ELEANOR & PARK BOOK REVIEW BY JAYSHREE SRIDHAR

Once after finishing Fangirl, I couldn't stop myself from reading her books so I picked Eleanor and Park and Oh GOD!!

Let's just begin with a standing ovation to the wonderful Rainbow Rowell for giving us this book. MAJORLY Because she doesn't want to kill off characters for the sake of adding pain or 'Value' to the story. Yet...She does something to you that makes you go like...

Eleanor and Park are so vivid, so unique, so much together and so much more apart. That is what hits you really hard in this book, you just can't take it when they are apart. The book brilliantly explains the insecurities that almost every girl goes through, every change a boy goes through at a certain stage of their life.

The book makes you feel what it is like to be loved, what it's like when you have that one person with you and all problems don't matter anymore. 

The story is set in 1980's, with music, comics and sneaky phone calls you can actually feel yourself standing there watching it all happen. The high school love unfolds itself in the most beautiful way. To be honest, the relationship between Park and Eleanor, or even their relationship with other members of the family, seems almost unrealistic for today, but the point is you hope it's true.

You hope people like Eleanor exist, You hope people like Park exist. You hope People like Park would do anything for people like Eleanor. You realize falling in love was never cliche. You realize how good it feels to have someone who's the Sun for you. 

I also liked Park's parents who made it work everytime with each other no matter how ugly the situation is. And thats why like Park, I was curious too to know how his parents met. 

So read the book. Just read it. Feel it, Cry, Smile, Love, and thank the author once you do. She brought back all the good feelings inside back to life. She made you feel young and happy again.

You know what I do when I'm overwhelmed with happiness...

STAR SHOWERS!!!

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE THREE WORDS. DO NOT ASK ME. IT'S A HAPPY ENDING. MAKE PEACE WITH IT AND GO BACK TO CRYING.

Tell me what you think about the book in the comments below.

Loads of Love

Jayshree Sridhar

FANGIRL - BOOK REVIEW BY JAYSHREE SRIDHAR

Life was going on with just another lame regular day when a friend of mine handed over these 500 pages of emotional roller coaster to me.  I just finished reading the book 'Fangirl', written by Rainbow Rowell and trust me my beloved children. This book is a bigger rainbow than the writer herself. And I mean that in a positive way. Shh, There may be spoilers down here!

The genre is teen drama (I hate generalizing this book to such a broad category but then it gives you the idea) and very beautifully mirrors the feelings of an introvert, when she has to face college and new people on her own without any support.

Rainbow Rowell is an excellent story teller especially when it comes to writing romantic scenes. She is definitely not cheesy, she is hard core realistic and she explains romance the way the way I have never imagined it could be and the way I always wanted it to be. I would say she is a goddess at explaining body language and trust me, that is one of the main reasons you'll be lost in the world of Fangirl.

Character definition is brilliant. I AM HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH LEVI and I cannot love him anymore.  Another best character was Reagan, she was just too perfect and too real. She is that bitch-ass best friend you'd want to keep for life. And of course, CATH! There were countless instances I could relate to Cath. Being an introvert fangirl myself, there were so many times I screamed at the book saying, 'Yo Soul Sister! Where have you been?'

The portrayal of the relationship between the twins, their differences, their ideas about social life being so different, everything is beautifully brought into words. I adored the father character, there was sufficient depth given to single parenthood and teenage daughters’ drama. On the whole, the bonding between Wren, Cath and their father is very real and moving.

The chemistry between Levi and Cath (let me inhale some oxygen here, I'm dying) is something I have never seen in any movie or book. It is completely raw and honest and it sets relationship goals and that’s why I hate Rainbow Rowell a little now. For a woman who claims she doesn't know blushing, I blushed the blood out of my cheeks in this book.  (Now that explanation was kinda gross. I blushed a lot. They were just awesome. Period.)

I have only one complaint in the book. The ending of the story was abrupt and it didn’t have a proper climax where the reader could actually bid goodbye to the story, it kind of lingers around you for a very long time and suddenly you are craving for more and can't take it anymore. And that probably is the plan of the writer. Well, you fucked me up pretty well, thanks Rowell.

A part of the book contains excerpts of the books that Cath fan girls over and excerpts of the fan fiction that she writes herself of her favorite characters (understatement) which if you are not very keen on fantasy and magical world won't read.

On the whole Fangirl is a package that you want to read again and again. Because you just can't get enough of this book in one time.

Good news, Fangirl leaves a lot of hope for a sequel of the book which may or may not happen. What the future holds for Levi and Cath, what happened to Lauren, a little more detail on Wren and Jandro, man! These details would could create a book of its own and I'd read the shit out of that book too. The writer though does not confirm on that. 

So on the whole the point is...Fangirling over Fangirl right now and gonna shower it with stars. There you go!

She (Ekla chalo re) book review by Jayshree Sridhar.

First of all I would like to appreciate the writers and the publishing house who are doing great with the promotion of this book and thank them for asking me to review this book. A few days ago I received a mail from Amrita foundation asking me to review this book, it truly was an honor since this is the first time I was requested for a review.

Now coming to the book, She (Ekla chalo re) is a beautiful short story that describes from gender stereotypes to fitting in a society pressure in the most basic and beautiful way.

The book (more like a booklet) comprises of around 50 pages and explains biggest of issues in our country in shortest of words. The writing is beautiful and though the subject is controversial the narration is not filled with angst and sorrow. It is a very light read but gives a very strong message. I personally loved the ending. Santhosh Avvannavar (the writer) is brilliant in storytelling and I hope to read more works by him in the future. I again appreciate the publishing house for releasing this book and hope to see this story flourish and reach a larger audience.

If any Tumblrian can see this post, I'd ask each and every one of them to read this book because all the lgbt community supporters and gender equality supporters in tumblr would be so happy to find out a success story in the issue.

If I had to explain my reaction to

this book in one gif, it would be this.

WOW!

I'd like to give this book a five star rating, hands down. Great going guys. Keep up the work!

NOT A VIRGIN…

“So, you are a…um…virgin, right?” he asked. The question hung on air for quite a while. This was not his first question. Pleasantries were exchanged of course. Compliment on clothes to discussion on what to order, everything did happen before the real conversation started. Also, he did take a long pause before placing the question.

It didn’t come as a shock though. I did expect the question. It’s the question asked to almost every woman these days, if not by the suitor, then the boyfriend, or a distant aunt, or a neighbor. Why would I be an exception?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…I just…” he started to fumble in fear because the silence lasted too long.

“No, that’s okay. It’s fine to get your queries cleared. Well…I was raped. If that makes me a non-virgin or whatever they call it, then yes. I’m not a virgin.” There was no pause in my answer, neither was a speck of hesitation.

He choked on his drink at the mention of ‘rape’ but somehow, I expected that too. “I’m sorry, did you say that you were raped?” he asked.

“You heard it right, I was raped. A few hundred times.” I was quite calm but his eyes didn’t stopped bloating big.

“A few hundred times?! Are you kidding me? You would have been dead by now.” he said horrified.

I studied his face for a second. “So, you’re telling me you were never raped…not even once? No sexual abuse?” It was my turn to be surprised.

“NO! No, I was never raped, not once. No Sexual Abuse! But you said a few hundred… what on earth did you mean?”

I paused for a while. “Funny. I thought nobody could escape it. I couldn’t. Not once. I was raped every time I travelled in bus at night, I was abused every time I waited for a bus to arrive, I was raped by my colleagues a few times, my boss a few times, that goon at the end of the street, that unknown number who’d call me without fail at least once in a day, that neighbor’s husband, nobody failed to rip my clothes off me. And I could do nothing about it. I tried I promise but it all went vain.” He probably still could not understand what I conveyed, but he listened, in horror though.

“I couldn’t tell anyone, because there was no proof. I didn’t have any proof on by body to show that I was raped because it didn’t happen physically. They did rip my clothes off, not physically. They did touch my naked body, not physically. They did pin me to the floor and raped me until I bled out, not PHYSICALLY but it doesn’t mean it did-not-hurt physically. It did hurt. It hurt me mentally so much that the knife in my hand felt like it could lead me to a permanent peace, it felt like falling off a cliff would be so relaxing, invisibility felt like a bliss and my own skin like a curse. Only, I couldn’t tell anyone because there was no proof, no evidence.” I stared blankly into nowhere, recapturing every tear I shed for those abuses on me. It almost felt like my tear ducts gave up a long time ago. His horror did fade, but attention didn’t.

I took a deep breath, and shooting a broad smile, I said, “Nobody was ever able to touch me physically, when you run a virginity test on me, I will be a virgin, physically. But sorry, I can’t say the same thing about my mind, because my purity is destroyed there. And that my friend is the answer to your question.”

It was all silence again, I didn’t expect him to speak. He slowly got up and started to leave when I said, “You want to marry a virgin right? I’m sorry but there aren’t any left. Not a young woman, not a young man, not a girl, not a boy, a kid, an old woman, Nobody is a virgin anymore, if not in their own mind, definitely in that rapist’s mind. They’re NOT a virgin anymore. All you can do is just try to protect your wife from being raped again. And stay by her side, if she is abused again. THAT is why she is marrying you. That is all a woman expects of you.” I took my bag and walked out of that restaurant not looking back once. Somehow an unusual happiness flowed through me which said, ‘Now they know…’

This story that I wrote was published long ago in The Daily Mint.com once, But I thought I could share it with my readers, Please let me know what you think of it. I'll be post more soon...I guess!

THE QUEST FOR NOTHING! BY ANURAG ANAND

GUEST REVIEW BY VISHWAS ANAND

When you're really up to something and enjoy it thoroughly, you carry on doing it, irrespective of the time you've spent on it, or the exertion or exhaustion you experience by doing it. It might not be exhaustion after all since you're enjoying it. I had already finished one novel that day (All Yours, Stranger by Novoneel Chakraborty, which is an excellent piece of work) when I stumbled upon this book and took it up as a challenge(or maybe it was more of an exercise) to complete it that day itself, and guess what, I succeeded.

            The Quest for Nothing! is a short novel by Anurag Anand giving an insight into the cut throats of the ambitious corporate world. The book follows a non-linear narrative style, a technique used in super successful movies like Memento and 12 Monkeys, and also in some novels, and moves in three timelines.

           The first is the time when Akash, a student of IBA business school is about to complete his MBA and is looking for a job in an economic depression hit world. The second is immediately after his marriage with the love of his life, Deepali, and the third is a few years after his marriage, when he is bored and frustrated by the institution called marriage and also his job, and takes up a new job in a different city.

Akash's struggles as a husband, as an employee in this rat race competitive world, and as a human who faces his life's biggest corporate scandal and how he escapes it is showcased in the story. It is an easy and light read, with a simple story. The author himself is from a corporate background, a Marketing Professional with an MNC Bank, which reflects in his work as he gives deep insight into the functionality of the corporate corridors. It has been praised by many famous personalities.

"The book is very special."-Pritish Nandy

"I was surprised at why I hadn't finished it earlier."-Gul Panag

The criticism-

The ups-

1. A light read with a simple story. You don't have to stress your brain cells a lot.

2. Gives a deep understanding of the corporate universe, and the toll it can have on you.

3. The climax is decent.

4. I especially like the non-linear storytelling technique of the author. It is a different and difficult style to write in and the author has managed successfully.

5. The number of characters is less, which avoids unnecessary complications.

The downs-

1. The plot is too simple, which sometimes turns boring. The climax is one saving grace.

2. A little bit of unnecessary detailing, removing which could have further reduced the length of the book.

The score:

Vishwas Anand is a philosophy and nature enthusiast, who believes reading to be a need and shares his experience about all the books he read in his main blog BOOKRITIQUE
You can read his words here:
www.vishwasanand.com

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ALL YOURS STRANGER Book Review

ALL YOURS STRANGER got me like…ALL YOURS WRITER!! JUST GIVE ME THE GODDAMN NEXT BOOK.

Has it ever occurred to you while reading a series of bad books you wondered if you lost interest in the idea of reading? Or maybe, Books now are just genuinely bad...? Well quite recently I have been going through that phase, and quite frankly I was very much on the verge of giving up on the upcoming Indian  fiction writers.

While my  craving for Indian fiction just turned out to be pure starvation because of all the poorly written novels, comes around the Stranger trilogy by Novoneel Chakraborthy. And hopes restored. Having read, one of his previous book, 'A thing beyond forever' I was sure to read something unexpected but boy oh boy was this a treat!

Mistake on my behalf I happened to pick the second book of trilogy first although even if I haven't read the book, there is no confusion or lack of incomplete feeling with the reading. The writer clearly made sure, the readers understood everything, most importantly without being repetitive.

All yours stranger is one epic romance thriller novel that will keep you hooked until the very end and once it ends, the wait for the next book is sure to turn you into a lunatic. There wasn't one tad bit of cliché, not one ounce of melodrama but just to the point story that keeps shooting mysteries at your face and you keep going like…

The turn of events, the way the mysteries in the life of Rivannah unfolds, the way stranger interacts with her, the unveiling of parts of the mystery and the more mysteries arising from it just makes you even more desperate to know the reality behind all the shadows. Unlike my other reviews I genuinely do not want to give any brief on the storyline as that is exactly what readers would call major spoilers and I don't want to do that.

Excellent screenplay, compelling storyline and subtle darkness in the current relationship scenario in India  all put together, All Yours Stranger is a must read and a great treat for the readers, of course after you finish reading the first book.

Now I'm off to undo my mistake by getting back to the first of trilogy while you better start with the first book, to enjoy this mystery ride authentically.

Needless to say the book truly deserves a five star rating and a special place in your bookshelf.

THE SECRET WISH LIST Book Review

THE SECRET WISH LIST now includes death due to boredom and time travel to the time when facebook didn't exist. Guess what? It did happen when I read this book.

Preeti Shenoy managed to pick one of the most ignored topic in Indian society, the suppression an indian housewife goes through, which although is quite appreciated, is also a story that is already known to everyone.

The draggy narration of how the protagonist's husband uses as housemaid and sex toy as if is not painful enough, it is repeated in every tenth page making sure the readers still continue to hate him.

We get it miss, you are a timid housewife raising a child and your husband is a jackass and?

So the story goes like one day Diksha, the protagonist when goes to meet her cousin Vibha, recently widowed, comes up with a secret wish list of her own due to all the pushing from Vibha. Diksha's wish list includes a lot of things like learning salsa, snorkeling, getting drunk and sex with another guy and stuff like that. Now that an annoying cousin that Vibha is, although is willing to help her tick off everything, keeps reminding her that except for the last wish, she can have everything, ALL THE TIME.

Bad ass that Diksha is, manages to tick off all the things in her wish list with just a gallon of drama from her husband added in between. Yes, even the sex part. And quite the happy ending there was, she manages to get away with her affair guy Ankit, give a long speech to her family about how they ruined her life and salutes her husband with middle finger and takes off with her kid.

Now questions from all the women across the world with jerk husbands, We didn't have high school affair and nobody is taking us anymore, any suggestion for us and our marriage?No? OKAY.

FUNNIEST PART OF THE STORY: Now there is a mention of social networking site where people register about their education and jobs and meet people from the same places if you lost contact with them, now if you think this is Facebook, gotcha buddy, you are wrong!! This site has the lamest name and quite creepy in some sense 'Blast From The Past'. The writer managed to keep even the name draggy enough to bore you to sleep. I really wonder if anybody wants any kind of blast from the past anymore.

Person: HEYYYYYY!!!! Remember we did our 3^rd grade together, I've been searching for you all over. How are you??? Where have you been???

Me: *blocked* You cannot send message to this person anymore.

So the narration is repetitive, dialogues are lame and downright bland, the depth in the storytelling that should make the readers dwell inside the story made us dwell into sleeping.

I would like to give two stars to this book, one for the topic raised and one for the representation of a mother in law, completely opposite to the stereotypical ones.