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Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Review: The Great Hunt

The Great Hunt The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If the first book was kinda sorta inspired by LOTR then the second one is surely not the one to do that because between the first and the second book I finished the Hobbit and LOTR trilogy. So I can now at least tell when the other fantasy works are inspired by the great modern classic.

The second part starts after the events of the first book now the team is back in a kingdom relaxing when a legend becomes real and the title of the book comes true as the team goes in the hunt of the horn after it is stolen along with Matt's dagger which is dangerously attached to him. The action moves through cities and countries and is full of action.

The book is also full of Rand's struggle to try to run away from his destiny and so are his friends who are with him but later not when he tries to push them away with some harsh words. I liked this one and the action and emotions are wonderful and also the older fantasy is somehow different. I would continue now onto the next book in the series and after this there are still 14 books remaining, a long series indeed. Don't know how long these characters will be with us.

So yes it is worth picking up these initial books to get into this legendary series and always remember to just Keep on Reading .

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Thursday, May 23, 2019

Review: The Return of the King

The Return of the King The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So thus ends my journey to the middle earth in the original prequel and trilogy and sometimes later I shall go back through the other works to get deeper into the lore of it all. Also would watch Stephen Colbert geeking about LOTR.

If you have been following my reviews you would know that the decision to read this series stemmed from my reading of the first book of the 'Wheel of Time' series by Robert Jordan. People had written too much about it being like Fellowship and so I had decided to pause the Wheel of Time after the first book while I finished the Hobbit and LOTR. And like I said here I am.

I liked this one the best as it was shorter and full of action and had flushed out roles or Eowyn, Merry and Pippin. I also liked the detailed history which gave much more information about the middle earth and it was definitely an interesting read after the main story ended.

I also liked the twist at the end where the battle hardened hobbits now have to save Shire and it was masterfully. Solid end to a solid trilogy and I would now probably watch the movies as I could never enjoy them fully before and now in any case I try to read the source material first before watching any movie and TV Series, so hopefully now that I am versed with the journey taken by Frodo and gang I will again give it a go to the Movie Trilogy for I never completely saw any movie in the series and would look to remedy that now.

Yes definitely pick this series and always remember to just Keep on Reading .

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Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Review: The Two Towers

The Two Towers The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had to remind myself of the two books in 1 book funda to remember why Frodo was missing in the first half of the book. This book had much more action compared to the last one and much more Gollum. I would definitely re-read this series in future and then maybe my ratings change after all one should leave a chance for improvement. Probably it's also due to the fact that the series is not unspoilt for me for I might not have seen the trilogy but have seen enough and after more than 15 years the movie trilogy too have become part of pop-culture. Since the important parts are already known the rest of remains kind of drag sometimes but overall it's a nice addition to the story and I liked all the description.

I am not the one to embellish the review with too much awesome stuff as I am not yet there as a reviewer so would just like bow out with a simple thanks for reading the review and probably liking it and Yes my whole hearted suggestion to go for the single edition or 3 books edition of 6-7 parts edition you do have to read this series and then just Keep on Reading .

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Saturday, May 18, 2019

Review: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one series which I wanted to read for so long but somehow skipped so far and I haven't even finished the movie trilogy having seen only the first part and to tell you the truth the end of the story and many more details have (I wouldn't call them spoilers) now become the part of pop-culture. And like I said in my review for Hobbit I finally started reading this series after I finished the first book on the 'Wheel of Time' series.

Coming back to the book, like the start of the book makes clear this is not a trilogy but a single story divided into 6 parts which are presented as three books with book containing 2 books. Fellowship of the Ring is where the story begins and move forward but once again for me it hit the critical part where I have seen the movie which has much more action and at least the first book is lighter on action. Though other details are so wonderful that you just can't refrain from appreciating it. The writing the poems the description all was magical.

The part about the action is not just for this book but rather it's a common peril for the stories or books written 50 years or so ago movies based on them is full of action and original story would be something else entirely. Here at least that much was true but I was dismayed that Boromir doesn't say 'I doesn't simply walk into Mordor' I kept on hoping that the line would come up but alas never did or I missed it big time. I don't like to write long reviews and saying like to is wrong as I am not sure that I would be able to write wonderful reviews like Anish and few other awesome reviewers.

I liked reading this book and can't seem to think of a good reason for skipping this series so far but I am just happy that finally I would be able to find the elements inspired by LOTR in other books but even more than that I want to ensure that I do not miss up on wonderful stories just because I had some preconceived notions about it. But now it would be no longer and I have already started up on the next part.

This one is a no-brainer if you have so far like me skipped this series then finally let go and jump all in and then just Keep on Reading.


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Thursday, May 16, 2019

Review: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had wanted to read the books for so long but somehow it was always left for later. I am talking about LOTR, I bought a used copy of 'The Hobbit' and it also stayed there without being read and that was true till now I started it and then finished it in one day. I liked the illustrations too but they weren't too clear in my copy as it was close to 30 year old now merely few years less than me.

The story is known to all so as usual I am not going to repeat it and just go about my general feeling about the story and how can my feelings be any different. This was a kid's book and I am a kid after all but poor kids of 1937 to get such a tough book. But the magical adventure of Bilbo the hobbit was fun I enjoyed every moment of it.

If somehow you are on wire about it then wonder no more go ahead get it and always remember to just Keep on Reading .

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Review: The Eye of the World

The Eye of the World The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I finally decided to jump into this series. And yes like so many of the readers I was also kinda scared to jump into the series as not only are this series has 14 books but each book is more than 700 pages long so not only the series is long, each book is long too. But nonetheless here I am having started and finished the book.

Though I had heard that series is inspired by TLOR but which fantasy series is not inspired by the legend and this starts like fellowship but soon it is a different tale but the start reminded me about Game of Thrones as well, after all there was talk of Winter, Wolves, there was a Bran and more but again its it's own story and I enjoyed it very much.

The story starts in a village which is very remote from the main kingdom city and this is where our heroes and main characters live and this is where the first murmurings of the danger occur and very soon our band is collected and few more people join and then the merry band of normal people and magical people leave for a distant city and the story moves through the journey and towards the end. But not before going through all kind of trials and tribulations and all the better for it.

This was a nice read and I will definitely continue the series but not before doing something which I should have done a long time ago and that is finally yes finally before continuing with this series I shall be reading 'The Hobbit' and the "The Lord of The Rings" series and finally correct my shortcoming and read this original fantasy series and hopefully that would increase my enjoyment of this series and then Brandon Sanderson's own fantasy series.

So all the planning be there and you all know the saying about Best Laid Plans and all but yes you should definitely start on this wonderful journey and then just Keep on Reading.

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Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Review: Dangerously Hers

Dangerously Hers Dangerously Hers by A.M. Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It seems like my every review of books from erotica genre is starting with the disclaimer that I am not a regular reader and as such just exploring the genre and this third part of the series follows the story of Jess from the second book who is trying to start a new life on Sonis with the help of Eva and JB she is trying to move ahead in life. Now this is an erotica and as such there are sex scenes here but the best part I liked about is that the author stayed true to the character of Jess and rather that unnecessary sex scenes the most of the story is dedicated to Jess's recovery and her perspective. So yeah this is an erotica where not much of sex is going on but overall it was nice and the story flowed logically.

I also liked the character of Rasha and his cluelessness about the human females :).

I might continue with the genre later but this is time to take a mighty challenge and so next I would be starting the high fantasy series Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and since there are 16 huge books in the series next few updates would be about these books and maybe some other books here and there. But let's return of the book which I am reviewing here. It was very nice and I really liked it.

So yeah if you want to explore the genre do come along this is Sci-Fi and Erotica rolled in one and both are given importance. So pick the first one and move forward in the series and always remember to just Keep on Reading .

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Review: Dangerously Hers

Dangerously Hers Dangerously Hers by A.M. Griffin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It seems like my every review of books from erotica genre is starting with the disclaimer that I am not a regular reader and as such just exploring the genre and this third part of the series follows the story of Jess from the second book who is trying to start a new life on Sonis with the help of Eva and JB she is trying to move ahead in life. Now this is an erotica and as such there are sex scenes here but the best part I liked about is that the author stayed true to the character of Jess and rather that unnecessary sex scenes the most of the story is dedicated to Jess's recovery and her perspective. So yeah this is an erotica where not much of sex is going on but overall it was nice and the story flowed logically.

I might continue with the genre later but this is time to take a mighty challenge and so next I would be starting the high fantasy series Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and since there are 16 huge books in the series next few updates would be about these books and maybe some other books here and there. But let's return of the book which I am reviewing here. It was very nice and I really liked it.

So yeah if you want to explore the genre do come along this is Sci-Fi and Erotica rolled in one and both are given importance. So pick the first one and move forward in the series and always remember to just Keep on Reading .


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Review: Milk and Honey

Milk and Honey Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For the longest time I thought that this was going to be the first book of poetry which I would read but that didn't come to pass and finally I got to read the book when my friend lent me a copy. So there I was finally reading this wonderful collection of poems where only couple of lines are enough to stir you.

By now although others have already shared but I would do so too the book is divided in 4 portions. And each part contains poems related to the topic and I can go ahead and pick random poems from the book and each hit me with it's mark and loved it to bits. I must admit I was kind of surprised by the 1 and 2 stars reviews by my friends but I loved it and that's reflected in my rating and review. I also wouldn't copy her verses here because they are best where they are in the pages.

Thank you Mahi for giving me chance to experience this wonderful collection. Maybe someday I would also convince myself to buy the book too but may be borrowing is fine too but make sure that if you love poetry or reading then you have to give this collection a chance and always remember to just Keep on Reading .


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Monday, May 13, 2019

Review: The Fourth Monkey

The Fourth Monkey The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the books which I got after my friend and Colleague Mahi raved about this thriller and trusting her taste after all she is mad about thriller and psycho books and was she right or what. The story moves between different viewpoints and short chapters really push the pace and story forward in a breezing manner.

The Fourth Monkey is supposed to the next character from Gandhiji's 3 Monkeys which tells us 'Do No Evil' and this twisted serial killer abducts people and as per ode to first monkey and it's message 'Hear No Evil' he sends an ear then 'See No Evil' follows as the eye balls, third message 'Speak No Evil' gets you the tongue and the last message result in the dead body being discovered. Nobody knows the first thing about the killer. But then a person commits suicide in front of a city bus and everything found on him confirms that he was the 4MK killer and police finds a diary on the dead body which then runs forward as a perspective too.

The story with police was okay but frustrating as they can't seem to get anywhere but the diary was wonderful. It was a nice little thriller which you would also enjoy if you are a fan of the genre. I loved the pace of the story and also the fact that nothing was clear for a very long time and even when you come to know few things many things still remain clouded.

So if you are looking for a thriller and even if you are not then just pick this beauty and then just Keep on Reading.

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Review: Ashoka The Great

Ashoka The Great Ashoka The Great by Wytze Keuning
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This magnum opus written on Ashoka more than 70 years ago originally in dutch and was lost to time when it was accidentally discovered by Ms. Steur who resurrected the dutch trilogy as a single edition in English bringing the rich tale to us. Like I said this was originally a trilogy but now it's a single huge volume well over 1000 pages.

Book 1 tells the story of young Ashoka who is learning to rule and is also worried about the future of the vast empire which should I rule go to the eldest son sumana but he is not fit for being a king as he is not of strong will and through him the brahmins want to rule.

Book 2 tells the story of Ashoka's assent to the throne and the fights he has to fight and how those fights change his life going forward.

Book 3 tells the story of Ashoka as the world's teacher who is trying to spread the message of peace and Buddha to the entire world.

Like most I was also kind of skeptical about books written by a Dutch author who never visited India but as I started reading my doubts disappeared too. I had this book for many years before I decided to read it and that decision was made while I was listening to a podcast on Ancient India and when it started on the story of Ashoka I finally decided to read this and since then it took me almost a year to finish this book only because it was left unattended for many days on end due to it's huge size but it was always a pleasure to read.

And finally I employed my hybrid method of listening and reading the book as and when feasible and was soon able to finish this wonderful book in all its glory. Like others have also said there is only one word of define the story in these pages and that word is 'Magnum Opus'.

I know this is big book but you can definitely add this beast of a book to your TBR and read and then just Keep on Reading.



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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Review: Gandhi Before India

Gandhi Before India Gandhi Before India by Ramachandra Guha
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Unlike few of the people I know I still don't feel like giving up on Gandhi and his philosophies. After all as a proud Indian Gandhiji has been father of our nation. The face we see on every note and it every official place. I must have seen the 1982 movies more than 4 times and yet despite reading about Gandhiji here and there along the years there was no light on his years in South Africa. We only know of the incident in the railway and just that but this first part of Gandhi biography does exactly that and focuses on Gandhiji's life before he arrived back in India after spending 20 years in South Africa. I wanted to read this series including India after Gandhi and the 2nd part of Mahatma Gandhi's biography Mr. Guha wrote.

This book starts with M.K. Gandhi's birth, education, and further life in India, England and South Africa, this focuses on his life till around 45 years of age and his day to day work which brought him back to South Africa after leaving once and how slowly and slowly he became people's leader, people's protector, the Mahatma.

This book also illuminate the person and also focuses on the flaws as accepted by Bapu and his strained relationship with his own family and especially his eldest son. The line which hit me most was just a line in one of articles written by Bapu about Non-violence and denying violence he said that today if we decide to use violence to kill an Englishman then after they are gone we would use the same methods to kill an Indian and those are prophetic words because that's what happened. (No spoiler as everybody knows at least this fact that in 1948 he was shot and killed by a coward.)

This book once again let us know about how an Indian born England trained Lawyer failed to setup a practise in Bombay and had to leave for South Africa and slowly and surely he got turned from his profession for far bigger work and how he was able to unite people from all religion and regions from India. And how even in 1906 he spoke about a united and new India where people from all religion all caste will live together. And of course he was trying to live simply so rejected the modern amenities and lived like a Mahatma but even after 71 years of his passing he can still feel the impact he had not only on India but on the entire world.

This is one book which you should read to learn more about the life of the person who gave us our freedom and became our national father. and always remember to just Keep on Reading .


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Review: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read few books by Mr. Gaiman and plan on reading more of his work so how could I leave his children catalog, I had seen coraline the movie a long time ago and way later I learned about that book and later this book. I wanted to read it for so long and now I have. What do I feel about it. I may be 36 years old guy but I am still a child at heart and love YA and Children literature. So you would see my TBR filled with YA books and then some more.

This book starts with a murder where a toddler manages to escape the killer and crawls to a graveyard where he is adopted by the ghosts of that graveyard. The baby is named Nobody Owens and his adventures begin. And along with the members of the graveyard he learns and grows up.

There are ghosts here, Vampires, Werewolves, Ghouls, Mummies and more supernatural beings but all are friendly; and the humans are monsters. This is simple and magical book. There are few illustrations but I could have certainly used few more of them.

This is another book which you should first buy for your young one and then read yourself and always remember to just Keep on Reading .


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Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Review: The Emperor of All Maladies

The Emperor of All Maladies The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some books are seminal and important milestones in the history as they bring something new and revolutionary to the world. This is one such books which is meticulously researched and bring forth something new this is one such book. And I wanted to read this book so much for so many years but somehow I kept on leaving it back or couldn't read further but this time I decided to start it and after some time where it again lay neglected I corrected my way and finally finished this masterpiece. It is a non-fiction book but reads better than many thrillers.

This book charts the history of Cancer thankfully this malady hasn't touched my family (Touchwood) but I have known people suffering from it and lost friends to it so I know how terrifying this can be. The book is wonderful because of the heart of the story and how wonderfully it travels from one era to other and charting the work done in identifying this terrible disease and different work done to fight it and all the work that has been done to ensure that we find the solution for it and the reality of the matter too. And it's no surprise that this won the Pulitzer prize when this book was released. This deserves all the awards and praise and gets and then some more. i would soon look to start and finish the next book 'Gene' by the same author but I need to finish the streamlining of my currently reading list and work towards finishing the books which are pending for a long time due to this reason or that but it shall be done.

If you have wondered whether to read this book wonder no more and get it and read it and always remember to just Keep on Reading .


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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Review: The Stand

The Stand The Stand by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow what a wonderful treat, I wanted to read it for so long and finally gathered my courage and picked this massive work and flew through it as it would probably be the first book of more than 1300 pages that I was able to finish within 10 days. Obviously with job and everything I couldn't be reading the book continuously and there listening to the book came in handy and between the two methods I just flew through the book. The backcover promised an EPIC story and EPIC it is.

If you have read any of my reviews before you already know that I don't go about writing about the story as you can read the beats of the story the blurb as soon as you click on the book name above. Mr. King I tip my head to you, I have so many books written by you and I haven't read many of them as I am chicken shit scared that your books would be too scary for my feeble heart and I would see the monsters on every corner. But thankfully like 'Under the Dome' this is also not a horror book but rather a human story of bunch of survivors after a man-made plague kills off almost everybody and remaining people get behind two forces and I loved reading and listening to this book. But Mr. King I am still afraid to read some of your horror work I bought them but let's see when would I be able to get to them. May I be I should tackle another giant book 'It' by Mr. King he is one of the fastest writers I have seen.

As I am writing about being scared of horror things random noises have started in the house and it's 3.42 AM in the night and I am the only one awake in the house as I just got back from the office an hour ago. Let's get back to the book and surprisingly this book also has few illustrations but unfortunately in this print they were just too dark and many were not visible properly thankfully they are fine in the ebook copy. This book was originally published in 1978 and this is the expanded version and I once again just loved it. I would now go ahead and try to read few more books and work towards my reading challenge.

So my recommendations you already know them leave your fears about this monster of a book behind and finally jump in to the post-apocalyptic world and then just Keep on Reading.


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