Me Before You

Release Date: Aug. 21

I think this book is one of the most popular books of the 2014, though I it’s still in my TBR list. In this love story, young Louisa forms a bond with Will, the paralyzed man she is employed to help. Emilia Clarke (yes the Targaryen) is playing Louisa.

Frankenstein

One of my favourite book from the pile I read last year. Another added to ‘must see movies list’. Daniel Radcliffe will play Igor, the hunchback assistant to Victor Frankenstein, James McAvoy.

Dark Places

Another thriller from the author of Gone Girl and we all know what Gone Girl did to us last year. Starring Charlize Theron.

The Driftless Sea

Pierre, a young bartender, experiences ups and downs in rural Iowa before falling for a mysterious woman named Stella. Starring Zoey Deschanel (yes the girl from 500 days of summer)

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

In this YA novel, a teenager named Jacob explores the ruins of a strange house on an island near Wales, UK. Tim Burton has never disappointed me with his direction ever and I hope he does a steady job with this one too. Else, Eva Green and Asa Butterfield (yes, from The Boy in Striped Pajamas)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I have no likening for zombies. None, whatsoever. Still, me thinks it’s a funny plot (like Zombieland was). It’s a twisted spin on Jane Austen’s classic novel that puts heroine Elizabeth Bennett in the middle of protecting her family and town from the undead.

Silence

Set in 17th-century Japan, the book follows the story of Jesuits who are trying to bring Christianity into Japan. Martin Scorsese is directing this one. Period.

The Price of Salt

A young female department store clerk becomes obsessed with another woman in the store in this 1950s drama. Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Macbeth

An upcoming British drama film. Starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and David Thewlis.

Child 44

Release Date: April 17

One of the most acclaimed thrillers of recent years, this 2008 novel managed to combine page-turning thrills with a bleak look at Soviet-era criminality. It focuses on a disgraced MGB agent who investigates a gruesome series of child murders. Starring Tom Hardy with support from Gary Oldman, and Noomi Rapace.

The post Books betiding into Movies in 2015- Part 2 appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Insurgent

Release Date: March 20 | Watch Trailer

Divergent Series fan, mark your calendars. I remember watching it, I felt it did a good job even though I am not a fan of the series.

Serena

Release Date: March 27 | Watch Trailer

 Newlyweds George and Serena move from Boston to North Carolina in 1929 to start a timber business. The pair is ruthless in building their empire, and when Serena finds out that she can’t have children, she sets out to kill George’s illegitimate son. Characters will be played by Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. 

True Story

Release Date: April 10 | Watch Trailer

In True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, a former New York Times writer recounts his bizarre downfall. As he was about to be fired for fabricating details on a big story, Finkel learned that an arrested mass murderer named Christian Longo had posed as Finkel while he was on the run. Starring Jonah Hill and James Franco.

Far From the Madding Crowd

Release Date: May 1 | Watch Trailer

I read this mesmerising book last year and I cannot express how I excited I am to see an adaption so early.

A young woman named Bathsheba Everdene has to deal with the difficult, sometimes tragic consequences of being in relationships with three different suitors at the same time. Starring Carey Mulligan.

Paper Towns

Release Date: June 19

I read the book the previous year, and found it average. The Fault in Our Stars author Green tells the story of Q and Margo, childhood friends united by a mystery.

Black Mass

Release Date: Sept. 18

I haven’t read this one, but I have certainly added it to my TBR list as it sounds highly interesting to me. he true crime novel follows the infamous mobster Whitey Bulger, the head of the Irish mob in the ’70s, and his relationship with childhood friend John Connolly, who grew up to work for the FBI. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon. Hmm… Reason to see the movie is to see how well that combination works out.

The Light Between Oceans

Release Date: Nov. 25

A lighthouse keeper and his wife discover a baby and a dead body near their home off the coast of Australia after WWI. Starring Michael Fassbender.

The Martian

Release Date: Nov. 25

I am definitely going to watch this one because when I read this book it was such a wonderful thing to read. Andy Weir did a great job with the book, and now I hope Ridley Scott does a great job too with the movie.

PS: Matt Damon plays Mark Watney on the screen.

Well there are so many of them such that I have decided to divide this post into parts. Stay tuned, and look out for the next post “Books betiding into Movies in 2015- Part 2”.

The post Books betiding into Movies in 2015- Part 1 appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Next time I hear about him, he’s out with a book!

“What?!”

And the book is no memoir of his living days in movies or his nights with women. The book’s a collection of stories, a bit cult. I am talking about Palo Alto, set among the Californian streets where Franco spent his own childhood. I remember giving it three out of five but the book was a professional piece of work and I admire his literary voice in that. Next thing I get to know is, he’s done an English major with a creative writing concentration from UCLA and is now  doing PhD in English from YALE University.

My admiration for him is not about being an actor turning to a writer, it’s about his passion for the literature. For me, he’s just another reader who’s passionate about books and reading. Soon, after a bit of googling, I came across an article in which he shares some books that he read.

I find some of these titles interesting and though about sharing them:

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how a couple mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

In Cold Blood created a genre of novelistic non-fiction and made Capote’s name with its unflinching portrayal of a comprehensible and thoroughly human evil.

Ask the Dust by John Fante

Ask the Dust is a virtuoso performance by an influential master of the twentieth-century American novel. It is the story of Arturo Bandini, a young writer in 1930s Los Angeles who falls hard for the elusive, mocking, unstable Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress.

Moby Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville

Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, the book can be seen as part of its author’s lifelong meditation on America.

Zeroville by Steve Erickson

A film-obsessed ex-seminarian with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift tattooed on his head arrives on Hollywood Boulevard. Through encounters with former starlets, burglars, political guerillas, punk musicians, and veteran filmmakers, he discovers the secret that lies in every movie ever made.

Have you read them? What are your thoughts?

The post WHAT James Franco Reads? appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

Why?: This one is  straight forward and considered light in comparison to his recent works. Though it’s still 400 pages.

2 A.M. at the cat’s pajamas by Marie Helene Bertino

 Why?: Exciting and refreshing read. Theme is supposed to be light-hearted. An urban fairy tale with an appreciable writing style.

Susan Sontag: A Biography by Daniel Schreiber

Why?: You cannot admire Sontag without reading her works and reading about her. This is the first biography of Sontag to be published since her death, in 2004.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Why?: Burton’s suspenseful historical novel tells of a young woman’s struggle against stifling domestic life in seventeenth-century Amsterdam. It will be a good experience to explore the aspects of 17th century’s domestic life.

Portobello Road by Julian Mash

Why?: The book lingers — perhaps a little too much, depending on your tastes — on the music heritage of the area, reflecting the author’s own background gigging and running a record label.

If you read any of them or all of them, I’ll like to know your view on them.

The post FRIDAY FIVE: Five New Books to read this August appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

The New Yorker relaunched its website yesterday with complete makeover signifying the first step in the magazine’s new focus on the web. Part of that initiative is the magazine’s decision to open up its archives to the general public for the next three months. Until the website puts up its metered pay wall sometime in the fall, the New Yorker editors will be releasing curated collections of stories periodically.

I am pulling out with a list of Ten Stories that I have read since the archives are free to access (and yes, I tried not to sleep as I had the intention to read all the stories in the archives but being a human I finally dozed off) and I think you should take a look in the New Yorker Archives.

Some of the stories and articles under Fiction and Profiles are astonishing to read. But you can also browser through the Table of Contents and can view and read articles by issue.

The Duke in His Domain by TRUMAN CAPOTE

This is a version of Truman Capote’s interview of Marlon Brando in Kyoto, Japan, 1957, under Profiles.

Yesterday by Haruki Murakmai

Reading this gives typical Murakami feel to the writing but a much shorter version of his elegant style.

What is Remembered by Alice Munro

In this tale, Munro reveals spectacularly the theme of best goods in life that are all along conveyed. 

The Surrogate by Tessa Hadley

In Tessa Hadley’s stories, everyone conspires to hold the loving and stable surface of family life together, as old secrets and new appetites threaten to blow it apart and this is one example.

Clara by Roberto Bolaño

Roberto Bolaño says so much about people’s desperation for love, happiness, and youth without ever coming out and saying those words. Loved it.

Who Am I to Judge by James Carroll

As Pope Francis has said, “I would not speak about ‘absolute’ truths, even for believers.”

The Perfect Wife by Ariel Levy

It’s a wonder account of how Edith Windsor fell in love, got married and won a landmark case for gay marriage

A Mistake by Akhil Sharma

 Filled with the kind of engrossing details that first-generation immigrants from any nation will recognize.

Happiness by Ian Parker

One of the best profiles I read, and also I admire — Noah Baumbach.

A Pickpocket’s Tale by Adam Green

Enjoy this tale of astounding Apollo Robins.

Go ahead, and take a look at their archives and immerse yourself. Do share your best read articles in the comments below.

The post TUESDAY TOP TEN: 10 Stories to read at The New Yorker appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

This book has got enough to instigate you to start ‘doing’ your work.

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon is slim, short, novella, which can be read over a little more than an hour. It is a manifesto for the digital age, a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side.

The book focuses on 10 rules for people to follow in order to be creative. Rule number one is “Steal like an artist.” The author talks about surrounding yourself with the work of the artists you love, and the work of the artists those artists love, and studying everything. Embrace those artists. Emulate them. Try to create not only as they create, but to see as they see. Get inside their minds. The goal of copying is to see the ways in which you can’t be those artists because they are them and you are you.

I personally like his way of illustrating all the important “facts”, many of which I already knew and making his readers understand that how enhancing your creative ideas as well as methods from time to time is important. There isn’t much in this book to write about.

4 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Today is Friday, tomorrow starts what most of us seek. The mighty weekend. Either we can get dull on weekends, or we can be productive, it’s up to us. To do any of the both, mere creativity is always needed!  Thus, I am showing you five ways to be creative to do so.

1. Get away from the computer

Go somewhere, where your heart takes you. But please leave the desk, you have spent all your week in front of that flat bright screen, suffering from a god-knows-what syndrome or wrist cramp due to excessive use of keyboard. Give your hands a rest. Do something else.

2. Surround yourself with Creative people

We all have some friends, who are creative. Hangout with them. Visit the places which inspire you, taking along your creative friend. And if you’re too lucky, find a creative date.

3. Finish Something

We all have some pending work here and there. Make sure you are able to finish that work before the weekend ends. I am sure, it will make you feel good and afresh.

4. Get lots of Rest

Okay, by that, I do not mean that you spend your whole weekend while sleeping. But yes, sleeping till late in the mornings, and having brunch in bed is acceptable.

5. Read a Book

Pick a book. Go somewhere with it. There are lots of cafe’s and other places nowadays where one can sit and read in peace. Or read it at your home, but do read a book!

The post FRIDAY FIVE: Five ways to stay creative on a weekend! appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Though it’s been twenty and one years, I have been living in Delhi, I have never seen such an inspiring place in this city of djins. But yesterday, a friend of me took there and I must say, I fell in love with the place. It’s a paradise for an artist to revive, and you get everything there, the yummy food (multi-cuisines), the art, the inspiration and the peace. What more an artist needs?

Hauz Khas is one of the more affluent neighborhoods in South Delhi, and is named after an ancient water reservoir by the same name. Hauz means ‘water tank’ (or lake) and Khas means ‘royal’, giving it the meaning, the ‘Royal tank‘.

This royal lake, is surrounded by the Deer Park, which is also one of the largest parks in the city. And yes, there are real deers inside it. Firuz Shah’s Tughlaq’s tomb is adjoining this lake, which is famous for many bollywood (indian-cinema) movie-shoots and a must place to see, even in the hottest weather (of course, you will find some shelter there).

This place quite a Kafkaesque in a friendly manner. There is some mysteriousness in the peace this place endow, and if one looks around, he will clearly find himself in another world, a different place. It is hard to relate that it’s the same city where two-hour’s of traffic jam occurs in every two hours and is one of the top polluted cities of the planet. Next time I am definitely taking a book with me, and who knows the author of the book might be Franz Kafka.

The whole place is covered with fine paint and graffiti which are like gems carved in the walls, and they suit the place quite well and makes it look like an open art gallery.

If you roam around in the thin streets of Hauz Khas Village, you will certainly realize why art holds an important factor in a human being’s life. It motivates people who live there, and plus the one who visit there. Surrounded by enormous artifact a person will definitely become a creative soul.

Like many cafe’s residing there, this cafe called Smoke House Deli has a beautiful exterior, hand-drawn with sketch pens, yes, just sketch pens. The interior is quite exotic to, consider visiting there.

I know I compared Hauz Khas Village with Brooklyn of New York in the awe to see some Audens, Allens, Asimovs, Basquiats getting inspired by the place and producing some great works in the future. Anyway, it’s a cool place to hangout with so much creativity around you and it would be a perfect match by hanging out with creative people too.

Finally, the journey ended, where it started with a well known graffiti by Alena Vergnano.

The post Travel Diary: Hauz Khas Village, a little Brooklyn in New Delhi appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

There is no doubt why Ian Rankin is one of the best crime fiction writer in all over Britain. And Certainly John Rebus is the “Sherlock Holmes” of modern crime fiction. Or I should say in clear words, certainly the best detective of modern crime fiction. The enigma which surrounds John Rebus is the essence a reader reading Rebus must feel. And Ian Rankin maintains that enigma, that aroma of mysteriousness consistently. He is doing for past 19 books. Not one Rebus I read, and felt discomfort. This is an art and Rankin is the master of this art of consistency in storytelling.

I was once disappointed and sad when I read Exit Music which was once the last book of the John Rebus. I almost cried as I would not be able to read such excellent stories. But when Standing in Another’s man Grave came out, I was more jollier than the word jolly can be defined. Recently read, Saints of the Shadow Bible which is the 19th book in the John Rebus series. This book brings back John Rebus in the force, not as DI(Detective Inspector) but as a demoted DS(Detective Sergeant). The story combines several investigations and Rankin also takes the reader back into dark and hollow past of detective John Rebus. He tries to unfold the mysteries originated 30 years back and let us look more into the closet of John Rebus soul. Rebus tries to solve ongoing investigations but his past also haunts him and there some dust of mysteries left in that 30 year old closet which needs to be clean. Thus, with help of DI Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox of the Complaints, the trio investigates in co-operation.

Characterization Rankin has done is hyper realistic. I have said earlier, he is the master of storytelling. In some other book, another writer might have overdone it but Rankin is just a finesse finisher. It’s a pity he’s going on a holiday and won’t be writing for some time.

This one is one of those which are hard to keep down in between. I’ll give it 4 out of 5 for being an avid reader of Rankin’s books, I could manage to solve few of the mysteries on my own. Otherwise, it’s a very well written book.

The post SAINTS OF THE SHADOW BIBLE by IAN RANKIN- A BOOK REVIEW appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Hello! Fellow Bloggers and Writers,

We (Graffiti Team) are coming out with a magazine by the end January 2014. Though Graffiti was just a college magazine, few years before, and is one of longest running magazine of NIT(National Institute of Technology) Kurukshetra, this time we are going online. We are not just a college magazine anymore and our intended audience is the whole world. We will be publishing not more than 300 copies in paperback for the internal  publicity through our college and nearby places but we are also publishing online. This will be our first online issue which will be free to download. Our magazine is intend to be literary. We are covering fiction, poem, comic strips, book and movie reviews. Also we have a column for  fan art including sketches and comic strips. Thus, we want submissions on the following topics:

• Fan fiction
• Fan-art
• Comic Strips
• Erotic Fiction

The word limit must not exceed 500 words.

All the submission must be e-mail to us at graffitimag@outlook.com having the title Submission and must contain author details and his blog link (if he wishes to). The content for the magazine can either be an attached .doc or .docx file and for fan-art .jpeg or .png. Or the content can directly be in e-mail. The deadline for submission is 27 January 2014 by midnight.

You will be given full copyright of your content. You will also be emailed a copy of the issue directly to your mailbox when the magazine is out.

You can also follow us for the latest updates on our FACEBOOK page at: https://www.facebook.com/grafthemag or search for Graffiti The Magazine

Thank you all!

Me and Graffiti Team

The post SUBMISSIONS FOR THE MAGAZINE: GRAFFITI appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.