Nisha!!

Safe by Andrew C. Broderick My rating: 3 of 5 stars Got this book "Safe" from the Author Andrew C. Broderick in return for an honest review, an here I am. This story is something of a cross between 'Wall-E', 'Escape Plan', 'I, Robot' and 'Divergent', with the events unfolding in dystopia. Jason is a third-generation dweller in the Pod, a safe (Safe from what is however unknown), self-sufficient dwelling. He lives with his mother, and has his eyes on Julia. He is a gardener at the Pod, where telescopes are strictly forbidden. There are several floors, all well-connected by lifts. This is somewhere in the middle of a sea/ocean. Everyone on-board is informed that there are no-humans outside the Pod, and it is utterly unsafe outside. One day, gazing through his telescope (the author fails to mention where he procured the lenses from), Jason identifies humans on a piece of land. As is characteristic of all heros, driven by the desire for adventu...

Three Weeks Dead by Rebecca  Bradley My rating: 2 of 5 stars I got this book as a free copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review. This is my first book by the author. The book was boring. This was supposed to be a thriller!! And, when its a thriller, I expect an adrenaline rush, which was absolutely missing. Though the title says DI Hannah Robbins, the main detective in the book was Sally, a new recruit. Jason works for a SHIRO - a software company creating software to protect ATM money. Someone has stolen Jason's wife from her grave, and threatening to feed it to the stray dogs, unless he accepts to steal the software and hand it over to them. Jason accomplishes this, but is caught red-handed by the police. As the police investigation starts, Jason starts getting renewed threats to handover the copied software, with both the police and the antagonist offering him new mobiles all the time. Well, the revelation of the miscreant is no surprise, as it becomes quite ob...

The Silent Reporter by Thomas Fincham My rating: 5 of 5 stars Hyder Ali is a temp reporter at the Daily Times newspaper. He lives with his mother and brother, Akbar. He consistently suffers from inferiority complex in comparison to his brother, who is a doctor. Hyder's university professor Eric Freeland is found dead by hanging and is declared as a suicide. Detective Nolan (an alcoholic) has lost his wife in a car crash. Amanda - an accountant at the prestigious TriGate Management Group, is dead due to a malfunctioning break. Hyder and Freeland's daughter get together to dig up the Professor's death as they are sure he is not the suicidal type. Though they are initially not able to convince Nolan (the investigator in this case), he realizes this while following the trail of the prescribed half-empty anti-depressant bottle, found in Freeland's room after his death. With the mentioned address misleading, the suicide note not convincingly emotional, and identifyin...

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson My rating: 5 of 5 stars An amazing read and an eye-opener.. Fact is stranger than fiction!! View all my reviews

The Image in the Mirror by Dorothy L. Sayers My rating: 5 of 5 stars Very interesting read of a medical condition called "Situs inversus"- an autosomal recessive genetic condition found in identical twins. Well.. That was a very interesting thriller, a conclusion i least expected to hit upon :) View all my reviews

Why I Am An Atheist: An Autobiographical Discourse by Bhagat Singh My rating: 5 of 5 stars Of course, any logical human beings thinking put out in words!! Wow!! Bhagath Singh is my hero, and to know that he was so well read and well informed, made me love him even more.. Inquilab Zindabad!!! View all my reviews

The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon My rating: 3 of 5 stars "The Doomsday Conspiracy" by Sidney Sheldon is the eight book by the author, that i happen to read, and the worst by far. Though it was written before 'Da Vinci Code' or 'Angels and Demons', I happened to read them the other way round and that was the biggest blunder. Dan Brown claims this book as his inspiration for writing thriller fiction. the plot of almost similar to these - one man on the run for his life - wherever he turns, its death. Finally he wins.. There are a number of characters that are not well used in the book. I expected something realistic as the other Sheldon books, but this one let me down - as it dealt with a UFO and aliens - not until i reached the writer's note.. There, Sheldon had made an elaborate description, on the UFO sightings and enlisted the scientists and astrophysicists who had been killed in the quest - the US government is making every possible effort ...

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath My rating: 5 of 5 stars I felt the book as a whole was a little boring. But there are a few things that were really close to my heart.. Given the fact that she lived in the mid 1900s, I feel amazed at her way of looking at things: "I tried to imagine what it would be like if Constantin were my husband. It would mean getting up at seven and cooking him eggs and bacon and toast and coffee and dawdling about in my nightgown and curlers after he'd left for work to wash up the dirty plates and make the bed, and then when he came home after a lively, fascinating day he'd expect a big dinner, and I'd spend the evening washing up even more dirty plates till I fell into bed, utterly exhausted. This seemed a dreary and wasted life for a girl with fifteen years of straight A's, but I knew that's what marriage was like, because cook and clean and wash was just what Buddy Willard's mother did from morning till night, and she was the wife...

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky My rating: 4 of 5 stars the casual things that one feels at school, beautifully expressed.. View all my reviews

Amber in the World of Shades by J.K. Riya My rating: 5 of 5 stars The author JK Riya (inspired by the architect of the boy with the lightning bolt scar) has created different worlds with different dimensions, having their own distinctive features. The protagonist Amber, is taken into a dark world through an exotic ring she purchases, where she takes the readers along. Welcome to the World of the Shades!! Will Amber survive in this world? Who has wanted her desperately here? Its Vossler (doesn’t it sound something like Voldemort?). He would do anything to enslave her. But why? In the meantime, Amber finds new friends in the dark World of Shades – Gina and Lavina. But their powers are no match to Vossler’s. Why is Gina trying to help her escape the Shady Land, risking her very life? Can they win? Will Amber get back to her own land, or will she become an eternal slave to Vossler? Sit back and read this exciting fantasy. Guess the remaining worlds are yet to be explored, and I am wait...

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai My rating: 5 of 5 stars Good book, i would have whole-heartedly given 5 stars, if the author had told about the fate of all the pivotal characters, like Mutt, Gyan and Father Booty - all of them back under one roof would have been a happy ending.. View all my reviews

Ice by John Hemmings My rating: 2 of 5 stars I read the first book, and thought it was pretty good for a first time writer... the second is preposterous.. and quite straightforward.. didn't give much of an adrenaline rush as the first... Kane has such jobless contacts, who are waiting to run errands for him!! I am doubtful if i will read the other Kane books.. View all my reviews

Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century by Sean Patrick My rating: 4 of 5 stars The content about Tesla was all too good, and inspiring. But i felt the beginning and end chapter spoke too much about imagination in a very abstract manner, which was a very tough page turner for me.. On the whole, the concise life of Tesla in a nutshell was an interesting read. View all my reviews

Run Girl by Eva Hudson My rating: 2 of 5 stars Very boring.. The first half of the book goes in telling Ingrid why she is the best person for the job (that doesn't convince me though). Then suddenly she finds a lead, where she is duped (its a setup).. there is again another lead, which turns out to be correct this time, but finally (this part really pissed me off). the girl knows Ingrid has come to catch her (How did she find that out?), and she starts running away from her.. giving lead time for Ingrid to follow.. she is finally caught and handed over to her grandmother.. How much more dumber can that get!!! Truly disappointing read!! View all my reviews

Carlini in the World of Shades by J.K. Riya My rating: 5 of 5 stars After Amber, now its Carlini's turn to go back home... The fantasy novella takes the reader through some gripping fast-paced action to the end.. Apart form the love story that is highly predictable, the book is magical.. Another revelation is that, not everyone who is in the World of Shades is cursed by Vossler. Carlini is there to save the Zuiver Stone (stolen mysteriously by the villain, and safeguarded in the World of Shades). Apart from her, there are a few others who are also there on a mission... "Amber in the World of Shades" portrayed Carlini as a self-sufficient flawless character meant to be feared and respected.. Conversely, the second book shows some of the protagonist's glaring blunders so that her sweetheart Stafan can fill in the gaps.. PS: The author graciously offered me a review copy. View all my reviews

The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery by Amitav Ghosh My rating: 2 of 5 stars Clearly one of the worst books written by one of my favourite authors!! totally disappointing book of fantasy.. View all my reviews

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read the book as I loved Amitav's writing style, but, somehow this book failed me.. The writing style was amazing as always, the story was fast paced, but it left a void on finishing the book. I didn't feel great.. It was just another book.. Had the author touched on Indian history i might have enjoyed it better View all my reviews

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak My rating: 5 of 5 stars When I read all the reviews, I told myself, "Of course I won't cry. I don't fall for emotional stuff.. " And then I cried, uncontrollably, over the last few pages, for 10-15 mins approximately. Wonderful book.. Well written. Can I give it only 5 stars?? View all my reviews

The Best Laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon My rating: 3 of 5 stars Not good enough for Sheldon!! Twist is not believable. No, it didn't work at all... These were not the best laid plans!! Disappointing Sidney! View all my reviews

Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon My rating: 3 of 5 stars Now what was the goal of this book??? Phew.. Another disappointment from Sheldon!! Some court cases were brilliant, that apart, there was nothing noteworthy i'd rather say View all my reviews

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón My rating: 5 of 5 stars Never heard of this book or author before. Picked it because it had a very good rating. A fast paced amazing thrilling page turner, that blows your mind.. but, later when i sat back and think over, i guess, i found a lot of loop holes :( Everyone seems to madly and unconditionally love a writer, whose books don't even sell. There is only one villain, apart from whom, everybody else would even die for the protagonist. Miquel Moliner - a man who is living only for his friend. He has no other ambitions in his life. he spends lavishly on Julian until he becomes a beggar, and then, when life is all he has in his hands, he gives up that too for Carax. Does anyone like that truly exist? Nuria Monfort - a lady who ardently loves Julian Carax. Miquel loves her, knowing very well that her heart belongs to Carax. Penélope Aldaya - Julian's ladylove, for whose sake, he ruins his won life, especially after her death. Da...

Amber in the World of Shades - A Short Story by J.K. Riya My rating: 5 of 5 stars A prequel to the novella: "Amber in the World of Shades", this book gives us a glimpse into the learning phases of Amber in the World of Shades, and introduces us to Carlini, the white mage.. View all my reviews

Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster My rating: 5 of 5 stars I picked this book because it was very short - 148 pages precisely. Wonderful read!! Such a different subject dealt with interestingly in a book written in, as old as 1905!! Words fail me.. Lilia, a widow dares to marry another man against the wishes of the first in-laws, but unfortunately dies in child-birth. However, Ms. Abbott's point for choosing Gino over Philip is quite unacceptable. I beg to differ with her opinion. Miss Abbott claims that Gino makes decisions on his own, while Philip simply follows the biddings of his mother, though he possesses strong opinions. Nowhere in the book is Gino shown to have strong decision-making power- he follows whatever Lilia says, or, at times his friend. I do not find proof to substantiate the lady's claim, and I deeply wish, she might have done better to fall for Mr. Herriton. Overall, an engaging read, in a hitherto untouched genre! Kudos to EM Foster! :) View a...

My rating: 5 of 5 stars It was less of a sequel than is expected of a sequel.. Well, the first half of the book was very boring. I could not bring myself to read much. I had put away the book so often, that i was very sure that I wouldn't finish it. But, the second half of the book took me by storm. The story of characters introduced in the first book : "Sea of Poppies", was mostly lost - but for Neel, and a little bit of Paulette. I felt totally let down. To find a new protagonist in Bahram Moddie was totally unacceptable. Hovever, as the pages rolled by, I became more forgiving, seemlessly entering into the world of Canton and the Thirteen Hong Street - Ah Neel/ Anil Kumar Munshi and Robin Chinnery. The arrogence of the Englishmen was eloquently expressed. The author's descriptive and literary skills have not let me down either. A compelled finish: The last chapter forcibly introduces Kesri to provide a premise for the third book. But for a few glari...

My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is my first book by the controversial feminist poet. Wow!! Such a small masterpiece! Finished reading in less than two hours. This book has the pain and agony that every woman undergoes in life. A true magnum opus, though the translation was way too shabby.. "In the instinct of no-creature-of-Nature the birth of a female is considered undesirable. Only humans consider it strange." I was able to connect with almost every bit of emotion shared in the book. Its a poetry of everything I ever wished to express as a woman! Pain and words i wanted to express for long, anger that i wanted to vent out is finally bundled up in this one little book of Bangla poetry.. Glad to have met my alter ego in Taslima. View all my reviews

My rating: 2 of 5 stars Yeah seriously. I gave it only 2 stars.. Too much. too much of war details than I could digest.. The Chinese topology, being unknown to me, added to the problem of understanding the flow of the strategy. Every time i tried to close this book, one thing that reminded me was that "Sea of Poppies" was amazing, and I had to finish this at any rate. I think I should have stopped with the Sea of Poppies itself The comedy Gumasta Baboo Nob Kissin, who appears to be a fool in general has performed a pivotal role in re-uniting Raju and Neel - there are no words to praise the extent to which he goes to achieve this no trifling feat . Bloody Bastard Malum Zikri - you deserved a whore, not Paulette, definitely not her. The hero-like person venerated in the First Book was completely lost to a fully-grown deceitful womanizer!! Mrs. Burnham - Having seen Reid in and out, having faced his treachery at the end, why did you choose to offer him Paulette? ...

A funny book.. A pretty good amateurish work. Not much of sleuth work. I got this as a freebie - in exchange for an honest review. Well this is all I could say.  Carrie has a long way to go as a writer. This is definitely a good start.  This was a very quick read.  PS: The last part of Chapter 17 was repeated. Please look into this.