Readathon Wrap Up : Bookchor Readathon : Challenges and Mini Reviews

Hello people!

Today I’m kicking off a new segment in which I shall tackle mini reviews for books of my monthly/Weekly wrap up, readathons or Bookclub reads.

In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about the books I read for the Bookchor Readathon that was hosted by Bookchor on Instagram.

The Readathon began on 9th May 2018 and ran until 24 May 2018. Following were the challenges set by them:

Now, we were supposed to complete only 3 challenges, which means, read 3 books for this readathon but here’s what I ended up doing:

I know!! But in my defence, I have been on a crazy readathon of my own in which I’ve almost finished 14 physical books and 10 Ebooks. I’m currently on my 25th book called Stalker by Lars Keplar and I’m sure I’ll finish that up before May ends.

Back to the mini reviews, I will post my thoughts on the books I read but if any book requires a detailed review, I shall post another book talk specifically for it.

In the order that I read them, here are the books, the challenges they serve and my thoughts :

1. A 2018 Bestseller : Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim by Anurag Tripathi.

This was was a 5 star non fiction investigative read. It delves into the origin of the Dera as well as of the world of Gurmeet Ram Rahim. It’s astonishing to see how we, outside of Haryana were completely oblivious to the power the man held in the state and others. Written by the investigating reporter of Tehelka, the newspaper that bared him before anyone else, Tripathi recounts how the hunt for the man began with an anonymous letter. It illustrates the gory details of murder, rape and castration that were kept under wraps of the facade that was Guru Maharaj Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh ‘Insan’. A must, must read to understand the workings of a cult and it’s master.

2. A Book with great opening/Closing line: Anthem by Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand is one such author who can’t be talked about without invoking a debate. Her novelette, Anthem talks about a futuristic civilization where equality reigns and no one is better than the other. The term ‘I’ is completely demolished and citizens are referred to as We. It follows one such man called Equality -7925, who thinks and is curious about science, development and understanding the Earth. Forbidden to do anything outside of their own set discipline is considered a crime, alongwith a lot of other simple tasks. When he falls in love with a woman, things take a different turn as he dares to question and challenge everything he has been ever taught.

Rand’s insistence that individuality and attitude is a gift and is what sets everyone apart is what is presented in the book. She emphasises the need to be able to think for oneself, be selfish, have your own thought process to make the world a better place. To make this short life worth living. A definite 5 stars to this stellar read!

3. A Book that is a part of a trilogy : A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.

Now, this was a reread because I wanted to be prepared for A Court of Frost and Starlight. I read ACOTAR and wasn’t really expecting much from this one but HOLY MOLY. The turn that this one took definitely had me hooked. I realised that I didn’t like ACOTAR much to begin with but after this, I absolutely hate it. In a drastic contradiction with ACOTAR, it has more depth to the characters, humour and wit, love, friendship and understanding. All the makings of a beautiful book. I can’t talk much here because I will find a separate book talk to convey my feelings. If you haven’t guessed it, this was the star of the show.

4. A book which is more than 500 pages long: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas.

The end of the ACOTAR trilogy that definitely lived up to its expectations. I wasn’t really prepared for the volley she threw right at the end but it was worth the heartbreak. Absolutely gobsmacked that my first ever YA fantasy series after 7 years of the Twilight Catastrophe is such good one!!

5. A book set in winter : A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

While I wasn’t expecting much from this one, considering it was a bridging novella but I was a tad bit disappointed by the utter lack of direction. It would have served better as an epilogue of ACOWAR instead of a separate novella that did almost nothing except being a fix for the ACOTAR universe deficiency. It did however, pave the way to the next installment but I would have liked more to go on and in a proper direction so that the end of it felt more like reading a new book than a continuing epilogue or afterword, which is unfortunately what it felt like. However, I did end up liking it despite it’s shortfalls which is why I think it’s more a 3.5 star star than a perfect 5 which it would have been otherwise.

So this is it for my #bookchorreadathon wrap up! Watch out for my complete reviews on these books in the coming days along with the other 24 exciting books I read in the month!

Until next time!

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