Book Review: I've Got Your Number

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick-lit, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5
Verdict: A light-hearted, warm and fun read with a few dragged parts. Go for it for some mindless chick-lit fun!

Ok, I have to admit it - This is my first of Sophie Kinsella's books! I've never read her famous Shopaholic series which everyone's always raved about. I must admit that off late I have been totally sucked me into the world of headstrong women, romance, humor and the "happily ever-after" stories with twists and turns and a perfect happy ending. This book was sent to me by my Secret Santa for the holidays. The book cover is so appealing in itself and given Sophie Kinsella's popularity,  I couldn't wait to read this book.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

The story begins with Poppy Wyatt, a physiotherapist living in London. Up until now, Poppy's had the perfect life, which is anybody's envy - A good job, a genius fiancé, Magnus with whom she will walking down the aisle in a few days and the wedding preparations in full swing. Poppy's dreams come crashing down when she loses "the" heirloom engagement ring in a hotel fire drill one day. As Murphy's law would have it, her mobile phone gets stolen on the same day, rendering anybody's attempts to contact her regarding the ring useless. After all the trauma, lady luck begins to smile at her when she finds an abandoned phone in a trash bin and begins to use it as her cell phone until she finds the engagement ring. 

Poppy finds out that the phone belongs to a business consultant Sam Roxton's PA who's disposed the phone in the bin after quitting her job. Sam and Poppy begin talking, while Sam learns that she's using the phone and isn't quite pleased with it. Poppy manages to convince Sam that she will return the phone as soon as she finds her ring and promises to forward all the texts/messages and emails to Sam until then. Having access to someone's phone, messages and inbox could be very personal and soon Poppy begins to know and learn all about Sam's daily life and begins to form an opinion about him. This is when things get very interesting and the book holds you captive. What follows is a series of interesting text exchanges between the two, some twists when Poppy fills in the role of Sam's personal assistant and how technology brings two strangers closer and even get them married ;)

What I liked...

I absolutely loved Sam Roxton and his personality. He was my favorite of all the characters in the book. Sam's intelligence, tight-lipped nature, his stoic, calm demeanor and sense of humor was quite a turn-on and leaves you with a "my kinda guy" feel. It was quite contrasting Poppy's - who is a nervous wreck, people pleaser and a chatterbox. The text exchanges between the two was fun to read and made me smile a lot of times. I loved how Sophie developed the intimacy between the two - the slow progression from strangers to acquaintances to friends to something more - All this without spending much time together, in physical proximity. The chemistry between Poppy and Sam was electric and I was so rooting for them towards the end. And the moment I read:

“Lover? I don't know. I don't know if she loves me. I don't know if I love her. All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see.” 

I was floored right then and couldn't wait for the two of them to get together.

What I didn't like quite very much...

A few parts of the book felt very unrealistic when Poppy responds to Sam's emails signing up for a trip to Alaska, a charity run among the others. I mean, who in their right mind would do that?! Some parts also felt dragged towards the end and I was beginning to get a tad bored. The whole thing about Magnus cheating on Poppy and Sam's undefined relationship with Willow felt like a justification for Poppy-Sam's romance. Not that I am complaining about the romance, but those two incidents definitely made it feel like they were forced to make the plot work out.

Barring the lengthiness of the novel and a few unrealistic parts, I quite enjoyed this book. The romance was adorable and the text exchanges was so funny and very entertaining and kept me hooked till the end. A perfect indulgence for a cozy afternoon with a hot cup of tea! Pick it up and you will not regret it! I've become a fan of Kinsella and I sure am going to pick up the Shopaholic series very soon!

Book Review: If today be sweet

Author: Thrity Umrigar
Genre: Multi-Cultural, Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
Verdict: A slow-moving and predictable read.

Goodreads blurb:

"Tehmina Sethna's beloved husband has died this past year and she is visiting her son, Sorab, in his suburban Ohio home. Now Tehmina is being asked to choose between her old, familiar life in India and a new one in Ohio with her son, his American wife, and their child. She must decide whether to leave the comforting landscape of her native India for the strange rituals of life in a new country...."

The blurb was enough for me to pick up this book at the library, the reason being the dilemma that the main character, Tehmina in this story is faced with is the one question that has been haunting me for years now - To choose between living in the US or to go back to India for good. Where do I belong? Where should I raise my kid(s)? Will I be happy whichever path I choose? What if I don't?
I am sure anyone who is an immigrant in the United States or any foreign land have been haunted by these very set of questions at least once in their life. As of today, I have been unable to choose between the two. But, I just know that I have to make that decision before its too late. So, I was quite intrigued to find out what path Tehmina chose and her reasons for doing it in the hope that someday it will help me make my decision when I arrive at the crossroads. I also loved Thrity's "The Space between us" - It was a perfect portrayal of the divide between the rich and the poor and it was dangerously close to reality. I was held captive by the book right from page 1.

I started reading this book with high expectations for the above mentioned reasons. The book is about an elderly Parsi woman, Tehmina who has recently lost her husband, Rustom and is visiting her son Sohrab, daughter-in-law, Suzanne and grandson, Cavas aka Cookie living in Ohio.  Sohrab is the only child to Tehmina and Rustom and he has asked her to relocate to the United States and live with them. Tehmina is in a quandary. The story revolves around the challenges, dilemmas and the struggles of an old widow who has lived all her life in India and is faced with so many changes to accept and compromise upon if she were to move to the United States. We get to see the life in the US through the eyes of a sixty five year old woman and the cultural differences faced by older people whose children live in the US. This part of the book, I felt was very well captured. I see it often in my own life whenever my parents visit US, they are unable to come to terms with certain things being done the way they are here even if it has been their tenth visit. They have learnt to accept it and live by it when they are here, but, nevertheless, will never be completely happy with it. Its hard for me to understand that sometimes, given how easily me and my husband have adapted and adjusted to the life here. But, I suppose it gets harder as you age. There is constant comparison on life here versus life in India throughout the book and how things are done in a better way in India. Crossing the roads without fear, not having to wear seat-belts to name a few. I felt this part was a bit judgmental and cliched, but again, well portrayed and is very much the reality.

I also really liked the portrayal of the relationship between Tehmina and Suzanne. There is friction, unpleasantness and a few bitter incidents between the two, but how they get past beyond all of that and still manage to co-exist in the same house without any major disruptions was very well written. Tehmina is not the typically portrayed Indian mother-in-law who is possessive of her son, constantly complains about her daughter-in-law, nor feels the need to be dominating. She is an independent, courageous and resilient woman who loves and adores her son and grand-son and cannot imagine a life without being near her loved ones.  When we get to the incident which is a turning point in helping Tehmina decide, it feels too dramatic, unrealistic and forced. It never made an impact on me and I could never understand the reasoning of introducing the incident about the two boys and the depth of it. So was the part about Rustom talking to her and the book/poems he reads to her. This was very disappointing and I would have rather enjoyed reading more about Tehmina's relationship with some of her friends/family back in India.

As I moved towards the end of the book, it became predictable. Tehmina decides to choose to live with Sohrab in the US. But why? Wasn't that what the book was supposed to be about? I felt that question was never answered or even if it was it wasn't quite impactful. May be, it goes to say - live with your loved ones, the place doesn't matter? - I don't know. I expected this book to be an emotional roller coster, all about love, relationships, heartfelt conversations and much more. But, it fell far short of my expectations. I would give it a miss.

Book Review: Take This Man

Author: Brando Skyhorse
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5/5
Verdict: An unforgettable, poignant memoir. Full five stars from me! Read it right away.

Note: I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this book from Simon and Schuster through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I stumbled upon this book in one of the book blogs listed as one of the most anticipated reads of 2014 and I had marked it on my to-read list a while back. I usually read the synopsis before starting on any book, but for this one, I didn't and I am glad I didn't. After finishing the book, I went back and read the blurb. I don't think it would have made an impact on me as much because this book is so much more than what is contained in those few words that attempt to describe it.

"Dysfunctional" childhood doesn't even begin to explain what it means to be abandoned by your own father at a tender age of three and growing up with a tough grandmother, a delusional mother, and five stepfathers. That is just too bizarre to even comprehend it, but Brando Skyhorse has actually lived this life for real. A Mexican-American by birth, his mother Maria decides to reinvent herself and Brando as a Native American and renames herself as Running Deer Skyhorse. She lies to young Brando about his father's identity and heritage (he was told his father was an incarcerated Native activist named Paul Skyhorse). This marks the beginning of the pattern of Maria trying to find a suitable father figure and brings home one man after another who all just come and go at their own will. A man is brought home without room for any questions, Brando is made to accept him as a father and begins to get attached to him only to find the man leave without a trace. Each so-called-father's abandonment fills Brando's life with a void bigger than life that becomes irreplaceable and Brando is left questioning his own ability to be a father himself.

Maria is drowned is her own world of delusion and is emotionally abusive. She is a mess and takes it out all on Brando in ways cruel than you can even imagine. She runs her own phone-sex business and keeps moving from one man to another without batting an eye. Her justification for her actions - "At least it never gets boring" pretty much sums up her life. Her attitude towards Brando and his Vietnamese girlfriend was brutal and the mother in me wanted to choke her for all the cruelty. There just cannot be any justification to her actions, she was just a really sad person inside. It was distressing at times to read all about the suffering of Brando in the hands of his mother, yet he couldn't leave her because she was all he had. It was really heart wrenching and brought tears.

Maria's mother, June was a tough yet soft woman who took care of Brando through his early years when Maria was busy searching for a suitable surrogate father. When it came to Maria, I felt that she had a soft corner for her daughter, even after witnessing all the pain inflicted by Maria and when each man came by, they both got together to make sure he cannot find his ways around them and he plays by their rules in the house. Brando finally accepts himself as a Mexican and after both Maria and June eventually die, he goes in search of his biological father and begins to make peace with one of his stepfathers and the birth father.

With such a mother and stepfathers, it is amazing to think about how Brando Skyhorse survived and I was even more impressed when I found out he is a brilliant Stanford graduate. That is a true testament to how resilient he is and that was one thing I was most looking forward to reading towards the end of this book. During the closing chapters, Brando writes about how he tries to find closure, but all those childhood incidents and upbringing has left a lasting effect on his relationships. I doubt if he will find complete closure ever. The final few chapters were the strongest in my opinion and has impacted me very much.  Being a mother myself, I know the importance of a family and more importantly a functional one. I cannot imagine how one can stay sane and alive being raised in a totally dysfunctional family. Reading about it made me so grateful for my family and ideal childhood, and equally sad at someone not even knowing what a loving family is.  Brando has given us honest peek into the darkest secrets of his life and the harrowing experiences and trauma he has endured all through his life. I sincerely wish he finds peace with his inner-self and begins to live a normal life.

This is a fabulous book and held me captive right from page 1. I finished it in 5 hours straight and would recommend it to anyone without a second thought. You cannot miss this!

Book Review: Cutting teeth

Author: Julia Fierro
Genre: Family, fiction, Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A perfect portrayal of the complexities, dilemmas and vulnerabilities of early mid-life and the challenges of modern-day parenting. Highly recommended albeit the slightly over-dramatized characters.

Note: I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads:
One of the most anticipated debut novels of 2014, Cutting Teeth takes place one late-summer weekend as a group of thirty-something couples gather at a shabby beach house on Long Island, their young children in tow. They include Nicole, the neurotic hostess terrified by internet rumors that something big and bad is going to happen in New York City that week; stay-at-home dad Rip, grappling with the reality that his careerist wife will likely deny him a second child, forcing him to disrupt the life he loves; Allie, one half of a two-mom family, and an ambitious artist, facing her ambivalence toward family life; Tiffany, comfortable with her amazing body but not so comfortable in the upper-middle class world the other characters were born into; and Leigh, a blue blood secretly facing financial ruin and dependent on Tenzin, the magical Tibetan nanny everyone else covets. These tensions build, burn, and collide over the course of the weekend, culminating in a scene in which the ultimate rule of the group is broken. 

I was looking to alternate my travel reads with something light and easy to read, since the travel-writing books tend to get a bit boring at times and I am glad I received this book at the right time. 
First off, I'd like to mention that, if you are a parent there is more chance you can totally relate to many of the characters/parents and incidents in the story. Julia does a great job of focusing on almost all of the pitfalls of modern-day parenting and the conversations that happen inevitably when parents meet, ranging from nannies, to the best private schools to organic-vs-non-organic food debates. At the outset, it might seem like you are introduced to a lot of characters and makes you think its going to be hard to keep track of what everyone is up to, but Julia makes it a point to juggle their stories around perfectly and the transition between each chapter is seamless.

Cutting teeth is about a group of upper-middle class Brooklyn parents who are joined together as part of their children's playgroup.  Each character is portrayed as a high-drama and a super complex one with each having a unique issue of their own, the children included. Nicole - the super obsessive and paranoia mom who turns to her secret stash of marijuana to prevent her from going insane. Leigh - the former debutante who has a high needs child, Chase and often seeks the help of her Tibetian nanny, Tenzin, who is referred to as the "Tibetian Mary Poppins" to calm Chase down. Rip - The stay-at-home daddy, the only man in the playgroup, often calls himself "mommy" who is desperate to have another child to feel necessary and wanted. Tiffany - the know-it-all mommy who has a 4 year old diva, and is desperate to prove she is not white-trash. The pregnant lesbian mom - Susanna with her twin boys and her partner, Allie.

For the most part, the novel seems to chronicle the frustrations of the parents that have them trapped in a terrible emotional quagmire. The story gives us an honest peek into the lives of these complicated characters and their interactions. As a reader, we get to witness the secrets, the troubles and the desperation that pushes people to act a certain way which we normally don't get to witness in day-to-day life as an outsider. Despite all this, they are still loving parents who want nothing but the best for their kids. Although I could not relate to their lifestyle and the problems these parents face, I could empathize with most of them and often found myself vigorously nodding my head along while reading their conversations. 

Cutting teeth is an absolute no-nonsense book about a bunch of parents who could very well be the parents and people we meet in our day-to-day lives minus the pleasantries and the superficial smiles that entails our discussions. It is brutally honest, it is straight and portrays the ultimate harsh truths about parenting and the challenges associated with it. Julia is a terrific writer and has shaped each character's personality well that it remains their "tagline" or something that comes to your mind first when you think of them after finishing the book. I can't pick any one character as my favorite since you are bound to dislike all of them at various points in time throughout the story.  My only gripe being the fact that almost all the characters were over-dramatized and the ending was rather abrupt and rushed.

Cutting teeth is a perfect juicy beach read, you will find yourself rapidly turning pages anxious to find out where the story leads you. I can absolutely see it becoming the hit of the summer. 

Book Review: In a Sunburned Country

Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Non-fiction, Travel
Rating: 4/5
Verdict:A delightful read about the land Down-Under but a tad long.

In a Sunburned country is a fascinating read about Bill Bryson's travels throughout Australia with a lot of humor sprinkled all throughout. It is full of funny stories, anecdotes, fascinating facts and a lot of unique details about the different cities and a whole lot of detail on the natural and scenic wonders of one of the largest islands on earth.

Bryson starts with a brief introduction to the history of Australia and the fact that Britain originally used Australia as a prison camp - Fascinating, right?! You get to read so many such unique and interesting trivia all throughout the book -  like his story about the building of the Opera House, the anecdotes about the parks and the city plans of Adelaide and Canberra, the sharks, snakes, spiders and other lethal creatures which can kill you in a single bite and the plants, flora and fauna that do not exist anywhere else on the earth but Australia. One common theme that has been mentioned by Bill often in the book is that Australia is HUGE. He makes great efforts to travel all throughout the country but fails because of the vastness of it. To me, Australia has always been all about the different cities - Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the usual tourist spots - Opera House, Great Barrier Reef, Darling harbor. But I liked how Bill spent very little time on those and instead spent more time in the emptiness of the Outback. It was fascinating and intriguing to read about the trekkers across the Outback and the Aborigines who settled in it and the animals that still inhabit in there.

The one thing that I loved the most about the book is Bill's writing - This is not the usual "Day 1 - Went to X, ate at Y and stayed at Z" travel guide. This is not a book about what to see and do while in Australia. Instead its a book about the people, places, culture and the natural wonders that Australia has to offer. Some of the facts are so bizarre, but that's what makes it a truly wonderful read. If you want to know about where to stay in Sydney or the sight-seeing places in Adelaide, look else where. If you want to know what it is like to stop in the middle of the Outback or kangaroos hopping across the horizon, then this book is for you. I still recall Bill's narration about visiting the Great Barrier Reef. While one would have expected a "It was beautiful, exotic and vibrant" message, No, that's not what Bill talks about. He tells you about an American couple who got left behind when the boat departed without them and were never seen again, probably eaten by sharks, he speculates. It is at that moment you truly realize and marvel at the natural wonder!

I must admit that I got a tad bored while reading certain sections of the book, but Bill totally makes it up by balancing that with his witty anecdotes, funny incidents and some hilarious moments. My only gripe about the book was that it was a bit longer than I had expected and I was waiting to get to the end which is never a good thing for a book. Despite that, this book is a keeper. Australia has been on my must-visit list forever now and the book only made me yearn for a trip down under sometime very soon!

Book Review: The sun also rises

Author: Ernest Hemingway
Genre: Fiction, Travel
Rating: 2/5
Verdict: A dull story with a bunch of incidents just strung together. A disappointing read.

 April and May are travel-writing genre in my book club and this is my first of the lot I have planned to read for the next couple of months in the travel-writing series. I have always had pretty strong emotions about bull fighting in Spain and that was the single reason for me to pick up this book. I had pretty high expectations given Ernest Hemingway's reputation. Despite the raving reviews about this book, I found it really boring and disappointing when I finished it.

The first part starts with an introduction to the various characters, and is narrated by Jake Barnes, a writer for newspaper and an expatriate living in Paris. The story is set right after when World War I ends and we learn that Jake is made impotent from the war. He copes with his life through fine dining, heavy drinking and excessive partying in Paris.  Then we get introduced to various other characters, Robert Cohn, a friend of Jake, who is a Jewish writer and an amateur boxer and Brett Ashley, who loves Jake and he loves her too, but they both know that the relationship cant get anywhere due to Jake's impotency. Brett is engaged and soon to be married to Mike Campbell. Then there is a Bill, who is another friend of Jake's, a rather minor character in the book who joins them on the trip from Paris to Pamplona. I found the first part pretty dull and boring and the description about all the characters was lacking depth. There was too much information on things I thought were unnecessary which distracted me from absorbing and concentrating on the plot. It was very distracting to say the least. 

In the second part, all five of them decide to go to watch the Fiesta (bull fights) in Pamplona, stopping over for a fishing trip in between. We get to know more about Brett (Lady Ashley) in this part. She is described as a femme fatale and a promiscuous woman, who openly sleeps with several other men. She is in love with Jake Barnes and brushes him off because he is impotent. When she is pursued by Robert Cohn, she goes to San Sebastian with him even though she is engaged to Mike.During the fiesta, she runs off with a 19 year old bull fighter Pedro Romero. She seduces every man to fall in love with her and somehow it totally damages her character rather than portraying the liberated woman of the 1920's.

I must admit that as much I was disappointed by the first part, I did enjoy the third part very much. The description of fishing trip and the fiesta season was wonderful. Hemingway's detailed description of the settings around the fishing and his portrayal of the remote town was simply awesome and when the story moves to Pamplona, only he could have written so beautifully about the fiesta for something as horrific as the bull fighting. The climax was much better and well-written in comparison to the other parts.

I think the story perfectly portrays the weakness of the characters and how leading a life filled with just aimless drinking, too much partying and jaunting around can be quite harmful. But, overall, the book fell pretty flat for me. I could never connect with any of the characters at any point in time during the entire plot. It was definitely not gripping nor appealing. May be its just me, but the book fell much short of its expectations.

Book Review: Little Beach Street Bakery

Author: Jenny Colgan
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A warm and enjoyable read which will make you want to live by the sea and eat lots of bread.

Ever since I read Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, I've become a huge fan of Jenny Colgan's writing, so needless to say, I had been waiting to read this book. A huge thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for sending me an advanced review copy of this book.

Blurb:
Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.  
And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . .
And people start to hear about it. 
Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.

First things first - The cover of the book is adorable, much like all of Jenny's other books. It matches the storyline perfectly and there is something really warm about the cover that it puts you in such a good mood the moment you look at it. The story begins with Polly Waterford and her boyfriend's business failing and declaring bankruptcy, their flat is for sale and their relationship is at its end. Polly struggles to find a place to live and moves to the small sea-side town of Mt. Polbearne. She is forced to live in a place above an old abandoned shop because that is the only one she can afford in her current state. She gradually begins to warm-up to the new place - living close to the sea, the fishermen around town and the local beekeeper. She finds solace in baking bread and spreading the joy and comfort of her baking among all the people and it helps her make friends. The rest of the story is about how Polly uses her skills at baking in starting a new life for herself in Mt. Polbearne, with some super-sweet romance along the way.

I must admit that I was not held captive after reading the first two chapters unlike what I had expected. May be because, the lowest times of the story were all contained in the first two chapters and the story opens up with a failing business and relationship. I put the book away and got back to it after a few days. Once I got to the part where the story moves to Mt.Polbearne, I really started enjoying the book. One of my dreams is to live by the beach/sea-side and this was a perfect story in that sense, it made me long for the day when I can just open my windows and there is nothing to look at but the waves splashing against the shore. I could totally picture the cozy and beautiful town of Mt. Polbearne from Jenny's descriptive writing. Her description of the different breads sounds sinfully delicious and totally leaves you mouth-watering much like in all of her other books. Only she could have made me want to get some flour and start kneading the dough.

I admired Polly's character all through out - the no-nonsense woman, cool as a cucumber during life's toughest times and always looking forward to moving on to something better in life rather than sitting around and sulking. Her stubbornness when Huckle asks her to move in with him in Savannah and her determination and courage with which she tackles the landlord lady totally made me cheer for her at every step along the way. Though at first, I couldn't feel any chemistry between her and Huckle, as I turned the pages, I was looking forward to their romance and the spark between them.

The other characters that stand out are Huckle, Mrs. Manse, Tarnie and Reuben. I was disturbed for quite sometime learning about Mrs. Manse's past, and the image of her standing on the edge of the sea at nights waiting for her loved ones still haunts me. I really liked both Tarnie and Huckle's characters, Jenny's description of both the men is lovely so much so that you almost drool over them ;) The conversations between Reuben and Polly's best friend Kerensa are really hilarious and had me in splits.

Oh! how can I forget the cutest character of all - Neil the puffin - An adorable sea bird and Polly's best friend when she was all alone during her initial days at Mt. Polbearne. He sure is everyone's sweetheart! The puffin and the Polly-Huckle romance are two of my most favorite picks from the story.

One thing that I loved in both Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe and this novel is about how an important event happens that makes everyone comes together and support each other during tough times! It always brightens up my day knowing and thinking of all the people who are out there looking out for me. It leaves me with a warm and fuzzy feeling to be blessed and associated with so many good people.

I loved this book and I am sure any Jenny Colgan fan will not be disappointed with this book. This is a perfect spring read with a very simple and sweet story line. It will leave you feeling extremely comforted and satisfied when you finish the book. I highly recommend it.