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@shravanthikripa
Best books I read in 2017
These are some amazing books I read in 2017. If any of you want some inspiration or diversity in their 2018 reading you can pick these up 😊😊
In no particular order, the best books of 2017….
#1 Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
A typical “British” story about two magicians trying to restore magic in 1800s England. It’s heavy on language and size. So that would be a…
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Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer: A review
Kane & Abel by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
An iconic story that I had been *avoiding* since I read it the first time (10 years old, Kanya blame me?). Kane and Abel is one of those novels which sit on your TBR list forever until the time is right to pick them up. Well, the last month of 2017 turned out to be the fortunate time I decided to read (and finish!) Kane and Abel.
Bu…
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Caraval by Stephanie Garber : A review
Caraval by Stephanie Garber : A review
Caraval by Stephanie Garber My rating: 3 of 5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Buy Online : Flipkart , Amazon Writing these 3-star reviews is just awful. One has to give enough reasons for both liking it and not liking it – thus leaving the review balanced. Let me see if I can do justice here. Caraval – I’m assuming it is a portmanteau of Caravan and Carnival – is a spooky, Halloweeny novel about Scarlet who has to…
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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: A review
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: A review
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern My rating: 3 of 5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
So I heard all the hoopla about Caraval and how it is very similar to the 2011 magi-realism story set in the late 19th century fantasy London.
I’m talking about ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern. Obviously, I had to read this before I got to Caraval.
The story is about this girl and boy fated to fight each other in a magical…
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The Invasion of the Tearling [The Queen of Tearling #2] by Erika Johansen - A review
The Invasion of the Tearling [The Queen of Tearling #2] by Erika Johansen – A review
The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen My rating: 3 of 5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Buy Online: Amazon
A coming-of-age novel and the second book of the series, The Queen of Tearling is an arduous read with a payoff in the end.
This story picks off from the conclusion of the first novel, telling us the story of Kaelsea and her entourage.
We get more of the Tearling and some in-depth character development…
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Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrel by Susanna Clarke: A review
Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrel by Susanna Clarke: A review
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke My rating: 5 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: View all my Goodreads reviews Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon The book that made me exercise my biceps. The book that made me LOL without a break. The book that is an epitome of dry humor and sarcasm. What I felt about it A completely unique and original story from an author who knows what…
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Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman: A review
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman - I'd definitely add this to my library, but I'll be reading this less as a bedtime story and more as a "wikipedia page" for reference.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman My rating: 4 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon I love Neil Gaiman’s stories. In fact, I am crazy about his work. I have been waiting since December for the release of this novel. And when I finally got it, I devoured in a few hours. Here’s what I felt about the book. Norse Mythology, is firstly an anthology of some of the well-known…
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The Trials of Apollo [The Hidden Oracle #1] by Rick Riordan: A review
A story can't be a great story if the protagonist puts me off and cameo characters (Percy and Leo) excite me more than the eponymous character (Apollo).
The Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan My rating: 3 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: View all my Goodreads reviews Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon Okay, so this wasn’t a great book by Rick Riordan’s standards. I didn’t have any expectations for this story from the beginning, because the god Apollo didn’t excite me very much. I was right. Apollo’s narcissism put me off…
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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery: A review
How you enjoy this book will depend on how imaginative your inner child is!
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry My rating: 4 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: View all my Goodreads reviews Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon The awesomeness of this book might be lost to somebody who isn’t aware of psychology. In psychotherapy, concepts like Inner child, Emotional literacy and Flow are explained in detail with many serious terminologies. But this story captures…
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The Palace Of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni My rating: 5 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: View all my Goodreads reviews Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon
How can you tell an ancient story in new light? And how can you tell it to a generation, who as children have literally grown up with this story, and as adults will have high expectations of it?
Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni has the answer in The Palace of Illusions.
The story of Mahabharata is nothing new to me. A kingdom greater than any – cousins fighting for the throne – sacrifices, promises, boons, curses – war – bereavement – atonement. An epic. The Mahabharata is an elaborate story, which can be perceived from any character’s point-of-view and still have a rich storytelling experience. So, why not tell in from a woman’s perspective?
While I was growing up, Mahabharata was always about the virtues of the brave men who went to war. There wasn’t one story about what it was to be a woman during those epic times. This book is the wonderful tale of the woman who was the cornerstone of Mahabharata. Told in first person, this tale takes us to the depth of Draupadi’s soul and shows us her views as the events of the great epic unfurl.
THE MODERN DRAUPADI
The best part about The Palace of Illusions was that, as a modern woman, I felt very connected to Draupadi. How Chitra ji manages to walk the fine line between the old and new interpretations of the character of a ‘strong woman’ is beyond me!
The author mixes the right amount of fiction into the archaic tale without taking away its original flavor. I mean, I have never heard of Draupadi’s love story in the original. The new Draupati falls in love with Karna when she sees him at her Swayamvar. Her love for him is only intensified after her marriage and she yearns for him all her life. Here’s why I think it might be true: a woman with high ambitions would see Karna as an achiever. She would find him capable and deserving of her love not only because he is wise, brave and handsome but also because he would respect her and treat her like the Queen she is. So, despite her fate, every time she sees him her heart gives a jolt. He was her one true love, until the end. Draupadi is a fire born princess with lofty goals for her life. Sadly, none of them come true when she married the Pandavas. It is only fair that she keep thinking of where things went wrong for her and wondering if she married the right guy(s).
Draupadi’s love story arc comes as a surprise because I have never imagined this possibility before! I just assumed that Draupadi accepted her life and marriage with satisfaction. The version that we have all been given has been avoiding a crucial detail about her character – Draupadi is a woman driven by resentment and regret of her own choices. How could she be happy in that miserable married life? Have we been painting Draupadi as a meek martyr when she clearly was much more?
It was a new take on Panchaali and I think it fits her perfectly. Brilliant interpretation Chitra ji! It might or might not be true. I don’t know if other interpretations tell the story the same way, but you have convinced me of your interpretation so beautifully, that now I begin to wonder if your version is the original version and if the truth somehow got diluted in the million re-tellings.
DRAUPADI – A CHARACTER SKETCH
Where do I begin? Wow.
Never have I ever read a story with a POV with such strong intentions and inner monologue. The story in The Palace of Illusions is the story of Draupadi from birth to death. She was a woman beyond her times. She was headstrong, intelligent, virtuous (in her own way), ambitious, proud and was a feminist believing that the place of a woman is not just in the back of the palace, but right next to her royal husband.
Emotionally, we see the bitterness that shapes up Panchaali from the start. We see her angry, we see her withdraw, we see her contemplate, we see her lash out in blind fury, we see her curious, we see her loving. As the story progresses, the insight into Panchaali’s inner doubts and fears become much our own. We see the princess who felt like a misfit at her own dad’s place but eventually found a home in The Palace of Illusions. My heart goes out to her.
Panchaali’s story is that of a woman so blindly confident of her unique destiny that she brought about her own misfortunes. Her pride fell. And then, she grew, learnt humility, kindness, surrender and acceptance. She grew to find a woman’s power in her. She grew to identify her devotion to Krishna, and her love for him which is beyond body and mind.
I admit it. Usually when I think of Draupati, I only think of her shame and her terrible fate at the hands of Dushasha. I was so wrong. I hadn’t given her much credit. Understanding Draupadi’s background and her character was a privilege. It was amazing. I understood the bottled-up rage and fury against her husbands, the shame that befell the pride of the Queen of the Pandavas and the surrender that sparked from desperation and her love and devotion to Krishna.
Understanding Draupadi’s background and her character was a privilege. It was amazing to fill in the emotional blanks that I had of Mahabharata when it comes to Draupadi.
Throughout the story we see other women of her age – Sudheshana, Banumati, Subadra, Uttara. None of them even compare to her. None of them even come close to The Fire Princess! Not even Kunti, who after a point accepts that it isn’t her place to rule over what the Panchali says. And that is the most inspiring part of Panchaali’s story for me.
CHITRA’S WONDERFUL STORYTELLING
The author/poet has a way with words. Her words flow like honey and read like a poem. I was completely in love with her words while reading the book.
Chitra ji’s art of storytelling comes out in the most unlikely places. Her idea to interpret Mahabharata from a new perspective is seen even in short snippets. For instance, we all know the part where Arjun and Duryodhan ask Krishna to join them in the war. In this story, this incident is told from Duryodhan’s point of view, meaning we are privy to his arrogance and utter confidence in his victory, in contrast to the third-person, moralistic tale we have been hearing so far.
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While telling a tale of this magnificent scale it’s impossible to avoid villains. Sometimes, flawed characters need to remain flawed. Chitra ji’s story had the compulsive need to seek goodness in flawed characters, and that felt far-fetched. It is okay for the characters to have chinks in their armors. I felt that the reasons the author gives to justify them were mere excuses. I just feel that when writing POV, it’s okay not to idolize everyone.
Chitra ji brings out the chemistry between Panchaali and Kunti (the original Saas Bahu drama!) in a few entertaining pages. She has an ease of telling didactic incidents with a funny twist. She just told a convincing Mahabharata in less than 400 pages. I admire that. Well done!
PROS: 1) A fresh viewpoint 2) Intense 3) Unapologetically human 4) Short, quick chapters 5) One-word chapter names (I love one-word chapter names) 6) Stays true to the original Mahabharata
CONS: 1) Difficult to read as a Mahabharata virgin. Should be familiar with the original story. 2) Glorifies almost everyone
The Palace of Illusions insures a place for Mahabharata in the modern bookshelf by baring a story that is incredibly true to humanity and intensely inspiring.
For graphic novel lovers, find a similarly intense (but not quite there) Draupadi: The Fire Born Princess
Understanding Draupadi's background and her character was a privilege. It was amazing to fill in the emotional blanks that I had of Mahabharata when it comes to Draupadi. The Palace Of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni My rating: 5 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
The Queen of The Tearling [Tearling #1] by Erika Johansen: A review
The Queen of The Tearling [Tearling #1] by Erika Johansen: A review
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen View all my Goodreads reviews Genre : Fantasy, Magic Audience: Mature (18+) Type : Series (Book 1) My rating: 5 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon An incredibly intense fantasy story that is partly coming-of-age and partly magic. It has everything – adventure, thrill, mystery and a beautiful romance. I loved…
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The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkein: My journey
The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkein: My journey
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien My rating: 4 of 5 stars:star: :star: :star: :star: View all my Goodreads reviews Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon I’m just happy to have read this book. It has been an honor to read Tolkein’s work. An incredible journey of Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit and the thirteen dwarves. There can be no greater pleasure than to just read one of the best literary works. Here is my…
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Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: A review
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: A review
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman My rating: 5 of 5 stars :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: View all my Goodreads reviews Buy Online: Flipkart, Amazon Humorous, Witty and Entertaining. I couldn’t ask for anything more from the dark-humor loving storytellers. I feel honored to have read a book that two incredible writers have…
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I don't love you
I don’t love you
If you think love is trying to change you then dear, I don’t love you. Love is allowing you be. If you think love is calming your anger then baby, I don’t love you. Love is accepting your anger. If you think love is getting jealous when you’re with another girl then darling, I don’t love you. Love is trusting you. If you think love is spending every second of every day, together then sweetheart,…
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It has been a long-pending dream of mine to get a tattoo. I don’t know what came over me, but I made a decision to ‘gift’ myself a tattoo for my 25th! Something that I never thought I’d do, so….impromptu. In fact, I still check my wrist every few minutes to check if I’ve really done it.
Getting my first ink was such a great experience. It took months of planning but the actual process got over in a flash. That left me with so much disbelief, yet a sense of accomplishment.
I got mine at this cute little parlor, Dragon Eye Tattoo at Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore. Why I refer to a tattoo parlor called ‘Dragon Eye’ cute, is a story for another day. But it’s got something to do with the tattoo lady there (who goes by the name of Shree) and her most affable and humorous nature. The lack of substance abuse and burly dudes at the place, contributed a little too.
These are the highlights of the whole experience. There are some tips for those of you who are looking to get your first (or whatever number-ed) tattoo.
Getting ready.
Before settling for one design, I crossed out soooo many options. I took nearly 3 months deciding back and forth on what I wanted. Finally, I fixed my design a mere two days before the D-day! I like to wing it that way. Otherwise, I’d forever be ‘deciding’. I’d never come to a conclusion.
My number one advice is to take time to think of your design carefully. But when you’re close to the tattoo day, just go with your instinct.
It is not easy coming up with a tattoo design, I tell you. Imagine if we were given the choice to decide what shape of eyes, nose and hair-type we want to live with the rest of our lives. (I can hear some of you go, “I know exactly what I want.” Trust me, you don’t. Us humans, we function on envy. We ride our whole lives on a jealous-scale. We don’t ‘know’ what we want. We get something, then make comparisons with others’ somethings and complain about ours.)
Choosing an ink-pattern was just as difficult as choosing a permanent facial feature. I stumbled upon crown tattoos while stalking Pinterest profiles.”Shravs”, I said to myself, “Don’t you like the idea of a crown to remind you of grace, pride, patience and character?” And the idea stuck.
I considered this Celtic crown design. Briefly. I really liked the details, the curves and the Celtic knots. It had a touch of royalty and raw tribalness. As you can see, my brilliant artistic skills helped me decide the placement.
Jpeg
Jpeg
At the last minute, I threw out the idea because of its complexity and settled on this British crown instead.
And after many, many scribbles and trials…
I was finally able to pick one that I liked.
Tattooing.
The excruciating part was over. Yep, the choosing part was the most difficult. The actual act of having a needle dig into your skin, was surprisingly, not painful at all.
Pain level (for girls): Greater than waxing but lesser than upper lip hair removal. Pain level (for guys): More painful than holding in a fart, less painful than a wedgie (hopefully)
Shree was super cool and super calm about the whole thing. She looked at my design, made some tiny changes and got the stencil ready. Once she got to work, time flew. Hardly 15 minutes in, and she was adding the final touches.
There we are showing off. Not the double chins, the tattoo.
After-tattoo care.
Day 1
Immediately after tattooing, your skin is going to be raw. The first 24 hours are most crucial. When the tattoo artist says, “No water, no touching and no soap”, it strictly means no to all three. The first few hours of care will grandly decide how your tattoo will turn out and it’s life.
Mine was reddish around the whole area. I used up nearly half of the ointment within the first few hours.
In a couple of hours and dozens of ointment applications later, the swelling and redness reduced. The skin was still rough. Touching or scratching with nails was still a No-No.
The skin around the ink looked like a welt. This lasted nearly 4 hours.
Day 2
I was told there would be itching and skin peeling. It was the morning after and there were still no signs of any skin flaking. But there was a tiny bit of itching. Every time I had the inclination to scratch, I had to distract myself, preferably with a Jon Snow poster, long enough for that urge to die down.
I’m not going to lie to you. Sleeping and showering were a pain. This was the day I found out that my left hand alone could bend in 46 different orientations while I slept and that placing the hot shower tap on the right side is HUGE mistake.
Anyway, by day 2 with my incredible nurturing and loving affection, the tattoo’s blush had gone down so much. I gave it slight touch-ups every two hours. Sometimes the excess ink would come off, sometimes there was nothing. My only aim was to keep it well-oiled for the next 48 hours.
Here’s how it looked by the end of day 2.
Day 3 and counting
I’m just one sleepless night short of giving my tattoo a nickname (how does Princess Blush’ sound?) A couple of days now and the ointment is over. My redness and swelling have all gone down. It itches occasionally. I’m able to touch the area without experiencing any harshness. The inked area still feels rough, as if it were sandpaper. Hopefully all this coconut oil should help smooth it and replenish my skin.
Oh, and yeah, this tattoo came at 1500 (plus taxes) bucks for 2 square inches. Pretty economical, I’d say. Job well done.
This has been the easiest item off my bucket list ever!
Getting my first Body Ink was a breezy experience. That's one item off my bucket list! It has been a long-pending dream of mine to get a tattoo. I don't know what came over me, but I made a decision to 'gift' myself a tattoo for my 25th!
Reading? Mmm...not my cup of tea
Reading? Mmm…not my cup of tea
How can you make reading fun? How indeed? This post is for both novice readers and wanna-be readers and will give you some ideas on how to make reading more fun.
A lot of my friends come up to me and say “Shravs, how do you read all those big books? I fall asleep as soon as I open them But, I want to read like you, tell me na?”
This post is in response to those dear friends of mine, who have a…
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Work culture : we put the Fun in the Fundamentals
Work culture : we put the Fun in the Fundamentals
Whoever said ‘Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life’, clearly didn’t know his coffee from his lighter fluid. Just like how love is not enough for successful marriages, being passionate about your work is not enough for a successful career. Shocker! Success demands passion that encompasses perseverance and constant learning. That takes a lot of work and effort…
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