Booking Through Thursday (BTT)

This week's question on the weekly BTT event hosted by Miz B (on Should be Reading) -





What's the funniest book you've read recently?

Hmmm...I guess I have 2 books to mention here. It is "Almost Single" by Advaita Kala and "Keep off the Grass" by Karan Bajaj. Both the books were debut books by each of these authors. Though they cant be classified as "well written", they are pretty good as light reads and extremely funny! Almost Single is a chick-lit novel and it had me literally roll on the floor at some points. Keep off the grass was equally funny too, with the experiences from the B-school campus life...



So, what's been your funniest book lately?

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme/event hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following -

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-------------------------------------------------------

My Teaser:-

Richard from Texas brought it to my attention recently, when I was complaining about my inability to stop brooding. He said, "You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select what clothes you're gonna wear every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control. Drop everything else but that. Because if you cant learn to master your thinking, you're in deep trouble forever"

-Page 187, "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

Have a wonderful Tuesday! :)

Princess

Book Info:
Author: Jean Sasson
Pages: 302
Genre: Non-Fiction (based on a true story)
Rating: 4.5/5



I've always had this curiosity to learn more about the culture and life in Middle East and also about Islam as a religion. This book which is based on a true story was a perfect way to gain a deep insight into both these aspects.

Princess is a true story which reveals the hidden life of 'Sultana', the Saudi Princess, as told by her to Jean Sasson the author. Sasson travelled to Saudi Arabia in 1978 to work in the King Faisal Hospital & Research Center in Riyadh and then married and lived in Saudi till 1991. It was during this time that she met Sultana and got to know her life story which was then published as a book - the first of the middle eastern women genre and quickly became a new york times bestseller!

Some of the names in the book have been changed to protect the identity of the people who might otherwise suffer from the truth being told... Princess tells the story of Sultana who is born in a unbelievably priviliged royal family in the incredibly oil rich country of Saudi Arabia. I had heard of the wealth and richness of Saudi but it was shocking to get to know the vivid details of the amount of wealth that is ACTUALLY available in that country!!!!!



The writing style is very simple and easy to read. You wont even find time or interest to focus on these things coz the atrocities described in the book just shock the hell out of you! Till I read this, I thought Afghanistan was the worst place to be for a woman but Middle East seems to be a step ahead in this aspect!! I guess I feel scared to step into Saudi even as a tourist now. Each time I read a book like this I feel so lucky to have been born in a place like India, seriously!



This book is actually a trilogy with 'Princess' being the first in the series, followed by 2 sequels which gives us a deeper insight into Sultana's life and her daughters too. I am waiting to pick up the next one...

Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW)

The Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) is a fun event to celebrate the contribution and hard work of all the book bloggers on this internet space..and also helps in growing the book blogger community. Anyone and everyone who blogs about books and reading can participate in this and there are lot of awards and giveaways to be won!



The second BBAW is being hosted by My Friend Amy from September 14-18, 2009 at the new BBAW blog. You can register your blog here if you want to take part and also nominate your favorite blogs for awards in different categories...

For more details visit http://www.bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/
Like a blog? Then nominate it here

Bookish Quote of the Week: #3

"It took people 10 years to figure out that while stuck in a morning commute, they could be listening to a book."

-Publishers Weekly - Paul Hilts

I came across this quote while browsing through some articles...It really makes sense! These days we end up spending so much time commuting in this crazy traffic and apart from just listening to music, listening to books is something all of us can do! I've never ever tried an Audio Book... But now I am thinking of giving it a shot. Any idea how I can get hold of one? Any links where I can download something? Let me know!

Kreativ Blogger Award!

I am thrilled to receive this very first award of mine! Thanks to Shona (who has an awesome book blog - Shona's Bookshelf) for sending this award my way and making my day :)

To accept this award I am supposed to list my 7 favorite things and also pass it on to my 7 favorite bloggers. So here goes -

My 7 favorite things -

1. Sipping my hot cup of green tea with a book to read..

2. Listening to music..

3. Doing Yoga..

4. Eating Hot Chocolate Fudge :)

5. Blogging...

6. Taking a walk...

7. Spending time with myself, just doing nothing!

I would like to pass on this award to my 7 favorite bloggers..

Ramya @ Ramya's Book Shelf

J.Kaye @ J.Kaye's Book Blog

Divya @ Divya's reading room

Anna @ Diary of an eccentric

Alaine @ Queen of Happy Endings

Bethany @ Dreadlock girl reads

One Swede Read

June reading roundup

June has been a good month in terms of reading. I managed to read a variety of books in different genres...stepping away a bit from the usual fiction...and I have lots more on my TBR pile :)

Books read:
(Click on the book titles for the reviews)

1. Dont lose your mind, lose your weight - This book by Rujuta Diwekar is easily one of the best books I've read in the Health/Nutrition/Fitness categories!

2. Buddha Mind, Buddha Body - One of the first books I read of Thich Nhat Hanh and I am truly drawn towards Zen/Buddhism and its teachings after reading this one!

3. The Remains of the Day - I finally read a book by Kazuo Ishiguro after reading hundreds of great reviews of this author. I didnt enjoy this particular book much though, will definitely try reading his other book - Never let me go

Currently on the shelf:
1. Princess - By Jean Sasson
2. Kafka on the shore - By Haruki Murakami
3. Energy of Prayer - By Thich Nhat Hanh
4. The Guns of Navar One - By Alistair Maclean
Watch this space for the reviews....