Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Feeling blue? Chocolates and Soft Music aren't the only ways to up your spirits. Books that could make you grin ear to ear promise even more fun!

Lexi (the protagonist) wakes up in a hospital bed after an accident, only to find out that she's forgotten the last 3 years of her past. And in those 3 years, she's become a high-nose boss from a merrily gossiping girl, an absolute fitness freak from an indulging glutton and a well-groomed perfectionist from a snaggletooth, unorganised giggling just another girl.

Needless to say she's confused. And she's hardly able to obtain any help from her sister (who's a scheming extortionist) and her mother (who feels her dogs require more attention than a recovering daughter). To add to the chaos, out of the blue comes Jon who claims to be Lexi's lover. Now, why would she have had an extra marital affair when she's married to the love of her life! Lexi's also clueless about why her old buddies seem to desert her. How has she got herself transformed into a person whom some people hate to even recognise, while others are proud to be associated with? And is this Jon guy telling the truth? How funny would it be if Lexi happens to recover her lost memory ?

Sophie Kinsella has a contagiously cheerful way of writing. One is sure to be entertained. There's something to laugh out loud in every page. This feel good factor is one reason I make sure to grab every book of hers. While reading her book "The Undomestic Goddess", I was being all critical about the flaws here and there. But there are times when you should NOT put on your thinking cap... instead just sit, have a good laugh and move on. Especially works when one is stressed out or weary of reading/watching all tear jerkers and serious heavy subjects. I would liken this book to giving way to temptations for a day, when on a strict diet.

The author also has a knack of making the main character unfailingly adorable. If you fell in love with the innocence and gaiety of Becky in the Shopaholic series, you're sure to associate with the snap decision-maker and emotionally vulnerable Lexi. There's a certain degree of suspense in WHY the protagonist becomes hell bent on her career overnight. Ofcourse any vigilant reader could easily guess half-way through the book, but the author does manage to maintain the tempo for most part. And didn't I say earlier not to prod on this and that?

I'm overwhelmed

Two posts, same day? That's not like me, is it? And I'm not any less busy for goodness sake!

Here I prepare dinner, (which is rasam, rice and potato fry for records sake heheh), come here and pour out the trivial taxi talk in the form of blog, and then get back to have dinner. I ask if all others are done with dinner, my father-in-law says "I'll eat after ur done". Yet again. And even without peeping into the kitchen, I could foretell that he would leave few potatoes just in case someone is tempted to have some more. Yet again.

As I was attacking the potato curry (unmindful of the baby bulge which I'm still fighting to get rid of), he asks me to come and join him to watch the Chelsea Flower Show on the telly. All because I once remarked very casually that I like gardens. Honestly, this might be a tiny gesture, but I'm touched. So though the show was more on some boring seeds, fertilisers and manure, and less on the blooms, I watched the show.

ps:Other than b/f lunch and dinner, I snack on ...err, fruits! My fil has just lunch and dinner and NO BREAKFAST!! people who could give their meal a miss, please please share how ur able to cope! as for me, I explode like a volcano out of anger

pps:I'm back to my pre-preg weight, which is... ok, let's just say not too bad! Guys, treat yourself to low-fat icecreams on my behalf!!

Lan-guage-s

So the snail is back again. Yeah, me... Just when I was thinking of one post per day (!!), I slacken.

Today's conversation with the taxi driver triggered this post.. Taxi drivers are either too grumpy or too chatty.. How I react depends highly on my state of mind, how good my lunch was etc. Today I boarded the taxi with the baby, and this driver was a cute wrinkled 50 something. ( Wrinkles DO look cute on some!). He had this cheery air around him, as he asked me if I speak to the baby often. To my reply in the affirmative, he asked with huge curiosity if I baby talk in English or my own language. I found this funny. I mean, isn't there something called mother tongue? I told him any baby could only understand his/her mother tongue for the start.. and other languages need to be taught! The driver was relentless.. He emphatically said, the language that you guys speak at home is easily grasped, and its not that the baby's got some innate knowledge of the same. (This got me thinking and I made a mental note that I need to google this out. Any idea people?)

I told him you Britishers are lucky in that you'll have the same language at home and school. And I was reminded of how some Telugu girl struggled with Tamil being her second language at school. But, hey she got to learn and excel an additional language. As the taxi arrived at my destination, I paid and told the guy with finality "maybe u guys aren't that lucky! you seldom get the necessity to learn an extra language and that sounds boring!!". He chose not to respond..rather I chose to get out of the car before he got a chance to respond. I had barely stepped out, while someone announced the clinic is closed due to a suspected gas leak! I had to make a detour in the same taxi. I kept my big mouth shut. So did the cute old man.

As for the lump in the neck, something which could wait for 5 months, could wait a month longer, no? India, here I come!!

The Colour Question

When it comes to clothing or any accessories for babies : Pink for girls & Blue for boys. Its almost like an unwritten rule, eh? atleast in the west?

I did a li'l research on why it is so, this colour allocation. None of the theories seem THAT very satisfying. All this its-there-in-the-genes thing.

Bored of seeing rows and rows of pinks and blues I now cautiously avoid both colours.

I love pink. But I'm weary of seeing baby girls mercilessly invaded by pink accessories! Especially I find the pink prams a tad uncool. Seriously.

The other day I attended a Baby girl's b'day party, and the gorgeous little one was in a cute blue frock with pretty laces. Unable to contain my emotion, I lauded the girl's mum for buying something non-pink. And was ready to get into a row with anyone who'd remark why she's in the supposed-to-be-boy's-blue colour dress.

Sometime back I decked by little boy with hat, mittens, booties and babygros all in pink. The mother gets to decide what her baby would wear. huh.

Sinful Saturday

Saturday's are grocery shopping days. So hubs, baby and I went to the local supermarket. I meticulously start jotting down the list on a Monday, so the list would be comprehensive on a Friday.

We had bought everything on the list, and as hubs was wheeling the shopping cart towards the till, he told me to just hang on, as he had forgotten something. To the "what" question mark in my face he replied "cookies". I gave a "I'm on diet, don't u remember look"... He replied with a "well, I'm not on diet" look.

He came back with this Assortment of Cookies box. Bubble's resolve crashed 1500 meters below ground level :(

After reaching home, I usually prepare tea. But hubs didn't feel like, and somehow I too didn't feel like. He placed the cookies box in the most visible and frequented place. It was lying there, unopened and beggin for attention for around 3 hours. (Frankly,it didn't slip my thoughts for evevn a sec) SIGH!

I asked him if he forgot to open the box. He said let it be, I don't want to tempt u by having one. (poor hubs, didn't realise that bubble's brain was corrupted the minute he blurted out the word cookies)

So I opened the box.... er, actually with the intention of givng one to hubs, and closing the lid immediately. But I couldn't just overlook the crunchy biscuit enrobed in milk chocholate with a dark chocholate decoration, could I? (okay the description was taken from the back of the box, so?)

So I decided to just have one from each assortment. MIND YOU - JUST ONE.

ps:There were not much, just 14 varieties

END OF STORY.

After effect :- Guilty conscious mind couldn't let me sleep for a long time.

100 shades of white - Preethi Nair

"If you love something, set it free...If it comes back to you, its yours... otherwise it never was".

Not sure where I first came across those lines, but it was at a reckless age when the essence of the same didn't exactly grab my attention.... But as in some cases the lines just found a place at the back of my mind..Those lines best explain this book in a gist.

Ammamma lets go of her daughter (Nalini) to join her husband Raul, in London. As Nalini was struggling to adapt to the new environment with her kids, Raul disappears leaving behind debts and deceit. Just as you chuckle and think this is one of those woman fighting against all odds story, let me tell you its got more than that.

Maya (daughter of Nalini) never realises the worth of what she has in hand. She's often in the pursuit of love and care, and ends up trusting someone just to distract herself from things that hurt her. So how does one deal with the guilt that only surfaces when you can't quite alter the repercussions?

Just as her mother lets her go, Nalini lets Maya move away from her... Bur Nalini was a person with the determination of a rock, and so success embraced her with hard work and matter of time; while Maya's fear of rejection, cowardice, irresolute & unforgiving nature shadows all her activities. So how would Success recognise such a person?

Without sounding preachy the book emphasises the power of truth, forgiveness and belief. The prose is simple, straight and flawless. Though a tad bit predictable, the reader is sure to empathise with the characters. The book is not hard-hitting yet, the message slowly sinks in.

Nalini overcomes her problems (financial and otherwise) by preparing pickles and savouries. So there is frequent reference to the various spices and their benefits towards ailments (both physical and mind-related uncertainties). I couldn't help getting reminded of Mistress of Spices (by CBD) and Serving Crazy with Curry ( by Amulya Malladi).

We may have strived to get something in the grand scheme of life, but that something may have been elusive all along. But when it stares at you at the most inopportune moment, you come to realise that its absence hasn't mattered that much... that its only been a distraction from what you really needed... but how easy has it been, realising this ?

rating : 4/5

The Hero's Walk-Anita Rau Badami

Having read (and enjoyed) Badami's first book Tamarind Woman, I was very eager to read her sophomore novel, though with the apprehension that this one may also be in the same lines of woman trying to erase her past. Thankfully I was proved wrong.

Sripathi, a middle aged copywriter, has always settled down for something less than what he expected. His already ordinary and complaining life, suffers a severe blow when his estranged daughter (Maya) and son-in-law expire in an accident in faraway foreign land. All he's left with is his guilt, repentance for egotism, and a 7-year old grand-daughter who becomes unintentionally mute by the unforeseen tragedy. The rest of the story is how each person in the grief-stricken family fights the loss.

Now, the story-line sounds deceptively average, what with the mundane characters like succumbing-to-the-husband's-ego type wife and acid-tongued-attention-seeking-80 plus granny. But again when it comes to etching the characters in an impeccable manner Badami wins hands down.

Nirmala is the submissive wife of Sripathi. There's Putti the not-so-young sister and Ammayya the grit and greedy mother of Sripathi. So unsympathetic is she that on the death of her grand daughter Maya, she broods petulantly that her daily routine should not be affected in anyway. "Love was an extravagance that Ammayya could ill afford", describes the author of her rigid and tyrannical behaviour. She turns down all marital alliances seeking Putti, for fear of she being left alone.

Arun is the ascetic society conscious son of Sripathi & Nirmala. Yeah, you guessed it right.. his ideolgies are disliked by the family especially the dad. However he's the only solace for 7 year old Nandana, (Maya's daughter) who arrives in India and finds everything quaint and puzzling. Whenever the narration is from the viewpoint of the little girl, the understated melancholy would touch a chord.

The whole story revolves around Toturpuram. (Now this failed to make sense to me. Why would the author create a fictional town?, while all the street names and localities bear obvious semblance to an existing town)

I found the title of the book very interesting. Though Sripathi is the central character and the term "hero" is usually a reference to the male protagonist, there is room for assumption as to who the hero actually is, in this story. (Remember, some people do accept Ravana as the hero in Ramayana!). The way each character decides to move on with life is quite interesting and who the hero actually is, is left for you to read and figure out.

The narration takes the form of high drama (Chetan Bhagatish) towards the end, and this really let me down. I guess it was added for a dosage of humour. Nevertheless, the book promises an interesting read. I would give 3/5.