Bookmarks and Popcorns

Genre:  Chick-lit Author:  Lauren Weisberger Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ “Oh, don't be silly - EVERYONE wants this. Everyone wants to be us ” I don’t know about you, but I feel this book created and pushed a lot of standards (not necessarily all good). The Devil Wears Prada is a book about Andrea Sachs and the witty way by which she navigated herself through a highly dangerous career in an explosively dynamic field. Andrea Sachs is a quiet, no-drama English Graduate who is looking for an editorial job in the magazine industry in New York City. But the odds are not in her favor as she gets a job as a junior assistant for the Editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly, in one of the fashion magazines – Runway. For someone who wears minimal make-up and has a low fashion sense, Andrea struggles in her new job, only initially. She learns things soon enough. Inspite of solid competition and an unappreciative boss, she learns to rise into recognition. But what after that? She also has a troublemaker for a ...

Genre:  Mystery, drama, thriller Author:  Sidney Sheldon Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ “ Business is a game, played for fantastic stakes, and you’re in competition with experts. If you want to win, you have to learn to be a master of the game ” I always knew how big an author Sidney Sheldon was. But as a teen, I was not supposed to read his books. You know… Because of the adult content. So like any other good teenager, I read his books in secrecy. And this book was my first act of reading-stealth (I know that’s not a real term. But you know what I’m saying, right?). In short, if I were Ginny Weasley, this book would be Tom Riddle’s Diary that opened a Chamber of Secrets into Sidney Sheldon’s World. Master of the Game is a book about passion, business and family drama of the highest esteem. A story that talks of four generations of the McGregor/Blackwell family that dealt with diamond trading. Jamie McGregor, a diamond prospector, goes to South Africa on a quest for diamonds and rises to powe...

  Two demons, bound by love As sweet as hatred’s hold As passionate as flames, As eternal as cold. Their love, a force that even gods fear Painful and powerful as a drop of tear. In fierce, they entwine, A bond inexplicably divine. In shadows deep, they dance and play A faith that never shall betray. A choice that never shall falter, An oath at doom’s altar. Let the demons love and rive For, in hell’s embrace, they shall revive                                          - Sea Boy and Juniper *** Click  here  for the Instagram post. Click  here  for my Instagram profile. Click  here  for my Goodreads profile. Click  here  for my Pinterest profile.

  Genre:  Mystery, Drama Author:  Shivani Malhotra Before I proceed with the book review, I would like to apologise to the author, Shivani Malhotra, for the late submission. The delay was due to some personal reasons. I am terribly sorry. Content Warning: The book contains sensitive content. If you are someone who’s going through emotional or mental trauma, read the book after you feel like you are ready to pick it up. Acquainting with someone is no big deal. An acquaintance with trust is what makes a bond. Trust seals belief, safety and comfort. But when that trust in someone significant breaks down, will one break along? Letters from a Dead Girl is a story about the mystery behind the death of Simran, a smart and bold college student. To puzzle things out more, after her death, Simran’s friends and family receive letters from her. Determined to solve the mystery, Simran’s brother takes every step to uncovering the truth. The answer to the question: Was it really a suici...

Hi there! If this is your first time here, welcome to my blog, let me introduce myself. If you already know me, let me remind you of my existence 😂 🍁 I am Shreeja. I live in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. I love to read, write and binge-watch movies and series. I also have a bookstagram account (Account in Instagram that talks about books). Do check it out if you can find time. 🍁 I launched my blog account back in 2020. But, within a year, I went missing for a while for personal reasons. I was in need of mental peace, without which even reading seemed hard and forced. 🍁 Now that I am back with, what I believe, a good state of mind and soul, let's talk books. Since I have a lot of catching up to do, let's connect as well. In comments or DM, whichever works for you. 🍁 I know it's not gonna be easy to get back to the progress I was in. But I will try and give my best to do what I love without fearing judgement. I believe in myself. I hope you'd give me some love and supp...

Genre: Children’s book Author: Ruskin Bond Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I was first introduced to Ruskin Bond in the Reading Comprehension section of my English exam. The passage spoke about how he launched his book and distributed signed copies after. I thought the whole thing was made up. A British descent named Ruskin “Bond” who writes stories based in India! Everything about it seemed made-up for the kid in me. Had I read a different passage about him, would I have picked up his books sooner? The Blue Umbrella is the story of Binya, a little girl who exchanges her lucky leopard’s claw pendant for a pretty blue umbrella that is more of a prized possession than a useful one. She, a little girl, takes it along with her everywhere she goes and everyone who sees the umbrella envies her. There is a person ( Ram Bharosa)  in the village who does more than just envy her. What happens to the umbrella? Will Binya lose it or have it forever? What is so special about this umbrella that it deserves ...

Genre: Romance Author: Rohit Sharma Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The truth is, everyone, no matter how rich or poor he is, is skirmishing with this battle called life. Whether we win it or lose it, depends upon if we surrender, or we stay strong and positive.” Love is something that means different things to different people. But no, it is not an illusion. Love, to me, is magic. It has the power and force that science cannot explain. Power and force to create, destroy, survive, and thrive. It could be your dream or your nightmare or mere sight. What is it to you, is up to you to decide. Moving on from that serious intro, tell me, have you ever wished for the beads of your dupatta to get caught in some guy’s watch or bracelet? Have you wondered why you have never bumped into a guy and let your books fall so that you both could pick them up in slow motion? Yeah, I know da. Me too! Well, here’s a story that made me wonder why I hadn’t tried the Titanic Suicide scene yet. (Jk. I did not wonder t...

  Genre: Coming of age, Romance Author: Debashrita Manik Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ I know I have given a rating of 3 stars. But it’s more 2.5ish. “Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.” - Marcus Aurelius This is a quote I came across on Pinterest while I was searching for a quote on Fate. And I really liked this one, and it seemed the perfect fit for the book The Fate I Cherished. The Fate I cherished is the debut book of author  Debashrita Manik.  The book tells the story of Pihu – a girl from Cuttack, Odisha, who has the perfect husband and a settled life. Pihu has recently launched her debut book. She feels delighted and blessed for everything she has, except for one thing. She constantly misses her best friend who had left her. Who is this best friend? Why did she leave Pihu? Was Pihu’s life always this perfect? Pihu had a lot of plans for her life along with her best friend. But ...

October month is the month for my spooky buddies. You all know why! It’s the month of Halloween. Of course, we don’t particularly celebrate Halloween in India. It’s not a holiday for us. But years have passed. Earth has revolved a lot more number of times. Cultures have influenced in many ways. Some Indians celebrate Halloween by throwing costume parties. But most of us just sit and watch horror movies just like the rest of the world. Why? Come on! We live in a digital world and our virtual life is more happening than our real life. And when we have a more happening virtual life, we will easily get charmed by the rest of the world and enchanted to join them. I am not saying I am very proud of this aspect of me. I am just saying I know I am not alone in living this life. If you are shy and ashamed and admit to this part of your life. It’s okay. You don’t have to admit it. Just stick around because, you know, birds of a feather, go crazy together. Anyway, as I was saying, Halloween t...

  Genre: Non-fiction Author: Raina Singhwi Jain Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power, and beauty that nature can bestow – in some parts a very paradise on Earth – I should point to India” – Max Mueller. As I have mentioned before, India, being the most populous democracy with the coexistence of various cultures, faces many questions and problems that arise day by day in large numbers. But did you know that there was once a time when India was called The Golden Bird? India was one of the richest lands brimming with its treasures. Every country wanted to trade here and looked up at this land. But this was way past when no one had invaded; before India was named so by the British. After all the invasions, India’s economy dropped massively. There was another country with a similar story – China. China took thoughtful steps and worked immensely to not just bring up its economy, but also to be ...

Genre:  Romance, Classic, Victorian Literature Author:  Charlotte Brontë Rating:  Read the disclaimer Disclaimer: I don’t usually rate classics. But if I did, I would be rating Jane Eyre 10/5 stars. Does that make sense? Why would I rate it like that? But then, this is not a review, it is more of a book discussion. And this discussion is going to reveal why I would rate Jane Eyre so. Read on. Jane Eyre, O, you girl! How could I explain how much you gravitate my adorations and respect! I don't know why the school did not encourage us to read this as much as they did Sherlock Holmes. I don't know why parents or elders did not talk about this as much as they did Pride and Prejudice. Jane Eyre should be a must-read to every girl out there. A plain-looking, simple girl who is one of the best characters ever. But firstly, let me tell you why. Jane Eyre, orphaned at a very young age, was taken into her maternal uncle's house and mistreated by her aunt and her son. But ...

  Genre: Crime fiction Author: Chetan Bhagat Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ “Love seemed elusive to us, but we had something else. We had friendship, which in many ways is even more beautiful than love.” I know I have given a rating of 3 stars. But it’s more 2.5ish. Okay. I have this book because my friend gifted it to me. And he gifted it to me because I asked him to. You have to understand that I was a huge fan of Chetan Bhagat as a teenager. I had developed a habit of reading his books ASAP. Song: Dharala Prabhu Title Track (by Anirudh Ravichander) Now I am finding it hard to get rid of this habit. You know it’s unfair how an author starts disappointing you more and more  after you have fully become his fan. It’s not fair because when you become someone’s fan, there is this inbuilt loyalty in your adorations for that person’s work. And loyalties are hard to ditch just like that. Okay, enough with my whining. Let’s jump to the business. One Arranged Murder is a story of 2 detecti...