Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel by Melody Carlson

Melody Carlson

Title: Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel (Dear Daphne # 1)

Author: Melody Carlson

Published: June 2013 by B&H Publishing Group

Pages: 304

Find it at: Flipkart / Amazon

My Rating: 4/5!

Blurb from the cover!

With high hopes, Daphne Ballinger lands her dream job at The New York Times. But it's not long until writing about weddings becomes a painful reminder of her own failed romance, and her love of the city slowly sours as well. Is it time to give up the Big Apple for her small hometown of Appleton?

When her eccentric Aunt Dee passes away and leaves a sizeable estate to Daphne, going back home is an easy choice. What isn’t easy is coming to terms with the downright odd clauses written into the will.

Daphne only stands to inherit the estate if she agrees to her aunt's very specific posthumous terms -- personal and professional. And if she fails to comply, the sprawling old Victorian house shall be bequeathed to . . . Aunt Dee’s cats.

And if Daphne thinks that’s odd, wait until she finds out an array of secrets about Aunt Dee's life, and how imperfect circumstances can sometimes lead to God's perfect timing.

My Thoughts!

This book was a very different Melody Carlson that I read, the previous reads being Harsh Pink and Deep Green from the Truecolors series. Though this book doesn't have teenagers as protagonists, all these books are categorized under the label 'Christian', because all of them have this underlying theme relating to God, prayers and living life as a believer in the Almighty. It is subtle, not too overpowering and comes into the picture only towards the end when the protagonist and characters need support. Lock, Stock and Over a Barrel is a contemporary story of a young woman, Daphne Ballinger, living in New York since the past 12 years, writing wedding stories for The New York Times. She belongs to a small town called Appleton, but moved to New York with big dreams, including climbing to the top of the ladder as a journalist. Just that she seems stuck and unable to do much, mostly because of her cautious personality. She'd had her heart broken once while in New York, which makes her overly cautious and an 'avoider'. 

When she learns that her Aunt Dee in Appleton has passed away, she decides to move back into Appleton, especially after learning that she's the heiress to everything her aunt owned. This is when she discovers how little she truly knew about her aunt. Aunt Dee is a mystery with secrets left behind, known only to the lawyer and now, Daphne. She isn't really all she made people believe. She was much more than that, and it is truly fascinating. I mean, as it mostly pertained to literary stuff, I felt really excited about those prospects, about the possibility of stuff like that actually happening. So cool! The writing style is descriptive and simple. Not too simple, but it seems to have a nice flow and ring to it that you get used to the way you're understanding the story without any intermissions in between. I like books that successfully recreate the aura of a place I haven't seen, so that I can easily imagine and 'be there' as if I'm a close observer. This book does all that beautifully! I would almost like to live in a place like Appleton. Such a sweet town! 

I liked all the characters, who seemed to have clear distinctive personalities, so that you can try hazarding guesses about their actions. Fun people! Except for Ryan, Daphne's heart-breaker-ex-lover, who is such a snob! Sometimes I did wish Daphne would stop being so under-confident and be clearer about her feelings. And it was pleasant to see how she grew as a mature person in the book. I didn't find myself rooting for any one guy to be her future love interest, though. They all seemed nice enough, but not the perfect kind of guy I wished she had. True, that's what the book wants to convey, it's not all dreamy-dreams in reality. Sometimes you gotta settle for what's available. Maybe. Then there's this wonderfully mysterious Dear Daphne column, the secret to which I can't divulge here, but I found the questions and answer-giving very enjoyable and meaningful. This book's got some solid meaning! 

Overall, the essence of the book is simple. The life of an ordinary girl who wants to fulfill her dreams, who gets heart-broken, who gets the opportunity to revive her life again, who feels confused because she's human and she's got to deal with many different personalities and trying to figure them out in light of the situation, dealing with secrets and making decisions, being given tremendous responsibilities, wanting to feel loved, then understanding and realizing that life is meant to be lived, whatever the circumstances, it is important to focus on being happy and believing that God would take you there, that everything has its own course, that things take time to settle sometimes, that it's important to have faith. There is no over-dramatization of any sort, even though I felt it seemed a bit underplayed. The blurb focuses on Aunt Dee's secrets and the book gives off a vibe that it'll be oh-so-exciting! For me it was slightly less exciting than I had anticipated, mostly because the 'secrets' thing is not the essence of the book. 'Life isn't perfect but how some people choose to deal with it is what matters', is what the book truly stands for. 

There is an important clause in Aunt Dee's will which just wasn't getting any closer to completion as the book neared the end and I was anxious, because that was something that you can't just deal with in the last few pages! Turns out it has been left for the next book in the series! Which didn't make me particularly happy, but it's okay. The wait would be worth it! ;) I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a light yet meaningful contemporary read, it's easy and fast. Young Adult readers, Adult readers, anyone. There isn't any explicit content as such. 

Thank you B&H publishers for this book! :)

Review: Things We Never Say by Sheila O' Flanagan

Sheila O' Flanagan

Title: Things We Never Say... But Maybe We Should

Author: Sheila O' Flanagan

Published: June 2013 by Headline Publishing (Hachette)

Pages: 504

Find it at: Amazon

Genre: Family Drama/Fiction

My Rating: 4/5!

The sweet, simple cover of this new title by Sheila O' Flanagan, author of many bestsellers, gives off a nice, homey effect. It isn't too appealing, the kind you'd be attracted to in a bookstore, but maybe you might. It's something like a combination of look-at-me and something that can easily be overlooked, depending upon the person who's looking at it. I found it sweet, calm and simple. 

The Blurb!

Abbey Andersen is the last person to go looking for change. Yes, it's tough that she barely sees her mother these days - but in San Francisco she has great friends, a steady relationship and a job she enjoys. When Abbey is contacted by Irish lawyer Ryan Gilligan she learns in an instant everything she believed about her roots is a lie. She must travel to Dublin to find out more - but she's scarcely off the plane when she's plunged into a new crisis. One that will change everything not just for Abbey but for the family in Ireland who had no idea that she even existed. Now Abbey has to make a choice that will affect everyone she knows. How can she be sure she makes the right one? And can life ever be quite the same again?

My Thoughts!

Things We Never Say is a story based in Dublin, Ireland as well as in San Francisco. Abbey is a twenty-something girl living in San Francisco, away from her mother, working in an art gallery and then as a very talented nail artist. When she's contacted by Ryan Gilligan, a lawyer a very good-looking Irish lawyer  who's been looking for her mother, things change for Abbey as well as everyone involved in the family, a family she didn't even know existed. There is definitely drama, but the book isn't full of it. It's a big book with a storyline and many characters and it deals with the story at its own pace. I found it very detailed as far as the story and the characters are concerned. There's adequate background to every character so that you know them fully well before judging them for their actions. Even if you don't know initially, you get to know them over time and I found that really good. 

Initially it seems like the plot is dragging and there is some confusion due to different chapters telling stories about different characters and you can't figure out who is whom and what role they play in each others' lives. After about a 100 pages or so, you understand most of the linkages and you've been acquainted with everyone's introductions. That's when the plot seems to start developing pace. There are a series of events that take place in Abbey's life, she's confronted with information she finds hard to believe or deal with, she's already tense dealing with a broken relationship and career decisions and then she's faced with an entirely new set of problems. This is a family issue. She finds out she's related to another family in Ireland and there's a lot of conflict and drama as she tries to live with the the way her life takes turns. I took my sweet time reading this book. It wasn't gripping-engaging, but it was engaging enough to make you remember certain parts even after you've read them and to make you think of it when you're not reading. You can't "not" think much about it. 

I found the writing style simple and easy. It's got that flow which keeps you inside the story like you're a part of it. Once you're used to the different characters, it's easy to read about them and their actions one after the other. It's a big family with their problems and different views and lifestyles. The descriptive part is all cool. Neither too much, nor too little. Although I can't say that for when it comes to talking about the characters in the story. That is because I personally found it like a detailed account of 'people'. Every person was different, with their own story, their own reasons for being like they were. There are ego issues, under-confidence issues, trust issues and a lot of things. Why is it that you don't even say the things you mean to say to your loved ones? Why do you assume so much? Before you know it, you'll die without letting them know what you meant, what you really felt, leaving problems in their wake. 

I have to mention Abbey's character, which was so close to real that I just loved it! I found Abbey to be so much like me. Not in terms of physio-graphic stuff, but more so psychologically. She's confused and under-confident about her career and the way she feels when she says, 'I can't be the best artist, so I'll not do this' is so relate-able. I loved how she transformed and developed her confident personality with the support of all those who cared for her, became more assertive and open and learned to trust herself. There's a past involved, one which has been responsible for all the latest tension in the family, one which is disturbing, but those who're already dead. So how does it affect the ones who're having to face the consequences? Reaching the end of the book made up for all the drag that was in the beginning. It's an interesting end, the kind of which I like. ;) I marked a few lines from the books. Some of those are:

'It was funny, she thought, no matter how much you got over things that happened to you, you never forgot how people made you feel.'

'That was the trouble with looking back. You couldn't help doing it from the perspective of where you were now.' 

'She wondered how many people came home for a funeral and then had to face people they'd rather not bother having to talk to at all. And how many others felt cheated when someone died before they had a chance to say the things they'd always meant to say.'

'People can be very judgmental about religion. They can be equally judgmental about choices.'

'I can never leave a part of myself behind. Nobody can. Everything's that happened to us makes up who we are today.'

Recommended if you are interested in family drama and big, complete stories with a lot of different issues and messages.! :) 

Thank you Hachette publishers for this book! :)

What Meg Cabot book characters teach me! :)

This post is part of the Meg-a-Readers blog hop, hosted by Mandy at The Romance Bookie and Diana at Little Miss Drama Queen to celebrate Meg Cabot's two new releases! Awaken, the third book in the Abandon trilogy and another Heather Wells book, Size 12 is the New Black! For this post I've decided to mention some characters from the Meg Cabot books I've read and what I could learn from their personalities and behavior! ;) 

1. Mia Thermopolis (Princess Diaries series): You know how they say, some characters stay with you long after you've read a book? I haven't read all books in The Princess Diaries series. I started reading them late and I just didn't get to all of them, but I have always been in love with Amelia's character. For one, she is portrayed as just another ordinary girl (with the minor defect of her being a princess, yes) who has to deal with the usual high school problems. I could probably relate to her more because of my own inherent ability of being a klutz during all my waking moments, but I'm sure even for normal people, she's pretty much relate-able. 

Thinking of her character constantly reminds me to:

- Not bite my fingernails. Even fake ones.

- Not stare at a guy's lips, because your 'boyfriend' can possibly notice you noticing the other person's lips (not that I have a boyfriend, but still. Anyone observant enough can notice).

- Always wear nice pajamas during a sleepover.

- Be brave enough to refuse what you don't want to do, unless you're being threatened by a possible cousin who wants your throne.

- Pick up intelligent sounding words from smart friends like Lilly, and later look them up to improve your vocab.

- Be courteous to everyone, especially maids of honor. ;)

- Always smile. :)

2. Lilly Moscovitz (Princess Diaries series): Although she's the character opposite to how I could ever be, she did inspire me to:

- Speak my own thoughts without caring about what the rest of the population would think.

- Start using intelligent sounding words, because they can totally make your best friends think around in circles.

-  Have your own 'thing', something you regularly contribute to, like she has her own cable access TV show. I have my book blog. It kind of comes close. Okay it doesn't, but still. It's my 'thing'. ;)

- Be smart enough to guess whether or not your best friend is lying about their PMS status. Their crankiness could be a result of something really major. 

3. Michael Moscovitz (Princess Diaries series): What isn't there to learn from this guy? 

- Work for quirky magazines like Crackhead. 

- Play End of the World with sister's best friend, who happens to have a forever crush on you.

- Tell the aforementioned sister's best friend you love her too, through a cheesy poem flashing on the screen of a computer when she's trying to test your computer during the school fair.

- Love your crush's pet.

Oh Michael. ^_^

4. Heather Wells (Heather Wells series): When I read about her saying Size 12 is the size of the average American woman and one should not refer to size anyway, I loved her! Heather taught me to:

- Not believe in college kids' lame excuses for covering up dumb things and the mess they created.

- Having sugar-coated snacks everyday, even after wondering if it's not contributing to your size.

- Being independent, strong, and acting on intuition.

- Imagining yourself getting together with the guy you secretly love. Positive thinking makes it true.

- Keeping jealousy out of your mind when solving a suspicious case. 

5. Cooper Cartwright (Heather Wells series): I might be biased here, because Cooper Cartwright is my biggest fictional crush. 

- Stay calm in all situations. Even if it involves a death dormitory and your brother's ex.

- Don't give more than a passing glance to all girls, like creeps do. Keep your attitude, it makes you sexier.

- Keep details of work a secret even from your in-home accountant. Mysteriousness is a characteristic that makes you more appealing. ;)

- Get together with brother's ex, who secretly loves you too! 

- Follow your heart. Don't stick with family businesses if you think it's not your thing and you want to be a private investigator. Love your grandad, you don't know, he might leave you his brownstone apartment.  

5. Jean Honeychurch (Jinx): I like this clumsy girl, nicknamed 'Jinx' because she happens to bring bad luck (she doesn't).

- Self-confidence and will power.

- Not letting annoying and jealous cousins ruin your friendships.

- Always clearing a misunderstanding.

- Being brave and believing in witchcraft, however esoteric it might be.

6. Emerson Watts (Airhead trilogy): When you know you're not the girl everyone thinks you are, when you know your friends and the love of your life believe you to be dead, when you suspect a secret racket behind all the mysterious happenings and you still gotta cope with it and model on, I think you're really brave!

- Ordering banana splits whenever you or your friend feel low.

- Trying to control yourself seeing your love feeling angry and depressed and not being able to do anything about it.

- Putting self-obsessed people in their right place by putting their limo on fire.

- Never giving up on family.

- Making full use of technological devices when in a tight situation. They might be life-saving. 

I also wish to include Sam Madison from All American Girl who is one girl whose confidence is worth applauding. She's also one for standing up for herself and the truth. Pierce Olivera is a fighter, Tina Hakim Baba reads during lunch too, John Hayden is so persistent! Basically, I love all Meg Cabot characters, but these are those that stay with me. Which ones do you like? :)

Review: Dhandha by Shobha Bondre

Shobha Bondre

Title: Dhandha, How Gujaratis Do Business

Author: Shobha Bondre

Translated by: Shalaka Walimbe

Published: Random Business, May 2013

Pages: 281

Find it at: Amazon

Genre: Non-Fiction

My Rating: 4/5!

What is the book about?

The Blurb says:

Dhandha, meaning business, is a term often used in common trade parlance in India. But there is no other community that fully embodies what the term stands for than the Gujaratis.

Shobha Bondre’s Dhandha is the story of a few such Gujaratis: Jaydev Patel—the New York Life Insurance agent credited with having sold policies worth $2.5 billion so far; Bhimjibhai Patel—one of the country’s biggest diamond merchants and co-founder of the ambitious ‘Diamond Nagar’ in Surat; Dalpatbhai Patel—the motelier who went on to become the mayor of Mansfield County; Mohanbhai Patel—a former Sheriff of Mumbai and the leading manufacturer of aluminium collapsible tubes; and Hersha and Hasu Shah—owners of over a hundred hotels in the US.

Travelling across continents—from Mumbai to the United States—in search of their story and the common values that bond them, Dhandha showcases the powerful ambition, incredible capacity for hard work, and the inherent business sense of the Gujaratis.

My Thoughts!

If you've been following my blog since some time, you'd have noticed the astonishingly huge gap between the number of Fiction and Non-Fiction books. I prefer Fiction any time. Although I've now started looking at Non-Fiction as immense sources of useful information too! It might be because of the realization that I'm actually doing an MBA or maybe because I just got some mature-ness in the way I perceive things. In short, it's time for Non-Fiction too. Dhandha seemed to be an ideal choice because one, it was on business and two, it seemed to be interesting! Yes, the cover is okay-ish, not too appealing, but the blurb was intriguing, right? And frankly, I had heard my dad speaking a lot about the business sense of Gujaratis. I wanted to know what it is all about. I've been feeling quite pleased (and inspired) after reading this book. Essentially a compilation of five successful business stories, Dhandha explores the lives and the steps towards success each of them lived through, in great detail. 

The book is a compilation of five success stories, five businessmen belonging to the Gujarati community from different kinds of personal backgrounds. The underlying force that these people have in common is their business blood. Their amazing sense of finding out opportunities for carrying out businesses and the immense amount of hard work and relentless efforts they put in to see their business reaching the stars! It's amazing to read about their life stories from scratch, how the idea for a business took seed and how it grew. These are definitely not fairy tales. The essence of the book is to highlight the differentiating factor, the thing that distinguishes Gujaratis from the rest of the world when it comes to business and the book beautifully portrays it. The stories are not just about how their businesses grew, but also about the whole family of the businessman and how they helped, the unforeseen events, the troubles and obstacles they faced, the failures, but the best thing in all these stories was the amazing attitude for success and persistence these people showed. 

For example, Mohanbhai Patel (leading producer of collapsible aluminium tubes in the world) in his story, The Circle of Life talks about how once while experimenting with a new machine tool for producing opthalmic nozzle tubes (used for packing eye ointment) with aluminium (usually tin is used all over the world. This was the first time anyone tried using aluminium), the machine tool broke down and he tried not three, four or five times, but 30 times! That was when it worked! I mean, if the tool keeps on breaking, you'd abandon the idea after maximum ten times, right? It's quite something to try it till you get what you want. Another thing I loved about this whole understanding of their business sense is how they are still so humble and modest. Most of them (four stories out of five are about Patels) have reached immense heights of success, some in India, some based in US, but they've always helped others in many different ways and shared ideas and information. Their decency and humbleness was what I liked best, apart from the infused enthusiasm for "more". The only thing I did not identify well with was how almost all of them have been working hard, all the time, leaving little time for family. In all the cases the whole family was involved. Yes, not forcefully, but still I think it does have an impact on the kind of relationships you have with your kids.   

The narrative is in first person, mostly from the point of view of the main protagonist of the story. Where there were more people involved, like in some cases there were family members, the story continues from their POVs as well. I found the writing style simple. Sometimes I felt it was too simple for my taste, but that could have been because of translation. I'm not sure. It was still a gripping read, mostly because stories were well structured and written in a way that gives you a neat, step-by-step account of someone's life and business events and milestones and troubles. The stories were definitely super-interesting! I don't have any favorite because I liked all of them for their own USPs. Yep, I'm more inclined towards those with the businessmen who lived and established themselves in India itself. I agree, those who went abroad to the US had a hard time settling down, getting jobs, starting a business, then gradually expanding and ultimately being successful. But I'm more appreciative of those who made use of resources available in India. I absolutely loved the story of Bhimjibhai Patel, a diamond merchant who started from scratch. Literally. He didn’t know languages apart from Gujarati, but he proved that language is no barrier. It’s only the hard work, intense dedication, practical approach, readiness to learn and the inborn enthusiasm to see themselves as successful businessmen that matters.  

The book is definitely inspirational! Personally, I feel inspired to not feel scared of challenges, for there is proof that you can achieve anything you want if you really work hard and smart for it. I also feel like not complaining when I don't get enough time to enjoy my hobbies or to sleep. If you're looking for inspiration, you must read this book. It's not boring at all! :D

PS- The five stories were about these people:

1. Bhimjibhai Patel, diamond merchant

2. Mohanbhai Patel, world's leading producer of collapsible aluminium tubes 

3. Dalpatbhai Patel, owner of motels in US and Mayor of Mansfield Township

4. Jaydev Patel, renowned Life Insurance Agent 

5. Hasu and Hersha Shah, owners of the Hersha Group (having more than 100 hotels)

Truly amazing stories! :D

Thank you Random House publishers for this book! :)

Review: Popular by Alissa Grosso

Alissa Grosso

Title: Popular

Author: Alissa Grosso

Published: 2011 by Llewellyn Publications

Pages: 325

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 4/5!

Goodreads Blurb!

Meet the clique that rules Fidelity High: Olivia, Zelda, Nordica, and Shelly, each one handpicked by über-popular Hamilton Best. You know you're "in" when you make the guest list for one of Hamilton's parties. And in the thralls of senior year, everyone wants to get noticed by Hamilton.

But Hamilton's elite entourage is coming apart at the seams. Olivia fantasizes about finally having a boyfriend, Zelda dreams of ditching high school, Nordica wants to be alone with her photography, and Shelly's plotting to dethrone Hamilton. Lies and secrets are ripping away the careful ties that have kept them together for years. But Hamilton has the biggest secret of all, one that only her boyfriend Alex knows. If the truth got out, it would shock everyone and destroy Hamilton's fragile world—and she'll do anything to protect her secret and keep her clique together.

My Thoughts!

Popular caught my attention as a refresher book that I could do with. I had been reading a lot of 'heavy' books and this seemed like your average, typical high-school clique-ish, girly novel. A quickie fix for your too-much-emotional syndrome. A reminiscence of your past, when you read a lot of high school-ish books. It was good to read this one. I was rescued from the boring life of traveling in the metro trains to college without having anything to do, because I read Popular on my daily-travels-to-college trips. The first part of the book is titled, "The Clique" and each chapter is from the point of view of a different person, part of Hamilton's clique. Hamilton is like the queen bee in high school, lately more worried about graduation as it would be the end of the life she had built for herself. Fidelity High wasn't just a school for her, but a castle she made for herself. She was respected and loved.

The other members of the clique were special, hand-picked by Hamilton herself. Each of those girls is different when it comes to personality. Shelly's too arrogant and hates Hamilton, Olivia, Hamilton's friend since kindergarten, is trying to over throw her, Nordica doesn't want to be part of the clique anymore, Zelda wants to ditch high school completely. The story goes about describing the final year of high school and all that happens in school, shown from different POVs. It seems like a story about the clique. Then there's Alex, Hamilton's boyfriend who's just surprised and amazed that Hamilton picked him for her boyfriend. Now, as the story progresses and after the initial few chapters when we're introduced to the different members, it tends to get a bit conflicting. Alex seems to be staying not just with Hamilton, but worried about other members of the clique too, which made me judge Alex quite harshly. Hamilton seemed to love him and depend on him so much, so what did he think he was doing? Fooling around with his girlfriend's best friends?

With frequent changes in POVs, it also gets a bit confusing, if you don't recall all names easily. It's easy to get muddled up and hard to get accustomed to the style of writing. The writing is clear, no doubt. It even has an element of attraction to it, you really want to know what's going on, even if you might have been bored with whatever happened so far. It's interesting that way. I'd be honest. Up until 200 pages, I was deeply in Fidelity High's life, reading like a naive reader, not focusing on details and just shooing away little irritations which were actually hints, hinting about something big. Turns out this isn't just a high school story after all. When the first weird thing, instead of happening on the sidelines, happens right in your face, you're left with an open, astounded mouth, wondering what the hell ever happened. I think this book has the biggest weirdest twist I have ever read and if you're not the kind to read high school stories, just this twist might make it worth your time. 

Part 2 is from Alex's point-of-view, gradually divulging the details about Hamilton's life, the past and everything as Alex saw it. The reality. It is mind-numbing and definitely makes you like the book a hell lot more. If you were bored with the cat-fights and bringing-each-other-down till the bomb-ish twist, you'd be happy you got so far. After the twist, there was no backing off, no waiting to read it on the train journeys. I read it sitting in college, oblivious to everyone chattering around, and then at home, comfortably under the covers. I'd call it a beautiful book. Alright, you'll get that feeling only after the first half, but still. Also, if you're anyway looking for a light read or are fond of high school based stories, you'd like this one all the more. The descriptions are actually different. Not too many details about the main characters' families, only focusing on their feelings and actions. The way the POVs were separate might be troubling you, but you'd easily forgive that because that's the essence of the book. ^_^

It's the kind of book that people would read mostly because of the big secret, which I can't and won't divulge. I can say it'd be worth it! If you read this and love it too, let me know! :) Leaving with some lines I marked from the book:

'People are so much more fun when they're uninhibited'

'In general, people can be pretty boring. That's not politically correct to say, but it's true. A person can be cute and funny and all, but after a while you're going to get bored, wondering if there's someone else who's cuter and funnier and just different. Boredom is the number one killer of relationships. Maybe true love is simply finding that one person who never stops being interesting to you'

'Sometimes the thing about growing up is that it allows you to see the world in a whole new way'

Thank you Jaico publishers for a copy of this book! :)