One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

“So what are you reading?”

“That blue book, Cecelia Ahern!”

“Weren’t you off fiction?”

“Her stories aren't fiction” (outraged)

“Oh really?” (disbelievingly)

“Her stories are like a giant hug. 

They are my dose of humanity and happiness. 
Real and true."

“What theme does she play on?”

(That’s a tough one) “She picks up a conventional theme and gives it the most unconventional twist. Her books are not ink and paper, they are magic. Her themes might be predictable but her stories move you, inspire you and take you on the most incredibly unpredictable journeys ever. ”

“Okay I’m sold. 

I see you are halfway through; you must have had it for long. 

When will you finish it?”

“Umm, I got it last night and I’ll finish it by today evening. 

You may have it tomorrow morning”

“Oh....”

Self-satisfied grin!

Exceptional authors make their readers want to hug them tight for the gem their minds craft. 

One Hundred Names celebrates the uniqueness we all have to offer. It celebrates the lives we live and enunciates how the experiences we have are what make us different. It isn’t a story of one person, or even of hundred people (as the title suggests), it is a story of everyone. 

Everyone matters. 

Every heart has a story to tell.

It’s been ten minutes since I’ve kept the book down and I’ve already cried once, called up my bibliophile friend and started typing for the next blog.

I honestly want everyone to read it. 

Just once in your life, read it before it's too late for you to cherish yourself and cherish every person you meet be it in the bus, the cafe, the bookstore, anywhere, cherish their story, bask in their experiences and realize how we make ourselves exceptional.

I have deleted and re-typed so many times just so that I write a review fitting this beautiful book. 

But words seem to fail me.

The protagonist is in the middle of a life crisis and everything seems to be falling apart for her. She is pursuing her passion, but has lost her way in the devious roads of salacious journalism. Researching for her mentor and guide’s posthumous last story, she goes on a journey of self-discovery. This is the kind of book where you get to know the plot-line before the protagonist does, you wait for it to dawn on her and suddenly you forget the plot, the climax, and are sucked into the raw emotions of the tale. You might know the crux of the story but the narrative is spellbinding. The emotional roller-coaster, the utter beauty of the setting and the palpable hope you feel puts this novel right at the top of my “Rainy-Day Book Read” list. I don't want to divulge the story or describe the characters because my description will tarnish your take on their authenticity, quirkiness and how every person entwines with the other to create this book called One Hundred Names.

Yes. The story might be clichéd and I might be too much into sappy novels to give an unbiased opinion.

Yes. I have read all her books and I am a loyalist.

Yes. I like feel-good books.

But this, this is not just a book, it's magic!

So, just on my recommendation, borrow it, buy it or download it, but make the effort to read it. I hope your ticket takes you on a similar journey like mine did and if it does, feel ecstatic that you added a page, illustrating a profound experience, in your unique book of life.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

For me the concept of animals ruling was an Utopian concept. 

I, by the virtue of being an animal-lover, thought it would be a perfect sort of world where humans would be replaced by animals. 

The story starts with a back-drop of a farm-house where the "Man", Mr. Jones, is not taking care of his farm animals. His flock is under-nourished, over-worked and abused. This discontentment plants seeds of rebellion in the hearts and minds of animals. 

The bacchanalian farm-owner, under the influence of alcohol, fails to feed his subjects for successive days which pushes the disgruntled animals to revolt. 

They rebel against the anarchic rule motivated by the ideas of the wise pig Major. He infused the animals with thoughts of paradise and painted a picture where there were no men, just animals. 

On the fateful night when they asserted their will of freedom they over-threw the farm manager Mr. Jones and as the sun rose there emerged a new rule of Animals. 

And this is where the story gets interesting.

Here we come across the hypocrisy of rules: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others".

Not to spoil the climax of this short fairy-story I won't indulge in the aftermath of the rebellion. 

But this novella is a piquant take on not just socialism but also how corrupt get away with balant acts of corruption.  The whole tale shapes into a parody on every form of government, religious teachings and authorities that we have experienced or have read about. In a very simple and succinct manner the author conveys a deep and profound message which tends to jolt the reader into shock at the unexpected turn of events. How the messages are interpreted by the layers of authority and molded in the favor of the rulers by tubs of white paint, how the naive are exploited into believing that everything is happening for their own good and how the staunch believers are ruthlessly exploited in the name of faith and then deported to butcher houses while the loyal supporters witness the massacre. Its a short read but leaves you reeling in the end and when the message finally sinks in you realize how apt this story is for every age and every era. Its a timeless novella, true for every age, its sad yet true, heart-wrenching yet nothing which you don't already know and you will deny experiencing this yet you know that you have unwittingly painted the wall white too. 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

“My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations”

Hazel Grace is a tough girl who has let the illness take over her life. Augustus Waters (Gus), is a cool, metaphor loving guy who has a prosthetic leg. Sparks fly when they both meet at an unusual setting of Cancer Support Group. Sweet and endearing the novel gives a taste of those first love meetings and the inherent shyness every new couple has but, suffering from cancer, their love is punctuated with sudden bouts of terrors of their terminal health conditions. The sword of cancer hanging over their heads makes them recklessly fun and adventurous. These endeavors make them realize just how deep their love is for each other. It is a novel about illness and sacrifice, love and eccentric authors, wishes and miracles. This is a not-so-perfect love story with charming characters and a delightful array of emotions. It gives an insight into how hard love really is especially when you have to tow an oxygen cylinder at your every date with a guy who has a prosthetic leg. It is a journey through an unusual kind of comic love which is tenebrous yet piquant with the allusion of mirth lurking in every sentence.

Hazel and Gus are starkly different if not for the terminally ill connection they share. Gus makes the reader fall in love with him with his carefree nature and casual yet poignant statements and habits like putting a cigarette between his lips and  not lighting it because, “It’s a metaphor you see you put the killing thing right between your teeth but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.” He is the kind of person who wants to leave a mark and be remembered. He wants to die a hero and not succumb to his illness. “No one’s gonna live forever Hazel Grace but my life got them a minute and that’s not nothing”. He believes in grand gestures of sacrifices and believes that that’s the only way to leave a legacy behind. Inspite of it all we are convinced of his love for her,"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you. "

Hazel on the other hand believes in loving slowly and deeply. She thinks of herself as a grenade because of her illness, “I'm a grenade and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?” . She is in love with a novel An Imperial Affliction and Gus gives a beautiful surprise even on his death bed.

They both are beautifully imperfect for each other and you fall in love with them.

It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. And sometimes both at the same time. A touch of humor is never amiss even when you are on the verge of tears. The witty comebacks of Hazel and their conversations ending with ‘okay’ rather than ‘bye’ keep you smiling throughout. It is one of those dangerous novels where you have a momentary sense of security and unexpectedly you are pushed into the gloomy fate of your favorite character. It breaks your heart with the ghost of a smile still lingering on your lips.

If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan you might not find the novel that well written and feel the lack of finesse with which Sparks writes his stories. Though the story is somewhat like A Walk to Remember, you should still read it once just for the sake of the journey Hazel and Gus take you on. Seeing the world through their eyes is a fascinating and mesmerizing experience. Some of the lines are quite quotable and they will tug your heartstrings long after you have kept the book down. Even if you don’t like the novel much, believe me, the story will stay with you for a long time. It is an unforgettable sour-sweet story with ominously witty words. Every reader will relate with their pain and you heart will be in the palms of the author clenching at his will and chortling when he permits you to.  

Nevertheless, it is a short read and if you are a fast reader you might even finish it in one sitting.

“The world is not a wish-granting factory”.

The Second Lady by Irving Wallace

The story begins with the introduction of the First Lady Billie Bradford. She’s ever the glamorous and enchanting lady Americans have ever seen. Or so they think.  They aren’t aware of the exact double of their beloved First Lady who is nothing but a Russian spy put into the American embassy to know their state secrets. The Russians have replicated the first lady down to the exact detail to such an extent that even they themselves aren’t able to tell the difference between the two when the time comes. The scam, the treachery that has been committed is too fantastic for anyone to believe let alone imagine. And that’s the weapon they have.

The plot of the novel revolves around two Ladies; Billie Bradford the original first lady who has been kept as a prisoner in the Russian Embassy and Vera Vavilova the Second Lady who is the Russian spy in America impersonating as wife of the president.

Billie Bradford tries every way possible to escape. She lies and pretends to be in love with a Russian. The want for freedom and the will to save her country is so enormous that she sacrifices her honor and commits a sacrilege unknown in the American history. Billie Bradford is the prefect martyr in the novel.

Vera Vavilova in an actress taken into the task because of the uncanny resemblance she bears to American First Lady Billie Bradford. She is fully trained and knows each and everything about the president’s wife right down to what kind of books she reads and brands she likes to which side of the bed she sleeps in. She’s the perfect decoy which no one could ever doubt.

Only a newspaper Journalist Guy Parker suspects that something is fishy with the first lady after her visit from the Russia. He presents his doubt to Nora Judson who’s the press secretary of the first lady but she just shrugs off his suspicions.

The novel is a roller coaster joinery in which there are no secrets which the reader doesn’t know all he doesn’t knows is that who in the end will survive… or rather survives.

The most captivating aspect of this novel is that even after you have finished the novel, three days after, you’ll find yourself wondering what the ending was all about. The mysterious note on which the novel ends will make you feel like you’ve been cheated and at the same time you are in awe of the amazing story teller Irving Wallace is. More gripping than the impersonation of the American First Lady are the wonders and the calculating moves of the Russians. This novel has everything an avid book reader can ask for. An immortal love story, Russian conspiracy, glamour, espionage, jail break. You name it you have. It a masquerade party with all the cocktails served on a silver platter. The plot of the story will win you over and the sheer intelligence and the cunningness with which the events have been executed. It’s a nail biting tale always keeping you on the edge of your couch and as the story gradually unfolds you will realize that a masterpiece has been created by the hands of a mortal. 

Hotel by Arthur Hailey

St Gregory Hotel is a private establishment and Warren Trent, also called W.T., is the owner of it. The novel begins with the introduction to the problems a hotel generally faces .Complaints from guests regarding some rowdy boys partying too hard and how a harmless party goes out of hand giving a push towards the roller-coaster ride of the St Gregory mansion.

In the beginning it is clear that St Gregory Hotel’s ownership is in trouble. The lease of twenty years of the hotel property was due for redemption and W.T. wasn’t getting any lenders as the hotel was facing losses. The hotel was going through a gradual death and where there is death vultures are never far .Hence enters Curtis O’Keefe, hotelier who ran a chain of hotels all over the world and was now eyeing St Gregory. He was someone who seldom faced disappointed in his endeavours, was ruthless, practical, notably devout and was sure of his success. He always had a different starlet accompanying him being the influential person he was; Miss Lash was the beauty this time. Is his success as easy and simple as he has thought it to be?

Duke and Duchess of Croydon were also the residents of this hotel. Duchess was a cool and composed lady who had a haughty air about her. The Duke was complete opposite. He has seldom sober and where Duchess was always in control of the situation, Duke seldom knew what to do. With her calculating nature Duchess tries to avert a disaster putting whole of her intellect and influence into action. But will she be successful in hiding the dastardly crime her husband has committed?

Keycase is a hotel thief who robs the guests staying in hotels and St. Gregory is his place of action this time round. He uses ingenious methods to avoid detection and to accomplish his miscreant activities. But he always lives in the threat of a lifelong imprisonment. Will the vigilant hotel staff catch him and send him to prison for good?

Peter McDermott is the assistant manager in the hotel. He is a highly principled man with a single black spot in his career which forbids him to leave the hotel and work in a more righteous place. He is frustrated due to the lack of power he has and which he knows he won’t ever get.

 This book takes your through the kitchens and dining halls of an hotel. You will unearth the delusions people live through and the callousness of the high and mighty. Till what extent influential people can go, to cover up their crimes and how a petty thief is given a second chance by fate. 

Reading this book you smile and frown and will be pleasantly surprised that how a seemingly insignificant individual changes the course of life of so many people.

 It’s with amazing skill that Arthur Hailey brings so many people with varied lifestyles together in one single strike of fate. It holds the charm of the book To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) by divulging into racism and how the principles of one man change the tradition.

It’s not that kind of book which you can’t put down but it certainly is that kind of book which will make you read the page twice to make you believe what has just happened. A refreshing book which also gives interesting nuggets and secrets of hotels and how love happens in the most unusual of places and to the most unsuspecting people.

'You have to weigh what you want against what you believe in'

One Child by Torey Hayden

This book is the journey of a teacher and a student. The student being a rebellious six year old who never spoke or cried. Everything with her was like a challenge. On her first day in class it was evident that she would be difficult to handle. But just how difficult, that was something they had never dreamt

The book begins with the author, Torey Hayden , recalling an article she had read in the local newspaper. It was about a six year old girl who had abducted a three year old, tied him to a tree and had set him to fire. 

She taught the emotional disturbed and learning impaired children. She had her own private classroom and had eight such children to begin with. She had aids with her Whiteny ,a fourteen year old girl, and Anton a married refugee. The youngest child in her class was six and the oldest was nine. She was confident ... enough.

And then came, Sheila.  She was the girl that the article had been about. The authorities had thought it was best to put her in Torey's class. She was six and a half years old , she was a tiny little girl with matted hair and hostile eyes. On her first day in class she refused all the friendly gestures made to her. She refused to take part in the classroom activities , didn't read, write or talk. She was a silent statue. Everything with her seemed to be a battle and the first sentence that she spoke in the class was 'You can't make me talk' .  Torey read her file and found it to be surprisingly thin. It told her about the conditions Sheila lived in. She lived with her father in a makeshift home where there was no electricity or plumbing. Reading the file one thing that became evident to Torey was that Sheila had tried to make herself unlovable but she was convinced that the girl was still reachable.

 This book teaches us the importance of perseverance and dedication and shows us how love and hope can help us in achieving even the most impossible of tasks. 

Sheila the girl, who burns a child, mutilates gold-fishes, is scared of her father and scared to be abandoned,  the girl who gets raped by her uncle and is scared to cry, in the end discovers a new way to life. She learns how to love and to say good-bye.She learns how to cry.

This is a story about growth of not just a girl named Sheila , but about all such children who have lost hope. This is for all those parents out there who are ready to give up.

Nothing is the end , unless you want it to be the end.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.

You become responsible , forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose..."

Sheila wrote a poem for Torey Hayden

 " To Torey with much 

           'Love'

All the rest came

They tried to make me laugh

They played their games with me

Some games for fun and some for keeps

And then they went away

Leaving me in the ruins of games

Not knowinig which were for keeps and 

Which were for fun and

Leaving me alone with the echos of 

Laughter which was not mine.

Then you came

In your funny way of being

Not quite human

And you made me cry

And you didn't seem to care if I did

You just said the games are over

And waited

Until all my tears turned into

Joy. "

http://www.torey-hayden.com/the_poem.htm

What is this blog about?

I have been reading books since the age of nine.

I remember 'Famous Five Series' being one of the most initial novels I started off with. Enid Blyton is the lady who introduced me to the world of books. Reading her work I learnt how printed words could be brought to life.

If any of you have read Inkheart by Cornelia Funke you will be able to understand this more figuratively. It is how you read the words and taste the words and how the characters actually come to life. 

I have, since then, been enchanted with this world of page and ink. Its like a machine which can transport you into someone else's life and you can share their experiences as your own. It is like a drug, believe me. I have spent many nights with Harry Potter walking through the corridors of Hogwarts. I have stayed awake with Hercule Poirot so that I can find out who the murderer is.

If once you taste the joy of books its hard to get out of. In this blog I will be writing either synopsis or reviews and my views about the books that I have read. I will be updating it as regularly as possible and I would like you all to send in your views and comments too. I would be glad to take up any book which you suggest.

Hope we share a fulfilling journey together!