Travel With Books!

  Note for the readers- This is a review on a book based on human psychology, and many readers may or may not agree with my views (this is not a judgement/discernment). I share my views, and not trying convince others on the same! I respect those who don’t align with me. I like healthy discussions and keep away from disrespectful arguments/clashes. Kindly take it strictly as my point of view, and not a battleground of opinions! Thanks. Review starts- “Post few of my recent disconcerting perusals on mental health, I was stranded in a space of discontentment. As the famous saying goes, “iron cuts iron”, so was seeking for better reads on human psychology, to reconcile with myself. Fyodor Dostoevsky (FD) came to my rescue! Can a novel talk about the trials and tribulations of human mind, make you walk through all the agonies vicariously and yet not depress you? Jauntily take you through the perplexities of human-psyche and leave you in a space of relief and contentment? “Th...

  Reviewing few masterpiece-classics is like undermining them. I was assiduously searching through my pile of treasured-classics to pick up one to re-read. Re-reading helps me to exponentially increase my thirst for books and quench it at the same time (helps me with my vanity, hope not sounding like Mr. Darcy 😊 )   This novel is not only about sweet-romance between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but it also helps transporting the reader to the Jane Austen(Regency Era) times, savour the culture, and brims with wit and humour. There are suggestible & obvious differences between   Victorian Era and Regency Era culture settings, and I relish both!   The Bennet couple is simply adorable. Mrs. Bennet is just like any mother of olden or modern times, eagerly seeking a suitable groom for her daughter, and she has five lovely daughters :)   Mrs. Bennet is hyperbolic. Austen has been scorned for portraying her the way she was, but I assume at all levels of soc...

  “ Brida ” is a pursuit for enlightenment, a quest for knowledge, a search for love, a journey towards completion!   Just like all other novels of Paulo Coelho, “ Brida ” revolves around philosophy, mysteries of universe, spirituality and is additionally nestled with search for love/soulmate.   Brida, is the story of a 21-year old Irish girl on the quest of knowledge to learn magic/witchcraft to become a wicca. Witchcraft has been rebuked for the evil practices and wrongdoings but here we see the positive application of wicca for self-discovery of the soul. In the process she is introduced to the Tradition of the Moon and Tradition of the Sun. But mostly, Tradition of the Moon is touch-based which Brida picks up. Under the Tradition of the Moon, there are four pillars- The first pillar is of time-travel, through which one ends up learning about thyself. Pernicious consequences of using witchcraft for controlling destinies have been cited, in of the instan...

I avidly read fairy-tales because they are replete with folkloric characters (fairies, goblins, witches, giants, and many more), enchantments ineffable, and mysteries inconceivable! They infallibly cure hearts that have stopped believing in the power of goodness and miracles. Additionally, they attach morals to the plot, if not explicitly but subtly! Post finishing these magical books, the hearts overflow, with ideas of magic, ambitions of achieving the impossible , and smiles nestled with hope inculcated!  They generally proclaim victory of good over evil, all the killings and cruelty are justified by acts of kindness, and kingdom of love thrives amidst all the treacherous and pernicious surroundings! And Bingo, for me “The Girl who drank the moon”, ticked all the departments of fantasy steadily! I am “enmagicked” post reading this incredible magnificent fantasy-piece! It is an endearing, spell-binding, resplendent  fairy-tale bursting with enchantment, moonlight, starligh...

Warning - This is an outlier review for "The Ocean At The End of the Lane" My sensitive, empathetic soul, love for animals and a cogent thought-process couldn’t marry the plot. The first-half with the animal-cruelty and child-abuse by the protagonist’s father gave me heebie-jeebies. The novel starts with a quote by Maurice Sendak- “I remember my own childhood vividly . . . I knew terrible things. But I knew I mustn’t let adults know I knew. It would scare them.” The delicious food devoured by our unnamed protagonist throughout the major part of the plot was my only fuel to keep up with the book. I was jolly-well wallowing in the vivid description of the meals. Our 7-year-old nameless protagonist, uses kitten (who is killed quite early-on in the plot), books and “world of fantasy” as escape mechanisms from the indifference of his loveless parents and the company of humans. "Books were safer than other people anyway" He is extremely imaginative, creative, detailed, ob...

An endearing heart warming story creating a palpable nature-laden reality, edifying the magical powers of nature and gratefulness for being alive. It professes the power of living and embracing the beauty around us. I don't want to limit it as only-children's read, but a must-read for everyone in order to be permeated with positivity and leave all the negativity behind. Many of us delve into negative feelings in different stages of life and end up losing hope. This book should be marked as a must-read whenever hopelessness or hard-hitting times hit us. " The Secret Garden " is a capsule for keeping negative feelings and toxins at bay! :) A definite 5-star NB - I found ther ending abrupt, I wish it was a little bit more beautifully described(wanted it to be hauled around the plush garden) :)  Indeed nature is magical and can make even dead to walk and sing :)

The   “Funny Thing Is…” , is an ingenious effort, a book of comical essays on daily musings and ramblings. Comical books are mostly at a danger of sounding grotesque and outlandish, but this definitely didn’t go bizarre. It wasn’t an indispensable but definitely a one-time-read! Ellen DeGeneres, has written about stances to be adopted in real life instances. The subtle-nuances in the book, went a tad imperceptible for me, though they are woven with sarcasm, but the chucklings acquired in the first-half of the book, succumbed to ennui, by the second half. Light-hearted folks would love it was a one-time read, but wallflowers and serious-minded, might grapple to enjoy. There are witty insights and light-hearted ribbings, but second half onwards the efforts sounded impetuous, hurried to finish the book! Millennials, born in the generation of ipads, may find it a tad outdated. For instance, they may find citing of tangled and wired phones as obsolete and unrelatable. But 80s populace w...