stories_of_the_soul27's reviews
294 reviews

The Fast and the Dead by Anuja Chauhan

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

This book tries to do a lot of things and in my opinion manages to do it almost perfectly. It is a murder mystery set in the backdrop of Bangalore and current socio-political situation of India. The author has taken a liberal approach in voicing her opinions and I for one is onboard with it. We have feminists but flawed women, a woman treated unequally by her peers and unable to rise above it, she had sunk into it, a woman subdued by the men of her family and recently finding her voice, a typical orthodox obnoxious sexist man (the villain), a feminist man who dotes his mother and harbours a childhood crush for years (every girls’ dream man), a meek man with no ambition and under the thumb of his wife, an unmarried man selflessly taking care of his aged mother, a man who is almost feminist and a spoilt boy of a wealthy family. Including such eccentric  characters have given voices to many issues we can see in each and every Indian household and I think the author has been able to incorporate social commentary in a very witty, entertaining and engaging way. It was quite fun seeing the characters engage in conversations that opened discussions on independence of women, divorce, love, faith and stereotypes against caste and religion. 

Coming to the mystery, it was quite nicely done. There was enough suspense, blood, hatred, motives, twist and turns to keep the readers hooked. The romance sub plot was also like heart skipping beats. It was a breezing no brainer read, really good for unwinding after a long hectic week. 

Palestine by Joe Sacco

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

How do you review a book about Palestine, especially now when Israel is repeatedly bombing Palestine and wiping the Gazans bit by bit? 

I will include a line from the foreword by Joe Sacco : The Palestinian and Israeli people will continue to kill each other in low-level conflict or with shattering violence - with suicide bombers or helicopter gunships and jet bombers - until the central fact - Israeli occupation - is addressed as an issue of international law and basic human rights. 

If you want a Palestinian point of view then this is the book to go to. Joe Sacco has tried to cover as many aspects he could find to show us the horror faced by the Palestinians. He has talked about adolescent boys having to participate in the Intifada, women trying to balance nationalism and fighting oppression , men unable to provide for their family, the suffocation of the Palestinians for having to live under Occupation for years, Palestinians who had to flee their homes and now live in camps, the dehumanising methods used by IDF during interrogation, in prison and while torturing. The stories go on. And on. So does the suffering of the Palestinians. Presently there is no ceasefire and the world is just sitting by and watching Palestine getting bombed. 

Joe Sacco had also touched upon the oppressive ways of Islam in Middle East, honour killings, the clashes between various factions in Palestine fighting for the liberation, the fundamentalist views being harboured and nurtured by some of them and the complicit actions of the neighbouring Arab countries. 

This book definitely serves its purpose that is to make the world aware about Israel’s occupation of Palestine and how much the Palestinians are suffering because of it. One can read this book and pick up the dates and treaties and further build their knowledge. They can question their knowledge or shed their prejudices. There is a lot to know about this Occupation. Palestine by Joe Sacco is just the start. 

One scene from the book where Joe Sacco is talking to one Israeli woman who says, “We just want to live our lives okay? We have OUR LIVES! We have jobs and families and go out and live just like you do… We don’t think about this stuff all the time, and we get a bit TIRED of hearing about it!” And then this other Israeli lady immediately says, “It’s not that we’re tired… But when you hear it over and over, you get tired….” I will just leave it here. 

Batman: The Man Who Laughs by Ed Brubaker

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Soichi: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a horror but also a lighthearted take on the horror genre. The antagonist Soichi considers himself the Dark Lord and cooks up plots to torment his siblings, cousins and classmates. A lot of this work but most of the time his plans backfire on him in a hilarious and iconic sort of way. Soichi knows dark magic and goes to great lengths to mentally harass his ‘enemies’ but throw a spider at him and this 11 year old kid will run away. So the elements of horror, disgust is nicely balanced with comedy. 

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book surprised me in terms of plot, execution, characters and the storytelling. And the little tidbits that make reading Batman comics a thrilling experience!!

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am so grateful to Alice Oseman knowing that somewhere teens would be reading this and they will feel comfortable with their bodies, thought process and find it a little bit easier to navigate these tricky teenage years. They will know what a healthy relationship looks like. They will know to communicate their feelings with their partners, friends, siblings and parents. 
The main thing what I liked most about is before we saw how much Charlie and Nick grew together and now they are wondering how they will be apart and we already saw the glimpse of them trying new things for themselves without each other’s explicit help. Your partner will always be there for you but at the same time they won’t be the only one who will help you grow. Your support system is so much bigger, with friends, parents, siblings, teachers etc etc. Some people are lucky to have all, some only have few and some have only one. And all of this is okay. Through everyone’s story we got to know so much about support system and love and friendship. 


P.S.: I was so happy to see Charlie’s growth in this volume. It’s the confidence building for me. Charlie took some big steps and it wasn’t easy to go there. But Charlie did it. I am so proud of him.

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sophie Gonzales is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. For so long, whenever there was a love triangle, I always wanted the love interests to ditch the MMC/FMC and just date each other. My wish came true here. A Bachelor-esque dating show, strong yet flawed female lead characters and side characters, the bonding among them and ultimately the sweet taste of revenge!!! This book will have my heart for touching a very common theme of our life —— how can we let of the hatred or sadness that consumes us whenever someone very important and loved by us breaks our heart in a cheating, manipulative way? This journey isn’t easy. The healing takes a long time. Mostly letting go of the hatred and anger takes a long time. Should we forget? Or should we forgive? Or both. There is no set answer. So it was very overwhelming to see Maya going through those emotions and finally finding peace with herself. It was beautifully written. Sophie knows her characters and her story. I respect her for that. It is true that we all knew a Jordy sometime. I never plotted a revenge and it took me some time to let go of the hatred and anger I felt at me and the Jordy of my life. I could relate to Maya. This book will have a piece of my heart for that. Thank You Sophie Gonzales ❤️. 

Ravensong by TJ Klune

emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows, Mary Ann Shaffer

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was a delightful read. A story told through letters about a group of people you will gradually fall in love with. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to connect with the characters through their letters but I was proved wrong. The content of the letters were so vivid and full of so much warmth that it is bound to touch your heart. The book is funny, witty, emotional and informative. It is full of sunny, quirky and brooding characters. It’s fun and lighthearted. Sometimes so lighthearted that you forget that the backdrop of this story is the Occupation by the German soldiers. That is one thing I strongly disliked about this book. The sufferings were portrayed but in a lighthearted way. There were also instances of some characters strongly placing their opinions that not all German soldiers were evil. I get that. But I feel in this story the two sides - that German soldiers forced great atrocities on the occupied people and that some of the German soldiers were kind - wasn’t balanced out properly. It negated the effects.