The Seaside Library

  Greetings, book-lovers! The Seaside Library turned a year old this month, and as a befitting finale to the month, I'm celebrating my first 30 review milestone! Thanks a ton to my readers and I hope you enjoyed my articles so far! Click on the link to read my special 30th review:  Les Misérables . Positively exuberant, The Seaside Librarian

Author: Victor Hugo Acquired in: August 2020 It takes some courage to lift a hefty classic from the shelves and set out to read it. Reading such books is like a mining expedition; you never know what hides within. Apart from the intimidating size, there are many possibilities for mishaps, particularly when holding the book aloft while on the bed and unfortunately for your face, you doze. But making even this scenario trivial is the towering spectre of boredom. Over-eloquence makes a book tedious, a universal truth that we learn from our school books. The Penguin version includes an unapologetically criticising preface by Norman Denny, who expressly warns the reader of Victor Hugo's extravagance and his tendency to bore his readers with over-elaborate language.  Those already acquainted with this book would have encountered the long passages which abruptly put an end to the spell cast by the author. Interruptions like these when an engaging plot is unfolding irritated me to no end. ...

Author: Steve Berry Acquired in: August 2018 The fifth book in the Cotton Malone series should have been quite something, but it felt as if Steve Berry got confused while penning down his plot. It's a killjoy when the subsequent novels of an enthralling series go on an entirely different tangent. I can say for sure that this isn't Steve Berry at his best.  Former US Justice Department officer Cotton Malone has had anything but peace since his relocation from Atlanta to Copenhagen. Now a bookseller, he finds himself embroiled in his fifth conspiracy- a frantic search for Napoleon's arcana to save the world from a massive economic disaster orchestrated by a secret society of relentless tycoons- and resignedly goes off to set things right. However, he doubts an old friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen's inordinate interest in the cabal's affairs and has his work cut out trying to dissuade the Dane from his quest for revenge. Beginning in Egypt and culminating in Paris, Malone ra...

  This one's got pretty good reviews on Amazon, so thought I'd give it a try. Oooh, nice cover, but I expected it to be a little thicker. I'm actually hoping that Nina Hill is like me (sans the red hair)!

Author: Graeme Simsion Acquired in: February 2021 Finally! I've finished the Rosie Trilogy, though I should try to read books of a particular series in chronological order in the future. It spoils the suspense when you already know that someone's going to die in an accident or get stabbed by a bayonet when you're reading any series in an irregular pattern. Regrets aside, let's get to the book. After a finale that can belong in a rom-com flick, the second book takes us to New York, where Don and Rosie are settling in their highly academic roles; Don's an assistant professor at Columbia while Rosie pursues a PhD while attending medical school. How hardcore is that? Well, as unbelievable as it is, their work-life balance gets thrown off completely when Rosie reveals that she is pregnant. And Don? He has an inward meltdown and gets away as fast as he can. For a person who could never recognise emotional cues, he had a hard time realising his feelings for Rosie. Having o...

  Another book from Flipkart...recommended by Ma who read it long back. The interesting contrast of colours and graphic detailing on the cover caught my eye. It's a thick one, 888 pages, so I'm happy to have something that will last me a while.