10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

Have you ever thought about what happens to a person after their death? Do they go to heaven or hell? Or you believe that the body function stops and that is the end of it? Explore Elif Shafak’s version of post death in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World with me, won’t you?

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About 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Book Name: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

Author: Elif Shafak

Genre: Fiction – Drama

Characters: Tequila Leila, Sabotage Sinan, Nostalgia Nalan, Jameelah, Zaynab122 and Hollywood Humeyra

Setting: Istanbul, Turkey

Plot Summary of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

The book begins with the death of the protagonist Leila and we walk through her life during the last few minutes of her consciousness. With her body disposed in a dumpster dismissively, her mind wanders through her recollections of her childhood, her family disowning her and finding her own set of friends and finally her murder. 

Along the journey we are taken on a ride to visit a patriarch family that has grown more and more orthodox while struggling with a child with Down syndrome and the pressure that had on a smart young girl with two mothers who would not speak against their devout father. 

We also see glimpses of the streets from the forbidden parts of the city, that we are encouraged to look away from where our protagonist meets her beloved friends who turn out to be ‘her family’. 

When Leila’s body is finally buried in a cemetery for the “companionless”, the friends take it upon themselves to help her rest in peace. Did they succeed in getting their friend the end she deserved form the rest of the story in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. 

Book review of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

This is just more than a story of a dead sex worker and her friends. It is a tale of the minorities – the “wayward” women, the queers, the physically different of Istanbul and anyone who wouldn’t fit the norms of a “society”. It is also a tale of friendship and how family is about whom you choose to be with. 

I was not happy with the author’s The Forty rules of love and I was reluctant to pick this one. 

But I liked the author’s writing style – well, the part one. I loved the part one about the city and its rich history and culture. But the second part was slow and dragging and I actually had to skim. The distinction in the writing and narrative style felt too different between the two parts made was too glaring to ignore.

Things that worked for me

  • I liked the non linear narrative and that kept me on my toes. 
  • I loved knowing about Istanbul via its history and politics, and through the lives of these friends. 

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I wish there was a smooth transition between both the parts.
  • Even though I felt the friends set a bit of cliche but I liked their dynamic. 

Bottom-line

If you are a fan of Elif Shafak or The Forty rules of love, you will love the book. For others, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World would be a great choice if you want to read about richly woven historical tale about the minorities in Istanbul. 

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

Kiss Quotient, The – A book review

I hope y’all still believe in “better than late never“, because I am talking about a book that many of you have read and spoken to death about. Yes, I am talking about The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. And if you are one of those rare souls that haven’t read this yet, let my review convince you!

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About the book

elgeewrites Kiss Quotient, The - A book review Kiss Quotient

Book Name: The Kiss Quotient

Author: Helen Hoang

Genre: Fiction – Romance

Characters: Stella Lane, Michael Phan

Setting: Silicon Valley, CaliforniaThe United States of America

The plot

When her mother forces her to get married, the autistic Stella Lane hires a male escort to teach her the ways to please a man. Stella is a highly intelligent econometrician who is socially inept and hence generally poor in understanding people and thus relationships.

Micheal Phan works as an escort on Fridays to pay his ailing mother’s huge hospital bills. He is good at what he does and he is strict about not rebooking his clients, even if they pay well. Well everything changes when he is hired by Stella. 

There is an instant connection between them but they resist because professional boundaries and miscommunication. Do they or not end up together forms the rest of The Kiss Quotient.

My initial thoughts

I took the book right from the first page. It is a story that we have all heard before but what makes The Kiss Quotient a good book are the protagonists.

The characters are so well thought and developed with depth. None of the cardboard stereotypes that are a dozen a dime in the Kissing Quotient. Both Stella and Micheal made me laugh and cry when they did. 

I liked the fact that the author didn’t cheapen autism or oversell it. Even I, who have very little personal experience with autism, could understand a lot about the spectrum and Stella as a person. I would consider that a win for Helen Hoang. 

Yay for the representation (autism, Asian (Vietnamese) characters and a male sex worker)! And extra credit for not shaming the sex work in anyway.

Things that worked for me

  • The writing is so easy to read and I couldn’t put the book down at all.
  • I loved the well developed characters. 
  • The Kiss Quotient is kinda smutty but it works so well. Kudos to the author!

Things that didn’t work for me

Definitely not a young adult novel, as some believe it to be. Lots of steamy scenes. So beware. 

Bottom-line

If you are looking to beat the boring afternoons during the lock down, pick The Kiss Quotient without a doubt. This racy, funny romance will steal your heart away for sure!

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

Bookish life of Nina Hill, The- A book review

What is your dream life like? If you are a bookworm, I kinda think you will be jealous of the life of Nina Hill. I am not even an introvert and yet I was. I totally loved the book, the writing, as should every bookworm. Go ahead read to find what’s so good about The bookish life of Nina Hill, okay?

About the book

Bookish life of Nina Hill

Book Name: The bookish life of Nina Hill

Author: Abbi Waxman

Genre: Fiction – Romance

Characters: Nina Hill, Tom Byrnes, Peter Reynolds, Archie Reynolds, Liz Quinn, Lydia & Katherine Reynolds, Polly Culligan, Eliza & Millie Reynolds, Alice Reynolds, Lili, Annabelle & Clare, Sarkassian

Setting: Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe United States of America

What is your dream life like? If you are a bookworm, I kinda think you will be jealous of the life of Nina Hill. Go ahead read to find what's so good about The bookish life of Nina Hill, okay? Click To Tweet

The plot

Nina Lee Hill, an anxious introverted bookworm leads a perfect life with her job in a bookstore, a great trivia and Phil, her cat. She takes books seriously and actually considers talking to non readers worthless. Yep, seriously. And oh she is a list maker and planner! (See, whats not to like?)

When she comes to know that her estranged father is dead, she doesn’t realize her perfect world may not be as is. She has a family and a huge one at that. And also she might be named in his will. Also her arch nemesis from the trivia club, Tom may not be so bad after all. 

How would Nina be able to cope with all these sudden changes forms the rest of The bookish life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman and you definitely should be reading it.

My initial thoughts

I was hooked with just the blurb and the title. I mean I loved the premises and the plot and the mere fact that there is going to be a lot of bookish-ness in the book. And I was not disappointed at all.

On a more serious note, I am sure most bookworms would feel relatable to Nina and her love for all bookish things. Other characters are too perfect to believe, I loved them anyway. 

I loved that Nina wasn’t portrayed as a typical nerdy, closed introvert but as someone who has a social life with select people. Her time is well divided between trivia, movies with friends (or alone) and book club meetings. See, bookworms are not all alone, in reality!

I love a book with a family reunion, or new family in this case. The bookish life of Nina Hill is more of drama than a romance and I really liked that the romance takes a backseat after a while. I wish the author had spent a little more time to this aspect of the book and cut short on her inner ramblings. 

Things that worked for me

  • Very relatable characters that are well developed. 
  • I loved the witty conversations sprinkled here and there.
  • Books. Books. Lists. BOOKS EVERYWHERE.

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I literally rolled my eyes when I read about stereotypical “fabulous gay nephew”.
  • The first few chapters with so many references and facts wore me a bit down. 

Bottom-line

If you are bookworm whose life revolves around books and bookish things, The bookish life of Nina Hill is definitely for you. Easily one of the good books I read in 2019. 

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

How to Build a Heart – A book review

Remember a few weeks ago, I was on a reading spree? Yup, the rare occasion. So I picked up How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian on Netgalley and even I was surprised that I finished it so fast. But was it good enough? Read ahead to know more. 

I picked up #HowToBuildAHeart by Maria Padian on #Netgalley and I surprised myself by finishing it so fast. But was it good enough? Read ahead to know more.  #Bookreview #review #bookblogger Click To Tweet

About the book

elgeewrites How to Build a Heart - A book review How to Build a Heart

Book Name: How to Build a Heart

Author: Maria Padian

Genre: Fiction – Romance

Characters: Isabella (Izzy) and Jack Crawford, Mami, Roz Jenkins, Sam and Aubrey Shackelton,

Setting: VirginiaThe United States of America

The plot

All her life Izzy Crawford has been moving between cities and she can’t wait to settle down at a house that she can call hers, with her hard working mother and younger brother. She has not still learned to process the grief over her father’s death in the Marines and moving away from his side of the family doesn’t help.

But her life is finally coming together. Izzy has made some new friends in her Catholic school, finds herself a spot in a cappella group and a hot and popular boy friend, Sam. Just one minor problem, none of them knows that she lives in a trailer park. 

Her best friend Roz, who also happens to be her neighbour in the trailer park, is the only one who understands her but Izzy’s mom doesn’t approve of her. And she has had a long time crush on Sam, which Izzy had known right from the beginning. 

So when the Habitat for Humanity offers to help them to build a house, she has a chance to make everything better. But that comes up with strings. You will have to read How to Build a Heart to know more about Izzy and her house building project. 

My initial thoughts

I was glad that romance was not the main focus of How to Build a Heart, even though it was a romance book. It is a family drama/reunion story, and I loved it as much. I liked the older females in the book and Izzy’s relationship with her newfound cousin. 

I didn’t like the main friendship in How to Build a Heart so much that I ended up not liking both Izzy and Roz. Izzy doesnt tell Roz anything and made it a point to keep Roz away from her life. And Roz in other hand was always mean to Izzy and literally threw a stone at her over a boy. Whoa! 

And they got over their fight so easily? Well, I didn’t buy that one at all.  Despite not loving the characters, I loved the writing style which was compelling and fast flowing. 

Things that worked for me

  • The writing was perfect and I didn’t put the book down even once. 
  • How to Build a Heart deals with difficult topics like poverty, racism, and grief and did a great job at it. 
  • I love a book with a good family reunion and How to Build a Heart has one!

Things that didn’t work for me

  • Izzy and Roz were both difficult to like right from the beginning. And it got only tougher.
  • I found it was difficult to adore Izzy and same, as Izzy had nothing in common with Sam.

Bottom-line

How to Build a Heart is a coming of age tale of a Latin American girl that discusses economic inequity, racism, friendship and of course love. I will definitely look out for more from the author.

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

Convenience Store Woman – A book review

I recently read The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa and loved it, and I picked Convenience Store Woman on a whim hoping it will continue that streak. Let us get on with the review to know if it did, shall we?

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About the book

Convenience Store Woman Review cover

Book Name: Convenience Store Woman

Author: Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)

Genre: Fiction – Drama

Characters: Keiko Furukura, Shiraha

Setting: Tokyo, Japan

The plot

Keiko Furukura, a 36 year old convenience store worker, doesn’t fit into the social constructs. She doesn’t have a husband or a boyfriend, kids nor a well paying job – in short an outcast. 

Keiko has been working at the same convenience store for eighteen years and has a routine that works for her. She has no interest in trying to fit in to the society but conveniently masks her oddities. She goes even to the extent of faking an illness which makes her too weak to work anywhere else. 

Her peaceful life goes into a toss when she meets another part time worker, Shiraha who is an outcast as well. They share a lot of commonalities, and they even get into a relationship charade to shut the voices of the society.

How did that turn out? You will have to read Convenience Store Woman to know more. 

My initial thoughts

I love reading character driven books and Convenience Store Woman does a great work at that. Keiko is a strong character who accepts and has no problem being the odd duck. She survives the pressure on woman to marry and birth a child at the right age without openly rebelling against the system. She is on the brink of a break down and yet manages to get through the motions of life. I adore the odd duck she was. 

Convenience Store Woman is a melancholic, relatable and yet so surreal.  It is quintessentially Japanese and is a great choice to read if you want to know more about the country’s culture and society. 

I liked reading about the operations of a convenience store and the role it plays in helping Keiko to mimic other humans. Maybe she is on the spectrum but the author never explicitly discusses that. I am glad I found Convenience Store Woman among the hundreds of recommendations on bookstagram.

Things that worked for me

  • Convenience Store Woman gives a great commentary on the culture and society of Japan.
  • The characters are etched to perfection. I could relate to them so deeply that it scares me.
  • I loved the poignant undertone all through the book.

Things that didn’t work for me

Even though the book is comical in bits, but I saw many reviews saying this book was hysterical or funny. It wasn’t. Amusing maybe. Funny – no!

Bottom-line

If you love character driven books and translated works, Convenience Store Woman is a great choice. If you liked books like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time, this is for you!

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10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World – A book review

Travelling Cat Chronicles, The – A book review

Cats scare me terribly! I have nightmares about them. I might have even walked around an entire block to avoid getting anywhere near them (more than once).

Naturally, I was skeptical about picking The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, thanks to a friend’s persistent recommendation. Read on to find how that turned out for me.

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About the book

Travelling Cat Chronicles

Book Name: The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Author: Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel (Translator)

Genre: Fiction – Drama

Characters: Satoru, Nana, Kozuke, Yoshimine, Sugi and Chikako, Noriko

Setting: Tokyo, Japan

The plot

Satoru finds a feral cat with a crooked tail resting on his silver van and begins feeding it, regularly. They settle into an understanding that he would get to pet the cat for food. But then, the cat meets with an accident and it is Satoru that nurses him back. One thing leads to another, he adopts the cat and names him Nana, much to the indignation of the cat! 

Nana and Satoru settle into a comfortable companionship. After a few years, Satoru decides to give away Nana and they embark on a journey to find a suitable home among his friends. Read The Travelling Cat Chronicles to join the duo on their travel through Japan and Satoru’s childhood memories!

My initial thoughts

I LOVED THIS BOOK – there I said it! It might made me laugh. Had me heartbroken. Once I even got frowned upon for letting out a chuckle while on the treadmill at the gym. Despite having guessed the climax, I was not prepared for it. I didn’t want the book to end but I am glad it ended the way it did. 

Our cat Nana, is feisty, snarky and funny as a cat can be (sorry, Garfield). There are multiple POVs but I obviously, loved Nana’s version the best. His overconfident attitude and voice was how I imagined how pets to be like. Great work with the translation. I was able to feel how South East Asian the story was, yet could relate to it, cat lover or not.

Things that worked for me

  • The easy writing style hooked me right from the beginning.
  • It has a perfect balance between funny and heart breaking. 
  • The book didn’t feel like a translated work at all, and kudos to the translator! 

Things that didn’t work for me

  • The plot is pretty predictable and don’t look for anything “intense”.

Bottom-line

The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a feel good book, with a bittersweet ending. Be prepared to cry, laugh and snicker throughout!

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