Mapping Love

'Hubb' is love, 'ishq' is love that entwines two people together, 'shaghaf' is love that nests in the chambers of the heart, 'hayam' is love that wanders the earth, 'teeh' is love in which you lose yourself, 'walah' is love that carries sorrow within it, 'sababah' is love that excludes from your pores, 'hawa' is love that shares its name with 'air' and with 'falling', 'gharam' is love that is willing to pay the price.  

I have learned so much this past year, I could not list all the things I have learned.             

-Ahdaf Souief, Map of Love

I love it when I read works of new authors, the ones I have never read before as it helps me broaden my knowledge on different genres of novels/authors on the block. The same goes with Map of Love by Ahdaf Souief, we were prescribed this book for our term 2 gender paper and it got me pretty excited. Initially when I started to read this book, I was a little bored since I didn't have a clue of what was happening but as I kept on reading, it was hard for me to put down.

The title of the novel is very apt as Souief literally tries to map love. It is an extremely fascinating love story of two different generations, one taking place during the colonial times and the other in the modern era. Set against the colonial backdrop and the impact of European colonialism on a nation with thousand years of culture and history, Anna Winterbourne who is recently widowed finds herself enchanted with Egypt and simultaneously falls in love with Sharif Pasha al-Baroudi. We see history repeating itself years later when Isabel Parker (descendant of Sharif and Anna), recently divorced American journalist, falls in  love with Omar al-Ghamrawi. As the novel shifts to the present, it describes the modern-day aftermath of that period of history in the continuing interference of the West in the Middle East. 

What I really love about the novel is its structure. It doesn't have a normal narrative structure but interweaves Anna's journal entries, newspaper clippings from the past and merges it with the present narration.There is a constant shift from the past to the present and hence makes the readers quite active.The novel can be considered as feminist as mainly women contribute their voice to the story. It is also a post-colonial novel not only because of its fragmented nature but also because it tries to re-shape the past. There is a lot more to the book than what I shared. Being a complex novel, it has multiple layers to it. People with zero knowledge of Eygpt's political scenario might find it difficult to catch up as there are many parts in the novel which goes on to talk about it in detail, but nonetheless you get a hang of it. 

The book is a perfect mixture of history and romance, politics and culture and past and the present. Best I recommend you all to read this novel and experience it yourself. I can guarantee you guys will have a delightful  time reading such a detailed novel. For those who have already read the novel, you are free to discuss this book with me and share your thoughts on it.

Happy Reading until my next post :)

Have you packed your book trunk?

So summer is here! The season of sweaty armpits, mangoes and that of ice-lollies. But the most amazing thing about summer is taking a break and going away, far away from the hullabaloo of the city life. For a book nerd like me, summer equates to a new romance with a new novel. Imagining myself at an isolated island with only books to keep me company, seems like a paradise to me. But the question arises as to what books would make it to my summer reading-list? Have you ever have faced a situation where you are to make a crucial decision regarding what books to pack when you are travelling? Well, after giving it a lot of thought I have listed down a few books that I would read during summer.

  Lord of the Flies  
by William Golding

Being a sucker for classics, this book tops my summer reading-list. I mean, who wouldn't want to read about a group of kids stranded on an island? Jokes apart, it is an extremely powerful read as Golding explores the dark reality of men. I wouldn't suggest this novel to people who want to do some light reading.

Bossypants 
 by Tina Fey

This book has to be in everyone's reading list. It's hilarious, witty and light, which makes it a perfect summer read.

 

 

Harry Potter series 

by J.K Rowling

There hasn't been one summer (after I finished reading all Potter books for the first time) where I haven't reread Harry Potter. These novels are very dear to my heart and my summer would be incomplete without them. 

Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky 

This is a novel most of us relate to. It is very insightful and wonderfully written. I don't really love this novel but I don't even dislike it. It is quick read and apt for a summer afternoon on a beach..

 

The Museum of Innocence  

by Orhan Pamuk

"After all, a woman who doesn't love cats is never going to make a man happy" (Orhan Pamuk). I absolutely loved this book, was introduced to writings of Pamuk by a friend of mine. He has a very unique style of writing and summer seems the perfect time to get lost in Pamuk's world of Istanbul.

 

Lolita 

 by Vladimir Nabokov

Do I really need a reason to reread this cult classic? The story and language are what makes this novel a delightful read.     

These are a few books which I would prefer reading on a long lazy summer afternoon with Lana Del Rey's songs softly playing in a background. I know that you nerds have a different and a unique summer reading list and might not agree with mine, feel free to share. Let me know which books you will be packing this summer!

Happy Reading until my next post :)

Murakami Love

Haruki Murakami

Today's blog post is going to be about one of my favourite authors of all time Haruki Murakami. Sadly yes, he is the same guy who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature and didn't win. For those who don't know, Haruki Murakami is one of the most famous Japanese writer. Mostly all of his books are translated into major languages and have gained huge success. He is a typical post-modernist writer whose stories have the theme of alienation, loneliness, magic realism and vague endings.

Kafka on the Shore

My first Murakami book was Kafka on the Shore. This book is beyond my imagination. Every time I read this book I come up with  a different interpretation. It is said that when you read a book you not only read but live the characters and story within and Kafka does that to you. It has a metaphysical theme to it along with suspense, humour, sexuality and magic-realism and the novel also strongly talks about beauty and power of music which is used as a metaphor throughout the novel.

After Dark

After reading Kafka I borrowed another popular book by him from a friend of mine called After Dark. I will not say this was his best work, infact I was quite disappointed after reading this book. I thought he could come up with a better one. This is a very short novel and talks about midnight encounters in Tokyo. The story is pretty deep, philosophical and illusionary. This novel takes the reader to every corner of imagination. 

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was my second best book after Kafka on the Shore. This book leaves you mesmerised and wanting for more. This book is surreal, mysterious and makes you think deep and question about certain aspects of your life that you normally don't notice. The characters are beautifully crafted and they drift in and out of the novel. Murakami blurs the lines between reality and imagination. The best part is that there are a lot of questions which are left unanswered by the end of the novel (some may find it frustrating), leaving it up to the reader to interpret it. 

The picture below perfectly sums up Murakmi novels for everyone. 

    

Picture Courtesy: Incidental Comics 

Sadly I have read only three of his books uptill now, but I have already bought and borrowed his other two famous books Norwegian Wood and Sputnik Sweetheart and plan to read soon. For all of those who haven't read any of Haruki Murakami novels please read them whenever you get the time, he is one author you wouldnt want to miss. Whereas others who have already read Murakami are free to share their thoughts and tell me their favourite book of his. Would love to discuss my Murakami love with others.

P.S.- I am not open to hatred towards Murakami.

Happy Reading until my next post :)

   

To judge a book by it's t.v show?

We all are familiar with the saying- "Never judge a book by its movie!” it’s like an oath to us all nerds. There is an unsaid rule- to first read the book then go watch the movie based on that particular book and then criticize the movie for the obvious reasons. Book is always better than the movie no doubt.

We do know that there is a long list of movies based on books but what about serial adaptation of the same?! Yes! The new thing gaining popularity are T.V shows based on novels with little variations, making it more mysterious by adding subplots and supporting characters. The question that arises is should we start judging TV shows based on books? Or should it be the other way round?!

Let us find out with many popular and the hottest T.V shows based on books that have got us all hooked to our couch. 

GAME OF THRONES

This new American epic-fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" has a huge international fan following. The series revolve around the struggles between the noble families for the control of the Iron Throne. The originally planned trilogy is extended into seven volumes- A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons, A Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. These books were not so popular before but recently have gained a tremendous fanfare because of the series and have now sold more than 15 million copies. Apart from series adaptation, it also has comic book adaptation and several car, board and video game adaptation too. So I guess Mr. George have the T.V show to thank for such humongous success of the book!!

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

Who is not addicted to this show?! This teen-drama is loosely based on series of novels written by Sara Shepard. The show revolves around the sudden disappearance of queen bee Alison DiLaurentis and how it affects the life of the four girls- Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields and Hanna Marin who were her 'supposed' best friends. A frequent mysterious message from unknown ‘A’ to these girls who threatens to reveal all their secrets just adds on to the drama. I never did hear about the novel before until recently. It seems that the T.V show is way more popular than the novels. 

GOSSIP GIRL

The show with incredibly hot actors and the most amazing styling is based on the novels by the same name by Cecily Von Zeigesar. Narrated by an omniscient blogger 'Gossip Girl', the show revolves around the elitist affairs of Serena van der Woodson, her on-off best friend Blair Waldorf, the bad boy of Upper East Side of Manhattan Chuck Bass, the golden boy Nate Archibald and an outsider Dan Humphrey. There was a lot of controversy and criticism revolving around the show as it didn't adhere to the books plot. But nonetheless the show was admired and accepted by everyone with its season finale being a huge success. Without any doubt Blake Lively steals the show! I mean who would want to read when you have someone so gorgeous to look forward to.

 VAMPIRE DAIRIES

One of the most addictive supernatural shows about humans, vampires, werewolves and witches has got us all wanting for more. The show revolves around how a young human girl Elena finds herself in love with two vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvotore. The novels on which it is based, written by L.J Smith were never heard of before the show thus owing all the success to the series.

SEX AND THE CITY

I am sure you all know about this show, based on the books written by Candace Bushnell the series revolves around the lives of four women in their mid thirties and forties. It showcases different sex lives of these women, their aging problems, the men they love and their friendship to each other. The show is very much popular among young girls and ladies and has won around 7 Emmy Award, 8 Golden Globes and much more. The novel that was unheard of before became popular amongst the mass after the success of the series. The series was later adapted into a feature film Sex and the City and its sequel Sex and the City 2. Obviously the T.V show proves to be a clear winner in competition with the book.

DEXTER

  

Yes, not many of you know that your favorite T.V show Dexter’s first season is largely based on the novel ‘Darkly Dreaming Dexter’ by Jeff Lindsay (to be true neither did I until I did a little research about it). The later seasons that followed were independent of the novel. Nonetheless the show and the book were both popular among the viewers and the readers respectively.

HANNIBAL

Who can forget the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter?! He was introduced in the novels written by Thomas Harris namely 'Red Dragon', 'The Silence of the Lamb', 'Hannibal' and 'Hannibal Rising'. I have read all of these books and mind you they are the ones not to be missed. Hannibal Lecter can give you creeps in the night. The show like the novel is a huge success among the viewers. The psychological profile killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter sure has a huge fan following among both the book lovers as well as the viewers.

So after 'reviewing' the most popular T.V shows based on novels, it can thus be concluded that series adaption of books is not that bad after all. In most of the cases the show made the books popular and most important of all is that the show does adhere to the details given in the book, what more can we book lover ask for?!

If you feel that I have missed out on your favorite book adapted into a T.V show or so, feel free to comment.

P.S- I am really sorry posting after such a long time, I promise to post more often. 

Happy Reading until my next post :)

Is Amish Tripathi J.R Tolkien of India?

Hi, here I am writing my first ever post on my first ever blog, a little nervous and excited at the same time!! I gave a lot of thought as to what my first post should be about, thinking about all the varied book related topics I could write on but then settled on to writing about the book that I recently read - Shiva Trilogy.

I am sure most of us Indians don't like to read Indian authors except if it is someone great like Amitav Ghosh or Arundhati Roy or someone one well known. The thing is we don't give Indian authors much credit when it comes to writing a best seller, Chetan Bhagat definitely broke that myth by publishing 5 novels all of which were best sellers. Though I have read all of Chetan Bhagat's novels (just as a critic), I never liked any of them, but to each is own. So whenever it comes to choosing a novel by an Indian author, I definitely have a stereotypical image in my mind and avoid reading them.

Few months back, my sister had got this book The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi from the crossword sale and I gave her those 'Are-you-serious?' kind of looks, I mean why the hell would she waste money on buying this book when there are so many other books on my to-be-read list. I was sure I wouldn't fritter away my time reading this book considering it a complete waste. But then everyone was praising this book, literally everyone! Apart from receiving praises of being "path breaking" and "well written" and one of the critics also wrote that "Tripathi's trilogy is already being touted as India's Lord of the Rings", this statement in particular struck me and I thought, okay talking about this book in the leagues of Lord of the Rings would be too much and I decided to read and judge it myself.

I finished my first book in two days in-between my most crucial exams, and I must say it completely blew my mind off. The first book is so well written with an attention to detail. A legend retold in fiction with a touch of humor. The characters come out alive and live beyond the book, at a point I genuinely thought this is what might have happened and wanted everything to turn out well for Shiva. After reading the first book I immediately started with the second part of the trilogy The Secret of the Nagas - this book is by far my favorite of all three. Who would have thought that the sequel to the first book would turn out to be so good. This book has such unexpected twists and turn that I was in complete shock.You know that you are reading a good book when you have to stop once in a while just to say...f**k and mind you I stopped a lot of times just to say that very word. After reading two incredibly well written books, I had a lot of expectations from Tripathi's third book The Oath of Vayuputras'(last part of the trilogy) and it didn't disappoint me at all. This book was like the missing puzzle and by the end of it I was more than satisfied. I was a little startled with the ending but then again I thought this was necessary.

All three books turned out to be superb, I was so hooked on to reading as to what will happen next! The mystery and suspense was killing me. Amish Tripathi has done a marvelous job with these three books, very well for his first work as an author. No wonder the books became best seller and sold over a lot of copies around India, also much praised. But would I compare it to the likes of 'The Lord of the Rings'? Hell no!! Tolkien's masterpiece is on a complete different level, it is legendary and Shiva trilogy is not even close.The best thing is that Tripathi's novel broke the stereotypical image about an Indian author and came out with a fabulous novel. All I can say is everyone should read this novel, something you wouldn't want to miss out on. It is a perfect assortment of myth, fiction, well established characters, easy language, beautiful geographical description and mind-boggling mystery. An ideal summer read, if you don't have the book please go purchase it or borrow it but do read it! It will change your perception as it changed mine. 

Happy Reading until my next post!