Deepa

I was worried that the length of this book would be an issue. But, not at all. The story was gripping enough for the pages to fly by; I was quite engrossed in the tale. Not knowing much about the actual historical facts was not a problem either; in fact, I think that helped me enjoy the tale even more. I am generally against the forced inclusion of new-age tropes, but in this book, everything seemed to flow so well together. I now see that I’m not anti-anything as a rule: all I want is a well-told story, whatever the themes/tropes. Loved this book.

A novel filled with computer programming - That part of it took me back to my college days. A story about the people who build games - I have never read a book with this theme - that was the best, the most interesting and most novel part of this book for me. Nonetheless I was extremely bored in the beginning and frequently in between - tempted to DNF several times. It became easier to read as it went on, though. The author seems to be trying too hard to include all the woke tropes in this one book; that wasn’t necessary at all.

I had purchased this book ages ago and completely lost track of it. Glad I read it though. Great story. Real world psychos ego behave like vampires and a stalker who knows chillingly too much. Quite a gripping tale. The vampire sections of the book are a bit gory and the stalker sections are scary. But when the serial killer vampire was finally caught, I was a bit disappointed with the whys and the whats. The stalker - I had long begun to suspect - and felt quite validated when he was revealed. Overall a good read. 

Quite a gripping book. Not very sure about its historical accuracy after reading some critical comments online. But I think no one can deny that the story telling is good. I am glad that the “fool” does finally manage to find a happy life for herself, away from the back-stabbing, life-threatening court. I might continue reading the other books in the series, even though I have read them before. 

One of the darker books. Harry is losing so many of the people he has come to trust and love. From the next book on, Harry, Ron and Hermione are mostly on their own. The book continues to surprise me with little gems of wisdom and wisecracks (mostly from Dumbledore, himself) sprinkled throughout the story. The sincere love of Fleur, the tragic courage of Snape, the loss of Dumbledore - in my mind, these are the highlights of this book. 

Interesting book. The conclusion was nearly unimaginable. Even though I'd read it before, I'd forgotten. Complicated plot, really. Lots of characters with their own characteristics. But masterful approach by the author to arrive at the conclusion. I still don't like Poirot as much as Miss Marple, though. 

Another great read from J K Rowling. It is very interesting how she manages to link everything together so well. Small, minor sentences from the first chapters turn out to be so crucial in the final chapters - everything makes so much sense. A masterpiece in threading narratives and plots together. The stories are getting darker and darker, and yet there is always hope glimmering through by the end of the book. Truly love Rowling's writing. Truly love Dumbledore- he's the best!

A book I've had for ages, but never got around to reading it. A fantasy tale very similar to Lord of the Rings, but not as complicated. At least that is the impression I got from reading this book - the first in the series. I like fantasies and world-building, but prefer more easy to read books like Harry Potter. Even while the story was interesting. I had to push myself to finish the book. I had the same experience with Lord of the Rings too, but I do like the story of Eragon. It's quite interesting. I however, don't think that I'll be completing the series this time. 

Read Congo for a reading challenge to read two similar bills with similar plot (Amazonia was the second book). Michael Crichton books are a staple in my library.  This is a book I've had for decades, I know the story so well- in and out. Clearly these exploration stories are fascinating to me - the thrill of the trail, the mysteries and challenges within, the raw power of nature, the new species (the creativity of the authors in creating them!). Unfortunately, almost always, the humans come out of the entire episode empty-handed, having destroyed (or nearly destroyed) whatever they set out to find - it was the same in Amazonia, in the movies like Anaconda etc. Pity! 
Oh, and of course, Amy, the teen gorilla who communicates in sign language, was the best character ever. 

This second instalment of the Harry Potter series is so funny. The chapters involving Dobby were so hilarious that I was grinning and laughing like an idiot while reading those. Mrs. Weasley is also unintentionally a hoot in this book. Also we learn a little bit more about Voldemort's younger days. As always, Dumbledore sprinkles around his wisdom - so many quotable quotes. It is a wonder how the small details all add up in the later books. J K Rowling is a genius. 

A truly inspiring read. It is quite difficult to put down this book for long. Even afterwards, thoughts of Emma kept intruding into my mind. I especially loved that she kept a “commonplace book”, which was a great help to her in achieving her ambitions. I cannot, in all honesty, say that I relate to her – she is far, far more ambitious and tenacious than I'll never be. But it sure is a great story!

I have read this book several times. I reread it whenever I feel like I'm slacking on the ‘living consciously' department. It is a very practical guide on how to improve your-self in just a few extra hours a day. It is perhaps one of the earliest books on “time management”. A really quick reminder to be more mindful and intentional with time, imho

Awesome book. The philosophical chats between Calvin and his imaginary tiger, the exasperation of “Mom” and “Dad”, the fights with Susie, the exploration trips, the wild, wild imagination of Calvin, the Superhero tales, the inventive games they play, the character-building camping trips, the dry wit and the great drawing!!🤩🤩

I do like the story very much. The new twist in the tale - a much more interesting mml - is much nicer. I also love that the mfl has now come into her power very much. And yet, I hate that the author feels the need to insert one unnecessary chapter describing in cringe-worthy detail their bedroom scenes. That entire chapter could've been done away with so easily; it wouldn't have affected the story in any way. IMHO, the plot is good, the characters are good, but that one chapter takes away the charm quite a bit. 

Another book recommendation by the same person who recommended Bride. This is supposed to be a “Romance” read, but clearly my tastes differ. I do love a nice romance, but I much prefer tales of normal people living a loving life. These authors seem to be competing on describing gory/smutty/vomit-inducing scenes. Here both the mml and the mfl are serial killers - both equally sadistic and brutal. They inevitably end up liking each other and the violence continues, albeit in a ewww kind of way. I suppose there is an audience for this type of thing, but I'm not it. I'll be steering clear of this person's recommendations from now on. 

Another book I would not have even thought of, if it weren't for the reading challenges. The best parts - the story was definitely good and the lead pair were super cute people. The worst parts - the book was too long and too trashy. Frankly, if only ask those explicit scenes were cut out of the story, it would have been just perfect. I definitely don't appreciate the use of explicit language in books. I'm more of a “clean” reader. The romance is sweet, very sweet, but I could do without all the TMI. It is as if authors feel compelled to add in a few steamy scenes every few chapters and stretch the story awfully far. 

My first TikTok-sensation, Wattpad-type book. And I'm not happy. The story itself was not bad at all. An arranged marriage between a vampire and a werewolf - Fun! I loved the sassy dialogues, the oh-so-predictable character traits of the leads, it was all good and easy to read. But then towards the end, for some bizarre reason, the author decided to turn this into a steamy, awfully spicy, vomit-inducing tale. Too graphic. Far too graphic and disgusting for my taste. This book would have been rated much higher if it weren't for those last chapters.

A really good book. Very practical tips - there's quite a bit of the French fascination that comes through. However the book is a nice compilation of the author's tips for graceful living. It covers different areas of life - such as dressing, cooking, relationships and more. A great book with lots of real life talk - recipes, included. 

A truly interesting book. Lots of food-for-thought here. The wiring did get a little boring at times, but I feel that dividing it into sections and then small chapters helped. Looks like something I have to re-read to fully”get” it. So many parts of the writing struck home. It is so true that Ego truly is the Enemy. Something to keep in the back of my head, always. 

The story is good, I'll admit that. But I do feel that towards the end, things moved really quite fast. I mean, without giving any spoilers, was it really that simple, that easy, that quick? If the problem could be solved without any practice, without any elaborate safeguards, was the problem such a big deal? Still, that's not my biggest issue with this book. I personally like a good, clean read and this book was not one. The story was good, but the added elements of unnecessary * * * really really irritated me. If it weren't for that kind of content, I would probably have rated it much higher. 

Well, the story is a sweet one. It is about a worried garlic, who manages to overcome her fears and finds happiness. Loved the concept. The graphics are good. But. The price of this book totally and completely  ruined the “enjoyment” for me. IMHO, this book is far too overpriced for what it offers - at least on Kindle. It might have been worth it at a discount of 60% or more. I am disappointed. 

I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. I had heard of this book long before, had heard that it was great book for creative people. But I had always assumed that I was not the intended audience. Was I wrong!! 

This is the kind of book that makes me glad that I've joined these book clubs. They force me out of my usual path and I find these absolute gems out there. A great book that advocates the simple, age-old values of courage, consistency and faith. I'm so glad I read this and I definitely will be rereading it every once in a while. 

Another great book from J K Rowling. Books getting darker as the years pass. Harry comes face to face with death - unnecessary and sudden. He also learns to accept the inevitable with courage; some things simply cannot be changed - a hard lesson for the toughest among us. I also realised that most of Dumbledore's dialogues are “Quotable quotes”, really! Great story-telling. Can't wait to continue the series.