Books and Beyond

I was excited on seeing the blurb of this book and was expecting so much more going in. The story at the outset had it all...a concept that could be worked into something wonderful! Worlds that can come into existence simply by being written about, by specialists known as scriptologists. Technology worked into fantasy....a sub genre called steampunk fantasy. The book started off interestingly enough with the main character, Elsa, being from a created world called Veldana. When her mother, a great scriptologist, is kidnapped from her world and brought to Earth, Elsa has no other option but to follow her to Earth and look for her. In the process she makes friends, for the first time in her life, who help her in her search.  However, as the story progresses, it soon becomes clear that the author has somehow lost the main thread of the story and is bringing in a lot of characters and details with a too long drawn out discussion. By the time the story almost picks up again, it's too...

Mason Buttle is a very tall, dyslexic teen who also suffers from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating disorder) and is bullied a lot at school. This book follows Mason as he unknowingly embarks on a journey with his new best friend Calvin Chumsky to solve the greatest mystery in the neighborhood – the death of Benny Kilmartin, ex-best-friend of Mason. A bully writes ‘STOOPID’ on a shirt and stuffs it inside Mason’s school locker. That’s the premise of this wonderful story. In the first chapter itself, we learn a lot about Mason – he’s dyslexic and he sweats a lot. As we progress through the book, we find out about the one and only safe-haven in Mason’s school where he won’t get bullied – the SWOOF. Ms. Blinny, a clumsy lady who works in the SWOOF, is introduced as one of the very few people who are there for Mason, no matter what. The SWOOF not only provides safety to Mason, it introduces him to Calvin Chumsky, a short kid who becomes Mason’s new best friend, and the Dragon, a c...

‘Dracula’. A classic horror novel with many retellings, each unique in its own way. ‘Dracula’ shares one thing in common with other books that have many versions – that the original is the best by far. Bram Stoker caused the horror genre to be as we know it by writing ‘Dracula’. When I first started the book, seeing how it was written from multiple POVs and in a journal format (mostly), I didn’t have high expectations. The twists and turns that the plot used however, made me practically addicted to it. ‘Dracula’ doesn’t bring that spine-chilling effect that other horror books bring – rather, it has so much suspense and the thrill factor is so high that the line between horror and thriller disappears. The entire story surrounds the character of Count Dracula, a vampire who’s very rich and has connections everywhere. Jonathan Harker, Dr. Seward and a few other fine gentlemen (and lady) essentially team up to eliminate the threat that is Dracula. The book can be divided in three part...

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world… When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart? As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury. My review: Omg!!!! This is a re-telling of Aladdin and the Genie like never befo...

The Secret Hero In the streets of Asgardia, Lives the lone wolf, To be honest, He isn’t lonely, Neither is he a wolf. But he is the Savior of Asgardia. To tell the truth, Would be to reveal my identity, Okay, I just did that. Fine, I guess you probably now know, I am the Secret Hero. I know I’m breaking the Fourth Wall, But trust me, it’s for the best. I guess you want to know, What I do, And what tools I use, To restore peace, And, I guess, prosperity, To Asgardia. Gifted by Irial and Estonia, Divine entities of Asgardia, To me; A box made of solid air, Created by faeries; Consisting of tools Made of moonlight, And the hard work of the goblins. This toolbox, Fondly named After my dead sister, Akira, Contains the answer to peace, And sadly, it isn’t Something you can achieve in your world. Akira, My toolbox, Consists of tools That humans can’t use. If you didn’t realize by now, I’m not human, ...

Ron Weasely and his Big Day “Be one of us tonight, Become a man with immense height!” “George, you do know that these weird spells won’t work, right?” asked Hermione. George told Hermione to keep quiet and watch his magical prowess. “How much longer do I have to stand upside-down? I’m getting sick already!” said Ron. “Little brother, have patience. Keep calm and keep standing upside-down,” replied George. After several years, Ron was about to return to the Auror Office. In preparation, Ron asked George and Hermione to use some spells to make him look taller and bulkier. Hermione helped Ron out by using replacement spells to make him look well-built and fit. George used his own spells to make Ron taller, and slowly but surely, Ron started to gain height. When Hugo saw his dad look so tall, he said, “Boy, dad, you sure grow quickly!” After about an hour of getting dressed, Ron was finally ready to head to the Auror Office. Ron and Hermione left together for the Ministry of Magic....

The Binding Be one of us tonight. The five words that complete the binding ritual. The binding ritual bound a soul to oneself; it was essentially the opposite of a horcrux. The binding ritual added to one’s soul rather than dividing it. There’s a good side and a bad side to everything, and Harry realized that about magic when The Dark Lord killed his parents. Magic might be very useful, but it can be devastating as well.   In the days of old, a book on dark magic existed – ‘Dark Magick of the Evils’, written by Geoffery Wilson Gryffindor, who was Godric Gryffindor’s grandfather. A copy of this book existed until recently, when Harry destroyed the book and almost all dark magic with it. After Harry defeated Voldemort, everyone thought all was well. Harry and Ron skipped being part of the only Eighth Year class in Hogwarts’ history while Hermione did attend it. Harry and Ron went on to pursue their careers as Aurors. Amanda Hawkinson took over as Head of the Auror Office, post Ga...

Dante’s ‘Inferno’ is a thrilling classic about facing your fears in order to succeed. Dante finds himself in a forest having lost his way on the evening of Good Friday in 1300. He meets up with the ghost of Virgil (a famous poet) who promises to take him to heaven (in ‘Paradiso’) but he has to take him through hell (in this book) and then through Purgatory (in ‘Purgatorio’). Dante’s dead wife Beatrice sent Virgil to save her husband, and with this knowledge, Dante and Virgil embark into the Mouth of Hell. Throughout their journey we meet many famous people such as Homer, Horace, Ovid and several others. They pass through the City of Hell, passing through many circles. Although Dante is destined to heaven, we see how even the good can be corrupt when Dante watches in delight as Filippo Argentini, a former political rival of his, is torn to shreds by other souls. An angel also descends from heaven to help Virgil and Dante out in crossing the walls of the city of Dis. After crossing...

Ahh, ‘Rhett and Link’s Book of Mythicality’. One of the best books I’ve read so far this year. It took an insane amount of time (and money) to get this book shipped to me, but it was so worth it. For starters, it’s a hardcover. Coincidentally, it’s also a book from two of my favorite Youtubers of all time. It’s also comedy, and you can’t go wrong with that! The ‘Book of Mythicality’ is a retelling of some of Rhett and Link’s best moments in life. It’s funny and inspirational (and a whole lot of fun). My favorite chapter by far is the ‘Eat Something That Scares You’ chapter. I’ve seen Rhett and Link eat a lot of weird (a gross understatement) things on their show ‘Good Mythical Morning’ (hereby referred to as GMM) but to finally be able to read about their experiences, that’s completely different. They even motivate you to eat food you don’t like and give you tips on how to eat scary food. One of their best GMM episodes, the one where the go to a cereal factory and literally DROWN...