Three Weeks with My Brother - Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks (Book)

Three Weeks with My Brother - Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks.

Sometimes some books just magically happen to you and then they become life changing books for us. It happened with me in the past and happened again this weekend :). Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite romantic writers and I use his books as fillers between two heavy reads (usually) but this time around, starting a new year, just like that I picked up the next from him (in publication order) and this one popped up. With a very interesting title "Three Weeks with My Brother", I thought it must be his own Autobiography throwing some light on the books he had written so far and I wasn't entirely wrong. But what worked big time for me was the uncanny similarity he shared with my own life which made this book a wonderful experience of sort for me. Three siblings (we are four), he is the one in the center (me too), terrific chemistry with elder brother (same here), a Hitler of a dad (same here) who didn't care about him at all (same to same), at times he wasn't even in talking terms with him (same here, I haven't spoken to mine once at a stretch for about 10 years or longer), loving mother who always took the backseat, childhood full of struggles (poor to lower middle class), later in life he turns out to be the most successful among his siblings (almost same), too many deaths in the family (we all do) and finally - the awakening (that me and him are going through right now). Wow!! I was totally shocked, surprised and pleasantly happy to read this one, thinking it may give me a solution by the time it ends, but does it?

Now, if you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, just like me, this is a must must read and you shouldn't miss it at any cost. It works wonderfully well if you have read his earlier works prior to this getting published as this one throws so much light on the stories and the characters that it was totally mind-blowing and got me thinking how much he had gone through to get us those awesome characters, everyone of them is from the real life (totally unbelievable) as you see the making of them in his own life. The book basically starts with Nick taking a break of three weeks with his elder brother Micah, going around the world, visiting half a dozen countries on a trip of a life time. Leaving behind his five kids with his super efficient and loving wife back home. The way he has captured his current life and the terrific past that he shared with his brother Micah and cute sister Dana is something that I just couldn't believe, again it had so many similarities with my own (read our) life as we almost go through the same things one way or other (especially the kids from 60s and 70s). The way his Dad keeps ignoring his family and kids for his job, kids end up hating him more than loving but with time they realize why it was the way it was. Moving now and then to new cities. But his Mother was totally out of this world character, such a beautiful soul with solution to every problem. The way she treats them all and helps them was simply terrific, hats off to her to raise Micah, Nick and Dana to become such awesome kids, The story not only feels real like (it is), it is hilarious, unbelievable and simply too good to be true sorts.

This is almost one of the best books that I ever read on sibling affection (no rivalry), how Nick and Micah go along with their sister and come handy to each other at the time of the need. How they both plan to become millionaire after going through so much struggle in their childhood and at what age they attain those successes is simply too good to read. I totally loved the way they interact and go through the entire trip, the important part of human history which makes no sense to them and how they behave during the entire trip as well the way story keeps going back and forth in the past is simply amazing. It had so many instances when the story made me grin from ear to ear with tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat. I simply love those books which are able to do all that to me in one shot. Micah and Nick's chemistry and discussions made me miss my own brother(s) so much that by the time the book ended, I not only spoke to my own brother after ages, made a little peace, told them how much I love them and all that, I also, spoke to my Dad and let him give me some piece of his mind :) it was fun. He (read they) have no idea how a book his impacted me so much that I am craving to see them soon in real and work out the future course of action.

If you have read "Three Weeks with My Brother" (and loved it) do let me know how you like it and if you haven't, you better do it soon. And if you are going through a little trouble with your own siblings and parents then this is the book, you've got to read at the earliest. A terrific book not to be missed by anyone especially Nicholas Sparks fan to say the least.

Hari and Friends (A Holi Adventure) - Rajesh Iyer (Book)

Hari and Friends (A Holi Adventure) - Rajesh Iyer.

I got this book from the Author couple of months back and unfortunately because of my busy schedule (of-course of book reading) couldn't adjust it in between. But this year, I have decided to finish off the Author sent books first before heading back to my heavy duty books planned for this year. Now this one was on the top of the pile that I have on my book-rack, smallest in size and with a very attractive and glossy cover so I decided to read it last night. It was such an easy to read, a breeze of a story and shockingly a chapter out of my own life that I just couldn't believe, how unreal it all felt. I could not only identify with the protagonist of the story (Hari) but felt as if the character was based on my own-self. A bunch of kool colony friends on their own kind of adventure right before the Holi festival, going all out to prove a point that they have grown enough to take care of the festivity in their area. Terrific school life, classmates, a brooding elder sister who is good for nothing (especially for him, I have an elder brother), Dad almost as good as Hitler (not that my dad is any bad. Wink Wink! he is on Facebook), a loving and caring mother who always knew what he was thinking (just like my own) and a little too much of adrenaline for his age to make him a part of crazy adventures that we all did back then (especially in mid 80s).

The book kind of took me back in our own times when we did what we did then which now I feel is too embarrassing to tell anyone rather I will be ashamed to say what all we had done, I still can't think of a reason why we were the way we were. Like breaking of the tables, chairs or anything which we could find in the neighborhood which as per us was of no use to the owners and using them to burn in the pyre without asking anyone (a lot of that stuff was actually stolen or jacked). Exactly how Hari and his friends did in the story, as I said earlier it was a chapter out of my own life and too close to the absolute reality. Especially the brother sister bonding (or lake of it) was unbelievably true too, I still remember it was the daily ritual of a fight that we always followed every night, the big question always was "Who will turn off the light before we hit the bed" and it had to be always me as I was the youngest :). Taking a poor man for a ride, never get caught, feel sorry later and try undoing it or regret for life. Wow! I just couldn't believe it. The things that Hari the protagonist goes through in the little story and how he learns a lesson for life is simply mind-blowing. Another terrific thing that I loved about this book was its simplicity and a believable story written in the most subtle way. Take a bow Rajesh M Iyer, you've made me a fan for life and I am looking forward to your other work(s) one of which you have already sent me. And my expectations this time are sky high after reading this.

Have you read "Hari and Friends"? Do let me know how you like it and if you haven't, you better do it soon or do it before Holi :).

Wonder - R J Palacio (Book)

Wonder - R J Palacio.

Technically this qualifies as my last book for the year 2017 and first for 2018 both :) as half of it I read it last year and the rest I finished today. I actually wanted to coincide my reading with the movie release but for some reason they earlier delayed the release by couple of months and then somehow released it before the year end to my shock and surprise. Hence this became one of those very few books which I read after I saw the movie :). Although the movie was too underwhelming to my taste and unfortunately the book isn't that great as I expected it but it was way better than the movie for sure (talking about detailing and some very good things missing). Author has written this book very smartly and it almost feels as if it was actually written by a fifth grader, going by the language, the simplicity and even some intentional mistakes (I am sure about) that she has made in the book. The book and the story is very easy to read, I had a great connect too but somehow felt it was over stretched, even when it was too short in size. May be because the same story is told in different versions by half a dozen people before it comes back to the "Wonder" kid. I am sure I would have totally loved it if it was only one version from only his angle but that doesn't take anything away from the lovely book unfortunately the only grudge that I have is that It didn't make me all emotional as I expected it to be.

Heart touching story of a fifth grader "August Pullman" who is born with a deformed face and his struggle to live a normal life in this thankless world is the story all about. As I believe the book is a grand success already and its been reviewed a million times already. There is not much to tell as its pretty much predictable how it all starts and the way it all goes, it totally feels been there done that thing right from the very start. But I had a huge grin right from the beginning to the very end pasted on my face and it did make me frown a couple of times here and there. Also, it made me put down my Kindle a couple of times in between to look into space and think of the cute little guy and his struggles and passions too. So far, I have been a "Star Wars" fan but the way it is done in the story, I am about to get all Six parts like NOW and watch them back to back :) just because "Auggie the Doggie" was such a huge fan and there were a million instances when he talks about the series and its amazing characters. The amazing set of parents and an adorable sister plus a god send sister was such a fantastic thing to read that I was totally touched. It also took me back in time to my own middle school days when life felt so hard and when I made some amazing friends just like Auggie :) (for life). For a Debut this is a terrific attempt and I will certainly look forward to R J Palacio's upcoming works as and when she gets them published.

I am sure you must have read this by now, if not, you better do it fast as I am already looking forward to its sequel, as and when it comes. Pray, it must come soon as I really really want to know what happens next to Auggie, don't you? Did you love the book or just liked it? Did it work for you big time?

Movie Adaptation: As I said earlier, it was totally underwhelming especially with that kind of casting (read Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson in one movie). Or may be again, my expectations were not right with the movie too. It felt too long and too slow to my taste, although it did miss out so much from the book still felt over stretched for its run-time but nevertheless was a good one time watch. And it actually had some scenes that will go down my memory lane, especially the one where Julia (Mom) waits for her Son (Auggie) to come out of school and he just passes her with his friend in toes talking about whatever stuff. That was the scene to die for and the finale :), simply too good. Overall it was pretty much an average movie and didn't feel that special as I wanted it to be.

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson (Book)

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson.

Take a bow Stieg Larsson for giving us one of the best trilogy I have ever read which kept getting by the book and what an amazing end it had, totally totally loved it. Also, this (third part of the trilogy) is the fattest book of the series and I am sure was the best-est too :) as it had answers to all my questions, that I had even from the first two books, barring of-course one riddle that he left unsolved which will remain like that since he is no more :(, how sad is that. Having said that, I am sure the people who have read this will totally agree with me on this when I say that this was undoubtedly the terrific story telling with some killer characters that will go down memory lane a long long way. I so much hope that his family and girl friend come to a conclusion soon and let the fourth unpublished part go for publication :) as it must have the answer(s) for what he had left opened in the last of the series. And I am seriously not up-to reading the one's written by someone else after he left, I would rather wait for the issue to get resolved so we actually get to read the real story by Larsson himself (now whenever that happens, I will wait).

What I love(d) about Stieg Larsson the most is the detailing that he gets into, some may find it a little too long for their taste of thriller but it was simply too good to me. The longer he took in developing a character the better it turns out in the end, the way he worked with Lisbeth Salandar's characters, who hardly smiles in the first two parts :) No Spoilers, you've got to read the third one to know if she actually does but the guy (Larsson) had a good sense of humor that he aptly proved with this part and in the finale as the story develops and Lisbeth is about to go behind the bars for a long long time after what all she did in the first two parts and Mikael Bloomqvist for once feels like he will not be able to save her. As in the last part her own past comes haunting her (almost killing her) here I so much hoped and prayed that some of her friends should come forward to save the day as she struggled for her life. And the way it all is done in super details (making it last almost 750+ pages) is an outstanding piece of work. Lisbeth Salandar's histrionics with Bloomqvist's support and some new characters actions indeed put a big big smile on my face throughout and the trial in the end is a huge grand finale of sorts.

I was surprised by the size of the book vs the time it took me to finish it. As it was simply unputdownable I guess I wrapped it up in flat 5 days or less :)of-course I had to follow it up with the movie too. Earlier when I started this, looking at the size I thought this will be the last of the year for me, but the way things turned out, I am still left with one more week to go :). If you have read the trilogy, I am sure you will agree with me that it indeed is one of the best but if you haven't read it yet, my friend :) you have no idea what you have missed, go get it today and do not miss it at any cost.

Movie Adaptation: As is always the case with adaptations, this was the saddest movie of the series as they were not able to cover a fourth of what the book offers :(. But I wont blame the makers as the material in hand is so much that it can surely not be converted into a movie that too of mere three hours. Movie is more like a trailer one is watching on the book and no better. But I had to see it as I saw the earlier two parts too hence I watched it to my utter dismay. But there is after-all some silver lining, the last of the scene where Lisbeth comes to face the court, takes the cake. You've got to watch the preparation, her expressions, body language, make up, attire and so much more :) that it makes the whole of two and a half hour worth waiting for the finale.

Lemoncella Cocktail - Rene Natan (Book)

Lemoncella Cocktail - Rene Natan.

My little brother enrolled me into an online book club and this was the first ebook that I received from them in exchange I have to put an honest review of the same. Going by the title and the cover, I thought it will be some kind of a love story with a little action of sorts (you see a guy swimming on top) but what it turns out to be is a Hodge-podge of a thriller cum comedy of errors. I couldn't decide I was laughing on the book or with the book? Initial 20 pages were good enough for me to know that this is another run of the mill, going nowhere story but unfortunately so far I have a record of never leaving a book midway (barring an exceptional occasion when one book flew out of my 15th floor window). Hence I read it full and still am in a sort of a hangover of what actually the Author wanted to tell us from the story. And who was the actual protagonist in this one. Story of a girl Amelie who witnesses an illegal deal between his boy friend and some crooks. As soon as they realize she had seen them, everyone wants her dead and here comes our hero Patrick as a good Samaritan to save the girl and the family too. I expected it to be at least an average thriller with cat and mouse chase between the good guys and bad guys.

Unfortunately, this one looks like written by someone for a writing competition or as a college project with no research but if this is how Canadian Police and Secret Service works, I am never going to Canada in my life for sure. I mean imagine there is a situation where the bad guy is on the lose to kill the girl who witnessed the episode and wipe out her entire family. The secret service guys go home and sleep saying they will see what they have to do next morning :). I was like laughing out loud but kept going forward with the hopes of something good to come out. Imagine the bad guys actually blow off an Airplane with the entire family in it and they pay like a thousand bucks to the guy who fixes the bomb, can you believe that? On top of that there comes a super rich grandmother who tells a stranger that she has 25 Million Dollars in her bank and yet her son is gone extreme west to make his career (the poor guy has a credit card debt of 280K), I was like Wow!! this is really happening. I cant even tell you how much ransom the bad guys ask for her kidnapped grand daughter and even that looks like a silly change to the old woman :). I mean the Author was totally not serious what she was writing if she really wanted her readers to believe the story. Writing is so freaking casual that I couldn't believe my eyes. The characters, even the secret service guys are so dumb that it was hard to believe even in fiction.

Hilarious is the ending of the book, I mean I don't want to put the spoilers for anyone who may still want to read it. But if you do and reach the end, do let me know if you actually fall of the chair you were sitting on while reading the book by that ending :) as I actually did. The only positive that I could gather from the book was that its hardly 160 odd pages and written in short 2-3 page chapters and since I had read a heavy thrilling trilogy (Larsson) before this, it was a jolly good refresher for me. But not a book that I will recommend it to anyone.