Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 7/4/2012 7:05:00 PM

'My first attempt at writing a movie review-->Usthad Hotel movie review-- Usthad Hotel: The palette of life'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 4/25/2012 6:55:00 PM

'Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth GilbertMy rating: 2 of 5 starsI took a lot of time to get through this book, and it was just OK. It just failed to incite any emotion in me. I just couldn't relate to the author at all, and at times I found her even annoying. I do not know if it is just me, but I hardly could find anything 'enlightening' in it. The narrative was witty at times, but I found it very difficult to keep my attention unwavered. I had to force myself to complete it, and I am no(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 4/25/2012 6:02:00 PM

'Tell A Thousand Lies by Rasana AtreyaMy rating: 4 of 5 starsFirstly, thanks to the author for sending me the free ebook. I might not have read it otherwise, and I am really glad I didn't miss this one out.It is the story of a 16 year old Pullamma, an orphan who is raised in a village in Andhra by her maternal grandmother. Growing up in a society that thinks of girls as nothing other than 'marriage material', and with two fair-skinned sisters, the dark-skinned Pullamma's prospects f(...)'

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A Flicker Of Hope?

Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 4/9/2012 8:15:00 PM

'A/N: The pictures used in this post do not belong to me. The first, is one I found on my Facebook News Feed, and the second is a screenshot of an article that I found on the Times of India website. Both of these - the images, and the article- belong to their intellectual owners. No copyrights infringement intended. Just two days back, I found this image on my News Feed on Facebook, and immediately shared it. I do not, usually share random posts on my Wall (or Timeline, as it is call(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 4/3/2012 6:02:00 PM

'Of Love and Shadows by Isabel AllendeMy rating: 4 of 5 starsRating-4.5/5This is one of those books that totally sucks you into it, and you dive into the magical depths of the words- experiencing them, breathing them. You don't just read the story, you practically live in it. The story is set in a Latin American country, where the socialist government has been overthrown by the armed forces. The horrors and lies and violations that come with a totalitarian regime- has all been descri(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 3/24/2012 9:07:00 PM

'Something Fresh by P.G. WodehouseMy rating: 5 of 5 starsNow, this is what you call entertainment. My first ever Wodehouse book (and I daresay it will not be the last), and what a delight has it been. I enjoyed each and every word of it. It had me smiling throughout, and literally laughing out loud at many instants-- making me feel grateful that my roommate is away visiting her parents. It is the first of the much acclaimed Blandings Castle novels of P.G.Wodehouse. And I haven't see(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 3/21/2012 10:11:00 AM

'The Lake of Dreams by Kim EdwardsMy rating: 4 of 5 starsI picked up this book from the library because the cover and the title attracted me- not the best way to choose a book to read, but I am glad I did. I wouldn't have read this book otherwise. I had no expectations or presumptions when I set out to read this as I hadn't read the author's celebrated first book- 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter'. Another fact I am glad of, after reading some of the reviews for the book. I personally r(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 3/20/2012 6:46:00 PM

'The Complete Adventures Of Feluda: Volume 1 by Satyajit RayMy rating: 5 of 5 starsNow, this one slowed my challenge down like anything , but it was worth the effort. I am not exactly a big mystery lover, but still I really enjoyed reading the collection. The fact that I hadn't even known that such a classic character as Feluda existed until recently comes as a shock to me. I really loved each and every one of these stories, and the best part is that since the book arranges it in the(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 3/20/2012 6:26:00 PM

'The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia AhernMy rating: 3 of 5 starsA quick, breezy read.It's the story of a rich, spoiled 16 year old Tamara Goodwin who has always had everything any girl would ever want. Her life takes a U-Turn as her father commits suicide. Having lost everything she once had, Tamara and her grief stricken mother is sent to live at her uncle and aunt's place at Kilsaney, and Tamara has to deal with a life as different as it could get from what she is used to. Trying hard(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 2/8/2012 4:48:00 PM

'How to Be Lost by Amanda Eyre WardMy rating: 3 of 5 starsI quite really enjoyed reading this book. Although the story isn't extraordinary, it is quite well written and makes for a quick read. The narrative is very engrossing, while also quite successfully conveying the warmth that you ought to feel when reading about family and relations. I particularly enjoyed Caroline's flashbacks and her feelings towards her sisters, and also her thoughts about her mother after her death. I thoug(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 1/25/2012 11:35:00 AM

'The Odissi Girl by Donovan RoebertMy rating: 4 of 5 starsAlthough I have had this book with me for a few weeks now, I have been putting off reading it for some reason; which I think had much to do with the publisher's description of the book. It seemed so ordinary from the back-cover description. A foreigner with partial Indian roots comes to the country to find the 'hidden Indian boy' in him, and falls deeply in love with a beautiful and talented dancer. It felt plain and familiar,(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 1/21/2012 5:29:00 PM

'Birds of America by Mary McCarthyMy rating: 3 of 5 starsAlthough only a less-than-300-pages book, I must say this was one book that tested my patience a lot, and I am feeling quite proud of myself at having made it to the last page. It is less a novel and more a record of thoughts of a boy in his late teens on the various changes that took place in the world in the 1960s, ranging from politics to war to relationships to nature. Some part of it takes place in America, while most of t(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 1/21/2012 5:06:00 PM

'Birds of America by Mary McCarthyMy rating: 3 of 5 starsAlthough only a less than 300 pages book, I must say this was one book that tested my patience a lot, and I am feeling quite proud of myself at having made it to the last page. It is less a novel and more a record of thoughts of a boy in his late teens on the various changes that took place in the world in the 1960s, ranging from politics to war to relationships to nature. Some part of it takes place in America, while most of t(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 1/11/2012 5:35:00 PM

'Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India: A Portrait of Modern India by William DalrympleMy rating: 4 of 5 starsA book entirely out of my comfort zone, when I picked it up I had great doubts whether I would really complete it. But once I started, I was pleasantly surprised- the book just didn't interest me- it drew me in completely and left me enchanted. In this book, the author magically weaves together nine real life stories of nine different individuals from different (...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 1/9/2012 12:37:00 PM

'Second Nature by Alice HoffmanMy rating: 4 of 5 starsMy first Alice Hoffman book, and I am glad I chanced upon it.. This book has all that I like in a novel- language, good characters, romance, suspense, relations... It feels almost like a fairy tale, though with a not-so-happy ending. The language is plain yet absorbing, with a flow to it. Well explored characters, you actually feel that you know them. Beautiful descriptions, be it the surroundings, or the characters or their actio(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 1/9/2012 12:34:00 PM

'The Immortals of Meluha by Amish TripathiMy rating: 3 of 5 starsI have grown up reading and being fascinated by our mythological stories, and characters. I like to believe that these characters indeed existed, but when you think logically it seems incredible that a character such as Lord Shiva, the Mahadev really might have existed. This book attempts to portray Shiva as a human, who rose to divinity with his actions or Karma-- a more believable explanation to those who like to thin(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 11/5/2011 12:05:00 AM

'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty SmithMy rating: 5 of 5 starsThis book is just so very beautiful, that I still cannot seem to take my mind off it despite having finished it a few days back. Set in the pre- World War America,it is the story of a girl Francie Nolan who grew up in the slums of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It starts when Francie was ten and her brother Neeley, nine, and covers their growing up years till when she was about seventeen. The book is very rich in it's descripti(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 10/5/2011 7:43:00 AM

'Dream's Sake by Jyoti AroraMy rating: 3 of 5 starsI usually like to believe myself to be a happy-endings lover, but then the fact remains that some of the best books I have read are tragedies. Tragedies do sometimes have a way into my heart, maybe because tragedies do seem to happen a lot in the world around us.How far would you go to fulfill your life's dreams? And How far would you go to fulfill the dreams of your most beloveds? Jyoti Arora's debut novel Dream's Sake is a story of(...)'

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Author : Harsha      Blog : A Pensive Soul      Date : 10/3/2011 6:04:00 PM

'No Deadline For Love by Manasi VaidyaMy rating: 4 of 5 starsA quick, fun read- you could easily finish it in a couple of hours. It's the story of an impulsive yet charming young girl Megha trying to sort out what she calls her midlife crisis- A hectic corporate job where she doesn't really belong, a jerk of a boss and a marriage-obsessed mother to deal with, and to top it all her new-found crush for Yudi, the glamorous hot-shot from office who doesn't leave any stone unturned to dis(...)'

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