#Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

This book is character driven. It is about Cather who is a big Simon Snow fan and likes writing FanFiction about the 'fictional' book series. And there is this guy Levi, who loves her stories and falls in love with her. That's it. (A 'typical' YA book.)

But this book involves the whole Harry Potter world in disguise of Simon Snow which is a fictional series in this book. Why?!

“It’s hard for me to get my head around. It’s like hearing that Harry Potter is gay."

SERIOUSLY?!

One of the character says that, and I guess he is so right! This book is not a 'fandom' book. Read it as a coming-of-age book and that's what it is. Rainbow Rowell is one of my favourite authors and I guess this got 4 stars from me only because I wanted it to be better, I guess. A little disappointed but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

So, overall, this book was just okay - nothing tot special but if you really wanna read it, go ahead!

Thanks to Manasa for BRing it with me! :)

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Review: Every Big & Little Wish

Every Big & Little Wish by E.C. MooreMy rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars!

This book is quite unusual. It isn't only a YA romance, but about teenagers who are left alone to conquer problem usually faced by adults.

This book is about Jacy, Neil and Casper. Jacy is told, all of a sudden, that she is adopted. Neil is to look after his brother as their dad is no more and her mother doesn't care about them. Casper is tortured by his mother and runs away from his home. Their lives are sometimes parallel and sometimes interesting. The book is about how they solve their problems without any family support and with empathy for each other.


This wasn't a bad book. Not bad at all. But it promises more than what it gives. The storyline becomes a little sloppy at times. It is as if only the characters are talking and voices interacting with each other and not with the reader. You can't connect to the story.

Not a bad one. An average one, actually.

*I received a reviewing copy from Netgalley.*

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#BookReview The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Memories are worse than bullets.”

Sometimes memories, reality and future are parallel, intersecting or almost identical. This book takes all three together and weaves a tale which is surprising and surreal but still feels like reality...

Daniel's father takes him to the cemetery of lost books, that is when it all began. Characters started living. They started living outside the book, Daniel's life becomes similar to the book's author's life. And someone is after that book to destroy the existence of that author and may be the almost identical life of  Daniel.

This book is surreal and unpredictable. There are so many quotable parts about readers, writer and book lover. This book is about a book. About how an author writes about things he want others to know, but can't really tell them. And about reader who have their hearts marked by lines by their favorite author.

“Few things leave a deeper mark on the reader, than the first book that finds its way to his heart.”

I don't think I have more to say about this phenomenal book. One of the best reads of the year.

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#BookReview : Finding Hope by Colleen Nelson

Finding Hope by Colleen NelsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Hope and Eric Stars!!


I really loved this book!
Quite different in its own way and that's what I loved about it! :)

The Gist : The books is about Eric and Hope who are siblings. Eric is addicted to drugs and Hope is troubled at her boarding school because of some of her school mates. The book shows how they fight, run away and then help each other to get out of their problems. [I won't give more as I don't want to give spoikers.]

My Views : The book has dual POV. Yeah, just like in Eleanor & Park, but this time it is about two siblings talking about each others problem and how they try to help each other out of it :')

I really loved it but still only 4 stars because I didn't like Hope's mother's character. I found her to be weak and I could really connect to her or feel anything for her.

The best part, I think, was Eric's character. I loved his POV and I loved the way his character was written. I could actually feel bad for him and Hope because his narration was really good.

Now about the recommendation. I really won't personally recommend it to anyone because everyone is not comfortable with 'sexual abuse on teenagers' genre or 'a teenager on drugs' genre, so I would say that you can try this book if you are familiar with these kinda stories.

4 stars in all :)

P.S. I completed this book in two days even when I was sick in bed for the whole time :')

P.P.S. I received the ebook from Netgalley.

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Book Review : Eulogy by Ken Murray

Eulogy by Ken MurrayMy rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars rounded up to 3!

This book was quite different from my usual reads. A bit moving, slow ans sometimes depressing.

THE PLOT: The book is about William Oaks and his troubled childhood which shapes his future. His parents are not happy with their marriage and William spents his days listening to his parents' arguments and with his dad disappearing for some days and coming back again with promises of change. After some time, his parents devote their lives to church and Christ and try to involve him them. His parents soon die in a car accident and he gets a chance of getting away and discovering himself.

MY VIEWS : The book is not bad. Not bad at all. But it is a bit depressing at times. There were also many references to religion which I didn't quite understand. But I guess it is just me. If I had know more about Christ and Christianity, I would have enjoyed it better.

I would recommend this book only to readers who read and like this kind of genre

             *I got the book in EBook format from Netgalley.*

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Poem : What she used to be....

I am alone
 Or the city seems to be at standstill

There’s a girl jumping,
In the puddle after the rain
As I am strolling
Down the memory lane

Sad, sleepy and mean,
Feelings often change
A common act of typical teen
As that girl is far behind

Caring is the word
 As she steps in another world
Looking after that little child
As that mean teen is far behind

And the old lady
Trapped inside the time’s walls
Good days are when they visit her
As she slowly leaves the world behind

The city is still at stand still
Did the world just stop?
Or is it just that I am at its top…..

Book Review ~ The Girl From The Woods by Amar Shekhar

The Girl from the Woods by Amar Shekhar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was way better than I was expecting it to be! Really! :')

It is about a photographer, Niam, who goes to Shimla and falls in love with a local girl, Siya. Simple plot. But what makes it good in the writing. I loved all the different styles so I will mainly  discuss them in this review :-)

A. NATURE : The photographer goes to Shimla for his project so all the scenery and mountain beauty of Shimla is described so well that you would want to go there to experience it. The natural beauty is described so well.

" The valleys that once echoed our laughter now seemed silent again. The sky seemed to recapitulate the same story with a sad, crimson sunset. Soon, darkness would dethrone the evening skies and the sullen winter night would be back. "

B. CHARACTER DESCRIPTION : Siya, mysterious local girl, is described with lovely words. Her innocence, beautiful eyes and petal lips. You will image her as a small pretty doll. Touching her will spoil her beauty.

"In the dark sky, she was a silvery moon. I loved looking at her face especially when she peered innocently out of aligned bangs lying carelessly on her forehead. She just looked like a child who was lately woken up from her sleep."

C. LOVE : I am not a frequent romance reader, but books like this just make you go all crazy about love. This book tells the real meaning of love. When you are happy to see your people happy. When you are willing to give your happiness and take others sorrow.

"We do not pay too much attention to a person while we are in their presence, but after they are gone, temporarily or permanently, we think of them."

I loved this book a lot! Like I said earlier, I wasn't expecting much. I am very selective about Indian authors, but this book was different. I would recommend it to nature lovers and romance lovers!! :D

*I received an ARC from the Author*

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Book Review : Secrets of Zynpagua: Return of the Princess

2.5 stars rounded up to 3!!

This book wasn't bad. Not bad at all. But it is only meant for kids, I guess. it had all the elements a Children's book should have, but it lacked the execution and placement of its magical and paranormal elements. This book had a lot of loopholes, and hence I found it to be a little incomplete.

The book is about a cursed land, Zynpagua, where the evil king Drudan rules. The real Princess of the kingdom is in India. Her brother comes to take her to her land, so that she can end Drudan's rule and save her people. That's the gist of the book.

*Spoilers Ahead*

I found it incomplete because there were a few things in the book which weren't explained, like when lady carol was captured in the end, she didn't use her magic to run away, but then used it later in front of Leo. Now when she could escape earlier, then why didn't she do that???? Well, putting it aside, Sussaina, the real queen of the kingdom (who is a prisoner of Drudan) can talk to all her kids and Lady carol, and Leo and her nephew, but, she can't escape from the prison. And I have no idea why Sussaina couldn't do that. also Vivian could use his magic only for good deeds, and saving his people was a good deed, still he couldn't use it against Drudan. What's the use of such magic.

There were a few things which, I think, made this book incomplete but, since it is a children's book, it is for a kid's entertainment, it had all the elements to please a kid, I gave it 3 stars :) Recommended only for kids. Like really small kids who don't mind such loopholes and don't see the logical side of things :P :P


*I received a copy in a Goodreads Firstread Giveaway*

Book Review ~ The Girl On The Train

Book : The Girl On The Train

Author : Paula Hawkins

Format : eBook 

 

 

This story is about Rachel, the girl on the train. She is hopeless in every sense of the word. She's lost her job, her marriage is dissolved and she drinks the whole day. She takes the same train everyday to her 'work place' and observes the houses and people who live near the tracks. All those people who live away from the city at the end of the country. She watches Jess and Jason who are usually on their deck having dinner or drinking or simply sending time with each other. She sees her older life in them, when she was happy with her husband. They make her ideal couple. She is happy to see them happy.

While Rachel goes to meet her ex-husband. Something awful happens and she doesn't remember it. Someone hit her, attacked it, but she has no idea who did that because she was drunk. And Jess disappears on that very night. Rachel's Jess disappears the day Rachel is attacked. Rachel knows that her attack is related to Jess' disappearance, but her doesn't remember. The latter half of the story takes a lot of unexpected turns. The truth about Jess' disappearance, Rachel's attack and Rachel's ex are revealed, and the culprit is the most unexpected person. All the while he is in front of you but you won't judge him.

This book was AMAZING, seriously. I still gave it 3 stars because I am new to psychological thrillers and I found it a little stretched and boring. The former half just goes on and one about traveling in train, and watching the strangers and telling about Rachel's hopelessness. The book had 3 narrator, two narrating in the present, and one narrating in the past. So things get a little confusing when the narrators shift that fast and tell about their own lives instead of telling about the main problem, which is Jess' disappearance. But the story had some clues in between for us to guess the culprit. So it had both love and hate elements.

I am again saying, don't go by my stars, because this book is very nice and obviously I don't oppose those 5 star reviews by other readers. Only, psychological thrillers are not for me.

 3 Stars!!

Something Big : A Short Story

She was standing by the window. She always stood there, looking out at the oaks, mists or may be something beyond. And I knew she liked standing there, enjoying the music of silence. The light in her eyes told me that she liked being there, she liked dreaming. Dreams that transcended to an unreal horizon, dreams that were hard to reach out to. I let her dream.

But when I look at her, I see something else too. She is alone, in a world of her own. I want to make her happy. She never asked for any anything but I want to give her something… something big.

So I finally decided. I decided to give her the stars.

I travelled the world and beyond. To the gods and the demons. To get the brightest ones from the princess’ crown and biggest ones from the heaven’s thread. I want to see her smile after seeing those stars. Those stars which shared memories with her and added happiness to her loneliness.

She is still standing at the window. Her window. Peeping out. Watching the oaks, mists or may be something beyond. And she is lonely. She will be happy now. I give her the glittering stars held inside the glass jar. Her face reflecting the sweet light. But she wasn’t happy. I wanted her to be happy.

She opened the jar and the stars came out like free birds going up in the sky, decorating the night sky like a lamp in a dark room. She was happy. Now. Still standing at the window, telling her stories to her favourite audience. Looking at the oaks, mists or may be something beyond, enjoying the music of silence and the stars bringing happiness to her loneliness.

The stars look beautiful in the sky only. They keep secrets and share memories. Looking at these stars is like sharing good memories. We can take can give easily but sharing our happiness and someone's sadness is very difficult.....

Book Review : War Kids by H. J. Lawson

Book : War Kids
Author : H J Lawson

*I got this book in YA Spring Fling*

This book was very different from all other books I have read so far. I cried, laughed and even rolled my eyes, but this book just made me think about the kids who don't even know if their parents are alive. They don't know about their future. This book is about those small hands which hold guns. This book is about those innocent eyes which see their dear and near ones' corpses. This book is about those young brain which will never feel secure.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

JADA, a 15 year old girl and ZAK, a 16 year old boy. They, along with a kid TILLY, set out to find their fathers who were kidnapped just before they mothers were shot. This book talks about their journey and the struggles. Things they go through and things they see through those innocent eyes.

I really loved the former half of the book. It just fulfilled my expectations. The latter half was a little weak and stretched, I think. The character building in this book is very weak. In the former, a character is intelligent and observant, and as the story ends, the same character is shown so weak that the story sound abrupt at times. also, I really didn't like the blooming love in the middle of a war, this really did affect my rating a little bit.

Overall, it was a great book. I am really looking forward to read the second book. I hope it turns out to be good like this one!!

4 stars!!! :)

Book Review : Order Of Seven by Beth Teliho

OMG! What did I just read?!
All this fangirling started by getting this (autographed) book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Let me brag a minute :P
 

So, while reading this book, I went through a lot of different emotions...

*reads a chapter*
*takes a break to repeat 'OMG'*
*reads another chapter*
*takes a break to repeat 'This book is so awesome'*
*resumes reading and completes one more chapter*
*opens Goodreads and tells her BR buddy to read it ASAP*
*repeats all this again*

I will keep this fangirling for the end, and quickly move to the plot. So, this book is about Devi and her brother Nodin, who have special powers to see visions and effect a person's emotions (respectively.) They set out to find others of their kind to complete an important task to save the whole mankind with the help of their powers and natural elements and animals.

I really loved the plot, a new theme and magical concept, a very good and unique fantasy after a long time. I enjoyed every part of it, and didn't want it to end. Scenes about energy channeling are described so well that I felt I was actually there, standing in the woods, watching them 'play' with energy. And, oh, I loved all the characters and those last chapter twists were amazing. And epilogue just killed me. Beth Teliho, please write more. I wanna know what happens after this.

I can fangirl endlessly about this book, so I guess I should not extend this review further, otherwise it will trun into a fan post (if it already hasn't)

Okay, saying this for the last time, I loved loved loved this book! This book is my I-will-re-read-a -million-times type of favorite. This book is shelved as YA, but it has some expletive usage, so recommending it to all 15+ I guess :):)

Anyway, it is a very nice book and I love it a lot

And that just turned lame.

Okay, I think I will really stop typing now... bah...

5 stars!!! :D

Abridged VS Unabridged!!!

Let the war begin!!!!

Bookworms have different opinions over bookish matters. Many debates like 'Books VS Movies' or 'New Adult as a genre' are quite popular among readers from all over the world. I was recently reading The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas when a friend suggested me to read the unabridged version since I was finding it to be boring. It was on my school syllabus, so reading this book was mandatory for me, so I chose the abridge edition because it is shorter.

 

One of the main reasons why people do not read classics is that they are only familiar with the abridged version of classics, so all they really know is the summary of the book and not the whole book itself. Being humans, we will simply juxtapose the books to actually make a choice. So, comparing Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (whose unabridged version, I read) and The Mill On The Floss by George Eliot (whose abridged version, I read). I like Jane Eyre a lot more than The Mill On The Floss. Even if the story was quite similar, strong female protagonist, struggles, then a loving husband, I still liked Jane Eyre better. And the main reason, I think, is the difference in editions. Classics need time, and reading abridged versions is like taking shortcuts.

 

I really refer unabridged versions over abridged versions. You can read my review of Jane Eyre on Goodreads, and as for The Mill On The Floss, well, I really didn't care writing a review -_-

 

Do share your thoughts and experiences of Classics and your preferred versions in the comments below!! :)

Book Review : Miss Popularity by Rachel Elizabeth Cole

Miss Popularity : A short Story

*Review contains MAJOR spoilers*
I have some major, major, major issues with this book, hence this rating. I started the book, read a few pages and... and... it just ended :O No drama, no chick lit, no male protagonist. I don't even know how to write a review for this! :/

The story starts off with two sisters, Kristen and Laura, who are new in school. Kristen gets famous on the very first day while Laura has an embarrassing day and then the day gets over and they start off for home when Laura gets a note from so - called school hottie Connor Grant (who was just boring to me) saying he thinks Laura is cute and she is shocked and... THE END! JUST THAT! I didn't like this book from any angle! :/

It was incomplete, boring and annoying to me because I was kinda excited about reading it.

If you are hating your current read, then read Miss Popularity and you will have big love for your older read which you earlier called boring. Trust me, it happened with me ! -_-

2 stars from me!

*I got this book in YA Spring Fling*

 

Poem : Separation

I do remember those days
           When my heart had some things to say…
I still feel the pain
            When I think of it again…
Those memories in which I peep
            Leaves my heart in sorrows deep…
  

I do remember those days
             When my heart had something to say…
The helplessness engulfed us like a wave
            Your love was the one which could save…
 The time I spent looking around
            Seeking for stronger bounds…


I do remember the day….
          When my heart had something to say…
                                       Some things to say…
                                               
Gehna Kapoor  ❤

Rain...





Source : Tumblr

The voice of thunder declares my arrival; 

The rainbow announces my departure.

I am like earthly life, which begins at

The feet of the mad elements and ends 

Under the upraised wings of death.

                                             - Kahlil Gibran, The Song of the Rain.

 

The rain dropped like dotted silver thread, lined with pearls, straight from the heavenly sea, coming through the gates of thunder.

Ali ran fast through the watery winds following the pleasant tune. He ran till he reached the riverside. The brimming river was flowing fast and it’s prattling noise enhanced by the songs of the rain. But above all, came the mellifluous tune.

On the other bank sat a girl playing by herself. The tune was better than any nightingale’s chant and pleasing than any Cuckoo’s song.

He waved at her. She stared at him for a minute and waved back and soon resumed her song.

-
-
-

I saw him that day, but never again.

He was the first one to follow my song. The angry water took him in its lap and there he lies. He never wakes up, he never will. But I still play near the riverside to attract him but may be the music of my flute is obstructed by the river’s berceuse.

I will play for him.

Always.

The Friday Classics Salon

I recently came across a blog, Mangoes and Cherry Blossoms, which discussed and recommended many classic reads to its followers. In its latest post, Saari introduced The Friday Classics Salon, a weekly event where people will get together and share the Classic Books they are currently reading or have just read.

I really loved the idea, so, I am posting it on my blog to spread the word. People don't read Classics and give foolish reasons to defend themselves. They even try to cover up by reading Modern Classics or Contemporary Classics, and I was amazed to see, that the books listed in this genre are not even Classics!!!!

Right.

So, I would like to invite you to this event and you can also invite your friends and ask them to invite their friends and their friends and...... hahaha...

And how to participate??

A few questions will be asked on the blog, and you have to answer them considering your classic read. Then post the answers on your website or blog and leave the link to your post in the comments on the blog. This will held on every Friday, starting from April 3, 2015. Simple!

Please keep in mind that I am not hosting this event, and it's not my idea. I'm just sharing it and encouraging people to participate, so you have to link your posts to Saari's Blog, that is, Mangoes and Cherry Blossoms and not my BlogSpot.

This is definitely gonna help you to find other classic readers and encourage you to add more books to your TBR.


Trailer Talk : Bombay Velvet

 A stylish retro look, the grey world of smuggling and some jazz in the old world charm of 1960s Bombay - that's the world of Ranbir Kapoor's next 'Bombay Velvet', as seen via its trailer released on Thursday. The trailer was released during the telecast of the India-Bangladesh match at the Cricket World Cup. In no time, #BombayVelvet started trending on Twitter.

 The movie, directed by Anurag Kashyap, is set in the 1960s. The story is about a man with big dreams and the extent he is willing to go to be successful. Ranbir is introduced as a street-fighter named Johnny Balraj with a curly mop of hair, embroiled in a cage-fight in soiled clothes with hands wrapped in bandages.On the other hand, Anushka Sharma is Rosie, the star singer of a nightclub.

Music

The background music pumps up the trailer's mood, thanks to fabulous work by composer Amit Trivedi. Now, that is all the more reason to wait in anticipation for the soundtrack of the movie.

Some of the people also say that the trailer showed a lot more than it should have, giving them the entire plot of the movie. However, they also hope that Anurag Kashyap has more to offer them when the movie comes out.

Positive response

The trailer also received positive response from the members of Hindi film fraternity on micro-blogging site Twitter. From me, I don't know what Ranbir has in store. Just hoping for the best...*fingers crossed*

Rating : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Book Review : Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson

The Book : Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson


Blurb:

When it comes to love there’s no such thing as conventional.
Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special.
Lilly Evans just thinks he’s fascinating.
Once friends when they were younger, their bond is cut short due to her accident prone nature and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means. And she’s not sure if she’s ready to find out.
When he walks through the corridor of her school the first day of her senior year, she knows that it’s time to get to know the real Colton Neely. The more she learns, the deeper she falls.
Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.

Review:
If you want me to sum up this book in one line, then it would be:

It was like Christmas lights dropped in a puddle of water.

Lilly and Colton and their love story. Colton is always considered special. Lilly’s love is special. And their love story is also special. The way of expressing it is just fabulous. Colton might not be the one who tell you again and again how much he loves you, but every time he spoke for Lilly, my heart skipped a beat. I swear, it was just like someone strumming the strings of my heart. This was my first book by Amber L. Johnson, and I am also not a big fan of Romance Genre, but this book just nailed it!

I will definitely read more by Johnson and, who knows, may be I might also start loving Romance!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ stars from me!