Best Books of 2017

Here are my ‘Super Seven’ reads of the year:

Best Suspense/Thriller

The Fire Child- S.K. Tremayne

Best Gothic Fiction

Ever This Day- Helen Moorhouse

Best Crime Fiction

A High Mortality of Doves- Kate Ellis

Best Feel-Good Book

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine- Gail Honeyman

Best Reincarnation Fiction

Dreadful Sorry- Kathryn Reiss

Best Historical Fiction

Harappa: Curse of the Blood River- Vineet Bajpai

Best Non-Fiction

Walking Towards Ourselves- Catriona Mitchell

Favorite Five (Book to Movie Adaptations)

It is always a pleasure to see a world come alive with characters jumping out of a book onto a screen. So, I thought sharing my favorite five book-to-movie adaptations would make a perfect post for this month. Without further ado, here they are:

1. Pride and Prejudice (BBC)

Jane Austen's well-loved novel about the prejudice that sprouts between the main characters and the pride they have to overcome to be together.

Stars: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker and more

2. Sense and Sensibility

Another impressive adaptation of  Jane Austen's novel about the lives of two sisters, unalike in every way, and their journey to finding true love.

Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet and more

3. Harry Potter

Hard to believe the boy-wizard is 20 this year! A coming-of-age story wonderfully told, Harry Potter and his friends at  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can provide endless hours of entertainment to everyone.

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris and more

4. Dangerous Liaisons

Based on an epistolary novel of the same name, this movie centers around an older woman who along with her wicked ex-lover schemes to corrupt a young woman.

Stars: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer and more

5. It

Last but not the least comes the tale of seven friends who band together to fight an ancient evil. Puts one off clowns forever! I think 'It' is the scariest of all Stephen King's books. 

Stars: Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Annette O'Toole  and more

Image and Info Source: http://www.imdb.com

Absolutely Novelicious!

Series I Stalk

In an earlier post, I had shared my fondness for the Ruth Galloway novels. Some series have a permanent place on my bookshelf. I might even go so far as to say that I am obsessed with them.
I stalk every forthcoming entrant in these series, eagerly wait for the new book to be released, read every review about it, and buy it as soon as it becomes available. Why do I have this special regard for series?

Unlike a stand-alone which comes into my life once, for maybe a week or so (even though some of them do leave a lasting impression and are read again), a series has the charming quality of steadfastness that develops through its continuity and return. As I go forward in life, the series will progress to the next book and give me company, year after year. The characters in a series are the good friends who were once acquaintances but with getting to know their lives over the years, I now feel a certain kinship with them. 

We grow together, these characters and I, while facing our struggles, dealing with disappointments, solving our problems, and celebrating our joys. I have watched Ruth become a mother (Ruth Galloway series), Nelson’s wife Michelle’s troubled acceptance of his baby daughter Kate from Ruth; Cathbad’s emergence as a loyal friend to Ruth, responsible dad to Maddy, and loving uncle to Kate from his early days as a flaky druid. The characters evolve with each book, and so do I with each passing year of my life. At times, their tough but strong decisions lend me the courage to make some hard changes in my life. 

Lady Julia and Nicholas make me smile on sad days with their inquisitiveness, stubbornness, sense of humor, and love for each other (Lady Julia Grey series). The silly antics of Becky (Shopaholic series) propel me into unrestrained laughter as she mirrors many of my foibles (addictive shopping, impulsive actions, escapism, and more). When I need a good puzzle to challenge my brain, DI Wesley and Neil (Wesley Peterson series) always have a fascinating mystery linked to history that they are trying to crack. On days when only a gothic, dark, and atmospheric story will satisfy me, I look no further than Sharon Bolton (Lacey Flint series). Lacey’s complex character, harrowing background, and her attractive mix of vulnerability with raw courage is sure to hook anyone’s interest in all the books released, and those that are yet to come.

For long winter nights, when a scary story is very much the perfect accompaniment, Nell West and Michael Flint provide the perfect blend of ghosts, haunted houses, and a tragic past in the cases they try to solve. Add a dash of romance (Nell and Michael) and humor (Gilberforce’s antics) and I have a series I can’t help but follow. Yrsa Siggurdardottir (Thora Gudmundsdottir series) also fits the bill for a deeply arresting blend of creepy mystery, unique setting, romance, and humor.

So, here’s to series and may a book continue to be released each year in the ones I stalk. The series mentioned in this post are listed as follows:

·         Ruth Galloway Series

·         Lady Julia Series

·         Shopaholic Series

·         Wesley Peterson Series

·         Lacey Flint Series

·         Nell West/Michael Flint Series

·         Thora Gudmundsdottir Series

The ones that I look forward to following are:

·         Sebastian St. Cyr series (historical mysteries)

·         Merrily Watkins series (Diocesan Deliverance Consultant a.k.a exorcist solves crime)

·         Veronica Speedwell series (by the author of Lady Julia series, need I say more?)- Book 1 review.

·         Flavia de Luce series (precocious girl detective, murder mysteries)

·         Frey and McGray series (crime, mystery, horror, detective fiction)- Book 1 and 2 review.

Flights of Fantasy

Recently, a friend read 'Cruel Beauty' by Rosamund Hodge and she hasn’t been the same ever since. Having found the book to be an amazing read, she went on a fantasy fiction reading spree hoping to come across another story that would give her a similar high, engage her with the same intensity, and impress her with its elegant characterisation of complex people. While I do read fantasy fiction (have some of my favourites among the works of C.S Lewis, J.K Rowling, Juliet Marillier, Patricia McKillip), it is towards the crossbred genre of ‘historical-gothic-supernatural’ fiction that I gravitate more often than not.  I pick up other books only off and on, more as an in-between phase, when I feel weighed down by the suspense-laden, tragedy-infused, fear-inducing, and anxiety-driven atmosphere of the gothic novels that I find most fascinating because of the very same elements! It's quite interesting to note how our contradictions rule us and exemplify our humanness.  Another time when I deviate to alternate genres is when friends can't help raving about certain books.

Anyone who is member of a book community or group would know that when it comes to book recommendations, we trust the reading taste of certain friends. We share our thoughts with them (on new books, on discovering some hidden gem, on highly anticipated releases, awesome book covers, and more) and consider their recommendations with the same gravity as we would a decision about having 'pasta arabiatta' or 'thin crust pizza' for dinner.  We find ourselves carried away by their enthusiasm, influenced by their opinion, and quite willing to try out the books they liked.

And so, spurred by the excitement unleashed from the discussion on Cruel Beauty, I  decided to devote an 'in-between' phase, solely to fantasy fiction. Having done this, I went a step further and created my ‘Fantasy Fiction Reading List’. Wondrous worlds await me!

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After an exhausting search which led me across book blogs, online book sellers, journal/magazine book reviews and articles, I have shortlisted what I think is a fairly exciting assortment. Will post reviews as I read them. The scope of these books extends from the stand-alone to trilogies and am hoping to meet some very interesting faerie folk, vampires, demons, witches, trolls and whatnot between their covers.  

Flights of Fantasy scheduled for take-off are:

Trilogy

All Souls Trilogy (Vampires, Witches, Daemons, Humans)

The Malediction Trilogy (Trolls, Witches)

Order of the Sanguines (Vampires, Angels, Demons, Legion, Humans)

Duology

The Wrath and the Dawn (Thousand and One Nights)

The Rose and the Dagger (Thousand and One Nights)

Stand-Alone

Cruel Beauty (Beauty and the Beast)

Crimson Bound (Red Riding Hood)

Gilded Ashes (Cinderella)

Strands of Bronze and Gold (Bluebeard)

Enchantment (Snow White)

The Glass Casket (Red Riding Hood + Snow White)

Tam Lin (The Ballad of Tam Lin)

The Perilous Gard (The Ballad of Tam Lin)

Recommended by Friends

Rebel of the Sands (Trilogy)
Cat's Eye Chronicles (Series)

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Series)

Any other suggestions? Do share your favourite fantasy titles.