BTT: Down-sizing

What’s the largest your personal library has ever been? What’s the greatest number of books you’ve ever owned at one time? (Estimates are fine.)
Is your collection NOW the biggest it’s ever been? Or have you down-sized?
What’s the fewest number of books you’ve ever owned (not counting your pre-reading years)?

Once upon a time, I owned more than 4000 books. That included a lot of textbooks too. When we moved to this place, three years ago, I had to down-size. For various reasons. First and foremost was moving to a smaller place and second being, there books I was never going to read. Some had served their purpose too. I  donated around 1500 books to various places..old age homes, children's homes, and local library. I even had my friends pick and choose. 

When I moved to this place, I owned around 2500 books. I still give away a lot of books to the above mentioned places yet I keep adding too, as we all do. I suppose what I own now is the lowest numbers of books, I have ever had. Because I gave away 300 books just few days back and it should stand around 2400! I will stick to that. I have decided not to accumulate. But yes, I love my walls, that is, book walls!

Teaser Tuesdays: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Maggie McFierce as in Margaret McPherson, who happened to be one of the toughest and, yes, fiercest deputy district attorneys assigned to the Van Nuys courthouse. She also happened to be my first ex-wife.

Title: The Lincoln Lawyer
Author: Michael Connelly
ISBN: 978-1455500239
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/2005
Pages: 544

Mickey Haller runs his office from his car. He owns four Lincolns and uses those one by one. He has two ex-wives, one who kinda helps him run his office, and other is a DA! He is in good terms with both. Everything seems to be fine. His only regret is maybe he goofed up in the case of Jesus Menendez, who it seems is innocent but gets a life term for a murder he did not apparently commit. 

Then out of nowhere, Mickey gets a big league client in the form of Louis Roulet, a upcoming real estate broker. Louis is charged with assault and he hires Mickey to defend him. Mickey Haller sees dollars in the deal. And thinks it is one hell of an easy case. And somehow gets embroiled in a situation which he had not envisaged at all. 

Now he has to save his own skin as well as that of an innocent man. He faces evil in such a form that he couldn't have foreseen. It becomes a personal war for him and becomes the most difficult case of his life. 

As Mickey defends Roulet and we slowly discover who Jesus Menendez is and his connection to this case, we watch the thin line and also juxtaposition of guilt and innocence and the eternal clash of good and evil. The very existence of our Lincoln Lawyer is threatened. And Mickey has to find out the truth. 

I found the novel vastly entertaining, and the suspense element is sustained throughout. And Connelly created a memorable character in Mickey Haller. This was my first Connelly. I am going for more!

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Bookish Websites, Organizations, Apps. Etc.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week, we get a theme to list our top tens. 

This week's Top Ten is:  Ten Bookish Websites, Organizations, Apps. Etc.

Most will highlight the well known bookish sites. But I am going to highlight the lesser known or unknown bookish links. Here I go:

1) zoetrope: All-Story is a quarterly literary publication founded by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997 to explore the intersection of story and art, fiction and film. I simply love exploring this website

2) Journal of Mythical Arts: It is sponsored by the Endicott Studio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to literary, visual, and performance arts inspired by myth, folklore, fairy tales, and the oral storytelling tradition.

3) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: You will find everything related with her. Poetry, short stories, new projects.

4) Crime Time: An excellent magazine devoted to crime and mystery fiction.

5) The Financial Fiction Genre: A web site,on banking and finance in fiction from the classics of Dumas, Dickens and Thackeray to modern financial thrillers.

6) Poetry Daily: All about contemporary poets and poetry

7) Google Books

8) Short Story Classics: The Best from the Masters of the Genre

9) PoeStories.com: This site contains short stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe , story summaries, quotes, and linked vocabulary words and definitions for educational reading. It also includes a short biography, a timeline of Poe's life, and links to other Poe sites.

10) sffworld: Everything to do with sci-fi. Do check it out!

Mondays: Mailbox/What Are You Reading?/Musings

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. Brook of  TheBluestocking Guide  is hosting for the month of June.

I received one book, The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock

Set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a cast of compelling and bizarre characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. There’s Willard Russell, tormented veteran of the carnage in the South Pacific, who can’t save his beautiful wife, Charlotte, from an agonizing death by cancer no matter how much sacrifi­cial blood he pours on his “prayer log.” There’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial kill­ers, who troll America’s highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. There’s the spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick, Theodore, running from the law. And caught in the middle of all this is Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up to be a good but also violent man in his own right. 

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I am STILL currently reading Other Eyes by Barbara D'Amato
I am SO behind!! 

I posted a review of  

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

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Have you ever read a book that inspired you to take up a cause? What book was it, and what is/was the cause?

I have read a lot of books which has made me think and I have taken up a cause or two. One is child abuse. Two is drugs. Anti-drugs. I can't remember names of those books but these two causes hve stayed with me.

Saturday Snapshot - June 25

My girls waiting to go live on stage for a short play I had directed, December 10, 2010

Click on the photo to embiggen!
Posted for Saturday Snapshot, hosted by Alyce of At Home With books.

Book Blogger Hop/Follow me/Friday Find

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  Book Blogger Hop, is hosted by Jennifer (Crazy-For-Books), and Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java

Jennifer asks, “When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?”

Right from seven years of age. I have always with a book. Anywhere. Everywhere.

ParaJunkee asks, "In light of the Summer Solstice. Also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?"

All those childhood ones, I think. Cinderella tops!

Do feel free to explore my blog. You will definitely find something that interests you as I read wide range of genres, except maybe for a few. I also write poetry. You can read that on my other blog, rooted. Now go, explore both of my blogs! And follow them, if you like!! I follow blogs I like via Google Reader...

Enjoy!

Friday Find:

The Mayfair Mysteries: The Case of the Ruby Necklace

FOUR best friends, ONE priceless necklace and an actress with TWO personalities...

For Lauren and her friends, living in a luxury London hotel definitely has its perks... Like getting to meet the glamorous Isabella Duval when the megastar checks into Mayfair Park’s exclusive Ruby Suite. But it seems that there are two sides to their famous guest.

Can the girls find out which is the real Isabella... and which is the act?

This seems like a children's mystery novel. But so what?

Booking through Soundtrack

What, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you’re reading? (Given a choice, of course!)

I prefer soft music while reading. Symphony music is better. It helps me concentrate on my reading. I can block out outer noises that way.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Book Blogging!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week, we get a theme to list our top tens. 

This week's Top Ten is:  Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Book Blogging!

Here I go:

1) I get to know about new books!
2) I also read about new genres
3) The world has become smaller for me.
4) I love to get comments
5) All those memes help in building a community
6) I can talk about books ad nauseam and don't have to worry if anyone is bored.
7) I have a poetry blog where I post my poetry and meet many other poets.
8) Blogging has honed my writing skills
9) The days I don't read books, I read blogs!
10) Blogging is not a hobby, it is a passion!!!

Teaser Tuesday: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

"Henry appears, doing up his cuff links. He's wet, dirty, and unshaven. He looks about forty. But he's here, and he gives me a triumphant smile as he walks through the doors of the church and down the aisle." ~~Page 102,  The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger


Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
ISBN:  978-0156029438
Publisher: Vintage Books
Pages: 615

The Time Traveler’s Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger is an unconventional love story story, between Henry and Clare. Henry is a Time Traveler who has no control over it. He travels in and out of any of his chronological age. But Clare is a normal person. They meet unconventionally and the decision is already made for them that they will marry, which they do. Henry waits for Clare to grow up before he can even think of having a relationship with her. Clare does seem impatient at times, to have a physical relationship with the man she fell in love when she was only a child. 

Henry De Tamble is suffering from a rare genetic disorder called Chrono Displacement. This is what makes him time travel and he meets his future wife in one of those travels. From there, their love story starts. Clare is aware that Henry can't be there for her always. But she loves him and they do manage to live an amazing life. They do have problems but love is so strong that they survive.

It is written as short diary entries, going back and forth, which can a bit confusing initially but falls into place after a while. One might find it a little confusing in the beginning but soon the pieces fit together, and it is easy to get lost in the world of Henry and Clare. 

This is not a novel which goes from one point to other. It takes off tangentially. And everything fits together well. Not a novel to be taken lightly. And not for everyone. Those who like different kind of novel, will love it. As I did.

Mondays: Mailbox/What Are You Reading/Musings

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. Brook of  TheBluestocking Guide  is hosting for the month of June.

I received one book, unsolicited, in my mailbox, thanks to Hachette India! 

The Abduction by John Grisham:

Theodore Boone is back in a new adventure, and the stakes are higher than ever. When his best friend, April, disappears from her bedroom in the middle of the night, no one, not even Theo Boone-who knows April better than anyone-has answers. As fear ripples through his small hometown and the police hit dead ends, it's up to Theo to use his legal knowledge and investigative skills to chase down the truth and save April. Filled with the page-turning suspense that made John Grisham a #1 international bestseller and the undisputed master of the legal thriller, Theodore Boone's trials and triumphs will keep readers guessing until the very end.

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I am currently reading Other Eyes by Barbara D'Amato

I am SO behind in my reviews! Sometimes I feel why should pressure myself to write reviews!

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Do you like movies made from books? Which ones do you think have been done well — kept mostly to the plot of the book, etc?

I prefer to read books. I do like the Harry Potter movies though. Both are good in their own ways. I must mention here that I don't like Jane Austen novels but I can watch the movies. Strange, isn't it?

TSS/Weekly Geeks 2011 - 20: Tech & Reading

Weekly Geeks asks the following. Answer any/or all:

Did you have a hard and fast mindset in regards to your reading a year ago? (paperback, ebooks etc)

Yes. I had not been prepared to read e-books some months back.

Are  you still true to that format?

No. Now I am somewhat flexible. Open for e-books.

If you have tried another format (ebook, audio) – Share your experience?

I don't own an e-reader but I did download Kindle for PC and read a few books on that. I liked the experience.

What was it that made you tried something out of your comfort zone?

I just wanted to check out Kindle so Kindle for PC sound good to me!

If you have not tried another format – Why?

N/A

Give a brief over view of where you are at with your reading now, eg, load of paperback lying round, or the out of sight out of mind e-reader putting your mind at each or life as you know it have toss you a curve ball and forced you to think outside of the box?

I am still with paperbooks. And lot of free e books on the Kindle on PC.

How do you feel about different output method now?

I don't feel much different!

Saturday Snapshot - June 18

A lone white dove. Rarity in our vicinity. I was successful in catching it from my balcony

Posted for Saturday Snapshot, hosted by Alyce of At Home With books.

Book Blogger Hop/Follow me/Friday Find

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  Book Blogger Hop, is hosted by Jennifer (Crazy-For-Books), and Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java

Jennifer asks, “How many books are currently in your To-Be-Read (TBR) Pile?”

Groan!! 350+ that I own and much, much more I don't!

ParaJunkee asks, "Genre Wars! What's your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?"

Crime Fiction. The Perry Mason novels by Erly Stanley Gardner are responsible for it!!

Booking Through Interactive

With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.

How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?

I prefer little distraction while reading. The interaction should be between the reader and the printed word, which creates vivid images in the mind. I have learnt the meaning of new words just by reading, never looking into a dictionary. Reading has to be unadulterated.

Teaser Tuesday: The Nesting Dolls by Gail Bowen

It’s not easy for a man in a wheelchair and an able-bodied woman to embrace, but Zack and I had had practice. When my husband ran his hand up my leg, he groaned with pleasure. “You’re wearing the black slip,” he said. “God, I love this slip.”

~The Nesting Dolls by Gail Bowen

Product Description from Amazon


Just hours before her body is found in a car in a parking lot, a young woman hands her baby to a perfect stranger and disappears. The stranger is the daughter of Delia Wainberg, a lawyer in the same firm as Joanne Kilbourn's husband. One close look at the child suggests that there might be a family relationship, and soon the truth about the child Delia gave up for adoption years ago comes out. The boy must be Delia's grandson. Then his mother is found dead, sexually assaulted and murdered. Not only is there a killer on the loose, but the dead woman's partner is demanding custody of the child.

Mondays: Mailbox/What AM I reading?/Musings

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. Brook of  TheBluestocking Guide  is hosting for the month of June.

I received two books in my mailbox, thanks to Hachette India! 

The Rome Prophecy by Jon Trace:

 A woman has been arrested on the streets of Rome. She's young. She's beautiful. She's covered in blood. And she claims to be on the run from a mighty power that centuries ago brought the eternal city to its knees. Ex-priest Tom Shaman teams up with a headstrong policewoman to unravel the mystery. But within Rome's churches and corridors of power, stealthy enemies are conspiring against them. And someone is re-enacting sinister legends from the city's bloody past...Loaded with action that rockets from gothic plazas through majestic cathedrals and into the vast catacombs lurking beneath the city, this electrifying thriller will dazzle fans of Dan Brown and Chris Kuzneski.
Murder in the Ashram by Kathleen McCaul 

Ruby Jones has moved to Delhi to pursue her dreams of becoming an international news journalist. But when the body of Stephen Newby, her flatmate and best friend, is pulled from the Yamuna River - and the mystery around his death becomes more and more mysterious - she puts her investigative instincts to good use as she tries to uncover who's responsible.

Ruby's questions take her deeper and deeper into the world of Indian policing - and into the heart of a yoga ashram. She discovers that the yoga world isn't always the calm, spiritual place advertised, but that beneath the breathing exercises and dog poses lies something sinister - something that she's certain points to dark, hidden secrets that could have huge repercussions for all involved if discovered . . .

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I am currently reading The Nesting Dolls by Gail Bowen

Posted review of:

Before I go to sleep by S J Watson


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What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

I can recall too many books. Recent one was The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. After halfway through, I couldn't put it down. Before that Room by Emma Donoghue.

Sunday Salon: May Wrap up and Hair talks!

I finished 12 books in May. As I have been a bit slow in my reading, this came as a surprise. A few are e-books but so what? I am way behind in my reviews. Sometime I think should I bother writing reviews? Am not so sure about that.

Here are the books I read in May:

12) Borderlands by Brian McGilloway (CF)
11) Caribou Island by David Vann
10) The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly(CF)
9) The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger*
8) Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson*
7) Room by Emma Donoghue**
6) His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
5) The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress by Lynne Graham
4) Married by Mistake Abby Gains
3) Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
2) Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
1) The Wicked House of Rohan by Anne Stuart

I read Aisle B's post today and she has mentioned Johanna Lindsey's lovely locks! Thought I ought to show mine! Why not?!! AS you can see I have jet black hair. I keep it braided as shown here. Left open, it is totally unmanageable!! Those who are on FB might have seen me with long hair! Folks, what do you think! Should I cut it off? Thinking about it. 

Friday Find: Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

“In this debut novel, Beatrice is informed of her sister's disappearance and she returns home to London to fulfill what she assumes will be her usual big-sister-role over the free-spirited Tess. Instead, when Tess is found dead by apparent suicide, Beatrice delves into her life and becomes obsessed with solving what she believes to be a case of murder. Beatrice's recounting of her sister's death becomes a letter of tribute to Tess and touches the reader with the depth of a sister's bond. Written with a clever twist, Sister is both poignant and captivating.”

Book Blogger Hop/Follow me

Follow Friday, is hosted by ParaJunkee,  Book Blogger Hop, is hosted by Jennifer (Crazy-For-Books), and Follow Friday 40 and over is hosted by Java

Lori asks, "Who is one author you are dying to meet?"

Shakespeare. I can meet him only after dying!

ParaJunkee asks,

"The magic book fairy pops out of your cereal box and says "you and your favorite character (from a book of course) can switch places!" Who are you going to switch with?"

Harry Potter!

Booking through Own and Borrow

All things being equal (money, space, etc), would you rather own copies of the books you read? Or borrow them?

To be short, I would want to own them. But if I think about it, there are books, I seldom ever re-read (who has the time?). I would prefer to borrow those. I buy a lot and also get free review copies, which I do pass on to my nieces, nephews, friends, old age homes or orphanages. 

It is not practical to keep those books which I am not going to read again. From an initial yes for owning, I am saying, it is better to borrow. I already own 2500+books. No place for more...

What about you?

Top Ten favorite book settings

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week, we get a theme to list our top tens. 

This week's Top Ten is: Top Ten favorite book settings

This is something one has to think about. Let's see:

1) Ancient Rome: I can read anything to do with it. 
2) Mayan Civilization. It always appeals to me
3) Russia: Any book set in Russia gets me going!
4) A deserted Cabin in the mountains
5) Trains: these are a metaphor for journey of life
6) Venice
7) Any European city for Crime Fiction
8) Alaska. Somehow the cold, bleak place makes sense for life's struggles
9) Victorian Era
10) Of course, Hogwarts!!

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Teaser Tuesday: Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson

‘You had an accident,’ he says. ‘A bad accident. You suffered head injuries. You have problems remembering things."

Page 14, Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson

Title: Before I Go To Sleep
Author: S J Watson
ISBN: 978-0062060556
Publisher: Harper/2011
Pages: 368

Before I Go to Sleep is very normal, based in a suburban and is replete with ordinary descriptions. This normality enhances the impact of the novel. The everyday occurrences keep us anticipating.

Chrissie has lost her memory in an "accident", as told by her husband Ben. She can't remember anything other than what happened in the last 24 hours. That is, if she falls asleep, she forgets everything. She does not recognize anyone, not even her husband. Every morning she has to be told, who she is, who Ben is and if they have any children...Every morning is terrifying for her.

Dr Nash, unknown to her husband, is trying to treat her. He encourages her to keep a journal, to write everything she can recall before she fall asleep. It is through her journal that Chrissie can learn about her own past, her own life. Before going to sleep, she tells Dr Nash where she keeps her journal and each morning he reminds her of that.

Chrissie recalls so many important things about her life and writes it all down, unknown to her husband. She also remembers writing a novel, which her husband has kept hidden from her. And there are other facts like her having a son, who is killed in the Iraq war. There is no picture of her with her husband or son and she wants to know why. And she is told they lost it all when there was a fire.

The reader anticipates something is not right. And Chrissie struggles through her haphazard memory to learn more. To be able to recreate her life via her journal..Then she finds something about herself and also her husband. This makes her question everything.

What conspiracies are working against her? Who really is her husband. Is he what he claims? Is he true to her? The story may seem mundane at times but it has that tight feel, that suspense which keeps us totally involved in the novel. It questions us if we can survive a memory loss of any kind. It is a frightening aspect.

Mondays: Mailbox/What AM I reading?/Musings

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. Brook of  TheBluestocking Guide  is hosting for the month of May.

I received none in my mailbox! 

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I finished the following book:

1)  Silent Partner by Jennifer Chase

And in the midst of reading 

1) Far to Go by Alison Pick

Posted review of 

1) Room By Emma Donoghue

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Where is your favorite place to read?

My sofa. I sit in a corner and read away to glory!

TSS/Weekly Geeks: 2011-18: You Decide

Book Bloggers Friends, do participate in WEEKLY GEEKS. It is posted every Saturday. You have one full week to do it. It is one the oldest memes in the book blogging world started by late Dewey. Don't let it fade away. We owe it to her for bringing the book blogging community together. Please do check it out.

This week's Weekly Geeks has two options. You can chose to do any or both. I will do both!

Option 1: Write a post (or leave a comment) with suggestions for future weekly geek topics! Share as many ideas as you'd like! Be as creative as you want. Or if you can't think of any "new" topics of your own, consider listing your top five topics from the past, from our archives.

I suppose we have almost covered everything in Weekly Geeks. Yet there is always scope for more. Here are few of my suggestions:

1) Recommend poetry books to non-poetry readers. You can quote your favourite piece of poetry in your posts. Or if you are not a poetry reader, you can search the net and find out about poets/poetry and tell us here. Geekers are welcome to share their own poetry too. And links of poetry sites!

2) Go out, look around and write a paragraph on what you observe. Consider yourself a writer. Add photographs, if you can

3) Create a Collage on a piece of drawing sheet, about book titles, authors, quotes and post the picture for us. You can hang the Collage in your Room! You will love it.

4) Talk about your favorite book/current read to a complete stranger and tell us your experience. I have done it with mixed reactions!

5) Watch your favourite news channel. And write a Book Title based on that. Of course, you are the author. Tell us about the programme and why you think your title is appropriate.

Option 2: Write a post about your genre prejudices or your genre allergies. (I tend to be allergic to westerns, for example.) Are there genres that you haven't read that you avoid at all costs? Are there genres that you don't take seriously? Would you be willing to try something new? (Or someone new!) Consider asking for recommendations and challenge yourself to get outside your comfort zone a bit. Alternatively, you may want to write a post about one of your favorite genres and recommend titles to newbies. Which books would you recommend to those readers who are new to that genre?

I am allergic to YA fiction, particularly, the fantasy stuff, zombie novels, and paranormal ones. They seem to be repetitive with nothing new in them. I have tried to read a few but I can't get into those. 

I want to read Science Fiction. May I please have some recommendations?

I read a lot of Crime Fiction. Feel free to explore my blog and pick and choose. I only pick the best!