Visit The Baking Bud for more…
Read the complete article with recipe here.
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.
Movie Review: Just Go With It
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker & Nicole Kidman
Release Date: 11 February, 2011
Running Time: 117 minutes
Language: English
Plot Summary
A prominent plastic surgeon meets the woman of his dreams only to find their future thrown into jeopardy when his playboy past comes back to haunt him. Danny (Adam
“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”
Stephen King
Book Review: Freak Show (The Nightshade Cases, Ep-1)
Genre: Paranormal Thriller | Short Stories (Episode format)
My Rating: 4.5/6
Read my review of Freak Show, the first episode in The Nightshade series at JC’s Book Haven.
You can also read this review at Goodreads.
Blurb
When transsexual starlet Aisling is murdered, Detective Geraldine Meyers is assigned the case. With help from medical examiner Dr. Rachel Hunter, Gerri realizes this is no ordinary killing. While she might not want to call in over-eager anthropologist Dr. Kinsey DanAllart, the detective is forced to trust her friend’s expertise in symbology, even though doing so means admitting “weird” things might be happening in Silver City. As the three friends unravel the mystery of the dancer’s death, one thing is made absolutely apparent—something isn’t right in their new home town. And someone is doing everything they can to make sure the truth doesn’t come out.
In Silver City, sometimes friendship can be murder.
Welcome to the first Nightshade Case, 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.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts 🙂
Book Review: Cujo
Author: Stephen King Release Date: 1981 Genre: Thriller | Horror Pages: 420 ISBN NO.: 978-0-340-95270 Publisher: Hachette
BLURB
Cujo is two-hundred pond Saint Bernard, the best friend Brett Camber has ever had. The Cujo chases a rabbit into a bolthole- a cave inhabited by some very sick bats. What happens next, how Cujo becomes a horrifying vortex, inexorably drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of Stephen King’s most terrifying, heart-stopping novels yet…
REVIEW
Positives:
Being a Stephen King’s fan, I knew even before starting the book that I’m in for another horrific journey. And believe me when I say I wasn’t disappointed! King is one of the best authors I’ve ever read and this book is yet another masterpiece. The characters were very well built and so was each and everyone’s background story. I loved Tad, Vic and Brett and of-course Cujo (just as an individual character and not personally.) The story establishes and takes direction slowly and steadily and prepares you well enough for what comes next, an unexpected emotional roller-coaster ride. As the story progresses, and as it’s King’s speciality, you come to know each and every character personally and can very well understand their psychology, actions and reactions, in this case, including a dog (Cujo). That said, King’s description of Cujo’s emotional state and things from his point of view, are the best things about the book. At the end I started to feel sorry for his condition and also the end.
Negatives:
The only thing wrong about the book was the ending. It ended on a very bad note. I’m not disclosing the end here, as it will spoil the end for some readers, but I’ll just say that the end really freaked me out! And for that only I’m cutting back on 1 star.
Conclusion:
Cujo is an amazing book with lots of drama, thrill and horror in equal proportions. It’ll be an excellent read for the genre’s lovers but if you hate strong emotional and bad endings, then you’ll better do without it!
You can also read this review at Goodreads | Booklikes | Leafmarks.Other Stuff
Opening Line: ‘Once upon a time, not so long ago, a monster came to the small town of Castle Rock, Maine.’
Highlights: King’s story-telling.
Low-lights: Ending.
Memorable Quotes: “Nope. Nothing wrong here.”
“Surely they had passed the worst. All the luck had been against them, but sooner or later even the worst luck changes.”
“…it was amazing, wasn’t it, how bad you could hurt when there was nothing physically wrong.”
Memorable Paragraph:
‘Maybe he was as mad as he said he was, but she could see only a species of miserable fright. Suddenly, like the thud of a boxing glove on her mouth, she saw how close to the edge of everything he was. The agency was tottering, that was bad enough, and now, on top of that, like a grisly dessert following a putrid main course, his marriage was tottering too. She felt a rush of warmth for him, for this man she had sometimes hated and had, for the last three hours at least, feared. A kind of epiphany filled her. Most of all, she hoped he would always think he had been as mad as hell, and not . . . not the way his face said he felt’Final Thoughts: Yet another great book for King’s fans.
Lemon!
Hello friends, this week’s prompt is Lemon. And the theme is ‘text and type’. As I love sketching textures, I decided to do a simple piece for my first post. I haven’t even doodled since December’13 and so this is more like a warm-up. I hope you’ll like my work and do not forget to share yours with me.
Thanks Spoonflower for making me get off my ass and start drawing 🙂
Have a great day!
Book Review: The Universe Builders
Good noon guys!
I’ve reviewed one of the best books that I’ve ever received for a review, The Universe Builders. Do read my review at JC’s Book Haven. I strongly feel that if you like Hobbit and the likes you’ll definitely love this one. To win a free e-book of The Universe Builders, enter in the giveaway. I can’t wait for the next instalment to hit the market. If you’re interested buy this book at Amazon.
You can also read my review at Goodreads.
Thanks a lot Jaclyn for giving me the chance to review this wonderful book and thanks Steve Lebel for writing it 😀
If you are planning to read T.U.B. or have already read it, don’t forget to share your thought with me.
Spoonchallenge: A Month Of Drawing
Hello friends and bloggers! Yesterday was Raksha Bandhan but I spent most of my day sleeping as I had a severe headache. I was feeling a bit low (God knows why!) so I thought of doing something special for myself (Yes, I do believe in keeping myself happy.) That’s why today I went ahead and dug in the blogs that I truly adore and through and through I came across a new blog Spoonflower. It’s a creative blog for people who adore art. The folks at Spoonflower host a creative challenge called SpoonChallenge: A Month Of Drawing. This challenge is super fun as the folks at spoonflower gives the topics and the participants are supposed to draw that, in any interpreted form.
Anyone who reads my blog knows that I love drawing (if not, you can read about it here: Rediscovering My Love Of Drawing). I’m not a pro in drawing but some of the sketches really inspired me. And after a lot of struggle I’m finally over “what others will say about my drawing!” So I’m taking part in this beautiful challenge starting tomorrow. I’ll be posting my drawing here and I really hope that you all like them. I’m taking part in this challenge for fun and because sketching is my way of calming my mind.
If you also love doodling then join me in this fun challenge.
If you also participate, don’t forget to share it with me and also I’d love to see your drawings, so share the links to your posts in the comments section 🙂
Have a great day!
Book Review: Strike Three
Showcase Sunday #1
Hi and welcome to Showcase Sunday, a weekly feature hosted by Books, Biscuits & Tea. It’s aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week.
I have a lot to share and as I stumbled upon this feature I couldn’t resist the temptation!
Here’s the list of books I got approved from Netgalley for review:
1. Dark Child (Covens Rising) Episode #1 by Adina West
2. Dark Child (Covens Rising) Episode #2 by Adina West
3. Amity by Micol Ostow
4. Hold On Tight by Serena Bell
5. Travel Glasses by Chess Desalls
6. Hush by Stacey R. Campbell
7. Heart Of Dread: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston
8. A Myth To The Night by Cora Choi
9. Darkness by Erin Eveland
Books I Bought:
1. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Note: I came across the new editions of HP series and I loved the new book covers and that got me to buy the first 2 books. The covers are really cute!
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Share your thoughts as well in the comments section below!
Musing Mondays #3
Musing Mondays is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading.
My Musing:
With all the review requested books piling up on my virtual-shelf, I’m really not getting time to read the books that I’ve issued from my library. I’m constantly trying to have a strict schedule for each and every book, but with Rakshabandhan (Rakhi) on 10th August, I’m failing to do so. Though I want to read as much as I could, I’m still looking forward to 10th August as my family will be coming over to celebrate Rakhi in Pune. I’m hoping with all the cleaning and preparations, I’ll be able to make enough time for reading and reviewing the books I’ve already got my hands on.
To be honest, I love being busy, and being busy with reviewing books is really a dream come true!
Future Reads:
- Firestarter by Stephen King
- Once And Always by Judith McNaught
- The Black Lyon by Jude Deveraux
- Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
Book Review: Eagle En Garde
Author: Olga Godim Release Date: May 2014 Genre: Adventure | Fantasy Edition: e-book (epub) Pages: 271 Publisher: Champagne/Burst Books Interest: Requested by author Source: Author (Thanks, Olga!) Buy: Amazon
Summary
Darin, a mercenary officer, lives in Talaria, a kingdom surrounded by a magic-resistant spell. While some people wish to break the spell and invite magic back into the country, the fanatical sect of Cleaners is determined to prevent the return of magic. Darin doesn’t agree with the Cleaners’ doctrine but he doesn’t dispute it either. He is a soldier, not a philosopher. Then he accidentally overhears the Cleaners’ hidden agenda to destroy all magic workers in Talaria, including witches and elves, and his orderly life is turned upside down. His sweetheart is a witch, his daughter is a half-elf, and he has many elven friends. He can’t allow the Cleaners’ murderous scheme to succeed, can’t allow innocents to suffer from the rabid zealots. But what can a lone mercenary do against a horde of extremists? His only choice lies in trickery and deceit to outsmart his enemies. And the anti-magic spell on the border suddenly becomes his only ally.
Review
**Spoiler Alert**
The book starts with Captain Darin Barclay saving a women (a witch) form a bunch of cleaners in a fair in Coll, Talaria. Talaria is an imaginary kingdom whose borders are bound by a spell that prevents magic to enter inside the kingdom. Anything that has magic or anyone who can perform magic (elves and witches) can not enter the spell-bound boundaries of Talaria. Darin Barclay is a courageous 24 year old, dangerously handsome, captain of the Eagles, who has sworn to protect the people of Coll, Talaria. Cleaners are a nasty bunch of people who are against magic and all the magical people and want others to follow their Gods and believes. A few elves and witches who live in Talaria can never leave it’s borders because if they do so they’ll never be able to return because of the spell. These good-natured elves and witches are constantly haunted by the cleaners to leave Talaria.
This books takes the reader through the adventurous journey of Darin Barclay in saving elves from cleaners and in doing so, saving numerous lives, including that of his daughter Leatanis (who is half elven) and his love Ana.
Olga Godim captures the reader’s imagination effortlessly. This light-hearted story has just the perfect amount of adventure, magic, emotion, drama, morals and most of all courage. I would like to quote this book as a “no-nonsense adventure”. Right when you think something is going to go wrong with Darin’s plans, he successfully pulls off each and every plan neatly. This really made me wonder about a reader’s unnecessary need for twists and turns, just so that they have something to think about. And this is where Olga Godim, for me, has given this book a new, very positive, direction. The story runs smoothly and at a quick no-fret pace.
You can read this review on goodreads here.
Other Stuff
Map:
Opening Line: ‘Behind a thin wooden fence, the spring fair in Coll pulsed and hummed like a human sea.’
Highlights: Darin Barclay.
Low-lights: None.
Interview: You can read the author’s conversation with the novel’s protagonist, a mercenary officer Darin Barclay here.
Final Thoughts: A light-hearted adventurous read.
Book Review: Just After Sunset
Author: Stephen King
Release Date: 11 November, 2008
Series: None
Genre: Short Stories | Horror | Super Natural | Thriller
Pages: 515
Edition: Paperback
ISBN NO.: 978-0-340-97718-7
Publisher: Hachette India
Source: Library
From Tiger to Zeus!
My father gifted me a German Shepherd pup when I was 15 years old. I named him Tiger. He was my best bud and the best thing in my life and I was very connected to him emotionally. But after my parent’s separation, I had to leave Tiger with my dad and move to another city (it is one of the most painful things I’ve ever had to do!) I had a really tough time getting over this and swore not to get another dog until I was independent, so that no one can take him away from me ever. 
After my marriage to Vishal, we were busy getting settled in our new life. Also because of Vishal’s work, we had to travel a lot. So finally, after 3 years and 6 months of our marriage, everything’s into place and we are planning to get a pup. My first choice was obviously German Shepherd but Vishal, being a cat-lover who never had a dog before, thought to get a small breed pup first. So we decided to get a beagle. I was happy with beagle too, but Vishal knows me too well to get trust my fake smile. After going through Tiger’s pics on my study room’s walls he told me that we can get a German Shepherd if I want. And so, finally we are getting a German Shepherd pup 🙂
Reviewer @ JC’s Book Haven
I’m really happy to announce that I’ve joined JC’s Book Haven, a wonderful book blog run by Jaclyn Canada, as a book reviewer. I’m really looking forward to reviewing for her. As everyone knows that I love reading and reviewing, this is really huge for me. I’ll be helping out Jaclyn with the review requests that she receives for her blog. I’ll be doing around 2-3 reviews for her blog each month and will be posting the respective links here on TRB. Do visit them and share your thoughts. I’d love for all my readers to read my reviews there as well!
Ten Favourite TV Shows
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the awesome authors of The Broke and the Bookish.
This week’s topic:
Ten Favourite TV Shows:
1. Friends
2. Game Of Thrones
Book Review: The Breath Of Aoles (Ardalia #1)
Author: Alan Spade Release Date: February, 2014 Series: Ardalia #1 Genre: Fantasy, Adventure Edition: e-book (epub) Pages: 337 Publisher: Self-published Interest: Requested by author Source: Author (Thanks, Alan!) Buy: Amazon
Summary
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: The Breath Of Aoles (Ardalia #1)
Book Review: Lord Edgware Dies
Author: Agatha Christie Release Date: 19 September’ 1933 Series: Hercule Poirot Genre: Mystery | Crime Pages: 351 ISBN NO.: 978-0-00-728248-7 Publisher: Harper Collins Preceded by: Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8) Followed by: Murder On The Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10)
Strawberry Shortcake @ The Baking Bud
Strawberry Shortcake
Read the complete article with recipe here.
Top Ten Blogging Confessions
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the awesome authors of The Broke and the Bookish.
This week’s topic is:
My Top Ten Blogging Confessions:
1. I prefer printed books over e-books. I like the feel of a book in my hand and also the old, subtle smell. In printed books I can use cute bookmarks and also I can puppy-ear a page, which is just out of question in e-books. In spite of a lot of advantages, e-books will never be able to replace printed books, atleast not for me!
2. I download a lot of e-books and don’t get time to read them. Right now I have around 70 e-books in my Samsung Notebook (II) and still I keep on downloading as and when I find a book worth reading. At times my e-shelves give me fits of depression, as to not being able to make enough time to read!
3. Sometimes I don’t feel like reviewing- This is purely cause of my obsession for reading (Surprise! I’m a bibliophile!) and at times I end up not reviewing the recent reads for over week or so. I like using all my time for reading and sometimes reviewing tends to take up quite a time, specially when I have some other great book in mind.
4. I’m hardly able to give any time to blogs that I really like- There are so many lovely blogs and great bloggers, but all this reading and reviewing leaves me very little time to visit these blogs regularly. I wish I can squeeze in some more time for other blogs too.
5. I don’t like classics as much as I like mystery and adventure! There, I said it! phew! Do not JUDGE me!
6. In the excitement of posting the reviews, I sometimes forget to proof-read my posts, but later, when I come to my senses I edit the post asap and curse myself royally for not proof-reading.
7. Sometimes maintaining all the social accounts gets onto my nerves- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Goodreads, Leafmarks, Booklikes, Amazon Reviews, JustBooks, WordPress, Blogger, Flickr, Tumblr…. God!!! I hate social networking (not really, but at times, yes!)
8. At times managing and sorting the e-mails is also a challenge!
9. I have more than 20 drafts of reviews, just sitting there waiting for me to do the honours!
10. I hate videos or short films made for books.
Book Review: Cell by Stephen King
Author: Stephen King Release Date: January 24, 2006 Genre: Horror-Zombies, Post Apocalyptic, Thriller, Dystopia Pages: 499 ISBN NO.: 978-0-340-92153-1 Publisher: Hachette India
Summary
Book Review: Finding The Dream (Dream Trilogy #3)
Author: Nora Roberts Release Date: 1997 Series: Dream Trilogy #3 Genre: Contemporary Romance and Fiction Pages: 366 ISBN NO.: 978-0-515-12087-5 Publisher: Penguin Books Preceded by: Holding The Dream
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: Finding The Dream (Dream Trilogy #3)
Ten Things I Like/Dislike On The Book Covers
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the awesome authors of The Broke and the Bookish. Following are the things I like/dislike on the book covers:
Continue reading ➞ Ten Things I Like/Dislike On The Book Covers
Book Review: Entranced (Donovan Legacy #2)
Author: Nora Roberts Release Date: Series: Donovan Legacy Genre: Paranormal| Romance | Fiction | Contemporary Pages: 329 ISBN NO.: 978-0-263-87185-2 Publisher: Silhouette Books Preceded by: Captivated (Donovan Legacy #1) Followed By: Charmed (Donovan Legacy #3)
Summary
A missing child. A desperate mother.
A private investigator running out of time.
Mel Sutherland didn’t need the help of a fraudulent psychic to find the abducted baby – and she wasn’t about to let a con artist exploit a grieving mother’s vulnerability.
Then all the leads dried up.
Reluctantly, Mel had to accept Sebastian Donovan’s aid. She was cynical about his powers and suspicious of his motives. But as the clock ticked, Sebastian unfailingly knew how to follow abductor’s tracks and Mel had to make up her mind. Was Sebastian’s gift real? Or was something far more sinister at work?
-Back-cover
Review
Entranced is an engaging story about a psychic and a cynic. Yes, the psychic being Sebastian Donovan, Morgana’s cousin. Sebastian uses his powers of “seeing”, to help cops solve twisted cases.
On the other hand, Mel Sutherland is a private investigator whose friend’s child is missing. She tries everything she could to get some clues about the kidnapper but like the cops, hits a dead end. Tired of waiting for her police to find her son, Rose enquires about Sebastian’s powers and then convinces Mel to take her to him. Being a cynic, Mel tries to stop Rose but ultimately gives in to the idea and meets Sebastian.
Accepting the fact that Sebastian might be her only chance to find Rose’s son, Mel starts investigating with Sebastian and makes him her temp. partner.She ends up falling in love with Sebastian and accepting the fact that there are some things beyond logic and reason and comes to accept and respect Sebastian’s gifts.
The story is predictable, but is adorably romantic. The characters in the book are full of life and you can instantly connected to them. Also we get a sneak peek in the lives of Morgana (who is pregnant at the time) and Nash Kirkland from Captivated, which really makes you feel like you are a part of the Donovan family.
Read this review of Goodreads here.
Other Stuff
Opening Line: “He understood his power early.”
Highlights: Simple writing.
Low-lights: Very predictable.
Final Thoughts: A comfortable read.
Award: Most Influential Blogger
This one’s long overdue. I would like to thank Petrel of Dear Kitty, Some Blog for nominating my blog for Most Influential Blogger Award.
If you haven’t already, please check out her blog, I’m quitesure you’ll love it.
Here are the guidelines for acceptance – really very straightforward.
Award: Most Influential Blogger
This one’s long overdue. I would like to thank Petrel of Dear Kitty, Some Blog for nominating my blog for Most Influential Blogger Award.
If you haven’t already, please check out her blog, I’m quitesure you’ll love it.
Here are the guidelines for acceptance – really very straightforward.
Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far This Year
Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday! This weekly event is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far This Year.
Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far This Year
1. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Book Review: Captivated (Donovan Legacy #1)
Author: Nora Roberts Release Date: 1992 Series: Donovan Legacy #1 Genre: Paranormal| Romance | Fiction | Contemporary Pages: 331 ISBN NO.: 978-0-263-87231-6 Publisher: Silhouette Books Followed By: Entranced (Donovan Legacy #2)
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: Captivated (Donovan Legacy #1)
Chocolate Chip Cookies @ The Baking Bud
Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the recipe click here–> http://thebakingbud.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/chocolate-chip-cookies/
Summer Library Challenge: Library Survey
Welcome to the first week of the Summer Library Challenge! Check out the Summer Library Challenge page for all details of this awesome event.
Library Survey
1. What’s the name of your library and how close is it to where you live?
– My library is Just Books and it has 9 branches in my city. The branch that I visit is Just Books Wanowrie. It’s less that 10 minutes away from where I stay.
The Reading Bud 