The Bridgertons - Happily Ever After - Julia Quinn (Book).

Book 60/52

The Bridgertons - Happily Ever After - Julia Quinn

My Rating: 5/5

The last of the much-loved book series for me, which sums up all the earlier 8 books and gives the second epilogue to all of them in one place. I actually wanted to know what happens with each Bridgerton kid after they all get married one by one and settle with their life partners, and to finally know what happens with their mother, one of my favourite Bridgerton character Violet, reading the Violet in Bloom as the last chapter of this book was totally amazing. It was fantastic to read 40-50 pages dedicated to each kid starting in alphabetical order as they are named in the story, starting from Anthony and going upto Gregory with all the rest in between :). The only grudge in this one was no mention of either Lady Danbury, one of my all-time favourite characters, or anything on much-loved Queen Charlotte, who usually makes a guest appearance in all her stories. Nevertheless, Julia Quinn has become the fifth most-read author for me, after my all-time favourite, Stephen King, followed closely by my young age favourite, Jeffrey Archer, further followed by Nicholas Sparks (my romantic author) and historical fiction, until he was writing Wilbur Smith. I haven’t read more than 4-5 books by any author in one particular year, but this year I have read 9 from Julia Quinn, and that too almost back to back :). She is full on entertainment and good on happiness quotient as far as my reading taste goes. I am going to change that in 2026 and want a new writer to show up in my list, overtaking all three above. Also, I had to read this one and close the chapter on the Bridgerton family once, and for all, as come Jan 2026 end, we have another season of TV series coming up based on Benedict’s life and story, which I am definitely looking forward to. I loved reading these books for their simple yet heart-touching story, and with so much humour of a close-knit joint family feeling they gave. 

Have you read Happily Ever After and loved it too? Do let me know if you have a personal favourite Bridgerton novel or any other Julia Quinn novel that stayed with you for a long time. I may read a few from her other series just to check if they are any good. 

 

The Fan Club - Irving Wallace (Book).

Book 59/52

The Fan Club - Irving Wallace

My Rating: 5/5

As the year is coming to an end, and so is my book collection, this one happens to be the penultimate book from my personal collection, which was yet to be read. Slated as the most lethal book by Irving Wallace, I kept it for the year-end :) And what a jolt it has given me, I must say, totally unpredictable, with a shocking but believable ending it had. Very straightforward story of a young small-time journalist, Adam Malone, who falls head over heels over a Hollywood hottie who happens to be the sex symbol in the mid 70’s (Sharon Fields). That actually made me Google if this could be based on Sharon Stone’s life, but other than just the first name, this had no resemblance since this book was written in 1973, she was hardly 15. One day, he comes across some like-minded men in a bar who were in love or awe of Sharon Fields big time. They make a fan club and decide to pick her up one fine day and take her to a secluded place, and give her all the love they can, as per them, all her movies and her characters in the movies were kind of inviting men from all walks of life to force their love on her, as she liked surprises. They don’t consider it a kidnapping or crime because, as per them, she was lonely and craving for good company. One of the club members was a Vietnam vet working as a mechanic in a garage where he gets no respect from anyone, least from the females whose cars he repairs. One of them is an old Accountant who wishes to retire soon after one last love affair with his dream girl. The last member was an Insurance agent who had an eye on her for so long that he felt he deserved to love her and be loved by her in return, too. I must say the first 200 pages cover these perverts' perspectives so amazingly, and Irving Wallace even convinced me, the reader, that no crime is being committed, and it will all turn out to be good as expected in the first place by club members. Especially the way they plan and execute the kidnapping, all of their involvement and the final outcome were seriously thrilling. But the situation turns from bad to worse when, after the kidnapping, one of them decides that since they have kidnapped her, they might as well force themselves on her till she gives up and accepts them for the next two weeks that they planned to keep her in the place. Rest of the story is a game of cat and mouse chase as one thing leads to another and Sharon has to handle them in a way where she survives the ordeal and also that she plans to take a revenge from all of them in such a way that they pay a very heavy price for their deeds, how she does it and how it all leads to the shocking ending is the rest of the novel. Although it was 530+ pages, it was a page turner and totally unputdownable for me. Barring the detailed sexcapades of all four in their own ways, it was a fantastic read, as the author describes their lusts in great detail, not too much to my liking in those great details, at one point in time. Also, I must mention, our own Mr Satyajit Ray, too, gets a mention in this one as it revolves around Hollywood, the capital of the movie world. 

 

Do let me know if you have read this one, as unfortunately, even after selling the book rights for a movie decades ago, this still hasn’t been adapted by anyone yet. Also, let me know if you have a personal Irving Wallace favourite. I have read quite a few from him, but none of them is as memorable as this one turned out to be for me. 

 

 

The Vegetarian - Han Kang (Book).

Book 58/52

The Vegetarian - Han Kang

My Rating: 3/5

I have watched a lot of Korean movies in the past, and I must say I enjoyed them too for their bizarre ways and on your face acts, they literally do not shy away from showing what they actually want the audience to see, just don't care if it goes beyond the digestion level of audience and thats why it makes them a unique experience. Also, I have read quite a few Murakami books in the last few years, so I am kind of prepared not to understand a book, and again well prepared for no ending, as it happens in most of his books, and Japan and Korea are not that far apart when it comes to movies and books both. So, this was my first experience of reading a Korean book, that too an acclaimed one, which ended up winning the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. After reading quite a few reviews which came with stern warnings that this one isn't for faint hearted, I still took a plunge as I got it in my little gem of a library last week. I must say this turned out to be the best Mind F*** that I have ever read in the history of my reading. A very simple story of one very unremarkable run-of-the-mill woman(as per her husband) who, overnight, decides to become a vegetarian because of a dream that she had. How her life turns upside down, and all hell breaks loose in her family, is the story all about. And of course, as I mentioned, this is a Korean story, so they had to multiply it all ten times before serving it to me, the faint-hearted reader (who didn’t sleep a few nights after reading The Shining). How is her good-for-nothing husband, who had a crush on his sister-in-law in the first place, letting her family take care of her whims, on top of that, her father actually beats her up and tries to force-feed meat to her (unbelievable). The entire family is insane, as the same sister-in-law’s husband has a crush on her, who happens to be some kind of artist who is dependent on her wife’s income to survive. What he does with this woman, as her husband abandons her, is the second part of the story. Like the entire story is so bizzare and unbelievable yet pretty engaging to read as the curios reader in me wanted to know where it is going and how it all will end, in my heart I am always ready for a shock, but to know if it did gave me a shock you need to read this one and decide for yourself if it works or not. 

Even after finishing the book, I am still in awe of it and undecided if I liked it or not, because the way the entire story turns out, especially the ease with which the main characters do what they do, was something that was hard to digest but not totally unbelievable. For example, the brother-in-law who falls for the protagonist and decides to make her a model for his artwork and takes it gradually to the next level was totally shocking (in the name of art), even knowing that he is going to screw up his own life with a wife and a young kid. It was heart-touching to see her sister coming to her rescue when everybody abandoned her, but the outcome left me again with a lot of confusion and made me scratch my head. What did I just read? Is this really it? Or did my copy of the book miss a few pages? There is no dearth of nudity, sex, marital rape and even a sort of pornography in the book; how the author doesn't shy away from showing what she actually wanted to portray in the most sublime on your face way and on top of that, she ends up winning the highest accolade for her book was beyond me. I am now really curious to pick a few from other Korean writers to check if that's how it is in their part of the world, or if Han Kang is a unique writer. 

Also, this book reminded me (rather disgusted me to the extent) of Lolita and Lord of the Flies level. Have you read The Vegetarian and liked it? Do let me know if it has worked for you or if you have a favourite Han Kang book to suggest. I am looking forward to reading a few from her counterparts for sure in the very near future. 

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky (Book)

Book 57/52

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

My Rating: 2.5/5

This book had been jumping on me ever since I joined this gem of a library sometime last year, and I’ve been ignoring it so long; last week, out of some whim, I picked it up out of sheer curiosity or more because it had Emma Watson on its cover. Turns out, I was right in not picking it up, as it actually is a weird book. Written from the perspective of a teenager (15-16 year old) who is writing letters to a stranger, whom he believes to be a good guy, there is an instance when this stranger could have made out with a girl, but rather offers her a sympathetic shoulder to lean on. He writes to him about everything from his school friends, to his lost aunt, to his family, cousins and whatnot, even gets philosophical too while talking (I mean writing). Initially, it was good, but after some 50-odd pages, as his dated letters come to no end, and he keeps talking about daily life, it started to get boring. I kept on ploughing in the hope of reading the return letter from this stranger whom the kid himself doesn’t tell about himself too much, thinking he might come to know who he is actually :( How strange that is. On top of that, the kid has some medical condition too, so I was preparing myself for a setback at any point in time. I am not surprised by the way the author has shown the typical American culture by showing teenagers going through high school drama, and new friends, sex, drugs, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as American growing up (taken from book cover). The only good part about this whole book was the ending (that I can’t tell you), and that the author himself has adapted it into a movie, which I have yet to watch, as it isn’t available on any platforms right now. Barely 200 pages, but it felt a little too long for my taste, I somehow finished it, and now I will be more careful of my selections in future. Maybe it didn’t work for me, as in our part of the world, life is totally different, and we do not have those challenges that our counterparts from the West faced a decade or two back. Now our country too is in the same rut, and our teenagers are going through these things in real life too, making this book pretty relevant for them in today’s time. 

Have you read The Perks of Being a Wallflower or seen the movie? Do let know if you liked any of the versions. I will certainly give the movie a try only for Emma Watson :). 

 

Casino Royale - Ian Fleming (Book)

Book 56/52
Casino Royale - Ian Fleming

My Rating: 3/5

Sometimes it happens that the most anticipated books that I presume I am going to love do not work, at least not the way that I expected them to work in the first place. This was the first addition to that list in recent times. I am totally heartbroken by the way this book hasn’t worked for me at all, still, I cannot go below rating it a generous 3/5 for loving the James Bond character since I was first introduced to him by my dad, who too was a big fan of the man. I said that because after Sean Connery stopped playing the character in the movies, my dad just couldn’t like Pierce Brosnan, and for much of his annoyance, he actually hated Daniel Craig in the character. I loved Brosnan more than Craig, but even I feel that Sean Connery was the best Bond ever. Now this is the first book which started it all for us and in style but now that I read it for the first time, it turns out to be a very simple story of a spy at her Majesty's service who is more human than his screen counterpart who is a super human with his gadgets, money, suave and some amazing hot women to seduce. James Bond, code 007, gets an assignment to visit France and beat a Russian spy in a poker game with stakes as high as 40 million pounds, in the year 1953. The same money was supposed to fund a terrorist attack. Bond, being Bond, is paired with an intelligent and beautiful MI6 agent who has a dark secret. Now the book should have been a high-octane Poker game, Car chases and explosive actions, but I guess it hasn’t aged well since its been 70 odd years ago that it was written. I believe it was hard for me to accept James Bond as a human character who commits mistakes and even falls for someone that early, which didn’t work in its favour, but undoubtedly I enjoyed the story to an extent. Ian Fleming served in British Naval Intelligence during WWII. His experiences from his wartime services and later on in his career as a journalist, along with his wild imagination, created the much-loved character. We eagerly look forward to one more outing, which I believe is to come in the year 2026 on the big screen. 

I am definitely going to get at least two more from him before giving up if in case they too do not work for me. Do let me know if you have read this one or any other from the original creator, or if you have a favourite from him. I would love to give it a try myself. 

 

Sprit Nights - Easterine Kire (Book).

Book 55/52
Sprit Nights - Easterine Kire

My Rating: 4/5

I got this book from a friend who was visiting us from Nagaland last month. I told him to get me a book from a local acclaimed writer, and I must say what an amazing pick-up he had made for me. Easterine Kire from Nagaland is the winner of the Governor’s Medal for excellence in Naga Literature 2011, Winner of the Hindi Prize 2015 and winner of the Tata Literature Live book of the year award 2017. This was my first from her, but an incredible read at that. So much she tells us about Nagamese culture, beliefs, system and stories from the day. Especially what they eat, imagine in one of the instances the little kid is supposed to drink a Frog soup to make his legs stronger. She so much reminded me of my own grandmother, who migrated from Nepal in the early 20th century to India, and she used to tell us the stories of spirits that they believed in back home. She insisted that swallowing live leeches helps with so many stomach-related ailments :). Almost the same stories are narrated in this one from the perspective of an ageing grandmother who takes care of her grandson after the loss of her own son and his wife, very early after the child was born. She becomes a village seer of the entire village, consisting of some 20-odd houses starts coming to her for advice and whatnot. The story is how she prepares her grandson for the big day when he will become a seer himself, as the seership runs in the family, much to his likeness, though. How he comes across the title and why he starts believing that he is the one is why you need to read the story. I totally loved it. I still remember my granny used to tell me that she used to foresee her funeral attended only by her six sons (my father and uncles totalled 7), but she couldn’t tell me which son was missing. Later, when we lost one of my uncles in a freak accident, she took me aside and told me, “Didn’t I tell you, I am going to lose one of them?” This story had so many episodes like that in the story, which gave me goosebumps, although now we may call them superstitions or whatever, but in the story, they sound so believable back in the day. With hardly 180 pages, but I must say it's a gem of a book, and I am going to remember this for a long time to come.

Also, I will be looking forward to reading a few more from her in the very near future. Do let me know if you have read anything from Easterine Kire or from any other writer from the North East that you cherished. I would love to give them a try too.

 

Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh (Book).

Book 54/52

Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh

My Rating: 5/5

I wanted to read an Amitav Ghosh or Shashi Tharoor novel for so long, finally got this one in our library, and gladly picked it up as my next read. On top of that, as soon as I added it to my Goodreads account, I realised that this one happens to be the first part of the trilogy that he has written, which is fantastic. What I expected was a novel with typical hard-to-read English, written to impress the reader of a historical fictional story, but what it turned out to be is very simple to read English with so many chaste Hindi and Bhojpuri anecdotes, proverbs, even poetry and songs too, which bowled me out totally. Eagerly looking for its second party if I can lay my hands on it at the earliest. Terrific is the story of four main characters that Amitav has carved out in the year 1838 around Ghazipur (Bihar) and Calcutta, with much of the latter half of the story taking the Hoogly and Ganga rivers on a ship named Ibis (that's the name of the trilogy too). Eye-opening was the highlight of the Opium trade back in the day, with all the main characters involved in the same one way or another. The main story belongs to the King of Rakshali, a fictional kingdom of Raja Neel Rattan Haldar, his histrionics and riches to rags story. The second main character is a recent widow, Deeti, who fights for her and her daughter’s survival after her good-for-nothing Afimkhor husband dies in the factory where he worked. The third main character was my favourite French girl, Paulette Lambert, an orphan who had to escape from India at the earliest or end up getting married to someone she doesn’t want to because her guardian, whom she is indebted to, thinks otherwise. Fourth is Paulette’s nanny’s son Jodu, who grew up with her since her mother passed away, and Jodu’s mother took care of her from birth. And then there are a few more very interesting characters whose paths cross each other one way or another, taking the story ahead. The story is already very engaging because of so many perspectives, Indian, British and even an American first mate aboard Ibis makes it a very intriguing read. 

What I loved is the way Mr Ghosh tells his story. Initially, he refuses to translate the local proverbs in English, which made me even happier, as I have read so many books in English where they lavishly use the Latin and French proverbs with no translation in sight, thanks to Google, as that helps but makes the reading cumbersome. This is our revenge on them, as this one went on to get nominated for the Man Booker Prize, too, so I am sure it must have its own audience as well. What I found heartening is the way he has showcased the then imperialism and colonialism, especially the way the British treated Indians back in the day, and the language, even in fiction, was boiling my blood big time. Beautiful is the way he has captured the life of Deeti, an ordinary village woman who goes through so much reminded me of Munshi Premchand’s female characters in any of his stories, the same plight, the same pain and almost the same patriarchal handling. The lavish life of the Britishers in India and the way they spread their wings through idiot Kings and Kingdoms of India. Loved the way all the characters end up in one place for the journey of a lifetime to the Island of Mauritius, some going to serve their punishment while others are escaping from their painful lives in hopes of a better future. The entire book (500+ pages) reads no less than a thriller right till the very end, which is again an open ending as it's a part of a three-part series, and that's why to give a closure, I need to get the second at the earliest, as so many questions are left unanswered in this one. 

I had a special connection with this book as most of its story revolves around the poppy seeds and fields, or people smoking opium. Back home in MP and the Rajasthan border few of my cousins actually farm poppies legally for the government. I have visited, and so many times we have gone for picnics on those fields, the way the entire crop gets done, plus the way they take it out, is depicted so beautifully in the book. My second special connection with the book was the way Ibis is portrayed (you have to read the book for the same) as a giant winged creature ready to take its flight with 100s of people on board. The way they all come on board the ship and go on the unknown journey, amid the crushing waves of black water, and what happens on the ship is totally unbelievable and captured in the most surreal way. He has shown the same. 

Do let me know if you have read Sea of Poppies and liked it, or if you have a favourite Amitav Ghosh book. I am going to get a few more from him at the earliest. 

 

My Friends - Fredrik Backman (Book).

Book 53/52.

My Friends - Fredrik Backman

My Rating: 5/5

Backman is one of my favourites from the current crop of writers, and this is his latest book that I got to lay my hands on in our little library, which I visit every two weeks. Incredible is the story that he has written with such ease which works like a time travelling machine because it sent me back in time when I was a teenager and had a bunch of friends just like our protagonist, four of the best friends go through so many ups and downs in one summer and how their lives change over the 25 years of which the story covers majority of the events in lovely flashbacks. One of them becomes a terrific artist whose one particular painting is worth a million bucks, and he gifts it to a little girl because he feels “she was one of them”. How beautiful is that? The same homeless orphan girl goes on a journey of a lifetime with one of the four friends to uncover their stories for us (and for herself). She, too, had recently lost a best friend named Fish. The best part of the story is the painting itself, the way he has shown it in his beautiful words, and especially the way the little girl, an artist herself, explores it further to decode so much hidden in the beauty of it, was totally rocking. I have so many similar memories of our own rebellion without a cause that we did back in the day and than I read these teenagers do the same and the way they hang around the pier everyday throughout the summer, as they part every night they dont say “Goodbyes” they rather say “Tomorrow”, that was so damn right, it was always tomorrow that we wished each other that we will meet again without fail. The entire story, stretched over 400+ pages, is so heartwarming and life-like; no mention of any city or town, yet the journey of one of the friends with the teenage girl to take the painting to its birthplace was no less than an epic adventure. I am sure this will be another of those rare books that I will now read again and again in the very near future. 

I loved all four characters. They are so unique, each with its own quirks, yet very much alike. The way they talk, argue, fight, and then make up is amazing. This book is a translation, but I’m sure it doesn’t miss anything. I had so much fun reading their perspectives. The story is mostly told in two versions. One follows the teenage girl, the other the 40-year-old teacher. His only task is to ensure she gets the painting, since it was a gift from his friend. How he does this, and where the painting ends up, make up the story. I liked the third friend as well, who becomes a self-made mechanic and dates the fourth one. Choosing a favourite among them all would be tough for me. 

Have you read My Friends? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If not, give it a try—you won't regret it. I’m now excited to read more of Backman’s work. This one stands alongside my favourite, "A Man Called One". 

 

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - Elif Shafak (Book).

Book 52/52.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - Elif Shafak. 

My Rating: 4/5

Last book of the year, as per my target, had to be a special one, and after reading my first from Elif Shafak (40 Rules of Love), I was totally in love with her writing. So this one was no exception, loved it, but not the way I liked the first one. I am sure this one lost a lot of its originality in translation, as it is a little disjointed and contradictory at times but that nothing takes away from a beautiful story of an innocent girl who becomes a prostitute in the city of Istanbul and then faces the ill fate of being killed and dumped in a trash bin right in the first chapter of the book. What follows is the ten minutes and 38 seconds of what she goes through once she is dead and her spirit leaves her body, her life flashes back to her in those 10 minutes and 38 seconds, and we, the reader, go through the lives of 5 of her favourite people and with her own life story till the very end. Starting from her birth to her death, the way those ten minutes and 38 seconds cover everything was totally amazing, the way that she has captured the entire story of Tequila Leila as she was named, her parents, life in the city of Van before she is forced to move to Istanbul and her five friends, part of which is fiction but so much of it was real too. What touched my heart was the ending of the story in the first chapter itself, yet my heart kept expecting a better life or a change of events for her, which, in the first place, was impossible to expect, if you know what I mean. Incredible story covered in mere 300-odd pages, but I am sure this will remain with me for a very long time to come. On top of that, this was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2019, a much-deserved accolade, I must say. 

Have you read 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World? If not, you’ve got to read at the earliest, and I am looking forward to reading the other 15 books that she has written so far. 

 

Upsanhar (Hindi) - Kashinath Singh (Book).

Book 51/52.

Upsanhar (Hindi) - Kashinath Singh. 

My Rating: 5/5 

I got this book after reading an amazing review on the same in our book readers group, and another reason to get this is our upcoming trip to Dwarka (Gujarat) around mid-December. I am super happy to read this gem of a book, especially because it was originally in Hindi, and every time I read a Hindi book, it improves my depleting vocabulary. I had read somewhere that even after being only 120 pages, it is no less than an epic, and it was so rightly said. The way it covers the last 4 decades of Lord Krishna’s life after the great war of the Mahabharata, it also covers almost the entire Mahabharata episode in small glimpses, but makes up for a terrific review of the entire epic war, which lasted 18 days but sounds like a lifetime. The painful movement of the Yadav clan from Mathura to Dwarka, and after the inevitable debacle of beautiful Dwarka, how they disperse is so amazingly captured. It was an eye-opener to see Krishna in a totally new light, especially his regrets when he accepts what he had done in the so-called Dharmayudh. Was he even righteous, as he himself questions his ways of helping Padava win the ultimate war and reclaim their right? I must say I haven’t read a better life story of much much-loved character from Hindu Mythology. This will certainly go on top of my recommendation list if anyone ever asks me which is my favourite Krishna retelling, this will be it for sure. 

Have you read Upsanhar? Do let me know if you loved it. I am looking forward to reading so much more from Kashinath Singh, as I have loved two of his books back to back (Kashi Ka Assi being the other one). 

 

Beware of Pity - Stefan Zweig (Book).

Book 50/52.

Beware of Pity - Stefan Zweig

My Rating: 5/5 

I got this book as a gift from a friend returning from Vienna (Austria), I rather forced him to get me one. Now all my friends know that the moment they ask me what to get from the country they are returning, it will never be something from Duty Free, but from the airport book stall, but the only condition is that it has to be a local author book and in English. I neither offer them a writer's name nor a book, so it always comes as a surprise. This was a totally surprise read with so much human psychology in play that it shocked, surprised and kept me engaged to the very last page with such an intriguing story, yet it took me close to two weeks to finish, but no complaints. The story is very straightforward and told from the perspective of a highly decorated army officer who had personally shot down three fighter aircraft in the Second World War and had kept an enemy army at bay with his histrionics of machine guns and all that. How his little act of pity lands him in a soup is the story all about when he mistakenly asks a crippled girl to dance with him just because he was invited to a high-end party, where, in the first place, he was in awe of one of her close friends. What leads is an amazing story where we, the readers, feel his pain and angst as he goes through and how it all technically gets forced on him with no way out for him. At times, I myself was confused as to who was rooting for? the crippled girl falling for the officer, or her father blackmailing him with his power or our hero’s pure heart making him do something his brain tells him all the way not to do. But what shocked and broke my heart was the ending, hats off to Stefan Zweig for that ending that I simply couldn’t predict, yet he leaves me with a few questions, which are food for my thoughts on the gem of a story. The title is so apt that mid-way ways I just couldn’t think of a better alternate option. 

Have you read Beware of Pity or any other Stefan Zweig book? I am looking forward to a few more from him as they are much more acclaimed than this one. Also, my next foreign gift book is going to be from Shakespeare, guess where my friend is coming back from?

 

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 it 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.