Hey Everyone,
I am going to have to put the blog on hold for a while. Work has been super hectic and I can't get through the books on my list to review. In the mean time, all I can offer is interviews and posts to showcase your books. I'm looking to re-start the blog some time in the spring, and will keep everyone updated! Please contact me if you would like an interview at chaitime212@gmail.com
-- chai time 212
Books, Travel, and Veg Eats
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Book Review: The Lost Pearl
Hello Everyone,
I just finished The Lost Pearl by Lara Zuberi, which I really enjoyed! It is a wonderful story about a young Pakistani girl, Sana, whose happy childhood is abruptly brought to an end by a horrible tragedy. The story follows her as she grows into a young woman. She and her family are forever changed by the event, and the author does a wonderful job of showing how Sana struggles to deal her anger and grief, and eventually finds happiness again.
The descriptions of Sana's childhood, and her experiences in Pakistan and in the U.S. are beautifully written, from the descriptions of the foods and sights of Pakistan, to the emotions she struggles with in the aftermath of the tragedy. The love that the author has for her country is very apparent in her descriptions. Additionally, I was very happy to note that the main character (as well as some of the other characters) were very well developed. Sana appealed to me because she had many shades of gray. Her reactions to the events in the book were sometimes unreasonable, and I could clearly see how much she had matured over the course of the book. I really connected with her. I do wish that Sana's friends, Jennifer and Kavita, as well the character of Ahmer were more fleshed out. I feel that Ahmer was made out to be a bit of a "white knight"/Prince Charming, and it would have been nice if he had a few faults. I was still rooting for the relationship, but would have loved it even more if he had had more shades of gray as well. I did enjoy reading about how the duo bonded over their love of Urdu poetry. As a hopeless romantic with a liking for Urdu poetry (which I wish I understood!), these scenes put a smile on my face.
In technical terms, I felt that the story was evenly paced and well edited. I also did not find the story to be predictable, and the big secret that Ahmer revealed towards the end of the story surprised me a great deal. I thought that this was very well done. My only complaint is that after his (and Sana's) revelations were dealt with, the rest of the story wrapped up quickly, and the epilogue was a little anticlimactic.
In sum, I very much enjoyed this story, and read it in one sitting. It was well-written, and unique, and I quickly connected with the characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author, and would love to read another story about Sana and Ahmer, or one of the supporting characters, like Kavita or one of Sana's siblings.
My Review: 5 stars
Happy Reading!
-- chaitime212
I just finished The Lost Pearl by Lara Zuberi, which I really enjoyed! It is a wonderful story about a young Pakistani girl, Sana, whose happy childhood is abruptly brought to an end by a horrible tragedy. The story follows her as she grows into a young woman. She and her family are forever changed by the event, and the author does a wonderful job of showing how Sana struggles to deal her anger and grief, and eventually finds happiness again.
The descriptions of Sana's childhood, and her experiences in Pakistan and in the U.S. are beautifully written, from the descriptions of the foods and sights of Pakistan, to the emotions she struggles with in the aftermath of the tragedy. The love that the author has for her country is very apparent in her descriptions. Additionally, I was very happy to note that the main character (as well as some of the other characters) were very well developed. Sana appealed to me because she had many shades of gray. Her reactions to the events in the book were sometimes unreasonable, and I could clearly see how much she had matured over the course of the book. I really connected with her. I do wish that Sana's friends, Jennifer and Kavita, as well the character of Ahmer were more fleshed out. I feel that Ahmer was made out to be a bit of a "white knight"/Prince Charming, and it would have been nice if he had a few faults. I was still rooting for the relationship, but would have loved it even more if he had had more shades of gray as well. I did enjoy reading about how the duo bonded over their love of Urdu poetry. As a hopeless romantic with a liking for Urdu poetry (which I wish I understood!), these scenes put a smile on my face.
In technical terms, I felt that the story was evenly paced and well edited. I also did not find the story to be predictable, and the big secret that Ahmer revealed towards the end of the story surprised me a great deal. I thought that this was very well done. My only complaint is that after his (and Sana's) revelations were dealt with, the rest of the story wrapped up quickly, and the epilogue was a little anticlimactic.
In sum, I very much enjoyed this story, and read it in one sitting. It was well-written, and unique, and I quickly connected with the characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author, and would love to read another story about Sana and Ahmer, or one of the supporting characters, like Kavita or one of Sana's siblings.
My Review: 5 stars
Happy Reading!
-- chaitime212
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Book Review: Loosely Translated by Simon Wheeler
Hello Everyone!
I just finished Loosely Translated by Simon Wheeler. This lighthearted romantic comedy focuses on Maria, an aspiring writer from Spain and Mike, the British author of a once popular mystery series starring an arrogant and chauvinistic detective. Mike has lost his motivation to continue his series. Meanwhile, Maria, frustrated with her inability to get anything published, decides to try translating books into Spanish. Her editor offers her a job translating Mike's books into Spanish. Maria scoffs at the writing style and detests the main character. She subsequently takes some liberties when translating, and the Spanish version becomes very successful. Mike is then invited to Spain for the book launch, where he meets Maria, and sparks fly...
I absolutely loved this book! It was well-written, well-paced, and an all-around charming story! I immediately identified with Maria. She was a well-developed and intelligent character who stood up for herself. I was prepared to hate Mike right off the bat, but was pleasantly surprised by his character. He was definitely not the shallow and arrogant guy I initially thought him to be. As Maria and Mike spent time together, exploring Spain, I found myself rooting for the couple. The conversations they had and the romantic places they visited were very well written. As I eagerly turned each page, I found myself wishing I was in Spain.
I do wish, however, that some of the supporting characters could have been better developed, particularly Carmen and Maria's parents. I felt that Carmen was a little stereotypical, and that Mike's interactions with Maria's parents could have been expanded upon. I did enjoy Mike's scenes with Maria's father, however, and found them to be quite humorous. Other characters such as Lola, Cesar, and James fell a little "flat."
The conclusion with its multiple epilogues, worked nicely for me. I enjoyed finding out what happened to not only Maria and Mike, but also to the rest of the characters. It would have also been interesting to have one additional epilogue at the end, re-visiting Mike and Maria at a later point in time to bring everything full circle. All in all, this was a really good read, and I would love to read more books by this author, about these characters and others!
My Rating: 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book! It was well-written, well-paced, and an all-around charming story! I immediately identified with Maria. She was a well-developed and intelligent character who stood up for herself. I was prepared to hate Mike right off the bat, but was pleasantly surprised by his character. He was definitely not the shallow and arrogant guy I initially thought him to be. As Maria and Mike spent time together, exploring Spain, I found myself rooting for the couple. The conversations they had and the romantic places they visited were very well written. As I eagerly turned each page, I found myself wishing I was in Spain.
I do wish, however, that some of the supporting characters could have been better developed, particularly Carmen and Maria's parents. I felt that Carmen was a little stereotypical, and that Mike's interactions with Maria's parents could have been expanded upon. I did enjoy Mike's scenes with Maria's father, however, and found them to be quite humorous. Other characters such as Lola, Cesar, and James fell a little "flat."
The conclusion with its multiple epilogues, worked nicely for me. I enjoyed finding out what happened to not only Maria and Mike, but also to the rest of the characters. It would have also been interesting to have one additional epilogue at the end, re-visiting Mike and Maria at a later point in time to bring everything full circle. All in all, this was a really good read, and I would love to read more books by this author, about these characters and others!
My Rating: 5 stars
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Book Review: A Dragon's Path to Ascension by J.C. Harker
Hello Everyone,
I just finished A Dragon's Path to Ascension, by J.C. Harker. This is an epic fantasy short story and served as my introduction to the Dragons Reborn series. Tharia is a dragon, living in seclusion in human form. Her species undergoes something called the Ascension, which affords them great power, but also involves taking the life of another dragon. Initially, Tharia avoids working towards the Ascension, choosing to live a more simplistic and peaceful life. This idyllic lifestyle is soon threatened as she runs into hunters and other dragons. She then must reconsider going through the Ascension.
I absolutely loved this story! It captured my interest right away. Ms. Harker does an excellent job with world-building. The land of Uutta Toivoa sounds fascinating. World-building, for me, is what makes or breaks a fantasy series. Ms. Harker made me feel like I was in Uutta Toivoa, watching the events unfold. The descriptions of Tharia and her powers were very detailed. I also enjoyed learning about her dragonling, and the bond that they shared. I wish this bond could have been discussed more during the story, and that Dru in general had more of a role.
The author's writing style appealed to me, although at times I had some difficulty understanding the events unfolding. It was a little vague at times, such as when we learned about Tharia's siblings . The story was well edited and evenly paced. I felt that Tharia was a well developed and interesting main character. I liked her very much. I wish that we had learned a bit more about some of the other characters in the story, such as Tharia's family, as well as Kaima, although this is of course difficult with a short story.
The ending surprised me! It was completely unexpected. After the battle, however, I felt that the last few pages were a little anticlimactic. I initially thought the book was done when the battle was finished, and was surprised to turn the page to find a whole separate section. Perhaps this could have served as the beginning of the next book, although I understand why the author included it her, given the results of the battle for Ascension.
All in all, I enjoyed this story from the Dragons Reborn series. It hooked me immediately, and kept me engaged until the end. I would definitely recommend this book to others, and will be reading the other books in the series when I get a chance!
My Review: 5 stars
I just finished A Dragon's Path to Ascension, by J.C. Harker. This is an epic fantasy short story and served as my introduction to the Dragons Reborn series. Tharia is a dragon, living in seclusion in human form. Her species undergoes something called the Ascension, which affords them great power, but also involves taking the life of another dragon. Initially, Tharia avoids working towards the Ascension, choosing to live a more simplistic and peaceful life. This idyllic lifestyle is soon threatened as she runs into hunters and other dragons. She then must reconsider going through the Ascension.
I absolutely loved this story! It captured my interest right away. Ms. Harker does an excellent job with world-building. The land of Uutta Toivoa sounds fascinating. World-building, for me, is what makes or breaks a fantasy series. Ms. Harker made me feel like I was in Uutta Toivoa, watching the events unfold. The descriptions of Tharia and her powers were very detailed. I also enjoyed learning about her dragonling, and the bond that they shared. I wish this bond could have been discussed more during the story, and that Dru in general had more of a role.
The author's writing style appealed to me, although at times I had some difficulty understanding the events unfolding. It was a little vague at times, such as when we learned about Tharia's siblings . The story was well edited and evenly paced. I felt that Tharia was a well developed and interesting main character. I liked her very much. I wish that we had learned a bit more about some of the other characters in the story, such as Tharia's family, as well as Kaima, although this is of course difficult with a short story.
The ending surprised me! It was completely unexpected. After the battle, however, I felt that the last few pages were a little anticlimactic. I initially thought the book was done when the battle was finished, and was surprised to turn the page to find a whole separate section. Perhaps this could have served as the beginning of the next book, although I understand why the author included it her, given the results of the battle for Ascension.
All in all, I enjoyed this story from the Dragons Reborn series. It hooked me immediately, and kept me engaged until the end. I would definitely recommend this book to others, and will be reading the other books in the series when I get a chance!
My Review: 5 stars
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