BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

I am determined to get things done before I go back to being myself .Thats one of the reasons Im posting a second review today.This is a new author and a debut novel.I stumbled across a few people raving about it and decided to pick it up.Besides the title was intriguing and the synopsis said that sometimes,the perfect marriage is the perfect lie and in times like these,I thought that it is very believable.

This is the story of a seemingly perfect couple,Jack and Grace.Jack is handsome and rich and Grace is charming and elegant.But you soon figure out that somethings not quite right because they are never apart.Grace never answers the phone.They have a common email.She never meets anyone for lunch or coffee.She cooks elaborate meals but still remains very slim.So you know that things are not always the way they seem.Is it then the perfect life or the perfect lie?

My views:

This book was a fairly simple read.I liked the way it alternated between the present and the past.We are taken on a journey through the couples life from how they meet to how they get together.Jack comes across as the perfect guy in every way.Charming,handsome,accomodative towards Grace's sister Millie who has Downs syndrome and Grace is swept off her feet and agrees to marry him.Thats exactly when things go in a downward spiral.

It was a page-turner to a certain extent,then it got a bit unbelievable.I was very interested to see where the story was going and how it would end.Parts of the story are excellent and keep you at the edge of your seat but in parts you wonder why Grace is behaving the way she does.

Jacks character is believable to an extent.I know sadists do exist but here the sadism is taken to unnatural heights.I hated the way Molly,the puppy was treated.From there on it just got more bizzare.Thats when my interest level dipped and it started to feel like fiction.

But if you delude yourself into somehow believing that all of it could happen,then you'll enjoy the book.It shines in parts.I liked how the story ends.I would have been very disappointed if it had to end any other way.

Considering that its a debut novel,I rate it a 3 out of 5.

THE STORY HOUR

I've been procrastinating again.Havent come here in a really long time but I intend changing that very soon.Hopefully i'll be able to post more often.

Thrity Umrigar is one of my favourite authors.She usually writes women-centric fiction and I love that she provokes me to stop and think.Her books have characters which one might meet in everyday life.The stories she writes about feel so very real.

A bit about the book:

Laximi, a village girl who comes to the United States is desperately lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage.Forced to cut ties from her family in India and living a life restricted to a small restaurant and a grocery store,she attempts suicide in despair.However she is saved by timely intervention and her case is assigned to Maggie,an African-American psychologist with an Indian husband.Maggi who is usually detached in her professional relationships befriends Laximi and they become close.She also helps Laximi start a successful cleaning and catering business.

Laximi has a dark secret in her past and when she confesses it to Maggie she reacts in a way which is completely unexpected by Laximi.However the tables are soon turned when Laximi stumbles upon Maggies secret which in turn shakes her faith in Maggi and jeopardizes their bond.This is a very honest novel about friendship,expectations,disappointments and second chances.

My views:

I was immediately hooked on to this book.The characters are given distinct voices.It took some getting used to, to read Laximis part because the dialect she was given was that of an Indian village girl who barely knows how to speak English.So its fractured English for Laximi all way.But I got used to that quickly.Maggie Bose on the other hand is a self-assured ,independent woman but flawed at the same time.Being a psychologist and dealing with peoples problems and helping people deal with their lives.But when she faces her own demons she needs to take help as well.I was drawn into their lives.

We as adults lead very complex lives.As people we are capable of so many emotions,its scary if  we allow ourselves to get swept away by them.You cant logic your way through emotion sometimes and mistakes do happen.The most important lesson this book teaches is not to be judemental about others.Different people,lead different lives and have different pasts.Just because someone doesnt conform to your standards doesnt give you the right to take a higher moral ground.

I liked that this book explores the fragility of a friendship and takes us through an entire gamut of emotions.I was non-judgemental while reading this book though it provoked me to think that a certain character has behaved wrongly.It raises pertinent questions about the sanctity of marriage,being trapped in a loveless marriage and infidelity.

I liked that the conclusion was open-ended because it couldnt have been any other way.Its not easy nor is it simple to get back on track in life after life changing events.Its always an ongoing process,a story which never ends.

I rate this book a 4 out of 5.

THE BELL JAR

I kept away from my blog for some time now mainly because I didnt know what to do with myself for a period of time after reading this book.You just cant be done with a book like this.I couldnt bear to write about it immediately nor could I gather my thoughts in a coherent form.I spent an inordinate amount of time feeling morose and I couldnt really place a finger on it but I knew that I had to snap back and eventually get on with life.The Bell Jar is a dangerous book.To those who havent read it yet,dont say I didnt warn you.

This is a semi-autobiographical novel and the only one written by Sylvia Plath.

Esther Greenwood,the protagonist is a beautiful and talented young woman who becomes mentally unstable during a summer spent interning at a magazine in New York City.We follow Esthers slow descent into extreme depression.Being unable to fit into the culturally acceptable role of womanhood and tormented by the death of her father,Esther attempts to commit suicide and end it all.She is sent to various psychiatrists,given shock treatments and psychotherapy sessions which ultimately aid in lifting the metaphorical Bell Jar in which she has felt trapped and stifled.However the journey to fight ones inner demons in never easy and to honestly document it is even more difficult.

My Views:

I had read a few of Sylvia Plaths poems and had studiouly avoided reading this book for a long time now.I knew it would be a difficult read but I have also challenged myself to read books I wouldnt dare to in 2016.So I took it on as a dare.Let me be honest and say that I took a really long time to get through this book mainly because I was reading it in small doses to bear the emotional onslaught in installments.

It is very simply narrated as if by detached observation and no histrionics but when it eventually sinks in ,you find it difficult to handle her emotional turmoil.It is written using a series of flash backs that show up parts of Esthers past.It addresses important questions like a womans role and living up to societal expectations.The way men percieve women.Nothing much has changed in any aspect even years after she wrote the book.The issues are still the same and its still very much a patriarchal society.Nothing much has changed for people with mental illnesses.There is still stigma attached to it.It is just like Esther has described her mother saying,'I knew you'd decide to be alright again'.'

Why cant people understand that it could happen to anyone.Arent we all on the brink of insanity anyway dealing with what life throws at us.All it takes is one bad moment or one bad day to push anyone over the edge.It is very easy to descend into the whirlpool of gloom.What is important at times like these is knowing that you arent alone,having moral and emotional support and seeking timely help from a professional.

There are so many scenes in this book which I will never be able to forget.It was a visceral experience to read it.This is so intense that it grabs you by the lapels and drags you to the darkest corner in your mind and leaves you there for sometime.

Read it is all I can say!

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON

This book came up on my social media feed while I was browsing for books.I was mid-way through a novel but my mind prompted me to search for something more.I am now officially a book polygamist.I read more than one book at a time and I can do it guilt free ;-)I had no idea what this book was about but I was familiar with the author's work and didnt think twice before picking it up.I finished reading it over the weekend.

Lucy Barton the narrator of this story tells us about the nine weeks she spent in hospital several years ago when her two daughters were young.Her mother,who she has been estranged from for many years ,comes to see her.They talk about trivial things,cousins,people they knew and of marriages that didnt work out and this gossip seems to reconnect them.But scratch the surface and there's a troubled family and Lucy's desire to escape it all,her life now,her marriage,her love for her two daughters and her desire to become a writer.

My Views:
Lucy Barton is a brilliant narrator and she tells us her story without telling us her story.The mother-daughter conversations about other people and gossip about their marriages,seem to reconnect them but what is most painful are the things left unsaid.Lucy carries the burden of acute poverty and abuse. To survive a past like that and come out unscathed is extraordinary.This story is about coming to terms with who you are.How the past defines us and makes us what we are.How we are just the sum total of the people we meet.She speaks about the people she met in her life,the impact they had on her and how grateful she was for them.She knew exactly when people were judgemental about her but she chose to see the kindness in strangers.That is a quality very few people possess.

It is difficult to make peace with one's past sometimes.It is too painful to go back and relive it.Lucy Barton's story is about all that and more.She knows exactly what defined her.She knows exactly who she is.She knows how similar she is to her mother in some ways.She doesnt begrudge her mother for anything.I could gauge that the mother probably had a past of her own which she could never recover from and that made her the kind of woman she was.Unable to love a daughter who craves for affection.However Lucy doesnt want the same for her children,she loves them and cares deeply about them.She aspires to be a writer and I loved the bit she wrote about her favourite author.You learn so much from this book.

I thought Lucy Barton was a very strong woman.At no point does she evoke pity.On the contrary you look up to her in awe.She is flawed but she is very insightful and I liked her for that.I will hopefully be reading her story again at some point in my life.

Do we really get time to introspect and look within us,skim through our past and remember the people or incidents which in some way contributed to who we are today.If I think about it,I feel Im made from all the people I've encountered and all the things I've experienced.However I often wonder if the way our life turns out boils down to one particular moment.Is it one definable moment which ultimately sets the wheels in motion?Would our lives have taken a different course if we had behaved differently back then?Would we never meet the people we met had it not been for that one choice.Conversations which impacted me were sometimes with people I least expected to connect with.At the end of it all,those conversations are what I remember most.Those conversations are responsible for the kind of person I am today.All these fleeting thoughts.All because of this book.

This is a book to be savoured.It will definitely provoke you to think back on your life and trust me sometimes its good to just look back and see how far you have come.

I rate it a 4 out of 5.

THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL

I have been fascinated with Turkey for as long as I can remember.This book was always there on my TBR list and I finished reading it a couple of days ago.However ,this week has been crazy,its just been one of those weeks when you are super annoyed and everything and anything serves to aggravate you further so I thought of escaping it all and writing my thoughts about this book over the weekend.

The Bastard of Istanbul tells the stories of two girls,Asya Kazanci and Armanoush Tchakhmakhchian and their respective families,one Turkish and the other Aremenian and how they are connected through the history of the Armenian genocide.Asya is the 'bastard' daughter of Zeliha,raised by an eccentric group of aunts and grandmothers in Istanbul.She knows very little about her past and has no interest in it.

In Arizona,Armanoush is trying to grapple with her past and find her true identity.She is the daughter of Rose and a Turkish step-father,Mustafa.She shuttles between Arizona and San Francisco where she spends some time of the year with her father Barsham's large Aremenian family.Struggling to understand herself and her Armenian roots,she decides to journey to Turkey and stay with her step-father's family,the Kazanci's.

When Asya and Armanoush meet,they begin to find a lot of common factors binding them together and this journey sets the ball in motion ultimately revealing a lot of closely guarded family secrets.

My Views:

This book had me hooked,with a very good opening chapter and I was hoping it would be a fantastic read.However as I progressed,I found that too many characters were being introduced too fast.Their names being Turkish and Armenian were a little difficult to get used to and I found myself failing to see any connection between their lives.It kept me wondering where the story was headed because it felt like reading disconnected scenes.

One really has to be attentive to all the details in this book and if you are distracted or are compelled to read it haphazardly due to time constraints,there is a good possibility that you might not really enjoy it.I would suggest you read it at a stretch, if possible over a weekend.I read about a hundred pages every night and still had to struggle with some parts.The characters failed to evoke any empathy in me.

There were a lot of unnecessary details thrown in which distracted me and even though I enjoyed reading about the elaborate Turkish and Armenian cuisine,I felt that it took away from the main story.The inclusion of a recipe came as an unwanted surprise.

The magical realism was unexpected and a bit strange.

However I did enjoy reading about the motley cast of characters in Cafe Kundera.

I hadnt read much about Turkish history and was shocked to know about the ruthless mass massacre of people and the Armenian genocide.It was interesting to read about how the Turkish-Armenian history is viewed through so many perspectives.
It was a bit disturbing to read the end because honestly it came as a surprise.I hadnt expected it to end that way.Zeliha's character was portrayed as being so strong-willed that it was surprising to see how she handled the situations in her life.But of course this is what I think.

I liked Asya and Armanoush ,they were independent women with a mind of their own. I thought it was a perfect portrayal of the need to erase the past sometimes and also the desire to examine it.
I liked the fact that everything fits perfectly in the end like a jig-saw puzzle.You realise that everyone was there for a reason and every scene which felt disconnected at the beginning,starts to finally make sense.
I was a bit disturbed after reading this book but I did like it in parts.

I rate it a 3 out of 5

BLUE

Danielle Steel always brings forth a fresh wave of nostalgia.I admit not having read her books since many years now but things were very different way back in junior college.One summer back then,I went on a Danielle Steel reading spree.I remember going to the local library and getting only her books throughout that summer.Not a good idea but I was young and foolish.By the end of the summer I was ready to move on forever from her books because the plot lines seemed very similar and I couldnt tell the stories apart.So things changed,I found new authors and her books were relegated to a remote corner on my shelf.

However there was something about this book that got me interested.Maybe I was trying to recreate the magic of that wonderful summer long past gone or maybe I wanted to see how I would react to her books after all this time or maybe I decided to pick it up for old times sake.But pick it up,I did and I just finished reading it yesterday.

Onto the story:

Ginny Carter is a young widow who led a once glamorous life as a tv anchor along with her husband and three year old son.She is now the sole survivor of a car accident that took the life of her husband and son.Wracked with survivors guilt,she gives up on life and tries to be of help to others by taking dangerous trips to countries where there are women and children who need help.On the anniversary of her family's death she comes back to New York.It is Christmas Eve and very depressing if you are alone in New York City and she is contemplating about killing herself when she encounters a homeless teenager,Blue,who has been living on the streets,abandoned by his family,directionless and utterly alone.

Ginny extends a hand to help and an unsual bond develops between the two of them.This relationship helps both of them to learn to trust and find a family's love again.However Blue has a dark secret buried deep inside his soul.Does Ginny succeed in reaching out to him or are some wounds too deep to heal.Is it really so simple to lead a whole life again after suffering so much is what this story is all about.

My Views:

When I began reading this book,I found that there was nothing terribly different about the story.The same old predictable plot.I knew what was coming next and nothing was surprising.Though it was fairly simple to read and didnt demand too much from the reader,it was narrated in a kind of a detached manner.I didnt find myself getting involved with the lives of the characters.

Of course my heart went out to Ginny and Blue.But I guess,I am a bit too skeptical,I find it hard to believe that goodness like this exists in the world and its beginning to get a bit difficult to accept that in fiction as well.It just seemed too good to be true.Besides Blue was lucky to come out of a situation like that without trauma or baggage of any kind.That didnt go down well with me either.What are the odds of two people (who are complete strangers and who happen to meet by chance ) being just perfect human beings and well suited to each other?!Honestly I think thats hardly ever possible.The chances of things going drastically wrong are very high in scenarios like these.Anyway let me not dwell too much on the negatives.It is a story where everything has to fall in place in the end so I guess the plot calls for stuff like this.

The story was about
trust,friendship,family,guilt and mostly about finding a reason for living.Everything Ginny does was straight from the heart and I thought that as really commendable.

However as I neared the end,something changed.Sometimes,unexpectedly a book speaks to us.It could be a book you havent connected with for the most part but there is this one line somewhere which tells you exactly what you need at that moment and you stop to think about it.It might be something you already know,but its different when its staring you in the face.So there was something in there which did manage to touch me.

It also said that 'Everybody has something they can beat themselves up for.Its just not worth the energy to do it'.I liked that.

It didnt recreate the magic of that summer for me.I guess Ive come too far ahead to ever go back.

I rate it a 3 out of 5.

AN INTERVIEW WITH KATARINA BIVALD,AUTHOR OF 'THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND'

I had been travelling and couldnt post this earlier.My apologies.

I had reviewed 'THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND' some time back when I got the chance to read an advance copy of the book.I had really enjoyed the story and can fondly recall it even today.It is the perfect book to perk up your spirits and one which can be enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate.

I was curious about Katarina Bivald,the author and was thrilled when I got the chance to ask her a few questions.


Katarina Bivald grew up working part-time in a bookshop. Today she lives outside of Stockholm, Sweden, with her sister and as many bookshelves she can get by her. She’s currently trying to persuade her sister that
having a shelf for winter jackets and shoes is completely unneccessary. There should be enough space for a book shelf or two instead.Limited success so far.Apparently,her sister is also stubbornly refusing to even discuss using the bath room to store books.Katarina Bivald sometimes claims that she still hasn’t decided whether she prefers books or people but, as we all know, people are a non-starter. Even if you do like them, they’re better in books. Only possible problem: reading a great book and having noone to recommend it to.

On to the interview:

1. I loved your book, ‘The Readers Of Broken Wheel Recommend’ and I am curious about why you chose to set the story in Broken Wheel, Iowa?

I love books about quirky small American towns, and in the end, I just created a town where I could live for the years it took me to write it.

2. What was the most challenging part about writing this book?

To keep at it, I think, and keep editing it. What separates a publishable book from an unpublishable one is not the idea, nor the plot or the theme or the characters, but the stubbornness of the author.

3. There are various characters in the book, each with their own quirks. What inspired these characters?

I love quirky characters and books about them. When I set out to write my own book, it sort of came naturally to me.

4. Would you describe in brief your journey as an author?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, but somehow I never really gave it any focused effort. As if I was so sure of my dream that I didn’t really think I had to actually work on it. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to subject my dreams to reality?

And then, when I was 25, I said to myself: pick any idea, write any book; it doesn’t have to be good, it will probably never be published, but finish something. From Chapter 1 to The End.

It was published, eventually, but it took years of re-writing and a lot of rejection letters. In fact, I don’t think there’s a publisher in Sweden, large or small, who hasn’t at one time or another rejected my novel. Even my own publisher has rejected an earlier draft of it. But it was necessary: the story needed it.

The rest has been a dizzying and strangely everyday experience: it turns out that being sold to some 25 countries, seeing dream after dream after dream come true, doesn’t really alter the fact that life is basically an everyday experience. As it should be.

5. Who are your favorite authors?

It’s almost impossible to answer; I have so many. Terry Pratchett, Lee Child, Jane Austen, Sherman Alexie, Fannie Flagg… the list just goes on and on.

6. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

Other people’s conversations: I eavesdrop a lot.

7. Which book besides yours would you readily recommend to readers?


Every time I read a new book that I love I try to force all my friends to read it. Just last week I tried to convince a friend of mine that what he was really looking for was some light reading on loss and grief; I had just finished C.S. Lewis A Grief Observed. He promised to read it but then somehow managed to “forget” the book at my place. Fortunately I have since bought him his own copy. Although I did the same thing with a great book about the plague, and I have this suspicion that he hasn’t read it yet.

8. Which book are you currently reading?


C.S. Lewis Surprised by Joy.

9. What advice do you have for new authors?


Eavesdrop. Talk to everyone you meet that’s older than you. Life has a way of being stranger than fiction.

10. Do you really like books more than people?


Oh, I like people too. It’s just that they’re better in books.



Links and other relevant details:

ISBN-10: 149262344X

ISBN-13: 978-1492623441

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Landmark (January 19, 2016)

TWITTER HANDLE:@katarinabivald

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/katarina.bivald

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE 
LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7205478.Katarina_Bivald

AMAZON LINK:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/149262344X?keywords=katarina%20bivald%27s%20the%20readers%20of%20broken%20wheel%20recommend&qid=1454687482&ref_=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1&sr=8-1

Thank you Katarina for your time and answers.

READERS, RECOMMEND YOUR BOOKSTORE!
Sourcebooks Launches Reader Voting Campaign to Grant Money to Community Bookstores

NAPERVILLE IL (January 5, 2016) — Independent publisher Sourcebooks announces the “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore” campaign, which will give grant money to three nominated bookstores. The “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore Campaign” is inspired by the phenomenal support booksellers have given The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald, which was selected as the #1 Indie Next Great Read for January 2016. 

Katarina Bivald’s international bestselling debut novel, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, is a charming, big-hearted story about the joy of books and the transformative power of community bookstores. 

“Bookstores are the heart and soul of their community and have enormous impact on readers’ lives,” said Dominique Raccah, founder and CEO of Sourcebooks. “The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend inspired us to create a campaign that will not only give back to a few deserving bookstores, but hopefully highlight all the many wonderful bookstores that service communities across the country.”

Anyone can nominate their favorite bookstore at http://books.sourcebooks.com/readers-recommend-your-bookstore-sweepstakes/. Sourcebooks will award the winning bookstore with a $3,000 prize; two additional bookstores will each receive a $637 prize (the population of Bivald’s fictional Broken Wheel, Iowa). In addition to bookstores receiving prizes, weekly giveaways for those who nominate will be held throughout the campaign. Voting began January 4, and runs until February 19, when the winning bookstores will be announced.