Posts
All Comments
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 pick : Top Ten Book Romances That You Think Would Make It In The Real World
We the Living by Ayn Rand:
The book starts with.....
"Kira Arguonova entered Petrograd on the threshold of a box car. She stood straight, motionless, with the graceful indifference of a traveler on a luxurious ocean liner, with an old blue suit of faded cloth, with slender sunburned legs and no stockings. She had an old piece of plaid silk around her neck and short tousled hair, and a stockingcap with a bright yellow tassel. She had a calm mouth and slightly widened eyes witha defiant, enraptured, solemnly and fearfully expectant look of a warrior who is entering a strange city and is not quite sure whether he is entering it as a conqueror or a captive."
Taken from Wikipedia:
The story takes place from 1922 to 1925, in post-revolutionary Russia
A heroine like Kira has two men in her life, Leo and Andrei....Kira loves Leo and Andrei loves Kira.....
Kira and Leo are shown to be united by their desperate lives, and their lofty beliefs that ran counter to what were being thrust on them by the State. After a couple of meetings, when they share their deep contempt for the state of their lives, the two plan to escape together from the land, on a clandestine mission operated by secret ships. He contracts tuberculosis and is prescribed treatment and recuperation in a sanatorium in Crimea in the South. Kira's efforts to finance his treatment fail, and her passionate appeals to the authorities to get State help for his stay at the sanatorium fall on deaf ears.
Andrei, an equally important person in Kira's life, is portrayed by Rand as a man of character, resolve, and an unassailable loyalty to his party and ideology. Despite his political beliefs, Kira finds him to be the one person she could trust, and with whom she could discuss her most intimate thoughts and views. Not even Leo could fulfill that role for her. Andrei's affection and respect for Kira knows no bounds, and it slowly turns into love. Worried what this might do to their "beautiful and rare" friendship, he starts avoiding Kira. Kira misses him, and needs his help. Eventually when she confronts him in his house, Andrei explains his avoidance of her and confesses his love for her. Kira is dismayed at first, but recovers to find in it a way to finance Leo's treatment. Reluctant, but in desperation, she feigns love for Andrei, and agrees to become his mistress in return for the promise of complete secrecy about their relationship. Kira is never comfortable with what she was doing with her body, but is even more frightened by "what she was doing to another man's soul".
Kira remains loyal to her love for Leo until the end, and says at one point, "When a person dies, one does not stop loving him, does one?"
I feel that such situations happen in real life and love does drive one to madness..
Only one novel....and this is it...
He disappeared into a utility closet, came out the other side onto a landing which led to another hidden staircase. In decades past, this had been used to haul convicts from the jail to the main courtroom to face the wrath of the judges, but now it was seldom used.
Title: Theodore Boone: The Accused
Author: John Grisham
ISBN: 9781444757194
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton/2012
Pages: 288
Synopsis: [From the back cover]
Theodore Boone is the thirteen-year-old who knows more about the law than most adult lawyers. He certainly never expected to be a victim of crime himself. But then his bike is vandalized, he's attacked while doing his homework. and, worst of all, framed for robbery.
When stolen computer equipment turns up in Theo's school locker, the police start leaning on him hard. And he is the only suspect. What if he's found guilty? What about his dreams of becoming a lawyer?
In a race against time, aided by his renegade uncle, Ike, Theo must find the rel felon and reveal the true motivation behind the crimes of which he stands accused.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My views:
Theo's bike is vandalized, someone throws a rock at his window while he is doing his homework, and most of the stolen computer equipment are found in his school locker. The police get an anonymous call and Theo is the prime suspect for the robbery.
Theo has nightmares of being put in jail and everyone calling him a jailbird. It went on and on. Then his Uncle tells him to steal the password of his parents filing system in the computer. Pre-teens are easily influenced and might end up thinking it is the done thing!
I do like Grisham novels but this one did not appeal to me.
Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham
The story starts with Sienna. Sienna cuts herself. “you want to know the reason? you want to know why someone would want to bleed in secret? it’s because i deserve it. i deserve to be punished. to punish myself. love is pain and pain is love….you think you understand me. you don’t. i bleed for you.”
This book gets right to the business of sucking you in as a reader as any good crime fiction should. Ex-detective Ray Hegarty is found in a pool of blood in his teenage daughter Sienna's bedroom. She is found covered in his blood. It looks like a clear cut case of the daughter murdering the father. The protagonist, Professor Joe O’Loughlin is made investigating psychologist on the case. Sienna happens to be his daughter Charlie's friend. When Joe starts his work of analyzing Sienna, murky details start coming up, with the murderer being someone totally unexpected.
Professor O’Loughlin is battling the onset of Parkinson’s disease, along with battling separation from his wife and daughters. Parallel to the main story, we also get to know about the trial of a boy who has been accused of burning an entire family of immigrants to death. It seems like a racial hate crime. There are many issues dealt with in the book, e.g., psychopathic murderers, child abuse, and racism all dealt in a very plausible manner.
I teach young girls like Sienna and Charlie. At certain points, the novel scared me. It does deal with teenage issues, like anguish, conflicted emotions and confusion. The novel resonated with me. Yes, I recommend this novel. To all crime fiction readers and also for teachers as well as parents. Do you really know what goes inside your child's mind?
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. 5 Minutes For Books hosting MM for the month of August.
My mailbox was empty last week. Hope I get a few in the coming week. However, I downloaded a few galleys from Netgalley.
1) Waiting For Zoe by James Russell Ament
2) Montana Dreams by Jillian Hart
3) Deserving of his Diamonds by Melanie Milburne
4) Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantler
5) Luz Sees the Light by Claudia Dávila
6) The River by Michael Neale
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey
I finished reading:
Love's Portrait by Monica Burns
The Marriage Price by Alma Katsu
Oceans Between Us by Helen Scott Taylor
This Side Of Eden by Derrick St. James
Sea Scoundrel by Annette Blair
Montana Dreams by Jillian Hart
I am in the midst of reading:
Varied Novels!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?
I usually do not snack while eating but I do, I pick up crispies, rice crispies being my favourite. In summer, I like a tall glass of iced lemon tea...
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.
It was Krishna Janmashtami (Lord Krishna's Birthday) yesterday. I had gone to Sri Jagannath Temple, Hauz Khas, Delhi. Took some pictures. Posting a few here.....Click on the photos to embiggen....
 |
| Look at the flooring |
 |
| Everyone seems to be taking pictures |
 |
| Floral cradle for the birth of Lord Krishna |
 |
| People queuing up for food coupons |
From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday. The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review. (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.
Today I am showcasing Blue Collar Eulogies by Michael Meyerhofer, a poetry book.
Blue Collar Eulogies
Synopsis
Blue Collar Eulogies is the second full-length book of poems by Michael Meyerhofer, the award-winning author of Leaving Iowa. Poet Dorianne Laux says, Michael Meyerhofer takes us with him everywhere he goes, from the back rooms of hash-slingers to the Star of Africa. He weighs a whale's brain and imagines the cattle-dark eyes of Neanderthals. I like these poems, kinetic and half-crazed, they remind me that poetry is an explosion, that energy plus mass equals a dark magic.
Paperback: 100 pages
Name a book you love in a genre you normally don’t care for. What made you decide to read it? Did it make you want to try more in that genre?
I loved reading Stolen by Lucy Christopher, a YA novel. It had many rave reviews in the book blogs I visit. So I thought to pick it up. It is about a girl who goes missing. As I teach young girls, I thought why not read it. I have tried a few more YA novels but not much. Maybe if I find interesting stuff, I will go for that.
What genre do you avoid reading and why?
I cannot stand paranormal stuff. The weird creatures and erotic stuff totally put me off.
Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts this weekly meme. The idea is that you post the opening paragraph (sometimes maybe a few ) of a book you decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
I am posting the opening paragraph of The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry.
Tom Sagan gripped the gun. He'd thought about this moment for the past year, debating the pros and cons, finally deciding that one pro outweighed all cons.
He simply did not want to live any longer.
He'd once been an investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times, knocking down a solid six figure salary, his marquee by-line generating one front page, above-the-fold story after another. He'd worked all over the world-Sarajevo, Beijing, Johannesburg, Belgrade, and Moscow. But the Middle East became his specialty, a place he came to know intimately, where his reputation had been forged. His confidential files were once filled with hundreds of willing sources, people who knew he'd protect them at all costs. He'd proved that when he spent eleven days in a D.C. jail for failing to reveal his source on a story about a corrupt Pennsylvania congressman.
That man had gone to prison.
Tom had received his third Pulitzer nomination.
There were twenty-one awarded categories. One was for 'distinguished investigative reporting by an individual or team, reported as a single newspaper article or a series.' Winners received a certificate, $10,000, and the ability to add three precious words-Pulitzer Prize winner-to their name.
He won his.
But they took it back.
Which seemed the story of his life.
Everything had been taken back.
"Beth was beset by disturbing dreams; rapid firing images flashed before her eyes – a car screeching down a country road, a yellow duck, her father’s face. She awoke with a start. Why am I dreaming about my father after all of these years?”
Title: Firefly Beach
Author: Meira Pentermann
ISBN: 978-0982417089
Publisher: Lyrical Press/2009
Pages: 316
Beth moves into a small town in the coast of Maine. She rents out a house and sets up a deal with the local antique store to sell her paintings. She is preparing for a new start to her life. She needs to escape the demons in her life. And then she meets a "firefly’ who is seemingly is awaiting her arrival. The Firefly leads her to a diary of a girl Katherine, who was the daughter of her landlord and had disappeared 36 years ago. No one knows what happened to Katherine.
Beth sets about to find the mystery behind Katherine's disappearance. With a unique plot, a bit of supernatural element and good writing, one gets engrossed in the story.
Mary and Abigail, are another two characters which are typical ladies from a small community running the only inn in the town. Then there is this jeweller Kenny, who is an enigma. The novel is not as simple as it seems. It has a complicated plot, weird and interesting characters and a firefly which is the thick of things.
