Book Review: Some Kind of Blunderful by Livy Hart

Some Kind of Blunderful by Livy Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book tells the story of the love affair between Mia Fadden, a young school teacher and Alex Conroy, a corporate honcho working in the Avondale, Georgia office of Peachtree Tech, the same office where Richard Fadden, Mia's dad works as the head of Marketing.
This was one of the books that I purchased based on the comments on an Insta thread. As I read the book, I wrote my observations in my daily journal. The first comment that I wrote was that the language is pleasant and breezy. The second comment was that 'While the chapters of the book alternative between Mia's and Alex's narratives, their styles are not different at all, making it difficult to understand when they say 'I', whose perspective the author is using'.
The book is predictable from the get go. At the end of Chapter 1, Page 1, starting with their first date, you knew what was going to happen by the end of chapter 39. So there was no mystery. There were not many earth-shattering insights as well. Was their any plot tension which could create lumps in the reader's throat and make him want to jump in an rescue the damsel in distress? No, there was no such tension.
Like I said, I liked the simplicity and breeziness of the writing style.
The two protagonists hogged the entire book, leaving other perspectives inaudible. I would have loved to hear more from Josie, she seemed like fun. Or her wise boyfriend Ezra.
Considering limited perspectives in the book, the author has peppered with chapters describing their sex life. Some of it, while making nice reading, did not move the story forward in any way.
Considering the genre, a YA Romantic Fiction, this book has done well. I loved the use of simple language and a good mix of narration and dialogues. Also, as a connoisseur of the art of writing, I loved that the paragraphs were of different lengths.
I could not identify the perspectives of some of the characters like Mia's dad Richard. He was working for a corporate and the company was changing its hiring and firing policies. Why was he resisting change? He has had fair share of changes in his life and had handled them quite well. In addition, he is accustomed to be take care of by his much younger daughters. So when it comes to a young boss who wants to introduce his ideas, why the long face?

View all my reviews

Book Review: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever started reading a book and even after the first 50 pages, find that the book is going nowhere, but you are unable to put it down because of it promises to become amazing very soon? That was what the book Piranesi did to me. First couple of parts describe Piranesi's life as a lonely person in a huge house with its labyrinthine rooms and it countless number of statues. The world (which is his house) is surrounded by water everywhere and Piranesi, in his calm lassitude, continues to observe and document his observations.
Piranesi has forgotten his past, so the entire story happens in present. He keeps a journal of his daily experiences with his own quaint names for the years. (10th day of the ninth month of the year when Albatros came to the house).
Piranesi is not alone. There is another gentleman, whom he calls 'The Other'. The Other is always nattily dressed and is collecting data using Piranesi to do the dirty work. He provides various things to Piranesi, including Shoes, Vitamin Tablets and dresses. He regularly visits the house to interact with Piranesi, but he doesn't stay there like him. Piranesi thinks that he goes to the 'Other World', eventhough he has no idea what and where and weather it exists.
Like a TGV starting from Paris, the story starts slow, but once it picks pace, boy doesn't it pick it? The second half of the book is so fast paced with new characters and story lines and plot twists that it is difficult to catch up.
For such a really well written book, there are some gaps that irked me. For example,
Piranesi talks regularly of heating seaweed soup. How did he get the fire? There is no mention of a regular supply of any fuel or igniter. Maybe he made his fire like Tom Hanks did in the movie Cast Away. (This book reminded me of that movie in many ways, especially how Piranesi identified himself with the House and found it difficult to adjust to the 'Other World') However I did not get any answer to that question.
In one of the parts, there is a mention of Piranesi listening to two people talking, but afterwards there is no mention of these people. Who were they and what happened to them?
This is the second book that I read in 2025. I got the reference from one Insta Thread. I bought four books based on that reco and have finished reading two of them.

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My rule is that if a book grips me in the first few pages I will continue to read. This book gripped me from the first page, nay, the first line itself. Mika Moon is a 31 year old witch (born in South India, to boot) who has always been told to stay away from others, because 'the world is not a safe place for witches'. She, and other witches, meet up once a quarter to discuss spells and potions and other witchcrafty stuff.
Mika wants togetherness, she wants to be a part of the society, a society that, just a couple of centuries ago, was cruel to witches like her. One day she gets a curious message asking her to come to Nowhere House. Her curiosity takes her there. The house is owned by Lilian Nowhere, herself a witch, and who is a mother to three adopted children, all of the witches. Lilian is never around and the children are looked after by an assorted family of Ian and his husband Ken, Lucy and Jamie, a devastatingly handsome librarian.
Mika is told that she has to be a tutor to the children and should teach them to learn to control their Magic. Magic, like fire, works best when it is controlled. Little does Mika know that there is more to the invite than that meets they eye.
Read on....
I like the simple language used in this book and the fast pace. While there are 31 Chapters, each of them is small enough to give you a sense of progress. Also I love the Subtle references to magic that interweaves the book. Mika's car is named 'Broomstick'. It can't get more magicky than that, no?
What I would have wanted is for Mika to demonstrate more of her skills, especially in that scene where Jamie went to meet his mother, I would have expected her to cast some spells on his brothers, like levitating them and pasting them on the ceiling or something. Nothing happened. He went in and came out with some books!
I saw the reference to this book in one of the Insta posts where one person had mentioned this book as one of the best that he has read. I bought it a couple of days ago and finished reading it now. I am happy that I did.

View all my reviews