy and fine. The second child is a girl, a child about to change the course of his life. The girl is born with the sure features of Down’s syndrome and David, not wanting his wife to carry the grief and pain of a retarded child, takes a decision of admitting his daughter in an institution for retarded children, a task he assigns to his trusted nurse, Caroline Gill. Caroline, having seen the institution, takes a impulsive decision of bringing up the child, on her own and moves out of the city, to pick her own threads from scratch, else where.
The act of David was selfish and it changes the course of five individuals. He gets caught in the moment and is never the same person again in his life. The grief, he thinks he is saving his wife from, unfortunately is a bane on his conscience and the course his personal life takes, is sad to read.
The act of Caroline, though brave and touching, was not described in a way that did justice to her character. The every day minutiae of life that describes a person was missing, making the character tad bit dissatisfying.
The novel starts of as a collection of tiny bits and pieces of the character’s lives, but fails to carry the same detail all through the novel. It describes the inner turmoil of the characters in a splendid way and in fact, many a time, we peep into ourselves, where we fight every day demons in our lives, to attain sanity.
The theme of the novel revolves round photography, a memory captured in a still, to wring your soul in future! The author uses the photography to describe David’s emotions well and the language and the style of her writing are captivating to the soul. It sure is worth a read.
Remember Me?
– By Sophie Kinsella
Knocked it in half a day! I picked this book because of its curious back drop. Waking up to a new ME, a ME that I dream of ever day and suddenly living my dream, yet unsure how I got there! Ha, it makes a story, alright!
“Remember Me”, is a story about Lexi Smart, who happens to climb the ladder, without an inkling as to how she got there! In 2004 and at 25, Lexi is an average person, with a job that barely keeps her above the water, with good friends whom she hangs out with and a boyfriend, whom she plans to dump. With crooked tooth, frizzy hair and true to her nick name, Snaggletooth, she looks average or probably below average in her perspective. Stranded in a heavy rain, stood up by her boyfriend, sulking about not getting a bonus and the next day being her father’s funeral service, she was feeling low and despondent. Trying to hail a taxi, she trips over the stairs and is knocked down unconscious. She wakes up in a hospital bed, to realize it is 2007 and she is 28.
At 28, BAM! She looks like a top model, is the boss of her department, has a gorgeous husband and a stunning loft for a home. Only, she doesn’t remember a thing about them. A colleague is behind her job, her friends hate her and she has a secret lover. “Remember me” is about Lexi’s quest to find what has happened in the past three years to change her into the person she does not recognize, emotionally or physically.
A fast read, with a simple language and a subtle hint at humor. The novel lacks detail and left me feeling incomplete. The character Lexi, comes off as a super woman with a strong character. But the novel fails to keep up the tempo going and the reasons for her change are not as life altering as is the over all change to her character! A character I have expected so much from, left me completely dissatisfied.
Waking up to a new YOU is a fairy tale story, that could have been much better, with a few details added to it, because it leaves a lot for assumption. The character that starts of as sleek and chic, talented, ambitious, beautiful and sophisticated comes out very ordinary in the end. It might have got to do with Lexi not being able to remember majority of her past, but that is not an excuse to make her look ordinary, considering that she lived a miracle in under three years, turning her life over, completely!
Chick lit, light read and should help one get over an afternoon boredom!
Knocked it in half a day! I picked this book because of its curious back drop. Waking up to a new ME, a ME that I dream of ever day and suddenly living my dream, yet unsure how I got there! Ha, it makes a story, alright!
“Remember Me”, is a story about Lexi Smart, who happens to climb the ladder, without an inkling as to how she got there! In 2004 and at 25, Lexi is an average person, with a job that barely keeps her above the water, with good friends whom she hangs out with and a boyfriend, whom she plans to dump. With crooked tooth, frizzy hair and true to her nick name, Snaggletooth, she looks average or probably below average in her perspective. Stranded in a heavy rain, stood up by her boyfriend, sulking about not getting a bonus and the next day being her father’s funeral service, she was feeling low and despondent. Trying to hail a taxi, she trips over the stairs and is knocked down unconscious. She wakes up in a hospital bed, to realize it is 2007 and she is 28.
At 28, BAM! She looks like a top model, is the boss of her department, has a gorgeous husband and a stunning loft for a home. Only, she doesn’t remember a thing about them. A colleague is behind her job, her friends hate her and she has a secret lover. “Remember me” is about Lexi’s quest to find what has happened in the past three years to change her into the person she does not recognize, emotionally or physically.
A fast read, with a simple language and a subtle hint at humor. The novel lacks detail and left me feeling incomplete. The character Lexi, comes off as a super woman with a strong character. But the novel fails to keep up the tempo going and the reasons for her change are not as life altering as is the over all change to her character! A character I have expected so much from, left me completely dissatisfied.
Waking up to a new YOU is a fairy tale story, that could have been much better, with a few details added to it, because it leaves a lot for assumption. The character that starts of as sleek and chic, talented, ambitious, beautiful and sophisticated comes out very ordinary in the end. It might have got to do with Lexi not being able to remember majority of her past, but that is not an excuse to make her look ordinary, considering that she lived a miracle in under three years, turning her life over, completely!
Chick lit, light read and should help one get over an afternoon boredom!
Monday, February 2, 2015
How Starbucks changed my life
- By Michael Gill
Quite an interesting and easy read, yet thought provoking and insightful. Loved reading it.
It's about a Yale graduate, who was fired from an executive job and was forced to hunt for opportunities to live a life. A guy, who has been loyal to the company, worked 24X7 and kept his dedication to the company prior to his family commitments and sensitive or emotional relations, was fired because the company wanted young and dynamic force. He was forced to look for an alternative, when his savings were barely sufficient to get him through the tough times and he was diagnosed by brain tumor and he had just forgone his medical insurance in order to be able to provide for his youngest son. An unexpected talk in a star bucks store altered his life and there by gave him a new life. A life, where he was able to appreciate the beauty and dignity of working. A second chance for redemption.
"Work is dignity" and any sort of work is decent because it doesn't allow one to beg/borrow or steal and saves face many a time. The writing style was easy to comprehend and it is a light read yet will leave an impression. How many times did we push ourselves to the hilt and beyond, for the sake of the appreciation and the menial perks associated with the job and how many times did we forgo our fondest wishes on a holiday for our work, whether we like it or not just because we want a secure future, which we have not seen? The novel is apt for all the people who seem to be lost in this cat race for money and fame, losing one's self, being caught in the frenzy. Loving work is important, so is treating people right and so is accommodating people in life. Being tolerant to other person's weakness not only makes you humble, but teaches the other person more effectively. Also, to be a good motivator one has to be self sufficient and confident and eager to please before expecting the same from sub-ordinates. The experiences of Michael Gill are an eye opener to every one caught up in a sphere of "self".
For any person who wants to find the lost spark, that spark with which he began his journey... For any person who treats work with respect, and for a person bold to accept his mistakes and willing to start on from scratch and unafraid to do so, should read this book. It is unforgiving and self-sufficient and forms quite an interesting eye-opener.
Quite an interesting and easy read, yet thought provoking and insightful. Loved reading it.
It's about a Yale graduate, who was fired from an executive job and was forced to hunt for opportunities to live a life. A guy, who has been loyal to the company, worked 24X7 and kept his dedication to the company prior to his family commitments and sensitive or emotional relations, was fired because the company wanted young and dynamic force. He was forced to look for an alternative, when his savings were barely sufficient to get him through the tough times and he was diagnosed by brain tumor and he had just forgone his medical insurance in order to be able to provide for his youngest son. An unexpected talk in a star bucks store altered his life and there by gave him a new life. A life, where he was able to appreciate the beauty and dignity of working. A second chance for redemption.
"Work is dignity" and any sort of work is decent because it doesn't allow one to beg/borrow or steal and saves face many a time. The writing style was easy to comprehend and it is a light read yet will leave an impression. How many times did we push ourselves to the hilt and beyond, for the sake of the appreciation and the menial perks associated with the job and how many times did we forgo our fondest wishes on a holiday for our work, whether we like it or not just because we want a secure future, which we have not seen? The novel is apt for all the people who seem to be lost in this cat race for money and fame, losing one's self, being caught in the frenzy. Loving work is important, so is treating people right and so is accommodating people in life. Being tolerant to other person's weakness not only makes you humble, but teaches the other person more effectively. Also, to be a good motivator one has to be self sufficient and confident and eager to please before expecting the same from sub-ordinates. The experiences of Michael Gill are an eye opener to every one caught up in a sphere of "self".
For any person who wants to find the lost spark, that spark with which he began his journey... For any person who treats work with respect, and for a person bold to accept his mistakes and willing to start on from scratch and unafraid to do so, should read this book. It is unforgiving and self-sufficient and forms quite an interesting eye-opener.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Attachments
- By Rainbow Rowell
Attachments is about an IT security guy, who reads emails written on the corporate network, that are filtered by a security word filter, when the emails are not adhering to company protocol. His job is to send a standard warning to the employee about a breach in security protocol. One such occasion, he happens to read an email exchange between Beth and Jennifer, who vicariously ignore the standard warning of using profanity or unprofessional words in the emails, and freely discuss their personal life, without a care for company protocol or the language they use. While their exchanges frequently get flagged, he seems to be caught up in their lives and enjoy their odd sense of humor, that he could not find it in his heart to send a warning note to either of them. Beth and Jennifer are aware of the fact that someone snoops their emails, but Jennifer with her "right to free expression" speech, willfully ignores company protocol. Eventually, Lincoln realizes that he fell in love with Beth and it might be too late to introduce himself to her. Will he confess his feelings for her? What consequences does his actions have on his love? That is the plot of the story.
Characters, simple and complicated are introduced and developed in the email exchanges. While the style of the author is easy to follow and story line uncomplicated, laced with humor and emotions, it left me slightly difficult to stay with a character and connect with it. Emails, having written many and read many, made me realize how impersonal they can get. Perhaps I read it with that in my subconscious mind that I could not quite honestly connect with the characters or the plot.
Having said that, Rainbow Rowell certainly has a funny bone and a wit to charm her readers. The author manages to progress the story of these three lives suitably and entertainingly. This is my first novel of hers. I intend to try another one, before deciding if her style suits my interests. If you are interested in a romantic story and do not mind slightly disconnected pieces that eventually fit together, you can give it a try!!
Attachments is about an IT security guy, who reads emails written on the corporate network, that are filtered by a security word filter, when the emails are not adhering to company protocol. His job is to send a standard warning to the employee about a breach in security protocol. One such occasion, he happens to read an email exchange between Beth and Jennifer, who vicariously ignore the standard warning of using profanity or unprofessional words in the emails, and freely discuss their personal life, without a care for company protocol or the language they use. While their exchanges frequently get flagged, he seems to be caught up in their lives and enjoy their odd sense of humor, that he could not find it in his heart to send a warning note to either of them. Beth and Jennifer are aware of the fact that someone snoops their emails, but Jennifer with her "right to free expression" speech, willfully ignores company protocol. Eventually, Lincoln realizes that he fell in love with Beth and it might be too late to introduce himself to her. Will he confess his feelings for her? What consequences does his actions have on his love? That is the plot of the story.
Characters, simple and complicated are introduced and developed in the email exchanges. While the style of the author is easy to follow and story line uncomplicated, laced with humor and emotions, it left me slightly difficult to stay with a character and connect with it. Emails, having written many and read many, made me realize how impersonal they can get. Perhaps I read it with that in my subconscious mind that I could not quite honestly connect with the characters or the plot.
Having said that, Rainbow Rowell certainly has a funny bone and a wit to charm her readers. The author manages to progress the story of these three lives suitably and entertainingly. This is my first novel of hers. I intend to try another one, before deciding if her style suits my interests. If you are interested in a romantic story and do not mind slightly disconnected pieces that eventually fit together, you can give it a try!!
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