Digital Fortress – Dan Brown
Book Review

Digital Fortress – Dan Brown

Stuti GuptaLeave a comment

📍Genre- Suspense, Thriller

📍Recommendation- Should Read🧡

🔆Storyline:- National Security Agency (NSA), US, has been cracking codes and helping save terror attacks by simply accessing other people’s messages and calls. It has become even more efficient with the building of this new machine called TRANSLTR, which can break any code in a matter of few seconds. There is no code that the TRANSLTR cannot break. One day, TRANSLTR encounters this really complicated code which it cannot break. The most brilliant minds of NSA Cryptography department are trying to resolve the issue but they don’t know that this is going to destroy their everything.

🔆My Opinion:- I liked this book; it is simple, straight-forward and it has a good story with a great suspense. The thing with Dan Brown is that the prologues he gives are very gripping and they really motivate you to read the whole story and know what happened. This book also had a good prologue but when the actual story starts, it can be a little boring because the writer is making you comfortable with the working and background of NSA and it’s cryptography department. For non-techno people like me, it seems never-ending.

As the book progresses, story starts to get interesting and the suspense is just amazing! The whole story is like a treasure hunt, only the finder is going on with is life in his hand. At the very end when the book is about to finish, you just can’t stop reading it because until to you know what happened, you can’t breathe. Yes that’s how good the suspense is!! Last part was really the best and it was so smart. It’s like solving puzzles and it’s so much fun.

❇️You should read this book. The plot, the suspense, the story and the characters are all awesome.

Until Love sets us Apart – Aditya Nighhot
Book Review

Until Love sets us Apart – Aditya Nighhot

Stuti GuptaLeave a comment

📍Genre- Romance

📍Recommendation:- Can read 💛

🔆Storyline:- Rohit fell for Aisha the moment he saw her. Aisha, too, was starting to like him. They finally confess their love for each other and then starts the journey of their love. Everything is perfect, they are happy and have made plans to take their relationship further but isn’t it too good to be true?

‘In the blink of an eye’ their lives fall apart. Everything changes and their beautiful dreams have been brutally murdered. But is it the end?

🔆My Opinion:- So the book starts with the the author partying with his friends for the success of his first book. The story, however, starts with a killer being arrested and I think that was something smart to do since just romance can be very boring but adding a mystery angle to it made it so much better.

When I reached towards the end I suddenly realised which incident has been narrated in the story, even the dates were almost same (I am not gonna mention the incident here because it will spoil the book for you). But the writer has added a different twist to it which was pretty good. Also, being an Indian college goer, I could relate to the lives of characters upto some extent, which means the college life has been shown for what it is and has not been exaggerated. Also Indian college life has not been exaggerated as is the case with most novels.

Given the fact that I don’t like romance novels, I didn’t hate this one. It was fun and engaging read, yes, it may get over dramatic sometimes but it’s bearable. The language of the book is so easy that you will finish the 232 pages in no time.

❇️Keeping in mind that this is a new writer, the book is pretty good. You can go for it.

Reckless – Sidney Sheldon
Book Review

Reckless – Sidney Sheldon

Stuti Gupta1 Comment

📍Genre- Crime, Thriller

📍Recommendation- Should Read

🔆Storyline:- Tracy Schmidt is living a happy life with her son in Colorado when suddenly her whole life falls apart. Tracy Schmidt then turns back to Tracy Whitney and she will leave no stone unturned to get her revenge.

Group 99, who claims to be modern day Robin Hood, has turned violent and is out on a killing spree. Someone has to stop them but it’s not going to be easy. So many dirty truths will unravel.

My Opinion:- I just love Sidney Sheldon’s books. I have read around 4 of his books and I haven’t been disappointed in any of them. In every book there is unique plot, different characters and a mind-blowing story. The story goes in a way that you think you know what’s coming next but you are proved wrong, not once, not twice, but throughout the book. This book is actually quite engaging throughout, there are no instances where you feel bored. The mystery in this book is not that big of a deal but the way it is presented to you won’t allow you put the book down.

Actually, this book is 3rd in Tracy Whitney series, 1st is If Tomorrow Comes and the 2nd is Chasing Tomorrow. I did not know that before, otherwise I would have read them in sequence because that’s what I like. Now that you know, I think you should read them in sequence.

I am totally gonna recommend this book. Just go, read it and have a good time. Try to read the first part first (which I couldn’t), but if you can’t, it’s totally okay because the book stands on its own.

And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
Book Review

And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini

Stuti Gupta1 Comment

📍 Genre-Fiction, Drama

📍Recommendation:- Must Read

🔆Storyline:- Abdullah and Pari, living in a cot with their father and step-mother, are inseparable. Abdullah is more like a parent to Pari than a brother. The condition of their family is bad and it gets worse in winters, their father is constantly looking for work. As certain events unfold, they get separated, both of them leaves Afganistan. Abdullah suffers the most.
Will they ever meet again? If so, will they remember each other?

🔆My Opinion:- In this book Khaled Hosseini has focussed on a different social aspect, homosexuality! You don’t see it coming, but when it comes you feel so stupid to not have noticed it before. The story highlights difficult life choices. You know it’s wrong and is gonna give you pain for the rest of your life, but you also know it is something that will make someone you care about happy. This book breaks your heart and yet you love it.
There is more to this book than just Abdullah and Pari. Just like in other books, this one has also shown the war torn Afghanistan and its effect on people’s lives. There is also a story about a girl with distorted face and how her life has been hell because of someone else’s fault.

Although I would like to mention one thing that you should not expect too much from this book, you may be a tiny bit disappointed like I was. It happens when you read the first two books because they are just awesome and I am not saying that this one is not good, it’s great, but not as good as the first two. The story had some loose ends and it wasn’t as compelling. If you read this one first, you won’t feel it but if this is the third one, you may. But don’t worry, it doesn’t make the book bad, you will still love it.

❇️Totally recommended. I don’t think I need to say more. I mean come-on it’s Khaled Hosseini! A wonderful story with so many emotions.

💡 Favorite quote:- ‘The finger cut, to save the hand.’

Book Review

A Tale of two Cities – Charles Dickens

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📍 Genre- Classic, Romance

📍 Recommendation- Should Read 🧡

🔆Storyline:- The book is revolving around the French revolution. Two cities here are Paris and England.

Paris; where a man has been imprisoned for 18 years, is about to meet her daughter who he didn’t even know exists. At first he doesn’t even recognize her but eventually sees her mother in her. Mr Lorry, the man who is behind this reunion, and Lucy, the daughter, are bringing Mr Mannet, the prisoner, back to England.

England; where a man, Charles Darnay, is on trial for treason to British Crown meets Lucy for the first time and falls in love with her. But he is not the only one.

Now the french revolution is born and people are killing everyone who belongs to high class, innocent or not. Charles Darnay is also stuck in this drama.

Now a lot of things will be uncovered about him and Mr Mannet and someone will make an ultimate sacrifice for love.

🔆My Opinion:- So I wasn’t a fan of this book until towards the end. I think the problem for me was the language; classics are just so hard to read and understand. But as soon as I started to understand the story, I really liked it. Given that I’m not a fan of romance, this one melted my heart. The story actually highlights different kinds of love; father-daughter, husband-wife, patriotism and also one sided love.

Plus, the story is more than just romance. It brings you face to face with the struggle faced by people before and during the revolution. It was so rigorous. The story has pain, suffering, patience, love and sacrifice.

It is actually a book that deserves a shot. I won’t recommend it to a beginner because you will hate it. But for a person who is comfortable with classics, this is a must read. Also, just a heads up, this book can be a little boring but the story is wonderful.

Book Review

Destination Unknown – Agatha Christie

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📍 Genre- Mystery

📍 Recommendation- Should Read 🧡

🔆Storyline:- Hilary Craven is about to end her miserable, aimless life when she hears a knock on the door of her hotel room. On the other side of the door a life full of adventure is waiting for her.

Thomas Betterton, a nuclear scientist, has gone missing without a trace. Police is trying to find him by hook or by crook but what they will discover is a deep rooted, dirty scam.

🔆My opinion:- I really liked this book. This is not exactly about murder but something way different. It’s more of a spy story. The books is very engaging from the start. The mystery is definitely gonna make your jaw drop. You just don’t see it coming. It’s like you are sitting at the edge of your seat and you can’t breathe until you read what happens next.

❇️Amazing book! You should definitely go for it. You won’t even know when are you already over with these 192 pages!

Book Review

Halloween Party – Agatha Christie

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📍Genre- Mystery

📍Recommendation- Can Read💛

🔆Storyline:- Do you like narrating interesting stories and get all the attention? Well, think before doing so because that can get you killed!

This is exactly what happened with 13 year old, Joyce Reynolds, when she told everyone that she has witnessed a murder. Next thing you know, she is found dead at the end of Halloween party with her head drowned in an apple bobbing tub.
Hercule Poirot takes the case, as insisted by his friend Ariadne Oliver who attended the party, and is now leaving no stone unturned to find the murderer and save someone else from falling in trap.

🔆My Opinion:- It was good book. To my satisfaction, murder happens in the first few chapters to keep the suspense going. The investigation part is a little boring but it’s important for the mystery solving, so it won’t hurt to bear with it.
The overall story, in fact, is pretty good and engaging but I can’t call it great. It was short and simple and as usual, the twist was amazing. But it is not one of the books that made me keep reading it to know what happens next.

❇️You can definitely go for this book. It is not one of the bests but it is worth a read. 112 pages shouldn’t really bother you. You will be satisfied at the end.

Book Review

Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance

Stuti Gupta1 Comment

📍Genre-Non-fiction, Biography

📍 Recommendation- Should Read 🧡

🔆 What the book is about?

Getting Stuff Done! That’s what the book is about.

The book narrates the life story of the billionaire CEO Elon Musk. It starts with the writer telling you how she convinced Musk for writing this book and her views on his empire. The book goes on to tell you about his childhood, adulthood and where he is now. The focus, however, remains on the business aspect of Musk. It talks about how it all started for him and how he became what he became and what he aims at achieving.

🔆 My Opinion:- This book is very inspiring. I have been a fan of Elon Musk for a long time and I badly wanted to read this book. So, I had big expectations and happily, this book stood up to them. While starting the book I was a little skeptical about it but as it progressed it grabbed my interest.

I am not a fan of non-fiction books because I like a book with a story but I also wanted to read these biographies because they teach you a lot, give you insights about life and being successful.

I really liked the way Ashlee Vance has given the book a structure of a story which made it very interesting. As I mentioned I am a fan of Elon Musk, it was so fascinating to know the less-known facts about him and the kind of person he is. The book hasn’t missed the amount of hard work, struggle, pain that it takes to be where Musk is today. The book has touched upon every aspect and in great detail. Through this book, you get to see what it takes to be Elon Musk and it does not come the easy way. You have to be a risk-taker, a believer, a wild dreamer and be ready to lose everything if it comes to that. The commendable thing about the author is that she didn’t shy away from showing the negative aspects of the way Musk is. The book doesn’t show Musk as all goody goody, everyone has flaws and they are well accounted for in here. The book also has a touch of humour (which has to be there given that Musk has a great sense of humour) in it which make it all the more fun to read.

This is a must read book, especially for the people who want to change the world by their work, for the dreamers with crazy ideas! There’s so much to learn from this book; from Elon Musk. I loved it, it gave me a lot of insights.

Towards Zero – Agatha Christie
Book Review

Towards Zero – Agatha Christie

Stuti GuptaLeave a comment

📍Genre- Crime Thriller

📍 Recommendation- Don’t read 💔

🔆Storyline:- Lady Tressilian, just like every year, has invited a party at her seaside country house. But this time things are different because a murder is planned.
Things have been awkward since the start when famous tennis player Neville Strange with his wife Kay and ex-wife Audrey are visiting at the same time. After a strange turn of events, everything is a mess and police has been trying to find the murderer but will they catch the right person?

🔆My Opinion:- I was bored. I know it seems highly unlikely that Agatha Christie’s books can be boring but this one really is. The murder doesn’t happen until more than half the book is over. Maybe because Agatha Christie is trying to build up the story and make you understand the psychology of the characters, but I think she stretched it unnecessarily. Although, the actual suspense and the murder mystery is so amazingly plotted. It’s like going back and forth in you suspicion and when you actually see it, you just can’t believe it. The mystery is good but again, it starts too late to keep you engaged.

❇️You definitely expect much more from this book, given that it is by Agatha Christie. So, it’s not a very good book, I would’ve rather invested the time in a better mystery. I won’t recommend it!

Book Review

And then there were none – Agatha Christie

Stuti Gupta1 Comment

Storyline:- 10 people were invited on an island for different reasons. But due to storm and bad weather, they got stuck there. Now one by one everyone is dying. Nobody knows how, why or who. This is creating tension and fear, everyone waiting for their turn.

My Opinion:- Wow!!! This book has the best suspense. This is a masterpiece. This was my first Agatha Christie book and I became a total fan of her. The suspense isn’t disclosed until the last word of the book, literally!! (but don’t read the last page first, try to resist the temptation, which I couldn’t).

The way she has linked the story with a nursery rhyme is brilliant. You know what’s coming, yet you don’t! It is such a great book. Starting can be a little boring because Agatha Christie is introducing the characters and setting up the story but after that it’s all paradise.

A must read book guys. Even if you are not a mystery fan, this book is something you should read. MUST READ!!!