The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers

Book Title : The Baby Laundry for Unmarried Mothers
Author : Angela Patrick
Year Published : 2012
Date I Read : 17 Apr 2012
My Rating : 7/10

Theme
The book is about being a single mom in the 1960s. We read the story of Angela Brown giving birth to her son Paul and their lived before, during and after.

What I thought about the book
It was a very touching story. Knowing that it is an Autobiography brought tears to my eyes. Trying to write this blog entry, I am crying again. Very touching. It was a very fast paced read. Loved it.

When I finished reading it, one thought crossed my mind. Hopefully all that is written is true. I remember a long time ago reading a book Million Little Pieces by James Frey. It became quite popular after he appeared on Oprah's show. It turned out later that he had fabricated many things in the book. 

Christmas at Tiffany's

Book Title         : Christmas at Tiffany's
Author               : Karen Swan
Year Published  : 2011
Date I Read      : 15 Apr 2012
My Rating         : 7/10

Theme
Cassie's 10 year marriage with Gil just fell apart when she realized that he was having an affair with a friend of hers. Her 3 best friends were with her celebrating her 10th anniversary when she finds out. They decide that she will spend the next year in the 3 cities they live in - New York, Paris and London to heal her wounds, to learn new ways of life and may be even find love.

What I thought about it

It was a total chick flick. I was in a low of reading and it was everything that I was looking for in a book. Easy read with fast paced story. It is a long book with around 600 pages, but the pages flew by. Do not expect a classic.

Challenges

Linking this to letter C for A to Z by Title

Paths of Glory

Book Title : Paths of Glory
Author : Jeffrey Archer
Year Published : 2009
Date I Read : 17 Mar 2012
My Rating : 7/10

Theme


Paths of Glory is a book based on the life if George Mallory. He was the climbing leader of an expedition to the top of Mount Everest in 1924. It walks us thru his life and his climbing expeditions

What I thought about the book

Though biographical in nature, it had every element of suspense and drama in it. I really enjoyed reading it. It was all the more thrilling cause I did not know about him when I started reading the book. Well written.


Related links
George Mallory in Wikipedia (Spoiler Warning!!!)


Challenges
Linking this to letter A for A to Z by Author Last Name

Jaya

Book Title : Jaya
Author : Devdutt Pattanaik
Year Published : 2010
Date I Read : 15 Feb 2012
My Rating : 7/10


Theme

Excerpt from the back of the book

A son renounces sex so that his old father can remarry
A daughter is a prize in an archery contest
A teacher demands half a kingdom as his tuition fee
A student is turned away because of his caste
A mother asks her sons to share a wife
A father curses his son-in-law to be old and impotent
A husband lets another man make his wife pregnant
A wife blinds herself to share her husband’s blindness
A forest is destroyed for a new city
A family is divided over inheritance
A king gambles away his kingdom
A queen is forced to serve as a maid
A man is stripped of his manhood for a year
A woman is publicly disrobed
A war is fought where all rules are broken
A shift in sexuality secures victory
The vanquished go to paradise
The victors lose their children
The earth is bathed in blood
God is cursed
Until wisdom prevails.

What I thought about the book

This is a illustrated retelling of Mahabharata. Unlike the Shiva Trilogy (Immortals of Meluha and Secret of the Nagas) which are works of fiction based on the life of Shiva, this is just the actual Mahabharata. What is interesting is the small stories that we do not know or have not heard. In addition to the sanskrit mahabharata, the author has included stories from all over the country and some even from south east Asia.

On a personal  note, I always feel that Pandavas were as bad as Kauravas in many ways. I am particularly irked by Yudhishtira who to me is not a man if he is not capable of stopping his wife from being publicly disrobed (as well as being the cause of it). The Author has left me hating them even more. Not that I like the other side. They are equally bad.

The concept of Jaya and Vijaya was also intriguing.

Do read this book if you are interested in new stories. It was a really fast read. 

Challenges

Linking this to letter J for A to Z by Title

Linking this to letter P for A to Z by Author Last Name

Linking this to #6 for South Asian Books

Winter in Madrid

Book Title         : Winter in Madrid
Author               : C J Sansom
Year Published  : 2006
Date I Read      : 12 March 2012
My Rating         : 7/10

I was all packed for my long flight to India from London - book selected a long time ago. When I was checking in, the airlines offered to send one of our cabin along with the checkin so that we need not carry all the stuff along with our little one. As luck would have it, I missed taking my book out. I was waiting at the gate. It was one of the far away gates. After passing all the shops and most gates, there was a tunnel which was the way to the last 5 gates. It took us around 15 min to get there. Since I had time, I decided to run back to the shop and pick myself a book. This is what I ended up with. Reason - it looked interesting and it was on sale :-)

Did I tell you before - I never read a review of a book or a movie. Knowing parts of it makes me not interested in it. Sometimes, the backcover of the book tells most of the story. So I did not really know what I was buying.

Another lesson that I have learnt before is never to start reading a book in a train or plane. I always read atleast 50 pages before I board. As you can see I had no choice today. So I just could not read it. I knew I had wasted my money on this one. Anyways, I was out of book at home again. How I miss my home :-( I decided to give this a shot again. I am glad I did.

Theme

This is set in Spain (as the title indicates) post the civil war (1936) during the second world war. It is the story of Englishman (ex military) Harry Brett who is to work as a spy in Spain. His task is to spy on an old school mate Sandy Forsyth. Sandy's girlfriend, Barbara Clare is trying to find out about her ex-boyfriend Bernie Piper. Harry, Sandy and Bernie were together in a public school as kids.

What I thought about the book

It is a well written book. A little understanding of Spain's history will help in reading the book. I did not have a clue, but I picked it up from the book as I read along. It has heartbreaking description of the war, the prison, torture, the orphaned kids, religion, communism. fascism.

Would recommend the book


Related links

Winter in Madrid in Wikipedia


Challenges

Linking this to letter W for A to Z by Title

The Secret of the Nagas

Book Title         : The Secret of the Nagas

Author               : Amish Tripati

Year Published  : 2011

Date I Read      : 15 Feb 2012

My Rating         : 7/10

Theme

The Secret of the Nagas is part 2 of the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripati. It continues the story of Shiva as a human god and his quest to find evil.

What I thought about it

I really liked the characters of Vasudevas - the group of people assigned by an avatar of Vishnu to help the avatar of Rudhra (Shiva). Since Shiva becomes leader no one can advice him or give opinion. These characters easily bridge the gap. The author successfully uses them to bridge a lot of gaps in the story/

I am going to skip review of the book in fear of giving away too much of the story. I highly recommend this book. Do check out the series

Related links

The Secret of the Nagas in Wikipedia

Amish Tripati in Wikipedia

Shiva Trilogy in his Website

 

Challenges

Linking this to letter S for A to Z by Title

Linking this to #4 for South Asian Books

The Immortals of Meluha

Book Title         : The Immortals of Meluha

Author               : Amish Tripati

Year Published  : 2010

Date I Read      : 10 Feb 2012

My Rating         : 7/10

Theme

Immortals of Meluha is part 1 of the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripati. It is a book written fictionalizing the life of Shiva. It describes Shiva as a tribal leader in the Himalayas who rises to be Neelakanth to help the people of Meluha. The story revolves around different groups of people - Suryavanshis, Chandravanshis and Nagas.

What I thought about it

When I started reading the book, I was taken aback. The first page talks about Shiva smoking Marijuana. I was surprised it survived the hindutva leaders J. As I read it I really enjoyed the book. It beautifully weaves facts and characters in Shiva’s life with fiction. You will find yourself reading about characters like Nandi, Bruhaspati etc.

If I write a lot about this book, I will give away a lot of storyline. I really do not want to do that. If you are interested in the plot, read it in Wikipedia link below.

I highly recommend this book.

Related links

The Immortals of Meluha in Wikipedia

Amish Tripati in Wikipedia

Shiva Trilogy in his Website

Challenges

Linking this to letter I for A to Z by Title

Linking this to letter T for A to Z by Author Last Name

Linking this to #3 for South Asian Books