Quotes: Rage of Angels

It takes a man to make a woman feel female, Jennifer thought, to make her feel beautiful, to make her feel wanted.

Jennifer about Michael

Time was a swiftly floating river that had no shores, no boundaries. Its seasons were not winter, sorting, fall or summer, but birthdays and joys and troubles and pain.

Sudney Sheldon

Book Review: Rozabal Line

ISBN10: 1780221355

Author : Ashwin Sanghi

Pages  : 359 pages 

Westland, 2007

(Borrowed book no. 1 from ChaiCofi)

Pardon me for being tardy to this blog here, but with life and work all spiraling all over and around me, this is one thing I don't want to let burden me. Hence, I do solemnly affirm that I shall and will write in my time and ease and record my will in this tiny virtual pocket of mine. When it comes to writing about books, the 3rd love of my life, nobody and nothing will ever be allowed to force me to pour my heart out. This is and will be my stress-buster and escape route from reality till I find a time machine! Enough about me now. With that reference to a time machine, let's get on to our task at hand (yes, I said t-a-s-k) at hand, and deal with this book-Rozabal Line.
But before we get into this book, the universe wants us to talk about Dan Brown because the entire universe has been comparing this book with The Da Vinci Code.
Now, Dan Brown is a diligent researcher. Period! I had to read two of his books, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, to reach this conclusion. Don't get me wrong, but I'm not judging his literary skills here (I'm not up to do that!). I've read the likes of Amish Tripathi and Devdutt Pattnaik, who are better known for their ideas, perspective and stories rather than their literary proficiency, and I have enjoyed their works boundless. So, mythology is not a new genre to me. And yet, my bone of contention with Dan Brown is exactly that. I appreciate both his consistent and diligent research and his dexterity in piecing one and one together to get the story going. And that brings us to Ashwin Sanghi's Rozabal Line.
This story is the saga of the three. It has three storylines merging into one to finally reveal what the whole book is about. There is an American priest, Fr Sinclair whose regressed memories from past lives start emerging causing him much surprise and terror. Then, there is an elite army of 13, who call themselves Lashkar-e-Talatashar, with Armageddon as their agenda. And then there is the Rozabal tomb in Kashmir which holds the key to a riddle that will unfold the Armageddon. The story has enough twists and turns to entangle you into confusion and chaos, much because of the absurdity of the tangents the story goes into defying logic all the while. I cannot deny that the research that went into this book is pretty neat. But that's about it. This book is all research and no story with some fiction that goes all over the place.
But if you like conspiracy theories and history and mythology, like I do, you might like this book here and there. So, it's neither all bad, nor all good. It's just one of those books you like, but not in its entirety.

Rating: 3/5

Verdict: If Dan Brown's  research are your forte, if you hated the way he completely ignored Indian mythological texts in his extrapolated conspiracy theories, and you hate his extremely repetitive plot-lines, then Ashwin Sanghi is most definitely what you had been waiting for. You will L-O-V-E this book.

Where do you love to read?

Life has its way of throwing adventures at you such as that one moment you fear that it could be too much to handle and the next moment you know you'll be fine. Just when I thought monotone would colour my life it threw in a few more colours. A new job, a new city and a sea change of people. What more could I have asked for?

View of ChaiCofi from my favorite couch

And, the ferocious mosquitoes and the tardy traffic apart, Cochin has been anything but benevolent. The best about Cochin so far, you ask? This place called ChaiCofi, from where I'm actually typing out this blog. Yes, they have free wifi. But that's not the only thing good about this place. The couches are to sink into. the cappuccinos and hot chocolates are all to be demanded extra-strong (That's how I like mine). The 'Lord of Chocolate'pastry piece is meant as an indulgence, and boy oh boy it's one hell of an indulgence. I treat myself to one evertime I finish a book from here. Which brings me to the best thing about ChaiCofi- the bookworm corner.

The wall of books. *sigh*

This place has a wall of books, a fairly good collection, which you can just grab and read. They also lend you books for a membership fee, which isn't as exorbitant as the food here is (yes, the food is good, but pricey). And besides you get a 10% discount on all your bills if you are a member (ka-ching!) Two books for a week does not look like a bad deal to me. They also have board games and FIFA gaming points, if you'd like. But I'm not the kind so I'll refrain my comments in that quarter. I'm here for the books and the coffee/chocolate, of course. Though I do wish they'd tone down the music a few notches at times.
Let me know of the places where you like to read. I'm sure your bed is one of your favorite places to read. And, did you know that they had a name for it? So didn't I up until today when I saw this on Facebook, which gave me this spark of an idea to write this blog.

Until later then. Keep reading. Ciao!

. 

Book Review: Gone Girl

ISBN10: 1780221355

Author: Gillian Flynn

Pages  : 480 pages 

Phoenix, 2012

I watched the Bollywood flick Race, starring the likes of Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif, some good 4-5 years back and loved it. The movie released in a rather unassuming low profile manner but was received well by the viewers. The primary reason why I loved the movie was that it was a festival of twists and

turns in the plot! Practically every 10 minutes into the movie the story jolts you with a unbelievably believable shocker. It was one of those stories where you couldn't go back home and tell someone the story because whatever little you tell would be a spoiler. Since the movie I've hardly read a novel that left me as baffled as this.Enter, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
Though I try to keep my reading palette fairly balanced, if you've read more of my posts here, you would know how much of a sucker I am for thrillers and mysteries. So, as a part of my online research on what-to-read-next I'd come across some real rave reviews about this book on the Booktubers' community. From all the reviews the book sounded promising. But none of the reviews were giving out much of the story and I couldn't figure out why, up until I read it myself.
This is one those books which you must read knowing absolutely nothing about it. But, show a little patience with the book. If you are the kind who judge a book based on its first 10-20 pages, you might want to hold up until atleast Part 1: Boy loses Girl before you judge this book. The book takes us through the marriage between Nick Dunne and Amy Elliot Dunne in their individual points of view. Still sticking with my no-spoilers rule, not much can be said about the book. But, I shall tell you this: this story is about highly dysfunctional relationships. And though this could a saga of dysfunctional relationships, it is still about extreme commitment.
This book could be THE psychological thriller of the year, being skillfully written with finesse separating the narratives of the characters Nick and Amy(s) from one another. The story fares better as it is written in this 'He-said, She-said' mode. The brilliantly paced (after the first part, that is) book has everything to hook your nerves at the right time, in the right place.
Another reason why you would want to read the book ASAP is that the book has been made into a motion picture. The movie is directed by, one of my favorites, David Fincher and has the very delectable Ben Affleck playing Nick Dunne. Personally, reading the book, unlike ever, I do not have a favorite character in here. But just because Nick Dunne had Ben Affleck's face earned him some brownie points for me. For those interested here's the trailer of the movie set to release in October.

Rating : 4/5

Verdict: Discerningly dark and chilling, this psychological thriller deserves to made into a movie. But before the movie hits the screens you might want to read it. Defintely read it once to join the 'I -know-what-happened'club. Totally worth it!

Book Review: A Clash of Kings

ISBN13: 9780553381696

Author: George R. R. Martin

Pages  : 784 pages

Random House, 2002

Have you ever been driven to the point of desperation to reach the very end of a book in a series ASAP, just so you can get over this

A Clash of Kings cover art

and move on with the story through the next book? A Clash of Kings is doing just that to me. Like the first installment, The Game of Thrones, of the series , The Song of Ice and Fire, this book is taking like forever. While I start writing this I'm about half an hour away from the end. And I'm very excited that about to finish this book that I've spent weeks to on, so that I can move on to the next.
More often than not, I've seen books after the 1st one in a series not really living up to the hype. But such was not the case with A Clash of  Kings. This book here, is just as good as the first one, A Game of Thrones, was in terms of background, narration and treatment. Let me assure you that so I'm totally into the series that I cant wait to see how the story shapes up; who gets the Iron throne and who all die next. 

My favorite characters in the book are Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Danyrys Stormborn and Jon Snow. For me Tyrion Lannister is the hero of the series. He is street-smart, witty,intelligent and comfortable in his own skin.

A song of Ice and Fire

In this book there is the realm of Seven Kingdoms and four kings and a queen who want to claim the Iron throne for themselves. True to what George R.R. Martin, the author, said in an interview recently, ''William Faulkner in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech said ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself. And ever since I heard that quote it’s sort of been my mantra,'' the entire series is about the Iron throne; the tumultuous power struggle between the different houses of Westeros. The story is bold, morbid, grim and gory in every sense of the words. So if you are looking for a feel good fictional fantasy with happy ending you better look elsewhere. This book in the fantasy fiction genre emboldens you in a web of power struggles, sex, scandals and deceit where you feel grim and horror struck.

Irrespective, what I really like about this book is the intensity and consistency in narration. Like the first installment this book doesn't end with a grim in-you-face climax (in the book), but gives us a slight hint that things are getting serious and that 'winter, is indeed coming'. There is almost nothing in there that gives you hope towards a brighter turn of events, and it is a definite page turner. Mostly to my delight the book goes to lengths in detailing each character, their emotions and thought process,but the books are really huge. but I've found the book to drag mostly in detailing the physical fights. Especially, the siege at Blackwater just seemed to go on, and on! So, I need a break before I get into the 3rd installments as need to feel good about the world before I plunge into the grim and gory world of Westeros.

Note to self: Always read the book before you watch the series.

Rating: 4/5

Book Quotes: Veronika Decides to Die

"I want to continue being mad, living my life the way I dream it, and not the way other people want it to be."

- Zedka to Veronika

"I want to feel the rain on my face, to smile at any man I feel attracted to, to accept all the coffees men might buy for me. I want to kiss my mother, tell her I love her, weep in her lap, unashamed of showing my feelings, because they were always there even though I hid them."

- Veronika to Dr. Igor

"An awareness of death encourages us to live more intensely."

Title of the last chapter of Dr.Igor's thesis 

Book Review: Veronika Decides to Die

ISBN 0-7225-3992-4

Author : Paulo Coelho

Pages   : 191 pages

Harper Collins, 1998

"An awareness of death encourages us to live more intensely."

In my younger days I remember attempting to read The Alchemist and giving up halfway. Since then I have never attempted to read any of Paulo Coelho's works, as I've always assumed that I'm wouldn't be into books that attempt to convey deep philosophical or motivating ideas. So, when the other day I was scanning through one of my friend's book shelves my choice tended to go elsewhere; but Vishnu Raghav, the bespoken friend, insisted that I read Veronika Decides to Die. I don't quite know why he was so adamant that I read it, but boy! am I glad. So here's me thanking him for his choice of the book for me. Now let's dive into the book.

This story is about a young, pretty and bright 23 year old, Veronika, who has a job, a place to stay, a fair number of boyfriends and everything that gives us an impression of being a fairly good life. But, she is not only unhappy but she also decides to end her life. She has two reasons, that sound profoundly remorseful, to substantiate her decisions. One, that her life is a monotonous trail of events which would only grow worse with time and old-age kicking in. Two, that the whole world was perhaps falling apart and that gave her a sense of "complete powerlessness". 

So, Veronika decides to sway into the dreamy arms of death by popping a few sleeping pills; she really seemed to enjoy it. But, her plan fails and she later opens her eyes in a hospital bed, in a mental asylum, where the doctor informs her that her heart was failing her. The doctor tells her that the coma had caused her heart muscles to deteriorate and that she has less than a week to live. The story begins here. 

This story here is about Veronika's life in her week long journey towards death. It's her time to re-evaluate her decision, even though she knows it to be futile. After all, what good is to come out of wanting to live when you know that all you have is a week more? But life has other plans for her. Not only is she re-evaluating her position and attitude towards life, she also causes the people around her evaluate their lives. Many residents in the asylum had come to accept their lives in the asylum. She inadvertently causes them to rethink the validity of their lives. This books is about that; about finding hope in life in the face of death, about being "mad" to achieving meaning in life, about being courageous to strive for your dreams and about understanding the value of your life.

Death. I seem to be seeing a lot of it in books these days. It used to be an icy cold, chills-down-your-spine, grim and morbid topic for me. But that changed while I started reading Book Thief. What that book is, is tale for another day. But like many have pointed out earlier in their works, death may not always mean the physical cessation of life. It could have several metaphorical meanings. To me here it means to give up- on your life, your dreams or on all the societal influences that surround you. 

All this is what I take away from this story. This book urges me to be hopeful and to find purpose in live to overcome death in all it's metaphoric glory. I'm at a place in life where I'm taking a few chances, courageous ones-bordering on what some might call careless- to follow my dreams. My choices may turn out any way as I don't know what destiny holds for me, but I'll always know that it is what I wanted and what I chose. As they say, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Rating: 4/5

Verdict: If you are feeling low for some reason, then this could raise your spirits and give you that quick boost of ebergy you need. The book is quite a small one to read but is best read all at once. 

(Click here for my favorite quotes from the book.)

For those of you who are interested, here's the trailer of the movie version of the book, starring Sarrah Michelle Geller as Veronika. 

Keep reading. Have fun. Ciao!

April Book Haul

Though I'm particular owning the books that I've loved reading I equally despise wasting money on experimenting with book, i.e books that I'm not sure that I would enjoy. That does not mean that I've

April '14 EBook haul

ever shied away from buying books. I like to think of myself as an economic book buyer. Libraries have helped me stick to my book budget. I have always read books rented from libraries and then decided if I wanted to own them. But lately I've gotten bold and have begun buying books without putting in much thought. Here is my latest book haul.

As you might be aware, I've finished reading Love Story by Erich Segal (click here for review) and I loved it. Hence I need my time to get over Oliver and Jennifer to be grabbing at its sequel, Oliver's Story. But I've promised myself to get there.

I've begun both Servants of the Goddess by Catherine Rubin Kermorgant and Book Thief  by Markus Zusak simultaneously. Servants of the Goddess is a book in the non-fiction category. Its a memoir of the author trying to make a BBC documentary on Devdasi system, a practice quite prevalent in yesteryear India. It reads as her journey to find the remains of this system, bordering on prostitution, still practiced in India and its cultural and social implications. Book Thief, on the other hand is a fictional story about a girl and her life in nazi-Germany. The most intriguing aspect of the book is that it's written from Death's point of view.

The fourth and last book, 7 Secrets of Shiva, which is yet to be explored and will be in due course, deals in mythology. It explores the concept of Shiva in Hindu culture. The author Devdutt Pattanaik is one of my favorites in the genre. I've enjoyed both Jaya: An illustrated retelling of Mahabharatha and Sita: An illustrated retelling of Ramayana in equal measures inspite of knowing the mythological stories beforehand. His books are less about the literary value, and more about the content. I've liked the way he entangles fresh, modern and contemporary thought into the classic stories. So his books are always on my list.

These are the only eBooks I've bought in the month of April. Tell me about the ones you bought and how you liked them. So untill next time. Keep reading. Ciao!

Book Review: Love Story

ISBN-13: 978-1444776966

Author  : Erich Segal 

Year     : 1970

Pages   : 216

Price     : Rs.76/- (Kindle version)

Love means never having to say you're sorry

-Erich Segal, Love Story

Love Story book cover

Obsessed with love stories, I now wanted to read one of the classics. Love Story made the cut since I'd come across a review of the book on bookgeeks.com (Click here for the review). Promptly I found a copy on Amazon delivered directly to my Kindle and it just stayed there. I was keeping busy trying to strike off books from my TBR pile. And then on this fateful rainy Monday in May I had to make a train journey, and I had decided for Love Story to keep me company.

I am relatively new to the romance genre of books, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this stint. Let me start by saying that I'm not the mushy, hopelessly romantic kind. I like my crime thrillers and my non-fictions alike. But something in me changed since I read The Fault in Our Stars. I've begun to appreciate the genre and I couldn't have asked for anything better than this masterpiece. I run the risk of singing paeans for this book, but can't help it; this could very well be the father of all modern love stories.

Oliver Barrett IV is an all-Ivy Harvardian law student, with a multimillionaire couth upbringing, who hates everything about his upbringing-including his surname and the weight it carries. Jennifer Calliveri, a Radcliffian of Italian-American descent, is a musician in love with her family-with a passion Oliver terms as an 'Italian-Mediterranean' syndrome of paternal love. The cliche of the rich boy and the poor girl falling for each other at first sight ends right there. This story takes off with the unique chemistry between them. I instantly fell in love with the slightly snobbish, yet loving and considerate Jenny. Oliver too is perfectly adorable with all his imperfections. And the moment her dad Phil is introduced you can't help but fall for "the ever affable Mr.Cavilleri."

This is my first Erich Segal book and what I loved about the story is the romance embedded in playful humor and it's frank simplicity in defining love in it's pure sense. I finished the book in 2.5-3 hours flat and I stress that by the time I was done with it I felt like a marshmallow in hot chocolate- all warm and mushy inside. Now I really want to set hands on Oliver's Story, but not without fear. What if I don't like it as much? What if it doesn't live up to my expectations? Fears set aside I will read it soon enough. But before that, I really want to watch the movie Love Story, also written by Erich Segal. (Fun fact: Erich Segal has first written the screenplay of the moview which was turned down. So he was suggetsed to make it into a novel. He then re-wrote it into a novel which also then became a motion picture.) The theme song of this movie, by Francis Lai, has haunted me for years. Listen to it yourself.

 So, that's all about the book. You may wonder why I'm not getting into ratings for the book. I couldn't. I can't get myself to rate such a timeless classic that was written way before I was even born.

Verdict: A must read even if you aren't the hopelessly romantic kind, but just someone with a kind heart.

So time to move on to the next book. Keep reading and let me know what new stories you read.Ciao! 

Book update: Brace yourself for the trailer of The Fault in Our Stars!

As a rule I read the book before watching the movie. It's one of those golden rule I swear by. This is one book that sparkled a myriad of emotions within me. So this is a movie I will be waiting for. But if you haven't read The Fault in Our Stars just go and read it NOW before the movie comes out. The trailer had me swooning!

Read along: Love in the Time of Cholera

There are books you want to read and acquire yourself and then there are those which someone suggests you read and hence you acquire it. The latter, in my case, mostly goes into my TBR pile (which is a sizable heap right now). So here I am, this Monday morning, pledging solemnly that I shall read atleast a book from that pile every month and get done with it.

Love in the time of Cholera was one of the two book a fellow bibliophile and pluviophile friend of mine suggested a good 6 months. Since I was in my all dark-and-underworld phase of mind around the time, I choose Godfather, another classic-cult novel, over the bespoke book (And no, I don't regret my choice). Now that I've reached my everything-lovey-dovey phase of mind after reading The Fault in Our Stars I guess I'm ready to take the plunge into this magnum opus. But is not my only reason for choosing this book right now.

On the balmy morning of April 18th this year when the news of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's sad demise hit the headlines all I could feel was a sense of guilt for not reading his works in his time. So this is my way of paying tribute to this celebrated genius. I hope it will open a new wave of thought into me. Happy reading to all of you.

Let me know if you have read any of his works, and if you have what have you liked about it. Ciao!

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

ISBN 978-0-141-34565-9

Author: John Green
Year    : 2012

Pages  : 316 

Price    :Rs.399/- (paperback)

My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations.

John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

When I like a book it it could end in two ways. Either I could be dying to reach the very end as I want to

The Fault in Our Stars book cover

know how it ends, or I just don't want it to end. But something went terribly wrong here. In this case, I loved the book, and I badly wanted to know how it ended (atleast for a while) but I also couldn't part ways with the characters. Never have I so deeply invested my emotions in a book, in fictional characters as this one.

Fault in Our Stars is the story of a sixteen year old Hazel Grace Lancaster who never remembers her having anything but "crappy lungs". She is terminally ill with leukemia.She has to move around with an oxygen tank, she so fondly calls 'Philip', which helps her breath. She believes she is a "grenade that can blow up anytime leaving everyone around wounded." Her worst nightmare could be leaving her loving family wounded by her 'shrapnel' once she's gone. She has been out of school for a while and practically stopped socializing much. All she has been doing lately is to watch episodes of America's Top Models and to re-read just one book, her favorite, An Imperial Affliction and obsessing over what a sequel to the book would be like. Her socializingwas limited to attending a support group for Cancer kids. Except from her high-school friend Kaitlyn, who she hardly ever wants to talk to these days, he kids at the support group are her friends now. 

That's where Hazel meets Augustus Waters, the blue-eyed, one-legged boy with a sexy crooked smile. Augustus Waters is full of life. He is doing "grand" and is "on a roller coaster that only goes up". He keeps a pack of cigarettes at hand and occasionally hold one between his lips, but never lights it. It gives him a a sense of victory to not give the cigarette the power to "kill"him. He fears being forgotten once he's gone, and wants his life to be meaningful.

At once, Augustus is everything Hazel is not. It is like they are yin-yang. Hazel is the smart,intelligent and composed one, while Gus is the witty, humorous and creative one. While she is is strong Gus is persistent. So, quite predictably, they were meant to fall in love with each other. And this book is about their love and how it changed their lives.

This book is a cancer book, except for it doesn't drown us in sentiment and drama. This story is of a resilient battle to live a life as close to normal as possible, not giving cancer the power to kill for as long as possible. And hence the story never calls for us to sympathies over any character, be it Hazel, Gus or their friend Issac. They don't ask to be indulged in sympathy-they hate it.

The book also deals with how a life-threatening hurdle, as cancer, can alter your life in different ways, and yet it up to you to choose how you want to life your life.

This book sheds thoughts on feeling pain, on being hopeful about life even when there is practically no hope, and of being in true love even through the uncertainty of a future.  

I liked the book for the light nature in which it deals with grim and morbid sentiments. I like it for the positiveness it instilled in me. I would have given it a miss but for some awesome turn of fate. And as this is my first John Green book, so I'm not in a position to review this one with respect to any other of his books. So if you have read this book, or any other John Green book do let me know. Also share your thoughts on this book or any other book you think is worth a read. 

Rating

3.5/5

Verdict: The story is a light read that starts as a cliche cancer story progressing into deeper sentiments on life and death. 

Kindle the reader in you.

I have, more than often, heard bibliophiles speak at length about the lure of paper. Let me start by saying that this post would never have happened if I held my love of paper higher than my love of reading, because this is about my e-reader: Kindle Paperwhite.

Kindle Paperwhite 2013

Before I start ranting about how much I love this piece of technology and why, let me add a disclaimer that I'm biased about my ereader for the emotional value it holds, as it is a gift from someone I hold high in regard. But apart from that, for all practical purposes this isn't for those who can't let go of their love for the aroma of a book, new or old, or for those who have to hold their book in their own hands to read it. This is for those who, for all practical purposes, love reading and reading alone. This is for the 'on-the-go' person who loves reading thick paperbacks and hates dog-ear marked book or fumbling with a bookmark, yet is forced to use the bookmark because it helps maintain the aesthetics of the book( I get paranoid when someone mishandles my book. I can go to great lengths to keep them looking fresh).

 It's a 6", rectangular slab of bliss that's a staple in my handbag right now. It makes reading all those big, bulky paperbacks a piece of cake, more so, because now carrying them is easier than before. Gone are those days when I'd choose small books to read on-the-go, and big ones to read at home, simply because I didn't want to carry around those huge paperbacks. And this then put me behind my reading schedule because I ended up finishing only the small ones and the big books just kept lagged thereby causing me to lose interest in them over a period of time.

A girl has to read what she has to read. And I for one, like to keep a healthy mix across genres. I like my share of Elizabeth Gilbert, James Patterson, Sylvia Day and George R R Martin all the same. And I hate it when people preen and crane their necks to catch the cover of the books I read to judged me by the cover. Enter Kindle Paperwhite-now people don't have to know what I'm reading, not unless of course I blog about it.

By this point of time you probably have guessed that I'm touchy when it comes to my books. So after intrusive comments on my reading choices, the next thing I hate is to lend my books. (Yes, that's a not-so-subtle hint to all my friends.) Almost every time I've lent my books they have either never returned, or have returned doggy-eared, stained, scarred or, worse still, with missing pages.So come on, let's all face it. We can't trust anyone with those precious little things. But now since Kindle Paperwhite happened to me I don't have to part with my precious' as technically all of them are stored in it can't be parted with.

If you still aren't convinced of getting yourself an e-reader,last but not the least here is a YouTube video that I came across while I was doing my market research on what to buy. I will never try this at home. I strongly recommend you don't either. Hence the video.

My Kindle Paperwhite cover

Up to this point it's pretty clear that I'm biased towards my Kindle, But I'm not. Though I love the e-ink technology which gives me a nearly paper-like feel and just the adequate amount of side-lighting, there are a couple of things I would like for Amazon to improve on. I would love for them to introduce colour atleast to give the book art some appeal. I also wished they revised some of their payment options. I live in India and I don't own a credit card. But amazon.in does not allow me to make debit card payments for digital books. It's frustrating, especially when I have one of those book pangs and just HAVE TO read a particular book immediately. (Irrespective I still love my Kindle, but in case you want options you may want to consider Kobo ereader, or read this.)

Now, time for the final note. If and when you buy an ereader don't shy away from buying it a cover. You get quite an option on Amazon itself, but there are plenty other options available outside. You may check eBay, staples or mobilefun in India. But I choose a fun, creative and organic cloth cover from Runa. (Here is the link if you are interested.)But there  Following are a few things you need keep in mind before you take the plunge into buying an e-reader.

Formats compatiable with Kindle: pdf,mobi,sdr,azw,prc and txt (compatiability chart of other e-readers)

Pros

• Easy to carry; lightweight.
• You can read in any light, even in no light- all thanks to the sidelight.
• Perfect for sudden book cravings. Just go online and buy a book and voila: the book reaches your device.
• The device comes with a pre-loaded dictionary.
• Enables discreet reading. Nobody can judge you by the covers of the books you read.
• A drop or two does no harm to it
• Last but not the least, you no longer have to share books because you can't.

Cons

• The print is in black & white.
• It may hang from time to time. (Just plug it to charge and then try to switch it off/on.)
•  You may purchase your books only from the Amazon website, and you need a credit card for all online purchases.

Reflected in You

Paperback: 352 pages
E-book: About 10 hrs
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd(1 August 2013)
Language: English

• ISBN-10: 1405910259
• ISBN-13: 978-1405910255

When I sit to write this review I have finished the Crossfire series till the books available now, ie Reflected to you and Entwined with you. Yet what follows have no spoilers.

This book, Reflected in You, is not a stand alone book, and yet this is the first book in this series that grabs my attention: simply because it was a NewYork Times best seller. But I chose to read the books in the intended order.
 I believe that relationships are always complicated. It ain't a relationship till it gets complicated, because people are complicated. So here's continuing with the...alright...romance between Eva Tramell & Gideon Cross.
The two were drawn to each other like moth to a flame, and what followed was a raw, fierce, hot and tumultuous relationship. Both of them want the same things out of their relationships, but neither of them have been in a healthy relationship long enough to know how to work it through. The books goes about how the couple deals with their own demons and evils, while trying to save the relationship. Both of them have their own set of demons from the past to deal with. To make things worse, Eva is quite often faced by blasts from her past.

So in the beginning Eva is the volatile and self-obsessed among the two. But advancing into the story see that Eva realizes how she has been in the relationship and decides to work harder at making things work. At one point she decides to stop running because her 'recovery was so fragile that she'd learned to protect it at all costs.' So, midst the self-discovery, self-realization and the struggle to stay together the couple more than anything depend more on physical bonding to bond emotionally (No, I'm not complaining!). In Reflected in You, Eva and Gideon fall more and more in love, instilling some hope in us, readers, so that we keep pining for the franchise.

Well written and feel-good, it's not a stand alone story. Nevertheless it's a good continuation to the 1st book. If you have read Bared to You, you are bound to love this one as it just adds to the experience.

Rating: 3/5

(I have a Kindle at hand which makes me grab the e-book. But if you still live the paperbacks, fret not, as they don't make much of a difference to your pockets. Though paperbacks come cheapest at Flipkart the e-books are out of stock. So for e-books you still have to go to Amazon.)