Inane Murtaza

Title - Swimming in the Dark Author - Tomasz Jedrowski Genre - Coming of Age , LGBT I had first come across this book when I was checking out a certain article on Goodreads and it was recommended one of the books to be read this year. A book that calls itself 'Call Me by Your Name' set in communist Poland attracted my attention instantly and when I got the opportunity to pick up the same, I did not hesitate and here is my take on it. Swimming in the Dark is the story of Ludwick Glowacki who is on his way to an agricultural camp before he is to graduate university. He comes across Janusz and after a few initial hesitating moments, they hit off with one another. Yet life ain't beds and roses for them when they return back to the city of Warsaw and have to deal with the politics and the dilemma on what is future going to hold for them. You can't make people love the way you want them to. Having seen the various places in Poland and literally experienced them f

Title : Such a Fun Age Author : Kiley Reid Genre : Coming-of-age Fiction One of the books that pretty much intrigued me as a reader this year was 'Such a Fun Age' by Kiley Reid. With features in almost every list of books coming out in 2020, this one promised a captivating and fun ride alongside exploring the pretty serious issue of racism towards black people. So, picking up as one of the first books this year, here is my take on this interesting book. Such A Fun Age is the story revolving around two characters whose lives have intertwined with each other in a very interesting situation. Alix Chamberlain is someone who is portrayed as a woman who gets what she seeks. A mother to two, one of which is being taken care by Emira Tucker, a black woman who is one day confronted by a random woman at supermarket and is accused of kidnapping. A bystander who shoots the entire incident is now an important part of Emira who years back had crossed ways with Alix as well and the lives co

Title : Fangirl Author : Rainbow Rowell Genre : YA Romance So, last December and January, the team of Pan Macmillan were hosting a YA Readathon and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell was my second book for the same. I had read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell before so there was no brainer on what book I would choose next since there is a huge fan following for Carry On and I had to start from where the actual story originated. Fangirl is the story of two twin sisters - Cath and Wren. Cath is more of an introvert but is famous online due to her growing popularity of her fan fiction on Simon and Baz whereas Wren is the more on the extroverted side of the personality. Both are freshmen at University of Nebraska and decides to live life on their own terms by taking their own choices including different rooms. We explore Cath's journey here with her roommate Reagan and her friend Levi, her classmate Nick and her mother who had abandoned her when she was a child. There isn't

Title : The Orisha Series Author : Tomi Adeyemi Genre : YA Fantasy Quite a lot of new series have been coming up for past few years around the YA Fantasy genre and one series that has grabbed the attention of most readers is the Orisha series. With the third book in the trilogy yet to release, I finally picked up the first two books to understand the hype and excitement surrounding it. With December being the month when the second book finally releases, I gave it a shot by reading the first two back to back and here is my take on the same. Review of Children of Blood and Bone: The land of Orisha is divided into two clans - Maji and Kosidan. Eleven years prior to the incidents in the book, the maji clan lost all their powers and were ruthlessly murdered by the king. With only the diviners (maji who are yet to attain the power) who are now being hunted, the plot entirely revolves around Zelie who has suddenly come across a scroll that might bring magic back to land. The story

Title : Braised Pork Author : An Yu Genre : Contemporary Fiction I decided to finally expand my reading horizons this year by picking up books from different regions so as to gain more knowledge on newer topics everyday. So, when I got the opportunity to pick up Braised Pork by An Yu, I was pretty intrigued about the cultural importance of China and the knowledge it would impart and here is my take on the book. Braised Pork is the story of Jia Jia who one day suddenly finds her husband dead in the bathroom after his meal. Eventhough their marriage wasn't as happy as it used to be before, their mutual understanding of each other did not deter them from each other. It came as a shock to Jia Jia when her husband drowned himself. What was even more mysterious was the drawing of the fish man that he had been intrigued with since his visit to Tibet. The novel explores the story of Jia Jia and her journey to solve this mystery. I was pretty much attracted to this book because

Title : A Curse So Dark and Lonely and A Heart So Fierce and Broken Author : Brigid Kemmerer Genre : YA Fantasy One of the books that had caught my attention last year was the Beauty and the Beast Retelling by Brigid Kemmerer 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely'. With fairy tale retellings that has stormed the market for last 2-3 years, this one promised a huge potential and apparently was well received throughout. With the second book coming out this year, I decided to pick both of them back to back and here is my take on yet to complete trilogy. Review on 'A Curse So Dark and Lonely': The book mainly moves forward with the help of our two central protagonists and we get their narration throughout. Harper who we see trying to save a girl from getting kidnapped is brought into another world, into the land of Emberfell where she meets the crown prince Rhen. Rhen is cursed for almost 300 seasons and has been surviving along with his commander Grey shut in his castle, trying to