Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

Pages :  369

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4.38/5

Review:  At some point, I do feel should rename my blog as 'Unpopular Opinions'. I hate hype. It builds up such expectations that I unconsciously set a standard that most hyped things fail to meet. Miserably.

All right, so I picked up The Martian after all the fuss about how amazing the film was and I'm sure it was to non-readers but prejudice aside, I did follow that unspoken rule of 'Book before Movie' and I was left puzzled. 

I'm not a big sci-fi kinda gal. Outer space does excite the nerd in me and so I picked this book up hoping it would seriously please my space-loving soul. (No pun intended). First of all, let's start by saying, this book is way too science-y and I get a feeling that technically most of it aren't even the right calculations. 

Watney is annoying. Honestly, he sounds like a whiney geeky kid unfortunately left behind by his friends at lunch. Okay Okay, I get it, He's stuck on Mars but come on! I can't possibly be the only one having a problem with the way it was written. The language was way too casual for something as grave as leaving a man behind, the smart interjections were good, no doubt just the 'Yaay Me!' and other catch-phrases seem stupidly immature for an astronaut. His wit did come handy to him eventually we can see that and how.

Nonetheless, it was an engrossing book because it's this situation that you kind of give up hope on right from the very beginning. You want to know what will happen eventually and it's something you can't wait to reach the end just to know what happens. Since this is a spoiler-free review, I will not be in-depth with the details. 

A little over the top, too technical, slightly dramatic and a good unbelievable chunk thrown in - makes it quite Bollywood to me.

Final Rating : 3/5

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Book Review: Grimm's Fairy Tales

Pages :  518

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4.02/5

Review: Where do I begin. Let's start of by saying this would probably be the shortest review I have written or will ever write. Really, how much criticism can a classic get when it's already pretty well imbibed, churned,diluted, watered down, read, re-read, re-re-re-re-read over the years and people like me just got older. 

To think that this book is perfect for your children is probably one of the biggest disillusion you would have. The concept behind why these stories are so 'Grimm' (Ha! See what I did there :p) is to scare children into behaving. I see it contrary to that. The stories are terrifying to a child yes, but they are also quite sexist and anyone who knows that it's what really gets to me.One has to keep in mind the day and age they are residing in.  So to sift through all of that and look for the morales behind it, I had to literally take a magnifying glass and hunt for it. The book also has the usage of.......certain words.... which I don't like reading even in the grown-up novels. (I'm pure and pies). Don't get me wrong. Grimm's Fairy Tales are quick, snappy, witty and extremely clever. The question is, would I give it to my child to read it as it is? I wouldn't.

Adding another perspective would be if like me, you too have a sickening and darkly sense of humor, you'd love this and that's exactly the lens I looked through.

IF your kid is as annoying as I was/am , please read a cherry-picked, milder version for these stories to them. There's enough misery in the world as it is.

Recommended to generally weird adults with an odd sense of humour such as myself.

Final Rating : 3/5

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Dye-Stained Hands And A Mid-Year Freak Out

If there was an award for slacking at blog posts, I swear I'd be sailing to it. My excuse this time would be shoddy internet connection , non cooperative service provider and my inability to juggle responsibilities.
Without further ado, let's look ( and laugh ) at my reading progress. (NOT!)

Best Book You've Read So Far in 2015 ?

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Not a single flaw. I wanted to stand up and applaud. It's like that.
Other noteworthy reads this year were - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, A Flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Best Sequel You've Read So Far in 2015 ?

Didn't read any sequels this year. Fortunately or unfortunately

New Release You Haven't Read Yet But Want To ?

Not one to follow new releases. I have a gypsy's soul when it comes to picking what to read when.

Most Anticipated Release For The 2nd Half of 2015 ?

Winter by Merissa Meyer. The 4th Instalment of the Lunar Chronicles

Biggest Disappointment ?

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire. No idea what people loved so much about this book or may be I'm stupid.
The Girl in The Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender. Just could not connect with any of the stories in this book.

Biggest Surprise ?

Brother Grimm's Fairytales was an unpleasant surprise.
The good surprises were - Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Favourite New Author ?

Authors more like. Haruki Murakami - absolutely love anything and everything by him. The consistently peculiar stories are perfect for my kind of reading. Amitav Ghosh because I finished the Sea of Poppies and fell in love with the characters. Marcus Zusak for The Book Thief because no amount of words will be enough to express this beauty of a book.

Newest Fictional Crush ?

Jamie McTavish from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Can you say guilty-pleasure :p

Book That Made Me Cry ?

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, Room by Emma Donoghue, Living Dead Girl

Book That Made Me Happy ?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Favourite Book to Movie Adaptation You Saw This Year ?

Not something I really watched but I found that Outlander and The Shawshank Redemption were way better than their original books.

Favourite Review You've Written This Year ?

Room by Emma Donoghue. The book made me feel emotions I didn't know one could ever feel.

Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far in The Year ?

Necropolis by Avtar Singh which was a part of my JLF 2015 goodie bag. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh that was handed to me by a friend who's roommate had to move.

What books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year ?

I'm 7 books away from my Goodreads Challenge and in order to successfully accomplish that, I'm gravitating more towards books that I might like for certain. Since there's really no time to dabble around and I'm amidst a panic attack. ( It's already NOVEMBER people !)

P.S. Apologies for being away for a month. I've already go a list of books I need to review and have gotten cracking with it. So stay tuned !

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Skinny Girls are Real People Too, You Know.

' Oh you can afford to have sugar in your tea with a figure like that !' came a remark from behind me at an event.
'How old are you?!' smirked the lady.
' 23 ' I spluttered.

I can safely say that I have never ever encountered such a retort from a total stranger and it completely caught me off guard. To think that after years of being called skinny or skeleton, adult life would focus more on responsibilities than just my size. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for that time to come and looks like I'm ageing to it.

'Eat something!' - a delightful greet I receive even from the most educated of people. Makes me really scratch my head and wonder if anyone has given that phrase a rational thought, a genuine thought and how absurd it sounds when you tell a petite person 'eat something!' . As if I'd been living on clean air ever since my existence.

While we are already amidst this wonderful movement to embrace plus sizes and curvaceous beauties, the idea behind it should be well implied to all the variant sizes. ALL THE VARIANT SIZES. By this I mean, the smaller sizes too; the really small, just small, extra small and whatever have you.  If 'fat-shaming' is not cool then 'skinny-shaming' is unacceptable too. ( Yes, skinny - shaming is a thing ). In order to wholly accept the idea of every body is a beautiful body,  I cannot stress enough on how imperative it is for people to stop picking on slender women because trust me when I say this and I say this for every girl like me, it hurts EXACTLY how it would hurt when you negatively remark about a plus-sized girl. No one deserves that either way.

I don't diet or practise any kind of portion control. I eat as I like, when I like, whatever I like. I would openly encourage any woman to live as they like, wear as they like regardless of body shape. Considering my situation as a hereditary process, the body image bullying has been dealt with since the last 3 generations, therefore, by default I too ended up facing the same comments my mother or grandmother would have heard in their youth. I can't say for the previous generations, however this decade is much more logical and sensible enough to understand that everyone is different. Even when you categorised women in pear-shaped, almond shaped, boy-shaped, apple-shaped, plum-shaped, diamond-shaped,chair-shaped, table-shaped and any other absurd shape, everyone will still have unique features to them that they will sit and scrutinise, 'If it doesn't fit a category/stereotype, ITS A FLAW' as we have this policy very finely drilled into our heads.

People. Stop.

Stop overanalysing yourselves and others around you. Learn to accept people for who they are or what they are. May be the overweight girl can't shed kilos due to a hormonal issue or may be the skinny girl has great metabolism, it could be anything. We have to be sensitive before we let words just roll out of our tongue.

There's nothing wrong in being thin, What's wrong is the attitude that surround the word 'skinny' and the constant need to make a petite person feel guilty about their frame even when its entirely natural. In a parallel sense, there's no shame nor anything wrong in being plump either. It's just a disgusting effort to kill one's esteem and will do more harm than good if women themselves with go on criticising body image. ( SENSE OF SISTERHOOD! ) Yet, we still fall for this everyday.
The concept of accepting all shapes and sizes would be the greatest irony if 'Skinny b*tch has it easy' still flouts around with no end.

Be healthy and be happy, refrain from using unkind words like 'Real men love curves only dogs love bones' because we don't particularly exist to impress any man. If you have a problem with mine or any one else's figure, it's really your problem and is best advised to keep it to yourself. Also, vague exclamations like ' skinny women hangout only with skinny women' will only make an abysmally low impression of yourself. Everyone has an opinion, I get it.

On a side note, I am fully aware of how ridiculously rant-y this post is, nonetheless the sad issue had to be expressed since limits have not been clearly vindicated. From experience, it is known that at times you have to be blunt to shut the unnecessary running criticism and this instance is one of them.


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Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Pages :  321

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 3.96/5

Review: As if there was less misery in the world that I had to review such a book. The trigger, of course, was Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. Soon after I finish a book, I scan through Goodreads to see what the fellow bibliophiles have to say. All because I'm curious and also just to pick up points that I might have overlooked/missed.

When it comes to child abuse, Room by Emma Donoghue was a title tossed around by a bunch of people. Stated to be loosely inspired by the Fritzl case, Emma Donoghue's 'Room' was a book that made everyone sit up and notice the risk she had taken in publishing this work, which eventually lined up quite a few accolades and appraisals for her.

It didn't take me long to finish the novel. The story is about 5 year old, Jack who lives with his Ma in a room ever since his birth. From the bird's eye view, Room is where they are held captive for the last 7 years by Old Nick ever since she was abducted by him when she was 19 years old.

Caution: for all those who are familiar with my style of book reviews would know that spoiler-free is the way to be (Ha! Rhyme!). In this particular review, I'm afraid it will be hard to refrain (another rhyme!) from getting into the story in detail. You see, the plot is such that a discussion post-reading is quite impossible. It's a very strange case to us but when you look at it from a 5 year old's point of view, it makes complete sense.

Back to the story; Right, so after being held captive in a Room, a small shed in the backyard equipped with minimal facilities for their basic survival, Old Nick sexually abuses Ma regularly to the point where she got pregnant. Her one successful pregnancy is when she gave birth Jack and the only thing that she could offer to this child was herself in a Room that is the only world he would ever experience. So she thought.

Ma does everything in her power to protect Jack from Old Nick and has made him sleep in the wardrobe everyday. The only way she could shield him from Old Nick. Little does she know, that Jack has been counting the 'creaks of the bed' every single night. Heartbreaking to know that a child who knows no meaning of the occurrence is forced to endure that. 

Cut to the chase, Ma and Jack device an escape plan that works perfectly and takes them to safety. This where everything goes topsy turvy. Jack is born and raised in a Room with no experience of the real world. To him 'Outside' is almost as alien as a new planet is to a layman. So when Jack is taken to a safe facility with his mother where he meets new people, gets to eat as much as he likes and just be a child, it frightens him. His mother is grasping hungrily at the freedom that she could once only dream of and the fear of losing her is a constant worry for little Jack. 
Even though they do find an escape and are trying to have a better life, it's extremely difficult for Ma, Jack and the family around them. The understanding of the real world and it's functioning only makes Jack more withdrawn from people. Information overload for a child that lived all his life in a room which was his only world and for it to be snatched away seems cruel to him but absurd to us outsiders. Ma gets no better either. After enduring that ordeal in such a young age and her family considering her dead for all those years, her mental healthy begins to swing. 
Now look at it this way, life doesn't really get better for the two even after they leave the Room and that's what hurts us readers the most. We pray so hard that they escape and get the happily ever after they deserve but things gets more complicated than that. Life outside has moved on while they lived in a box and the changes aren't all a warm welcome. That's the real tragedy in this book. Even after the torture and confinement, Ma and Jack go back once again to visit Room before it gets demolished just for memories sake. Emma Donoghue is a genius for nailing every nook, every corner, every detail, every dust bunny, every piece of dirt, furniture, cloth, toy and much more in this book. 

What I was not a big fan of, was the narration. The entire book is written from 5 year old Jack's perspective which I felt was not well formulated. Five year olds don't talk that way nor can they make complete sense of body functions in the way the book describes it - The biggest flaw in the book. It's not just me who noticed this but other Goodreads Reviewers have expressed their concerns over the same. That's the risk Emma Donoghue tookas mentioned earlier.  This 'voice' that it was narrated in, also made the story a bit sleepy in certain areas. Not uninteresting but 'lets fast-forward a bit' kind of slow. 

In terms of recommendations, I wouldn't suggest this to everyone  since this is more of a book that presents a fictional case study instead of a leisurely read and knowing the fact that 'Room', is by no means, a happy book. If you have the courage to read more about child abuse or the possible threats that could be surrounding the young minds, then you can definitely put this in your TBR list somewhere.

Final Rating : 4/5

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Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

Pages :  198

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 3.88/5

Review:  I was recently mocked by a good friend for reading this book (playfully, of course). Stephen King has no shortage of fans globally and a good majority of people begin their reading journey with his works. Carrie being a turning point in his writing career. I do admit, that after hearing so much about Carrie as a popular fictional character in the literary world and watching the really cool trailers and viral prank videos (the cafe one in particular) curiosity got the better of me. 
Pretty much everyone existing on Earth will know what Carrie is all about (unless you're living on another planet) and I will not repeat the mundane. The devices that Stephen King uses to narrate her story is quite clever. Some from people who knew her, victims, towns folk and news stories. Despite being one of the most mentioned books in the 'Horror' genre, It didn't really terrify me due to the lack of details, I personally felt. I'm downloading the movie as we speak and am half expecting the visuals to do all the talking. 
However, what did terrify me was Carrie's overtly religious and insanely cray-cray momma who.... I'm just going to say it..... is completely batshit mental. I'd probably run away if I was Carrie. Perhaps this was the entire trigger in the film that explains Carrie White's budding telekinetic powers. What I don't understand is, there wasn't a whole of scenes depicting her exercising this power. She has to do a mental flex and objects can be manipulated to move as her will. I wanted to see more of that. To a point where her skills did seem borderline terrifying instead of going all out with a surge of power. 
Why was Carrie White mocked at school so miserably? Was it just because of her awkward introvert nature or was it the fact that her mother was mad into religion? I wish there was a little bit more depth to that or the characters around her. When I say depth, I mean I would love to have a closer look at how evil Chris and the girls were, than seeing just a mean prank and the revenge that followed.
May be I have really grown out of this phase and it's quite likely that adolescent me would have been frightened enough. I have read other books by Stephen King and somewhere somehow he does fall short in his storytelling.
I did draw one conclusion that those who do commit heinous crimes actually might come from a background of bullying or ill-treatment or deep misunderstandings that leads to a build up of angst and anger. That's just a thought I had.

Final Rating : 2/5

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Book Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pardon me if my reviews seem to be on the shorter end lately. As we are already towards the end of August,  my commence toward the book challenge is at snails pace and I REALLY need to get on it.

Pages :  268

Read on : Paperback

Goodreads Rating : 3.34/5

Review: This book is not for everyone. In fact it's not for most people unless you are a literature major or something along those lines. The story follows the humiliation and sufferings of Hester Prynne in the 17th Century. Yup, it's pretty dated. Well-known in the literary world as a stand-out for it's strong outlook on the puritan society and a fair glimpse about what would happen to a woman, if she committed the most heinous crime ever, adultery.  

For a feminist, it's a piece of work that can't be dismissed. Hester Prynne is dis-owned by her towns folk and is branded with a scarlet letter 'A' embroidered on her chest, she's with child and refuses to name the man who she had relations with.  

Despite being a good natured and pious woman, the moment of weakness where she did indulge begins to define her life and starts affecting her child quite adversely. Innocent questions are being asked where Hester has no proper answer to and the townsmen are quick to point fingers at her.  

It took me a good while before I could get past the language. I haven't had much experience in grasping old english other than a few lessons in school and a failed attempt at reading Huckleberry Fin. You'll probably end up needing some references from SparkNotes or other reviewers who are more seasoned than I am. However, the honour element and will to carry out the punishment for as long as she could is commendable. The story did drag on for a good while, it also helped reflect on the burden of having the scarlet letter etched on her bosom. Her 'crime' was unforgivable even though several years had passed by. 

The main reason as to why people read The Scarlet Letter is to understand how progressive it was for something written in 1850. i'm not going to lie, the sole purpose for me to read the book was for that very reason. I didn't enjoy it as my other literary adventures but it was something that needed to be done. I did get bored in a lot of the parts and I guess that would be the reason why Hester's punishment felt endless. 

Not something I would recommend to anyone. I honestly read it just for educational purposes.

Final Rating : 3/5

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Splatter Days

Paintings by Mehreen Shaikh

Sometimes I just crave a blank canvas to spill out everything that's bottled up in me. Like a gush of paints and ink splatter. In no order or any sense, yet hoping you will read off your screens and nod your head,barely able to understand what I'm trying to say and still be able to say to me telepathically, 'Hey, it's okay, we all have our days'. Splatter days I want to call them.

    

It's like waiting, endlessly for something you have no idea about. Like waiting at a curb looking for cars to pass by or in a hospital corridor at 3 AM with just the breeze of doors being pushed around. You don't see anyone and it gets quiet again. You try to hear something familiar to you or something that holds a faint meaning. But instead, all you see is blank spaces. So blank, they make you feel all eerie inside. You see random people occasionally who've seen and dealt with the situation themselves or could be battling their own inner demons, handing you obscure advice. More splatter. You think you don't need that advice till one day it all begins to resonate. Can you still call it a painting if it isn't complete? Will it ever be complete?

I see mimes with all the upside down smiles, shaking their heads. No. They pat my head, trying to console me. There, There. They don't convey anything more than that. They can't. There is nothing left to be addressed. They know it's my journey and I'm on my own.

I take a few steps ahead in the name of moving on. For the sake of moving on. Let's try to collect more splatter - I can't help look back again and again as I go forth. I move ahead a few steps more till I can actually walk by myself..... steady.......steady.......I look back lesser now.......but I still look. Hoping the deeply missed splatter shade will bloom on my canvas some day.

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Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Hi! It's been forever since I put up a post for which I'm going to whip out the mundane 'I was busy' excuse. Well I was genuinely busy due to the holy month of Ramadan and Eid celebrations. Now that I'm back, expect some obscure posts in the coming days.

On with the review!

Pages :  550

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4.35/5

Review:  As you may know, I didn't have the best start to my year in terms of reading. I waltz around way too long with forgettable stories. To most people in the book blogging world, that's a crime. Then when the TBR Jar spits out ' The Book Thief ' I knew it would be something worthwhile.

How did I know you ask? I cheated a bit and watched the movie with my family last year and remember falling in love with Liesel and Rudy. The others around were in perfect harmony. The book has been around for a while and the hype about it is well justified. I stared into the abyss, shaken by the literary adventure I had. I cried till my heart felt sore and then I fell in love with it all over again. It's just one of those stories that give me chills I enjoy. The writing was absolutely beautiful. How? Just how can some one be spot-on in narrations and characterization? It's magical.

Although it's set during the holocaust, the story revolves around Liesel and the scraps of her life she shares with her neighbors and friends. She steals books and uses them to escape the harsh realities of her surroundings. I adored her foster parents for their unusual way of showing love which at some stages did turn out comforting. 

Then there's Rudy.

Rudy. He steals the show. He kills you with his spirit, he'll make you laugh till your sides hurt, he'll make you care about him like your own and it will hurt you. Rudy is a fantastic character for someone so young and everything that happens with him is probably the biggest reason why my heart felt like it was ripped out and shredded to bit because it hurt so much.  

May be that's why I have this unhealthy attachment with The Book Thief. It made realize what life is all about. It will put you in the worst of situations to test your own morals, it will make you happy momentarily, it will steal something you love most dearly and most of all it teaches you compassion. The most routine things leave the biggest void when they are no longer in existence and that pain leaves you helpless. 

Its one of those books I devoured in no time. I did hear that The Book Thief does slow down in some spots, however that wasn't the case for me. Despite watching the film ( which was also very good, by the way ) I was hungry to know more. What I don't really get is the reason as to why it's a Y.A novel? I would highly recommend this people irrespective of age.

Final Rating : 5/5

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Book Review: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Pages :  170

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 3.84/5

Review: Most of my book recommendations come from Booktubers and bibliophile bloggers and this was stacked somewhere in my To Be Read pile without much thought given.

So when my TBR jar spits out 'Living Dead Girl', I anticipate a horror or dark comedy. Something morbid but funny and I get into it blindly.

It felt like I was hit by a bus.

Unputdownable is a mild way of saying it, but I don't think I have ever come across something as horrific as the Living Dead Girl. The story is about 10 year old 'Alice'  held captive by a man named Ray who refers to himself as her father. Alice is a name Ray prefers to call his victims while he sexually and mentally abuses them and also physically tortures them. 'Alice' has been in captivity for 5 years with the fear that if she ever manages to escape, bad things will happen to her parents as it happened to the 'Alice' before her. The neighborhood is such that no one seems to notice anything unusual happening nor do they seem to care. In order to escape Ray, 'Alice' needs to look for a new girl who will take her place as 'Annabelle' and the terror never seems to end.

Oh boy. For people who might be wanting to read this, please be warned this book will scar you for sure; Till a point where you just might have nightmares and wouldn't want to let your kids out of your sight even for a minute. Elizabeth Scott is one gutsy lady who has not spared a single detail to our imagination. The graphic description will assault any idea of innocence that you may hold as it's more of a running yet passive narrative of a child facing abuse from the age of 10 to 15. What pained me the most in the book was that she thought one day she would reach out for the knife and plunge it into her own chest - her only route to 'freedom'. Ray doesn't even feed her adequately, the point being that Alice remain small and as child-likeas possible. The perfect ruthless Pedophile profile was created in the form of Ray.  Even now as I write this review and think about that book I fight back tears and the fear in my heart. How many innocent children might have been taken from their families and subject to a kind of tortured that will disturb even the most strong-willed. Are children really that safe?

There's no bright-side to the book. Yes, you will know of the dangers lurking outside for the young ones and what possible can happen to them. Knowing that is vital, however if you are a mom, you just might have a hard time to fathom the concept and still look at your children the way you always did. I have no clue as to why 'Living Dead Girl' is deemed as YA. The recommendation doesn't even extend to teenagers or sensitive adults. Everything in the book was so wrong, it manages to rip your heart out. You'll end up feeling sore and tender. The sense of helplessness will takeover your mind and body. I didn't know whether to cry or scream or do both.

This is one of those situations where the book is absolutely terrible at the same time manages to be highly rated.

Final Rating : 5/5

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Book Review: Fasting Feasting by Anita Desai

Pages :  240

Read on : Paperback

Goodreads Rating : 3.28/5

Review: A bit disappointed by Ms Desai. I didn't expect a book so closely missed for the Man Booker Prize 1999 to be such a drag. In all fairness, I picked Fasting Feasting for that nomination as a vouch for it's credibility and the assumption that it might be her best to almost attain such an esteemed tittle. Near miss nominations must not be exempted. You never know what treasures it might hold. This however was a let down of a whole new level.

As per the description, the story is of two siblings, Uneducated Uma and her brother , Arun who is sent to Massachusetts for University. Uma is stated as dull, not very pretty and unmarried. Her lack of any appeal has made it difficult to find an suitors thus she is now spending her existence on serving her parents. Arun is the promising child in the family. Under the burden of his parent's aspirations, poor Arun is shipped off to USA for college where one summer he has a strange encounter with the Pattons. Other than Uma and Arun, there's Aruna, the middle daughter- pretty, married and distraught. Caught in her own tides of having everything perfect. 

I'm not going to go into much detail about the story because honestly I really didn't understand what was the whole point of the book. Harsh but true. At several stages we do understand that this book is a direct hit to the kind of society India used to have. Uma was pushed and pulled by her family for their whims and fancy and there Arun was the only semi-liberated one with the easy access to high-quality education. Aruna was as pointless as a doormat. She was there, she was pretty , she was in demand and she was married off. The end. 

Even though I have come across books that lack a definite plot, at least the characters manage to salvage it. However here if anything I felt Uma was constantly made a mockery of. In no way were there any good things about her mentioned which saddened me. Surely she must have had something to her or someone who went close to understanding her. With way too many things happening in Uma's share of the book, it was impossible for me to draw any connection with any character.  On the other hand, there's Arun who encounters all kinds of absurdity in the Pattons house. New to the American 'culture'  but he could see the imbalance in both the households despite the cultural difference. The only part that I somewhat liked and also a marginally better ending than Uma's tale.

Desai's writing is simplistic to where she is to the point yet the whole concept has gone completely amiss. She opens her chapters sharply and quickly with no dilly-dally. That is the only reason I rated it as such. If you were intending to read 'Fasting, Feasting', don't bother. You aren't missing out on much.

Final Rating : 2/5

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Perceived Mistresses and Married men

I guess I needed some serious shaking up when I just analyzed and found out majority of my friends are all much older to me. Lately the people I've been casually chatting with are all men much above my age but me being frivoulous or foolish free-spirit ( call it what you may ) I don't think of consequences, unless I foresee it to happen rather too soon.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to roll my eyes (LIES!)  at the 'marriage talk'. Considering now that I am approaching a certain age, the gossip spreads like wildfire more among relations than anywhere else. My problem here is of a different kind. Ignorance is bliss as they say and at times we never think such-and-such thing could ever happen to us. Until it does. 

Two words. Married. Men.

Before you jump to conclusions, let me clarify I am NOT talking about affairs. But hey, interest taken can be misinterpreted in several ways. Easy to slander regardless. 

There are two sides to this, like every story. There are friends you have know since the being of time who get hitched and then there are those who become friends while they are sailing in the ' I'm married ' vessel. The former = no troubles. The latter however, cause of all troubles.

One of my closest girlfriends is getting married in under a month and I'm the one losing my sh*t. ( No, I don't have diarrhea, thankyouverymuch )  It's because I feel like I'm about to lose something. Relationships equations change, priorities change and I'm praying desperately she doesn't become one of those people who starts suggesting marriage to anyone one of us with zero prospects. ( JK Bluwis ).

Naturally, the people surrounding my work area are mostly men. Married men, to be precise. A casual cup of tea and a catch up seems harmless to us, but not to the world around us. If my momma was to find out, I'd be slapped right in the face. Because good women don't befriend married men.

It doesn't always strike me that the mere exchange of words in the same room can be misled to believe that something is on -going. Believe me when I say, I'm just a friend. Till that side of their life is well concealed, I don't tend to pay much attention to it. At times, when I do learn the fact that they are married, I gradually pull away. By then it dawns on me that what I've done was probably not  wrong but not right either. Lets just say it wasn't appropriate. Part of me says why not? You were just friends. Can't married people have single female friends?

Can they really have single female friends? Newly made friends I mean.

While researching on the topic, I read words of caution from women AND MEN saying that if your hubby is spending time or talking a lot about a new friend of the opposite sex, you've got to be careful. When I read it that way it does make it sound like something's up. Although from the other side, the woman might have been a genuine friend and nothing more.

My conscious only starts to tug on me when I'm introduced to the wife herself. I begin to think, what would I do if I were her? How would I feel if my husband went on and on about a woman, a young one that too. Hurtful, isn't it? Even when you've managed to spending so many trusting years and do not want to begin being the nosy, nagging wife, still the mind can't stop racing. A mountain is made of a mole hill. Or may be the root cause was me from the very beginning.

'But we were just friends!'  The opposing side of me says. A mistress is well hidden, but not a friend.
It could be highly possible that doubt might also make it impossible to give friendship a fair shot among the two women.

It's amazing to see how fragile relationships are and  to nurture them, we treat them with utmost tenderness. We try our best not to falter. Sometimes it just happens.

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Book Review: The Final Empire ( Mistborn Book 1 ) by Brandon Sanderson

Pages :  541

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4.40/5

Review:  It's very rare that a fantasy novel impresses me so much. The Final Empire is filled with genuine-ness. Don't get me wrong, I love reading fantasy but there's always that inevitable whiny lead character that puts a damper on the whole story. This is different. One of those rare gems where each and every character is so beautiful and amazing at the same time that when I imagine them, it's easier for me to see them as individuals with their own variant personality

My favorite characters were Vin and Sazed, well, for obvious reasons. Vin was probably one of the best female characters I have come across. She's clueless but isn't dumb. At the same time doesn't try to be over-smart  As dormant as she is you can see her as observant and strong with her instincts which mostly do turn out right.

She isn't one of those characters who is seen as meek and timid throughout with a sudden surge of power. You can see as she's been part of a thieving group, she stays in the shadows and her potential is well realized in the book. Same goes for Sazed. Even though he is there to wait on her, his intelligence and wit will not diminish his value. He's smart, loyal, well-opinionated and most strikingly, a eunuch. I was floored. I have never read a book ever featuring a eunuch and Brandon Sanderson should be applauded for this absolutely stunning character. He gives them power; equal to the other sexes instead  patronizing them.

Getting down to the plot. The concept is based on the usage of metals. Allomancy and Feruchemy are how the characters get power. They swallow metals which in-turn generates a certain strength. Similarly, combination of metals are used to release special powers too. The author has researched well into the subject and has produced such convincing elements that I almost believed them to be real. Kelsier, his army along with Vin and Sazed are using this power to overthrow the Lord Ruler who is keeping the ordinary people of the Final Kingdom deprived and suppressed. The world no longer lush and vibrant like it used to be, ash falls from the sky, basically a dark fantasy world. There are some points in the book that were more conversation/brain-storming based that felt like a drag on. Other than that, each and every character is firm in persona and engaging.

Lengthy but definitely a must-read by all fantasy lovers.

Final Rating : 4/5

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Book Review: Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller

Pages :  117

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 3.45/5

Review:  This is my first time reading a play other than the ones we read in school. For the longest time I had Arthur Miller in my kindle yet never got to it.

I knew 'Death of A Salesman' was a short story about a man who's life revolves around the notion of his 'success' or what he could do once he would get that success. Willy Loman, delusional, kept chasing that dream of making it big someday despite that fact that he was already well into his 60s.  He lives in his created bubble world where he feels everything is going well and that there is still time to achieve that greatness that he dreams of ever so often. Even though in reality, it's quite the opposite. 

I wouldn't call it a split personality disorder, but more a psychological issue that has gotten to him so much that he doesn't realize what is happening around him. Excepting the truth is not something that has happened till late in his home. His wife, Linda, and sons, Biff and Happy play along to his 'perfect salesman' alter ego until one day everything comes crashing down. Willy has lived his life solely for his career, a career that didn't give him anything but travesty. His family, pretends to be happy and jovial around him. Except his son Biff, who years ago found a secret about his father who he idolized, causing him to despise the man.

Due to the obsession of living the ' American ' dream of success, Happy and Biff feel pressurized leading them to alter facts about their lives too, so that their father doesn't see them as a let down.

I loved it all. It's the perfect tale that will make you think, that even in this day and age what happens when you let work or the idea of achieving monetary success will rob of you of everything good around you. On several occasions in the book, you will notice the boys mentioning how they want to simply enjoy the day, the natural beauty around them without really being worried about money or a 9 to 5 desk job. After all of Willy's big ideas and woven dreams, nothing is left behind. 

Since this is a play, getting to know who the characters are, the flashback scenes and timeline was confusing to me. I got the idea of the story, what it was trying to convey and everything else. Just not the best in terms of placement. May be because it's my first time reading a play.

The great thing about reading a short story/play is that the focus is more on the plot and emotions than the descriptive language, which you know I love. For me this was a much needed change to get more variety in my reading. The language is typical American classic, I could imagine the vintage cars, Linda's dress, Willy's suit, hat and briefcase, the boys' side slicked and lightly coifed hairdo. It definitely was something different for me compared to what I usually read. I would recommend this to readers of all age groups. 

Final Rating : 4/5

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Top 5 Books I Wanted to Start Yesterday

This blog post is where we, I, candidly confess how terribly I've been slacking on my book challenges.
 Mentioned will be some books that will for sure generate some gasps and 'haww' from all my readers. Trust me when I say that I WILL get to them this year.

5. Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

This book series is what was all over the booktubing and book blogging community for all of 2014 and me, the attention deficit that I am decided to read the Infernal Devices trilogy instead. Again, LOVED IT. Probably one of my favorite series ever, so by default I should probably keep an eye out for Cassandra Clare's work. We are almost done with April and I haven't even picked up the first book yet. And I intend to finish this series this year. Talk about being realistic.

4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I only recently acquired this book from the local second-hand book store for a steal. A lot of people have quote this book enough around me to make me annoyingly curious. I am hoping my TBR Jar will spit out the 'Catch-22' chit soon enough.

3. L.A Confidential by James Ellroy

Everyone knows of this stellar Russell Crowe starrer and the enticing mystery movie it was. Unfortunate for impatient me, I watched the movie in fast forward with minimal interest. For longest time, I had absolutely no idea this was book till I spotted it at a thrift market. Now I intend to give it a fair chance.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The most shameful act of my life ever. I bought this book in a massive book fair at Holiday Inn Muscat when I was in the 8th grade and have not read it yet. 9 years or so and it lays abandoned. Fail, would not even cut it. A must-read for a feminist writer for me I'm aware and I am determined to get to it. Soon.

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

An iconic book and a pioneer in civil rights era based literature. Just recently my father watched the film and said it's worth every word of the hype. As a literary enthusiast, missing out on this book would be like a cardinal sin in the book blogging community. however I do feel I would want to spend a good amount of time reading this.

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What books have you been eyeing to read ?