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Genre: Period romance/cultural Unputdownable Quotient: Very High Overall Rating: 5/5 You know you have picked the right book when you feel as if you have been transported to a new world through it. And just when you thought you got lucky, you stumble upon the movie based on the book and get to actually see the various scenes that were described oh so beautifully in the book. That is when you know you have hit the jackpot. Memoirs of a Geisha is one such book. So eloquent and so poignant, you will be swept away by this beautiful love story. The book is about a little girl called Chiyo, who comes from a small fishing village. The book is narrated by her and she recounts her journey from a simple vil lage girl to a popular geisha. The transformation of Chiyo to the geisha Nitta Sayuri is so fraught with intrigue and hardship and some serious plotting by the various characters. The way the protagonist conveys her emotions to us are so poignant and moving that you cant help but

You might think I’m ambitious for attempting to review A Song of Ice & Fire for my very first review. To make matters worse, it is also a wildly popular TV series titled after the first book, Game of Thrones. Also, I could be shot if there are any spoilers in the review. But I can’t think of another series/book since Harry Potter that captured my imagination and obsession so effectively, so here it is. For those who haven’t watched or read it, Songs of Ice & Fire is about a power struggle of massive proportions between kings & queens, lords & knights, conquerors & slave masters, set in a land where seasons can last for years. What’s new about this story of power and politics, intrigue and ambition, murder and betrayal? The mind-blowingly intricate tapestry of characters, locations and events, to put it simply. Each chapter is from the point of view of a different character, but the storyline is in many threads, spread across many miles and gorgeousl

Directors: Alan Taylor, James Gunn Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins   All you ladies out there, please don't miss this movie. CHRIS HEMSWORTH IS SOOO HOT!!! Ahem...now that we have got that out of the way, let us proceed. Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, was brought into popular culture when Stan Lee wanted a character who is stronger than Hulk -the strongest of Lee's creations. To make matters plausible (even in comics that is) he decided to introduce a God. And Lo! The Thor that we know is born!   (Pssst, did you know? As per mythology, Thor is married to Sif, Goddess of earth. Even in the movie, I felt that Thor is better off with Sif than Jane Foster)   In this movie, the superhero does what all super heroes are expected to do. He saves not only this world, but the entire universe, romances here and there with his lady love Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), bonds with his family and fights with and also along with

  Last Friday was my birthday and I wanted to do something as clichéd as having dinner with my husband. I was very clear that I didn't want to go to a place where we had been before. I wanted to try something new. After much squabbles and throat parching arguments, we settled on the Entrée hotel at Express Avenue, Royapettah.   I just had to walk to EA from my office and my husband drove all the way from OMR. The most delightful thing about this restaurant is that they offer free parking for the patrons...at the EA parking lot. For those who have burnt holes paying for parking at EA, I strongly recommend you people to have a bite at Entrée and grab the free parking coupon that they offer. It is so worth it.   And, you have other reasons apart from free parking to eat here. Number one -Budget friendly. My husband and I, being the gluttons that we are, ordered a starter, a soup that we split between us, a pizza, a nan, an aloo paratha and palak paneer and we just had to s

After starting this project, I am finding myself drawn to writing new posts everyday. And obviously, I just cant write new book reviews everyday right? So thought will share some other reviews also with you here...experiences that I have between books.   Restaurants, hotels, new products, stores...these are some of the things that I am planning to record here. Hope you will like it.

// A slightly long review as I have attempted to capture the essence of the entire series here// The Books: 1. The Amulet of Samarkand                    2. The Golem's Eye                    3. Ptolemy's Gate Genre: Magical Fantasy Unputdownable Quotient: High Overall Rating: 4/5 I have a confession to make. You may look down upon me or silently snigger at me or tsk-tsk me with pity. But the fact is -I have not read Harry Potter series till date...nor have I read Lord of the Rings. In fact, I have not read any fantasy novels bar the Bartimaeus Trilogy. But, you have to trust me when I say you cannot afford to miss this piece of brilliance. Like all good things in life, the first book of this series -"The Amulet of Samarkand" happened to me by pure luck. Some 5 years back, being bored of all the regular authors, I randomly chanced upon the cover of this book which featured a grinning gargoyle. I even took the book without bothering to read the plot sum

Genre: Autobiography Unputdownable Quotient: High Over all rating: 4/5 I have read only one biography till date -Martin Luther King Junior's. That too in a Reader's Digest special edition collection...waaayyy back in 2007 or 2008. And this book is the first autobiography that I have ever read and  to cut a long story short, I loved it! While there are many inspiring and great autobiographies written by great men and women, (of which I have read none and hence cant draw a comparison) am sure this will sneak into your heart. By no standards is this book a literary gem. The prose is very simple and straightforward and I feel this makes the book very powerful. I had no idea that such a book was on shelves. My librarian thrust it upon me on my last visit and I took this book so as to not to offend him. I was putting off reading this book for quite some time and when I finally opened it day before, I couldn't keep the book down. When you read this book, you feel

Genre: (A not so thrilling) Thriller Unputdownable Quotient: low Over all rating: 2.5/5 This is the first book I have read by this author. Will I take another book of hers the next time I visit my library? Yes. I will. Well, now that it is established, lets move to the book. A psychologically disturbed woman -Ruth Bussey with strict catholic upbringing seeks the help of a psychologically disturbed ex-CID -Charlie Zailer, who is now serving as community police. Ruth tells Charlie that her lover -Aiden Seed, psychologically disturbed picture framer, claims to have killed a woman years ago. But Ruth knows that the woman Aiden claims to have killed is alive and well. At the same time, Aiden approaches CID Simon Waterhouse, Charlie's Fiancé, with the story that he had killed a woman years ago. He gives complete description of the woman -Mary Trelease, the address where he killed her how he killed her and so on. Simon -the psychologically disturbed CID with strict catholic

If you know me in real life, one of the key things that you will associate me with is books. I love reading and have been devouring books since I was in KG. I kid you not! I started reading tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha by the time I was in UKG. Slowly I graduated to Champak and Gokulam. Later came the usual suspects of Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. In my 8th standard annual holidays, I received my sex education through Sidney Sheldon (Morning, Noon and Night was the first Sidney Sheldon book that I read) Slowly I graduated to Irwing Wallace, Aurthur Hailey and by the time I was in 10th standard, I had finished the entire Sidney Sheldon collection and was stumbling my way through "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. Of course, I couldn't appreciate the book for what it was at that age and re read it during my 12th standard board exams (Yes, I read novels even during my exam time. I am always reading some book or the other. I would soon reach a poin