deepat's Reviews (252)

A book I’ve had for ages, but never got around to reading it. A fantasy tale very similar to Lord of the Rings, but not as complicated. At least that is the impression I got from reading this book - the first in the series. I like fantasies and world-building, but prefer more easy to read books like Harry Potter. Even while the story was interesting. I had to push myself to finish the book. I had the same experience with Lord of the Rings too, but I do like the story of Eragon. It’s quite interesting. I however, don’t think that I’ll be completing the series this time. 

Another great book from J K Rowling. Books getting darker as the years pass. Harry comes face to face with death - unnecessary and sudden. He also learns to accept the inevitable with courage; some things simply cannot be changed - a hard lesson for the toughest among us. I also realised that most of Dumbledore’s dialogues are “Quotable quotes”, really! Great story-telling. Can’t wait to continue the series. 

I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. It started off quite interesting with tales of ancient People and speculations about how they might have lived and migrated in response to events - the author painted quite a vivid picture. But then the author started delving into politics. Criticising the political atmosphere of a country - even though I get the drift - seems unnecessary in an academic reading. It seemed petulant, talking about recent political incidents in the country and dragged on for far too long. But i must say that the earlier chapters were fascinating and I’m glad I read this book. 

This is such a simple book, yet so endearing. It depicts the old-world (maybe 1950s or 1960s) village life in Kerala as experienced by the little Raja. He’s the lovable, motherless young grandson of an aristocratic old man. The attitude and lifestyle of the Raja’s grandfather are juxtaposed with those of Raja’s uncle as a commentary on the social life of the times - as seen through the innocent eyes of Raja. Also illustrated are some deep life truths observed by the little boy. A quick read. Excellent presentation. Definitely recommend. 

This was a re-read, and yet the story was so gripping that I couldn't put it down; finished it in one day. The resilience and courage of the lead characters is awesome. The challenges that they have to go through are gruesome and chilling, to say the least. I usually prefer lighter reads, but this one had me right from the start. Highly recommend, but expect a rough ride. 

Quick read. But I sure don’t like it as much as Who Moved my Cheese? The concepts are good, though, if a bit idealistic. The assumption here that people are all the same all the time. I disagree. People sometimes do strange things for entirely personal reasons. But I do agree that this would be a very moral and ethical way of managing people. Wish life were this simple!

Disturbing, to say the least! I roughly knew the Jekyll-Hyde story; so that was no big surprise. What shocked me were the “other tales of terror”. They were far more scarier and sinister, even. The Jekyll-Hyde story itself is quite short, but for some reason, the publishers have included two large chapters at the beginning AND at the end, dissecting the tale. That got pretty tiring, real soon. Overall, the book is a scary scary read. 

Cannot beat Calvin and Hobbes for a healthy dose of philosophy, laughter and just plain chaos. So many stories are so relatable - the one about being the super annoying human echo - I used to do that all the time. Loved the title cartoon too - Calvin finds a few dirty rocks, a root and some “grub??” and he tells Hobbes “There’s treasure everywhere!” So true, eh, Calvin? Just gotta look!! Awesome!! 

I had read this book a long time ago. Actually I started reading it in the hopes that I could complete one more book soon. But, boy, was I wrong. Every incident was stretched and pulled until I snapped. But except for its length, I have no other complaints about the book. The story is good, and as the author mentions in the preface, almost a real-life tale. A sorry tale, told with empathy, with a just ending. 

Very gripping story. The author has written several crime series books and I believe that the first book of each series is free. That’s how I purchased (?) this one. Also I read it as part of a reading challenge - Magical Readathon. The plot is very interesting, the writing is crisp, it is a short book. I read it entirely in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely. I will purchase a few more books in the series, for sure.