September Wrap-Up (18 Books!)

October is almost here and it's time for another monthly wrap-up! I'm really excited for October. Between lots of exciting upcoming book releases and the festivities of Halloween, it's going to be a great month. And speaking of Halloween, I'll be soon posting about my reading plans and Halloween ideas for the month of October, so keep an eye out for that :)

And now, without further delay, let's get started!

The Comics/Graphic Novels

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham - 5 stars 

This volume was my favorite since March of the Wooden Soldiers. It was published between volumes 7 and 8 of the series and is set centuries before the current storyline. In the beginning of this volume, we follow Snow's story as she's dispatched as an ambassador to negotiate with the sultan who rules over the Arabian fables. The sultan, outraged that Fabletown would send a woman for this mission, refuses to let Snow leave and decides to have her beheaded. To keep this dreaded fate at bay, Snow tricks the sultan by telling him a new story every night. This is a volume that could be enjoyed even by someone who's never read Fables before and I highly recommend it.

Ms Marvel Vol.1 by Brian Reed - 3 stars

Carol Danvers became the superheroine known as Ms Marvel when she was caught in a flash of alien light. So long she was working with other superhero teams, she seemed to be doing fine but since she's decided to go solo, she's come to realize that this superhero gig was a lot harder than she'd realized. This is her story as she struggles to be not a good, not a better, but the best of the best of superheroes. Sometimes she's clueless. Sometimes she screws up. But for the most part, she gets the job done. This first volume does little more than set the stage for her later adventures but I'll be definitely reading more of Ms Marvel's stories. Also note that this is the original Ms Marvel series, published before the reboot staring Kamala Khan.

The X-Men Vol. 1 (Issues 1-10) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby - 4 stars

I've decided to undertake an ambitious and somewhat crazy project: To read ALL of the X-Men comics, starting with the oldest. I'll probably not be able to cover every single comic ever written but for now, I'm really having fun reading the earliest adventures of the X-Men. The first issues are so cheesy they're hilarious. And the art! Well, let's just say there's A LOT of bright colors. Not to mention all the angst of the budding love between Jean and Scott. These stories are still a blast to read though and I'll definitely be reading more of these comics. 

Morning Glories Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Nick Spencer - 4 stars each

This is one of the weirdest graphic novels I've ever read and I absolutely love it. Six brilliant young people, each with their fair share of dark secrets, arrive at a prestigious prep school, Morning Glories Academy, seemingly to get an exclusive education. As soon as the new students arrive though, they realize they're trapped in the academy, unable to either contact their family or leave. And then, the madness begins. I really can't say much, simply because I'm still way too mystified myself to really explain what's actually going on. Just read it, you'll love it! 

The Children Books

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket - 4 stars

This is the first book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. The day their house burnt to the ground, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire not only lost their parents but also found themselves homeless. Sent away to live with a distant relative, the horrible Count Olaf, the children find themselves in the midst of a dark plan to rob them of their inheritance. This book was a joy to read and I'm very eager to read the next books in the series. 

Dream On Amber by Emma Shevah - 3 stars
Amber is half-Japanese and half-Italian. Along with having to deal with the first days of middle school and a father who's been absent from her life since forever, Amber is trying to fit in. She wants to meet people she can feel at home with. People who will understand her. The story follows her as she makes her way through middle school and start coming in terms with the problems in her life. I thought this book was just okay. A nice but somewhat underwhelming story. 

Famous Five 1-3 by Enid Blyton - 4 stars each
This series follow the adventures of siblings Anne, Dick and Julian and their cousin George, as they uncover secrets and find hidden passages and treasures, accompanied by their loyal dog Timmy. A fun series full of mystery and delightful descriptions of food that could give George R.R. Martin a run for his money.  

The Witches by Roald Dahl - 4 stars

The book follows the adventures of a young boy and his grandma as they encounter evil, child-hating witches. As with all the Dahl books I've read so far, this was a fun and nicely crafted story that you'd enjoy just as well at 10 as you would at 20. 

The Historical Fiction Books

Confessions of an ugly step-sister by Gregory Maguire - 5 stars

As you can guess from the title, this is a retelling of Cinderella. There is no actual magic though and it is instead written as a historical novel set in 17th century Holland. The story is told from the point of view of one of Cinderella's 'ugly step-sisters'. I enjoyed this book so damn much. I had no idea what to expect before reading it but it blew me away. I'll definitely be reading more of this author's books, my next one most probably being Wicked. 

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee - 3 stars

This is the recently published first draft of To Kill A Mockingbird. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy it either. I just wish it had never been published. Read my full review here.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - 4 stars

Narrated by Death, this book follows the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl living in Germany during WWII. The writing was very different from what I usually read. Very poetic and descriptive. I'd totally recommend it. I'd also suggest you watch the movie since I really enjoyed that as well.

The Classic(s)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - 4 stars
I finally got around to reading this children's classic and loved it. True, sometimes the marine jargon was a little tricky, especially since I don't really read lots of books about pirates and sea adventures, but overall it was a really fun read. 

Fiction Books

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - 4 stars
This is the dual story of a woman who one day finds the diary of a young Japanese girl washed up ashore on the beach, and the girl who's narrating the diary. It was a unique and beautiful story and I'd definitely recommend it. Check out my review of this book for a more detailed description of the story. Read my full review here.

Love by Angela Carter - 3 stars
Annabel, a mentally imbalanced girl, lives with her husband and her brother-in-law in a little flat. Together, these three people lead a very hermetic life, needful of each other in different ways that make their relationships to each other both complex and stifling. I love Angela Carter's writing and while I do acknowledge that in its own way this is a beautiful story, I just couldn't bring myself to give it a higher rating. I guess it just wasn't for me. I'll definitely be reading more of Angela Carter's books though.

This Month's Favorite

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - 5 stars
Those of you who've been following my blog for a while now probably remember that a few months ago, I had another Angela Carter book, The Magic Toyshop, as my favorite book of the month. I guess it's safe to say that I have a new name to add to my favorite authors list. The Bloody Chamber is a collection of fairy tale retellings, all with a dark spin. This collection definitely has a Gothic atmosphere to it, and it's not only because of the subject, but also due to Carter's melodious narrative voice. Some stories I liked more than others but overall, I loved the whole collection. After finishing it, I had to wait a little while before gathering my thoughts about it. I might have given it 4 stars had I rated it there and then. After a while though, as I thought about the book, I realized that I had utterly fallen in love with it without even noticing and couldn't give it anything less than 5 stars. I can't wait to reread this collection.

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Have A Great...

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Cover Art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

Soudha's Travel Log 2: Reading in the Garden

Today we're going to take a little stroll in the Southern Hemisphere's oldest garden, the Pamplemousses Botanical Garden. Pamplemousses, which is French for grapefruits, is also the name of the district where the garden is located. The garden was created in 1770, while the island was still occupied by French settlers. Years later, remnants of the long gone French days still linger in the silent paths that weave through the garden, leading to the old chateau hidden away within. 

Let's Take A Stroll In The Garden...

It's by a warm Sunday day that I make the trip to Pamplemousses, eager to revisit the old garden that has come to be one of my favorite places on the island. As I arrive there, I am greeted by an alleyway of trees, and it is under their gently wavering shadows that I walk inside the garden.

Although it is Sunday, the timid winter sun hasn't drawn a lot of visitors in and the garden is almost empty as I walk under the soft but delightful sunshine of Pamplemousses. We are in the North, where the days are always a bit warmer than where I live, farther away in the colder regions of the island. 

Every now and then, you can hear the occasional singing of birds and the rustling of the leaves overhead as the wind slips through the knotted canopy of the branches from nearby trees.  

After a few minutes, I arrive at the statue of Bernardin de St. Pierre, a French writer and botanist who notably wrote Paul & Virginie, a tragic love story set in Mauritius. Although the book has today been widely forgotten, in the 18th century it was actually quite famous. Today, Paul and Virginie are recognized as Mauritius's own Romeo and Juliet and can be found in works of art all over the island. 

Leaving behind the whispers of tragic love and forgotten centuries, I reach the garden's most famous attraction, its long pond of giant water lilies. Scattered among the large circular leaves, the occasional water lily amazes the approaching visitor with its dress of pure white petals. 

I am carefully walking around the water-licked edges of the pond, trying to figure out the best angle to capture this beautiful painting of glittering waters and floating leaves when I notice someone sitting in front of the pond, an actual paintbrush in her hand. I walk a bit closer to the young woman, an Asian tourist, and can't help but stare when I see the beautiful painting she's making, having captured the exact same image I'd been trying to capture through my camera. Awed and definitely a bit shy, I ask her if I can take her picture and she nods with a smile. 

I simply love coming across artists and getting to meet them. My encounter with this young woman was definitely the highlight of my visit to the garden that day. It's always nice to meet people who share a love for art, isn't it?

Leaving behind the pond of water lilies, I'm now approaching the deepest part of the garden, where centuries of unspoken history awaits within the walls of an old French chateau. The Château de Mon Plaisir has been the home to various French officials back in the old days, including Pierre Poivre, the man who developed the garden. While today the colonial house is home to dust and phantoms of past lives, a visit to the garden wouldn't be complete without stopping at least once before its ancient walls. If walls could talk, huh? 

What I'm Currently Reading 

I'm currently reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I'm absolutely loving it. I'm already familiar with the story, having seen the movie countless times with my sister before. I actually bought the book months ago as part of my birthday book haul in February but hadn't really dared pick it up. Having already watched the movie, I guess I was scared of not loving the book because I already knew the story. Turns out I had been worrying for nothing after all. As a matter of fact, I'm glad I'm already familiar with the characters and story because that way, it feels a bit like reuniting with old friends. I'll keep my full thoughts for my wrap-up but I can already tell that I'm going to give this book a very good rating. 

The Souvenir(s) 

I bought this postcard at a little stall near the exit of the garden. It shows a few touristic spots of the island, including the famous water lilies of the garden in the top left corner. 

More travel stories & Giveaways

So that was another post in my new Travel Log series. If you want to read more about Mauritius and see pictures of my other trips, click the link below:

Soudha's Travel Log Series

And if you haven't already done so, click below to check out the two giveaways that I'm hosting this month. They'll both end on the 30th of September, so you still have time to enter if you wish to ^^ 

Giveaway 1 (International)

Giveaway 2 (International)

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments :)

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Cover Art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee - My Review Of A Book That Should Have Probably Not Been Published

OK, I'll be honest here. What actually made me buy this book was the gorgeous orange cover. Do I regret buying it though? No. But that's only because had I not bought it, I would have never bought and read To Kill A Mockingbird and that book was one of my favorite books this year. And of all time. Go Set A Watchman is what basically made me read To Kill A Mockingbird, and that's about its main redeeming quality. 

Do I think Watchman was largely a cleverly executed marketing trap? Definitely! But I don't actually mind that since it did make a lot of people (myself included) finally pick up and read To Kill A Mockingbird. 

This review started as an angry rant in my head and while I did eventually tone it down a little bit, it's style is definitely going to be different from my other reviews. My original feelings while and just after reading the book were basically pissed and getting even more pissed. Looking back on the book though, I must admit that it wasn't all trash. So instead of posting an angry rant, I thought I would instead tell you the positive and negative things about the book.

The Negative Aspects

The manuscript that didn't make it

The first thing you need to know is that this is not a sequel of To Kill A Mockingbird. Myself included, a lot of people bought this thinking it was a sequel. The fact that all the characters are older and that the setting is the same certainly has something to do with the misunderstanding. But no, this is in fact an early manuscript of To Kill A Mockingbird. Yep. Watchman is basically the first draft that was originally rejected and reworked to produce Harper Lee's beloved masterpiece. 

So, reading this book, I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable thinking that maybe this was something that was never meant to be published. It honestly made me feel like I was reading someone's secret diary or something. I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was reading something Harper Lee had never meant for the public to read. The debate as to Harper Lee consented to the publication is still open, but as far as I'm concerned, the simple fact that the debate exists at all makes me really uncomfortable. 

Plot elements from To Kill A Mockingbird have been shamelessly changed with no regards to what actually happened in the first book

Yes, we know it's a draft rather than a sequel of book one, but that's just another reason why we didn't actually need this book. Since it's only an early draft, it was perfectly fine for the publishers to validate changes made to the plot of the first book. To fans of To Kill A Mockingbird though, these plot changes just ruin the story and characters they love. It's like reading Harry Potter 8 and finding out that Harry had dumped Ginny for Hermione. I don't care if Watchman is supposed to count as canon or meta or whatever. As far as I'm concerned, it just created a really sucky situation for fans of To Kill A Mockingbird. 

Here's one of those plot changes. You might want to skip it if you haven't read To Kill A Mockingbird yet and don't want to be spoiled. 

In Watchman, when we're getting a little reminder of the events of the first book, we're told that Tom Robinson, the black man who was accused of raping a white girl, was acquitted. THIS IS NOT TRUE! He never got acquitted. He was sent to prison, after which he attempted to escape, causing him to be shot and killed by the prison guards. This is as far from getting acquitted as it gets.

Some characters now have completely different physical descriptions 

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell, the girl who accused Tom Robinson of raping her, is described as being around 19. In Watchman though, when the events of the trial are being recounted, she's described as being 14 at the time. Why? Just, why?

Some characters have suffered full personality changes 

There was one such personality change that was rather heartbreaking and had me seriously considering putting the book down. To change a character's age or hair color without explanation is one thing but to completely alter a character's personality is downright wrong. Especially when it's a character you really loved. Highlight the space between *Start of spoiler* and *End of spoiler* to read the spoiler below:
*Start of spoiler*Atticus Finch, whom we've all admired for bravely fighting for a black man's justice in an era of ruthless racism is suddenly... a racist?! *End of spoiler*

They laid off a crucial main character without so much as a decent paragraph to break it to us.

All we got was a single sentence to explain this character's off-screen death and that's it. Yup, he/she is dead. Sorry but not sorry to break it to you like that. Moving on now...  Don't check this spoiler unless you've read both To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman! 
*Start of spoiler* Jem is dead. Jem is fucking dead. And we're supposed to be okay with the fact that we're told this in one, single, heartless sentence.*End of spoiler*

As much as I want to keep hating this book though, I have to admit that it wasn't all that bad. I will never love this book and still think it should have never been published, but there were some aspects of it that weren't so bad. 

The Positive Aspects

Scout's character  

The main positive thing about Watchman was that Scout, or Jean Louise as she's called now, was still the same character we all loved from the first book, albeit all grown up now. Her character stayed true to her portrayal as a child in To Kill A Mockingbird and was what made this book relatively okay. She might be an adult and go by Jean Louise now but she's still the adorably rebellious Scout we all love. She's an open-minded woman who lives in a time and place where racism is still rampant. Her ideologies and beliefs are very avant-garde for her time but she fully embraces them and remains true to herself no matter how hard it is in a small, traditional place as her Southern hometown. 

It's a quick read

The book might not seem like it when you first pick it up, but it's actually quite short, with large font and spacing and a fast-paced writing style. You can easily finish this in one day. It did take me two days though, but that's only because I got so upset I had to temporarily put it down. If you actually enjoy the story, you might finish it in one sitting.

The content of the flashbacks

There were flashbacks. Lots of them. Sometimes it even felt like the book was trying too hard to make us nostalgic. However, if you overlook that little detail, you'd probably really enjoy reading about Scout and her brother Jem's childhood days. These parts reminded me a lot of To Kill A Mockingbird, which was probably the goal. 

Final Word

I eventually gave this book 3 out of 5 stars, which was probably a bit generous considering the fact that I didn't even enjoy it that much. I don't regret reading this book though. Go Set A Watchman is possibly the year's most controversial book. 2015's Satanic Verses, so to speak. And the only way to educate yourself about the whole controversy and literary phenomenon is to read the book. Because of that, I will not tell people not to read Go Set A Watchman. By all means, do read it. You can only know where you stand on the debate if you've read the book. Maybe you'll hate it with a passion. Or, maybe you'll actually really enjoy it. You can only know if you read it. And if you've read or want to read it, feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments. 

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