The Booker Award!!

*Drumroll* This blog got its first award, The Booker Award from Alyssa at Life is Good. Thank you Alyssa! It's very much appreciated. :)

To continue this award cycle, I'll write about the top five books I've read and then nominate five bloggers suitable for this award! What a tough choice it will be! I love almost all the books I read, it's so hard to criticize any of the authors. To overcome this confusion, I'll simply point out those books that immediately come to mind, which would most probably be my recent reads. 

Top favorite books:

1. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Well, I could very well include the whole Harry Potter series, but I just loved the ending book! How beautifully all the mysteries unraveled, the perfect end of Voldemort and Snape! All my irritations with him simply vanished! And I loved the '30 years later' chapter. I was all 'awww', it was just perfect! 

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read this very recently, a couple of months ago and even though I liked all the three books, the first one remains my favorite. It was one that had me hooked from the first page till the end. I love Katniss, it's a great dystopian and since I love action, emotion and pacing, The Hunger Games was a perfect blend of all these and hence it's a book that's always somewhere in the back of my mind!

3. The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

I sometimes wonder how many times I've mentioned it on my blog, how many times I've said it's my favorite, I worry if it will lose its charm. But nah! It's always on my mind whenever the word 'favorite' is anywhere near. I read this one a long time ago, but I find myself going back to it quite often. The first time I read, I was swayed by the story, the emotions and story telling was awesome! It's a must read. :) (And oh, I love all books by Eva Ibbotson. If you want fantasy for kids, check out her children's books)

4. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

This is the first Dan Brown book I read and I was stunned with the level of the book! It's mysterious, there are secrets, it's fast-paced (the whole 300 pages plus book narrates the story of one night!) and gives out facts and assumptions that we don't really already know. I came to know so much about Paris, The Louvre Museum, Leonardo DaVinci and some secret organizations. It was wonderfully brilliant! 

5. Angry River by Ruskin Bond

Okay, I read this one years ago and now I don't even have the book. But whenever I think 'Ruskin Bond', or an Indian story, Angry River is the first thing that comes to mind. I don't remember much about it except that it was a small book and deeply moving. I love emotional stuff and action, followed by a happy ending. Though there were unhappy scenes, a flood and rescue, it still simply moved me. Another must read. :)

I may have missed out on some really good books, but as I said before, I've mentioned just those that came to mind instantly. :)

Now coming to the bloggers to whom I'll be giving this award. This is even harder than listing the books! I like almost all the blogs that I follow, so it's not easy to have just 5 for this award. Also, going by the words 'The Booker Awards', I'll have to skip my non-book blogging friends (don't you worry, I'll have a separate blogging ceremony on my other blog for you!). 

So The Booker Award goes to:

1. Kathe @ Good Lit and Green Tea: For an awesome blog and for being the best book blogger buddy! :D

2. Alexandra @ Alexandra's Scribblings: I love the way you write! There is knowledge and a perfect kind of wording those thoughts!

3. Smita @ Books, Life n More: For having the first book blog I saw and took inspiration from. Your talks about everything else in life keeps me hooked!

4. Hilda @ Catch the Lune: I don't know, I just find this blog so cute! And the reviews are brilliant!

5. Rachel @ My Reading Pile: Among the first book blogs I simply loved! Rachel's kind and writes reviews on the latest of books and her blog's beautiful! :)

Dear winners, spread the love. Forward this award to your favorite bloggers! :) Thanks Alyssa, once again! 

Review: The Bright Forever by Lee Martin

The Bright Forever by Lee Martin

Author website: Click here 

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Published in: 2005

Find it at: Amazon

Rating: 3.5/5

From the book cover

On an evening like any other, nine-year-old Katie Mackey, daughter of the most affluent family in a small town on the plains of Indiana, sets out on her bicycle to return some library books. This simple act is at the heart of The Bright Forever, a suspenseful, deeply affecting novel about the choices people make that change their lives forever. Keeping fact, speculation and contradiction playing off one another as the details unfold, the author creates a fast-paced story that is as gripping as it is richly human. His beautiful, clear-eyed prose builds to an extremely nuanced portrayal of the complicated give and take among people struggling to maintain their humanity in the shadow of a loss.

It is a compelling and emotional tale about the human need to know even the hardest truth.

This is an awesome description as it sums up precisely what’s in the book!

My Thoughts

The Bright Forever is a tale of a small town in Indiana and its people. I got this book from the library and what really made me want to read it was its simplicity. The cover’s simple and from the description we would think it would be an effortless story. Well, the story was effortless, if you just focus on the events that happened, but the basis of the book became clear when I was halfway through. It’s basically about the way humans think and delves deep into the psychology of those who’re lonely, who have regrets and guilt, who’re scared to love. It primarily talks about things you don’t see in many books and for this, it was different and unlike many that I’ve read.

A man is a mathematics teacher and lives alone with no one to love except the children who’re his students. What goes on in his mind? How does he cope with such loneliness? How does he feel about loving a 9 year old girl as if she were his own daughter? What does the society think about it? This is Mr. Dees and the lively nine year old is Katie Mackey, daughter of an affluent family whom he teaches math over the summer. Katie is a lovely girl and Mr. Dees is immediately taken to her. But he’s worried about letting his feelings show in case her parents or other people might think he’s got a negative side to such behaviour. That’s the way we would think, wouldn’t we? As depressing as the character was, I think his portrayal was wonderful.

It’s not a happy story and the character’s lives are certainly not happy. The point of the book is to deliver the thoughts and feelings sad / lonely people might have and the way they feel when they’re shunned from the society or have no one to love. There’s Clare, Mr. Dees’s 60 year old neighbour who lost her husband Bill and then found Raymond after a while. Ray lives with her but the neighbours don’t like him and they cut off from Clare. This is another character who’s lonely, but she had someone to love and now there’s someone else. How does she juggle her feelings, how she’s innocent and wants Ray to be with her because she couldn’t think of staying alone.

Then there’s Ray, who was one character that kind of scared me. He seemed jolly and well, but when he started communicating with Mr. Dees and later tried blackmailing him and the readers don’t know what kind of a person he is, because we don’t have any background information. He was a drug addict and had a bad childhood. Ray’s character describes how hatred in childhood can distort the minds of the people, affecting the way they grow up to be. It’s not really their fault, they want to be good, but there’s always been so much of loathing they’ve seen that they can’t help their behaviour. They need help, not temptation.

The book’s written in a way that gives us the perspective from many different minds, like one chapter on Mr. Dees, how he’s thinking, what he feels happened, how he feels about Katie and her disappearance, then one chapter on Clare and things that happened, things she knows about, the next one on Raymond, next on Gilley, who’s Katie’s elder brother and has been shown as the family’s thinking-representative. This way of telling the story is different and refreshing since it gives the views from all sides, and there’s always some element of mystery, but it’s mild in the first half of the book. Once the events start rolling, it’s always there and not having a single perspective can be confusing. But overall, it was okay. If you’re looking for something that will help you understand human behaviour, this is one such book that you can go for.

Recommended for: The story isn’t a happy one and there are no happy endings. So, if you’re not interested in psychology related stuff and a story that can be a little bit depressing, you can skip this one. But if you think you’d like to understand in depth the behavioural aspects of guilt and regret ridden individuals and don’t mind a sad story, you should go for it.

Behind the Blog # 5: On Countries

Behind the Blog is a meme to help bloggers connect their life and interests to the content showcased on their blog. The co-hosts, Faye, Kathe, and Melissa will provide a different topic, idea, or question every week that bloggers can relate to themselves and the books, films, or other media they find interesting!

Because of the recent Jubilee, a time to celebrate everything British, as well as the upcoming Olympics, we’re looking at countries this week. Where do you live? What is your favorite country and why? In relation to media, what book has described a place you desperately want to visit? What film has showcased an area you someday want to go?

Well, even though I'm bad at geography, I would admit it, I've still read plenty of books to understand and know about some marvelous places I most certainly would want to visit some time in my life! I don't know a lot about many places, still, ironically, I really want to visit, see and explore every beautiful city, town, island in the world! :D

I wouldn't say my country's awesome. India has a rich culture, great history, I love the natural beauty of some places and I especially love the mountains in the north! I don't mind saying mountains are my favorite kind of landscape. I really like the sound of climbing those huge natural structures, gear and all. I don't know when it will be that I get to climb Mt. Everest someday (not exactly in India, it falls in Nepal, but still), but it's definitely on my bucket list of things-to-do-in-my-life! What I don't much like is the corruption that's literally making the country fall apart and making it less appealing to me day-by-day! I mean, I used to be such a my-country-best thinker as a kid, but seeing corrupt, sad, bad, pitiful things happening, stuff that should be illegal (and it is!) happening without any repercussions, is really affecting the way I feel. Living in a city where I can only see cement and brick buildings all around with hardly any open space to enjoy watching the stars doesn't help (which I love watching. One such experience was in Shimla, a hill station in north! It was filled with stars! Awesome!). Sometimes I wish I was in a place better suited to my interests. I would happily swap the present one with one in the mountains or with natural beauty around! I know ultimately I'll be living the life I want for myself, including the places and all, but I can't wait for it! Even then, I wouldn't say I'm not enjoying. I love my friends and we have awesome fun together. I know many great people who share similar thoughts and who're really kind. Whatever the pitfalls, it's still 'my country and my people.' :)

That's me on my first trip to London.
In Trafalgar Square. I was what?
One and a half years old!

Coming to foreign countries, I've actually only ever been to London (thrice, the last time being when I was just 12!), Australia and for a very short while, Singapore. All these trips were before I was 12, so you can guess how very bad I want to go somewhere, now! There's no saying when the next time will be, so I keep myself happy with the 'within-India' trips! I love London, though. With all that I remember, the best thing I would say is the cleanliness, which is bad here. :| It was like a life from a novel, which it would be, I realized, because I've read some with the setting over there! Australia would've been fun too, if the pictures are any indication. I was so small that I don't remember anything more than our family friend's place where we stayed, the pool outside their home, a visit to some park where there were extremely tall men walking on stilts and some fireworks! We were in Brisbane. It has beautiful landscape and I think even back then, I loved it! Dad visited Perth recently and boy, was it bea-uti-full!!! I fell in love with that place just by seeing the pictures! Hills on one side and the sea on the other. In my words, "heaven"! I really want to go there sometime! 

Venice! I want to be here!

Coming to books, I think The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson was one book that's made me really yearn to visit the wondrous city of Vienna, with it's special Spanish Riding School, the Prater (which has a once-upon-a-time world's biggest giant wheel) and the world's greatest musicians like Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss have all lived and composed over there! Then of course, I want to visit Europe and its cluster of wonderful countries too (all of them, especially Venice, the city of waterways, canals and bridges). To think about it, I want to visit every place imaginable! Fiction can give us so much flexibility in our thoughts that nothing seems impossible! Another book by Eva Ibbotson, Journey to the River Sea had brilliant descriptions about the Amazon river and life of people who lived around it. In fact, among my top-favorite-things-I-like-about-books, is the extent to which it describes real places and its people. :)

So what do you think? What are your favorite places or those where you want to be?

Review: Finnikin of the Rock, Melina Marchetta

About the Author: Click here 

Publisher: Penguin books

Find it at: Amazon

Rating: 4.5/5

When I found this book in the library, I thought I’d heard/read about it somewhere. As much as the title seemed non-explanatory and I had no clue what would be inside (apart from what I inferred from the description, of course), I thought I had to read this one. There was a kind of pull that led me to have it in my hand. And I’m grateful to whatever it was, because I found a gem. A big, real one. Something that’s going to stay inside my head for a long time to come!

From the book cover

At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the Gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar’s cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere. But all safety is shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the king and queen and their children are brutally murdered in the palace. An impostor seizes the throne, a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere’s walls, and those who escape are left to roam the land as exiles, dying by the thousands in fever camps.

Ten years later, Finnikin is summoned by another rock- to meet Evanjalin, a young novice with a startling claim: Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere, is alive. This arrogant young woman claims she’ll lead Finnikin and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. Instead, her leadership points them perilously toward home. Does Finnikin dare believe that Lumatere might one day rise united? Evanjalin is not what she seems, and the startling truth will test Finnikin’s faith not only in her but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny. In a bold departure from her acclaimed contemporary novels, Printz Medalist Melina Marchetta has crafted an epic fantasy of ancient magic, feudal intrigue, romance and bloodshed that will rivet you from the first page.

My thoughts

On the book

There are some books that you can read through in a go, they’re light and you can easily flow along with the characters, then there are those that you like so much that you read them slow for fear of missing out on anything. Superior to these are those books that have the power to make you deliberately read slowly because they have so much to offer that you can’t just finish them in a go. You read them real slow because you want every word to make sense, every situation to stay in your head for future reference and every such moment that leaves you breathless, literally. You want to forget the world and live inside their world, for fear of leaving out or not making sense of a word or a phrase that can be instrumental in the story. Finnikin of the Rock is one such book. ‘Unputdownable’, yet you don’t want to spoil the fun by finishing it fast!

 

I’ve always been attracted to stories of royalty. Of kings and queens and their kingdoms and enemies, of how they train, how they fight, how they feel towards their kingdom and their people and how they live. This book was all about it, though not about the pretty picture of royal ensembles and courtesies, but about the hearts of those who love their kingdom and what they can do to bring their people back to their kingdom and help them live the wonderful lives free of misery they lived before the war. Lumatere was a happy kingdom with a wonderful king and queen, a prince Balthazar, three princesses, the king’s Guard and all noblemen, all Lumaterans living happy and peaceful lives, until the day the king’s cousin turned into an impostor king and took over his kingdom by killing the people in the palace and the Lumaterans.

I loved the story, the strength of all characters, the way the book’s written, with descriptions where they are required, the mystery surrounding the novices and the curse of the witch, Serranonna. Moreover I loved the way it ended. It isn’t like your average everyday reading book. It’s almost a classic in the way it’s been written. I really admire Melina Marchetta for the way she’s weaved a wonderful story and kept the readers hooked to her book!

On the characters

It would be wrong to point out a single character as a favourite because all of them were portrayed wonderfully, even the small, supporting characters. Finnikin was strong, aggressive and filled with love for his people. However, he’s also riding on a guilt about the way he thought as a kid. He feels the kingdom perished because of a little thing he wished gone wrong (though that’s not the case). He’s not seen his father since the past ten years because Trevanion had been a prisoner in the mines of Sorel and this, along with losing two of his best childhood companions and the beloved kingdom itself, made him hard and disbelieving in miracles or happiness. He’s seen his fellow Lumaterans as exiles living in pathetic conditions which adds to the hatred he feels for the impostors. There should be someone who could make him see reason, give him hope that their kingdom can survive, not by relocating every Lumateran to some other piece of land as he wanted, but in their old home again. That’s where a novice of Sagrami, Evanjalin comes in.

Evanjalin is by far my most favourite character. She’s immensely strong, persuasive, intelligent (sometimes reminded me of Hermione!), knowledgeable and being led by her thirst for her people and her kingdom. She’s grateful and helpful, keeps relevant secrets, knows how to fight and how to control those around her. I simply LOVED her, especially during the ending. There was something about Evanjalin that was mysterious and being the curious reader that I am, I jumped to a conclusion about her. And I was THRILLED to know towards the end, that I was right! Yay!

Trevanion is a fighter and fiercely protective for his son and I loved this about him. Sir Topher, being Finnikin’s mentor since his father was arrested, was wise, knew Finnikin in and out and used this knowledge to get him the desire to return to Lumatere, along with Evanjalin. Froi, the thief is a lost soul with no one who owns him and the way he’s been described is utterly believable. Well, that’s the whole thing in the book! Like author Kristin Cashore says in her ‘Praise for Finnikin of the Rock’, there’s fantasy and there’s realism’. It’s a difficult book, one of those you have to read more than once in order to fully understand the depth of the things it talks about. And that, in my definition, is the work of an awesome author! Needless to say, I loved every single bit of it! :D And it is worth a purchase!

Then, why is my rating 4.5 instead of a full 5? The reasons:

Once I began with it, I guess I stopped after one chapter. It was difficult to understand what’s happening, especially with the long names of characters and places. We didn’t have any sort of background info on the characters and the book began with two of them conversing and travelling, so it was hard to stick to it and read without understanding everything. But I made myself read through the second chapter and then it was easy. Then it was hard to put down!

The second reason is, there’s a lot of darkness. Deaths, torture, talks of unspeakable things done to the people, a lot of it, and for this reason I think it’s better suited for mature readers and not young teens. If you’re comfortable with the gory details, you should read this book! :D

Quotable Quotes

Lines from the book I fell in love with:

‘Without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?’

‘The Gods do make playthings of us, but we provide them with the tools’

‘Be prepared for the worst, for it lives next door to the best’

‘Circumstances present themselves and at times we have no choice’

‘But at such times (terrible times), you grab at any sign of hope. You grab it with both hands and breathe life into it, day after day. You do anything to keep it alive.’

‘Somehow, even in the worst of times, the tiniest fragments of good survive. It was the grip with which one held those fragments that counted.’

Recommended for: Young adult and adult readers and those who like stories of kingdoms and their lost heirs. 

Behind the Blog# 4: The good old letters

Behind the Blog is a meme to help bloggers connect their life and interests to the content showcased on their blog. The co-hosts, Faye, Kathe, and Melissa will provide a different topic, idea, or question every week that bloggers can relate to themselves and the books, films, or other media they find interesting!

Our theme this week is Snail Mail.  In the  age of instant gratification, technology is everywhere. Through Twitter, Facebook, and email, we’re always connected. As an unfortunate result, letter writing seems to have become a dying art. Even so, the thrill of getting a letter or card in the mail from a dear friend never seems to diminish. Do you like to write letters, or do you prefer email or social media sites? Have you ever been part of a pen pal program? Book related questions: What are some books you’ve read and enjoyed that have letter writing as a key component? What about some films? Do you ever take part in bookswaps? (They’re like a pen pal program but with books!)

Even though I’m an ancient-stuff-loving person, I moved onto e-mailing and using the internet for conversations as soon as I discovered it, primarily because of its simplicity and ease. It wasn’t before I really thought about it, thanks to this week’s topic, that I realized how much I missed the old handwritten letters. The thrill of seeing your name on the envelope, trying to identify the sender from the way it’s been packed or from the color/style of envelope and finally reading the note. When it’s a letter from a friend or a relative who lives far away, you really see the handwriting apart from the words, the way the alphabets are written and it gives you a sense of their personality and probably the timing of the letter. It tells you more about the sender than those words do and I love that aspect.

Though now it’s all changed. I haven’t seen a postman regularly here since so many years. I don’t even see many postboxes anymore and the memories I have of the khaki wearing postman date a long time back to when I was very small. While I was asking my dad about this, about how it has changed so much, he pointed out to me that it’s really here, in our state or maybe the country where it’s diminishing so fast! He said it’s used a lot in foreign countries and I guess he’s right because now that I remember, I’ve read about postmen carrying letters in many books. Apart from this, people here prefer to use internet for everything. While I love the internet for many reasons, I somehow want to preserve a few things to do personally, rather than virtually. For instance, I’m not a fan of online shopping (except books, because the ones I want are usually not in the nearby bookstores) or google searching for every single thing. Diverting a little from the topic, I feel I’m doing something wrong to myself if I’m searching on Google for almost everything I need to know. There are many things we already don’t know and it’s a great tool for that. But if we have, suppose, a topic to write on for homework, shouldn’t we do it ourselves? Google searching for facts is alright, but plagiarism, or copying lines from the net are unacceptable for me. I feel I’m undermining my own intelligence if I’m not even using my brain for simple things. Really, there may come a time when we would forget how to think and solve problems!

Anyway, back to the topic. I was fascinated with the details dad gave me, about the past when he was a kid. The postman visited thrice a day, everyday. And letters were expected from friends and relatives, so people used to eagerly wait for the postman to arrive at their gates. Sigh, I just love the sound of the good old days when I wasn’t born. I would trade anything to go back and live that life. Not that I hate this one, I’m very happy with whatever I have, just that the old one seems to be everything I would have enjoyed (more details would be a huge deviation, so I’ll keep that for a separate post!). Now there’re just a couple of fixed occasions when we’re sure to receive a post. Once on Raksha Bandhan, a festival when my dad’s oldest sister sends him a letter and rakhi, then Christmas and New year cards from relatives in the US. And sometimes during Diwali. As far as writing to loved ones is concerned, that’s about it.

Even when it comes to writing, I’ve written down so much in the past, in the fancy notebooks I especially bought to write, different ones for different purposes. I still follow the same practice, though now if I have to write on a topic, I will most probably use the PC/Laptop because it helps to write faster. I don’t have the speed in my handwriting that matches the speed of my thoughts and so I miss out on things. That’s the reason I use MS word! But, for other stuff, like reminders and little notes, I use the old methods, even for recording birthdays. As weird it may seem, I’m afraid using technology all the time would cripple my basic senses! That’s the way I feel.

I’ve delayed writing this week’s BTB post because I was feeling kind of guilty. I know how much an effect a handwritten note can have, have always known, but still hadn’t thought about reverting back to those practices. Even when I receive a book by post, I love the feel of holding the package and tearing it open to reveal its content(s). Then why hadn’t I ever thought of writing a letter to those with whom I communicate once in a while, instead of e-mailing? But now I know better. I needed a gentle reminder which came in the form of this topic and I am truly inspired by the hosts’ BTB posts that say they still do that. Thank you Kathe, Faye, Melissa for this awesome topic! :D