Thanks all for the great response to the give-away ! I’ve chosen 2 winners – Heather J. and Caryl B. Congratulations to both of you ! I’ve informed the publisher and you should be receiving your copies soon.
Happy reading !!
Book Review : WWW-Wake
Written By: amodini
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May•
04•11
Title : WWW:Wake (first book of a 3-book series)Author : Robert J. Sawyer
Genre : Science fiction
Rating : 3.5/5
Dragons are not for me. I also shy away from vampires, and from fable-like, mythical sounding works of fiction. Although sci-fi and fantasy are routinely clubbed together, they are very different. While fantasy is what it says it is – fantasy, featuring make-believe creatures, or creatures that once existed, science fiction is based upon some scientific beliefs (pretenders get called out). The sci-fi can be futuristic but generally is based upon or purports to be based upon some laws and knowledge of science.
When it comes to hard science fiction, some names can always be trusted. There’s Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinleim. When I read Robert J. Sawyer’s “Mindscan” I added him to this list. I then read the Neanderthal Parallax trilogy (Humans, Hominids, Hybrids) which I found fascinating. Lots of series have a very strong first book and the consecutive ones can never live up to it. “Ender’s Game” is an example, and so is “Dune”. Both these books were fantastic, but I’ve never been compelled upon reading reviews, to pick up the other books in the series. The Neanderthal Parallax series, fortunately, builds nicely and continues to be exciting and strong on content throughout the three books. Highly recommended if you love science fiction and anthropology.
I’ve since picked up Sawyer’s most recent trilogy : WWW – Wake, Watch, World. Wake, the first book in the series has an intriguing storyline. Caitlin Decter, a blind high-schooler, who’s recently moved from Texas to Canada, is enlisted by a Japanese scientist to participate in a sight-restoring scientific breakthrough. When Caitlin is setup with the technology, she, much to her disappointment can’t see the world. What she can see is the internet, which makes her relatively happy, since she’s a math whiz and very interested in technology and the WWW. As she goes about exploring this new world, Caitlin finds a web-based intelligent entity on the networks and tries to help it learn.
In parallel, Sawyer also tells us about an avian flu outbreak in China. And then there is the story of Hobo, a bonobo ape who is being taught/conditioned to learn and can actually communicate with his human trainers via hand signals. Caitlin’s story is the strongest thread in “WWW: Wake”, but while all three stories were interesting to read, neither of them went to any conclusion in this book. This is a first book of a series and presumably Sawyer will take these unfinished stories ahead in the later two books. Still, with all the loose threads, and no satisfying conclusions (save one maybe) this book did not have that sense of closure. I’m not awed as I expected to be awed.
Sawyer is a good writer. His language is simple and very descriptive. He explains scientific concepts (mostly via characters talking) in great detail without sounding “jargony”. While I’m not too satisfied with “Wake”, owing to Sawyer’s style of writing and his strong content I had no trouble clip-clopping through it at a pretty good pace. Yes, I can’t find enough reasons to pick up “WWW:Watch”, but will probably still try other books by him. Wake is a decent enough book, but be prepared to forge ahead in quick order with the series if you do pick it up.
“The Help” movie
Written By: amodini
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Apr•
27•11
Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller “The Help” is being made into a movie. It will be in theatres this August. It was such a lovely book,that I look forward to the film – hopefully it will be as good or better. Here’s a first look :
Book Review : Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree
Written By: amodini
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Apr•
20•11
Title : Aunt Dimity and the Family TreeAuthor : Nancy Atherton
Genre : Mystery
Publisher : Viking Adult
Pages : 240
Rating : 3.5/5
Source : Publisher ARC
Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree is the 16th book of the Aunt Dimity series. Aunt Dimity, if you haven’t read any of these books before, is a ghost who speaks her mind (so to speak) through her writing in a diary. The diary is owned by Lori Shepherd, our intrepid heroine, and God-daughter of Aunt Dimity. As and when Lori gets embroiled in a mystery, which is with every book, she discusses her thoughts on the investigation with Aunt Dimity via the diary. Lori speaks out loud, and Aunt Dimity expresses herself by writing in the diary.
Lori lives in the small village of Finch with her husband and two boys, and in this book, her charming, moneyed and widowed father-in-law has just bought an old mansion, Fairworth House, in the village to be close to his son and family. This causes considerable curiosity in the village, and it falls to Lori, the dutiful daughter-in-law, to keep away the local gossip and the interfering old biddies waiting to catch the old man’s eye.
As Willis Sr. settles into his mansion, he is also put upon by an unexpected guest; local baker Sally Pyne needs his help to enact a fib. To help her father-in-law, Lori has hired people to make renovations. She also helps hire a housekeeper and her husband to look after the sprawling mansion and surrounding estate. The hired help seems too good to be true, and when mysterious events start happening, Lori suspects the new hires of sinister motives . . .
This book has many quirky, colorful characters. If you have read other books in the series you will no doubt be aware of them. If not, please note that Atherton makes references to this cast and reels them into the story like old and well-known friends. Our heroine Lori seems a bit hyper and given to worrying about little details, and Aunt Dimity is the staid, sound one offering her sage advice.
This is a pleasant enough mystery, although on the tepid side. Compared to other mysteries/thrillers, this is almost a beach read, because for all the mysterious happenings and prowling around at night, you know that nothing really gruesome is going to happen – no murderers/slashers/really evil people in the vicinity. You have your gossip-mongerers and peeping-toms, and people who cannot but want to have their finger in every pie, but it’s all very PG, and the village in totality seems rather sweet and harmless. This book, and I’m surmising the entire series is the kind your older kids could read even.
This book is well-written and engaging. If you enjoy this genre, i.e.; a cozy English mystery about not-so evil people (almost makes me want to make tea and scones and move to the country-side) this will be a a quick and easy read.
Book Review : The Track of Sand
Written By: amodini
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Apr•
15•11
Title : The Track of SandAuthor : Andrea Camilleri
Publisher : Penguin
Genre : Crime / Mystery
Pages : 258
Rating : 4/5
Source : Publisher ARC
They tell me that Camilleri is the author of best-sellers, but I was skeptical to say the least, since this book is a translation of the Italian original, and I think translations may not quite agree with me. It took a while to get into the book; there were many, many characters all of whom had similar sounding names. But, primarily there’s Inspector Salvo Montalbano, and his officers : Fazio, Gallo, Galluzo and Mimi Augello.
In this book, Montalbano, who lives in a house on the beach finds a dead horse in front of his home. Worse, the horse appears to have been murdered brutally. After making a cursory inspection, when Montalbano goes to get his officers out so they can make a thorough investigation, the carcass disappears.In the next couple of days 2 people file police reports about missing horses – one is a famous equestrian Rachel Esterman, and the second is one of the richest men in Italy Saverio Lo Duca. Then, as Montalbano ponders the mystery, his home is broken into. Not much is taken, so Montalbano realises that this is a warning; (and to put it pun-nily)someone desperately wants him off the horse’s tail . . .
Now, I wasn’t very enthused about Montalbano in the beginning, but the character grew on me as the book progressed, and it progressed pretty quickly because this is a slim volume. Montalbano is 56, and has beautiful women throwing themselves at him. He is also mightily quirky, loves his food and is averse to spending his hard-earned money on as he puts it “a sea of assholes”. LOL, that has a nice ring to it; a sea of assholes.
Salvo also doesn’t quite get socializing :
“The prospect of the dinner, the people whose conversation he would have to listen to, the muck that would likely be served and that he would have to swallow even if it made him puke . . .”
and has a wry sense of humor, which comes through in some interesting descriptions :
“He looked to be at least ninety-nine years old and, indeed, was leaning on a sort of shepherd’s crook to keep from collapsing. . . .Armando grabbed the near-weightless bag with one hand, but still it made him list to that side”
Montalbano is also quick-thinking and wily, and the reason why I would read the other books in the series. The events in this book move fast, and the almost benign mystery of two missing horses turns into something more sinister as Montalbano gets deeper into his investigation. The translation has some peculiar turns of phrase (eg. setting fire to a cigarette) but the flavor of the original book and it’s feisty people comes through even in this.
I quite enjoyed this “The track of sand”. Recommended.
Kid-safe news
Written By: amodini
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Apr•
09•11
I was mentioning to my kids the other day that they should be reading world news, since really you should know what’s going on outside your corner of the world. We don’t subscribe to a newspaper so the news getting would be all online.And now that I think of it, my remembrances of childhood morning always seem to feature a “real” newspaper – a physical paper that you could hold in your hand and peruse. Like black and white and read all over.
Those of course, were simpler times when the word venerable could actually be used to describe newspapers. Like the venerable “Times of India”. Unlike today where one hesitates in visiting the Times of India or Indian Express websites because they offer massively dumbed down news with sleazy headlines. The CNN news website also has gotten picture-rich and offers news bulleted style, probably because with our short attention spans we might go wandering off if we’re actually forced to get news in more than 140 characters. And HLN (which is a CNN spinoff) received a recent make-under which made reporting more sensationalistic and controversial – all the news you didn’t need to know.
Anyway, searching around for current events websites that actually catered to kids and were non-sensationalistic blah-blah-blah, have come across two, which seem decent and actually report news :
There are others like the Scholastic, Time for Kids and National Geographic News for kids websites, respectable, kid-friendly organisations, although I didn’t find them as current-event-news-minded as I liked.
Book Review : Instruments of Darkness
Written By: amodini
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Apr•
01•11
Title : Instruments of DarknessAuthor : Imogen Robertson
Genre : Historical Mystery
Publisher : Pamela Dorman Books
Pages : 384
Rating : 4/5
Source : Publisher ARC
I started on Imogen Robertson’s “Instruments of Darkness” having had no prior introduction to her writing or work. The jacket flap promised a dark, intriguing mystery and I’m glad to report that this is indeed the case. The novel starts off with a murder in the little village of Hartswood, West Sussex. A stranger is found dead in the lands of Caveley Park. The mistress of Caveley Park, a stout of heart woman named Harriet Westerman asks the local learned man Gabriel Crowther for help. Harriet suspects foul play of her eccentric neighbors, the residents of Thornleigh Hall.
Almost at the same time in London there is another murder – that of a musician Alexander Adams. Adams who leaves behind his two children, also leaves clues that he may have had connections with the great Thornleigh Hall. The two murders are connected surmise the sleuthing pair, but at the outset the connection is unclear. As the bodies keep piling up, Mrs. Westerman and Crowther meet with stiff resistance in their investigations. But with lives at stake, they dare not give up . . .
This is a novel full of atmosphere (the very nicely done book cover itself portends to that). Robertson succeeds in building up a sinister mood, and I could almost see the village of Hartswood shrouded in an evil mist. This being a historical novel situated in the 1780s, she also succeeds in getting her descriptive details right. The main characters Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther are well-sketched and she makes them likeable – not in a warm, fuzzy sort of way, but by building them with strong spines and sound judgment. Mrs. Westerman particularly is a firm woman, uncaring of the societal rules for women of that age. She does what she thinks is right, and speaks up when she sees wrong done, even when people around her would bide her silent as a woman.
This is an intricate and engrossing mystery – there are undertones and nuances to everything, and the author hints at untold motives. Secrets abound and mysterious past events come back to haunt the protagonists. Robertson tells three stories in parallel – the first of the murder of Caveley Park, the second of the murder of Alexander Adams and the third the story of Hugh Thornleigh as a young soldier in the war. As the three stories start to fit into each other, quite impressively really, the identity of the murderer becomes clearer. The way the novel is built up and told, and from all the clues the reader gets, the end, when it comes, is not a surprise. Yet, the novel holds it’s own, due to the excellent writing and the just-right pace.
Mysteries are one of my favorite genres, and to have an excellent period piece and a mystery all rolled into one was a great bonus. This is a great read; I will be sure to look out for Robertson’s next novel.
Book GiveAway : Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Written By: amodini
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Mar•
20•11
Geraldine Brooks is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and The New York Times bestseller, People of the Book. Her fourth and newest novel is CALEB’S CROSSING (Viking; On sale, May 3, 2011). Thanks to the publisher, I’ll be giving away 2 galleys of the book. If you’d like to enter the draw, please email me or leave a comment. You must be a US/Canada resident to be eligible.
Note : Galleys are paperback editions of the book, used for proof-reading/reviewing before the actual book is released in the market. Galleys cannot be bought or sold.
Here’s more on the book and the author :
CALEB’S CROSSING is inspired by the life of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College in 1665. Brooks first learned about him during her time as a Radcliffe fellow at Harvard in 2006. Caleb was from the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans who lived on Martha’s Vineyard and this year Tiffany Smalley will become the second Vineyard Wampanoag to graduate from Harvard. There is little official information on Caleb’s life and Brooks’s novel is an informed imagining of what he might have gone through.What makes this novel truly special is its narrator, Bethia Mayfield. Bethia is the strong-willed daughter of a preacher who lives in the settlement of Great Harbor on Martha’s Vineyard. She struggles with the restrictions placed on her—namely, that she is denied the education freely given to her brother. Bethia finds respite in the wild landscape of her home and it is while clamming one day that she meets Caleb, the son of a local chieftain. They form a secret friendship that, in time, leads to Caleb coming to live with the Mayfields. Bethia’s father eagerly takes Caleb under his wing, determined not only to convert him to Christianity, but also to groom him for matriculation to Cambridge and eventually, Harvard.The harsh realities of life for both women and Native Americans are fully confronted in CALEB’S CROSSING. It is a story of difficult friendships, cultural transitions, and facing injustices.
Q&A; with Geraldine Brooks, author of
CALEB’S CROSSING
Caleb Cheeshahteamauk is an extraordinary figure in Native American history. How did you first discover him? What was involved in learning more about his life?
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah are proud custodians of their history, and it was in materials prepared by the Tribe that I first learned of its illustrious young scholar. To find out more about him I talked with tribal members, read translations of early documents in the Wopanaak language, then delved into the archives of Harvard and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, especially the correspondence between colonial leaders and benefactors in England who donated substantial funds for the education and conversion to Christianity of Indians in the 17th century. There are also writings by members of the Mayhew family, who were prominent missionaries and magistrates on the island, and John Cotton, Jr., who came here as a missionary and kept a detailed journal.
There is little documentation on Caleb’s actual life. What parts of his life did you imagine? Do you feel you know him better after writing this book, or is he still a mystery?
The facts about Caleb are sadly scant. We know he was the son of a minor sachem from the part of the Vineyard now known as West Chop, and that he left the island to attend prep school, successfully completed the rigorous course of study at Harvard and was living with Thomas Danforth, a noted jurist and colonial leader, when disease claimed his life. Everything else about him in my novel is imagined. The real young man—what he thought and felt—remains an enigma.
Bethia Mayfield is truly a woman ahead of her time. If she were alive today, what would she be doing? What would her life be like with no restrictions?
There were more than a few 17th century women like Bethia, who thirsted for education and for a voice in a society that demanded their silence. You can find some of them being dragged to the meeting house to confess their “sins” or defending their unconventional views in court. If Bethia was alive today she would probably be president of Harvard or Brown, Princeton or UPenn.
The novel is told through Bethia’s point of view. What is the advantage to telling this story through her eyes? How would the book be different if Caleb were the narrator?
I wanted the novel to be about crossings between cultures. So as Caleb is drawn into the English world, I wanted to create an English character who would be equally drawn to and compelled by his world. I prefer to write with a female narrator when I can, and I wanted to explore issues of marginalization in gender as well as race.
Much of the book is set on Martha’s Vineyard, which is also your home. Did you already know about the island’s early history, or did you do additional research?
I was always intrigued by what brought English settlers to the island so early in the colonial period…they settled here in the 1640s. Living on an island is inconvenient enough even today; what prompted the Mayhews and their followers to put seven miles of treacherous ocean currents between them and the other English—to choose to live in a tiny settlement surrounded by some three thousand Wampanoags? The answer was unexpected and led me into a deeper exploration of island history
You bring Harvard College to life in vivid, often unpleasant detail. What surprised you most about this prestigious university’s beginnings?
For one thing, I hadn’t been aware Harvard was founded so early. The English had barely landed before they started building a college. And the Indian College—a substantial building—went up not long after, signifying an attitude of mind that alas did not prevail for very long. It was fun to learn how very different early Harvard was from the well endowed institution of today. Life was hand to mouth, all conversation was in Latin, the boys (only boys) were often quite young when they matriculated. But the course of study was surprisingly broad and rigorous—a true exploration of liberal arts, languages, and literature that went far beyond my stereotype of what Puritans might have considered fit subjects for scholarship.
As with your previous books, you’ve managed to capture the voice of the period. You get the idiom, dialect, and cadence of the language of the day on paper. How did you do your research?
I find the best way to get a feel for language and period is to read first person accounts—journals, letters, court transcripts. Eventually you start to hear voices in your head: patterns of speech, a different manner of thinking. My son once said, Mom talks to ghosts. And in a way I do.
May 2011, Tiffany Smalley will follow in Caleb’s footsteps and become only the second Vineyard Wampanoag to graduate from Harvard. Do you know if this will be celebrated?
In May Tiffany Smalley will become the first Vineyard Wampanoag since Caleb to receive an undergrad degree from Harvard College. (Others have received advanced degrees from the university’s Kennedy school etc.) I’m not sure what Harvard has decided to do at this year’s commencement, but I am hoping they will use the occasion to honor Caleb’s fellow Wampanoag classmate, Joel Iacoomis, who completed the work for his degree but was murdered before he could attended the 1665 commencement ceremony.
Book Review : Heartstone
Written By: amodini
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Mar•
13•11
Title : HeartstoneAuthor : C.J. Sansom
Publisher : Viking Adult
Genre : Historical fiction/ mystery
Pages : 626 (Hardcover)
Published : Jan 24, 2011
Rating : 4.5/5
Source : Publisher ARC
Heartstone is the 5th book in C.J.Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series. In it, Sansom’s hunchbacked lawyer hero takes on another intriguing case. The time is of Catherine Parr’s reign on the throne as Consort of Henry VIII. Five other wives having being done away with (marriages either annulled and/or wives beheaded) Queen Catherine is a just but careful woman. Ever loyal to her servants, the Queen has one of her old maids come to her to ask for justice for her son Michael, who has committed suicide in extenuating circumstances. Before his death Michael has accused one Sir Nicholas Hobbey of grievous wrongs against one of his (Michael’s) former pupils Hugh Curteys. Hugh, after his parents’ death, is now the ward of Sir Hobbey.
After the Queen requests his help in the case, Shardlake journeys to Sir Hobbey’s home Hoyland Priory. Also on Shardlake’s mind is the matter of Ellen Fettiplace, a woman in the Bedlam (insane asylum). Shardlake has befriended Ellen, who looks to be sane, but will not divulge any details on how or why she came to be in the Bedlam. Her traumatic past is a secret which no one around her is willing to reveal, but which, Shardlake is convinced, is the key to setting her free from her fears. As Hoyland Priory is near Rolfswood, Ellen’s native village, Shardlake resolves to find out as much as he can about Ellen’s past.
In his mission, Shardlake is aided by his able assistant and friend Barak And aid he will need, from Barak, and from the Queen, because enemies spring out of the woodwork, trying to dissuade Shardlake from pursuing his quest for the truth.
This is the first book I’ve read of the series, and am happy to report that it can be read stand-alone. This was also my first introduction to Shardlake and the writing of C.J.Sansom and I’m pleased with both. Serjeant Matthew Shardlake is a very likeable hero. Bent of body but strong of mind, Shardlake will go to great lengths to see justice done. His resolve will be tested severely though when he is faced with open hostility and physical harm from his powerful enemies.
Sansom has great skill of description and detail, and weaves together an intricate and engrossing mystery. The book deals with an expansive canvas but Sansom writes so beautifully that the story progresses fluidly – a near-perfect mix of drama, action and characterization. Set as it is in Tudor times, Sansom succeeds in depicting the historical setting with believable detail, something which adds greatly to the pleasure of the book.
A first rate mystery novel with an astounding twist to the tale, “Heartstone” is a must-read for all lovers of historical fiction and mystery. Though this is a large book, 626 pages of small font (Hardcover), it is well worth the time. I didn’t notice the pages fly by, and I’m hoping you won’t either.
Music to my ears
Written By: amodini
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Mar•
05•11
I reviewed the film “Dil to baccha hai ji” here. And made a mention of the wonderful music in it. Here’s a sample :
