Day 35 : The Great Gatsby - A Book Review

You cannot be regular online book shopper or recommendations pilfer and not have come across this book's name thrown about a bunch of time onto you. It is like the cheeseburgers of classic stories. It is assumed that if you ever have read more than a couple dozen books in your life time. This has to be one of them. Especially if you have a bunch of bengali snobs as friends. So there you go, I've finally read this book. Happy now?

First reason to love - awesome cover!

This book is like a masterclass in novel writing. I wouldn't be surprised if they make students read this book as homework in every first year of every creative writing course. I mean, if nothing else, this book is very well written. The editing is on point. There are no paragraph out of place, no extra adjectives inserted, no words wastefully used. Everything so crisp and apt. Something that I fail a lot at, come to think of it. But Mr Fitzgerald is a natural at it. I am a fan just by that much.

Characters 

Nick Carraway - An unmarried veteran, recently starting out in the bonds business. He is not especially socially adept, but very optimistic and friendly. And as a new resident in a city like West Egg he finds none of those qualities actually amounts to much in here.

Daisy Buchanan - Nick's cousin. The main girl being fought over by the two alpha males. She is sweet, dreamy and the kind of girl who believes it when the fairy tales end with 'they lived happily ever after'.

Tom Buchanan - Daisy's husband, and pure-blood dude. He is rich, strong, flamboyant, charming and a philanderer. He is the kind of guy who has always known success and wealth, and truly believes his destined for nothing less than greatness.

Jay Gatsby - The mysterious filthy rich guy in town. Famous for throwing the most outlandish of parties, everyone is invited. Weekends at his house is filled with the who's who of West Egg. And nobody really knows who he is or why he throws these obscene parties. There are equally obscene and outlandish theories about him. But as they say, the truth is more strange

Plot Summary

The main plot of this book is how a guy who was always destined for greatness, after having amassed great big shiny things, now has come to an unknown town to win back the love he'd once lost. This plot I would guess has been recycled and reused multiple times over the years. I like to think this was the first of those. Must have been pretty fresh back then.

The protagonist is the eponymous Gatsby. A mysterious rich guy, who befriends his new neighbor, invites him to one of his famous parties. And in turn, starts on a path that he was confident he'd planned it all ahead and nothing could go wrong. But it inevitable does. He hadn't considered one important detail - human frailty and naive refusal to accept change or defeat.

Gatsby's main goal here is to get back with Daisy, who is now married to a wealthy alpha male Tom. Tom, though not without secrets of himself, does not take easily to Gatsby's sudden appearance in their lives. And is distrustful of the way his wife looks at him. His wife's brother, the guy who is narrating this story to us is Nick, the guy Gatsby befriends to get closer to Daisy. Nick is like the generic narratoresque character in any movie or book ever. Starts with a introduction about everything, inserts himself into every darn incident, and in the end concludes the story about what he'd learnt post the whole incident. Nothing new to see here.

The conclusion of the book is very Citizen Kane-ish. There is that Rosebud point here where the Nick is confronted with how, even after being the popular guy he was Gatsby in the end, had even lesser true friends than that guy you knew in the high school who could flip a coin off girls behind. Being popular and being friends with, are two different things.

Overall this book is a masterpiece. A classic. There are a lot of times in this book when you will pause and think, hey this is exactly what had happened in that book or that movie. That I suppose is mainly cause this book has always had an impact on so many peoples' creative language. I am sure a lot of writers having read this book have in some way changed how they tell their stories.

This I think is the real success of the book. Even after having been in circulation for nearly nine decades this little book like an annoying friend, will never quit teaching writers how to write. And like most friends, even though we hate being preached, we will still agreed to it do what it says. Just because, sometimes these annoying friends are right. Some times.

Day 34 : Cape Fear - A Book Review

At least once a year I go to this place in Mumbai where they have sale on used books. They are so cheap you can buy at least a dozen for the same amount that you pay for a McChicken. This is a very very dangerous place for me. Mainly because every time I go there I end up dragging a huge haul of books, which only ends up adding onto my unread pile. I am slowly catching up to them, but damn am I outnumbered here.

This book is one of those book. I mostly picked it up by virtue of name recognition. I'd loved the Scorsese movie. It was a remake of an older movie. It had brilliant performances from both Robert de Niro and Juilette Lewis. And had one of the best last shot of any movie ever. That was pretty much the only reason I picked up this book really. I am very glad that I did.

This book is really a very simple single-minded book about revenge and good guy v/s bad guy. There is a good/pure-white character and there is a bad/pure-dark character. Both of these cannot be more different from each other. And both these character now suddenly find themselves in a in a conflict that would only end with one of them being utterly destroyed.

Characters 

Max Cady - The Pure-Dark - A cold-hearted criminal filled with one hunger only. Only pure rage and thirst for revenge.

Sam Bowden - The Pure-White - A law abiding citizen who many years ago, got Cady imprisoned for rape of a teenage girl.

Carol - Sam's wife

Nancy, Jaime, Bucky - Sam's kids

Plot Summary

Well this going to be the easiest summary of any plot I've ever written. Heck, the introduction above nearly gives most of the details. The gist of it is. Cady spends his thirteen years in jail dreaming up of ways to bring terror into his arch nemesis' life. Sam Bowden leads a life of the straight arrow and tries to deal with this guy legally but law is not especially good at handling someone who has no concept of what really is. Cady is somebody who is so vicious and single-mindedly evil that there is no fear or doubt in him. And with the sheer physical size of him makes it all the more scary.

And that is where I really begin to like the book. The way the author builds the tension in the book. You see, there are hardly a dozen scenes in the book where you are actually in Cady's presence. It is always somebody else' account of his violence. That along with his own pure savagery, every moment that he does come into your pages, you sort get goosebumps yourself. I liked that feeling. It is something that very few writers accomplish in doing. This guy who I'd never heard of made that possible. I have immense respect for that.

And now for the part that I wish could've been better. As much as I liked the simple binary good & bad equation of the book. There are parts where the writer tries to explain why Cady is the way he is. He uses the Bowden for that. Which was pretty seemed very out of place for me. You don't try to rationalize why some violent serial criminal and rapist would try to rape and kill the women of your household. Also, the last few pages. I know I shouldn't be comparing the movie with the book here. But I must say in this one instance I am going to give the upper hand to the movie. The climax was awesome, in the movie. And it sucked, in the book. Period.

Just for Max Cady? An excellent read though.

Day 33 : Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - A Book Review

I have written about my love for Harry Potter here before. So obviously it was apparent I was going to pre-order the new Potter book the moment I got the chance to. And obviously I was not going to be able to put it down until I’d read the whole thing through.

And that’s exactly what I did. Twice.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is quite a remarkable book. For most readers it would seem like a fan fiction written by a fan for fans. There aren’t many parts in it that you’d read, and recognize it to be out of Rowling’s books. This is pretty much a different flavour of the Wizarding World than we are accustomed to. The difference is not only because this book is in the format of a script for a play. You will see a stage setting description and positions of the characters. Some of it sure will feel pretty jarring at times. But it is quite toned down, nothing that should scare readers away. This is not the full-of-hearts Harry Potter that you and I grew up with. This is a mature adult book with adult issues. Much like the problems you and I have right now. 

We have all grown up and apparently so have The Trio.

Tread cautiously now Muggles, spoilers ahead.

Known Characters

Hermione Granger-Weasley is now the Minister of Magic. Very dutiful and strict and uber feminist. Loves to throw her weight around, and still loves Ron to bits even when he is being an idiot.

Ron Weasley now runs the Weasley Wizard’s Wheezes. Is still just as loyal and funny. Though has started to put on a slight belly is still everyone’s favourite uncle.

Harry Potter is now the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Is still just as popular as ever. And is still just as confounded by his celebrity.

Ginny Potter is now as ever my favourite Potter character. And now more than ever really has more of a part to play. Lovely to bits, just lovely.

Professor Minerva McGonagall is now the Headmistress of Hogwarts and oh how I’ve missed her cold-yet-mushy heart.

Draco Malfoy is, well still a Malfoy and everything that goes with it.

New Characters

Harry & Ginny’s children –

James Potter II

Albus Severus Potter

Lilly Luna Potter

Ron & Hermoine’s children –

Rose Granger-Weasley

Hugo Granger-Weasley

Draco & Astoria’s son –

Scorpious Malfoy

Amos Diggory, Cedric Diggory’s father 

Delphi Diggory, Amos’s niece and caregiver

Plot Summary 

The book follows a popular fan theory that Voldemort and his Death Eater’s are not yet given up on their bad ways. People who believe there was an heir somewhere who would come and bring back pure and superior magic into the world. But it has been so long since Harry’s scar has hurt, our friends have actually begun to forget all of it. All was well.

It was Albus’ and Rose’ first year at Hogwarts. They both were just as excited about it and just as nervous on their first ride aboard the Hogwarts Train. Rose was sure this was a deciding moment in their lives. Their parents first met during this ride and they become friends for life and went to on to do big things themselves. This was not a decision to be made lightly. Rose, needless to say, was much like her mother. Albus, meets Scorpious they had a bunch of sweets together. Spoke for a bit and decided they’d be best friends right then and there. Much like Ron and Harry did.

--

This is where I will leave you. There is much more to the plot. Much more.. But this is one book I would want you to read for yourself. 

There are parts that will take you back to that time you read about Snape’s love the first time. 

There are parts that will take you back to a time when you visited Godric Hollow for the first time.

There are parts that will take you back to the time you saw James and Lilly for the first time. And that heartbreaking green light for the first time. 

There are times you might just weep a little. 

There are times when you would laugh out loud with Ron or Scorpious and any nervous joke about Mouldy Voldy. 

Those are the parts that you will read this book again and again and again for. This is a book for you. For the fans. For the Potterheads. For the millions of millennials who have grown up into adults themselves. But still carry a bit of magical world in their hearts.

It is for you I will say now. There is real magic for those who seek it. Always.

Day 29 : The Drawing Of The Three - Book Review

This is book two of the seven part epic fantasy series - DARK TOWER, written by the always-amazing Stephen King.

This book  follows the gunslinger in this pursuit of the all-important Tower. In the previous book we find our hero, Roland Deschain, has finally caught up with the Man in Black and has learnt the secretes of time and space and how The Tower itself is in the center of it all. We learn how 'he who holds the Tower, controls the future/past of the world'. The gunslinger's world has moved on. The things he has loved and cherished is nothing but a distant memory, he is the last of his kind. All he has now is his ka, his destiny, to reach the Tower and defeat the Crimson King. At the very end of his palaver with the Man in Black, the priest tells Roland of the three draws he's been granted. He will have to choose three companions, or ka-tet, that would ride with him during this voyage.

The beginning of the book is quite gritty and dry as any western imaginable. And to add to it quite dark and violent. In the end of which our hero looses three fingers and is poisoned by the venom of huge lobster-like creatures. Now he is weak, thirsty and all he can see for miles is just the dry sand, salty sea and hot sun. Still he drags on, towards the north, for some reason always north. He remembers the palaver with the Man in  Black in the dusty priest's robe. He remembers all of the knowledge he's gained from him. Roland also remembers how even the he wouldn't talk of the Crimson King. How even he seemed nervous to talk about him. All the more reasons for Roland to draw from the three doors that would come his way.

The doors are like a magical windows that opens into another time and somehow always into the same place. New York City. Our hero is tasked with going to their world and draw one person from there to join him on his quest.

~~~

Door #1 - The Prisoner 

When the Man in Black, draws the tarot card for the prisoner, Roland sees a man with a baboon riding on his back. The baboon whips like a slave and the man himself is strong and lanky but nonetheless helpless and chained. When Roland walks through the door, he finds the true prison this man has chained himself to. HEROIN. This man's name is Eddie Dean and he is an addict. The gunslinger walks into his mind, takes control of him. And somehow during the turn of events help each other, him by helping him rescue his equally addict elder brother. And for Roland by getting him the much needed medicine from Eddie's world. In the end, Eddie , the lean and lanky and intelligent addict begins to trust the gunslinger and agrees to join him in his adventure. Just because, he has lost call cause to return to his city, his world. There is nothing waiting for him back there, but another fix, and his own destruction.

Door #2 - The Lady Of Shadows

The second tarot card the Man in Black shows Roland is of a woman. A strong-willed, no nonsense woman who is brave and just and kind in equal measure. When the gunslinger walks into this door and into her mind, he finds himself in a deeper confusion than ever before. When he entered the prisoner's mind, there was shock and confusion and the hunger for another fix. Here too there was confusion and fear, but also a lot of hate. And in measures that did not seem to come from one complete mind. There seemed to two sets of personalities living in this one body. Detta Walker and Odetta Holmes. Alongwith a handicapped body, for the Lady was did not have any legs. She was strong and brave and cruel and smart. But was short two limbs. Roland liked her nonetheless, and decides he cannot proceed in his quest without earning the loyalty of her. And he does earn it in the end, before nearly killing himself.

Door #3 - The Pusher

The final tarot card the Man in Black shows him is of the Reaper. 'Death, but not for you, gunslinger' That is what the priest told him tauntingly. The Crimson King was surely not done with him just yet. When he walks into the third and final door, he returns to the same city New York, only into a more recent time to that of the Lady and of the kid he'd met during the first book - Jake. He loved Jake. He was like a son to him. And this guy behind the third door Jack Mort, a serial killer, the same one that 'pushes' the kid in front of a Cadillac. And also the same one that caused the destruction Lady's mind and loss of her two legs. Jack Mort has by far impacted more to Roland's fledgling ka-tet than anything else thus far. Roland doesn't appreciate that too much.

~~~

At the end of the book. Roland has finally assembled his posse and is now prepared to continue his quest for the Dark Tower. Sure he is short a few fingers, short of resources, short of bullets, is dying of poison spreading up his arm towards his heart. But now, he has the companions he's drawn from the other worlds. He is not alone now after a really long while.

Day 24 : The Gunslinger - Book Review

I think I have mentioned this here once before as well. I am a big fan of the writer Stephen King. He is one of the first writers whose work I became addicted to. Over the years I have discovered more writers and genres that I've liked and enjoyed immensely. But King would always be the one writer who I can honestly showed me how you can pick up just about any book and see yourself disappear into a world of your own. A secret world only know to you and the writer himself.

King's books are mostly him picking up one freakish camp fire horror story and giving it a tale of its own. And with the extensive writing chops as his. Any story he touches become a classic in itself, creating legions of fans with every new book. He has written extensively in horror, thrillers, drama, with hordes of fans reading everything that he output. I am glad to call myself one such fan, a Constant Reader as he calls his fans. And as a loyal Constant Reader I suppose, I shouldn't be putting of reading the work that King himself considers his best work - THE DARK TOWER

THE DARK TOWER is fantasy series of books writer by King over a period of nearly three decades. He came up with this idea when he was at the young age of 19. Yes, the age when you and I were taking long showers and getting rejected/ignored by every hot girl you come across. King was coming up with ideas that would mesmerize of thousands of readers in coming years. Has written in detail about the discovery of this book concept in the Introduction of the book. This book is the revised 2003 edition of the book, in which King polishes a few plot points and hints at the upcoming story events and better portrays the character of the protagonist of the series - the awesome gunslinger - Roland of Gilead.

The story revolves around Roland's epic search for the Tower, a mystical place that acts like a linchpin that holds all of creation in order. The one who hold the Tower holds shapes the destiny of the Universe. In the book, the world has "moved on", things are not the way that you and I, or Roland himself, has known. His voyage into the Mid-World and Out-World in search of this elusive Dark Tower is jam packed with lore and magic and mind-twisting realism. There are parts in the prose that you begin to feel the thirst and heat that Roland has to ride through. The desert is barren, dry and cruel. Our gunslinger has to face through with grit, for that is his duty. That is his ka.

At the begin of this book, we find the gunslinger making/dragging his way through the immense desert in pursuit of the Man in Black. A man of magical craft, and guile. Someone who could give him the directions to the Tower he seeks. But the gunslinger knows information like this wouldn't come easy. He has rode for eons, picking up scraps of information and trail of campfires that the Man in Black leaves behind.

Then we meet Allie, a bartender who works in a broken down drinking hole in a nearly deserted crap hole of a town called Tull. She is smitten by the rugged gunslinger. She gets closer to him. He acknowledges her affections, with thoughts of the Tower and the Man in Black always in the back of his mind. In the end, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then we meet Jake, a kid of 12. A kid who does not belong this world in between worlds. He is a smaller blonde version of the gunslinger himself. And infinitely more innocent. Roland likes this kid a lot. He refuses to choose between the kid and the Tower, but in the end he is made to choose. Unfortunately.

Then we meet the Man in Black himself. He is lean and tall and conniving. He knows Roland has been pursuing him for years. He knows more about Roland than the gunslinger himself cares to remember. And with his magic, he even knows of the ka-tet Roland would band together in his pursuit of the Tower. He introduces Roland to the tarot cards and the prophecies they hold for him. He tells Roland about the true significance of the Tower. Of how Tower holds supreme over Time and Size. The universe is shaped by the size and time of contemplation. The Tower is bridge that connects and control it all.

The Tower is where he will meet his destiny. His ka.

This is an amazing book. A solid build up for the origins of what looks to be a mind blowing journey ahead. I blitzed through this book, hungry for more.

I agree with King. This has got to be his best work. Thank you, Steve-o.

Day 21 : The Martian Chronicles - Book Review

The sci-fi world is field with a lot of absurd stories. Most of them tacky and campy filled with plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon. But some times along the way comes a book that is filled such character and gumption that no matter how much you'd like to be the cynic, you still end up being mesmerized by the sheer scope of the book.

And Ray Bradbury with this pint sized masterpiece achieves the improbable. He will make you believe that at the core of science fiction, lies true humanity with all of its foibles.

I am a big fan of the Twilight Zone show. And this book really reads like something like that show. It is sort of an anthology series that is set like a chronicles of the events that occur on the red planet since the first landing of humans from planet Earth. As each landing progresses and more men land on the new planet, we see changes occur on Mars. And as in Earth, the home specie dwindles and dies away as it is on our own planet when man takes over new landmass. We take over and destroy everything strange to us of the conquered.

Mars is described to be inhabited by a very intelligent and cerebral specie that lives in harmony with nature and enjoys the mellow life. For your reference purpose, remember the Na'vi people from the Avatar movie. (Bradbury did it first.) The couple chapter of man's visit to Mars did not end well for men. But then the Martian's were the big dog during that time. And they shared the sense of ownership with our specie. But loss of those first visitor's didn't stop naive Earthlings to put an end to attempting to colonize the new planet. As the new visits became more frequent, the home specie's population started to dwindle. The cause, a stupid strange disease brought over by the Earthlings and their rockets. A disease that has been found a cure for decades ago by scientists on Earth. But for Martians it proved deadly, rendering most of cities planet dead or dying.

The sudden demise of the Martian race, brought forth heightened influx of Human expeditions into Mars. Around this time is one of my favorite chapter in the book. The protagonist, Spender, is a archaeologist who lands along with a crew of assorted pricks who starts messing up the serenity of the Martian wastelands. He doesn't like it, wanders off into the barrens finds a dead city with a house with a huge collection of Martian books and arts. He starts learning more about their culture and discovers new respect for them. And doesn't like the idea of mankind coming over to this planet and destroying everything with their mining and other corporate interests. He plots a plan to delay the mining expeditions by a few decades till the scientists and archaeologists get a chance to research and learn more about the Martian's history. Captain Wilder, their leader, is the only who understands his plight. But even he cannot let Spender have his way, and he himself cannot name a single reason why he shouldn't. All he knows is that's what is expected of him..

There is a lot many more incidents and events detailed out in this book. Until the very end, in the year 2026, Earth is nothing more than planet torn and shredded with war and atomic bombs. Human specie is only a handful. Martian specie is all but forgotten. Mankind and humanity just words in books.

This is basically a cautionary tale about the progress of science and how mankind's conscience would not ever catch up with the developments in science. Love, hate, memory, greed, hunger, envy, distrust, all are very much deep rooted into our souls. And until we ever get around to discover a means to live in harmony amongst ourselves. There is no hope for us to live amongst other races in other planets.

I do hope we do figure it all out. I sure would love to visit Mars, if that is possible one day. I hear sandboarding is going to be real fun down there.

Day 19 : It's Kind of a Funny Story - Book Review

Okay this is weird. I never thought I would like a Young Adult book so much. I have made fun of the absurd amount hype associated with them and the hordes of crazy fans who flock in support of their favorite actors who play leads in the movie based out of these books. Some of those actors are really horrible. And some of the books itself are also terribly written. They pick up one unique, and frankly amazing, plot and stretch it to such an extent that they butcher the very thing that made it awesome.

But. This book is something different.

Just like many others I came to know of this book after I'd seen the movie based on it which I'd only seen that because it starred Zach Galifianakis and Emma Roberts. It was a decent movie. Had its own foibles as most YA movies do but some of the dialogues in the movie felt very precise and well structured, which could very well have been taken from a well-written book. This was a clearly YA movie but the characters didn't seemed to know that. The dialogue and plot could have been from any average movie and still work just as good. That got me to pick up the book to see for myself if this change was something that writer of novel intended originally or something the screenwriters pushed into their script. I know now, it was the writer of the novel who wrote them like that.

Author - Ned Vizzini.
Quck note - He himself suffered from clinical depression for most of his life and sadly committed suicide in 2013, at the age of 32.

The book is about a very intelligent overachieving teenager who works his butt off to get into a prestigious New York prep school. And once he is in can't cope with the pressure and stress linked with having to deal with all the work and the lack of social life that comes along it. He starts developing issues relating to people around him. He stops eating or sleeping, and spends all of his waking hours in a limbo worrying about how he can mess his whole life up by failing at this school. He then one night then decides he cannot take it anymore and decides to kill himself by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge.

Good sense prevails. He somehow manages to call up a suicide hotline and they help him get checked into emergency care. They take him in as a mental patient and put him on suicide watch. But the hospital is under renovation so he is bunked along with the adult ward. That's where the whole story unfolds, a fifteen year old high school kid amidst a bunch of adults with serious mental issues.

In the book seems like there a bunch of homages for real people in the writer's life, in the sense that they are all largely believable. Even the patient who thinks gravity doesn't exist anymore and that anytime now we would all just stop sticking to the Earth and just fall off into the sky. There are a bunch of wonderful ideas and interest experiences where the writer explains the sense of loneliness and hopelessness that someone with this illness would have to face in life. It all feels very frank and straight from the heart. Like how life for someone like this could be so much better for them if they simply just have the love and support of their family and friends.

I really like those parts in any book. The part where the writer says exactly what he feels. No B.S. This book has a lot of that. It is not overdone. Nor overly dramatic. Nor trying to be too funny or hip or in with the crowd. It is just right. (last couple pages notwithstanding)

It is good, mostly so cause I believe it was just being honest. There isn't anything in it that you will feel too jarring or something that would make you think that, yep this is definitely a book written for kids. Cause its not. Sure, it would be a book that would do a world of good to kid, if he/she read it, especially if she thinks she is unworthy. But I suppose this is a book for everyone who thinks that their life is too tough to handle at times.

I'd recommend this book to every newbie readers, in fact all readers even. It is a good story.

And to Mr Vizzini I'd like to say, you had a precious light in you. It is unfortunate that the darkness in you stopped you from seeing it. RIP.

Day 18 : Quidditch Through The Ages - Book Review

This one actually feels like a Hogwarts book. The language, the tone, the characters and most importantly - Quidditch.

This is written as a sort of serious non-fiction book that jots down the history of how the game has developed in its present form. As anything in the wizarding world, there was never really a hope of keeping anything serious. Almost every other page has a funny incident that happened with the game, or of the many quirky character that played their part in the games creation. I especially enjoyed the Daily Prophet excerpts by Rita Skeeter. She clearly was a reliable honest journalist as ever. (Not.)

Though my favorite in the whole book happens just a couple pages into it.

Yes you read that right. That is from the checkout page from the Hogwarts Library, with doodles and all. With actual entries from Ron, Hermoine, Malfoy, Padma Patil and Neville Longbottom. If you even wondered what their handwriting would look like. Well here you go, courtesy J K Rowling. I sort of wish they'd actually brought in an handwriting expert who actually got paid to devise what their handwriting would look like after reading all of the seven books and understand each of their characters.

And for those who ship "Draco+Hermoine", look up there, Draco has up and about getting that book as soon as Granger was done with it. Nobody else hurried to get this book as him. What if this was during the time he was Seeker for Slytherin and his checking out the book after our favorite know it all was just a coincedence, you say. Well, screw you. You can't prove anything.

There are also a bunch of other easter eggs through out the book. All glorious, all taking you back to simpler time where wasn't any flying dragons and blood-thirsty Red Priestesses. Hogwarts was where magic was good and bad. But mostly good, cause good always prevailed. In Hogwarts the good did not get beheaded in the first book itself in front of both his daughters. GRRM. Beep.

Anyways, as for the history of Quidditch there are a lot of minute details and specifics in here that I didn't know before. And I am sure if we did ever manage to build a Nimbus 1000, we would definitely this book as the go-to guide to build our own Quidditch Pitch.

I loved this book. I love the whole library set, in fact. It all feels so sweet to back to school now.

This is home.

Day 16 : The Tales of Beedle The Bard - Book Review

It has been over two years I've reread the Harry Potter books in its entirety. There are time when I pick one of them up when I passingly see a bit of the movies or overhear that awesome soundtrack somewhere. It is like some sort of strange bond that we of the Harry Potter generation have with these books. We grew up with the magical trio, were of the same age when the first book was published and, read the few books together right in step with Harry himself. So in a big way JKR and her creations have been a part of our lives in a big way.

The conclusion of the books, and movies was, honestly, a bit too shocking for us. It was like the end of an era. Like the demise of somebody that we have known most of our young lives. And just a mere sentence in the end of the book saying 'All was well..' in the wizarding world wasn't enough for us. We wanted to be sure that Harry and Ron and Hermoine, even little Albus were doing well. It was very important for us to know that, to live our own lives guilt free.

So I guess by her infinite generosity JKR puts out a few hints and tidbits of what is happening over at the Wizarding world every once in a while. Just keep our HP fix going. These collection of books are one such acts of generosity by her. More so now, because all the funds from this collection of books from Hogwarts Library is donated to Lumos, a charitable trust for impoverished children.

Now onto the book itself.

First off, it is a beautiful book. With brilliant illustrations and gorgeous artwork. I loved it.

It is like what a real wizard or witch would read to their children at bedtime. The stories have their own share of magical intrigue and wonder, like the fairy tales of the muggle world. Some of the stories by Beedle does feel like it would have a counterpart in the one of the many stories that you yourself might have read/heard somewhere when you were a kid. For example, the story of "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" is very much like a story I'd read in a collection of Russian fairy tales that I had when I was a kid. That book was filled with so much heart and love. It worked in that book, and it works just as well in this one.

The stories are very sweet and filled with innocent imagination, as any fairy tale is supposed to be. I found even the "Warlock's Hairy Heart" was something that you could very well read to your kid during bed time. Would very well do them good to teach the  how to be a better human being - wizard or otherwise.

Book is said to be from the Hogwart's library itself, translated from the ancient runes by Hermoince Granger and contains notes by Albus Dumbledore at the end of each tale where he lists his own observations about the history of lore and of the importance the tale had in Beedle's and in the morality of much of the wizarding world. The notes do shed a light on what was going on within the Professor's mind during the months before the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. The latest of the notes is supposed to be at least eighteen months before the tragic incident, even the slightest recollection of which still sort of pains a little.

There is mention of horcruxes, animagi, Elder Wand, Transfiguration, love potions and all the other wonderful spells and magical items we all love and adore. This is such a beautiful trip back down memory lane. More so, because I know all my favorite characters are still hale and hearty when Albus's writing his notes.

The thought of just  that does make me smile. All is well in Hogwarts.

Day 10 : Of Mice And Men - Book Review

This is definitely a wonderful book. It was written a long while back, evident in the language and prose. It has very old-fashioned lead characters, setting and manner of dialogue. And since I am starting on a oldie-but-goldie spree this one seemed as good a start as any. I am glad I did.

The lead characters are two migrant ranch-workers who are apparently drifting around in a southern American state. The pair would seem pretty commonplace in any "bromance" movie off late. And since this was written much sooner than any of those became a trend, I think this was the first ones amongst those. One guy is tall and strong and dumb. The other is short and intelligent and sensitive. One is the well-intentioned clumsy dimwit. Other is the cynical closet-optimistic. One who is too young for his age, other older than his. One who likes to pet tiny animals and anything soft, other who has already discovered the world for the hard place that it is. I love them both, namely Lennie and George.

And like most other stories of this age, at the center of all the trouble is a woman. Here this one is never mentioned by name. It's usually 'Curley's wife' or that tart who gives other men the eye, which is old-fashioned-speak for a promiscuous woman. She is described to be very attractive young woman who dreamt of big things for herself, but now has found herself stuck in a loveless marriage. Very Gatsby or Mad Men-ish. 

The plot is pretty straightforward, and predictable. Only because we have now seen or read so many books with similar story. But I am going to give this book a benefit of a doubt. I am going to assume that this was the one that became so successful with its plot that it inspired a chain of copycat writers in its wake. Just because this is actually a well-written honest book. This is a short book, not longer than any typical novella. But still it has so many good that is going for itself that you come to forgive it for not giving its characters a bit more depth. Well, this was the good old days of yore. People are not supposed to have a personality. You are just born, categorized into a specific slot by the society and there you are to stay for the rest of your life. There are not many who did overcome that hurdle during those times. There is a black stable-hand in the book called Crooks whose character explores this side of life during those times.

There is a lot of heart in the book, and a lot heart wrenching scenes. This book, if published now would very well be dismissed off hand for being to mushy. Even with the number of times that the author uses the N-word in this book. This book would never have been edgy enough for the reader of today. And I am fine with that. A good book doesn't necessarily have to be edgy and pushing the boundaries all the times. Sometimes it just needs to have a compelling story that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you feel feelings you've never known. And this book is definitely successful at that.

I wish I'd read this book when I was much younger. Empathy is something that a lot of us could have more of.

Day 9 : 11.22.63 - Book Review

I love Stephen King. He is one my favorite writers and I haven't yet come across any of his books that I didn't like. And this is definitely one of his better books.

11.22.63 is about one of those milestone events that had an immense impact on the lives of Americans. JFK was assassinated. A (dubiously) well-placed bullet struck the President's head while he was on a motorcade with his wife in Dallas, Texas. The guy they arrested for this was Lee H Oswald. An American marine who defected to USSR and then defected back to the US. He was famously a wife-beating whackjob, and was also famously quoted saying, "I'm just a patsy!"

This event seems to have just enough fodder to make just about any author water in his mouth. And in the hands of the King. It is nothing short of a masterclass in prose.

Stephen King is not always known for being a stickler for straightforward classical form of story telling. He usually does it in his own nonchalant way that resonates with the reader and actually feels like we are all sitting around a bonfire with Mr King and when is going on about the day a rabid dog got a woman trapped in her own car. But in this book he seems to have toned down his macabre side and taken the persona of the small town teacher that he himself once was. Only difference, the protagonist in the book is a teacher who quite possibly can change the world as we know it.

The book explores the idea whether given the chance to go back in time and put and end to vicious evil, would you?

Time travel.

Most of us would probably just use it to travel back in time and become the most excellent historians ever, I know there are dozens of other books fiction and non-fiction on this topic. But seriously, this book makes more sense of it than a lot of those.

As always, the story itself is brilliant. Very sensitive and grounded. There is no over-the-top, unrealistic heroics. No too-evident effort to make the character extra-hated or extra-loved. Everything is just right. Everything is just proper. And understanding the sort of book Mr King is out to write, this strategy actually makes sense. I loved the scenes were Jake Epping became the good angel. The really violent heart-wrenching ones ones. As also the sweet cribbage-playing sweet-wife ones.

Most of all I liked Sadie. The sweet, clumsy, naive school librarian who makes the protagonist fall in love so hard that he would've been willing to change the course of all mankind just to hold her one more time.

Mr King rarely is known to be a sensitive writer. In pop culture, he is nearly always known for his horror and thrillers. But read this book, and you'll probably start to better appreciate the writer's range.

Plus, it really is a GREAT story!

Day 8 : A Dance With Dragons Part 2 : After the Feast - Book Review

I'd mentioned before, in my review of Part 1 of Dance, this book is awesome. In a lot of ways it makes up for the dull pace of Feast of Crows. And in this Part 2 of the Dance With Dragons the timelines almost overlap with that of Feast. For example, the events with Cersei Lannister ("Shame!") in Dance comes chronologically towards the end of Feast. Thus now at the end of this epic book everything now has come to a common tipping point. And the outcome promises to be a glorious chaos of intrigue and battle. As one of my friends put it, every plot point at the end of this book can lead to only one thing - War is coming!

Spoilers ahead, duh.

Bran, has traveled across half the wilderness in the Beyond the Wall and finally reached the three-eyed raven. He is now learning the art of a greenseer and is very well poised to be inherit the responsibilities of his master and his spot under the weirwood tree. He dreamed of running and flying, but in the end was showered with the gift of the See.

Tyrion, has had a lot to do in this book. Traveled up to Volantis. Then Slaver's Bay. Then with the Yunka'i. Has changed camp and allies at least three times. Was Yollo, Hugor, Groat's ghost. And now a sellsword with the Second Sons. He was as resourceful and conniving as ever. It would have been brilliant he did reach Daenerys in time. They never do though, throughout the books.

Daenerys, has all of Meereen up in arms against her. Each passing day her followers are diminishing. Firstly by the pale mare, then by gold, then by shadow war of the Sons of Harpy. She is compelled to take Hizdahr of Old Ghis blood as her new husband. But even taking him as her King doesn't stop the assassination attempt on her. Drogon's meddling helps her get out of it. Now she is somewhere in the Dothraki Sea, heading back to her kingdom on foot, weary and weak by the minute. Oh and by the way the part where she flies Drogon is awesome!

Quent Martell, the Prince of Dorne, is really not built for the Game Each of his attempts to Daenerys heart or the dragons' collar has been thwarted pitifully. And his last folly proved to be a fatal one, for himself and for Meereen.

Victarion, the captain of the Iron Fleet, is sent of by his elder brother, Crow's Eye to capture Daenerys and to make her Euron's queen. Victarion, who's tired of playing second fiddle to his elder brother all of his life, plans to take the Silver Queen for himself. But then, as for every character in this book, things don't go as per his planning and in the end he is minus a human arm and a whole lot of queer magic on board.

Griff, Rhaegar's compatriot, has reached the shores of Westeros with his Golden Company and have started plundering and putting siege to the castles and strongholds along the shores in the name of Aegon the Young Dragon. Griff is a tough guy, and determined. And his intentions are made of stone. Literally.

Arya, was turned blind yes. But she learns to use that loss to her advantage and impresses the kindly man in the House of Black and White. She soon learns the art of the Gift. And of the mysterious disguise of Jaqen H'ghar. She still is the most promising badass of the Starks.

Cersei, the Lannister Lioness has been put to the shame. And is now more timid than any household cat. But even timid cats have claws, this one has Ser Robert Strong!

Jon, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, is assigned with a tough task. And his sense of right and honor is only making him the most hated brother in Castle Black, He has already opened his gates to the wildlings, given Tormund Giantsbane and his likes the command of a number of castles along the Wall. He has allowed spearwives into the Watch. He has allowed Mole's Town to be swamped with wildlings. He has allowed a giant take refuge within the Castle's courtyard. He has allowed a wildling to marry a Northern lady of high birth. He now plans to send out all of the Watch's fleet out to Hardhome to bring thousands of the wildling this side of the Wall, better them alive and with them, than dead and walking. Jon much to his brother's woes, plans to break his oath and take a number of wildlings and march on to Winterfell to face Ramsay Snow. For which he takes those stabs, "for the watch". And as I've said here and here before. Jon Snow is not dead, yet.

Varys, the spider, whoa. Of all the events and character development that has happened throughout this book, the Spider's is my favorite. He only had the last few pages of the epilogue to himself. And darn was it good. He is going to be so awesome in the next books. So much like a super Bond villian type. He is definitely not the bad guy. I don't think anyody is entirely a hero or a villian in the Game of Thrones. But Varys is so much like a villian in the last chapter, it is creepy. Will give you the goosebumps. 

What this book basically does is pack up a few initial POV chapters to build up the scene and mindset of the characters and at the end, simply goes and puts each of them in such a cliffhanger that you kinda feel hungry for more. And angry knowing that there is nothing more, until Mr Martin come around publish the next book. Can't wait for the Winds of Winter to come out. Fingers crossed.

Day 7 : A Dance With Dragons Part 1 : Dreams and Dust - Book Review

Ever since the Feast. I was so thirsty for some well deserved action. That book was devoid of any such events. I've written all about it on my A Feast For Crows review. This is not about that, this is about the Dance.

Mr Martin did mention earlier that Feast and Dance took a long while to complete because the earlier manuscripts of the books were huge and him and his editors were at their wits end to scale it down to make them a little more feasible to print. Hence he had partitioned them into geographical regions instead of chronologically. All events in Feast happen in the South and in Dorne. In Dance the events happen in the North and the Lands of First Men and Slaver's Bay. Hence you will see a lot of conflict and actual excitement as compared to the palace intrigues and vanity of Westeros.

And most importantly Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister are back. Hooyah.

Jon Snow since being chosen the Lord Commander has begun to realize how badly prepared the realm is against the real enemies. His empathy with the wildlings and Ned-Stark-ish honor is earning a lot of bad blood from the Crows. The Nights Watch has now become a sort of inn keeper to first Stannis and his Red Preistess, then the wildlings, then the people of Mole's Town. And he hardly has enough resources to feed the lot of them. The cold, the Others, and his hard rule is building up tension within his men. And what little friends he has he intends to disperse to other Castles along the Wall to man them as good as the Watch could against the Wights and Walkers.

The Imp after fleeing from the King's Landing for slaying his own father, now finds himself overflowing with guilt and in the undercarriage of strange ships. The Spider has arranged for his travel towards the Slavers Bay. Where he has advised Tyrion to team up with the Targaryen princess and help her win the Iron Throne. Tyrion as we know only does things his way, and finds himself in quite a messy situation. Albeit with the return of another favorite character. And introductions of many more characters that shed more light to the claim of the Targaryen heirs to the Throne and what came about to keep them alive long enough to try sitting on it.

There were many other POV chapters as well -

Daenerys finds herself stuck ruling a city where half the population hates her guts, while the other half is getting killed off ones the sun sets. She now also has amassed quite an array of counsels, many whose advise and prowess helps her keeping her rule. But the one thing that helped her so far is lost to her cause. The dragons. They grow faster and stronger and wilder than she had expected and cannot be controlled anymore.

Bran Stark, has now traveled farther north than any of his brother ever has. He has met the greenseer and is learning a lot about his role in the Wars, present and the ones yet to come. Jojen isn't too well though.

Davos Seaworth, is as trustworthy loyal to Stannis as ever but personally keeps losing anything that he holds dear. But his simple ideals and manner helps Stannis a lot in the end.

Reek, well. He is not doing too well. And by the looks of it, he is going to remain that way for a long time yet.

Asha wanted to be queen. The Ironborn thought otherwise.

Victarion Greyjoy, Balon's younger brother who is elected as the Iron King instead of her has taken all of the might of the Ironmen to the towards the West. He means to sit on the Iron Throne. There's a bad idea if there ever was one.

The Dorne, this is the kingdom that the Red Viper (he was so cool!) was loved and revered by all. His death by the hands of the Lannisters has angered many here. Most importantly the Sand Snakes, his bastard girls. They are all angry, and are plotting with their cousin, the daughter of Doran Martell, to tumble the Lannister's rule. Well. They try to.

Areo Hotah, he doesn't talk much or do much. Except sharpening his longaxe or cleaving heads of his enemies with them. But he listens all.

Barristan the Bold, he is also the same. He listens to all. But also is one of the most loyal and true adviser to the Mother of Dragons.

Jamie Lannister, is busy running along the Tully lands trying to bring it back to the Iron Throne's rule. He is a very smart guy. Not Tyrion smart. But a very good commander indeed. Pity his hand got chopped off, would've made a good ruler.

Cersei Lannister, the woman of Rock is pretty handful isn't she. She has finally got what she has always wanted. To be the one who calls the shots, and she is blowing it real bad. Everything that Tywin ever worked for and achieved, she has already destroyed in just a matter of months. And to come of it, her younger son sitting on the Throne is not even half as vile as Joff.

Varamyr Sixskins, a character introduced and killed off in the prologue itself. But presents a very interesting theory for the Jon Snow is alive theory.

This book has been a breeze. So many things were happening that the pages were just flying through. Loved this one. And even the backstory that were plugged into it has been enlightening and not tedious as in Feast. Already into Part 2. Excited!

~ ~ ~

P.S. Rickon, Osha is MIA. Where in the seven hells are they?

Day 1 : A Feast For Crows - Book Review

Finally made it through this damn book. I'd read a lot of posts online that this one is a tough nut to crack and would take some effort to get through. The second half of the book is well worth it though.

So let's see, here's where we all stand now in Westeros -
(spoilers! duh.)

Sam travels to Oldtown.
Snow wins the Wall.
Stannis is stuck in Storm's End.
Melissandre is still the b-word as ever.
Cersei makes a mess of things, via her only likeable/alive son.
Tommen is happy stamping his royal seals on every paper his mother places in front of him.
His wife Margaery is pretending to be a mini-Cersei, failing miserable at it.
Ser Loras has become a Kingsguard, trying to be close to his sister. So very Lannisterseque.
Jaime is minus a limb, but still more a righteous Knight than most.
High Sparrow brings forth the kinghts of the Seven Gods.
Arya is trying to 'see' the ways of the Many-Faced God.
Sansa trying the master the Game under Littlefinger's tutelage.
Petyr kisses her every chance he gets (that, surprisingly, really creeps me out for some reason)
Brienne scouring Westeros to find the Stark girls.
Asha tries to grab at the Seastone Chair, only to be humiliated.
Iron Islanders wreck havoc throughout the coasts of Westeros.
 Ellaria Sand and Sand Snakes try to avenge the death of the Red Viper.
Alayne tries to stage a coup with the Lannister ward in Dorne as a pawn.
Myrcella by the way is not so pretty anymore.
Arys is was introduced and snuffed out within the span of a dozen pages.
Darkstar fled the sands fearing Doran's rage, but mostly Hotah's axe.
Stoneheart is angry.
Edmure Tully and Blackfish are as honorably stoic as ever.
Freys are as craven and deceitful as ever.
Mountain is MIA
Hound is MIA.
Bran is MIA.
Bronn is MIA.
Theon is MIA.
Tyrion is MIA.
Varys is MIA.
Danerys is MIA.
Barristan is MIA.

The book is tedious in a lot of ways. Mostly because it spends a lot of time with the intrigues of King's Landing. Be it the Seastone Chair of the Iron Men or the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, you soon begin to miss the dragons and the battles of Westeros. But with that yearning, also comes the dread of losing another beloved character. Even passing mentions of the Red Wedding in this book made me sad. Damn you Martin, you friggin' genius!