Poison study by Maria V Snyder

Title: Poison Study
Author: Maria V Snyder
Publisher: Mira Books
Pages: 409
Genre: Fantasy
Price: It was a gift
ISBN: 9780778327110
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Personal

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Summary
Yelena grabs a life as a food taster to commander Ambrose over death..But from noose to life isn't bed of roses for Yelana , she is hunted down by commander Brazell to avenge his son's murder (even though Yelana killed his only son Reyand in self defence), she is tracked down by group goons for reasons unknown and above all one lazy day ignoring her work in commander's castle., she would meet her death by the poison butterfly dust in her body..In a world where she can trust none., her loyalty and hard work gains her friends and love..Her choice : a quick death or a slow poison sprints away....
Review
Fantasy is not my kind of genre., it is something I  have always kept away from..I love the romance, I could describe myself as a romantic sucker..I love the happily ever after fairy tales, still I haven't read much of them because I am unable to bear the extent of fantasy and melodrama after few pages..But for me poison study was like a drug to which I got addicted , Once I started it I could't drop it unless I was through and thanks to my weekend night..Yelana is one of those characters I would love to keep her around even after I am done with the novel..She is quick real , she makes mistakes and learns from them, works her way hard to keep her alive and fight her battle.. Her journey from commander Ambrose's dungeon awaiting death to life in castle facing near death situations every now and then was thoroughly entertaining with not much exaggeration..I was wondering how a protagonist as a food taster could have an entire novel., cleverly Snyder weaves her past and the story unwraps slowly with many surprises with many twists and turns.. Inspite of being a fantasy novel not a single instance made me feel unreal and that is the winning stroke of Snyder..Valek is dashing and debonair, commander's right hand , highly skilled assassin and in charge of the security of Ixia is a kind of guy that you can't have enough ..His is loyal to his commander to the core and respects talent and intelligence.. I waited  almost to the end of the novel for to him confess his love to Yelana., even when Yelana had given up her hopes (chuckles !!!).. Of course he does it in the most unusual way..

“Yelena, you’ve driven me crazy. You’ve caused me considerable trouble and I’ve contemplated ending your life twice since I’ve known you.” Valek’s warm breath in my ear sent a shiver down my spine...
“But you’ve slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart.”
“That sounds more like a poison than a person,” was all I could say. His confession had both shocked
and thrilled me...
“Exactly,” Valek replied. “You have poisoned me.”
There is another quote from Valek that I liked..

“Everyone makes choices in life. Some bad, some good. It’s called living, and if you want to bow out,
then go right ahead. But don’t do it halfway. Don’t linger in whiner’s limbo,”


Ari and Janco are two adorable character who keep the story on a lighter tone letting the reader smile time and again ..The palace, life and the code of behavior in Ixia are completely engaging..Yelana a born magician struggles her way with no super heroism..Reyand's ghost (whom Yelana murders in self defense after he uses her for n number of experiments eventually raping her for her disobedience) haunts Yelana to demoralize her was a clever addition by Snyder into the plot.. I would have loved to read more details of Commander Ambrose governance and the state of affair and an elaborate climax ..Still I got to read my happily ever after tale with more trouble for both in the upcoming series, I am sure Valek and Yelana will make it ,every time no matter what..Most of the characters are likable even the commander Ambrose dictator weighs others opinions, is fair and a true leader who follows the code of behavior true to its meaning...This novel has an interesting plot with lovable hero and heroin, what more one could ask for a breezy and a super reading spree??? Have you watched a movie where you come out completely loving it and deeply engrossed with the characters?? still when you ponder upon the plot you might want something to be changed or added here and there...This is the exactly how you would feel reading Poison study...It is best for a midnight read.. Grab your copy and keep going..I would say debut ant Snyder has done a brilliant job and I am reading next two book in the series hand in hand already...

This is my third entry to Jule's new author challenge 2012.. 7 more to go..

The beautiful tree by James Tooley, Nandan Nilekani

Title: The beautiful tree
Author: James Tooley
Publisher:Viking Penguin India
Price:Rs 499 (got it for 324 from Flipkart)
Page:320
Genre:Education
ISBN:0670083739
Rating:4 out of 5
Source: Personal

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Summary
James  Tooley's journey to China, Ghana, India, Nigeria to study on how poor people are trying to educate themselves against all odds...His research on private school gave him a startling insights about its standard and a complete picture about the psychology of poor on education...

Review
If I got my hands on a great book in spanish what would I do with it?? Just flip through the pages unable to decipher a word..But I would enjoy and relish if it had been in English or any other language I am well versesd with...But what would be the case of a person who could read nothing??? A person with no education not by his fault, what are they to do ?? I was questioning myself reading this book..As it says its James Tooley's personal journey into how the world's poorest people are educating themselves...His research for the world bank on private schools in third world countries India, China, Ghana, Nigeria  gets an insight about struggle of education...What happens education becomes too costly to afford , a strong will is all that takes to pursue the same...All his research makes three points clear-1)  Private schools are performing better in terms of quality than the public schools funded by government..2)The parents do everything they can to educate their children by all means..3) Quality of education is not in terms of infraustructure of the schools nor in the certificates the teachers but the standard of education they are able to give the students in the private schools...In India even when government has opened many schools with free education, Tooley found that parents were not ready to send them there., but prefer much costly private school over public school which the family is unable to afford..Many interviews with parents, children and the people running the private school and few visits to the deserted public schools under the government funding, he found that.,  in spite of financial deficit the quality of education the private schools were able to provide were good enough for the parents to take the risk....
Everytime he visits a country side or backward area in a new country he  expects not to find a private school and very predicatbly he ends up discovering a good private school in narrow alley, under a tattered tached roof with hand written nameboard providing a passerby about a school next by..Tooley is surprised at the state of experts and their take on education while working for the government., conveniently they are unaware of all this plight, Tooley is saddened as of why the government has turned on a blind eye on all these...Tooley argues that as these private schools exist outside the governments' helping hand ., it is left with no choice but to charge higher fee for their survival...Agony of a poor parent, corruption of the government administration are well pinned out..NGOs too are conrtibuting well in brininging about quality education to poor in underdeveloped areas..
Though I agree with Tooley with private schools educating poor, there are schools in city were the education has been developed into a lucrative buisiness,  everything made so attractive that every parent aspires to find a place even when they charge money big time...
Your brain might get crowded with many facts and figures yet its worth a read atleast to realise the blessing of education that we have...

This is my 10th book towards my 30 books South Asian challenge

Confessions of a shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Title: Confessions of a shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Black Swan
Pages: 320
Genre:Romantic comedy
Price: Rs350(got it for 268 from flipkart.com)
ISBN:9780552775199
Rating: 2 out of 5
Source: Personal



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Summary
Rebecca Bloomhood has a life that any girl dreams of , a cool flat to boast about and a killer wardrobe with season's best but the only trouble is she is unable to afford both...The irony is of course her job of being a financial journalist were she advice others on managing their income eventually saving for a better future..

Review
I bought this book early this year because of my online shopping spree, hoping to relate to her .. Unfortunately I was disappointed...Firstly I found it more of an young adult novel than an adult novel,ad I should have read it in my teenage, still it was an easy read so I would not complain...I loved the way it starts off with her piling her credit card debt and her subsequent sprint to do something to  pay off the bill ending up doing nothing..Her life becomes awful day after day, she dreads to open mail , her steps to earn more too flops miserably...In spite of all this she is allured to any SALE..Even though I found her irritating , I am sure there are many becky out there who are unable to control their shopping crave...Worst part Becky uses shopping as a mean to get over her emotional ebb..I found Luke Brandon rude and Sue becky's flatmate  interesting...The novel ends up in a fairy tale note as everything falls in place with her prince charming by her side, but in reality this may not happen to people in this state...Don't even think about reading the book if you aren't familiar brand names...While reading I felt like skipping through few plots, still liked Becky's feeling when she passes by a shop that has a great brand apparel on Sale..I think shopaholic might end up liking the novel and even find Becky to be hilarious..
Do not grab the book if you are looking for a serious read...It is for a complete mindless read...

Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Title: Snow
Author: Orhan Pamuk
Publisher: Faber and Faber (Penguin India)
Pages:448
Price: Rs 350
ISBN:9780571222995
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Personal

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Summary
Poet Ka (kerim Alakusoglu) returns to his homeland Turkey after 12 years of political exile in Germany.. As a journalist he has two motives one to get to the roots of the sudden suicides among girls and the upcoming election, but the main intention is to revive the flair he had for a classmate who is now separated from her husband.... In a city clung between  extreme religious ideologies and secularism this journey gives  Ka to relive his life and rediscover the poet that he is....

Review
This was the first Pamauk's book I read and I became an instant fan...To call it a romantic or a political novel would be injustice to both genre for it is a beautiful union of romance at the heights with all its political turmoil...The novel begin with snow as in backdrop and snow is omnipresent all through...Though Ka returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral there is no mention about it there after... Ka enjoys the status of a celebrity in his hometown at the same he is the most distrusted by his fellowmen .. Ipak Ka's romantic interest is stuck with her life when her husband can only think and breathe religion and its principles that she is unable to follow....Islamic extremism overflows all through the novel.. Director of Institution of education is killed by a muslim extremist as he supposedly thinks the director to be the reason behind the suicide of girls by banning the head scarf.. Even when his people are hostile to Ka, he tries his best to get the bottom of the mass suicides...,he wanders through alley of Kars to institution where the religion has an upperhand over educational reforms..Pamuk's trademark of the beautiful portray of his city even in ruins and remnant is a treat to read, where all the structure stand still as a mute witness..To complete it all there is an editor in the local newspaper who publishes things even before they actually happen...
Ka's self -discovery as a poet is elegantly portrayed., as he comes face to face with all experiences in his home town naming it  "Snow" and  rest  of the poem just follows.. Theater becoming a military coup is the best way of expressing the state of affairs in a city...Characters such as  that of Sheikh Saadettin's is woven charmingly conveying a message to the reader...Politically reluctant Ka starts taking part in them inorder to safe guard himself and to marry his ladylove..Thus Ka's vantage on all these ideologies are of that of an outsider while Sheikh Saadetein 's views are of that of an insider, all the contrast are brought out well...All human emotions such jealously, sympathy, empathy, happiness ideally comes out  from Ka., his passion swings between obsession to hysteria...The best part of the novel is its being unpredictable....Outrage of Blue an islamic fundamendalist to Ka is more out of  fear than anger, his fear of misrepresentation of the suicides to the rest of the world is an ideal footing that all such events suffer from...Like other characters the headscarf girls also form an important aspect of the novel in spite of being dead .,they are dragged in time and again by anyone as per their convenience and even Ka struggles to get an idea of their feelings or experiences till it is staged by Khadife's performance..
I love this one especially form Fazil to Ka
Fazil says
"If you write a book set in Kars and put me init, I'd like you to tell your readers not to believe anything you say about me, anything you say about any of us. No one could understand us from so far away."
Reference is made to the western countries..
The story moves through a third person's perspective and it was disheartening to find out about Ka's death..The novel is a full package for a reader in all its form, just read and relish every bit of it...

Versatile blogger award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The news is I won the versatile blogger award, thanks to Amy's book-et list for nominating me...

There are few rules one must follow before accepting the award and they are as follows:
1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging..
2. Let the nominated bloggers know that they have been nominated for this award...
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself..
4. Thank the blogger who has nominated you.
5. Add the versatile Blogger Award picture to your post...

7 random facts about me..
1.I love Cinderella and still addicted to her happily ever after tale..
2. I love junk Jewel and learning to cook authentic Indian cuisine..
3. I love red
4. I can sit for hours looking at the stack of my books..
5. Irish coffee and dark chocolates makes my day..
6.Love to listen to the pitter patter of the monsoon rain..
7.I can spent all day reading a book..

15 bloggers nomination..
1.The book outline
2.The book shelf
3.Just can't beat books
4.Andrea's paranormal reads
5.Pastiche: My artistic offerings made up of pieces of poetry, non-fiction, literature and music
6.Forever YA
7.The book lovers report
8.Sherri's FIK*TISH*UHS Reviews
9.What Type of Character Are You Hanging Out With?
10.Arlinga
11.The sill of the world
12.Cafe reads
13.P.G writing
14.365 books a year
15.Read that also


Congratulations all

Walking around with fragrance of books

Fragrance in old..Well I was referring to the fragrance of old book... being surrounded by old books feels like heaven isn't.. Personally I can spend my life  surrounded by them and every time I drop into an old library  is to get myself into the mesmerisng  fragrance of it..I feel as though they are whispering all their deep secrets treasured in, through their mystic fragrance..Now what if you can smell like an old book all day ????  I wasn't really kidding.,  there is indeed a perfume that makes you smell like an old book...It is called "In the Library"

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Now I don't have to say anything about "CB I hate perfume" ain't I!!!! okay to those once  ignorant like me, CB-Christopher Brosius who is world renowned for making the fragrance so perfect to the strange labels.. His  bestsellers are soaked earth(that smells like dirt), snow, Mr.Hulot's holiday and many more... There are two formulations available in this range water and absolute..

The company note:

"This scent is for those who can’t walk past a second-hand bookstore without coming away with at least one additional volume…that special smell of an old book you find buried in book store and you open it and breathe in…wonderful! In The Library is a subtle scent, and it’s not so much the exact recreation of the musty, antique smell of the pages of old book as much as it is the entire book…a hint of worn leather bindings, a whisper of the frayed cloth and the wisp of wood polish from the shelves it sits on and even a bit of sweetness we can’t place. In The Library is comforting and warm with soft, worn edges and no single obvious note…it never screams musty old parchment or crisp new leather, it’s more like a faint memory rolling around in your mind and inspiring you to dream of a long afternoon in an old leather chair curled up with a novel. Its inspiration was an old, signed first-edition book that Christopher found one lucky afternoon in London."

There are more to the book lovers "Paper passion perfume" by Geza Schoen in collaboration with publisher Gerhard steidl  and wallpaper magazine ,released in May 2012...Unlike "In the library" this perfume smells of fresh printed books..

The perfume is in book case with texts by karl Lagerfeld..That is a beautiful packaging for people who love books at the same time want the luxury of a perfume in it....

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Thats a way to go isn't....The inspiration came from his own studio and printing facilities in Germany.. Now Schoen has created a niche in the world of perfume with Escentric 01., which with its heavy dose of woody Iso E molecule that when get mixes with one's pheromone creates an unique fragrance for every person, now that I would call an innovation...

Other perfumes inspired from book fragrance are:

• Paper back by Demeter Fragrance Library
• Opus II-Library collection by Amouage
• Hamman Bouquet by Penhaligon's
• Sacre Couer by Ego facto

If  e-readers feel that they are left out of league there's one for them as well..Its "Smell of books"..It is an aerosol e- book enhancer ..Company claims that it is compatible with e-readers  with 100% DRM (Digital right Management) compatibility..Now don't avoid e-book just because they don't smell right LOL...

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Will all these revive the passion for books.. That is something we will have to wait and see...So enjoy the days all out there...

The motorcycle diaries by Ernesto Che Guevera

The book title: The motorcycle diaries
Author:Ernesto Che Guevera
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Pages:165
Price: 299
ISBN: 0007272901
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Personal copy

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Summary
The book is personal journal of Ernest Che Guevera as he set on an expedition with his biochemist friend Alberto Garnado in motorcycle of course..The book is a tale of slow transformation of Che as he comes faces the plight of poor that later leads him onto a global iconic revolutionary..
Review
Che Guevera is a marxist revolutionary and a global icon famous for his guerrilla warfare along with Fidel Castro throwing away the Cuban government..What made him stand apart from the rest of the revolutionaries is that he was not a Cuban but an Argentinean , he fought not his and his people but cruelty against humanity..Though the book was written in a period when he was still an adventure seeking medical student in early twenties whose spirit for different experience made him to take a trip with his friend Alberto Granado in Granado's motorcycle Norton 500 cc 'La Pedrosa'...Their plan was to volunteer themselves at the San Pablo Leper colony in Peru..The travel traverses through Latin American countries starting from Argentina through Andes to Chile to Peru  to Ecuador to Columbia to Venezuela to Miami...


The journey is not completely on motorcycle as they had to abandon it halfway after it refuses to come to life.. Like any other travelogue the journey takes off like a good adventure...The two go onto an extend, introducing themselves to the press as international experts on Leprosy , they also use this paper clip to buy meals and shelter ..The turning point is when they travel through copper mine in Chile... Things starts to changes for Che at a conscious level as he goes along experiences that stirs him completely for example people going in search of work in mine where the working conditions were utterly poor with meager wage,  people suffering from leprosy, tuberculosis without any aid dying in a devastating state..His bravery and his complete dedication to his profession is seen more than once, one night he swims to reach a village to visit a patient..His observations about life and its experiences are crisp..He is lyrical when he describes a farewell from a girl whom he meets along the travel..

They say journeys have a strength to change people,that really stands right for Che., From a fancy free traveler to politically,socially conscious person this book is a beautiful journey I loved to read...Granado is equally seen all through the book and he too stands out with his strong will power and this social responsibility towards the downtrodden..Their journey is not an easy one from the beginning as they are short of funds many nights living without food and shelter and a problematic bike..The narration is full of humour , Che is successful in depicting a clear picture of from a beautiful landscape to dreadful storms to the later experiences with people.....I read this book after reading Reminiscences of Cuban Revolutionary war, to know from where did it all began from..After reading this the picture becomes clear and complete.. You might have come across better travelogues and writing but this book is significant from the vantage what made Ernesto Che Guevera to the iconic Che...