The Secret River - Kate Grenville (Book)

Book: 8/52.

The Secret River - Kate Grenville.

My Rating: 2/5.

Another addition to my list of “What did I just read?” which, surprisingly, I didn’t DNF, but the thought did cross my mind multiple times, and there was a reason why I did not. First, my friend from Aussyland got this one for me as nowadays I take only books as gifts from friends returning or visiting India :). Second on the cover, as you can read - it claims to be “Multi-award winning”, and if I am not wrong, it was even shortlisted for a Booker, and I believe that is why my dear friend picked it up for me in the first place. Now, award-winning books, and I have an appalling track record of either falling head over heels for or disliking them, this one lost in the latter category, unfortunately. Coming back to the story, it is from the early 19th century wherein a British William Thornhill hits a jackpot when he falls for a rich girl, but their luck doesn’t last long, and they lose it all, so much that they need to steal to survive and once caught they are hoarded aboard a ship full of criminals sentenced to Australia. So this book came to me from Sydney, and that’s where the rest of the story takes place: the couple’s survival amidst the challenges thrown by locals (Blacks). He hopes to go back home as soon as he has made enough money, and she hopes never to leave what they had made in Australia after so much struggle. The entire story revolves around a river, but what is the big secret if one goes by the title is not be found in the book. What turned me off was the writing style and abrupt start or ending of things like you turn a page and the story has progressed a couple of years, no details, but they go rich just like that and go poor just like that. Overall, it was a very tough read, if it wasn’t a gift, it must have become my first DNF of the year. 

Do let me know if you have read this one especially if it worked for you. Or any other book that you read and liked from Kate Grenville, for now I will stay away from her works unless highly recommended by someone. I need to pick up a Nevil Shute book fast as no one does justice to Aussyland the way he does it with his words. 

 

Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence (Book)

Book 7/52.

Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence.

My Rating: 5/5.

As I mentioned in my last post, one cannot go wrong with classics (mostly, they work), and this one was an amazing experience. I loved it big time. I have read a few works of DHL and have yet to lay my hands on The Lady Chatterley’s Lover as it has been unavailable for quite a while, and as soon as I found this one, I had to read it. What a terrific story based on a mother-son relationship. It reminded me so much of a few movies based in our part of the world (hint! hint!), but this one was way out of my expectations and kept me hooked till the very last page on the final outcome. The favourite of the four kids, he finds it too hard to walk out of his mother’s shadow, even when he falls in love for the first time with someone her mother won’t approve of. Tough times at home because of a miner father gradually changed as kids got on to work and became independent, surprisingly, it kept on going against my expectations and, at times, even shocked me. What I found heart-touching was that the second son loved his mother so much that he never went against her wishes, and even his interactions with her were so straightforward that he knew the answers before even asking a question from her. And the way he adored his mother was totally out of this world, of course, in fiction, Mr DHL made him the way he wanted and stumped me by the ending. To know more, you’ve got to read this one at any cost as it was hardly 380+ pages, and I found it too short to my liking. Also, DHL is criticised for over-sexing his prose, which wasn’t the case, neither with this one nor my previous read, Women in Love, I wonder if I am reading censored versions? 

Do let me know if you have read this one or if you have a DHL favourite. Looking forward to reading TLCL at the earliest opportunity. 

 

Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance - Robert M Pirsig (Book)

Book: 6/52.

Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance - Robert M Pirsig. 

My Rating: 1/5. 

This is why self-help books are not for me. Time and again, I find them a little too preachy or pretentious. Maybe that’s my age calling that I have become philosophical in life that I don’t need philosophical lessons from others. Also, this didn’t have anything to do with Bikes in the first place either. He didn’t even disclose the Bikes brand or make even. The only respite is the road trip that the father and son take and pick up so much in between breaks. By the time it ends and a big revelation takes place, it is too late for me to hit it off. He tried giving it a sixth sense shocking ending, but it didn’t work for me at all. 

My suggestion. Stay away from this and similar books; rather, pick up classics anyway.

Remembering Babylon - David Malouf (Book)

Book: 5/52.

Remembering Babylon - David Malouf.

My Rating: 1/5.

I have started a new practice of accepting only books from friends and relatives who travel from abroad, provided they are by authors from that part of the world only :). So far, I have received a few Malaysians, Americans, Brits, Russians and Aussies (like this one), and a few from Finland are in the pipeline as they are bought, but the travel is taking time. Now, this one came from Aussyland last month, and it happens to be a Booker nominee, I guess that is the reason my close friend picked this one up to impress me, as he NEVER reads. I was excited to lay my hands on it, especially when I read the note on the last page (date and city/country of buying), but what a disaster it was. It almost became my reading career’s second book, which I would have put in the DNF category after the much hated “The Secret” I threw out of my 15th-floor living room window (long back). Initially, it starts on an intriguing note when a kid washes ashore after he falls off a ship and lands in this small village. The way people take him, and he becomes an acceptable part of their society. Still, it becomes cumbersome to read every chapter from the point of view of a new character, which has no introduction to the reader, and the prose keeps on going in no set direction. It goes so off track that the author simply forgets to tell us what happened next to the lost and found guy, not until the last chapter, which leads to a very dissatisfying ending. Fortunately, this was only 180 pages, yet it took its own sweet time to come to an end as I didn’t want to leave it unfinished, breaking my own record. This was definitely Booker material as it made no sense to me, now I know how it qualified but never won it in the finale. I really need a light-hearted book to wash off this one’s memory.

Do let me know if you have read this one or any other David Malouf book, especially if it worked for you. I have another from Australia, hoping that one works for me big time. 

 

The Running Grave - Robert Galbraith (Book)

Book: 4/52.

The Running Grave - Robert Galbraith.

My Rating: 5/5.

My second Robert Galbraith (read JK Rowling) book of the year, and I am smitten in love with Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, just like I was when it all started with the first of the series. Also, this is the seventh instalment of the CB Strike series, which I must say is the best book so far, I have never read anything better from JKR, including the much-loved and admired Harry Potter series. It was an 1150+ pages long story, yet the reader in me kept on asking for more, so much that I never wanted it to finish. Incredible adventure takes us through as Robin goes undercover to one Universal Humanitarian Church after one of their esteemed clients gives them the task of getting his son out of the institution as they believe he was being brainwashed and they had doubts about UHC’s unethical practices. As always, there is so much going on in their own lives, on top of that, this one assignment with a few smaller projects that they both go through during the story was thrilling to read. But this time, Robin takes the limelight away from Strike so much that at times, I was praying for her well-being and mentally asking her to “get the hell out of the situation”, realising Strike was also doing the same, but she won’t get out till she has got the work done and how. As I mentioned earlier, this one undoubtedly will show up in my top 10 suspense thrillers right around Madam Christie’s novels; it is indeed that fantastic. And let me give you a hint, if only you have read other Strike novels, that their love story (in their world and way) does take a few new steps. To know more, you have to read this one as my words do no justice to terrific writing. 

I will be eagerly waiting for the TV series to come out so I can put faces to some of those amazing characters Robert Galbraith introduces us in this one. Do let me know if you have read this one or if you have a personal CB Strike favourite book, I have read them all and loved them too. 

 

Moby Dick - Herman Melville (Book)

Book 3/52

Moby Dick - Herman Melville

My Rating: 2.5/5

Every year, I challenge myself with some real hard books (meaning tough nut classics) to check if I am still up for some of them who make it to an all-time 100 books that one must read before dying. This was a part of that adventure that took its toll on me for almost 15 days I fought hard with myself not to abandon it and somehow finally finished. 550+ pages and a straightforward revenge drama of a seafarer who loses a limb on one occasion and vows to find the culprit white whale named Moby Dick. How He Does It Taking Three Years, Adventure is the book with so much commentary thrown for good measure by Mr Melville with no respite for the reader but to plough along as the action takes place only in the last 50 pages, you get the hint. If you are attempting this and about to abandon after the first 100 pages, as a lot of people do - jump right ahead to the last 50 pages, and you can thank me later. It has its Indian connection, too, as the captain himself is an (American) Indian who talks a lot about Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and his favourite Shiva with his theory of Shastra’s found underwater that are protected by whales. I must say it was a very tough read as I simply couldn’t digest his prose and later found out that I wasn’t the only one feeling the same. Now that I am done with it, taking a break with my favourite fiction writer before preparing myself again for the next challenge (War & Peace). 

Do let me know if you have read Moby Dick, did it work for you? Also, let me know which one was the toughest book that you read that you were about to abandon but still went on to finish it (or didn’t). I would love to add them for next year’s challenge, this year I am covered with those two for sure. 

 

#CashTags - Vishal and Meghana Malkan (Book)

Book 2/52.

#CashTags - Vishal and Meghana Malkan.

My Rating: 3/5

In my quest to look for an alternate career or call it an additional way of making some money, more excitingly than I currently do it, I started looking at Trading with a new perspective. Hence, this became the third book that I have read on the subject. This turns out to be a lukewarm affair as the entire book turns out to be a marketing gimmick by the couple Authors to sell their Stock Training Program which they run throughout the country. There is no way to read just the book and not attend their training course, which comes at a price and is about a year long. So you get the drift. this is one way of making money for them, whether you make it or not, they will for sure by teaching you how to do it right. But not everything is negative about this book, as it taught me how to read View, Observe and analyse the Trade Charts and predict which one will go down or up in the coming days. Plus it does affirm the reader’s psyche when investing money in the Stock Market. I liked the way they talk about how we are programmed by our surroundings, culture, parents, siblings, friends and colleagues whenever it comes to taking up a new thing as a change and how hard it is to break it and do what you want to do, come what may be the risk. So I am going to try a few of their ways in the coming days but I am damn sure that Warren Buffet’s biography was a better read and teacher, I am not comparing it with that though, just saying. 

Let me know if you have read a better book on Stock Trading or Investments as I am looking for more reading to kick-start my trading career. I would love to read some that talk about real-time stock investments. 

 

The Ink Black Heart - Robert Galbraith (Book)

 

Book 1/52.
The Ink Black Heart - Robert Galbraith.
My Rating: 5/5

My cousin introduced me to J K Rowling about a decade back, and I loved the Harry Potter series plus additional books big time. As I love starting my new year on a high, this was the first of the year, and no wonder it turned out to be better than its earlier counterparts. This is the sixth instalment from her Strike series, written under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. Robin and Strike are taking the digital world and its new gimmicks in style to resolve the mystery around an animated series called The Ink Blak Heart, and the game is based on the same animation, who made the game and killed the creator(s) of the series was the question. On top of all that, there is so much going on in their lives, and it was thoroughly entertaining, as always. The best thing about this mammoth of a book with 1100+ pages is again the tete-a-tete between Robin and Strike, especially when they talk or ignore the other’s current partner and what they think about each other. Just like all other JKR fans, I, too, am surprised (and in awe) by the way she is handling the characters and their love lives the way she is doing it. It leaves so much to our imagination and desire, yet she is giving it out in such small doses that we keep asking for more. And with this one done, I already have the seventh part waiting to be picked up on my book rack. I will give it a two-book break in between as the 8th is yet to come out by September 2025. A TV series based on TIBH is already out which I will be watching shortly.

Have you read the Ink Blak Heart? Do let me know how you liked it and if you have a personal Strike favourite, mine will be this one till I read the next.

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