The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is one of those books that lie around for years, ignored and unread. I got this book way back when it was first published. Back then there were no signs of it being part of a trilogy! Unfortunately, during the last few years, my threshold for light romances has been really low. With so many other options available, this book seemed destined to remain unread.
This year, with the quarantines and the lockdowns, I decided to do something different, and read something light for Valentine’s Day. I don’t regret that decision. The Rosie Project is a fun read, with minimum mushiness, and a surprisingly relatable male lead!
Don Tillman is a geneticist in search of a life partner. He leads a very disciplined and scheduled life, and wants to find a woman who is compatible with his lifestyle. It might seem like an easy enough project, except Don is somewhat socially inept, and unable to gauge other people’s reactions to simple situations.
For Don’s world is systematic and organized. There is no place for unnecessary emotion and unexplained actions. Everything has a time and a place. This is why he needs a woman who will accept him for who he is and not cause undue commotion in his orderly life. Since he is a scientist, Don sets about achieving his goal in a scientific manner. He prepares an in-depth questionnaire to be filled by potential wifely candidates. He figures that this scientific approach will go a long way in saving time and effort which he would otherwise spend on ineligible women.
Rosie Jarman is not suitable for Don at all. For one, she is a smoker. Then, she is a vegetarian who eats “sustainable” seafood. Pursuing her has disaster written all over it. But Don is willing to shelve his project for the time being, and concentrate on Rosie’s Father Project. What follows is a hilarious courtship that gets out of the hands of both the protagonists.
The one thing that I didn’t really like in this book is how vague Rosie’s character is. Of course, the story tells Don’s perspective, but Rosie remains a peripheral character, even when Don is doing everything for her. You never find out the real deal with Rosie, and it leaves a discordant note in an otherwise good book.
After finishing the book, I realized that there must be people out there who are probably offended by the portrayal of Don. The book hints at him having Asperger’s or at least being on the Autism spectrum. Sure enough, I found plenty of unhappy people. For me personally, it is a light-hearted book, not a commentary on Autism. It is better to treat such books with the same light-heartedness, instead of taking them too seriously.
For me, The Rosie Project was a good rom-com, worth reading especially for the fans of this particular genre.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid may be a fictional account of a 70’s rock band, but the stories, the songs and the music sound so real that you can’t help but think about getting your hands on that awesome album that doesn’t really exist!
The book follows the rise of Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne and his band, The Six; and how it all came to an abrupt end after a sold out show at Chicago Stadium. No one knows why it all ended the way it did when everything seemed to be going so well for the band. Now, after more than 30 years, someone is making an effort to find out what actually happened.
The book is written as an oral history, recounted by several people. However, instead of going the usual route of everyone telling their stories one by one, this book gives a voice to everyone in one go. It feels like you have a number of people in your head talking about the same thing, yet looking at it from different perspectives.
I thought Jenkins Reid was a good writer when I had read her “Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” This book confirms my belief. The way she writes about her female protagonists, it’s impossible not to feel their pain. You may not agree with their life choices, or what they stand for, but you can understand their misery.
Throughout the book, what I wanted to do the most was to hear all these great songs being talked about. You know a writer is a winner when she pushes herself to write all the lyrics for all the songs mentioned in her book! I certainly hope someone can get a real life Daisy Jones and a real life Billy Dunne to sing these songs some day!
A powerful book with a great soundtrack to accompany it!
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan is a sweet book. It is a story of love and loss, and of lost things and people. As I write this, I realize that the simpler the story, the more difficult it is to write a review. Not because the story has nothing in it, but because it is a simple tale with no hidden meanings or life lessons.
Anthony Peardew collects lost things, not for himself, but in the hope that one day he can restore them to their real owners. So he goes about collecting objects he finds in different places; things like hair bobbles, jigsaw puzzle pieces, bracelets, and a biscuit tin containing some dead person’s ashes. All these things are kept safe in his study, duly labelled with the time and place of their discovery. But Anthony is growing old, and he needs to leave his collection with someone who will love it the same way he does, and who will work towards restoring the objects to their rightful owners.
Laura is Anthony’s assistant and as lost as one of Anthony’s things. When she finds out what Anthony has left her, she is overwhelmed by the task in front of her. With the help of a handsome gardener, a girl with Down Syndrome, a mangy dog, and a crazy ghost, Laura sets out to restore the lost things to their rightful owners, finding her own way in the process, and putting an end to the restlessness caused by a particular chain of events forty years ago.
The book is heartwarming and funny. It keeps going back and forth in time, with two different narratives that merge into one over a time period of forty years. Both stories are equally poignant with some laugh-out-loud and some heartbreaking moments. It took me a few days to read because I was on a break and busy with other things, but once I really got into it, I finished it in one night.
Read this book if you want a change of pace and some light hearted, sweet fun. This was a four star read for me.
In honour of Valentines Day, this post is all about Romance novels and my love for a good romance. I have always been a closet romance freak. By that I mean that I have a closet full of trashy romance novels that I like to take out after every few months or so, and sigh about how bloody sexist they are! Yet, I cannot bring myself to throw them away.
Right now, however, I just want to talk about a few romances that have a special place in my heart. These include both classics and not-so-classic books that I think every romantic-at-heart should read.
Before I begin, let me tell you that my most favourite love story of all time is not a book. It is just one chapter in a series of books, and it leaves me heartbroken every time I read it. Yes, I’m talking about Snape and Lily’s story. If you have no idea who these people are, then you need to read Harry Potter, NOW! And if you have read and loved the books like I do, then you will know what I’m talking about. “Always.”
Disclaimer: I do not like sad endings, so don’t expect to find Gone With The Wind or The Notebook here. Also, for those who consider it a romance, Wuthering Heights is not a romantic novel, so I will write about my love for it in a different post.
Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
I have been in love with Pride and Prejudice since grade 7. It was in our curriculum, and I have never enjoyed studying more than when we were reading this book. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy have been my favourite couple forever. In the real world, I would probably slap the face of a man who talks to me so condescendingly, but Ms. Bennet definitely has better manners than I do! Even so, I love this maddeningly clueless man no matter what he does; and he does redeem himself at the end.
Over the years, I have owned several editions which have somehow managed to get lost with each of my moves. I love this book so much that I have all the sequels/ continuations/ retellings in e-book form! Of course, none of them come remotely close to the original.
I have never tried to find the literary merits of this book, nor have I ever tried to recount the social issues presented in it. I’m proud to say that I love it as a love story and will continue to do so. I don’t want to look into deeper meanings and motifs in the book. I still read it sometimes, and enjoy it for the all the happiness that it gives me. It is by far, the book that I have read the most number of times!
The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
One of the most read books on my shelf, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a poignant, sometimes funny tale of a Time Traveler and his wife. It looks like a lot to read, boasting almost 600 pages, but once you start reading you cannot put it down.
It is a great love story; Clare first meets Henry when she is six and Henry is thirty-six. Henry, however, first meets Clare when he’s twent-eight and she’s twenty! This is how it goes on all their lives and they have to accept it and move on with their lives.
I fell in love with this sometimes funny, sometimes sad story when I first read it many years back. It is told in different times with both Clare and Henry as narrators, and it takes a lot of concentration to get the timeline straight in your head. All the more reason to admire Audrey Niffenegger for managing to write in such a way as to convince the reader that all this is possible.
Some might argue that it has a sad ending, but for me the ending is perfect. This was the only logical way for the book to end. It is not easy to resolve matters in a book about time travel. There are always a lot of questions left unanswered.
A superlative book that is right up there on the list of my favourites!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus is one of the most vividly written books that I have ever read. It brings to life a world that is black and white, yet feels so full of life that you want to keep on reading. The circus is not an ordinary circus, and the word “magic” feels inadequate to describe the wonders contained within its boundaries. It is a story that doesn’t feel like a love story, yet it is one of the most poignant ones that I have read.
It is the story of a contest where the contestants are not aware of what the contest is. It is the story of two powerful men pitting their best against each other but coming out empty handed. It is the story of completely different individuals coming together to mount a spectacle that the world has never seen. In the end, it is the story of love, hope, perseverance, commitment and the constant vagaries of time.
What stands out in all of this, is the strong love that Celia and Marco feel for each other. Their love transcends the boundaries of magic, time and even space. They sacrifice everything to be with each other and to them, it doesn’t matter which world they exist in, as long as that world allows them to be together.
Paradise by Judith McNaught
Ah, here is the truly romantic book, written by the best writer of Romance Fiction. But, hey, this isn’t the book that she’s most famous for! That’s right. Every romance reader is aware that Whitney, My Love is the book that is the most beloved my Ms. McNaught’s die hard fans. I am a huge fan. I have all her books, and I love all of them in varying degrees. It is impossible for me to pick a favourite among Double Standards, Perfect, Almost Heaven or any of the other wonderful books; but if I absolutely have to, I will always pick Paradise.
The story of Meredith Bancroft and Matthew Farrell is full of misunderstandings and cliches. It is impossible to believe that I have read these 800 plus pages so many times that the books is falling apart at the seams! It is the oft-written-about story of star-crossed lovers who fall in love, get married and then get separated because of the villianous father of the girl.
Fast forward to a decade later, and Meredith is engaged to her childhood friend, Matt is a hotshot businessman, and Meredith’s business is in trouble. Oh, and there is the small matter of her still being married to Matt because of a fraudulent lawyer. What follows is a story as old as a typical romance novel. Why I love it, is because Meredith makes every stupid mistake on her own.
While there is some emotional blackmail involved, eventually it is she who decides whether to be an idiot or not. And the secret feminist in me rejoices that at least in this book I will not have to go through the torture of the heroine forgiving the hero even if he has been the cruelest to her. To me, when a hero is vile, he needs to grovel proportionately, and no woman should forgive him without proper compensation! So, yes, I love this book unashamedly and its poor condition vouches for my love.
The Man in The Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
I know what you’re thinking. A love story by Agatha Christie? Are You crazy? Maybe I am, because I have loved this book ever since I read it more than 25 years ago. And no, Christie never wrote a romance novel. This is eactly what she always wrote, a mystery. I must have bought at least 5 copies of this book since I keep losing it somehow.
This is the story of Anne Beddingfeld and how she fell for a man wanted for murder, a man in a brown suit. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue in this story; and even more drama and action. And while the story is essentially a romance, there is not much romantic about it.
The mystery of the murder of a Russian dancer, Nadine, and the disappearance of some diamonds is what this whole book is about. The narrator however, falls in love with a man whose name she doesn’t know, and who is by all accounts a murderer. What follows is a tale full of deception, high speed chases and crazy characters.
I absolutely love this gem from the Queen of Crime.
I know it’s a bit late to talk about what was hot last year, but I thought I would give it a go. I had been going through a reading slump for the last six years or so. In September 2017, I decided to end this slump and get back to my old habits. Hence, my list of the best books of 2017 is not that long. I have read some really amazing books that have made me very happy to be back with my most beloved possessions. The following books are not in any particular order, just random ranking as they came into my head.
I have always loved History as a subject, but books based on the two World Wars leave me feeling depressed. So, as a rule, I avoid reading about these wars. The Alice Network proved to be a surprise in that regard.
It is a very sad story based on very real people who sacrificed their lives during the World Wars. Yet, it is a completely immersive tale. Women spies have been a source of fascination and wonder since time immemorial. Everyone has definite ideas about female spies; they’re either pious angels, or promiscuous devils; either black, or white; no greys.
The Alice Network forces you to look at female spies as courageous women who served their countries. They took risks and endangered their own lives. Their ground realities were starkly different from everyone else. They operated in a reality that we cannot even fathom.
Written in the voices of two different women, in two different eras, this book tells us about how spy networks were the backbone of the two sides during both the wars. I found it hard to put the book down as it took me through two wars simultaneously, and merged two stories together seamlessly. The wit and intelligence presented are based on truth. This makes me more in awe of the great women of the Alice Network.
This book is definitely worthy of heading the list of the best books of 2017.
This is by far my favourite book from last year. It is so far removed from my usual favourites that even I was taken by surprise.“Fall in love whenever you can.” The last rule of magic is the enemy of the Owens family. They are cursed in matters of love, yet they are destined to be followed by love all their lives.
The Rules of Magic is a magical book. It pulls you in and refuses to let you go. It is about the lives of the three children of Susanna Owens. She wants to keep them away from the cursed legacy of their family. But it is a great folly to hide your true self. Truth has a way of coming out. It is better to accept who you are than keep lying for the rest of your life.
The story may be about witches and magic, but what it embodies is true for all human beings. Life is full of good and bad, so accept everything that life throws at you and draw strength from these experiences. Loving and losing is all part of life, and avoiding love does not mean avoiding pain. The only way to live is to be true to yourself.
After a long time, a book has touched me so much that I could feel the pain of the characters. As I look back on the book, I can find nothing out of the ordinary that makes it special, but it is true that I cried with the characters. It has touched my heart somehow and I see myself picking up this book to read again and again. It reaffirms my belief that in order to live well we must “Love more, not less.” Another one of the best books of 2017.
I had never read anything by Celeste Ng before. Little Fires Everywhere was my introduction to the author. And what an introduction!
The book starts with actual little fires everywhere in the Richardson house in Shaker Heights. From there, we’re taken back in time to around a year ago and how the events from that time culminated in the house being burned to ground. It is a good lesson in how there are always two sides to every issue. Everyone looks at things according to their own experiences.
Sometimes there is no right or wrong way of doing things, you just have to make the best of what you have. Reading the book left me feeling quite emotional. I really hate it when things are not tied up neatly and everyone doesn’t get their just deserves. But I also love such climaxes because they leave a lot to your imagination. And that way the book experience is never the same for two people. It is not a thriller. There are no murders, no crazy psychopaths, no robberies, no mysteries. This is just the story of how a few months impacted so many lives; a small glimpse into a community during the 90s. A good read and a worthy contender for the list of best books of 2017.
What an intense thriller! I had never read any books by Karin Slaughter and this was a great introduction to the author. The narrative is quite graphic, and not for the faint of heart. It grips you from the first chapter and you find yourself wanting to know what happens next.
The story revolves around a family torn apart by a tragic attack twenty eight years ago, which leaves all of them with scars, both physical and psychological. Charlotte thinks that she has come a long way from her nightmarish ordeal almost thirty years ago. She is a good lawyer, not like her notorious father who is willing to represent anyone regardless of their guilt.
One morning, she is caught in a school shooting. It threatens to expose everything she has worked so hard to keep inside her. As things get worse, Charlie’s life starts to unravel around her and there is only one person who can help her become whole again. But they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a long, long time, and there are some wounds that just refuse to heal.
There are some sequences that are truly horrifying and leave the reader close to tears. However, the solid narrative and story make it very hard to put the book down. Underlying the narrative is the theme of a father’s love for his daughters and how he believes, I think quite rightly, that everyone needs a different kind of love. One of the best thrillers that I have ever read. Definitely a must read for all lovers of this genre and definitely one of the best books of 2017.
When I picked up this book, I absolutely expected to get bored with it and have trouble finishing it. After all, I have never had patience with long, rambling narratives about people’s lives. So, it was a surprise when I it took me one day to finish it because I couldn’t put it down!
This is the story of Evelyn Hugo, a Hollywood mega star, and her equally famous and ill-fated marriages. Evelyn wants to tell her real story to the world, but only if Monique Grant writes it. Intrigued by why a Hollywood movie icon would want a little-known journalist, Monique agrees to write the biography, little knowing the effect it will have on her.
The character of Evelyn is such that you dislike her, yet root for her at the same time. She is ambitious and ruthless, but there are some aspects to her life that are very painful. Like her One True Love, and her best friend, who is ready to do anything for her.
As far as the book itself goes, while captivating, it feels like some parts of the story are just glossed over without any details. I don’t like lengthy narrative, but there are a couple of things that required more detail. Still, it does not take anything away from the story itself. It sort of reminded me of A Woman of Substance and Master of the Game, but only because of the strong female protagonist who will go to any lengths to get what she wants. It sure does deserve a place on the list of the best books of 2017!
The first book I really fell in love with and wanted to read again and again, was A Little Princess. I don’t remember when or how old I was, but I absolutely loved that book. Then came The Chronicles of Narnia and Anne of Green Gables. It’s not as if I grew up hating Enid Blyton or not reading her; I was reading too many of her books as it was, I just didn’t fall in love with them like I did these books.
It sounds strange now, but there were quite a few books in our school curriculum that I couldn’t get enough of, A Tale of Two Cities and Pride And Prejudice being two that I still re-read from time to time. That was the time that I found Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Rebecca. I do love a strong female protagonist in a book! Around the same time, I borrowed a library book called The Seven Dials Mystery written by one Agatha Christie, and thus began my obsession with mystery and crime thrillers. I still stop and buy Agatha Christie books when I see them in a bookshop.
As I look back, it is hard to believe that I found time to read so many books since, like any teenager at that time, I was also reading a lot of Sweet Valley High and Sweet Dreams. Romance novels have been a weakness of mine ever since I started reading them. I still have piles of Harlequin and Mills & Boon books stashed away in my closet where no one can see them! I also happen to have quite a lot of books by Julie Garwood, Sandra Brown and Julia Quinn. And of course, I have ALL the books written by Judith McNaught which I still read from time to time. So I’m not just a Crime Thriller and contemporary literature kind of girl. I love a good romance too. Though, I would rather read a happy ending than a sad one in romance novels. This is one of the reasons I have never managed to read The Fault in Our Stars or The Notebook. I do confess to loving A Walk to Remember beyond anything else, but that may be because that is the only book whose movie adaptation made me cry more than the book itself.
When you have read so many books in your life, it becomes impossible to say which books are your favourites. As I write, I can think of so many books that I want to read again and again. Maybe I will write about those books some time later. For now, these are some of my favourite books!
