Our Changing Climate

I know this post has nothing to do with book reviewing but it has everything to do with books and life itself. Climate change is a challenging problem which can alter the very existence if not looked into. We need to stop climate change before climate changes us. Please watch this video created by YouTubers Finn Harries and Jack Harries and understand that climate change is a massive problem. We hardly feel the effects of climate change but we may be the last generation who can stop it. #climatechange

[Book Review] Midnight's Children

I really don't know what to say. This book took me so long to finish that I felt like I've lost my reading speed. I started this book in August and look, it's halfway through November already. I can't blame entirely on this book because I've been busy with other things like sewing, studies and assignments, but never in my entire life had I took so long to finish a book like this. It's not the pages, nor the story that slowed me down. It was the writing of Salman Rushdie that dragged me through hell.

If you ask what genre it is,  "Midnight's Children" is a historical-fantasy-fiction novel. You may say 'that looks like an interesting mix' and you're darn right. This is the story of Saleem, who, having born at midnight of Indian Independence, was gifted with a special power just like the rest of midnight's children. Through Saleem's eyes, the history of India will unfold revealing the religious, societal, political and humane ideas and values. Along with a country filled with secrets, Saleem uncovers the secrets of his life and the life around him.

I've always thought of Rushdie as a major figure in modern literature and I've been itching to read a book of his and I must say that he somehow did manage to make a great impression which I'll never forget in my life. The first impression is sort of negative... Okay, wait, let's not sugarcoat it. The first 'impression' is painfully negative because I really don't understand why in the world is he rambling without any course. He gives twenty examples in place of a single one. He gives insane details on things irrelevant, to the story which neither increments the plot nor gives anything new to the characters. Halfway through the book, I no longer wanted to know what the hell happens to Saleem; all thanks to Rushdie's writing. The second 'impression' is good. There were times when I felt like he really brought out excellent comparisons like when he explains about Goa being a pimple on Mother India (which in all sense means Goa's size).
As of whole, if you can bear with the ramblings then 'Midnight's Children' is all yours but if you're like me and want it to be short and interesting then I would ask you to stay a feet away from this one.

[Book Review] Paper Towns

John Green's romantic adventure novel "Paper Towns" is an adventure to nowhere. This fictional novel has been adapted to movie version by the same name and stars Cara Delevingne and Nat Wolff.

The cover page is really attractive with a red tack pinned on a map. The whole idea of the book is depicted on the cover page. Truth be told, the book's cover page made me read this novel.

"Paper Towns" is about a boy named Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and his search for Margo Roth Spiegelman; who goes missing after an adventurous night of revenge. Following some unintentional clues, Q and his friends manage to find Margo in a paper town. Slowly, Q realises that Margo is nothing like he imagined.

Q is a likeable teenager who tries to satisfy everyone's needs while Margo is independent, self sufficient and adamant in her own way. Q's friend Radar is an interesting one. I really liked him and his family's Black Santa tradition. Radar is the powerhouse of knowledge with his online Wikipedia called Omnictionary. I was not at all impressed by Margo's attitudes. She was like a stump; standing only to attract a feeble and innocent boy like Q and dragging him to an utter mess of an impractical adventure.

I personally felt that the book had a strong plot and it was well constructed till the end. The theme being that 'the image we create for someone is never that person'; is really an intense one. It could have had a better and deeper impact if it was developed a bit more well. The ending was wobbly and quite impractical. I mean how can a high school girl live alone in a big city without neither a job nor a house? If these are plotholes then there sure are lots of them. Their final amicable departure was nice but I felt like I was missing something. I'm not saying that the book was a complete mess; it was fun to read and join clues which were never meant to be clues at all. After reading John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars", I expected a bit out of this one (because of its great cover and all) but I am disappointed. The only part I loved in this book was Q's ride with his friends to reach Agloe. The hour division of that chapter till they reached Agloe had a young vibrancy and joy. Overall, it was not great but not completely hopeless either.

[Book Review] Chemmeen

T. S Pillai's masterpiece "Chemmeen" is a mesmerising seaside story. "Chemmeen" is a realistic fictional tragedy which focuses on the lifestyle of early fishermen folk in Kerala, the southern part of India. Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's "Chemmeen" is the first Malayalam novel to win Sahitya Akademi award. The English version has been translated by Anita Nair and the translation is simple yet beautiful to read.

This book had been made into a Malayalam movie by the same name. The cover page of the book is still from the "Chemmeen" movie. The malayalam actress Sheela who portrays the character 'Karuthamma' is seen holding earthen pots on a sea shore. She is in her fisherwoman dress and she seems to gaze at someone or something.

The story revolves around Karuthamma, a fisherman's daughter destined to marry a fisherman of her same caste and religion. When Pareekutty, a Muslim fisherman helps her family, Karuthamma couldn't help herself from falling into the forbidden love. Little did Karuthamma know that fate had other plans for her. "Chemmeen" is a story about hope and hopeless love.

The vivid description of seashore is striking and the story takes us through the life of the fisher folk. It also elicits how the caste division affects the people. The characters often question the ethics and norms set by the society. The novel has been translated into many languages over the world and is one of the best translated works of Malayalam. Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai brings out the simple story in its brief detailing, but manages to enthral readers from all over the world. I would definitely recommend this book as a one time read. Eventhough this belongs to the tragedy genre and the ending seemed to pull a sudden brake, the plot unfolds beautifully which is guaranteed to entertain all readers.

[Book Review] The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt's widely acclaimed fictional novel "The Goldfinch" bridges into a visual treat through its beautiful and elaborate depiction of each and every scene. This winner of Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2014 swings somewhere between suspense thriller and realistic fiction.

The partially visible goldfinch peeking through the torn part of a realistic looking paper is attractive enough to grab your attention. The use of charcoal chalk font brings out the fact that this book is something related to paintings. The paperback cover feels so smooth to touch that I instantly fell in love with this one. This sophisticated cover manages to cover up the slightly ugly truth that it is a large book (more than 800 pages). I guarantee you that it is uncomfortable to read as much uncomfortable as it looks because managing heavy books lying on bed is a challenge I never came to overcome. With all that said, let's move onto the novel.

In a nutshell, Theo Decker is a devoted son of an equally devoted mother who is admired by everyone. When Theo loses his mother at a terrorist attack in an art gallery, he manages to gain the painting of Carel Fabritius's The Goldfinch which draws him to a series of events and into a complex stressed lifestyle. The journey of Theo through these events gives him the definition of life and living.

Theo is a careful, innocent character while his friend Boris is a complete opposite package. He is carefree, mischievous and flirty. Eventhough they are different in many ways, they also share many common interests. Theo is a likeable character with whom we can relate to the most. Donna Tartt gave us a vivid picture of each character and their interests. 

Donna Tartt strikes the right chord with the usage of elaborate language as this is a first person narrative. Her concentration on details and description is like hearing the words which Theo thinks. Many of the references and similarities are often quite interesting to relate to. The one major problem of this book is that it gets unbearably boring at some part into the book that I felt like putting it back on my bookshelf. Overall, it's a not such a bad read but not a must read. To wrap it up, "The Goldfinch" is a novel focusing on every bit of detail as possible and if you like paintings, drugs and furniture making, then you might want to grab this one.

Blogger Recognition Award

So excited to have won my first ever blogger award... I am really honoured to have got this recognition. Eventhough it's just a simple little picture, it has been like receiving an Oscar. I'm not joking. When someone checks out my blog and likes them, it makes my day. And when someone nominates me for something like this, it makes me even happier. I'm currently on cloud nine to be honest...

I got nominated by the awesome blogger, Angelina Ruby, reviewing books @ My Crazy Reading Obsession. Thanks a bunch for nominating me...This award was originally created by Eve @ Edge of Night.

Here are the rules:

1. Select 15 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
2. Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you've nominated in the post. Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right-clicking, saving, and uploading the image above).
3.  Comment on each blog and let them know you've nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.
4.  Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and we can keep it from mutating and becoming confusing!

My blog's story:

I started my blog 'ShoShow' in 2014 during my gap-year, partly because I was bored having nothing much to do and partly because I wanted to have my own space where I could let my creativity flow. The idea of starting a blog wasn't even near in my mind until I stumbled upon YouTuber and blogger Zoella. I loved her blog from its design to its content and that's when I thought Why don't I try something like this. She focussed on her interest of beauty and lifestyle while I went for my interests. Books and Drawing. So I decided to do reviews of books, movies and products. Later, I settled on to focus only on books so that my blog would have a basic theme. I also decided to incorporate my own artwork (at the end of each post) based on the book I was reviewing. Now, blogging is like a hobby to me and I am grateful for all the viewers from every part of the world.

My advise:

• Don't worry about the result: You don't need to get worked up all about viewers. Let them check your post if they want. Don't fuss when you have no viewers. Always remember that you started this blog to enjoy your leisures in a creative way. Enjoy doing what you do and the rest will follow on its own. 

• Be sure to have a theme: While starting a blog you may find difficult to settle onto a particular theme but I would advise to stick onto something. If you are interested in travels start a travelogue or something related to travel. If you focus on a theme you'll find it easier to post often and also solve 'what to post' problems.

I nominate:

• Katie @ Kittens and Books
• Fatima @ Book Whizz 
• Diana @ Novel Tea 
• Meg @ Bockety 
• Jeanz @ Jeanz Book ReadNReview 
• Debasish @ A Journey With Books 
• Brianna @ A Bookish Escape 
• Andrea @ The Corners of Her Mind 
• Hannah @ A Book Thief and a Word Shaker 
• Liza @ The Reading Head
• Rebecca @ A Word Shaker 
• Sarah @ Sarah Elizabeth's Bookshelf 
• Angela @ Southern Bred, Southern Read
• Abeer @ Turn to Page 394 
• Jolien @ The Fictional Reader

You guys deserve this award !!
Thanks to each and every single blogger for being a part of this ever-growing blogosphere...

[Book Review] The Power of Now

"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle can easily take a position in top 3 must reads. This book is what one can say as life changing. Every single sentence rings with truth. I really don't have any other way to put it but one can relate to myriad details written in this lovely spiritual piece. If you are looking for something less of an exercise-meditation guide, then this is the one for you. Unlike 'The Alchemist', this one's not a story but follows a question-answer kinda way. Neither is this one like 'The Monk who Sold his Ferrari'. 'The Power of Now' is more of a knowledge guide. This book is highly spiritual and if you're not into spirituality then I don't think you will be much interested in this.

Author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle emphasis the power of 'Now'. According to him, we can unleash the power of consciousness by being completely aware of the present. Through consciousness and surrender, we end the suffering. We accept suffering to enter a place of inner peace which is often veiled behind the egoistic mind. Pain and suffering takes us a step closer to enlightenment. Acknowledgement and acceptance of pain body can take us to a higher level of consciousness away from mind modulated thoughts. According to him, we are the key to enlightenment. 

[Book Review] In Your Sights

"In Your Sights" by Elizabeth Krall wasn't really what I expected and it wasn't up to the mark for me. To start off, the cover went well with the theme of the book. The monochrome picture of a person walking was in coherence with the photography themed mystery-thriller. 

"In Your Sights " revolves around the life of Caroline Bready, a widow who tries to bury her past and moves on with her life. When Caroline finds a brutally attacked woman, she is drawn into a tangled up mess of crimes. Soon, Caroline realises that a photography class and a blog may even pave way for the attacker to find her. Things go from bad to worse when she couldn't trust the people whom she trusted and when faith brings her into this web of deep trouble. 

Elizabeth Krall has done a fine job with the writing. Her description of scenery and surroundings were quite vivid and beautiful. The dull dark mood prevailed throughout the book. Caroline was an interesting character who is beautiful in physical sense but she is also quite naive and a vulnerable person. Then there's Reece whose handsome features stands out which is quite contrary to Johnny, whose beauty is not in his marred scars. My favourite of all was Johnny. I would love to say something about his beautiful character but I would give away the complete plot so I will stick to saying that he is a character who is well accustomed to pains and experiences of life. These characters suited well with the theme but the book focused more on romance than mystery and that quite got annoying at some point or other. To sum it up, I wasn't satisfied with it as a mystery thriller and the melancholy was a bit over dramatic but I loved the description of oceans and Australian surrounding. 

[Movie Review] The Theory of Everything

It wasn't the fact that this movie is life of the great physicist Stephen Hawking nor was the truth that the lead actor has won the Oscar for his splendid performance as the scientist that made me watch this film. It was the poster. The poster made me see this film. The way Jane and Stephen Hawking held hands and the poster caught the movement when they twirled with joy. And it was upside down that made it even attractive. So good... 

Moving onto the movie. 'The Theory of Everything' is the life story of the physicist who has astonished the world with his mind. Directed by James Marsh and adapted from Jane Hawking's memoir "Travelling To Infinity: My Life with Stephen", this movie revolves around Stephen's Cambridge days to the time when he became the world's most renowned scientist of all time despite his motor neuron disease. Eddie Redmayne was not acting at all, he was becoming Stephen Hawking every single minute. There were times when I thought am I seeing a younger Stephen Hawking? No wonder he got the Oscar. Felicity Jones did a fine job of Jane Hawking. Charlie Cox adorned his role as Jonathan quite well. 

As a life story, the movie was intriguing and fast paced but if we look at it just as a movie then it's lacking the point of keeping the viewers glued. There were a few jokes to lighten the plot but the seriousness prevailed throughout. When I said the movie was fast paced, I literally mean it. His life events were depicted so fast that halfway into this movie I thought what the hell are they going to go on with?! It's almost done. But at the end I was satisfied with this movie. After all, I got to know a Brief History of Stephen Hawking's life. Loved the tag line too: His mind changed our world. Her love changed his. 

[Movie Review] The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

After watching the prequels- 'The Hobbit' and 'The Desolation of Smaug', I had to watch this one. I still cannot get over the fact that all these three movies is based on one small book. How the hell did Peter Jackson managed to produce three movies out of the small book by J R R Tolkien is still a mystery to me. 

This one stars almost the same characters from previous one. Add a couple of doses of Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans and many other talented actors and you get a great Peter Jackson movie. The story starts off as a continuation to its prequels. This is the battle of five armies for the gold hoarded by the dragon Smaug in the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves with their cousin takes up one side while the Elves want their ancestor's share. Bard the bowman and the people of Lake Town want their promised share. The darkside Azog and army from Gundabad makes up the last two armies. With this the battle of five armies becomes brutal while Bilbo Baggins tries to stop the great war which brings devastation to everyone who values gold more than home. 

Like all of his movies, Peter Jackson has emerged victorious again. The story went in a way which did make sense even if you haven't watched the prequels. There were a few flashbacks and some interesting details if you note carefully. There were times when the viewers are given a continuity of this movie with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by providing teeny tiny clues. The good thief Bilbo Baggins is the only one who tries to lighten the mood. I couldn't have imagined another Bilbo other than Martin Freeman. Bard the bowman has been well played by Luke Evans. Legolas-Tauriel-Kili triangle poked up here and there. Tauriel wasn't even in the book and Peter Jackson has done a fantastic job of squeezing her into this trilogy. You will not get bored and that's a guarantee. For a one time watch it's a great movie. I am happy that Peter Jackson can finally get a long rest after back to back trilogies. 

[Book Review] Oktober Heat

Doris Dumrauf's "Oktober Heat" is a fascinating mystery novel set in Germany- post Cold War. This one was given to me by the author herself for reviewing and I am truly thankful for that. Before going into more details about the novel, I would like to say about the book's cover. Only one word can describe the cover and that word is A-W-E-S-O-M-E. It is really an awesome cover because the 'music record' is indeed a significant element in this book. I had to say something about the cover because it was so stunning and got along fine with the novel. 

"Oktober Heat" is about Walter Hofmann, a German policeman who encounters a murdered woman which is the starting line for the plot. When Walter comes to know that his best friend Jeff Preston, an American soldier is accused of that murder, he decides to find the real killer and clear his friend's name. In the long run to solve the case, Walter endangers the lives of his friends and family.

"Oktober Heat" is an interesting catch. I loved Walter's character very much. He is an honest policeman who is very bad at getting a date. As any person, Walter also finds himself jealous of his friends and colleagues. When people address his partner as superior, he feels a tinge of jealously but when it really comes to his superiors, he respects them. Walter feels that there are some advice from his chief that he didn't even get from the police academy. Author Doris Dumrauf has done an exemplary job in bringing out the tiny details and facts like the curiosity of a child when he sees a real revolver and the fact that the white borders of picture turns frayed after repetitive use. These small details may not be important but they make a lot more interesting to read. The author has also outlined the difference in life prior to the World War and after it. This is felt when Walter compares the carefree attitude of children with his childhood filled with the dire troubles of war. Addressing people based on their characters like hair colour and looks bring in a different prescriptive and for this I would like to thank the author.

Overall, "Oktober Heat" is a mystery set in the days post Cold War channeling the life of ordinary men, women, children and their obsession with the music of the well renowned singer Elvis Presley. This one was certainly good and was quite fast paced focusing completely on the path of Walter Hoffman who is destined to solve the mystery.

[Movie Review] Oru Vadakkan Selfie

'Oru Vadakkan Selfie'. The name itself can give you the whole theme of the film. It all starts with a selfie. I watched this one with my friends and so it couldn't have gone better.

Directed by Prajith Karanavar, this film stars Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, Manjima Mohan, Neeraj Madhav, Vineeth Sreenivasan and many such striking actors. As I said earlier the whole plot starts with a selfie. Umesh (Nivin Pauly) is far below average engineering student or in other words, he flunks every exam. He has got two besties, Shaji (Aju) and Thankaprasad (Neeraj) who are worse than him. When Umesh sees his new neighbour Daisy (Manjima), he falls in love with her. Faith brings Umesh and Daisy together only to cause much greater havoc. When Daisy goes missing, the society turns against Umesh saying he's the traitor. Against all odds, Umesh decides to bring her back and clear his name. 

The whole movie is a potpourri of Thalassery and Chennai. One side you will find the down to earth city with its own culture, politics and society and the other side, you will find the growing market of film industries and urban lifestyle. The first half was unbearably hilarious with Shaji's slapstick comedies and Umesh's attitude against everything. The next half focuses on the plot and gets a bit serious but the comedies do come and go. The movie is a good watch with some major twists and focuses more on youth with numerous references to social media and stuffs. I couldn't say the film blew my mind or anything but it wasn't a waste of money either. I enjoyed it with my friends. Hope you enjoy it too. Thanks for reading... 

[Book Review] The Lost Symbol

After reading 'Angels and Demons' and having read 'Da Vinci Code' a long time ago, I had to read the third book in Robert Langdon series. One thing about this series was that the Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, was a character that is intriguing and interesting to read about. Excited to read professor Langdon's next philosophically mysterious adventure, I got 'The Lost Symbol' from my department's library.

This one is another adventure of Harvard professor Robert Langdon. Robert encounters a strange symbol at the venue of his presentation and when Peter Soloman, Langdon's mentor and a great friend, is known to be in serious trouble, Langdon finds himself drawn to a chain of events. Secrets unknown to mankind is at the verge of unveiling. Robert along with Katherine Solomon must decide whether to reveal the secrets or let them bury deep down far from human's reach. 

'The Lost Symbol' being third in series is like the rest of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books. So basically, it is mystery-thriller with Dan Brown's added elements of philosophy, religion, facts, science and a tinge of romance (or in other words, with no scope for romance). This time, Dan Brown explores the ancient symbols capable of revealing hidden mysteries of modern world. Knowledge is compared to a nuclear weapon itself. It is said that knowledge in the hands of bad can lead to end of mankind whereas in the hands of good, it can help in the growth of every known field and unearth the answers to the greatest of questions hovering in the minds of humans. Dan Brown's books are highly philosophical and this one's no less. 'The Lost Symbol' is not really connected to its prequels in terms of characters so you are good to start with any of the books but the themes are recurrent in his Langdon series. The most significant part of Robert Langdon series is that there are more facts than fiction, which makes it interesting to read and to understand the history through professor Langdon's eyes.

[Movie Review] The Fault in our Stars

Having read the book, I felt a strange desire to watch the movie. I have always wanted to know whether movie version is different from book version. Like most of the book based movies, 'The Fault in our Stars' was a cut and copy of the book and that made this a tiny bit dull but it was good and sticks well onto our mind for some appreciable amount of time.

Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgorth, Nate Wolff, this movie is about Hazel Grace Lancaster, a cancer survivor who meets Augustus Waters at the support group run by church. Hazel feels enchanted meeting Augustus who not only redefines her life but also gives her the chance to live, laugh and love once again. 

Actually, I wanted to see this movie soon after I put down the book but I ended up seeing this a little too late. Anyway, I was glad I saw it. The movie showcased some amazing places capturing the details so wonderfully that I was awe struck. This is an emotional movie but I didn't feel like shedding tears. Maybe it's because I read the book first or maybe it's because some of the actors were so lousy in their acting that the ended up crying for wrong reason. Being a romantic movie, one must not expect great storyline but I must say that 'The Fault in our Stars' was slow, simple but beautiful movie.

[Movie Review] Big Hero 6

 

One look at Baymax will force you to watch the entire movie. Being an oscar winner is not much of a reason to watch 'Big Hero 6' but Baymax is indeed a reason to watch this film and that's how I came to watch this film.

Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, 'Big Hero 6' is all about Hiro Hamada, a young prodigy with a craze for technology and robotics. When his brother introduces him to Baymax, a personal health care robot, Hiro's life changes from the dumb routine of a normal youngster. Soon enough, Hiro discovers dark evil tampering with the technology invented for the good of mankind.

'Big Hero 6' is an okay movie but I am not sure why it won Oscar. The nominees included much better ones. The thing about 'Big Hero 6' that attracted me most was Baymax. That thing was the heart and soul of the movie. Baymax often repeated this line, "I am Baymax, your personal heath care robot" and this became the hilarious part when he was low on his battery. The plum robot slightly had problems fitting into the super hero costume too. Like all animation movies, this movie had its own share of comedy. This movie was definitely something different from the usual range of animation plots and overall it's good for one-time watch.

[Movie Review] Without a clue

If you like Sherlock Holmes, you will definitely like this movie. "Without a clue" might be the funniest mystery genre movie that I saw. Before seeing this movie I didn't realise that mystery movies could be so funny. 

Starring Ben Kingsley and Michael Cane, this movie is total opposite of the classic Sherlock Holmes. Michael Cane portrays the character of a Sherlock Holmes who is a brilliant detective only physically meanwhile Ben Kingsley acts out the role of John Watson who is actually the mastermind behind the observations and deductions involved in solving a case. Being sick of the way Sherlock takes credit for all the hardwork, Watson decides to end his acquaintance with Sherlock and publish the truth through his own autobiography. At the verge of publishing and having come face to face with a new case, Watson realises that he is a mere person without Sherlock and also that people won't accept the truth. 

This movie had the classic plot which almost every mystery movie has but incidental and dialogical humour mostly prevailed till the end. Michael Cane doned the role of stupid Sherlock amazingly while Ben Kingsley could have done a bit better. I am not saying that he was entirely horrible but he could have stopped smiling at some weird places. Over all, it's an old movie but it was really hilarious. 

[Book Review] Stardust

I have to declare that I have not completed this book and I will let you know the reason soon. I decided to read this book only because I saw the film first otherwise I wouldn't even have come close to this disastrous piece by Neil Gaiman (sorry but you leave me no choice).

The plot is quite simple. Tristan Thorn loves a girl. Promises a fallen star for her hand in marriage. Faces an adventure when he understands that he is not the only one who wants the star. In the journey, falls in love with the star which changes the entire deal. 

The fairy tale, of course seems a beautiful tale but the writing ruined the entire tale turning it into a some kind of horrible plot. When I first started a few pages, I did realise something was seriously wrong (even with grammar). I ignored those and (I am proud to say) I reached halfway through the book feeling that everything will be fine soon but no... no.. It seems to be becoming worse and that's when I drew my mark. That's when I stopped reading it. The film was enjoyable and interesting and that's why I wanted to read this but it's nothing like the film.

I analysed what the hell is wrong with it and I found out. The sentences are too long. When sentences are long, one tends to get bored and sort of feels dragged out of context. We feel alienated from the book as we don't become a part of it. Well that's exactly what happened here. I am not saying that this was the only reason. This is the first time I am writing a review of a book which I have not completed. I have no idea if Neil Gaiman's books are all like this. Anyway, I am not reading anymore of his.

[Book Review] Angels and Demons

When I saw two copies of 'Da Vinci Code' lying perfectly well on the book shelf of the central library in my college, I immediately wanted to read it again as I had read it so young that I could possibly have understood nothing. So I took it thinking that I can finish it off fastly and move on to its sequel 'Angels and Demons' (that's what I thought...sequel?..what was I thinking.. honestly I didn't know). When I got home did I realise that I had it all upside-down. Actually, 'Angels and Demons' was the first book in Robert Langdon series (silly me..in my defense Dan Brown should have atleast numbered.. ) and so I began "Angels and Demons". 

This book by Dan Brown belongs to the genre mystery-thriller and describes a day in the life of Robert Langdon, a Harward professor of religious iconology. When Langdon learns of the rise of the secret brotherhood Illuminati whose vendetta against their sworn enemy the Catholic Church and the mysterious past, things start to become bitter and gruesome. Along with Vittoria Vetra, a renowned scientist, Langdon tries to stop the greatest invention from becoming the greatest cause for destruction. 

This one was like the rest of Dan Brown's creations. Simply fantastic. The factual details coupled with some fictional ideas was highly interesting and exhilarating to read. I really liked the ambigrams and I did spent a few minutes looking at the intricate details given to the design. Loved that idea. Gladly looking forward to the rest of Robert Langdon series. (By the way, I gave back 'Da Vinci Code' for my college library's annual stock or something like that so I hope it will be there waiting for me once the stock whatever is over).