This is the first time I am reading a locked room mystery and the reason we picked this up for a buddy read being thisBuddy read with Pooja and Ashlin
This is the first time I am reading a locked room mystery and the reason we picked this up for a buddy read being this book is in the top 5 locked room mystery of all time and boy IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
At the start of the story it looked all very simple. It's a locked room, a crime took place, how hard can it be? How many possibilities are there for the way the crime was committed? I had my theories and none of them were right! This itself is an indication that the story is good and stands the test of time.
The main focus is not on who did it but on how it was done. The story had a main plot and in parallel lots of small mini mysteries that were all solved satisfactorily by the end. Some I was able to guess some were a surprise!
This is not a standalone but a series which I was unaware of when I started the book. I already have some theories on the next book in the series and the storyline and will definitely want to read the next one. Hoping it's as good as this one.
Note: This book was originally written in French and I read the translated English version. The sentences were long and sometimes it felt tedious to read but the story more or less makes up for it....more
It's always a pleasure to read a cozy mystery by Christie and this was no exception. I enjoyed the audiobook of this collection of short stories. It's always a pleasure to read a cozy mystery by Christie and this was no exception. I enjoyed the audiobook of this collection of short stories. ...more
"To be or not to be,- that is the question:- Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles"
This is my second Shakespeare read (first being Othello) but I have to be frank and say that I liked Othello better. Part of the reason being that I found Hamlet harder to read and partly because I couldn't connect to Hamlet emotionally. I agree that he was undergoing a lot of emotions from loss, to sorrow, to betrayal, to anger, to burning hot revenge. But at no point did I feel sympathy with Hamlet's character.
The story revolves around greed, lust and revenge. There are a lot of characters that I ended up disliking mainly Gertrude and Cornelius.
Ophelia is Hamlet's love interest but frankly I did not feel she was a major character, agreed that she suffered a lot but somehow she wasn't distinct enough as her own character in this play. Her father and brother played a bigger role I guess.
The plot is really good and Tragedy is the perfect term to describe this play.
One thing that took me a bit aback was the way Hamlet's father was killed (view spoiler)[Poisoning through the ear... Like really, is that even real? (hide spoiler)]
Overall the plot and all the political intrigue mixed with the family drama makes this a good read....more
I am surprised that I have never picked this book before or even seen one of the numerous adaption of this book!! I aBuddy Read with Partho and Meghs.
I am surprised that I have never picked this book before or even seen one of the numerous adaption of this book!! I am so glad that I decided to buddy read this book last Christmas on instigation of my friends.
This is just a perfect book to read during holiday period. It actually gave me the warm fuzzy feeling that drinking hot chocolate gives... That's the exact comparison that comes to mind!
This book is about a man named Scrooge who has lost touch with his humanity and now is only interested in money even though he doesn't make use of the money he has and is a stingy old bastard.
I really like how this story progresses and Scrooge has this self realization as to the waste his life is if he doesn't have compassion and love for others.
I really like the focus on the fact that people are not born grumpy and bitter but life experiences make them into who they are and there is always a chance of having better experiences in life if you are open to it that can change your thinking for the good!!
There is a fantasy element to this story which I had no idea about before staring this one and I was happy with the way this has been interwoven within the story!
Overall a perfect book to be read on Christmas eve. It paints a vivid picture which stays with you long after you have put this one down....more
3.5 stars Originally written in French, I read the English version.
I have seen the movie and heard a lot about the comics but never read one. And I thi3.5 stars Originally written in French, I read the English version.
I have seen the movie and heard a lot about the comics but never read one. And I think if you haven't read Tintin, this book is a perfect way to start, it being an introduction to Tintin, his dog snowy and their adventure!!
Being the first book in the series I was lucky enough to get the beautiful colored edition which added to the pleasure of reading this.
One thing hit me squarely after finishing this is how it portrays communism as an evil force and Russians as the balant villains. Well, this was first published in 1930, right around when Russian revolution had taken place and formation of Soviet of Russia was on it's initial stages. So maybe this is a general idea of what people around the world felt of what is happening in Russia. This part has to be read with a grain of salt.
What I most enjoyed in this book was the thoughts of Snowy and the conversations that Tintin has with Snowy. For me snowy was the most fun to read and I actually had some laugh out loud moments on reading Snowy's thoughts. [image] ...more
Would I call this a Glorious War story? No. So is this a love story? No once again. If I have to define this boBuddy Read with Partho, Guns and Adita.
Would I call this a Glorious War story? No. So is this a love story? No once again. If I have to define this book in a word it would be 'Tragedy'
This is my first Hemingway and one thing which I realized about the writing is it is not very descriptive. There are lot of dialogues and the interpretation of what the conversation actually means to the people involved is left to the reader and so I think how the main characters in this book are perceived maybe very different for each reader.
For me at the start the characters seemed very blasé and not really understanding that there is a war going on. It was more like a movie happening but not a reality. The story also re-iterates that human beings have a tendency to feel that nothing bad can really happen to them until something really bad actually happens to them specifically. The story very slowly and gradually makes you realize the real horrors of war. There is no glory and honour in war but a lot of cruelty and unnecessary tragedies!
"Tell me, I have never seen a retreat- If there is a retreat how are all the wounded evacuated?" "They are not. They take as many as they can and leave the rest."
There is also this romance which at first glance seems like flirtation but then sudden undying passion and love is declared maybe because death may come knocking anytime.
There are lots of ups and downs in a person's life and more so when there is war! When at last things settled down and you feel finally life may get back to normal, another horror strikes! It's like Hemingway laid down a beautiful rug below the readers feet and then pulled it off the minute the reader got confidence to stand without any other support on this rug!
For me the message of this story is strong and clear. It is tragedy when we see nationalities instead of human beings. When there is soo much killing that shooting someone for the heck of it is a joke. When soldiers are pressured to fight for something they don't believe in anymore! When 2 countries are at war and the other countries see a business opportunity and when people have to abandon and runoff to distant lands just to survive.
By the end, this story left me feeling depressed (because when I look around, the current situation we live in is much worse than what Hemingway describes in this story!)...more
I did not have very high expectations from this book and picked it up for a quick read. I have got to say that I was pleasantly surprised by 3.5 stars
I did not have very high expectations from this book and picked it up for a quick read. I have got to say that I was pleasantly surprised by it.
This may not be my first read by Barbara Cartland (as I distinctly remember reading some books by her but I do not remember which ones). After reading this one I would like to explore more romances written by Cartland.
This is a historical romance where an innocent orphan heroine and a powerful wicked Marquis fall in love eventually. Sounds very run of the mill but I still liked it. It is a clean romance with a satisfying ending. The star of this book for me is Orelia our heroine. Darius (our hero) wasn't that bad either but he was more on the sidelines as we see the story unfolding through Orelia's eyes.
Orelia was fairly well developed character. I loved her simplicity, honesty, warm and caring nature. She held on to her values and principles without coming off as stuck-up or prudish. I really liked how she handled the different circumstances that she was thrown into.
Also this is not a love at first sight but Darius falls in love with Orelia over the course of time after getting to know her sweet nature better.
The only pitfall in this story was Caroline (Orelia's cousin). She is soo over the top selfish that it is hard to believe that someone like Orelia would toe along with Caroline's mad schemes. The ending was a bit out of the blue in order to give Orelia a happy ending with Darius.
But apart from the above mention gripe, this was a delightful read....more
This is my Book Of the Month- September 2017, with GR group- Nothing But Reading Challenges- Category: Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy BOM. I also had a lot of f This is my Book Of the Month- September 2017, with GR group- Nothing But Reading Challenges- Category: Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy BOM. I also had a lot of fun discussing this book with Nameeta
I started this book without reading the blurb I had read the blurb before deciding to join the group read but did not remember a word of it, which worked out for the best as everything that happened was a pleasant surprise and I kept looking forward to the next great twist in this story.
This story is a great combination of Historical, Fantasy- time travel and Mystery. Our main protagonist(Kendra) is a child prodigy and working for the FBI, finds herself transported to a different era (nearly 200 yrs back). Her reaction to this was believable and even after she accepted this reality, there were flashes of doubt in her mind which made the whole thing more acceptable to me.
"Could she be sitting in some psychiatric ward, her body confined to a straitjacket, while her mind conjured up this alternative reality?"
Kendra starts working as a ladies maid in a Duke's castle and finds herself in some difficult situations which was fun to read.
If the situation wasn't so serious or bizarre, Kendra would've laughed at the irony. Here she was- onetime child prodigy, the youngest agent ever to make it through Quantico- taking orders from two snobby debutantes."
There are also flashes of humor which we see in Kendra's thinking...
"Kendra watched the ladies with their absurdly small parasols. It took her a minute, but she finally figured out that it was meant more for flirtation than a protection from the sun. That was the root of this entire affair: the house party, the nineteenth century's version of Match.com."
But this is not all that happens. There is a murderer out there who is killing young girls and it is up to Kendra to put a stop to it. It was again fun watching her investigate with the limited access to developed technology but still being way ahead of that time!
There were some things not quite right with the story: [image]It was weird the way everyone lets a mere unknown servant to take control of the investigation. It is absolutely unbelievable but I chose to ignore this obvious loophole as I absolutely enjoyed reading this!
[image]The book does not focus on the historical details and the dialect used may not be accurate but again I chose to ignore this as I enjoyed the humor and the investigation to resolve the crime.
[image]The final reveal again was not as shocking as it could have been and till this point the book was more a 3 to 3.5 stars for me. My preferred ending would have been (view spoiler)[The duke was a schizophrenic and is actually killing all those girls! (hide spoiler)]. This would have made for a much better ending in my opinion.
So what tipped the scale to 4 star? Well, after the culprit is caught with this weird confession thing that happens, there were some thoughts that came to Kendra's mind which added this extra dimension to the story which make me really like the book -(view spoiler)[How much can a twisted psychopath's word be trusted with respect to the things he told about his grandfather and mother. Maybe he was just delusional (hide spoiler)]
The book ended on a very interesting read and this is a series and the 2nd book is already out. I am for one sure going to read this one!...more
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