Fictional Characters Written by Sophie Kinsella that I Love and Admire! (Part I)

I have a select group of authors that I absolutely love. Sophie Kinsella ranks very high on this list. Ever since I laid eyes on the book with glossy shopping bags and Isla Fisher on the cover, I just knew I was going to love her books. So, I thought I’d do a list of characters written by Sophie Kinsella that I have come to love and admire. I have included "Part I" in the title as I know I will love the characters she writes about in her books in the future as well. :) So here goes (In no particular order):   

1)      Becky Bloomwood (Brandon) – The Shopaholic Series

If I ever actually got to meet Becky Bloomwood, I would thank her for introducing me to one of my favourite writers, Sophie Kinsella. Apart from that, Becky’s love for shopping, hilarious inner monologues, relationship with Luke, friendship with Suze and others and a warm and endearing personality are some of the many reasons I enjoy reading this series.

2)      Luke Brandon – The Shopaholic Series

He is one of my favourite characters that Sophie has ever written. The stable and patient side of the Shopaholic series, he is there every time Becky even thinks of the word “Shopping”. His poker-faced, at times flabbergasted sense of humour has me falling over in peals of laughter.

Favourite Luke Quote (Among many others): “Rule of life. If you bother to ask someone’s advice, then bother to listen to it.”

3)      Suze Cleath-Stuart – The Shopaholic Series

Suze is one of my favourite besties of all time. She is the sort that would jump up and down with excitement because something good happened to her best friend but at the same time would be brutally honest with Becky if the situation demanded it.

4)      Sadie Lancaster – Twenties Girl

Ah Sadie! When the beautiful, vintage character from Twenties Girl said “Darling, when things go wrong in life, you lift your chin, put on a ravishing smile, mix yourself a little cocktail...” I knew this book was going to be something magical. She is the heart and soul of this book. I adore her attitude towards life and her love for dancing.

5)      Samantha Sweeting – The Undomestic Goddess

The premise of this book is fantastic and so unique. I absolutely love the range of characters in this story but my favourite is the main character, Samantha Sweeting. I think the best part about her is that she is just like us in so many ways and is learning more about herself and life every day. I loved being part of her journey while reading this book.

6)      Poppy Wyatt – I’ve Got Your Number

This is my favourite Sophie Kinsella novel ever! The book had me at the storyline itself. If that weren’t enough, the conversations are so funny and amazingly witty. Poppy Wyatt is vibrant, optimistic, smart and charming. I found her relatable as well. This book ranks high on my recommendations as well as reread lists. J

7)      Sam Roxton – I’ve Got Your Number

As you can see, I love this book. Sam Roxton is the perfect combination of sensible, practical, funny and awesome. It was very difficult for me to finish the book and not fall in love with him. End result: I did not succeed. Not that I was trying very hard to begin with. :P

I am totally looking forward to Sophie Kinsella’s latest book, Finding Audrey. It is her first Young Adult novel and as I’m a fan of both the genre as well as the writer, I can’t wait to read it. J

Until then,

The Perennial Reader. J

The House that BJ Built - Anuja Chauhan

Back of the Book (Goodreads):

I’ll make my sisters squirm like well-salted earthworms. I won’t sell. Even my jutti won’t sell. And if I die na, then even my gosht won’t sell!

The late Binodini Thakur had been very clear that she would never agree to sell her hissa in her Bauji’s big old house on Hailey Road. And her daughter Bonu, is determined to honour her mother’s wishes.

But what to do about her four pushy aunts who are insisting she sell? One is bald and stingy, one is jobless and manless, one needs the money to ‘save the nation’ and one is stepmother to Bonu’s childhood crush-brilliant young Bollywood director Samar Vir Singh, who promised BJ upon his deathbed that he would get the house sold, divvy the money equally and end all the bickering within the family.

Is Bonu strong enough to weather emotional blackmail by the spadefull? Not to mention shady builders, wily politicians, spies, lies and the knee-buckling hotness of Samar’s intense eyes?

The Review Part:

I remember the time I first read Battle for Bittora, the second book by Anuja Chauhan. I went through the whole book in the span of a few days. I read through meals as well. I experienced something of a similar nature with the House that BJ Built. Being a huge fan, I have always recommended Anuja Chauhan’s books to my friends. In case you haven’t read Those Pricey Thakur Girls already, it would be a good idea to do so before picking up The House that BJ Built in order to get the basic setting of the plot line.

The book starts out at a slower pace and Anuja Chauhan takes her time to lay out the groundwork for the characters and the story to properly build up. It’s like preparing all the ingredients for a sumptuous feast to be made the next day. We get to understand what the characters from the previous book have been up to for the last twenty years. We also see who the book is circled around essentially and where they stand now. But, this being Anuja Chauhan’s book, we also know that she will do justice to all the characters and sub-plots.

Now to the sumptuous meal part. After the introductory pages, it’s a rollercoaster ride from there. I had such a difficult time keeping the book down. Anuja Chauhan delves into the story of a familial property dispute with great gusto coming up with exceptionally interesting sub-plots. There are inner monologues of several interesting minds, outright family drama, politicians, an age old story, lawyers, Bollywood and so much more all weaved in and out of an electricity bhara romance (An ode to the charming use of Hinglish in the book J)

One of my favourite things about this book is the humour. I think I must have giggled out loud too many times while reading certain hilarious parts of the book. The conversations between not just the main protagonists but also the multitude of other characters is witty and fast-paced throughout the four hundred pages of the novel.

The romance between Bonu Singh and Samar Vir Singh is adorably cute, gripping and worth rooting for. Bonu is certainly different from her previous female leads. I liked her gutsy spirit and disarming innocence. Samar is another stellar hero that worthily joins the ranks of Nikhil, Zain and Dylan. 

This is my “What Next?” novel for sure. By that, I mean I kept wondering what would happen next at the turn of every page. A lot of questions that I was curious about in the previous book were answered in this one. The only thing I am sad about is that I have to wait for a while till she writes the next book.

Until then!

The Perennial Reader J

Interesting Places I’ve Found Book Recommendations (Part 1)

Lately, I have been trying to find new books to read and have been looking around for recommendations everywhere. So I thought it was a good idea to pull up a list of where I’ve found these recommendations. We all have friends who give us great suggestions and my ultimate favourite is to go stand in the middle of a bookstore and spend hours trying to pick out the perfect book (or two! We’ve all been there, right?) But there are some great places online as well that have gotten me some great recommendations! Here are a few of them:

1)      Review Blogs:

There are so many of these great blogs out there on the internet that you can spend hours just browsing the thoughts of fellow book lovers and trying to find the next great read. I have been binge reading a lot of Young Adult literature and my latest favourite blog is called YA Crush. They have reviewed tons and tons of YA books and I have them to thank for introducing me to great reads like Anna and the French Kiss (St.Clair!), Lola and the Boy Next Door (Cricket Bell!!!), The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks (Go Frankie!) and many more. I knew I could count on this blog the minute I saw a list of reasons “why Michael Moscovitz is the fake man of her dreams” on the blog. I have been in love with Michael Moscovitz since I was 16. And thanks to the glorious Meg Cabot, we get to meet him again this June in the eleventh Princess Diaries book, The Royal Wedding!

2)      Instagram

This is one place I honestly did not think I would find books. But I was pleasantly surprised. There are these amazing book lovers who post pictures of their books and beautiful bookshelves crammed with tons and tons of great reading material (Translation: Great recommendations!). When I spotted my favourites Harry Potter (Ah Harry! I am yet to meet a book better than you!) Divergent (Four. Nuff said), Fangirl (Baz Fan through and through) and many more such gems peeking through the many beautiful filters of Instagram, I knew I just had to follow some of these accounts!

3)      Goodreads

This is a website where you can create an account and keep track of all the books you have read, see what other people are saying about the books you want to read and join groups for book suggestions and discussions. I found this awesome website a few years back and have actually become friends with a few authors. I enjoy reading the reviews for the books I really want to read and Goodreads automatically shows suggestions based on what you’ve browsed. There are lists, quizzes, giveaways and so much more.

4)      Amazon

I love the recommendations (“Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” part) that appear at the end of the page after you scroll through some of the books that you’re actually looking for. These recommendations look like virtual suggestions from people who like to read the same kind of books that you do. I found Kasie West’s The Distance Between Us like this. And if you read my review, you’ll know I adored the book. J

5)      Lists from various Websites (Buzzfeed)

Nowadays, lists are all the rage. There is a list for almost every genre. I’ll admit, these lists are sometimes fun to read. My favourite type is the one that gives me book recommendations (27 books falling off the TBR shelf but oh yeah! We totally need more!) or the ones that give us reasons why readers are so awesome (right right??). My browser bookmarks section is filled with these lists just so that I can go back and check out the new reads when I’m in need of one.

I’m going to leave it at this and call it Part 1. I’ll give it time and come up with Part 2 hopefully someday soon.

Gotta go!

The Perennial Reader. J

The Wait!

The year was 2009. I had been a fan of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series since I first spotted the colourful covers beckoning me over at the Landmark store. I think I started reading the series when I was 16. By the time 2009 arrived, I was in love. In love with Mia and her beautiful personality. In love with the fact that the series was about a princess. In love with the plot line. In love with Mia’s quirky and loyal friends. And in love with Michael Moscovitz (The name alone says it all!)

Back to the year 2009. I had finished the first 9 books. I had walked into the store and spotted the book that I had only read about in the back of the ninth book. And that’s when I saw it: The tenth book. It was right there in one of the middle shelves of the store, piled up in huge shiny, silver stacks of glorious Forever Princess Ten out of Ten Happiness. Walking up to that shelf and picking up my very own copy (which has been reread innumerable times by now) remains my favourite book memory of all time.

Now the year is 2015. The year of a new book in the beloved series by Meg Cabot. The year of Michael and Mia getting married!!! The year of the Royal Wedding. It is the year to rejoice! :D

My Meg Cabot-dedicated shelf is waiting to welcome a new member to the royal book family. The book is out today. Pre-ordered and waiting. Need I say more?

Until we meet again!

The Perennial Reader. J