MellowDrama

The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar is a fantasy book which has recently released. Not only that it is a fantasy inhabited by an all female pirate crew and that is what makes it all the more thrilling and fun, an adventure to be on! Before anything else on the book, here is a big thank you to the author, publishers at Puffin Books and my blog host Dave of The Write Reads for my eARC.  As usual let us begin with the cover. I am in love with these bright colours that and the image of the ship visible from a window as if in a distant dream. And that is almost exactly how we plunge into the Aleja's story. Aleja's heart thirsts for adventure but the only thing that is proving to be a hurdle in her setting off on a journey at high seas is the fact that she is a girl. Aleja is an interesting character who steals away at night to visit the library or just climb and jump across the walls of her city located near the Spanish harbour. But when the fabled vessel called The Ship of Shadows...

The Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall is indeed one of its kind. The brief on the first book in this fantasy series sounded so good, that I, who barely ever reads anything other than crime and thrillers was hooked. Before we go any further, here is a big thank you to the author, the publishers and Dave at The Write Reads for giving me spot on the blog train. So, let us start with the cover. Have you seen anything more firebrand, anything more fantastic than the art on this cover?! It is absolutely brilliant and I believe world-class! Knightmare Arcanist is the story of a grave digger Volke Savan who yearns to be more than what the society has chosen for him. He wants to emulate his hero Gregory Ruma whose life it seems is stuff of stories and legends. But before he can go on, on his personal adventures, Savan must become an arcanist- someone who can wield magic-  and for that he needs  to connect with a mythical creature. And he won't let anything stop him even if he has to...

A smart, funny and insightful book- Rage against the Minivan is this and more. I am a mother of two and was looking for people like me- whose homes are a mess and their lives even messier, filled with immense love and guilt thanks to their kids- when I came across Kristen Howerton's account on Instagram. I began to follow her there and.knew that I wasn't alone in feeling like a pendulum as far as my kids were concerned- loving them in an instant and wishing to wash them off my hands in another.  So of course, I had to get to her book the instant Net Galley and publishers offered it here. I had no doubts that it would be a book that I would love but I was not ready for some of the emotional rides it took me upon. Kristen has four kids ( I don't know if it matters that two of them are adopted black kids)= she does write about them and her experiences bringing them up but also shares some stories about struggles with infertility and miscarriage. Written in a very intimate styl...

Wow!! If you love a good murder mystery then this  classic Japanese mystery from Pushkin Vertigo is definitely a must read for you. The story is a little eerie, the crime heinous, the sleuth scruffy-looking and the other elements present in just the right proportions to make it a great read even today years after it was first published in  1946.  The book is a locked room mystery told by a writer of Detective stories who is visiting the scene of crime years after it was committed and solved to, what else, write about it. We meet the host of characters in the wealthy Ichiyanagi family which is getting ready to celebrate the marriage of the eldest son. The setting is the year 1937 and a small Japanese village and Yokomizo gives us a glimpse of the social and cultural norms of the rural life of that era. A rumour is also fast gaining weight while the village gossips about the wedding and family. It seems a dangerous  man has been asking questions about the family, And t...

The book and its author try to make these Heroes accessible to one and all by telling their stories in brief. This itself becomes a pro as well as a con for the readers. While the simplification works, add to that Fry's trademark sense of humour, the length at times seemed jarring. 

Dread, Short Stories by Aseem Rastogi is a very small ebook published last month by Blogchatter during the month long e-book carnival. There are five stories in the book, of varying lengths. The thread tying them together is the emotion that finds an echo in each one of them. That emotion is FEAR. A young couple at a safari, a man who had everything working for him in life, an office goer and more make up the cast of the stories.  I can hardly write anything about the stories here without giving up the gist but I can definitely say that Aseem knows how to keep his readers glued to the pages of the e-book. Aseem is a passionate blogger  and traveller. You can get a glimpse of his well travelled soul in the various stories which take place from New Delhi to Grasslands to London.   The stories are written well, the language playing in its author's hands to instil exactly what he aims at, dread. I am no brave-heart but continued reading the 35 paged book in one sitting e...

A dysfunctional family drama that is full of all the usual suspects and Marian Keyes' unmatched wit. Grown Ups makes or a lighthearted read that will keep you laughing out loud from time to time while looking closely at your own family and imaging how many of you did actually grow up over the years. Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together - birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. And they're a happy family. Johnny's wife, Jessie - who has the most money - insists on it. Everything stays under control until Ed's wife Cara, gets concussion and can't keep her thoughts to herself. One careless remark at Johnny's birthday party, with the entire family present, starts Cara spilling out all their secrets. In the subsequent unravelling, every one of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's time - finally - to grow up? Keyes writes with a certain sincerity and ...

I haven't read as fantastic a book as Karma Brown's Recipe for a Perfect Wife in a long long while. Also not this fast. The book oscillates between the tales of a current day wife Alice Hale and the life of Nellie Murdoch a homemaker who lived in the house that lice now occupies with her husband, during the 1950s.  Alice stumbles upon an old cookbook of Nellie's and not just finds recipes to try but a window in Nellie's life. As she discovers her cooking skills with the help of recipes in the book and Nellie's garden she also discovers the stories from Nellie's life hidden in between the pages of the book. While Alice struggles with finding her own identity within her marriage and life, she finds herself immersing and adopting some of Nellie's choices. Does Alice find herself or does she lose herself further while trying to become a perfect wife? This book must also be praised for the format. Every chapter on Alice opens with hilarious advice for women on ho...