Delicious Death

Author : Byrd Nash

I have always loved Byrd Nash’s works. I make sure  I follow her books. This story has a strong female central lead, it is always enjoyable when an author projects a strong female lead in 1800s with eccentric qualities. Elinor has a penchant towards ghost talking. She befriends another eccentric woman , who is a doctor. In the winter feast. There is an attempt to murder the king. There is a duke who is equally interested in solving this mystery. The forbidden romance brews between Elinor and the Duke. Social restrictions follow.

What not to like about it, nothing . Overall a very enjoyable read.

Rating : 👍👍👍👍👍 

Things are shaking

 Author : Lois Wickstrom

Things Are Shaking is the second book in the Invisible Magic Wand series by Lois Wickstrom.  Caspian is back with his magic wand and his adventures.

Caspian shows  his cousin Belinda, the  invisible magic wand gifted to him by his grandpa. She wants one too. Grandpa had one spare to give her right on time. An Earthquake hits and it is up to Caspian, Belinda and Grandpa to use their magic wands . Caspian shows how he can control time using the wand. Can Belinda and Caspian control time, and save themselves and others from the Earthquake?

 

The picture book is filled with bright illustrations and the children will love the story line. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Rating : 👍👍👍👍

The swimmers

 

A very fine movie, based on a true tale of two sisters who flee from war-torn Syria to Germany in hope of a better life. Sara and Yusra Mardini are professional swimmers, Yusra dreams of representing Syria in the Rio Olympics. But a larger hand is at play . Syria faces a rebellion and the ongoing crisis leads to a Civil war. Damascus is bombed and Syrians flee from their homeland to seek asylum in the European countries. Sara and Yusra, along with their cousin follow the cue .They travel with other refugees by land and sea with no food , water for days together in locked trucks and an inflated boat, which stops working mid-way, thus stalling them in the middle of the sea. The horrific  circumstances they encounter teaches them to stand up for a cause much greater than the Olympics or their own country, to fight for the shelter and welfare of all the refugees across the world. It is a tale of struggle and  survival which eventually leads them to the path of humanity. The movie reminded me of Khaled Hosseini’s “The Sea Prayer”, a short powerful novel which depicts the Syrian refugee crisis. It is very well shot, the actors did a fabulous job. There are certain sequences which are a little over dramatic, and I found the movie a tad lengthy. There are a couple of sequences which are not appropriate for children. Otherwise a very inspiring weekend family watch.

Rating: 👍👍👍👍

 

Brahmastra

 Watched Brahmastra on Disney+ over the weekend. Pretty good movie with some cool graphic stuff and solid star cast . First in the trilogy , the story is about an orphan who figures out that fire doesn’t harm him and he has a connection with a bunch of secret guardians who are guarding the divine weapons of the world . A recent threat has caused havoc in their lives and Shiva ( Ranbir kapoor ) steps in to save the world . The movie has great visual effects, we could sense a similarity with The Eternals . We were in awe when we saw the first stunt , Shahrukh flying in the air with his Vanarastra . The ending battle was pretty cool with different types of Astras flying around . The plot had a lot of flaws , especially the way the love story unfolded was quite abrupt . Almost till the end I suspected Alia Bhatt’s motive in joining hands with Shiva . It was a lengthy movie too , but the songs are good , so no complaints. Capital stuff . My boys loved the movie too and we are all waiting for Part 2 , desperately hoping Dev is not Ranbir Kapoor in dual role . Would love to see Ranveer Singh as Dev , that costume and role seems tailor made just for him .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍

The Dalai Lama's Cat

 Author : David Michie

Ending this year with this insightful read , a good spiritual dose with lot of humor and wit . It is a reminder to be mindful, practice kindness and a good recipe for happiness . I loved the phrase “Egocentric melodrama”, a constant state of mind which we are usually in, where we are obsessed with our own needs and keep fueling our mind and are never happy . The book is narrated from the perspective of Dalai Lama’s Cat, which takes on several names through your the book , HHC , Rinpoche , the most beautiful creature that ever lived , and the list goes on . The cat , which is mostly with Dalai Lama or one of his personal assistants , is fortunate to observe his Holiness and his interactions with various delegates, famous personalities , and political leaders in close proximity . Also , being a cat , she has her own share of feline adventures with other cats,

Dogs , mice and common folks who live near the monastery. She is willing to work over her shortcomings and tries to implement Dalai Lama’s teachings in her day to day life . Throughout the book, she urges the readers to do the same . The teachings are fairly relatable except towards the end where it delves a little deeper into Buddhism , which I could not understand. But otherwise a beautiful reminder to start the new year with a spiritual outlook, pause , slow down, stay grounded , be mindful , practice kindness, be respectful towards others and get out of our “egocentric melodrama” . Happy new year ! Stay blessed .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

Buy the book online at

Hachi

 Watched Hachi - A dog’s tale over the weekend. The movie is based on a real life story of a Japanese Akita , Hachiko, who waited every day at the railway station for 9 years waiting for his deceased master until his time is up . The bronze statue of Hachiko still stands tall at Shibuya station in Japan . It’s a Japanese tale , adapted to an American movie . Like every Japanese story , this one is also intense and extraordinary. The screenplay is brilliant, Richard Gere is amazing . This movie made me cry , but it is one of the finest I have watched . If you are going to watch it , be prepared to shed a lot of tears and fall in love with Hachi , who is considered the most loyal dog in the world .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

The Noel Diary

A feel good romance with a neat plot , a road trip across old towns with some Christmas cheer . It is about a best selling author who has just come to settle his estranged mother’s estate . He finds a dairy which might hold secrets about his past . As he is working through his mother’s belongings , he meets a woman who knocks on his door and claims to be the daughter of his childhood nanny . She is abandoned by her mother when she was a baby and is now looking for answers about her own past . As they embark on a road trip to dig more into the mystery, they find out that it could be more than their past connecting them together .

The plot is the strength of this movie, neatly tied up together . The lead characters are subdued and sensible , both of them understand loss and suffering , they make a good pair . But I would have liked a dash of humor and some action , the movie was a little bland to me. The screenplay isn’t up to the mark , there are some scenes where the transition is very abrupt, and few where the romance seems forced . None of the side characters are appealing , and though the script and the dialogues are quite meaningful, the dialogue delivery isn’t good . They failed to create the necessary emotional impact.

But overall it is a good movie . The journey of loss and grief , the fear of not letting in and trust someone fully is quite touchy and relatable . Walking away from any relationship has a significant impact causing lot of repercussions ,this theme is depicted well . Light romance , passable .

Rating: 👍👍👍

The Choice

 Author : Dr Edith Eva Edgar

The Choice is an autobiographical account of a Holocaust survivor , Dr. Edith Eva Eger who survives the Auschwitz and later the Death March . She articulates the horrific experiences very vividly .She holds onto hope and light within to get past some gruesome experiences .

I was prepared for this part of the book as I was aware that it is about the Holocaust .

The war is over , and she survives . But Is it a happily ever after ? No . She recovers , marries , bears children , life goes on . But the pain and the suffering lingers in the back of her mind . The trauma acts up in different ways and costs

her a lot . Then she starts questioning herself and the meaning of all her suffering . She starts studying , one degree after another and finally studies psychology. Now at 90, she is an active psychologist treating patients with depression . She talks about multiple clinical cases she has handled , and how she managed to overcome her own trauma and later helped heal others .

This book was a very heavy read , I was not prepared for the second half and it hit me hard .Huge respect to Dr Edith Eva Eger who survived the trauma , worked on healing herself and then put her life to good use healing others .

There are some books which demand your attention and your emotional energy . This is one such book , it is not for the faint hearted and you cannot take it lightly .

It teaches you a lot , I wouldn’t have picked it myself. But no doubt it is a very Informative read. The lady is a huge inspiration . The Choice is up to you , to read this book or not .

Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍

Buy The Choice online at

Where the Crawdads sing : the movie

 “ A feral girl with rumors that she is part wolf, with eyes that glow in the dark “. A girl who is filled with dirt, consumed in loneliness . Struggling to make her living in the only world she knows - the Marsh . Her family , her friends are more like sojourners in her life for a brief period of time . They come into her life , stay with her for a short time and disappear. The only thing constant in her life is the Marsh . Despite all the odds , she evolves into an extraordinary butterfly. But will the society let her fly? The town people tag her as the Marsh girl , they alienate her , belittle her , use her . This is the story of Kya as she stands trail for a murder she is accused of in the extraordinary tale of courage and perseverance , “where the crawdads sing”.

I had read this book and Kya is like the fire within all of us . Our passion is re kindled with her spirit . That is how dear Kya is to anyone who has read the book.

Then I watched the movie yesterday and saw an introverted high school girl who loves to draw and write on the screen . To give the movie due credit , they were loyal to the book . The screenplay is gripping , the marsh ethereal. The whole movie is beautifully shot.

What made it underwhelming is the casting . Daisy Edgar Jones is not the right fit . She is too polished to play Kya . The supporting characters who played Tate and Andrews looked quite robotic. There were times when I doubted the plausibility of Kya’s personality and her capabilities on screen when I was so bowled out with the same Kya in the book . This could be a biased review from someone who loved the book so much . But I was forewarned before by a good friend to keep my expectations low . Despite that I ended up being disappointed. It’s an average movie , well taken , an honest effort but falls short because of its cast.

Rating: 👍👍👍

Enola Holmes 2

 A very fine movie , very very well made . Lot of action sequences , lot of creativity when it comes to evidence , deduction and the spy game . Excellent humor . The actors are wonderful . I love Sherlock Holmes and in the past few years , a few fine actors have portrayed the character very well. I have begun to like this Sherlock too . Henry Cavill is brilliant , just like Robert Downey Jr or Benedict cumberbatch . Millie Bobby Brown is perfect as Enola . In this particular case , the practical , analytical and detached Sherlock works with the spontaneous, vivacious and emotional Enola to solve a mystery. They form such a wonderful detective pair and the contrast in their personalities is evident and made a lot apparent . The supporting cast is also excellent.

The movie revolves around a true story , match girls who work for a match factory and either disappear or die , and is based on a woman who stood up for their rights and their well being . Feminism , brilliantly captured and within the context .

There are very subtle references to the friends and foes of Sherlock Holmes , his famous possessions . There is a lot of onus on his methodical deduction, his style of working . There are some sequences , especially at the climax where we could draw parallels to the action sequences in 2009/2011 Sherlock movies .

All in all , I thoroughly enjoyed this movie . My weekend ended quite well . What better way to conclude the review than this dialogue .

Watson : “You may be right.”

Holmes: “The probability lies in that direction.”

Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍