Top Ten Tuesday #30

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's topic is:

top ten books read so far this year

Here's my list: 

Okay, before I begin, I have to admit that we've come to the halfway mark of the year and I haven't read many five stars books. I've read lots of books for my literature class and they've been nothing but enlightening and great. In terms of review books and pleasure books, I've experienced many reading slumps. It's not been as exciting a year in terms of reading as I would have liked it to be. At the same time, however, I have read a few exceptional reads that I'll be featuring on this list. Of course, I love my books and once in a while, I do come across something that blows me away completely. This year, I've discovered authors whose books I know for sure I will be checking out and reading more often. Also, not all of these are 2014 releases. They're just books I was lucky enough to read this year. Now that all that's out of the way, here we go! 

 

 

 

 

                   

What about you, guys? What are the best books you've read so far? Any recommendations? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great Tuesday and happy reading! 

Giveaway (IN only)- Baramulla Bomber by Clark Prasad

Hi everyone! I don't know about you, but I feel like it's been really long since I had a giveaway up for you great people. Today, we are giving away a copy of Baramulla Bomber by author Clark Prasad to one lucky Indian reader and many thanks to Nimi @ The Readers Cosmos for the same. You know the deal by now, I guess. Entering our giveaways is easy and after checking out some basic information about the book, you can get on to filling the Rafflecopter form for the giveaway. 

GOODREADS SUMMARY: 

AN ANCIENT WEAPON FROM THE VEDAS & BIBLE 
ONCE HUNTED BY THE NAZIS 
POWERED BY THE SOUND OF UNIVERSE 
REBORN WITH HELP OF QUANTUM PHYSICS 
GOING TO BE UNLEASHED ON TO THE WORLD 
AND KASHMIR HOLDS ITS SECRET 

Multiple intelligence agencies are tracking Mansur Haider, a god-fearing aspiring cricketer from Kashmir. His girlfriend, Aahana Yajurvedi, is trying to locate her missing mountaineering team, who vanished after a mysterious earthquake strikes Shaksgam Valley. 
Investigating Mansur and the Shaksgam Valley incident is Swedish intelligence officer, Adolf Silfverskiold, whose only relationship to god consists of escorting his girlfriend to Church. 
A dual China-Pakistan battlefront scenario facing the Indian Home Minister, Agastya Rathore, whose ancestors carry a prehistoric secret linked to the stars. He is faced with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis. 
Which Biblical Weapon was Tested in Shaksgam Valley? Why is Mansur Haider Important? Is There a Solution to the Kashmir Crisis? Can Destiny be Controlled? Does a Cosmic Religion Exist?

BOOK LINKS:

AMAZON / GOODREADS / FACEBOOK / FLIPKART / SNAPDEAL 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Clark Prasad, alter ego of Suraj Prasad, could be called a mixed citizen. Born in a leap year (year of Rocky, All the President's Men, Omen, Hera Pheri and Kalicharan) in Lagos, Nigeria he lived most of his life in New Delhi and had his education in Lagos, Delhi, Mangalore and Kozhikode. His family background is from the town where George Orwell, author of 1984 (a dystopian fiction) was born, and where Mahatma Gandhi had re-ignited India's freedom movement - Motihari.

A pharmacist with a management degree who believes in conspiracy theories, Baramulla Bomber is his first book. His first education o he mysteries of the universe came via Carl Sagans Cosmos, and since then he never looked back on reading, watching and discussing about the universe. He grew up during the cold war days with BBC radio was one of his mysterious companions as a kid, when his father played the news regularly every day. World War II news and documentaries on CIA-KGB tussle kept him engaged that time.

As a kid he wanted to be an archaeologist or an astronaut, but fate had its own road and he got involved with Mr. Carbon akaChemistry. Currently he is a healthcare management consultant, based out of Bengaluru, Planet Earth 

AUTHOR LINKS: 

FACEBOOK / GOODREADS  / TWITTER / WEBSITE 

GIVEAWAY: 

So, we're now at the most anticipated part of the post. Remember, we're giving away one copy of the book to one lucky India reader. 

Giveaway rules are simple:

*The giveaway is open only to residents of India. 

*Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form. 

*Once a winner is picked, she/ he will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or else we'll be compelled to pcik a new winner. 

*The book will be shipped by me. 

That's all there is to it. Now just fill up the form and I hope lady luck is in your favour. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by and happy reading! 

Quebec Exchange Programme Post #2- About travelling alone

Previously in the Quebec Exchange Programme Post series: 

Post #1- About books  

Being the youngest in my family, I must admit that I have always had it easy. At whatever time, whatever it is that I have had to do, I have turned to siblings and parents for help, or better yet, I've let them do my work. Seldom do I have a hand in deciding what colour paint we should opt for for the walls, what furniture to buy, plan a trip, find out all the formalities that need to fulfilled, research the processes that need to be completed, make restaurant reservations or even pick up the house phone when it rings. It's not like I don't do anything, it's just that I don't ever take the opportunity to do it. I know I have the capacity, but I also know that I don't really need to do it. I am not the most enthusiastic person on the planet but I am genuinely curious and I am more of a silent observer. So I have watched my family do everything and I just tag along, keeping them entertained and together (like we young ones take pride in doing). I come from a family that loves to travel abroad just as much we love exploring our own country. 

Quebec wasn't the first trip outside of India for me. It was, in fact, statistically speaking, the fifth. At the same time, however, it was a first trip for me, in the sense that it was the first time ever that I traveled without family, and not just abroad, but in general. Like everyone knows, my books keep me happy and occupied and my reserved nature doesn't really crave anything that involves people outside of family and really close friends. Even though I had classmates from my University, someone from another college, another from another institute and our professor with me on the trip, I was apprehensive about getting along with everyone. My apprehension was, to put it bluntly, futile since I had a nice time getting to know these great people with whom I share the lovely experience that Quebec was. We might not have a lot in common and we might not even be in touch with each other a few years down the line, but this is what binds us together- this amazing experience that we had and the wonderful memories we made, the few times when we got to spend time together. I cannot forget to mention how excited and nervous I was before meeting my correspondent and her family. I am timid and we took time to open up to each other but what matters most is that they accepted me just the way I am and honestly, for me, they are my family in Sherbrooke. They are the most warm, welcoming and wonderful people who I am really glad to know. 

Exploring Quebec city.

Finding our way in an unknown city. 

In this post, I want to focus on how the experience of traveling alone was for a very pampered, (up to a certain extent) spoilt and carefree child of the house. Like I previously mentioned, I never have to worry about anything while on our international trips since my sister takes care of the planning, booking and confirming, what to see, what not to see, dad takes cares of the tickets, itineraries and passports, (finance too!), mom looks out for the basics like water and food to fulfil our natural and unavoidable thirst and hunger, fevers, upset stomachs and medication, and my brother finds something practical and productive to do, like checking the local bus/ train schedule and finding out expenses. Wondering what my job is? Well, it's easy. I go and have fun. That's all. Honestly, I am the jobless person in the group and the only productive thing I can think of that I do is click pictures. I try to capture all the work that my family does for me and that, until Quebec, I took for granted. 

I would check my email every time just to know my flight details which I never learned, imagine doing it all from scratch. I would panic when I didn't feel my passport in my bag or pocket, imagine taking care of five. I would worry about falling sick when being in snow and being hit by wind, imagine worrying for five. I would let my host family tell me all schedules, imagine having to find them out on your own, perhaps in a language new to you. If anything, all this only makes me appreciate all the work that my family does that I casually skip and probably still will but it makes me proud of myself, for I did most of it this time around. 

I am used to hearing advices, suggestions, comments and concerns. All. The. Time. The lecturing started right from the time when I was told that the photographs I got clicked were completely wrong for the visa for which I would be applying and continued till I got back home and accidentally let it slip that I, very illogically, forgot to put my phone in my bag during security check. My family laughed at my stupidity and they enjoyed hearing more about my awkward and embarrassing moments. But you know what? It doesn't really matter. I'm just glad I gave them a few reasons- silly as they might be- to laugh in exchange for all the practical and common sense lessons they've taught me.  

Me cooking for my host family. 

Because I had the most travel experience in our group, my friends asked me a lot about many things, which I know I wasn't really good at answering, but I tried nonetheless. I remember waiting for the youngest person in our group while she explored and photographed everything, partially because I promised her parents I would take care of her and partially because I knew my siblings would do the exact same thing for me. So my point is, even though I have been useless most of the time when travelling, I have done the most important work and that is observation. In my head, more than once, I would count us all to make sure everyone was around, not out of boredom, but because I've seen people do it before to make sure we hadn't lost anyone along the way. From my experiences, I know that keeping a pen on you is a must while at the airport so I had mine ready and it got passed amongst the others a few times. I know that there are chances of getting lost when travelling in a group, and I found myself picking up and distributing cards with an address on it of the hostel in which we stayed while in Quebec for a weekend trip. And these are things no one had to remind me, they just came to me. My professor would ask me to do some work, and even though I would question my ability to do it, I still feel privileged that she asked me to do it in the first place and it only makes me feel smart. I'm kidding about the last part. I know now that I'm smart enough. *winks* 

Look everyone,  I survived in minus temperature!

The pretty, pretty snowfall!

I am seriously very proud of myself to have survived a temperature of -8 without my family, whose presence itself is enough for me to make an issue of anything, like we youngest kids are experts at doing. Trust me, I feel so cold that I don't mind wearing a jacket even in summers. I am proud of myself to have returned back to India in one piece and most importantly, I am super proud of myself to have actually signed up for this programme, which itself was an achievement for me and it ended up being an absolutely amazing experience that has made me appreciate all the things that I took for granted and all the people who do so much for us on a daily basis like their life depends on it, when in reality, it's just us who depend on them. In fact, I am proud of all my friends as well, for it was us all together who made this into something we'll remember and cherish for the rest of our lives. 

Review- Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary-

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Review-

I am a huge fan of the Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I didn't want the series to end and I kept putting off reading the last book for two years. But recently I finally decided to pick up Beautiful Redemption for a series ending challenge and I'm glad I did. I have bittersweet feelings but I think it was time I said goodbye.

After the huge cliffhanger which we get in Beautiful Chaos, Beautiful Redemption starts right after it. The book is basically divided into three parts. The first and the third go from Ethan's point of view whereas the second goes from Lena's point of view. Ethan was one of my very first book boyfriends and he was just as nice in this book.

Ethan is all alone trying to figure out his way back to Lena. I was quite disappointed by his pov in Beautiful Redemption. There was just waaay too much description which made it easy for me to get distracted. Things were moving very slow and like Ethan we had no clue what was going on. Its safe to say that this was the least enjoyable book in the series.

Surprisingly, I flew through Lena's point of view. That is where the real action was going on. It was great to see everyone come together to work to get Ethan back. I loved Link, like always. He and Ridley have this weird bond and I am very curious to see where it goes in Dangerous Creatures. I also liked Liv, John, Macon and Amma.

I think I may have expected a bit too much from this finale so it did not meet my expectations. Sadly, it very much lacked in the romance department though it was all for love. But Beautiful Creatures has one of the most unique worlds so I'm glad I finished off the series. This book is more of a 3.5 but my loyalty to the world makes me give it a 4. Beautiful Redemption was a good read.

Waiting on Wednesday #88

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost

Publication Date: August 26, 2014

Summary-

In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate. 

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her. 

Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between…

Besides the fact that the summary sounds awesome, its Jeaniene Frost. Of course I'm reading this!

What are you waiting on?

Release Day Event- Hold On Tight by Abbi Glines

We would love for you to join us in celebrating the release of Hold on Tight by New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Abbi Glines!

Title: Hold on Tight (Sea Breeze #8)

Author: Abbi Glines

Publisher: Simon Pulse (June 3, 2014)

Print Length: 288 pages
ISBN13: 9781481420778
ASIN: B00GKKU12G

Goodreads

Six years ago, Dewayne Falco's life changed. He lost someone he never expected to lose. Resigned to punish himself for something he felt he could have prevented, he goes through life without getting too close to anyone.

What he didn't expect was for the girl across the street to move back home and remind him of what they both lost: Dewayne's younger brother Dustin. However, when a miniature version of Dustin opens the door to greet him, Dewayne realizes he might not have lost everything after all.

Sienna Roy loved Dustin Falco most of her life. He was the boy next door, the high school basketball star and her best friend. But when his life was cut short, she realized he left a part of himself behind.

Now, she's back in Sea Breeze, thankful to have a home for her and Dustin's son, but not sure if she can ever forgive the people across the street who abandoned her when she needed them the most — The Falcos.

Betrayal, lies, and forbidden attraction might end Dewayne and Sienna's story before it's even begun.

EXCERPT

“It has been a long time. Why are you here?” I replied, not taking my eyes off Dewayne. He was still larger than life. More so than when I was a teenager. He had a few more piercings now and a couple more tattoos. His shoulders were even wider, and the thick, corded muscles in his arms were intimidating. The man was like a brick wall.

Yet those eyelashes of his were still too thick for a male, and even though he’d pierced his lip, it didn’t take away from the plumpness that women paid good money to mimic. The worn jeans that looked like they needed a good washing hugged him in a way I wanted to ignore. I had to ignore. This man was off-limits to me.

He wasn’t just the nice guy who had been my friend when I was younger. He was also a man who had abandoned me when I’d needed someone the most. Even if he was delicious and what female fantasies were made of, I would never forgive him. Dustin had adored him, yet Dustin’s son didn’t even know him.

He cocked an eyebrow at me, as if he was surprised by my reaction to him. “Came over to see who the new neighbors were. Beat-to-shit car parked out front concerned me. Neighborhood’s not what it used to be.”

Once I wouldn’t have been able to look past his perfectly chiseled face and full lips to get angry with him. That wasn’t the case any longer. My hands fisted at my sides, and I wanted nothing more than to punch him in the nose. I owned that car. I had worked hard to buy that car.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I can assure you we’re not going to cause any problems,” I replied, walking over to the door and putting my hand on it to let him know I was done with this visit and wanted him to leave.

Dewayne frowned, and his dark eyes, which in my dreams had looked at me like he had today when I’d walked into the room, were now narrowed. Great, I’d managed to piss off the massive, monster-size man who could knock me down with one hard puff. “Where did that sweet girl I used to know go? You lose her somewhere?” Dewayne’s voice was even, but the low, menacing sound to it bothered me.

What did he expect me to do? Bat my eyelashes at him and swoon like I had when I was a kid? “She learned to toughen up and trust no one.” I gripped the door, fighting the urge to slam it in his face. Because I was pretty sure he could rip it off its hinges if provoked. “Thanks for stopping by. Now that you know we aren’t about to dirty up the neighborhood with our presence, you can go on back to your parents’ place. We’re fine here.” I started closing the door. Dewayne stepped back. To my surprise, he turned around, then started walking away.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NGE1MDEyNTkzNmEzMjcwYWY1N2NlODA1YWVlMmE3OjM1OA==/

Breathe: 

Amazon | B&N

Because of Low: 

Amazon  | B&N

While It Lasts: 

Amazon | B&N

Just For Now:
Amazon | B&N

Sometimes It Lasts:
Amazon | B&N

Misbehaving:
Amazon | B&N

Bad For You:
Amazon | B&N

Hold On Tight:
Amazon | B&N

About the Author:

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of TWISTED PERFECTION, FALLEN TOO FAR, NEVER TOO FAR, JUST FOR NOW, WHILE IT LASTS, BECAUSE OF LOW, BREATHE, THE VINCENT BOYS, THE VINCENT BROTHERS, THE EXISTENCE TRILOGY.

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Review- Twelve Hours of Temptation by Shoma Narayanan

Summary-

The best mistake of his life?

Being chained to her desk is not how copywriter Melissa D'Cruz envisaged spending the night before her first major awards ceremony. No Cinderella moment for this award nominee--instead she's facing a night of deadlines! But Melissa is determined to get to the event...she just has to work out how....

New boss Samir Razdan catches Melissa burning the midnight oil and offers to drive her to the event himself. But the minute they set off Samir knows he's in trouble--because being this close to Melissa is already driving him crazy, and they've got twelve torturous hours of temptation ahead...!

Review-

I have read Shoma Narayanan's books before and I really like her writing style so when I got an opportunity to read and review Twelve Hours of Temptation I couldn't let it pass by. Twelve Hours of Temptation was a cute read but it didn't blow me away.

Melissa is a copywriter who has worked hard to get where she is. Her company has been invited for an Awards ceremony in Goa but her fear of flying keeps her from going until her new boss offers to drive her to the event. Now, let me get one thing out of the way, I first thought this book was a road trip romance but it is not. The road trip is for a very short amount of time and that disappointed me a bit.

I liked Melissa as a character. She was young and hard working and fun in her own way. Though I did find her jumping to conclusions at times. While I liked Melissa I can't say the same for our hero, Samir. Samir is shown as a cold, aloof guy. He was all that but when he was with Melissa he warmed up quite a bit. I thought Samir's character lacked real depth and I would have liked to see his actual thoughts where Melissa was concerned.

The romance was a cute one and though the steamy scenes were all fade to black I enjoyed the rapport between Melissa and Samir. I can defnitely say this was more Melissa's story than Samir's because we get all her background. But where Samir is concerned, I wanted to see more facets to his personality. I wanted more reasoning behind why they fell for each other.

Shoma Naraynan's writing is clean and simple and engaging. The book is a short read which can be enjoyable for a few hours. Twelve Hours of Temptation was a typical Mills and Boon romance so if you're in the mood for one I would say grab it.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by PRPundit in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.