Deepa
Many people seemed to have enjoyed this book. I frankly hated it. To begin with, I do not like this type of illustration style. To me, it is jarring. The wonky representation of the Hindu deities does not impress me either - a corporate version of heaven, really! The story itself is the only saving grace - it is an interesting plot. But I cannot be bothered to read through more of these painful drawings - even to satisfy my curiosity about the story. I regret buying this book.
Not for me. Bringing the climate change angle into a magical tale seemed a bit strange to me. This is my personal opinion, maybe someone else might find it very interesting, but that's not me. I also prefer magical tales to have more magic and less realism; this book stunned me with real-world facts far too often. Not my style. I did not enjoy it.
An all-time favourite book. Love the illustrations in this book. I could feel Goddess Parvati's pain when her brilliant son was killed through treachery. I love how her anger forced the Gods to repent their actions and make reparations. A tale that depicts the immense power of the Goddess, both for creation and for destruction. This was the Indian concept of womanhood in ancient times.
Definitely a gripping book. I have been reading so many fantasy books these days that all of them are such a blur - faerie kingdoms, faerie powers and glamours, faerie kings, queens, princes and princesses, faerie politics, court intrigues, mortals among the faeries - it is mostly the same. But this one was really good, in spite of being similar to the others. I hope to continue this series.
The mfl, Molly, is awkward and she definitely talks funny, but in a very endearing sort of way. I'm surprised at how invested I felt in Molly's situation, how tense I felt and how badly I wanted her to be free of her worries. I loved her granny's principles that Molly lived by. And the fact that there were so many good people around her to recognise the goodness in her and to help her. A great book. Highly recommend.
“We're all entitled to a bad day now and again, I heard Gran say in my head. But when they are all bad days, with no pleasant ones, then it's time to reconsider things.”
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”
Such a funny, sharp, crazy, caring grandma, Vera Wong is. Her “world-famous” tea house gives me such cozy vibes. Her teas and her fabulous lunches are such a joy to read about. Her Asian elder attitude is so typical and caricature-esque that it is totally hilarious. All the other characters were so charming, too. Even her errant son turns out good, after all. Loved this book.
Well, the story is a sweet one. It is about a worried garlic, who manages to overcome her fears and finds happiness. Loved the concept. The graphics are good. But. The price of this book totally and completely ruined the “enjoyment” for me. IMHO, this book is far too overpriced for what it offers - at least on Kindle. It might have been worth it at a discount of 60% or more. I am disappointed.
This was such a fun, easy read. A world of spooky cemeteries, scary real-ish dreams, ghosts that talk and move things around, seances - and yet, wholesome and cozy at the same time. I did guess the culprit correctly by the time I was at 70% of the book, but that only added to the thrill of verifying my guess. Loved it. Will definitely check out the next books in the series.
It has been a while since I last read a Perry Mason book. I had totally forgotten that this was no gentleman lawyer; he is a tough guy, with a very loose idea of “the right way” to do things. The plot was slightly confusing in parts and I found it a little difficult to concentrate. But overall, it was a great book. I am thinking that I'll catch up with a few more of his books soon.
One thing I've learned is that collections of Fairy Tales are awfully repetitive and boring. It was a slog trying to read through all these stories in one go. I was able to enjoy the more familiar stories - The Little Mermaid, The Tinderbox, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina... because I could envision the stories better as I had already read them in comic form earlier. Also it was fun seeing how different the original and the modified popular versions were, such as The Little Mermaid. They are so much more fun when read in a child-friendly format one at a time (I would recommend the Classics Illustrated Junior series).
I love the entire Plantagenet and Tudor series, but the added element of witchcraft and magic makes this book so much more interesting than the other books in the series. Jacquetta, high-born, descended from Melusina, the water goddess, with the gift of The Sight, is a fascinating character. She is an also a very smart woman who learns to survive in the unpredictable world of Medieval English Court, where even a whisper of womanly powers can lead one to the stake. And she is lucky in love, which is always a pleasure to read. A tale of the Wheel of Fortune in all its glory. (The Wheel of Fortune that can throw you up very high or bring you forth very low - “... they draw a circle in the air with their forefinger when something very good or something very bad happens.” - Its message is to be indifferent to victory and defeat, as they both come on the turn of the Wheel.
A crazy, funny, deep book. There were so many parts that I read and reread, to fully absorb the meaning. I loved how the author was poking fun at humans and their strange ways. The chapter about the businessman was so dangerously close to the truth, omg! So was the chapter about the trains. A quick read too. “It is only with one's heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
I liked the stories very much. Most of these were stories I had already heard of, from a slightly different perspective. It was interesting to learn about Kinnaras; I did not know much of them. Also the story of the apsara, Tilottama, was new to me. I'm not a great fan of this type of illustration, though. I prefer the earlier style.
At only 12% in, I was enjoying it tremendously. Lady Eleanor Swift is amazingly progressive and sassy. She has also inherited a funny, elderly bulldog Gladstone and I was roaring with laughter at their little walk-and talks. But then the story started dragging quite a bit. I feel that this book could've been reduced to half its length and that would've been perfect. It picked up pace towards the end, though. I liked the vibes of the book very much and would definitely consider other books in the series - if it works for any of my readathon prompts.
A very practical book. It addresses all the steps to organising small parties, in a step by step fashion. Lots of tips and tricks in this little volume. An easy to breeze through book - one that can be used as a refresher any time one's planning a simple gathering. I do feel that the pricing is a little bit too high.
The story is good, I'll admit that. But I do feel that towards the end, things moved really quite fast. I mean, without giving any spoilers, was it really that simple, that easy, that quick? If the problem could be solved without any practice, without any elaborate safeguards, was the problem such a big deal? Still, that's not my biggest issue with this book. I personally like a good, clean read and this book was not one. The story was good, but the added elements of unnecessary * * * really really irritated me. If it weren't for that kind of content, I would probably have rated it much higher.