Top 5 Book Series I Want to Start This Year

Due to an injury that kept me immobilized for the a good initial chunk of 2014, I was able to zip through book series like no tomorrow. Some of them left me with mean cliff-hangers but I have to say, book series give you the best thrill ever. Missed out on quite a few which I fully intend to pursue this year.

5. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

I'm cheating here a bit. I have already started with Outlander (Progress!!!) and going through it at snail pace. This series would be a challenge. 8 book x over 600 pages = ?!?!?!
I have very high expectations for this one since I've heard fabulous things about it.

4. Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

Lesser know fact about me, Steampunk is a genre I enjoy like a giddy 16 year old. I have read Westerfeld's Uglies which I found so-so. However, that would not stop me from taking this plunge.

3. Hopeless series by Colleen Hoover

What would I be if I didn't read any romance. I read Hoover's Ugly Love (Review here!) and was floored.  She usually covers the New Adult genre which I prefer to read with regards to romance. I am very excited for this one, despite the hideous covers (Let's just admit we all appreciate beautiful covers).

2. Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

Every Booktuber, Book Blogger has not failed to mention Patrick Ness in their best books of 2014. I'm a little over dystopia as its so over done but I'm curious to know what all the fuss is about. Can't wait to find out!

1. Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Another well-loved and highly rave about series. The reason why I didn't get to this earlier was because someone mentioned that Mortal Instruments was not as good as it's prequel Infernal Devices which I thoroughly enjoyed. Still, the buzz and excitement surrounding this series did not dull and the curious cat that I am, I will most definitely get to it this year.

I will let you know if I stay faithful in this endeavor.

خُدا حافِظ

Book Review : The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Pages :  321

Read on : Paperback

Goodreads Rating : 3.88/5

Review: I had picked up this book years ago, read it halfway through and oddly abandoned it soon after. Foolish of me to do so as this is a well-praised contribution to Indian Literature. 

For once, I am struggling to describe what reading this book felt like. It wasn't happy. It wasn't entirely sad or depressing. I'd call it sharp, witty and then tragic.

Roy manages to pen down Kerala exactly as it is,oil-slicked, green and lush, rivers and meen (fish). Her style of storytelling is clever. She introduces you to the characters' mind and their thought, she narrates with their essence and soul and only later does she slowly, page by page, reveal their secrets.  For the most part, the book jumps perspective from Rahel to Estha, the twin protagonists in the book, with subsequent external narration. This may be a tad bid confusing initially, since the first few chapters don't state the exact order of events.  

The main premise of this book are the Love Laws. Who can be loved, how to be loved, how much to love and other dimensions of love which are either questioned, violated or simply explored. However, what is stark is the consequence of this innocent exploration, something that warps their lives forever and has successfully pigmented my brain. It would sting the reader even more after a good amount of time is spent knowing that the twins were really one soul placed in two bodies. (Not trying to be creepy, I swear!).

True to life, when the small things in life begin to shift, normalcy disrupts. Roy's characters aren't happy people. They aren't characters one would like because we are given so much access to their minds that you know their demons can no longer be hidden under the bed. 

On reading The God of Small Things, I couldn't ignore the constant comparison to Salman Rushdie's style of storytelling that kept popping up in my mind. Both authors have a tendency to pace and leak the truth/mystery/revelation by first introducing the current scenario, jumping to pivotal incidents and then starting with the prefix of the eventual catastrophe.

Nonetheless, this did not diminish my love for The God of Small Things. I do understand it may not be a read loved by all but that wouldn't stop me from recommending it. 

Final Rating : 5/5

خُدا حافِظ

Top 5 Non-Young Adult Books

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Non- YA books I had read so far. I usually gravitate to them more whenever I crave great prose and an abundance of emotional overwhelm.  As much as I love Young Adult fiction for the thrill it gives, It's the Non - YA books that predominantly stay imprinted on my mind for years to come.

Here are my top 5 favourites:

5. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 

I just finished this book last night. I remember picking it up years ago and abandoning it halfway. What a poignant read! This is a book where you don't love the characters , you observe them. You awe at their mannerism and shock at their moves. Their actions are open yet not short of causing chaos beyond repair. Also something I call a 'conflict read ' because, as I mentioned , their actions and reactions are natural but it manages to yield the most tragic turn of events.  A day does change everything. 

4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

All of my friends who have read this book have not fallen short of praises. I immediately jumped on the bandwagon too and don't regret it one bit. The characters , irrespective of what social or economic strata they belong to, were warm loving and well rooted. The underlining guilt grows like a creeper. The language is simple with a beautiful intermix of Farsi  mostly to translate the on-going emotions, which I loved. Hosseini is so in touch with his Afghan roots and his introduction of it left me spellbound.

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson 

Highly explicit, graphic and also, if I dare say, controversial. This book is no fun and games. It's very hardcore in its elements, well researched and thorough in detail. At first, I was skeptical, thinking that keeping in mind all the names and sub plots I would end up losing track of the chain of events. That did not happen! By far the best paced mystery novel I have ever read, with  perfect closure and justifications to all the sub plots. No loose ends and no further questions asked. A must-read for all murder mystery lovers.

2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 

The book and I have a connection. So it feels like. There is not one character I did not like in the book (Yes, even Miss Hilly). I adored the country accent it was written in. Stockett's ability to have various narratives of the three different women run parallel then converging them and weaving them together with laughter , love and loss is commendable. The stories are their own, the pain and the way they deal with it is heterogeneous. You love them , you laugh with them and you hurt like it was your own .The movie was equally fantastic. Exactly how I had envisioned it. Can we make this a classic already!

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 

*cue gasp* Majority of people could not stomach this book and I completely understand why. For the longest time, this has been and still is a controversial and unacceptable-in-society kind of read. There is a niche audience that has found the true motive and meaning behind Nabokov. He challenges you with words to empathize with a inadmissible love. Something you would never support in real life. His description and language is unmatched.  To read this book one would have to be really open-minded.

What are your favourite Non YA books? I'd love to know!

خُدا حافِظ

The Good Girl is Fake

Artist : Polly-is-a-good-girl (Paulina)Source :DeviantArt 

India is obsessed with the idea of a traditional girl. Good-natured , sweet , respectful , modest , shy , obedient ( parents and then husband and in-laws ) *insert adjectives here*.

Just like every other girl , I too was raised amidst these societal norms. While we are young we are taught to be polite , respectfully dressed , sit closed legged and not speak unless spoken to.  Trained like show dogs. Now that I ponder on it , and even observe some of my female family members , this regime that was practised has successfully managed to narrow thought process and individuality. We cultivate good manners and obedience only to have minions. Girls who break away from this regime as by default are labelled as 'loose' and IF they have parents who support their expressiveness, it's abysmal parenting,

I am one of those girls. Everyone who knew me in my college days , would remember I had taken my rebellion much further. I dyed my hair an unnatural shade of red , wore dark intense make up everyday and got pierced in as many places as I could. I was definitely not loved for this. Again , the judgements ran free and wild. It hurt my feelings too when a large contributing part of these judgements constituted of women too. I looked like a walking - talking negative influence even if I was void of any 'habits'

Till date that has been my biggest social experiment , also the most important transitional point in my life.

 Even though Indian youth is striving for an open minded society , what cannot be ignored is the hidden number of girls whose fate is pre-decided. They get moved around like chess pieces , unable to voice their dreams and aspirations due to the fear of being seen as disobedient or worse still - disowned. An ideal Indian girl. The perfect beti (daughter) . The sanskaari bahu ( daughter-in-law). The hear- all , do-all slave.

Criticism and bitter remarks come regardless.  No one sees the good deeds or the intelligence in a promiscuous party girl. Had she worn a kurta and a bindi on her forehead , may be then. Which also is strange hypocrisy because at times, a traditionally dressed  girl is confused to be old-school , reclusive, nerdy , boring.  Either way , both cases are subjected to the incorrect norms of society.

So where did this concept of 'Good Girl' come from? and why are we subjected to these false standards and unwritten rules?

The 'Good Girl' is as fake as barbie.


خُدا حافِظ

* a similar post called ' Why I'm a Woman o Questionable Character' was posted earlier.