The Shadow Of the Wind (La Sombra del Viento) By Carlos Ruiz Zafón

                                                               Phoenix 
                                          Page :- 506
            Genre:- Mystery-thriller, Magical Realism, Adult

Over-view
Hidden in the heart of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of forgotten books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library, a man brings his ten year old son, Daniel, one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and from dusty shelves pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. As Daniel grows up, several people seem interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to try and find out the truth behind life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind.
Plot
Daniel is the son of book-owner, Sempre & Sons. It's the historical Spain living under the shadows of civil-war. He has lost his mother recently. In order to divert him, after he wakes up sobbing, Daniel's father take him to cavernous, secluded 'Cemetery of forgotten books'. Once he has his hands on The Shadow of the wind, Daniel relentlessly wants to know about the author, until he is approached by a man in mist, resembling to the evil character Laín Coubert, from Shadow of the Wind. This man is destroying every possible edition of Carax's work, and Daniel might have the last copy of his last novel, before Julian disappeared. As Daniel grows, his research takes him forward, Mysteries regarding Julian's death unravel, Daniel's life tangles with that of the Author.
Quotes
"Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen."
 “People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren't already complicated enough.” 
 “Memories are worse than bullets.” 
 “The moment you stop to think about whether you love someone, you've already stopped loving that person forever.” 
My Take
Everything about this novel is smooth, the language rhymes perfectly with turns and twist of plot. Carlos takes you to the ups and downs of Barcelona, it's characters, that lift from pages, and are engraved in your mind even when you drop the book. It is gripping, complicated, and at every point maintains fascination of the reader. One of the best read I had this year! 
****/***** (4/5)
Who Should Read?
Fans of Mystery, Historical-Fiction, Magical-realism, 
Who Shouldn't Read?
If length is your problem. 
PS
I have not included any spoilers, for this book is a phenomenon, it must be witnessed!
     
      

Main Herione hoon!

                                                    (So Much for Authenticity!)
 If you are well acquainted with works of Madhur Bhandarkar, You must have had a feeling about 'Heroine'. A movie taking the darkest side of industry, scandals, gossips, yellow journalism etc etc.

It starts with Mahi Arora, being dumped out of the car, with her smeared mascara, bloodshot eyes and over-lapsing sobs that assure us something terrible happened to this girl! She is picked up by her secretary before any complaint can be filed.
As the movie progresses, you understand situation better. Mahi, is from a broken home, a very needy person emotionally, has been in relationship with married actor (seeking divorce) Arjun Rampal.     
Unfortunately, the movie has absolutely nothing to offer. Wild child, emotionally messed up Mahi, lots of pun on other celebrities, 'if it doesn't work-out, I'll buy an IPL team with a rich businessman.' Girl-chasing married actors, whose wife decide which leading-lady to cast. There's mention of Award show, and how easily awards are distributed 'Mujhe jodi number 1 chaiyeh varna main perform nhi karungi!' by another lame actress.

This movie might as well be written by an avid gossip-reader. Of-course, when there's Bollywood cricket can't really be far behind. There's vice-captain of the Indian cricket team, rubbing his shoulders with celebrities, dating one actress after another.
Story has no plot, just a premise, Heroines come from painful background, need to make it to the top, their personal life is wrecked, and yes there's a line 'Tum star hoon, actress banne ki zarurat nhi!'
In the name of content, there's a brief relief when Helen as a senior actor comes or Mahi decides to choose an Art-sy movie (which by the way gets shelved.)
Apart from this, there are sex-tape leak for over-night publicity of a movie, actresses forging pass-port to hide age (really?), lot of gays and bisexuals, poor child still living the stereotypes. Only good acting worth mentioning is by Divya Dutta, who as a PR agent is exquisite!    

**/*****
Seriously if you are a huge Kareena fan, go, else you'll clenching teeth!

Burning Out Katherine May

 
SNOWBOOKS LTD
PAGES :- 380

Over-view  
Violet has everything a girl must be proud of. A job, enviable life-style, her dream-city London. Her seemingly perfect picturesque life is fragmented into several pieces, once you get the closer look. She hates her job, has no friends. One day out of the blue she spots a girl, a projection of her, ten years before. Violet takes a leap of faith in order to save what she knows will happen to this girl if she is anything like Violet.
Plot
Violet is thirty,lives in London, her job is fancy of many (though never described as to what she does). Absorbed in watching people from back-seat of her cab, she sees some-one, shivers runs through her spine and she couldn't take her eyes off that girl. It is if violet from ten years back, young, wild, and risk-taking has time-traveled to meet her. An event in her present triggers her want to protect the younger version of herself. She knows where the girl came from, and where she'll be found, her hometown! (Don't remember the name.)
Quotes
"Last night I dreamed of a room which overlooked a sea, I have never been there before, but I knew it well. I could hear music coming from somewhere. So I began to search for it, I looked for it in every
corner, in every cupboard and drawer, but all i found was shells and stones."

"until last night the link between us was strongest,when the silvery thread that joined her and me, and i could feel the presence of another living breathing at the end of it."
My Take 
The entire premise of the story was so interesting, that I had to read it. Two women joined by an indecipherable chord, like time is testing them. Unfortunately, in a 350 page novel, you don't really hope that the main story starts at 200+. If i had to rate it for language and narration, Katherine May is prowess, but story? eh? Violet as a character neither garners my interest nor sympathy. yes, its sad you have stopped making choices, you have a nutrition company that dictates your intake, a fashion expert that buys clothes for you. I feel so sorry for your life! When finally she finds the girl when half of the novel is already done, it's hard to understand why she chooses to fool around with a boy half her age. At some point her decision to save the girl is transformed into 'I must witness what happened that day!' The end left a sour taste in my mouth. 
**/***** (2/5)
Who should read? 
language admirers, those you need to calm their nerves, get bored, people with acquired taste
Who shouldn't read? 
I for one should never, but normal people who want story, impatient readers don't even think.             SNOW-BOOKS Ltd. Pages :- 380

A Northern Light Jennifer Donnelly

                                                                   Harcourt inc
                                               Page:- 380

over-view

Sixteen year old Mattie has big dreams, but little hope they will ever come true. Desperate for money she takes up a job at Glenmore, where a hotel guest Grace Brown asks to burn her letter. Later the women's body is fished out of the lake.Mattie discovers grim truth about the murder.

Plot 

Mattie is an ordinary looking village girl, from North Woods. In 1906, Girls don't dream big. They are definitely not advised of extending their education from school to college, that to, New York City. Mattie is one such girl. With her mother's death and Brother gone after a feud with Father, she has no option but to take care of her little sisters. After her application is accepted, and with full scholarship to New york City college, she has no option but to hope, against all odds. Then there are letters, heavy in her pocket, with police narrowing down Grace Brown's death as suicide or accident. Mattie knows there's more. But she promised Grace to burn them.

Quotes

* "I know it is a bad thing to break a promise, but I think now that it is a worse thing to let a promise break you."    

* “Cripes Miss Wilcox, they're not guns,' I said. 

No, they're not Mattie, they're books. And a hundred times more dangerous.” 

*There were lives in those books, and deaths. Families and friends and lovers and enemies. Joy and despair, jealousy, envy, madness, and rage. All there. I reached out and touched the cover of one called The Earth. I could almost hear the characters inside, murmuring and jostling, impatient for me to open the cover and let them out.”

My Take

I have never read another character that i have been so much emotionally attached to. When you read it, her love for books and words, and poetry, seems so real and honest, not only you become a part of her journey, you start rooting for her to succeed. I heard of A northern light bagging almost every award in young-adult category, rightly so. The novel is for every person who loves books and literature, it's a celebration indeed. Jennifer Donnelly has depicted a beautiful real rural backdrop, its problems and mentality. A grounded heroine that leads us through her story effortlessly. It is the kind of story that stays in your mind. 

****/***** (4/5)

Who should read?  

Book-lovers, those who are seeking inspiration, Anybody who enjoys a good read.

Who Shouldn't read?

The ones expecting a mystery, murder is just a plain back-drop.(It ain't Girl with the dragon Tattoo!)

   

 

Elsewhere Gabrielle Zevin

Macmillan Publications

Page:- 275 

Overview :-
Elsewhere is a story of Elizabeth Mary Hall, a fifteen year old girl, who dies in a road-accident. Too young to have ended, dead have their own world too, Elsewhere, where you go, age backwards, until you are a baby to be send back again.
Plot 
Ageing backwards when you had arguably the best teen-age years of life ahead is no fun. Neither is dying when you crossed road on a green signal. Hey, but who's counting? Elizabeth is angry, aghast, and thinking she could have been at prom if not for the truck that left her swinging in the air. Elsewhere is where you go to age back-wards, it could mean anything to you,(depending on your religious views). For her, it is like any other ordinary earth city, where her grandmother (who is now age of her mother) lives. People don't die there (Dead already? huh!) They have their own currency, Supernatural Squad, and Avocation, (You choose the kind of work you wanna do!) Elizabeth starts off bad, for she is quite too young, to be dead already. There is a Observation Deck where you get to see your relatives in exchange of few Eternims (currency) Like many, her days are spend there, trying to see her best friend, parents, and how everybody is moving on.
Quotes
'I'll never go to college or get married or get big boobs or live on my own or fall in love or get my driver's license or anything? I can't believe this!'
Liz runs her pinky across the scar where the string used to be. She can barely feel it. She knows the scar will soon be gone, too. And when that happens, it will be like she was never on Earth at all.

My Take
Gabrielle has created a whole new world of the dead, and given whole new meaning to death. She has given Elizabeth a poised character, who first feels cheated, depressed and detached. As the novel progresses, you embrace her with more respect. There were some real good moments. Language, emotions, and plot was kept simple and new. I expected few tear-jerking moments, but they didn't come for me. Sometimes i did feel story was losing it's depth. Overall, when you reach till the end, its not bad at all.
***/***** (3/5)
Who should read?
if vocabulary is your problem, this book is beautifully simple. An easy, beautiful read for all.
Who shouldn't read?
if you are expecting highly sentimental, in-depth master piece.

Fifty shades of f@#$&$g Grey!

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
The miserable book which introduced me to my latest most un-loved phrase, 'momma porn'. Before I rant about the most disgusting book of all times! which it is, I owe an explanation how I got here. I and my recently found very close friend zipped, huddled, and sweated around the chandni chowk lane. There in midst of stinking, courtesy-less people I had the dreadful coincidence of thinking this might be a good book, "Gray being a colour I had pseudo intellectually related with art-sy people!"
About the book :-
Caution :- I apologize in advance for the profanity that follows, this post is not meant for innocent eyes.

The girl, protagonist Anastasia Steele gives Bella run for her money in terms of stupidity, dumbness. She is a literature graduate :(. A small meeting with overly rich, mysterious, multi-billionaire Christian Grey, followed by some inner reflection holy crap, holy shit, greek-god, super-handsome, after coffee-date, helicopter ride to Seattle, finally reveals grey's true personality. He has torture turn some pathetic room in his house, playroom! There are all sorts of kinky things, and he wants her to sign a contract (non-enforceable),that practically makes her slave, to try all that stuff and govern what she wears, eat. A normal girl should throw up and shout, "you try that with me bitch, I'll shoot you!"and really run!
 This one stays and let him deflower her (really used in here!) and she has no prior experience in twenty-one years, not even solo (Pathetic?). Followed by three-hundred page of full blown torture, and just to make sure you guys know what I went through, here are some quotes,
"My mouth pops open as I gasp and swallow at the same time"
(physically impossible)
"My inner goddess pole-vaults over the fifteen-foot war."
(If i ever hear this inner-goddess non-sense, I will kill some-one!)
"Now that's the dress I approve of"
Listen you sick bastard, no one's asking!
and I could quote some really outrageous sex-lines, but let's just summarise this book as gracefully as I can manage:-

PS

never-ever ever read this shit. Hollywood is making movie out of this, world just got a hell more dumber! 

IF YOU..

If you had your heart broken, and hurt,revived and saved on the same page, if you had loved words, collected them like sea-shells, wreathed them like flowers, if characters meant more to you then you care to admit, if you had lost track of time, if music lifted from sonnets that only you heard, and related to the most un-relatable glimpsing characters and situations, if you had cheered, shouted, and cried like a child within a thirty page scene. If you had fell in love the same way the protagonist falls for the boy, if you felt butterflies, if you just had to halt reading, laugh uncontrollably, if you had seen sorceress, ghost, detectives, serial-killers, deep in love couple in the same month, if you had tried to extend the happy ending where the last page left off, if you had waited months for sequel, if you had hated your closest friends for reading a book before you could, if you had bought a book for close friend but dithered greedily on gifting for its alluring contents, if you read something that you would never suggest any-one to read, and yet never regretted it for a second, if you had felt like a character, had an extended-alternate-distorted dream from the pages you read, if you had read a tragic novel twice or many times, hoping you could make peace where it went wrong, if you had interesting conversations with strangers about your favourite character, and felt blooming of a bond, if you had went back to the pages which you didn't understand in past, but life brought you to it, if you had hated someone speak ill of your favourite Author, if you had quoted lines from your favourite books on many occasions, if one book had led you to another, then another, then you are not just a book-worm, or an unrealistic dreamer, for you had the joy of wanting something so good, and for few moments owning it, that you will always see yourself as the hero of your own story! you will know when it's real, you won't easily give-in to fake wisdom, you will hold on something you have no conceivable notion of, but nonetheless, it will only make you stronger. You will never be short on imagination.