Advance Booking

HIDDEN BY THE CLOUDS

The inspiration for this book seems to be Romeo and Juliet, more importantly, how would Juliet react if she and Romeo had beens separated? According to the book, she would clutch at her heart at every instant and become a zombie. Note to all: Bella is no Juliet. The only reason I actually finished this book and might read the two remaining ones is that I don't want to leave the series unfinished, especially one as hyped as this. And I enjoy a good roast in my reviews.

New Moon catches up with Bella with about six months having elapsed after the events of Twilight (read my review here). After a small cut reveals the danger of being with a vampire family, Edward dumps her and the Cullen family leave town. Bella is heart-broken, devastated (add choice of apocalyptic adjective here) and withdraws into a shell. Then she catches up with an old friend Jacob, and finds solace in his company, but is he good enough to replace the void that Edward has left in her life?

Bella is easily the weakest heroine I have ever met. She can't seem to live without a man in her life, and when Edward leaves her, she makes Jacob her crutch. The way she leads Jake on was really cruel. When he had problems of his own, all she could think about was how she needed him, what he had to do for her. Is that what teens should understand from friendship- how useful your friend is to you? And all that rubbish about hole in the chest, gasping for air (seriously, she needs an inhaler)! I understand that she's 18 years old, and at that age, your first love seems like your true love, but this book takes it too far. Teen romances about girls mooning over their first crush have a vein of sarcasm running through them, but this book treats it like gospel truth. Give me a break! When she decided to go dirt racing, I thought she had actually gotten over her Hotness Monster and decided to have some fun, but the next sentence about dying to hear Edward's voice in her head and enjoying the mental instability crushed my hopes.



I tried to find something nice to say about this book, I really did. I tried to understand what made this series such a superhit, but I confess, I can't think of a single reason why. I really did not want to write such a negative review, but I couldn't hold the words back. If you love this series, please help me understand why.

My top tunes from the last six months. It took quite a bit of thinking, as I couldn't remember 9 songs that particularly stood out, except for the Delhi 6 soundtrack, and a couple of songs from Dev D. Movies included are those released in 2009 (though the music may have released earlier)

1. Masakali (Delhi 6): Who doesn't love this song? The opening vocals are strikingly awesome and just draw you into the song. Mohit Chauhan's drawling voice, A.R. Rehman's awesome music, and of course, the pigeon- just some things that put this song at the top of my Hindi playlist.

2. Emosanal Attyachaar (Dev D): This is the 'in' song for broken hearts and single guys. Nasal, funny and completely irreverent, this song is not for everyone, but I never get tired of listening to it.

3. Aasma Odh Kar (13B): A really nice, soft song, and a surprise find (this movie has been made as Yavarum Nalam in Tamil too). Chitra's voice is sweeter than honey, and I thought she stole this duet away from Shankar Mahadevan.

4. Arziyan/Maula Maula (Delhi 6): I didn't want a movie to be repeated, but this track so blew my mind away that I had to include it. Reminds me (as if I needed reminding) of why I love Kailash Kher.

5. Sapnon Se Bhare Naina (Luck By Chance): I really liked the classical feel of this song, and the lyrics are so pertinent. I usually listen to this song when I'm a little off-colour- it strikes a chord.

6. Maahi (Raaz 2): Interesting song. Composed and sung by one of my mom's favorite contestants on the reality singing show Voice of India, I found it pretty good: Western beats with Sufi influences.

7. Nazaara Hai (8X10 Tasveer): The movie apparently flopped, but this song stayed on. A nice rock number, with shades of Rock On in it. Biggest failing: the 'hai', which sounds like the chorus is puking.

8. Aa Dekhen Zara (Aa Dekhen Zara): This is essentially a remix of an old song, but they didn't ruin it like I had heard another DJ do it. Neil Nitin Mukesh sang this himself, and he hasn't done a bad job.

9. Chandni Chowk to China (Chandni Chowk to China): No, it's not part of my favorites, but I needed to complete the 9 for 09. Well, to tell the truth, I found the song funny initially, but repeated listening took its toll.

Do you like my list? I know I missed out a couple of awesome songs, but I didn't want the list to be repititive: it probably would have had only Delhi 6 and Dev D and a couple of songs from 13B. Tell me about your favorite Bollywood tunes.

DEMONIC CHARMS

I jumped straight to Book 5 in the series, not because I didn't get Book 2, but I like reading a series in mixed-up order. It gives you a sense of what lies ahead, and also lets you see if the author has retained the magic touch which initially drew you to his books.


Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony finds Artemis interested in demons, the eighth family of fairies. Demons are trapped in limbo on their island of Hybras, but the spell holding the island in its state of timelessness is deteriorating, and demons are popping up here and there. Holly Short is sent to find out how much he knows, and before you know it, all of them are swept up in an adventure to protect the demons.


This book is different from the first in the sense that there is a lot of magic in the book. I missed the gadgetry of the first book. The plot is also a bit hurried near the end, with a lot of events tumbling over each other. But it's enjoyable, fun. A good thing is that Colfer doesn't follow a tried and tested formula, there is no background which you have to know, so that leaves room to experiment with the story. We meet a lot of new characters, but I missed Root's bluster quite a lot. In this book, Artemis also has competition, in the form of Minerva Paradizo, an equally brilliant child prodigy who is after the demon as well. She gives Artemis an intellectual challenge, and stirs his adolescent side as well. I saw a different side of Artemis: he didn't do things just to attain his goal, but to help others, showing a maturing in his personality. But somehow I preferred the self-centred boy to this do-gooder teenager. His crystal-cool demeanor and his sharp brain are as good as ever, and the solutions he finds to the various crises are well created. I liked this book, thought it was a nice read as I plow through Midnight's Children (I am determined to finish that book, hopefully before August).


Have you read this instalment in the Artemis series? What did you think about it?

SANDS OF TIME

This is one of my favorite Bengali books, one I read after I had just learnt to read Bengali. It has a special place on my bookshelf- a book I read again and again.

Pradosh Mitter a.k.a. Feluda is a private investigator hired by Mr. Dhar to protect his son, Mukul. Mukul is a young boy who has visions of his past life, and Dr. Hajra, an eminent parapsychologist deciphers the place of his dreams to be Rajasthan, and takes him there, hoping to shed light on such matters. Feluda, along with his cousin Topshe, travel to Rajasthan, and thus begins a adventure in the golden sands.

This is a really enjoyable detective story, simple in its plot yet elegant in its construction. There is a wealth of information and I learned a lot about Rajasthan. The writing is humorous, though many jokes are best rendered in Bengali, and I am not very sure how they can be translated without losing the essence of the joke. Ray's Feluda books are a must-read for lovers of detective fiction and if you can get your hands on a copy, please do read them. A movie has also been made on this book by Ray himself, and captures its essence well on celluloid.