THE PRINCESS DAIRIES SERIES BY MEG CABOT (PRINCESS DAIRIES, PRINCESS IN SPOTLIGHT, PRINCESS IN LOVE,PRINCESS IN WAITING)

I read this series in my school days and really enjoyed at that point of time.the book and the movie are pretty different each with its own charm. I however enjoyed the book more than the movie.

 

STUFF ON THE BACKCOVER SAYS

What? A princess??

Me??? Yeah, right.

Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there’s nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra.

Is she ever in for a surprise.

First Mom announces that she’s dating Mia’s Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn’t have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?

 

 

PLOT IN SHORT

The story of Mia Thermopolis’ adolescent turmoil as an average teenager and a princess of royal descent is chronicled in her on-going journal, where she explores topics of teenage angst, love, and betrayal through an opinionated eye.

The princess dairy – (volume 1)

Mia a funny (at least in her dairy) unpopular teenager with a spunky friend discovers that she’s the princess of a country

Princess in waiting (volume 2)

Mia’s mommy is pregnant and her baby daddy is Mia’s algebra teacher. Both her grandmas are up to no good and also there is a secret admirer in the picture

Princess in love (volume 3)

A love triangle ends with a happy ending giving us major couple #goals and Grand’Mere turns likable.

Princess in waiting (volume 4)

Mia battles her insecurities about her love life, gets some more advice on royal affairs by Grand’Mere and finds her talent – writing.

 

THE GOOD

A funny young adult series

The concept of being a modern day princess is every teenage girl dream brought to life

The book endings will leave you feeling happy

Clever writing

 

THE BAD

Mia can be whinny and annoying at times

Lot of pop culture references may turn some readers off

Some parts might come across as pretentious

 

MY THOUGHTS

This series is for readers with a love for the chick-lit genre or for those looking for a easy breezy read. I loved the third book of this series and found the rest of them to be entertaining .Although this isn’t quite the ‘chicken soup for the soul’ Mia might help you deal with life’s problems a little bit better or maybe not. Read and find out for yourself.

MY RATINGS

3.8/5

 

 

CHROMOSOME 6 BY ROBIN COOK

This medical thriller is the third book in the Jack Stapleton & Laurie Montgomery series and the first med thriller I ever read. Released in 1997 this book probes the issue of genetic modification and cloning.

 

STUFF ON THE BACKCOVER SAYS

Chromosome 6 is a prophetic thriller that challenges the medical ethics of genetic manipulation and cloning in the jungles of equatorial Africa, where one mistake could bridge the gap between man and ape–and forever change the genetic map of our existence.

 

PLOT IN SHORT

Cook develops two parallel and intersecting plots about scientists in Equatorial Guinea who are  exploring the ethics of genetic engineering and medical examiners in New York who are  working on to determine the cause of death of a mysterious mobster. A liver and a all expense paid trip (courtesy Dr Jack Stapleton) brings these two plots together leading to its climax.

 

THE GOOD

Fast paced.

This book will make you think.

Adventurous plot line.

Great read for medicos.

 

THE BAD

The part where a doctor flies all his friends to a African country for research just like that seems unreal.

The end leaves a lot of characters stories unfinished.

Lot of medical and technical terms.

MY THOUGHTS

This face paced thriller is one of my personal all time favourites. I like the idea of an adventurous doctor fighting unethical baddies. A great read for all those in healthcare industry and the lovers of medical fiction.

 

MY RATINGS

4.8/5

THE IMMORTALS OF MELUHA BY AMISH TRIPATHI

 

I read this extremely popular first book of the “Shiva Trilogy” without much expectation thinking it will be just like Chetan Bhagat’s books and boy was I wrong.

 

STUFF ON THE BACKCOVER SAYS

This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills!

The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.

 

PLOT IN SHORT

This is a story of how a good hearted tribal leader who is brave and strong (and smokes weed) is chosen to become something he doesn’t want to become just like a lot of heroes we already know. What makes it interesting is the backdrop of Indian mythology and  Hindu Gods. In essence part 1 of this trilogy is about “Shiva the tribal commoner” turning into “Neelkanth the promised One” ending with a cliff-hanger .

 

THE GOOD

The concept of humans turning into Gods because of their karma.

True blue page turner.

Engaging read

Does a good job of portraying an Indian God as human without pissing the orthodox Indian worshippers offs

 

THE BAD

The English is very simple for the regular bibliophiles

The plot feels like a bollywood movie in some places

The writing could have been better

 

MY THOUGHTS

I felt inspite of being a page turner with a great concept the book isn’t a satisfying read because of the writing style. Nonetheless a nice book for an Indian author. Give it a try if you want to read an Indian mythology/fantasy book or if you like Indian authors.

MY RATINGS

3.8/5

DOCTOR SLEEP BY STEPHEN KING

This highly anticipated sequel to the iconic THE SHINING could be a hit or a miss depending on your liking or expectations. Reading the shinning isn’t necessary to understand this book

STUFF ON THE BACKCOVER SAYS

Stephen King returns to the character and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals

PLOT IN SHORT

Danny Torrance is now Doctor Sleep. The story follows a now adult Dan a rootless alcoholic who  reaches a town called Fraizer and settles in a job that best enables him to use his gift. Then comes Abra Stone and her extremely powerful ‘shinning’ which attracts The True Knot which are Stephen King’s versions of vampires. The story of good vs evil ensues which will leave you with a satisfied end.

THE GOOD

Good to meet an old friend again

Well cut out characters

The villain  is also given enough “screen time”

THE BAD

If you came for another hotel horror story you will be disappointed

The villain isn’t scary enough

More of a super natural thriller than a out and out horror story

MY THOUGHTS

I personally liked the book but not as much as THE SHINING. A riveting book nonetheless.SK fans don’t miss this one.

My Ratings

4.5/5

MORRIGANS CROSS,DANCE OF GODS,VALLEY OF SCILENCE (THE CIRCLE TRILOGY) BY NORA ROBERTS

I have never really been a Nora Roberts fan neither have I ever jumped the vampire bandwagon but I surprisingly enjoyed this trilogy especially the last book.

Stuff on the back cover says

Number-one New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts delivers an extraordinary new trilogy—an epic tale that breaks down the boundaries between reality and the otherworldly, while forging together the passions of the men and women caught in a battle for the fate of humanity

 

Plot in short

Take rich vampire
one serious sorcerer
one  creative witch
one studious queen
one happy go lucky shape shifter
one tomboyish vampire slayer
= the circle of six

Vs

A hot and evil vampire queen

And her army of undead

Along with a dark wizard

ROUND  1 (MORRIGANS CROSS)

The circle meet and greet and try to fit in together

In typical NR fashion one couple falls in love and marries(Hoyt and Glenna)

ROUND 2 (DANCE OF GODS)

The bonds and strengthened,new love is found (Larkin and Blair)

Preparations are made,training continues

ROUND 3

Home run..Moira proves what shes made of

Cian and Moira fall in love

Triumph on the battle field

Love lost and found !

The good

Enough action with love and nicely paced

The bad

Typical NR, the battle wasn’t satisfying

My Thoughts

A nice series to read for people whole still want some vampire love stories. Also a good read for people into supernatural /fantasy romance.

My Ratings

3.5/5

WILD BY CHERYL STRAYED

This is one of those rare books that inspire you without being preachy and encouranging you to learn from her mistakes

Stuff on the backcover says

Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story, we tell ourself and so I choose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I safe . I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Fear begets fear. Power begets power. So I willed myself to beget power. And it wasn’t long before I actually wasn’t afraid..

Plot in short

Story of a young women undergoing an very physically taxing journey across a beautiful but hard hiking trail alone to help forgive her past mistakes and heal herself through an impulsive decision.

The good

Nice pace..excellent setting

Inspiring

The bad

The start is a little slow

Actual bagpackers might snort at her unpreparedness

My thoughts

A great book which gave me a new flawed heroine to look upto. There is something for everyone to take away from.

My Ratings

3.9/5

EASY BY TAMMARA WEBBER

One of the easy breezy enjoyable books to read especially for the college crowd

Stuff on the backcover says

Rescued by a stranger.

Haunted by a secret

Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her saviour…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth – and find the unexpected power of  love.
A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl’s struggle to regain the trust she’s lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

Plot in short

The story of Jacquline and Lucas will keep give the satisfaction of having read a good young adult romance along with a great social message.The serious topic of college molestation and sexual assault has been handled well.

 

The good

A light read

Great message

Enjoyable with correct amount of love humor and maturity

The bad

Word building not so great

Something was amiss in this good crossover book

 

My Thoughts

A nice medium paced book to read without the usual teenage sloppy drama.

This one is for the romance lover and girl power lover as well

My Ratings

3.5/5