The Bookworm Saga | Of Mice and Men

I've been procrastinating  updating of The Bookworm Saga and with a legitimate reason. I had decided to read One Hundred Years of Solitude. Unfortunately, halfway through the book I stopped. I am apparently not one of those people who would find the book influential in my life. 

I initially picked up this book to read because i'd heard a lot of praise for it. Initially i liked the writing style and thought i would like the book like everyone else. But i have to be honest, i started reading it with the most distinct form of confusion. I was waiting for a concrete storyline. It has everything within the first hundred pages, gypsies, magic, alchemy, insomnia disease(??), inappropriate relations, creepy little girls, overdone love proclamations, incest and im sure ive missed a quite a lot more.  Then it got very very confusing, thanks to the parents naming all their offsprings after their grandfathers.

I returned the book immediately as I did not want to waste precious days on it anymore. As I scanned through the library shelf(yes one shelf of English fiction, just one) my eyes fixed on John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". I am a huge fan of the band Of Mice & Men as a matter of fact and that is how I learnt about the book as well. So I picked it up immediately along with another book by Gabriel Marquez ( how daring!) The General in His Labyrinth.

Just now with steaming tears and a running nose, I finished reading the book "Of Mice and Men" . I knew there was a controversial ending, but did not expect it to be this. No spoilers of course, but if I you haven't read the book yet, please do. I made the mistake of reading it a bit too late. But hey, better late than never!

My eyes fill with tears even as I think about the story, to re-narrate it here. It starts with George and Lennie by a beautifully described river-side. For all you know, they could've been hiking. The real weight of the situation is only revealed much later. George and Lennie are childhood friends, but their closeness could qualify them as brothers I would say. Lennie is the big guy with a brain of a kid and George is the caretaker. George seems frustrated and annoyed with Lennie's antics (spoiler material, yeah) , he admits to it as well but he would never consider for a second about abandoning his friend.  The characters are so well written that you start to imagine them as they are and feel as they feel and when tragedy of sorts strikes, take my word, you will also be stricken as I was. George and Lennie dream about working up a stake and buying a place of their own where Lennie can pet his rabbits and be answerable to no one. This sets off the story and the events that follow are casual, if not normal. But they are subtle that gives the sense of unpredictability to the story. They work in a ranch owned by a man who has crazy self-esteem issued son, wife who "gives eye" and a bunch of other men all of whom have a story and nature of their own. Their well intertwined stories is a brilliantly written masterpiece by Mr. Steinbeck. Lennie is so well described that your heart goes out to him and any unlikely thing he does seems normal to you, because it's normal for Lennie. You start to make excuses for his actions to be acceptable, because he's poor little(ironically cus he happens to be a big guy!) Lennie. Innocent Lennie who know nothin'! 

I kept wondering why the book was called Of Mice and Men. Boy was I surprised! Lennie here was always given mice to pet, as he was extremely fond of petting things, by his Aunt Clara. Lennie being the book ruffian taken over by "aggressive love" would end up killing the tiny mice by squeezing them too hard. This IS why it's so named right? Let me know if I'm wrong!

Now, as a tribute to the brilliance of the book, I shall listen to "Of Mice & Men" the band and fall asleep without having another teary flashback of the book! 

Everyone needs an Aisha in their life!

I am really behind schedule with my Book Worm Saga, you'll know why when i post the post about the book. Meanwhile, my head has been whizzing with other things. Now isn't it obvious why i haven't finished reading the book! It all started when i watched The Devil Wears Prada. It's a movie everyone has watched and loved and if you say otherwise, you are lying! The transformation Anne Hathaway goes through in the movie from dork to chic, every girl in wants that at some point. I wont deny it, i wanted that too! It never occurred to me why i never really got into fashion. As in, like it and live it.
Another random set of mouse clicking led me to this bollywood song, from Student of The Year- Gulabi Ankaein. Watch it.

"The girl's got everything ! (x4) 
I've got it all, 
Jimmy Choo & Manolo, Prada, Galliano, 
Cant get nuff, I want more and more... 
Louis Vuitton & the Stella Mccartney, Donatella Versace, 
I Use bag from GUCCI !! 
Gulabi ankhein jo meri dekhi, 
Diwana har dil hogya, 
Sambhalo khud ko, zara becharo, 
Ki jeena mushkil ho gya !! 
The girl's got everything ! (x4) 
Mujhsi kahi, koi nahi, 
Jo sab k khabo me hai, I'm the one !! 
Duniya mere, piche chale, 
Mai sabse age hu, I'm number one !! 
I've got it all, 
Jimmy Choo & Manolo, Prada, Galliano, 
Cant get nuff, I want more and more... 
Louis Vuitton & the Stella Mccartney, Donatella Versace, 
I Use bag from GUCCI !! 
Gulabi ankhein jo meri dekhi, 
Diwana har dil hogya, 
Sambhalo khud ko, zara becharo, 
Ki jeena mushkil ho gya !! 
The girl's got everything ! (x4)

Yeah that's the lyrics. After you've watched this video, you will most probably come across this one as well! Aisha............. You watch that video and wonder, what i wonder and pray and hope you get an Aisha in your life. If you're too lazy to watch the video, then i shall describe it to you. It starts with a quick montage of the world's most posh brands and two posh girls strutting into these stores whilst a "behenji" type girl (THAT girl is me and you) stands with innocent awe. The posh girls are back with bags with things for behenji! Yes, i kid you not. And they do this a few more times and Ms. Aisha pays for it herself. The next part is the shoe-shopping and yeah well, it is  beautiful to say the least. Then they take behenji to a posh beauty parlour where they cut off her long plaited hair (THE FAKE EXTENSIONS ARE SO OBVIOUS IN THE VIDEO omg) and colour her hair, do her eyebrows and all the other pampering that would usually empty my non-branded medium sized money bag. But behenji pays for nothing. Now the posh girls take her home and do the "I'll sing in front of the mirror like a pop-diva with my blow-dryer as the mike" cliche. That is allowed without much objection because then, they do behenji's make-up after kindly throwing dresses away casually across the bed till behenji chooses the right one. After being beautified with make-up they walk up the red carpet like stars. 

Given that i have not watched the movie, I'm unsure if behenji pays Aisha back. (I'm pretty sure she doesn't) Also, this makes it hard for me to understand why anyone would do this for someone. Minus these essential factors and i really need an Aisha in my life. No, i am not a charity case. I'm just saying it would be nice to have an experienced fashioner to guide me through the do's and don'ts especially the,  "DON'T pay the expensive shopping bills, I'll DO that."  

I have to admit, i do use up all my money even before i get it! (it is technically possible as i owe people from 3 months prior) So i sort of, in a very mild way, very very very slightly become a charity case. But if an Aisha fell from the heavens of people with excess money to spare, then well i can clearly use the money i have to pay off the debts( and save my family from the 1BHK) (just kidding obviously)

But no sane person would say no to this! Am i right? (or am i just cheap?) But as far as I'm concerned i strongly believe a person like me would do well with a random Aisha appearing once in a while to buy me a new wardrobe. In return i will do justice to the excess money that was used on me. Promise! 

I shall now go and re-evaluate my existence. Good bye.

Metaphorical Rantings

With 'Welcome To My Life' playing in the background, I lie facedown on my bed with tears of frustration while i imagine an imaginary warmth being radiated from a human i may never materialize into my life. The song makes too much sense. Even after a decade, i still feel the same emotions in the song.
The weight of my loneliness squishes my whole existence when i  bawl my suppressed emotions, emotions i have neatly folded and flattened and placed under the protection of pretense of everything being okay. To be honest there is nothing wrong. But i often feel like i'm being pushed into the ocean when in reality i have just learnt to beat my legs in the water after testing it's temperature. I didn't even realize that i was falling into the water and was made to believe that it was a choice that i made. A casual swim, turned out to be a man vs wild, rather silly girl vs wild, expedition minus the fame and scripting. This is real.  The comfort of being able to feel the bottom has been deprived. I now beat my legs to stay afloat, not to feel the swish of the cool ocean water.  I do not even get a reward for being a sacrificial bait. No last supper, nothing.
What do i do  now? Swim to land? Hope for a shark to bite into me? Drown? If i swim to land, maybe i can take the path the other swimmers refused to take. If i drown, ill just be another floating body like the rest. And then probably a shark may eat me. Now would be a good time to reward me. How about a map of the land i will discover. I dont ask for a float, because i dont want to get used to the comfort of staying in the waves of false satisfaction.
I honestly like the metaphor because no one will have a clue what im talking about except me. Now, honestly i'm afraid fatigue will get the best of me. Pretense will paint a faux rosy picture and i will be asked to admire the beautiful sunset from the middle of the ocean, because hey, the glass is always half full!

Bookworm Saga: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I just found my new Heroine! Lisbeth Salander. Badass-punk-chick with an in-your-face, up-your-a$$ attitude who is an excellent researcher with a photographic memory who gets what she wants and how! The book title is about my Heroine, and is the first in the trilogy by Stieg Larsson. 

The book was originally written in swedish and the swedish title actually translated to 'men who hate women'. It was translated from Swedish to English, by one Reg Keeland, thank heavens for that! It is one of the most exciting books i have read. The initial parts of the book was honestly, to me a bit boring but once the plot took-off i could not take my eyes off the pages and my fingers from turning the pages. It is all based in Sweden apart from being exotic (to me) it literally gave me chills in the middle of the night when i read certain parts of the book. (wont type out those parts, you should read it!)

I have to show-off here and say i could deduce who the 'culprit' was. If most of you could also do it then....well.....alrighty then. 

I particularly liked Lisbeth's action plans, her attitude towards everything and everyone, her action and consequences analysis and most of all her tattoos and piercings. I just love the fact that Stieg Larsson thought up a punk heroine while most authors would make a tall slender red-head who's the society's version of 'attractive'. I know that is not the central theme or whatever but different people learn and think differently and this is what appealed to me the most ok? Ok. That is obviously apart from the brilliant storyline, which i shouldn't type out, because where's the fun in reading my version of the story right? So if you've not read the book, READ IT! And if you have, lets fangirl about it!!

I can finally watch the movie now, because i would not let myself watch the movie without reading the book first. Daniel Craig's jawline, here i come! 

Next on my Bookworm Saga List: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Can't wait! 

Tripping On Stones: This Is The Start Of My Existential Crisis

Tripping On Stones: This Is The Start Of My Existential Crisis: The human body. That's how this thought process started. The human body is so complex. And what's scarier is that there are people ...

The Bookworm Saga

What is The Bookworm Saga?

If you are an active Facebook user, you should be aware (no pressure) of the so called 'Bookbucket Challenge' or whatever name it goes by from where you're around. As a person who has made it pretty clear that she loves books, i was tagged, obviously. But lets rewind a bit here. When the book challenge started initially, i was in awe of the kind of books people had read and also to see some people being unable to choose from the 'hundreds of books' they'd read. HUNDREDS!
My face was burning, i was mortified. For a self-proclaimed book lover, the number of books i've read is indeed a shame. I don't think all the books i've read in my two decade old life will add up to a hundred (unless you count all the nancy drew books and the Goosebumps books huh?) and to think about the hundreds, hell, thousands of books i haven't got my chubby fingers on yet makes my head whirl.

So, the solution has been thought of! I challenge myself to a book reading challenge. Every week i will choose a book or an author and read it. Then i review it, probably. Or declare the accomplishment of the challenge into the void, that is the internet. If there are actual humans reading this, do not hesitate to join me! We can have a book club and everything! (fun fun fun!)

The Bookworm Saga Goal: The month is september. Four months till its 2015. (THE FUTURE)
I will exclude my exam month of october as i dont think i acn do much reading then SO, based on rough estimation, with ingenious mathematics,
3 months x 4 weeks = 12 weeks.
12 weeks. 2 books a week (minimum)
That is, 24 books.
Small number. But then again, rough estimates and unwelcome exams.
Therefore, Book Goal by New Year 2015, 24 books atleast!

Let the Saga commence!