The Girl in the Tower - Book 2 WinterNight Trilogy

Author: Katherine Arden

Review:

The second book in the WinterNight Trilogy begins with Vasya, a free-spirited daughter of the Northern country lord, being accused as a witch in her homeland. With no place to stay and kith and kin slain, she decides to embark on a journey across Russia in the bitterly cold winter with the blessings of the Frost God, Morozko. Vasya's journey turns out to be an adventure filled with adversities.

As she journeys along, she comes across many burnt villages, kidnapped girls and the distraught nature spirits. There is a subtle meaning that whatever the circumstances are, nature has to be attended to. The Domovoi in the oven, the night spirits, the fire spirits or the horse spirits, may have been called Pagan, but the underlying truth is that if we do not care for nature, we will have to face the consequences. All the nature spirits are fading because an evil force is in the awakening.

 When she reaches Moscow, Vasya is star stuck with the city's marvel. With its beautiful buildings and churches, the bustling streets, horse races, bathhouses, and eateries, Moscow comes alive with its lavishness and luxury. Vasya reunites with her brother Sasha, who is now a trusted advisor to the Grand Prince and also her sister Olga who is wedded to the prince's cousin.

But despite the protective Sasha, the motherly Olga, and the Frost God Morozko by her side, Vasya has to call upon her inner strengths to save what matters to her the most when evil comes knocking on Moscow's door.

To summarize, if The Bear and the Nightingale was good, The Girl in the Tower is brilliant. I hope that Book 3, The Winter Witch, will end with the much-anticipated grand finale for this magnificent tale. I cannot wait to see how the trilogy ends.

Recommended : 👍👍👍👍👍

Buy The Girl in the Tower

Movie : Christopher Robin

Review:
It's always a sunny day when Christopher Robin comes to play !!
After a long wait, Christopher Robin is on Netflix and it was an ideal springtime watch with the kids. Loosely based on the adult life of Christopher Robin, one of the main characters in the famous " Winnie the Pooh" stories, the plot moves quickly from Christopher joining the army for World War II and later seeking employment in a luggage company, Winslow Luggage.

The story begins with young Christopher Robin and his stuffed toy friends - Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Owl and Rabbit having a farewell party in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood. Christopher is about to be sent away to the boarding school. His friends are not very happy about it. Christopher promises them that he will never forget them and he will come back to them one day. But after he grows up, he gets so involved with the work that he never bothers to visit the wood himself or show it to his daughter, Madeline.

One fine day, Pooh finds all his friends missing, he decides to go through Christopher Robin's door and finds himself in London. Christopher is shocked to see Pooh and decides to send him back to the Hundred Acre Wood, which is in Sussex. They journey through the train, amidst adventures and Pooh pretending naptime.

Once they enter the wood, Pooh disappears and Christopher has to revert back to his childhood tricks to find all his friends. When he bade them goodbye, what he does not know is that it is his friends and his family who will come to his aid and stand by his side in the most difficult times.

I was waiting to watch this movie for a long long time, and I was not disappointed. Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore are all adorable but it is Pooh who walks away with the cake. The absent-minded, silly old Pooh, a bear with small brains but a bear with big heart steals the show with his innocent remarks. My boys loved the 'Say what you see' game so much that they started playing it whenever they are in the car. What I loved about the movie most is how fragile and vulnerable Pooh and his friends are portrayed to be. In this world full of malice, the innocent friends try to help out their childhood friend in whatever clumsy way they can. It brings back the innocent memories of childhood we all had, and an urge to pick up Winnie the Pooh storybooks from the library to read out loud, once again, in the warm comfort of our beds.

I was so sad when the movie ended. This Pooh quote summarizes the movie for me -
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Recommended : 👍👍👍👍👍

Buy Christopher Robin Online

500 miles - Justin Timberlake ( Original of Jab Koi Baat Bigad jaaye

“Jab koi baat bigad jaye” was made from this English original track. This wonderful song is so hummable... evergreen... everlasting... *500 Miles* the version by *Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan & Stark Sands*...brings back the yesteryear melody alive.

500 Miles ( Justin Timberlake)

Pop remakes of old hindi songs

We know that Bollywood music directors have adapted Western scores or pop songs and brought out pretty good songs in Hindi. Have you heard of Bollywood hits being turned into English?
Here are three songs that a British pop group "Ivy York" released in an album called "The Call of Spring" available on itunes, spotify, etc
The title song is an adaptation of O P Nayyar's Pukaarta Chala Hoon Mein" from the 1965 film Mere Sanam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbjv4IfisOw
The other two songs are
Island Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U86_C_9hp3Y an adaptation of Shankar-Kaikishan's "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh" from the 1960 film "Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraye"
and
My Happiness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K36I_WSnxd0 an adaption of O P Nayyar's "Jawaniyaan Ye Mast Mast Bin Piye from the 1957 film "Tumsa Nahin Dekha"

Read how the group took a shine to old Hindi film songs
https://bollyspice.com/music-band-ivy-york-takes-old-bolly…/

The Bear and the Nightingale - Book 1 of Winternight Trilogy

Author: Katherine Arden

Review:

 The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book of the Winternight Trilogy, a historical fantasy based on the Russian folklore. It is about a little girl Vasya, who grows up listening to the fairy tales her nanny tells her and discovers that she can communicate to the nature spirits around her, the ones who guard the household, the stables, the water, and the fire. 

A young priest, Konstantin, resolute in his faith in God, is driven away from Moscow to the cold Northern Lands. When he comes to the fertile soil of Lesnaya Zemlya, he finds himself in a situation where he has to hold on to his beliefs stronger.

Set in the time when Christianity was gaining popularity in Russia, this book touches the age-old feud between Christianity and Paganism. It is a brilliant piece of work. As one flips through the pages, medieval Russia comes vividly alive before the eyes. The cold ruthless winters covered with snow, the delicate spring with the golden sun rays, the short pleasant summers and the breathtaking fall are so beautifully described. One gets a chance to know about the Russian lifestyle  which includes their attire, their staple food which primarily comprises of cold meat, pie, and cheese, their commute,  horses and sleds, the  houses they live in, their church structures, the icon paintings of the angels and the saints and so on and so forth.

Coming to the characters, Vasya is so vibrant and free-spirited, you cannot help falling in love with her. Her brothers, Sasha (though he does not have much role in the first book) and Alyosha and her father Potyr come across as very amenable people. Konstantin, on the other hand, is a very keen observer and follower of rules. 

To summarize, it is a book which is hard to put down.   It has a gripping story and all the elements of a historical fantasy novel. I cannot wait to finish the trilogy.

Recommended: 👍👍👍👍

Buy The Bear And The Nightingale Online