The Smell Of Yellow Pages

I know what you are thinking. Alice In Wonderland? Seriously!? Come on! I hope this review isn’t written by a nine year old!! 

Well, I just couldn’t help it. When I saw this lying in my school library, I was sucked into reading this beautiful gem of my halcyon days of childhood. I was so blinded by the joy that I didn’t bother whether I would like this piece of my memory of not…

For starters I really did like the book but didn’t completely love it. The book was beautifully written. And that was its best part. Lewis Carroll writes Alice In Wonderland in such a way that it brings out the inner child in you. The writing is from a child’s perspective, how she looks at things and understands them, how she analyses everything by the way she has been taught at school, how she feels proud whenever she speaks something beyond her age and how she goes on about her cat, Dinah, and then apologizes to the creatures offended by her! It’s all through the eyes and mind of a young kid. And that is exactly what makes the book elegant and charming. 

But this book was a lot more queer. The characters were so interesting and mysterious. The Hatter’s mad riddle and one liners were fair enough to entertain me, the Dormouse’s attitude was sleepy enough to make me laugh, Bill, the lizard’s piteous plight was miserably sufficient to make me fell compassionate towards that poor creature and the Duchess’s never ending morals were crazy enough to leave me puzzled!

This book grew curiouser and curiouser as I read it! But Alice’s hunger for adventure and the unknown was retained. This was the one message, I guess, Carroll was trying to convey. Through the means of a fairy tale, he wanted to express that we ought not shelter our kids from the world that lies ahead of them. But, instead, let them face it’s challenges and thrills themselves and let their ingenuous imagination run wild!

And as for the part that I didn’t love the book, I have no particular reason for that. Maybe that I’ve outgrown this genre or that the ending didn’t suit me quite well. But for sure I really liked reading this book. And for those of you who didn’t find the bookquite as amusing ‘Off with their heads! ‘. :P

After reading Alice In Wonderland, I feel as if I have gone entirely bonkers! Have I gone mad?
Um….I’m afraid so! But I’ll tell you a secret. All the bookworms are!
:)

After a long and unbearable period of time I finished this book. I don't know why but it took me quite a while to finish reading it. Maybe because the book was too depressing to read or that it was so daunting that even the words "Freedom Is Slavery" gave me a warning sign as to not read the book. 

1984 tells the story of a utopia ( not Thomas More's Utopia ) but the utopia, as described by the Party ( it's actually dystopia. But you see, you have to apply doublethink in order to understand this ‘utopian’ menace! ). So, moving on, this Party rules over Oceania ( the whole world is divided into three parts: Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia. ) and follows the policy of totalitarianism. The authority of the Party is supreme and no one can even 'think' against its rule. Even a dream seen by you against the Party can be regarded as an act of espionage. Your greatest enemies include the fiendish Thought-Police, the skeptic Party members and even your very own children! So has the morality of the times degraded… 

The book follows the story of an unorthodox who ‘thinks’ that the world can be saved and freed from the clutches of the Party. But what he doesn't know that he is in the minority of one. Orwell weaves a world full of terror and fright around this heretic man. He touches upon all the aspects of the morally degenerated society of that time in this beautifully written novel. 

But I have got to admit that I dozed off twice or thrice while reading this book. With much yawns and naps I had finished the forty pages explaining the perplexing meaning of the lines - 
War Is Peace 
Freedom Is Slavery 
Ignorance Is Strength. 
But nevertheless the story picked up its normal pace after those sluggish pages.

The novel at points really felt like an essay. As an essay it would have done a pretty great job. The book described it's points and statements so clearly and profoundly. But as a novel it was quite slow paced, with flat characters and was so awfully depressing! It was so depressing that it gave the word 'depressing' a whole new meaning!

Howbeit, it was a genuinely good book which will stay with me forever, and theses lines will continue to haunt me till eternity…
‘Under the spreading chestnut tree,
I sold you and you sold me...’

Please check my blog out...

“When you truly want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...”

These words somehow tend to convey the warmth and truth that our soul and heart had been seeking since it was born. They unfetter the deep-seated desire of ours to follow our destiny...to pursue the path laid down for us...to live our dreams. 
This book is not just another "self-help" or philosophy books. It's a legend...a fable written to open our eyes and motivate us to listen to our hearts. We may always lie to ourselves or our minds...but we can never lie to our heart. It speaks the language of God. It always shows us the path chosen for us. But we mostly ignore our heart and live someone else's life. Well, what this book does is that it makes you understand the importance of listening to one's heart and to follow our destiny. 
The Alchemist may at times feel a bit candid or subtle. But that's the magic of it. The book is so enchanting that it's charisma never dies. Even when you have finished the book, you stare at the pages trying to absorb the book's magic and power. 
Still there are places where The Alchemist feels a little "underwhelming" and all that. But you have to admit that some of its magic has been lost in translation. So I don't really blame anyone for that. But The Alchemist in the end will truly leave you speechless. It's magic will make you review the decisions taken by you in the past and will make you listen to your heart before taking any other big step in your life. But above all the book will have you moved to your “heart”. 
In the end its all about the journey. And the journey is all about finding yourself, and in this case through the pages of a book. Reading The Alchemist was probably one of the best things that I ever did in my life. And now I truly believe that you can achieve anything you want with just a little bit of faith and courage in your hearts. And yes of-course, everything is written.
Maktub...

Honest, fun, enjoyable...
Yeah these are the words that come to my mind when I think of this book. It sure was a good read and I really liked this book. The best thing that I like about the book is the characters. Matthew Quick has created magically dark, deep, lovely and mysterious characters that take the story forward. But still the book at some places is slow and a little unbearable to read. 

Halfway through the book and I still don't know what the real plot is...? It really gets better with more involvement of Tiffany, Cliff and Jake in Pat Peoples' life. ( I really loved the name Pat PEOPLES...! ) The best chapter of the book was My Movie's Montage. Loved the way how Quick wrote this chapter, with small paragraphs describing the hard work put together by Tiffany and Pat for their dance. This chapter really makes you smile. :) 

One of the best things about the book was its book to film adaptation. The movie was really good. Having the image of Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany and Bradley Cooper as Pat really makes reading the book enjoyable. 

The Silver Linings Playbook has taught me to always look for the silver lining in everything and never to lose hope. But it also taught me not to cling to one particular thing for too long if it is bad for you or practically unachievable. So whenever the time is right, let go of that thing. But never, ever lose hope.
:)

Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire...
This was the girl who always kept Snow on the edge of his seat. This was the girl who became the Mockingjay and gave the Districts a new hope. This was the girl who ignited the rebellion against the corrupt and unjust Capitol. This was the girl who sacrificed her life to save her sister from the cruelty of the Hunger Games...
But what happened to this girl in the third and final book of this mind blowing and intense trilogy. Katniss is mostly seen on the hospital bed, in some secret closets, drugged on morphine or trying to runaway from her life, when not performing her duties as the Mockingjay in the book. She is merely shown as an unpredictable pawn trying to defeat President Snow. Her will to fight back is sometimes not as strong as her duties as the Mockingjay. She does not have the clear mind nor the willpower to lead the rebels. She is often stuck up in her decision between Peeta and Gale. Instead of a clear minded, strong and compelling leader of the rebellion, she is a feeble and underwhelming pawn of the President of District 13. 
But leaving all the above points, it was the ending that I disliked the most. I somewhat liked the starting, the part when Katniss comes back to life, the ‘ If We Burn You Burn With Us ’ part... But the conclusion left me dispirited. The climax was more realistic than happy to me. I was thinking of a more merrier ending for the star-crossed lovers from 12. Not only them but also for Finnick, Annie and Gale. Even though the ending was more bona fide, I craved for a more gleeful climax for the story and for Katniss. 
But instead the ending only brought more and more screams, nightmares and despondency. 
In the end I would say that even though Katniss completed her motive, this book left me a little bit underwhelmed. So I would go with 6.5 stars for the last book of the Hunger Games Trilogy.