Rebecca

                         After being on my reading list for as long as I remember, I finally got around to reading Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’. A gothic romance published in 1938, Rebecca has been in print ever since. Having heard a lot of people praising it, I read the book, not knowing what it was about (not the best idea, but I would probably reject half the books otherwise). Rebecca, or Mrs. De Winter the first, tragically killed in an accident (or so it seems), beautiful, fun, kind, perfect in every way, loved by all and Maxim de Winter, the rich, handsome husband seem like the perfect pair to all those around. Their story is like a fairytale, until she disappears. Enter, our narrator shy, young, awkward who inexplicably, steals Maxim’s heart away, and are married soon after their acquaintance. But how can she take place of Rebecca? When Mrs.Danvers keeps her alive every day, when Maxim seems to always be haunted by her memory, when everything in the house bears her signature. And then the day after the disastrous ball, her body is discovered, and all that was assumed as truth about her death, is in fact all a lie.

I don’t know about most of the people who have read this book, but I found it absolutely weird. To begin with, we do not know the narrators name till the end. And seriously, who in their right minds, decide to marry after a courtship of a fortnight or so??? i seriously found a whole lot of jealousy in the book…seriously people, how can you be living in such a beautiful place and yet have so much negative in you??. For those who like classics, may want to read it, But to all the teenagers and feminists out there, I would not suggest this book.

The Summons

         So, there was this room at a relative’s place, with 2 bagfuls of books, and one of the bags was my vacation gift (some people can really give the best gifts…!!!). A lucky draw and out came ‘The Summons’ by John Grisham. And before reading the back of the book, I was already sold to the idea of finishing it that day.
Rueben Atlee, a judge, now almost dying. Ray Atlee, law professor. Forrest Atlee, addict. Everything that Rueben Atlee ever earned has gone to charity. His life is an open book for everyone who knows him. Strict, disciplinarian and honest, is what defines Rueben Atlee. When Ray receives a letter from his father, telling him to come home to discuss the will, he accepts knowing that it would probably be the last visit to his father. Surprisingly, his brother, who had vowed never to set foot on the property 9 years ago, agrees to come. It’s time to meet, and Ray has reached the house. But Rueben Atlee is already dead, with a will on the desk, whose contents are not surprising (contrary to all the mysteries which generally involve a will), but what is surprising is the three million dollars found near his body. It seems now that Ray is the only person who knows about the money, but is he?
Having read The Firm, The Rainmaker to mention a few, I know John Grisham has done a lot better. Personally speaking, though not his best work to date, I think it’s worth a try.

The Last Song

    While not the biggest fan of love stories, I read this book, just because it was available, when I had nothing else to read…and surprisingly I liked it. It was my first experience with a Nicholas Sparks novel.
17 years old Veronica Miller thinks that living for a whole summer with her dad is a punishment, considering that she hasn’t talked with him since her parents divorced three years earlier. Complaining throughout the drive to make her mother take her back home, she and her kid brother Jonah, whose excitement to see his father has already gotten on her nerves, are deposited at her father’s doorsteps. While still ignoring her father, she disappears into the carnival nearby, where while drinking a soda, a volleyball player promptly bumps into her, while reaching for the ball, and if that wasn’t enough Ronnie bumps into another girl later. Frustrated at the beginning of what she considers a very horrible summer, Ronnie befriends Blaze.
What she isn’t ready for is Will Blakelee, the cute player she bumped into…the life of Blaze and her group…The sea turtles, and then there’s her dad Steve Miller.
Ronnie and Will make a great pair throughout the book, with the sea turtles, volley ball and his sister’s wedding. But the thing I most liked about The Last Song is Ronnie’s relationship with her dad. The way he understands her, and later the way she begins to respect him, the bond that they form again due to their shared love of the piano and then the last song that finally Ronnie completes. It is this relation that takes your heart away…

Vampire Academy

     I have always found Vampires to be cool, and this book doesn’t disappoint…just makes you like them more… the good ones also a bit weak, are the Moroi, their protectors half human and half vampires are the Dhampirs and then like in every story, there are the ones who are absolutely pure unadulterated evil, the Strigoi.

                                           Shadow kissed Dhampir Rosemarie Hathway, reckless and fun has been protecting royal princess Vasilissa Dragomir for two years, since they have run away from the school campus. Finally captured by the guardians and brought back to the school, these former queen bees have to face consequences of their actions. Where Rose has to endure extra training and total house arrest, Lissa has to start from the bottom of the social ladder and reach the top again, while battling her fears, confusions and depressions. Not to mention the series of dead animals turning up in her dorm, the jealous girlfriend of the ex boyfriend and having to live up to the family reputation being the last living descendant.Factor in a kidnapping and a totally bad-ass guardian always taking care of everything and you get this.

Rose and Lissa’s friendship is awesome. Dimitri’s anti-social ‘god’ character makes him adorable(thankfully this is a book, and he won’t be coming to get me for the adorable comment.) and though Christian does not make much of a cut in this part, I know for a fact, that gets awesome later…For all those YA fans making a list for books to read this summer, do not hesitate to add this to your list.

And if you like it (I know everyone is going to), check out it’s sequels and the spin off series ‘Bloodlines’.

Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game was a refreshing change from all the fantasy and mystery novels that I keep reading. Set in the future, where you need special permission to have a third child, the idea of earth in trouble due to wars with an alien species ‘buggers’ is interesting.

A special battle school for talented children to fight against these aliens in space is created, and they decide who to select. Preceded by Peter and Valentine, his elder siblings, one too harsh to join and one too soft to join the battle school, Andrew Wiggins ‘Ender’ is the third…often teased in the school, due to this very fact is the main protagonist. After his hearing device is removed, people assume that he wouldn’t be going to the battle school. But when he beats up a classmate, accidently killing him, and justifies his actions to colonel Graff, the gates of this school are opened, and Ender’s training in the battle school begins.

Through his skill he becomes a respected leader in the school and is soon transferred to command school skipping years of training. But respect isn’t the only thing he craves. Along with the mock battles in zero gravity and video games to against the buggers, he also battles his loneliness and fears of becoming like his brother, a sociopath.
Though you might wonder if a ten year old can handle all the responsibility, if he really can beat these aliens who have caused a great stir in our world, not to mention the roles his siblings play on earth changing the psyche of the people, I think this book is totally worth the shot.

If you like it, check out the sequels.

HUNGER GAMES

If you like a good story, well this is a good book to start….but if you are the “happily ever after” kind of person, take a ‘twilight’ kind of book, and set up your camp somewhere else, this series is absolutely not for you…

A fast paced novel, full of suspense, and a page turner…the first book of a trilogy…This book is set in a futuristic aspect, when the world we know has been destroyed due to wars, and a new country ‘Panem’ is created which has 12 districts, one ruling city, and the mysterious stories surrounding the 13th district which the capital city destroyed due to the rebellion it caused….well that is where “the hunger games “ begin….a punishment to the 12 standing districts to show who the ruler is…where the only rule, live…A dystopian novel, where winning the hunger games does not mean joy, it just implies that you are an accomplished killer, and you were just lucky to come out alive…
The story starts on the reaping day, when they choose tributes to play in the hunger games, moving on to the games itself…if you think the built up to the games is too much, don’t, because you do not know what is going to hit them, but they do, and let me warn you again, it is not good…Katniss Everdeen and Peta Mellark, are the tributes from district 12, though Katniss is the survivor, Peeta is a good, reliable, and safe person, not someone who has a chance to live…The story goes on about the games, the formalities, the training, and the games itself, the way they try to show the Capitol through small things, that they are human beings, and more than just pawns in the Capitol’s hands…though most is violent, and even makes you want to run away from the book there are some emotional moments, when Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place in the games, the interviews, rue’s death (i did warn, that the book isn’t happy, right?) Katniss’s song which promises that “tomorrow will be more hopeful than this awful piece of time we call today”…
And when you have finished the book, taken a deep breath, regained your composure, “let the 75th hunger games begin, and may the odds be ever in your favor”

And although this is my favourite among the three, you should also check out the sequels.