Books
Sherlock Holmes - The Complete Novels and Stories Volumes 1 & 2: Thought it would be a slow and difficult reading (typical of Victorian/Edwardian-era novels) but I was quickly proven wrong. Doyle's work, presented in its original form, was strangely easy to read.
What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You: The Annexe Lectures Volume 1: One of the best non-fictions I've read so far. The author, for some reason, keeps repeating the same idea in different paragraphs. For emphasis? Or merely redundant? I don't know which. He likes to communicate his thoughts using really long sentences (difficult to grasp) and big words (have to check dictionary). Apart from these little annoyances, it is a great book that opened my eyes. Might consider checking out Volume 2.
The Moonstone: Published in 1868, the title of this "first detective novel" refers to a yellow diamond which was left as a birthday present to Rachel Verinder, one of the main characters in the story. The diamond was lost and so begun a search for it. The whole story is narrated by different characters related to Rachel Verinder using reports, narratives, journals etc. So convincingly told, sprinkled with bits of humour. The only drawback is that the style and language used were difficult to read (maybe the author used too archaic layman terms). I had to read a sentence twice, sometimes thrice, to understand what the author wanted to say. Slow reading, but profitable.
The Magicians: An ode to Narnia and Harry Potter. Good mixture of fantasy and philosophy, but the excellent bits of descriptive writing are clustered around the beginning and the end of the book (not evenly spread). The protagonist is depressed, insecure, cowardly, self-hating, and avoidant-ambivalent. Smart, talented, powerful - he doesn't recognise these three strengths of his. Constantly emo-ing. There are some cruel twists of fate that George R.R. Martin would have approved of. The different characters introduced everywhere in the book serve their purposes - the author doesn't put in anyone for prop or embellishment, like Rowling and Lewis sometimes did. I like the way he goes about laying out what Magic is, from his perspective. I think the author likes wine a lot and so magic is like wine - it has certain terroir, circumstances to be fulfilled. This is a book that I do not like wholeheartedly, but one that I enjoy reading. Strange but true.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A poignant, simple, funny and ingenious tearjerker, this narrative traces a boy's journey in search of the lock to a key his father left him. A simple story made complicated by the characters' reluctance to communicate freely and openly with each other. Add to that the jumbled timeline and gaps in discovery - the reader gets hooked to read on. The lessons are straightforward. One: Do the things you want to, so that you won't regret later in life. Two: It's never too late to do the things you always wanted to. The author uses not only words but also photos and scribblings to effectively deliver a heartwarming tale. I like his insight.
The Marriage Plot: Unconventional, this one - not a book I'd normally pick for reading. There are references that I'm too young to understand (the story is set in 1980's), but overall it is cohesive, readable and relatable. I like the way the author develops Madeleine, the female protagonist's character, inner thoughts, reflections etc - very sensitively written. Also, there are discussions of a religious nature, put in plain words. The authors doesn't surprise you with big bombastic words. Instead, he steals your heart with his carefully, tactfully plotted storytelling.
Movies
The Other Boleyn Girl: I think this movie should be named The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn as it is centred on Anne Boleyn's life story. Beautiful and colourful scenes, nonetheless. The female characters in the movie, like Anne, her sister Mary, her mother Elizabeth and Katherine of Aragon, have more depth than the males. Kudos to the actresses. Laudable effort on the part of the American actors who carried an English accent (passable). Out of ten, I'll give this movie an eight.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 & 2: It makes better sense to talk about these two movies together as they are adapted from a single book. The movies have scenes that are different from the book - some added, some deleted, some combined. The result? Diluted movies. The back/parallel stories were briefly touched on but not fully addressed. Nevertheless there are some parts that I like: Harry and Hermione dancing (not in book), teachers constructing a protective dome over Hogwarts (stunning) and the destruction of a Horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets (embellished). These adaptations are poor job - mildly interesting, yes, but not touching the Heart nor the Mind.
The Possession: Take away the loud, sudden music and censor some of the scenes, actually there is nothing terrifying about this movie. Most of the parts are sickening if not disgusting. I'm impressed that the little girl can act quite well (but she fails to be scary, sigh). Overall, a disappointing movie.
The Possession: Take away the loud, sudden music and censor some of the scenes, actually there is nothing terrifying about this movie. Most of the parts are sickening if not disgusting. I'm impressed that the little girl can act quite well (but she fails to be scary, sigh). Overall, a disappointing movie.
