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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. October host is Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair.
I received the following novels, thanks to the authors/publicists:
Click on the covers to know more.
Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.
As I am single, I do not have kids of my own. I love children and adore my nephews and nieces. But they have all grown up and we do not get to see each other that often. Here I am playing with a five year old son of a young friend of mine. Believe it or not, we also fight!!
Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn
We look like the perfect family, and I'm happy to pretend.
Father Kimball looks down at his parish. “Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ, beloved children of God…”
Beside me, Drew squirms. Gordon’s firm squeeze of his knee stops the squiggling. I take Drew’s hand in mine to keep him still. No one in our small clan has an iron bladder. I slide my eyes in a sidelong glance at Gordon. His jaw is set tight. He won't be happy if Drew gets up in the middle of the sermon. Of course, he’ll be even less happy if Drew wets himself.
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After a very long time, I finished a novel at one go as I couldn't put it down. I read it in 4 hours straight finishing at 3 AM. It is a disturbing novel about domestic violence. Something which is as old as time itself. Domestic violence does not get reported much. People do not come out in the open. The victim feels it is always her fault. That she deserves the beatings and the insults. The children are the worst sufferers.
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. October host is Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair.
I received the following novels, thanks to the authors/publicists:
1) Tampa by Alissa Nutting
Celeste Price is an eighth-grade English teacher in suburban Tampa. She's undeniably attractive. She drives a red Corvette with tinted windows. Her husband, Ford, is rich, square-jawed, and devoted to her.
But Celeste's devotion lies elsewhere. She has a singular sexual obsession—fourteen-year-old boys. Celeste pursues her craving with sociopathic meticulousness and forethought; her sole purpose in becoming a teacher is to fulfill her passion and provide her access to her compulsion. As the novel opens, fall semester at Jefferson Jr. High is beginning.
In mere weeks, Celeste has chosen and lured the lusciously naive Jack Patrick into her web. Jack is enthralled and in awe of his teacher, and, most important, willing to accept Celeste's terms for a secret relationship—car rides after school; rendezvous at Jack's house while his single father works late; body-slamming encounters in Celeste's empty classroom between periods.
2) Isle of the Dead by Alex Connor
In 15th century Venice it is a dangerous time to be alive. A permanent winter has rolled in over the canals and bodies keep washing up on the banks of the city. These bodies are especially hard to identify, since they have been skinned.
In the present day, a famous portrait by Titian has been discovered. Its subject: the 15th century suspected murderer Angelico Vespucci. The skins of Vespucci's victims were never found, so his guilt was never proven. Although it is rumoured that when the portrait arises, so will the man. And when flayed bodies start turning up all over the world, it looks like this is more than just a superstition. A murderer has been called back to life, and he is hungry for revenge.
3) This is Rage by Ken Goldstein
This is the story of Investors, Bankers, and Operators in Silicon Valley and the variation on real they’re creating for our consumption.
This is the story of a disgraced shock jock turned Internet radio phenomenon and how he becomes the catalyst he never imagined being.
This is the story of two entrepreneurs-turned kidnappers-turned anti-heroes.
This is business in the Twenty-first Century.
This is the unpredictability of the human element.
This is rage.
4) No Dawn for Men by James LePore and Carlos Davis
In 1938, Nazi Germany prepares to extend its reach far beyond its borders. The key to domination lies in a secret that would make their army not only unbeatable, but un-killable.
MI-6, knowing that something potentially devastating is developing, recruits scholar and novelist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien to travel to Germany to find out what this might be, using the German popularity of his children’s novel THE HOBBIT as cover. Joining him there is MI-6 agent Ian Fleming, still years away from his own writing career but posing as a Reuters journalist. Together, Tolkien and Fleming will get to the heart of the secret and they will face a fury greater than even their prodigious imaginations considered possible.
5) Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn
If I stay, he will kill me. If I leave, he'll destroy Addie and Drew.
Jillian Kane appears to have it all - a successful career, a gorgeous home, a loving husband, and two wonderful children. The reality behind closed doors is something else entirely. For nine years, she has hid the bruises and the truth of her abusive marriage in order to protect Addie and Drew, knowing, if she left, Gordon would destroy her-destroy them.
When, in an act of desperation, she flees, her worst nightmare is realized, and she finds herself on the run with her two young children, no money, and no plan. With Gordon in hot pursuit, there is only one inescapable certainty: No matter where she goes, he will find her. Kill her. And take her children.
A riveting page-turner, HUSH LITTLE BABY exposes the shame and terror of domestic violence as well as the disturbing role manipulation and sabotage can play in the high-stakes game of child custody. Suspenseful and unforgettably moving, it's a novel about the unbreakable bonds of family and the astounding, terrifying devotion of a mother's love.
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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.
I finished reading:
A Stranger in Wynnedower by Grace Green
The Other Sister by Leanne Davis
I am in the midst of reading:
The Ares Decision by Robert Ludlum and Kyle Mills
The Aryavarta Chronicles Book 1: Govinda by Krishna Udayasankar
Gifts Not Yet Given by Kergan Edwards-Stout
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It is from the archives. I used to go to poetry readings. I am posting pictures from one of those meetings.
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| As she reads out, we listen enthralled!! |
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| Coaxing the little girl to recite a poem for us! |
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. October host is Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair.
I received the following two novels from hachette India. I had received the Book 2: Kaurava of The Aryavarta Chronicles and requested for the book 1, which was sent to me in within two days.
1) The Aryavarta Chronicles Book 1: Govinda by Krishna Udayasankar:
HONOUR. DESIRE. VENGEANCE.
Aryavarta – the ancient realm of the noble.
For generations, the Firstborn dynasty of scholar-sages, descendants of Vasishta Varuni and protectors of the Divine Order on earth, has dominated here. For just as long, the Angirasa family of Firewrights, weapon-makers to the kings and master inventors, has defied them. In the aftermath of the centuries-long conflict between the two orders, the once-united empire of Aryavarta lies splintered, a shadow of its former glorious self.
Now, the last Secret Keeper of the Firewrights is dead, killed by a violent hand, and the battle for supreme power in the empire is about to begin.
As mighty powers hurtle towards a bloody conflict, Govinda Shauri, cowherd-turned-prince and now Commander of the armies of Dwaraka, must use all his cunning to counter deception and treachery if he is to protect his people and those whom he loves.
But who holds the key to the fantastic and startling knowledge of the Firewrights, which in the wrong hands will bring doom upon the empire? And does Govinda have it in him to confront the dark secrets of his past and discover the true meaning of being Arya, of being noble?
2) End of Story? by Arjun Shekhar:
Is someone out there tinkering with our minds? Shukrat Ali, a news anchor at Khulasa, the
‘tabloid’ current affairs channel, is out of a job.TV channels across the country have closed down as a consequence of a Supreme Court ban on electronic advertising. An inquiry is on regarding the emergence of a sinister new form of ads the media has dubbed ‘propagandads’, which uses compelling subliminal messages to subtly rewire people’s minds and influence their actions.Even as Shukrat grapples with the question: ‘How does an anchor move on?’ he is summoned to testify in the trial concerning the killing of his ex-boss, Satya Saachi Sengupta, the mysterious and towering figure in his life, whose connections with this insidious mind manipulation scheme can no longer be denied.Being a key witness present at the scene of the crime, Shukrat must prepare to bare all before the court and tread carefully lest his testimony boomerangs on him.Gripping and darkly humorous, End of Story? is an intriguing and intelligent thriller about the dystopian possibilities of everyday advertising.Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.
This is NOT good. It is hour 4 and I have not started reading as yet. Not my fault. Of all day, today I had to go out for various reason. I just couldn't avoid that. But as they say, better late than never. So here I am starting NOW.
And read what? I will read a novel based on one of our Epics. The Aryavarta Chronicles Book 1: Govinda by Krishna Udayasankar.
Pouches made from scraps. The first one is made by my mom. The other three are made by me. I do have interests other than reading. I can sew well. Not as good as my mom but decent enough....
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. October host is Gina @ Book Dragon's Lair.
I received the following two novels from hachette India:
1) The Book of Why by Nicholas Montemarano:
Eric Newborn is used to dealing with people whose lives are in crisis; he's the bestselling author of several motivational books, and an inspirational speaker. When Eric's wife dies, he finds that grief renders him helpless. There is no easy cure, no platitude to comfort him, no replacement with which to fill the deep trough of his loss. So he retreats, with his female dog, Ralph, to his isolated home on Martha's Vineyard. Five years later, on a wild, storm-wracked night, a car crashes at the end of Eric's lane and a woman turns up at his door, seeking help. Sam is a fan who has tracked him down, convinced that Eric will sort out the co-incidences that have both destroyed and coloured her life. As Eric and Sam spin around one another like constellations in a greater universe, they set out to search for answers to their questions, and to find some meaning in the signs that we all see. A powerful love story and an evocative exploration of the mechanics of the soul, THE BOOK OF WHY is a tender, thought-provoking novel which also addresses intricate questions about the nature of human joy.
2) The Aryavarta Chronicles Book 2: Kaurava by Krishna Udayasankar:
One of my favourite temples in Delhi. I visited this on September 30.
