Dead Wake
This story reflects upon a real life tragedy of the sinking of the Lusitania during the first World War. Despite signals and efforts to warn officials that this passenger ship would be crossing over 'deadly waters', no caution was taken and lives were lost. Definitely an event in history that has not been given enough attention. Great read if you like to learn about history. As I've grown, I've definitely given more appreciation to books that can educate me on world events in a way that is not draining. This read reminds me a lot of the world famous Titanic sinking.
The Girl On The Train
This book is about a girl named Rachel who commutes downtown everyday on the same train. During her commute she passes by the same set of houses and gets entranced by a particular couple. As she gets to know more about this couple, she sees on the news one day that the woman - Meghan - has gone missing. She recently saw Meghan out on her balcony with someone suspicious. Rachel contemplates how this tip may help in discovering what has happened to Meghan, which sets off a series of events, leading to an exciting and unthinkable conclusion! This is such a gripping and thrilling read! I really loved Gone Girl, and this book reminds me of that particularly story. Such a great read. I would definitely recommend this to anymore whose looking for something exciting, gripping, thrilling and a page turner.
Paper Towns
There has been a lot of talk about this one lately (especially the movie). I've read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and definitely had to give this one a read as well. I'm not a huge fan of the story line in this book. It starts off very slow. Its about a girl named Margo who disappears the day after she takes Quentin out for the night of his life out on the town pranking kids from high school. The story explores how Quentin seeks out to find Margo with the help of his good friends. He is on a mission to find the girl that he truly has a passion for. While I'm not a huge fan of this book, it did remind me a lot of my high school days. It reminded me in particular of all the 'spots' my friends would hang out, of the daily gossip that would take place, the lunches in the cafeteria and all those tough projects and exams. I also am very curious to see the movie and how it compares to the book.
Unbroken
Many of you may be familiar with this title from the movie that was released earlier this year, directed by Angelina Jolie. This book tells the true story of ex-Olympian turned World War II solider named Louis Zamperini, who goes off to fight for the United States against the Japanese after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After a series of unfortunate events he and his war buddies find themselves stranded on water for several weeks. They float to nearby land eventually, but end up being imprisoned in a Japanese war camp. The leader of the camp turns out to be the most brutal person alive that makes life there a living hell. With no rescue and no end of war in sight, the US soldiers are left to fend for themselves. This is an amazing story of humanity, human survival, positivity, morale, perseverance, bravery and confidence. I was definitely moved by the personal accounts of Louis. While I don't know what its like to be in Louis position, I was able to get a glimpse into the hardships he endured to keep going. It's a great reminder to keep pushing even when you think you are at rock bottom. The movie is equally as good as the book. Great read and definitely a keeper in my personal library.
The One Hundred Foot Journey
I heard about this movie and was curious to read the book first. This book journeys through the life of Hassan, who is a natural born culinary chef. From his early days in India, to the life-changing move of going to France, he has a natural instinct for all things food. Once his family has settled in a village in France, they discover that their next door neighbour is Ms. Mallory, a well recognized and established French chef. As rivalry brews between Hassan's father's family business and Ms. Mallory, she soon discovers Hassan's natural talent for cooking. This is a light, humorous and adventurous read. If your looking for something quick, easy and uplifting, this might be one that you will want to check out. I have yet to watch the movie to see how it compares to the book. What I like in particular about this book is the depiction of the vibrant culture and cuisines and Hassan's passion for pursuing something that he truly loves.
I hope to continue doing these types of posts once I've been able to read a few books that I can talk about.
What have you been reading this summer? Any good book recommendations?
~Usha
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