Saturday 31 October 2015

Halloween Reads: My Favourite Scary Movies!

I am a huge horror movie buff. Anything scary, even remotely scary has my eyes all over it...meaning I will watch it! I even watch seriously bad horror films! Even the weird Hindi ones. I am not picky when it comes to horror movies, I watch them all. Sadly, finding people to watch said movies with can sometimes be challenge. Most people stay away from horror flicks. Luckily, my sister, in spite of being very scared very easily, watches these movies with me. I've also had friends who've been big horror fans like me. One of the funnest summers of my life was renting DVDs from my local DVD library and watching numerous scary movies. We watched The Ring one afternoon, scared out of our minds, we were on the floor, holding on to each other for dear life! It was the funnest afternoon! Similarly, we watched What Lies Beneath and a flying curtain left us screaming like little girls. Fun times!

Here are some of my favourite movies that will scare you and make you scream!


  1. Psycho- a true classic. If you haven't seen it, you need to change it! 
  2. Rosemary's Baby- scary and creepy and the building sense of dread and poor Rosemary's helplessness makes this movie really great. Also Mia Farrows wardrobe is pretty amazing! Perfect 1960s style. 
  3. The Omen- I first watched this movie when I was 6 and my friend was 5. To this day, just the mention of this movie makes said friend of mine seriously spooked! 
  4. Scream- one of the first slasher movies I ever saw. I love the first 2 movies of this series, the last 2 movies were a little off. But still utterly enjoyable. The TV series is also quite nice.
  5. Urban Legend- One of my favourite slasher films! I loved this movie and the ending was really surprising. I highly recommend this movie. 
  6. Let Me In- a vampire movie with some serious fright factor. This isn't about shiny, benign vampires- the kind that are lovable. The vampire in this movie is cruel, cold and downright frightening! 
  7. The Ring- seriously, seriously scary!!! The original Japanese one is even scarier! 
  8. Shutter- simple, old school horror film. About revenge from beyond the grave. I somewhat recently saw this movie and really enjoyed it!!! 
  9. It- based on a Stephen King book, this movie scarred my half to death. Of course, I saw this movie when I was 8!!! Seriously, my parents let me watch anything! :) I haven't seen this movie since and I really should, just to see if it scares me as much. 
  10. Paranormal Activity- I saw this movie alone on a rainy Bangalore afternoon. Scary and satisfying! the other installments aren't nearly as good. Maybe the second one was half way decent..the others not as much.
  11. Orphan- I loved this movie, not a horror film, this movie is a thriller with a really creepy twist in the end. 
  12. Uninvited- A remake of Korean movie called The Two Sisters, this movie was scary at times and has a pretty good twist in the end. A twist some might see coming but it was fun nevertheless. 
  13. The Conjuring- Based on true events this is a story of a family buying a new home and being severely haunted. Scary, unsettling and such a fun time! 
  14. Annabelle- A prequel of sorts to the Conjuring, this is the story of the creepy doll and how she came to be such a horrific conduit. Not nearly as great as Conjuring, it was still a fun watch. 
  15. Sinister- A true crime writer moves into a new home to pursue the story of a family that lived there and was murdered. Soon he discovers a bunch of home videos linked to the recent murder and others like it. Scary, spooky and well made. I really enjoyed it. I am dying to watch the next movie in the series! 
  16. Insidious 1-3- I liked the first and third instalments of this movie franchise. The second one was just not for me. 
  17. Visions- Saw this one recently and I really liked it. A nice little twist. An unexpected take on a horror movie. 
  18. Unfriended- Social media is a focus of this horror film. A girl killed herself a year ago and then sends messages from beyond the grave and has revenge on her mind. 
  19. What Lies Beneath- An oldie, of sorts, but so good! 
  20. The Silence of the Lambs- Not a horror movie per say but soooooo scary and unsettling. If you haven't seen this you really need to! 
I have been meaning to do this post for ages. Seriously! This post has sat in my drafts folder for 2 years now. I love horror films and it was high time I shared some of my utter favourites on the blog! :) Happy Halloween. My plan tonight is also to find a scary movie to watch and chill! Yay! 

Have a great Saturday folks! 

Friday 30 October 2015

Review: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)


Book: Career of Evil

Author: Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

Pages: 497

Read on: Kindle

Read in: 3-4 days

Plot Summary: When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible--and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...

Career of Evil is the third in the highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, it is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

Things I Liked: Quick list:
1. Another Cormoran Strike book! YAY! Suffice to say, I have very much enjoyed this new avatar of Ms. Rowling. Reviews of the first two books in the series can be found here and here. I have been most eagerly waiting for this book and was so happy to have liked it even more than the previous books! More YAY! 

2. This book reminded me of why I loved the Harry Potter books so much. J.K. Rowling goes into fantastic amounts of detail to build the world of each character. We get the back-stories of Robin, Cormoran and various other key characters in this book and I simply loved getting to know Robin and Cormoran better! 

3. The three main serial killer suspects were such ghastly sub-human specimens! The author has provided us with a range of evil- from your garden variety psychopath to a truly misogynistic sociopath. This range of 'evil-ness' keeps the reader guessing who the real killer is. 

4. Unlike the first book- The Cuckoo's Calling- where the killer was super-easy to guess, in this book, the author lays out many subtle breadcrumbs, which, can lead the careful and vigilant reader straight to the killer. Also, the red herrings were pretty good and not very obvious. Clearly, Rowling is getting better at this genre. 

5. I loved that Robin played a very important and significant part in this investigation. She truly comes into her own and also does a wonderful job at profiling who this killer is. I really enjoyed her involvement in this story. 

Things I Didn't Like: Not much.. I wish the editing was a bit crisper. There was a lot of detail, some of which was not required. The book would have been much more engaging if it were tightly edited. 

Rating: 4.5/5 
If you have not read this new series from J.K. Rowling, you totally must!! You will not be disappointed! 

Thursday 29 October 2015

General Whimsy/// Horror Films I've Watched Recently.

Hello! 

I am a big time horror movie buff. I love losing myself in a movie that scares and keeps me on the edge. 

And in October I am all about watching scary movie. I've been watching quite scary movies lately and these are just some of them. 


1. It Follows: This movie got a lot of hype this year, it's an indie horror film and I love indie movies and add horror to the mix and I am all in! 

This was a decent-ish movie. Not too scary but strange and unsettling. It's about a young girl who goes on a first date and comes back with a unknown supernatural force trailing her. And there is nothing she can do to stop it. 

There were some spooky moment but it's nowhere as scary as I was hoping it would be. 

Rating: 3/5 


2. Knock Knock: I can't remember the last time I saw Keanu Reeves in a movie. The premise the of the movie is simple--- a family man home alone for the weekend, lets in two young girls on a stormy night. What follows is first a dream come true and then quickly turns into a nightmare. 

This was an OK movie at best. 
Predictable and by the end of it I was laughing at the over-acting. 
Not the best thing ever. 

Rating: 1.5/5 


3. Visions: The most recent movie I've seen and I really, really loved it. 
A thriller movie with horror undertones with a fantastic twist in the end. 
I really enjoyed the whole movie. 
It's about a couple who move to a vineyard to make a fresh start as they about to start a family. The woman is getting over a traumatic event from a year ago. Strange things start happening and the possibility of a haunting looms large. 

I highly recommend this movie. 


4/5 


4. The Visit: A M. Night Shyamalan movie and a good one at that. 
Two teenagers are going to meet their grandparents for the first time and it's a visit to remember. The grandparents act strangely and almost sinisterly. Are they just old people acting their age? Or is something worse at play? 

A comedy-horror this movie was spooky in part and funny in others.
I really enjoyed it and recommend it. 

Rating: 4/5 


5. Poltergeist: I have never seen the original movie but of course I've heard of it and seen images from the original. So when the new version was out and I was curious to see it. This was nice movie. Spooky, creepy and with a nice family you could root for. Not verrry scary but good. 
A family that's on hard times moves to a new home and something is not quite right here. They have a Poltergeist problem. 

Rating: 3/5 


6. Unfriended: A movie about social media and a haunting based on Facebook. A group of friends are chatting on Skype and an unknown person is attached to their group conversation. Strange things start to happen and they begin to die one by one. A fun, action filled, scary and creepy movie. I quite enjoyed it. It was also about group dynamics and secrets between friends. 
Recommend it. 

Rating: 4/5 

I plan on watching scary movies all week long right upto Halloween. 
Are there some scary movies you've seen recently?
Do recommend some! 


Wednesday 28 October 2015

General Whimsy: Food & Coffee Files.







Hello! 

I love food as much as I love books...maybe even more. After all I need food in order to live. I also enjoy cooking and trying new things and cuisines. 

Lately I've come to realise that I am in a bit of a food rut. I tend to go the same place, order the same thing and don't experiment at all. I really, really want to change this. Try new place. Try new food. And not end up repeating the same meals over and over. Even with my home-cooking I've tried new food all year long. I have learnt new recipes and even fashioned some new recipes in the kitchen and I am so pleased that I've expanded my cooking skills. 

These pictures are some of the recent coffee and food choices I've made. 

From top to bottom...

1. Ice-blended coffee and a blueberry muffin from CBTL. All very yummy and very good. 

2. My sister tried a new coffee from Starbucks a chocolate jelly thingie which unfortunately wasn't very nice. 

3. Red Velvet and cream cheese frosting. So good! I always get this in Starbucks. 

4. A dark-chocolate raspberry tart at Food for Thought Cafe at Kitab Khana. So good! 

5. My sister had this amazing beetroot and truffle oil risotto with grilled chicken at the Silver Beach Cafe in Juhu recently and loved it. I wan to try make some beetroot risotto at home...it might be a nice new thing to try out. 

:) 

Man Booker Short-List Review: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.


Book: A Spool of Blue Thread

Author: Anne Tyler

Pages: 440

Read On: Paperback

How Long it Took Me To Read: 3-4 days

Plot Summary: "It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon." This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July 1959. The whole family—their two daughters and two sons, their grandchildren, even their faithful old dog—is on the porch, listening contentedly as Abby tells the tale they have heard so many times before. And yet this gathering is different too: Abby and Red are growing older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them, and the fate of the house so lovingly built by Red's father. Brimming with the luminous insight, humor, and compassion that are Anne Tyler's hallmarks, this capacious novel takes us across three generations of the Whitshanks, their shared stories and long-held secrets, all the unguarded and richly lived moments that combine to define who and what they are as a family.

General Thoughts: Another one from the Booker Shortlist of 2015, this one sounded good to me. I am a sucker for family stories and throw in generations of the same family and I am all in! I had never heard of Anne Tyler...and I am glad this book got nominated for the Booker so I discovered a new writer. I am definitely going to pick more of her books and boy! she has so many books out! :)

This isn't the most literary book and it was a little surprising to see this nominated for a major literary prize, but I really loved the book. It was a soothing, calming and happy read.

Things I Like: 

1. The writing was really good. Easy to read long and immersive and really brought this family alive. So good!

2. Family stories and family dynamics are some of my favourite things to read about and this book was full of family equations, little struggles, fights, love, loyalty and changes a family goes through over the years. And I loved every single thing about it.

3. The book follows an interesting structure with regards to time-line. It's non-linear for sure, for it also jumps back and forth and this was done well and made for a good reading experience. The book starts in 1994, comes up to present day and then jumps to 1958 and then back to 1920s and then back to present day again and all of it was so good.

4. I liked this family. All generations of it and since the book is all about them this was a critical thing.

5. All of the characters were well-crafted and all of them, especially the main ones- Abby, Red, Denny and the older family members were very well-written and memorable.

6. I liked all of the time periods and enjoyed them equally.

7. The little love story- Abby and Red was sweet and unexpectedly real.

8. The challenges of senior citizens and how life and old age robs you of so many things you take for granted was so poignant but not shown with dramatic and over sentimentality.

9. I really liked the end of this book and the unexpected 'love-story' of the Red's parents. I loved how what seems like 'true-love' and 'star-crossed' love to one person is the total opposite to another. A marriage that seems like a love match to one person can be a compromise and 'settling' for another.

10. I loved, really loved the reason for the title of the book. I won't go into details since it's kinda a spoiler-ish. I was wondering, as the book was drawing to the end what the significance of the title could possibly be and in the end...we find out and I loved that little anecdote.

11. Through the course of the book we find out about the history of this family house and you get to care about this house and feel sad by the end of the novel when it ends up empty.

12. All of the time periods covered in the book were captured so well.

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. The daughters of Red and Abby were a tad bit under-developed. They both have husbands called Hugh and by the end of the book I couldn't really even tell them apart. While Denny and Stem are very fleshed out and memorable, the daughters are not nearly as well-written.

2. There is so much of Denny mentioned in the book, from the very beginning in fact. I was hoping for a chapter or two from his perspective. Till the very end he remains a mystery and enigma and we don't really get to know what the deal with him is. I wish we had found out a little bit more about him.

Rating: 5/5

This was a very satisfying read for me. I read it during Durga Pujo and it was nice to read a book about family during the festive time and a time when I was spending a lot time with my family. This isn't a perfect book but I enjoyed the time I spend with it. I highly recommend it.




Tuesday 27 October 2015

Man Booker 2015 Short-List Review: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.


Book: A Little Life

Author: Hanya Yanagihara

Pages: 741

Read On: Paperback

How Long it Took Me To Read: Over a week.

Plot Summary: When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.

General Thoughts: I first heard of this book in the very beginning of the year when it first came out. I heard nothing but amazing things and even the phrase 'Great American Novel' being thrown around. I was intrigued and wanted to get my hands on it! But the hardback was out and way too expensive. Then the paperback came out and seriously, I found it a bit pricey too. But by this point I was very interested in the book and wanted to read it. Also it was short-listed for the Man Booker 2015 (it didn't win) but I just needed to read this!

It took me over a week and then some to read this book! Which in my world is a really long time to spend on one book. This might also be the longest book I've read all year and I am so glad I ploughed through it and made it to the end!

I read two other books during reading this book and I think it helped. It wasn't an intentional decision, I just had to go places and this book doesn't lend it self to being taken out and about. But it was nice to step away from this world and take a break.

TRIGGER WARNINGS---  Read with caution if Sexual abuse, rape, self-harm, physical abuse and suicide are triggers for you. This book is full of potential triggers, so please be vary.

Things I Liked: 

1. The writing was really and truly a delight to read. It wasn't poetic or particularly beautiful but it was done so well and I think easy enough for anyone to read.

2. This was such an immersive read. I felt like I had slipped within the pages of this book and was living with the people in this book and seeing their lives up close.

3. The scope of this book is so vast. It covered so much. The lives of four close friends from their mid-twenties to their forties. Their different careers, love-lives, ups and downs and family and even the equations between the four friends. There is so much going on this book and it doesn't for a single second feel like it's too much or cramped or chaotic. The author does a fantastic job of managing all the varied aspects of this novel so well.

4. The book, the blurb and pretty much every single synopsis of the book is actually deceiving the reader. And this not necessarily a bad thing. Normally, I'd hate a book that lies to me but I think I liked being taken for a ride in this case. The blurb tells you this is the story of four friends. But that is such a small part of the novel. Truth be told this book is all Jude. The friends, the friendships and everything else is just the background. Jude is the central focus of this book. And if  I am being honest the friendship is a very small part of the story.

5. I don't think I've read a book about make friendship before. There are so many books about the complex and complicated friendship between women but male friendships are such a neglected area in literature. I really enjoyed reading about male friendship and a long-term one at that.

6. Jude---oh man Jude! He is such an interesting, well-crafted, nuanced, heart-breaking, frustrating and tragic character. He is hands down the best, the absolute best thing in this book. He would be the best reason to pick this book up. You need to get to know Jude---even if it breaks your heart.

7. There are so many wonderful, likeable and kind people in this book. And for a book that is fairly bleak this was such a wonderful thing. Wilhelm especially was such a lovely person and I liked him so much.

8. You know you are reading a great book when you really, really get to every person in the most meaningful way possible. We really got to know each of the four boys and their back stories, their current lives and their thoughts and feelings and struggles. I really appreciated this.

9. Jude's past is revealed slowly and then in great (grave) details. While a lot of it was very hard to read and stomach, it was given to the reader in measured extents.

10. This was such an intense reading experience. It moves you, breaks your heart and shows you  a side of life that you haven't experienced. I really loved the time I spent with this book.

11. Set in New York and about New Yorkers, this is always a good thing be in my books.

12. All the relationships in the book are so real and genuine and not dramatic or sugar coated or heightened, they are just real.

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. For most part, this was a book I loved. But this isn't a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone. I cannot do that in good conscience and recommend this book to everyone. This is most certainly the most depressing book I've ever read. This book will BUM YOU OUT. Seriously, this is not the book that you can read and be. It will make you sad. Every time you think nothing worse will happen it does. It gets worse and worse.

2. So many bad things happen to Jude, so many. Bad to worse to utterly horrible and it happens over and over and over. It's a never ending cycle of abuse, hurt and more abuse. It happens so much that after a point you just don't feel it. You become desensitised to it. It just stops horrifying you. I also didn't see the point of so much abuse being mentioned and used as a story point over and over again.

3. Jude was self-harming, pretty seriously and so many people knew about it. Wilhelm knew from the start and he doesn't do anything particularly helpful. He was Jude's closest friend and he does precious little to actually help Jude. He has a hard time even talking to Jude about it. I found this so frustrating and slightly hard to digest. One of the people who were privy to Jude's self-harm was a doctor- Andy- and even he does nothing. He threatens Jude with psych eval but that's it. Nothing concrete or helpful is ever really done. These are all very, highly educated and evolved people yet they don't see the harm in Jude's action and how fatal they can be. Frustrating!

4. As much as I enjoyed getting to know Jude...I also had a very hard time understanding him. So much of what he did and how he reacted and treated people baffled me. And so much he put up with was just...odd!

5. The odds of Jude meeting only assholes throughout his life was just a little too bizarre. Like seriously how can everyone in his life till he was 15 been an abusive asshole?! Pretty much every single man he met wanted to use and abuse him. Every one of them! What are the odds?!

Rating: 4/5

This is an incredible read. And I recommend it highly, yet cautiously. Read it knowing there is some difficult issues in this book. Read it when you are ready, really ready to read something difficult and dark.




Monday 26 October 2015

Monday Moods: My Sister's New Kindle Cover.

Hello! 

A few weeks back I shared my adorable new Kindle cover. Along with me, my sister also got a new cover for her Kindle PaperWhite. Her's is a glorious floral, vintage French print that she adores. 

Let's have a closer look...


French inspired prints and macaroons just go together.



Above--- the front of the cover. 

Below-- the back of the cover. 

Both equally nice and pretty. 



Inside of the cover. All kinds of lovely. 


Just like with my cover, a free stylus was sent. This time in red. 

The cover is from CathyKDesigns, an Etsy store. 

Hope your Monday is going well. 


Sunday 25 October 2015

Book Haul: Books from Om Books + Vogue. Books of October 2015 Part- II.

Hello! 

A mini-bookhaul today. 

I spend sometime in Om Books Store a few days ago and came back with these two books. Both publications from Om Books. I have wanted to read some Kamala Das for ages and when I saw this collection of short stories I had to pick it up. And the other book- Emotional Hostage- sounded interesting and I read the first few pages and liked the writing so decided to pick it up :) 

I also picked up the 8th Anniversary Edition of Vogue India...sometimes I like browsing through fashion magazines and this big, hefty issue seemed like a good deal. 

Let's look at the books now...








I have more new books to haul...some I picked up during Pujo. Will haul them on the blog soon! 

Happy Reading guys :) 

Friday 23 October 2015

Friday Favourites: A Fabindia Haul--- Bookmarks and Jewellery!





Hello! 

And a happyyyy Friday to you.

And a Subho Bijoya to fellow Bengalis. 

Can't believe Pujo has come and gone! :( 

This post is a little flashback post. Back to Shashti...little gifts that my sister got me on the first day of Pujo. She was in Delhi for one day and picked these Fabindia pressies from the airport. 

1. & 2. Magnetic bookmarks with prints inspired by the Forts of Rajasthan. 

3. Enamel earrings in red and green. 

4. Dokra necklace with lovely little intricate leaves all over. I can't wait to wear this necklace! It's so simple but so pretty! :) 

Hope you guys had a lovely Dusshera. 

All of these things are from Fabindia

Thursday 22 October 2015

A Day in The Life of Me: Ashtami 2015.

Hello! 

This post is a day late..Ashtami was yesterday and it was a late night. By the time I got home I was pooped and all I wanted was a shower and my bed! :) 

Ashtami..the 8th day of Durga Pujo is the most important day of the festival. The day we save our best outfits for. The day when all Bengalis dress to the nines. 

The heat and humidity of Bombay kept me indoors in the day time. We ventured out in the evening and hit a few pandals and got dinner. 

Here are a few snippets of my Ashtami. 






Pretty pandals and gorgeous Proteemas all around. 

Above the Lokhandwala Durga Puja---was by far the prettiest Proteema. Love the golden idols and the shades of pink and purple in the decor. I just couldn't stop staring at all the gorgeousness. 

Below--- simple but elegant proteema. 




Pujor jogar--- all the little bits and details that goes into the worship of the Goddess. 


More pink and gold tones. 
And pretty ceiling details. 
These was in the Goregaon Kalol Kalibari Pujo. 



My red Kutchi leather bag. Tiny but fits all that I needed---camera, spare battery and SD cards, makeup, wallet, phone, tissues and hand-sanitizer. 



A balloon seller outside a pandal. 

Ashtami was insane. The traffic was slow moving and we spent most of our time in the car. 
But the pretty pandals and the festive vibes made it worth it. 

Today is Navami. I have spent it at home. No venturing out. 
The last two days and late nights were all I could endure. 
So today is a chill day at home. 
Watching the Bengali TV channels and seeing all the festivity in Bengal. 

I'll be back with regular posts soon. 

:)


Wednesday 21 October 2015

A Day in the Life of Me: Saptami 2015.

Hello! 

And a Happy Durga Pujo to fellow Bengalis. Or Bongs..if that's what you call yourselves. :) 

For me Pujo properly began today. Meaning the dressing up in new clothes, pandal hopping and finally seeing a Durga proteema (idol) in person. 

Here are some snippets of my day. 

I took a ton of other pictures as well but those are on my camera and it's 2:00 am when I am posting this and I am tired after a long but satisfying day. I will do a longer post with all my Pujo details later. 

For now..here is what my day looked like today... 


Our first stop was the Puja at Shivaji Park and this was the proteema there. 
It was lit up and lovely.
And the pandal had air-coolers and lots of fans which was pretty amazing since today was a very hot day. Much appreciated Bengal Club! :) 


Our second stop was a new Pujo to us, though it's Bombay's oldest Pujo. It's been celebrated since 1930. This one was at Sheth Goculdas Tejpal Hall at August Kranti Maidan. I really loved this Pujo. It was beautiful and calm and very well managed. So glad we finally went here. 




A little of What I Wore--- I wore a new addition to my handprinted pendants collection. This beautiful Ganesha pendant. I was saving this for Pujo. :) 


Just some lights. This was at a Dandiya place. 

We also ate at Bademiyan...one of my Dad's favourite places to eat.
We got some coffee for the drive back from Starbucks...my sister tried a new coffee---something with caramel and jelly...it was kinda weird! :( 

We also went to the Navy Nagar Pujo but I didn't manage to click proper pictures. There was a longgggggg line to get close to the idols and I just couldn't get a decent shot from where I stood. :( But it was nice and there was also a very lively Ram Leela going on there. Sounded like a lot of fun! 

Hope those of you who celebrate Pujo are having a lovely time as well. 

This was pretty much my day and I loved it! :) 

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Halloween Reads & Review: Never Smile At Strangers by Jennifer Jaynes.


Book: Never Smile at Strangers

Author: Jennifer Jayne

Pages: 306

Read On: Kindle

How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 day

Plot Summary: When nineteen-year-old Tiffany Perron vanishes without a trace, the residents of rural Grand Trespass, Louisiana, launch a desperate search to find her. But few clues are unearthed, and before long another young woman disappears.

As locals continue to vanish, residents begin to discover that they might not know those closest to them as well as they had thought. Lies and insecurities quickly surface, leading everyone to question one another…and their involvement in the disappearances.

Meanwhile, an unstable, twisted killer is hiding quietly in their midst. Ever since his mother’s murder four years earlier, he’s been forced to raise his disturbed teenage sister. He’s terrified of her—and of women in general—and his world revolves around his fear of and obsession over them.


General Thoughts: Another book I read with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. It sounded fun and a perfect read for October. 

Things I Liked: 

1. The writing was nice and the storytelling style was something I enjoyed. Especially for a debut novel it was a very well-written novel. 

2. The pace was fantastic, the book moved along so fast and things happened one after another. 

3.  The characters were very well crafted. There are quite a few characters in this book and they were all distinct and memorable and came across as real people. 

4. We see the perspectives and lives of many of the characters and get to see what they are thinking and doing and see their world through their eyes. I liked this aspect of the book. 

5. We also see the killer and see his thoughts and see his life and his past throughout the book. This helps in guessing who the killer could possibly be. It was also creepy to read his thoughts. 

6. This will a good book for people who read a lot/only Young Adult books. A lot of the characters in this book are young adults and it would be a good book to make a move from YA to adult thrillers. 

7. The small town vibe and atmosphere is captured so well in this book. 

8. I just couldn't put this book down, I was completely engrossed in the story. And I really want to read the second book in the series...which has one of the characters of this book, this story/case is wrapped up nicely in this book. 

9. I kept guessing throughout the book---there are quite a few suspicious characters in this book which is a very good thing be! 

10. Certain things in the book were easy to guess...but it didn't take away from the joy of reading this book. 

Things I Didn't Like:
There was no character that was particularly likeable in this book. There was no one I really liked or grew to care about. 

Almost everyone...or a large number of people in this book and this small town had a drinking problem! 

Rating: 3.5/5 


Monday 19 October 2015

Monday Moods: Personal Style Lately.









Hello! 

Happy Monday to you. 

Today is Shashti, the sixth day of Durga Pujo and in some way the beginning of the main festival. 

Today marks the beginning of the biggest Bengali festival. 

:) 

Today was a slower day for me, my sister is on a one day work trip to Delhi. So we didn't do much in the way of pandal hopping. 

For today's Monday Moods, I am sharing some of my recent fashion choices. 

1. I have fallen back in love with sandals of mine from Charles & Keith. They are super comfy and lovely and go with both Indian clothes and western clothes. 

2. & 3. A pretty floral print tunic, something I wore for some pre-Pujo shopping and bookshop browsing. 

The kurti is from Kilol.

The shoes are from Max. 

4. Armcandy--- I love stacking bracelets and all of these are from Accessorize. 

5. More of my favourite sandals and a super happy floral tunic from Westside. Love the bright yellow  and all the floral magic on it. 

6. Green and white stripes and a black onyx pendant. 

7. Stripes--- I love stripes. Such a classic. And some layered necklaces from Forever 21, a dreamcatcher and a pale pink stone. 

Have a lovely day folks. 

And a Happy Pujo to fellow Bengalis. 






Sunday 18 October 2015

Stationery Sunday/// Haul: Traveler's Notebook Folders

 Folders are a handy way of carrying around bits and bobs (stickers, washi tape samples, bills, travel memorabilia etc.) in one's Traveler's Notebooks (TNs). There are several options for folders available- the Traveler's Notebook Company makes them out of Kraft paper and there are several sellers on Etsy that make them with various different types of pretty paper!

Personally, I am a big fan of the paper folders made by Onica Hanby. Here are some that we recently ordered from her Etsy store. Look at all the loveliness!



The roses are simply stunning! I love floral prints of all kinds- teeny. tiny florals to large ones or even the darker, more edgy floral prints. 




Here is what the inside looks like. There are a total of four pockets- two full-length ones on the top and two half or secretarial pockets below. 




My sister ordered the one below to go with her A6 size TN. Isn't this so pretty?! 





This, last one, is in a Field Notes/ Pocket size. 5.5 X 3.5 inches. Love this print!!! The colours are amazing! 





And here is the sweet set of 'Thank You' stickers that Onica sent out along with our folders. Super cute! Look at the snail!!! 


Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday!

See you soon with more Halloween Reads and Reviews!