#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.

View all my reviews

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 : 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.