tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279281652024-03-13T21:31:11.859+04:00Whimsical and Quixotic..MY thoughts, MY feelings, MY life..Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-22604913327174328452020-11-30T17:09:00.001+04:002020-11-30T17:09:54.453+04:00InterludeIt's amazing how quickly one falls off the bandwagon between birthdays, festivals and anniversaries. Diets and blogging both seems to need a discipline that I lack most days. What else can explain my utter silence for three months? <div>Perhaps the distraction of TV on demand also means less time reading and less time writing about reading. I binge watched Gossip Girl and then fell into the Netflix black hole of worse and worser movies all through September, October and November. But once a bookworm, always a bookworm. I did manage to read a little in between even if it was on my phone and not a beautifully photographed hard copy. </div><div>I chugged through some Shari Lapenas and another Mary Kubica and then just last week I picked up a hard copy and bam, it was like first love again. </div><div>I am a creature who appreciates symmetry so I will blog my reviews tomorrow onwards but I have to say that no matter what, Netflix can't beat a good paperback. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-76681013913907187822020-08-31T21:11:00.001+04:002020-08-31T21:12:56.561+04:00The comfort read<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-71LalODoY50/Xz6XdCWlrmI/AAAAAAAATls/XH6wKAlvNE0N0Hr6FLsqJBCU1qo7GMjNACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200818_105021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-71LalODoY50/Xz6XdCWlrmI/AAAAAAAATls/XH6wKAlvNE0N0Hr6FLsqJBCU1qo7GMjNACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200818_105021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As the movie headline goes, there's something about Becky. I got on the band-wagon of the so-called chick lit fairly late (don't even get me started on the moniker!), preferring Regency romances and their ilk. But from the time I first read the Shopaholic series, I was hooked. Even today, when a new book comes out, I make it a point to read it - though it must be said that the recent installments lack the snappy pace, focused plot and emotional depth (oh yes, you may feel a slight dampening of the eyes at the HEA!/) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So I was quite happy to take a break from my usual reads to dive into a re-reading of one of my favorite Shopaholic books - Shopaholic Ties the Knot. Becky is planning her wedding and having a whale of a time figuring out the wedding industry. As usual, things get out of hand and she needs to fix things in her unique way. If one ignores the inherent classism in the books, it covers a lot of territory - how to balance family plans with selfish wedding dreams, the fraught relationship between estranged parent and adult child and of course, how a wedding is not about the marriage at all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-91236492154571257612020-08-20T19:50:00.002+04:002020-08-20T19:50:48.804+04:00The boarding school one<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1HqcUv29_Yg/Xz6WVQNB5PI/AAAAAAAATlg/30cErmLbH2AsD9yNQnslpA0l0et9AJNnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9781982123420_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1HqcUv29_Yg/Xz6WVQNB5PI/AAAAAAAATlg/30cErmLbH2AsD9yNQnslpA0l0et9AJNnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9781982123420_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg" width="175" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The Lying Game brings back memories of Mallory Towers with its descriptions of train rides, room sharing and towers. The author has confessed to her own fascination with boarding school stories. But this is not a nostalgic school reunion and she deftly weaves in what is the reality of school life with the bullying, lying and facing off against teachers. <div>Who hasn't pushed their teachers to see what they can get away with? And who hasn't dreamed of the close bond as shared by the four heroines in the book? Their friendship is strong and had survived into adulthood. But its strength is also deepened by the secrets they share and keep for each other. The lying is only part of what one does for one's friends.<div><div><br /></div><div>Gripping and with a very satisfying ending, this is easily one of my favorite Ruth Ware books till date. <br /><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-21396132158744185732020-08-07T10:54:00.001+04:002020-08-07T10:54:15.624+04:00The forgotten one<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZM_t9Ln76nQ56Dd2lmQQZPnzw8x16CYxetk358iebHzJEwLzaFuuCOuCXm-bjISoW9H3zoZEALwrykyexo5-TuBAA0fBt3yu8TL03oCAXB0gwSBe_g6xfPfsIU7Ui-xwLoowEQ/s499/51Kmm7LgLML._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZM_t9Ln76nQ56Dd2lmQQZPnzw8x16CYxetk358iebHzJEwLzaFuuCOuCXm-bjISoW9H3zoZEALwrykyexo5-TuBAA0fBt3yu8TL03oCAXB0gwSBe_g6xfPfsIU7Ui-xwLoowEQ/s0/51Kmm7LgLML._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The mystery deepened as I started on <b>The Woman in Cabin 10 </b>- I was certain I had not read the book despite my Good Reads account telling me otherwise. But the atmosphere, plot and first person descriptions were vaguely familiar. I don't know if the author meant to do an Agatha Christie but like the movie <i>Knives Out!</i>, the setting of this novel will be achingly familiar to any fan. The luxury cruise, the numbered cabins, the very rich guests and a woman who nobody believes exists. All that was missing was a dapper Belgian detective with a soft spot for pretty women! Of course, the resemblance of the story to the Queen of Crime's finest meant that as the reader you believe in the disappearing woman in Cabin 10 and you will probably solve the mystery too. But it doesn't take away from the enjoyable read that this book is and your yearning for a happy ending.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was glad enough that I hadn't read this book because it was a good read and only whetted my appetite for more from Ms. Ware. Perhaps, I will even go back to the first of her books that I read that I did not like - In a Dark Dark Wood. </div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-15364512539455667892020-07-15T20:34:00.001+04:002020-07-15T20:34:22.030+04:00The vaguely familiar one <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XEQkZ8_L4dI/Xw8wDM_z6xI/AAAAAAAASD4/B3Rc6U2a1VULjYiPAjGygKGetAYcIlFngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/49931482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XEQkZ8_L4dI/Xw8wDM_z6xI/AAAAAAAASD4/B3Rc6U2a1VULjYiPAjGygKGetAYcIlFngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/49931482.jpg" border="0" data-original-width="1400" data-original-height="2174" width="206" height="320"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">Serendipity. That's really all it is sometimes. A familiar seeming author's name in a bookshop. Aghast at the price, I went ahead and started reading the ebook version. I did wonder where I had seen the name Ruth Ware before because her best selling novel name 'The Woman in Cabin 10' seemed only fleetingly familiar. Imagine my surprise when my Goodreads account authoritatively informed that I had already read this book while the plot summary did not inspire me at all! </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">With my typical impatience, I abandoned this line of thought and dived straight into The Turn of the Key. The nanny heroine, the remote almost Gothic style atmosphere and the fairly creepy family intrigued me as always. Well paced, the book was a great midnight read. Not enough scary parts to put me off, the thriller kept me glued to the book till the very end. I could not put it down till I figured out what exactly was going on. And only the final climax could satisfy me and tie up the loose ends well enough for me. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">The author frames the novel as a letter to a prospective barrister and while this little deception falls apart very quickly (it's a very long letter - who even writes like this anymore!), it still makes for an interesting read. Personally, I found it a tad awkward and the renewed pleas of innocence in the middle of the story irritated me more than anything else. It's also a strange device since the ending doesn't really jive well and feels really abrupt. But the style takes second place to the mood created and props for the author for such a tightly written thriller. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">My own mystery of the other book is still on ice but I did go ahead and start the Woman in Cabin 10 - but that's a story for another day. Or a post for a different time, anyway. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-30703872507968008642020-07-07T19:34:00.002+04:002020-07-07T19:35:16.992+04:00The YA fantasy ones<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhycHE96daZ8Nn-Zu4cCfr8UccDmtdpba8tkqqqNL2P_R9wKL35LNhe7VjSyln0iCWoZsO02IwZl3hfs0KjUGyQcMCqGZya0fAhUthSebA-sH5bDrZiFjgyFhT6YMZ5gncLvnkg/s4032/IMG_20200629_161222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhycHE96daZ8Nn-Zu4cCfr8UccDmtdpba8tkqqqNL2P_R9wKL35LNhe7VjSyln0iCWoZsO02IwZl3hfs0KjUGyQcMCqGZya0fAhUthSebA-sH5bDrZiFjgyFhT6YMZ5gncLvnkg/s320/IMG_20200629_161222.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was only by the end of June 2020 - almost 6 months after buying - that I managed to read The Cruel Prince (and its sequels in the series - The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing). If you check this picture a little closely, it will be fairly obvious why. Two kids at home during lockdown are not conducive to reading hard copies no matter how well-intentioned the reader. It doesn't help that the opening of the book first doesn't identify a protagonist and then meanders for another 30 pages of the usual young adult worries. We never truly empathize with the family dynamics of a goblin 'father' figure, indeterminate step-mother and step-sibling, twin human sisters with their oldest fairy sister. </div><div>Except till we do.</div><div>Once the coronation happens (much reminiscent of the Red Wedding!), the pace finally picks up. What follows is a rollicking ride of <i>faerie </i>politics, spying and sexcapades (calling all the hot and heavy scenes romantic would be just sad). Of course, that means more fun for a 'mature' reader like me. I don't care anymore for teenage angst and drama - I want a good read. And I get it in spades. I read the sequels in e-book form over the subsequent nights and bore the sleeplessness with equanimity. The ending is also well-crafted - it ties up all the loose ends but leaves enough scope for the author to expand the universe, if she must. I look forward to it, I really do. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-35691389829729178662020-07-03T16:18:00.000+04:002020-07-03T16:18:32.663+04:00The Texan ones<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmWGMAPNNb-WeSkpWPaEpYqRlfuBO2B3ciCKLqe4pH_JPXh1o0v6VpSPqeQkdQRDr2PBcFPlvf8S4_7WJIjB4heIdptCE7xvAdg6kaDoORgXnXMGDt8ECjNwS3-IMWNOQiMbZQg/s711/dumplinpuddin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="711" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmWGMAPNNb-WeSkpWPaEpYqRlfuBO2B3ciCKLqe4pH_JPXh1o0v6VpSPqeQkdQRDr2PBcFPlvf8S4_7WJIjB4heIdptCE7xvAdg6kaDoORgXnXMGDt8ECjNwS3-IMWNOQiMbZQg/s320/dumplinpuddin.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">There was a movie sitting on my watch list for a while now. It wasn't a rom-com that I could persuade the husband to watch it with me and while the trailer didn't seem PG rated, the 13+ scared me enough to not watch it with the girls. But I finally got around to watching Dumplin' with Jennifer Aniston and it was delightful fare. Of course, the minute I realized there was a book on which the movie was based, I got started on it.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Dumplin' and its sequel Puddin' is all about friendships and the size not-zero. I could call it a fat girl book but that is only a tiny part of the books' lure. Sure, body size is important to any teenage girls' life but neither Willowdean nor Melissa care about their size anymore. What they do care about is how to reach beyond and how to make their mothers do the same. This really spoke to me because the only thing I want to pass down to both my daughters is an unashamed owning up to their body and body size. Sure, I want them to be healthy and active but more than that, I want them to love their shapes as it is. Because I love their shapes so much: I made both of them, birthed them between my 'thunder thighs', carried them in my round tummy and rocked them in my chubby arms but they love my body (right now anyway!) and I love theirs.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The books also delve a lot deeper (than the movie) into the complexity that is female friendships - the envy, the hate, the pride, the resolve and the enduring nature of this love. I have made some wonderful friends and I have lost a few but they all make my life richer and happier and I don't regret a single one.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">All in all, two wonderful reads that will bring a tear to your eye while making you smile ear to ear. </p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-55321870924197357512020-05-24T20:28:00.000+04:002020-05-24T20:28:01.298+04:00Eid and the Lockdown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Where did May go? The month seems to have disappeared and I have yet to write a post! April chugged along well enough. I cooked, I played with the kids at home, I kept house and I blogged about the books I've read. But this month seemed to both take forever and quickly vanish down the drain. I think maybe I just got so wrapped in the children's' online classes that I couldn't bring myself to post about my life. It's not that I didn't read - as if that ever happens! It's just that I didn't feel like talking about or writing about what I did read. I also watched a lot more content. I made massive inroads into my to-be-watched list alone and the husband and I also managed to devour 2 seasons of The Handmaid's Tale together.<br />
But the books.. ah! I read some beauties this month. I discovered the talents of Judith Tarr who took me to one of favorite historical eras - Ancient Egypt. I also re-discovered the engaging Sidney Sheldon. I also dipped in and out of my usual stash of romances both historical as well as contemporary while starting a new author Sue Watson. I have so much to write about but so little time and inclination. The lockdown is sapping not just my energy but also my usual <i>joie de vivre</i>.<br />
Let's hope I can be a little more prolific in my writing as we headed in our third month of lockdown. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-27847110487423818322020-04-25T19:56:00.003+04:002020-04-25T19:56:33.350+04:00The legal eagle one<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am a big fan of legal fiction both on screen and in books. Grisham was a favorite till he went off the rails but I even remember old TV series like LA Law and The Practice. And though I adore Gabriel Macht, Suits is more style than courtroom drama. So mid-way through the synopsis of Thirteen, I got all Steve Cavanagh books and settled down to read. Since I had all his books, I decided to read them in order. The series starts with a novella The Cross. A short novella designed to reel you into the world of Eddie Flynn, it has action in spades set against a ticking clock. The hero is not suave or sophisticated but he is an ex-con artist and you find yourself rooting for him because his ethics are rock solid. The same style and pizzazz is repeated across the main 4 novels of the series (in order, that's The Defence, The Plea, The Liar and finally the serial killer book - Thirteen. The backdrop is usually Eddie Flynn taking on unwinnable cases either because he fights for the truth or he's blackmailed into is because of his wife and child. The twists keep coming as the momentum of the cases swing back and forth between Eddie and his opposing counsel. Till the final scene when Eddie manages to pull off the impossible. The suspense is whether the reader buys into Eddie's con and finishes the book satisfied.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-1979324233836993602020-04-11T22:50:00.001+04:002020-04-11T22:50:12.170+04:00The shopaholic one <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PJTRbu3iETE/XpIRYiUTjNI/AAAAAAAAN5s/d2lZtYMitmQE4jK55hc_qVPc58TMY0efQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200410_173309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PJTRbu3iETE/XpIRYiUTjNI/AAAAAAAAN5s/d2lZtYMitmQE4jK55hc_qVPc58TMY0efQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200410_173309.jpg" border="0" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" width="240" height="320"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">Long time, no read Sophie Kinsella. The perfect pick me up when you're not sure what to read next. The Shopaholic books are usually fun to read and breezy with a lot of giggle. Sure you may not remember most of the plot, book to book but you recall the main heroine Becky and her antics tend to pull the story along just fine. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">I loved the first few books and was rightly aghast at the awful movie they made off the first book. I railed against the changed made to Rebecca's character and how they made Luke unlikeable. But since she had a child and moved to America, Rebecca has been an utter disaster. What used to make her adorable, now just seems silly and flighty. "pull it together" you feel like hissing to her while gritting your teeth together for a public smile. But the last Shopaholic book had a cliffhanger and noone can say I don't follow through. So there's some new shenanigans involving her father and Tarkie and only Rebecca can set things right. A madcap adventure ensues and we do Las Vegas with Ms. Bloomwood. But the jokes fall flat and she's not very entertaining anymore. One is reading to get to the last page and we heave a sigh of relief that everyone is headed back to good ole England in the next book. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">The letters with Derek Smeath seem to be the nicest parts of the book and I would read his memoirs gladly. But cut me some slack if I don't buy the next Shopaholic book in a hurry. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-34018814499274756562020-04-05T12:02:00.001+04:002020-04-05T12:02:03.454+04:00The shaadi book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am a sucker for Mumbai the city. I've lived there off and
on in the last decade both as a single working woman and a newly wed. The name
changed in the mid 90s so it has always been Mumbai for me. But Bombay or
Mumbai, the city is incredible. It pulses for want of a better word. It the
perfect setting for almost any kind of story whether about power, money or
relationships. And what else is a relationship like marriage about anyway if
not power and money. It is rarely about love, isn't it. Nothing like legalizing
love into a patriarchal construct of marriage to make one really question love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Written by a journalist, the books is an engrossing read
about 3 relationships in Mumbai. No judgement or commentary, the evocative
descriptions of one of my favourite cities and the sheer detail of the
protagonists thoughts and feelings make this book an incredibly intimate read.
I may have taken 5 days to read it but I actually polished off it about four
reading sessions. The relationships are familiar and unfamiliar and you don't
really root for anyone. As a mother, I end up feeling the most empathy for the
children in the relationships, as always. I can never seem to switch this off
anymore - whether film or book, I unconsciously look for and worry about the
children. They are usually the suckers in the whole plot.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-25115315553716019562020-03-31T19:56:00.001+04:002020-03-31T20:26:24.700+04:00The 'woke' one<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dX_YTzeHZEw/XoNoFRUJkPI/AAAAAAAANTM/MoZym133vAE59jByNMn9OmlvlKox_SFDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/page_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dX_YTzeHZEw/XoNoFRUJkPI/AAAAAAAANTM/MoZym133vAE59jByNMn9OmlvlKox_SFDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/page_1.jpg" border="0" data-original-width="1156" data-original-height="1496" width="247" height="320"></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">My preferred reads are romances and thrillers which don't tax the brain overmuch and read quick and fast. But every now and then I find a book that relies on prose and plot to make a point and I am intrigued. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">The book's premise is fairly simple. A black child minder of a white child is accused of kidnapping by a white security guard at a grocery store. While things are cleared up fairly fast (including a video shot by a bystander), the parents are aghast and the mother now wants to prove her non racist credentials to the childminder. The book's drives home the cringe inducing actions of the privileged and how utterly ridiculous they are. Especially when compared to the real problems of the black protagonist - she has no direction in life and is struggling to make ends meet. Throw in a woke white boyfriend and we have a book that forces us to examine our own privilege and how we deal with those less fortunate than us. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">It's a thought provoking read and I enjoyed it extraordinarily though the pacing could be better and I wish the author had spent more time on the unique bond between the childminder and her charge. The resolution or the big reveal seemed a little too obvious to me and tied up things a little too neatly. </div><div class="separator" style="text-align: justify; clear: both;">The best part of the book really is to drive home the point that the privileged just don't listen enough and no matter how woke you are, sometimes you need to just shut up and sit down. As someone accused of being a keyboard warrior fairly often, all I can say is Point Noted. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-6961936054340284432020-03-28T14:00:00.000+04:002020-03-28T14:00:00.433+04:00The funny book <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A shift in books now with a funny romance romp by a writer who I've read before but cannot for the life of me remember when.</div>
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I'm not a big fan of chick-lit (as it is disdainfully categorized). If I want romances, I head to 17th century England where dukes and ladies frolic. Modern day love never does seem to cut it for me and most contemporary romances are full of sex scenes which I skip (mother of two ain't got no time for it IRL or in a book!), leaving me with only about 89-100 pages to read. </div>
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Spotted in the famous second hand library in a Muscat mall, I figured that at 1 OMR, even with the sex scenes, this book is enough pages for me. And I found the author's name familiar enough to give it a try. Bonus points for being a large print copy. </div>
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The heroine is much in the style of Gone with the wind, ready for a comeuppance, but her knowing it makes her likeable as hell, blonde hair, long legs and all. You end up rooting for her despite knowing she was that awful bully from school you hated. Throw in teenage drama, revenge plots in small towns and a few (short!) sex scenes and this is a nifty read. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-67421388014287675212020-03-24T12:35:00.001+04:002020-03-28T12:34:16.421+04:00The quiet book <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Picked up at the Muscat Book fair, this book has a fairly engaging premise. Everyone knows that the wife killed her husband but noone knows why. The wife has been catatonic and totally silent since the murder and is now housed in a psychiatric facility. So the real mystery is her motive. Well paced, the book draws you in using the PoV of her fascinated psychotherapist with marital issues of his own. The twist isn't totally surprising but the last chapter is. I wish I could say I polished the book off in a single sitting but two kids and a lock-down make that impossible. I can say I finished it off fairly quickly since the husband took the kids away from my vicinity and I indulgently savoured the twist and and ending. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-29452179118984746812020-03-15T11:56:00.003+04:002020-03-15T12:00:53.213+04:00The Deja Vu book <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a good book. Unfortunately, it is not a thriller per se and nor is it really a mystery. I don't think even the author is exactly sure what it's supposed to be. </div>
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The story starts when a young boy in a small town in the UK is kidnapped. It describes the investigation that follows and then sputters out due to lack of funds. It captures beautifully the grief and shock of the parents, grandparents and the community at large. Slight <i>deja</i> <i>vu</i> if you've watched Broadchurch on Netflix, right down to the reenactment. But then there's a twist - the child is found and returned! How everyone copes is the main crux of the story. The investigation that eventually catches the culprits seems almost incidental. A good read but I'm not sure what to feel once the book is over. </div>
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Because as the book reminds you, it isn't really over. There's a trial and a conviction to look forward to where everyone relives everything in excruciating detail. This is often why I feel cases like abuse often have no closure for the victims/ survivors. There is no resolution, no compensation, no punishment that can ever seem enough. And perhaps, that is the quiet beauty of this book - that it makes you wonder and grieve along with the protagonists, yet leave you unsettled and raw. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-15814128996099450392020-03-09T12:49:00.000+04:002020-03-09T12:49:20.661+04:00The thriller book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNtmPWDy1-4zldJRnBAbjJrWC0FbE-rjPzMm-UP4IW9RiJojnEDOA9QjJsv0_Z_dpLJfgbhGqbRFzB6URy_hpm-r9-XlYDKbrtDl5iDSKvi6p01dOD3og9k_AJSb_rwreqsqOkg/s1600/IMG_20200304_101704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1135" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNtmPWDy1-4zldJRnBAbjJrWC0FbE-rjPzMm-UP4IW9RiJojnEDOA9QjJsv0_Z_dpLJfgbhGqbRFzB6URy_hpm-r9-XlYDKbrtDl5iDSKvi6p01dOD3og9k_AJSb_rwreqsqOkg/s320/IMG_20200304_101704.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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I'm not much of a fan of thrillers. Not to say that I don't enjoy a good one but it's not the genre that I read when I have time to spare.<br />
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The premise of this book is simple enough. A young writer lets out her gorgeous Hill top house (and it sounds incredible by the way) on Airbnb while on a retreat and now it seems she's gained a stalker. The typical cliches of writers block, divorce and cheating spouses clash with the home alone vibe but the author pulls it off. Hard to concentrate on a book with kids around but the tension pulls you in. And so many red herrings, I'm surprised the book didn't smell!<br />
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The family dynamics of the writer frame the story well and the relationship between the two sisters was intriguing. The #metoo red herring could have been avoided as per me simply because there were enough suspects in the book. The author deftly balances out each person's motives and we've all read enough Gone Girl to distrust even the heroine. The twist when it comes seems inevitable but only towards the end and only because I'm an awful awful person at heart. The ending of the book is wonderful and much better than the twist itself.<br />
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All in all, a good, racy read which makes me a lot more excited about the pile of hard copies I am accumulating afresh in Oman. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-54150783027105981942020-03-08T12:57:00.001+04:002020-03-08T12:57:28.133+04:00Happy Women's DayA day full of what's app forwards, memes and wishes celebrating women's day. <div>Jokes galore about how many days men get and how many do women get and how the maths changes because it's a leap year. </div><div><br></div><div>And then heartfelt greetings from my daughters accompanied by kisses and hugs and an earnest question. </div><div><br></div><div><b><i>"What is women's day, mama?"</i></b></div><div><br></div><div>How does one explain the complexity that is today to a 6 year old? The history, the progress, the long road ahead. How it is a day of gratitude for some, a day of protest for others and there is no <i style="font-weight: bold;">one</i> way of celebrating it. </div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps it is enough that I told her that today is the day I remind myself that I can do whatever I want but not all that I want. And hope that I have a better answer next year. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7uP7QH0gxII/XmSzdi9wx7I/AAAAAAAAMPA/cyq_D6v61OwmsSuC5iDnGOfB27Yj1uUUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200307_114550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7uP7QH0gxII/XmSzdi9wx7I/AAAAAAAAMPA/cyq_D6v61OwmsSuC5iDnGOfB27Yj1uUUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200307_114550.jpg" border="0" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" width="240" height="320" class=" imageResizeTarget"></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-87016747567104909992020-03-04T17:35:00.001+04:002020-03-08T10:01:37.107+04:00The yellow covered bookThis book a long time to finish for many reasons the foremost of which was that the youngling liked sleeping with it. It's the yellow color. It reminded her of the yellow colored book back home that she slept with too. That was the How to Talk book and that was much better reading I have to say. <div>Another reason was that I had just moved to a new country and was getting used to managing the entire house and housework on my own. </div><div>But really. The book was awful. Really really bad and I usually finish any book I read. The literary allusions of the protagonist was lost on me and I was not even remotely intrigued by the sexual shenanigans of everyone else. If I have to Google to figure out what the heroine's thesis is about and how that is a clue to what she's doing in the book, I would rather read her thesis. </div><div>The premise of a merman is only mildly appealing to a mother of two girls and I think I prefer the Disney versions. </div><div>A gift from a very close friend, it now adorns my bookshelf and has the distinction of the being the first hard copy I read in Oman. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1XY0NGeonao/XmSKPSq5hDI/AAAAAAAAMOM/gTQ2JD6pPK0xuVmWRFZGLeB8IEKnV_VSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200308_100039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1XY0NGeonao/XmSKPSq5hDI/AAAAAAAAMOM/gTQ2JD6pPK0xuVmWRFZGLeB8IEKnV_VSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200308_100039.jpg" border="0" data-original-width="3024" data-original-height="4032" width="240" height="320"></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-88710712429104712082020-03-04T09:56:00.001+04:002020-03-04T10:24:50.028+04:00Musings So I had a draft which I was sure I had saved. Apparently not. <div>What happens to unsaved drafts anyway? Where do they go in the wide wild internet to die? Or are they somewhere in the depths of my phone memory? In the cache, in some unknown temp file location..waiting to be sentenced via reformatting or archiving? </div><div>Perhaps it's a good thing that draft disappeared. I wasn't in the best of places that week on the personal front and the violence in Delhi seemed to be the icing on the cake. I tried the usual remedies of social media over sharing, date night with the husband, comfort food, going out, retail therapy with kids, meeting new people and cuddles twith the kids.. something clicked or maybe all of it. </div><div>This is getting published before I can edit it any more. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-493051133220449202019-11-19T09:26:00.001+04:002020-02-25T17:42:32.585+04:00Stray thoughts on the Crown<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>1. Olding - Olivia Colman looks incredibly like the Queen but Tobias Menzies, the actor who plays Prince Phillip is a hard ringer for his son, Prince Charles </div><div>2. Margaretology - I am not a fan of Helena Bonham Carter though u admire her acting. I do find her stray hairs (every single hairstyle, every single appearance!) annoying though - use a comb, madam!</div><div>3. And then the Duke - Tywin Lannister in a bathroom. Is that wise, sire?</div><div><br></div><div>Ancient post that needed to be published</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-66470841358484319592019-11-13T11:33:00.001+04:002019-11-13T11:33:20.044+04:00Baby BonanzaNo no I'm not expecting or anything like that. I just am super thrilled because 3 babies have been born to people I know in this month and we haven't even got mid way through November! <div>I am usually a cynic but nothing like newborns to make me gush. And the best part? My own womb is closed for business so no hormonal cravings either. Just cooing and mooning over delicious looking babies. I'm too far away to sniff their heads but I can imagine via photographs surprisingly easily! </div><div>Bonus - I hand them back and go sleep with my kids through the night. </div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-85463946949881692692019-10-26T19:22:00.001+04:002019-10-26T19:22:28.780+04:00DiwaliMy theory that Diwali is about food, family and fun has never been tested more than in a foreign land. I've been scurrying around for diyas and candles and anything that looks like it should belong in a puja. I've cursed that I didn't bring new clothes for everyone, I'm missing my lamps and idols and furiously googling recipes of simple sweets. But as we lit a diya for choti Diwali, I am pleased by our efforts. Because the children got excited and dressed up as if for the main Diwali puja and even the husband quietly wore a kurta. Of course the cherry on the cake has been the smells of yummy mutton curry on the stove. Yes, it's definitely about family, food and fun and I can't wait for tomorrow. <div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG_am1kdrVwR-xY0gb84cv9OWY3KQmlOvoXTAm1YHrxW6IFb-2LKvc34tJtoBpWHkcq6ThBcTYhQNvTC16XPN_QpcgpKSV6EL65fo-COKV0YL7LNrTGamw5iNHNVFG7vxRbyURw/s1600/Collage+2019-10-26+18_40_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG_am1kdrVwR-xY0gb84cv9OWY3KQmlOvoXTAm1YHrxW6IFb-2LKvc34tJtoBpWHkcq6ThBcTYhQNvTC16XPN_QpcgpKSV6EL65fo-COKV0YL7LNrTGamw5iNHNVFG7vxRbyURw/s1600/Collage+2019-10-26+18_40_14.jpg" border="0" data-original-width="1080" data-original-height="1080" width="320" height="320"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-82471316662102451772019-10-08T11:44:00.001+04:002019-10-08T11:44:12.434+04:00TILThings I've learnt since I moved countries<div><ol><li>Nap time causes panic when solo parenting in a foreign country. </li><li>How to load and start a dishwasher. </li><li>Join every local social media group - Facebook or what's app. </li><li>Screentime is down time. For everyone. </li><li>Check the tower number before trying various key codes. </li><li>Bargaining works outside of India too! </li><li>How to use up loose change </li><li>Cooking is like riding a cycle. Mostly. That's a separate post I expect.</li><li>The kids make everything worth while. </li><li>As does the husband. </li></ol></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-25219117856990246252017-09-04T06:56:00.001+04:002017-09-04T06:56:04.513+04:00Scent of a child <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;">The softness of those unexpected curls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;">The warmth of that tiny foot</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;">The pinch of the uncut nails</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 19pt;">The stench of a delayed explosion </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27928165.post-12365743775473586592016-09-26T22:38:00.001+04:002016-09-26T22:38:56.558+04:00Starfish<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaK-U_Cl6L7cPu5PjJW_HlQghTWEv6Z_CZViR5gaDLl-NQh9tcxzgxVb8-m8BP3Vr0tSXrGoWkXBHkP5OKeSJ8xJz72o1XIcCNnfflDd22p7XlN1AnoyMGJUmHIJhfJHNyjO4XLQ/s640/blogger-image--1960015575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaK-U_Cl6L7cPu5PjJW_HlQghTWEv6Z_CZViR5gaDLl-NQh9tcxzgxVb8-m8BP3Vr0tSXrGoWkXBHkP5OKeSJ8xJz72o1XIcCNnfflDd22p7XlN1AnoyMGJUmHIJhfJHNyjO4XLQ/s640/blogger-image--1960015575.jpg"></a></div>You pull<div>You hit</div><div>You whack</div><div>You grip</div><div>You bat</div><div>You reach</div><div>You search</div><div>You touch</div><div>You find </div><div>You pat, reassured. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1