The Learning Curve

A post after a very long time indeed ! Things have changed.. new country...new home..chilly weather giving a lovely colour!!

For the book lovers, being in an European/US library is like having a free sale through out the year.You go to the library, take a random book and never regret about spending money on something worthless because all are freebies here.

I picked this book called "The Learning curve"  judging purely by its cover . I did not have enough time to read the full synopsis as it was a last minute walk into the library.

"The Learning Curve " is written by Mellisa Nathan  and was published in 2009.

The book is a romantic chick lit and the characters are well defined.It is a tale of a school teacher Miss Nicky Hobbs and how she tries to understand her life's true ambition. A complicated relationship with her co worker Rob turns even more complex with the entry of Mr.Mark Samuels. Mark is a single father whose son Oscar turns out to be Nicky's best pupil.

All the characters from the school headmistress Miss James, the friends - Ally & Pete,the black sheep in the school- Amanda , the lovely Daisy and her mom Lillith, to Nicky's nieces, spice up the story line as needed.Though there are a few places where it did turn little repetitive , on the whole it is a keeper.

Do not forget.. there are many fresh romantic encounters for the girl in you :)

Just when I started looking up the author and acknowledgement section, I was shocked to read that the book had been published posthumously.

It is really sad that Mellisa Nathan died early at the age of 37 from Breast cancer. The book world sure lost a wonderful writer.

Next on my reading list is the waitress by the same author.

Sons of Fortune- Archer's Best

I was at the store browsing over the tons of paperbacks and hardbound books spread vertically and horizontally in all those sophisticated book shelves. This was not a day for  window shopping( or should I say window reading ) because I intended to buy a book seriously. 


It was J's birthday and it was a difficult selection because he was just one book old in reading. Finally turning over many John Grisham's and Jeffery Archer's, I finally settled for "Sons of Fortune" due to the high political drama in the plot.Finally all was well and J loved it to the core :)


Though skeptical, I started reading the book.I was surprised at the wonderful writing and was totally engrossed for full three days. This book beats all the other famous books of Archer including Kane and Abel.


If you havent read the book, just grab it at once and for the ones who have read before, surely its not a waste of time to read it again.

Gingerbread Woman

The title sounds very yummy and so does the foody title cover.Remember a good presentation is the first thing that attracts a customer like me.

Clara,is a 30 something woman who has a crisis which is known only to her doctor.She loves to take long strolls & hates when her mother calls her to give a gingerbread jar.
Lawrence,is a man with a dog.He runs away from his parents to this distant land Dublin. He is unable to digest the grief given by God.He hates everybody except his dog.
Clara & Lawrence meet by accident in a park.Clara gives him an accommodation in her house. The story line is as simple as that.

There are three parts in this well written script. The first part revolves around Clara's past , the second one travels to Lawrence past & the third one deals the present involving the two, Clara's doc , Clara's mom and ofcourse Lawrence's dog. The transition between these worlds is so spectacular that it gives the pace of a thriller.

The story explores all the hard things & the deep emotions of life. Two people try to find console & overcome their loss even without much communication. And nope.. there is absolutely no romantic relationship between the two or is it there?? This intrigues the reader very much!!
Some people might also consider this as a light philosophical read.

Nevertheless, this is one amazing novel by Jennifer Johnston.

Jane Eyre

Classics, earlier the word would remind me of something as boring as eating a monotonous meal daily!! As always tastes change with time & I have first hand experience regarding that.
So now I'm into a classy mood traveling way back to the 18th century and with this book called "Jane Eyre" by the wonderful lady "Charlotte Bronte".Sadly this is my first classic in unabridged form having been an impatient reader in my earlier days.
The fact that I have started writing about the book even before I have consumed it fully,proves how much I have been moved by Jane Eyre!!
By this I don't just mean the character but the whole music.Yes thats how I feel,book seem to be a rather dull adjective!!!
At first look the book would seem bulky and disinterest many impatient readers. But every page is a poetry and the author has made a point to cover all forms of emotions - agony,hatred,love,pride,passion,fear & yet to discover more..
I'm no one to write a review for such a wonderful book & about a beautiful ,strong author of whom I have become a great admirer !!
I just leave it to the readers to find more about Jane Eyre & Charlotte Bronte.

Swimming underwater

A recent comment from my friend made me realize that its been long since I wrote a book review!!
And here it goes about the book "Swimming underwater" by Sheena Joughin.

I got this book on my first visit to the British Council Library.Having no clue either about this book or its author , I took it for the intriguing prologue & the very attractive flowery front cover!!

The book is a first person narrative of Ruth, a 30 something female,& enlists her day to day happenings revolving around her boyfriend,his sister,& a dying friend.
In between the narration, the author dates back to the past introducing us to Ruth's mother who is an orderly doctor,her very odd Aunt who smokes cigars all the time & types poems,Aunts friend Diane who is rich & stylish & then her attractive son Gray with whom Ruth establishes an untold relationship.

In a sudden turn around of events, Gray enters Ruth's life again and Ruth is tormented between reality & love.The transition between the past & present is absolutely fantastic and each character is in itself a poem. Even the very complex situations are handled with utmost control & grace which makes the book stand out from the rest.

All is fair in love & war - does it hold true every time? Find out in this amazing novel by the winner of the London Short Story Competition.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Though I had read this book a long time back, memories of Memoirs of a Geisha still lingers my heart !! Before I started the book, the term Geisha was alien to me but now a Geisha seems to be someone whom I had known for long.Such is the power of Arthur Golden's writing,not to forget the fact that this is his first novel.
"Geisha are traditional, female Japanese entertainers, whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as music, singing and dancing. They also engage their clients with light conversation."
For more check wikilink
The book is nothing but the biography of a geisha named Sayuri.To make a biography this interesting sure needs a special talent.From Sayuri's life with her parents to her being sold in Gion and then her obstacles to become one of the most renowned geisha all in well packed book.Amidst this a sweet little love story finds its place too.The district of gion and its streets, the traditions of geisha, the tea houses all emerge as a perfect picture in your mind,such a description!! Apart from the mesmerizing Sayuri character , the characters Mameha, Nobu , Hatsumomo,Pumpkin all leave an impact!!
Wondering who these people are just grab a copy of Memoirs of a Geisha.
Note
Although the character Sayuri is fictional the author had interviewed a retired geisha to get inputs. Later the geisha sued him for breach of contract.The book was also made as movie in 2006 and won many awards and accolades.

Sophie Kinsella

It was in Landmark that I was attracted by this bright yellow book.The prologue which went like this,
"Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She's made a mistake so huge, it'll wreck any chance of a partnership.
Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she's mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they've hired a lawyer—and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can't sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope—and finds love—is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake.

But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does...will she want it back?"
was very catchy and immediately I grabbed the book and I never regretted it. Infact it impressed people who never liked novels before!!
Samantha Sweeting a sweet name like her character.
This book is must read for all those ladies out there who like Sweet romances and sometimes do think to quit work!!
Another wonderful book by the same author:
Can you keep a secret
More in her website:Sophie Kinsley

Disclosure

Michael Crichton-I had heard a lot about him but never read any book, infact I have never gone his side in any book shop.
But last weekend at Odyssey I decided to buy Disclosure from the huge collection of Michael Crichton.
Having heard that this had been a movie in English and later another version of it as Aitraaz in Hindi it was an easy choice for me.
Seeing the size as felt that this would last me for a week until the next book!!
But the moment I started it took in a such a pace that I had to force myself to shut it down in between for eating!!!
It was amazing,I dont have any words to explain it :)
Michael Crichton-Disclosure