Sorry Folks...

 I haven’t had time to write anything since I have shifted to Ghana. My lame excuses are as follows:

• When I cam here two months ago, I didn’t have internet
• I got internet three weeks late
• Then I had homework
• Then I had personal project
• And then I had HOMEWORK.

Ah, yes undeniably these list of excuses must be the best ones. So now that we finally have October Break (YES!), I hope to continue writing. The good news is that I haven’t stopped reading at all. In fact I just robbed my school library yesterday and issued at least 6 books. I was hoping for more but I was afraid my bag would rip.

So instead of reviewing books today I thought I could share some really exciting news with you!

Bitterblue: I just got the news today because I didn’t have the time to actually read my favorite authors Kristin Cashore’s blog for a long time. So the cover has apparently just released last week, I feel severely guilty that I couldn’t manage to see it the day it was released. It is really pretty actually better then either its first book Graceling or Fire.

Keys? What do they symbolize, why do they look like weapons and why is one gold, silver and bronze? One year of waiting for the final book has been an a ginormous torture but Kristin Cashore gives the reason why in her blog, “A lot of people have asked me why it took so long for me to finish this book. The answer is simple. It's not because I was distracted; it's not because I wasn't working my ass off; it's simply because Bitterblue is longer and more complicated than the other books I've written, and some books require more time than others. The book decides.”

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The Amber Spyglass

Source:  E-Book

Publisher: Scholastic Point

Age Group: 10 Above

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi

Pages: 399

In Series:Once upon a Time in The North (Prequel), The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass, Lyra's Oxford (not part of trilogy), The Book of Dust (not part of trilogy)

If you have been following my blog recently, you might have noticed that I have been talking about the His Materials Series a lot. Well, I just finished the third book. You don’t know how disappointed or a better word how depressed I am.

The Amber Spyglass:

Lyra has been kidnapped by her very own mother who has put her to sleep on the tip of the Himalayas in her Lyras own world. The Church is coming to kill her, the small men are coming to get her to her father Lord Azriel and her best friend Will and the faithful King bear Iorek are coming to save her. But while all this is happening Lyra is having dreams straight from the underworld where her dead friend Robert is communicating to her. Now that Will does rescue her, The Subtle Knife has been broken. She cannot break her promise to her dead friend but she has to find a way into the underworld to find some answers and to save all the ghosts residing in the fearful underworld.

Writing Style:

As I mentioned in my review of The Subtle Knife, the plot left us in a very tight positioned cliffhanger, The Amber Spyglass begins exactly where the second book ended. After that it followed different narrative, going from Lyra to Will to Serafina Pekkala to Father Gomez and so on. The Amber Spyglass continues the themes of Loyalty, Love and Good vs Evil. What I like the fact about Pullman is that he adds different mythologies together and scripts from the bible to provide knowledge to his readers. I like the way he makes me think of what I couldn’t possibly imagine before. Is there a god? If so has he died? Am I living in a world with no god? He makes us think out of the box, which is something different for all of us.

My Opinion:

I’ve read many Trilogy’s, but his one by far has to be the one with the worst ending. I am a sucker for happy endings. I hate it when something sad happens. I cant really tell you what happened because it would destroy all the climax. But I can tell you this, the ending is happy in its own way. The ending, just ruined it all for me, really. Each time I think about His dark Materials the ending pops into my mind and ruins all the effect that the author had created for me in the first two novels. Now that I have finally finished the entire Trilogy, I wonder if I will ever read it again. Maybe not because I would have to face this one too.

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The Subtle Knife

Source:  E-BookPublisher: Scholastic PointAge Group: 10 Above

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi

Pages: 341

In Series:  Once upon a Time in The North (Prequel), The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass, Lyra's Oxford (not part of trilogy), The Book of Dust (not part of trilogy)

Having reviewed it’s The His dark Materials first book The Golden Compass, I waited no more than a few seconds to plunge into Phillip Pullmans widely controversial children’s novel. Having finished reading it just a few seconds ago, I found it even better and better built then the first one.

The Subtle Knife (Fortunately called so by everyone):

After Lyra follows Lord Azriel to another world, she looses track of him from the beginning and continues the journey own her own with her daemon, Pantalaimon and the a compass like object which tells the truth called the Aleithometer. It is not before long that she finds her self another human companion in a world similar to her own called Will Parry. Will Parry is a 12 year old murderer, his mother is instable and his father as been long lost. On his way to Oxford he meets Lyra and together they help each other to reach there quest. Will has to find his father and Lyra had to stop her own from destroying dust. On there journey they land up in a unknown world called Ci'gazze. A world where parasitic type of humans prey on adults but are invisible to children. A very important object lies within here, and they have to find it in order to get back what they have lost.    

Writing Style:

I finally got the entire fuss about the controversy. I had a some idea in the first one but I got the entire blow in this book. You want to know? The series are about killing god or as the book calls, Him “The Authority”. Ah, yes  obviously most people are enraged they blame his thoughts on the fact that he is a atheist, which undeniably he is. They also believe that such teachings should not be shelved in the children section.

I get all the commotion, I am certainly not against Pullman. I think he wonderfully weaves the story in filling it in with metaphors, enthralling sub-plots, cliffhangers, themes including trust- between Lyra and Will which emerged quite quickly enough, Courage- Lyra going into a new world all by her self. I also loved looking out for the symbols (I am not going to rant about religion this time) snakes and cats which were mysteriously placed in so many parts of the book.  Pullman’s superb use of writing and his deep knowledge on both of his created worlds makes him one of the best authors there is.

My Opinion: 

I really liked The Subtle Knife, though I didn’t like the ending at all. I am not a huge fan of cliffhangers; I absolutely loathe them. Evidently it became really clear in the second book that the main conflict was between Lord Azriel and God (along with the protagonist’s mother Mrs. Coulter) which was kind of bleak in the first book.

I really missed Iorek, the bear, who I was growing fond of in the Golden Compass. (From the spoilers I have read he is going to be there in the third book!) I loved the fact that there was a new character called Will Parry who was vividly described and too became one of my favorites. I have only one complaint about the characters and that is I missed the old Lyra entirely. I tried searching for glimpses of her old self but I couldn’t find any. Pullman has tried to make her more mature then she was before to such a extent that not only bothered me but her daemon Pantalaimon too.

I look forward to the third and final book: The Amber Spyglass!

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What Happened to Goodbye

Source:  E-Book

Publisher:  Penguin Young Readers Group

Age Group: 12 above

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary/ Stand Alone Novel

Pages: 402

It took me around three hours reading this book. In the end, was I satisfied? No, not really. I cant see the difference between Dessen’s older works and this.

What Happened to Goodbye By Sarah Dessen:

Each new city means a new persona for McLean. Ever since her mom left her dad for a basketball coach Mclean and her dad have been traveling as a restaurant consultant. When they stop at lakeview, everything around McLean seems to change. She becomes friends with Deb, Opal and Heather and most of all with her neighbor Dave. For the first time in her life, McClean becomes herself not some actress or a girl called Liz. She has a sudden desire to live in Lakeview forever and live a normal life.

Writing Style:

Girl is having problems either socially, in school or in her family. She has to solve it, and did well obviously its Sarrah Dessen so there has to be some hot guy with curly hair in it too.

What makes What Happened to Goodbye so different then Just Listen, The Truth about Forever, Along for the ride, Keeping the Moon? Truthfully the answer is nothing. In Just Listen, Annabel was having social issues with her friends, her sister was anorexic and she had a terrible secret she could tell not one. In Along for the ride, it was the same Auden didn’t make friends easily she was too mature and family wise her dad had left her mom for some other women called Heidi. Keeping The Moon was the same, mom is weird, the girl get even weirder and did I mention friendless?  I can go about describing all Sarrah’s novels, but you might have guessed already. So, all in all there is no point in my ranting.

Sarrah Dessen is not what we call a Maureen Johnson in the YA world. I can write like her if I try, though I believe writing is a skill only acquired when practiced. She has the skill, that everyone has within there inner secret self. She uses easy words, phrases and sentences rarely using literary devices so that teens will easily read and can relate easily. That is why I am not going to complain about her writing because Sarah Dessen doesnt write for the sake of writing, she writes so that teenagers can relate to her characters and learn something from them.

What Happened to Goodbye, we saw the usual. Important themes (that also occur frequently in Dessen novels) like dealing with loss, change, solving problems, maintaining friendship and family relationships are also present. McLean has enough problems with her mother who cheated on her dad, it is that loss that makes her vulnerable, she decides to change her self in every place she goes but when she finally does settle down she realizes that friendship is equally important to family and she cannot loose her new friends like the way she lost her family. Which leads us to another theme, rather the most important one self realization or self discovery.

My Opinion:

I was so anxious to read this book and it was my top priority to read it this year. If you follow my blogs regularly I think I have mentioned my distress in not getting it soon enough. I am making this review late, because I know if I had written it before I would have said it was good. But after waiting long enough, I realize (which I knew that I would) that it was not worth it, the wait, that is.

This book captured me from the start to the end even though I knew what was going to happen, the book was so predictable. I couldn’t let go of it. Besides the same type of writing and story I really enjoyed the fact that Dessen made McLean more realistic then her other characters though the situation in which McLean was quite unrealistic. Mclean had her set of friends and she also had Dave, who proved quite worthy of a companion and gave humor into the story. I read Sarah Dessen for the pure sake of fun but it will not disappoint her fans at all that I am sure of, but from my side I would like to read something of Sarrah Dessen that is original and not like her other nine best sellers that are pretty much more or a less the same.

Also, those who are willing to be first time Sarah Dessen readers should try to read The Truth about forever first. I wouldn't really recommend What happened to goodbye.

  

I would recommend it to a person who hasn’t read much of literature, is a girl, enjoys reading chick-lits and likes a fast read. 

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The Golden Compass

Source:  E-Book

Publisher: Scholastic Point

Age Group: 10 above

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi

Pages: 399

In Series: Once upon a Time in The North (Prequel),The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass, Lyra's Oxford (not part of trilogy), The Book of Dust (not part of trilogy)

I haven’t seen the movie, though a few years back I do remember seeing the trailer in cartoon network several times. In elementary school I had the wits to pick up fat book (100 pages + at that time meant that you were pure genius) and I do so quite remember picking up “The Northern Lights” and again like I did to every classic smack it down and utter the word rubbish and move away I did the same to The Northern Lights.

Its been five years ever since. I’ve picked it up again but as time as a e-book and the title as The Golden Compass.  The Golden Compass is the books American version and the The Northern Lights is the English Version. The strange thing is that the protagonist, Lyra calls the compass like object an Alethiometer, so what’s the fuss about the different names?

Northern Lights or as the Americans say The Golden Compass:

The Golden Compass takes place in a world similar to our own except that in that world technology is limited to aircraft and the dressing style resembles our Victorian era.

Lyra Belacqua the main protagonist of the story and her daemon, Pantalaimon (A soul which takes shape of any animal in pre-adolescent years and the fixes its shape later on) live in the scholar world of Oxford. During her years in Oxford she secretly learns about Dust from her Uncle Asriel. Dust is a form of elementary particle discovered by her Uncle that  falls from the sky and gets attracted to people (especially adults). The Church or Magisterium  that holds maximum power in Lyra’s world, believes that it may be the physical form of Original Sin.

Children start to disappear in Oxford the word is that Gobblers are taking them. When Lyra senses that they have taken her best friend Rojer, The Master of Jordan College in Oxford is under pressure from the church and turns Lyra over to Mrs. Coulter. Mrs. Coulter is nice and gives Lyra her most attention. Lyra is having the time of her life going to parties and studying with Mrs. Coulter but she misses her friend and his afraid for him. But Lyra knows what is right and long after all she is the owner of the Alethiometer, a device which tells you answers to any questions you seek.

The movie was supposed to be the

'Next Harry Potter' but ultimately 

failed to do well in the box office.

Style of writing:

Reading the first book, I was kind of surprised. I didn’t expect a children’s book to challenge the church and God at all. After researching about it, I found that it had been banned from several countries and that the book had distressed many people. I haven’t found the book insulting in any manner, that may be because I am not that religious neither am I Christian and seriously don’t really think that Pullman is trying to make children anti- Christian. He is just trying to spread the knowledge.

The symbolism of religion or basically Christianity, in this book was so clearly spelled out you didn’t even have to find it. In the end of the book Lord Azriel says he is trying to free humans from sin which in the His Dark Materials Trilogy is caused by dust. In the end he also makes a pathway towards the sky (heaven) so he can seek dust and destroy it to free all mortals from sin. To make things really clear, Pullman also gives his facts through Lord Azriel by reading a passage from the Bible about Original Sin and Adam and Eve. The Magisterium (The Church in Lyra’s world) is the law which is the law that God made to make Humans aware of sin. Lord Azriel is getting rid of sin while Mrs. Coulter tries to the human race by cutting the daemons (souls) of children when they are still sinless so they will be safe from being sinful and they wont have to die because of sin.

My Opinion:

I liked the Golden Compass a lot. Though, it resembles a bit to the Harry Potter world. Harry like Lyra who is a mere child and already has a destiny to follow and complete the only difference is that Lyra is not so encumbered with the responsibilities of the world. The difference between Rowling and Pullman was that His Dark Materials Trilogy was easy to decipher, like we knew that Mrs. Coulter was up to something unlike Harry Potter the readers discover the facts at the same time Harry does. The book was filled with cliff hangers and questions which were left unresolved. I didn’t even wait a second to pick up the second book. So, you better pick up the first one too.

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The Godfather By Mario Puzo

Source: Bought for Rs 80, in Daryaganj, Delhi, India

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Age Group: 14 above, according to maturity
Genre: Crime Novel 

Pages: 446

In series: The Sicilian (by Mario Puzo), The Godfather Returns (by Mike Winegardner), The Godfathers Revenge (by Mike Winegardner )

Well, I have been dying to actually read this book for years. Having seen the movie when I was very little I remember only a few griping scenes and besides that my memory fails me entirely. I bought this book recently on my Daryaganj expedition as you can see from above in only RS 80. Its really cheap for such a well known book, but since it’s fake, it has the right to miss four entire pages. Which is too bad for me because I’ve missed out one the most intense scenes ever.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo:

Don Vito Corleone, ‘The Godfather’, head of one of the most powerful Mafia family in New York is shot by a new contender ‘Solozzo’, for not agreeing to protect his people in drug trafficking. After the Don is shot,  the plot unfolds to the Corleone family and they soon realize its time to change and they have to adapt to the new circumstances and forget there old ways of mafia to protect the family. Sonny, the dons eldest son has too much temper to ever become the don when Sicilian beneath him, he will do anything to get what he wants and will do anything to protect his love ones. After Michael shoots Sollozo and a Police captain to death, the powerful mafia families break down and start a full fledged war.

Style of Writing:

The only person I remember in The Godfather
is Marlon Brandon, I do not even remember
 Al Pacino.

Providing depth to each character and the history of the event behind it The Godfather is written in third person narration with different point of views. The first page of the book starts with sub plots and slowly weaves it self to the main plot. Occasionally, after a few chapters, characters like Johnny Fontane the Godson of the Godfather plays a role of his ineptness to his stardom, Lucy Mancini the mistress of the Godfathers first son Sonny spies for the Corleone family in Vegas and the “unholy demon” Luca Brasi. I loved the fact Mario Puzo wasn’t an unreliable narrator he had such a neutral style of writing he didn’t have favourites he just kept on writing with a flow and left us to consider what was right or wrong. Mario Puzo also makes the Italian families authentic by adding words such as 'Consigliere’ and stories the Dons childhoods friends in Sicily. One of my most favourite parts starts right in the middle in which Mr. Mario Puzo describes the back story. The formation of the Corleone family and the struggles faced by Vito Corelone to reign over his neighbourhood by using his intelligence and having to murder. Though this back story wasn’t so relevant at the time of the situation at hand it was beautifully written to trace the origins of the Don Vito Corelone and how the events took place for him to become from a nobody to the Godfather.

My Opinion:

I am not going to brag about how much I loved it and how fantastic it was, like I do to the most books I like. The Godfather doesn't deserve such small bleak words. It’s a master piece, wonderfully crafted and its own sole individual legion. It’s a crime to compare it. The godfather is one of those books you cant let go till you have finished the ending. Its captivating and thrilling all the way to the end. It’s a book you can read over and over again and learn something new from the way of writing or other information about the characters that you missed out before. Its defiantly my favorite, its high time I re-read it again (although its almost been only two days since I finished it) and its about time you grabbed it too.

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Anna And The French Kiss

Source:  E-Book
Publisher: Dutton 
Age Group: Yong Adult – 12 Above
Pages: 372
Genre: Young Adult Romance
In Series: Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door (To-Be-Released), Isla and the Happily Ever After (TBR) 

Reading the title name, a primary school kid may go like, Eww! It had the word Kiss In IT!! A normal teenager boy doesn't pay a damn, a parent may ask her teenage already swooned daughter if the book is according to her age. 

When I came across it, I didn’t think much about it. All I knew was that this book was very much hyped about in the blogosphere world and that Mr. John Green, author of Looking for Alaska and Maureen Johnson, author of The 13 Little Blue Envelopes was fanatic over it. If Mr. John Green and Maureen Johnson liked it so much, it had to be good. Really Good.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna’s family isn’t perfect and she is severely flawed. But just as things are becoming better then before, her dad ships her off to a boarding school in Paris. Of course she doesn’t want to go, she’ll have let go of her life in Atlanta, her best friend, her almost-to-be-boyfriend, her seven year old brother and her mom. Anna doesn’t sulk in Paris for long, she quickly becomes friends with a popular group of teenagers and most importantly with an unavailable boy called Etienne St. Clair. 

Style of writing:

The thing that attracted me to Anna and the French kiss beside the two main characters was the writing.

Check this out: “I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.”

The writing is my favourite aspect towards the book. Its ridiculously funny, its written perfectly, the timings are great and WOW, for a debut author Stephanie Perkins can write, she surely does know her stuff.

Stephanie Perkins has a thing for colorful streaks,

anyone noticed? Anna with white, Lola with purple

and the writer herself with blue. I know this is irrelevant.

But I love it!

Stephanie Perkins writes in such manner that the characters make the book itself and not the author. Anna and Etienne scream out REAL!! because Perkins has written in such a detailed manner you just want to fall into them and do whatever fun they do in boarding school.

To say the truth, this book isn’t a ground breaking novel and the story really isn’t really original. I mean almost all love stories are as such aren’t they? A girl and a boy who is taken by another girls but eventually the two love birds come together. Then why do I love this book so much? The true fact is that, I can see so many imperfections in it but I don’t want to see them at all. The characters are heavily flawed and are showed in such a teenage way. Anna and her friends are so true and honest you believe in there story entirely because it can be real. This story can be my best friends story. Who knows?

My Opinion:

“WOW! Wow !WoW! Did I mention WOW? I can re-read it again and again and again. WOOWWW!!!!”

Its ridiculously funny to see my so giddy and so badly hyped about a book I read a month back. I had to wait an entire month before reviewing it to you so I wont sound like any other hysterical teenager. Well, the wait was quite wrong because while writing this I feel more then hysteria.

I am DYING! I need this book NOW!

One of the saddest things that crossed my mind was “I’ve lived in Paris (I was only 1 year old) and I haven’t enjoyed it like Anna! The city is so beautifully described I was equally swooned by Paris then I was by St. Etienne. Although, the city is described in a clichéd manner it’s some amazing description for a person (aka Perkins ) who hasn’t even been to France.

And now to the romantic bit, I loved the two characters Anna and Eitenne (I've mentioned it before, sorry but I cant help it). I adore the fact that Etienne wasn’t great amazing and perfect. He was even more flawed then Anna herself. He was scared about leaving the past and making new decisions, he was afraid to get hurt and was much more confused then anyone in the book maybe save Josh. Another thing was he was really short, even shorter then Anna (Where do you see that?!) and definitely not your average ‘6 foot above guy who think you smell in you biology class and follow you around obsessively 24/7’ types. Etienne relied on Anna because they were best friends.

Its romantic, yes of course but other very important themes like individuality, confrontations, family, loyalty as such. The book is about  leaving you home facing a new world, confronting things and most of all growing up. I really look forward to reading more of Perkins and her next book is coming out September 29 2011. I hear Anna and St. Clair are going to be in it too!     

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