Tuesday 22 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
There has been so much positive buzz about this book. Or it seems to me like that at least. Let me add to that a little. This is a cute girl meets boy, they connect, have some obstacles, but ultimately fall in love story. You can leave it at that and have a very pleasant read, just like hundreds of other books and movies. So why is this one of the books that gets talked about? Because, a little sad as it is, there is the added cultural background that is still enough of a novelty that it gets to be specifically addressed. At the same time for this books it is so intricately woven into the whole plot that there is at no point a moment to question it or to feel alienated. Because at the surface and all the way down these teenage characters have the same problems of finding themselves and their place in life and society as everyone else. And their path is riddled with hilarious and sometimes baffling detours.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and wll recommend it to anyone in search of a well-crafted romantic read with a little backbone.
Summer holidays are slowly winding down here although I feel that the weather at least has cheated me out of at least three weeks. At least my summer reads have mostly held up their end of the deal. How do you feel about seasonal reads that deliver on anything but their season relevance? Share thoughts and teasers in the comments.
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
 |
| When Dimple Met Rishi – Simon Pulse |
“So what if your art’s not practical? If you love it, you should do it. What’s the point of anything otherwise?”
— Chapter 10
“I feel like I need to speak out, because if no one speaks out, if no one says, This is me, this is what I believe in, and this is why I’m different, and this is why that’s okay, then what’s the point? What’s the point of living in this beautiful, great melting pot where everyone can dare to be anything they want to be?”
— Chapter 21
There has been so much positive buzz about this book. Or it seems to me like that at least. Let me add to that a little. This is a cute girl meets boy, they connect, have some obstacles, but ultimately fall in love story. You can leave it at that and have a very pleasant read, just like hundreds of other books and movies. So why is this one of the books that gets talked about? Because, a little sad as it is, there is the added cultural background that is still enough of a novelty that it gets to be specifically addressed. At the same time for this books it is so intricately woven into the whole plot that there is at no point a moment to question it or to feel alienated. Because at the surface and all the way down these teenage characters have the same problems of finding themselves and their place in life and society as everyone else. And their path is riddled with hilarious and sometimes baffling detours.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and wll recommend it to anyone in search of a well-crafted romantic read with a little backbone.
Summer holidays are slowly winding down here although I feel that the weather at least has cheated me out of at least three weeks. At least my summer reads have mostly held up their end of the deal. How do you feel about seasonal reads that deliver on anything but their season relevance? Share thoughts and teasers in the comments.
Tuesday 15 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey.
This is the final book in the Girl at Midnight trilogy – and I don’t want it to be over. Yes, it is totally in accordance with the previous books and I understand why it has to be this way, but that doesn’t mean that in my heart of hearts I wasn’t hoping for something else. Everyone always says that they appreciate a bitter sweet ending, myself included, yet if I’m completely honest I mostly like my chocolate to be that way and hope for my books for a sweeter solution. There is room for interpretation and maybe I’m just a little raw at the moment. Which actually says a lot about how much this series and its characters have come to mean to me. They sort of snuck up on me and now I’m sad to let them go when I was so unprepared for this amount of parting pain.
There were way too many quotes to choose from, which was also true for the previous books. Echo is the sort of main character that especially speaks to me with her love for language and literature, which is reflected in the wonderful writing. And then there are the twists and high stakes that will suck you right in and will make you want to hold on for dear life.
If Urban Fantasy is your thing and you haven’t read this series maybe now that it is complete give it a chance. I know that I will have to come back for a re-read in the not too distant future. And maybe, just maybe there is a chance that it isn’t completely over? I mean there are so many possibilities of stories yet to tell. One can hope, right?
Which bitter sweet ending has last left you satisfied and yet laid waste to you? Share them along with your teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey.
 |
| The Savage Dawn – Delacorte Press |
But the words engraved in the marble columns betrayed the lie. Language knew. Language remembered.
— Chapter 14
Hate is a choice. And it’s not one I’m interested in making.
— Chapter 39
This is the final book in the Girl at Midnight trilogy – and I don’t want it to be over. Yes, it is totally in accordance with the previous books and I understand why it has to be this way, but that doesn’t mean that in my heart of hearts I wasn’t hoping for something else. Everyone always says that they appreciate a bitter sweet ending, myself included, yet if I’m completely honest I mostly like my chocolate to be that way and hope for my books for a sweeter solution. There is room for interpretation and maybe I’m just a little raw at the moment. Which actually says a lot about how much this series and its characters have come to mean to me. They sort of snuck up on me and now I’m sad to let them go when I was so unprepared for this amount of parting pain.
There were way too many quotes to choose from, which was also true for the previous books. Echo is the sort of main character that especially speaks to me with her love for language and literature, which is reflected in the wonderful writing. And then there are the twists and high stakes that will suck you right in and will make you want to hold on for dear life.
If Urban Fantasy is your thing and you haven’t read this series maybe now that it is complete give it a chance. I know that I will have to come back for a re-read in the not too distant future. And maybe, just maybe there is a chance that it isn’t completely over? I mean there are so many possibilities of stories yet to tell. One can hope, right?
Which bitter sweet ending has last left you satisfied and yet laid waste to you? Share them along with your teasers in the comments!
Tuesday 8 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Just Friends by Tiffany Pitcock.
“No, it’s not like that, we’re just friends.” Countless hearts have probably been battered and bruised by such an utterance. On the other hand, why is it “just” friends? Sure, you can be in love with multiple people, but acting on all those feelings at once is generally frowned upon whereas you can be friends with however many people you like. It helps if your partner is also a good friend, but they don’t have to be the best friend ... if the partnership and friendship can handle each other.
Which brings us to the premise of this book. It’s not a play on the trope that boys and girls can’t ever be friends without developing feelings for each other. It’s also not about one of them being n love with the other for a long time before the other suddenly realises their feelings as well. And not unrequited love either. Although that aspect is not completely absent in theory. And now that you know what it’s not, I’ll let you figure out what it’s actually about.
A very cute and quick read with a lot of miscommunication-face-palm-potential and a good portion of great humour. As I am a sucker for character development I would have loved to see a little more of that concerning the minor cast. The protagonists have a very steep arc in relation to the length or brevity of the plot, but it mostly fits with the overall pace. It’s not all fluff and butterflies, too. There is actually quite a lot of heavy stuff woven into this, almost in a when it rains it pours way. For this alone, I really would have liked the book to be a little longer to address the issues with more depth. It’s a very nice read, but I think there is a lot more potential that could have been explored ... overall quite an accomplishment for a contemporary debut and certainly an aspiring author to watch.
Are you a friends first and then fall in love or a love at first sight advocate ... speaking about reading habits for the most part here. Share preferences and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Just Friends by Tiffany Pitcock.
 |
| Just Friends – Swoon Reads |
“I’ll dust!” he cried, running to the supply closet. “You win, I’ll dust!”
— Chapter 5
Just like that Jenny Wessler lost it.
She closed her eyes and started chucking dictionaries.
— Chapter 31
“No, it’s not like that, we’re just friends.” Countless hearts have probably been battered and bruised by such an utterance. On the other hand, why is it “just” friends? Sure, you can be in love with multiple people, but acting on all those feelings at once is generally frowned upon whereas you can be friends with however many people you like. It helps if your partner is also a good friend, but they don’t have to be the best friend ... if the partnership and friendship can handle each other.
Which brings us to the premise of this book. It’s not a play on the trope that boys and girls can’t ever be friends without developing feelings for each other. It’s also not about one of them being n love with the other for a long time before the other suddenly realises their feelings as well. And not unrequited love either. Although that aspect is not completely absent in theory. And now that you know what it’s not, I’ll let you figure out what it’s actually about.
A very cute and quick read with a lot of miscommunication-face-palm-potential and a good portion of great humour. As I am a sucker for character development I would have loved to see a little more of that concerning the minor cast. The protagonists have a very steep arc in relation to the length or brevity of the plot, but it mostly fits with the overall pace. It’s not all fluff and butterflies, too. There is actually quite a lot of heavy stuff woven into this, almost in a when it rains it pours way. For this alone, I really would have liked the book to be a little longer to address the issues with more depth. It’s a very nice read, but I think there is a lot more potential that could have been explored ... overall quite an accomplishment for a contemporary debut and certainly an aspiring author to watch.
Are you a friends first and then fall in love or a love at first sight advocate ... speaking about reading habits for the most part here. Share preferences and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday 1 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh.
First of all: Apologies for the layout disaster last week. Big fun all around, but I hope things are back to working order now. Give me a shout if you encounter any image irregularities. And now on to the gushing and raving, which is not only more fun but for this book also absolutely necessary.
It’s probably no secret that I easily fall for books with densely crafted cultural backgrounds and while the author already did exceedingly well in her initial YA books with Arab culture, this is a completely different level. I felt transported into the story and the rich and vibrant world of this book. If it had been at all possible, I would have stayed in there a lot longer. But that wasn’t even an option because the plot commands a breakneck reading speed to get behind all the mystery and secrets as soon as possible.
Mariko was a little difficult to empathise with for me at first, but that, in my opinion, is quite intentional as it emphasises how she has been living a life that is so very removed from the average life of her culture. Granted, we’re probably not any closer to that as well, but this alienation and ignorance of her (and at the beginning almost nerve-wracking naiveté) makes her character’s growth even more admirable.
I won’t go into any more detail about the other characters for fear of spoiling any surprises because there are a lot. But should you happen to struggle with Mariko at the beginning, I urge you to take this as a vital part of her development and give her a chance to prove herself. Others in the book have to do the same so maybe you will feel closer to them and understand them better. And if you’re struggling with the end, I invite you to join me at Club Cliffhanger for a nice bottle of anticipation-sake or impatience-tea.
If you had the opportunity to drop into a foreign culture of a book, which book and which culture would you choose? Let me know about your choices and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh.
 |
| Flame in the Mist – G. P. Putnam’s Sons |
Perhaps too clever, as her father always said. It had never been meant as a compliment, though she had always taken it as one.
— Chapter 7
“I am not a hero. Don’t forget it for a moment. I will not save you again.”
Mariko sat up abruptly, her features defiant. “I don’t want you to be a hero. And I don’t need anyone to save me.”
— Chapter 23
First of all: Apologies for the layout disaster last week. Big fun all around, but I hope things are back to working order now. Give me a shout if you encounter any image irregularities. And now on to the gushing and raving, which is not only more fun but for this book also absolutely necessary.
It’s probably no secret that I easily fall for books with densely crafted cultural backgrounds and while the author already did exceedingly well in her initial YA books with Arab culture, this is a completely different level. I felt transported into the story and the rich and vibrant world of this book. If it had been at all possible, I would have stayed in there a lot longer. But that wasn’t even an option because the plot commands a breakneck reading speed to get behind all the mystery and secrets as soon as possible.
Mariko was a little difficult to empathise with for me at first, but that, in my opinion, is quite intentional as it emphasises how she has been living a life that is so very removed from the average life of her culture. Granted, we’re probably not any closer to that as well, but this alienation and ignorance of her (and at the beginning almost nerve-wracking naiveté) makes her character’s growth even more admirable.
I won’t go into any more detail about the other characters for fear of spoiling any surprises because there are a lot. But should you happen to struggle with Mariko at the beginning, I urge you to take this as a vital part of her development and give her a chance to prove herself. Others in the book have to do the same so maybe you will feel closer to them and understand them better. And if you’re struggling with the end, I invite you to join me at Club Cliffhanger for a nice bottle of anticipation-sake or impatience-tea.
If you had the opportunity to drop into a foreign culture of a book, which book and which culture would you choose? Let me know about your choices and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday 25 July 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.
Dear English language, you seriously lack an accurate word to convey the whole scope of “Vorfreude”, pleasant anticipation is nice and all, but really doesn’t cut it when it comes to what I feel towards the movie version of this series. (Yes, I know that this is dangerous business as there is always potential for disappointment, yet the cast and overall advance information feel very right.) Sometimes the movie rights have been optioned or sold for a while and you don’t actually think that it will amount to anything, because it’s been a while and let’s not talk about all those dormant rights ... looking at you, Looking for Alaska. But sometimes it actually just takes time and in a few cases good things come to those who wait and all that jazz.
There have been a number of dystopian series published in the years since, but I still think that this is one of the better crafted and sophisticated ones will always remain one of my benchmarks in terms of character building and development. Ruby is one of the most realistic protagonists when it comes to self-consciousness and self awareness. And I won’t even start on the swoony-ness of Liam or the adorableness of Chubs or cuteness of Suzume and so on. Seriously, if you are at all interested in dystopias and haven’t read this series, do so before the movie hits theatres next year. Or wait a little until the special editions with the bonus content are published ... in January 2018 ... how big is you TBR?
Are you waiting for the announcement of a movie for one of your favourite books? Do you have any frustrating optioned but not pursued cases? Share thoughts and your teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.
 |
| The Darkest Minds – Hyperion |
She had every right to be terrified of the half-crazed girl chasing after her. I could waste time feeling bad about it later; but, for now, my mind had gotten a whiff of hope, and it wasn’t about to let it escape through a parking lot.
— Chapter 8
When a girl cries, few things are more worthless than a boy. Having two of them just meant that they stared at each other helplessly instead of at me.
— Chapter 19
Dear English language, you seriously lack an accurate word to convey the whole scope of “Vorfreude”, pleasant anticipation is nice and all, but really doesn’t cut it when it comes to what I feel towards the movie version of this series. (Yes, I know that this is dangerous business as there is always potential for disappointment, yet the cast and overall advance information feel very right.) Sometimes the movie rights have been optioned or sold for a while and you don’t actually think that it will amount to anything, because it’s been a while and let’s not talk about all those dormant rights ... looking at you, Looking for Alaska. But sometimes it actually just takes time and in a few cases good things come to those who wait and all that jazz.
There have been a number of dystopian series published in the years since, but I still think that this is one of the better crafted and sophisticated ones will always remain one of my benchmarks in terms of character building and development. Ruby is one of the most realistic protagonists when it comes to self-consciousness and self awareness. And I won’t even start on the swoony-ness of Liam or the adorableness of Chubs or cuteness of Suzume and so on. Seriously, if you are at all interested in dystopias and haven’t read this series, do so before the movie hits theatres next year. Or wait a little until the special editions with the bonus content are published ... in January 2018 ... how big is you TBR?
Are you waiting for the announcement of a movie for one of your favourite books? Do you have any frustrating optioned but not pursued cases? Share thoughts and your teasers in the comments!
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