Little, Big by John Crowley

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 5/17/2013 2:38:00 PM

'My third read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge is a fairy tale of sorts. Neil Gaiman called Little, Big his favourite book in the world and I do know why.The book is massive, not in size but in scope and delightfully intricate, the kind of book that slowly makes its way into your thoughts, till it's all you can think of. It took me a little more than a month to reach the last few chapters of the book, and then, just a couple of hours to devour it completely! It's not a book full o(...)'

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This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 5/12/2013 8:59:00 AM

'"1828 - Brilliant young naval officer Robert FitzRoy is given the captaincy of HMS Beagle, surveying the wilds of Tierra del Fuego, aged just twenty-three. He takes a passenger: a young trainee cleric and amateur geologist named Charles Darwin. This is the story of a deep friendship between two men, and the twin obsessions that tore it apart, leading one to triumph and the other to disaster..."The author could have ensured success for the book by making all about Darwin and The(...)'

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Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 5/1/2013 5:41:00 AM

'Summary: The book opens as Ayane, a beautiful young patchwork-artist decides to kill her husband Yoshitaka Mashiba. He is about to leave her as she cannot get pregnant, and that is the only reason he got married in the first place - to have a child. He already has a new girl in mind who could father his baby, and she happens to be Ayane's favourite student Hiromi. Ayane doesn't object to the break-up, but does escape to her parents' place for a few days, seemingly to calm herself do(...)'

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The Folklore of Discworld by Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 4/28/2013 4:24:00 PM

'I've been on too long a break. This has been lying in my drafts, sad and unfinished for a while now. It is only fair to post it on my favourite author's sixty-fifth birthday. Do I have to say it? Discworld is awesome and even if it seems impossible, this book is just as awesome. I am a big fan of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them or Quidditch Through the Ages and I didn't think companion books could get any better. And then this came along in the mail. A little bit of Dis(...)'

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Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 4/6/2013 4:43:00 AM

'I must say, this was a great start to Once Upon a Time VII. Join the challenge here.When I saw this at the book store, I immediately bought myself a copy, even though I knew nothing about Ragnarok (the Norse Armageddon) and very little about Norse mythology in general. Why? Well, firstly, it's part of a series of books on mythology, of which I've read the first introductory book; The Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong. Secondly, well, it's written by A.S. Byatt, who has g(...)'

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What makes a good holiday read?

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 4/3/2013 5:18:00 AM

'(Here because of the title? You can skip the reviews and scroll down to read my answers!)I have been away from this blog for far too long. I just got back from a very bookishly eventful one-week holiday. Over the course of the five days, I seemed to have a lot of free time, mostly because I wasn't visiting some place, but someone. I spend this time reading, among other things and here's what I read:1. Inside the Haveli by Rama Mehta - This exotic little book gives you a lot to think(...)'

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The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/27/2013 2:11:00 AM

'It's funny how people either totally love or totally hate this book. I also think it was weird how so many of those negative reviews are focused on the fact that 'a true love story could never involve an affair.' I am not really an expert on romance literature, but even I know that the theme isn't exactly new.The first time I read The Bridges of Madison County, it was a quick breezy, have-got-nothing-else-to-do read. When I re-read it for the book-club, I let myself be completely en(...)'

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Lizzy Speare and the Cursed Tomb by Ally Malinenko

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/26/2013 3:00:00 AM

'I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.Summary: Meet Lizzy Speare……a normal twelve year old girl with a talent for writing, who has a very not normal family secret. And when Lizzy’s father vanishes, that secret will change her life in ways unimagined. (Spoiler Alert! It turns out that Lizzy, or Elizabeth S. Speare, is the last living descendant of William Shakespeare. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody!)Then Lizzy and her best friend Sammy are kidnapped, awakeni(...)'

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Champions of Power (Age of the Aura # 1) by Samuel Odunsi Jr.

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/24/2013 4:00:00 AM

'I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.Summary: "There was no other name for the Blessed Galaxy. After being gifted with the Auras, five great powerhouses of celestial creation, the title was a suitable fit. While harnessing such energies, the governing bodies have ruled their respected reaches of the Galaxy for a number of millennia, but now they face the threat of an inevitable calamity that could shake the lives of everyone, caused by one of th(...)'

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Paying Piper & Castles in the Air by Ilana Waters

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/23/2013 7:36:00 AM

'I remember saying that Ilana Waters had a very Diana Wynne Jones-ish writing style in my review of The Adventures of Stanley Delacourt, a middle grade fantasy novel. That impression was only strengthened when  I read a couple more of the author's stories. Paying Piper (or "What Happened in Hamelin Town")The Pied Piper of Hamelin was never my favourite story. I thought it was rather odd as a child, and when I learn that the piper symbolized plague, I thought it was hor(...)'

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House of Cards by Ilana Waters

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/23/2013 3:26:00 AM

'I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.Summary: Eighteen-year-old Sherry has just begun her newly independent life in Paris when she is kidnapped by a group of vampires. They hold her hostage in the House of Cadamon, their catacomb lair beneath the city, ruled with an iron fist by a leader known as 'the Master.'The only thing keeping Sherry alive is her ability to tell vampire fortunes through tarot cards, a task she is forced to perform night aft(...)'

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Guest Post by author Tim Rowland (Creatures Features) on Writing About Animals

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/19/2013 3:27:00 AM

'About the author: Tim Rowland is an award-winning columnist at Herald-Mail Media in Hagerstown, Maryland. He has written for numerous history and outdoor magazines and news syndicates nationwide. He has also authored several books, most recently Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War.This fabulous little post on writing about animals gives a glimpse of what the book has to offer. Make sure you read this, along with the book review and buy yourself a copy right now!_______(...)'

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Creatures Features by Tim Rowland

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/18/2013 3:16:00 AM

'About the author: Tim Rowland is an award-winning columnist at Herald-Mail Media in Hagerstown, Maryland. He has written for numerous history and outdoor magazines and news syndicates nationwide. He has also authored several books, most recently Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War.About the book: When Tim Rowland’s earlier book of his animal essays, ALL PETS ARE OFF, was published, readers immediately clamored for more. Their preference for animal stories over the(...)'

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The Babi Makers by Christopher Geoffrey McPherson

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 3/11/2013 6:30:00 AM

'I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.This was probably the most absurd book I have read in a while. I'm still debating whether it was absurd in a good way.I loved the cover of the book - how very science fiction-ey. It immediately grabbed my attention. You know how some say the first few pages of the book decide its fate - if it is slow, dull or too drastic, it probably wouldn't hold everyone's attention. I think The Babi Makers will have no pro(...)'

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Re-reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 2/15/2013 4:58:00 AM

'I was just clearing out my bookshelf, when I found this battered old copy of The Diary of a Young Girl. I re-read a few dozen pages of the book and realized that though growing up did (thankfully) affect my opinions in various ways, what I feel about this book is still the same.The first thing people say when I tell them I'm not the biggest fan of this book is that I should consider that she was only a child when she wrote it. I have always felt that people underestimate children on(...)'

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The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery by Amitav Ghosh

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 1/26/2013 9:22:00 AM

'I wasn't sure if The Calcutta Chromosome was science fiction, until I read that it won the Arthur C. Clarke award. It is a fictionalized account of Sir Ronald Ross's breakthrough in the research regarding the cause and cure of malaria.Summary: The novel opens in the future and we are introduced to Antar (and Ava, his super high tech computer.) Antar is looking into the disappearance of a certain L. Murugan, whom he had met many years ago ago. And so we are transported many year(...)'

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Reading Ayn Rand-om

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 1/19/2013 9:00:00 AM

'My Ayn Rand phase was when I was aged somewhere between 13 and 14. It was a time when I was quite easily influenced by just about anything. I devoured all of her fiction, from Anthem to Atlas Shrugged, and some non-fiction. What followed were proclamations of love for the author and long discussions with my equally love-struck sister.. "Hank Reeardeen" I would coo to her, mostly because everyone else I knew was busy reading Nancy Drews and Sidney Sheldons. "Francisco d'Anc(...)'

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2013. Here we go.

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 1/18/2013 4:47:00 AM

'This post is a bit late - I wrote it on the first of January, like everyone else, but I have been too busy to edit, complete and post it. There still might be a few mistakes that I may have overlooked. I have already read two books this year and posted a review. Not to mention, taken part in a book tour that I had planned last year; read the book in 2012, but posted about it now. There will not be many of those, this year - you know, book tours.I didn't want to form any reading goal(...)'

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An Interview with author Hy Conrad of Rally 'Round the Corpse

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 1/12/2013 6:41:00 AM

'About the author: Best known for his work in mysteries, Hy was one of the original writers for the groundbreaking series, Monk.  He worked on the show for all eight seasons, the final two as Co-Executive Producer, and received three Edgar Nominations from the Mystery Writers of America for “Best TV Episode.” In a related project, Hy was Executive Producer and head writer of Little Monk, a series of short films featuring Adrian Monk as a ten-year-old.  H(...)'

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Rally 'Round the Corpse by Hy Conrad

Author : Priya      Blog : Tabula Rasa      Date : 1/11/2013 3:22:00 PM

'I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can view the Rally 'Round the Corpse blog tour schedule right here.Summary: In the series debut, “Rally ‘Round the Corpse,” we meet Amy Abel, two years after the death of her fiancé.Amy needs a fresh start.  And what better way for a shy, risk-averse woman to start over than to sink her savings into a travel agency specializing in adventure.  Her first project?  A mystery road rally through the Europ(...)'

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