Tag Archives: book box set

A Refreshing read: Ruskin Bond

This little book was a refreshing read. Despite its easy and seemingly normal subject matter, this book has the capacity to change your outlook.

Plants1 - Ruskin Bond
A Little Book of Magical Plants by Ruskin Bond

Synopsis:

In this little book full of whimsical illustrations and thoughtful quotations, Ruskin Bond introduces us to his favourite plants. Meet the resilient rubber, the tantalizing tomato, the generous grass, the dainty dahlia, the nifty neem and many others. Bond’s simple and descriptive prose brings these apparently inanimate beings alive—each with a distinct identity, a singular quirk. A Little Book of Magical Plants is a handy guide to discover more about this often ignored world of ‘green growing things’.

My review:

This little book was a refreshing read. Despite its easy and seemingly normal subject matter, this book has the capacity to change your outlook. I think I read it at the perfect time – just in time for the new year. Through the simple yet descriptive prose that Bond is so famous for, he introduces us to his favourite plants. What is magical is how he opens our eyes to make us see the qualities each of these plants possess. We too should be just as resilient and kind and accepting of our own quirks.

Plants2 - Ruskin Bond
A Little Book of Magical Plants by Ruskin Bond

At a time when we as Indians are getting shocked every day because of the gruesome crimes happening against women, let us all pledge to be kind and brave and always stand up against whatever is wrong. I loved how nostalgic the writing seemed to get at times. The author adds his own anecdotes and it just lends a special flavour to the writing.

There are also beautiful illustrations that are very soothing to the eye. Moreover, the quotes are presented in calligraphy adding another layer to beauty to this already adorable book.

4.5/5 stars to this gem!

Links to Amazon and Goodreads

Check out my review for Live Oak, With Moss, a collection of homoerotic poetry, by Walt Whitman

The Conspiracy Unknown, Abishek Babu, 2019

Title: The Conspiracy Unknown Book I: The Vengeance of the Fallen

Author: Abishek Babu

Publisher: NotionPress

Genre: Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Synopsis:

The story starts with the birth of a prince and the series of events that follow. Fifteen eons ago, the ‘Great War’ was fought between the Anndas and a group of revolutionaries, in which the revolutionaries came out victorious. The Anandas were chased out of the empire and were made to live in the forest like nomads. The revolutionaries named Ragupta Moriya as their king, and thus the Great Moriyan Empire was formed. Great songs and stories were written about Ragupta Moriya and his ten war generals who fought out the evil Ananda Empire. After fifteen years, a plot is made to overthrow the Moriyan Empire. And it all falls on the shoulders of Ragupta to win the battle.

After nearly 2300 eons, the life of Dr Sebastian Stein is under peril. A mysterious man in a black suit is in pursuit of capturing Dr Stein, but Sebastian is saved by his father’s old friend. When Sebastian starts to learn about the death of his father, he realizes there’s no other way to escape but to run for his life.

What exactly happened in Before Clearance Existence (BCE) for it to affect the life of Sebastian Stein in After Clearance Existence (ACE)?

My review:

I received a review copy from the author in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Conspiracy Unknown: The Vengeance of the Fallen was quite a heavy read. With two different narratives, from two starkly different eras, weaving in and out, it was a story with a great plot, and great storytelling.

So basically, there are two different storylines – in an eon way back in the past, there is the majestic Moriyan Empire. The monarch is King Rasabind, who’s son Hisoka possesses the famed third eye! After he is attacked during his naming ceremony and the attackers surprisingly do not remember any of their action, the king goes on his own hunt to know the truth.

Eons later, in a future quite distant, we have Sebastian Stein who is trying to figure out the mystery surrounding his father’s death. And out of nowhere, he finds himself chased around with threats on his life.  these are two seemingly unrelated things and yet, w strive to understand the root relationship between these people from eons between them.

With this interesting premise, I jumped headlong into the book and it didn’t really disappoint me, but to be honest, I felt like there was a certain something missing. While it is well packed with wars, the thirst for vengeance (as the title suggests), conspiracies etc., I felt that the narrative lagged a bit in parts and may have simple been filler material. Apart from that, the presence of the multitude of characters confused me for a bit in the beginning but then they do not really have much presence later on, so that threw me off a bit. The overall effect could have been a bit more polished. 

Verdict:

It was a good read overall and I rate it 3.5/5 stars!

About the reviewer: Nayanika Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam, and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc.  She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .

Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark, 2019

Title: Nordic Tales

Illustrated by: Ulla Thynell

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Genre: Short Stories/Fantasy

Format: Hardcover

Language: English

Synopsis:

Trolls haunt the snowy forests, and terrifying monsters roam the open sea.
A young woman journeys to the end of the world, and a boy proves he knows no fear.
This collection of 16 traditional tales transports readers to the enchanting world of Nordic folklore. Translated and transcribed by folklorists in the 19th century, and presented here unabridged, the stories are by turns magical, hilarious, cozy, and chilling. They offer a fascinating view into Nordic culture and a comforting wintertime read. Ulla Thynell’s glowing contemporary illustrations accompany each tale, conjuring dragons, princesses, and the northern lights. This special gift edition features an embossed, textured case and a ribbon marker.

My review:

I received a review copy from the publishers in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely was in love with the illustrations in this book. I’m not much of an artist myself, but the chalk/wax crayon-like texture of the drawing was very pleasing to the eye. I read this collection of folktales along with my brother and we were so in love with these that they felt so magical and we longed to delve into these worlds.

Like all folktales and fairytales, these too have morals that are delivered on an entertaining note and are not simply boring and didactic. We could understand so many of the emotions and feelings behind this because I feel that despite the geographical differences and cultural differences etc., every culture has got certain morals etc that it teaches its people.

Nordic Tales is a collection of folktales for Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. Divided into different sections like Transformation, Wit, and Journeys, these stories have themes of human kindness and tolerance in general, bravery, honesty, love, perseverance etc.

I also love this beautiful bookmark. It is from Damyanti Gharge and she’s a gem!

Verdict:

Totally a 5 star read!

About the reviewer:

Nayanika Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam, and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc.  She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .

July Book Haul 2019

Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for your wishes! My 21st was what I expected. I was actually doing #adult works – cleaning the house and stuff. Lol. Anyway, it was good as I did spend some time with my family and cousins and I also did some reading. It was like every other day but your love and wishes made my day! Thank you so much! Also, the haul picture is coming up soon!

Moving on, here is my July book haul, although these are only review copies and books i have otherwise bought. The books I was gifted for my birthday, although acquired in July too, will be shown in another post.

  1. The Broken Amoretti by Sudipto Das and Aparajita Dutta
  2. Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  3. Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky
  4. Love in the time of Affluenza by Shunali Khullar Shroff
  5. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
  6. Spelbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowly-Doyle
  7. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
  8. Emperor Chandragupta, and
  9. Emperor Vikramaditya by Aditya Kay
  10. Birdy Flynn by Helen Donohoe
  11. Silence Between the Spces by Abir Sinha
  12. The Monsters Still Lurk by Aruna Nambiar
  13. Celtic Tales
  14. Well-Read Women
  15. The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters

As for my reading, I just finished my second book of august – Reign of War. It is the second book in the Oremere Chronicles trilogy by Helen Scheuerer. I had love the first book Heart of Mist and I rated it 5/5. It is no surprise that I loved the sequel too and rated it 5/5 stars. It is just so complex and a really well-written series. If you have not yet read it, I definitely recommend you to pick it up as soon as possible!

#qotd : what is your current read? Are you enjoying it?

Daredreamers: A Start-up of Superheroes, by Kartik Sharma and Ravi Nirmal Sharma, 2018

Title: Dardreamers: A Start-up of Superheroes

Author: Kartik Sharma and Ravi Nirmal Sharma

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Genre: Contemporary

Format: Paperback

Language: English

No. of pages: 296 pages

Synopsis:

India’s first start-up of superheroes with a mission of saving lives is here to kick ass. 
Rasiq is riding the highs of life thanks to his successes as an investment banker. But his arrogance soon gets the better of him and he ends up losing everything he holds dear. Managing to salvage only his grit from the wreckage, Rasiq reboots his life and teams up with five uniquely talented superheroes to start a rescue venture 
– DareDreamers. These superheroes Nick: a crazy inventor; Halka: an inhumanly strong man; Arjun: a champion shooter; Natasha: a Bollywood stunt-double; Dr. Vyom, a medical Sherlock Holmes; and, of course, Rasiq: the mastermind combine their unique talents to deliver spectacular rescue operations. Their skyrocketing success, however, comes at a price an enemy hell bent on tearing down their fame and reputation.
Will DareDreamers defeat its wily adversary? Or will it become yet another failed start-up?
Treachery, action and adventure come alive to make DareDreamers a page-turner.

My review:

I received a review copy for the author in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Daredreamers was a really interesting book with a just an interesting start. Being such a workaholic myself, I could deeply relate with Rasiq. While it is harmful, yes, the sense of high one gets when one does the thing one loves, is incomparable. But in the case of Rasiq, we see how worthless it can be, when one is slogging day and night, doing something one does not enjoy at all.

The theme of hard work and passion reign supreme throughout the book and I really like that. I believe that the book was really inspiring, as will most other readers feel.

The plot is a really interesting one and the writing style is just as engaging. One might think, considering the fact that there are two authors, there might be clashes with the combination of both, but I could hardly differ the two authors’ style – such is the elegant mixture of the writing.

The start-up is a common enterprise we see in the modern world but the way in which it has been portrayed is a new concept. The characters show that with the zeal and hard work, along with smartness, one can achieve what people say is impossible. The characters are all also great ones – Rasiq, Halka, Vyom, Natasha, Arjun, Nick and later, Asylum, etc. are all the best ones in their field that this too is an inspiring fact. The strive for excellence is one we should never give up.

Verdict:

I quite enjoyed the book and I rate it a 4/5 stars!

About the reviewer:

Nayanika Saikia, is one of the foremost book reviewers from the North-east and Assam, and is also an admin for the official India bookstagram page on Instagram. She publishes her own reviews and recommendations for poetry, fiction, non-fiction etc. on her bookstagram account @pretty_little_bibliophile which won the NorthEast Creator Awards 2018, as well as in daily newspapers, online magazines etc.  She can be contacted at nayanikasaikia98@gmail.com .

Finding Esme, by Suzanne Crowley Box-Set!

Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm in Texas.

Fans of Wendy Maas and Lynda Mullaly Hunt will love this perfectly pitched story about friendship, family, and loss from Suzanne Crowley, the acclaimed author of The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous.

After her grandfather died from a heart attack while driving his tractor, Esme has avoided returning to the spot where he lost his life. But when she follows her little brother, Bo, up the hill while chasing fireflies, she makes an incredible discovery—dinosaur bones peeking out from underneath the abandoned tractor.

Esme sees the bones as a message from her grandfather; a connection beyond the grave. But when word gets out that Peach Hollow Farm is hiding something valuable, reporters, researchers, and neighbors arrive in droves. Esme must find a way to understand who has her best interests at heart—especially as the memories of her grandfather begin to slip away.

From acclaimed author Suzanne Crowley, this engaging adventure set on a Texas peach farm is just right for fans of Rebecca Stead and Ann M. Martin.

I am so very grateful to the author for sending me this box-set. I am currently reading this book and I am loving it. It is a middle-grade novel and as such, it was not a surprise that my younger brother loved reading it too. I would definitely recommend this book to all!

Stay tuned because the review will be up soon!
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