Dracula #BookTalk #Review

Book: DraculaAuthor: Bram Stoker I have a dread of horror and I consciously stay away from it. But then Dracula got chosen as the book of the month by a (fabulous, classic-reading) book club I’m part of. And I decided perhaps it was time to give it a go. I really am a fan of …

October Vibes #BookBytes 17

Hola folks. It's #BookBytes day and I have just the perfect quote for today. It's from another  childhood favourite, (one from the twins' books again!). Unlike last time's quote from The Little Prince. there's absolutely nothing allegorical or deep in this one. It's simple and sweet, quite like the protagonist of the book from which …

Books, movies and I

Is there anything more satisfying than bullying a bully? For that pleasure alone, if I had to choose a film character to play, I would pick Matilda Wormwood from Matilda. You know her, right? From Roald Dahl’s novel, if not from the film of the same name? I fell in love with the idea of this little …

Tweaking the tales

If I had a wish to wish for me I’d go on quite a wishing spree. I’d ask to get into my favourite tales Just to make sure they stick to the rails. A little tweak here, a gentle twist there And I’d save people from much despair. When I’d see Romeo at Juliet’s grave I’d jump right there …

Z is for Zoya Singh Solanki

Though Z is the last letter of the alphabet this is the first post I wrote for this series only because I completely love Zoya Singh Solanki. It was love at first read. If you haven’t bumped into her go pick up a copy of The Zoya Factor by Anuja Singh Chauhan – one of …

Yertle the Turtle

Do you know Yertle the Turtle? That self-centred turtle who made his throne out of his fellowmen.. err fellow turtles? If you don't, well here's his story: Yertle was the king of turtles, king of all he could see. One day he decided that from his seat on a stone he couldn't see too much hence his kingdom was too …

Who is Mr X?

X is the letter of the week and I have a Quiz today. Here are a few clues. Can you figure out who Mr X is? And also the book he appears in? (Just to clarify: His name does not begin with the letter X) Although the book is named after him, X's name doesn't appear in …

The Bear of Very Little Brain

There once was a little boy who had a favourite teddy bear. He named him after a real-life black bear he'd seen in a zoo and went on to add a surname borrowed from a swan. He spent many happy hours of play with the bear and a bunch of other stuffed toys. Although he lived in London his vacations were …

He-who-must-not-be-named

My mother's husband left me when I was an unborn child in her womb. What kind of a man does that? Isn't much of a man at all. Does it matter that he was tricked into matrimony? My mother's love for him must have been real for she lost the will to live when he …

The Unnamed Heroine

This protagonist has no name - she's the unnamed heroine of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca - an old old book. Rebecca is the story of 42 year old Maximillian de Winter who bumps into a girl half his age, a paid companion to the the snobbish gossip Mrs Van Hooper. A quick marriage lands her at Maxim’s …