The Mountains Sing by Nguyên Phan Quê Mai

"I realised that war was monstrous.If it didn't kill those it touched , it took away a piece of their souls, so they could never be whole again." 

The Mountains Sings is a multi-generational family saga set in Vietnam during 1950s and 1970s.It explores the journey of Diêu Lan through the decades fighting Great Hunger , impact of land reforms , french & Japanese invasions along with American war.

I loved the relationship between Grandma Diêu Lan and her grand- daughter Hu'o'ng.At times, Hu'o'ng was the only one who completely understood Grandma and realised the struggles she went through to keep her family safe.

I cried with grandma , felt happy when she managed to keep going , her determination to survive despite the hell she went through inspired me in many ways :')

"I would want nothing fancy , just a normal day when all of us could be together as a family ; a day where we could just cook , eat , talk , and laugh.I wondered how many people around the world were having such a normal day and didn't know how special and sacred it was."

The story of Grandma and Hu'o'ng felt too close to me as i share a great bond with my own  grandmother.She is strong , brave , religious , narrates stories to me and calls me by my nickname:)

Do pick this beautiful piece of Historical fiction to get educated about Vietnam's horrible past and how wars can have devastating impact throughout the generations! 

The devotion of suspect x by Keigo Higashino

"Your assumptions are your worst enemies , trust them too much and you'll fail to see what's right under your nose." 

Yasuko Hanaoka lives a quiet life with her daughter Misato, but one day , her world is shattered when when ex husband Shinji Togashi shows up at her house and certain events lead to Shinji being murdered by Yasuko and Misato. ( AND IT'S NOT A SPOILER) 

The real story starts after the murder, when Yasuko's neighbour , the highly intelligent mathematics teacher Mr.Ishigami involves himself in the picture and decides to protect the mother- daughter duo at any cost.

"Which is harder: devising an unsolvable problem, or solving that problem?"

This thriller has successfully changed my perspective towards the whole genre.It's different in a sense that the readers will know who is the murderer and why it was done from the very beginning but the real deal is the cat and mouse game between Detective kusanagi , Physicist (detective galileo) Yukawa and Mathematician Ishigami.

The author easily manages to keep readers gripped till the end , while you root for one to win,  you crave for another to make an intelligent step.

The twists & turns with an tragic end is what makes this a perfect crime- thriller and surely deserves much more hype! 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about.But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back."

This is the story of Celie, a black girl born in poverty and segregation set in the American South.She is married to an older abusive man she never knew which resulted in her separation with her dear sister Nettie.Life becomes exhausting as Nettie was the only one Celie cared about!

"I'm poor, black , i may even be ugly, but dear god , I'm here! I'm here!"

Celie then decides to write letters to the God as it seemed the only way for her to be in a comfortable place until she found an unlikely ally in Shug Avery , who happened to be the long time mistress of her husband.

Shug helped make Celie realise importance of having a voice in the society full of treacherous men , eventually leading to Celie finding her unexplained feelings towards Shug.

This book has it all, strong plot, unforgettable characters ,sense of love ,loss, suffering and a true meaning of happiness.I devoured the story of Celie , boldness of Shug, Strength of Sofia. Alice has done a great job in writing these characters!

TW: Sexism , Sexual & Psychological Abuse, Racism

The God of small things by Arundhati Roy//Bookish Santa

"And the air was full of thoughts and things to say.But at times like these,only the small things are ever said.Big things lurk unsaid inside"

The God of Small Things By Arundhati Roy is one of the Indian Novels Which stays with you forever in a strange way.The characters and the storyline are so immense and unusual that one will definitely want to know more and more with each page.

So, the story is set in 1990's in small town of Ayemenem in kerala,India and basically revolves around the lives of twins Rahel(girl) and Esthappan(boy) who reunite with each other after so many years since their childhood after being separated and they still hold the memories of their dark past along with their mother who they call Ammu.Ammu's comes back to their native town Ayemenem after leaving her prude husband and falls in love with velutha who belongs to a low caste and just as the previous one, her love story is doomed yet again by the societal norms.

But the lives of the twins completely change after the death of their English cousin Sophie Mol.

I love how Pretty much every indian issues are covered in the book such as Indian politics and post British rule tensions, caste system , forbidden love mostly because of different caste or class, social discrimination because of it,Betrayal too remains a repeated element in the storyline and lastly the condition of women at the time clearly shows how misogynistic and patriarchal our society was.

Although,the story was set in 90's India depicting the problems of that time,but sadly, those problems remain rooted even today.

This book got a booker prize back in 1997 and was a huge hit not just in India but in foreign as well and it clearly deserves all the fame it got.

I read this masterpiece 1 year ago after getting so much requests and i never knew this story will always remain with me in a unsual way.The most suitable word i could find for the book was 'TRAGIC' and the ending explains it.It depicts how the laws of love or relationships can be changed so easily when one can't find the true meaning or motive behind a particular relationship.

The book also explores the post-colonial complex and attitude of many people about the former british culture.The mentioning of British Raj dominated most of the Indian books back in 20th century and somewhat even today.

The only problem i faced while reading this was a bit if confusing chronological sequences sometimes as it contained flashbacks and sidetracks.

Indian authors like Arundhati Roy needs to be appreciated every now and then for covering these kind of topics which are sadly, relevant nowadays too.

Overall i totally liked the book and surely recommend you to pick this one up.

MY RATING-4.5/5

Happy reading :)

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Bookish Santa

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The God of Small things

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

"For you, a thousand times over"

I have read this line again and again , everytime i read it , sad emotions start emerging inside me.

'The kite runner' is a book about two boys called Hassan and Amir.Hassan is a Hazara (a minority low caste in Afghanistan) and Amir is a Pashtun(a high caste in Afghanistan).Despite of these differences, hassan and amir bond pretty well, they have grown up together.

Their lives completely change after the kite flying competition which Amir definitely have to win in order to make his father proud and takes the help of Hassan.What hapoens that day , changes the life of these two boys completely.

What i love this book is it has the power to make the hardest of the hard hearts cry.One can feel various aspects of life like 'What is the meaning of a real friendship' , 'how it feels to be socially discriminated' , 'sacrifice' , 'Redemption' and many many more....

Apart from that, Hosseini never fails to give political insight of Afghanistan through his books.

I remember i was sad for weeks after reading this masterpiece and it's all worth it, reading this has been a emotional roller coaster for me and it's surely amoung the books one should read before he/she dies :')

MY RATING -5/5

The murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

"The truth, however ugly in itself ,is always curious and beautiful to the seekers after it."

After reading some masterpieces such as 'and then there were none' and 'the murder on the orient express' , i picked up this book and as always , Christie never failed to shook me again.

So, as the name suggets , this book revolves around  the murder of a wealthy person in the village called king's Abbot named Roger Acroyd. Mrs.Ferrars, who was the lover of Acroyd kills her first husband and herself later on, all the secrets of she harboured were to be revealed in the evening post but sadly roger is murdered on the same day.

'What were the guilty secrets she hold'?, 'who had been blackmailing her'? , 'had it really driven her to suicide'? , all of these questions get answered in a very shocking way.

Also , king's abbot is surrounded by other people which includes acroyd's pretty neice Flora, his stepson Ralph Paton, the respectable Dr.Sheppard and his sister Caroline , the village gossip.

They all remain  in the circle of suspicion including some servants too.

I think , Christie never disappoints and this another masterpiece proves that ;)

MY RATING- 4/5

Stranger trilogy by Novoneel chakraborty

Stranger trilogy by novoneel is my top most favorite trilogy by any indian author in genre of suspence-thrill.

Marry me , Stranger

This is the first book , which introduces us to the protagonist of the series named Rivanah Bannerjee who is a very talented and ambitious girl living in Kolkata, loved by her parents and boyfriend Ekansh.But things start changing the moment she shifts to Mumbai for her job.

She feels that someone is following her everywhere and knows her every moves,as the days pass , the stranger(called by rivanah) gets the control of Rivanah's life.

All yours, Stranger

The second book continues the mystery surrounding the stranger, the police even fails to nab him.She misses her ex Ekansh after being cheated by him.Although she manages to find a great friend in her roommate Ishita.As her story proceeds , she meets new people , some become too close to her, but the fact that still haunts her is who is the stanger? Why did he come to her life? What does he wants from her? She gets calls from him but most of the times numbers are changed.

Forget me not, Stranger

As Rivanah's journey continues in Mumbai, her life becomes hell, the mystery man or woman gains complete control over her life, she is forced to commit things which she didn't want in the first place.

She gets only one clue about her ex batchmate called Hiya choudhary which connects her to the stranger, but the problem is Hiya's dead.

What binds her to dead hiya, how does stranger knows about her?why he has been following her,who is the stranger? All these questions are gonna get answered in this final installment of the series.

This series is surely a page turner and the ending is most unpredictable;)

MY RATING-4.5/5

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Before i start the review of this book , i would like to Strongly recommend you all this masterpiece by Murakami even if you don't like reading much.

Now coming to the book , so , the story revolves mainly around 3 individuals who have faced tragedies in their own ways.

Toru watanabe is a ambitious young man, doesn't have more than 1-2 friends, loves reading and is struck between Naoko and Midori.

Naoko is also a student , quite introvert, very much in love with Toru and later becomes quite expressive about it.She deals with mental illness most of the times.

Midori is quite open minded and extroverted girl, she has different fantasies about life and happens to like Toru too.

Before you judge that it's a romantic book, let me tell you, it's a TRAGIC romance, includes the issues of depression , loneliness, student  protests and mostly every issue which a person faces and how he / she deals with it.

This book clearly shows the idea of death as a very natural phenomenon and the people who hold on to life and the ones who give up.

MY RATING-5/5

Birthday girl by Murakami

Birthday Girl is a short read by Murakami which can easily be completed in a single sitting.

What i like about this novella is that the story is short yet thrilling and interesting.

Story starts with the unnamed  protagonist girl who is a waitress and  how the events of her life change when she delivers dinner to the restaurant's owner on her 20th birthday.

Also , this story leaves one with an interesting ending to which the reader have to find answer for.

Also, this book was published to celebrate Murakami's 70th birthday.

I look forward to reading more Murakami(probably Norwegian wood).

MY RATING -3.5/5

Murder on the orient express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the orient express is one of most famous books by Agatha, though, over the period of time, it has got mixed reviews by readers, some define it as nothing new and some put it into one of the best murder mysteries category.

I overall found the book average as compared to other of Agatha's works, but if you are a new agatha reader, then it's just the right book for you, additionally it's a Hercule poirot mystery, which is always fun to read.

The mystery starts when a man is found murdered in the cabin of the orient express where poirot is also a passenger and a snow storm hits the train which makes it clear that the killer is present on the train.

If you are a fan of murder mysteries , then pick this one without any doubt :)

MY RATING-3/5

Train to pakistan by Khushwant Singh

Train to Pakistan by khushwant Singh defines the struggle of people crossing the border from both the sides and how the tensions that escalated between hindus, muslims and sikhs during the partition revolutionised the fate of people on both sides.

Story revolves around the town called Mano Majra on the border of India and Pakistan, where the village goon juggut singh falls in love with a muslim girl and when a local moneylender is murdered, suspicions fall on him.But the major twist comes the day when a train carrying dead  arrive and the town suddenly becomes a battleground between the two communities.

The book specifically potrays the pain of people during partition.If you are a history lover or want to know more about the past indo-pak relations, then surely go for this one:)

MY RATING-3/5

Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat

Revolution 2020 is a perfect potrayal of Love, corruption and struggle. I used to read chetan bhagat at a very early stage when i started reading novels, not a fan of most of his novels, but Revolution 2020 had an impact on me.

The story revolves around 3 childhood friends , Gopal , Raghav and Aarti who struggle to find love and success , they reside in a small town of Varanasi, while reading , one can easily take feels of varanasi as a city, every minute detail about the city can be felt.

Love triangle and political corruption can be seen throughout the book,many a times i feel too much sad for Gopal who struggles a lot between his studies and his father.Raghav is too a bright student, but his thoughts about life are different than of Gopal, mostly leading to a rift between the two.Aarti however is a static character throughout the book who wants to be a flight attendent and to find one epic love, which eventually makes way for a love triangle between 3 of them.

Do read to experience different types of situation one can go through to finally live a life one desires💫

MY RATING-3.5/5

Who moved my cheese by Dr.Spencer Johnson

Who moved my cheese is a type of self help book.I don't read self help books much but i heard a lot about this and eventually decided to read this book.

I think this book adopts a  pretty amazing way of telling people that how to deal with changes in one's life, which indeed is an important phase.The book uses metaphors of two mice sniff and scurry and two people Hem and Haw.

I think everybody should read this book , when people go through difficulties dealing with change, they tend to go to depression , so do read this book to clear you mind.

Also, the book is short and simple , take atleast 2-3 hours from your schedule and discover life's simple truths by reading this self care book :)

MY RATING-4/5

A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini

A thousand splendid suns is a masterpiece by khaled hosseini .It is the only book of hosseini which i have read till now and i am already in love with his writing.

Story revolves around a 15 year old  Mariam , whose life is nothing but a living hell and on the top of that, she is sent to kabul to marry Rasheed who is almost her Father's age.

Life takes different terms as her story proceeds further , her friendship with a teenager holds quite a  significance. Battle for survival becomes hard when Taliban takes over!

Khaled has appropriately displayed the condition of women at that time in Afghanistan, where their every right is denied and there is no freedom to decide what's good or bad for them.It makes me sad to read the plight of girls being denied even the basic rights and  gender discrimination is quite visible throughout the whole story.

The story of Mariam will definitely have an emotional impact on you! 

Merry Christmas 🎄

Happy Reading📖

MY RATING-4.5/5

If tomorrow comes by Sidney Sheldon

If tomorrow comes is my first read of Sidney Sheldon .I quite liked the plot of the book and the way sheldon narrates the story.

So, the story revolves around Tracy Whitney , who's happy world suddenly turns upside down after a serious incident in her life.She never lived the same joyful and simple life after that.

She was framed by a ruthless mafia , ends up in jail and forced to live a life she never wanted.

Finally she decides to take revenge on them and play deadly games that takes her from new Orleans to london , paris , madrid ...

During that period she meets 2 men,one that is handsome and challenging and the other, who's only motive is Tracy's destruction.

This book basically shows the hardships and worst conditions faced by Tracy and her rising to avenge mafias.

Sometimes, the story becomes unnecessarily long.

MY RATING-3/5

Our story ends here by Sara Naveed

"Terrorists are not born to love"

Our story ends here is a gripping romantic tale by a pakistani writer Sara Naveed.This book clearly highlights the issue of terrorism and how it can affect innocent lives.

The story revoles around Sarmad, who is a ruthless terrorist and Mehar , who is a army general's daughter and how their paths cross together and they eventually fall in love!

Sarmad , being a terrorist ruin many lives, but do read to know what all happens after he falls for army personal's daughter.

The book do not encourage terrorism in any way and a must have for those who like reading romance filled with a lot of drama.

MY RATING-3.5/5

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

'' It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune , must be in a want of a wife"
This very first line from ch.-1 attracted my attention and boosted my will to read this book.This novel is one of the most popular classics of all time and my first classic read.Pride & Prejudice classically captures the life of 18th century England.
Jane Austen beautifully describes the sentiments of people of England and their definition of 'beauty' and a 'well secured life'.
Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy (main characters) are bitter towards each other at first but eventually develop feelings, Elizabeth may not be the prettiest among 5 sisters but she was surely witty and the most intelligent of them and later she starts to wonder if her pride has prejudiced her opinions of Mr. Darcy.
Although , this novel was published few centuries ago, but it continues to amaze the readers till now.
If you are looking for centuries old romance filled with drama , emotions and a little bit humour , go for it:)
MY RATING-5/5

The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag by Jim Corbett

Jim Corbett has been one of the greatest hunters of pre-independant India , he was also an author and a naturalist.He has written his various encounters with the wildlfe ,from his various experiences about wildlife , here comes his novel about a man eating leopard of Rudraprayag dist. in Uttrakhand .

so, the story behind me reading this novel is that i too belong to  Rudraprayag district and in my village , there are many folklores about that leopard , that was the time i first heard about that leopard and decided to read this novel by jim corbett himself.

So, after finishing this novel i could literally feel the pain of people at that time who lost their loved ones , officially,the man eater killed 125 but the actual number is much more than this. Corbett has done a great job in describing the details of the killings by the leopard, one can literally be scared and amazed at the same time.

This book enables you to experience the detailed look at the life of the people of Garhwal, their superstitions regarding the man eater and ofcourse, the beauty of the region.

The leopard remained an  active man eater for 8years (1918-1926) and was finally killed by Jim Corbett.

The book is also an ode to people who inhabit the hills and the hardships they face in their everyday lives.

Do give it a read and know more about the people of the hills:))

MY RATING-4/5

The girl on the train by Paula Hawkins

The girl on the train by Paula Hawkins is a must read for those addicted to suspence and thrillers.The story is set in England and  revolves around a women called Rachel who was once a happy married women and now is divorced and a raging alcoholic. She catches the same local train every morning and never forgets to overlook the surroundings around the train and notice people, she feels that she knows them and always cherish a couple who are 'perfect'.
And then one day everything changes in her life when she notices something shocking from the train and she eventually becomes the part of their lives.
Paula has kept the suspence in the novel very tight and you will be biting nails until the very end.You can literally feel the pain of the protagonist throughout the story.All i can tell you is she is much more than just a girl on the train.
MY RATING-4.5/5

The House of strange stories by Ruskin Bond

The house of strange stories is a great treat for those who love thrillers.Bond has described various incidents which took place with him during his lifetime , most of the incidents took place in Dehradun and Mussoorie(where he currently lives). The author has narrated various incidents about supernatural creatures like vampires too. He does not denies about the existence of such creatures in his stories. Some stories are too obvious and somewhat boring but some literally give chills down the spine. Some of the stories in the book are of other authors like ,'' The red headed league" by Arthur Conan Doyle, "The sqaw" by Bram Stokers etc.Ruskin Bond has used simple english so that it can be read by all. Those who have just started reading books can surely go for it.

MY RATING- 4/5