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Friday 27 March 2015

Review : The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

If you are planning to visit or move to USA in the near future,then you are better off without reading this book.Bill Bryson does everything in his power to tarnish the so called “American dream” and he does it with impeccable style and suave.There are very few writers who can be sarcastic and hilarious at the same time.Bryson is one of them.
                    The Lost Continent is the story of a road trip across USA covering almost 22500 kms(Yes.Kilometers,not miles.Metric system rules).The author visits his hometown after spending 10 years in England and as soon as he is back,the travel buff sets out on a quest to find the perfect town which he likes to call Amalgam.This is just not a travelogue-It is a book about childhood nostalgia and unfulfilled dreams.I do not feel this is the ideal travel guide to the American continent.Bryson does not even mention the famous attractions of the country.He just drives his Chevy through the most boring suburbs of the most monotonous towns across USA.Sometimes even those tedious towns surprises him with their fresh scenic beauty or an interesting historical monument and other times he just drives for days on the concrete metal road interspersed with similar looking gas stations,motels and fast food chains.
                                 Bill Bryson is not a very likeable person.He is highly opinionated,snob and even a bit racist.As a person ,I hate him.As an author ,I absolutely adore him.The phrase “politically correct” does not even exist in Bryson’s dictionary.He is brutally honest-a characteristic that is rarely seen in modern day authors.He unapologetically goes on to bash everything that in his opinion is wrong with the American culture-blind consumerism,falling standards of education,obesity(The list is quite long).
                 Every book,even as awesome as this one,has its highs and lows.The first part of the book where the author covers the midwestern and east cost of USA, is superbly written-crisp and witty accounts of his visit to Philadelphia, New York and many other places.The second part,covering western America,becomes very dragging at times.Also,the author takes it for granted that the reader is familiar with American history.There are pages where I felt completely lost and had to look up few historical references,which was kind of annoying.
        All in all,if you are a serious nationalistic,this book is definitely not for you.Whereas if you are one of those few people on the face of this earth who are able to laugh at themselves,then you are in for a treat.

Friday 20 March 2015

Review : Theo and the Forbidden Language by Melanie Ansley

We all need a bit of magic to break the shackles of monotony in our lives.Sometimes we find that enchantment in nature and sometimes we find it in books.Theo and the forbidden language is definitely one of those stories which casts a spell on the readers and transports them to another dimension.
                      After reading the blurb , I was a bit skeptical because I could never imagine a rabbit as a hero who fights a war for his people.This was mainly because of two reasons.Firstly,we do not have many rabbit/hare protagonists in the literary world(except Watership Down).Secondly,I always thought rabbits were these furry creatures who eat carrots and love being cuddled,not fight battles with steel armours and razor sharp swords.So I started reading with some apprehensions but by the time I had finished the tenth chapter ,I was completely in love with Theo.The storyline was vibrant and  action packed.The author has also been successful in creating some very memorable characters -Brune,the muscular bear;Noshi,the wise leader ;Indigo,the fierce rabbit warrior.The story of how Theo conquers his own demons is beautifully written.It makes the character of Theo much more relatable.This book sends out a poignant message that everyone has weaknesses but we can all become champions by believing in our strengths.
                                                          I felt the plot was predictable-shy protagonist embarks on a quest which leads him to his destiny(combo of harry potter,lord of the rings,star wars).But apart from that I think the magical world created by Melanie is very believable and easy to follow.It would be a perfect read for any fantasy lover,especially kids above the age of 10 .

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Versatile Blogger Award Nomination

Thanks a lot Nita for nominating me.I would request my readers to have a look at her book blog BOOK CHOOSE .It is very fresh and genuine.

Let us just peruse the rules of this competition :

  • Thank the person who nominated you for this award and post a link to their blog.
  • Select 15 blogs that you follow regularly
  • Nominate those 15 blogs for VBA
  • Let your readers know 7 unique facts about yourself.
Below is the list of blogs which I would like to nominate

  1. Ashley                Marginalia: A Reading Log
  2. Shomeret           Shomeret:The Masked Reviewer
  3. Katerina            The Realm of Books 
  4. Natalia               Book Cupid
  5. Jennifer Blake   Heartland Reading
  6. Jonel Bokyo       Pure Jonel
  7. Simon Thomas  Stuck in a Book
  8. AJ Strekel          Read all the things
  9. Leanne               All write-y then 
  10. Sophie Cordeo  Seameless Reader
  11. Harvey               Bookmarked
  12. Jullianne            Outlandish Lit 
  13. Shanny               Shanny Reads
  14. Allen Olu           Allen
  15. Jerri Aubrey     As the page turns
Now comes the fun part.I have always found it difficult to write about myself but I am going to give it a shot

  1. I recently took a break from my corporate job so that I could read as many books as I like and travel the world.
  2. I am a fitness freak.
  3. I love skateboarding.
  4. Kill Bill is my comfort movie-I can watch it anytime,anywhere.
  5. My favourite genre is Autobiographies and memoirs.
  6. I can spend a whole week in my bed just watching FRIENDS marathon.
  7. I try and keep away from romantic novels and movies.