[Book Review] Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

J K Rowling's first book in Harry Potter series is quite a fast paced journey to Hogwarts all the way from his lonely life at Privet Drive.Harry's first year gives him a second home, good friends, some dangerous enemies and a magical world. 

Rowling's writing style is simple and funny in this one. There were times I really smiled reading it. When compared to the movie version I would say the movie was better as they had eliminated some unnecessary bits and added a few interesting ones. Eliminations and additions did turn sour at some parts but that was rare and I still prefer movie to the book. I certainly did enjoy reading this light one and it was fun to trace it with the movie one. If you are planning to read Harry Potter, I'd recommend you to read the entire one after the other till 7th book. After reading this series in a jumbled way, I sure do wish I had got all the books at the beginning itself. Anyway, this one is a great read for one time and if you are not into reading, at least, go watch the movies. :) 

[Book Review] Why Not Me?

Mindy Kaling's "Why Not Me?" was never in my list of need-to-read books. It was definitely not recommended to me by anyone. So where did I get the book you may ask. I happen to watch "The Office", an American TV series which is all about a paper company run by an eccentric and often despicable boss. The show stars Mindy herself as Kelly Kapoor and to be honest, I did not like that character much; she seemed way too obsessed with herself. But the show is totally hilarious and later did I notice the fact that Mindy herself has written many episodes of the show. I loved the slapstick comedies and cracking dialogues. A few Goodreads exploration later, I found this one. I was searching for a light read at that time so I thought it would be perfect.

This book is a series of random experiences of Mindy's. Some short, some long but nevertheless relatable and humorous. "Why Not Me?" is a fun memoir which won't leave you bored. Mindy talks about her glamorous-not-glamorous celebrity life, her complicated relationships, her personal and professional life and her efforts to keep herself from being fired from her job.

The book is a very light read and so one can skip the boring parts (if there is any) as they are not tightly connected. My favourite three parts were How to get your own TV show (and nearly die of anxiety), A day in the life of Mindy and Soup Snakes. In the first one she talks about how working in a televisional business is really a 'transitioning panics', I found it funny and in the second we can see the less glamorous and more of hardwork lifestyle of a normal girl. The third part is about her complicated relationship between B.J Novak where she describes how B.J can insert interesting facts about people like Mark Twain and Steve Wynn into conversations without seeming like he just looked them up on Wikipedia. I liked certain parts of the book very much but others, not so much. If you are looking for a comic relief involving the life of a women in her late twenties then this one's for you.

[Book Review] Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

I really don't remember from where exactly I got this book. Maybe the cover of the book got me interested in it or it may be the name itself. I was definitely familiar with Aristotle because I had a whole semester around that guy and I vaguely remember Dante too. So what I meant to say was I really think it was the cover. The way the title was written and also the cherry red chevy pick-up truck at the bottom left, both caught my attention and I was glad for that because this book is "gold" and I really mean it.

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Mexican-American author Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a small novel that lets you discover the universe by yourself. Funny and confused Aristotle sees the universe as an 'inscrutable' place where he cannot decipher neither his family and friends nor himself. On meeting Dante he decides to add Dante to his 'inscrutable' list even though the very word 'inscrutable' is something that Dante taught him. The forging of a friendship and its transformation into a beautiful universe is what this book has to offer.

“Through all of youth I was looking for you
without knowing what I was looking for”

― W.S. Merwin 

 The book was an easy read with its plain language but nevertheless enjoyable and gripping. The one thing I really liked about this novel is that it has got so many lines which will make you stop reading for a second and sit with that. Two of my favourite lines from the book were- "Turning on the radio and just sitting there was my version of praying" and "Too many intimate strangers"(sorry, I'm really into oxymorons). Talking about the characters- Dante is a sensitive, intelligent and likable guy while Aristotle is a hard guy but equally caring. The parents though similar were different in their own significant ways. To be honest, I really didn't expect anything from this book but it turned out to be the best one that has touched my heart not through the story really but through the thought flow (Stream of Consciousness) of Aristotle that the author has penned down. I also liked Ari's rendezvous in his pick-up truck but I really didn't get the deal about the Mexican thing in the novel but I get it now as the author Benjamin is part Mexican so he must have thought it would be fun but really, I didn't get it. 
This novel is a gnash of everything that's human emotion and touching. There's friendship, the infinite love of parents, the sensitivity of some souls and the stupidity of few others, there's love and there is the whole secrets of the universe waiting to be discovered. I would definitely recommend this one for a casual no-expectation kind of read. It's a small book so that's an added bonus for those looking for small ones (I finished it in two days). It might surprise you, it really did me. Anyway so I'm just gonna wrap this one with two more quotes from the novel.

“I didn't understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of that meanness rub off on you. How could a guy live without meanness?”

“The problem with trying hard not to think about something was that you thought about it even more.” 

 

 

[Book Review] Wonder

R J Palacio's "Wonder" is an emotional roller coaster of a wonder child who finds his place in this world. The cover page of this small novel is what attracted me. The blue book with a single eye and a face may sound weird but it does look good. 

The novel is about a boy called August Pullman who is born with a rare mandibulofacial disorder. Home-schooled till fourth grade, August decides to enroll in a normal school to start his middle school. Though middle school proved tougher than he imagined, August with the help of his family and friends finds his place in the world. 

The novel was an easy read; the language was simple and I think the author might have aimed for children. It does sound a lot like Children's novel but I think it would be a great one for young adults too. There wasn't much to talk about other characters apart from August and his sister Olivia. August grabs our attention with his noble characters and understanding nature while Olivia realises her self obsession pretty fast and that was interesting for me. I also liked the thing about August and Halloweens and the whole idea that behind the mask no-one recognises him and thus he is free. There were a few comic elements from August's dad and his friends. All in all, the book won't blow you away or anything. It's just an easy and fast read as it's a small novel.