Perspective, Passion & Purpose

Dear Reader,

Though I only have nine days left before the deadline of an assignment and two exams, I thought I'd take some time out to share this video with you. Mashallah, I was really blown away by the confidence and talent of this sister. I hope she impresses you too and inspires you, as she has inspired me, to change and be the change towards a greater cause. Enjoy:

   

I'd love to read your thoughts on this. Leave them in the comments section below.
Nida

a Succession of Three

Dear Reader,

This past week (or two) I read three young-adult fiction novels - in rather quick succession. This in itself is not surprising or note-worthy. What is unexpected and worthy of  its own post, however, is that all three have taken up place among my "favourite" novels. As far as I can recall, I've read about 400 novels of which less than a quarter can boast the praise of being a favourite. (Aside: I'm currently using Shelfari.com to help me keep track of such things.) 

Gandalf the White from The Two Towers

I'm actually rather picky when it comes to choosing favourites. That's why I believe this is the first time three unlinked books that I've read one after another, back-to-back, have so captured my imagination (and heart at times too).  I think the last time something like this happened was when I read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the first three books of The Inheritance Cycle - each time I happen to enjoy all three books in equal amounts. But this time it's completely different: these three new favourites are not even by the same author. *Gasp!* 

So for you, my book-loving reader, since I haven't done anything like a review in a long time now, I've decided to post here three mini-reviews for this succession of three favourites, in chronological order:

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Elizabeth Rew is a lover of fairy tales. She even seems to be living in one, complete with two 'ugly' stepsisters and a domineering stepmother. She is also quite lonely in her new school. When her social studies teacher offers her the opportunity to work part time, as a page, in the New York Circulating Material Repository, she is excited by the prospect of making new friends. Elizabeth finds the Repository to be a wondrous place that house all manner of objects: from the ordinary, e.g. light bulbs and buttons, to the obscure, like the wig in which Marie Antoinette was beheaded. Her new job entails cataloguing, strange tests, dealing with requests from even stranger patrons and taking care of truly magical objects collected by the Brothers Grimm themselves; objects, like the magic mirror, thought to have inspired the classic fairytales.

She also finds great friends in her fellow pages: the beautiful Anjali, athletic Marc and the omnious Aaron. But not all is well at the Repository. There are rumours abound of theft, missing pages and faulty  and even disappearing magical items. Elizabeth soon finds herself thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that would require her to go to great lengths to rescue her new found friends...  

The Grimm Legacy has a fast-paced and engaging plot with beautifully imaginative writing. Yet there seems to be a lack of character development, with the entire cast being rather two-dimensional. However, I think this might have been intentional because, after all, all the characters in the Grimm fairytales are either just good guys or bad guys.

Though this book is targeted towards early teens, it is actually fun to read for anyone who enjoyed reading/listening to any of the Brothers Grimm's fairytales as a child or wished that they could be the hero/heroine of their own fantasy/sci-fi story. And I must confess, not even I could remember all of those items from all those stories (e.g. The Golden Key), and I had thought I knew the Grimm fairytales quite well. Polly Shulman did do her research well.   

***

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Ansel and Gretchen have been thrown out of their house by their stepmother, and now they are one the road with little cash heading as far away as possible from their old life. Because both Gretchen and Ansel are haunted by the memories of a little girl. Twelve years ago, Gretchen's twin sisters vanished, stolen by the witch in the woods behind their home.

Now, somewhere in North Carolina, their car breaks down. Without any way of repairing the car, Ansel and Gretchen walk to the nearest town, Live Oak. Its very small, hostile and on the verge of becoming a ghost-town. But with very few options, Ansel takes up a job making repairs to the Chocolatier owned by the radiant Sophia Kelly, who takes both of them into her home and life with open arms. But something isn't right at Live Oak. Eight young women seemed to have vanished into thin air just after Sophia Kelly's infamous annual Chocolate Festival. And Gretchen instinctively knows that the witch from her past has returned and lurks ever-present in the woods surrounding Live Oak. But this time it's different. She is different and determined to not let her fear of the witch prevent her from saving the rest of the girls of Live Oak, including Sophia. Together with the handsome and sarcastic Samuel Reynolds and armed with a rifle, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery surrounding the witch and the Chocolate Festival, only to find that love came be as deadly as it is sweet.     

Sweetly is a riveting modern retelling of the story of Hansel and Gretel. It's also a companion novel to the amazing Sisters Red, with some surprising links. Jackson Pearce seems to have found the perfect balance between plot-pace and characters development. I absolutely loved it. There's not much more I can say.

***

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

As bad as it sounds, and though this is definitely not my usual practice, I initially bought this book because it has just the most exquisite cover that I have seen in years. The picture to the left, can't compare to the actual real thing. Hats-off to Jonathan Barkat and April Ward, the people responsible for the jacket design.

However, after reading this book, I have to say I made a really good choice and this time, despite the popular saying, my judgement of the book's cover coincides with my judgement of the novel itself. But before I go into all of that, I think I should tell you, dear reader, what this book is all about:

Every family has their secrets. And for Gwen's family, it's her cousin Charlotte. Gwen has lived most of her life in Charlotte's shadow. She is just one day older than Gwen but she is also beautiful, graceful, intelligent, gets special treatment by their grandmother, Lady Arista, and every Wednesday, Charlotte attends mysterious meetings and classes. All this fuss is because Charlotte carries the gene that will allow her to travel back in time. But someone, maybe deliberately, has made a mistake. Gwen becomes aware of this mistake when she suddenly finds herself on Oxford Street, in the early 1900's.

From then on, Gwen's world is turned on it's head and shaken vigorously. Her uncontrolled leaps into the past are an unwanted surprise and she is completely unprepared for the secret society known as the 'Guardians' that are run by the de Villiers, a family like her own who also passes on the time travelling gene. Despite her mother's warning and protection, Gwen is coerced by the Guardians into a carrying out a mission with her male counter-part Gideon de Villiers. But it doesn't take her long to find out that the past, and her mission, is fraught with mind-games, danger, intrigue and, most surprisingly of all, love...      

I think this is the first "time travel" book that I've ever read. And I just can't get enough of it. Especially the twist at the end. It has been plaguing my mind these past three days and has even resulted in restless nights, since my brain refuses to desist from imagining what the next book, Sapphire Blue, might bring with it. Another thing that I like about Ruby Red, is the way that Gwen and her best friend Lesley are two very realistic teenage girls (with all the faults and symptoms of an average teen) plunged into particularly unrealistic world. There is also a very nice blend of history and all-things-modern. But in spite of the engaging narrative, the action and the mysterious clues dotted at the beginning of each chapter, Ruby Red still feels like only an introduction to this world that Kerstin Gier has created, with the main storyline yet to come. It's just such a shame that I have to wait almost an entire year before I can read Sapphire Blue. *Sigh*   

By the way, these three books still count towards my on-going charitable 2011 Reading Challenge. Check it out and please make a donation to my cause, if you like what you read. And with the year coming almost to and end, I really don't want to fail now. I could use all the help and support I can get.

But now I must go and prepare for today's lectures. Ssshhhh, don't tell anyone I've left it to last minute ;-)

Nida

Life: a work in Progress

Dear Reader,

I apologise if you feel neglected. I have been spending the majority of my time in lectures for my MSc that began last week, and all of my non-academic-work-time working on my online novella. I have written the prologue, chapter 1 and chapter 2 and am trudging through the beginning of chapter 3. I've been doing a lot more research to write this than I had first intended, but I suppose it's all for the better of the novella. *Sigh*

Image courtesy of proficientwriter.com

When I say research, one would generally think about looking into history books, geographical maps, other novels, going to the library, searching online  etc. (Aside: wikipedia is always a good starting point) All of this I have been doing. But I've also been doing some research into my own personal history, delving into my past to find stories and anecdotes from my childhood. I had no idea how much my own personal life had influenced this plot/story until I actually started writing it. Not that this novella is autobiographical, quite far from that actually. 

But still, this introspective and retrospective search has made me think about all the ways that I have changed over the years, and the ways that I have stayed the same. I've also come to realise that the main driver of change is experience. The circumstances life deals out to us, the people we meet, the decisions we make, they are all an intertwined  into that one word "experience". And I believe, as the writer, it is vital for me (if not the reader) to understand my characters' experiences in order to plot out the decisions they would make when put in the middle of a tight spot or dilemma.  

And I suppose this is also true for real people as well, not just fictional ones. To truly appreciate a person and know why they do what they do, necessitates an understanding of who the person is and what makes them tick. You know, dear reader, how they say "you need to know where you're coming from, to see where you're going" or something along those lines. If you know who said that, let me know in the comment section below.

A short post this time, but I must be getting back to a lavish South Kensington drawing room in 1838. So to conclude, all I want to say is that life itself is a work in progress - as I write out the lives of my characters, I'm also in the process of writing out my own.     

Nida

a New Project

Dear Reader,

I have been encouraged/inspired/challenged/forced-at-gunpoint by some of my friends to start a new project. That is to say, they want me to write one of my more simpler novels online. That way they can read it immediately without having to wait for years for me to get published and to showcase case my "talent" to the world at large. Their words not mine. 

So I've set up a new blog/website were I'll be writing chapters for this "novella" whenever I get the chance. It's one of my historical stories, set in the 1800's, but also it's neither of the stories I have mentioned previously on this blog as I just came up with the concept and plot a few weeks ago. I have named it "Honour & Honesty" in due respect to Jane Austen, whose novels (Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility) have partly inspired it. This is the URL address for the story:

http://honourandhonesty.wordpress.com/ 

Despite appearances, this is actually the first time I’m writing a story online, and given all my other obligations, I’m not exactly sure how long it will take me to complete this novella. However, I do have a fully-planned, detailed outline of the plot and so each post will be a new chapter of the novella.

And as you might know by now, I hold firm with the idea: “never judge a book by its cover” (or rather “a blog by its template” in this case) I would not expect you, dear reader, to begin reading this without some sort of indication as to what it is all about. So if I were to write a blurb for this novella, it would go something like this:

When the alluring Amelia Russell returns to London after a long absence, all of Adrian Campbell’s ideas, plans and theories on marriage are turned upside down and shaken vigorously. He becomes stuck between a rock and a hard place, with his priced honour most at stake.

But on the other side of the world, in the murky docks of Hong Kong, Lieutenant Warren Lloyd receives an urgent but mysterious message requiring his immediate return to England.

As the varied lives of four young people cross, the value of Honour and Honesty will play a great role in love, heartbreak, family ties and scandal.

What do you thing? ;-) I hope you, dear reader, enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. If this is not your usual cup of tea then that’s fine, I won’t hold it against you. But if you have an ideas, opinions or constructive criticism then I’d definitely love to read it, so leave a comment in the section below. But now I have to go and type up the Prologue. Take care. 

Nida

P.S: make sure you check out the "Acknowledgement" and other pages on the blog. 

Awesome Autumn

Dear Reader,

I realise that this post is about a month late :-S. I'd like to claim that this is because I've been really busy (a viable excuse since my mother is off on holiday to Pakistan and left me in charge of the house and my brothers) but the truth is my mood has not been at its perkiest of late and I did not want to "rant" on my blog or write a heart-breaking sob-story. I don't usually wallow away in self-pity and I'm sure that you, dear reader, would not want to hear about my small dive into it either.   

So now, on to the main topic of this blog: autumn is my most favourite time of the year. I usually don't go into in-depth accolades to abstract things or seasons. But right now, as I gaze out of my window into the garden, or as I was down the streets or through a park, I can't help but contemplate and be in awe of nature during this time of year. 

What I like most about autumn are the colours: the greens of summer transitioning into browns, orange, red and gold. And this transition seems to be everywhere I look, and not just in leaves. Say, if a year was a day; then night will be winter, spring will be during the sunrise and morning, summer would be symbolised in the noon-day sun and, of course, autumn would be a sunset. 

And a sunset during autumn itself is something that captures the imagination. As the sun makes contact with the horizon, it sets the sky ablaze in oranges, reds and pinks. And when this light filters through the semi-transparent autumn trees, the whole place is awash with warmth. SubhanAllah. To me, everything about autumn is warm: the colours, the clothing, the temperature - which is neither the heat of summer that requires us to squint our eyes and hide indoors with the AC nor does it have the chill of winter. Even the rain, as it falls from the sky, often holds are warm quality. I like warm.     

There is a really well known poem by John Keats, that I think captures the transition and slight sadness of Autumn quite well:

         
                          To Autumn


                                   1.
    Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless
        With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
    To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
        And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
            To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
    With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
        And still more, later flowers for the bees,
        Until they think warm days will never cease,
            For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

                                  2.
    Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
        Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
    Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
        Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
    Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
        Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
            Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
    And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
        Steady thy laden head across a brook;
        Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
            Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

                                  3.
    Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
        Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
    While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
        And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
    Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
        Among the river sallows, borne aloft
            Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
    And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
        Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
        The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
             And gathering swallows twitter in the skies. 

And I think that I'll leave you, dear reader, with the most recent additions to my Autumn reading list, well that is with the exception of Sweetly (which is due to be released in the UK some time in October): 

1. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
2. The Female Brain by Luann Brizendine
3. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
5. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
6. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
7. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
8. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
9. Idylls of the King by Lord Alfred Tennyson (LAT)

Nida

ETA - I've tried but I'm not sure how to fix the highlighting of the poem and other bits. If you know how, then please let me know in the comments section below. Thanks.