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. 

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (Book).

Book: 23/52.

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy.

My Rating: 4/5.

What an epic. It has been on my TBR for a few years and on my book rack for exactly one year as I got my copy last year in June hence I had to finish it before the end of the same month this year. Imagine 1350 pages with 60 pages long multiple epilogues. What kept me going was the amazing story with half a dozen lead characters and some 494 scattered here there and everywhere as the story progresses. The best part of the epic is the detailed coverage of Russian royalty from early 19th century followed by Tsar Alexander’s friendship and later animosity with the great Napoleon. I was totally shocked by the way Tolstoy praises Napolean and shoots down his own Tsar Alexander for various reasons, couldn’t believe it but loved the way he called a spade a spade. One on one sessions with Napolean were hilarious to read. Initially I thought this was a Fiction, but later found out (post 75%) that it is actually based on real life events with real life characters, just that he took slight liberty in portraying them in an interesting way. Going by a lot of opinions I was ready to accept that it isn’t going to be an easy read but how wrong I was, it was totally engaging and with chapters as long as 2-3 pages with the longest being 7-8 odd pages, it was a total breeze for me. I still managed 4 odd other books in the same time due to the heavy subect of ongoing war which stretches to no end with so many people paying the price. Heart-breaking is the way few of my favorite characters die or shall I say killed in the course but amazing is the way it kept me glued and I kept looking forward to the finale. My mother told me that I read her copy of War and Peace when I was in 7th or 8th standard, although I have no memory of the same but the only thing I remembered was the bombs that they drop on each other which spin before blasting and how right I was when I read it this time. No doubt this must be one of his best works for obvious reasons. Totally worth your time and effort if you can take that size book in today’s time. The only turn off is the usage of French, almost every page had a line or an anecdotes that I had to translate. 

Do let me know if you have read War and Peace and loved it. I am looking forward to its movie adaptation which I still vaguely remember not from the recent times though but a very old movie made sometime in 80’s. 

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J K Rowling (Book)

Book: 22/52.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J K Rowling. 

My Rating: 5/5.

Third Harry Potter book in a row and I must say again that nothing has changed, I am still as much in love with the whole Harry Potter thing as I was the very first time when I read them back to back a decade or so ago. I was rather forced or the right term to use will be “challenged” to read a few and not read the rest - which as I am sure you can guess, gravely failed. Now the kid who survived turns 13 and some terrific new characters are introduced in this one, I must say this should be my third favourite of the series after Half Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows being the first two. Totally love Harry’s Godfather Sirius Black and his friends who always come to his rescue while he escapes the great prison and story goes a little more forward. Harry’s friendship with Hermione, Ron & even Hagrid has gone to the next level and so is his animosity with the Dursleys his only known family increased to no ends. Although it was a respite to believe that he won’t have to go to them anymore for summer vacations all thanks to his God Father. Reading the books again after a decade while I have seen the movies multiple times rather recently, I must say books are so much better and they have missed out so much in the movies, hoping against hope that they make a better TV series as that is in works as I read these books and re-watch the movies. It is actually tough for me to keep a one book break between two from the series but I strictly follow the same hence will be starting the fourth one by this weekend hopefully.

I never imagined that these books will work and even age so wonderfully well after all these years. Totally loving the experience and may read them again in next few years too. 

 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris (Book).

Book: 21/52.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris. 

My Rating: 5/5.

After reading quite a few reviews on the book in various book groups and posts, that too almost all positive, I decided to give it a try. I was super glad to find in my library available to be picked up. And I must say it was indeed a page turner, super simple, straight forward and engaging to read, so much so that I was actually looking forward to the ending with bated breath, keeping my thoughts positive for the couple who actually find love in the bleakest of the situations. The protagonist Lale, a guy in his mid 20’s who volunteers to go to the German camp as a prisoner in lieu of them leaving his family behind falls for a girl barely in her teens. For him, with aged parents, a married brother and young sister, he didn’t have any option when the Germans decided that they will take one adult man from every jewish family, no one could guess at that time how it will all turn out for them who were picked or the worst - what will happen to the families they leave behind with the hopes of a better life. He takes the job of the Tattooist to save and make himself more useful. This little gem of a book and the heart touching story throughout kept reminding me of the “Diary of a Young Girl” which of-course was a far better version but that takes nothing away from Lale and Gita’s story. I will recommend this book to everyone as it has so much life in it that too when almost every day so many people are shot dead at point blank range, or burnt alive or killed in gas chambers for no fault of their own but just because one man decided to rid the world of one particular religion. Loved the way life and love find its own way in the darkest of the times and the ultimate victory for all (at least for those who survived it). 

Do let me know if you have read this one and loved it too. Looking forward to the Mini Series based on the book so I could put faces to the characters. 

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J K Rowling (Book)

 

Book: 20/52.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J K Rowling.

My Rating: 5/5.

My 2016 thoughts on the book: Second book of the series and it is for sure better than the first one - more gripping, detailed, takes the reader deeper into the mysterious world of Wizards and Witches. Hilarious is the start of the book and fantastic is the way his friends let him escape from his terrible life yet again with the muggle family (Dursley's) back home especially the Flying Car. Harry Potter and his friends have now grown a little bit in this one with more knowledge of various tricks from the trade, more newer and wonderful characters are introduced in this one which takes the story one step forward but still "The Villain Voldemort" doesn't make a grand (read detailed) entry yet - still I was actually kept asking for more. This one tells us a little bit more about his dark past, the making of Voldemort and other dark secrets. Seriously books have changed my perception of Harry and his world in totality and thats for good. Movies may be visually more strong than the books but they aren't detailed as how much you can wrap up in mere three hours at the most. There were so many things that they had to skip in the movie in comparison with the book that one would end up loving the book definitely more. And as usual the very smart writer makes this one end right at a moment when one is looking forward to so much more that needs to be covered in the next part. I now very well know how the readers kept waiting for years to read the next part when it was all being written and released as I can definitely pick up the next part tomorrow as its already there in my book rack and thats precisely what I am going to do. One more thing that I noticed in the second book is that - it is written in such a smart way that just in case someone hasn't read the first one - it doesn't make a difference as this covers the most of it in the initial couple of chapters before taking the story forward. But if someone is reading all the books back to back - it’s kind of an irritant. But this things makes all of these books a good individual books.

2025: Nothing much has changed, I still loved it totally the way I loved it in my first read. It all comes gushing back to me as the story progresses. Pity those who still think these books are for kids. Let me see when I read them again :). 

Bridgerton 2 - The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn (Book)

Book: 19/52.

Bridgerton 2 - The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn.

My Rating: 5/5.

Book 2 from the much loved Bridgerton series of 8 books and I must say I totally enjoyed it as much as the first part and a little more. Julia Quinn has not only surprised me but also impressed big time by her imagination and writing prowess, kept me engaged till the very last page and so much so that I need to go on search of the third from the series at the earliest. This turns out to be the story of the eldest son from Bridgerton family - Anthony as they are all named in alphabetical order so one cannot miss the order at any point of time. The playboy of the family who for reason known to himself had decided that he will get married but will never love his wife. He is still attached to his dad who died about a dozen years ago leaving him as the man of the family. After taking care of all of them and much to his annoyance getting his eldest sister married to a Duke (the first book covers their story), he is now the most eligible bachelor of his own times. Enter the Sheffields family with two eligible daughters, elder one not so beautiful but intelligent but his heart is on the younger one who is beautiful and not so intelligent as that’s what he needs in his wife so he won’t fall in love with her. What happens next is the 350 page novel which superb twists and turns (at times unpredictable) but totally amazing, it was indeed a page turner. To know who he marries and why he doesn’t want to love his wife - you’ve got to read the book. It is funny, romantic, engaging, suspensive and so good that it kept me ploughing forward to know more. 

Do let me know which one is your favourite from the series if you have read them all and I must say that I am not liking the TV adaptation that much as they have taken severe liberties with characters and stories, so much so that I will call it a big screw up. 

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J K Rowling (Book).

Book: 18/52

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone- J K Rowling

My Rating: 5/5. 

My friend introduced me to Harry Potter a decade ago when I was lame enough to think that these were for kids :). He gave me all seven in one shot and when I told him that I might not like or finish the first one, he mentioned that if I started the first and end up finishing it in the dead of then night, I will be running to his place to get the second one. And let me tell you after a decade that nothing has changed, as I decided to read them again, I picked up all seven from a friend and started with the first one a few days ago, finished (and loved) it today and will be dashing to second right after I post this one. So the story goes in the first one about a wizard kid who survived a deadly curse, ends up in the school of magic. How he survives the first year of school, makes some amazing friends (and enemies too) is covered in a terrific and thrilling way in the first one. Initially I thought it might not work the way it worked the last time when I read it for the first time, but believe me you, it kept a wide smile on my face throughout and I am super glad that I am reading it again. Now looking forward to the second one big time at the earliest but will give it a traditional one book break in between. 

Also, not going to follow it up this time by watching the movie for sure. Do let me know which one is your favourite from the series if there is one that you would like to pick? Mine will always be The Half Blood Prince.