Lexicon by Max Barry

So I have a thing for poetry, and word play, and words, and the English language in general (obviously), which is what made me grab this book off the shelf. The book has 'Nothing is alive in there, just a word' plastered right on the cover, which makes my craving for wanting it on my bookshelf, quite obvious. It also counts as enough motivation to want to buy it even though I know I'm willingly exhausting the last few currency notes in my wallet right when I'm at the 'broke month end' phase.

Anyway, back to the book. As the very attractive tag line suggests, this book is about words, the language, all of which are mastered by an undercover community of people known as 'poets'. Before you generalise, these poets aren't actual depressed individuals who go around writing poetry. They are masters of manipulation, simply because they know how to play with the language. Not going too much into detail because I don't want to give anything away. 

So the book revolves around two separate individuals, Emily Ruff and Wil Parke. Parke is described as being kidnapped right at the start of the book by the poets, and having no recollection of why or what is happening to him. Emily on the other hand, is a broke young girl, recognised by one of the poets while she performs road side mind tricks on people, and is automatically recruited into their organisation. Emily's journey through her training in the 'organisation of poets' and Wil's escapades with his unknown kidnappers are simultaneously sprawled over the pages of the book. Gradually, Will begins to bond with his kidnapper and he is let into little amounts of information regarding what really is going on with him. Also, after a certain point, both their stories begin to collide (again, obviously), and the mystery behind 'the horror of Broken Hill' is unveiled. Broken Hill is said to be a small Australian mining town, which faced total annihilation because something absolutely terrible was released into it, and it quite literally, has something to do with a word. This apocalyptic description bound with the whole 'wordplay, masters of manipulation' thing was what kept me going throughout the book.

Now if your interests are similar to mine, there is a good chance that you will enjoy the book. However, to be quite critical, the book is kind of a buzzkill, simply because towards the end, things seem to get kind of obvious. But overall, it is worth one read, although I must say, not worth getting rid of the last few amounts of money in your wallet. 

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

‘The Hypnotist’ has a very alluring synopsis at the back, which makes you want to grab it off a shelf and read it right there. That feeling is exactly what nudged me towards buying the book. The book has been translated to English from Swedish. The story revolves around a family being brutally murdered and only one remaining witness being found to tell the tale. The witness happens to be the son in the family, badly injured and stunned to a point of absolute shock. Our protagonist here happens to be Mr. Joona, the detective taking up the case much against the will of his superiors.

The story tailors into how Joona cannot get anything out of the boy, leading him to turn to the disgraced Eric Maria Bark, who as the title suggests, is a hypnotist. Now this is the part that had me on the edge of my seat. Using hypnosis to solve an eerie murder is definitely a nail-biter. However, as the plot further progresses and a series of events unfold, the focus shifts from the family murder to a completely new and unwanted story. To be really honest, the story loses its charm the moment it loses its focus. It doesn’t keep you reading as it tells you how Bark’s son is kidnapped and the tale of how everyone goes in search of him. This is the part where I lost complete interest in reading the book and went through a few pages twice a week just for the sake of completing it. The family murder case, though still running in the background, is bought up and thrown away subtly, which is what kills the book.

Over-all, a pretty ok-ish read, the main reason being a sudden shift in the plot and a very disappointing climax. I must say, Mr Kepler’s writing style is pretty decent (third person point of view). But if you’re looking for a good psychological thriller and come across this book, tempted to buy it because of its synopsis, I must warn you – it is not worth it.  

Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon

Personally, the best possible way to drive me to buy a book is by telling me it involves suspense, thrill and fiction. Because quite honestly, these are the only factors that keep the book glued to most of our hands. I came across Tell Me Your Dreams when I made a trip to the local library. I asked the librarian for fiction and suspense recommendations, which is when he asked 'Will a psychological thriller do?'. And yes, I was as excited as a  fat kid at Willy Wonka's factory. He handed over this book to me, I read through the back of the book, bought it, and started reading the moment I got home. This was one of the first Sidney Sheldon books I read, and it is what drove me to read the rest of the books. 

The story begins as the main protagonist Ashley Patterson is introduced as having a fear of being stalked. She finds herself in strange situations and happenings that could mean only one thing - She is being followed, and threatened.  A brief history about her life is provided. Sheldon also mentions two other characters, Toni Prescott and Alette Peters. All the three characters, in their mid to late 20's, happen to work at the same place 'Global Computer Graphics'. Th story entails each of the women's personal experiences, and how they spend their day, how they think, who they meet, etc. 

We're also told about a series of murders that take place under weird circumstances. As the plot progresses,  we are provided with shocking facts about the characters and the interconnected instances. It is impossible to imagine how the story steers itself to junctions that are absolutely unpredictable. Sheldon walks us through the human mind and how deep one's psych is, passing through the darkest and most unimaginable parts of the human mind. 

There are not one, but two plots here, which leaves every reader at the edge of their seat. The story is WONDERFULLY written. A gorgeous piece of work. Every dot aptly connected and every secret revealed in time, 'Tell Me Your Dreams' is THE ULTIMATE must have psychological thriller! 

Waiting for Nick by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts spells ROMANCE and we all know it! Yes, she has mystery and fiction under her wing too, but let's face it, when romance is what we ask for, none other than this very woman can give it to us at its best. 

Waiting for Nick is a romantic novel, with the main character being Frederica Kimball. The next character we have, is her cousin Nicholas LeBeck. However, since Nick is adopted, he technically isn't related to Freddy. 

Freddy has a huge and loving family. She is described as sweet, innocent and lovely. Her parents are well-off, and her life is pretty much perfect. However, she still thinks one aspect of her life is missing - Badboy Nicholas. Freddy has had a seemingly big crush on Nick since childhood and all it has done is grow. Now a beautiful woman, she finds herself on a quest to make him fall in love with her by any means possible. Nick on the other hand considers her to be Freddy , his little sister who happened to grow too fast. He is absolutely clueless as to what to feel, although his feelings are quite clear. As he tries to push his obvious emotions to a side, we read through how they both get to know eachother, how neither of them cease to have control over their thoughts, and how their relationship develops into something absolutely beautiful.

Every die-hard romantic reader out there must have this novel. Though a few aspects along the story line seem to be a little hard to believe and sappy, the combination of words used to describe the characters' feelings, thought processes, spawns the story into something (let's be honest) every girl would want to have. Roberts has written this one with complete brilliance, passion, and emotion. A must have novel and an absolutely satisfying romantic read.

Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon

Sidney Sheldon's books are amazing, simply because his plots are so well planned and brilliantly written, they leave you speechless! Coming to the book:

Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon. The protagonist is Jennifer Parker, a small town girl with the dreams of pursuing a good career as a lawyer, owing to the fact that she helped her lawyer father with his work at their small town, back in the day. The story also involves two other characters: Adam Warner, groomed for the United States Senate, as described at the back of the book 'destined to be the next president of the United States', and Michael Moretti, a well known and feared Mafia Boss.

The story tracks down various aspects of Parker's life, as a fond daughter capable of becoming a lawyer, moving to New York to live her career dreams, her path to success, how she is pulled and involuntarily intertwined in a series of incidents that could lead to her downfall. Naturally, the story uncovers the romantic aspects as well. There is a lot mentioned about politics, the inner working theories of a lawyer, the Mafia, and how one has to momentarily suffer before being provided with the ladder of success. It trails her relationship with Warner, why it goes wonky, her pregnancy, her relationship with Moretti and the Mafia, and how she sees no way of escape from what she's gotten herself into.

The plot undoubtedly kept me glued to the book for two whole days! I owe that to Sheldon's writing style. Also, how he chooses to reveal perfect amounts of information at the perfect time helps a great deal in keeping the interest factor high. For everyone interested in romance and lust will not be disappointed, as there is plenty of that too.

However, on a personal note, if you are one who enjoys suspense, I must say that you will be a little disappointed. While the story is beautifully written, I saw myself having no 'mystery' to uncover at the end. Especially for all of us who look forward to Sheldon's books owing to the fact that the ending is always a surprise, this climax is kind of a let-down.

All in all, for reading purposes, the book is great. The plot was well thought of, the characters were certainly appealing, but what did seem to disappoint, was the climax. 

Newbie Book Blogger (and excited!)

This is my second blog, my first one being based on general stuff like poetry, social issues, short stories, etc. I've been blogging for quite some time now, and there came a time when I tried to include reading and books into the same initial blog, until recently. So, voila! My first book review/synopsis blog!

This blog will include a list of all the books I have read, I'm about to read, and I'm excited about. I will be posting reviews and synopsis. Also, personal opinions from friends and other avid readers from around the world (if I'm lucky) will be included from time to time. I have an emotional connection to the books I read, and I'm sure most of you do too. That is also what I will be writing about. My experiences after reading the book, the characters I fell in love with, the level of connection I had with the story, everything. From how I picked up the book, when I started reading, how I proceeded depending on my level of interest, and what I felt once I finished.

All these will be my personal experiences. I will not be speaking on behalf of others, except for when I quote others' opinions. While the synopsis will be general, most of my posts will be my personal perceptions about the books. I have tried to make my blog reader friendly. Also, links to most of the books I have read are there on the right side widget bar. I will try and make my posts interesting, and give you the kind of description of the book you are looking for.

I really do hope my reviews and opinions seem interesting and hope they make it worth your while! My first synopsis/review/opinion guide will be coming up soon!