Sahi

CW: pandemic, virus affected animals, violence, pet injury, destruction of nature.

It's always fun getting back to a new installment in this series and while I couldn't read it immediately upon release, I'm glad I caught up soon.

I usually never even bother reading the summary of a Sigma Force because I will read it anyway, so imagine my surprise when I open it and realize it has a pandemic. I'm actually pretty astonished that this is my third or fourth book with a pandemic and it's aftermath premise since Covid started and I'm willingly reading them. I didn't think I had it in me. But this is also not the first pandemic story in this series, so I somehow felt it easier to read because I can kind of guess the beats of this story.

I'm not gonna talk much about the writing or action because they are always fun to read when written by Rollins and this is no different. I however, liked that the author brought his veterinarian experience into this book which features many many different creatures, both real and genetically different, and it was all quite terrifying to read. The author also throws light on the colonization of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the two wars which devastated it, and how even now, other countries and corporations try to exploit the country for its rich natural resources while its people suffer under the atrocities of warlords, poachers, militias and many more.

But the one thing I will take away from this book is how the author manages to describe Mother Nature as a sentient force who won't always remain silent in the wake of unfathomable destruction, deforestation, pollution and exploitation of natural resources conducted by human beings. We as a species have only been part of this world for a tiny amount of time and when we tip the balance too far, it won't be surprising if Mother Nature decides to retaliate and wipe us off. It's undeniable that we are seeing some forms of her indignation in how climate change is ravaging the world, maybe only in its nascent stages with more devastation to come; and how the havoc Covid caused across the world, helped along by incompetent governments and illogical responses by people, has wiped off millions of people in just a couple of years.

We have many scientists and intellectuals warning us that things will get worse in the future unless we do something and I feel this book is one among many fictional stories urging us to consider the same. If we continue with the take, take, take attitude, we'll have nothing but ourselves to give up in the future.

The whole naming conventions in this book and the dystopian ultra capitalistic system were definitely not the strong parts, but I surely enjoyed all the story in the past, especially in the coconut plantation and then Rao's development of his business. It may have all the trappings of sci-fi but where the writing shines is in the human story - the exploration of the emotions and relationships. I may not have been fully satiated with it but I definitely enjoyed the writing and look forward to what the author publishes next.

More of a 3.5 I think.

To be honest, maybe I shouldn't have picked it up at this time. It's been a while since I borrowed it but with all that's happening irl, I thought why not read about a part of the Supreme Court's history now. I think I didn't gauge my headspace correctly. The Roe v Wade draft and everything that's happening in the states already has me feeling very angry and anxious, so reading about some of the historically horrible decisions that the court has made in the past only added more to my despair. I don't know if I was even able to process the significance of all the cases that the author talks about here and how they came to be. Maybe I'll read the book again some other time when I'm not so angry. Or maybe I don't need a history lesson to understand that the court is fully capable of making decisions that oppress a significant part of the population and will probably continue to do so in the future.

CW: mentions of cannibalism, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, death of a child, mention of death by torture, domestic abuse

This is only my second book by the author but once I finished reading Paladin's Grace, I decided not only that I needed to finish that series but also anything the author writes. This one just happened to be her latest and though the premise sounded a bit too creepy for my taste, I just had to give it a try. And wow what a ride this turned out to be.

This fantasy is definitely unlike anything I've ever read and I was definitely expecting something unique from the author, but this was way above my expectations. The author just throws us in the middle of a very creepy situation where we don't know what's happening and then goes back and forth to set the buildup for that creepy beginning. But the best part of the book is that the author manages to drastically change the tone of the narrative from creepy to sad to slice of life to happy to adventurous to high stakes, and it's all done so brilliantly that we never find it difficult to navigate. The writing also has this way of being subtle but packing a punch and all the emotions come out at very unexpected times, so it's a very unpredictable reading experience but that's what makes this so much fun. The pacing is also perfect, taking its time at the smaller moments and moving faster at crucial sequences, making for a very immersive read and the mood as well as setting changes also work perfectly. Another most surprising part are the settings themselves - there is a blighted land, there are cannibals, saints, a goblin market, fair folk, magical godmothers, creepy catacombs - we never get the why of any of them; they all exist and are part of this world and we just get to go along with the author's quirky imagination.

But I also think it's the themes the author incorporates here that makes this such an impactful story. There's a lot of indirect and direct commentary on the status of women in the society, how they are constrained by the roles they have been assigned, and how difficult it is to get out of them. I especially found the implications around how pregnancy and motherhood has a way of constraining women to be very timely, especially because bodily autonomy is on the line in our real world these days. The domestic abuse depicted isn't shown in any graphic detail but the implication of it is very stark in the silences, the helplessness a wife can feel when her husband is an abusive man with lots of power is laid out for us in a way that scares us, and through our main character we realize that the only way out of that helplessness is for someone to decide enough is enough, and do something to help out the victim. Every single character here is in someway feeling constrained by what they think they are allowed to do, and only when they try to help out each other are they able to get out of the rut and find their freedom. Even when the story feels horrific and dark, it's the hope and kindness that keeps us going.

And the embodiment of that kindness first and foremost is our main character Marra. She is the third princess of a small kingdom but politics and diplomacy is not her cup of tea. She finds more fulfillment when she is sent to a nunnery and spends many years there working on her weaving and embroidery, as well as helping women during pregnancy and childbirth. This also gives her a unique perspective on the kinds of issues women face in society, and motivates her to do something about saving her sister from her abusive marriage. I also liked how the religious order she is a part of was very practical about helping out and doing the required things, rather than just preaching faith.

Once she starts on her journey to save her sister, she collects people (and some not people) to help her out and they all become this very quirky found family which is amazing. First is the necromancer dust wife (and she doesn't need another name) who gets exasperated with the conviction of Marra and can't help but go along with her. Following them are a bone dog and a demon possessed chicken and just don't ask me why they are there... you just get attached to them and it's inevitable and there's no need to know what their purpose is. Next we get a warrior called Fenris who is still guilty about his past actions and is happy to have a new purpose in his life. While the dust wife is more on the grumpy side, Fenris is a good man who is very considerate about Marra's boundaries and concerns and they make for a good team. I really liked their low key friendship and it's potential for more. And the final piece of this found family is Agnes, Marra's godmother who always blesses every child with health but is hiding so much more. She is the perfect example of someone saying no to their destiny and choosing decency and I loved her. She definitely adds some cheer to the somber proceedings.

We also have many other side characters who make small appearances but everyone is quite memorable. Marra's mother is a queen and she will do whatever is required to ensure the safety of her people, even if it makes her daughters unhappy and unsafe. Marra's sister Kania has strength of her own, surviving with what means are available to her, waiting for the day she'll get the opportunity to get out of her situation. We also have the Northern Kingdom's very old godmother who has mysterious powers and I really liked the little glimpses we got of her story. All of them together make this story very very uniquely memorable.

In conclusion, this is a book I didn't know I needed, but I'm so glad I picked it up. This is the kind of fantasy I'm excited to explore - subverts tropes and fairytale expectations, is very thematic but in a way that's very organic to the story, a very unlikely cast of characters who will slowly grow on you, a perfect blend of dark and creepy and optimism, and overall a story that sucks you in and never lets you go. I also liked how the stakes weren't world ending but the personal nature of them made us feel more emotional. What I got from it was that we should all try to help someone out in anyway that we can and be kind, and maybe we'll find our own happiness that way. I deeply enjoyed it and this cements my conviction to read more of the author's works soon. And I already feel like I'm gonna have a very tough time coming up with my favorites list at the end of the year, but this will surely be one among them.

CW: racism, mentions of Chinese govt's brutal oppression of ethnic minorities

Definitely a 4.5 and I'm rounding up.

Would I have read this middle grade action adventure novel if not for the author being Xiran?? Probably not. I only finished the Aru Shah series because it's inspired from my favorite childhood stories and I truly didn't have interest in checking out more middle grade novels. But I fell in love with Iron Widow and then Xiran's fantastic YouTube channel, so I was ofcourse gonna read whatever they write next, even if it turned out to be MG. And this was a total riot.

To be honest, I'm just glad I've watched some cdramas, brushed up on a bit of Chinese history and watched all of Xiran's videos diligently in the past year or so, because otherwise the experience of reading this book wouldn't be the same. I'm not saying that you won't enjoy the book if you don't know the history - you still will because the story is written in such a way that everything that needs to be learnt is told in an organic way and you learn it along with the main character. But if you do know some little history and pop culture tidbits, it just makes you feel more excited and in the know. The magic system is also very interesting because it's based on myths and legends and how much people believe in them. The writing is fun and quirky and full of banter, and the action starts right from chapter one, so there's not much here to get bored. We are always on the move with the characters, going on heists and summoning legendary historical or mythical figures and just overall having fun all throughout.

While all the fun parts should be great for the age group of readers for whom this book is written for, I think what I loved was how many themes the author tackled while never letting it get too heavy and in the way of the fun. The one thing this book definitely is is a story of being part of a diaspora, unable to feel like you belong anywhere, not knowing much about the place where your family comes from but also being othered in the place you live. Our main character's struggles are also amplified because he is from an ethnic minority in China and Muslim who are being oppressed in the mainland, but for the Americans around him, he is just another outsider Chinese boy. But while he goes on his journey to save China, he not only gets to know more about his culture and heritage, he is also able to confront the reality of wanting to be proud of his culture but also understanding the brutality of the government against his people. But this story is not just about him finding his own way through his heritage. This is also about the perils of power and authority, how power can corrupt anyone, and how the myths and legends we get to know might not always have a basis in truth. We can never be sure about the truth behind who is hailed and who is vilified in our historical texts because it all depends on who's writing the stories. And finally, there's quite a bit of contemplation here about what makes a good leader and how the ones we think we know the truth about can contain multitudes.

Zachary Ying or Zack is a twelve year old who just wishes that he could have friends with whom he can be himself and not trash his mother's lunches because his friends think he smells. He is struggling for belonging but he finds all the love he needs from his mom, who had to escape from oppression but works hard to ensure her son leads a better and safe life. He is overwhelmed with his sudden circumstances but he is also ready to do anything to save his mom. While he slowly gains power and gets to understand what powerful means, he also experiences betrayals and untruths and has to decide for himself what he wants to believe in and how he wants to save China. He is very easy to empathize with and I loved following along his journey, seeing him grow and understand his priorities.

He is supported in his adventures mainly by the spirit of the first emperor of China, Qin ShiHuang, who has possessed his gaming lenses. Famously known as a tyrant, there are many legends associated with him and Zack gets to know his and his history slowly. It was actually quite fun to understand the stories about the historical figure and reconciling that with his spirit which has had thousands more years of evolution and might not be so tyrannical anymore. But he can be pompous and full of himself, so it was interesting to get to see all sides of him and how he reacts to the various good and bad legends that have formed around him. Zack is also supported in his mission to save China by two mainlander kids of his age, Simon and Melissa but I don't wanna give away which emperors they are being possessed by because that was a lovely surprise. I just wanna say that I loved their budding friendship, especially Zack and Simon because Simon is the history nerd who takes it upon himself to educate Zack. And it was also nice to see Zack be freer among people of his own age. Ofcourse, we also get to meet many other historical figures, especially the comrades and enemies of these emperors as well as some other mythical and legendary figures, and I was especially excited whenever someone showed up whose story I already knew a bit.

To conclude, what more can I say. If you've enjoyed reading Percy Jackson, Aru Shah or other middle grade adventure stories featuring mythological figures, then this is a perfect book for you. It's fast paced, action packed, full of history and pop culture info without ever feeling too overwhelming, and characters who are very entertaining to engage with. If you have any interest in Chinese dynastic history, you really will find this a lot of fun. And if you've read Iron Widow, then be prepared for some delightful surprises.

I read one review of this novella and though I didn't completely understand what it was gonna be about, I just wanted to give it a try. And wow this turned to out to be something.

I thought this was a unique blend of fantasy, sci-fi and mystery along with some historical elements and I was amazed at how well the author seamlessly transitioned across them all. And within these genres, what we find is a story about humanity, connections, grief and the human tendency of wanting to become immortal. The book itself is like in two parts - the first half is a collection of short stories each having one character in common, and the second half is about us getting to know more about how this singular character came to be. It's a unique style of storytelling, the writing is very heartfelt and emotional, and each of the characters feel real and we can totally empathize with their grief and loneliness.

I'm always trying to find SFF books written by Indian authors (not the diaspora whose books I do read a lot), so it just makes me so happy that I accidentally found out about this speculative fiction debut. I can only hope that this beautifully written novella can lead to many more such stories in the Indian publishing scene, and we get a well established SFF genre in India soon.

When I saw this graphic novel mentioned on Penguin India's Instagram, I had to buy it immediately. I mean how can I resist anything with the Mahabharata. Only then did I realize it's part of a series but the first book Vyasa was unavailable, so I had to make do with this sequel for now. And what a ride this was.

Firstly, the artwork. Because I'm unfamiliar with the first book, I have to assume the author is going for a very raw, gritty and dark tone for the tale which is why the artwork reflects that with lots of fiery reds, distorted images, gritty landscapes full of stones and skulls and so much more - and it all looks stunning and attention grabbing. Coming to the story, ofcourse it's understandable that the story is condensed and only some of the most important and inciting incidents are mentioned. I was surprised by the author using very modern slang for dialogue but that also gives this series a unique touch. Because the original Mahabharata also starts with an oral telling of the epic, I liked seeing Sauti show up for a bit and the author's use of a bard type character narrating the epic story to a group of villagers was very interesting and a rightful ode to the original.

While I did enjoy the book a lot, I'm not used to reading abridged versions where so much of the story is lost. But I liked the author confirming that his source is the Critical Edition and providing detailed appendix for the same. I was also kinda surprised that for a book titled Panchali, she hardly has 2-3 dialogues, that too only towards the end. But I can't really complain. This was a visual feast of a book that retold the Mahabharata story in its own manner and I'm sure many lovers of the epic will be intrigued. And now I'm really looking forward to the next installment which I'm sure will take a while.

I'm still hedging between a 3 or 3.5 coz I can't decide.

These days, I really need incentive to pick up a contemporary romance novel but when I saw the gorgeous cover of this desi debut and that punny title, I thought I should surely give it a try. And while I'm still accumulating my thoughts, this book turned out to be a good experience.

The writing took me a while to get into because because the character interactions felt a bit stilted and superficial in the beginning but now that I think about it, that may have been intentional. But when the setting changes from work to a desi wedding, I definitely found it easy to breeze through the pages. However limited to aesthetics Indian culture was here, I can't deny that I still enjoy reading it in any form in books and this one had some gorgeous descriptions of clothes, yummy food, lots of Bollywood references and even a dance to an item number. But since the theme was about the main character trying to find out her inner Indian, I wish she had the opportunity to learn atleast some of the meaning behind the various wedding traditions instead of being told some common superstitions. There is a little twist in this tale too which gave full on Kabhie Kabhie vibes and that made me slightly nostalgic for that lovely movie. I was also quite grateful that the couple of instances of misunderstandings were resolved quickly because I hate the miscommunication trope in romance novels.

I also can't resist making some comments about the main character's business in the book. It's called Breakup and their work is to send breakup emails for their clients and include many other packages including getting ready to date again, finding closure etc. To go with this theme, we get snippets of emails that Breakup receives from their clients at the beginning of every chapter and I thought they were both funny and cringy and sad. Is it that I'm too old and having married early has made me incapable of comprehending it all, but if these emails are kind of an indication of the online dating scene in the current times, I can totally see why people are having so much difficulty finding fulfilling relationships these days.

That isn't to say there weren't some hiccups - the punny title aside, the desi puns felt a bit overdone, especially when said by a white guy; I'm usually very forgiving with most romance tropes but even I have to say this was quite too instalovey even though I could see the connection. One thing I remember cringing at was when a white gay character says that a person looking/not looking Indian enough is the same as not being able to identify a person's sexual orientation just by their looks - it's not even an apples to oranges to comparison, and frankly, color of the skin does matter in the way a person is perceived in our world and dismissing it with such a bad comparison was tasteless.

Coming to the characters, we only get one POV, which is our girlboss CEO Manny Dogra. She is a go getter and ambitious and definitely has the chops to take her nationally popular business to the world stage. But she has achieved this by working her ass off to forget her grief about losing her parents, and this attitude is definitely encouraged by her fiancé Adam. But I was in slight disbelief initially about how disconnected and ignorant she was about Indian culture or her roots in general, and didn't even seem interested to learn anything about it - I'm not a first generation American, so I don't have the experience of wanting to assimilate but I guess this can be true for some families. While the incident mentioned in the synopsis is a wake up call, I still felt her decision to attend a desi wedding and learn Indian culture was a bit too impulsive and out of character for her. I did like that she was able to experience the love of a huge family and the chaos and togetherness that Indian weddings can bring.

Since we don't get Sammy's POV, I have to piece together my feeling based on the conversations he has with Manny. He seemed like a kind and compassionate person who loved his family, but also made many assumptions about them and was making life changing decisions based on those assumptions. I thought his connection with Manny was genuine and I could totally see a genuine friendship building between them but maybe I just didn't feel the falling in love part. However, they do seem good for each other so I guess that's fine.

I really liked the whole Patel family with their nosiness as well as love and support. While the author does portray some of the issues that can exist with inclusion and acceptance in the community, she also showed that there are many others who are equally supportive and just want the best for their children and family. Sammy's sister Manisha was boisterous and fun, their mom was slightly nosy but loving (I wish she didn't have those couple of throwaway fatshaming lines) and their dad turned out to be the surprise romantic of the lot. Manny's friends Anjali and Rob were definitely her found family and I liked the bond they shared with each other. Anjali is a definite godsend and her cousin Aliyan lit up the pages with his sass. There's one scene where Aliyan introduces Manny to the underground desi drag scene and I found that very moving, especially because recently I've been seeing a lot of videos of famous Indian Drag Queen Rani KoHEnur, and I liked seeing this sliver of positive representation for them in the book. We never do get to meet Sammy's girlfriend Lisa but her actions definitely speak enough about her. Manny fiancé Adam on the other hand seemed more suited for a business partnership than as a husband.

In the end, this was an enjoyable debut which took me a while to get into but found its footing later on. While the instalove element may not be for everyone and there were some hiccups on the way, I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book during the wedding and it was fun to be part of all the Patel family shenanigans.

And finally the second longest series I've read in many years comes to an end, the only one before this being Throne of Glass. But when I first started ToG, I had the first six books in my hand and only had to wait a couple of years for the finale. But for this series, once I finished the first, I diligently waited for every sequel to release and have loved jumping into this world again. I am very bad at keeping up with sequels anymore but this is one series (can't believe it's middle grade too) which I haven't been able to let go of coz it's too precious for me. And I can finally say all the waiting and this journey has been worth it.

There's really not much I can say newly about the writing or characters that I haven't already rambled on about in my previous four reviews. But this was a great ending, where the author let all her characters feel helpless and hopeless, and when they felt they had nothing left to give or lose, the author gave them all the courage to dig deep within themselves to discover their true strength. It was really heartening to see each character overcome their deepest fear to do what they felt and knew was right. Even after all these books, this finale is not short of quests or adventures and we get one after the other till the end, including the war we have all been waiting for since the beginning.

The writing had its joyful moments even amid despair and that's what makes this series so much fun to read. And I always treasure the new stories from Hindu mythology that the author tries to throw light upon in each book - here we meet more of the figures from our myths who are forgotten or whose stories aren't told in the they want like the many apsaras, Urmila and even Jambavan. We also get glimpses of some of our old favorites from the previous books and that was lovely. And I feel the way the author ended the war was very satisfying and embodied the overall theme of this series - that everyone deserves to be loved and remembered and respected for who they are. And there was exactly one small phrase/incantation in Telugu and I'm gonna remember the joy I felt at reading it forever.

In the end, I may not always be a fan of the middle grade age group of books but that's mostly because I'm too old for them, but this is the exact kind of storytelling I like in MG - a super fun way to explore the myths and stories of a culture or religion (in this case Hinduism), a great group of characters who give us all the found family feels, lots of adventures and tests to pass, and ultimately the lovely writing which is funny and poignant and keeps us entertained throughout. I had a gala time through this series, remembering the joy of my childhood discovering these age old stories, and I hope everyone who picks this up will feel the same.

Since reading Ariadne, I've been very excited for this book, especially because this one has some familiar storylines. I've actually been in a reading slump for a while, but reading something which I liked felt very nice.

I really liked the author's writing even more in this book - it's very poetic and beautiful without being full on purple prose and that's the exact kind of writing I enjoy. The author covers a very long timeline with many necessary time skips but I have to appreciate how seamless she makes the transitions, not just in timelines but also the different POVs. And as with what comes in retelling Greek mythology stories from the women characters' perspective, there's a lot here which makes us feel indignant and furious, but also sympathetic at times and I marvel at how masterfully the author created this variety of experiences for us through her words. But the pacing might feel a bit slow for some readers, however, it wasn't much of an issue for me.

While the book may be titled Elektra, we get her story as well as those of her mother Clytemnestra and Priam's daughter Cassandra. I think my most disappointment with this book was that I did not like the character of Elektra at all. Not to say she isn't written well. She is portrayed in a way that evokes strong emotion in us and I like that. But it's not easy to read a whole POV when you dislike that character. Elektra is a person who has this image in her head of her father and will do absolutely anything to keep up that image, including justifying his cruelty and brutality. I could see why she became that way though - her sister's sacrifice doesn't register much with her because she was too young at the time and it's easier for her to reconcile with the strong and loving father image than one who kills his daughter for the purpose of a war. Her mother's neglect compounds this feeling in her and then her life becomes all about waiting for her beloved father and later, getting the revenge for his murder. I don't know if it was just her naïveté or if she was truly her father's daughter, believing in his supremacy over anything else and justifying any cruelty to maintain it. It was hard to sympathize with her even when she was mostly deprived of both her parents' love and affection for such a long part of her life.

Clytemnestra on the other hand, is like a foil to Elektra. She is also driven by grief and revenge to such an extent that she forgets that she has other living children. Her life becomes a tomb to her dead daughter and she doesn't think beyond killing Agamemnon. We feel both pity towards her for her plight but also sad that she is basically stuck at that single awful day. It is also hard not to sympathize and agree with her when she feels grief not just for her dead daughter, but for all the women of Troy who are brutalized by her husband and his men during and after the war. Her story proves though that revenge doesn't really bring peace but I could still appreciate the way her character arc resolves.

Cassandra is a less significant character than the other two because she is not much in a position to do anything, and her POV is mostly to just give us a way to know what's happening in Troy. And she is probably the one character on whose behalf I felt most indignation because she is cursed just for not giving consent and her life since then is very difficult. I truly can't imagine how it must feel to know the destruction the future holds but no one is ready to believe you. I knew she would ultimately not have a good outcome and while she finally got something on her own terms, I wish she had got some kind of acknowledgment from atleast one person in her family that she was right all along. It just made me feel very sad for her.

We don't really get much detailed portraits of any other characters. But it's hard not to notice how King Priam and his family know that things are gonna take a bad turn, but never do anything about it and just remain willfully ignorant so that they can have a semblance of happiness with their newly reunited son Paris. Agamemnon is not necessarily a bad person initially but his nature is not much suited for peacetime and has a need to assert that he is the ruler above everybody. Aegisthus is definitely a slimy one who takes advantage of a mother's grief and becomes a ruler without doing much himself. Orestes is the unlucky one in the sense that he is deprived of his mother's affection due to her grief but is instead fed the greatness of Agamemnon by his sister, leaving him not much choice but to avenge a father he has never met. But his character arc was another one which I thought had a satisfactory resolution.

In conclusion, this was a very interesting look at what was happening in the background of the Trojan War through the perspective of three women who couldn't do much about it except wait for it's conclusion. I definitely recommend if you are looking for some lovely writing but with a languid pace which allows you to simmer in the emotions that the prose and characters evoke. I can't wait to see what the author writes next.

I didn't even know this existed because I haven't been really following any politician's writings for a while now. So when I found this while browsing my library catalog, I wanted to listen to it immediately. And that was definitely a good decision.

Frankly, I don't know how reading this book will feel like. But listening to it narrated by Elizabeth Warren herself is an experience I'm glad I didn't miss. She brings all her knowledge and passion that we usually see her display during speeches to this book and it was amazing. I also liked how she prefaced it by saying it's not a campaign book and went on to structure it in a way that reflects her life experiences. She goes through the phases of her life her marriage, motherhood, being a teacher, then a bankruptcy law expert and later a politician and details some of the challenges she faced in each of these phases. She then explains in a very accessible manner the various similar kinds of issues that millions of people face in this country even till today and how we can go about solving some of them, if only there was will and determination to solve them, instead of just winning elections. Her solutions may seem too simple or maybe impossible too, but I don't see anything wrong with starting from impossible solutions and then arriving at more possible ones. In a highly partisan world that we live right now, there is no point starting with low expectations because the bar is already very low.

The issues Warren highlights in this book are not something new or what we don't already know, but it's the way she intersperses her experiences with that of the people, navigating the history of policy making that led to some of the changes, and the need to make more decisive policy changes - that's what makes this a very effective book. And it's just spectacular in terms of narration. Do recommend, especially if you're not used to reading a lot of political books. It might feel more like “nothing new” if you are a seasoned reader.

Definitely more of a 4.5 but I'm rounding up.

This book has been on my radar since the first time I saw the title and premise and I knew it was gonna be awesome. Then came the stunning and colorful cover reveal and since then, I've been eagerly waiting for the release date so that I could pick it up. And I'm so so happy that I'm getting to participate in a blog tour for this book which wowed me all the way through.

I remember reading a three chapter excerpt of the book a couple of months ago and I was so impressed in just those few pages. The descriptions in this book are just ethereal. Whether it's the gorgeous pavilions and gardens in the palace, the detailed art of making tea or the way tea magic works - every thing is described so beautifully that we can totally feel it happening right in front of our eyes. The plot itself is also so engaging because we know the stakes right from the beginning and as we gradually get to know more dangers lurking in the dark and don't know who to trust, it just becomes all the important for us to know what's coming next and that made me not wanna put it down even for a second. It also helped that I was alone in a clinic waiting room full of people for more than 6 hours and this book was the only thing keeping me awake and not irritated. The author is very talented at keeping all the cards close to her chest and I never could really guess who some of the betrayers were gonna be, so it was a very thrilling ride. And while I'm not a fan of tea at all, I was just so damn impressed by the whole intricate process and it's corresponding magic and I wish we had coffee versions of it all so I could try.

And the characters... just wow. Ning is someone who I fell in love with in the first chapter itself. She loves her family so much and will do anything for her sister, her mother's loss is still overwhelming but she sets it aside because her purpose is different. But her mother is always with her through her tea making and it's magic and I was glad that Ning still had that connection to her mom. She also can be a bit impulsive but brave and gets into many tough situations but somehow manages to get out of them too. However what endeared me most towards her was that she will always stick to her principles and speak up when she gets a chance, even it might be detrimental for her personally. It's hard not to root for such a wonderful girl.

The story is told exclusively through Ning's POV, so we get to see the others through her eyes. Her spark with Kang is instantaneous and there were many lovely moments between them but their path is also forged on a heap of secrets and divided loyalties, so I'm very intrigued to see how it develops next. Kang did feel like a person who had good intentions but I also felt like he didn't understand all the stakes well enough. The princess Zhen took some time for me to get invested in but she turned out to be a strong willed woman having to fight very tough odds. I hope we get more of her in the next book because I really wanna get to know her up close. But the one character we get most page time with is Lian, the one friend that Ning makes in the capital, her roommate and competitor and partner all rolled into one. Lian is the daughter of diplomats and she has a lovely cheerful personality and seems to make friends very easily, almost taking Ning under her wing and not letting her feel alone. I loved their friendship and I also wish we will explore their bond more in the rest of the story. We also have quite a few other characters who show up frequently and leave deep impressions and I can't wait to see how the author weaves all of their arcs together.

In the end, this debut turned out to be as lovely as I was expecting it to be and I'm not at all surprised that it debuted at #1 on the NYT Bestsellers list. This Chinese mythology and Taiwanese tea making inspired novel is gorgeously written, very evocative, has characters you get feel invested in right from the moment you meet them, and enough twists and betrayals to keep you hooked throughout. And for a change, I'm ecstatic that we'll get the sequel in just a few more months and I don't have to cry waiting for it.

As soon as I saw this book being talked about on Twitter, I was intrigued. And I fell in love with that gorgeous cover on first sight. So it was never in doubt that would read this one and I was so happy when I got the arc. And since it's been a while since I've read a fantasy novel, I decided to go with this one and then couldn't even sleep without finishing it.

Indian mythological stories like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana may have had the most influence on me, but the stories from A Thousand and One Nights were also a part of my childhood in one form or the other and I was delighted that we were gonna get a fantasy novel inspired by these lovely stories. And wow the author delivers. The world she creates is vibrant and alive and so beautifully described, that I was left in awe. As the characters marveled at the new landscapes they encountered on their journey, I could feel their wonder, their perilous journey through the desert almost felt palpable because I could feel the heat and sand, and I could also cherish along with them when they found a small oasis in between. I think it's also been a while since I read a fantasy which was mostly a journey and I was excited to be on this ride, though the author immerses the characters and us in numerous horrors and life threatening situations. The pacing is perfect, with the conflicts interspersed with small moments of joy or contemplation, but there's also a thread of grief throughout because everyone has lost someone. It really kept me hooked from the first page and I didn't wanna stop.

And themes the author weaves through the story are very subtle but can't be missed. Through the centuries old conflict between humans and the jinn, the author weaves a narrative of power struggles, oppression, prejudice and mass murders. As oral storytelling is an important component of A Thousand and One Nights, the author uses that framework to give us small stories as interludes where we get to know tales of human heroes and dangerous jinns and the legendary wars between them. But then when we are confronted with fragments of actual memories from the jinn, the characters along with us are left to question who is in the right and who is in the wrong - is everything that we've been told as history true or is it just the narrative that is needed for those in power to grow more powerful. We get to experience how beautiful the oral storytelling tradition can be and how it connects people across divides and provides them respite from their daily struggles, but we also see how these same stories can be changed and exaggerated over the years to keep up a false narrative and encourage more oppression. It was very interesting to see the author navigate the issue from both sides and letting us decide for ourselves who the true culprits are.

As wonderful as the world building and story is, the characters equally complement them. Loulie or the Midnight Merchant or Layla is a mysterious figure in the Night Market who is famous for trading forbidden jinn relics. She is someone who has been shaped through the terrors she encountered in her childhood and now wants to be able to live her life on her own terms. She shows a very tough and fierce exterior but she is also a young woman who just doesn't want to show vulnerability and thinks she has to stand alone if she wants to survive. Hers was an interesting character progression, where she goes from an independent person to someone who is forced to take up a quest along with reluctant partners and she learns many truths and lies along the way that cut deep into her heart, but she also learns that sometimes it's ok to ask for help.

She is ably supported in all her adventures by her jinn bodyguard plus father figure Qadir. Theirs is a relationship built on adversity and grief and both of them are reluctant to bare their souls to each other, but there's also a deep trust between them. While Loulie gives him a purpose in life when he is running away from his past, Qadir also gives her a life that serves as an escape from her grief and protects her in any way he can. Their relationship is tested throughout the book with secrets and reveals and it might feel like on the brink of shattering, but it's really too strong and wonderfully written.

Mazen on the other hand is a prince, probably even a favorite of the sultan, but he is struggling to live in the confines of the gilded cage created by his father. He strives to be free and has a wanderlust to travel around the world, and is also a gifted storyteller who would love to carry forward his mother's tradition. But he is also someone who is scared of confrontation, unwilling to question things even when he knows they are wrong, and is most comfortable when is not being himself - but we see him gradually learn to be brave in his own ways, realize more truths about the world he inhabits and decide whose side he ultimately wants to be on.

Aisha took me a while to connect with. She is also someone who suffered a major loss but that has made her into a singularly determined killer and thief. She trusts her leader and is unabashed about hating the jinns but as she is forced to go on the journey with the rest of the characters, she gets confronted with a lot of information that makes her question everything she knows, and she is forced to decide what all will she do to survive and where does her true loyalty lie.

We also have multiple interesting side characters who don't have too much page time but nevertheless leave impressions. Omar is very easy to loathe right from his first appearance and my hatred for him only increased as the story went, but the author even managed to make his arc more than just a one dimensional villain. We also meet a few of his side kicks who are equally cruel and horrible. And then there are the bookish and sweet Hakim, and the suave and charming Ahmed who were there for just a few pages but are unforgettable.

Huh !!! I've written too much, haven't I?? But what to do, I loved this debut and I couldn't shut up. It has everything I could ask for in an epic fantasy - inspired by some of my favorite childhood stories, gorgeous world building that feels so alive, an engaging plot full of quests and dangers, characters who you love immediately, and the power of storytelling as an art and as a tool woven through the whole narrative in an intricate manner. Definitely a contender for being my top favorite of the year and I can only hope the wait for the sequel isn't too long and excruciating.

I came across this book my Twitter timeline when one of the authors I follow recommended this one, and I also realized that the author of book contributed an essay in one of my favorite SFF anthology, The Way Spring Arrives. Since the pandemic began and I started getting into cdrama or webnovels, I've had a fascination for the Chinese language and so I definitely knew I had to read this book. And it was so unlike anything I've ever read.

Due to my not very extensive non fiction reading, I have some idea about 20th century Chinese history, especially the civil war and what came later. But my knowledge is limited to the political implications and some personal stories. So, reading the progress of those same events of history, but in conjunction with the evolution of Chinese language was a fascinating prospect.

Only after I started watching dramas did I understand the complexity of the Chinese language, it's ideographic script which is so unlike the western alphabet, and just the huge number of characters present which make it so difficult to learn - which is probably why only the elite knew it and around 90% of the population was illiterate at the turn of the 20th century. This singularly complex language posed a very drastic impediment to China being able to compete with the western nations on an equal footing and the author chronicles the life and work of many scientists, engineers, linguists and scholars who dedicated their lives to breaking down the characters into its components which could be then used to create typewriters, Telegraph code, a character indexing system, a new romanization system, typesetting and retrieval mechanisms to propel the country into the digital age and finally being a part of Unicode. The paths these men followed to accomplish their goals were not easy and they faced many hurdles but their dedication to their language and it's history, and their desire to ensure their country is able to make technological advances without compromising on its language was commendable to read about. Imperialism has destroyed cultures and languages and so much more across many countries, so it's really amazing to see the decades of work to preserve and evolve the Chinese language to keep up with modern times be so successful.

It takes a lot of determination to keep going when a common refrain in those days was that China couldn't develop if it kept using its language. Language is truly more than just words, it's a culture and memory of the people and preserving any of our native languages from being erased by the hegemony of English is a task deserving of applause. And as the author mentions, in this digital age, information is warfare and language is an important component of it. And China has managed to come a long way - from depending on western technologies and trying to catch up to them to having the most internet users in the world - and is now ready to dominate in the artificial intelligence and other futuristic fields. Let's see what role this language revolution will play in China's quest for global domination and will they be successful.

As for the book, this may not be for everyone and some may find it dry and the science behind some of the technologies boring, but this is a bigger story about language and it's power and the people who understood it, and I really appreciated the author's bringing this part of history to us readers. I'm more intrigued about languages and the roles they play in our lives now and I'm excited to read more books about this field. And who knows, maybe I will be able to find some books about the history of my native language too.

It's definitely more of a 3.5.

I don't usually go for hard sci-fi books but I'm slowly getting intrigued by the space opera style books and I was immediately interested when I first got to know about this book. I've just been waiting since then to find the right time to begin. And it turned out to be something quite unexpected.

I'm usually in it for the characters - I can tolerate anything in a book as long as I can love the characters (atleast a few of them). But it was just the opposite in this one. I completely fell in love with the setting and the ideas that form the core of this story. The author has written a world where humanity now lives on huge spaceships called arks created by super intelligent aliens called Angels of Benevolence. Each of these arks is like a world of its own - artificially created landscapes as preferred by the residents, a culture and way of living which is unique to the ark, the shape of the ark itself is molded based on its resident's vision and purpose, and the ark's consciousness creates blue colored envoys who are most representative of the ark. I reveled in getting to know each of the ark's quirks better as the characters kept visiting them and I just wanted to know more. And considering that the life on the arks essentially is a post-capitalist utopia, it was both surprising and not to see that some people have still banded together to fight this collective society and want to keep up with the classist and capitalist systems of old. I guess it is a critique of humankind as a whole that even if humans move away from earth and have to live a very different kind of life, it's not easy to forget the prejudices and bigotry that they have been carrying for ever.

The plot itself though was engaging enough. There's quite a bit of action and many chapters end in cliffhangers, so I always wanted to know what was gonna happen next. I've read some complaints that there were issues regarding the science and sci-fi elements of the story but I'm not someone who knows much about all this stuff, so I didn't find any such problems. However, I did feel that there were many things which were unrealistic, even for an action packed futuristic story. The dialogue was fun and interesting and even philosophical at times which I enjoyed, but the internal monologue of the main character felt a bit too much at times.

The main character Eryn is someone I sympathized with because she has suffered many losses and I could understand she was traumatized. But there was just something off about her which I can't articulate. Her character seemed so inconsistent, even in her own thoughts, and I didn't know what to make of it. She was also written like an old school stereotypical YA heroine who is an ordinary person thrust into chaos and suddenly has to save humanity from annihilation. Her nostalgic and misplaced grieving thoughts about her one night stand 15 years ago who was a cheater, her thinking one moment that she doesn't know how to be a parent to her teenage niece and then a few days later thinking that she can apply the lessons that she learnt from parenting a teenager to solve an existential threat to humanity - getting a deep dive in her POV just didn't endear me to her.

There are many side characters and we even get a few POVs but there were very few who left a lasting impression. I mostly adored Ocelot, who is the envoy of Eryn's scout ship's consciousness. He was witty and kind and compassionate and so loyal to those he has to protect. There were quite a few other ark envoys who made small appearances but were intriguing. It was the humans who were not so impressive. Firstly, the author kills a lot of people throughout the book, so many characters couldn't even get any development. Among the living, Frank is a typical genius scientist who loves his research but doesn't care for much else, Maddie is a typical teenager who is grieving and hurt and hates her remaining family and Li pretty much exists as a love interest and no other development of her own. Even the romantic arc between Eryn and Li felt a bit forced. But among the unknown, I have to say that the angels who saved humanity but seemed too indifferent with what humans did with this second chance were fascinating to read about; and the unknown alien entity hellbent on destroying everything was also very well written and I loved getting to know it's story.

On the whole, I'm having very mixed thoughts about this book. If you are someone who can appreciate the setting and the ideas and concepts the author is going for and like some fast paced action, maybe you'll like this. But I would say maybe don't go for this if you like character focused stories. But I think I'm impressed enough with this world that I might give the sequel a try, though it probably won't be at the top of my awaiting list.

Definitely more of a 3.5.

This is one more in a recent trend of feminist themed fantasy novels where the women have had enough of being oppressed in a sexist and patriarchal society which doesn't ever let them reach their full potential. It used to be very rare to find a true expression for female rage and even now, it's not something that's well accepted in real life, but I am glad we are getting some narratives which explore this anger. I liked how the author combines a coming of age story with these feminist themes and some fantasy/scifi elements sprinkled throughout.

I am just getting out of a bad reading slump, so I'm glad I found something which made me feel better but I'm upset that I am not really in the right headspace to do a full review. But I hope anyone who likes these kind of stories will give this a try.

I only read this one because it was a group read for a readathon and I had a feeling it would be very eye opening. I also thought it might have some insights into the world of long COVID which is our current reality. And it was all that and more.

I don't have the kind of chronic illnesses that the author and millions others suffer from. I do have chronic hypothyroid for the past few years and had hyperthyroidism during my childhood, so I have a small understanding of what it feels like when you have to go from one doctor to the other so that you may get a solution for your issues. But in the author's case, her various symptoms are debilitating and with no right diagnosis from the myriads of specialists she visits, it's mentally challenging as well.

While chronicling her years and years of suffering, the author also goes deep into the biology and science of autoimmune diseases, their history in the medical world, a general history of how patients with chronic but unexplainable illnesses have been treated over the years, the tendency to blame the patient as lying or the issues as psychological just because the existing science cannot identify a clear cut diagnosis, and the way the corporate medical and insurance industry has created a healthcare system where the “care” part of it is missing - it's all about finding solutions but if a solution can't be found, then gaslight the patients. As a middle class white woman, the author acknowledges that this discrimination increases many fold for BIPOC women.

On the other hand, the author also goes in depth into all the research that she did personally over the years into alternative medical approaches, what other recourses chronic illness patients tried to alleviate their suffering, into diving into non western medicinal practices. There is a lot of information in the book, about the medical side, the alternative holistic healthcare approach side, as well as the socioeconomic and political sides and how all of them contribute to the lack of care for chronic illness patients. And like many advocates she interviews, she hopes that a more patient oriented approach could be a future possibility, where a patient is believed when they talk about their suffering, even when existing technology can't corroborate it with a diagnosis.

Understandably, she reiterates the importance of developing that kind of approach to healthcare as soon as possible because the pandemic has brought to light the many ways chronic illnesses can debilitate daily life in a breadth that has never been seen before. Preliminary observations have shown that Covid infections can ultimately lead to more autoimmune diseases in the long term and just by considering the number of people who have been infected till date and the different ways it is affecting each person - if a very patient focused research and care approach isn't normalized, it will be devastating to millions. The book isn't easy to read, can feel repetitive but that's the nature of the author's illness, can feel overwhelming because there's too much information about too many topics in it, but nevertheless, it's a important issue to read about, especially in a pandemic/ post-pandemic world.

I watched the documentary about Elizabeth Holmes on HBO when it came out and I was astonished by it all. I later got to know about this book but never got the chance to read it before. But I've been on a bit of a binge of non fiction recently and this showed up in my next to read recommendations as soon as I finished Empire of Pain and I thought why not. And this was riveting as hell.

The last investigative reporting book that read like a thriller novel was Ronan Farrow's brilliant Catch and Kill and this one is written very closely in that vein. Similar to Ronan, the author John is the main catalyst behind bringing the truth about Holmes and Theranos in the open and this gives us a deep inside look into the company and the people involved. The author gives us a great account of the kind of person she was growing up and her privileged upbringing, her dream of being an entrepreneur and changing the world, the many brilliant scientists and engineers and executives she managed to recruit for her company and the kind of bullying and revolving door culture that she and her boyfriend Sunny Balwani built at Theranos. It's a thoroughly engaging book, especially the beginning and the last third - the middle can get slightly repetitive because it's about the many employees who arrived at Theranos excited to work on something innovative and ultimately felt disillusioned, couldn't handle the stress of all the lying that they could see happening in all aspects of their work and ultimately left but not without being incessantly bullied and threatened with legal actions for any disclosures - even though their stories are similar and we might be bored reading the same things happening over and over, it clearly shows how many numerous employers could see the scam happening, couldn't continue to be a part of it, but also couldn't speak out because money and lawyers have all the power in corporate America.

I had many different takeaways from this book and it might become a long review but I just feel like venting.
- [ ] Silicon Valley culture is all about talking of innovation and disruption and changing the world but ultimately it's all empty words and everyone is in it for the money, have grandiose ideas about how great they are which are not in touch with reality, and usually give a backseat to ethics and morality because who cares about the means if the end result is a lot of money for the investors. Capitalism has created a world where earnings and profits matter and if people are harmed in the process, it's all acceptable collateral damage.
- [ ] Another point which probably reflects on corporate America's culture, but this whole idea that employees have to be loyal to their companies and be available 24x7 to work because they are changing the world is complete bullsh*t. One can be loyal to the work they do, be honest when talking about it, and have big dreams - but pledging undying loyalty to companies and CEOs who will ensure it forcefully with ironclad non disclosure agreements is just another way that the billionaire and corporate class makes sure that the people who work for them know their place.
- [ ] White privilege really opens doors that are forever closed to many POC aspiring entrepreneurs, even if they have degrees from the Ivies unlike Holmes who is a Stanford dropout. I really can't even dream of a Black or Brown woman ever being able to head a company that was at one time valued at almost $10 billion without ever producing a working end product. If you are a blonde blue eyed charming young woman with an interesting life story and access to an elite network, apparently it's not that hard to convince old white men who happen to be former senators and cabinet secretaries and company CEOs and elite venture capitalists and even someone like General Mattis to believe in you, never ask for proof of what you have developed, be your board members or invest millions. Reading this felt like I was being asked to suspend disbelief even more than any SFF novel. But it's also not that surprising that this is the world we live in.
- [ ] As in Ronan's book, this story also brings to light how the rich use their high priced lawyers to intimidate and bully the normal people and employees and journalists to shut them up and cover up their own wrong doing. David Boies is a repeat figure and after the way he threatened and surveilled journalists and victims during the Harvey Weinstein reporting, seeing him use the exact same tactics here made me very angry. It's the constitutional right for everyone to have legal representation but seeing these so-called “prolific” lawyers always take the side of billionaires and oppress the ones who can hardly stand up to them definitely makes them feel reprehensible in my eyes.

I think I've gone on for long, so I'll just stop here. If you want to read a thrilling real life story about a sociopathic narcissistic entrepreneur, her idea of changing the world, the cheating and lies and grand self-delusions that became a part of the company's culture and the brave people who decided to do something to stop the company before lives were destroyed, do checkout this book. Elizabeth Holmes said many times and probably believed that she was creating one of the most important things for humanity and maybe even creating her own religion, and I hope this book is an eye opener and maybe will help people recognize such cult like figures before they go very far.

This is actually my second time reading this book, it's just that I didn't finish it on my first try. Not that I had any complaints about the writing, it's just that it was a very difficult and sometimes unbearable account of greed and destruction and I couldn't handle it. But I did wanna get to know the whole narrative, so here I am continuing it. And it was as compelling as I was hoping it would be.

The author and journalist is great at creative a narrative and keeping the readers engaged. He starts off this story with the arrival of Isaac Sackler in the US at the turn of the 20th century, who wanted his sons to become doctors and was proud to have given them a “good name”. I guess it's ironic that it's this good name that is currently being removed from all the museums and institutions the family patronized because no one rightfully wants to be associated with them.

Capitalism might be lauded as the only option which will give people power over their own lives and help them earn money but this book shows what a confluence of capitalism, greed, indifference and a broken healthcare system can lead to. The Sacklers might have perfected the formula of relentlessly advertising their drugs in a way that made it impossible for people not to want to try them, while knowing that Oxy had addictive properties and lying about it, and making billions out of it - and they definitely have the largest culpability in this matter - but it would be amiss if we don't also blame the politicians who live in Big Pharma's pockets and would rather the corporations made money than people have affordable healthcare; we can't forget the regulators or other government officials who probably took bribes and looked the other way or even approved the drug without due diligence; the doctors who were enticed by the free gifts and other incentives and forgot their oath while over prescribing Oxy; even the medical journals who promoted it as a wonder drug; and the sales people who were technically only doing their jobs but helped push the drug into the hands of the vulnerable people. Everyone has their own culpability in the death and destruction and trauma that ensued but I'm sure not many will ever face any consequences for what they've done.

The Sackler family is definitely getting away with their billions while Purdue Pharma is the one that's bankrupt. Even the $6 billion settlement that was recently announced can't make up for the more than 500,000 deaths and the families across the country who have been wrecked. And the Sackler family I'm sure has much more money to live a rich life for generations. But in a country where the rich can away with pretty much anything with the veneer of a corporation covering them and when we have politicians who are most concerned about the rights of the billionaires to exploit more people, I guess we should be satisfied with just the fact that the Sackler name will be forever tainted due to being the main progenitors of the opioid crisis and that they have ruined the “good name” their patriarch thought he was giving them.

I saw this book being talked about for the first time by my dear friend Prachi and was immediately interested in it but it's taken me all this while to get to it. But I'm glad I finally did because this is a perspective I definitely needed.

For someone like me who completely believes in the power of stories and who has exceedingly felt that books have enabled me to be a more inclusive and progressive person, this was a much needed look into how stories can work in a different way as well. I didn't grow up with the western fairytales like the author did but I do know about them now, but the way the author dissects them and questions the choices made in these stories from the perspective of a disabled person is very eye opening. It's definitely privilege and ableism and the constant othering of anything or anyone that differs from the so-called “normal”, which has prevented me from ever questioning why in all those fairytales, a happy ending only occurs if the disabled or disfigured person is miraculously cured; why is it that kind people are always beautiful and they are the only ones who deserve to be happy; why is it always the villains who have some disabilities or scars or mental health issues and are gruesomely done away with at the end; why is it that the only two options are either a disabled person gets miraculously cured (ending in an HEA) or is left to die... because a disabled person leading a life they are happy and content with is never even in consideration.

The author marvelously blends her analysis of the fairytales and their generational influence on our society with her own life experiences as a person with cerebral palsy. Her struggles with bullying in childhood were heartbreaking to read because which ten year old doesn't want to imagine herself as a princess with beautiful looks and clothes and shoes; and how the real world constantly reminds her that it's not an option for her because the society has determined that she isn't “normal”. I also resonated a lot with the years of her depression and how she felt at the time because I've had some years like that myself (maybe a little less intense) and I could clearly feel her pain.

The author's call for change is not just important for the disabled community but for society as a whole. It is high time we stop defining things as normal and other and start understanding the diversity in bodies as well as minds. It's not on the shoulders of the disabled person to fit into a society which does everything possible to exclude them.. it's our duty as a society to create a world that fits every kind of person and let's them live their life to the fullest and thrive. And we should do this through our thoughts, our words, our stories and our actions.

I think I got to know about this book first because Rachel Maddow mentioned it quite a few times (including very recently when Russia started its war on Ukraine) and has also hosted the author on her show. But I don't know why I never actually picked it up before. But somehow this felt like the right time.

This short book is essentially an extended essay by the author about the various ways to identify authoritarianism, how to ensure that we keep our thoughts in check and survive any emotional brainwashing, and how to move forward individually and with others to form a resistance against the rise of tyranny. But on the other hand, it is also terrifying in how prescient and relevant it is for today's times. The author might be evoking the fascist and Nazi regimes of Italy and Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union and currently Putin's Russia and all the atrocities they committed, but what he does emphasize more is how they rose to power, the methodologies they used in those times, and how those same tools have been modernized for our Internet age and being used against us again. The particular parallels he draws between the rise of past authoritarian regimes and the rhetoric and devices used by president 45 during and after his term are singularly scary and and it almost feels like 2020 was a narrow and lucky escape. But the main lesson of this book is that the escape was very narrow and we got lucky, but we want to continue to protect our democracy, it's time to take action.

There are 20 lessons to take from here. All of them are important but there are definitely a few I think we all need to learn even if we are not fighting to preserve our democracy - verify truths and facts, and mind the language you use, before presenting them to others; gain a historical as well as a current global perspective; help others in whichever way possible; and finally, take responsibility for your actions. This is a must read for everyone, even more so due to the current moment we are living in.

This was more of a 3.5 I think.

I don't think I remember much about the movie Satya except the two most popular songs and how much I loved the acting of Manoj Bajpai and Shefali Shah. I was only a 10 year old and I probably shouldn't have been watching a gangster film but I was a fan of RGV's movies and me and my family were excited to watch it. I don't know what I felt then but I'm hindsight, it's easy to see the kind of impact this movie had on Hindi cinema, not only in terms of the gangster movie genre but also the amount of talent that came out of it, who remain influential and honored to this day... except maybe the maker RGV himself.

So when I saw this audiobook suddenly while browsing, I knew I had to read it. Books about Hindi cinema always fascinate but I'm never sure where to look for and who are the authors writing them. So a chance encounter felt like providence and I started listening immediately. I liked how this book wasn't much about the gossipy side of filmmaking and concentrated more on the technical aspects, how difficult it was to make a film like this in those times and all the lengths that the technicians went to, to make it possible. It's a story of grit and resilience but also silliness and conviction and you can totally see all that reflected in the movie. There was parts of the book which weren't as engaging as I wanted them to be, but listening to it was an easy experience and I liked the narration by Faraz Khan.

If you are a casual fan, I don't know if this book will work for you. But if you like knowing a bit about the filmmaking process behind one of Hindi cinema's defining movie from the 90s, you should check this out.

I've been ecstatic since I saw the announcement of this book because I had assumed A Spindle Splintered was a standalone but I'm so glad this exists. And I just had to read it as soon as I got my arc because how can I wait.

Did I just forget how funny and snarky the first book was or did the author just take it all up a notch, I don't know. But the main character Zinnia's internal monologue as well as most of the things that come out of her mouth are very sassy and outright hilarious. She is ofcourse employing this tactic so that she doesn't have to show her vulnerable side or face her own reality, but is prepared to dive into universe after universe to save different versions of princesses from their terrible fates, just so that she doesn't have to face hers. But this time, she is in for something different.

When she comes face to face with the Evil Queen from a different fairytale, Snow White, she is not prepared for it - how do you help a woman who is also probably actively trying to torture you? Their interactions go from bitter to snarky to forced to honest, showing a growth in both their characters. Zinnia understands that she can find her happiness within her life without worrying about when it will end, and the Evil Queen learns that she doesn't always have to make choices just to survive, she can also make them to live a life on her terms. We also get some little cameos which prove to be the necessary catalysts for our two characters' growth; and we also get to see how the story of Snow White and the Evil Queen gets warped into different versions across realms, where the lines get blurred between heroine and villain, between good and evil. Add in some chaos across the multiverse, and it makes for an exciting romp of a novella.

Overall, it was a delight. I loved being back in this world and I liked this ending because it felt hopeful for everyone involved. If you are someone who likes fractured fairytales with lots of humor, sassy women and some very interesting feminist takes on the age old tales, do go for this series. While I couldn't get access to the audiobook this time around, I'll probably still recommend that format because I remember the narrator bringing a lot more personality to the story and just overall making the humor come alive.

This book was huge and very intimidating but because I decided this was gonna be a series I have to catch up on this year, I managed to get through it. But I guess I wasn't expecting the turn it took. One, it's way too dark than I thought it would be. I never pick up grimdark because I just can't handle it and this one took a deep turn into that territory. There was so much world building, with different realms and magic systems, gods and artifacts that I got quite a bit confused. I also wasn't sure whom to root for because I liked Annev a lot in book 1 but I didn't feel the same here anymore. It was overall an ok book, but it was too long for what actually happened. And I don't think I'll continue the series because it's definitely only gonna get darker.

I've been reading consistently this month but somehow I'm not feeling too good and that's definitely been affecting what I'm reading. So I thought something comforting would be the right pick and what can be more comforting than this lovely new installment in my favorite cozy mystery series.

I know I've mentioned this many times but I have to say again, I so wish Miracle Springs was a really town, Miracle Books and Gingerbread House existed, and I could go there for a vacation. Even though a HP reference right on the first page irritated me, I continued reading but I do wish that the author would discontinue its usage. The writing is light and soothing right from the get go, even though we get some bad vibes at times just like our main character Nora. I also liked how the author managed to connect little plot points from the first book here and give little hints throughout before the final reveal. There were actually quite a few mysteries to solve here and I could only guess one, but the way the characters deduced the clues was quite fun. As usual there were many book recommendations given all through the story, and it's always fun when I've read most of them and can see why Nora is making those recommendations.

My highlight of this book was definitely seeing the friendship of Nora and Sheriff McCabe turning into something more. They've always seemed sweet together but it was never the right time for them before, but I'm glad they can finally try. Their interactions are lovely and they are very understanding and supportive of each other. Hester and Andrews's relationship is put through the wringer in this one and I can only hope they'll be able to move forward without any resentments. There were quite a few new characters (alive and dead) that we get to know about and everyone was quite interesting. As usual, the book club meetings made me jealous that I didn't have a girl gang like this who could meet up every week and gush over books. There was also a Blind Date Book Bash which felt like a dream and how I wished I could be transported into the pages.

In the end, what new can I say which I haven't already in my reviews of the previous installments. If you like strong female friendships, delicate relationships, cozy mysteries, an absolutely amazing book store and a mouthwatering bakery, then you can't miss this series. It always makes my day.