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.