Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone: Author - J K Rowling

Harry Potter Series

Author: J K Rowling

Book I: Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone

Here comes a book set in a total fantasy world about wizards and witches. Not the first of its kind but had captured the attention of everybody from a young kid to an old man....all were completely involved with the adventures of Harry Potter in the Howgarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this first book Harry is thrilled to learn that he is a wizard and even more thrilled to learn that he can stay away from his uncle’s family to study at a school called Howgarts...

Harry is astounded to discover that he is already famous in the magic world being the only person in this queer world to face a death curse and thwart it to live.. no one knows how he did it including himself. He learns the truth of his parents’ death and how his mother Lily had sacrificed herself to protect him from death... and how an evil wizard Voldemort was destroyed...

On the train he meets his soon to be best friend for life Ron Weasley and they both are placed in the same house “Gryffindor”. Harry’s life totally changes after coming to Howgarts and he is caught in studying about magic and discovers new facts about his dead parents James and Lily Potter which he had no clue of earlier.

But being James’ son he can’t stay away from trouble.. and soon after one such incident finds a new friend in the “Miss Know all” of the school Hermione.. Harry, Ron and Hermoine are inseparable soon and spend all their time together. Alas their curious nature is tested when they wish to solve a mystery about the secret thing stored in the school...

Many startling facts, twists and surprises come in front of Harry which he has to face to solve the mystery...

The climax is amazingly well written and the real culprit comes as a shock to Harry and the readers as well...

Some of my favourite parts in the book are The first Quidditch match played by Harry.. one of the most amazing sport which the author has fantasized about.. its well written, fast paced and too good. One of the touching parts is when Harry sees his parents in The Mirror of Erised, his feelings on seeing his dead parents are too good.

The friendship between Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid is also very very well brought out. But the best moments come in the climax when they solve the mysteries and also when Harry and gang win points for their house and lift the Gryffindor cup.. the utter disbelief mixed with happy expressions on their faces are so well depicted.

About few of the characters in the book

Harry Potter– The absolute favourite 11 year old wizard in the book

Ron – Harry’s best friend and confidant for life.

Hermione – The studious, nerd, never to break rules kind of a girl...

The kind of friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione is a kind which every kid would want to have.. absolutely loyal, sincere and totally supportive of each other.

Hagrid – The half giant gamekeeper at Howgarts and Harry’s absolutely most favourite person in the school

Professor Dumbledore – Headmaster of Howgarts, an eccentric and genius wizard. The only person whom Voldemort feared... he absolutes loves Harry and keeps a close watch on him even though Harry never realizes it.

Professor McGonagall – The strict teacher and Head of Gryffindor house... a severe tickler for rules, her mere eye contact with a person is commanding and enough to scare you. But beneath the strict look is the loving and caring heart of a woman who is concerned about the safety and well being of all her students

Professor Snape – Potions master and head of Slytherin house.. who for some unknown reason hates Harry and Harry shares a mutual hatred for him... The encounters between Snape and Harry are amazingly written; the progression of Snape’s character through out all the seven books in the series is mind blowing.

You Know Who (Voldemort) – The most evil wizard in the magic world who killed Harry’s parents but couldn’t kill Harry.. was destroyed by his own death curse... few people still believe that You Know Who is just biding his time and will make a comeback soon; will Harry be able to destroy Voldemort again????????????

Twilight series... Book II: New Moon: Author - Stephanie Meyer

Continuing the story of Twilight Bella dreams of being with Edward all her life... But her dreams are shattered when Edward leaves Forks forever with his family after an incident which took place at Bella’s birthday party where Jasper nearly pounced on her wanting to kill her and taste her blood which has spilled by accident. Bella is heartbroken and cant stand separation from her beloved Edward and is shattered for days together. Only a warning from her dad to move her back with her mom brings her back to senses and she tries to carry on with life.. She renews her friendship with Jacob Black from La Push. They both become very good friends soon with Jacob wanting to take their relationship to the next level while she is not yet ready to carry on… Alas everything changes again in Bella’s life when Jacob suddenly becomes unresponsive and stops talking to her for no reason… She is again heartbroken on losing a friend but decides to find out the reason behind Jacob’s silence… Soon another truth comes to light which completely shocks her but doesn’t break her friendship with Jacob… Meanwhile a small misunderstanding leads Edward to believe that Bella is dead and he goes to Italy to confront Volturi the royal vampire family who can destroy any vampire who breaks the rules…….. So does Edward die? What happens to Bella and Jacob? Will Edward come back to Bella or is this the end of their love story??????…. 

Twilight - Author: Stephenie Meyer

Twilight is about Isabella Swan who calls herself as Bella. She has come to Forks a small town in USA from Phoenix to live with her dad Charlie when her mom remarries and moves to Jacksonville with her new husband. She doesn’t realize that her life would turn 180 degrees when she moves here. By nature she is an introvert, caring and “accident prone’ girl who is a magnet for disaster and can’t spend even a day without getting involved into a mishap… After coming to Forks she sees “the most handsome and gorgeous guy on earth” Edward Cullen and his family in school.. she finds each and every person in his family good looking J; however her friends warn her that Edward never dates and the Cullen family doesn’t interact very socially with others and they are a very very close knit family. On her very first day in school Edward ignores her like she is a disease and doesn’t even talk to her… it’s as if talking to her would be a death sentence for him. He is missing for the next few days and when he comes back apologizes for his rudeness.. a slow friendship starts between them even though Edward keeps warning her that being his friend is not safe for Bella.. but she doesn’t care. She wants to know this guy further and wants to know the real Edward behind the façade.. When Edward miraculously saves her from getting crushed under a van she realizes that this guy is not normal.. there is something really super natural about him. She tries to find out the truth behind this gorgeous guy when he saves her a second time from a pack of goons..... After learning some old stories from a friend who thinks it all superstition she discovers that Edward and his family have a lot of traits of vampires like... (read the book to find out J J). However this doesn’t stop her from being attracted to him and in her words she is “dazzled” by the handsome guy so much that she doesn’t even care that she is playing with fire. Edward is also very much taken with this girl who keeps attracting trouble for herself where ever she goes.. not even a day would go when she wouldn’t stumble and fall down somewhere and Edward would be there to protect her.. The bond between them slowly deepens and they become inseparable after sometime….

But again trouble awaits her in the form of a tracker James who sees her with the Cullen family one day and finds her scent too tasty to ignore. James has never failed in tracking and killing his prey once he gets attracted... He never misses his prey and now he has his eyes set on Bella.... What happens to Bella now... will she end up on James dinner menu or in the safe arms of Edward or something worse????

It is the most fast pacing and not to be put down book once you start reading....

P S I Love You - Cecilia Ahern

P S I Love you is the story of Holly. She is struggling to cope with life after the death of her husband Gerry. They were college sweethearts who were married for 14 years before Gerry loses his battle to brain tumor. After Gerry’s death Holly is totally shattered and tries to cut away from her family and friends. But to her surprise she receives 10 letters from Gerry which he had written before he dies; each letter to be opened on the first day of each month. Holly is ecstatic to receive these letters and they soon become her Bible or Ten Commandments.

Each month brings a new letter and a new surprise to Holly. Right from buying a new expensive dress to singing in a karaoke night to going on a holiday to finding a new job it is a roller coaster ride for Holly. She battles her emotional loss and tries to get on with life following the tasks given by Gerry in his letters. At the end of 10 months she comes out much stronger and learns to cope up with life even without Gerry which at one point she thought was impossible to even imagine in her dreams.

The other characters in the book include Holly’s family and friends who do everything possible to help her deal with her grief. A special mention for the Holly’s elder brother Richard whose character is very well conceived and written by the author.

It’s a very beautifully written book and brings out the emotions of Holly in a way that it will no doubt touch your heart. Your heart would go out to Holly and you would want to hug her and reassure her that things would be ok… one of the very very good books I have read so far.. J J

King and Maxwell Series - Author: David Baldacci

BOOK III – Simple Genius: Michelle who is still recovering from the events which took place in the previous book is dogged with some hidden demons from her past. She is nearly killed in a barroom brawl and lands herself in a mental health centre at the insistence of Sean. Here too adventure and mystery finds her and she busts a drug dealing ring. On one side we also have the psychiatrist Horatio Jones who is trying to bring Michelle to terms with her past but she tries to evade him as much as possible. Meanwhile Sean is in a think tank named Babbage Town investigating the death of a scientist under mysterious circumstances. Babbage Town is on the border of the CIA’s training facility “The Farm” where crimes are committed under the cover of national security. Michelle soon joins Sean to discover the truth behind the scientist’s death and unravel the mysteries of Babbage Town. They are soon caught in a terrifying game where they make enemies with the CIA and fall into deadly trouble. What happens then is a thrilling encounter in Babbage town where they unravel the mysteries of “The Farm” and also bring the murderer of the scientist to light. The book ends with the psychiatrist hypnotizing Michelle and bringing horrific revelation of Michelle’s past to light.

BOOK IV – First Family: There are two mysteries going on in this book. On one side Michelle’s mom is murdered in her house and on the other side the First Lady’s (President’s wife) niece Willa is kidnapped and Willa’s mom Pam Dutton is murdered in her house and her dad and siblings are knocked unconscious. Years ago Sean had saved President Dan Cox the then senator from political disaster and hence Jane Cox decides to enlist him to find Willa. What follows is a wild goose chase with Sean going in search of Willa based on the few leads that he has. Meanwhile Jane is too possessive of her brother and her husband’s image that she will go to any length to protect them even if it means hiding the truth from everyone.

On the other side Michelle suspects her Dad to be her Mom’s murderer and goes searching for clues to reveal the truth. But she finds out a different side to her Mom and Dad and is caught in a web of lies and deception. She has to fight her emotions and her past as well before finding out the truth.

Sean and Michelle are pushed to a limit with the line between friend and foe becomes impossible to define. They don’t know whom to trust anymore and rely on their instincts to find Willa and Michelle’s mom’s murderer. There is also a strong romantic undercurrent between Sean and Michelle in the book which is a gripping tale and cannot be put down once you start reading.

King and Maxwell Series - Author: David Baldacci

BOOK I – Split Second: Michelle Maxwell is the chief Secret Service agent responsible for the security of a politician who is on a campaign trail. But he is kidnapped right in front of her eyes and she is unable to do anything about it.  After this horrific event she is assigned to a desk job in the agency but she takes an unofficial leave to go in search of the Politician. Her investigation leads her to Sean King. Exactly 7 years back when Sean was a Secret Service Agent the President is murdered in his watch and he is also unable to save him; the killer is also eventually caught. Michelle finds lot of similarities between both the cases and decides to take Sean’s help to find the kidnapped politician. They both find that there were more people involved in the death of the President 7 years back and they have again striked to kidnap the politician. Then starts a cat and mouse chase to search for the kidnapped politician and bring the real murderers of the dead President to light. After finding the real killers Michelle also decides to leave Secret Service and joins Sean King to start a private investigative agency. Professional pride, romantic tension, and common causes bring together King and Maxwell as a crime-solving dynamic duo in this book.

BOOK II – Hour Game: Michelle Maxwell a former Secret Service Agent finds the body of a young lady murdered in the woods in Wrightsburg, Virginia. She is a private investigator in practice with another ex Secret Service Agent Sean King.

King and Michelle are also investigating a burglary committed in the Battle house one of the richest and aristocratic families of the city. They are hired by the prime suspect Junior’s lawyer to prove his innocence.

Very soon there are a series of killings in the city attracting a lot of media attention and gets the FBI also involved. Junior is also murdered and so is Bobby Battle head of the Battle family. In each killing the victim’s hand is raised and the watch is timed to a particular hour.

The criminal methods of some of the serial killers of all time are being replicated by this murderer who stalks and then strikes his victims with a cunning brilliance. No one can understand the murderer's motives or who the next victim will be.  It is up to King and Michelle to solve the mystery behind the watches and find the relation between the burglary and the killings if any.

The FBI, state police along with Michelle and King are behind the killer but will they find him and how many people will be killed before the killer is caught?

Old secrets from Battle family’s past are revealed. King and Michelle also become targets as they come closer to the killer. Will they survive to solve the mystery or die at the hands of the serial killer?

It’s a gripping book with a twist in each new development enough to keep the readers in suspense.

                                                                                                          ................... To be continued

Divine Justice - Author: David Baldacci

Divine Justice is the fourth book in the “Camel Club” series by David Baldacci. John Carr a member of Triple Six team an assassin who worked for CIA is known by an alias name Oliver Stone the founder of Camel Club.

He murders the only two top Government officials of United States who knew of his true identity and who were the cause of the death of Milton Garb one of the members of the Camel Club. John disappears from Washington after committing the murders.

The person in charge to find out the killer is Macklin Hayes who deduces that John Carr is behind the killings. He is a master spy and will go to any length to find John and silence him forever.

Stone’s flight from the demons of his past takes him to a small town Divine in Virginia and soon he is caught in a spree of murders happening in that place. He ends up saving a few victims where as a few people die in a murder spree in the small town. Will he be able to discover the murderer and leave the place soon or will the master spy Hayes catch him there.

The other members of Camel Club will go to any extremes to protect their unofficial leader Stone and they also go in search of him. Will they reach Oliver before Macklin Hayes or will John Carr finally lose his life?

A good thriller and cannot be put down book once again from the author. It is as exciting as the other three books in the Camel Club series.

Just Rewards - Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford

Just rewards is the last book in the Emma Harte series written by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Emma had made her way from a servant to a business woman in the early 19^th century and her grandchild Paula mother of Linnet and Tessa takes it to new heights in the late 19^thcentury.

Four women at a crossroads; a family in crisis; and an enemy planning for his long-awaited chance at revenge. Who will have their Just Rewards? The story revolves around Linnet, India, Evan and Tessa the great granddaughters of Emma Harte.

The book starts with Evan’s marriage to Gideon Harte, Evan being the newly found great granddaughter of Emma. Her mom’s newly found independence after battling depression for 15+ years and her step sister Angrahad’s devilish streak are well brought out to integrate with the Harte story line.

Also featured is the love story of India Standish and Dusty a world renowned painter who has to fight his past in the form of a mentally deranged ex girl friend and look after their ten year old daughter Atlanta.

Tessa Fairley who always considered herself as a successor to her mother Paula to take over the Harte empire is starting her life again after divorcing her husband Mark Longden. Does she have to compete with her sister Linnet to take the top spot when her mother retires or does destiny have other plans for her?

Behind the scenes there is Jonathan Ainsley estranged cousin of Paula, a staunch enemy of the Harte family who is trying to damage the Harte’s in every possible way. Does he succeed in his desire to take revenge on the Hartes or does the Harte family thwart him is what you will know in the final book of the Harte series.

Above all there is Linnet who is considered the split image of the great Emma and has great plans to further modernize the Harte empire. Will she proves her mettle and succeed Paula to head the vast Harte empire or lose over Tessa? Will she be able to battle Jonathan and single handedly take Harte’s empire to a new level when a tragedy forces her to be alone at the top?

It is a gripping storyline intertwining the various characters to bring out the end of the Harte and Fairley storyline which started three generations back.

Malgudi Days - R K Narayan

Story 1 Swami and friends

Swami is about 10 years old studying in Albert Mission School in Malgudi. He shudders at the thought of going to school daily but is forced to go (like all kids of his age). Each chapter in the book is a different day in the life of Swami and his friends Mani and Rajam.

The book starts with an introduction of Swami and his friends Somu the monitor, Mani the good for nothing boy who sits in the last bench of the class, Sankar the most brilliant boy in the class and Samuel or Pea the bond between him and Swami being able to see things in the same manner and laugh it off together.

Some noteworthy episodes include the arrival of Rajam the new boy in Malgudi and Swami's school. Rajam enters the class and occupies the last bench with Mani who is angry to share his last bench... He picks Swami as an interpreter and invites Rajam for a fight and then all three end up becoming best of friends. The other two kids Sankar and Pea start calling Swami as Rajam's tail.. which ends the friendship of Swami with them. But Rajan plays the mediator and gets them to talking terms.

R K writes the stories with an ease and you can imagine all this happening in front of your eyes.. so vivid and clear is his imagination.

He goes on to write various other episodes like the arrival of a new born baby in Swami's house and how Swami reacts to this. Swami's examination episodes are also worthy of reading; they are the most common thing any kid of his age would face and we adults can also relate it with our childhood.

Things turn political in Malgudi as India is caught in the Independence battle..Swami gets involved in strikes due to which he is punished in his school and then he runs away from it. His father enrolls him into another school the Board High School. Swami discovers that the Board School is worse than his previous school. The amount of homework piled up and the daily drills are too much for him to handle...

But again Rajam comes to his rescue and they start MCC the Malgudi Cricket Club where Swami earns the title of TATE the fast bowler of his team. The episode where they order bats from M/s Binns in Chennai and the innocence with which they write letters assuming that they will get bats for free are worth reading again and again.

He bunks the drill in the Board School to attend cricket practices and again gets into trouble :). And this time too he runs away from the school and intends to run away from Malgudi as well.. But then he wants to play in the cricket match versus YMU too and so he decides to come back on the day of the match... but alas he is still a kid.. he loses his way in a forest becomes delirious and hallucinates images and finally faints on a road near the forest. The forest guard nurses him back to health and sends him back home but by then the match is over and his team loses since the best bowler wasnt available.... and to top it all his best friend and captain of MCC Rajam stops talking to him considering him to be the sole reason of his team's defeat  :( :(.. This was the most classic and well written episode of all and you could almost feel the kid's innocence and pain reaching out to you.

Finally the day comes when his best friend Rajam leaves Malgudi and how Swami who wanted to patch up things with Rajam is heart broken. He goes to the station to tell him a final good bye but doesnt get to talk to him.. and manages to give him a parting gift.. a book of fairy tales which he adored terribly. The parting moments are written in a simple and convincing manner that you feel as if you are being parted from your best friend.

All in all a very good book worth reading and can be read again and again and again and again.. :) :)