Reading on a Rainy Day

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Showing posts from February, 2011

Yet another Monday! (February 28, 2011)

Sheila @ One Persons Journey through a world of Books wants to know what we're reading. I'm only too happy to oblige! I feel like I had a really good reading/blogging week, but that hasn't really translated in number. But at least I'm on a reading spree, plus I have so many books due back at the library this week. My library allows only one renewal, and I've already done it. Boo! Books completed in the last week Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld : Enjoyed this second book as much as the first! This series is turning out to be real fun! The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon : Not one of the best books I've read on women issues set against a backdrop of war or violence, but certainly a moving inspirational story. News from over my blog Leif Reads! Last post of February. This month, the focus was on Eaarth by Bill McKibben. Last week's post was on

The Sunday Salon (Yawn, can someone do my taxes please?) -- February 27, 2011

Wherever did this month disappear off to? I feel this Sunday came too soon. It's been a really crazy hectic week, and I'm surprised that I still managed to blog every day of this week. I'm really behind on my reviews, so I did want to put out as many reviews as possible. It doesn't help that I've been reading a lot of graphic novels. They finish too soon and are still so well-done as any other full-length novel that when you start reviewing them, you give them a full-length post. Still, it's been a good week, even with the busy days. I've been reading more - in boring lines, at work when I need a brief perk-up, and even while watching some movie or TV show. I never used to read like that earlier, because I always did get a dedicated block of time to read, but now that's not so easily available. There's always something or the other to do at home. ( Picture source ) Oh yeah, something or the other for sure. Let's say, t

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Because Cordelia was the last to find out, she was the last to arrive, though we understand this was neither her intention nor her fault. It was simply her habit. Cordy, last born, came a month later than expected, lazily sweeping her way out of our mother's womb, putting a lie to the idea that labor gets shorter every time. She has been late to everything since then, and is fond of saying she will be late to her own funeral, haw haw haw. Rosalind, Bianca, Cordelia - aren't they such beautiful names? I know they won't agree with me, but I've always loved not-so-common names. The three sisters don't like their Shakesperean names, of course, so they go by nicknames - Rose, Bean and Cordy. Rose, Bean and Cordy, the three titular weird sisters, have just been brought home at almost the same time by certain circumstances of their own making. They don't get along too well with each other - they have regular disagreements, they argue often, they even have

Leif Reads Eaarth: Imagine...

Every month, Ash and I are going to focus on one "eco-friendly" book for Leif Reads. To see what this feature is all about, visit this page . Today's the last Leif Reads post for this month and hence the last post about Eaarth . For a quick recap, here's what we talked about this month. Ash started off with an introduction to this book's author, Bill McKibben, and the organization he founded - 350.org . Next, I mentioned two issues that we are beginning to face - the melting Arctic and disappearing islands . Last week, Ash covered an issue that has been especially bothering us for the last two years - the heavy snowfalls and how it is increasing proof of global warming . This week, I want to graze through what Bill McKibben suggests should be our primary approach to the terrible changes around us. It's pretty clear we need to go through some overhauls. Recycling, driving hybrids, saving energy are all tactics we've adopted in the past

Books in the Bag (Feb 24, 2011)

Books in the Bag is a feature where Mailbox Monday meets Library Loot . It's been a few weeks since I did this feature, so let's see what books are jumping off the top of my head. These three books came in the mail. In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard came to me from Hachette Book Group . It seems to me to be the same genre as Finny , which I loved. So I hope to enjoy this too. The Story of a Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon also came to me via Hachette Book Group . I've heard of this book enough to want to know what it's about, and yet not too much that I already know the plot line. Definitely a looking-forward-to book for me! Ordinary World by Elisa Lorello came to me from Little Bird Publicity . I like this cover a lot, but don't know much about the book. This is a sequel to Faking It , which I had received last month. The following came to me via TLC Book Tours . The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gib

Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada

Fist Stick Knife Gun is yet another book on gang violence. I've been lately reading/watching stuff on this topic. It is totally unplanned, mostly coincidental, but I can't help but notice its recurrence. First it was Yummy by G. Neri and then this book. Now, just last night, I watched the movie - Freedom Writers (which by the way is awesome, so it will get its own post). Fist Stick Knife Gun was illustrated by Jamar Nicholas, based on Geoffrey Canada's memoir by the same title. This is the first time I'm reading a graphic version of a book and I'm kind of mixed about how I feel. Since this is the only so-so aspect I have to say, I want to get that out of the way. I haven't read the original book so I don't have a reference, but I felt the graphic book was too verbose, almost like any regular book. It had the total feel of a graphic novel, but there was a lot of background narration, so it felt wordy to me. This memoir follows Geoffrey Canada

Stitches by David Small

Stitches is a graphical memoir by David Small, spanning mainly his childhood and teen years. Rather than a full-blown memoir, this book especially focuses on his relationship with his parents and the consequences of many of their actions. David's mother was extremely moody. Her moods could last days or weeks and no one really knew what was bothering her and she never bothered to talk about it either. David's father was a doctor. When David was born with sinus and digestive problems, his father himself prescribed medicines, gave him shots, cranked his neck and took tons of X-rays. This was a very dysfunctional family. Being a huge book in size, I assumed it would take me a while to get through it. On the contrary, it was a breezy read, but no less intense for that. I love it that this is a book of little words and more pictures. There are dialogues but they are used only where necessary. David Small lets his pictures do the talking and they certainly do it well! David

Yet another Monday! (February 21, 2011)

Sheila @ One Persons Journey through a world of Books wants to know what we're reading. I'm only too happy to oblige! This post is taking me a while to put up. I just finished watching Hotel Rwanda , and am still pretty dazed, shocked and angry. I'm also thinking about Egypt and wondering why freeedom is such a hard thing to have. So while I try to set these thoughts aside, let me think about the books I read this week. Books completed in the last week The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown : What a beautiful writing! You always need that in character-driven novels, and this book certainly had it! Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun by Geoffrey Canada : A well-done graphic novel set in Harlem and with a really good insight into the almost-lawless streets where Canada grew up in. Stitches by David Small : This was such a fast read, I was amazed. It was certainly moving too - adopting the idea that pictures can say so mu