Certified Plane-Read #2! 11th May

This is a highly belated and overdue award that goes to Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami!!! 

Those of you who haven’t tried Murakami, this is a good book to start with because it will definitely reel you in.

Those of you who already like Murakami, OhMyGOD buyit readit trustme. Ahhhhhhh! This was one of those books where I was left feverishly turning pages and  and was constantly tempted to turn to the last page to know what happens. A couple of times, I put the book down and panted like I had been running because I was overwhelmed.

It’s fast-paced and fascinating. As always, the story is a little outlandish and as always, it left me wondering: How does he THINK of these things? It’s perfect for them longish plane rides.

Congratulations, Mr Murakami, for this high honour. 😀

Cheers.

Certified Plane-Read #1 4th May

Disclaimer: Some of the books that win this award will not have been read by me on planes; they are just books that I believe would be good company on a plane. Just sayin’. 

To be honest, today’s Plane-Read was going to be Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami, but I changed my mind last minute. Dance Dance Dance was the last book that blew my mind. But there’s a new book now and the new book is just… something else. I don’t know if any of you have guessed this already, but my John Green novels came yesterday and I finished reading An Abundance of Katherines today! It’s 2.41 in the morning and I just had to get this review out while it was fresh in my mind.

This is an ordinarily-themed book about a child prodigy who is afraid of turning out ordinary as an adult and he’s desperate to do something, anything, unique so that he can matter. Run of the mill, coming of age stuff, you know? Oh yeah, except  the said prodigy has dated 19 girls by the age of 17 and all of them are named Katherine. Intrigued?

I actually could not put it down and I cut short my night-time talking-on-the-phone ritual to finish it. Yeah, I’m a big talker. I’m an only child and I hate being alone so I make the best of technology and talk to people on the phone. Very frequently. For hours. I’ve had people fall asleep while talking to me on the phone far too often.

But you know what they say: there’s no better company than the company of books! (I don’t know if they actually say this, whoever they are, but I firmly believe they ought to.) Anyway, books are the best company, especially if you’re stuck on a plane. And especially this one. I don’t want to reveal much about the story because every page in this book is an adventure. It’s amazing because it isn’t extraordinary. Well, at least the story isn’t. I truly believe that the novel is brilliant because of its very simplicity. Of course I’m perfectly aware that this is a book for young adults and at almost-21, I’m officially a full-blown adult (Boo. 😦 ) but John Green has succeeded in making me enjoy this by not talking down, by being honest and by being intelligent. It’s such a sweet and very real book. Please read it.

So, congratulations, An Abundance of Katherines! You have gone down down in history as the very first book to receive this prestigious award! Just as I intended it! Woot!

I’m reading Looking for Alaska next. ^_^

Introducing: Sindhu’s Certified Plane-Reads!

I happen to think plane rides are just about the most boring things ever, and I think any book that sufficiently keeps you company through one must have been written by an author of some talent.

Let me explain. Since I go to college 1881 km (I checked.) from my hometown, I travel a lot back and forth by plane. And I hate it. I hate travelling by planes in general and I hate travelling alone,

It’s close to impossible to entertain myself/ distract myself from the appalling-samples-of-humanity -that-fill-me-with-terror. I find that using my laptop in such a tiny space is too cumbersome  so I usually buy a book just before I leave that I assign for the plane ride. (I also carry another old favourite/ comfort-read in my bag just in case my assigned book disappoints!) And I carry earplugs. TRUST me. Always carry earplugs.My earplugs are a treasure. My earplugs are on that list of five things that I would save in a fire. They are also useful in any communal living situation, just so you know. Especially if you have noisy friends. Or friends who are -shudder- morning people. And the worst is that chirpy monstrosity that is a combination of the two. (Sorry. I still love you. You know who you are.) Earplugs. ❤ (Yes, they warrant a sidey heart, a high honour.).Ah, but I digress.

Speaking of high honours, I’ve decided to name and review books that I would certify as a worthy plane read. Fair warning, a lot of these are going to be gripping thriller-like books, rather than “literature”, though I would never presume to suggest that the two are mutually exclusive. This will happen every Saturday. So don’t forget to check out my blog every Saturday for books that are deserving of the highest honour in book circles, after the Booker Prize: The Plane-read Certificate! Woot.

Err. Sindhu would be me. I realised that hadn’t been previously clarified.

Cheers.