tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44634864636915687052024-03-06T07:39:53.164+05:30Dreamcatcher's LairA brown girl rambles about books she loves.Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-72197467672946031402020-09-26T02:39:00.003+05:302020-09-26T02:42:47.931+05:30This blog has MOVED!<p>I know. I know. It has been ages. </p><p>Five years to be exact, since the last time there was any activity on this blog.</p><p>I'm OLD now. And I'm in a totally different place in life than I was when I first started this blog or even when I made the last entry on this blog.</p><p>Plus, we're in the middle of a global pandemic now. Yikes.</p><p>But if there's one thing that this pandemic has taught me, it is that being isolated by yourself, without access to even those you thought the closest, while the fear of disease and death looms over your head, makes you turn back to those things that have always been your safe space.</p><p>Yes, my life has been very, very different, but what hasn't changed is my almost obsessive love for YA literature (I'm 30 now, but who cares!) and my obnoxious tendency to hoard more books than I have shelf space for. </p><p>After six months of staying at home and devouring and hoarding all the books my now reduced salary (no thanks to Covid 19) can allow me to have, I'm resurrecting this blog.</p><p>Just a little differently.</p><p>I'm now shifting to Wordpress, because I think it will allow me to do more with the blog. I loved being on Blogger and I'm so grateful to the fantastic blogger community I became a part of here, but I've grown, and I guess now it's time for this blog to grow too. Be a bit more professional, perhaps. Take book blogging seriously enough to not let go of it again.</p><p>I've spent the last two weeks debating and brainstorming and wondering if anyone will even want to read this blog anymore considering it has been defunct for half a decade now, but then I started looking at all the new books on Netgalley and thought I'd shoot my shot, and who would have guessed, but two days later I woke up to an email from a publisher asking me to be a part of the blog tour of one of my most anticipated reads of 2020.</p><p>If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.</p><p>And even if it isn't, at least I tried. :)</p><p>So this is me giving this blog a second chance in a new avatar. If you're still interested and have stayed with me this long, you will find an archive of my old posts there although a lot of them are disorganized. </p><p>I hope you will join me on my book journey on <a href="https://chaiandchapters.com/">Chai and Chapters</a>.</p><p>See you around. </p>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-438708161576738942015-10-08T19:36:00.000+05:302015-10-11T13:40:08.390+05:30The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh668u7K66dj_Xn1Msm9ypkQ9eM6BcDV5va_QlurrsQxZQVAc9JzR_j6WJazdW7KgZGzMcLXQVYJZG8QtjNCeG1hRTPuoT-fk6cDs3BCMvQK_rmBbVpill82H9TOj6-2Fxyxc0Hk9eUNDg/s1600/ordinary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh668u7K66dj_Xn1Msm9ypkQ9eM6BcDV5va_QlurrsQxZQVAc9JzR_j6WJazdW7KgZGzMcLXQVYJZG8QtjNCeG1hRTPuoT-fk6cDs3BCMvQK_rmBbVpill82H9TOj6-2Fxyxc0Hk9eUNDg/s320/ordinary.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Vast Fields of Ordinary</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">by <a href="http://nick-burd.com/" target="_blank"><b>Nick Burd</b></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Published on: May 1st, 2009</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9077786-the-vast-fields-of-ordinary" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's Dade's last summer at home, and things are pretty hopeless. He has a crappy job, a "boyfriend" who treats him like dirt, and his parents' marriage is falling apart. So when he meets and falls in love with the mysterious Alex Kincaid, Dade feels like he's finally experiencing true happiness. But when a tragedy shatters the final days of summer, he realizes he must face his future and learn how to move forward from his past.</span></span></blockquote>
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I read this book a year back. Yup. Long, long time. But just couldn't get around to talking about it because I tend to lose my coherence when I end up liking something (which, I understand, is a terrible thing to admit on a book blog but whattodo!).<br />
<br />
This book is one of my brother's favourites (the kind that he re-read so much that he actually lost count of how many times he has read it) and he gave it to me at this time last year when I had no idea what I was doing with my life and made the impulsive decision to shift from Calcutta to New Delhi again.<br />
<br />
Anyway. I moved to ND almost empty-handed (in terms of books, really) save for this. And thank god for that. What an ache-y, sensitive, beautiful book this was.<br />
<br />
I believe the true test of a book lies in holding your attention and making you feel, really <i>feel</i>, when you've shut yourself from the rest of the world and kind of hit rock bottom. Everything stops mattering at this point. And if a book ends up mattering, well, you can guess how good a book that must be,<br />
<br />
This is an extremely well-written book, exploring that time between high school and college when everything around you is changing and you are not quite sure if you want it to or maybe you're just torn between wanting it to and not wanting it to. Dade is at that point, wanting to leave high school and his town behind but not quite sure how to, especially when he falls in love with the strangely alluring Alex Kincaid (fictional crush alert, yup). This is a book about relationships, complicated relationships - between divorcing parents, between parents and children with secret lives, between lovers and ex lovers, and it's all very sensitively handled. It's a book with a big heart and it's essentially a bite of a-few-days-in-the-life-of-a-gay-teenager. And it's done beautifully. And that makes all the difference.<br />
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I don't know if Nick Burd has written any more books. I haven't come across any more but I wish he does, because I would read it. He is immensely talented. It takes a deft hand to make the everyday so beautiful and significant.<br />
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<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-74954956536986726222015-10-04T17:12:00.002+05:302015-10-04T17:22:10.861+05:30The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0t4vCp7CwrUbym2ExjB4TTfSqy8ZzXi1cw2dZd5wumSfK6ilLxfhKiskq-4o0RHdW9cOO60IBOkpMwy9-Z8gfO_-wvwJbduJoqGJfIq7cCWPdsHtbYORXhGASPVMgjjlbXY8ly5Cx-m4/s1600/achilles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0t4vCp7CwrUbym2ExjB4TTfSqy8ZzXi1cw2dZd5wumSfK6ilLxfhKiskq-4o0RHdW9cOO60IBOkpMwy9-Z8gfO_-wvwJbduJoqGJfIq7cCWPdsHtbYORXhGASPVMgjjlbXY8ly5Cx-m4/s320/achilles.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Song of Achilles</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">by <b>Madeline Miller</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Published: September, 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Winner of the Orange Prize, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11250317-the-song-of-achilles" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their difference, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't quite know where to begin with this book. When I finished it I wanted to talk about it immediately, but I refrained because I was too overwhelmed and I wanted to distance myself enough to look at it objectively.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Tried. Failed. Can't. It's been over a week and I'm still overwhelmed by it and I can't keep myself from talking about it anymore.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I LOVED THIS BOOK.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It destroyed me and I loved it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When I was in school, I was obsessed with the Trojan war and when Brad Pitt and Eric Bana came together to play Achilles and Hector in that terrible movie, my teenage hormones went into overdrive. Back then I used to read up every book I could find on the Trojan war. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Which makes you wonder what new thing could anyone offer on the Trojan war. It's been told and re-told and dealt with and done with. What else? Well, a love story maybe. And not the Helen-Paris kind which, honestly, makes me roll my eyes too much. But, hello, Achilles and Patroclus! Madeline Miller hits it just right. Of all the things that somebody dealing with an epic retelling could try to take up, this love story is the crux of this story. This is no Trojan war retelling. The Trojan war is just a by-the-way detour (albeit the most important one) of the many detours that come in the way of Achilles and Patroclus' story.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is quite possibly the greatest and most beautiful love story I've ever read. Madeline Miller has a way with words. She hits the right balance between literary and commercial. An epic setting and a glorious story of two boys from childhood to adulthood and thereafter. Of course, since I was familiar with the detailed story of the Trojan War, I knew where the book was heading and what would happen but that did not stop me, rather could not stop me, from reading this in one sitting. My housemate was appalled seeing that I had very conveniently skipped lunch and a bath and every other essential everyday thing for the book. When I finished the book at about 1 a.m. in the morning, in tears, right before the power went off for the next three hours, she was even further appalled. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">'I've never seen or heard you cry over a real person before,' she said. Oh, and she has known me for the last eight years.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Anywho. The point is, this book is going straight into my forever-favourites list. A week since reading it, just looking at the book on my shelf makes my heart all tight and big and it's funny how it does both those things at once but THIS BOOK IS SO BEAUTIFUL I WANT TO CRY WHENEVER I TALK ABOUT IT.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">AND I WANT TO TATTOO SOME OF THOSE LINES BECAUSE OMG SO GORGEOUS -</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.” </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret."</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Tell me." I loved it when he was like this.</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it."</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Why me?"</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Because you're the reason. Swear it."</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“This, I say. This and this. The way his hair looked in summer sun. His face when he ran. His eyes, solemn as an owl at lessons. This and this and this. So many moments of happiness, crowding forward.”</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">If you read only one book this year, let it be this.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>Do you like historical fiction?</b></span></span>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-76603923987994155682015-07-09T09:14:00.001+05:302015-07-09T09:14:06.568+05:30Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvUuo7xBI9coU3ZSo7RIWiT3ua-sBOyfV3Wowj9ge8YY_je275Bo6xIw0ix1JuHu9NS_XyuCKtkpCe-Hoa3EwmsVeqLNHTIJm_9WbXlnE8yS4Q8G3_Ye79oreCud0_ScIWAVS3sAezoY/s1600/everythingleadstoyou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvUuo7xBI9coU3ZSo7RIWiT3ua-sBOyfV3Wowj9ge8YY_je275Bo6xIw0ix1JuHu9NS_XyuCKtkpCe-Hoa3EwmsVeqLNHTIJm_9WbXlnE8yS4Q8G3_Ye79oreCud0_ScIWAVS3sAezoY/s320/everythingleadstoyou.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Everything Leads to You</b><br />
by Nina LaCour<br />
Published: May 15, 2014<br />
From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667779-everything-leads-to-you?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of—and behind—the camera from the award-winning author of<em>Hold Still.</em></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.</span></blockquote>
I've wanted to read a Nina LaCour novel for so long. I have <i>Hold Still</i> and <i>The Disenchantments </i>on my phone but somehow, life, ugh, and other books, hmmm, keep getting in the way. Thankfully, <i>Everything Leads to You</i> was a supersmooth ride and I had so much fun reading it and nowihavetoreadeverythingelsebyherYES.<br />
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I loved the Hollywood setting. I loved that there wasn't the usual glitz and glamour you generally associate with the industry and all, because this is just regular people going about making a movie. And then our main character is a set designer, which I thought was the coolest nonclichedjobinabooksetinHollywoodEver. I don't know how authentic the Hollywood setting was since I've, obviously, never been there, but it felt so real. No jarring edges and jagged ends, the plot fit in smoothly with the setting, the mystery and romance angles taking themselves along into the mix. It was a good book.<br />
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The characters were so well fleshed out and I'm not just talking about the two leads. I'm talking about EVERYONEOFTHEM - a certain someone's certain ex, a random old couple who could just be passing through in the book but are equipped with such good moments that I remember them even months after reading the book.<br />
<br />
The only complaint I'd have is to do with the romance, because there's not much of that - but there are fantastic friendship portrayals and a perfect little Hollywood mystery and it's the kind of book that throws you into quick-read mode (I read this in 3-4 metro rides; Yes, I read all my books on the metro these days. I've become one of those people) and it was good. It's a one time read but a good one time read. It'll engross you and leave you with a smile. Quite perfect for the summer.Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-60701920898113098862015-05-28T01:27:00.001+05:302015-05-28T01:29:18.566+05:30All the Rage by Courtney Summers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkoVdFtUZSR2k-ZbUZ8W_g1agorRiYf5ZNO1mHB45xwbcVeua9ycUYBsE_QcYQMwZo1HIU_i5koZ9R4WYX58Yu6gRCT_46H97cYXxitlQGDvZr3ZY80yIkunYvufBCR-2CNMQkNmOHRA/s1600/all+the+rage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkoVdFtUZSR2k-ZbUZ8W_g1agorRiYf5ZNO1mHB45xwbcVeua9ycUYBsE_QcYQMwZo1HIU_i5koZ9R4WYX58Yu6gRCT_46H97cYXxitlQGDvZr3ZY80yIkunYvufBCR-2CNMQkNmOHRA/s320/all+the+rage.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>All the Rage</b><br />
by Courtney Summers<br />
Release date: April 14th, 2015<br />
from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21853636-all-the-rage?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out,</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">All the Rage</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>A word about the cover:</b> The blurry image. The uppercase font. Perfect for this book.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>My thoughts:</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I read this in two sittings. On my way to work, and back. There was an 8 hour interval in between, because, you know, work - which almost killed me because HOLY CHRIST THIS BOOK. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I love Courtney Summers. She is fucking fabulous. The things that <i>Some Girls Are</i> did to me, oh gosh, I can't even gush enough. And <i>Cracked Up To Be</i>. My brother and I still debate over which we think is better. (We still haven't come to a conclusion)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And then This. <i>All The Rage</i>. <i>ALL THE RAGE</i>. This book is everything that <i>Cracked Up To Be</i> and <i>Some Girls Are</i> built up to. It's like both those books actually were leading up to this. The running themes of sexual-assault, rape-culture, victim-blaming, slut-slamming - everything culminates in here and wow. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I have to say, I don't think the blurb does the book much justice. It appears too straightforward, when really, the devil's in the details. Courtney Summers is such a brilliant writer. Her minimalist style is like poetry. She doesn't tell, she casts shadows and in the shadows of what isn't told, you get the chills.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't know how to sound cohesive about this. It's such an explosion of a book. And it talks of all the things that surround us all the fucking time but which we conveniently choose to ignore., because, <i>hushmychildspeaknoevil</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In many ways, <i>All The Rage</i> reminded me of <i>Fury</i> by Australian author Shirley Mar, which is one of the best books I've read. I felt the same surge of anger and helplessness as I had felt when I'd read <i>Fury</i> some 4 years back. The rage. Yes, the rage is the unspoken kind, the one that bubbles just beneath the surface for months and years till it spills over. It's such an universal rage against the way girls are treated in this world, at every fucking step, that lewd whisper in your ear as you go shopping or that silent eye-undressing that happens everysingleday - I thought I would burst because there finally was a book that gave language to that. (Living in a country that doesn't recognize marital rape as a criminal offense and takes pains to victim-slam before arresting rapists, such rage is an everyday story.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">So I would like to thank Courtney Summers for writing this book, for putting it out there, for making people think about the very things they quickly sweep under the carpet after a furtive glance around, for the rage.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I wish every teenage girl could be given this book. Every one of them. Before they are silenced.</span>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-91597407856965623442015-03-07T20:57:00.000+05:302015-03-07T20:57:12.126+05:30The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NX-r7b93el1zcCBTSnOVs7XEic804sk6UL27pmG5BfzgK3PcAdomnhD6cZ74-fLzdALiamNXiWcpCLHc92bGnRyP7k9L_zu9cl7ZkpM8xZkt0GNt7Y03tNdgFjJbrgBhyJ9ivVBkbO4/s1600/20958632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NX-r7b93el1zcCBTSnOVs7XEic804sk6UL27pmG5BfzgK3PcAdomnhD6cZ74-fLzdALiamNXiWcpCLHc92bGnRyP7k9L_zu9cl7ZkpM8xZkt0GNt7Y03tNdgFjJbrgBhyJ9ivVBkbO4/s1600/20958632.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<blockquote>
<b>The Darkest Part of the Forest</b><br />by <b>Holly Black</b><br />Release date: January 13, 2015<br />From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20958632-the-darkest-part-of-the-forest" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Until one day, he does…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?</span></blockquote>
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That blurb and I was sold. It makes you think Creepy Delicious Fairy-Tale instantly. So obviously I had to get my hands on it. I didn't even care about the cover, even though I think it goes perfectly with the blurb etc, but, what I mean is, even if this book had pictures of potatoes on the cover, I'd still have read it, because THE BLURB IS PERFECT.<br />
<br />
But, you see, that is also kind of the problem.<br />
<br />
The blurb is so good that I obviously trooped in with expectations and the first chapter was even better, so the expectations heightened. And, well. Thing is, even though this was my first Holly Black book, it showed me that she is a really good writer. The language is gorgeous and she builds up the world perfectly. And her narrative style sets the scene appropriately for a book titled <i>The Darkest Part of the Forest</i> and just when you're all set for the creepiness to crawl up your skin, it, uhm, stops being creepy.<br />
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Oh, book, what have you done to me? I don't quite know what to think of you.<br />
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I liked it, okay? It had siblings, it had magic, it had a beautiful horned boy and things that go bump in the..forest. The writing is good <i>and</i> it's a fairytale. What more can you ask for? But, I don't know, the siblings didn't quite have that <i>siblingy</i> thing, the magic wasn't something I felt part of and the horned boy was less fascinating awake than he was asleep. By the middle of the book I was more <i>huh</i> than <i>wow</i>. Which is kind of sad, because I reallyreallyreally wanted to love it. I wanted to wax eloquent about it and write love letters to the characters and fantasize about Fairfold. I wanted this book to be the book that would make me fall in love with urban fantasy once again. Maybe I had too much expectations. By the end of it I was, <i>hmm, okay, nice</i>.<br />
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I think <i>The Darkest Part of the Forest</i> had the potential to be a lot more than it is - go down in YA history as a landmark urban fantasy of sorts or something. I don't know. It sure laid the most fascinating foundation. It has movie potential, though. It would work really well on screen, I think.<br /><br />I will read more of Holly Black, though. I shall keep <i>The Coldest Girl in Coldest</i> as the next book of hers on my to-read list. Meanwhile, I would recommend <i>The Darkest Part of the Forest</i>, just not as something that will offer anything new.<br />
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<b>What's the latest fantasy/urban fantasy/paranormal/magic realism book you've read?</b><br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-88904359611097678472014-12-06T19:05:00.000+05:302014-12-06T19:07:40.000+05:30I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJnkgphGkrks6eniMerKCIRc0OO22JDoafhhFNPgPjWk3ZiibnsqVQijEWXWSgf3xJkEF7L73pXEXYN_r9J-c2G3alkyj2MOsqq5vZvKLjfX5i6cjZNOOr0Aay5FptOyAMAE6kQ81L6A/s1600/i'll%2Bgive%2Byou%2Bthe%2Bsun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJnkgphGkrks6eniMerKCIRc0OO22JDoafhhFNPgPjWk3ZiibnsqVQijEWXWSgf3xJkEF7L73pXEXYN_r9J-c2G3alkyj2MOsqq5vZvKLjfX5i6cjZNOOr0Aay5FptOyAMAE6kQ81L6A/s1600/i'll%2Bgive%2Byou%2Bthe%2Bsun.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>I'll Give You the Sun</b><br />
by <b>Jandy Nelson</b><br />
Release date: September 16, 2014<br />
From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20820994-i-ll-give-you-the-sun?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
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<span id="freeText16412305544536465487" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><em>A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell </em></span><span id="freeText16412305544536465487" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText16412305544536465487" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.</span><span id="freeText16412305544536465487" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText16412305544536465487" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of <em>The Sky Is Everywhere</em> will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> </span></blockquote>
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Jandy Nelson's <i>The Sky is Everywhere</i> has been one of those books that don't quite leave my mind when I'm thinking of books that have stayed with me. Sometimes when people debut with such memorable books, most follow-up works don't quite match up. Sometimes that happens. And sometimes that doesn't. Sometimes it only gets better.<br />
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Jandy Nelson is a magician. I want to write that across the skies. JANDY NELSON IS A MAGICIAN.<br />
<br />
<i>I'll Give You the Sun</i> is the kind of book that made me want to climb out of earth and bring the sun for her, because SoMuchBrilliance. This book is a stunner of a read. The writing is gorgeous, so gorgeous I felt like I was drowning in it. Although, yes, I do admit it might not be the kind of writing that everybody will like. If you didn't like the prose-style of <i>We Were Liars</i> by E. Lockhart, erhm, you should maybe just read a sampler of this to see if it's your thing and go ahead, because if you're going by this review, HOLY YES, I WANTED TO EAT THE BOOK. (This happened with <i>The Sky is Everywhere</i> as well, but it happened double-times with this)<br />
<br />
So much of the <i>feels</i>. So much of it that<i> feels</i> isn't even the right word. So much of the <i>feels</i> and this is why:<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>Siblings. Can there pleaaaaaase be more books about siblings? And siblings who aren't trying to kill each other and aren't just hanging around the background scenes just so they could be there but real-life, living, breathing siblings that have that pull which is the thing about siblings anyway (which is also why I loved <i>Imaginary Girls</i> so much *breathes heavily*). Noah and Jude are more like NoahAndJude and Jandy Nelson doesn't just tell you, she shows you how. It's brilliant how she managed the dual perspective throughout the book, giving the two of them such distinct voices that you don't have to go check the chapter head to see whose portion you're reading, yet you <i>just know</i> that these two are two sides of the same coin. Throw brother and sister and love and art and jealousy and guilt and love and more love and you will get NoahAndJude.</li>
<li>Family. The family you want to run away from and return to. The family that isn't just the people that are alive but the ones who've died and are still there because you decide if you want to keep them there or let them go. Yup, Jandy Nelson nails that. (PS. For ghosts and other such things that you-don't-really-see-happening-around-you-because-you-don't-notice, <i>I'll Give You the Sun</i> often reads like magic realism and even though it's not the specified genre, I'm starting to think, maybe it is.)</li>
<li>Art. '<i>What is bad for the heart is good for art</i>' is something one of the characters says in the book (I won't say who because I don't want to give away anything), and that is more or less the basis of all great art in this book. It captures the essence of the artist so well, I had to stop for breath (which was difficult, considering that I read most of the book on the metro, on the way to and back from work, and the metro is at that time so crowded that it hardly leaves you space to stand, let alone, stand and read). You get how the description of such art comes from the soul, because the author apparently wrote this book over three years, shutting herself in darkened rooms, with just the light from the laptop giving her company, because things like that come from, I don't know, somewhere within, and when you read or see the book or the sculpture or the painting, you can feel where it comes from.</li>
<li>Love. Oh man. The Beatles probably wrote All You Need Is Love for Jandy Nelson to write this book. Love spills from the spine of this book. There is not a single person who hasn't been affected by love here. All kinds of love. ALL KINDS. </li>
<li>Romance. I could have clubbed this with Love but there's so much of Love already, I realised this kind of needed highlighting of its own. And What Happens With Noah is probably my favourite Romantic Story of the Year.</li>
<li>The Ones Who've Died and are Still Around, Like Really, Because (you remember how Sirius Black said that The Ones That Love Us Never Really leave Us) They Don't Have To Be Ghosts, you see. </li>
<li>Metaphors. I like metaphors, okay? Don't judge.</li>
<li>Title. I officially think this is the Coolest Title of the Year.</li>
<li>I got lost in this book. Like, literally. I can't tell you the number of times I've walked into the wrong metro because of this book. Oh yes.</li>
</ul>
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Just read the book, okay? I don't know what else to say. I'm bursting with words and I feel like I'm coming up short and stupid and I just want everyone in this world to read this book because it's that good. Yes, <i>that </i>good.</div>
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<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-72365477560445006402014-08-15T20:57:00.002+05:302014-08-15T22:30:24.781+05:30A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There really is no better way of dealing with the jolts life sends you than to disappear in a book. Just when I think that nothing perhaps could make things better, books prove me wrong. Over and over again. This happens often.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I won this book via a giveaway on the author's Facebook page, a long time ago. A reaaally long time ago. I loved <a href="http://www.tabithasuzuma.com/" target="_blank">Tabitha Suzuma</a>'s <i>Forbidden</i>. Even now I'd consider it one of the most powerful books I've read (just so you know, I read Forbidden four years ago). Somehow, though - whether it was life or university or other books - I never got around to reading <i>A Note of Madness</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On Wednesday, I was rummaging my shelves for something to read. There's always too much to read. My shelves are spilling and I always have to look for newer places around the house to make room for my books. A lot of those books are unread, not because I didn't want to read them, but because other books came along and then even more books. My copy of <i>A Note of Madness</i> was signed 'August 2010' with a message from the author. Once I picked it up, I couldn't let it go.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcx6x6_6f0b4-XUbfPSleMUfMqOc6L1zE7rvtDh-GyiE99mnZRO9bkF2mPC6RhVhlaVCXJ9yjIH4qEzkkITlc4aAHa7BZDXVRGCujfXdMflEa3m_lfLvaw9w-Dm0lO5vALlSQZ37WkG8/s1600/a+note+of+madness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcx6x6_6f0b4-XUbfPSleMUfMqOc6L1zE7rvtDh-GyiE99mnZRO9bkF2mPC6RhVhlaVCXJ9yjIH4qEzkkITlc4aAHa7BZDXVRGCujfXdMflEa3m_lfLvaw9w-Dm0lO5vALlSQZ37WkG8/s1600/a+note+of+madness.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1822182.A_Note_of_Madness?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Life as a student is good for Flynn. As one of the top pianists at the Royal College of Music, he has been put forward for an important concert, the opportunity of a lifetime. But beneath the surface, things are changing. On a good day he feels full of energy and life, but on a bad day being alive is worse than being dead. Sometimes he wants to compose and practice all night, at other times he can't get out of bed. With the pressure of the forthcoming concert and the growing concern of his family and friends, emotions come to a head. Sometimes things can only get worse before they get better.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the last few months, I've lost count of the number of times I thought I was going mad. It happened with increasing frequency and I kept thinking it would get better but it didn't, not then. It's hard to define madness. It's an easy step-over from sanity. I think it happens to everyone, at least once in our lives. Flynn's madness pushes him over, way over the edge. And the whole spiralling-downwards experience is what the book chronicles. There are no minced words, no twists and turns, it's probably the most straight-cut book I've read. Flynn loses his mind and how.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After I read <i>Forbidden</i>, I had an overwhelming urge to connect with the author. The book had such a huge impact on me, I had to tell her. We befriended over Facebook, and yes, if you know her, you would know how she has battled (and still battles) mental illness. She is very vocal about it and I think that's important because nobody really talks about it. <i>A Note of Madness</i> was her debut novel and you get it, you know. You get the fact that the author knows what she is talking about because you get into Flynn's head, ride the highs and lows with him and feel the crippling fear that makes it impossible to go on and do anything, even though the book is written in third person and you're just supposed to feel objective about it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's an atmosphere of paranoia. Flynn's, his family's, his friends'. Sometimes you'd want to shut the book, just so you could breathe. It's not an easy read, of course. But it's good, it's really good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After Robin Williams' suicide, when everybody was talking about depression, Ms Suzuma shared <a href="http://www.questia.com/newspaper/1G1-144940887/one-by-one-we-fell-prey-to-a-force-beyond-control" target="_blank"><b>this post</b></a> on Facebook. It talks about her family's fight with the disease. I think you should take a look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think the book has a most apt cover. The blackness, the boy at the edge, the title placement - I think it's one of my favourites now.</span></div>
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Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-10590080643918153522014-06-30T14:59:00.000+05:302014-06-30T14:59:56.681+05:30Revenge Wears Prada<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XkrkEK8FFXGmJ1xbSlfC0qP-gCApWPK975Go3pkOHpO5tFUk0F6XupXqZn7MaShN8q-eKE2EvzaVRkPWJTmAHx_BRh9Ve1210NANwv4omWlgDyLwhj3gMuoyr5bqWWZFNhtb_PGvsRg/s1600/18052498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XkrkEK8FFXGmJ1xbSlfC0qP-gCApWPK975Go3pkOHpO5tFUk0F6XupXqZn7MaShN8q-eKE2EvzaVRkPWJTmAHx_BRh9Ve1210NANwv4omWlgDyLwhj3gMuoyr5bqWWZFNhtb_PGvsRg/s1600/18052498.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<b>Revenge Wears Prada</b><br />
<b>by</b> <b><a href="http://www.laurenweisberger.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Weisberger</a></b><br />
Release date: June 4, '13<br />
From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18052498-revenge-wears-prada" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The sequel you’ve been waiting for: the follow-up to the sensational #1 bestseller The Devil Wears Prada.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Almost a decade has passed since Andy Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine—a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant, have since joined forces to start a highend bridal magazine. The Plunge has quickly become required reading for the young and stylish. Now they get to call all the shots: Andy writes and travels to her heart’s content; Emily plans parties and secures advertising like a seasoned pro. Even better, Andy has met the love of her life. Max Harrison, scion of a storied media family, is confident, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. Their wedding will be splashed across all the society pages as their friends and family gather to toast the glowing couple. Andy Sachs is on top of the world. But karma’s a bitch. The morning of her wedding, Andy can’t shake the past. And when she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, her wedding-day jitters turn to cold dread. Andy realizes that nothing—not her husband, nor her beloved career—is as it seems. She never suspected that her efforts to build a bright new life would lead her back to the darkness she barely escaped ten years ago—and directly into the path of the devil herself.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<b>A word about the cover:</b> Unlike the hardcover, the paperback keeps with the shoe theme of all of Weisberger's books. If not for the trident heel or the fact that this a <i>Devil Wears Prada</i> sequel, I'd probably glance over.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Okay, so let me be clear: I haven't read the <i>Devil Wears Prada</i>. I've read Weisberger's other books, but not <i>Devil</i>. I've watched the film uncountable times but yes, I realise that there were things in the film that were different from the book, so I'm not going to draw comparisons between <i>Revenge</i> and <i>Devil</i>.<br />
<br />
Let's treat <i>Revenge</i> as a standalone. where I know the back stories of the characters. Happens, right?<br />
<br />
By itself, I thought <i>Revenge</i> was entertaining. I'm not exactly a fan of Weisberger's but <i>Revenge</i> had my attention throughout. Oh, of course, it starts off with Andy being crazy, making a mountain out of a molehill, that really makes no sense at all, but maybe, just maybe, that could have been a foreshadowing of things to come.<br />
<br />
So it's been 10 years since Andy left the 'Runway' and instead of writing for The New Yorker or something, she runs a super-successful luxury wedding magazine, along with - surprise!surprise! - Emily, Miranda Priestly's former first assistant and you know, just the girl who couldn't stand Andy earlier. Yes, 10 years do change a lot of things. Which also means that there's a new guy (husband, actually), Max, who is as close to perfect as men can be. Except, of course, for the things Andy find right before her wedding that send her taking a ride across loonville through the first half of the book. I'm thinking Andy may just be a little too paranoid than necessary and hence the pointless jumping-to-conclusions take up the early part of the book. I mean, she had a pretty good domestic and professional life otherwise.<br />
<br />
Until, of course, Miranda comes into the picture. Well, she isn't physically present much of the time that she was in <i>Devil</i>, but she's here alright. In Andy's nightmares and hey, the magazine world. There are actually more moments of perfect domesticity than Miranda-tornadoes. It was pacey. At least till the last 30% of the book when almost everything takes a whole hey-i-didn't-think-that-would-happen turn.<br />
<br />
So all of Goodreads has been exploding with how Weisberger completely dashes the 'American Dream' in this book. I'm not sure that's a valid criticism. So, yes, the end picture isn't pretty, but hey, life isn't always rosy, is it? There's hope and that's important. <i>Revenge</i>, too, has hope. If you plan on going into this book with a critical eye, you won't be doing yourself any favours. Read it like you would treat a summer fling. It's fun. Revenges always are.<br />
<br />
<b>Have you read either Devil or Revenge?</b><br />
<br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-25625421855253228242014-03-01T02:41:00.000+05:302014-06-30T15:13:27.228+05:30Lola and the Boy Next Door(Yes, the whole world's probably read it by now, but GAHH I'm going to talk about it anyway, because, hey, Stephanie Perkins. Enough said.)<br />
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<b>Lola and the Boy Next Door</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://www.stephanieperkins.com/books" target="_blank">Stephanie Perkins</a></b><br />
Release date: September 28th, '11<br />
From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9961796-lola-and-the-boy-next-door?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.</span></blockquote>
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<b>A word about the cover:</b> I love the wig. And the cover in general coveys the same cheeriness that <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6936382-anna-and-the-french-kiss" target="_blank">Anna</a>'s cover does, although the latter had a mysteriousness about it since you couldn't see the guy's face on it and hey, we had a good time imagining Etienne, didn't we? But Lola has a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101168-lola-and-the-boy-next-door" target="_blank">new cover</a>, too (like all the books in this series) - more city-centric - and I think it's gorgeous. Also, mature.<br />
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<b>My thoughts:</b><br />
<br />
This book is a big glob of happiness. I mean, there are a lot of sad and not-so-kind and heartbreaking stuff, too, but overall, it's such a happy book it makes you feel hopeful about things, irrespective of how you're feeling.<br />
<br />
It's been a few hours since I finished reading this book and I still can't stop grinning about it. Stephanie Perkins knows, you know. She REALLY knows how to write a good, believable romance. She knows how to build up a believable friendship-that-is-more-than-just-friendship and turn it on its head so that even though you kind of know that in spite of everything this will end up with a happy ending, you can't discard the book with a smirk because the characters are sitting there with your heart and you're squealing and gahh-ing over whatever's happening and you know you need this.<br />
<br />
Yes, that's what a Stephanie Perkins book feels like. And that's what <i>Lola and the Boy Next Door</i> feels like, too.<br />
<br />
I've heard a lot of people didn't really like Lola's dangling-two-boys act but c'mon, she's only human and nobody's perfect. Oh, well, Cricket is. Like reallyreallyreally perfect. Dude, where do guys like him live? (Okay, okay, I know San Francisco and all that, but really) Remember Etienne from <i>Anna</i> ? Yeah, that guy is puurrrfect, but Cricket is sometimes (most times, actually) waaaay too good to be true.<br />
<br />
Other things I liked about <i>Lola</i>:<br />
- Lola's dads! I haven't read a better, matter-of-fact, un-caricatured representation of a gay couple with a daughter. And Andy and Nathan stand out so well against each other.<br />
- Norah. (I'm not saying who she is if you haven't read the book - although chances are that you have, still - but I thought she was the most interesting character in the book)<br />
- An obsessive-compulsive costume designer. An Olympic-bound figure skater. An inventor. Aahh, unique hobbies make for such unique characters.<br />
- Also, the thing about Alexander Graham Bell. I liked that bit of inclusion.<br />
- I loved the little unconventional bits the book had. Like Lola's 5-years-older boyfriend. The biological/adopted family thingy. Heck, the costumes! Less high school, more home scenes (hey, the boy's just next door - who would even *want* school?) - infact, more COLLEGE (here's looking at you Berkeley) than high school.<br />
- But my favourite part? ANNA AND ST. CLAIR MAKE APPEARANCES THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.<br />
<br />
Okay, so <i>Anna</i> is still one of my favouritebooksEVER. It's one of the most glorious books written in YA fiction and bringing <i>Lola</i> up for a comparison would just not be fair because <i>Anna</i> is, you know, <i>Anna</i>. Boarding school. Paris. St Clair. Perfection.<br />
<br />
But <i>Lola</i> IS a good read. More than good, it's a happy read and we can all do with a heavy dose of happiness, can't we? This book had been on my to-read list for a very long time but I'm overjoyed I finally could get around to reading it because the reading experience has been worth more than I had expected. I'm convinced now. Stephanie Perkins has the gift of writing happy. You know that when you're feeling the blues, all you need is to pick up a Perkins book. Works like magic.<br />
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<b>Do you like Anna or Lola better?</b><br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-38784948586360892952014-02-20T16:35:00.002+05:302015-10-05T02:22:02.774+05:30In which I talk about the Quarter Life Crisis. Again.It's been quiet around here for the longest time -- dude, studying for a Masters degree is exhausting and not just because of the many ways in which it leaves you more prone to sleep in the daytime and hunger pangs post-midnight and hey, it's not cool -- but, hello.<br />
<br />
So I thought this little blog from this part of the universe was dead and rotting because, really, WHO WOULD EVEN WANT TO READ THIS ANYMORE? (Yeah, I still think that. Sometimes. When I think of the blog, ie). I mean, my last post happened in June, 2013 and here we are in Feb, 2014 (holy shit) and we're all almost a year older already and everyone's obviously moved on in their lives from wherever they were last year. Then I realised that I still have some 315 followers, so maybe, maybe someone out there would still want to read this.<br />
<br />
So much has changed.<br />
For instance my writing voice has undergone a change. All my narrative voices now belong to twenty-somethings, which is a little overwhelming considering that I've spent almost all my life so far writing young adult stuff. Young adults still feature heavily in anything I write but the twenty-somethings take centre-stage. Because, lets face it, at 23, I feel like the twenties have taught me waaaay more than all that I've learnt in the rest of the years of my life combined. I used to think being a teenager was hard but heck, nobody warned me about what the twenties would be like - it's youagainsttheworld hard. And I think this is when you grow into the person you will probably be for the majority of the rest of your life to come (I'm guessing) so everything you do becomes doubly important. And, WHY DOES NOBODY WRITE ABOUT ANY OF THIS? The majority of books I've read featuring twenty somethings only talk about a relationship a twenty something has with a particular someone. (Okay, maybe I'm not reading the right books - somebody throw recommendations my way, please?) But, hey, how did it get so easy for them? I thought the quarter life crisis featured the crisis that relationship<i>s</i> have been causing our generation, not <i>a</i> relationship. If it was so easy to figure out which relationship will end up defining us, none of us would be hyperventilating so much. Or, okay, maybe that's just me.<br />
<br />
And wait..what about the jobs? Why does nobody write about the scary prospect of landing or not landing a job? Post-university life is like taking a plunge into the Black Hole, hurtling yourself through a corridor which you know only ends in oblivion but which you hope will take you to a roses-and-daisies garden. In reality you just end up somewhere inbetween, although you seem to hit both extremes alternately most times.<br />
<br />
The only representation that comes even remotely close to portraying what this quarter-life crisis is like is the HBO tv series <i>Girls</i>. I think. At least the first two seasons were good. The third one's kinda blah but the reason it has me nodding along to it is because it straight-up<i> shows it as it is</i>. No, relationships aren't as romantic as the movies make them up to be, even if you have the one that you want. Sex can be awesome and crude at the same time and no, that doesn't make you part of a porno. Your dream job will in all probability not be as cracked up to be but that's okay, you have a job and you would rather do this than anything else, so keep at it. Or quit. Or whatever. Yes, we are selfish and impulsive and scared - sofuckingscared - and most of the time we have no clue about what we are really looking for and to add the cherry on the cake, we are getting <i>old</i>. Oh my god.<br />
<br />
Dude. Life is hard.<br />
<br />
And it doesn't get any easier when the world around you is falling apart and you want so hard to make it all right again but you can't because fucking laws. So I'm talking about India, where two months back the Supreme Court overturned the High Court's ruling that had de-criminalized homosexuality back in 2009. Basically, after granting every individual the right to love and fuck with consent whoever they want to, my country just reverted back to the stone age and declared that 2.5 million (and that's just the official estimate) of its population are criminals simply on the basis of who they choose to love. Reaaaally. I thought Russia was crazy but this is loon haven extraordinaire.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to this. Watch, if you haven't already. Norway is the coolest.<br />
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If governing bodies start making laws against love, I don't know what it's saying about the human race in general. I mean, I get that in spite of our much-spoken-about powers of reasoning, we're actually pretty stupid, but are we really that cruel? It's like watching a dystopian world unfold right before you. And we shouldn't have to deal with something like that. Nobody has to.<br />
<br />
So, yes, it's pretty bleak out there. And here in Delhi there hasn't even been much of the sun. Which isn't all that bad (hey, I like it cloudy - but only, weather-wise) but it takes more than three days for my clothes to dry. THREE DAYS. In the meanwhile I'm running out of both clothes and money and very soon *hopefully* I'll be done with my M.A. as well and then I have noideawhattodo. Oh shit.<br />
<br />
The good thing, though, is the fact that I've finally found my drive to write again and I quite like the new writing voice and my family and I've never gotten along better and even though the world's a very shitty place sometimes, it also has it's moments of loveliness like <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/19/norwegians-boy-without-jacket_n_4815716.html?fb_action_ids=10152200752860891&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582" target="_blank">what these people did when they saw this little boy shivering in the cold</a> and that just restores your faith in almost everything. And although some terrible people are running (or hoping to run) the country and messing with the basic fundamental rights of so many people I love there's still a flickering hope that we could dust off the drivel and change the world to be a better place because even though I've blown off all my savings for this month on new books, I'm kinda happy and some 1452kms away in my hometown there's a beautiful boy who makes me mad but makes me smile more often and it's cold but I have socks on my feet and college isn't bad (although I have no idea where I go from here) but hey, I have hopes. I hope you do too. And I hope you never give up on that.<br />
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And I hope you listen to her. This is SoKo and I only just found her on Youtube Narnia. She's French and beautiful and makes me want to curl up and cry happy tears.<br />
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And if that's not your kind, get yourself some Nirvana. It's Kurt's birthday :) And I think he still smells like teen spirit.<br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-4326702107855447462013-06-06T12:18:00.000+05:302013-08-12T20:48:32.918+05:30Fangirl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Fangirl<br />by <a href="http://rainbowrowell.com/blog/" target="_blank">Rainbow Rowell</a></b><br />
Release date: September 10th, '13<br />
From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068905-fangirl?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.</em> </strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Cath is a Simon Snow fan.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?</span></blockquote>
<br />
<b>A word about the cover: </b> I think it's perfectly adorable. I love illustrated covers and this one is so pretty and sparse and clean it totally gets you into the mood. And I LOVE the blue! Also, the font. And the thought bubbles. And the lanky guy and the nerd girl. It IS perfect.<br />
<br />
<b>My Thoughts:</b><br />
<br />
Guys, this book made me feel so good, I can't even tell you how much. Even thinking about it makes me smile, such heartwarming goodness it was.<br />
<br />
When I saw this one up on netgalley I just <i>knew</i> I had to read this. I mean, fandoms (Harry Potter/Supernatural/Game of Thrones, ftw!) and fangirls - such nerdsomeness - what could get better than that?<br />
<br />
The first thing for which <i>Fangirl</i> won brownie points from me was the setting. Guys, guys, guys, this book is set in college and I LOVE that. Why aren't there more books set in college that don't become just this huge flesh-feasts? Not that there's anything wrong with that but you know, there's more to college than just sex. Like, um, classes and roomies and friends-who-aren't-potential-love-interests and maybe, <i>sometimes</i>, fandoms. (Okay, so maybe I'm being biased about the last thing, but you get what I mean, right? You <i>need</i> things like Harry-Potter-talk because HOW DO YOU SURVIVE OTHERWISE. Okay. I'm going to shut up right now)<br />
<br />
My favourite thing about this book was the characters and their relationship with each other, which altered and wavered and stabilised and developed in so many ways throughout the course of the novel. That's the other thing I really liked about this. The pace. No quick-mode, no insta-anything, nothing overtly dramatic. <i>Fangirl</i> was a leisure ride with things taking place at a realistic pace and in such a believably real-life way.<br />
<br />
The characters were so well-rounded. Cath and Wren. Levi. Nick. Rowan (damn, I loved Rowan!). Cath and Wren's dad! It's really nice to read books where the parents matter, for a change, and where they aren't the devil incarnate. And it's even nicer when the dad is an adorable creative genius.<br />
<br />
So this is the first YA book written in third person past that I've read in quite a while and it was so well done! The writing was so good that I was inspired to write the next whatever-I-write in third person (and no, I'm never inspired to try third person) - it's just THAT good.<br />
<br />
Read this book, okay? It doesn't come out till September but pre-order it if you have to, just read it. It doesn't matter what your reading tastes are, <i>Fangirl</i>, I'm sure, will appeal to everybody.<br />
<br />
You know, the kind of coming-of-age that happens in college is different from the coming-of-age that happens before that. It's just this whole other thing - this living away from home, <i>actually</i> having to take things into your own hand (whether you like it or not) and Rainbow Rowell captures all that in her book with subtle brilliance. Read it for the feels. And the fandom.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Did/do you write fanfiction?</b><br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-47094429533203599232013-05-28T00:52:00.000+05:302013-05-28T00:52:16.559+05:30Verse: He left.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhmqEd_nv2x0ddiWtoc4CtCoNSfNvOfrO9igb_uoxS65s33FjlrmGLis3mvATy9Ncx9WnunbYa3KttKTUntQVj2krHCiiKzqZEUtqXnAv2uXRrNFi3XyUJlCFbXYAicLW8OoX-aBaewA/s1600/he_left__but_promised_to_return____by_mechtaniya-d5hcy7l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhmqEd_nv2x0ddiWtoc4CtCoNSfNvOfrO9igb_uoxS65s33FjlrmGLis3mvATy9Ncx9WnunbYa3KttKTUntQVj2krHCiiKzqZEUtqXnAv2uXRrNFi3XyUJlCFbXYAicLW8OoX-aBaewA/s400/he_left__but_promised_to_return____by_mechtaniya-d5hcy7l.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image <a href="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/282/5/9/he_left__but_promised_to_return____by_mechtaniya-d5hcy7l.jpg" target="_blank">source</a>)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">He left
without goodbye,<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">picked up
his bags, left a note,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">while she
was still serving diners<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">at the
Seven-Eleven,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">two blocks
down the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">She arrived
exhausted,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">with flowers
for his birthday,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">couldn’t
find the vase<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">which he had
packed with him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">when he’d
cleared his life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">out of their
home of two years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">She tried
his phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">It rang and
rang and went to voicemail,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">playing his
– ‘leave a message’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">in his old
voice –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">the one she
knew,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">the one he’d
forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">He heard the
silent phone rings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">as he waited
for the tube to the next city,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">fingers
hovering over the ‘Receive’ button,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">he debated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">She made
dinner,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">arranged for
his favourite movie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">and the big
surprise waiting in the bedroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">All the
while she tried his phone,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">not knowing
that it was<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">ringing in
the dustbin,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">of a subway,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">ten kms from
her kitchen.<span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-29884294502213693212013-03-27T19:52:00.004+05:302013-03-27T19:58:18.604+05:30I'm not dead. I just haven't been there.And yes, you're looking at the blog formerly known as Dreamcatcher's Lair.<br />
<br />
So now that we are on slightly familiar ground, HELLO.<br />
<br />
I know I've come up with several apology posts in the past year, but believe me when I say that I hope this will be the last. I reallyreallyreally hope to up my reading list, set my work-in-progress rolling and blogbomb your feed with more posts that won't necessarily be more fruitless promises to get back to, well, blogbombing.<br />
<br />
Ever heard of the quarter-life crisis? I won't be surprised if you haven't. Everyone's so busy angsty-ing up the midlife crisis that nobody gives a damn about that <i>thing</i> that hits you when you're a twenty-something with a bucket list of things to do before you turn old and then you realise that, wait, you ARE old. You're so old that in another 3, 4, at most, 5, years your family and relatives - who ironically end up showing some concern only in this aspect of your life - will be expecting you to settle down, which basically means legally binding yourself to another person and, I don't know, making babies with said person (!) And no, there's nothing wrong with that (I think) but it's a most frightening thought when you're going through an existential crisis and need a lot of figuring out to do.<br />
<br />
And that's a LOT of figuring out to do, really. Like what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life, who's-gonna-give-me-a-job, should-I-be-a-student-forever-and-accumulate-degrees, oh-god-university-is-killing-me-I-should-quit, I-don't-care-about-the-world-I-should-just-go-backpacking, damn-I-have-no-money kind of figuring out. See, it's enough to give someone a life spasm. And then, imagine you have all of this figured out and somebody, <i>SOMEBODY</i>, possibly the last person you expected to do so, comes along and breaks your heart. Why didn't anyone ever mention that heartbreaks are ten times harder in your 20s than they were when you were in high school? And suddenly that entire part of your life with that person becomes a lie, which you have to remove along with all the plans made and goals set and the dreams dreamt around this time, which basically involves just removing a chunk of your life. A <i>chunk</i>. Which also means that you will have to replace that chunk with something else so that it doesn't end up being this massive gaping hole because that would suck. Like, really.<br />
<br />
See. Existential crisis + chunk-removal-from-your-life event = Catastrophic Quarter Life Crisis.<br />
<br />
Which is what I had been going through the entire time I was M.I.A. It wasn't fun in any way. Ever tried falling off a cliff? No, don't try that. Think it. Think falling off a cliff when you don't want to fall off a cliff. Think trying to climb back up and falling off again and again. And again. And then when you've finally managed to get yourself up there, all bruises and scars of you, imagine a car running you over. Not a pretty picture, is it? The last few months of my life have been pretty much that - one cliff-fall after another, one car crash after another.<br />
<br />
While most of the last few months I've spent swinging between self-pity and misanthropy, rage and hate and sadness and utter despair, now I actually feel, I don't know, wiser. Experience does teach you a lot. And when a trunk full of experience flies out of nowhere and lands on your back, at first you wobble with the weight, but then it gets to be okay. You get to be okay. And you realise that you get to be okay <i>because</i> of that trunk, so you can't really be mad about it, because with the trunk, you grow up.<br />
<br />
I feel like I've grown up. I've grown up at 22. What I had to go through to collect the stuff that makes up the trunk was eventful and despairing and melancholic and ridiculously frustrating and so utterly devastating, but the trunk's a part of me and that's fine because it's stopped being all those sad and not-sad things. It's like a manual book I can go back to when I'm thinking about what I want and what I don't want out of my life. It's like a chance at a fresh start.<br />
<br />
That's what I've decided to do. Give myself a fresh start at just everything. Starting with this blog, which now has a new title and tag line. Also, I've decided to use my full name, Bidisha, because, what the hell, I like my name.<br />
<br />
I know this is a long and rambly post and you've had to bear with me the whole long and rambly way, but, hey, thanks for doing that. It's nice to know that somebody out there, <i>anybody</i>, is listening to you vent. And if life sucks for you right now, believe me it'll get better. It will. Even if it doesn't seem so at the moment. You will come out stronger. And<i> grown up</i>.<br />
<br />
Hang in there.<br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-38293868011426444002012-12-12T00:11:00.001+05:302012-12-12T00:11:51.451+05:30letter to a once-lover.Dear Love,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does it sound weird, calling you that? Does it make you cringe and wish this never reached you? Or are you laughing at the fact that I'm still not over you? Or, maybe, just maybe, it's making you smile a little. And remember us. I hope it's making you think of us.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I still think of us. Of the things we did, the plans we made, the dreams we shared. I think of us with every waking moment. And in the quiet of the night, when the rest of the world is slumber-worn, floating in an universe far removed from the one they inhabit during the day, I remember our phone calls - the late calls that made me a night bird, the thought of which still keeps me a night bird. I remember all that we spoke of. There was something about that time post-midnight. Everything seemed brighter, newer, shinier. Everything was...possible. The world was ours. We were infinite. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Most nights I wait for the phone to ring. And it does. Just not from you. And when it does ring from you, it's just not that magical hour.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But thank you, for the phone calls. It's always good to hear your voice and even better when I can almost hear you smiling through your words. Sometimes I admonish myself, for waiting so eagerly for you to call, for trying to hold on to every bit of our conversation, when I know that you only call when you're bored. And lonely. And not with her.<br />
<br />
I miss laughing with you.<br />
<br />
You said you still wanted us to be friends. I couldn't grudge you that. I still wanted to be in your life some way. Does it make me pathetic that I can't let you go? Do you feel sorry that I'd hold on to you any which way I can even though I hate myself for it? Does being in close proximity and not being the way we were before kill you like it kills me - or are we just two people with memories?<br />
<br />
I try.<br />
I try.<br />
I try so hard to keep your thoughts away from my mind. But it's like an ache I can't get rid of. And you don't help really. You're hot and you're cold and you come and you go and you leave me with hopes only to dash them all with the next silent treatment.<br />
<br />
Remember that Taylor Swift song<i> The Story of Us</i>? Granted neither of us were huge fans, but we also reminded ourselves that we'd never be like that song. How ironic is it that that's exactly where we got stuck -<br />
<i>This is looking like a contest</i><br />
<i> Of who can act like they care less</i><br />
Irony over irony. Makes me wonder if all heartbreaks feel the same way. Which is why it feels like some our singing our diary, while some our writing our story.<br />
<br />
I wanted to do everything in the world with you. Wake up every morning next to you. Team up for <i>The Amazing Race</i> together. Visit New York. Tell you I loved you on top of the Eiffel Tower.<br />
You wanted that, too. Or that's what you said.<br />
What happened to all that?<br />
Have you replaced me with her now? Do you dream these dreams with her now? Is it her you have in mind when you read Neruda now?<br />
<br />
<i>I hope you don't find her skin when you turn off the lights.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I hope for a lot of things now. Like maybe you'll call me tonight. Or perhaps we'll run into each other tomorrow near that cafe we used to haunt post noon. Or maybe you'll wake up tomorrow and realise you're still in love with me and it was lying dormant slumber-like this past month and has now reawakened with new found fervour and you'll never leave me again. Or even think of it.<br />
Yes, I still hope for some kind of a miracle. Because it's that hope that really get me going.<br />
I mean, you loved me, right? And it couldn't really have vanished into the night, could it?<br />
<br />
Maybe you'll find it again.<br />
Maybe you'll just need time.<br />
<br />
Don't be scared, though. It's okay if you don't want to come back. No, I take that back. It won't be okay. It can't be okay. But I'll understand. Like I have tried to understand things when it comes to you.<br />
<br />
It'll break my already broken heart. And it'll kill me to see you with someone else. But I think I'll survive. People do live on with broken hearts, don't they? Another irony of existence. But, yeah, I'll get by. I think.<br />
<br />
So don't you worry about me. Hope you get from your life all that you want from it.<br />
<br />
Maybe we'll run into each other at Paris - what, five, ten years from now.<br />
Maybe our kids will meet and fall in love. (How weird will that be?)<br />
Maybe you'll find yourself in a story of mine.<br />
Maybe.<br />
<br />
But hey.<br />
Even if the maybes don't happen, you'll always have my heart.<br />
<br />
<br />
Always,<br />
Your once-lover.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6I1p_sXflQQ" width="420"></iframe>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-5895647848868096202012-06-18T15:24:00.001+05:302012-06-18T15:24:37.616+05:30Leftovers.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She smelled of sex. Under her fingernails,
in her hair, between her legs – there were pieces of him stuck on her, in her,
within her. It pleased her. Pleased her to know that he would somehow, in
someway, always be attached to her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She watched him in the doorway.
Bare-bodied, except for the trouser leg he had slid his left leg in. That leg
which precisely seven minutes before was straddling her. There went the other
leg now. The one around which her leg had curved. He was beautiful. Even in the
dim light that seeped from under the door of the apartment next door, he was
beautiful. So beautiful it made her heart ache. And race, knowing that the
beautiful boy had been hers moments ago. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She watched him pick his shirt off the
floor. Watched as he threw it across his shoulders and threw a glance at
her. She smiled at him, willing those
amber eyes to look at her and smile. Smile the way they had when his lips had
spelt out the <i>you’re beautiful</i>s, as
his hands explored her everywhere else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">His eyes didn’t reach her face. They
reached her legs, the bare skin that slid from under the rumpled purple sheets,
goose-pimpled from the rush of the sex. He savoured the sight of the slim,
wrinkle-less leg and remembered himself in university. Him and Maya. Squeezing knees under the desk in anthropology
class, sneaking kisses behind her parents’ back during Diwali – married within
10 months of graduation, they couldn’t live without each other. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He watched her on the bed and remembered
Maya on the first night they’d made love – the night of her birthday eve, two
weeks since they’d started dating. Maya astonished him, everyday, every moment
that she was with him. He remembered making promises that night, promises of
getting out of their small hick town, backpacking around the world, writing
movie scripts. Now, three years of marriage later, with an 18 month old baby on
the back, they’d run out of words to say, run out of love to make. The very vivacious Maya that had fascinated
him, now filled him with dread, of endless tirades about there being not
enough, of him not doing enough. He watched the girl on the bed and wondered
what it would be like to take her home with him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She wondered how long he would take. He’d
told her he would be back in an hour. He had some things to take care of, but
he would be back. She wanted to believe him, wanted to hope that he could be
hers for more than an evening, but she remembered how he’d taken his things as
he’d said that, cleared her apartment of all his leftovers. She lit a Marlboro
and watched the smoke drift towards the window, out of it and sail to the moon.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">There was a party two blocks down. A party
she was invited to. Wahab Nishat’s party. Wahab, who she’d known since school.
Wahab who sent her a rose, accompanied with a poem, every Valentine’s Day, no
matter where she was. Wahab, who said he loved her. Wahab who said he’d bring her the world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">She glanced over at the door. It was
slightly ajar from where he’d walked out. She did not get up to shut it. Maybe
he would come back. Maybe he wouldn’t. Still, she didn’t put her shirt back
on. She lit another cigarette and
waited.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He sat with a steaming mug of coffee, at a
bistro, two blocks from her apartment. It had been ten minutes that he’d
stepped out, ten minutes that he’d been thinking about her. He could hear the Black
Eyed Peas streaming out of the house next to where he was sitting. Four college
kids were standing in the balcony, beer cans strewn around their feet. He’d
told the girl that he would go back. He wanted to, but sometimes want wasn’t
enough. Like it wasn’t enough just to be married. Maya always told him that. The
same Maya who’d told him three years back that he was enough. Told him that he was all she needed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He thought of the girl he’d left at the
apartment, imagined her waiting for him and felt his legs lift him from the
chair. She was so young it made his heart ache. He wouldn’t be that young
again. Maya wouldn’t be that young again. But being with the girl made him feel
young, even if it was fleeting, even it was just his brain playing tricks. He
could still see her apartment. He could go back in. He could.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">His phone rang. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“The movers just called. They’ll be taking
the furniture away tomorrow morning.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In three days he’d be 2020kms across the
country. Him, Maya and the kid. Maya said it was a chance at starting over. He
sometimes wanted to ask <i>start over what? </i>Could
they rewind back their lives and be 20 again, conquer the world together like
they’d planned to? Could they make love again like nobody’s business without
worrying about waking up the kid?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He put down his mug and spilled coffee over
his wrist. He took out his handkerchief and a slip of paper fell out. Fuchsia
coloured and scribbled across in black ink. Her phone number. He didn’t notice
it fall. He didn’t notice it flutter upon the pavement near his feet, before a
gust of wind from a passing car blew it into the wind and lodged it into the
cart of an ice-cream vendor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">He held the phone between his ear and his
shoulder as he wiped the coffee off his wrist. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Hey Maya,” he said. “Lets go
out for dinner tonight.”</span></div>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-80070179794579812072012-05-25T18:28:00.000+05:302012-05-25T18:28:43.692+05:30In Which I Talk About Being An Epic FailIf you're still reading this blog, I want to hug you. I realise you wouldn't want to hug back, cos I've been a terrible blogger. Erratic posts, months of neglect, you know what I mean. I don't really have to emphasize. But, YOU - deserve a hug of appreciation.<div>
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Thing is, I don't even have an excuse for this.</div>
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I can't tell you that I've been awfully busy or that something terrible happened that kept me away from the virtual world because it's not true. My life hasn't been tough. On the contrary it's been rather pleasant. Except for the fact that I've been sick for a week, I've been...almost happy. And this isn't about a week-long illness. This blog-neglect thing has been building up for months now. Almost 6 months into the year and I have an embarrassing number of posts to show for it.</div>
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The cause? I'll get back to you on that when I find out.</div>
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All I do know, is that somehow that drive is gone. (Doesn't it feel like a pity party already?)</div>
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I've been an erratic blogger, to the point where sometimes the whole blogging thing has started to feel like a chore. When it's really <i>not</i>. I mean, nobody ever forced me into this thing. Yes, I do have author/publisher review requests waiting for me, but they only send them 'cos they know I love doing it and I've asked for it. Not like I'm being force-fed it.</div>
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My reading count has gone down. It's like I've hit the lowest of the lows since I was, I don't know, 9 years old. I planned on reading a 100 books this year and instead I'm floundering somewhere in the early 20s when almost half-the-freaking-year is gone.</div>
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And writing? I haven't added anything new to <i>What Was Mine</i> since February and I dare to call myself an aspiring writer. I keep thinking about it and seeing everything unfold in my head like a movie, but somehow, when it comes to putting it into writing, the words have stopped flowing.</div>
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It's like I've lost that whole drive to do the things that I loved the most.</div>
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And no, it doesn't even give me the satisfaction of feeling like a tortured artist. No trench-coat-wearing (it's too freaking hot), cigarette-smoking (allergic), caffeine-drinking (happens, but occasionally) tormented persona for me to fall back on. That romance has flown outta the window. All I do now is watch <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(TV_series)" target="_blank">Supernatural</a> (at least that's one loved thing I still have immense drive for) and scream-sing along to Aerosmith and Kansas and all those bands that feature on the <i>Supernatural</i> soundtrack and then I think about how cool all their lives are and it makes me feel tremendously sad that I'm freaking-21-years-old and I haven't even achieved half the things I thought I would by now. And I don't know, I just can't even do anything about it because now when I think of distracting myself from thoughts of this ridiculous helplessness I can't even read or write, instead I Facebook-procrastinate. Like, seriously. <i>What is wrong with me?</i></div>
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It's like I've even stopped trying. Like, earlier there was a certain belief to hold on to. A belief that yeah, all those things that I dream of? Yes, they can come true. But it's like somebody reached inside me and pulled that belief out, ground it into powder and blew it into the wind and now it's so far away I can't even get it back. Like someone put all those dreams and goals in a bag and stamped a big-lettered 'Cancelled' over it and now dangles it over my head just to show that no, none of them came true and I'm exactly where I was two years back and maybe this'll where I'll be in many more years to come. Just stagnant.</div>
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When I think about blogging, getting back into it and it's cool-dom, I'm left wondering, WHO ON EARTH WILL EVEN WANT TO READ THIS ANYMORE? I mean, there are so many bigger, better, so-much-more-brilliant blogs out there, then why THIS? And then it's back to Kansas and Aerosmith and Avril's rendition of <i>Knocking On Heaven's Door</i>, which all just makes me sad all over again and I don't even know why.</div>
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There are SO many books out there I want to read. And plenty more are coming out. Like Amy Reed's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12493377-crazy" target="_blank">Crazy</a>, which I'm reading on Netgalley and which has pretty much wrecked my heart even though I'm only halfway in. I just wish I'd find the drive to talk about them again. And need to feel that what I say does matter. Even to one person.</div>
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It's ridiculous. I don't think I've ever moped so publicly. I don't know what's wrong with me but I felt the need to just get it out there. I mean, what the heck, at least the blog gets an update. Oh god. I could just ramble on and on and you could be there with your mouse hovering over the 'unfollow' button (I know there there isn't one, that you have to go a long way to get there, but still), unless you've done it already, and I wouldn't know where to stop. You know those frenzies you get into and you don't know how far they can just go on? Yeah, <i>that</i>.</div>
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Not pleasant.</div>
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Sigh.</div>
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Here's the thing: I don't know where I go from here. Like, if I've be back to responsible reader/writer/blogger ways. I have no freaking clue. Whether just getting this post out there will magically bring back my drive and all fine things along with it. Heck, I wish it would. And hell yeah, I'm gonna put in some sort of an effort to get things back into their rightful place. No promises, but try I will. I probably owe myself just that much. I think.</div>
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Ever found yourself in such a rut?</div>
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And just cos you stuck around - if you have - and witnessed this Blog Dance of Pathetico, I'll reward your eyes with something pleasant. Something waaaaaay more pleasant.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GkKUaM8FnKYgEPVD2tNfMXjI51rOqOMFduZV0n3wF5faj5g-Lq1Dbin523a2jHmXzOY_JgrBF4W00SC52bguiBd2vfoHUe20Yr9hZVFUw1bE2ZVy2rmIKkupTCrg7XFfCm9qmdc5xv0/s1600/426329_10150658527334566_648534565_9040098_1202484229_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GkKUaM8FnKYgEPVD2tNfMXjI51rOqOMFduZV0n3wF5faj5g-Lq1Dbin523a2jHmXzOY_JgrBF4W00SC52bguiBd2vfoHUe20Yr9hZVFUw1bE2ZVy2rmIKkupTCrg7XFfCm9qmdc5xv0/s400/426329_10150658527334566_648534565_9040098_1202484229_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hope you're having a good time :)</div>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-27753321944159472532012-04-28T21:12:00.000+05:302012-05-01T10:27:31.926+05:30Imaginary Girls<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-Pb8p5iOd3lgsVKMY6kPXLglB0I80QqIwsBO9e47MKFLe8rDOim_SNJQmt6QKeiWSgWXX7uYuVeczwab8ys44jNy0-JWpPwYvnZN9aRfafv2UG_0BqbvLp245y9MngwWJj5SyVJ7rmY/s1600/imaginary+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-Pb8p5iOd3lgsVKMY6kPXLglB0I80QqIwsBO9e47MKFLe8rDOim_SNJQmt6QKeiWSgWXX7uYuVeczwab8ys44jNy0-JWpPwYvnZN9aRfafv2UG_0BqbvLp245y9MngwWJj5SyVJ7rmY/s320/imaginary+girls.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Hardcover/Australian Paperback)</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b>Imaginary Girls</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b>by <a href="http://novaren.com/" target="_blank">Nova Ren Suma</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b>(<a href="http://distraction99.com/" target="_blank">Author blog</a>)</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Released: June 14th, '11</span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8603765-imaginary-girls" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.</span></blockquote>
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<b>A word about the cover: </b>That hardcover version is the Most. Brilliant. Cover. Ever. Period.<br />
And that paperback below? Hauntingly creepy. But the hardcover wins, hands down.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b><br />
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This is quite possibly the most gorgeous book I've owned. I doubt I can be coherent at all while talking about this because, honestly, it blew my mind. <i>Wow</i>. Just WOW.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF48lZWyduGmPvaQSUPzJSA8zlCGXmlDiInbSH_g2omL_uZ2MDnbpxs9zeZb25DoNUOKxVwCct2dlYr42CokD0Tzzyeu1AVm8icCdpUbUwGalZrmxun4uwCBCLn1UOwry7vwHwkmE_utE/s1600/13026356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF48lZWyduGmPvaQSUPzJSA8zlCGXmlDiInbSH_g2omL_uZ2MDnbpxs9zeZb25DoNUOKxVwCct2dlYr42CokD0Tzzyeu1AVm8icCdpUbUwGalZrmxun4uwCBCLn1UOwry7vwHwkmE_utE/s320/13026356.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Paperback)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: center;">If you ask me right now which author I so wish I could write like, I'd say </span><i style="text-align: center;">Nova Ren Suma</i><span style="text-align: center;"> in a heartbeat. Not only is the writing oh-so-breathtaking, she blends it in with a story that will sometimes make your heart ache, sometimes put your heart in your mouth and hang on to you even months after you've read it (I speak from experience. Yes, it's been months that I've read it. I just didn't know how to talk about it. Still don't, but you get what I mean).</span></span>
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This is a story about sisters and obsession, about dead girls and lost towns, sibling love and sacrifice, destruction and resurrection. This is a story about magic. Magic that will make your toes curl yet keep you captivated. This is magic realism at it's best. The best I've read in years.<br />
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At it's heart, <i>Imaginary Girls</i> is a mystery. There's mystery in every page, in every character, in every action undertaken by a character. Ruby, Chloe's older sister, is perhaps the biggest mystery, which also makes her the most enticing character of all. Ruby is complex. So complex that sometimes sometimes it's scary. But she'll hold you entranced, like she holds Chloe and the rest of the town. Yet in spite of the power she wields, there will never be a time when you even remotely associate her with being bad. That's the kind of magic Suma crafts with <i>Imaginary Girls</i>. Her characters will make you wonder at their strangeness, yet you get where they are coming from. You might drown in the terror of the situation, yet you'll have your heartbroken in pages.<br />
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It isn't just the characters. The setting is stunning. I kid you not when I say it's perhaps the most vividly atmospheric novel I've read since <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4191.Emily_Bront_" target="_blank">Emily Bronte</a>'s <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6185.Wuthering_Heights" target="_blank">Wuthering Heights</a>. The reservoir which holds a size-able amount of the mystery of <i>Imaginary Girls</i> takes on a life of it's own. It's so richly evocative, sometimes I felt myself drowning in it or listening to it breathe in the night, like Chloe did.<br />
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<i>Imaginary Girls</i> is the kind of book that is built on paradoxes. Of reality distorted to suit personal interests. The kind of book that manages to be both startlingly beautiful and hair-raisingly disturbing. The kind that makes you wonder what the author feeds on to have come out with such an extraordinary piece of work. The kind that makes you want to give out copies of it to every person you come across just so they can have a piece of its magic too. The kind that makes you pull out your pen or laptop, if only to make you aspire to create something as marvellous.<br />
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Do I recommend this? YES, YES AND A THOUSAND TIMES OVER. And then some more.<br />
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And just so I can make you a li'l jealous,<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_GsjboB5ytAr3IqR6ojaxixWS5tDE9LY7Y9Tb1hlzjeSGA38GzBhm-UyXMfWW3ZKbImB8Jllx1oAZOT2KmZwP-UTWLZ7Mu93b3M2CnxHaeCQWUCLKaAw1V4vXAIT0nVuYLWXOJVwEgk/s1600/SAM_5943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_GsjboB5ytAr3IqR6ojaxixWS5tDE9LY7Y9Tb1hlzjeSGA38GzBhm-UyXMfWW3ZKbImB8Jllx1oAZOT2KmZwP-UTWLZ7Mu93b3M2CnxHaeCQWUCLKaAw1V4vXAIT0nVuYLWXOJVwEgk/s320/SAM_5943.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OWNED!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1rjCBBk3V7W_0a8RELr7hcbmGsUBs2YQXZrvuVCRp9jameSmOHkrzL00WMFx4XCeS5J6AZoQ-CCZh6KDTIy5_iCYQCby1CD9lJrjJx7tF1YIMPsZwAh03am2wPEuRnlMQ1jqX_qyQDE/s1600/SAM_5941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1rjCBBk3V7W_0a8RELr7hcbmGsUBs2YQXZrvuVCRp9jameSmOHkrzL00WMFx4XCeS5J6AZoQ-CCZh6KDTIy5_iCYQCby1CD9lJrjJx7tF1YIMPsZwAh03am2wPEuRnlMQ1jqX_qyQDE/s320/SAM_5941.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author signed! See? :D<br />
(I won this at a giveaway)</td></tr>
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Glimpse a little of the magic through the trailer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/k0RSu1TgeuM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>How often do you read magic realism?</b>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-31772498804821938142012-03-31T17:12:00.002+05:302012-03-31T17:12:40.609+05:30Tempest<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSOLihl8SpN9OVqy5C6hk8MJPJbSzacVUYGv5VpTms2HmArZXTN4d6UpLXgmyv-ej9hdNWSVdNn8tfI40Q3W-h35w667m53GTY65T2HlBI1Sdh8VDKz3egwi2Vhb_cUZrf4hlDbKTVvU/s1600/tempest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSOLihl8SpN9OVqy5C6hk8MJPJbSzacVUYGv5VpTms2HmArZXTN4d6UpLXgmyv-ej9hdNWSVdNn8tfI40Q3W-h35w667m53GTY65T2HlBI1Sdh8VDKz3egwi2Vhb_cUZrf4hlDbKTVvU/s1600/tempest.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Tempest</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://juliecross.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">Julie Cross</a></b><br />
Released: 17th Jan, '12.<br />
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From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11455096-tempest" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.</span></blockquote>
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<b>A word about the cover:</b> I don't know why but I really like the floaty-ness of it. (Is that weird?) Also, the photo is a little unusual for what has recently flooded the YA market (read: Sad Girls In Pretty Dresses). It makes me want to give it a second look.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b><br />
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The whole time-traveling shizz appeals to me a lot. I think that's the coolest possible super-power to have. I mean, what can you <i>not</i> do if you can travel through time? And lets face it: the premise of <i>Tempest</i> is actually very relatable. How many times have we thought <i>if only I could turn back time</i> when we lost a loved one? Me? Tons.<br />
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<i>Tempest</i> was a book I wanted to read, ever since I started following <a href="http://juliecross.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">Julie's blog</a>, right after she got her book deal, even before the book became the talking point across blogosphere.<br />
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It was..well, inventive. I was uber curious about what was happening and what was going to happen and if Jackson would really be able to save Holly and all those things that could make this book work. Unfortunately, it was also one of those books that you go through a page-flipping-frenzy mode for then promptly forget about (I didn't forget because I had to do this review, but you get the hint).<br />
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My problem mostly was with the characters - a shallow bunch of jerks with some wrong notions about certain things. Case in point: Holly's roommate is called a feminist - when she is very clearly a misandrist - and is dismissed as being a bitch along the same lines. And what does that imply? That a feminist is very easily a misandrist or that feminists are bitches? Because that's EXACTLY how it comes across.<br />
Also, Jackson's reaction on getting to know that Holly is a virgin? He's worried about her and then goes -<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The idea that she might not enjoy this was turning me in the other direction. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been with a virgin, even just messing around. Maybe never.</span></blockquote>
I mean, DUDE, seriously? Jackson's seventeen. And he has slept with so many people he doesn't even remember the last virgin he slept with? (At the same time we get to hear Holly call him 'deep'. I mean, SERIOUSLY?) I don't get moralising over books or anything but what really annoys me is Jackson's attitude here. So is he implying that being a virgin means you're all uptight and that it probably puts him off? Or is it that because somebody isn't a virgin it's okay to mess around with them?<br />And at the same time he's <i>actually</i> worried about Holly, huh? Contradictions, contradictions. Conclusively, Jackson ends up being typecast as the seemingly nice guy who is really a jerk underneath. Sadly, no character development there.<br />
I call these characters jerks because there's no redemption, nowhere in the book do they regret such thoughts or realise what absolute jackasses they really are. All of it is as easily dismissed as it is brought on. Like this very dignified bit:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">"I just met this chick last night at my friend's party. She's mega hot and a total airhead." </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">"Exactly your type right?" </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">"Yeah, but only if the flakiness is genuine. Not that pretend-I'm-stupid shit. You know it's going to bite you in the ass later. Besides, I love messing with people who just don't get it." </span></blockquote>
Waaay. To. Go.<br />
<br />
I had issues with <i>Tempest</i> throughout my reading experience of it. Maybe if I leave my own personal beliefs aside, maybe it could work. I mean, I loved the bits Jackson had with his sister Courtney. I think I was mostly in that page-flipping-frenzy mode just so I could get to the parts with/about her. But then, such personal beliefs can't really be pushed aside. I *am* a feminist and I cannot tolerate sexism and coming from a country where woman's position in society is a matter of argument every-freaking-day, reading about women being dismissed as easily as toilet paper makes me angry.<br />
<br />
Yes, there are good things about the book. Like I said, Courtney. And it moves at breakneck speed inspite of the whole 'time-line' thing being highly confusing more often than not. And the last quarter of the book makes you feel a little bad for the main characters sometimes. It's not a bad book.<br />
<br />
But, I don't know. With all those sexist ideas being dismissed as casual fun, it's not exactly making it to my list of good books.<br />
<br />
Reading is subjective, right?<br />
I know <i>Tempest</i> has/will have it's fair share of fans (heck, a movie's been optioned, too!). It's just that I'm not one of them.<br />
<br />
<b>Have you read Tempest? What's your favourite read on time travel?</b>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-15413465052050307982012-03-28T11:21:00.000+05:302012-03-28T11:25:24.635+05:30Waiting On Wednesday #4<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Waiting On Wednesday</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> is a weekly meme started by Jill @</span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking The Spine</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">, where we talk about upcoming releases we just-can't-wait for.</span></div>
<br />
This week I'm waiting for,<br />
<br />
<b>Hanging By A Thread</b><br />
<b>by Sophie Littlefield</b><br />
Expected Publication - 11th Sepetember, 2012<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13262764-hanging-by-a-thread" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year's Fourth of July festival won't see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing's wrong. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">And they're not the only ones hiding something. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Clare, a seamstress who redesigns vintage clothing, has been blessed—or perhaps cursed—with a gift: she can see people's pasts when she touches their clothes. When she stumbles across a denim jacket that once belonged to Amanda Stavros, last year's Fourth of July victim, Clare sees her perfect town begin to come apart at the seams. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In a town where appearance means everything, how deep beneath the surface will Clare dig to uncover a murderer?</span></blockquote>
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<b>Why I'm waiting for this:</b></div>
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Lets be honest - it's the cover that pulled me in for this one. Initially. I mean, WOW, LOOK AT THAT! Instant. Cover. Lust. And then the title. Oooh, prettiness.</div>
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But yeah, pretty covers are plenty. What really has my attention is the fact that the main character is a seamstress. Rolling your eyes, are we now? See, while the whole keeping-up-appearances and digging-beneath-the-surface is not a very uncommon theme - especially if you add a few murders alongside - vintage clothes definitely make things interesting. So, yes, I'm shallow, but how can I help it? Pretty things are so awesome. And dude, VINTAGE!</div>
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Of course, the murder and the town's secrets make things more exciting. Who doesn't love secrets? And here's a town-full of them. This one's got plenty to draw me in right now.</div>
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I mean, seriously, LOOK AT THAT - *drools over cover*</div>
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- <b>so, uh, what's making YOU drool this week?</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">PS. Also, I went for a second watch of The Hunger Games. Go, Team Seneca Crane's beard!</span></div>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-59279860834864828452012-03-24T02:07:00.000+05:302012-03-24T02:07:00.206+05:30The Hunger Games. OMFG.Yes. It happened.<br />
I watched. The first show in the city, in the wee hours of the morning.<br />
Did you? Did you? 15+ hours later, I'm still overwhelmed.<br />
<br />
And...WOW. It was SO good. The book came alive and there was Katniss with her bow and arrow and the Capitol and - OH SHUCKS, I'M JUST GONNA LIST IT COS I CAN'T HELP IT. (This might get spoiler-ish, so be warned).<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>JENNIFER LAWRENCE. She was born to be Katniss. No exaggeration. How could I EVER doubt her? She was amazing. I can't imagine anyone else taking her place. Oh God. I think I'm pretty much in love with her. Who cares about the boys - yes, they were delectable, but heck, TEAM KATNISS!</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLPddNZkruoSwfTi8k-jeP86fjuRhrDM4g1Ccxk1ambOyN4U-qs_OayCgDH57XQoljKq6XrdW00EP5gTde8u-tZ8cwDqUIEeYf_7B0R9Ia4eVy7o52Rq9zDlXEqy_LR7cq9KhGJ1Q4AY/s1600/HG2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLPddNZkruoSwfTi8k-jeP86fjuRhrDM4g1Ccxk1ambOyN4U-qs_OayCgDH57XQoljKq6XrdW00EP5gTde8u-tZ8cwDqUIEeYf_7B0R9Ia4eVy7o52Rq9zDlXEqy_LR7cq9KhGJ1Q4AY/s400/HG2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The Capitol and it's clothes. It was like an avant-garde rainbow parade. And holy moly, THOSE EYELASHES.</li>
<li>Effie's appearance reminded me of the <a href="http://wallpaper4me.com/images/wallpapers/redqueenofhearts-259715.jpeg" target="_blank">Queen of Hearts</a> from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/" target="_blank">Alice In Wonderland</a>. Elizabeth Banks is a delight to watch. I was a little bummed that she wasn't as despicable as I found her to be in the first book, but, oh well, she's very watch-worthy.</li>
<li>If beards can give you boners, watch out for Seneca Crane's. His is the shizzle. And that scene with him in the end? Perfection. I wish he didn't have to die, so I could drool over his beard some more. (WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?*shakes head*)</li>
<li>Also, WHO KNEW CATO WOULD BE SUCH HOTNESS? By God, the Witch Mountain kid grew up and how. Major. Swoon. Alert.</li>
<li>I was wrong about Josh Hutcherson. He made an adorable Peeta. I wanted to bring him home with me the entire time. And he should go blond permanently.</li>
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<ul>
<li>Liam Hemsworth as Gale? STUDMUFFIN. Keep that black hair dye on. You lucky girl, Miley!</li>
<li>And no, I'm not going to go into the whole Team thing 'cos I like both boys but I also think Katniss made the right choice. The only thing that bothered me about the movie is that Real/For show love between Katniss and Peeta didn't seem to be emphasized upon much. A non-reader of the books could easily miss the fact that Haymitch uttered a couple of words about putting on a 'show of love' to make an impression on the sponsors and the gamemakers. I thought that was a very important aspect of the Katiniss-Peeta relationship - how that Love For Show becomes Love For Reals - so the underplaying of that was a little, um...jarring? If I think of it independent of the book, though - which I can't, the obsessive fan that I am - I guess it works well.</li>
<li>I bawled my eyes out when Rue died. My brother cried, too, I know, although he had his hands over his face. A 15 year old boy crying in the theatre should tell you there was a lot of perfection involved in the shooting of the scene, in spite of the whole thing about the little kid dying being so very, very wrong.</li>
<li>The other tributes? I don't know how many times I have to repeat the word 'perfection' in this post. Yes, that. Special toast for the Careers. You've gotta agree they've got style.</li>
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<ul>
<li>District 12 and Katniss' home. EXACTLY how it should've been.</li>
<li>Yes, there were a few things I would've liked to see. Like, you know, Madge. Even though she's probably not that important but - she gave Katniss the mockingjay pin! And that had a lot of significance which was kinda lacking in the movie. Umm, yeah. And I thought that President Snow would be more sinister and not look like a dystopian-Dumbledore-with-a-shorter-beard. And Haymitch would be, well...drunker. STILL. It turned out to be a really good movie with a cast of uber-talented actors. And guess, what? I, for one, cannot wait for Catching Fire. (also, that happens to be my favourite book of the series).</li>
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So.</div>
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<b>Have you watched it yet? Are you going to?</b></div>
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On a drool-worthy note, I'm gonna leave you with a photo of the beautiful cast of tribute when they aren't at each other's throats. Psssst, look at that sexy blond in the middle!</div>
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<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-21625339596826331302012-03-14T12:00:00.000+05:302012-03-14T12:00:00.511+05:30Waiting On Wednesday (#3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Waiting On Wednesday</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> is a weekly meme started by Jill @</span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking The Spine</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">, where we talk about upcoming releases we just-can't-wait for.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">This week's wait is for,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><b>Breaking Beautiful</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><b>by Jennifer Shaw Wolf</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Expected Publication - 24th April, 2012</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10914560-breaking-beautiful" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.</span> </blockquote>
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<br />
<b>Why I'm waiting for this:</b><br />
<br />
First off: Even without reading the book summary, there's something about the book title that is achingly sad. And the kind of masochistic reader that I am, I'm inevitably attracted to books that break my heart, and yeah, the name says. it. all.<br />
<br />
Then, the summary. The whole death of a boy/girl you love hits really close to home and makes it an automatic must-get read. Add to that a secret that can't come out, it becomes a must-get-NOW read.<br />
<br />
And I can be called biased for this but JENNIFER SHAW WOLF IS A DEBUT AUTHOR! And I lurrrve first novels and first-time authors. The whole discovering-a-new-voice thing is right up there on my list of Things That Give Me A Personal High. So, that.<br />
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I don't know how or when I'm gonna get a copy of this in my hands - considering I live under a rock and as usual I'm pretty much broke at the moment and April's not that far off - but I sure hope someone benevolent sees this and oh, I don't know, maybe surprises me with this as an April Gift (gifts are all year round, right?).<br />
<br />
Oh well, a girl can hope.<br />And a broke one can hope some more.<br />
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<b>What are you reading or waiting for right now?</b>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-54858285383119464642012-02-28T20:08:00.000+05:302012-02-28T20:19:33.819+05:30In which I come back with news.Don't even ask me about that unexplained hiatus.<br />
I have no idea what happened. Or...wait, maybe I do. You know those days when things just start<i> happening</i> and happen so much they just can't stop? Well, THAT happened. Life did. It turns out that I now find myself knee-deep in a <i>thing</i> I didn't even see coming, with a Boy who wasn't even on the List (you know, one that consists of Tom Felton and the Winchester brothers and all those pretty boys on tv) and well, it's been craaazy. This would've kinda made for an interesting high school story, except for the fact that we are both in university. Teehee.<br />
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ANYWHO. Enough with the personal talk. Like I said, I have news. Tra-la.<br />
<br />
Firstly, guys, guys, guys. Remember that cover contest all of you helped me with? The one where you helped me choose one among several covers I made for Holly Cupala's Don't Breathe A Word? Not <a href="http://talkmusebanter.blogspot.in/2011/12/help-me-pick-cover.html" target="_blank">once</a> but <a href="http://talkmusebanter.blogspot.in/2011/12/cover-re-creation-help-me-round-ii.html" target="_blank">TWICE</a>? Guess what, all your amazing input went into making me win that contest. And this was my first cover contest in, like, ever. THANK YOU! I wish I could send you guys something, all of you, to show how grateful I am for all your help, but, alas, being a poor college student has it's disadvantages. But, really, if it means anything at all, thank YOU.<br />
<br />
So you wanna see what I got?<br />
<br />
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So that's a copy of <i>Don't Breathe A Word</i> and an audio book of <i>Tell Me A Secret</i> and bookmarks and a graphic novel excerpt and um, stickers? Because of you guys, I now own an audio book. My first one ever. I'm not even kidding.<br />
The best part?<br />
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Yes, personally signed! Gotta love that. And Holly's got such <i>nice</i> handwriting, hasn't she? *cuddles book*<br />
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In other news, which you must all be aware of by now, unless you've been living under a rock,<b> <a href="http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2012/02/j.k._rowlings_new_book_has_already_cast_its_spell" target="_blank">JK ROWLING HAS A NEW BOOK!</a></b> (that's just one of the many links Google will take you to if you simply type in 'J.K. Rowling'). So we don't know much about the book, but we know <i>something. </i>We know that:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>it's NOT Harry Potter</li>
<li>it's an adult novel</li>
<li>it will be published by Little, Brown</li>
<li>more details will be revealed later in the year</li>
</ul>
godimsoexcitedidontevenknowwhattodorightnow*wringshands*itcrazyohmygodohmygodohmygodthequeenofmychildhoodiscomingbackinmyadulthood!<br />
<br />
Also, Maureen Johnson (yes, our very own Maureen Johnson)<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/27/jk-rowling-proper-adult-novel" target="_blank"> wrote an amazing article in the guardian asking naysayers to dispose their doubts about THE bestselling children's writer venturing into adult territory</a>. I mean, c'mon, you can't really expect another Harry Potter, but don't put her down before you even know what she's coming up with this time. OH GOD, I'M SO EXCITED. *does jagger dance* (don't laugh, okay? i know you're laughing. stop. STOP)<br />
<br />
Moving on (ohmyfreakinggodrowlinghasanewnovel!).<br />
*deep breath*<br />
My friend from college, <a href="http://leafturnertales.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">Paro has a new blog!</a> I've known her for more than 3 years now and she's a wonderful person, a lot of fun to talk to and <a href="http://leafturnertales.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">by god, just look at Leafturner Tales!</a> Isn't it cute? She's brand, brand new to the blogging world and she's already gathered some followers (because she's awesome that way), but it would be wicked cool of you guys to head that way and say 'hi'. Show her how awesome and nice the blogosphere is :)<br />
<br />
Random:<br />
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<br />
(so did the oscars go according to your prediction?)<br />
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Also, I came across this one on my aunt's Facebook profile and it made me smile ;)<br />
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and, it's <b>25 DAYS TILL THE HUNGER GAMES!</b><br />
*hyperventilates*<br />
ohgodohgodohgod<br />
<br />Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-65197499712679129342012-02-15T17:00:00.000+05:302012-02-15T17:00:00.993+05:30Waiting On Wednesday (#2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Waiting On Wednesday</b> is a weekly meme started by Jill @<a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">Breaking The Spine</a>, where we talk about upcoming releases we just-can't-wait for.<br />
<br />
This week I'm waiting for - oh, screw it - this I MUST INSANELY ACQUIRE -<br />
<br />
<b>This Is Not A Test</b><br />
<b>by Courtney Summers</b><br />
Expected Publication - 19th June, 2012<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12043771-this-is-not-a-test" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>:<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">her </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">want</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">and </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">death—inside. When everything is gone, what do </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">you </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">hold on to?</span></blockquote>
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<br />
<b>Why I'm waiting for this:</b><br />
<br />
Dude, it's COURTNEY SUMMERS! Need I say more?<br />
<br />
And okay, lets be honest, I'm not particularly fond of zombies, but HAVE YOU READ THE <a href="http://courtneysummers.ca/this-is-not-a-test-excerpt/" target="_blank">EXCERPT </a>SHE SHARED? No? Go. Read. It. Now.<br />
<br />
Her writing is so haunting, and well...it reads like an edgy contemporary - more focus on the characters, less focus on the zombies. Which totally makes it my kinda read.<br />
<br />
Also, this is about a girl who wants to die. And if you've read any Courtney Summers, you'd know that she specialises in troubled characters. And she does them brilliantly.<br />
<br />
And that cover? All that hair matted with blood and those sprinkled drops up there and all that blue? This is possibly the best cover of the year yet.<br />
<br />
That's a book I desperately want to hold in my hands.<br />
<br />
<b>What are you waiting for?</b>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463486463691568705.post-26492087743574673972012-02-08T17:00:00.000+05:302012-02-08T17:00:00.921+05:30Waiting On Wednesday (#1)<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I've decided to join the bandwagon and do a weekly meme.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I like the concept of <b>Waiting On Wednesday</b> (started by Jill from <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a>) because:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">featuring books that I so-can't-wait-for seems like fun.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I get to talk about more books!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">you get to hear about more books!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">and...well, I'll have a weekly something to look forward to posting. Without fail :)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">...and therefore, you see, this is the perfect thing to do every week. Hope you'll stick around.</span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week I'm waiting for -</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Stephanie Kate Strohm</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Expected publication - May, 2012</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From the <a href="http://www.stephaniekatestrohm.com/books.html" target="_blank">author's website</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why I'm waiting for this:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Firstly, I was sold at 'Jane Austen-adaptation-watching'. I mean, I like Ms. Austen's books a lot, but I think I like the screen adaptations even more. I don't give a damn about how the critics rate them, they function like pick-me-ups and are hugely entertaining. Plus, the men are swoony.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Secondly, there's a museum and CAMDEN HARBOR IS HAUNTED! So ghosts. I love ghosts! Especially in contemporaries where they make a guest appearance. I mean, seriously, what's not to love?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thirdly, see those other characters mentioned? I *want* to read about them. I want to read about the hostile coworker, the supersmart reporter and the pretty sailor. Wait...what?! A sailor? Where did he come from? WHY AREN'T THERE MORE BOOKS WITH SAILORS? Authors, are you listening?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The moment I came across this book on one of my lurk-sprees, I almost sang out. This book is for me, me, me. It sounds fun and quirky and there's Jane Austen and ghosts and - oh damn, I need this right away.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are you waiting for?</span></b></div>Bidishahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17382938442171208326noreply@blogger.com7