Category Archives: Fiction

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine

Book Review, Fiction, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A book review after a loooong time!

The cover of this book seemed a bit unusual. Except for the tiny illustration in the form of a nametag, the cover looks exactly like someone’s Moleskin diary. On top of it is the fact that the story inside is also written and illustrated in the form of short diary entries. Which honestly, makes us connect with the book a bit more personally. Overall, this is a mediocre comic-book story of an American-Japanese cartoonist, who talks about his loneliness and introspection – mostly embarrassing stories that he encountered during various book events, signings, Comic Cons, etc.

There is some strange comforting feeling about the fact that even an accomplished Cartoonists like Adrian Tomine can have and experience such loneliness and have fears of being unaccomplished and unsuccessful in their career. Makes me wonder how critical we can be of ourselves, at times.

This is a warm book for someone who would be interested in reading about the passing thoughts of authors/illustrators when they aren’t busy building up a story or plot for their upcoming novel.

– Suri

Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav

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Book Title: Love & Misadventure

Written and Illustrated by: Lang Leav

Published: 26th April, 2013

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Pages: 163

Genre: Poetry

My Ratings: 3/5 🌟

Backstory: I was first introduced to Lang Leav’s poetry about 5 years ago when I came across her Facebook posts. They were so lovely to read. I would read those snippets and could easily relate to them. But then I stopped logging onto Facebook every so often- and after a while, I stopped entirely. Slowly I forgot all about her writings. Years later, one fine day while exploring some books at a local second-hand book stall, I came across her book! It’s an original copy, printed in the US but I got it for such a cheaper deal that it made my day!

Review:

This book is divided in three sections; Misadventure, The Circus of Sorrows and Love. The three sections of the book, flows beautifully and perfectly one into the other, forming a story. The writer speaks about beginnings, endings, love, hurt, confusion, trust, betrayal, past, sadness; basically every element within a relationship. She tries to bring positivity even within the hurt. Some of the poems – or should I say, ‘snippets’ – are very raw; instead of relying on false hopes, she states the facts in a very practical manner.

I’ll accept that haven’t read much of poetry, so I do not have a firm ground to compare this book with.

One of the poems in this book that I really loved: It is titled – ‘Some Time Out’

“The time may not be prime for us, though you are a special person. We may be just two different clocks, that do not tock, in unison.”

— Suri

What is your definition of love? What does love mean to you? Do suggest me some poetry books.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Book Review, Fiction, , , , , , , , , ,

Book title: Flipped
Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Published: 9th October 2001
Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC
Genre: Romance novel, Young Adult Fiction

My Ratings: 3/5 🌟

Flipped is like your regular dose of YA books. It’s a cute teenage lovestory about a boy and a girl who are complete opposites of each other. The thing that I loved the most about this book is that it has two protagonists. So you get to learn about the exact same story but from two different POVs. It is really interesting because I feel that it tells us how unique we as humans are! We might be given the same kind of story, the same struggles and hardships and the same love and affection but at the end it’s totally upto us as to how do we interpret it. I’ve liked the concept of multiple protagonists since George R. R. Martin’s popular series: A Song of Ice and Fire.

Interesting part: The part where Bryce (the male protagonist) looks for a rooster in Juli’s (the female protagonist) backyard got me into thinking. It made me so confused about hens, roosters and chickens! I was literally asking my mom and Google what is the difference between these three and which is a male or a female, although I had already studied this before. We also have a farm at our village with hens and roosters!!

I loved Juli’s obsession and love for the sycamore tree. It is beautiful and emotional at the same time. I would like to paint the scene someday, the way I imagined it while I was reading: Juli sitting on the top-most branch of the tree, enjoying the beauty and serenity of life.

Film Adaptation: Flipped has also been adapted into a movie by the same name. I haven’t watched it yet, but one of my friends did and he says it’s good. .

Quote that I like: “‘A painting is more than the sum of its parts,’ he would tell me, and then go on to explain how the cow by itself is just a cow, and the meadow by itself is just grass and flowers, and the sun peeking through the trees is just a beam of light, but put them all together and you’ve got magic.”

To conclude I would say, if you’re looking for a light, fun and an innocent YA lovestory, you should totally go for this.

Note: Book Review on my blog after soooo long. Do tell me how you guys like it! Have you read this book before? Is it on your TBR? Or have you watched the movie? I’ve heard it’s cute and even better than the book (though I doubt it).

– Suri

Stories

50 word story, Fiction, flash fiction, random thoughts, , , , , , , , , , ,

We all have different stories. No two people living on this planet can have the exact same story. Each one of us has a different set of the past, the present and the future. We can have similar stories, and sometimes that’s how people connect. But at other times we have our stories so entirely different than those around us that we may find it very difficult to connect. There are no connecting dots or no parallel lines or – if geometry interests you that much then, I’d say – no concentric circles!
Yet, we – as social beings – have to find ways to connect through those differences.

Every day is a new day. Each day brings us new hope, new opportunities, new experiences. Some days are good, while some are not as good. But they are part of our story, aren’t they? The good days, the bad ones, the ones where we cried for a small bar of chocolate and also the ones where we cried out of joy at the birth of our child. They all help in creating an outline of our story – the particularly major ones.

I believe that our stories create us as an individual, as a human. Yes, our decisions mould us into an individual. But what are those decisions based upon? – our experiences! And what are those experiences? – our stories!! So take wise decisions and make your story the best one of all, let it reverberate throughout the histories of the future.

Good luck. Have a nice day!

– Suri

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Book Review, Fiction, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Featured image

*Spoiler alert*

  • “He’s a wallflower. You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.”
  • “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”
  • “Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”
  • “It’s just that I don’t want to be somebody’s crush. If somebody likes me, I want them to like the real me, not what they think I am. And I don’t want them to carry it around inside. I want them to show me, so I can feel it too.”
  • “I don’t know if you’ve ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that you do exist. Or something like that. I think wanting that is very morbid, but I want it when I get like this. That’s why I’m trying not to think. I just want it all to stop spinning.”

These were just five quotes from the book. But I’ll tell you what, you’ll be hooked on to this book right from the first sentence. I did. Okay, maybe you won’t. Different people, different opinion. But in my case, I felt the book, completely (and by ‘completely’, I actually mean COMPLETELY!) defines me. If you have read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, then I’m quite sure that you are aware about Hazel’s obsession with the book AIA (An Imperial Affliction). So well, I have kind of the same attachment to this book. I’ve read it thrice already, and also read in between the chapters whenever I feel a need for a push. A push to ‘participate’ in life. And yes, this book never fails to motivate and inspire me! It’s one of my most favorite books.

Charlie, a young, handsome and introvert guy, who was sexually abused by his own aunt, finds it difficult to interact with people. He’s usually depressed. Being shy, he had a very few friends initially. But then, to vent out his feelings and also because he found someone whom he believes is different, that is, the kind of person other people look to for strength and friendship. That’s what Charlie said. And he began writing letters to him, about him, anonymously. Without revealing his own identity, Charlie wrote to this guy, all that he felt. About himself. About friendship, love, life, crush, etc.

Charlie’s life took a turn for good when he met Sam and Patrick. Charlie had a crush on Sam but she already had a boyfriend. By the end, these two – Sam and Patrick – proved to be the most wonderful people in Charlie’s life. They had their good days and their bad days. Ups and Downs. But after all that, they made Charlie feel ALIVE. And, I guess, that’s what really matters in the end. They made him feel that he wasn’t alone. He had them. Their trust. Their friendship. Their true and innocent love. And this is what actually matters!

The best thing that I felt about this book is that, Stephen Chbosky didn’t make it all sound like a typical, fairytale lovestory. Charlie didn’t get Sam as his girlfriend anyways. But he had learnt a hell of a lot of things from her as well as from Patrick. His last letter to his letter-pal is my most favorite one. Wherein he clearly states that, now he’s trying to ‘participate’ in life. I mean, whoa! This-is-Charlie-being-so-optimistic!! All in all, it’s a good read. You won’t regret buying the book. *wink*

  • “It’s strange because sometimes, I read a book, and I think I am the people in the book.”

The above quote is what Charlie says during one scene… Gimme a high-five Charlie! ‘coz this is EXACTLY what I’m feeling right now! I’m you! I’m Charlie! ^_^

I FEEL INFINITE

– Suri

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Book Review, Fiction, Young Adult, , , , , , , , , ,

*Spoiler alert*

A lovestory. Yet another lovestory I would want to say. But NO!! THIS ISN’T YET ANOTHER LOVESTORY! It’s something else.. It’s one piece of beauty. It’s more than just a book. It’s different.

Personally, I don’t like reading lovestories. Because, honestly, it’s kind of the same story over and over again… It feels very much stereotypical. There’s a good looking handsome guy who likes a sweet but shy girl, or there’s a very charming young girl with such a charisma that there’s a long list of guys dying to just know her name, but she falls for a boy who initially isn’t interested in her, but later falls in love all the same.. What I’m trying to say here is that, it’s the same age-old drama that follows with a bit of a spice for better effect. But the main plot remains the same. This bores me.

But I’m pretty damn sure that whether or not you love lovestories, you-are-going-to-LOVE-The Fault In Our Stars. Yes! No kidding. John Green sure does know how to make his readers happy (and heart-broken at the same time.) Anyways, he is one heck of an author. He’s just brilliant! Those uses of metaphors and whoa, the quotes! Those beautiful philosophical quotes! Mesmerizing! This book is the first ever lovestory, (though it comes under the Young Adult genre) that I haven’t just liked, but LOVED!
The book is very well crafted and well scripted heart touching story about two Cancer patients viz. Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters. I loved the over all contents and the way of writing is just awesome!  It’s as if like, the book won’t allow the readers to get away from it before completing “only one more chapter” (I hope you understand what I mean by it, fellow readers!)

And just as John Green says, I fell in love with the book and it’s characters, just like the way I fall asleep. Slowly at first, and then suddenly and completely. But the ending was truly very heart-breaking because of the death of the charming young man, Gus. But I guess, we shouldn’t worry much about it, (Worrying is a side-effect of dying.) because in a recent “Q & A” conducted by John Green via Twitter, he had said that, “Characters in novels live as long as they are read about or remembered.” So according to it, Augustus still lives in my heart. Lovely. Isn’t it?

Okay? Okay.

– Suri

Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

Book Review, Fiction, , , , , , , , ,

*Spoiler alert*

A Magical Journey! A magical journey of Pi Patel!! It seemed as though I were travelling with him and Richard Parker throughout the journey. Yann Martel totally makes us experience and feel all the emotions in the book. It is indeed very beautifully written. Kudos to Yann Martel!!

But yeah.. Towards the end, I seriously wished that Richard Parker should have at least glanced back at his fellow castaway,Pi. It was so heart-breaking to gulp down the fact that he doesn’t even turn back.

Moreover, the mystery of the blind man whom Pi met while Pi himself turned blind, still stays in my mind. I mean, like, wow! He met a person in the middle of the PACIFIC!! Good thing! But, what for? Only to be eaten up by a tiger later on? Well, all the events that took place throughout the journey had some sort of spiritual significance. But, well, I’ve failed to see any such importance in this incident. *No offence* I’ll just have to think it over more! *wink*

– Suri