Allie Finkle's Rules For Girls - Moving Day

Meg Cabot is the undisputed Queen of Ya-Lit. She has churned out feisty teens who have *attitude-to-burn* and steady-heads on their troubled shoulders. Her plot-lines entwine urban culture with witty comebacks and situations which actually make you snort with glee.

I have found that her books make fantastic gifts for preteens, teens and the odd discerning adult female friend. The Allie Finkle series has been out for quite some time now, but I never picked it up because somewhere I clung to the vain belief that pre-teen literature was a tad "childish" for a 30 year old to wade into.

And then, I met my best friend's five-year old daughter. She was articulate, had a keen sense of fashion and a manner of deduction that would put an adult to shame. I had been reading fleeting reviews on Allie Finkle and the líl charmer was a living replica of the sassy protagonist.

I picked up the first book and found it to be quite endearing. The tale of 9-year old Allie Finkle as she goes through the pangs of moving to a new (and possibly haunted) home, starting in a new school and making new friends is something that most on-the-move tweens could associate with.

Cabot's writing is spot-on, never condescending and always peppered with wry humour and unfortunately funny incidents. If any of you guys are wondering as to what to pick up for your surprisingly mature preteen, I would happily recommend this series with nary a doubt.

Nina Jones and The Temple of Gloom

First of all…Brilliant Title. I love stuff that does a smack-dab job of wordplay. You got to get itchy fingers to pick up a chick-lit titled “Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom”. Ol’Indy would be right proud.

Nina Jones is a tall, blonde PA to one of the hottest chefs in London: Edmund Jett. Efficient, hardworking and devoted to a lifestyle of making Edmund’s fast-paced life easier, Nina is content. And she’s also in love with her handsome, charismatic boss. But said handsome, charismatic is boss is married…no, make that….HAPPILY MARRIED. And we have…

~ Roadblock #1~
Leading a life of unrequited love is fast growing old for Nina. So, when a handsome (and slightly cheesy) Spaniard chef called Juan starts dishing out a lot of attention, Nina decides to allow herself to be swept away on a wave of cloying romanticism. In an uncharacteristic move; she sells her flat, gathers up her savings, gives up her high-flying job (and a suddenly interested Edmund) and moves to Spain with Juan. She decides to plunge herself into the Spanish way of life while helping Juan renovate a derelict restaurant called El Flor Anaranjado. But true-blue Lothario, Juan does a runner with Nina’s cash, leaving her literally and emotionally bankrupt.

~Roadblock #2~
Ashamed to return as a failure to her old life, Nina decides to take up in residence in her deceased uncle; Arval’s flat. The flat is located in a dark mausoleum which she scornfully refers to as “The Temple of Gloom”. As she battles with her depression, Nina has to deal with sinister gargoyles, inquisitive (and yet kindly neighbours) and a possible (and extremely hot- looking) vampire called Viktor. Is she destined to end up as Hors d’oeuvres for the grim-looking vampire or does she pull through and find her*HAPPILY-EVER AFTER*?

The book was loads of fun. Nina is a typical chick-lit heroine with her obsession for material things like the clichéd Jimmy Choos. She’s also burdened by a family history that is bound to leave her cautious and dissatisfied. However she displays sparks of cheekiness and resilience that makes her wholly likeable.

Viktor the (possible)vampire is…in one word…*scrumptious*. He’s the kind of male-lead that makes you happy that knights-in-shining-armours (or dark capes as the case may be) do exist.

The host of supporting characters are endearing, with Evangeline (Nina’s next door neighbour) deserving special mention. She’s batty, wears crazy wigs, has a latent mother-hen instinct and makes you hope that if you ever end up in a mess (God Forbid!!!) like Nina….you do get the delightful Evangeline as your bolster.

I would highly recommend this book to all chick-lit fans. It’s fun, with tinges of darkness and generous splashings of witty dialogue.

Breaking Dawn

“The Addams Family” OR “The Cullen Coven”, which would I prefer as a next-door paranormal neighbour?

Without a doubt, I would go for the deliciously macabre Addams. They put the G in Goth; were fun, flawed and had morbid fun in their gory pursuits.The Cullens on the other hand continue in their irritatingly perfect ways. I had hoped that the title “Breaking Dawn” signified a new dawn for the hidden facets of the Cullen Clan, but sadly (and teeth-grindingly), they played true to form.

My particular peeves:
a) Perfect patriarch Carlisle could have ditched his eternally compassionate stand and have a moment of self-doubt. Should he support his family or play-nice with the Volturi? But no, he “furrowed his brows” and “clenched his jaw” and basically played Donald Trump of the newly-risen.
b) Esme could have been assigned some kind of pivotal role besides being relegated to interior-designer for the self-absorbed undead honeymooners.
c) Emmett, Mr. My-massive-biceps-are-rusting-with-disuse didn’t get one measly opportunity to display his insane strength and fighting prowess. He deserved at least one hands-on combat with the Volturi vanguard. Losing to newly-turned obnoxious vamp Bella in a bout of arm-wrestling was the straw that broke this buff-vampire’s back.
d) Rosalie, who uncharacteristically helped Bella through her pregnancy with the sole purpose of letting the fledgling immortal live, could have displayed a grey area by being overtly possessive of Renesmee and resenting the bond that birth-mother and daughter share. But no, she was relegated to guessing the punch lines of Jacob’s lame blonde-jokes.
e) Alice, the Tinkerbell of the undead, fulfilled her wedding-planner aspirations, and played a pivotal role of saving Renesmee’s undead butt (for which, the perennially ungrateful Bella whined some more).
f) Silent assassin, Jasper didn’t get a flicker of action. What’s the point of having a rich and scarred history of brutally fighting undead newborns if all he did in the ultimate book is play supportive metrosexual mate to Alice?
g) Renesmee frankly freaked me out. A vampire baby that matures at an alarming rate and transcends thoughts by touching your cheek?!? This is one baby that scared the living daylights out of me!
h) And finally,

*reluctant drumroll*

i) Edward and Bella : How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.
The nauseating couple stoop to new levels of self-absorption, selfishness and pure disregard for anything outside their hallowed circle. They have no compulsions about messing with also-ran Wolf boy, Jacob’s emotions. Whole covens can be decimated so that their precious offspring can survive. A sizeable (and regrettable) chunk of the book was devoted to their combined yuckiness. Yep, real charming protagonists…NOT!!!

Moving on to the likeable factors:
a) Jacob Black: I feel for ol’wolf-breath. Renesmee as a future love-interest didn’t go down well with me. It was downright creepy and a poor ending for a cocky, charming second-lead. Leah Clearwater, the temperamental but spiky she-werewolf would have made such an ideal match for Jacob. She was strong, had a pained history but a newly developed staunch loyalty towards Jacob and above all, she had gumption (something which Madame Blah-Bella could use a transfusion of). It didn’t help that the “blood-drinkers” kept oscillating between treating him like an untouchable and then relying on his loyalty to save the day. Despite all that, he is the most endearing character in the series (with Seth Clearwater coming a close second).
b) Garrett: the Nomadic vampire with a spirit of reckless adventure. His monologue at the end of the book had the right touch of revolutionary fervour and his eventual pairing up with the fiery Kate was something that appealed to me. c) The steady build-up of tension to the moment when the Volturi finally makes it’s sinister appearance. Very well-written. You could almost taste the metallic hint of oncoming evil.

I read the book because I wanted to know how it all ended. I didn’t want to read it enough that I went out and bought the book. I waited a good two years and picked it up from the library.

I wish that all the pots of ink that were wasted on Edward and Bella’s wedding, their honeymoon and the birth of Renesmee could have instead been devoted to a healthy offering of back stories on the various Covens. Their histories, their agonies of leading a damned life and an elaboration of their individual powers would have made for engrossing reading. The Volturi and their sinister army should have got an adequate chance to exhibit their individual shades of wicked-nasty. No such luck.

The majority of the book was all about the “perfection of Edward” and the newly discovered mightiness of Super Powerful Bella (which grew real tedious, real quick).

USA Today (which I believe was put under Jasper’s mood-enhancing spell) smugly stated on the blurb at the back : “Move over, Harry Potter”.

No, Potter….stay right there. Hop onto the Nimbus 2000, join hands with the Dementors and show the Cullens what epic-making Fantasy Action is all about!

KANE CHRONICLES : The Red Pyramid (Book #1)

Mild-mannered Carter Kane is fourteen years old. Till now he has spent a nomadic life, travelling to distant places with famous Egyptologist dad – Dr.Julius Kane. Carter’s estranged (and rebellious) twelve year old sister - Sadie Kane has been raised in England by her grandparents after their mother died under mysterious circumstances. But the sparring siblings have only touched the tip of the pyramid where mysteries are concerned.

Dr.Kane is allowed access to his daughter only twice a year and on one such visit, the trio head off to 'The British Museum'. Suddenly things start going horribly wrong when Dr.Kane magically breaks up a valuable Egyptian Artefact – The Rosetta Stone, in an attempt to invoke Osiris (the Egyptian God of The Dead). Osiris awakens, but so do a host of other Gods, including the much dreaded Set (The God of Chaos, Darkness, Deserts and Storms). Set has been waiting for centuries to be unleashed and he cruelly consigns Kane to a tomb that vanishes into the ground. And thus begins a series of improbable events for the stunned duo.

Sadie and Carter discover that they are Egyptian Magicians…magicians who have the added blessing of being descendents of the mighty Pharaohs. They have the power to teleport, play host to ancient Gods, shape-shift to anything from falcons to fruit-bats and above all…rescue their father and stop Set from unleashing his unique brand of evil nastiness on the world.

Rick Riordan continues his winning, celestial streak. From temperamental Greek Gods, he effortlessly shifts gears to the equally capricious Egyptian Deities. Just when you thought that he couldn’t recreate the magic of Percy Jackson, he presents you with the winning combo of Carter and Sadie Kane. Sadie with her combat boots and smart-talk provides the perfect foil to the more sedate Carter. A host of supporting characters pepper the pages with their superpowers and unique personalities. The dialogue is classic Riordan with sarcastic quips and witty repartee in free flow. Action sequences are vivid and on a scale befitting the…well…Gods! No one does History Lessons better than ex-middle school teacher - Rick Riordan. He dusts the ancient tomes, bombards you with a load of mythical snippets and never, not once do your eyes glaze over in boredom.

The Red Pyramid is the first in the trilogy of ‘The Kane Chronicles’. 500 odd pages strong, the book is utterly divine and makes you look forward to the next instalment with enthusiasm.

The Cinderella Deal

This romantic comedy is recommended for those days when you have encountered one too many frogs who failed turn into loyal, charming princes…the days when everything seems to go wrong and all you want is a *Happy Ending*, however predictable and seasoned with clichés it is. The Cinderella Deal serves as good comfort food for those ‘I-want-to-stay-in-bed’ days.

Meet boho-chick artist, Daisy Flattery who believes in clash and contrast. She wears clothes in eye-watering colours, takes home stray dogs and bruised furniture and is facing a money-crunch thanks to the absence of a steady income.

And now meet her buttoned-up neighbour, Linc Blaise. He’s a history professor who leads a sedate lifestyle right down to his tastefully-furnished apartment. But Linc has reached a roadblock. To get the job of his dreams, he needs to satisfy the one condition which the appointing authorities insist on: a fiancée.

(You know where this is heading). Daisy agrees to play the fawning fiancée for a sum of thousand dollars which will tide her over till her financial situation improves. As the two play house, they find that an emotionless professor and a zany artist can coexist with companionship, simmering passion and genuine fondness for each other. Whether they do anything to change their false situation is what the chick-lit is all about.

The Cinderella Deal is sweet read, peppered with a host of typical characters ranging from the sarcastic best friend to the lecherous boss to the unexpected love-interests. Finish the book in an hour, feel good for a while and then get geared to fight the real-life dragons again.

Aisha

Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) is an upscale Delhiite. Life is a mad whirl of zipping around in her yellow Beetle, embellishing her already overflowing wardrobe with designer knick-knacks and playing matchmaker for her unsuspecting friends. A steady career appears non-existent and equally absent is her ability to stay out of other people’s lives.

Her nagging voice of conscience and at times, condescension is a member of her extended family – Arjun Burman (Abhay Deol). The “corporate-slave” as she pithily dubs him, can’t stand Aisha’s frivolous lifestyle or her penchant for playing God with relationships. Also acting as referee and sometimes cohort is her best friend, the eccentric and colourfully clad Pinky Bose (Ira Dubey).

But things start going awry for the DIOR-clad butterfly when she tries fixing up a distant, naïve cousin Shefali (Amrita Puri) with a host of mismatched prospectives. Aisha steps on one-too-many toes, loses out on some long-standing friendships and generally makes an unholy mess of events.

Does Sonam Kapoor make a sufficiently self-absorbed Emma? Does she help the “becharas” among her unsuspecting friends and make their lives 'better' ? Does she banter convincingly with a droll Deol?

She does…with a stunning fashion-sense and the odd vulnerability that plagues the seemingly confident amongst the society queens. Tall and lissome, Sonam has a certain softness that stops her character from denigrating into a witless clothes-horse.

The ensemble cast is perfect. Whether it’s the acerbic Pinky or the gushing panju small-towner, Shefali or especially the nouveau-riche, mithai-king’s son - Randhir Gambhir played to perfection by a blustering Cyrus Sahukar….the cast adds an element of newness to a story that could otherwise have remained cringing on the shelf of also-rans.

Interesting cameos by the muscle-bound Dhruv (Arunoday Singh), the shy but upright middle class boy - Saurabh (Anand Tiwari) and the stunning Aarti (Lisa Haydon) brighten up the proceedings. The icing on the cake is ofcourse Abhay Deol. With each movie, the actor leaves with you a contented smirk at his effortless acting and spot-on one liners.

The movie marks an enchanting foray into the world of Bollywood chick-lit. Fresh fashions – Realistic Acting – A desi reblending of the much-loved Jane Austen classic - Emma and the crowd-pleaser - Clueless – and a sparkling soundtrack; Aisha is definitely worth a dekko. Viewing comes advised with a never-ending supply of caramel popcorn AND a gaggle of your best and varied gal-pals.

Runaway (Airhead # 3)

Book Two( Being Nikki (Airhead #2)) ended with Em Watts getting a nasty surprise. Like having your brain transplanted into the body of beautiful but less-than-congenial supermodel - Nikki Howards wasn’t bad enough, Em discovered that Nikki’s brain was very much functional and it had been transplanted into the body of an average teenage girl. The original Nikki had overheard a secret about Stark Enterprises which had led to her so-called “accident”. To discover the secret and keep all the fugitives safe, Em is now forced to accompany the obnoxious Brandon Stark (Stark Ent. Owner, Robert Stark’s son) and convince all, including Christopher (the love of her life) that she is Brandon’s girlfriend.

So now, Christopher is spitting-mad at Em. Sleazy Brandon is doing a fantastic impression of an all-hands octopus. The original Nikki has decided that she wants her old life back and insists on another brain-transplant operation to be done with Em. And the group of reluctant sleuths have yet to figure out the deep, dark secret that led to Nikki’s accident (read : murder).

In a race against time, obnoxious teens and boyfriends who morph into super-villains, Em Watts has her job cut out. Is she ready to give up the Size Zero, porcelain-perfect body that she had despised until now? All this and much more in Cabot’s engaging finale to the Airhead series.

Again, I reiterate my earlier claim that Meg Cabot is comfort food for the soul. I love her rambling writing style, the manner in which she pops in juicy gossip slap-bang in the middle of a tenuous situation and her utter enchantment with New York City which shines through in all her books.

Fun, whacky and with a female lead who is an endearing blend of ditzy teenager and woman-girl ready to take on the world.

See also : Airhead (Airhead # 1)

Airhead (Airhead #2) : Being Nikki

Being Nikki (Airhead # 2)

In Book One (Airhead (Airhead #1)) all-around reject and class geek Em Watts died in a freak accident. But her brain was still functioning. And said brain was transplanted into the body of teen supermodel Nikki Howards’ body (who was also present at the time of the accident). Nikki Howards was the brand ambassador and *Face* of Stark Enterprises; the company which conveniently enough, conducted the brain-transplant operation.

Now...in Book Two, Em is well and truly entrenched in a supermodel’s Size Zero body . Life is a dizzying whirl of killer heels, designer togs, amorous boyfriends popping out of the woodwork and fashion-shows where she might have to prance about in nothing more than the bare essential bits o' clothing. And while her brain may belong to a hoodie-wearing brainiac, her body and it’s reactions are(unfortunately and promiscuously) all Nikki!

While she has been forced to keep mum on the whole brain-transplant operation, she uncovers a few mysteries that threaten to burst upon secrets, whether Stark wants them to or not. Suddenly she discovers an elder brother, a missing mother and a revamped Christopher (the unrequited love of Em's life) who seems have gone from mild schoolboy to super-villian intent on avenging Em’s untimely death.

Meg Cabot’s sequel is funny, well-paced and quite the page turner. I read this book on the same day that I watched Inception…so what with the sub-conscious invasions to the brain transplants, you can just imagine the crazy, Burtonesque dreams that I had last night!

See also : Airhead (Airhead #2) : Being Nikki

INCEPTION

All you toffee-nosed intellectuals, mega-brains and (questionable) descendants of Einstein….let me know if you “get” the entire movie the first time you watched it. Me, I had gone armed with Wikipedia’s cut-by-cut plot breakdown and my friend had been well infused by her husband's seen-it-the-day-before review. And despite our respective revisions, it took us some time to grasp the madly spinning plot.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo Di Caprio) is an espionage agent with a difference. He is an extractor: a person who can enter into the dreams of others and extract hitherto inaccessible information. But this ability has cost him dearly. He has lost his wife – Mal (Marion Cotillard), isn’t allowed access to his children and has been banned from his home-country.

However he gets a chance to alter this bleak scenario when a client – Saito (Ken Watanabe) has a new job for him…a job with a twist. Instead of extracting ideas, Cobb will now have to implant an idea into the mind of Saito’s business rival’s son, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). The job is to enter Fischer’s mind and plant the seed of an idea which will make him dismantle his father’s business and thereby prevent it from becoming a Global Energy monopoly.While Cobb’s right-hand man, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is sceptical, Cobb agrees since he has done it before.

And thus begins the heist of unimaginable boundaries with a team comprising of:
~ Cobb – The ‘Inceptor’
~ Arthur – the Point-Man
~ Ariadne (Ellen Page) – the architect who will construct the world of the dream.
~ Eames (Tom Hardy) – a ‘Forger’ who will take on the identity of a target in the dream-world as and when required
~ Yusuf (Dileep Rao) – the chemist who formulates the sedatives needed to transcend different layers of the dreams.

A plan takes shape with the best minds at work, but no one has accounted for Cobb’s personal demons …..the dreams…the memories which he has buried deep in his sub-conscious…..dreams that intrude in the form of his late-wife, Mal....Mal who has the ability to put a massive spoke in the plans.

What follows is a tantalizing maze of shifting dream worlds….a sub-conscious labyrinth where dreams nest within dreams and no part of the brain is safe from invasion. But co-existing with supreme intelligence is also the Achilles’ heel of emotions. Cobb may formulate the best and most intricate of plans. But what happens when his dead wife makes an unwelcome entry into his job area….his simulated dream world….and wrecks untold havoc?

Moreover is Fischer’s mind so easily penetrable as the team has assumed? Will his mind not throw up antibodies to resist the invasion?

The movie isn’t only about the actors. It’s more about an ingenious plot….a wholly original concept that hasn’t been on the screen till now. Christopher Nolan has presented a movie that befuddles, shocks, awes, amazes and leaves you scratching your head in bemusement.

I had to come back and read trusty ol’Wikipedia’s monologue on the plot (again!!!)to understand what I just saw. And read it, you must….to understand how Nolan executed a venture that was ten years in the making.

INCEPTION is all about astounding sfx, commendable acting, fast-paced sequences and the biggest strength of it all: An Idea

Queen of Babble In the Big City

A massive improvement on it’s prequel. Just when you begin to doubt the chick-lit prowess of the mighty Cabot, she thwacks you in your snarky face with ‘Queen of Babble in the Big City’ .

Scatterbrained, babble-prone Lizzie Nichols is back. She’s living with her boyfriend - Luke in a plush 5th Avenue Flat in the city of her dreams, New York. The expert on vintage clothes is bursting with enthusiasm and has that special-sheen which only a happily-ever-after scenario brings.

But just when you start wondering whether you are going to read a long-drawn out account of Lizzie’s many, many accomplishments…up pop the road-blocks!
a) The turn-green-with-envy flat that she shares with Luke actually belongs to his mother.
b) Said mother has just got back with her estranged husband but appears to be receiving calls from a hot ‘n’ heavy boyfriend.
c) Her best friend - Shari seems to have found the job of her dreams while Lizzie is finding few takers for a wedding-gown specialist.
d) And then…she lands two jobs: One, a non-paying gig at a temperamental French couple’s Wedding-Gown restorer store and Two, a brain-numbing job as a part-time receptionist in a plush law firm.

And thus begins the unravelling of The Babble Queen. Richoting between her personal and professional life; Lizzie has several goof-ups, a couple of ‘why-didn’t-someone-sue-my-mouth-shut’ moments and even the odd nervous breakdown.

The book begs to be converted into a summer flick (ideally starring Isla Fisher as the harried yet stylish Lizzie). I especially liked the little ‘Lizzie Nichols’ Wedding Guides’ that preceded each chapter.

A Sweet, light read that’s perfect for a lazy-day on a park bench.