Reading and Rambling

I started this blog with the idea of gathering my thoughts on different subjects, and in general share what I have been up to. Therefore the blog was called "Idle Thoughts". 

At that time, I was not reading much (more due to the lack of access to new books than the inclination to read), and it wasn't until a few years later that I started putting down in words my thoughts on books I read. However, for several years now, I only post book reviews, and about my reading, and occasionally some good poem I have come across. 

Therefore the title "Idle Thoughts" became a misnomer, and thus the blog is now rechristened as "Reading and Rambling" :D 😁

The Beautiful Mystery

The Beautiful Mystery

  - Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So far, this is the second book not set in The Three Pines, and is instead set in an isolated monastery in the midst of a deep forest. However, I did not find it as interesting as the story set in old Quebec town, where we had much more to learn about the history. Here we have a little bit of history of this particular monastic order, believed to have died out during the inquisition.

A lot of focus is given to the routine of the monks and the Gregorian chants, which became boring after few repetitions. The author repeatedly describes the immersive beauty of the chants and the music they are set to, but I could not feel it (even though I have had a little experience of chanting of mantras in my yoga classes and loved the feeling evoked by chanting in unison).

The explanation of the murder did not match the buildup of the mystery and was rather an anti-climax. Fanaticism can be, and is indeed, responsible for a lot of cruelty in the world, but I wonder if something as pure as prayer and music can evoke such strong feeling. Perhaps it can, but it stretches my imagination.

The manipulative ways of Francoeur and Gamache’s helplessness to do anything about it were depicted very well, and I truly detested him. It leaves us on a cliffhanger, wondering about his real motive (addressed in the next book).

Her Royal Spyness

Her Royal Spyness

  - Rhys Bowen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Notwithstanding the enthusiastic recommendations, after reading another book by the author, I should really have given this a miss. But at times, the better sense fails to prevail.

The heroine may be spunky, appreciative of her privileges and moreover, aware of the disadvantages that they have placed her in, but her stupidity is really insufferable. Not only couldn't I care much for her, I did not like any of the characters. I think I have had quite enough of the English nobility, who really don't seem to have much noble about them, and I should avoid books with such a setting at least for some time to come.

The spying referred to in the title is really a very small task of no complexity, and takes place quite late in the story. The murder mystery is really weak, and the reader is not made aware of some crucial facts until the very end. Even so, I had an idea of the murderer once it turned out that someone was indeed trying to kill the heroine. And yet I was misled by a very deliberate red herring, which is also a major plot hole. [Spoiler at the end]
[The murderer needed to know that Georgie would be away from home, only then would luring Binky away would make sense. Only Belinda was aware of Georgie's plans, Tristram had no way of knowing that. Combined with the fact that she was on the boat sitting close to Georgie, made her quite the natural suspect. In fact, I thought the two were working together. (hide spoiler)]
It was a fast and easy read, and may be considered as having funny situations, but amusement derived from foolishness doesn't appeal to me. And with a story lacking in content, it is just not my cup of tea.

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[SPOILER]

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The murderer needed to know that Georgie would be away from home, only then would luring Binky away would make sense. Only Belinda was aware of Georgie's plans, Tristram had no way of knowing that. Combined with the fact that she was on the boat sitting close to Georgie, made her quite the natural suspect. In fact, I thought the two were working together.

Chai, Chai

Chai, Chai

  - Bishwanath Ghosh

 

 My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book presents a very interesting idea - what lies beyond the railway platforms in the cities or towns, those very recognizable junction names, where all long route trains invariably made long halts. Perhaps in the current era of superfast trains they are becoming less relevant, but till about two decades ago, they were the part and parcel of any moderately long railway journey. I haven't traveled much by trains in last 15 years or so, but before that I have had my fair share of train travel, innumerable times along few specific shorter routes, and some longer ones. My home town was a district headquarter and an important junction in the region, but it was quite a small town. This is why I was intrigued by the author's idea of exploring some of these major junctions, where all trains crossing states and zones stopped, but were seldom the purpose of making the journey, the destination.

I don't mind that his quest didn't turn up much of interest in these small towns, and in some cases little more than villages. It is not to be expected that every place will have an interesting history or rich heritage. The sad and unfortunate decline of a couple of these towns struck a chord, as I saw similar thing happen in the place I grew up in. In two of his destinations he was able to get more out of his visit by making detours to the world famous cities of Banaras and Khajuraho.

What I do mind is that in every place he seems to spend considerable time, not to mention number of pages (of an already short book), in drinking - and not the national beverage that the title is derived from. What is the point of taking on this task if only to spend a lot of time drinking whiskey in his hotel room? Drinking in dingy (there seemed to be no other kind) pubs, which also finds favor with him, is marginally better since he is at least meeting and taking to local residents.

The writing style I found somewhat inconsistent. At some places, it was so bland that I felt that an eighth grader in a creative writing class might make a better job of it. While in many instances, the subtle humor and dry wit made me chuckle. It was a short, fast and easy read, and except for the descriptions of his drinking adventures (though those had moments too), I fairly enjoyed the book. It also made me nostalgic about the simpler times of my childhood and college days spent in small towns of India.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

  - Laurie R. King

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I have loved Holmes stories since I first read them at the age of 12, and have read them several times since then. I have always lamented that there were so few of them, and wanted to read more of Holmes. Eventually I found fanfic (and learned of a new word - pastiche) but was fearful that the fanfic would just make it worse. In the end, I started reading some of the highly recommended pastiche works, usually suggested by members of my online reading group.

This one looked very intriguing, as instead of featuring Holmes or Moriarty, the lead here is a precocious 15 year old girl, who can match Holmes's intellectual capabilities. I found the stories quite entertaining even though unrealistic. The originals are unrealistic too, but these are even more so. A fair part of the book was given up to building up the environment and the character of Mary Russell, which reduces the mysteries and detective work; this should be taken care of in the sequels. The section about the weeks in Jerusalem didn't add much to the story, and was consequently somewhat boring. On the other hand, I enjoyed reading about Mary's life at Oxford.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book, but there were two major deterrents to my enjoyment.

First is the treatment given to Watson. I have always felt that Doyle/Holmes treated Dr Watson rather shabbily in the Canon, but in here it is downright demeaning. It is not only Mary who constantly refers to him in a disparaging manner, often needlessly, but also Holmes, who shows little respect and loyalty towards his friend.

Second is the knowledge gathered from blurbs of subsequent books that Holmes and Mary get married by the third book. This isn't just completely out of Holmes's character, but also deeply unsettling. The 40 year age gap isn't the only thing that makes it creepy, but the fact that Mary begins by looking up to Holmes as a mentor and father figure, while Holmes refers to her as 'my child' through the book. Why was introducing romance between the a two necessary? IMHO, it could have worked equally well by retaining Holmes in the role of mentor, or adoptive father if social constraints demanded a defined relationship.

Paper Wife

Paper Wife

  - Laila Ibrahim

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't recall how I stumbled onto this book, but I found the title and the blurb intriguing, and after it came up in automated suggestions a few times on different platforms, I borrowed it from KU (my last book before my subscription ended).

The book describes the journey of a young Mei Ling, from her getting unexpectedly married to a young widower settled in California, to building a life in a foreign and distant land. It is only the second book I have read about Chinese immigrants into US, and the only one that takes one through a first hand experience of the actual immigration process and the hardship inherent in it.

I found the first half of the story to be much richer as it focuses on her marriage and immigration, and captures the feeling of uncertainty and fear very well and with sensitivity. I didn't know about the challenges faced by Chinese (and perhaps other) immigrant workers, both legal and illegal, to US in early twentieth century, so it was a new learning. It also offers a brief glimpse into the life and culture of China in those times, and the aftermath of the fall of the Qing dynasty reign.

The second half dealt with the trials Mei Ling underwent as she settled down in the US. This half lacked the tension - though the young family faced many challenges, they were all resolved quickly and with little conflict. It also follows somewhat predictable lines.

Some things left me wondering, though they may be accurate in their depiction of the culture and traditions of the times. Why do Mei Ling's parents fail to ask basic questions about the prospective groom's family and occupation before agreeing to the match? Were they so desperate? If so, the rampant female foeticide during one-child rule is no surprise. The very formal manner in which the husband and wife address each other is also surprising, though one would expect the wife to be subservient in the cultural context.

The book is fast paced and the narrative flows easily. I like happy endings and a message of hope in stories, but this felt a little too simplified. I also want to see some humanity and kindness in characters, and loved June and Kai Li, but they were too-good-to-be-true stereotypes. Overall, I found it a good read, with its context of racial and gender biases, portrayal of a fierce desire in parents to make a better future for their children, and the triumph of the human spirit.

Undelievered letters

Undelivered Letters

  - J. Alchem

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Meh! I will never get those two hours of my life back.

Poor writing, bad use of language, and complete lack of logic in incidents and events in all stories. In fact the whole premise is illogical... eg, if the postman has served an area for over two decades, he should be knowing the residents well. eg, it is inconceivable that however busy an artist/teacher is, will not find time to call or visit his family, in the post-2000 era when mobile phones and air travel had become normal; or even call in 90's when land lines were common.

The structure of the book is also unimaginatively pathetic ...
Aaron's story( in past and present)
Story 1
Story 2
...
Story 5
Letter 5
Letter 4
...
Letter 1
(No kidding, those are the titles of the chapters)

I don't understand why this has such a high rating, and glowing reviews. I won't recommend it to anyone.

Siddhartha

Siddhartha 

  - Hermann Hesse

 
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am not into philosophy or self-help genre, hence I have dithered for years whether to read this highly acclaimed book. Well, I eventually read it (digital version, through Kindle Unlimited), but it didn't overwhelm me.

Other than the fact that I don't enjoy reading about other people's philosophy or preachy books, there may be two reasons why I couldn't enjoy it much. First, I can't enjoy on kindle the books that require you to ponder, only physical books work for me for these kind of books. Secondly, there were too many typos and strange sentence structures. I believe the typos resulted from the output of OCR not properly proofread, but not sure whether it is a problem with digital version in general, or only the KU version. As for the sentence structures, I wonder if it was intentional to give an impression of a fable, or shortcoming of translation?.

That said, I did find some interesting lines of thoughts in the book, particularly what I think was the focal point of the book - that knowledge can be taught, but wisdom has to be earned on your own by your contemplation and experiences.

Above the Bay of Angels

Above the Bay of Angels

  - Rhys Bowen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I actually wanted to read 'Her Royal Spyness' by the author, but it was not available on the Kindle Unlimited subscription that I purchased, while this one was. Since it had a good rating, I picked it up to get a feel of the writing style of the author.

I think the only good thing about this book was that it was a quick and easy read, with a decent storyline. It is a historical fiction/romance; the small mystery doesn't come into play until 80% of the book, and it's easily solved. However, I liked the idea of a young woman making an inroad into an exclusive male domain of professional chefs, that too in the royal kitchen.

The writing style was too simple, even for me (and I am not into high literature), with a very juvenile voice. What I really disliked about the book was the extremely biased portrayal of Abdul Karim, which was incorrect to boot. It appears that the author didn't make any effort to research that part of history. Abdul stood by Victoria's side until her death, after which he was thrown out by royal family, which also tried to remove all evidence of his existence. His association with the Indian freedom fighters (as an Indian, I decline to call them rebels) was found to be a baseless allegation. If this was a creative license on her part, she should have clarified this in the epilogue section. Racial prejudice is very apparent in the depiction of Abdul, and if this was not merely to show the royals' attitude, the author could definitely have done it in a more sympathetic light.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora

  - Scott Lynch
 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had been interested in this book due to several enthusiastic recommendations from my (online) reading group, and a very high rating on Goodreads. Unfortunately, my experience didn't match that of the majority of readers, and I would rate it somewhere between 2.5 to 3.

For one, it had a very slow start. It was almost 30% before it started coming together, and I had seriously considered giving up. However, I persisted, and it was about halfway through that I finally got interested enough. I also felt it was too long, with repetitive descriptions (a mention of 'elderglass' and 'alchemical' in every paragraph had me screaming inside).

The narrative altered between past and present, which is fine. The way the background of key characters was built up was quite interesting. However, the style of presentation - where an incident is related, and the events leading up to it are described afterwards - in both the timelines, made it rather confusing.

I also did not like the setting - a state full of corruption, crime, poverty and cruelty, with no positive to look to anywhere. The profanity was perhaps integral to the setting, but I felt it was a little too much. The violence, both explicit and implicit, was definitely extreme.

On the credit side - the elaborate schemes and impersonations of Locke Lamora were entertaining and the final buildup was wonderful (which I guess is the point of the book), though I didn't understand the reason for his duplicity in revealing his intention to his victim, unless it was for his own amusement. There is a smattering of witty and amusing dialogues throughout the book. Most important, all the threads in this book are wound up at the end, so you are not compelled to read the sequence to find out how the things turned out.

The core and the theme of the story is great, so I think it would have been an amazing book if the boring and repetitive descriptions were pruned off and it was reduced to about 60-70% of length.

The Beekeeper's Promise

The Beekeeper's Promise

  - Fiona Valpy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The book has two parallel storylines - that of Abi in the present, and of Elaine in the wartime in occupied France. In Abi's story there is a further split, her past and present.

Two threads converging towards a common point is a common enough device in fiction. In this book, the switches between the two were rather abrupt. Moreover, the narrative kept changing from first person to third person, particularly in Abi's story. I actually felt that Abi's story was superfluous and was forced just for the sake of form. The analogy drawn between the two stories was totally irrational.

I also don't see any reason why Elaine chose not to tell her story for 75 years (except for the pain), but if she was reluctant to share it, it is inconceivable that she would like a second person to relate it to someone (Abi) who she had never even met.

In my opinion, Elaine's story standalone would have made a much better reading, though, if you have read a few good world war stories you won't find anything new. I didn't find the writing style commendable either - the interactions between the characters were insipid and unrealistic for most part, and in general it was the case of author telling us things and feelings, rather than showing.
I finished it, but I can't say that I enjoyed it much.