Which Witch?

Arriman the awful, Grand Poobah of all things nasty and mighty dark wizard of the North has had many happy years of blighting, smiting and wrecking a great deal of havoc. But there comes a time when even the darkest of wizards gets tired of the "monotony" and wants to pass on the mantle to a more sinister and deserving wizard.

The great hunt begins and Arriman creates a kindly, three-headed monster called the "Wizard Watcher" for the task. But with not even the faintest squeak of a dark wizard from any direction, Arriman decides that marriage would be the only way to create a suitable heir to carry on his illustrious heritage. Here's the tiny blip in plans......a wizard can only marry a witch and the local witches are a disastrous motley of the weird and the frightfully whacky! Covered with warts in unmentionable places, swarming with maggots, cackling evilly....they fulfil every "witchy" stereotype!

A contest will be held and the winner will be Arriman's blushing new (*shudder*) bride. The contestants are to be judged on their skill, finesse, imagination and grandiosity in executing their black magic. But among the brood of harridans is a single, lovely witch; Belladonna. Blue-eyed and golden-haired, Belladonna has always been a white witch. She could put a dozen Disney Princesses to shame with the goodness of her heart and generosity of spirit. She longs to be dark and dreary like the rest of her coven and be a powerful, black witch.....something that would make her an ideal wife for Arriman. And to help her achieve this goal are a líl orphan boy: Terrence Mugg, his pet earthworm: Rover and Arriman's long-suffering but obliging staff.

A hilarious book which embraces all things dark and sinister and revels in the ghoulish and the gory, "Which Witch" is a fine treat for all Potter fans. After tut-tutting over Voldemort's antics, it's nice to have an endearing, dark wizard like Arrimann. Despite his magnificent powers, he is basically a normal man quailing in his boots at the prospect of waking up every morning to a wart-covered, slime-wrapped, shrieking witch of a wife!!

Laugh-out-loud and a definite treat for children (and adults) who never lose their fascination for magic and mayhem.

NEW SOUL by Yael Naim

Yael Naim’s quirky ballad “NEW SOUL” is my current flava-of-d-month. A happy, cheesy feel-good number……it’s all about new beginnings, the uncertainties and the mistakes we inevitably make.

Sunny, bohemian, charming...you name it, the song has it all!

GIRLS IN PANTS : The Third Summer of The Sisterhood (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, #3)

The third installment of the Sisterhood Saga is much brighter and upbeat than the previous book. The four friends have become more pro-active, accepting and willing to take the gigantic leap into adulthood. It’s their last glorious summer together before they head off to their respective colleges and their new lives.

The world as they know it is slowly shifting on it's axis, changing continuously and extending beyond their control. Carmen has to face her mum’s imminent pregnancy coupled with her summer job of babysitting Lena’s cantankerous and recently widowed grandmother, Valia. Lena needs her parents’ support and approval regarding her decision to join Art School. Tibby is plagued with feelings of guilt when her kid-sister falls out an open-window and fractures her skull. And mad, impulsive Bee discovers that old, unrequited crush Eric is her fellow coach at the soccer camp.

Departing from the whiny note of ‘Second Summer of The Sisterhood’, this book has an echo of maturity. It dwells on the strengths of the four individual girls as they handle each complex situation with uncharacteristic aplomb. And then of course, they have the power of their friendship.....bolstering and pushing or ensconcing them comfortably ......as the situation demands.

For reviews on the other Sisterhood books, please click on the following links:

> The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants

> The Second Summer of The Sisterhood

> Forever in Blue : The Fourth Summer of The Sisterhood

What with everyone waxing poetic about their dads on the occassion of Father's Day, this strip kind of gave mums their place in the limelight too! :)

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #3)

A distress call from best-friend, the satyr Grover sends young demi-god Perseus Jackson (son of Poseidon) on his new mission. Accompanying him are his friends Annabeth (daughter of Athena) and Thalia (daughter of Zeus). Grover has discovered two powerful new half-bloods of unknown parentage and they need to be escorted safely back to Camp Half-Blood.

Little do the unsuspecting demi-gods know that they are merely pawns in a dark and dangerous plot. The Titan lord, Kronos is slowly but surely reassembling. His latest recruit Luke is putting together a horrifying army of mythical monsters. The clash between the Titans and The Olympians is teethering on the brink. Adding to their woes is the fact that an ancient monster has risen…a monster so powerful, it could lead to the downfall of the Olympians. And the only person, who can track this creature down; the goddess of the Hunt, Artemis is M.I.A.

Entering into a reluctant truce with the Hunters of Artemis, Percy and gang launch into unknown territory yet again. Guided by an ambiguous prophecy, they have to find the new beast and recover Artemis before the Winter Solstice. Their path is obviously strewn with danger, but what lies at the end of the journey : The Titan's Curse, is something which could very well put all previous adventures to shame.

Continuing in the vein of the previous two books, Percy remains an endearing hero.....reluctant but ready to do the “right” thing. The prose is light and uncomplicated. No long ramblings here.....the plot is clear and well-defined leaving enough room for future instalments. Interesting new characters are the Goddess Artemis,a 12 year old; auburn haired goddess who never ages……her brother Apollo, the ever-so-cool Sun God with his penchant for quoting haikus….and the seriously scary General, the head of the Titans’ army.

Definitely a fine read and a wonderful way to learn more about Greek myths, gods, goddesses and the fine soup they manage to land themselves into occasionally. All in all, reinforcing the fact that Gods do indeed have feet of Clay.

.....of Golas and Black-Eyes!

School memories are the best… bitter-sweet even. We tend to forget the back- breaking homework, the punishment-happy teachers and the petty fights. Instead we smile stupidly over “ the good ol’ days ”.

A friend had sent over a nice passage , which more than adequately summed up those carefree days. And the best picture I could think of to accompany it was Norman Rockwell’s “The Shiner”. The little girl with the untidy plaits is someone I can totally associate with!!

So here goes:
Gone are the days!!!
When The school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches!
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes!
When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,
yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.
We learnt writing with slates and pencils,
and Progressed To fountain pens and ball pens and then Micro tips!
When we began drawing with crayons and evolved to Color pencils and finally sketch pens!
When we started calculating first with tables
and then withClarke's tables and advanced to Calculators and computers!
When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
and returned to the classrooms
Drenched in sweat!
When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors, Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds!
When all the colors in the world,
Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays!
When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons!
When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,
And Neckties and socks rolled into balls!
When few played "kabadi" and "Kho-Kho" in scorching sun,
While others simply played "book cricket" in the Confines of classroom!
Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy!
When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks!
When few rushed at 3:45 to "Conquer" window seats in our School bus!
While few others had "Big Fun", "peppermint", "kulfi", " milk ice !" and "sharbat !" at 4o Clock!
Gone are the days Of Sports Day, and the annual School Day ,
And the one-month long preparations for them.
Gone are the days Of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams,
And the most enjoyed holidays after them!
Gone are the days Of tenth and twelfth standards,
when We Spent almost the whole year writing revision tests!
We learnt, We enjoyed, We played, We won, We lost, We laughed, We cried, We fought, We thought.
With so much fun in them, so many friends, So much experience, all this and more!
Gone are the days
When we used to talk for hours with our friends!
Now we don't have time to say a `Hi'!
Gone are the days
When we played games on the road!
Now we Code on the road with laptop!
Gone are the days
When we saw stars Shining at Night!
Now we see stars when our code doesn't Work!
Gone are the days When we sat to chat with Friends on grounds!
Now we chat in chat rooms.....!
Gone are the days
Where we studied just to pass!
Now we study to save our job!
Gone are the days
Where we had no money in our pockets and still fun filled on our hearts!!
Now we have the atm as well as credit card but with an empty heart!!
Gone are the days Where we shouted on the road!
Now we don't shout even at home
Gone are the days Where we got lectures from all!
Now we give lectures to all... like the one I'm doing now....!!
Gone are the days
But not the memories,
which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and Ever and ever and ever ......
Gone are the Days....
But still there are lot more Days to come in our Life!! NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE ,
DONT FORGET TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT STILL EXISTS……….

Vodafone Chota-Credit Ad

Another one of those refreshingly sweet yet meaningful ads of Vodafone!!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)

I did what an ardent yet lazy fan of Harry Potter would do : As soon as news of the last instalment filtered in, I scurried into my pre-ordering ritual. And then I sat pretty, soaking in the 'Potter-Mania'.....the buzz, the excitement...which was a live and breathing thing.

And along with the rest I gave reality a hard shove and prayed fervently that the good hero.....the self-effacing Harry Potter wouldn't be snuffed out by the end of the series.

When I finally laid my hands on the book, I read it in a blur of feverish excitement. My only aim: to finish it and savour that feeling of mini-achievement that only a speed-reading geek would feel!!

It was only a week back, that I decided to revisit it...sit down and actually read it in full and pain-staking detail. And once again I was left with absolute admiration for the supreme story-teller.

Harry sets of on the quest set to him by the now-deceased Dumbledore : to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. He also stumbles upon the legend of "The Deathly Hallows" - the possession of which would make the bearer virtually impossible to defeat. And accompanying him on this penultimate adventure are his best-friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

As the three tread into new and unknown territory.....faith, trust, courage and friendship are tested. Was Dumbledore as pristinely unblemished a character as we were led to believe? Does the unwavering friendship of Ron, Hermione and Harry survive in the face of a seemingly impossible task? Will Harry choose 'The Horcruxes' or 'The Deathly Hallows' to fight Voldemort? Was Snape the loathsome toad we were always led to believe?.... and the biggest query of them all...who will die in the final battle... the battle between "The Chosen One" and " He Who Shall Not Be Named" ?

All these questions and many more are effectively answered. Rowling has managed to tie up all the loose-ends; the niggling queries that remained suspended in limbo. Events, objects and people that appeared to be just a part of the magical scenery are effortlessly woven into the larger picture.

The beauty of this book lies in the fact that long and winding though it may seem... every paragraph, every seemingly tedious monologue is actually crucial to tying up the saga that began eleven years ago.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is a fitting and fantastic conclusion to the tale of one of the most endearing heroes in contemporary literature. And a fabulous treat for all who, as J.K.Rowling puts it in her epigraph, "stuck with Harry until the very end".

The Princess Diaries : Give Me Five (Book 5)

HRH Mia Thermopolis seems to be on the verge of achieving “self-actualization”. She is finally getting the hang of the whole princess gig and things appear to be smooth-sailing on the love-front.

But what’s a good, coming-of-age novel (or any other, everyday garden-variety novel for that matter) without a generous helping of angst, frayed tempers and the occasional hissy-fit???

The Senior-Prom is just around the corner and Mia is sure that Michael would be delighted to escort her. But, surprise…surprise Michael abhors the concept of the Prom and all the nonsensical sentimentality associated with it.

Add to that the fact that Grandmère has been up to her usual shenanigans. The temperamental Dowager Princess has managed to get an innocent bus-boy sacked and subsequently start a change of events…..culminating in a hospitality industry strike, that effectively brings Manhattan to a standstill!

All this translates into Mia’s “story-of-my-sad-life” saga. She vents, frets and fumes……all within the pages of her ever-faithful journal.

The Princess Diaries : Third Time Lucky (Book 3) ; Mia Goes Fourth (Book 4)

Mia should be deliriously happy. She’s living in Manhattan, has a great bunch of supportive friends, is an actual honest-to-goodness princess and finally has a boyfriend. What more could a previously self-confessed “flat-chested freak” ask for??

But the truth as usual is pretty murky. Her love-life is a disaster. Her boyfriend makes valiant displays of affection and Mia is unable to reciprocate. The reason? She’s madly in love with the brilliant Michael Moscovitz. And he’s apparently carrying on with a fellow senior, Judith Gershner…a girl who is able to clone fruit-flies within the four walls of her bedroom!

And the freakishly scary Grandmère continues her reign of terror and mind-games. The princess lessons are on in full swing and the dowager princess has no qualms about adding to Mia’s considerable woes.

So while Mia is not busy getting geared for her stressful entrée into Genovian Society, she’s busy fending off the kisses of her love-struck boyfriend. Fun and games all the way 'round!
Here’s hoping that Mia does strike lucky, the third time around!!

Book 4 begins with Mia back from her first official trip to Genovia. And finally she can get started on her love-life! Unfortunately, there’s still a long way to go before Mia gets to have her first, all-crucial special date. Grandmère continues to be the friendly-neighbourhood nemesis, wrecking havoc with Mia’s social life!

And there’s the teensy-tinsy fact, that grandmere has a royal escort in mind, for Mia (something which Mia definately doesn't need!).