A Babbling Booktrovert

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Author : Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ISBN :  Publisher : Dial Press Genre : Historical Fiction  Publication : 2008 Pages : 277 Format : E-book BOOK BLURB: January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig ...

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : Remnants of Separation Author : Aanchal Malhotra ISBN :  9789352770120 Publisher : Harper Collins Genre : Society / Non-fiction  Publication : 2017 Pages : 400 Format : Hardback BOOK BLURB: SEVENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE PARTITION, and a momentous event now recedes in memory. Generations have grown up outside the shadow of the communal killings and mass displacement that shaped the contemporary history of the subcontinent. Despite being born into a family affected by the Divide, artist and oral historian Aanchal Malhotra too had thought little about the Partition until she encountered objects that had once belonged to her ancestors in an Undivided India. A gaz, a ghara, a maang-tikka, a pocketknife, a peacock-shaped bracelet, and a set of kitchen utensils: these were what accompanied her great-grandparents as they fled their homes, and through them she learnt of their migration and life before the Divide. This led h...

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : Homegoing Author : Yaa Gyasi ISBN :  9780241242728 Publisher : Viking Genre : Semi-Autobiography / Fiction Publication : 2017 Pages : 320 Format : Hardback BOOK BLURB: Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader's wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow. Taking us from the Gold Coast of Africa to the cotton-picking plantations of Mississippi; from the missionary schools of Ghana to the dive bars of Harlem, spanning three continents and seven generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel - the intimate, gripping story of a brilliantly vivid cast of characters and through their lives the very story of America itself. RATING: 5 ☆'s REVIEW: Sometimes you feel a draw towards a particular book without knowing anything about it or knowing why it is calling out to you - that is what homegoing was for me... I ...

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : The Serpent's Revenge Author : Sudha Murthy ISBN : 9780143427858 Publisher : Penguin Genre : Mythology Publication : 2016 Pages : 200 Format : Paperback BOOK BLURB: How many names does Arjuna have? Why was Yama cursed? What lesson did a little mongoose teach Yudhisthira? The Kurukshetra war, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas and which forced even the gods to take sides, may be well known, but there are innumerable stories set before, after and during the war that lend the Mahabharata its many varied shades and are largely unheard of. Award-winning author Sudha Murty reintroduces the fascinating world of India s greatest epic through the extraordinary tales in this collection, each of which is sure to fill you with a sense of wonder and bewilderment. RATING: 2 ☆'s REVIEW: I have always been a fan of Sudha Murthy's works - her writing is so simple, yet it touches upon the deepest fibres of your soul.....

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : The Silent Companions Author : Laura Purcell ISBN : 9781408888100 Publisher : Bloomsbury Genre : Gothic Ghost Story Publication : 2017 Pages : 384 Format : Paperback BOOK BLURB: Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge. With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. But inside her new home lies a locked room, and beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary and a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure – a Silent Companion – that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself... RATING: 4.5 ☆'s REVIEW: I love reading scary ghost stories, but I am never really scared easy. So I keep looking for spooky reads and that's how I came across this book. It was definitely a good read as is obvious from my rating though sa...

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : 40 Rules of Love Author : Elif Shafak ISBN : 9780241972939 Publisher : Penguin Genre : Literary Fiction Publication : 2015 Pages : 358 Format : Paperback BOOK BLURB: Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work. It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heartbreakingly explored... RATING: 3.5 ☆'s REVIEW: Somehow buying books at the airport has always had a different kind of charm for me. With the limited selection, you end up ...

BOOK DETAILS: Book Title : The Bear and The Nightingale Author : Katherine Arden ISBN : 9781785031045 Publisher : Del Rey (Penguin) Genre : Fantasy / Russian Fairytale Publication : 2017 Pages : 312 Format : Hardback BOOK BLURB: In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church. But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods... RATING: 4.5 ☆'s REVIEW: The book derives inspiration from Russian Fairytales and their characters. And thus, it comes close to my heart. I don't really belong to a reader family even though my maternal grandfather was an English Teacher. So, the c...

Book Title : 9 Yards of Silk  Author : Sakshi Kiran ISBN : 9789384315788 Publisher : Half Baked Beans Publication Genre : Mythological Fiction / Romance Publication : 2017 Pages : 150 Format : E-book BOOK BLURB: Shakuntala lives with her son Bharat in a deep forest. One fine day Bharat reminds her of his father, resulting to upset her. As the child goes out to play a celestial maiden Menaka appears in front of her who offers friendship, suggesting to share their stories with each other. Menaka tells her about Kaushik, a sage to whom she was sent by Indra for disturbing his fierce penance and how they ended up falling for one another. Shakuntala also shares her story of meeting and marrying the charming prince of Hastinapur who later abandoned her. During the conversation Shakuntala finds blessings in her life, why she was abandoned by parents at birth and how her estranged husband was just a victim of circumstances for leaving her. After Menaka's...

Book Title : Betrayals and Paybacks Author : Sana Shetty ISBN : 988193379165 Publisher : Write India Publishers Genre : Murder Mystery / Suspense Thriller Publication : 2017 Pages : 210 Format : Paperback BOOK BLURB: How far would you go to protect your loved one? Would you even condone murder?  Eight years ago Vedant Birajdar fled Tamara, a small nondescript village on the banks of the river Kaveri, after a wild night out with his best friend Jay Varma, turned disastrous. Now he is back and Jay is dead, Misha , the love of his life is engaged to another man and his older brother, Tarun , is missing. All he is left with is a strange message Jay leaves on his answering machine, before his death.  Misha does not believe her brother, Jay, committed suicide. Yet, she has no reason to believe otherwise. Not until Vedant turns up at her doorstep, bleeding and seeking her help. Together they have to figure out what really happened and...

Book Title :  Dumplin - Go Big Or Go Home Author : Julie Murphy ISBN :  9780062327185 Publisher : Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins Publishers) Genre : Young Adult / Contemporary Fiction Publication : 2015 Pages : 375 Binding : Hardback About The Book: Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thi...

Book Title : A Man Called Ove Author : Frederik Backman  ISBN : 9781449474256 Publisher : Sceptre Genre : Novel / General Fiction Publication : 2014 Pages : 305 Binding : Kindle Edition About The Book: A grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him  the bitter neighbor from hell , but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt ...