Book Review: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank
| Genre: | Chick-lit |
| Book Name: | Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes Rose Gardner Mystery #1 |
| Author: | Denise Grover Swank |
| Pages: | 374 |
| Publication Year: | 2011 |
| Publisher: | Bramagioia Enterprises |
Keep on doing random search for free books available on Amazon Kindle and you will end up saving so many books on your own device that in only a few days, you will stop keeping a track of what you are reading. Like me, on most days, rather nights, I start a new book just to leave it incomplete mid-way. In fact, the book Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes started in a similar way.
Barring grammar mistakes and editing misses here and there (only in a few places), the book seemed ok, a light-read to forget work woes. A chick-lit with a mystery and murder thrown in, the book was something not out of the ordinary or exemplary, but just what I needed this week for a break. As the name of the book suggests, the protagonist prepares a list of 28 things she wants to do in the coming few days, and in your mind, one too starts preparing a similar list. For me, the list goes on like – do bungee jumping, go para-sailing, go on a trip with friends only for reading solely, and other stupid stuff which cannot be disclosed publicly. Just kidding! Have fun reading this one but do not expect much.
P.S: Since it is available free of cost on Amazon Kindle version, shop and enjoy…
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen – do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty of secrets of his own. Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all. |
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About the author: Website: www.denisegroverswank.com |
| Rating: 7/10 |
Book Review: An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
| Genre: | Play, Theatre |
| Book Name: | An Ideal Husband |
| Author: | Oscar Wilde |
| Pages: | 78 |
| Publication Year: | 1893 |
So, this is my week of reading playwrights. After having finished A Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest, I was more impressed by Oscar Wilde. Probably, as a child, I may have been asked to remember this author’s name as part of the General Knowledge subject, but the way his books are so popular, I am sure there would be something to refer back, but only if I have kept my school books till now.
While The Importance of Being Earnest was a downrightly funny book, this – An Ideal Husband has much more depth and things to ponder upon. So-called trustworthy politicians, love, family, marriage, cheating, gripping storyline, engrossing satire, witty and clever play of words, this book has everything one may want in a playwright. Although for feminists, a few dialogues/acts may be slightly jarring but since this was written during Victorian times, but those are better ignored.
I was so entranced that I could imagine the characters on a big canvas screen playing out their roles and ah, the impeccable dialogue delivery gave me such memorable moments. Do I need to see a movie based on this? Oh no, but yes, a play adaption here in my city will surely be a catch!
This became my go-to-book for a few nights post office hours since I was reading this in a super-slow motion. And I have saved this book for happy moments and stress-buster. Very much recommended!
Let us look at some of the dialogues:
I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself. – Haven’t we all done that – advising others while rarely following us on our own?
Oh, I love London Society! I think it has immensely improved. It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society should be. – Hasn’t social media (Facebook and the likes) have reduced us to the likes of dummies?
It is not the perfect, but the imperfect, who have the need of love. – Really is any one perfect, if yes, they are just kidding themselves?
P.S: It is available free of cost on Amazon Kindle version. So what you waiting for! Shop and enjoy…
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Like most of Wilde’s plays, this scintillating drawing-room comedy is wise, well-constructed, and deeply satisfying. An instant success at its 1895 debut, the play continues to delight audiences over one hundred years later. An Ideal Husband is a must-read for Wilde fans, students of English literature, and anyone delighted by wit, urbanity, and timeless sophistication. |
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About the author: As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years hard labour after being convicted of “gross indecency” with other men. On his release from prison, he lived in obscurity, and died in poverty. Website: www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde |
| Rating: 10/10 |
Read reviews of other books by Oscar Wilde on this blog – The Importance of Being Earnest.
Book Review: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
| Genre: | Play, Theatre |
| Book Name: | The Importance of Being Earnest |
| Author: | Oscar Wilde |
| Pages: | 104 |
| Publication Year: | 1899 |
Once I had completed reading A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, I got interested in reading other classic playwrights. And that is how I picked up the book The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, written around the same time as the first one. While the former was of a more serious genre, this classified into humor genre.
Interesting and cut to the point, it showcases the triviality of placing importance on a name for the match-making. However, this is relevant even now. If not merely the name, many a times education in a specific institution holds much more value in the marriage market. In the play, love is simply reduced to the importance of the name of a person and such a frivolous matter may change the love simply because the other person was merely assuming a fictitious name. Love changed. And why so? The person wanted to escape social obligations and niceties and assumed another name/character on a temporary but on-going basis. However, let me not spill out the beans any more, but the ending of this play is just great. No doubt, this one is still popular even after more than 100 years.
P.S: It is available free of cost on Amazon Kindle version. So what you waiting for! Shop and enjoy…
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gewndolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack’s ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack’s country home on the same weekend the “rivals” to fight for Ernest s undivided attention and the “Ernests” to claim their beloveds pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day! |
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About the author: As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years hard labour after being convicted of “gross indecency” with other men. On his release from prison, he lived in obscurity, and died in poverty. Website: www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde |
| Rating: 10/10 |
Book Review: Shopaholic on Honeymoon by Sophie Kinsella
| Genre: | Romance, Chick Lit, Short Story |
| Book Name: | Shopaholic on Honeymoon |
| Author: | Sophie Kinsella |
| Pages: | 53 |
| Publication Year: | 2014 |
I was literally stumped on completing this book Shopaholic on Honeymoon, and not in a good way!
I have read a lot of Sophie’s books but this just seemed too bad – an underdeveloped story, a crazy female protagonist and too few pages, just 53! It was just like seeing a badly made trailer. The antics of the wife on her honeymoon was so irritating, to say the least while forcing her choices on her husband all the time. This is definitely not what I had signed up for when I chose doing lighter reads this month. A great disappointment!
Please stay away from this book, especially if you had not read any of Sophie’s books previously, since this is available free of cost on Sophie’s website as well as on Amazon Kindle version.
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: The new Mr and Mrs Brandon are on honeymoon, and Becky has big plans! They’ve got a whole year to explore Venice, learn yoga in India, sleep in little wooden huts in South America… maybe even see penguins in the Arctic. And of course they’ll need to buy just a few essential souvenirs along the way (everyone needs a set of Murano glass goblets, after all). They’re not just tourists, they’re travellers. Becky is sure it is just the thing that Luke needs – time to unwind. He’ll come back a changed man… with all the good bits still intact of course. But it soon becomes clear that Luke has different plans entirely. Can Becky help him let go, or will this little disagreement threaten their whole honeymoon? |
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About the author: Twitter: @KinsellaSophie |
| Rating: 2/10 |
Read reviews of Sophie Kinsella’s other books on this blog – Can You Keep a Secret, My not so Perfect Life, Cocktails for Three, Finding Audrey and The Undomestic Goddess.
Book Review: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
| Genre: | Play, Theatre |
| Book Name: | A Doll’s House |
| Author: | Henrik Ibsen |
| Pages: | 102 |
| Publication Year: | 1879 |
Before one appreciates any book, story or movie, it is important to understand the backdrop when it was written/ filmed. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen may be discarded as superficial and feminist by many, but once you find that it was written during Victorian times, your perspective may change.
Those were the times when females were only expected to marry for money and bear kids and anything related to love or independence was frowned upon (other authors like Jane Austen have too written of such times). When a daughter/ wife was supposed to a do a man’s bidding. Has much changed now? No, especially not in rural areas, and we can’t even ignore urban societies outright. Isn’t a wife still supposed to leave job if her husband is working in a different city and she is not able to find a job there? No one is there to take care of her frustrations when she is supposed to behave in a certain way.
Ok, so enough of my rant. With respect to the book, it’s nothing but a 3-act play where the female protagonist Nora is not a twit as we are made to believe in the first few pages/scenes. But she is one who has gone against the norm of society in the manner she deems fit. *Spoilers ahead* She is supposed to be a beautiful wife and a doting mother, but she finds out a way to cure her husband’s illness by borrowing money and working hard surreptitiously to somehow manage the hardships (so unheard of in those times). You may call her an evil person for hiding all this from her husband, but her husband has a very strong opinion on how a person is supposed to morally act. The other female character is also an aberrant where even after being a widow and with none left of her family, she is ready to go out and work for herself.
I am not giving away all three acts of this book, but briefly describing Act 1 only to give you a perspective. Why such a name of the book, you may ask. It’s a doll’s house where characters are supposed to behave a certain way in a make-believe facetious world. Do give this book a try!
P.S: It is available free of cost on Amazon Kindle version. So what you waiting for! Shop and enjoy…
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: |
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About the author: His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen’s work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries. Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences. |
| Rating: 9/10 |
Book Review: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
| Genre: | Children |
| Book Name: | Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Fudge #1 |
| Author: | Judy Blume |
| Pages: | 144 |
| Publication Year: | 2004 |
| Publisher: | Macmillan |
This month, I am preferring lighter reads and ever since I have read the book Wonder by R.J.Palacio, I have been on the lookout for similar books. This is how I came across this book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.
The book does not have the crispiness and strength that Wonder had. Probably Wonder set the benchmark for me too high and perhaps I should come back to reality. But there is no denying the fact that even this one is not that bad either. This is a simple story of what a kid experiences when he/she has a younger sibling. The oh-so-intense rivalry and frustration about parents showering more love on only the younger one is perfectly captured. The love for having a pet to call one’s own and having that one best friend and you would be reminiscing of your own childhood and your silly quirks. However, do not expect much twists and turns in every page since it’s supposed to be a kid’s book.
And yes, you can easily share this book with your kids to make them understand that parents are not that bad and prejudiced by explaining them a different point of view at each point! Enjoy reading.
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: |
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About the author: She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author’s Guild; the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship. She lives in Key West with her husband. Her work has been translated into thirty-two languages. Website: www.judyblume.com |
| Rating: 8/10 |
Read reviews of similar books on this blog – Wonder by R.J.Palacio.
Book Review: The Sita Chronicles, Red Sapphire by Ashley Mayers
| Genre: | Fantasy, Mythology Fiction |
| Book Name: | Red Sapphire The Sita Chronicles, #1 |
| Author: | Ashley Mayers |
| Pages: | 434 |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Publisher: | Grass Roof Publishing |
Ok, so let’s do a book review of the first book of the series The Sita Chronicles – Red Sapphire. But first, let me start with how I got hold of this book in the first place. So, someone in my Facebook reading group shared the link of this series available free of cost at Amazon Kindle version. And since I had just got my new Kindle few days back and was loading whatever book I got, I saved this too. Funny, right?
However, what mainly attracted me to start reading this particular series was that it’s based on Sita from Ramayana. Having previously read The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakarni based on Draupadi’s character, I was ready to explore another story with a mythological female at the cusp. To be duly noted is the fact that Red Sapphire is a fictionalized version set in modern times but interlinked with Ramayana at the core. All main characters that you have heard of, are all present here in one form or another.
Now, to talk about the book. It is brilliantly written if you can simply ignore the excruciatingly slow start and a rushed end. A crisper editing was definitely required to cut a few pages in between. But somehow I liked the book – the characterisation of everyone and the parallels it drew from the characters we had grown up reading, rather watching every Sunday morning on DD1 – Sita, Ram, Hanuman, Ravan, Shurpanakha and the traitor Vibhishana. Hoping that the flaws are mitigated in the next book – Violet Sapphire.
Totally recommended! Keep watching my blog for reviews of other books in this series. Enjoy and happy reading!
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: A captivating saga featuring interwoven stories across generations, cultures and continents, Red Sapphire pays homage to its roots in the beloved Indian epic, The Ramayana, with an enchantingly vivid and unabashedly global tale. As key figures from the ancient Hindu pantheon join modern counterparts in present-day San Francisco and WWII India, Red Sapphire brings together a delightfully complex counterpoint of thrilling arcs into an emotional narrative punctuated by mesmerizing imagery, philosophical dilemmas, and tender human stories. Red Sapphire is the first book of the seven book series The Sita Chronicles. |
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About the author: |
| Rating: 8/10 |
Book Review: Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra by Ruskin Bond
| Genre: | Short Story |
| Book Name: | Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra |
| Author: | Ruskin Bond |
| Pages: | 108 |
| Publication Year: | 2000 |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books |
What do you do when you visit a place for holidays? Do you search for books? Then welcome to my world!
I visited my in-laws place last month and at first glance, all I noticed in the book shelves were bulky and thick books of war and bygone eras which got me intimidated. For your information – I am the one who usually prefers to read light fiction unless it is a murder mystery. However, my holidays are supposed to be perfect only when I complete at least 3-4 books. And lo and behold, there was this book Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra by Ruskin Bond. And out of all points already mentioned, just imagine my happiness since I was reading this book in Dehradun itself.
Even though I had heard a lot about Ruskin Bond, I had somehow never read any of his books. So without further ado, I picked this light book (weight-wise) and immediately gave it a go. And what an absolute delight this was to read. I completed it in 3 hours straight. This book, in fact, reminded me of Jungle Book series I had watched as a kid.
Tell me what do you know about award winning writers – that they write in such complicated statements and using such vocabulary that one has to definitely read the book in Kindle, a paperback or hard bound copy will definitely not do. Ruskin Bond writes in such a language which will directly speak to you heart and remind you of your own childhood days.
A must read book for all!
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Semi-autobiographical in nature, these stories span the period from the author’s childhood to the present. We are introduced, in a series of beautifully imagined and crafted cameos, to the author’s family, friends, and various other people who left a lasting impression on him. In other stories we revisit Bond’s beloved Garhwal hills and the small towns and villages that he has returned to time and again in his fiction. Together with his well-known novella, A Flight of Pigeons (which was made into the film Junoon), which also appears in this collection, these stories once again bring Ruskin Bond’s India vividly to life. |
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About the author: He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, “Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra”, by the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children’s literature. |
| Rating: 9/10 |
Book Review: Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella
| Genre: | Romance, Chick Lit |
| Book Name: | Can You Keep a Secret |
| Author: | Sophie Kinsella |
| Pages: | 372 |
| Publication Year: | 2003 |
| Publisher: | Dial Press Trade Paperback |
I think I have already got an overdose of Sophie Kinsella’s books after having completed four of them in a month’s time. This is going to be a negative book review in particular since the author has a penchant for writing books under similar genre. I had loved reading Mills and Boons back to back during college days, but oh those were the days. And I am here blabbering and not giving this book it’s due – a book review rather than my life story on this blog post.
Can you keep a Secret is all that I hate in a rom-com where the boss is in love with a reportee who is none too brilliant or exceptional and who is even callous and careless so many times. So what if the female spilled all her secrets to her boss, who is then unknown to her! Although yes, I do agree that one shouldn’t share secrets with everyone around especially when you don’t know what you are getting into, for example the other person can be a real liar, cheater, blackmailer, and what not!
Read the book just for the silly lovey-dovey tidbits, if you think you have not yet grown out of those silly nuances till now.
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: She survives the flight, of course, and the next morning the famous founding boss of the whole mega corporation she works for is coming for a look at the UK branch. As he walks around, Emma looks up and realises… It’s the man from the plane. What will he do with her secrets? He knows them all – but she doesn’t know a single one of his. Or… does she? |
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About the author: Twitter: @KinsellaSophie |
| Rating: 5/10 |
Read reviews of Sophie Kinsella’s other books on this blog – My not so Perfect Life, Cocktails for Three, Finding Audrey and The Undomestic Goddess.
Book Review: My not so Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
| Genre: | Romance, Chick Lit |
| Book Name: | My not so Perfect Life |
| Author: | Sophie Kinsella |
| Pages: | 438 |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Publisher: | Bantam Press |
Bright the sun
Fresh the air
Bright should be the mood
Around the year
Sophie Kinsella’s books have always reminded me of the above poem. When I had first read one of her books a few years back – the first of Shopoholic series, I was totally hooked to such simplistic writing. Especially, when simplistic writing is not so easy and many writers have floundered there.
Another of Sophie Kinsella’s book that I picked up today and I was surprised finding that it is not her typical book. I mean, the main protagonist Katie/Cat does have something substantial to do rather than just romancing around. I will tell you what this book reminded me of – The Devil Wears Prada. However, like Sophie’s books, this too had a happy ending unlike the other book which of course was more realistic.
Not recommended, if you are just looking for a light read. But yes, read it to vent anger thinking about your evil boss or any other person that you hate since the book has a few moments where you can picturize that hated character in real shit. Hope I did not give much of a spoiler away that the book blurb hadn’t already mentioned. Enjoy!
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Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Ok, so the real truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers. But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they? Until her not-so perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business. Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams? Or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman with everything – have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems. And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway? |
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About the author: Twitter: @KinsellaSophie |
| Rating: 6/10 |
Read reviews of Sophie Kinsella’s other books on this blog – Cocktails for Three, Can You Keep a Secret, Finding Audrey and The Undomestic Goddess.
