Sravika's Books - Reviews and Other Trivia

 The Woman in the Window  By A.J.Finn (2018) (430 pages Kindle Digital Edition) Genre : Contemporary, Fiction, Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Suspense,Detective, Mystery,Child abuse,Alcoholism.  Rating : 5/5 😀😀😀😀😀 Simply superb! Loved it! Wish I had picked this sooner! One in its own class! 🥰🥰 Translated into over 40 languages and millions of copies sold worldwide! A major motion picture from Fox, available on Netflix! Eager to watch Amy Adams and Julian Moore blow my mind! Will check this out.😀😇 A child psychologist,Anna Fox,has experienced severe trauma and is reduced to stay indoors with doors locked and shutters closed shut . She is suffering from Agoraphobia - fear of open spaces and crowded places. No one visits her except her psychiatrist and aerobic trainer. No one calls her except her distant, separated husband and daughter. Her day is split between watching black and white movies on repeat, excessive drinking, online chatting and snooping on her neigh...

 Helen of Troy  By Margaret George (2006) (800 pages Kindle Digital Edition) Rating : 2/5  Genres : Historical,  Mythology,  Greeks, Trojan war. WARNING!!! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PIECE OF DESPICABLE WORK !!  The worst book on the Trojan war I have come across!! 🤢🤢🤢 I stopped reading and decided to shelve this at 50 percent of the book.(I am glad I didn't splurge money on buying a hardcopy like I initially intended to!)  It is an understatement to say that I am just disappointed! I feel cheated and played. I had such high hopes for this! Having read her 'Memoirs of Cleopatra', I wanted to get dragged hopelessly into the world of ancient Greece and get a new look at this most retold old tale. Such books are like fiction within fiction - because the existence of Helen and the occurrence of Trojan War could have been artistic creations of Homer. The intricate details within the story are the added speculation,fantasy - adding layers and putting pieces of p...

 If We Were Villains  By M.L.Rio (2017) (428 pages Paperback) Genre : Coming-of-age, Contemporary, Shakespeare, Drama, Murder Mystery, Suspense , Playacting. Rating : 4/5 😃😃 The scenes are very vivid and brilliantly descriptive - they unfold before the eyes of the reader and the characters jump to life, out of paper. The emotions are raw and visceral. The story and the plot brought back visuals from 'The Secret History'by Donna Tartt and 'The Shawshank Redemption' by Stephen King. I thoroughly enjoyed both the books and the fondness is replicated here. I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to rip asunder the mystery and get to the bottom of the drama.  The main characters of the play/story are the seven fourth year theater art students of Dellacher University. The main focus of their curriculum is to learn, memorize and enact the various Shakespeare plays. The tightly knit friends become obsessed with these plays and of the Shakespearean characters. They personif...

 The Return of the Native  By Thomas Hardy (1878)  (396 pages Paperback edition)  Rating : 4/5 👍👍👍👍 Genres : Classics, Fiction. Just wrapped up reading. Closed the book shut and placed it safely away on my book rack. Sat back in my rocking chair and contemplated for a while what my review should be. Everyone knows this is a classic and hence timeless, ageless,applies to everyone, everywhere and at everytime. Edgon - the countryside where this story takes place is a beautiful village. I loved the landscape and the time during which this is written. I wouldn't mind giving up my modern day amenities and life style to move here! Truly!💖🥳 I have read other works of Thomas Hardy and immensely enjoyed them. This doesn't fall short to any. All his books have beautiful descriptions of the greenery and landscapes which take one's breath away. 🤗🤓 Fate is a ruthless master and every minute we are driven into the hands of destiny through the unseen actions of divine.🤘 Cl...

Shadow and Bone (#1) By Leigh Bardugo Rating 4/5  Genre : fantasy This book didn't feel like much when I started but it had a strange pull on me as it went on. This very morning, I opened my eyes and resumed reading the continuing chapter before doing anything else..  I was a bit confused about a few things which got only partly cleared towards the end. Like whats the difference between the Darkling wanting to put the collar of stag antlers around her neck versus her putting it. How can he have absolute control over her and then cease to have any control at all. Well, still intriguing to read .. Keep reading on. :)  Alina Strokov is an orphan cartographer with the King's army. She has a hidden talent of summoning light from her body whenever she wants. This power is so immense and useful to the King's second hand man the Darkling who looks to exploit it. But she learns of his plot in time and escapes. She is eventually caught, the Darkling's plans unfold ...

The Searcher (2020) By Tana French  388 pages (Kindle Digital Edition) Rating 4/5  Genres : Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Defective, Noir, 2023-read  The author transports the reader into the world of a fictitious town in Ireland through the eyes of a retired American cop Cal Hooper .. makes us walk in his shoes ..  see the things he sees, feel the things he feels .. it is grand! She also takes time to build the people in the story into proper characters with their own personalities, eccentricities and natures .. so when they do something, it doesn't raise eyebrows coming from them.  This story mainly revolves around : A missing boy. A creature that is attacking at night and mutilating the bodies of sheep and ewes. Few people trying to figure out a mystery. Few others warning them off and knowing more than they let on. Its good! A cop with Chicago P.D. takes voluntary retirement and moves to a small rural area in Ireland to settle into an unchalle...

A Feast For Crows (#4 in GOT Series)  By George R.R.Martin Rating :5/5  Genres : Fantasy,thriller,fiction  Like all the previous books in this series, this one too is wildly entertaining and very captivating. A few old, noteworthy characters are gone and new ones introduced - the absence of Tyrion and Danearys is deeply felt. After the last book ( a storm of swords) which was a wild ride with so many twists and turns happening, this one is more slower and tepid in action. Despite everything, still very riveting .. a special skill of the author, no doubt! 

 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell  by Sussanah Clarke  Rating 5/5 😀😀😀 Just finished the book and my head is spinning. What a eerie and strange story. Deeply unsettling and thoroughly seeped in  magic! How wonderful is this book with such good prose. There is not a bit of boredom or languishing in the narrative which unapologetically plodded along painting a tale transporting me to a distant place and time. A time and place where the happenings of the day have no logical explanation than being perpetuated by magic which only two magicians in England could have understood. Yes! They are the two titular characters - Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norell.  Mr. Norell destroys the chance of every other English man from learning and practicing magic. He is a bit of a negative character who wants to revive and bring back old glory to practical magic but wants to be the one doing it. His sources of magic are the books in his library which he has gone to great p...

The Kite Runner  By Khaled Hosseini  Genre : Afghanistan, classics,good-prose ,2023-read, Historical Fiction  Rating 5/5  This story spans the time period from 1975 to 2002 threading its way through Afghanistan and America. The story sees the country of Afghanistan peaceful in the early to late 1970s, struggling and haggling under the tyranny of Russia through 1980s and stifling under the overtake and rule of the Taliban. This is one of those countries where going back to a peaceful past is no longer possible. Even those who were acquainted with that period are running in short supply. May God help and provide for the still suffering. There is little that we as spectators know of these countries and the plight of such people unless books such as these - although fiction - are written and Khaled Hosseini is a crusader for their cause!! This book has proved to be a challenge for finishing in one read. I remember vividly the number of times I gave it a ...

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (2022) Winner of 2022 Booker Prize for Fiction   503 pages (Kindle Digital Edition) Genre : Fiction, Fantasy, Afterlife, Philosophy, LGBT. Rating : 5/5  Mr. Shehan weaved a mesmerizing tale that is simply superb and awesome. I was half way through the book and already making plans to read it one more time!!  He lifted the stigma and heaviness attached to the most gorical elements of war, death, loss and injustice. I didn't cringe or feel obnoxious reading through the numerous homosexual relationships Maali has. This story makes one reconsider their notions of what makes life worth while and wholesome. Why should we waste a life that is blessed to be had by indulging in wastefulness of war and power craving.  Loved it through and through!!  He paints a scary picture of Sri Lanka with race / faction wars in which innocent people are ruthlessly, mindlessly sacrificed. The government tortu...

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb  (499 pages) (1992)  Genres : Mental illness, Contemporary, Fiction  Rating 4/5  Wally Lamb is one of my all time favorites. I absolutely loved his second book 'I know This Much Is True' about twin brothers, one of whom is schizophrenic - It is invariably my all time favorite book in this genre. 'She's  Come Undone' is his first novel and I thought it showed some amateurish handling of the subject matter. I am not saying I haven't enjoyed it or it is bad but while the title suggested a person - a woman/girl most likely - succumbing to the hold of a mental illness, the story is not exactly that.  Dolores Price is well crafted and moulded - Lamb has breathed life and soul into her character. This is the story of how mishaps,abuse and loss drives a young impressionable girl into the clutches of despair/depression and how she navigates back to a sure footed normal life. She becomes a slave to her culinary urges and gr...

Gone Girl [2012] by Gillian Flynn  470 Pages {Kindle Digital Edition} Genre: Psychological Fiction, suspense, murder, thriller, best seller Rating 5/5 ✌👀👀👩   Someone in the need of a good mystery thriller to curl feet on bed and sink into? This would be a perfect fit! The mindboggling plot unravels fast and steady releasing more shattering and shaky pieces to put the puzzle together.  I have never come to hate or fear a fictional character so much .. that's how good the character of Amy is developed. If there is a gauge to warn us of such disturbed/destructive people as Amy in our vicinity/life .. it would be so much better! Flynn has managed to create Nick and Amy so good they become personal - take Nick's side or Amy's side but not both. Husband and wife play at a zero sum game .. Amy framing and proving him to be her murderer while Nick trying and struggling hard to prove otherwise. It is fun until it is not. An innocent man could have lost his life for the vic...

The Midnight Library (2020) By Matt Haig  258 pages (Kindle Digital Edition) Rating : 4.75/5  Genres : alternative reality, fiction, philosophy  A rigmarole and long unwinding ride but it is strangely satisfying. Deeply philosophical and the reader emerges out of this book feeling replenished and cathartic. Matt Haig tries to redefine what it means to be successful and happy. He explains what makes for a fulfilling life and how to not be deluged by regrets.  Most of us beat ourselves up with all the missed opportunities, all the ways things could have been different if a choice in the past was made  differently, all the things that were left undone/unsaid and desires left unexplored. One with such strong proclivity is the main character of this story .. Nora Seed. She has a huge list of regrets and missed opportunities in her life. She struggles with depression and unable to cope with life where everything seems to go against her - her parents d...

Solaris (1961) By Stanislaw Lem  Genres : scifi, horror, suspense, classics  207 pages (Kindle Digital Edition) Rating 4/5 😀 . I have enjoyed this book the way I had enjoyed very few books. This has some of the most horrific and memorable scenes I have ever read. Paging through it is an immersive experience  .. where the cause of mystery is revealed to the reader and the main character at the start but it nevertheless doesn't stop being suspenseful. I picked it from the list of best scifi novels of all time. And it definitely makes for some super cool, horror and romantic science fiction ever written! 🤗 Kelvin arrives on planet Solaris as a psychologist researcher and docks himself to the space station. The surface of the planet is covered with ocean and there is no other visible life on the planet. Since the planet has been discovered, there has been much speculation and theoretical expostulation about the nature of the ocean .. eventually they realize it t...

The House of Seven Gables (1851)  by Nathaniel Hawthorne 271 pages (Kindle Digital Edition) Rating 5/5 🥰🥰🥰 I wish I never get to see or stay in one of the houses that resemble this house of seven gables. Fabled in a mysterious dark past, damp, mottled and decaying, it would not just send a resident into the state of depression but also steal their wits and sanity. The plot starts with introducing us to the long term sole resident of the house and ends with her deserting the house with a throng of relatives making way for progressive change and improvement.  I liked the pacing and the placement of the different elements in the plot. All the characters - no matter how small and trivial - are well defined and their involvement makes the story whole and complete. There is a picturesque nature to the narrative .. felt like watching a movie in 3D. The character that I most loved is that of the old,senile and tender gentleman Clifford who as it turns out is the main ch...

 Parasite (2013) By Mira Grant  Genres : science fiction, horror, thriller  410 pages (Kindle Digital Edition) Rating 4/5 🤪🤪 I am making this note having finished half of the book. The twist that is thrown at me 50 percent into the book has left me completely speechless. I shuddered and stared off into space with unblinking eyes trying to make sense of the implications of what is just disclosed. I have been under the assumption that this is a very predictably overrated book since I started reading.  I have only been paying it little attention and drifting off occasionally into random musings on other things. But I am knocked out of my stupor by what I have just read!! Upon finishing the book :  I have read some good reviews about the book but also some very strongly negative reviews on goodreads. I quizzed myself if I should actually pick this up based on the poor reviews and ratings. But to be honest, having just finished, I would say I enjoy...

Pachinko (2017) By Min Jin Lee  Genres : historical fiction, japan, Korea, ww2  Rating 5/5 😍😍😍 This book is a National Book Award finalist.  I am going all gaga over this book and gushing over it like I haven't done in a while. I just loved it. Reading this is like flipping pages in a photo album. Happiness,sadness,surprise,jolts of shock all come and go .. while life is happening outside and independent of them. 😏 I think the essence/soul of this story is a thriving love between Hansu and Sunja that supercedes the passage of time, distance,status, power and doesn't bother about wrinkled faces, sun blotches hands, shrinking body frames etc.  I took my sweet time reading this wonderful concotion .. savoring every well formed sentence and making notes all over the text. Its a very engaging book and although there is no oppressive/fretful ambience like in 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' ,the suspense is riveting nevertheless. I wanted nothing but good things to happ...

The Gone World  By Tom Sweterlitsch (2018) 365 pages (kindle digital edition)  Genres : Science Fiction,Thriller, Time Travel, Dystopian Fiction  Rating : 4/5 😍😋 Edit : Writing this review I understood how incredibly complex this story is .. to be explained in a few short sentences .. making for an abridged version of the plot. This is a mixture of both science fiction (involving time travel, space travel) and crime thriller.  Not a typical crime detective story or science fiction, this story has got a 'feel' to it .. that felt very much like a "soul". The character development is good - especially the main character. We get to see how immensely stubborn and iron willed the main character Shannon can be in the face of repeated crisis not leaving the consequences to chance.  Its an amazing portrayal of an alternative reality where time and space travel is authorized for agents of military who leverage it for solving criminal cases. Shannon Moss is an agent of t...

Gravity  by Tess Gerritsen #books #reviews #suspense #scifi #thriller My Rating : 5/5 😃🥰 Awesome! Loved it! At times felt the handicap of not being familiar with all the medical and technical jargon being thrown around but otherwise a very perfect fit into the kind of books that click with me. :D Space exploration .. add to it a tinge of selfless love and also throw into the mix  pathological viruses with a 100 percent mortality rate .. it makes for a sleep foregoing, eye riveting thriller that kept me awake all night last night.  Getting into the plot line, a space mission aboard International space station goes awry when one by one all the scientists onboard start dying due to a virus that absorbs the DNA of its host into its own genome and propagates, thrives, profligates. Where did this virus come from? How to fight it into remission? How does a physician Jack save his wife Emma who is infected with the virus and is fighting it as a sole survivor on the space statio...