Just The Way You Are by Sanjeev Ranjan is my first read of 2015. First thing I noticed in this book was obviously it's cover which is very catchy and modern. So is the title.
The book tells the story of Sameer, a Steve Jobs fan who is all set to start his dream job in Switzerland. He leaves just a day after his wedding, leaving his wife, previously his girlfriend, Shagun alone. Thinking of his husband, Shagun reads Sameer's diary, his precious, beautiful world. She discovers a secret hidden in it that may lead to a misunderstanding.
What's the secret? How would Sameer defend himself as he is not around to explain? What's the destination of their relationship?
You have to read this book to find these answers.
Well, the book starts really well. It manages to create nice imagery. So nice that you can almost feel that! The narration is smooth but sometimes it seems stretched. Execution of the story seems plain, and it doesn't support interesting storyline the modern book cover and excerpts suggest.
The point of view is unconvincing. The book starts in first person (which I liked) and then, it goes in diary form. Diary form was confusing as there are no dates mentioned. Sometimes very conveniently it switches to Shagun's point of view.
The scenes between Sameer and Shagun are written beautifully. I somehow missed the "What comes next factor', and those little, enjoyable situations which make a story engrossing.
Overall, for me it was an average read and I am a little disappointed. If you like light fiction you may grab it in your free time or it can be your nice companion when travelling.
I received this book from the publisher (Random House India) for an unbiased review.
Reading is sheer pleasure. You can never get bored if you find pleasure in reading. This year did not go smooth for my reading yet I managed to read some good (And some not so good) books, 32 to be precise!
Currently I am reading Just The Way You Are by Sanjeev Ranjan that I have received from Random House India for review. The Nidhi Kapoor Story by debutant Saurabh Garg, The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri and Four Miles to Freedom by Faith Johnston are next on my to-read list.
Although, there are several book in my reading list I am sharing some books that I really want to read this year and mentioning why:
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella: Because I love the wit and humour in her writing.
Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark: I haven't read this author before but the theme and blurb of this book is really intriguing that I so want to read this!
Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: Because I haven't read this author before and I've read some wonderful reviews plus this is a women centric story.
It Happens For a Reason by Preeti Shenoy: Because I really like her writing style, identifiable characters and situations. I have read all her books and really liked them!
Seahorse by Janice Pariat: Because she has a beautiful writing style! Liked her anthology Boats on Land.
Half a Rupee by Gulzar: I am totally fascinated by his poignant stories he wrote for his amazing films!
Kamala Das: Any book by this author as I love her writing style and her crisp balanced narration!
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami: Because I haven't read him and want to and this book is a love story, my favourite genre!
Love Virtuallyand Every Seventh Wave by Daniel Glattauer: Because of nice reviews, my favourite genre and my favourite author Preeti Shenoy has praised these books in one of her posts!
Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto: Go see the reviews online. And Brunch (Weekly magazine of Hindustan times) suggested it and I found the theme intriguing.
Have you read any of these? How did you like them? Do you like any book so much that you want to share about? Please share your thoughts. Enjoy your New Year with some really good books!
I wish you all a rainbow of happiness, health and peace embellished with golden streaks of success! Happy New Year 2015!
I am Aashi. A 13 year-old girl. I live in a boarding school. I remember I was very upset when my parents announced that I was going to study in a boarding school. Over these years I have realised the importance of friends, especially best friend.
But what if your best friend lies to you? Secretly develops a competitive attitude and refuses to help?
Misha and I connected immediately and became best friends. Now, the entire school knows about our friendship.
That night I couldn't concentrate on my studies. I was looking at Misha, who was engrossed in finishing her homework. She looked at me once, smiled casually and resumed her studies.
The bell rang, and commotion replaced the silence.
"Let's go." Misha said and headed towards the door. I didn't move. She returned back. "What happened? It's dinner time. Let's go," She held my hand and almost dragged me.
In the dining hall, everyone chatted and laughed but I was feeling lost and restless. Had I done something that I was not supposed to do? Something wrong? My mind raced few hours back. Fifth period was Ryan Sir's General Knowledge class. He has a unique pattern of teaching. He conducts quiz every third day. He asks a question one by one until someone answers it correctly. He praises when someone answers correctly. Everyone tries hard to impress him.
"How long does it take for the
light from the sun to reach the earth?" He asked. No one could answer. It was Misha's turn. She stood silent, looking down at the desk. Sir was clearly annoyed.
After the class, when we were heading the hostel, she said. "I was expecting that answer from you."
I knew it. That's why she was looking down at the desk. We often helped each other in such a condition by scribbling the answer in our notebooks when any of our friends were looking down at the desk.
"I didn't know the answer." I lied. She curled her lips in dismay. Actually, the next turn was mine and I wanted to impress Ryan Sir with my smart answer. But my turn didn't come. When Misha could not answer, Ryan sir answered the question for us, and curtly advised us to concentrate and study sincerely. I was utterly disappointed but later I felt thankful.
"What's wrong with you? Are you feeling okay? Misha shook me back to the present. I just nodded.
"She is looking lost today," Deepti commented.
Back in our room, while we were preparing to sleep, I called Misha. She came right away and sat next to me with a questioning yet relaxed glance. I was jealous of her relaxed mind. I couldn't carry that baggage any more.
"Today, I lied to you," I said. She frowned. "I knew the answer today. I didn't help you because...because I wanted to impress Ryan Sir," I vented out my restlessness. She looked utterly disappointed and sad. She said nothing. She switched off the light and went to sleep.
I kept thinking about it for a long time then slowly slipped into the slumber. Next morning, when I woke up she was not in the room. I was feeling ashamed, and thought that our friendship had lost its trust. It was perhaps over.
After a while, Misha rushed into the room and came straight to me. "Come, it's breakfast time," She held my hand as if nothing had happened.
"You are not angry with me?" I asked meekly.
She looked at me for a while then said, "I was but if someone feels disturbed and restless after telling a lie, it means that person is true at heart. And I could see that you were really disturbed," So thoughtful and insightful! I thought.
"Thank you and I am really sorry," I truly was!
"It's okay. I love your honesty!" She said and smiled.
That day, I realised that honesty and truth are priceless and bring so much relief.
Have a look at this Kinley video. It's nice.
This post is written for Indiblogger in association of Kinley (Purity in every drop)
Fashionably Yours is a one year journey of Maya Kapoor's life in
diary form. Maya, who is a fashion writer in a fashion magazine Style but her
dream is to write for her dream magazine Glamourous, hails from Shimla and
lives in her dream city, Mumbai. Unfortunately, she finds herself at the same
place where she was two years back.
Maya is a disorganized 25 years old girl who has
never been in a relationship and searching for her Mr. Right. Her mother thinks
she has ruined her life, but her father completely understands her. She doesn’t
get along with her younger sister but has a sister like best friend. She has a
rude rather cruel boss but deeply crushes on a devastatingly fashion photographer and finds herself totally unfit for him.
Overall, this is a modern tale of Maya’s winding life. Will
she achieve her dream ever and what about her crush rather love? Read this book
to find out!
The content is interesting. I particularly liked the humour.
Situations are interesting and characters are nicely sketched. The male
protagonist is a little incomprehensible but maybe it’s because to keep the
suspense factor. The storyline is interesting and author manages to keep the reader interested. However, it goes plain a couple of times. The writing style
is nice but there are several grammatical and writing errors which could have
been avoided. For a diary form, sometimes, I missed the smoothness in the
narration.
This book is definitely not for those who seek literary crispness.
But, if you like to read a light ChickLit, you’ll find it interesting and
enjoyable. For me it was an interesting, light and easy read. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!
I got this review copy from the author. Thanks Swati!
There is an old stairway that leads to a half built house. As I climb up, I see a serene river,
glinting in the aura of crimson evening. A tiny boat, faraway, enhances the charm of mesmerizing
vista. A sense of déjà vu hits me. Everything around looks so familiar!
I look
at a half built house and I proceed towards it. There is a compact room. A
little girl with furling hair is playing hopscotch. She is wearing a frilled
frock but I can’t see her face as her back is towards me. Soon, another little
girl joins her. It seems that I know this girl. Suddenly, a little boy arrives chuckling.
He is the cousin of the second girl. Wait! How do I know that? I am bewildered.
They start playing together jubilantly, neglecting me totally. I am eager to
have a look at that first girl who was playing hopscotch.
A shrilling sound trembles the view. Suddenly, that girl,
with furling hairs turns to look at me and smiles, leaving me utterly shocked. I recognise her instantly. It’s
me!
I open my eyes to a glowing morning. I smile as I realize that
I have just revisited my childhood in my dream.
I had is bizarre dream two nights back. Have you ever revisited your childhood in your dreams?
The title, the cover and the theme of More Tears to Cry by bestselling author Jean
Sasson attracted my interest. The author has told such stories before
in the previous series of this book but the fourth one is my first read. And
reading the latest book first did not affect the flow because the book starts
with a detailed backdrop that gives a fair idea about the previous stories and
experiences. And I really liked reading that.
More tears to cry is a unique collection of true stories
about the lives of Saudi Arabian women. It has been told through the eyes of
Princess Sultana. In these touching and revealing stories, author has intensely
described the restrictions, struggles and challenges of Saudi Arabian women.
And most surprising thing is that such conditions are irrespective of class.
Princess Sultana narrates the inside stories of one of the richest yet
conservative kingdoms. The person whom she marries, her siblings, her daughters,
servants, her palace, many different people she meets, everything falls in
these stories.
It’s about love, concern, justice and different
perspectives. Basically, this book dwells in varied lives of different women of
Saudi Arabia. It’s about their efforts of finding their own suitable ways.
The narration is detailed and subtle, covering various
emotions and thoughts. As they are true stories, they seem well researched.
Sometimes shocking, sometimes inspiring and sometimes enlightening.
Writing style is neat and crisp, but sometimes the story
seemed a little stretched and repetitive. I think, writing from different and
suitable point of views would have been more interesting and apt.
Overall, it was a nice read that reveals, educates, jolts
and moves emotionally. Recommended for women readers.
I received this book from the publisher Random House Indiafor
an honest review.
Kamna is a physiotherapist, who eventually realizes that
she is in a wrong profession and in a totally wrong relationship. Not sure about her career, she opts for an MBA and shifts to a different city, Mumbai. While she is enjoying her life and studies with her new friends, she meets her old and very handsome patient Varun and they gradually start floating in the ocean of love and excitement.
When she thinks everything is going perfect, something happens and her life changes completely. One night and Varun is a changed man. Why? To get the answer, you'll have to read the book.
The start was funny. The author has tried to weave an interesting story with beautiful words, but I think the writing style is a little immature. I found a childlike excitement in the narration. There's a 'plastering the car with toilet paper' sequence which is very familiar. I have read the same sequence in some novel maybe in Almost Single (I don't remember exactly).
Frequent usage of 'blabbering' and 'hissed' was a little irritating. I mean, you can't write 'blabbered and hissed' in every normal dialogue. It is okay to write 'he/she said'. There are two wrongly dated diary entries. The editor should have taken care of the grammatical and editing errors.
But the author has crafted the story well. The execution is nice that keeps you hooked. I would say, as a first time author, it's a decent attempt by Ms. Joshi. The book cover is nice.
If you like reading easy and light fiction, this book can be a quick and interesting read for you, but it's not for those who seek literary crispness in a book.
I received this book from the author for an honest review.
Comparing new Khoobsurat with the old one is unfair.
Although, the basic concept is similar, they are totally different, and the main
difference is that Rekha’s Khoobsurat was a family drama and this one
is a love story. One of the easiest love stories without any conflict.
Lively and spirited physiotherapist Dr. Mili Chakravarthy (Sonam kapoor) works with IPL, She comes to a palace to treat Raja Shekhar Singh Rathore (Aamir Raza Hussain). Ranisa (Ratna Pathak Shah) is a strict disciplinarian. Mili notices that no one laughs and speaks to each other in the palace, and this
palatial khoobsurti lacks the beauty of life. Later, she comes to know about the actual reason of this silent sadness stretched in the palace and tries to change it.
Well, this film looks royal and beautiful but the script (Writing)
is very weak and has some glitches. It lacks interesting content and the humour seems forced. I
think, while sketching the character of Mili, the writer forgot the big
difference between “Being lively” and “Being uncultured”.
The film deserves an equally strong male protagonist but it
suffers from “I-am-the-producer-and-my-daughter/sister-won’t-let-anyone-perform.”
syndrome. Sonam Kapoor looks nice but
her effort is quite evident and her dialogue delivery seems fabricated.
Fawad Khan, who plays Prince Vikram Singh Rathore, is very good looking and stylish, and a wonderful actor. His expressions
are natural and endearing. His voice is attractive and his dialogue delivery is excellent! Although, his character is not as strong as it
deserves to be, he has done a decent job.
In the final scene, Fawad Khan’s or basically a royal
Prince’s sudden transformation into an outspoken Punjabi is very absurd (though
he is brilliant in that scene).
So, overall, it was an average watch. I somehow liked it
for fawad Khan and Ratna Pathak (She reminded me of Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai) and I think team Khoobsurat owes a big thank you to Fawad Khan
and timely telecast of Zindagi Gulzar Hai and Behadd.
Rebecca aka Becky Brandon is dreaming big, well very big. She
comes to LA with her husband Luke and daughter Minnie, for few days (though she doesn't want to return
ever!). She wants to make new friends in Minnie's school but there she meets her old enemy, Alicia (aka Alicia bitch long legs) who is very popular among other moms. Her friendship mission is in danger. She dreams to be friends with Hollywood star Sage Seymour (Hopes to
have a coffee with her and she is almost there!) and wants to become a personal shopper and eventually her personal stylist.
How her desperate dreams and efforts land her (Or maybe her husband
Luke) into conflict and trouble, this book tells all about that.
Well, I really like Sophie Kinsella books! I loved I’ve Got Your Number and really liked Twenties Girl. I almost finished these big fat
books in two-three sittings, but, for me this book was not very smooth (As expected).
No doubt Sophie Kinsella makes me smile or even laugh. This
book indeed has some humourous situations and funny moments. Becky's well being session in Golden Peace is really funny, but, I think the
story is not strong enough to carry this big fat book entertainingly. Sometimes, I felt that the book book has been stretched with some very casual and prolonged situations and unnecessary dialogues. I loved the cover! It's very apt.
The writing is as usual light and funny but it lacked the
standard wit of Kinsella. It was a nice read but I was a little disappointed (I feel really bad while writing this). I
feel this Shopaholic series should end now.
