Reviews | Interviews | Giveaways | Recommendations | "I'm Mad About Books"
April 30, 2015
This post is all about what was posted this month on Confessions of a Readaholic.
Book Reviews
Author Interview
Guest Post
She Stands Aloof by Kendi Gloria
Book Lists
Books to read on Vincent van Gogh
Five Books to read if you’re waiting for TRUE DETECTIVE season 2
April 28, 2015
“I’m the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It’s awful. If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m liable to say I’m going to the opera. It’s terrible.”
-J. D. Salinger, The Cather in the Rye
Being human and being able to communicate and understand each other with our spoken or written words, might make us feel superior in front of other species. We can be on the top of the food chain, the IQ chain and all other chains as much as we want. But I am must tell you, when it comes to ‘lying’, we are at the bottom of that chain. I believe no other animal on this planet has a tendency to lie as much as a human. But what motivates ‘us’ to lie?
If there are N number of lies one can lie about in a day, then there are N number of reasons for us to deceive. Being deceived is common and a constant process that we all are part of. Everybody lies. And to everyone. We all are victim to this contagious, never ending malady.
Pamela Meyer’s book LIESPOTTING: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception which is a result of rigorous research on how to catch the lies and its disseminator. Her book put much emphasis on establishing behaviour for an individual to interpret things such as spotting lies. She starts off with a few narrative and interesting specimens that are enough to get a reader’s attention. Most of these specimens are concentrated on the corporate world rather than day-to day life. The principles she define later on the book, are more concentrated on these examples, but many of them are applicable in our daily life.
April 26, 2015
She Stands Aloof
by KENDI GLORIA
She stands aloof, the sun is adamant on making her feel its presence. It is well past evening, yet it is still intent on piercing through the clouds with its ray and its optimism. Perhaps symbolic that she needs a little more optimism. It refuses to neither set nor leave the moon to its domain. She sees the train from far. It looks like a stream of water from the taps. Nay, water flowing from a dam. It dangles playfully on the railway line, making sounds that seem like mourning, for the weight it carries. It clunks and clatters, “ching”. When the train finally stops, she is thankful to her gods because she now has a valid excuse to walk away from the stranger insisting on a small chitchat while moving towards her. His mouth stinks anyway. Every time he opens his mouth, she tilts her head only slightly to avoid the warm, moist stench hitting her nose. She had rather be alone.
It is only when she has sat down that she realizes she is worn. She feels vulnerable at the very thought of her journey’s final destination. She inhales a plunge of fresh air, shuts her eyes and imagines she is suffocating herself with the air kept bay by her tightly shut lips. What if she doesn’t let it out? Her throat begs for mercy and she wills herself to let the air out though reluctantly. She opens her eyes. The world is still in existence; for one second of guilt she allows herself to think she is better off gone than at her Aunt’s house again. The world would spin around the moon anyway. Or was it the sun? She cares less. She snaps out of it and focuses on the journey ahead. She is terrified, and she is sure her voice will tremble if she lets out a sound. She makes a resolution to be quiet the whole journey. (more…)
April 24, 2015
Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some instructions on writing and life is necessary for anyone who aspires to write for his own inner peace. Extremely entertaining, and with this basic instruction always in mind, Anne Lamott offers us a gift: a step-by-step guide on how to write and on how to manage the writer’s life.
Although published in 1994, this book is timeless and a valuable piece of written words, exhibited rationally and with a humorous approach to the hardships she faced in her attempt to become a published author. Lamar offer various advisory pieces that anyone interested in becoming a writer will like to adapt and get inspired. Starting from her basic advice to any writer which is ‘to write daily at least an amount on words on a piece of paper or on your computer’ to how to starts, maintaining drafts, using and developing characters simultaneously with the plot, on why a good set of dialogue matters, and always listening to that little voice inside you which is your original voice. (more…)
April 22, 2015
True Detective is an American crime drama television series that astonished most of us with its ‘cult-y’ and not so pessimistic first season, created and written by author Nic Pizzolatto. The cast for the season was good, the cast for the season two sounds good too. Well, the season two’s starting date is announced: 21st of June, this year. Yet there’s a lot of time remaining, almost two months. 21 June is quite far.
I am representing a book list that might interest you and to keep yourself utilise till then.
Published in 1895, collection of short stories by Robert Chambers that became a bestseller on Amazon last year. Why? It is the only literary reference used in True Detective till date. I am waiting for what season two might reveal. This cult classic of supernatural horror is the source of the cult references on the show.
Set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a cast of compelling and bizarre characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. A married couple who takes vacations to murder hitchhikers. A preacher who eats spiders. It’s an another example of Southern American grotesque style.
This collection of eleven essays originally appeared in France thirty years ago. n this work Cioran writes about Western civilizations, the writer, the novel, about mystics, apostles, philosophers. For those to whom the very word philosophy brings visions of arduous reading, be assured: Cioran is crystal-clear, his style quotable and aphoristic. His aphorisms are what anyone fascinated by Rusty Cohle will like to take a look.
From sadistic bosses with secret fears to a woman trapped in a mime’s imaginary box, and from a post-apocalyptic misidentified Messiah to unwitting portraitist of the dead, the mind-bending world of Brian Evenson, exposes his brutal collection of psychological horror contained within our daily lives.
Last but not the least, it’s the creator of the series. Galveston is an equally gleaming dark thriller, rich with Southern atmosphere and glimpses of the moody violence of the early novels of Cormac McCarthy.
April 20, 2015
I sometimes wonder in what direction the contemporary Indian Literature is moving on. I have seen books written by contemporary Indian authors in Bollywood (movie making) style just for them to sell. Not particularly interesting or curiosity arousing technique. The non-fiction is almost a graveyard in Indian literature. In non-fiction genre, the attention seekers are movie stars’ autobiographies which are not even written by themselves and yet they are called autobiographies. On the other hand, the fiction genre, is mostly about fantasy or romance. The kind of romance which, I think, is mostly a tedious form of romanticism. I wonder, what is happening to Indian Literature?
When I started reading THE SILENT SCREAM by Siddhartha Garg, I was satisfied to see some contemporary authors are taking stand and want to enhance the reading culture in the county as well as arouse curiosity toward those subjects which need greater attention, not from political point of view but from moral outlook.
Siddhartha Garg’s book focuses on theme of child abuse which is contagious, filthy, and a difficulty faced in the modern Indian society. (more…)
April 18, 2015
Try to write a review of If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler is tricky. This is a first book I have read by Italo Calvino and I think this work is self-reflective and is right to be considered in major works of Calvino.
This light looking novel starts with very soothing words and a second person narrative that I think will be the engrossing point to any reader, drawing him to the story, making him a character in the plot. From the very first lines, Calvino tries to lure a reader’s attention with these words:
You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino’s new novel, If on a winter’s night a traveler. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room.
This novel is one of the best specimen when considering the structure. When reading it, for a period of time, you might forget that it’s a book and is written by someone. It is very surreal for that duration, and while visualising the written words, I came across the experience as if someone is dictating this book to me, word by word, and I engrossed onto listening to that person.
As I mentioned earlier that to write a review of this book is quite tricky, but I am trying to give my best shot here. Let me summarise the whole novel for you now. Two readers, one male and one female run into each other in a bookshop. Both begin reading the new novel, ‘If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler’ only to find out that the publisher has somehow mixed up this novel with another one. Returning to the bookshop, both discover the volume, which they thought was by Calvino, is actually by the Polish writer Bazakbal. (more…)
April 16, 2015
There are very rare books, that earn the title of masterpiece from its reader. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one. This book, as we know, is one of the most acclaimed and successful book written. It’s their in the top of all the top book-lists. Written quite frankly and engrossing narration in first person by a six-year old-girl.
The book is set in a small town in Alabama, narrated by a small girl, Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, who has a very short temper for a little girl. She has a brother, Jem, and an honest, liberal— father, Atticus Finch.
Atticus share strong relationship with his kids, a man of wisdom, and impartial to people of different opinions, preferences, and beliefs. Atticus advice her daughter, who has a rough first day at school, about being impartial and putting yourself in other people’s shoes:
If you can learn a simple trick, you’ll get around better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.
Atticus Finch displays admirable qualities such as being calm, virtuous, of moral parenting, and his philosophy of being liberal. These qualities do not have a territory of just being a parent but Atticus practices these qualities in his daily life of being a lawyer too. When he takes a case of involving a black man accused of raping a white girl, he and his children are repudiated by their neighbourhood. But Atticus is man of values, he is indifferent by this vexed conduct. Rather he focuses on bringing justice that is need in the Maycomb County. The case of a white man defending man grabs everyone’s attention and the battle of court becomes the attention till the day the justice is served in that court room. Well, the rest is for you to read. There is some unexpected turn waiting for you to explore and the noble representation of an idle human being. (more…)
April 14, 2015
Hi Guys,
How are y’all doing?
I am looking for five Guest Bloggers for the posting months June to October, one for every month. I have already hosted three guest bloggers this s year, and I feel connecting with fellow bloggers is working well for me. Here the bloggers and their blog posts:
Hán Ruì yà– Living in the Language Silently
AVINASH GUPTA– The Joy of Discovery
SHWATE TANEJA– Five Procrastinations of Writing
For Contact Details on the Guest Blogger Program see here.
Feel free to contact me.
April 12, 2015
Indian writers creating the word of fantasy is rare. Mostly are busy writing of what happened in past, but Shweta Taneja’s Cult of Chaos— a fantasy sprinkled with the touches of dystopia is indeed an attraction to a reader.
Since the time I received the book, the cover meticulously designed, I knew this book will be a good one to read. To arouse my interest, I read first few pages and was amazed by the amount of humour used.
The story is set in Delhi and surroundings, which has been taken in upon by a different society. A society with humans as well as devas, asuras and more importantly Tantriks of different clans. They have their own council, police and justice systems. Each clan has its own set of followers but Anantya, a bright young Tantrist is taken in by the road to independence. She is powerful and lives life by her own strict moral code. Her glory lies in the help of humans and her own from where a new enemy has arisen. Incidentally, hell and chaos is just where the world is headed.
In Delhi, little girls are being sacrificed in a tantrik ritual. A desperate daeva is trying to blackmail Anantya. (more…)
