Sarge : Going Deep

 Author : Stuart Ledwith

Sarge, going deep is a science fiction adventure story of Lieutenant Commander T J Madison, also called Sarge. I have not read the book about Mission 3047, where he was first introduced. This book is more about his personal life, his struggles, his character and his ability to overcome all challenges. With his determination and perseverance, he became a Navy seal, falls in love with a woman, marries her, comes to US and becomes a part of the secret Agency and the person he shaped himself to be in the Mission 3047. I did struggle a bit to understand the context but overall was able to grasp the bigger picture. I enjoyed the book.

My Rating : 👍👍👍👍

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Love Lettering

 Author : Katy Clayborn

Our December book club read is a different kind of a romance with two unique protagonists we don’t usually come across in books or real life. A lettering artist and a wall street Mathematician come together in this book which is primarily driven by letters, fonts and numbers. Meg, a lettering artist is hired to handwrite the wedding invitation of Reid and Avery. Meg’s instinct says that the wedding is not going to last and she weaves a secret code in the invitation thinking no one will figure it out. But it turns out that Reid is a mathematician and is proficient with numbers and codes, and he deciphers the message. The wedding is called off.

After an year, Reid walks into Meg’s shop demanding an explanation on how she knew that his relationship with Avery will not last. And then begins the game of letters and numbers. As they form a pattern, Meg and Reid are drawn towards each other. But nothing is as it seems. There are twists and turns before all is well.

This book is very creatively written about two professions which stand out. The internal struggles of the protagonists are captured beautifully. Both the protagonists are quiet and are low in confidence. For both of them to come out of the shell and get into a warm relationship is an effort by itself and that journey is very well captured in this book. Being a quiet person, Meg struggles with all relationships As the book progresses, each of her relationships, be with her clients, her friends or Reid take a unique turn. It is very heartwarming to see the change in her and how she deals with the crisis in the later half of the book.

My main issue with the book was that I could not understand the hand lettering part of it .The author goes in detail to explain the Fonts, the Styles and the Signs on the streets of New York City , how these signs are designed to reflect the vibe of the store. Being a novice in that field, the whole narrative around calligraphy and hand lettering went over my head. I really felt some visuals with the signs would have helped a lot for the amateurs. The games were also a bummer, I could not make out head or tail of those games with the letter and number puzzles. So, I ended up dissatisfied.

Because both the protagonists are quiet, it is also hard to find the chemistry between them. It’s a very quiet , slow burning romance. If you can see through the words and the descriptive language around the signs and letters, which few of my book buddies did, I think you will enjoy this book. I must admit, I flunked miserably.

My Rating : 👍👍👍

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The Round Box

 Author : Lois Wickstrom

This is a lovely story about a little girl who is missing her Grandma. Grand ma has moved across town and the little girl is missing her grand ma. She is very sad, nothing around her pleases her. Then she opens her Grand ma’s closet and finds a fascinator hat. The girl wears the hat and all her imagination comes alive. It’s a very heartwarming story, good for a bed time read.

Rating : 👍👍👍👍

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A Haunting in Venice

 Kenneth Branagh is a man of fine taste . He has taken up the project of adapting Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot on the silver screen on a large scale with grandeur and opulence. His two earlier movies , The murder on Orient Express and Death on Nile were a visual delight and a feast to watch despite being murder mysteries.

The third installment in the series , A Haunting in Venice , is a spooky spin to the Poirot mysteries loosely based on one of Agatha Christie’s lesser known works , Halloween game .

Set in post World War II Venice , in a pallazo haunted by the vengeful ghosts of children who died there , a grieving mother hosts a Halloween party and later a seance in a desperate plea to speak to the spirit of her daughter. A self exiled , retired Poirot is pulled into this gathering by his American novelist friend , a famous author to make sense of this supernatural phenomenon.

Poirot thinks it’s a fiasco until a murder happens right in front of his eyes and then another . He finds himself hearing the voices of the ghosts and later seeing them and talking to them . He is on the verge of believing that it is the work of the ghosts seeking vengeance . But is it ?? Is everything what it appears to be ? Or is there a mastermind behind all this set up? Will Piorot be sane enough to uncover the truth ?

Horror is my least favorite genre , and I did not read the book. I watched it because it’s Hercule Poirot in action. To my advantage, I watched it in a flight , so I wasn’t too scared . But this movie could scare you a lot if you watch it alone on a bigger screen .

Most of the action takes place in a haunted mansion , so the setting isn’t as lavish as the previous two films. There are lot of twists and turns , the suspect keeps changing till the end .you are left clueless on who actually committed the murders .

Kenneth Branagh is no David Suchet, he is not Agatha Christie’s Poirot . To his defense, he never claimed to be one . He donned on the hat with a style of his own , a serious thoughtful, brooding Poirot , who faces the ghosts of his own past . His film settings are far more lavish and his characters are a lot more glamorous and complex than the books . So there is no point comparing his movies with the books. It’s like apples and oranges .

So do not bring the books into the equation , enjoy his movies as standalone , and you will love them . There is finesse and charm in his work . It’s a fine film .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍

Rebel Moon

 This movie was bashed and thrashed , tossed and charred . I watched it with no expectations, if you like STAR WARS and Mandalorian, it isn’t bad . I guess the director Zack Snyder comes with great reputation and there was a lot of buzz around this movie . It is no way original , much has been borrowed from STAR WARS ( the concept of Empire , the world of imperialism and the rebels )and a bit from Avatar ( Tarak and the flying creature ). Overall it is pretty much a STAR WARS offshoot . If the makers contest otherwise, then they are in for a debate . Watch it only if you like STAR WARS and your blood doesn’t boil if some other franchise is copying it .

Rating: 👍👍👍

Barbie

Much has already been said about this movie . I will keep it short - I watched it , loved it . A journey to self discovery with a strong message on women empowerment, this movie is extraordinary . It’s a little complicated at times , but well , it’s a Barbie world , imagination, life is your creation

. Hoping it wins big - both in Golden Globe and the Oscars

 

A Walk in the woods

I read this book after watching Robert Redford’s movie by the same name . Bill Bryson is a renowned travel author and is very loved for his works .

This book is about his tryst with the mighty Appalachian Trail , the 2100 plus mile foot path which traverses across the wooded , wild lands of the Appalachian mountains in the United States .

This book is strongly recommended to those who love outdoors and have hiked before . The author has done an extensive research on the history and the geography of the Appalachian trail and the book is loaded with a lot of information on how the terrain would be on what part of the trail. He lists best practices on how to pack , what to pack , what is necessary and what is not and how to live in the woods with minimal means and requirements. Every hiker can understand that the woods have a charm of their own and they pull you into a different world , where there are no commitments , no

Obligations , you are surrounded by tranquility and a force which is much bigger and mightier than one of our kind . There are dangers of wilderness, the bears , the blizzards , the rain and the cold , and the hikers have to brave all these elements to conquer the nature .

Coming to the humor part of the book , parts of it are extremely hilarious. Bryson attempts this trail with his reformed friend , Stephan Katz , who is physically not fit to attempt the trail . Their dialogues and certain encounters are hilarious and I found myself laughing aloud . Though they never meet a bear , the scary stories the author comes across and his frightful imagination on what would happen if he ever encounters one on the trail is outrageously funny . “ if you see a bear, by all means run!”

Having said that I personally did not like the humor on the other hikers in this book. After a point , I felt it was disrespectful . Each hiker , whether he or she would succeed or not , has aspired to hike the mighty Appalachian trail , which is a huge deal by itself . Making casual remarks on them consistently was something I personally did not like . The author does mention Bertram Wooster once , so it is possible he is very inspired by P.G.WodeHouse and wanted to make his own book humorous and witty . Overall , it’s a very well researched, thoughtful book filled with wit , and if you like hiking and have hiked before , go for this book. You will enjoy it .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍

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Bank of Dave

 Starting off 2024 with a very fine film , one of the best I have watched of late . An uplifting drama set in the small town of Burnley in England , it is about a local van salesman who wants to open a community bank to help run small local businesses in the town . He hires a conservative London lawyer for help. Together they are up against the London elite , as there has been no new bank which has been opened for more than 150 years . Together , along with the rest of the community , they put up a good fight .

The movie is very sweet and charming , very fine performances , there is music , karaoke , high morals , small town , community help and there is Def Leppard . Apparently this is loosely based on true events , which makes it even more inspiring. Very very good movie !

Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

A Walk in the woods (movie)

 This is a 2015 movie which is on the recommended list on Netflix, based on a very popular book , A walk in the woods , by Bill Bryson. The book covers the epic journey of Bill Bryson as he attempts the 2000 mile Appalachian trail . My cousin had this book and I had read bits and pieces of it long back .

The film is based on the book, but right from the ages of the protagonists, there are glaring differences. Bill Bryson was in his 40s when he attempted the trail .

In the movie , Robert Redford plays Bill Bryson who is a septuagenarian who recently shifted back to the United States after a 10 year stint in Europe . He wants to hike the mighty Appalachian trail to connect back to his roots . Along with his unkempt alcoholic friend Stephen Katz played by Nick Notle , they attempt to hike the trail and get into all sorts of goofy issues old men generally get into . This sure does not fully match with the author’s experiences in the book but if watched standalone , you can have a hearty laugh.

There are lot of good things about the movie , the lead cast is amazing , cinematography is mesmerizing. I personally love the smokies , they are the mountains closest to us in Texas and are renowned for their breathtaking beauty. The wilderness of the smokies is captured beautifully in the movie .

Overall, It’s a very simple movie about two old men who take up a massive challenge and get into trouble. But It’s not a family watch , definitely not for children , the dialogues are not appropriate, there is a lot of slang and loose talk .

If you like hiking and love outdoors, try this movie . Nothing remarkable, but it gives you a peek into a much better world far away from

the gore and violence we find in many movies these days .

Rating : 👍👍👍👍

Independence

 Author : Chitra Divakaruni

I read this book a couple of months ago . Set against the political backdrop of the partition of India in 1947, the storyline follows the life of three determined and strong willed sisters who refuse to give up on their dreams even in the most turbulent of times . Bold Choices have consequences which have to be dealt with . Needless to say, there is a price to be paid . The storyline beautifully captures their agony , hardships and the unbreakable bond between them . The narrative is rich in literature interluded with poems by Rabindranath Tagore . It is a very fast paced book , gripping till the very end . Partition of India witnessed horrific atrocities with thousands killed ,women and infants tortured . This book lends a very powerful narrative to the violence and tragedy faced by many people in those dark times.

The three sisters are exposed to this violence and it takes a lot of grit to stand up to such brutal circumstances and pursue their dreams . I did feel bad for some characters in the book though. Without giving away anything , the strong willed characters seem to get what they want and the kinder characters had to pay a hefty price . But that will remain the way of the world unless kindness becomes a force by itself .

This is a book which should be read in the book clubs , there is a huge scope of discussion and debate on each character. There are lessons to be learnt , tears to be shed . But towards the end , we find ourselves celebrating the life of the three sisters , who have endured it all , and emerged stronger . Thank you Anamika Dutta for recommending this book .

Rating: 👍👍👍

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