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!

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.)

How I came to like blogging.

Title    : The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic
ISBN  : 978 93 81607 84 8
Author: Anna MM Vetticad
Pages  : 234


I've always thought that to watch movies for a living would be some way of life! During my vagabond days of a journalism student I would live off four boxes of Dominos pizza and a hard disk full of movies each day for almost a year. It was crazy, but fun! That's when I realised that there was something in the movies that enticed me. That could be one of the reasons why I chose to lift this book off the shelf; to read how a like minded, yet experienced & skilled person would behave towards cinema.
Before I go ahead and sing paeans for Vetticad let me make myself clear, that I had my share of reservations. Yes, she's an experienced critic and yes, she is an avidly read blogger. But I didn't want to dig into 200 odd pages of a blog reproduced on print (I did that with May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss and couldn't read beyond some 100 pages or so). But, boy was I surprised and how!
So here goes. My reasons to respect the women.

• For taking a New Year resolution and keep it till the next New Years.
• For taking a New Year resolution so crazy and keep it till the next New Years.
• For having the patience to watch all Bollywood movies, good, bad & ugly, to have released in a year.
• For her eye for detail (this woman notices a pimple on Imran Hashmi's back!)
• For her persistence to go after every single actor, director, producer, singer, lyricist or music director and get answers to questions raised by the products they put forth into the Bollywood market.

To me this woman is no less than a Bollywood vigilante on a mission to put accountability into film-makers. I believe this book to be a ''Dummies Guide to be a Film Critic.'' 

Online stores: The book is presently not available on Amazon though you will find a copy on Flipkart (with discount.)