My Guest-Post on Chesapeake Films about How Stories Changed My Life.
What Do Stories Mean to You – HEENA RATHORE P. (The Reading Bud)
My Guest-Post on Chesapeake Films about How Stories Changed My Life.
Author: Heena R. Pardeshi
Heena is the author of the award-winning novel Deceived. She works as the novel critic and the chief editor at a local publishing house in Pune, India. She is an animal lover as well as an animal activist.
She loves books, music and wine. Travelling and learning about new cultures is an integral part of her life.
She is presently learning Piano and French language.
She lives in Pune, India with her beloved husband and 6 cats.
Free Writing: The Best Exercise For Writers!
Ten Books I Want To Reread
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the awesome authors of The Broke and the Bookish.
Today’s topic is:
Ten Books/Series I Want To Reread:
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The Hobbit
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Lord Of The Ring Series
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A Song Of Ice And Fire Series
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Hunger Games Series
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Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Series
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Twilight Series
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The Clifton Chronicles
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Da Vinci Code
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All Nicholas Sparks Books
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All Sidney Sheldon Books
New Review Format
Whenever I sit down to review a book, all the things that I wanna say about the book instantly floods my mind and sometimes I see that I’ve mistakenly forgotten to write about 1-2 points. That’s the reason I broke my review in 3 categories- Positives, Negatives and Conclusion. But from last month or so I’m feeling like this is also not enough. So, after considering a lot of options I’ve come to a conclusion to change my entire review criteria.
From now on I’m gonna break down my reviews in 8 categories so that I don’t miss out on any point. In these 8 points I’m gonna include Blurb and Cover art as well cause I think that these are the 2 things that draws the readers attention to the books and no one ever really talks about them in reviews. I think that these are also important enough to comment on. The categories in which I’m gonna break down my review are as following:
- Plot
- Characters
- Romance
- Writing
- Beginning
- Ending (it’s really important, specially in series.)
- Cover Art (90% of the time I decide whether to read a book based on it’s cover art.)
- Blurb (yes, sometimes they mislead and that has to be pointed out!)
I’m having a great feeling now that I’ve made it official. The only concern is that I’ll have to review the old titles again in this format (but that can wait, right!)
I’d love to hear what you think about my new format. Fell free to share what’s on your mind 🙂
Have a great day 😀
Book Review: Exotica (Nightshade cases, Ep-2)
Genre: Crime | Paranormal | Thriller | Episodes
My Rating: 5+1/2 out of 6
Read my review of Exotica at JC’s Book Haven.
You can also read this review at Goodreads.
Blurb:
Bodies wash up on the Silver City beach all the time, but this one is different. Detective Geraldine Meyers is hot on the case, with help from medical examiner Dr. Rachel Hunter and anthropologist Dr. Kinsey DanAllart, uncovering the truth behind deaths at a popular new nightclub. Will they deduce a logical explanation for the murders? Or will the three friends uncover a deeper conspiracy hiding the truth about what’s stalking their city’s streets?
Welcome to The Nightshade Cases, a series of twenty-one episodes in twenty-one weeks. Please note: this episodic series is based on the television show model, with screenwriting notations and shorter formats. There will be a complete mystery each week, with cliffhangers only occurring in the full season story line.
NaNoWriMo
Finally after giving it a lot of thought, I’ve decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, after all it’s about having fun and interacting with other authors, and yea… writing (a lot!)
This will be my first time participating in a writing competition, except for a few I took part in when I was in school. I’m really nervous as I’ve just started writing and that too I write around 300-500 words per day, so this is going to be huge. I’m gonna try and write atleast 1500 words per day (pssst…. like that’s easy) and I’m just gonna make sure that atleast by the end of November I have a solid plot and strong characters.
I’m sure that you guys might also be participating. My profile name is Heena Rathore P. and the link to my NaNoWriMo profile is here. I’d love to be your writing buddy… the more we are the better! Please leave your profile links or names in the comments section and I’ll be happy to add you 🙂
A quick update on RMFAO Buddy-Read: Me and my friends (11 people) will be starting with Pet Sematary today. I’ll be posting my progress and few discussions here weekly or so. If you wanna join our buddy-read, drop in at RMFAO and just introduce yourself at the discussion board.
A Wish Come True!
Hey guys…
I have a very happy post to share with all you lovely people today! I’ve got my Note-4, Charcoal Black!
Since the time I got my first Note, I’ve been a huge fan of Samsung phones (yes, I like them even more than iPhones!) I love the easy interface of Notes and the unlimited access to all the apps you can possibly imagine (thanks to android!) I love everything about them, right from the feel of the phone to the looks, they are just brilliant!
Last week I saw the video launch of Note-4 and since then I haven’t been able to sleep (you can watch it here.) I love Note-2 but I didn’t like the design of Note 3 so I passed on the chance to get it. But Note-4 is like perfection redefined! The brilliant display and the unbelievably smooth touch are just amazeballs! The front and back camera is pretty awesome and I absolutely fell in love with it that day when I first saw it in that video.
Vishal knows how obsessed I can get when it comes to gadgets (being a girl doesn’t mean I can’t obsess over gadgets!) and he really understands my love for technology. I knew that my behaviour will lead him to buy this baby for me but I thought I’ll get it as my birthday present in December. What I didn’t know was that Vishal knows me so well that he already booked Note-4 just one day after it’s release in India, and trust you me, he totally took me by surprise when he took me to the Samsung Store today and started talking to the guy about our product! I really got hysterical and when I realised that he was talking about my phone I literally burst into tears! OMG it was such a precious moment!
But in no time I wiped my tears, hugged and kissed him and then jumped to the Note 4 kept for display. I was playing around with it the entire time till we got ours. Then we just rushed home and I cried some more (God… I was so overwhelmed!) and then I did a long happy dance, which I’m sure was a treat for Vishal! lol!
I was glued to it the entire evening and right now I’m writing this post on my Note-4 itself! I’m really, really happy and here’s my first Note-4 Selfie:
Thanks for reading the post and being a part of my happiest day!
PS: As promised in the post L’ORÉAL’s Medium-Brown it is!, you can see the hair colour I was talking about in the above picture! 😀
I hope you all have a great day ahead!
Ciao 🙂
Book Review: Shadow Cursed
Author: Gelo R. Fleisher Release Date: March 21, 2013 Series: None Genre: Fantasy | Fiction | Paranormal Edition: mobi Pages: 110 Publisher: Self-Published Interest: Requested by author Source: Author (Thanks a lot Gelo!) Buy it here: Amazon
Blurb
Bolen is a thief, plying his trade under the spires of an ancient and sprawling city. Worried that he’s growing too old, Bolen has lined up a risky job, just to prove that he can still pull one off.
Tonight, he’s going to break into a nobleman’s vault and help himself to its contents. What he doesn’t know is that inside is the key to a secret as old as the city itself.
Kings have killed for it, demons have coveted it, priests have prayed for it, and in a few moments it will be in his hands. And when it is, the adventure of his life will begin.
Review
Positives
Shadow Cursed is a beautiful tale of a thief named Bolen and how he lands in an unexpected situation and ultimately overcomes it. The character of Bolen is developed beautifully and I felt the connection with him almost instantly. The plot is quite simple but it’s simplicity is quite mesmerizing! It might sound weird but this book had an odd satisfying feel to it, the way fairy tales have on children. It made me feel that the world is a good place and that it’s not as wicked as we believe it is. This book made me feel like a child who is just hoping for a good ending throughout the entire read. I wanted to see Bolen happy at the end more than anything.
This book had me under it’s spell and that too a really fine one! It has some really good surprises which makes it a must read for everyone.
Negatives
None.
Conclusion
Shadow Cursed is a powerful short and simple read. I’d recommend it to everyone who loves to read a fine book.
You can also read this review at Goodreads | Leafmarks | Booklikes.Other Stuff
Opening Line: “All through the city, the first signs of daylight made themselves known.”
Highlights: Simplicity of the plot.
Low-lights: None.
Memorable Quote:
But laying there, looking out over the city, he felt content. He was happy, truly satisfied for the first time that he could remember. He’d done something worthwhile, something that would last after he was dead and gone, and that felt good. “I don’t know what comes next. Maybe it doesn’t matter.”
Final Thoughts: A beautiful story.
RMFAO Buddy-Read #1: Pet Sematary
Hi guys!
I hope you all had a great weekend!
As most of you know that I’ve created a group on Goodreads, RMFAO (if not, then read about it here or visit the group on Goodreads here.) In November we’ll be having our first buddy-read. Being a huge Stephen King’s fan I wanted to begin the buddy-reads with one of his books and the book that got selected through poll is Pet Sematary. 
If you are interested in reading this book with us in our buddy-read then you are most welcome! There are total 10 people so far who’ll be reading in this buddy-read. You just have to let me know and obviously be prepared with the book by 1st Nov’14.
As everyone already has tons and tons of books to read, we’ve planned to read a single book in the entire month (this way you can participate in this buddy-read without affecting your schedule.) We’ll discuss the pages we read everyday, so feel free to drop by anytime (even if you aren’t participating.)
You can also participate in the discussions if you’ve already read the book.
Lemme know if you have any queries (lol! like this is an exam notice….psssttt…), still lemme know if there’s anything! Visit the discussion board of Buddy-Read#1: Pet Sematary here.
PS: Currently I’m running a poll at RMFAO for deciding the genre for Buddy-Read #2 (Dec’14). If you wish to participate in that then drop by and vote for your favourite genre! Vote here.
Have a great week ahead!
Keep blogging ❤
Book Review: Girl Nevermore
Genre: YA | Contemporary | Dark-Fiction
My Rating: 3 + 1/2
Read my review of Girl Nevermore at JC’s Book Haven.
You can also read this review at Goodreads.
Blurb: Last week, Cooper Mesa was a quiet, studious bookworm.
This week, she feels unworthy of love or forgiveness.
When Cooper’s twin sister, Kayla, tries to end her own life, Cooper blames herself. If only she had paid more attention…
Desperate to understand her sister’s decision, Cooper starts down a dark path, discovering her own inner turmoil. Losing herself is easy, but finding a reason to live is becoming impossible.
Guest-Post: How to Conquer Writer’s Block!
My guest post on Thoughtful Minds United.
How to Conquer Writer’s Block!
“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.”
Book Review: The Mine (Northwest Passage #1)
Author: John A. Heldt Release Date: December 6, 2013 Series: Northwest Passage #1 Genre: Science-Fiction > Time-Travel | Historical-Fiction | Fantasy | Adventure | Romance | NA Edition: mobi Pages: 316 Publisher: Not known Interest: Requested by author Source: Author (Thanks a lot John!) Buy it here: Amazon
Blurb
In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can’t use, money he can’t spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of swing dancing and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.
Review
Positives
The Mine is the best time-travel book I’ve read in a really, really long time! It’s a brilliantly written book and the strong and realistic characterization will definitely blow your mind. Joel Smith, the lead, is such a gentleman and is just so adorable that I really can’t praise enough. You can feel the connection, with Joel, develop over quite a few pages but once he time-travels and starts his new life, you’ll start understanding him better and better with every page you turn. Joel is my new favourite time-travelling character. He is everything a stud, time-travelling brilliant and smart guy should be. He handles the fact, that he has indeed walked into a time-machine and come 59 years before his time, pretty well and starts acting accordingly.
Among the other characters, Ginny really stands out. She is this amazing women whom you really idealize and start respecting instantly. John has left a lot of big authors far behind in the race when it comes to character building (atleast for me!)
The plot is amazing and develops slowly in a very subtle way. It ends beautifully and leaves you craving for more and more. From the historical point of view, as far as I know, John has paid very close attention to the details which is highly commendable.
Negatives
None!
Conclusion
The Mine is a beautifully written book and definitely a must read. I’d recommend it to everyone, particularly the fans of Time-Travel, Science-Fiction, Adventure and Historical-Romance. Trust me, you really don’t wanna miss out on a wonderful book like this one!
You can also read this review at Goodreads.Other Stuff
Opening Line: “Joel eyed the remains and laughed at the animal that had caused the carnage.”
Highlights: Excellent writing and perfect characterization.
Low-lights: None.
Memorable Quote:
“Beneath that delicate exterior is a strong, resolute woman who does nothing halfway. Never take her for granted and never underestimate her. She will amaze.”
Final Thoughts: The best time-travel book I’ve read till date!
Movie Review: Dracula Untold
Directed by: Gary Shore Starring: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon and Dominic Cooper Release Date: October 10, 2014 Running Time: 92 minutes Adapted From: Dracula Language: English Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2aWqecTTuE
Plot Summary
Vlad Tepes (Luke Evans) is a great hero, but when he learns the Sultan is preparing for battle and needs to form an army of 1,000 boys, including Vlad’s son, he vows to find a way to protect his family.
Vlad turns to dark forces in order to get the power to destroy his enemies and agrees to go from hero to monster as he’s turned into the mythological bloodsucker Dracula.
Based on characters by Bram Stoker.
Review
I’ve always been fascinated by Darcula, though I’ve never read about him but I’ve always been curious to know about his life. I’ve always thought of Dracula as a very negative character due to the frequent negative portrayal of him. I’ve always considered him a bloodsucking killing machine, but after watching this movie I felt a strong need to kick myself! I never thought that Dracula can be interpreted in such a glorious and honourable way. He is shown as a caring and protective father who’ll go to any lengths to save his family and empire from the rude and egoistic Turks. After watching Dracula Untold I’ve undoubtedly turned into Dracula’s sincere fan. To be honestly he has successfully hit the top note when it comes to my “Favourite Vampires list”. I can say, without a single speck of doubt, that Vlad is the best vampire that has ever walked on the face of the Earth.
The bats are shown pretty amazingly, specially the bat-effects whenever Vlad took a flight or ran super-fast. Dominic Cooper played the part well, though I thought there should have a bit more action! I was left craving for some one on one bad-ass and gory fight between Vlad and Sultan. There could have been a lot of action in the last 15 minutes but unfortunately the fights were child-like!
Other than the awesomeballs character of Vlad, I really really liked Master Vampire. He scared the hell out of me and I really freaked out at his close-up. He looked every bit like the name suggests and I was actually hoping for the villain to be as scary and dangerous as Master Vampire, as disappointing as it is, that was really not the case.
Vlad looked dangerously scary when, near the end, he bites Dominic Cooper. The effects are awesome and the costumes were up-to the mark. Sarah Gadon’s performance really didn’t stand out. In my opinion, some other heroine might have played the part better!
Sneak Peak
What do you feel about Dracula Untold? Feel free to share your views 🙂
L’ORÉAL’s Medium-Brown it is!
Hey guys!
I’ve been planning on getting a very particular look for my hair in terms of colour, and finally I’ve figured out (on my own!) how to get it. My natural hair colour is Dark-Brown, something like chocolate-fudge, with just the tinniest hints of a lighter shade of brown. Awesome right! But as always I’m not satisfied with the colour, so I keep on changing it 🙂
Last year I got this cool shade of Black with hints of cherry red, Garnier’s Black-Cherry. God… how much I loved flaunting my hair with those beautiful hints of cherry-red! It was amazing. I actually thought I’ll stick to that colour for my entire life! But those of you who know me well enough are probably laughing right now, cauz they now that I have a very fickle mind! Yes… So this year for my “ultimate look” I’ve decided to go L’ORÉAL’s Medium-Brown and in January’15 I’ll colour my hair L’ORÉAL’s Light-Brown. Then I’ll get low-lights of Medium and Dark Brown! It’s gonna look fabulous! I can see it clearly… Beautiful Light-Brown Hair with undertones of Dark and Medium Brown! Perrrrrrfect! 😀 (dreamy eyed)
So I’m done with the first step. I’ve coloured my hair Medium Brown and for now I’ll be happy flaunting my long brown layers till January! Probably I’ll click a few pics tomorrow. I’ll sure as hell share them with you guys 🙂
Have a great week ahead!
Ciao 🙂
It Really Is “All About the Books”
You’ve gotta watch this!
PS: I guess the video won’t play for some reason! Please visit the original post and watch it over there. It’s really awesome!
Um, so, this is awesome. It is my new theme song! I really have nothing more to add. Just watch it. I loved it!
Book Review: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)
Author: Richelle Meade Release Date: August 16, 2007 Series: Vampire Academy Genre: YA | Fiction | Paranormal |Vampires | Contemporary Pages: 332 ISBN NO.: 978-0-141-32852-2 Publisher: Penguin India Followed by: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)
Blurb
She must be protected at all times from the fiercest and most dangerous vampires of all – the ones who will never die.
Rose Hathaway is Lissa’s best friend – and her bodyguard.
Now after two years of illicit freedom, they’ve been dragged back inside the iron gates of St. Vladimir’s Academy. The girls must survive in a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and terrifying night-time rituals.
But above all, they must never let their guard down, lest the immortal vampires take Lissa – forever…
Review
Positives
Vampire Academy is a brilliant and fresh take on Vampires. I absolutely loved the story-line and the characters were out-of-the-world good. Richelle’s writing (in first person) and the subtle plot- development absolutely blew my mind off. This book is definitely a page turner. It’s intriguing plot kept me stuck to it day and night! This book is painstakingly good and I’ve already got it’s sequel issued from my library.
Talking more about the characters I’d like to say that the leads, Rose and Lissa, have super contrasting personalities. On one hand Rose is bad-ass, impatient, reckless and sassy and on the other hand we have Lissa who is classy, delicate, patient and graceful. For me, Rose Hathaway is the best female lead character after Katniss Everdeen. Being a damphir, absolutely nothing can stop her from saving Lissa from even the tinniest of harms! Their friendship and bond were the best thing about the whole story!
This book is what I really needed to rouse my interest, yet again, in the YA genre. It is a must read.
Negatives
I don’t think here’s anything negative to say about this book. The only reason I’m holding back half a star is because unfortunately I happened to watch the movie first, so it kinda killed the suspense for me. Hopefully the next book will get a full 5-stars rating from me.
Conclusion
If you love YA genre, Vampire Academy is definitely for you. I’m already regretting staying away from it for so long, but nevermind, better late than never! I’m very happy that I read it and more than excited to read the next part. Go ahead and get yourself this book, if you haven’t already!
You can also read this review on Goodreads.Other Stuff
Opening Line: “I felt her fear before I heard her screams.”
Highlights: The fresh take on paranormal genre.
Low-lights: None!
Quotes:
“Taking a deep breathe, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life.
I walked away.”“I didn’t like having reasonable arguments thrown at me.”
“I had a standing arrangement with God: I’d agree to believe in him—barely—so long as he let me sleep in on Sundays.”
“Screw you,” I told him in a low voice.
“Are you offering?”
“From what I’ve heard, there isn’t much to screw,” I shot back.”
Memorable paragraph:
“Lissa and I had been friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us up together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we’d—or rather, I’d—responded appropriately. I’d chucked my book at out teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn’t known what those words meant, but I’d known how to hit a moving target.
Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.”
Final Thoughts: A brilliant YA read 🙂
RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off)
Hi friends!
I’ve created my first group on Goodreads: RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off). Isn’t the name amazeballs!
I’m really, really excited and would love to invite you all to join it. I’m planning to have a lot of buddy-reads and a hell loads of Read-a-Thons! I’ll be posting about them here, on The Reading Bud as well so that whoever is not on Goodreads (which I highly doubt!) won’t miss out on anything fun.
Please feel free to share with me any ideas you have that can the RMFAO more fun. I’m really happy and would love it if you can be a part of my group 🙂
Have a a great day 😀
Book Review: Enchanted (Donovan Legacy #4)
Author: Nora Roberts Release Date: April 1, 2009 Series: Donovan Legacy Genre: Paranormal| Romance | Fiction | Contemporary Pages: 331ISBN NO.: 978-0-263-87514-0 Publisher: Penguin India Preceded by: Charmed (Donovan Legacy #3)
Blurb
Rowan Murray needed the space to make an important choice, so she ran to a cabin on the wild coast of Oregon. But her new house was isolated, and Rowan was a woman alone. Hiking in the woods one day, Rowan’s solitude was threatened by an encounter with a stranger. Liam Donovan was mysterious, temperamental, frightening – and Rowan’s nearest neighbour. In a terrifying storm, with the power out in her tiny cabin, Rowan desperately needed help. When Liam arrived just in time, she had no choice but to accept his aid. Rowan would have to trust an enigmatic stranger with her whole future.
Review
The best thing about Nora Roberts’s books is that all the sweet and magical romance makes you forget all your tensions. Well atleast they do this for me! I liked this one a lot because it was different, firstly the lead male-witch, Liam, was a shape-shifter and second the female lead, Rowan, was also a witch, coming from a family of a long-forgotten but a real one!
Rowan as a character was brilliant and successfully flaunted the stuff women go through atleast once in a lifetime like confused, vulnerable, burdened and on the tricky edge to make a life-changing decision. On the other hand, Liam is a typical egoistic and arrogant male character with “I-take-all-the-f***ing-decisions” attitude. He behaves snobbishly and keeps throwing the excuse-ball of responsibility on everyone’s face. I guess I’ve made it quite clear that I really didn’t like Liam but trust me it didn’t ruin my reading experience because at the end Rowan had the nerves to ask Liam to literally beg and confess his love. That douche-bag really deserved it! That little moment literally made up for everything!
I liked the angle of a Rowan’s grandmother’s forgotten legacy. After reading Captivated, Entranced and Charmed, loosely based on the same concept, except for all the different styles of love-making 😉 , this one was totally different.
The writing was simple and the plot was interesting. If you’ve read the other books from the series then you’ll be happy to know that in this book we get to meet Morgana’s, Ana’s and Sebastian’s families as well. It really felt good to read about all the cousins again, as over the first three reads, one really develops a relation with the leads.
You can also read this review at Goodreads.
Other Stuff
Opening Line: “Dark as the night and fleet of foot, the wolf raced under a hunter’s moon. ”
Highlights: Different storyline.
Low-lights: Liam’s behaviour!
Quotes: “She sighed once, wishing she had a talent for the details of telling stories. She wasn’t bad at themes, she mused, but she could never figure out how to turn a theme into an engaging tale.”
Memorable paragraph:
““I was your lover Liam, but never your partner. I won’t settle for that, not even for you. You had my heart in your hands, and you didn’t know what to do with it. I can tell you, without the crystal ball, without the gift, you will never have another like it.””
Final Thoughts: A good book to conclude The Donovan Legacy.
The Right Decision
Hi guys!
I haven’t been active from past 10 days as I was down with fever and allergic cough. Vishal is still recovering from the viral he caught, and so am I 😐
The last 2 weeks of illness have given me enough time to rethink about what I really wanna do and more importantly how I’m gonna do it. From last 2 months I was trying to find BA in English course in Switzerland but it seems there are only 2-3 colleges that have English as a medium of communication and none that has a course that I’m looking for! So finally I’ve decided to complete my degree in Pune, India only.
In the last week I collected all the information I needed to make up my mind and guess what, I’ll get to learn German as well for 3 years in the course that Pune University offers. I really can’t ask for anything more. They have a decent syllabus and the University is internationally recognised. Hopefully I’ll try and get admission by the end of this month for FYBA this year itself.
I’m really, really excited and at the same time extremely nervous as I’ll be going to college after 4 years. Vishal is such a sweetheart and is immensely supportive. Even he thinks I need time to sort out my carrier and life before shifting to Europe.
My intuition is giving me a very clear thumbs up, so I guess I’ll be going ahead with this decision 🙂
Book Review: The Accidental Apprentice (ARC)
Author: Anika Arrington Release Date: October 4, 2014 Series: Not sure Genre: NA | High Fantasy Edition: e-book (epub) Pages: 180 Publisher: Xchyler Publishing Interest: Requested by publisher Source: Xchyler Publishing
Blurb
Brilliant and ambitious, Rezdin the Wizard has one goal: impress the king, but he answers to Baron von Dappenshien who refuses him access to Court. However, before Rezdin can maneuver himself into the limelight, the king arrests von Dappenshien for treason, and Rezdin goes to ground. The wizard finds himself dependent upon the wits and good will of one starving street urchin. But what can he offer little Tommy in return? When old dangers and new alliances rear their menacing heads, Rezdin must decide where his true loyalties lie, and what to do with his newfound entourage of one.
Review
Positives:
The Accidental Apprentice is a wonderful and fascinating book, full of magic! I liked everything about the story and the characters. The Characters are one of the many ‘positives’ for the book, they are very well developed and quite influential. You can instantly connect with the characters as the book is written in various PoVs. I loved the fact that magic, in this book, is described so flawlessly that for a minute I was wondering about having powers within myself. This book is very beautifully written. Anika’s writing carries you magically through the entire story and leaves you craving for more at the end. The plot is aptly intriguing and the concept of DMZ (Demystifying Zone) is just amazing.
I can’t even pick up a favourite character, as each and every character felt so true!
Negatives:
I would have greatly appreciated one more chapter from Erik’s PoV. I strongly feel that this chapter would have provided the character of Baron von Dappenshien a satisfying closure. I really, really missed him in the end. That’s the only reason for me to cut back on 1/2 a star in the rating. Also a different cover might have done wonders for the book!
Conclusion:
The Accidental Apprentice is a wonderful book full of magic and surprises. It has successfully made it’s place amongst my favourites. I’d recommend it to all the high-fantasy readers.
PS: I really hope that the author writes a sequel to The Accidental Apprentice. I’d love to see Tommy’s progress in the Academy.
Other Stuff
Highlights: Anika’s fantastic imagination and writing .
Low-lights: Ending felt a bit incomplete.
Memorable Quote: “Magik is quite, invisible, small. And in the quietest, simplest gestures, the most powerful magiks reside.”
Final Thoughts: An amazing read.
Book Review: Innocent Assassins
Genre: Mystery | Crime | YA | Contemporary Thriller | Action
My Rating: 4 + 1/2
Read my review of Relative Evil at JC’s Book Haven.
You can also read this review at Goodreads.
Blurb
There are three rules to staying an assassin at the corporation of Covert Operatives: (1) your parents must be deceased, (2) your contracts must remain confidential, and (3) you must be under the age of eighteen.
After a murder mission goes awry a month before her eighteenth birthday, Covert Operatives assassin Jane Lu finds herself caught by the federal government and forced to spy for the CIA while remaining in Covert Operatives. Once her spying mission is over she will be allowed to live a civilian life without facing criminal consequences, a life she’s only dreamed of having.
As Jane leaks information to the CIA, she uncovers secrets with enough power to both destroy Covert Operatives and her own boyfriend, Adrian King, who’s next in line to be CEO of the company. When her identity as a double agent for the CIA is discovered within Covert Operatives, she must decide where her allegiance, and her heart, truly lies.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts 🙂
Time for Awards!
This is a single post for all the awards I’ve been nominated for during my 7 months of blogging history.
- Liebster Award by Aiswarya of My Kitchen Moments
- Most Influential Blogger Award by Dear Kitty. Some Blog
- Sunshine Award #1 by Ada of More Food, Please
- Sunshine Award #2 by Aiswarya of My Kitchen Moments
- One Lovely Blog Award #1 by weight 2 lose 2013
- One Lovely Blog Award #2 by Amaryllis Turman of The Opinionated Woman’s Musings
Thanks a lot to all of you for all the love and appreciation!
As the criteria for all the awards is different, I’m answering some questions and listing 7 facts about myself. You can also read the separate posts for Liebster Award and Most Influential Blogger Award.
1. What do you look forward to most when you first wake up?
My 20 minutes meditation ritual. It calms and prepares my mind for the rest of the day.
2. Are you a ‘night’ or a ‘day’ person?
I’m a day person, to be exact, I’m a early morning person. I love to have some alone time!
3. Why did you start blogging?
It was just a random thought, but it seems to have changed my life completely.
4. What was the last thing you Googled?
Really? I-phone 6….psssstt….
5. Flowers or chocolates?
Flowers (lilies and tulips)
6. What has been your favourite blog post to write?
Book Review: Lord Of The Flies
7. When was the last time you did a handwritten letter, who was it to?
2 years back for my brother on Rakhi.
8. What cheers you up on a dreary day?
Anything out of the following:
- Chicken Momos with extra spicy sauce.
- A new book (preferably thriller!)
- Roast chicken subway with extra mint mayonnaise and jalapeños.
9. What can we expect to find from your blog in the future?
Hell loads of Book Reviews and may be a book or two written by me!
Read “7 facts about me” in my next post!
Ciao!
Book Review: Frostbitten
Author: Heather Beck Release Date: June 23, 2014 Series: None Genre: YA | Paranormal-Romance | Shapeshifters- Werewolves Edition: e-book (epub) Pages: 296 Publisher: Enchanted Publishing Interest: Requested by author Source: Author (Thanks, Heather!) To buy Frostbitten click here.
Blurb
Great beauty hides dark secrets…
Seventeen-year-old Anastasia Lockhart has never led an easy life, but when she starts getting into serious trouble, she’s sent to live with her grandparents in Cedar Falls. The small, picturesque town hasn’t changed since she visited four years ago, with one exception – the presence of a handsome, mysterious boy named Frost. Despite warnings from her grandparents and friends to stay away from Frost, Anastasia can’t deny their attraction, and the more time they spend together, the deeper in love they fall. Unfortunately, Frost has a secret that is beyond Anastasia’s wildest imagination, and she soon finds herself in the midst of a supernatural legend that has haunted Cedar Falls for years.
Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?
Review
Positives:
Frostbitten is a well written book. What really makes Frostbitten a good book is Heather’s writing. I can’t stress enough on how much I liked it. It’s a lovely book that has all the elements a paranormal book should have. Right from the beautiful and stubborn young girl to a gorgeous and loyal werewolf, from a caring BFF to a rich and jealous bitch (who makes Anastasia’s life a living hell!) The mystery involved is also quite good.
I really liked Cedar Falls and I’d love to get answers about it’s past in the next instalment.
Negatives:
Even after liking this book I can’t ignore 2 facts. First, that it was really hard to connect with the leads. I mean they are well-explained and all, but still they felt very far-off. And secondly, this book has some really odd similarities to Twilight: A girl whose life is hell, meets a gorgeous guy who takes comfort in solitude, and falls in love with him. She finds out about him being a shape-shifter and then accepts the truth in no time. They they stand together against the world. Overall it’s totally like Twilight except for the fact that Frost is a werewolf and secondly he was unaware of his past.
Conclusion:
I understand that as this is the first part, establishing the basics is very important and in this book it’s been done quite neatly (well, except for the characters.) I guess that the next part is going to be better, so I’m looking forward to read it 🙂
You can also read this review at Goodreads | Amazon | Leafmarks
Other Stuff
Highlights: Heather Beck’s writing.
Low-lights: Character-connection and numerous similarity to twilight.
Final Thoughts: A light and good paranormal read. Looking forward to read the next part.
Love, roses and pot-pourri!
Hey everyone!
We went to an amazing Travel Fest on Sunday and had an amazing day there inquiring and planning travel to various places we had in mind for the next year, including, Rann Of Kutch, Himalayas of Jammu & Kashmir, Nepal, Andaman and Nicobar and of-course, Europe.
To end the perfect we went out for dinner at our favourite restaurant and Vishal surprised me with a bunch of light pink roses. They were so adorable and smelled so good that I was totally mesmerised by them. It’s a big deal for me as I’m not a rose-lover! Vishal gets me only out-of-the-world beautiful roses (Last to last time he got me light blue ones! He’s so thoughtful, I really love him!)
I absolutely love flowers and it really breaks my heart to throw them away after a while
Book Review: Relative Evil
Genre: Mystery | Crime | NA | Contemporary Thriller
My Rating: 4
Read my review of Relative Evil at JC’s Book Haven.
You can also read this review at Goodreads.
Book Review: Lord Of The Flies
Author: William Golding Release Date: 1954 Series: None Genres: Classics|YA|Brit-Lit|Adventure|Dystoia| Sci-Fi Pages: 230 ISBN NO.: 978-0-571-20053-5 Publisher: Penguin India
Blurb
A plane crashes n a desert island. The only survivors area a group of schoolboys. At first they revel in the freedom and celebrate the absence of grown-ups.
Soon though, as the boys’ fragile sense of order begins to collapse, their fears start to take on a sinister, primitive significance. Suddenly, the world of cricket, homework and adventure stories seems a long way away. The boys are faced with a more pressing reality – survival – and the appearance of a terrifying beast who haunts their dreams.
Book Review: Charmed (Donovan Legacy #3)
Author: Nora Roberts Release Date: February 1, 2009 Series: Donovan Legacy Genre: Paranormal| Romance | Fiction | Contemporary Pages: 328 ISBN NO.: 978-0-263-87187-6 Publisher: Penguin India Preceded by: Entranced (Donovan Legacy #2) Followed By: Enchanted (Donovan Legacy #4)
Blurb
Boone Sawyer never expected to move next door to a woman who looked like one of the fairy princesses he often wrote about. Anastasia Donovan had a serene kind of femininity that would
Book Review: Squirrel Of Magic
Author: Olga Godim Release Date: April 11, 2014 Series: None Genre: YA | Contemporary Fiction | Short Stories Edition: e-book (epub) Pages: 132 Publisher: Self Interest: Requested by author Source: Author (Thanks, Olga!) To buy Squirrel Of Magic click here.
Blurb
After smuggling her familiar, squirrel Beatrice, into Canada, young witch Darya embarks on
New Look Of The Reading Bud
Hi everyone!
I changed my blog’s look again! lol! It’s gets really confusing whenever I try to freshen up TRB’s look. There are so many great themes, but the only thing that stops me is my choosy attitude.
I’m thinking of buying a theme but I have no clear idea what it should look like. That’s the reason I keep changing the blog design. I know, it can be a bit irritating to visit TRB in a week and find the entire look changed. But please bare with me for some more time as I’m getting very close to the permanent look for TRB.
The Reading Bud 