The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier

I bought this book from Blossom Book House last year. Though I have read several works of Daphne Du Maurier, I had never heard of this one until my aunt told me about it.

The narrator in the book- Richard Young, is not really working at the time. He has a very close scientist friend Magnus, who develops a drug which can port a person mentally to another time. Magnus requests Richard to test it for him. Now, the person who is porting to another time is an invisible spectator to the events of the time they are transported into and can only observe but of course not influence anything in that world. Richard is initially reluctant to try, however, on the persuasion of Magnus agreed to test the drug on himself (being a clinical research professional, I do not condone such an approach to drug testing). Richard stations himself in Magnus' mansion in Kilmarth which is supposed to be really ancient and constructed several centuries ago. He is transported to 14th century England and finds himself amidst the aristocracy of the time. Also, he finds himself following a steward of the time- Roger, a pivotal figure in Richard's ported world. Richard enjoys what he sees, and takes frequent "trips" to the past to a point that he gets obsessed with what he sees and his curiosity of know how things unfold gets a stronger grip of him.

As and when Richard continues to take the drug, the related side-effects grows stronger and stronger. Richard is married to an American- Vita who has two boys. All of them fly to Kilmarth to accompany Richard but he is in a point in his life, where he could do without them due to his obsession with the trips. Vita is an intelligent and very inquisitive person. She observes Richard strange behaviour but is not able to put her finger on the reason for it. She believes it has something to do with Magnus but is not sure, what exactly. The story takes an unfortunate turn leading to an inquest which find Richard in the middle of things. It is very obvious to Richard that whatever happened was due to the drug but he manages to deceptively conceal it. He does not learn from it and continues taking his trips until he finds strangling his wife. It is this time that he realises that it is time to seek for help, which he does. He rids himself of the drug and decides to take a break from the place- only to find some more which he had hidden but forgotten about and decides to take one last trip. Fortunately for him, this trip gives him the closure he needed and the story ends there. For more details, you have to read the book.

I think the book was much ahead of its time. It is also interesting to see that time travel or porting to another time was something that was already a topic of discussion when the book was written, which I think, may have inspired the main theme of the book. The language was relatively simple. I think it was a very gripping read. As a reader, you don't need a drug, just the vivid descriptions of the author to transport you to England in the 60s and also 14th century. I am glad to have this book recommended to me and would surely recommend it to others who are interested in such genres. This is not much of a review, I know- sometimes, not a lot can be said about a great book. On a scale of 5 (5 being excellent), I would rate the book 4.5.

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

I finished reading this book a few months back. I purchased this book in one of my Blossom Book Store hauls. I will try and keep my review of this book short and do not really want to talk too much about the story.

The book mostly keeps alternating between present day and 1986 and is narrated through the protagonist and the narrator Eddie. The part of the story covered in 1986 are a series of events in Eddie's childhood, which comes to haunt him in his present day adulthood. These events are murders of different people that happened and the clues that were left behind were- chalk men.

In his adult life, Eddie is a teacher at a local school, has a room mate Chloe, and is still in touch with some of his childhood friends. Even his room mate Chloe seems to have a connection with one of his childhood friends. One of his childhood friends is killed in his adult life which unravels the mysterious murders that happened in his town in his childhood days. 

As expected, at the end of the book, we come to know who was responsible for some of the murders. The story for me is not really an unforgettable one. To be honest, I has to read up the summary of the story to recollect. While chalk men, which are nothing but stick figures of men drawn in chalk (reminds me of Hangman which we played as kids) are supposed to be clues to the murder(s), I really did not understand how they were clues. There were other things which are actually bigger clues than the Chalkmen. I mean, it really did not come across that the Chalkmen was the main clue or even important enough to earn the title of the book.

The book is written simply and is quite fast-paced and does keep one hooked. However, I was hoping that the Chalkman would make a bigger impact and kept reading but just the lack of the connect was disappointing. The book becomes a little predictable at one point and you can almost tell who the murderer was. 

I would rate the book 3.5/5 as it was an engrossing, yet a very forgettable book.

Blossom Book House Haul

A couple of months back, my husband and I visited  Blossom Book House on Church Street. I was keen on buying Bread Baking for Beginners by Bonnie O'Hara. I looked for this book at the old store and the new one but I was unable to find it. I did not really want to get any other book but then as I looked around, I found a few interesting books. I ended up buying 3 and my husband 1. So, here are the 3 books that I got.

Daughter of Silence by Morris West

This book seems to be kind of a thriller and I had not bought thrillers in a long time so I decided to get some. I loved the old school book cover- it reminded me of really old movie posters.  I have never read a Morris West book before but I have heard of some of his great works like The Devil's Advocate and The Shoes of the Fisherman. I look forward to reading it next year.

MASH by Richard Hooker

I love the TV show M.A.S.H.  I can watch it any number of times and never get bored of it. I hope the book will be just as good. The expectations are quite high with this one. I have never read any of Richard Hooker's books before. I could not find any book by this author but I will look up if this book turns out good.

The Chalk Man by C J Tudor

I have started reading this book already. So far, it has been okay. It is supposed to be a hybrid ok Stephen King and Lee Child. I got this book again for the thriller genre. What got me interested in the book is the name and the cover. It reminded me of Hangman that we used to play in school. I really look forward to finishing reading this. By the way, this was not the 1 book I said I would read. I started reading before I set my goals (told you....too busy this year doing a lot of stuff)

PS: Sorry for the poor quality on some of the pictures

I would definitely share my poorly written reviews once I am done reading them. I also hope to find a second hand/used version Bread Baking for Beginners by Bonnie O'Hara soon.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I read Alice in Wonderland as a child and I loved it then. Of course, I read an abridged version of the book. I was thrilled to see the book in Blossoms'- remember this haul.  I wanted to read the original one for a long time and finally got to it.


Though the cover of the book that I have says Alice in Wonderland, it actually has the sequel to Alice in Wonderland- Through the Looking Glass, and also some of Carroll's other works, mainly poetry. I have only read Alice in Wonderland in the book and not the sequel or his other works. So, this blog post would be one about Alice in Wonderland.


I will be honest, I did not find the original book to be an easy read, at least initially. I found it quite laborious at first and it took me some time to actually start enjoying the book. Though written in 1800s, the language is quite comprehensible but the current day children of age 3-7 may not find it easy to read and understand and may also find it boring in parts. One has to have great story telling skills to make the read appealing to the children today.

Most of you who would have read the book as a child, would remember the simple story where a little girl finds follows a talking rabbit to find herself in a land where everything is remarkably different from her current world- where animals and inanimate objects seem to have sprung to life and have conversations like regular people and by eating and drinking potions, one can influence their size and there is a bizarre story knit into all of this with the King and Queen of Hearts from a pack of cards ruling this entire new world or kingdom. It is all very confusing for her, only to find out that SPOILER- it was all a dream.

While the story line remained more or less the same, I think the below differences stood out in the original:

- Alice was never someone who sulked and rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders in the version I read as a child but she did all of this in the original.
- There is some outstanding word play in the original. See an example below.

- The book never came across as funny to me as a child but I could see it sprinkled with humour throughout. Also, if you have a good imagination, it makes the read funnier than it actually is.
- The original book has a lot of poetry and songs, which I think was completely missing in the abridged version that I read as a child.
- I really did not expect any illustrations in the original book but there were plenty. I would not say they were particularly good but it did provide some relief while reading the book. Of course, the abridged version I read as a child was meant for children and was packed with colourful pictures quite different from what was in the original if my memory serves me right.


There are a lot of books which I read as a child that had the same effect on me when I read them as an adult. However, this book did not really have the same effect on me. To be fair, it was not exactly the same book, considering the one I read as adult was not an abridged one. I felt quite differently about the book now. I loved it as a child and enjoyed it a lot and re-read it but I do not think I would like to do the same as an adult. I really wish I could enjoy it more but it was a real struggle.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it a 2.5- midway between enjoyable and boring.

Dancing in Cambodia and Other Essays by Amitav Ghosh

Hello Everyone,

Today I will be talking about Dancing in Cambodia and Other Essays by Amitav Ghosh. This book was a part of the Blossom Book House haul that I had posted last year. I started reading this book last year but mid-way through the book, was struck by an extreme case of readers' block and could not complete reading the book last year itself. I finally managed to finish the book of mere 126 pages after months.

I have never read Amitav Ghosh previously but had heard a lot of positive reviews about his books and wanted to start with a small book. Amitav Ghosh writes both fiction and non-fiction books. This particular book falls in the latter category. The book consists of 5 essays, all of which are personal accounts of the writer. 2 essays- Dancing in Cambodia and Stories in Stones are based in Cambodia, At Large in Burma is set in Myanmar, A Town by the Sea is set in India and September 11 is set in the US. 

The essays on Cambodia sheds light on the culture of the country, importance of certain landmarks of the country and Pol Pot as a person. While I had an extremely basic knowledge of the Khmer Rouge regime, I did not know enough about how the monarchy was overthrown, who was Pol Pot really etc. I think this book helped me quite a bit in acquiring this knowledge- of course, I had to read up a bit outside the book as well.

At Large in Burma was all about the struggles in Myanmar with the insurgency and the democratic process in the the country. The author had the privilege of meeting Aung San Suu Kyi in person and have lively discussions about the country's political direction and issues. My favourite part was the one where he interacts with the leader of one of the minorities.

A Town by the Sea was my favourite essay of them all, probably because it was set in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands governed by India. The essay is about the devastation that was brought about by the terrible tsunami of 2004 that stuck some of the coastal parts of the country. This particular essay reminded me of the terrible time we had experienced all those years back and is focussed on the Malacca island. The writer accompanies a victim and helps him in his pursuit of looking for his family in the rubble that was left behind after the event. My heart really went out to the victims.

September 11, as the name suggests was about the fateful day that razed the WTO. The writer and his family were friends with construction mangers/project managers of the WTC. The essay talks about what these designers went through on that day when they were in the building. It is heart-rending.

I liked the writing style and language used by the writer. It is not too simple, but not difficult either. That being said, it is not an easy book to read. Also, I am not a very political and the first 3 essays on Cambodia and Myanmar were quite political in nature and it was not simple to understand without sufficient background and I can imagine that it might be a laborious read for also those well-versed with the political situations in Cambodia and Myanmar. I also did not enjoy the 3 essays very enjoyable. I would rate this book 3 on a scale of 5.

Best Wishes,

S

Complications by Atul Gawande

I started reading this book earlier this year, during my vacation. This book belonged to my aunt  and unfortunately, I could not finish it during my vacation. Once I was back home, I went to Blossom's and got a copy. You can check out this post to see the other books that were a part of the haul.

This book is written by an Indian origin neurosurgeon based in the US and talks about how medical science is an imperfect science. The book is divided into 3 sections- Fallibility, Mystery and Uncertainty. The book consists of real-life events and incidents which have been conveyed through the lens of medical science but are very relatable in any area of work and personal life as well.

The section about fallibility discusses about how doctors could go wrong or how they get things right or wrong. One of the things that stuck with me from this section was an incident described by the writer from his personal experience where he couldn't get a procedure right and almost killed a patient. He practised a lot and somehow get it wrong ever single time, and out of the blue, one fine day, he does the procedure perfectly. It reminded me of the time when I had just started learning yoga- I could never bend down and touch my palms to the floor without bending my knees. I would try this at my yoga class every single day but could not do it. One fine day, I just do it without any difficulty, as though I have been doing it all my life. Similarly, there are various incidents to which I could draw parallels to. Some parts of this section, especially the one about 9000 surgeons, was quite hilarious to me.

The section about mystery describes several conditions like pain and nausea which is uncomfortable and inconvenient and in some cases, almost impossible to diagnose the cause of it. Sometime innumerable tests and imaging and all possible known sources to medical science are explored in the diagnosis and identifying the cause of certain conditions and everything seems perfect, yet the patient continues to suffer. Sometimes, all possible treatment options are explored but they fail. This section was a really interesting read.

The last section of the book is about Uncertainty. It specifically deals with the decisions that doctors have to take- should I do procedure x on a patient or not? should I tell a patient of all treatment options even if it means suffering and high risk to his/her life. Often we also face such a dilemma in our lives, especially where the pros and cons of a decision balance out each other and it is impossible to take a decision and would prefer someone else do it for us.

The book is written in a way that a layman can understand many things. Though there are several items which are medical, the author has tried his best to simplify or explain such medical terminology.  I really did not find it too difficult to read. It is quite an easy read and almost unputdownable. Note, the picture of the book in this post is the one from my aunt's edition. Mine is different- it is the one shown in the Blossoms' haul.

I would rate this book 5/5

Hotel by Arthur Hailey

I bought this book from Sapna Book Stores years back but for some reason could not read it despite trying. This book was a part of my Dad's collection of books but at the time I was too young to read such a book when I first saw it and when I was old enough to read, we had to get rid of it due to termite infestation in the cupboard where the book was shelved.

This is my third-ish Arthur Hailey book. The first one being Runway Zero-Eight, written in collaboration with John Castle and the second one was Strong Medicine. I loved both those books. What I have observed about Hailey, is that he chooses a particular industry and does a thorough and in-depth study of it and then comes up with a brilliant book with a fictitious story spun around it.
In Strong Medicine, he wrote about the pharmaceuticals industry and in this one, he wrote about the Hotel/Hospitality industry.

This book is about an independent hotel in New Orleans called St. Gregory's owned by an old fashioned man, neck-deep in debt, called Warren Trent. The main character is the hotel manager, Peter McDermott. Several parallel story lines, each of which touches up on one aspect or other in the industry run through the book. There are several characters in the book as hotel staff or guests but it never creates any kind of confusion as the characters are developed beautifully with each one having a unique trait about them. If I write about each of the story lines or characters, this blog would be insufferably long. So, I strongly recommend that you read the book. However, I will touch upon very very briefly on some of the themes of those story lines.

- Hotel theft
- Conventions organised in hotel
- Which areas actually contribute toward the hotels finance
- What it is like when Royal families come to stay at a hotel
- How the wealthy exert their influence and position in society
- Corrupt hotel staff
- What hotels do in event of medical emergencies/crisis
- How hotels get taken over
- Equipment malfunction in hotel
- Racial segregation which was more common in the time when book was written
- A hit and run case investigation

What I liked about the book is the fact that the author hardly left any area of hotel operations unexplored. While focussing on the aspects of hotels which all of us are more or less aware of or is generally quite visible, he did not forget the smaller aspects such as how the wake-up call service at the hotels work, what happens to the garbage collected at the hotel, what are the consequences of a losing hotel keycards or throwing them mindlessly in the bin, what the struggles in the kitchen are, what privileges do certain hotel employees benefit from, how room service and housekeeping works etc. He has managed to beautifully link them all up into several engaging stories which somehow come together brilliantly in the book.

My favourite character in the book is the central one- Peter McDermott. He is a very likeable and ideal character- straightforward, honest, brilliant at what he does, very committed and dedicated, hard working, puts humanity above all else and last but not the least, superbly intelligent and knowledgeable, not to mention well-respected by all employees and several guests too.

As you already know by now, I love books in which food is described really well. One of the most visible features of any hotel is the restaurants and food and Arthur Hailey surely has not be thrifty in his descriptions of food. He has really been nifty with his words especially while describing food. You almost feel like the food has been laid out before you.

The language is moderate and the book is quick paced and not too difficult to read, not too simple either, and one of the most insightful books about hotel operations I have ever read. You must have figured out by now how much I loved the book. The only thing that I did not like about it is the fact that it ended and that there is no sequel, even though the writer ended the book on such a note that there could be easily one. Sorry this is probably not the kind of review you would be expecting to read but this is the best I could do without making the blogpost longer.

I rate this book- 5/5.