People!

2012 is about to be quite a year; doomsday predictions notwithstanding.

With a star studded line-up of authors and titles to choose from, rest assured the literary roller-coaster at INDIAreads is not about to stop anytime soon.

Check out these gems that may be pre-ordered at INDIAreads shortly;

1. I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella (Feb 2012): When Poppy loses her engagement ring and her mobile all in the same disastrous evening, it seems making use of a phone she finds by chance, abandoned in a hotel bin, is the obvious solution.

But inevitably her life becomes entangled with the real owner of the phone, a high-flying businessman called Sam who becomes increasingly irritated when Poppy can’t resist meddling in his affairs…

2. The Oath of The Vayuputras – Amish Tripathi (Oct 2012): Book Three in the hugely popular Shiva Trilogy – after ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ and ‘The Secret of The Nagas’ – keeps the feeding frenzy going.

3. Emerging India: Economics, Politics And Reforms  – Bimal Jalan (Jan 2012): A collection of essays written over 20 years, this is an essential read for anyone seriously interested in the history and future of India’s development as a nation.

4. Didi: A Political Biography – Monobina Gupta (Jan 2012): Gupta brings her experience as a journalist and commentator on the politics in West Bengal to paint a fascinating portrait of the woman who defeated the longest-serving communist government in the world; and is fast emerging as one of the most important political figures in India today.

5. When Loss is Gain – Pavan K Varma (Jan 2012): Action-packed yet contemplative, Pavan K. Varma’s first novel is a powerful story of love and loss, despair and hope, chance and destiny, and the true meaning of joy and sorrow in every human life.

6. Rahul – Jatin Gandhi & Veenu Sandhu (Jan 2012): .Who is Rahul Gandhi—the real man—beneath the hype and the hatchet jobs? What are the ideas and influences that propel him? Who are his advisers? And how will he tackle his new responsibilities as his mother, Sonia Gandhi, makes way for him? Two young journalists, Jatin Gandhi and Veenu Sandhu, trace the evolution of the Rahul brand and explore the fascinating relationship between modernity and dynasty in this incisive political biography.

7. Neglected Poems – Gulzar (Jan 2012): Neglected only in name, these poems represent Gulzar at his creative and imaginative best, as he meditates on nature, delves into human psychology, explores great cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and New York , and confronts the most telling moments of everyday life.

8. Micro – Michael Crichton (Jan 2012): An instant classic in the vein of Jurassic Park, this boundary-pushing novel has all the hallmarks of Michael Crichton s greatest adventures with its combination of pulse-pounding thrills, cutting-edge technology, and extraordinary research.

Three men are found dead in a locked second-floor office in Honolulu. There is no sign of struggle, though their bodies are covered in ultra-fine, razor sharp cuts. With no evidence, the police dismiss it as a bizarre suicide pact. But the murder weapon is still in the room, almost invisible to the human eye…

9. Smart Trust – Stephen M. R. Covey (Foreword by Indra Nooyi) (Jan 2012): Find out why trusted people are more likely to get hired or promoted, get the best projects and bigger budgets, and are last to be laid off. This book will forever shift your perspective as it reveals and validates once and for all the transformational power of trust. Reading Smart Trust will help you thrive in an increasingly unpredictable marketplace.

10. The Innocent – David Baldacci (Apr 2012): Freelance hitman Will Robie gets a job from the US government. Even as he expertly nails his target – a suspected enemy of the country – he sees something at the scene of crime which he suspects will have deadly consequences …

Does he need to change sides to save lives, including his own…?

11. Untitled Memoir – Salman Rushdie (Sep 2012): The memoir will cover Rushdie’s childhood, his family life – he has been married four times – and his time in exile.

12. The Limpopo Academy of Private Investigation – Alexander McCall Smith (Apr 2012): The new installment in the perpetually delightful and bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

Precious Ramotswe is back and, as usual, her plate is full.  She’s called in to tackle a mysterious disciplinary problem at her adopted daughter’s school. Her infinitely trustworthy assistant, Grace Makutsi, is having trouble adjusting to wedded bliss; a problem to test even the formidable talents of Mma Ramotswe. And the estimable Clovis Andersen, author of The Principles of Private Investigation – the No. 1 Ladies’ prized manual – has arrived, right there, in Botswana, on a case of his own. Bush tea, anyone?

13. Home – Toni Morrison (May 2012): The latest novel from Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.

An angry and self-loathing veteran of the Korean War, Frank Money finds himself back in racist America after enduring trauma on the front lines that left him with more than just physical scars. His home–and himself–may no longer be as he remembers it, but Frank is shocked out of his crippling apathy by the need to rescue his medically abused younger sister and take her back to the small Georgia town they come from; a place he’s hated all his life. As Frank revisits childhood memories and the war, that leave him questioning his sense of self, he discovers a profound courage he thought he could never possess again. A deeply moving novel about an apparently defeated man finding himself–and his home.

14. Bring Up the Bodies – Hilary Mantel (May 2012): In this sequel to the Man Booker-winning Wolf Hall, Mantel explores one of the most mystifying and frightening episodes in English history: the destruction of Anne Boleyn. From history’s darkroom, this novel offers a speaking picture to the modern world; a vision of Tudor England so recognizable it defies archaism. It is the work of one of our greatest writers at the peak of her powers.

15. Betrayal – Danielle Steel (Mar 2012): A renowned film director confronts an act of unimaginable treachery—and the first devastating blow will not be the last.

In this riveting novel, Danielle Steel reveals the dark side of fame and fortune. At the same time, she brilliantly captures a woman’s will to navigate a minefield of hurt and loss—towards a new beginning.

16. Behind The Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, And Hope In A Mumbai Undercity – Katherine Boo (Feb 2012): In this brilliantly written, fast-paced book by the Pulitzer winner, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human; thanks in no small part to three years of uncompromising reporting.

With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what connects human beings to one another in an era of tumultuous change, ‘Behind the Beautiful Forevers’ carries the reader headlong into one of the twenty-first century’s hidden worlds, and into the lives of people impossible to forget.

New releases

1. Non Stop India – Mark Tully: Jugaar may loosely be translated as ‘muddling through’, or making
do. This quintessentially Indian ability has seen India through numerous crises which would have
easily dispirited a less resilient people—four wars, for instance. But while jugaar can be said to
have served India well in the past, it has a downside.

It has led to a dangerous complacency: the belief that since India has managed to ‘muddle through so many times before, there isn’t much need for a sense of urgency in tackling the problems it faces. In Non Stop India veteran journalist Mark Tully draws on his unmatched knowledge of India, garnered from thirty years of living in, and reporting from, the country to examine how this approach impacts her much-touted prospects of becoming an economic super-power. From Maoist conflicts to huge industrial houses; from the Tiger project to farmer suicides; from the Ramayana to the remote valleys of the north-east, Tully examines India’s myriad negotiations with modernity and her prospects for the nextcentury and beyond.

2. Get To The Top – The Ten Rules For Social Success by Suhel Seth: When it comes to getting
ahead in life, who we know is as important as what we do.How do you draw people to you?
Impress the powerful? Make an impact and extend your circle of acquaintances? Cultivate
influential friends?

Suhel Seth, a man who knows almost everyone there is to know in the country, brings you the
ultimate guide to social success. From the secret to throwing a successful party to the benefits
of befriending the less important half of a couple, he gives you canny advice and strategies to
become a successful networker.

Inspiring, provocative, and wise, Get to the Top is the ultimate book about wielding soft power.

About The Author :

Suhel Seth is the Managing Partner of Counselage India, the only strategic brand management
and marketing consultancy in the country advising chairpersons and CEOs on branding and
marketing.

His clients include R.K. Krishna Kumar of the House of Tata, S. Ramadorai of TCS, Analjit Singh of
Max Hospitals, Pawan Munjal of Hero Honda, Sanjiv Goenka of the RPG Group, and Prannoy Roy
of NDTV.

Suhel writes columns in The Financial Times, Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, and The Indian
Express on current affairs and has co-authored two books on Calcutta with Khushwant Singh and
R.K. Laxman.

3. Classic Saratchandra Volume I – By Saratchandra Chattopadhyay – Translated By Malobika Chaudhuri & Sunanda Krishnamurty: One of the greatest Indian novelists of the early twentieth century, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay is unputdownable even seven decades after his death. His canvas of human relationships is rooted in the everyday lives of families in turn-of-the-century Bengal. Saratchandra’s carefully crafted stories, brimming withemotion, and his sharply etched characters, are unforgettable. This omnibus that brings together eight of his novels in translation is a collection to be cherished.

Biraj Bou, Parineeta (A Married Woman), Palli Samaj (The Village Life), Arakkhaniya (The Unprotected), Srikanta, Devdas, Swami (Husband), Grihadaha (House of Cinders)

4. Secrets – by Ruskin Bond: This brilliant new collection of stories by one of India’s best-loved storytellers richly evokes Dehradun of the 1940s, with its quaint cinema halls and crumbling villas, its modest chaat-shops and ubiquitous tongas. But, as young Ruskin—the narrator in these interconnected tales—soon discovers, not all is as it seems in this sleepy town. Behind the tranquil facade, Dehra is home to a cast of colourful characters: from plucky old women to possible murderers.

‘The Canal’ is a joyful tribute to adolescent mischief and adult resolve, in which a group of roguish boys must face the consequences of antagonizing the much-feared Miss Gamla. ‘Over the Wall’ celebrates the resilience and hard-won dignity of a man ravaged by leprosy as he struggles to come to terms with his malady. The dashing young army captain in ‘At Green’s Hotel’ might be the perfect gentleman—or a murderer. And in ‘The Skeleton in the Cupboard’, an old scandal is revived following a chance discovery, leading to wholly unexpected results.

By turns charming and poignant, witty and exhilarating, Secrets is vintage Bond.

5. The Mahabharata Volume 4 – Translated by Bibek Debroy: The Mahabharata is one of the
greatest stories ever told. Though the basic plot is widely known, there is much more to the
epic than the dispute between Kouravas and Pandavas that led to the battle in Kurukshetra. It
has innumerable sub-plots that accommodate fascinating meanderings and digressions, and
it has rarely been translated in full, given its formidable length of 80,000 shlokas or couplets.
This magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation of the epic is based on the Critical Edition
compiled at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.

The fourth volume of the Mahabharata includes Virata Parva and almost all of Udyoga Parva. It
describes the Pandavas’ thirteenth year of exile which they spend in disguise in King Virata’s court.
When, during their stay, the Kouravas and Trigartas invade Matsya to rob Virata of his cattle, the
Pandavas defeat them in battle. With the period of banishment over, the Pandavas ask to be returned
their share of the kingdom. This is refused and Udyoga Parva recounts the preparations for the
inevitable war.

Every conceivable human emotion figures in the Mahabharata, the reason why the epic continues to
hold sway over our imagination. In this lucid, nuanced and confident translation, Bibek Debroy makes
the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers.

6. Lucknow Boy – A Memoir by Vinod Mehta: Sharp, insightful, shocking, delightful. In this
sparkling memoir, Vinod Mehta, India’s most independent, principled – and irreverent – editor
finally tells his own story.

And by any reckoning, it is an extraordinary story. Mehta grew up as an insouciant army brat from a Punjabi refugee family, in the syncretic culture of Lucknow of the 1950s—an experience that turned him into an unflagging ‘pseudo secularist’. Leaving home with a BA third class degree, he experimented with a string of jobs, including that of a factory hand in suburban Britain, before accepting an offer to edit Debonair, a journal best known for featuring naked women. With the eclecticism and flair that were to become his hallmark, he turned it into an intelligent, lively magazine, while managing to keep fans of its centrespreads happy. The next three decades saw Vinod Mehta becoming one of India’s most widely- read and influential editors, as he launched a number of successful new publications, from the now legendary Sunday Observer to the weekly newsmagazine, Outlook.

This remarkably candid memoir, with its ringside view of many of the major events of our times, brims over with wit, wisdom, scandal and gossip. Mehta recounts with zest how he was wooed and then summarily sacked by sundry media proprietors when their much-vaunted respect for editorial freedom broke down in the face of political pressures. There are riveting accounts of his encounters with personalities from the worlds of politics, business, films and the media. There are masterly pen portraits of personalities ranging from Shobhaa De to V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie and Sonia Gandhi. ( And ofcourse, Mehta’s dog Editor who now, like his master, gets quantities of fan and hate mail.) There are the stories behind the scoops Mehta has brought before a fascinated public, from the alleged mole in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet, to the cricket match-fixing scandal, to the Radia Tapes.

Embedded within these racy tales are thoughtful insights on Indian politics and society. There are valuable lessons, too, in Mehta’s inside stories of his successful media launches, in his tips for aspiring journalists, and in his struggles for editorial independence through his nearly four-decade-long tryst with Indian journalism.

COMING SOON

1. Diary of A Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney: The sixth book about the comic adventures
of Greg Heffley and family. The funniest books you’ll ever read!

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of. The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for
the holidays?

2. God Save the Dork – The Incredible International Adventures of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese by Sidin Vadukut: Maestro management consultant and strategy guru Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese has been dispatched to London to the Lederman account. Things in the mother country are not all tally-ho as Einstein must make do with convoluted remuneration, temperamental digestion and a comely coworker who revels in mixed signals—not to mention a bizarre conspiracy by museums all over the city to frustrate his every attempt to imbibe in high culture.

Things are not all that much better with his love life. Gouri insists that he go to Madame Tussaud’s and take a photo with the Shah Rukh Khan statue. But who will pay for the entry ticket? Gouri’s father is not the proprietor no? Then? Just when things look like they can’t get any worse, Lederman threatens to shut down the project. Panic ensues. Once again Dufresne Partners turns to their most resourceful, inventive, original, strategic, out-of-the-box-thinking employee.

‘India’s Dilbert.’    – DNA
‘Nothing else skewers corporate India’s assorted silliness so accurately. Or so funnily.’   —Outlook
‘Unputdownable.’   —The Hindu
‘[Dork] will have you in splits.’   —The Asian Age
‘Hysterically funny.’    – Hindustan Times

So finally, the wait is over. Once again the bookies got it wrong. The Booker did not go to Tom McCarthy or even Galgut. The book which was most popular amongst readers in general, and amongst our voters (Room by Emma Donoghue) didn’t win either. The 2010 Man Booker for Fiction went to Howard Jacobson for The Finkler Question, a novel that explores what it means to be Jewish today.

Announcing the winner, the Chair of Judges, Andrew Motion said, ‘The Finkler Question is a marvellous book: very funny, of course, but also very clever, very sad and very subtle. It is all that it seems to be and much more than it seems to be. A completely worthy winner of this great prize.’

And now for the Lucky Draw winners. First of all, thanks for the awesome response. We never thought quick contests could be so popular!

Based on our votes tally, this was how the authors were positioned:

1. Room by Emma Donoghue

2. C by Tom McCarthy

3. Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

4. The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson

5. The Long Song by Andrea Levy

6. In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut

209 people got the right answer and the winners are

Harsheita Choudhary, Mumbai

Vibhanshu Bisht, Delhi

Pratiksha Khanna, Bangalore

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Your prizes will reach you within the week! HAPPY READING!!!!

And for those of you who did not make it this time. Do not worry. Just keep your eyes on this space. Over the next 2 months, we will have 5 more such quick contests that will be valid for 24 to 48 hours only!

*(Please note that all the entries that were recd after 2 pm and that did not send in their particulars were not considered for the lucky draw. People who sent duplicate or multiple entries were also disqualified.)

A sequel to the bestselling Bridget Jones Diary by the same author, this book definitely provides laugh-out-loud moments that Fielding gave to readers in the first installment. Although there are more humorous incidents with Edge of Reason than Diary, the reader is required to suspend his or her disbelief on occasions. But this book is provided for the purpose of pure escapism, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The continuation of Bridget’s story-her search for love as a symbol of her post-feminist, post-modern search for herself in ‘The Edge of Reason’ is actually more poignant than before.  While most great romance novels end off with ‘and they lived happily ever after,’ this book deals with ‘what happened afterwards?’ In the first novel, Bridget finally does find her man. But is their relationship all smooth sailing? In the second novel, Fielding shows us that it is not. There are plenty of misunderstandings that create conflict and leave space for insecurity and doubt to creep in and, possibly, cripple a relationship. All’s well that ends well, of course, since this is a romantic comedy, but along the way the reader receives enough depth and tenderness to charter the way with Bridget herself.

Bridget is still Bridget, weighing herself daily and smoking too many cigarettes; but this time instead of obsessing about finding a boyfriend, she is consumed with doubts and insecurities about the relationship she is already in. The narrative is once again provided in an amusing diary format. However, there can also be such thing as having too many oddballs as characters. Almost every character, save maybe Mark Darcy, comes across as extremely eccentric and borders on being slightly insane.  After having been together for a full four weeks Bridget and Mark are driven apart by a series of misunderstandings, which include  the vicious schemes of Rebecca  and the bad advice that Bridget has gleaned from the self-help books that comprise her library. While Bridget struggles with the idyllic images she had regarding her perfect relationship, her friends offer her support with some words of ‘wisdom’ and intoxicating substances. The great thing about this book is that even with all these twists in the storyline, it completely preserves the tone, voice, characterizations, and humor of the first Bridget Jones book.

The Edge of Reason is a delightful and amusing sequel. If you have seen the film, be prepared for the book to be nothing like it. This is another one of those stories where the book proves itself way better than the movie. And if you are in the mood for something easy to digest, then you will find that this book is close to perfect for just that.

Bridget Jones The Edge Of Reason is available for rent/purchase at the INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore. You can also browse from other chick-lit titles available online.

This book begins with a very strong sentence “For not having loved one’s dead father enough, could one make amends by loving one’s child more?”

The central plot of the book deals with themes of desolation and self pity. While striking a chord quite similar to his earlier books, Chhaterjee shows readers a side of India totally different from that depicted in modern Indian fiction. It’s humorous, but not wildly comedic, and invites readers to catch a very real glimpse of contemporary India.

Jamun, the protagonist, is a man who is in his mid-forties. His eighty-five year old father Shyamanand, half paralyzed and on his deathbed suddenly goes missing.  His father’s refusal to accept death in a calm and expectant manner soon becomes a matter of anguish to Jamun, who is already leading a life of quiet desperation, while trying to balance feelings of despair and acceptance after the suicide of  his best friend Dr. Mukherjee. To add to his misery, Monga the unscrupulous builder has his eyes set on the ancestral home that Jamun is trying to rebuild with the help of his estranged brother Burfi. As the tension escalates, Jamun finds out that he has to also deal with the ghosts from his past as former love Kasturi, who is now a hotshot TV executive, is busy recycling the more melodramatic moments of his life for a blockbuster Hindi soap opera.

As the characters start to evolve and different sub plots are intertwined in the story, the reader comes face to face with Jamun’s dilemma and his perspectives as he reminisces on the past and ponders over what could have taken place instead of the gloomy reality that he is facing. Written in powerful prose dripping with black humor, Chhaterjee provides a moving tale about the redemptive power that love has, even though it may be imperfect. Brutally honest and filled with biting sarcasm, the plot follows hilarious turns while offering innate points to ponder over in the 300 plus pages.

This book offers more insight into family ties and relationships more than any other popular romance novel. In fact, Chhaterjee’s examination of social bonds in the midst of death and degeneration is a stark reminder of reality. The metaphors and phrases that have been used by the author are so apt and articulate that it makes the book stand out in terms of writing. While some pages do seem to filled with repetitive lines and the writing almost verbose, the book never deviates from its original content and leaves the reader well satisfied. A great read that offers more than just a moving tale, this book is a recommended must simply for its superb writing alone.

You can rent or purchase Way to Go and other Upamanyu Chhaterjee books from INDIAreads.com, India’s fastest growing online book-rental library cum bookstore. We offer amazing discounts and schemes for every member. Register Now!

What it is clearly the flaw in novels like “Nanny Diaries,” and “Devil Wears Prada” is that the protagonist fumbles through the novel lacking any goal or purpose. Instead, the idealists, cute but not too cute young women, lament over the horrors of working for demanding woman and display their own shallowness by painstakingly describing every brand and designer as if reciting some holy mantra.

However the story does have a great deal of truth in it, and parts of it are actually very touching. The main plot deals with the relationship between the main character (called Nan or Nanny by everyone in the story) and her four-year-old charge, Grayer. There’s also a romantic subplot and a few shopping sprees and best friend banter thrown in as well.  As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that the children are the losers, the parents have no business being parents, and the nannies do nothing to help make the family a better place. Instead they whine about mistreatment, go along with abuse, and try to replace the parent with their own immature version of love. The characters include a controlling, neurotic mother, the absent father, the evil mistress and a whole cast of nannies who suffer every kind of abuse from both their employers and their charges.

The writing goes from hilarious to heartbreaking as Nanny experiences every ridiculous aspect of the hidden lives of the super-rich. While the narration is pretty absorbing, it leaves the reader with mixed messages. While it seems to have aimed at a penetrating exploration of the intersection between social class and child-raising, it instead, in a way ends up being about the difference between upper middle class and upper class, and trying to make more out of that difference than there really is.

As both the authors are former nannies turned authors, who obviously have seen their fair share of the nanny business, Nanny, the protagonist, has a great sense of humor and a real down to earth outlook on life. It’s plain to see that there is nothing terrifically complicated about the book, no grand theory of life discussed, and no revelations that would shock anyone.  Yet the book’s most interesting point is how the authors depict the everyday ins and outs and nuances of this dynamic.

This book is not about character development or gripping plots. It is just a book with a very good story told in a most humorous way. However, it is also sad because it gives the impression that wealthy New Yorkers are too busy to actually raise their own children, which makes one wonder why they had them in the first place.

Rent/ purchase The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus from the INDIAreads Online book rental library cum bookstore.

Other related titles:

William L. DeAndrea

American mystery writer and columnist, he won three Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. His novels have been widely successful, and have featured different themes such as the wild west and espionage. His Matt Cobb mystery series drew on his experience working for a major American television network.

Some of his famous books are:

Killed in the Ratings

The Werewolf Murders

The Fatal Elixir

Unholy Moses

Patricia Brisco Matthews

American writer of gothic, romance and mystery novels. She wrote under the pen names P.A. Brisco, Patty Brisco, Pat A. Brisco, Pat Brisco and Patricia Matthews. She and her husband also collaborated on several romance and suspense novels using the pseudonyms Laura Wylie and Laurie Wylie.

Some of her famous books are:

Harold Jensen’s Hope Chest (1959)

The Crystal Window (1973)

Dance of Dreams (1983)

Touch of Terror (1995)

Check out more titles available from other famous writers at www.INDIAreads.com. Register today!

When entering a genre so well-covered and sticky sweet, one has to do something to make one’s work stand out. Rebecca Wells’ Divine Secrets does a fairly good job at exploring the relationship between a mother and her daughter. Emotional, yet heartwarming, this is a fun and easy read.

In the first few pages, readers are plunged into the life of an interesting, lively young woman named Sidda Walker and her relationship with her mother. To try and make peace with her mother, she requests the Ya Ya memorabilia – a collection of treasures that Vivi (Sidda’s mother) and her tight-knit group of girlfriends have collected over the years. Sidda wants to learn about female friendship, and she thinks that would be the best place. Vivi begrudgingly agrees to send her the treasure-trove of secrets, but doesn’t forgive Sidda for her behavior which has caused a rift to form between them. Distraught and confused by the upheaval of subsequent emotions, her upbringing , and memories of her oft-times difficult relationship with her mother, Sidda postpones her wedding and heads for the woods to reflect on her life and her inability to trust herself in love.

However, the box asks more questions than it answers, and Sidda finds herself in need of help from the Ya Yas. The scrapbook she receives from her mother chronicles the history of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in pictures, letters and mementoes. But during her exploration of the scrapbook Sidda begins to see her mother in a new light. She sees her for the first time as a young girl, and a blossoming teenager who falls in love. She even sees her mother’s heartbreak for the first time. And through Vivi and the other Ya-Ya’s; Caro, Necie and Teensy, Sidda discovers the true meaning of loyalty, friendship and undying love.

The author uses direct dialogue and letters written by the characters to tell the story. Wells draws the reader into a different world, where the past and present combined to create a history of one woman and her very dear friends. Through Sidda, the reader is able to experience a time where in the midst of uncertainty and heartbreak, the merging of the two generations takes place. The growth of understanding between a mother and her daughter which is at the core of this tale, is expertly woven. Though the writing is fragmented in places, and switches between different characters and one time period to another, Sidda is the thread the holds the story together; the book is, after all, about her self discovery through the untold stories of her mother.

The story is a deeply involving and moving rollercoaster; it remains balanced despite being highly emotional. Each of the characters has been well developed and they are all easily likeable, especially the Ya-Yas. They’re quirky, funny, silly and yet true and very loyal to each other. It is through them that the main character, Sidda, learns to trust not only her own emotions, but the emotions of those she holds most dear to her heart. Wells has done an amazing job creating the complexities that so often surround the relationships of women, mothers and daughters while avoiding any stereotype in her narration.

This is a book which will give any reader a rich, rewarding reading experience. It gives great insight and wisdom about relationships between children and parents. A must read for anyone.

Made into a Hollywood movie, the on-screen adaptation, directed by Callie Khouri was released in 2002.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells is available for rent and purchase at the INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore.

Most people must have grown up with a reading list that included a couple or more of books by Judy Blume. However, anyone who wants to test one of the books she wrote for adults will readily agree that they would have never could stories so involving and complex. The characters come to life on the pages; and the storyline is brilliant in its commonness. Whether it is kids, teens or adults, Blume’s characters have always been real people with real problems.

In Summer Sisters Caitlin and Victoria are two friends who spend almost every summer together and despite their very different social backgrounds. have developed a strong relationship through the years. Even though they are very close to each other, they each want to live the other person’s life rather than their own. While Victoria wants to have parents and richness like Caitlin, Caitlin is jealous and longs for an organized, wealthy life like Victoria’s. Finally a summer comes when the friends are teenagers that Victoria can no longer tolerate Caitlin’s behavior and decides to cut ties with her summer sister. Soon their friendship which has been so pure through all these years starts to become difficult and two of them form a complex friendship of love and rivalry that spans a lifetime for the both of them.

As their story carries us from Santa Fe to New York and then Venice, we come to know the men and women who shape their lives. And as we follow the two women on the paths they each choose, each waits for the inevitable reckoning to be made in the fine spaces between friendship and betrayal, between love and freedom.

The story and characters are quite interesting and Blume explores each emotion in a very real manner. . The book begins with a little mystery which keeps readers interested enough to keep going. If you loved Judy Blume’s writing as a child, you would love her writing in Summer Sisters. It’s a perfect story about friendship, betrayals, first loves, lust, family, and everything in between. However, be prepared to make a drastic shift from the Shielas and Iggies you might be used to. The characters are realistic and credible, so be prepared to be a little shocked if your favorite childhood author starts being a little too ‘bold.’ Yet that is the very reason which sets Blume apart from other writers, her willingness to explore the real, more complicated side of emotions and growing up. So one thing is certain, this book is different from what you get with most chick lit. The writing itself is quick and easy. And while most of the plot is straightforward, the ending had a little twist which is quite unexpected.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume is available for rent and purchase at the INDIAreads Online Book Rental Library cum Bookstore.

You can also request for your favorite titles or browse through other related titles.

Some thoughts…

Before we post today’s review, there’s a confession that needs to be made. If you have limited time and are not interested in the ramblings of reviewers then skip straight to the review, but if you are curious as to why we have picked a “different” kind of book today, then read on.

A few days back we got a mail from one of our regular visitors asking why we never review any romance novels or chick lit books. “Your book reviews are great  and you do seem to cover every genre -fantasy, horror, children’s books, management, self help, current affairrs, management, classics – except one. Don’t you think you are short changing us, readers who enjoy a good sweet romance?” the mail said. And so we skimmed through all our reviews and realized it was true. But how does one review a romance novel? I mean isn’t the plot somewhat similar everywhere. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, some obstacle arises, they are separated and then eventually they fight it, all’s well and there’s your happily ever after. Or Girl meets boy, they hate each other, they are forced to see each other by circumstances, realise they aren’t so bad, fall in love and all’s well with the world. “No, actually romance novels also have plots. They are also good anf bad, but you have this big “pseudo intellectual bias,” a friend I discussed this with said. There, she had said it. The “b” word. We all have our “not that” words and for me it’s definitely bias. So last week, I was on a mission. I picked up half a dozen romance novels, determined to find one which was different, which had to be reviewed and which could prove that I am not “biased.” The first few reaffirmed my belief, but then yesterday I finally found the book I was looking for…One that was entertaining, different and definitely deserving of a review. this review is an apology of sorts, to all romance and chick lit fans. With this, I rest my case.

The Review

It’s the age old problem – the communication gap between the sexes. Men and women speak differently, and hence the misunderstandings, the frequent dinner table clashes and war of words.

Who’s at fault?

The men, obviously because Menspeak is about aggression, showing off and innuendos, while Womenspeak is about feelings, sharing and going over itsy bitsy details like the dinner table menu or the colour of your toenail. So the solution? Train men in the art of Womenspeak, teach them to notice the colour of a women’s dress, sympathise with her weight issues, share their day and feelings and lo and behold you have a success story. Try it at home, at work, in the marketplace…you will be the man that every women gushes over – be it your female clients, your female colleagues or boss, your wife, girlfirend or even your neighbour. This is the Wyman Method, designed by none other than famous linguist Lynn Wyman who btw just discovered that her own marriage is in shambles. Ouch, not good business; no wonder the clients are running way and the Wyman method is losing credibility. So what does ultimate teacher of Womenspeak do? Find the most arrogant man, the alpha male who every woman despises, and turn him around.  And that is what Female intelligence is about.

The book reminded me of a Chick flick, What women want. Was it inspired? No comments. The movie came out in 2000, the book in 2001. There are also touches of the Pygmalion, but of course that is a classic and Female intelligence does not come anywhere near it. Because this book is good if you are looking for a quick, light hearted read that makes you laugh but don’t expect stunning characters that you fall in love with or a great storyline. The plot is hilarious and more intricate than the usual harlequin or romance novels and but the attempt at mystery is poor. The saboteur is almost obvious from the beginning and you keep wondering why the “intelligent female” who teaches men to talk about fashion and weight issues is unable to figure it out. In fact, Heller recognises this herself and the main protagonist says, I know you must wondering why she didn’t figure it out…it’s so obvious….

Pick it up if you are looking for a witty spoof, for that is what Female Intelligence is-  a satire on the “self-help” industry and the relationship therapists that seem to abound nowadays. It is not a mystery novel and it is definitely not a commentary on relationships, though men and women will discover many everyday conversations in here.

All in all entertaining read without the grammatical errors that abound in many contemporary romance novels. A word of warning – many women have taken umbrage at the “stereotypical” portrayal of women. Well, remember it’s a satire.

Buy, Rent Female Intelligence by Jane Heller from INDIAreads Online Book Rental Library cum Bookstore