A Heart to Mend : Book Review

This is my first book review for 2013..

Book Review for February..

Title : A Heart to Mend

Author : Myne Whitman

Published by : Author House

Genre : Romantic

Pages : 250

My Rating  : **** and a half

My Review

Baseline : A Love story!!

Well February is the month of love.. So, I had to give a review of a book with a beautiful love story. Set in Lagos, Nigeria.. This tale is about a girl from a small town.. She is beautiful, intelligent and wants to stand on her feet, help and support her family. Her family went through a difficult time after the death of her father. She is the first one to step out of the house and make a living for herself. Love is not even a thought in her mind.. until she meets the handsome businessman Edward Bestman.. First time in town and Edward gives her a lift to her aunt's place and after dropping her off can't stop thinking about her or I should say falls in love with her.. which he himself is not able to understand!! He has gone through a lot in his life and has a lot of trust issues.. Building up a relationship with Gladys seems to have it's ups and downs especially when the story takes a twist and a turn and Gladys is accused of ruining Edward's business which he started from scratch and has put in his life's work!! 

This is a book you just can't put down.. The author has given such fine details of the business and the financial world as well as the emotional aspect of what goes through the character's mind!! Both the characters have absolutely different personalities but are extremely likeable! Loved reading this simple yet creatively written book by Myne Whitman, it being her debut novel!!

This book was sent to me by a dear friend Vaishnavi.. she has a lovely blog "a one cent life" and one of the most active person on instagram!! She recently got engaged and I wanna extend a heartiest Congratulations to her!!!

Thank you so much for recommending this book to me!!

If you people get a chance go ahead read the book or if you want an ebook version just drop me an email or leave a comment and your email address below and I would be happy to send it to you!!

Book Review 9 : The Fourth Estate

Book Review for November

Title : The Fourth Estate
Author : Jeffrey Archer
Published by : Harper Collins
Type : Political
Genre : Fiction
Pages : 549

My Rating : ***


My Review

Story Baseline : Two strong characters coming from totally different backgrounds, battling to gain power and willing to take endless risks...

The novel is about 2 ferocious publishers- Keith Townsend and Richard/ Dick Armstrong. Both the characters come from different backgrounds.. One is born in a well to do family with all the luxuries and facilities and the other is  a World War II survivor.. has seen the most difficult of times.. have been chased, put into jail.. have gone days starving and hiding from the enemy.. seen people die in front of him..

Both of them try to take over the media world by different means.. fair or unfair.. Only keeping the eye on the outcome.. no matter who gets hurt, with no regard of anyone and how it may affect the people around them..

It's a political drama where one tries to overstep and kill the other's effort and gain total control.
The book was long and it took me nearly one and a half month to complete. I thought of giving it up a number of times but the author does narrate the story in a way that you actually get a little hooked and wanna know what will happen next..

I felt as if the book could have been a little more precise rather than stating every detail.. somethings could have been left to imagination.. Plus I did not find the ending very good.. with Armstrong taking his own life.. as he had been portrayed as such a strong character moving forward through every kind of hurdle and difficulty..

There is no doubt the Jeffrey Archer writes really well and you do get hooked to his novels..


Linking up with BBC2012 at the overflowing library!!

P.S. Next up : Pumpkin cookies/ cake bites Recipe!!

Book Review 6

My 3rd and the last Book Review for June 2012. I've read more books this month than i thought I will.. Well  I guess that's an accomplishment.. Don't you think so??

Here it goes:

Title : As the crow flies
Author : Jeffrey Archer
Published by : Harper Collins
Type : Novel
Genre : Fiction
Pages : 738 (original)
            234 (condensed)

My Review

This is my second read from Jeffrey Archer.. It was totally different from the first one.. No suspense or tortures but there was drama for sure..

The book starts off with the narrator telling a story about an innocent boy Charlie Trumper ( the main character), who lives with his grandfather and his 2 sisters, in the whitechapel area of London's East end. A talented boy who dreams of becoming an honest barrow boy who's best in the business of selling fruits and vegetables just like his grandfather.

When his grandfather dies, Charlie becomes the sole breadwinner for the family, he drops out of school before he hits his teens to handle his grandfather's shop and quickly turns out to be better and brilliant than him.

The story takes you through a journey of  Charlie's life from an eight year boy to a soldier fighting for his country in the World War II to becoming Lord Charlie Trumper, who owns a large empire consisting of shops and businesses from every walk.

The story moves through a span of 60-70 years(hence should be called a saga) of Charlie's life, including a feus with the Trentham's, friendships which grow into relationships.. As I mentioned earlier.. Drama at it's best!!

The author has written the book from a number of different viewpoints of the various characters in the story making it all the more interesting. It's like getting into the head of these characters and knowing what they are thinking..

The story has an interesting ending that brings a smile to your face and leaves you asking for more!!

P.S. Next up : Denim and Lace!!

Tribal Colors

This summer it's been all about colors.. So, when the InFB's VIBGYOR Challenge came along.. I thought to myself.. Why not??
I mostly don't wear a lot of colors in one outfit so, this time too I wanted to keep the look simple but still have color.. The challenge also included the option that the color could be in any form in the pic... So I went with the background of my own paintings..

You can check out more of my paintings here..
If you want to get something made for yourself just email me or drop in a comment.. :)

Here's the look :

What I'm Wearing: Top : Don't remember, Skirt : Forever21, Belt :  Love Cultur , Blazer : Love Cultur, Shoes : India

The Tribal Skirt 

My Jewels : Neon Ring: Forever 21, Maroon Ring : Gift from mom, Bracelet : From  India (gift from mom), Watch : Fossil

Gold tip nails..

Now for the latest on FabFitFun Challenge

Day 24 : Plan your snacks in advance

My snacks : Blanched almonds, watermelon and baby carrots

Day 25 : Shady Lady

They're big and I just love them..

P.S. Next up : Another Book Review... As the crow flies

Weekend Edition III

It's time for another Weekend Edition..

The weekend had a great start, with a movie, Men in Black. Well, IMDB has given a low rating for its newest sequel, however, we, the 3 musketeers : Me, hubby and brother liked the movie, it has those Will Smith funny moments as well as serious ones.. it did have some "yucky" ones too.. especially with those alien type creatures "ooozing" out stuff.. haha.. you made that face right.. the ewww one.. haha.. well we still enjoyed it!!

/our movie stubs

Hubby left these in the kitchen before leaving for work on Saturday!! Isn't he just the best!!
Love you soooo much!! :) :)

Saturday was a bit slow, with hubby on work all day and me and brother too lazy to do anything.... or for that matter make a plan as to what to do next!!
Do you ever have such moments??

trying to make funny faces!! yes! M wearing a Minnie Mouse top!! I love it!! :)

Boys : hard at work!!

Then came Saturday evening and the energy that we had been saving up the whole day was put into action with a great BBQ at our community BBQ pits.. Hubby and brother really enjoyed their hot dogs.. I, on the other hand loved my veggie BBQ with grilled veggies, sweet potatoes and tater bites (yummy)..

We did plan a grilled pineapple dessert but our tummies were too full for another round...

I had made a lot of plans for Sunday but it turned out that we are "lazy bums", got up late, lazed around on the couch, watched looney tunes while having breakfast, hubby wanted to have a tropical feel so he told me to top a beer mug with ice and put "powerade" in it with a straw.. weird right!! But we are that way.. Weird..

Tropical "Powerade"!! 

We finally got up around 1 in the afternoon to leave for another fun filled day.. as it would not have been completed without my trip to the mall and the discount book store to score another read..

Ready to go!!

My brother did his bit of the shopping and I did mine.. and hubby did his, paying the bill that is, heheh, sorry hubby just a joke. :P

Tried it on!! Loved it!1 No clue Why I DID NOT GET IT!! Somebody hit me on the head!!

We had a perfect late lunch at Islands with burgers on our plates before heading on for another movie, yea I know its the second one in 2 days.. I think it was a day for cartoons cause we saw Disney's new movie Brave!! The AMC Burbank theatres have the new Dolby Atmos sound system and if you haven't checked it out.. you should, it was an awesome experience. This sound system is specially designed to enhance your 3-D experience, with speakers installed overhead as well. You could hear and fell every sound of the movie..

Our drinks!

Yummy burgers and fries for the table!

We ended the day by skipping dinner and instead relieving our sweet tooth at yogurtland, it's my favorite place for dessert.

Dinner :P

Now for the FabFitFun Challenge

Day 19 : Make a meal memo

Day 20 : H2O yeah

Day 21 : Get Pedi Ready

P.S. Coming up next : Another Outfit post!!

Book Review 5 : A Matter of Honor by Jeffrey Archer

Starting with this one, I am giving my book reviews a little bit of a makeover.. Giving a bit of more details and making a little bit more "Nerdy".. but I kinda like it..

So, here we go..

Title : A Matter of Honor
Author : Jeffrey Archer
First Copyright date/year : 1986 ( I was born in that year)
Type : Novel

Genre : Fiction - Political thriller
Pages : 429

My Review


Jeffrey Archer has written a number of books including novels and short stories that topped the bestseller lists all around the world. This one however is my first read from the long list of books from him. It is a fiction novel set in mid 1960's and starts of in Moscow, Russia with a KGB officer being briefed about a mission. In the next chapter it turns to London and the "Hero" of the novel makes his entrance as Adam Scott, Adam and his family are gathered for the reading of his father's will. Adam is bequeathed with an envelope. According to his father it was up to Scott, whether to open the envelope or not, but if he chose to do open it he should never reveal the contents to anyone.

With curiosity and caution he reads and unravels the mystery written on the piece of paper he has inherited but not without KGB officer Romanov, the "villain", CIA and his own countrymen after him. Thus the chase begins, with every page giving way to new mystery and answers.

There is mystery,drama, action and even a detailed description of a torture by the Russians. You feel as if you are watching a James Bond movie. You can't help but turn page after page to know what happened next.

What did Adam discover?
Did Romanov come to know about it?
Who was that man listening to Adam's conversation?
Will Adam be able to escape?


There are two other interesting characters in the book Lawrence and Robin.
I love the way Robin's been described and the conversations between her and Adam as well as Romanov, it makes you laugh.


It is a great Political thriller, set 45 years back in time with an intriguing plot. It's an easy read with a balance of both imagination and reality


I'm onto my second Jeffrey Archer book and I must say his way with the written word is amazing!! :)


P.S. Next up : Weekend Edition III And a new Outfit Post


Linking my 2nd review with the BBC 2012 June Reviews

Book Review :The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern

British Book Challenge 2012 : First Review for June


I picked up this book during my trip to India.. I really liked the concept the book is based on so I went ahead and gave it a try...

Lucy, a messed up girl who hates her job, lost her boyfriend 3 yrs ago but still stalks him, hides behind a mountain of lies.. She nicknames all her colleagues, is a misfit in her family and only wants to be shut in her small post breakup apartment with her illegal per.. A cat named Mr. Pan.

One day, she receives a letter in a gold envelope asking her to schedule a meeting with LIFE!! Yes, LIFE!!!
She had been ignoring these letters for a while but it was about time to go and actually meetup with her life.. which was actually a "HE"..

Life entered her life to make Lucy realize that she can find peace and love again.

Cecelia Ahern has written it beautifully, capturing each and every thought and the little moments that makes you more attached to the main character, Lucy and all the others surrounding her.. While reading the book you might be able to relate some events from your own personal life, I know I could. It makes you laugh with some silly things that she does.. and makes it a light read..

The concept of personification of life is original.

I really love the lines with which the book ends, so I quote it directly from the book :

As long as you're around, life is too.. so just as you shower love and affection and attention on the husbands,wives,parents,children and forever friends who surround you, you have to do so equally with your life, because it's "your's", it's you and its always there rooting for you, cheering you on!!!

So, go ahead give it a read!! It's language is simple, easy to understand and won't be leaving you reaching for your dictionary!!

Now for the FabFitFun Challenge my latest pics for their challenges:

Day 5 : Planking it

I did the plank pose during my yoga routine also known as Uttihita Chaturanga Dandasana

Day 6 : Munch with a tropical punch

I added coconut milk, pineapple and banana for a smoothie or rather i should say Virgin Pina Colada!!!

Husband and I enjoyed it thoroughly.. it was slurrppyyy yumm with no fat at all!! 

Book Review : Remember me?

Book Review for May




Remember me? by Sophie Kinsella

Remember me? is a story about a twenty eight years old Lexi Smart who wakes up one morning to find out she is in a hospital with a head injury, thinking that she fell down on slippery stairs while running to get a cab for her and her friends outside a pub in 2004. Only to realize that she is suffering from amnesia and its 2007. The three years of her life from 2004-2007 has been completely wiped off. She has a completely different life from the one she remembers.. She no longer has frizzy hair, an underpaid job and nobody calls her "snaggletooth" anymore. She's rich, has a great job, she has a toned up body, great hair and to top that married to a multibillionaire with dashing looks.. but wait a good looking boyfriend too..

Trying to piece together her life she lost, the book covers the emotions and adventures of Lexi in a funny and clever way.Lexi has been potrayed as a women every chick lit heroine has a love-hate relationship with. The book keeps you engaged as to what did she come to know next.. and keeps you looking for more.

It's a lighthearted quick read with simple to understand language. The idea behind the book is interesting and thought provoking. The characters are well written, may be, keeping a movie in mind.

Book Review

My second book review for BBC 2012..


The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

This has become one of my favorite reads.. being easy to understand, hillarious, potraying the life of a young attorney who makes a huge mistake bringing down the name of the firm she is working for and costing them millions of dollars. She runs away to the outskirts of London and feeling tired, exhausted stops by a house to ask for water and is mistaken for an interviewee for the housekeeper, going with the flow, she accepts the job with no clue as to how to cook or clean. Day by day she encounters how to deal with the house work, and starts to realise that she had been missing this part of life by working day in and day out, she also finds love during his stay as a house keeper and never felt better in her entire life.. Only to discover in the end that the mistake was planted and she had nothing to do with it, the firm also offers her partnership in the firm... to know what happened to her and did she take the position, went back to her old job.. Do read the book!!

Loved reading it.. though I did finish it two weeks ago, I did not have time to write the review...

You must be wondering what happened to the time machine by H. G Wells... It has been sitiing in my IPad. I am planning to finish it next month..

Book Review : Sense and Sensibility

This is my first book review for the BBC 2012...

Jane Austen's Sense and sensibility..

Being Austen's first published books.. It portrays her brilliant talent in displaying the lives of two daughters Elinor and Marriane Dashwood.. who after the death of their father are left with liitle money and no home.. The property of Norland is being inherited by his eldest son who has no say of his mind in front of his wife. Fanny( his wife) is not very fond of the fact that John wanted to fulfill his dying father's wish of helping his sister's and convinces him to think about himself and his requirements first!!

The house is soon taken over by John and Fanny and the three daughters( Elinor, Marriane and Margaret) and their mother are forced to look for a house elsewhere. In the mean time Fanny's brother (Edward) comes to stay with them on his way from Plymouth. Elinor, the eldest of the daughters, a down to earth and sensible girl becomes really fond of Edward..But being practical enough to know that she had no chance with him, moves on with her life to live in a cottage in Devonshire which was given to them by one of the relatives of  Mrs. Dashwood and suited their little amount of money.. The Dashwood's were welcomed cheerfully and both Elinor and her sister Marriane wins over the hearts of people in Barton Park (Devonshire).Marriane soon attracts two handsome gentlemen, Colonel Brandon and Willoughby. During their lavish parties Marriane falls in love with Willoughby and does not restrain herself from expressing her love for him in front of other people unlike her sister Elinor.

The story then dictates the events of their lives which takes a turn when right on the peak of love between Willoughby and Marriane, Willoughby leaves her and goes to London, and she does not hear anything of him. On the other side Elinor comes to know about Edward's engagement with a women for the past 5 years and is heartbroken.. The reaction of both the sister's to the situations presented in front of them are vastly different. Marriane is devastated when she comes to know that Willoughby s marrying another women but Elinor keeps her composure and tries to deal with the situation.

All in all, the novel is about two sisters, who struggle to find love, however different be their nature and their approach to it.. It portrays the love that the sisters share among them and how they handle all the situations that arise during this course with the help of each other.. It is their road to finding long lasting love..


This is my first ever review of a book and might not be really good.. But I hope to get better in time.. I did watch the movie starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant among others..



Image taken from Google images

BBC 2012

I have always been a fan of books... but lately the only books I read are the magazines that I subscribe to... To tell you the truth, even they've been piling up...

So here I was browsing the internet and I bumped into this amazing website: The Overflowing Library  

They are hosting an interesting challenge called "The British Book Challenge - 2012"

The challenge is simple, read books written by British Authors and review them on your blog. You must read at least 12 books by end of the year. 

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED...

I thought this was my chance to revive my long lost reading habits and of course enjoy reading some new titles.

Have already decided on 2 titles that I wanna read:

1. "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen.

2. "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells.

I am looking forward to read some really interesting titles and will be reviewing them on my blog.

I may be a little late, but I know I can catch up.... :)

If you are interested as well, you can signup here.