Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar – Kochery C. Shibu
Book Review

Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar – Kochery C. Shibu

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📍Genre- Fiction

📍Recommendation- Can Read

🔆Storyline:- Nanda, an engineer with a background of violence, is running from his past and trying to keep himself alive and safe. He finally finds something to keep him safe; AM Hydro Dam construction project.

Khusru, accidentally stuck in with a terror group, is trying to escape the trouble and get a quiet and peaceful life with his family, whom he met after a long time with a lot of struggle.

Rekha, an ambitious dancer with a medical degree, wants to perform a million dances. Then fate plays its trick and she is hopelessly in love. But with what end?

What will happen when all three of them are brought together by fate? Will they get what they want or will their lives fall apart completely?

🔆My Opinion:- I was loving the book as I started and reached at around 80% of it. After that a few things started to get a little repetitive and I wasn’t happy with the ending.

Character buildup was just wonderful. Every detail is taken care of and the past is explained to add more drama to it. I was impressed by the amount of research done from author’s side. It really shows when you read the book.

The book has a touch of everything; mystery, romance, emotions, history etc. All this made the book enjoyable for me.

As I started I did not know what to expect but I started to like it as I read on. The technicality (dam construction etc.) did get too much for me as I neared the end and I just skimmed through that part because I was sick of it. I enjoyed reading about the characters, it really grabs the interest. Apart from the three main characters there are some small ones and I loved that way their stories were also narrated. The liked the journeys of them and how they reached where they are and the hardships they suffered. I also enjoyed the Police and Investigation angle in the story

I was thinking of giving this book a Should Read recommendation until I finished it. I was so disappointed with the end. After reading such beautifully detailed account of every character, I expected more. The ending did not do justice to the book. Other reasons for it being a Can Read are that the picturisation was not good; I was only reading it and it was so hard to picture it in my head. Also, the technical stuff started to get me. It was a little overstretched.

❇️The book definitely had the potential to be better but considering it was a debut novel, it did really well. You can go for the book, it is an interesting read (minus the ending).

Bestseller – Ahmed Faiyaz
Book Review

Bestseller – Ahmed Faiyaz

Stuti Gupta1 Comment

📍Genre- Fiction, Satire

📍Recommendation- Should Read

🔆Storyline:- (Copied) Akshay Mathur, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which Kalim would be wound up.

He has to find a way of making a success out of books he would never publish or would never even read. To complicate things further, he has to contend with motley crew of has-beens and misfits as well as wannabe writers, dealing with their follies and derisive tactics, and battle his own affections for Zorah Kalim, the impulsive daughter of his former boss.

Will he succeed in bringing out that one ‘bestseller’ from his publishing house? And what about his own life and love in office?

🔆My Opinion:- The book was hilarious! I smiled all the way through. It is so real. I mean I could totally relate to Akshay Mathur. I could feel the guy reading his inner thoughts written after every dialogue because I do it all the time and I’m sure a lot of us do it too. That’s what makes the book so likeable.

To be honest, I didn’t laugh as such but I did smile all the time while reading it. It was such a fun read that I finished the book in around a week (I’m a slow reader!).

The books unravels how publishing business works and what it takes to be successful in this business. It’s not as easy as one might think. I got to know a lot about it and I was impressed by the amount of detail given. It shows the amount of research and planning that must have been done by the author.

What’s more is that there is a love story on the sidelines and that too has a funny touch in it. It’s not like a boring, repetitive romance. It was equally enjoyable. And how can I forget, the suspicious plan by Akshay Mathur to make it work. It was really genius and gave the book a touch of suspense as well!!

I loved this book. It is a fun read, I totally enjoyed it and it’s just 196 pages long. Do you even have to think before picking it up? No! You should totally read this book.

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Five Famous Books I did not like

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The motive of this post is not to spread hate (although I may use this word a lot). It’s just to talk about how every famous book is not for everyone. There should not be any pressure to like a book just because it’s famous. I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s emotions, it’s just how I feel.

1.Emma

I have never hated any book as much as I hate this one. This one bored me to tears. Up until the end I could not understand the motive of this book. What do people see in it? I kept expecting for something even remotely interesting to come but NOPE! Nothing at all. I just cursed the moment I bought this book.

2. Go set a Watchman

The successor of To kill a Mockingbird, a book that I loved. So, obviously I had big expectations with this one and I was so excited to buy it. Later on, it just felt like the wastage of money. There were so many loose ends and a lot of things were just hyped up for no reason.

3. Pride and Prejudice

By now you must have understood I’m not a fan of Jane Austen. Why did I buy two of her books then you ask? Well, that’s how I know I can’t bear her. This book was still better than Emma. At least I managed to finish this one without cursing myself for buying it.

4. Hamlet

So, I’m not big on plays. I heard a lot about Hamlet and I was like I have to read it. I just felt that the story was childish and didn’t make sense to me. The play is written in prose, also not my type.

5. The Alchemist

This might come as a shock because this book is universally loved. I didn’t completely hate the book. There were some parts that ruined it for me. The message was great, the overall story was good. But I did not enjoy it much.

So that’s it. These were the “famous” books that did not interest me. I’m sure everyone has some books in this category. Do tell me about yours in the comments below.
If you want to read full reviews of these books just click on their name heads.

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Deception – Andrew Bryson
Book Review

Deception – Andrew Bryson

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📍Genre- Crime Thriller, Espionage

📍Recommendation- Should Read

🔆Storyline- (Copied) Nothing is as it seems. The assassination of the brother of US President Thomas Webb sparks a seemingly unrelated chain of events. These include the kidnapping of Maya Borovkova and the poisoning of Russian general, Alexei Lukyanov.

Maya’s boyfriend, Sean Peters, embarks on a dangerous mission to save her and is drawn into a world of lies and deceit. He uncovers a plot to plunge Russia and Ukraine into a needless war. As he closes in on Maya, Sean realizes that no one is who they appear to be, including Maya.

🔆My Opinion:- I totally loved this book. The book keeps you hooked from start to end. In some chapters you might feel a little bored when the politics is talked about. And that’s the only reason I haven’t called this one a must read (also because I received this one as an eBook and I hate eBooks)

The twists in the story are mind blowing. The books shows that the author has done good research and put in a lot of efforts. There is nothing you can guess in here.

I was being a smarty-pants, for I have read so many thrillers,  and I predicted the ending and the twists but the author was one step ahead and proved me wrong, every single time, which left me open-mouthed. You just don’t know what will happen next.

One thing that I was so impressed by was the last chapter. I just thought it would be a pack up but the author came up with yet another surprise. I wanted to get to the end yet I didn’t want the book to be over.

There is so much in this book that can’t be missed. This is a fast-paced thriller ready to blow your mind. And the best part is; all this in just 192 pages! You can’t get a better deal than this. This book deserved to be a hit. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel.

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My Top 10 Favourite Reads of all time

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Today I’m gonna talk about my top ten favourite reads. These are the ones that I completely enjoyed reading and recommend everyone to read them as well. The books are across all genres.

1.The Kite Runner

The first book had to be this. This is the book that actually made me fall in love with reading. It was around 3 years back when a friend of mine lent me this book and I returned her this book in just 2 weeks (that was when I was a slow reader!). I loved this book so much that I start telling everyone about it even when no-one asked me

2. Jane Eyre

I hate classics and yet this is my favourite book. So there has to be something about it. It’s just that I could connect with this book and while reading the book it felt like Jane is a real person and that she is my friend. After I finished this, I really missed talking to Jane.

3. Tell me your Dreams

So this was the second thriller that I ever read. After finishing the book, I was like, “What the hell happened?” I was so worked up in the book that I felt so empty after finishing it. (sounds really crazy but, well, that what I am) It was this book that told me Thriller and Mystery is my genre.

4. The Rosie Project

This was a Bill Gates recommended book and he recommends really good books. So I went for it without doubt and I loved it. The crazy thing is I hate romance genre and yet this book is one of my favourites. I think this says a lot.

5. The Millennium Trilogy

Oh. My. God. I don’t have words for this book series. I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon this one. While buying the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I wasn’t even sure if I should. I just bought it because the bookstore didn’t have the books I wanted to buy. So, I bought it, rather reluctantly, and it was the best decision that I have ever taken. I read the whole series after that.

Millennium 1- https://solitudethings.home.blog/2019/03/01/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-stieg-larsson/

Millennium 2- https://solitudethings.home.blog/2019/03/03/the-girl-who-played-with-fire/

Millennium 3- https://solitudethings.home.blog/2019/03/04/the-girl-who-kicked-hornets-nest-stieg-larsson/

6. The Girl On the Train

I heard about this book in passing and I didn’t even look it up before buying it. I know that could’ve backfired, had the book been terrible but luckily it was awesome. I had nothing to read so I picked it up and after a week and half, I had nothing to read again. Yup, I completed it so fast because reading this book was like being in a trance. You just kind of dissolve in the book.

7. A thousand Splendid Suns

Yup! I’m a fan of Khaled Hosseini. I mean the way he writes, the way he makes you cry, the way he makes you think, only he can do it so brutally yet gently. This was the obvious choice for me after The Kite Runner and I was not at all disappointed.

8. The Rosie Effect

This is the 2nd book in The Rosie Series. Just like it’s predecessor, I loved it. The book is a lot more that romance, it teaches you actual lessons. The third part, The Rosie Result, has been in my TBR since it released.

9. And then there were none

I did not know that the first Agatha Christie (goddess of mysteries) book that I picked was a masterpiece. She keeps you on your toes until the last word of the book, literally!!! After this I bought 3 more by her but they were no match to this one.

10. Number The Stars

I included this book because of the message it gives. It was so heartbreaking seeing the war time from the eyes of a 10-year-old. The story was amazing and gripping.

These are the books I enjoyed and learned from the most since I started reading. I hope you guys enjoy them too. To read the reviews and synopsis of these books, just click on the links given.

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Instagram (@solitude_things)- https://www.instagram.com/solitude_things/

Twitter (@StutiG612)- https://twitter.com/StutiG612

Beyond a Mysterious Journey – Madhuparna Suman
Book Review

Beyond a Mysterious Journey – Madhuparna Suman

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📍Genre- Fantasy, Fiction

📍Recommendation- Don’t Read 💔

🔆Storyline- Neelkand and Nandini, husband and wife, love each other but lately there hasn’t been much spark between them. They are bored of their mundane life. So they decide to go on a vacation and everything is going well until one day, fate calls them to this palace and they encounter life and death situation. Only the good spirits can save them now. Will they be able to defeat the evil?

🔆My Opinion- The first thing that I can’t help mentioning here is the errors this book have. Looks like the editor has not done its job. I mean you can find 2-3 (or more) errors on every single page. The errors are all kinds; basic grammar (really basic!), spelling, positioning of words. It is so frustrating to read something with so many mistakes. The reading flow takes a complete toll and even if the story is good you can’t concentrate on it.

Talking about the story alone, it wasn’t bad. I liked the premise. But not much effort was put into framing dialogues. Although the thought was good. I liked the way the author kept showing those strange events happening. It really makes you keep going and know what happens next. I was more like a children’s story but it wouldn’t bore an adult. I do appreciate the fact that this wasn’t some boring romance. For a debut author it was pretty good.

❇️Overall this book could’ve been a Can Read but all those errors degraded it to where it is. The author has told me that she might be releasing a new edition of the book without the errors. That’d make the book readable.

How to create a reading Habit?
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How to create a reading Habit?

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I have been asked a lot about how to create a reading habit. First let me tell you one thing that I used to hate reading. If someone bought a book in front of me, I would say, “how the hell do you get time to read them while I struggle to finish off my textbooks. This is so stupid”

Four Years later, here I am unable to sleep until I have read a book. So I’m just gonna tell you how it started for me and how I created a habit. Also, help you to not make the mistakes that I made. Because if I can do it, so can you.

1.You need a motivation:

I know it might be the hardest question but as long as you don’t have a motivation, it will be hard for you to keep going. For me, the motivation was my competitive exams. I was preparing for some competitive exams and I knew that if I want to do good I must create a reading habit and so I started, rather reluctantly.

You can take motivations like, you may wanna live the life others live through different characters or you wanna see the world without actually seeing it or, well, you want to be a part of the book chats with your friends. You just need to find what makes you even think about creating a reading habit. Make it your strenghth

2. Know your type/genre:

The biggest mistake you can make as a beginner is to pick a wrong book for yourselves. I know because I made this very mistake and after that one bad book all my motivation went down the drain. It gets really hard to pick up another book after that. So you need to think what interests you. This is easy because we all have some favourite movies or tv series that we enjoy the most. All you gotta do is to reflect upon that and think about what kind of movies do you like. For example, if you enjoy movies like The Prestige, Shutter Island or Inception or the like, then Thriller, Mystery and Suspense is the genre for you. Or if you hate rom-coms, never ever pick up a Romance genre, not specially in the start.

3. Choose the Right book:

Now that you know your genre, you can look up books in that particular area. You know where to look. My suggestion is to pick up a bestseller or read the synopsis of some of the books and decide with one interests you the most. One of the best options is to read the reviews. You can find reviews on Instagram pages, Amazon, Goodreads, Here at wordpress etc. (you can check out my page for good thrillers). So as a thriller lover I will suggest you to start with, Tell me your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie or The best laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon. There are just a few of the bests. Just look for best books in your respective genres.If you are having a hard time finding the perfect book just go for Harry Potter (I mean everyone loves Harry Potter, right!!)

4. Buy a Physical book (and not an eBook):

This is something most people don’t give much attention to. But choosing the type of book is extremely important. Ebooks may look lucrative because they are cheaper but they are extremely inconvenient to read. After four years of reading books, I’m still not comfortable with eBooks. It takes forever for me to finish one. By starting with an eBook you are doing more harm than good. So please buy a physical book, you don’t have to buy a hardcover, just go for a paperback. NO EBOOKS!

5. Make it a routine:

Making a habit means to include it in your daily routine. You have to pick out a time when you are most comfortable reading or when you are free.Most importantly, you need to stick to it, NO MATTER WHAT! What I do is that I read for like an hour before sleeping. Go to bed one hour before your normal sleeping time and read the book. That is the best way to create the habit. Start with 15 minutes and keep increasing it gradually. Soon, you’ll stay up way past your bedtime just to finish one more chapter. This is what worked for me like a charm, I can’t sleep before reading a book now.

6. Start experimenting:

Now that you have created a habit, you can get out of your comfort zone and experiment. This will make you a versatile reader and more knowledgeable. It also feels refreshed to keep changing genres in between books. You’ll get to know about your other comfort areas and will be able to enjoy more books.

Congratulations! You’re an Official Reader! Welcome to the book community.

Do let me know if you find it useful. If you think there is something else that I missed out please tell me about it in the comment section. Have a great day!

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
Book Review

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy

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📍 Genre-Psychological Fiction

📍 Recommendation- Can Read💛

🔆 Storyline:- This the story of Estha and Rahel, the two-egged twins to whom life haven’t been fair.

This is the story of Ammu who made so many mistakes; mistake of doing what she wanted to do. Mistake of having what she wasn’t allowed to have. Happiness!

This is the story of Baby Kochamma  who is living her life backwards. She is not a good person but she wasn’t always like this.

This is the story of many other lives that have to go through the struggle of living, surviving, fighting in this cruel world where you can’t make decisions for yourself.

🔆My Opinion- This book is so different. Unlike anything I have ever read. I am having a hard time reviewing it because you love and hate the book, both at the same time.

The writing style is so different. The analogies are perfect, like PERFECT!!! The story is about a family in South India and how their lives turned out. So, it’s really easy for us Indians to understand things in this book because we live it everyday, we can easily relate to a lot of things. I have to give writer the credit for picturisation she has given to the book through her words. It’s really commendable.

Talking about the story, it is something that makes you think. About life in general. The story highlights so many aspects that no one talks about. While you are starting to read you don’t really understand what’s happening or what’s the purpose of this book. After going more than halfway through, I had no idea what the writer is trying to tell; where is the story going. Because there were so many loose ends. But as I approached the end, it all started to make sense and everything fell into place. The book keeps shifting to and from 1969 and 1993 in a very clean manner. You will know which part are you reading; there is no confusion about that, which isn’t very easy to maintain.

You can sympathise with Ammu, Rahel and Estha. What they have been through was so hard and it really breaks your heart so you can’t blame them for what they have become or for the mistakes they have made. The thing is, this books doesn’t pick a side. It leaves all the judgement to you.

There is so many small things in the story (hence the name The God of Small Things) that I can’t even explain in here. But each of them carry a message for you.

(SPOILER ALERT!) One thing  that really bothers me was the incest. I mean I didn’t understand it at first but on contemplating it I was shocked. I did not see this coming. I understand that the writer was trying to break the boundaries of love and you can understand this by the lines: Only that once again they broke the Love laws. That lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much.

I mean I get the intention and the message but I was really disturbed by this. Call me old-fashioned, but this is something I could not digest. I did not like this particular thought. For me, it just ruined the heartwarming relationship and the connection that the twins shared.

❇️I call it a can read because this book is not for everyone. I believe a non-Indian won’t be able to relate to this book. Plus you have to be very patient with this book because it starts to make sense only towards the end and not before. But one thing’s for sure, the book is gonna stay with you forever. It has the power of forcing you to come out of your shell and think. However this book is so close to being a Should Read.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Jack Throne and John Tiffany
Book Review

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Jack Throne and John Tiffany

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📍Genre- Fantasy, Play

📍Recommendation- Can Read

🔆Storyline:- Do I really need to tell?😂

Just for the formality, The book covers the story after the last Harry Potter book , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book shows the life of Harry Potter’s child in Hogwarts and the struggles he had to face.

The book is written in the form of a play.

🔆My Opinion:- I was really disappointed. I know for some of you it might feel pointless to review a HP book but I really think this one needed to be reviewed. The thing is when you see the work Harry Potter, you just assume that it’s going to be wonderful and our expectations go through the roof! So, I don’t think I should be blaming the book as much.

The idea of story was actually good. It shows what it takes to be a child of a famous father. But the overall story was not as gripping as the HP novels are. It could’ve been because of the play format but it wasn’t very enjoyable to read the book. For a diehard Potterhead this book was just a disappointment.

I know all you Potterheads have already read the book but I still felt it necessary to put the word out there. May be it would be more enjoyable as a play but it’s a no for the book.