The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman (Book).

Book 49/52.

The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman

My Rating: 3/5 

I will say this was the lukewarm second book from the much-loved Thursday Murder Club series, which I totally loved for thrill, action and insanely loving characters. Now, the sequel, on the other hand, didn’t work the way the original worked in the first place. I believe that was because four unique characters are introduced amazingly in the first part. All four retired from different backgrounds, living together in a posh old-age home in a secluded village. One of them is a retired MI5/6 agent, another one was a union leader, one psychiatrist and the last but not the least (one of my favourite) retired nurse. They make an amazing Thursday Murder Club and help their cop friends Donna and Chris solve the murder mysteries. This time around, the murder is related to one of them (an ex-husband who died long back), who is killed again after stealing 20 million pounds worth of diamonds from a mafia member, hence the title. What started (was supposed to be a cat and mouse chase game) was a wild goose chase to first know if the ex-husband was actually dead or he was playing dead, and where are the diamonds gone? On top of that, one of the oldies gets beaten black and blue by a rogue kid trying to snatch his mobile phone, what he goes through after the accident and how he still helps from his hospital bed was a good story, but felt too long for my imagination and liking. Exciting was the way his friends tracked and punished the kid in question, but what I expected from this part was to show me some glimpses from their past, which it only does very partially and not to the full extent. And that is why it was an average time pass read, which I was able to finish in 4-5 working days, nothing exceptional, but not bad at all. 

Do let me know if you have read The Man Who Died Twice and loved it the way its prequel was admired, or if it didn’t work for you either. I will certainly look forward to its TV adaptation for a few of my favourite actors enacting these lovely characters on screen. 

 

Mrs Funnybones - Twinkle Khanna (Book).

Book 48/52.

Mrs Funnybones - Twinkle Khanna

My Rating: 1/5 

Why I picked up this one is because I had finished two of the fattest books for the year back to back (Dan Brown and Robert Galbraith’s latest), which added to some 1700+ pages. Hence needed a light-hearted feel-good book to break the suspense and thrill momentum and landed on this one in our library. On top of that, I was curious to read at least one from the celebrity writer to get the hang of her writing, and if she is any good. I know one gentleman who knows one gentleman who claimed that this was ghostwritten by him. Now, I am totally sure he was lying because if he had written this one, it would have been funny to say the least. It turns out to be random ramblings of a privileged Bollywood wife going on and on about her daily life, followed by some Googled anecdotes and tidbits we now read in reel world. It has a lot of Bollywood references, as they for sure won’t mind being part of a celebrity author’s published work in the name of fun. But it was not funny at all, let alone making me laugh, it didn’t even made me smile one bit on top of that she claims she had her own set of struggle in life, that was a little hard to digest coming from someone whose father was a superstar, so was/is her mother and husband happens to be one of the richest actors of his own era. I hated the potty references in the name of comedy, even when they were related to her toddler; too much of it was a big turn-off for me. Ironically, no mention of her Dad or Sister in the book, whereas she has taken solid digs at her other side of the family, of course, for fun (even that wasn’t funny) and loads of her superstar husband, almost in all the chapters (which was a respite). I can bet that Random House didn’t even proofread her work, let alone edit its mistakes or correct grammar. The only thing that made me actually laugh was the use of five “Blimeys” that she did in the first five chapters. 

I believe I should have stuck to my favourite PGW for fun; this wasn’t even worth the 50/- that I paid for my copy. Do let me know if you have read this one and liked it. I will stay away from her other works for now. 

 

The Hallmarked Man - Robert Galbraith (Book).

Book 47/52.

The Hallmarked Man - Robert Galbraith. 

My Rating: 3/5 

8th book from the Cormoran Strike series by J K Rowling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, that I waited for with bated breath, not to read how Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin solve their next mystery, but to read what happens next in both their personal lives too. Got the book on the same day it was launched, and super thanks to Uncle Bezos for sending it within 24 hours my way. This is unfortunately the weakest book from the series and I guess the longest with almost 900 pages of mess that JKR has created, roped in so many characters and mysteries in one story that beyond 300-400 odd pages I totally lost the interest but somehow kept ploughing to know what happens to Strike and Robin personally as nothing better happens for the remaining 500 odd pages too. She tried her level best to keep it engaging by not only adding Free Masons theory in this one (to my total disinterest) but also MI5 and MI6, too, ruffling some feathers with Strike and his partner. But the only thing that worked in this one for me was like I said, what they do on personal front to make their own lives better, Strike going back to his sister and passed out uncle, Robin going back to her family, new boy friend and even looking for help when needed and as the reader in me kept on rooting for the same. Strike’s past is coming back to haunt him in such a way that there is no undoing it. His difference with his own father takes another turn in this one, to my pleasure though, for a change. Even with so much going on in the story with multiple murders, abductions, missing persons, a mutilated body found in a vault in such a way that hard to tell who it belongs to. Yet, somehow it all was so disconnected that it didn’t work for me at all.  On top of that, the agency is working multiple cases with fresh blood who have their own stories to tell. 

I am certainly going to wait for others to read and come back with their opinions to check if I am the only one for whom it didn't work, or if others feel the same. This is shocking that two books back-to-back from two of my favourite authors have not worked for me. First, it was Dan Brown’s The Secret of Secrets, which fell flat and now this one. I am must say The Hallmarked Man was a two star book for me for almost 99% of its length, what made me give it one more star in addition is something that I can’t disclose but if you have read the earlier books, you will get the hint (Wink Wink) and THAT was not only a big respite but will be a huge reason why I will wait another year for the next in the series to get a final closure. Do let me know if you have read this and liked it any better. My personal favourite from this series will be her last book, The Running Grave, so far her best work, and eagerly waiting for its TV adaptation. 

 

Too Good to Be True - Prajakta Koli (Book).

Book 46/52.

Too Good to Be True - Prajakta Koli

My Rating: 2/5 (Feeling generous).

When it comes to books, I am a very curious soul, hence at times I keep stealing books from my kids' collection to understand what they are reading these days. This book was unfortunately from that set when my dearest sister in law visited Pune last month for a vacation and had picked this one up from Indore airport. This is more like a teenage love story where nothing goes wrong, even written from a teenage perspective and for someone’s guilty pleasure where the protagonist falls head over heels in love with a guy who is fair, handsome, with dimpled cheeks, curly hairs, superb biceps and body of-course followed by being a CEO of his Dad’s public limited company, swanky penthouse in south Bombay, a Karan Johar styled mansion in Mussorie, a private jet and even a helicopter (reminds you of 50 Shades right?) and right when it sounds “To Good to Be True” there has to be something wrong with him for his family, blah blah blah… and the book gets over with a predictable ending which I was able to predict in first 25 pages but had to finish again to keep my record intact. Not blaming her for reading, and I am hoping she must have loved this book (cause she herself is in mid 20s). Being a debut book of an actor turned author, I didn’t have any expectations, but glad that I was able to breeze through it in no time. 

Do let me know if you have read this one and liked it. If you are looking for a teenage romance with a happy ending, this is your book with a slight twist. Otherwise, you can skip it. 

 

The Secret of Secrets - Dan Brown (Book).

Book 45/52.

The Secret of Secrets - Dan Brown. 

My Rating: 3/5. 

One of my all-time favourite authors, and as soon as his book was released, I was super keen to read it before I get distracted by others’ reviews and thoughts. I had pre-booked the same on Amazon, and it was delivered right the very next day to my utter surprise. Unfortunately, this will be the first from Dan that didn’t work for me as I expected to thrill, engage and shock me by the great revelation in the end as it happens in all his stories. I believe he overcooked it this time and took too much data from social media to make it more interesting, which, in my opinion, didn’t work in his favour (at least in my opinion). As usually it happens in all his stories, Robert Langdon travels to Prague to attend a seminar for his long time friend Katherine is supposed to address, where she reveals that she is about to release her book on Human Consciousness which takes the theory to next level (much to the shock and surprise of CIA), of course they try their level best to sabotage the publication of the book as they themselves are working on a similar theor of their own (or was it theirs?) in between comes a suspicious character Golem of Prague too to further engage the reader on a break-neck thrill and suspense. Now, the parties involved, if we are counting, are Robert Langdon with his friend Katherine, followed by US Embassy Head Heide, further followed by her security team of Marines, a team of CIA hoodlums working with or against them, further followed by the illegal test subjects who have to take their own revenge on the whole system. And in this hodgepodge of things, somewhere after the big reveal around half the way (total 650+ pages), I lost interest, yet finished it to keep my record intact. 

What doesn’t work especially in this book is the plethora of science and scientific terms that Katherine, Gessner (one who invites her to speak at the seminar) and Robert Langdon throw our way. As convincing as they may sound, they do get too confusing at times, and there is no end to his theories, so much so that he reminded me of Christopher Nolan, who shows no respite for his audience, much as we love his movies, but none of them is straightforward. On top of that, this book, I guess, is a few years late, as so many instances which were like I had already seen in so many Instagram reels in the last few years, they all make their way into the book to my shock and heartbreak. You’ve got to read the book if you are keen to know more about the same, but I must say that this might become his least-read book. On top of that, as his last too isn’t adapted yet into a movie or a TV series, this too will share the same fate as Tom Hanks is too old now to take the character forward and looking at the size and the stretch of the story, it won’t be easy to adapt it in the first place. In my opinion, if anyone can play Robert Langdon from the current Hollywood crop, it will be George Clooney, who coincidentally gets a mention in the book, too.  I still rated it a generous 3/5 for the intrigue, suspense and the lovely characters and the stories behind so many monuments that they come across during their chase or being chased. And the best part about this one, too, is that the story takes place in 24 hours. 

Do let me know if you have read this one or if you are planning to read it any time soon. I guess I will go back to the series sometime soon and start again with the first Robert Langdon book, as I enjoyed them all big time, but this one somehow didn’t work for me at all.

 

The Lion Women of Tehran - Marjan Kamali (Book).

Book 44/52.

The Lion Women of Tehran - Marjan Kamali. 

My Rating: 5/5. 

My second Marjan Kamali after “The Stationery Shop of Tehran” and I loved it, loved it, loved it (if you have read any of her books, you would know that emotion). Incredibly heart-touching story of two lion women of Tehran, their friendship, struggle to make their country a better place, and so many ups and downs that they go through their entire lives, a totally emotional roller coaster ride. The story starts with a pretty young Ellie narrating her life story when she loses her father, and they are forced to move out of their plush lives (from being descendants of royalty) to a life in a slum, where they struggle for everything. Her mother tries her level best to save her from the evil eye that has shot them down and never trusts anyone, especially her best friend Homa, whom Ellie admires big time. Although Homa too doesn’t come from any better background than what she herself was going through but to see her in a loving family with a father, caring mother and two siblings to die for, she envies her so much that at times she imagines what if her mother died too, will they take her on as a family memeber and she will get to live their life with them. And imagine this was just the start of it all. What follows is a heartbreak of growing up for both the girls, their college lives, while the country of Iran goes through so much political turmoil, where lives of thousands get destroyed, some fighting to make it better and an equal number of people dragging it back to the stone age of patriarchy with no freedom of any kind, especially for women. Although it's a work of fiction but the way she takes us through the sea of change in women’s lifestyle in the 1950s to the following decades is an eye-opener. Even now, looking at what is happening not only in Iran but nearby countries is simply unbelievable, with no short-term solution on the horizon, and this is when we are talking in the 21st century. 

Elli’s mother’s struggle comes to no end as she tries her level best to give her a better life by compromising herself, and on the other hand, Homa, her best friend, goes through her own struggle, which was totally emotional and such a heartbreaking read. But the way they fight for each other and finally by the end of the story is incredible, to know what they achieve and how it all falls out for them is what you need to read the book for. I highly recommend that you read The Stationery Shop of Tehran” first, followed by this one, for better timeline understanding of the country’s political situation, but even otherwise, this works like a perfect read. I have become a huge fan of her work now and will look forward to as many as she is writing with awe. Her earlier book, as well as this one too reads like a thriller and a seriously unputdownable book till you reach the ending. I have never read a better book from that part of the world, for sure in recent times, which is so engaging and meaningful too. I loved her use of Persian words and phrases, which sound so similar to our Hindi; it was a delight to read and especially the dishes both of their mothers make for them, they kept me salivating throughout the story. 

Do let me know if you have read this one and loved it. I am going to get her first book now, which she wrote way before both of these and read it at the earliest too. 

 

The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai (Book).

Book 43/52.

The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai

My Rating: 5/5. 

Winner of The Man Booker Prize 2006. I just finished the book, around 320+ pages, and I am still stunned by what I have read that she wrote in early 2000, not only about 80’s India but the happenings around the world in such a beautiful and realistic way that even getting a Man Booker for this one doesn’t feel enough. Usually, the prize-winning books are very heavy on subject and story too, but this one was so life-like, covering the then India, Britain and even the US of A with the help of four major characters. First and foremost was a retired Chief Justice, as the entire story takes place in his backyard, his Cook’s son, who somehow aspires to get to the USA to make a life for himself and his father. To the Judge’s utter surprise, shock and against his wishes, one day he gets burdened with his own granddaughter, who was dumped in a boarding school earlier and her teenage love story with her Mathematics teacher Gyan, who is a sort of revolutionary for Nepalis back in the day. Location of the story is the incredible town of Kalimpong and the countryside of Piphit, from where Kanchenjunga and Mt Everest are visible. Loved the way she makes one character like the CJ, whose story is from rags to riches (while he gets married to travel to the UK to study, followed by becoming an elite member of ICS) and back to rags once he retires. The way he treats his illiterate wife vs the way his granddaughter turns out was such an amazing contrast, especially when it comes to India (loved it). Unfortunately, the world as she has captured it in the 80s, I am sad to say, nothing much has changed even in the 21st century. Life is still the same way as it is depicted in her fictional story. 

The timing of my reading this book couldn’t be better, as so much we have read in the news in the last few days, right across the north eastern border of India (Nepal). Just that she captured the insurgency some 40 years ago, and the effect is still taking place. Her sarcasm about India’s queuing outside an American Embassy to reach the land of dreams is still the same. She goes on to say that even if they dump a load of crap on our heads as the price of entering their country, a majority from our part will gladly take that dump on their head - so damn right. But the best part about the entire book is that she carries her heart in her hands and shows it big time, she even goes on to write so many words and sentences in Hindi and refuses to even translate the in Enlish which I totally loved, let them translate it themselves to understand as so many times we do when they show so many Foreign languages in their literature and leave us confused to find the meaning. And she wasn’t afraid of name-calling when she clearly talks about the likes of Khalistan demand and its outcome, Gorkhaland, Tibet, China taking advantage and all that. She didn’t even spare the leaders and openly talks about religious sentiments and their followers breaking the same at the drop of a hat. I would say she has captured so much in this gem of a book, which is too small in size to have that much depth. And on top of that, she ends up getting a Man Booker for the same, which is no mean feat. This must be one of those few prize-winning books that made a lot of sense to me, especially from our part of the world. Having said that, I would like to read a lot more from her at the earliest. 

Do let me know if you have read The Inheritance of Loss and loved it. Also, let me know if you have a personal favourite from Kiran Desai. 

 

Bridgerton 8: On the way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn (Book).

 

Book 42/52.

Bridgerton 8: On the way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn. 

My Rating: 4/5.

Book 8 from the Bridgerton series, and I must say that the story has finally come to an ending in the shape of the 8th marriage in the Bridgerton family. The fourth youngest son, Gregory, finally falls head over heels for the wrong girl, creates a sort of very loving love triangle, but after an abrupt twist and turn, goes in the right direction. Again, as I said earlier too, Ms Quinn has a way with words and she continues that magic in this one too as the book is seriously unputdownable till I reached the very last page to get the final wished ending :). With that, I have finished the series and have come to a realisation that she has written the 9th as an Epilogue, calling it “Happily Ever After”, and that I will be getting after a break of about 4-5 books for sure. This one didn’t work the way its earlier counterparts did, as there is hardly a mention of the much-loved Bridgerton family, nor any histrionics of my favourite Lady Danbury, but still, it made up for a breezy read as all her other books are. 

Do let me know which one is your favourite Bridgerton book and the favourite Bridgerton family member. I am in love with Eloise and Lady Danbury in equal measures. 

Bridgerton 7: It’s In His Kiss - Julia Quinn (Book).

Book 41/52.

Bridgerton 7: It’s In His Kiss - Julia Quinn. 

My Rating: 4/5.

Book 7 from the Bridgerton series and I must say that the story is going strong, I was able to finish it in flat three days with two more to go before I finish the whole series and wait for S04 of Netflix adaptation, which isn’t so good in the first place. This one is the story of 8th Bridgerton kid Hyacinth, who is the fourth unmarried daughter from the family, so the target of this book is to get her hooked by the time it ends. This time, Julia decided to write a sort of thriller with a treasure hunt thrown in for good measure for the young couple to find while they fall in love, and Gareth, her fiancé, his background or lack of it, is revealed. How they fight and come out as the winner in the end is the rest of the story. I loved the way Lady Danbury plays an important role in this one, totally love her character, her nuances, especially the way she handles not only the Bridgerton kids but the general crowd, and when it comes to his Grandson, the matter is totally different. I must say Ms Quinn has a way with words and her love stories, hence this one too was a quick, pleasant read. Looking forward to reading the last two at the earliest and posting that I am planning to read even “Queen Charlotte” too from her as that will give me a better perspective on Lady D in great detail, so I hope. 

 

Bridgerton 6: When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn (Book).

Book 40/52.

Bridgerton 6: When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn. 

My Rating: 4/5.

Book 6 from the series, surprisingly, turns out to be amazing to read, with all the typical twists and turns of Julia Quinn’s love stories so far. This one is based on the 6th Bridgerton kid and the 3rd daughter, who hasn’t made a detailed entry in the book series, and the only bits and pieces we know of her were that she gets widowed quite soon after her marriage. This one is the detailed account of her story and the second marriage, which was predictable, even with whom it was easy to guess, but what takes the cake is how it all happens. The initial one-sided love triangle was too good and kind if given away at the very start for the reader in me to wish, predict, and slightly later actually pray to make it work, but all that doesn't go that easily as it sounds here and was totally gripping, exciting and lovely to read. But I must say that as the series is progressing, Ms Quinn has started losing the steam for sure, or maybe I wasn’t able to like the character of Francesca that much as I loved her other earlier siblings with their stories. Frannie has the quirks of Eloise, her elder sister, and a few similarities with her eldest sister Daphne, too, and that is where it was hard for me to differentiate her from them; nonetheless, a beautiful love story at the end of the day. Now I am curious to know how the Author is going to do justice to the last two siblings in the upcoming two books. 

Undoubtedly, this is the longest that I have hung on to a book series and still looking forward to reading the rest, hope they work for me though. Do let me know if you have a personal favourite, Julia Quinn, too. 

 

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman (Book & Movie).

Book 39/52.

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman. 

My Rating: 4/5. 

My daughter ordered this book a few months ago, to my pleasant surprise, as she knows how to make me happy by reading a few books a month. And I never say no to books, even after having a huge collection of 500+ at my place, new additions are always welcome. Later, I came to know that this was picked up for a movie adaptation with Pierce Brosnan (Ron), Helen Mirren (Elizabeth) and Ben Kingsley (Ibrahim) & and Jonathan Percy (Stephen Elisabeth’s husband)  in the lead, playing the retired folks staying in a plush old age home peacefully. As a hobby, they start a Thursday Murder Club where they discuss and try to solve a few unsolved murders. What was so interesting about this whole book and story is the way it is written, first from the perspective of a Murder Club member, Joyce, who is writing her diary and second from a third-party angle, where we read the goings on of the cat and mouse chase game with the police angle too. I actually didn’t expect it to be this good, being the debut book of the Author, but now I am sure that he is one to be watched out for, as there are two more that he has written after this one. All four members of Murder Club are above 70 or 80 as they claim, but the way they work and especially the way the author discloses their background in bits and pieces, is terrific. Like the way, at one point he discloses that Elisabeth still holds a valid license as a Tank driver, go figure what is she going to do in the story. The story takes a twisty turn as the Owner of the old age home decides to expand his footprint by taking over a cemetery next to his property, by transferring it to some other place. His partner gets killed in the meantime, and all the doubts fall on him as he is the one who would gain more by his death. One murder follows another, and before we know it, dead bodies start cropping up from the past, too. Murder club works in tandem with the cops; you’ve got to read the book to know how they persuade or blackmail each other to help. It was hilarious. The entire book (380+ pages) is so intriguing and unputdownable that I believe I finished it in flat 3 sittings, and now I need to catch the movie at the earliest to see if they have done any justice to the lovely book. 

Do let me know if you have read this one or any other works of Richard. I am going to read all his other books now for sure. 

Movie: I had to watch the movie as soon as I finished the book, of course, for the amazing casting and especially when it is directed by Chris Columbus, aka Harry Potter fame. If a movie can put a smile on my face, it is worth it, I would say, and this was no exception. Although they did change it a little bit here and there, as 2 hours cannot do justice to a 380-page book, I am super happy that they didn’t take away much from it, and the end product is pretty charming, just like the book and a treat to watch. Although they did change the murderer on the grounds of so much detailing that they couldn’t do, unlike the book, where the writer had all the time in the world to twist and turn. But one good reason to still like it is that we get to watch some of my favourite people in one movie, which was totally amazing, especially the four leads, they were simply terrific, and they were a perfect fit for the characters they were playing. If the book was a four-star for me, the movie is definitely a 3/5, and I am planning to watch it again with wifey tonight, as she loves murder mysteries, so I need to check if she can catch the killer before the movie ends. And now I will have to wait for its sequel to come as and when that happens, and have to order books number two and three at the earliest. 

 

The Autumn of the Patriarch - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Book).

Book 38/52.

The Autumn of the Patriarch - Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

My Rating: 3/5 (Being Generous).

1982 Nobel Prize for literature winner GGM is one of my all-time favourite Authors and I try to read at least one book a year from him and not more because he has hardly written 15 (Novels and Novellas included) and I haven’t picked up a single one of his non-fictions so far, so I have no idea how good they must be. All his works are originally in Spanish, later translated into various languages, but the way they have turned out to be amazing, surreal beauties, it is hard to say they lose anything during translations. This was no exception on that ground, the whole background, the unnamed country and the kingdom of the patriarch is so amazingly detailed that I was totally hooked to it. What didn’t work for me this time was the prose without a sentence break, or paragraph break or even chapter break. The whole 230 odd pages are written without break, non stop at breakneck pace, even while the whole story of the patriarch’s mysterios death in the very first page is narrated six times with different perspectives by different people to a General who is enquiring about the happenings in company with an Archbishop, it is done in first person order with no quotes as who is saying what. That was very tiring to read as I had to go back again and again to check where the first person stopped and where the other parties started talking :). And the story of the cunning patriarch is totally unbelievable (of course it's fiction) as he lives to an age of 232 years and has witnessed the Hailey’s comet some 3 odd times, he himself loses count of how many times. He had fathered some 5000 children, and please don’t ask about how many concubines he must have; one of them was his so-called wife and the heir she gave him. I just can’t explain. For that matter, how he comes down to become a king when his mother (a bird woman) doesn’t even know who his father was, just that he was born with no lines in his hands and he was destined to be a king right from his birth, and oh! Before I forget, his mother birthed him in a standing position. I wonder why we need all those details. It is beyond my imagination, and now that Mr. GGM is no more, no one can answer our questions. 

Beautifule is the way he has captured the entire sequence of Patriach’s mother’s death, right when I was about to question his age vis-a-vis his mothers age, he decides to kill her and then follows it with one heck of an amazing burial ceremony, One has to read the book to go through the entire amazing sequence and the beautiful way it all is captured and explained, I could imagine those visuals right in front of my eyes while reading his amazing prose (again without break). On top of all that above, there are so many instances that were very hard for me to digest in the GGM book; one case was of a courtier from the King’s court who gets drunk and starts pissing right in the centre of the entire court. And then there is this General that the Patriarch doesn’t like for some reason, so he gets him cooked in his full attire and serves his guests in one fine dinner. People do make faces, but I assume they all enjoy the feast. And then there is this third gentleman who had fathered a son with his own mother. I believe I have read the majority of his works; they have their own kind of grimness and gruesomeness, but this one takes the cake from all of them. I still remember the guy from one of his books, “Chronicles of a Death Foretold”, where he kills someone and moves with his machete still dripping blood in one hand while the other holds the head of the dead person. I couldn’t take that image out of my mind for the last decade or more that I have been reading the story. I still haven’t forgotten the surreal beauty that he had described in the beautiful (yet challenging) “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, where one loses count of characters and the family tree of the protagonist. Or the melancholy love story in “Love in the Time of Cholera” and its heartbreaking ending. But this one is totally different from them all. I am sure Mr. GGM must be smoking some fine Colombian hash while writing this, but still, it was a challenging yet very intriguing read. 

I love his on your face, give a damn stories and the choice of words that he uses to describe his characters or even the way they talk, totally out of this world stuff yet very engaging to read. I wish he had written a lot more, but then we won't be reading his books on repeat, won't we? Do let me know if you have read this one and liked it, or if you have a personal favourite from Gabo. Mine will always be a tie before Chronicles of Death and Love in the time of cholera for sure. 

Love and Hot Chicken - Mary Liza Hartong (Book).

Book 37/52.

Love and Hot Chicken - Mary Liza Hartong.

My Rating: 2/5.

I got this book from a friend who was returning to India from the USA for vacation, and we were supposed to catch up in Bangalore. Usually these days I ask my foreign friends to get me books from their respective countries, Authors of their choice and this was one of the cases where my friend's choice didn't work one bit for me. Although I love the way she has written on the first page of the book “From JFK to Pune” :) with a date stamp. I guess she picked it up, going by the title, as this turns out to be a Lesbian love story, the protagonist is going through a recent loss of her father, moves back to her hometown town and for no reason sticks back, leaving her PhD halfway. On top of that, she starts working in a local eatery, a chicken shack, as going by the title, and that's where she meets her partner. Coincidentally, her best friend is a gay guy, who is almost like a brother she never had. The Chicken Shack owner suddenly decides to have an Employee Beauty Pageant, and the final prize is supposed to be $1ML can you believe that? Unfortunately, the characters are so underdeveloped that I could feel nothing for no one in particular, and there is no solid reason for anyone to do what they were doing in their sleepy old town. Neither is there much talk of mouthwatering food nor any heart-touching story to tell of the people around. I was surprised to read that the lead was doing her PhD when the tragedy struck, but the way her story goes forward and backwards, I guess she never grows beyond a teenager and shockingly, her mother too finds a partner at the blink of an eye. On top of that, the ending was so predictable that I could guess it by the time the book reached the halfway mark. I was almost on the verge of DNFing this one as the first of the year so far, but since this was a gift, I kept going and finished it. I was looking forward to picking up a same sex story for quite a while, but this one turns out to be a turn-off on that aspect too. 

 If you haven’t come across this one, I suggest you stay away if it comes your way, but if you have read and loved it, forgive me, please.

 

Irrfan Khan - The Man, The Dreamer, The Star - Aseem Chhabra (Book).

Book 36/52.

Irrfan Khan - The Man, The Dreamer, The Star - Aseem Chhabra.

My Rating: 4/5.

Irrfan Khan will undoubtedly show up in my all-time favourite actors list from world over, and that too almost at the top of the list, if I may say so. His biography had been on my list for quite a while, even though he wasn’t sure when Aseem approached him for the same, saying “pata nahin kaisi kitab hogi yeh”, in typical Irrfan Khan style. I am super glad that I kept my faith in Aseem Chhabra and got the book; it was indeed a fantastic experience to live all those movies that I’ve seen and enjoyed just for the fact that Irrfan acted in them. Now, after knowing the background stories of almost all of them, I am craving to watch them all again with new perspectives. What a versatile actor he was, not only in Hindi movies, but his resume from the West too reads quite well and impressively. Going by the facts, because of his commitment to a few fantastic movies in India, he had to turn down Directors like Ridley Scott (Martian) and my favourite Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), can you believe that? Now I will watch them again, and especially will keep an eye on those actors who replaced him in those movies. So many Indian Directors confess that at times they gave him a free hand when it came to playing a character, as he was so devoted to his character that he would create his background to place the same to the best of his knowledge, and the result? We have all seen it on screen. Imagine when Irrfan Khan went to USA and came across Mark Ruffalo (hulk fame) sitting in a restaurant, he was too reluctant to say hello but keen to not to miss the opportunity, and then Mark gets up and says hey to him saying “I love the work you have done, man”, incredible isn't it. You’ve got to read what his idols (Naseeruddin Shah and others) have to say about the legend that he became in such a short time and left us way too early. 

The best part about the book is the way Author has captured Irrfan’s thoughts in his ways, so believable are those words that I felt as if he dicatated them to him, although Aseem confessed that he never got the opportunity to meet him in details to write the book but had to make do with a few phone calls that he could make while he was recovering from Cancer in London. As he expected that he would make a full recovery and would get enough time to support the book, which never happened. But it was fantastic to see so many people from the Industry, his friend circle, fellow students from the institutes that he attended coming forward to pour their hearts out for the man who was loved by all. This will be one very short Biography that I will never forget and will read again as and when I watch his movies again. A must-read for all, especially for those who admired Irrfan Khan and his works. 

 

The Forty Rules of Love - Elif Shafak (Book).

Book 35/52.

The Forty Rules of Love - Elif Shafak.

My Rating: 5/5.

When I picked up this little gem of a book from our “The Book Elf Library Pune”, I thought this would be a teenage love story where the lovey-dovey couple will set up some rules for their love and all that. How wrong I was, as this one turned out to my pleasant shock and surprise to be a book full of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz’s philosophy and their 40 Rules of “Religion of Love”, how beautiful that sounds :) So you can imagine how fantastic this book must have been. Confession: I am not at all into poetry and stuff, but the way Rumi narrates his little gems in this one, especially following all of them with one-paragraph stories, was simply terrific to read. I wish I could read Urdu to read his original works in his language, that would be fantastic, but for now, we will make do with translations only. This one is a love story of a middle-aged woman, married with 3 kids (one set of twins included). She has her differences with her teenage daughter when she suddenly decides to get married to her boyfriend, the one that her mother doesn't like much. In the meantime, she too is going through her struggles with her husband, who is cheating on her unashamedly. She starts looking for work and gets hired by an agency that wants her to proofread, edit and provide feedback on a debutante’s book based on Rumi’s philosophy called “Sweet Blasphemy”. How the book turns out and the story of Rumi and Shams not only touches her but the reader in me, too. I want to keep going, but I will leave it to your imagination till you pick up this one, read and love it big time. This is a must-read for all, as those 40 rules are so heartening that I couldn’t agree more with the writer. Incredible read. 

The most beautiful part of the entire book, and both the stories in parallel, is the way the author has captured various perspectives. She has written it from the point of view of not only Rumi and Shams as the main characters in what they were going through but even from some characters which are not directly related to either of them, i.e a Harlot that they both come across, a drunk guy, a security guard, both of Rumi’s sons who both have their own opinion on Rumi and Shams not only relationships but on teachings too. Making it a further engrossing read, the only regret is that the story is too short, hardly 350 pages. It was so good that I never wanted it to end. 

Have you read this one and loved it too? Also, which one is your favourite Elif Shafak book?  And I will be adding a few from Rumi too, short stories to start with :). 

 

The Tenant - Freida McFadden (Book).

Book 34/52.

The Tenant - Freida McFadden

My Rating: 2/5.

My first Freida McFadden, and I am not very happy about it, picked this one up after reading so many rave reviews on her thrillers/suspense novels. It started very well, kept me gripping for the initial 200 pages of its total length of 350+ pages, but post that, it just goes downhill to a never-ending ending. Blake and Krista are happy go lucky couple, engaged and about to be married, a recent promotion for him send him to the peak of his career (how and why he gets it is amazing), everything is going good till one fine day he gets fired due to none of his fault and life changes upside down for them both and so we think. The cat and mouse chase game starts when they decide to take a tenant for their spare room, so it could help with their mortgage till he goes back to his next job, which takes its own sweet time because of the way he gets fired and all that. The new tenant, as expected, is a gorgeous female who has her agenda, and how she screws their lives was even good to engaging, but the moment the author discloses the real culprit, the downhill journey starts. Although this should be considered a psycho killer who is on a serial killer spree, but looks so stupid by the way all the murders are done and the reasons behind them too. The second half, 150 pages, was a pain and just a drag, since this was my first FMF book, I didn’t want to DNF, hence I ploughed along to a pretty much expected ending, even the last para reveal didn’t even make me smile. The way it starts VS the way the big reveal comes, and the ending is a big letdown. 

Do let me know if you have read this one, especially if you liked it. I usually do not give up on an author after just one book, so I will be looking forward to reading at least one more from her. Which one do you recommend that I read?

 

Bridgerton 5 - To Sir Philip with Love - Julia Quinn (Book).

Book 33/52.

Bridgerton 5 - To Sir Philip with Love - Julia Quinn.

My Rating: 5/5

I guess I am in love with Julia Quinn and her storytelling for sure, five books back to back, and each one is turning out better than the last one. This has never happened with me in the past with any writer. Even Mr King couldn’t continue his magic as I left reading his books (19 on a trot) last year and haven’t picked up even one this year from him so far. Bridgerton, as going by the TV adaptation, is the story(s) of 8 Bridgerton kids, this one is based on one of my favourite Bridgerton daughters, Eloise :). How she falls in love with, especially the way she falls for Sir Philip, writing letters to each other, which lasts about a year before she decides to run away to him, much to his amazement, without informing him in time. On top of that, Sir Philip is not only a recently widowed man but has a set of 8-year-old twins, too. Now, imagine the scene when her four brothers locate her and gatecrash at Sir Philip’s house to find their sister with a black eye :O What they do to him, I will leave that to your imagination to read for yourself, and how it all ends is amazing. As all her earlier stories have gone, this one too made me swoon, go all mushy mush in love with the way she writes her characters, but I missed Mrs Whistledown big time in this one since her cover is blown, guess she won’t be making an entry in any upcoming stories as well. So far, this is the best from the series, as I am yet to get the balance three and one add-on, which she has written to end the series. I will certainly get back if those change my favourite from the series.

Do let me know if you have read this one and loved it. If not, which one is your favourite Bridgerton book? TV adaptation is total crap. 

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J K Rowling (Book).

Book 32/52.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J K Rowling.

My Rating: 5/5.

Wow! It has already ended, just can’t believe that the story of the Boy Who Lived and fought his entire teenage life with the man He Who Shall Not Be Named with that kind of ending. Hats off to J K Rowling for penning this amazing story, stretched over 7 books, yet it feels too short. I am just done with my second reading of the same, and the ending has seriously choked me beyond words. This is one heck of a book series that is getting better as I grow older, and I will definitely reread it a few years down the road, too. Harry Potter with two of his close friends since the first year of Hogwarts School of Magic - Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, with so many close confidantes who keep coming to his rescue in every part, and still stand tall with him when he takes Lord Voldemort one last time in a terrific finale to end it all. The books have everything: family drama, love, loss, learning, and the victory of good over evil, all happening at a breakneck pace. Still, after two helpings myself of the same, I maintain that The Half Blood Prince survives as my favourite of the seven. Incredible read. 

 

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J K Rowling (Book).

Book 31/52

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J K Rowling.

My Rating: 5/5.

The Half Blood Prince was my personal favourite from the series when I read it for the first time, and since this is my second reading, nothing much has changed, as it still remains the best amongst the seven books (as of now). I didn’t actually expect myself to become as emotional the second time as it made when I went through the chapters and the story this time around. As the penultimate book where Lord Voldemort finally gathers his army, and now we know who is on the right and the wrong side of it, with shocking twists in the ending, it was simply terrific (still unbelievable). Also, as I mentioned earlier, it actually makes a big difference in the story and detailing if you read the oldest version possible. Since this time (all thanks to my Pottered friend), who lent me her copies, which are the oldest edition of the books, it had so many new things which I didn’t read earlier, which were pleasantly surprising and superb to read. Harry Potter gets the Half Blood Prince’s book and makes himself a perfect potion master while Voldemort get near him and kills at the earliest thickens. As if killing one Dark Lord wasn’t enough, when the fantastic secret is revealed as how he had saved and guarded himself with dark arts, totally earth-shattering suspense and reveal, I must say. When I read a book which happens to be a part of a series, I always try to read a different book in between to break the pace, but after this one, I couldn’t help but pick up the last one immediately :) and just couldn’t read anything else in between. 

Looking forward to the big finale in Deathly Hallows, but before that, I will check out the movie adaptation to disappoint myself one second last time :). 

 

Bridgerton 4 - Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Julia Quinn (Book).

Book 30/52

Bridgerton 4 - Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Julia Quinn

My Rating: 5/5.

Since the day my favourite nephew put a gun to my head to force me to watch Queen Charlotte on Netflix, followed by Bridgerton, I haven’t yet stopped. The only good thing I did was that I picked up the books before I watched their TV adaptation. Now I crib with every book’s adaptation with him only and try to coax him to read, which he flatly refuses, even after I tell him they are so much better than their adaptations and that they have actually screwed the original book story big time. Now, after the 4th book finished, whose adaptation should come by year's end, I guess, I have actually found one more good Author whose books I can pick up with confidence. Going by the genre, I will call them my guilty pleasure read on the sides of so many heavy books I keep reading (going to pick up another from my favourite Gabriel Garcia Marquez soon), these work like an antidote of sorts for me. This one is based on the third Bridgerton son, Colin, his love story and marriage. As all her books end up getting one of the Bridgerton kids married, in total there are 8 (four sons and four girls), guess the series ends with the 9th book, summing up all their lives to call it a finale - I will get there shortly. If you have read the series so far, this turns out to be quite twisty as it ends with the disclosure of much loved and hated (in equal measure by the audience) Mrs Whistledown, which was a superb way to end it. Now, we need to read further to see what happens to her after she has come out in the open to claim that she was the one writing the anonymous gossip column, which was read by all throughout the last 12 odd years. Waiting for the next book to arrive so I can get on with it. 

Do let me know if you have read this one and liked it. Also, which one is your favourite Bridgerton? Mine, as of now, is the one with Benedict’s story (An offer from a Gentleman).  

The Stationery Shop of Tehran - Marjan Kamali (Book).

Book 29/52.

The Stationery Shop of Tehran - Marjan Kamali

My Rating: 5/5

I found this little gem of a book in our little library that I joined last year, and picked it up for its cover and the city called Tehran (Iran). Also, I needed a break from the fantasy books that I’ve been reading back to back, unfortunately, all from British and American writers, hence this worked like a charm. A total change of geography and an amazing love story from the war (read civil war) torn country of Iran during the mid-20th century. Two 17-year-old teenagers fall head over heels in love, meeting in a lovely bookstore where the owner works for them as a messenger to pass them love letters from each other. While the nation goes through turmoil between the newly elected democratic Prime Minister, who isn’t liked by the Shahs of that era and his followers. The story takes a turn when the couple decides to get married one day, and they decide to meet at one particular crossroad, where, to their sheer bad luck, all hell breaks loose as the PM is ousted by Shah’s followers. To know whether they meet, get married or not, you’ve got to read this book (hardly 300 pages). And read the story of their lives, which stretches to some 60 years across the continents. Try not to read this book when you are hungry, as I was smitten with the Persian delicacies Marjan has mentioned in her story, so much so that now I want to try at least a few of them at the earliest. Totally loved the book, especially the way she has handled the emotional parts and yet made it a believable read. 

Do let me know if you have read this one and liked it. Also, if you have a favourite Marjan Kamali book, I am for sure going to read a few more from her. 

 

A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J Maas (Book).

Book: 28/52.

A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J Maas.

My Rating: 2/5.

Finally, I am done with the sequel as unfortunately I picked up the first two parts from my library last month after seeing so many posts and reviews on Fable for these too utter craps of the first order (teenagers please forgive my innocence). And with this, I say Goodbye and good riddance to the ACOTAR series. As I mentioned earlier, these books and stories are a cross of GOT, LOTR, Harry Potter, Twilight, even Marvel (Wakanda Forever too), with X-Men movies. If you club them all together what you actually get is ACOTAR books with no head or tale but just magical romance where the girl remains same but her love interest keeps chaging by the book, twice in two books and I do not qualify to read third onward so cant say much about their future, nor I care a bit. So, to get the gist, if you haven’t read them so far, consider yourself blessed and stay away but if you have read them already, you have my sympathies on top of that if you have liked and loved them, please spare me, I am a lesser mortal to whom they made no sense but yes, it was a laugh out loud comedy for sure where I was actually laughing “on them” more than “with them”. 

I need to consciously stay away from the YA genre here onward and stick to my love of classics, especially those whose Author have gone beyond some 50 years ago. 

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J K Rowling (Book).

Book: 27/52.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J K Rowling.

My Rating: 5/5.

5th book from the much-loved series, and I must say that I’ve still not got enough of the magical world yet. Although this is my second reading of the series, I still feel like I missed out on a few things the last time, or maybe this is a different version, which is more detailed. Whatever said and done, this one is so far my favourite from this series; this one even surpassed my last favourite (so far in the series), The Prisoner of Azkaban. As the story progresses in this one with Harry Potter and the team have turned 15 now, and they are getting into the thick of Things. Politics has entered Hogwarts, the school of magic, much to their and our Displeasure, but loved the way they tackle the whole situation, and on top of that, get ready to fight the dark lord as and when he makes another entry. Another thing I loved in this one is the detailing as JKR has left no stone unturned in giving the dues to all her characters, especially ones that I love (Ron, Hagrid, Sirius and his house elf Kreecher, too, and so many more). Although that makes this one the fattest of the series, so much so that even the last one, Deathly Hallows, looks like a slim book in front of this one. 

The movie, as usual, was a big turn-off off but I had to watch, no option. Now looking forward to my favourite (from earlier reading) is The Half Blood Prince. Do let me know how you rate this book from the series. 

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas (Book).

Book 26/52.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas.

My Rating: 1/5.

Curiosity kills the cat - I had read somewhere long back, and now in this book’s and series’ case, I became the bloody cat. I recently (six months ago) joined Fable, as I was getting bored of Goodreads' lack of activity and stumbled upon numerous highly rated reviews, all highly recommended by users. I am going to be the outcast who didn’t like the first book one bit, although going by the theme, it had so much scope, which, as far as I'm concerned, the author didn't explore to the extent I expected. I found it to be a mix of Game of Thrones, Twilight & even Harry Potter for all the magical liberties she has taken in the narrative. So the story goes that a teenage Feyre kills a wolf, which happens to be a Faerie (an immortal shape-shifting magical creature with powers) who is some kind of a High Lord in another world, across a wall between the mortal and immortal worlds. I am assuming the timeline is some thousands of years ago. So now the immortal lord had to fall for her and then you can predict what happens next as there will be a villain preferably a witch with more powers followed by the tasks done by our mortal heroine to save her great lord from her clutches and going by the Twilight hint you can imagine the ending :). Unfortunately, when it comes to books, I still cannot control my book buying spree, hence I already got the second of the series, which, as the thumb rule goes for books, I will surely be reading (call it a literal suicide). 

Thanking God that they haven’t made a TV series or a Movie so far (talk about the quality of writing), I am spared more pain. Please let me know if you have read this one, and spare me if you have loved it for some reason. I will stay away from Ms Maas' books going forward.

 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J K Rowling (Book).

Book: 25/52.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J K Rowling.

My Rating: 5/5.

The fourth book in the series and I must say that the plot thickens by the time I finished this one,;there is certainly no looking back. This one happisersonal favorite of lots of people that I know from Harry Potter fan club, but not mine. Engaging, thrilling, action packed and especially the ending (without giving away anything). As Hogwarts the school of magic hosts the Triwizard Tournament, we get our new hero in Cedric Diggory who made a special appearance in previous part, with a full fledged role in this one. Mr Potter is still a teenager with a messed up life all thanks to the dark forces still trying to kill him unfortunately to no avail thanks to his support team with mighty Dumbledore and the helm of things. For tournament, three schools are competing with their best champion but this year for a change, there is a Fourth champion too which comes as a surprise. The three stunts that they need to attempt to be the winner with a ground breaking finale, with so many riddles to solve to clear each one, totally engrossing and engaging. The best part of this one is the Prof Moody Mad Eye the new defence against the dark arts teacher and Sirius Black, Harry’s Godfather who comes to his rescue, finally giving him a much needed family support. This is the only book’s whose movie adaptation (still not upto the mark or detailed) but I still actually look forward to more than my personal favorite The Half Blood Prince, where I believe the movie doesn’t do justice to Prof Snape’s character. One thing I must say that although this is my second reading of the books after a decade but I am suprised to find that I still love them as much as I loved them all, the very first time and if truth to be told, I have actually found some instances that I totally forgot after the first time, which was so Kool. Guess I need to increase my frequency of reading them again. 

Do let me know if this one is your favorite too and how do you like its screen adaptation? 

 

Bridgerton 3 - An Offer From a Gentleman - Julia Quinn (Book).

Book: 24/52.

Bridgerton 3 - An Offer From a Gentleman - Julia Quinn.

My Rating: 5/5

Third from the series and I must say that I am totally hooked to Julia Quinn’s characters and her story telling. Undoubtedly she is the best thing which happened to us readers from the current crop of writers when it comes to regency romance. My favorite from that genre will always be Georgette Heyer but Julia is more modern and pretty lighter take on the same stories so far. This one is based on the second eldest son of Bridgerton family with seven siblings two of whom are already married, I believe every book gets one of these kids married in the story as that is what the Lady Bridgerton’s life motto is. Totally a Cinderella story in the making but in a new way, which kept me excited throughout the narration waiting with bated breath as what will happen next. How will prince charming in this case Viscountes younger brother will find her dream girl who vanishes without trace after their first meeting. If I had to pick a favorite from eight Bridgerton kids, my favorite will be Eloise followed by Anthony, but after this book, Benedict has certainly climbed up my ratings by leaps and bounds. Initially when I started reading the much loved series after finishing it’s Television adaptation (which I severly hated), I thought may be a book or two will work for me at best but never imagined that it will be so fantastic to read back to back three have turned out to be surprisingly great. Looking forward to the fourth one from the series after a short break and not at all looking forward to its adaptation which is right round the corner I believe. 

Do let me know if you have read this one or if you have a personal favorite from the series, I will definitely get there if it isn’t from the first three books for sure.