The Book List – Part Nine

41) Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang:
This book starts with a young girl driving her Mercedes off a bridge and ending up in a coma. The book is then narrated by one boy who cares way too much and is, and has been invisible to everyone for as far as he can remember. The book is a long struggle of people dealing with a girl who goes off to commit suicide and try to come to terms with it even though most them didn’t like/care about it. Though the book is really good, I didn’t really feel for this girl and I was kind of silently hoping for her to die.

42) The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard:
War stories are some of my favourite stories and thus again, I loved this book. The Book of Aron is narrated by Aron (who’s six, seven or eight years old) and is about how Aron and his family are tormented by the Germans during the Second World War. The book is innocent and sad and ends really sad which I’ve got little bit used to now – its war; they don’t end happy.

43) Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald:
You need serious long attention spans for this book. This book is so complex and brilliant that just flipping through pages will never be enough. In all honesty however, I finished this book in a hurried manner and never really understood it; it was more of a thing to do ticked off my list. As much as I enjoyed The Picture of Dorian Gray, I couldn’t get the same amount of satisfaction from this one.

44) The King of Torts by John Grisham:
Back to re-reading John Grisham and feeling proud of the degree I shall receive soon. This book was about a lawyer who gives up being a public defender to start a new firm and make tons of money through various of class actions. The book is a classic example of how wanting to make too much money can in fact turn out to be the worst thing you could ever want.

45) Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler:
This book revolves around a married woman who walks out on her family, her husband, her daughters and her sons and doesn’t stop till she reaches an unknown town, with unknown people and starts working all over again. She finds a new family and starts caring for new people and sends zero messages to her family. This book was weird and funny, however there were tons of times when someone who’s really tired of everything and everyone around them to relate to. 

46) Gay Bombay by Parmesh Sahani:
I finished this book on the 26th of December and this was one of my favouritest reads of the year. I loved everything in this book and loved everything this book stood for. This book was a thesis written by Parmesh Sahani for his degree at MIT and was one huge project filled with interviews, and personal experiences and facts and millions, and millions of ideologies and theories that I agreed with 10000000%.
This book made me very happy and very sad at the same time and the only thing I really hated was that the book was published back in 2008 and I read it in 2016. But I would recommend this b book to every single person.

So this ends the 46 books I read in 2016. I was so unbelievably proud of myself. I cried, and I cheered and I felt much more for these books than I did for humans and Idk what I would honestly do if I ever lost my ability to read.

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The Book List – Part Eight

January’s the month with exams and thus I lay off reading. Its sad and annoying but those novels can get way too distracting.

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS, I ate pizza at New Year’s Eve and thus can say safely that I bought in the new year happily, here’s hoping you guys did the same!

Now I ended 2016 with 46 books! That’s sixteen more books than I read in 2015 (self high-five!) And here’s five more books that I read last year:

36) When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi:
Last year I decided to start reading more of non-fiction and focusing a tiny bit more on autobiographies. When Breath Becomes Air is the autobiography of a neurosurgeon diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. It goes all the way from medical school, to his successful career and just when he’s at the height of his career and his personal life, he gets diagnosed. The book was published posthumously in January, 2016 and thus thee ending is quite clear. This book is heartbreaking as the author describes his journey from doctor to patient. Made me cry little bit.

37) Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie:
This was my third book by Salman Rushdie and by far the best one I’ve read as yet. The Man Booker Prize Winner in 1981 and the Best of the Booker winner in 1993 and 2008, this book is amazingly addictive. Once you start, you cannot and would not want to put it down. The book is narrated by Saleem, a boy who’s born in India on the eve of India’s partition on 15th August, 1947. Several other children like him are born all over India and Pakistan, thus named ‘Midnight’s Children’ and are special in their own way. The book alternates between Salem’s childhood, and his current life. This book is definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys reading.

38) The Absolutist by John Boyne:
One of my absolute favourite categories of books to read is books based in the World Wars or post-World Wars. This book is based in September, 1919 and follows the story of Tristan Stadler who goes to visit the his old friend Will’s sister. Will is dead and Tristan has letters that Will kept with him during the war which he takes to deliver to his sister. The book is sad and happy, brilliant and heartbreaking. Tristan’s journey right from his training, to war and to coming back to visit his best friend’s sister is enough to keep you from not putting this book down. Fair warning though: Nothing will hurt more than the ending of this book.

39) Mortal Fear by Robin Cook:
We made an impromptu trip to my grandfather’s house in the Diwali vacations and thus I was without any of my books, all of which I left back home. I found Mortal Fear in the basement of the house and decided to read it. This is a book published back in 1988 and focuses on patients of Dr. Jason Howard who end up mysteriously dying even after being given a clean bill of health just a month prior.
This book wasn’t really as interesting as I thought it would be and was one of the low sides of my reading in 2016.

40) 11//22/63 by Stephen King:
This was my first book by Stephen King and I have to say, I was extremely and completed not disappointed. Little warning before you read on: This is a novel with over 700 pages, takes quite a bit of patience and time.
The book narrates the story of a High School English teacher Jake Epping who ends up going back in time to save John F. Kennedy from being assassinated. The book is an absolute joy as a man living in the 2000’s adjusts to life in the late 1950’s. The book lives up to everything I’ve heard about Stephen King and is completely absorbing.

The Book List – Part Seven

2016’s almost over and here’s five more books I’ve read this year!

31) The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson:
Obviously, I’ve heard TONS about James Patterson. So I was very excited to read this book, also since this was his first book. I have to say though I wasn’t as fascinated by the book as I expected to be and looking back now, I can’t really remember the plot of the book. No more James Patterson for me, I guess.

32) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part I and Part II byJ. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany:
I know what people have been saying about this, but nevertheless I LOVED this book. It isn’t Harry Potter so to expect that is completely wrong. The book does however mesmerize you at various parts. I had waited for this for very long and thus was very excited about it as well. There were still however some parts in the book that seemed too far fetched or non-Harry Potterish. Also, seeing Harry, Hermione and Ron all grown up isn’t exactly as much fun as thought. This book gives out Harry Potter vibes and in the end just makes you miss Harry more and more.

33)Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond:
This is Ruskin Bond’s first novel and features a young boy named Rusty who lives in Dehradun, and is also an orphan. The book, like every other book is brilliant and beautiful. Ruskin Bond’s wiring is so simple and magical that it makes you cry and laugh at the same time.
A MUST READ.

34) Vagrants in the Valley by Ruskin Bond:
This book starts off where Room on the Roof ended. Ruskin Bond writes off a few characters from the first book and that hurt me the most because it meant losing my favourite character of the book. The book is equally beautiful and the end is little heartbreaking.

35) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller:
This book. I have zero words. This was was my favourite read of this year. I couldn’t have possibly loved any book any more than this. Again, I found  this off a list of books with LGBTQ protagonists, and I’m so thankful my brother gifted it to me.
This book talks about Greek hero Achilles and his lover, Patroclus. The book is narrated by Patroclus  right from the time he first meets Achilles to their respective deaths. This book beautifully depicts their friendship, their love for each other, their bravery and it just a brilliant read over all. I finished the book in one day and cried tons after it. The writing is beautiful and for a debut novel, it is the greatest I have ever read. Ever since I’ve read this book, I’ve quite literally, asked every single person to read it.
This book is amazing and I keep it next to my bed so I can keep going back to it whenever.
100000000000000000/10

 

 

The Book List – Part Six

Hi, gosh its been toooooo long since I did one of these! There was one time when I had nothing at all to blog about other than these books and I kept postponing it because I wanted to write about something else. And then suddenly there were only other posts and no Book Lists!

So now here’s five more books I’ve read and loved this year!

26) More Than This by Patrick Ness:
This book was another book that I found in a list of books with LGBT protagonists. But wow, this book was SO much more than just the protagonist, Seth’s sexual orientation. The book begins with Seth drowning. Seth commits suicide and he’s just 17. He drowns and then suddenly, he wakes up. However, he wakes up in a completely different place than where he’s lived the past ten years of his life.
This book goes from being slightly confusing as neither Seth nor the Reader know whats going on, to being absolutely brilliant and mind-blowing. The book follows Seth’s journey in this mysterious place and slowly shows why Seth decided to end his life.
8/10

27) Carry on by Rainbow Rowell:
Possibly the sixth book I’ve read this year off the list of books with LGBT protagonists (not sorry!). This book talks about Simon Snow, who studies at a wizardry school. If you just read the brief synopsis given at the back, the book seems a tiny bit weird and too mystical for a 19 year old. But, thats just how it seems. This book describes Simon’s life at school, his relationship with his roommate who’s a vampire, and who also hates him and focuses on a much, much bigger plot that Simon is a part of.
The book does give out Harry Potter vibes and ended up being one of my favourites this year!

28) The Partner by John Grisham:
Another one of my books on my journey to rediscover John Grisham this year. This book is the story of a Partner in a big law firm, who takes tons and tons of money from his partners, fakes his death and then disappears off to Brazil. The book is a dream come true for anyone who’s tired of working their ass off as a lawyer and suddenly finding a way to make quick and big money. The book follows him all the way from the United States to Brazil and then back to life.
The ending of the book will leave you flabbergasted. I guarantee it.

29) Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra by Ruskin Bond:
I don’t think I’ll ever stress on reading Indian authors as much as I stress on reading Ruskin Bond. Honestly, just start!
This book is an autobiography written as a set of short stories that have various stories from his childhood, to becoming to a writer, to family and every single person that has inspired him and left an impression on him all clubbed into one beautiful book. A complete must read!

30) Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie:
Agatha Christie will always and forever be my favourite and I still haven’t read all her books! But I’m getting there :”)
This book is brilliant like everything she’s ever written. It tells the story of a family completely dependent on their uncle to die and leave them his inheritance. However, said uncle marries a young woman, invalidating his previous will and then dies leaving everything for her. The book has various complex characters and the ending will, like in every other Agatha Christie book, leave you super speechless.

 

The Book List: Part Five

I haven’t been able to read at all in all of September because of exams and college being a royal pain, but here are five more books I’ve read this year 😀

21) Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith 
This book wasn’t half as enjoyable as the first one. Cormoran Strike receives a severed leg in his parcel one fine morning and thus begins his hunt to catch whoever sent it to him. A lot of the book focuses on his and his secretary/partner Robin’s relationship and how it affects Robin’s own relationship with her fiancé. This seems very cliché (boyfriend jealous of boss) and becomes very monotonous as the novel progresses.
6/10 overall.

22) Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
One of my favouritest books of this year! This book talks about Simon, who’s in high school, who’s also gay and also closeted. Simon has a secret friend who he talks to online, who’s called Blue, who’s in his high school, and who’s also possibly gay, and closeted. This book is so so so cute and absolutely fun and adorable. The whole book is an insight into what Simon feels generally and what he feels specially for Blue. Its so much more than just a YA love story and I loved it beyond words(also finished it in one day!)
(Also, I might be just a tiny bit bias towards LGBTQ books-NO REGRETS)

23) The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I wanted to read this book since a long time, though I have to say that it wasn’t as romantic or lovable as I thought it would be. The story revolves around the lives of Claire and her husband, Henry who has a rare genetic disorder because of which he can time travel. There are millions of parts in the book where you feel your heart break for them because one of them always knows more than the other and they just seem to lead a really unfair life. The ending of the book doesn’t really come as a surprise as it is kind of predicted by Henry.

24) Oliver’s Story by Erich Segal

I read Love Story back in the 7th grade and then re-read it in the 11th grade(that was 2013) and I’ve since then wanted to read its sequel. The book focuses on Oliver’s life after the death of his wife and his major belief that he’d never find love again. He then meets Marcie Bonwit one day at tennis and feels himself falling in love again with someone who’s the complete opposite of his wife. The book is heartbreaking without a doubt. The last lines of the book make me cry more every time I read them again.

25) Delhi is Not Far by Ruskin Bond

I’m so unbelievably glad that I decided to read Ruskin Bond this year. If you haven’t, I strongly suggest you start with this one. The book is narrated by Arun, a struggling writer who lives in the small town of Pipalnagar and hopes of one day leaving it all behind of fame and success in Delhi. It revolves around the two people he loves most in life and a wider struggle of everyone in the small town dreaming of one day going to Delhi. Ruskin Bond’s writing is so beautiful and the book had me in tears at many parts.
My favourite line is “The world seems crowded with unfinished lives.”

The Book List: Part Four

Five more books I’ve competed this year yayayayayayayyyyyy!

16) Never, Always, Sometimes by Adi Alsaid
This book was really good in the middle and I really liked the ending as well, but overall if I had to rate the book, I’d probably rate it 6/10. It was too much high school drama, way too much for my liking. The book talks about two best friends who are in their senior year at high school and decide to do everything that they’d penned down in their list of things not to do ever at high school. This also includes never falling in love with your best friend – and these two are in fact in love with each other. The book is an okayish read.

 

17) The Litigators by John Grisham
Another book om my journey to re-read all John Grishams! His books never fail to amaze me, and they’re even thousand times more interesting when I can actually understand the legal parlance in them. This book revolves around a small firm made by three individuals lawyers which includes David Zinc, a Harvard graduate who’s tired of life at his old gigantic corporate firm. This book isn’t as good as some of his other works, but if you are keen on reading John Grisham, do not skip this one.

 

18) Agatha Christie: An Autobiography
Loved, loved, LOVED this! It documents her life from her childhood, to her first marriage and her second one and everything you could ever think of. Reading this book brought me such immense joy, I’m not even kidding. There are pages where she’s describing how she came up with characters, and plot lines and reading these and knowing what she’s talking about, is THE best feeling in the world. When Agatha Christie was a young girl, her elder sister said, “You don’t have what it takes to be a mystery writer.”
Please, go read this book!

 

19) Two Years, Eight Months, Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
Complicated and brilliant – these are definitely the two words I’d use to describe this book. It talks about an ancient goddess and her children spread out all over the universe and how they’ll come together to defeat evil. The book is very complex and needs a ton of patience if you really want to understand and enjoy it.

 
20) Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
A thousand times better than the other book I read by him. This is his debut novel, and so so good. The book follows a young girl as she goes on a road trip around the United States, meeting different people and impacting their lives in a million different ways. There are heartbreaks, and tears and adventures; the book ends on a happy note and there’s not much else you can really ask for. In all honesty though, I didn’t really like the protagonist and there were many times when I felt like hitting her head through a wall.

The Book List: Part Three

Back with five more amazeballs books I’ve finished this year 😀

11) Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala:
This book is a memoir of the author’s life before, during and after the 2004 tsunami that hit South Asian countries. (Google it if you don’t remember). Sonali Deraniyagala lost her husband, her two sons and her parents in the tsunami and came out as the only survivor in her family. This book is heartbreaking and terrifying as she describes seeing her family members for the last time before they were swept away. 90% of the book talks about how she dealt with her life after the tragedy, and it will bring tears to your eyes. The tsunami happened so long ago that until a few years ago I hadn’t even realized how many people’s lives it had affected. This book is beautiful and a must read!

12) Cometh The Hour by Jeffery Archer:
Sixth book in the Clifton Chronicles and as gripping as the first five. This book moves as a much fast pace than it’s predecessor and that makes it even more exciting. Since it’s the penultimate book, many of the sub plots in the series start ending and forming a full circle. Jeffery Archer will always be one of my favs, go read the series please.

13) Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky:
FINALLY READ THIS BOOK! And the movie is nothing compared to this! The pure and raw emotion in the books will make you so attached to the book that you’ll want to read it again and again and again. The writing is easy and simple and definitely worthy of all the praise it has received. For those who don’t know, this book tells the story of Charlie who starts his first day of high school and is terrified of not fitting it or making any new friends. The book has it’s fair share of sad and heart-hurting things but never has anything been written in such a beautiful manner. MUST READ.

14) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai:
Man Booker Prize winner for the year 2007, this book centers around the lives of two Indians – Sai, living in North India with her grandfather (who’s a retired Judge) after the death of her parents and Biju, an illegal immigrant living in the United States and trying his hardest to get his father there as well. The book is based during the time when India was still ruled by the Britishers and deals heavily with how their lives affected those of the Indians. Good Indian authors are rare, very, very rare and this is just Kiran Desai’s second novel and for anyone looking for good Indian authors, she is it.

15) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling:
Re-read another Harry Potter this year! :”)
Harry Potter is, always has been and always will be my most favourite book series in every lifetime and thus I re-read it whenever I get time. This book takes me back what feels like centuries, and make me miss 11-year old Harry, Hermione and Ron all over again.