Where Hope Takes Root

Review: His Highness The Aga Khan's "Where Hope Takes Root" 

Hardcover, 144 pages

Published May 28th 2008 by Douglas & McIntyre
Original title: Where Hope Takes Root: Democracy and Pluralism in an Independent World

ISBN: 1553653661 (ISBN13: 9781553653660)

Edition language:English

Who? Why? How? Where?  of this book: 

Where did I find this book? 

In a public library. Library has always surprised me with the books that I least expect to be IN LIBRARY. "Where hope takes root" is one of them. "Aga Khan Museum Guide" is the other. I was proud to see these books "ON SHELF" in library. 

Who is Aga Khan and Why you should read this $25 hard book? 

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, is the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim and the direct descendent of Prophet Muhammad.

This book succinctly highlights AKDN's fifty years of experience, experiments, acheivements and accomplishment in diverse field of health, education, pluralism, civil society and much more. It is the compilation of His thirteen speeches which was delivered between September 2002 and October 2006 and the interviews which is made my Adrienne Clarkson, the former Governor-General of Canada. 

Listed is the titles of the speeches which will want you to read this book. 

1. Enhancing Pluralism @ Armsterdam, The Netherlands

2. Is civil society bankable? @ Tashkent, Uzbekistan

3. The knowledge revolution and the end of ignorance @ Karachi, Pakistan

4. Canada as a global leader @ Gatineau, Canada, 

5. The nature of true regime change @ Toronto, Canada

6. Underwriting human progress @Berlin, Germany

7. Architecture as a force for change @New Delhi, India

8. Democracy, Pluralism and Civil Society @ Oslo, Norway

9. The Bridge That Unites Us @ Ottawa, Canada

10. What Makes Democracy Works @ Evora, Portugal 

11. Renewing Democracy's Promise @ New York, USA

12. The Spiritual Roots of Tolerance @ Tutzing, Germany

13. Towards a common future @ Ottawa, Canada 

14. "Pluralism is a work in progress" in conversation with Peter Mansbridge who is a Canadian TV personality.

I wouldn't say you Have to read this book or you Should read this book;  But trust me, you Want to read this book.

Where is this book available?

1. Amazon

2. Chapters Indigo  

3. Barnes and Noble 

4. You can borrow it from me :) 

Upcoming Review: 

 Happy Reading !!

My Children - Haiku

The view of my life 

My boys are always sweeter than 

A glazed Strawberry

Happy Reading !! 

Review: Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dream, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to anothe, one life to the next. This is the award winning novel.

The beauty of this book is that, the entire story is written in a form of poem, verses, which so much reminds me of Emily Dickenson's work. 

While i was reading, i found myself imagining as a child when i was in her situation, moving from  India to Canada leaving family and friends behind.

I'd like to quote some lines which, when i read i felt like its my own story. I believe, books don't change people, sometimes paragraphs do or sometimes even sentences. 

"Our lives

will twist and twist,

intermingling the old and the new

untill it doesn't matter 
which is which.

Eternal Peace:

Mother wears
her brown a'o da'i
brought from home.

Each of my brothers
wears a suit,
too small or too big.

I wear a pink dress
of ruffles and lace,
which i hate,
but at least
it's definitely a dress.

Each of us faces that altar,
holding a lit incense stick
between palms in prayer.

Father's portrait
stares back.

Mothers says,
We'll chant
for Father's safe passage
toward eternal peace,
where his parents await him.

She pauses,
voice choked.

Father won't leave
if we hold on to him.
If you feel like crying,
think
.....
....." 


If you're not accostom to reading novel in verse this is the right choice.

Video Link: 

Inside Out & Back Again - Book Trailor 


This is novel is to millions of refugees in the world, may you all find home. 

Happy Reading !!

150 Books in a Year

This year I've pledged to read 150 books.

At first I thought "How can i read 150 book in 365 days? Did I challenge myself a bit too much? Cause my philosophy was "A book a week" But then i did a little math. 

If I focus on little books this year which has 150 pages, than focusing on big books like Stephen King,James Patterson, Daniel Steel, J.K Rowling or Nore Roberts !! I think I can achieve my goal. Now you must be thinking m just reading for the sake of reading or just to complete my goal. Not really, 150 pages books are worth reading too. Any book actually is worth reading irrespective of how many pages it contains. For example; "Heaven is for real" such a popular book which is less then 150 pages. Here is a link that will take you to "Popular Books Under 150 Pages" on Goodreads. I've read the reviews, they are books worth reading. 

A little math for all of us: 

I can read 50 pages in one hour. Thats 150 pages in 3 hours. I think we can read 150 books in 150 days? 1 hour early morning and 2 hours at night? Fair enough? 

Say if i don't stress myself too much and read 150 pages in 6 hours (i.e 2 days). I'd still finish 150 books in 300 days. M still left with 65 days for Stephen King, James Patterson .. all my top 5 authors. 

The bottom line is, if you have a goal and you know how to manage your time, m sure everything is possible. And m just not talking reading. 

What say? M I right or m I right? 

Share your thoughts. 

Happy Reading !! 

Review: The Stand by Stephen King

The Stand: 

My Quick Thoughts: This was an audio book for me. Stephen King is never enough to read. There are only few writers who narrates the story as uniquely as he does. 

I picked this novel for two reasons, knowing the fact that I wont be able to finish in the time I gave to myself as I was in between 2 books. I still chose this as an audio book. Firstly, because of all his past works and secondly, its believed to be the best novel of all times. 

"The Stand" is a novel about an deadly virus that kills the world at large from a very bad cold that generates from a U.S Government Lab. It takes only few weeks for the entire humanity to succumb to the disease. Only few survives to show their appearance. Of course in a plot like this, we have good guys some bad guys, a total different and a new form of government.

All characters were amazing and fully developed. I actually started loving them and didnt wanted them to die. This is a novel about the battle between good and evil in a lengthy epic style. We have Mother Abigail on good side and Flagg on the devil side. Flagg's character was a nightmare. There's Harold, Nick, Lloyd, Tom, Stu, Fran and Larry to name a few character. M not going to spoil it by saying who belongs where. The only thing you need to know is Nick is kickass deaf and mute, Tom is cool. I didn't bother about couple of characters but started liking them as was listening along. 

So to wrap it up, this is just not the king's novel, it is "The King's Novel" broke all his previous records. Would without a doubt recommend this to all King fans. One of the best of 2014. 

Happy Reading !!

Review: Pegasus by Danielle Steel

Pegasus: A Novel

I got this novel when I was christmas shopping for my family last week at a book store. Books are the best gifts i can ever give to my children and myself too. Any day better.

Goodreads Review: 

Nicolas von Bingen and Alex von Hemmerle, titled members of the German aristocracy, have been best friends since childhood. Both widowers, they are raising their children—Nick’s two lively boys and Alex’s adored teenage daughter—in peace and luxury on the vast Bavarian estates that have belonged to their families for generations. While Nick indulges in more glamorous pursuits, Alex devotes himself to breeding the renowned white Lipizzaner horses that enthrall audiences throughout Europe with their ability to dance and spin on command, majestic creatures whose bloodlines are rare and priceless. But it is Nicolas’s bloodline that changes everything, when his father receives a warning from a high-ranking contact inside the Wehrmacht. A secret from the past has left the family vulnerable to the rising tide of Nazism: Nick’s mother, whom he never knew, was of Jewish descent. 

Suddenly Nicolas must flee Germany, wrenching his sons away from the only home they have known, sailing across the Atlantic for a new life in America. Their survival will depend on a precious gift from Alex, their only stake for the future: eight purebred horses, two of them stunning Lipizzaners. In Florida, where Nicolas joins the Ringling Brothers Circus, he becomes Nick Bing, with Alex’s prize white stallion—now named Pegasus—the centerpiece of the show.

In this extraordinary book, Danielle Steel tells the story of a family reinventing itself in America, while the country they left behind is engulfed in flames and madness, and men like Alex von Hemmerle are forced to make unbearable choices. Alex’s daughter will find sanctuary in England. In America, Nick will find love, his sons will find a future, and their left-behind world will eventually find them. A novel of hope and sacrifice, of tragedy, challenge, and rebirth, Pegasus is a brilliant family chronicle that unfolds across half a century—a masterwork from one of our most beloved writers. 

My Thoughts: 

A very a light read. Plot was boring, characters were too good to be true. In between the story keeps you engaged. Ending was interesting and I loved the way in the end horse saved the lives of two German families and reunited them once again, who got seperated during World War II. Overall its a good story, though, I've read even better books of Danielle Steel. This was not at that level. Should this novel have been editied once again before publishing? I'm sure would have been even better read.

Happy Reading !!

Brain Teaser

Example: 24 H in a D

Answer: 24 Hours in a Day.

1. 90 D in a R A

2. 15 P in a R T

3. 12 M in a Y

4. 5 T on a F

5. 23 P of C in the H B

6. 1000 Y in a M

7. 39 B of the O T 

8. 365 D in a Y

9. 26 L of the A

10. 13 S in the USF

Happy Thinking, People !!

PRIME NUMBER - HAIKU

A Number that is
Divisible by just one
And itself is Prime

 Haiku: Haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterized by three qualities. Three lines with 5-7-5 structure.

HAPPY READING !!

4 Books That Inspired Me

Every Smart and Thinking Woman Should Read These Four Books

There are many books that inspired me in the last couple of months, but would like to share 
"My Best Four"

1. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing:

The Story:  One woman's struggle to write a notebook that contains all the compartmentalized facets of her life—her childhood, her politics and her lovers.

Why It Inspires Me:  Lessing tried to do was to bring together a woman's brain and a woman's body, to show the delight in physicality. Womanhood is exuberant—and wonderful.

2. Memories of a Catholic Girlhood by Mary McCarthy: 

The Story: The nonfictional account of Mary McCarthy's idyllic childhood, cut short by the death of her parents.

Why It Inspires Me: McCarthy was orphaned by the influenza epidemic that followed WWI; both of her parents died in a flash. She was then raised by her grandparents in Seattle. The wonderful thing she does in the book is to tell what happened, and then to write about what might have happened. It takes 'memoir' to a whole other level. It gives you a shot of adrenaline; it makes you ask yourself, What was the transformational moment in my life when my story really begins?

3. The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath: 

The Story: A young woman suffers a breakdown while pursuing her dream of being a magazine editor. 

Why It Inspires Me: Plath made it possible for women to confront our anger and make literature out of it. She made it acceptable to declare our rage.

4. The Country Girls Trilogy by Edna O'Brien: 

The Story: The coming-of-age story of two young Catholic girls in Ireland. 

Why It Inspires me:  This is a writer who is a woman, a lover, a daughter, a mother and she tries to bring all that together in her work. So few women writers were doing that in the 1960s. Instead, they were writing through a male persona, because they knew that otherwise they wouldn't be taken seriously. But as O'Brien says, 'I am the mother of sons; my sons have given me joy. I am a lover of men, and men have broken my heart—but they've also given me joy.

Which Books Have Inspired You and Why?  

I love Blogging

I know this title sounds weird after being silent on blog for a such a long time. Well, I've my own reasons for it which I'll share in my upcoming posts. This definitely didn't mean that i've left reading. I can never do that. In fact, anything but that. It's just that I was too busy enjoying life with family and my work (My new passion, new crush, new love.) Reading was and will always be there. Blogging took a back seat. Not too back tough, Third place to be exact ...lol.. I am content to blog when i can find time without sacrificing my family's time and work time. I still love n enjoy blogging so much so that i can't imagine ever stopping.

I've been blogging since 2011. Blogging came to me when I was a stay at home mom, taking care of my little one. As my little one grew older started going to school full time, I joined college too to continue my education. And thus, got busy. But now I think I've settled in my new routine so think I can come back with lots n lots of book reviews, some experiences,some laughter, some poems and so much to share. But just in case I disappear for a bit, assume m busy and will be back as soon as I can be.

Happy Reading !!

HAIKU POEM

Impossible Things

I close my eyes and

Try to imagine all the 

Impossible things

Haiku: Haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterized by three qualities. Three lines with 5-7-5 structure.

Enjoy my Haiku and share yours. 

Review: Mr.Mercedes by Stephen King

Mr.Mercedes by Stephen King

Title: Mr. Mercedes
Author: Stephen King
Pages: 448
Genre: Fiction; mystery/thriller
Publisher: Scribner (Simon & Schuster)
Pub. Date: June 3, 2014


Stephen King has been my all time favorite author, and remains so today. Mr. Mercedes is a multi-level story, combining mystery, crime, romance and psychology into one epic novel. You go inside the mind of the killer and follow along on this crazy journey that could end in an epic, bloody catastrophe.You’ll gasp, you’ll cry a little, you’ll hold ur breath, and then you’ll gasp some more as the story envelops you right until the very last sentence. Amazing work from an amazing mind! As usual, never disappoints u.

I'll be blunt when a writer or any profession for that matter has been around for over 35-40 years, their work gets a little sleazy,though there are always expections to rule like Clint Eastwood and James Patterson and John Grisham 

Mr. Mercedes, starts off with a psychopathic killer driving his car through a mass of people waiting in line for a job fair, murdering several and hurting others. He manages to escape and his case essentially becomes cold. The owner of the car whom he stole it from then kills herself, presumably from the guilt of leaving her car accessible.

Retired Detective Hodges then enters the story; he's experiencing a newly retired life which feels pointless until he is drawn into this case, basically by Mr. Mercedes himself, and decides to try to find the killer on his own. In the meantime, Mr. Mercedes has plans for more evil, so the retired detective's search for him becomes a race to save thousands of people.

Mr.Mercedes is his first book in this trilogy. The second book comes in 2015. And of course i recommend this book to all Stephen King fans. Hope you enjoy reading this book as much as i did.

Happy Reading !!

Mr.Mercedes by Stephen King

"Waiting on" Wednesday : Mr.Mercedes by Stephen King

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by "Breaking the Spine" that spotlights the upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication is "Mr.Mercedes" by Stephan King. I so "cant-wait-to-read".

Goodreads Review:

Publication Date: June 3rd 2014 

In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the perp; and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedyBrady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Bradys next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

What's your "waiting on" pick? 

Happy reading !!

Review: Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Goodreads Review:

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. 
The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

My Thoughts: 

M a die hard fan of John Grisham. How could he do this to his fans? How could he disappoint us sooo much? This book was so slow and boring unlike others. This is a sequel to his best selling novel, "Time to Kill".  I didnt understand why did he had to go back in 80's? How many of us had phones and cars back then? Anyways, Ending was powerful, I was completely hooked.But if u ask me what happen in between? I'd barely remember. It was too long n too detailed. Chapters which lead to the final chapters was tedious. There was nuthing in between that prepares u to the trail chapters. 

In short, First quarter of the book gets u hooked up, middle chapters let u down n lost, Final chapter put to back together and makes sense. I wont recommend this book to any person whose not a fan of John Grisham. But JG fans can get away with few glitches, like I was. 

M so badly waiting for sumthing that gets me hooked up from Cover Page to the Last page. Suggestions are more than welcome. Till then, taking a turn from Fiction to Non-Fiction. 

Happy Reading !!

Education

Education is like the depth of an ocean,

when we swim in it, we will never drown.

The Empty Envelope by Ron Roy

Goodreads Review: 

Dink keeps getting envelopes in the mail addressed to "D. Duncan." But the letters inside all start with "Dear Doris" and don't make any sense! Josh and Ruth Rose think someone's playing a trick on Dink. But Dink is sure there's more to it than that, especially after Doris herself shows up and demands her letters!

My Thoughts:

Very very very easy read. Actually I read this book to my 6 year old this evening. He got this book from his school library for me to read it to him as a bed-time story. 

A to Z Mysteries Series: Early mystery series for kids, very popular with kids, because of the variation in the stories, and the uniformity of the characters. Mystery lovers must read. 

Happy Reading !! 

Review: Beverly Hills Maasai by Eric Walters

Goodreads Review:

In his sequel to Alexandria of Africa, Eric Walters brings exciting new characters to life, with the urban jungle of Los Angeles as their backdrop.

It's the ultimate clash of cultures when Nebala, a Maasai warrior, leaves behind Kenya and, with two fellow Maasai, and crosses the world to compete in a marathon in the most famous zip code in the world: Beverly Hills, California. Reunited with their friend Alexandria, now their guide to strange, new surroundings, the trio are confronted with life in fast-paced, extravagant Beverly Hills, and customs and attitudes the Maasai find by turns baffling and amusing. Beverly Hill Maasai is another heartwarming, fast-paced, and thought-provoking novel from one of Canada's most popular young adult writers.

My Thoughts:

One day Alexandria gets a strange call from her friend Kenyan friend Nebala who is in California. Things were not gud in Kenya since she left. No rain, people and cattles are starving. The only solution for the three Maasai warriors was to win the Beverly Hills Marathon to improve their village condition.

Now the challenge for Alex and her friend Olivia was to help Maasai enter the Marathon. How did they help? What difficulties they had to face? And last but not the least, did they win the Marathon? If yes, how did they win? Reading this book will answer all your questions.

I loved this book. It is as engaging as the first book was. Its really interesting to see how characters change from one book to another. 

Happy Reading !!

Children of the Revolution by Peter Robinson

Goodreads Review: 

A disgraced college lecturer is found murdered with £5,000 in his pocket on a disused railway line near his home. Since being dismissed from his job for sexual misconduct four years previously, he has been living a poverty-stricken and hermit-like existence in this isolated spot.

The suspects range from several individuals at the college where he used to teach to a woman who knew the victim back in the early '70s at Essex University, then a hotbed of political activism. When Banks receives a warning to step away from the case, he realises there is much more to the mystery than meets the eye - for there are plenty more skeletons to come out of the closet .

My Thoughts:

Awesome read. Always enjoy time with Banks. Terrific story line and beautifully plotted novel. Robinsons books keep getting better and better with great complex story line. He is one of the author whose books i never turn back to read the summary. If the novel is by Peter Robinson, m IN, no second thought.Great mystery novel. Its like  a Sudoku Puzzle to my brain. Enjoy !! 

Happy Reading !! 

Dreams Fade Away

Dreams fade away when

sun rises, leaving me to 

wonder, wat's hiding.

IT by Stephen King

Paperback, 1090 pages
Published August 7th 1987 by Signet (first published 1986)
original title: IT
ISBN 0451169514 (ISBN13: 9780451169518)
edition: language: English
urlhttp://www.stephenking.com/library/novel/it.html


Goodreads Review: 

The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by an eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode. It deals with themes which would eventually become King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values.

My Thoughts: 

To b honest, this book is really scary, but an amazing read. Its a very very long read about 1090 Pages, but worth it. IT by all means is NOT a simple novel. As its said, "The most important things are the hardest things to say" some times u just donno how to put it in words. Words sometimes diminishes the value of the feel. 

IT is a story about seven children who lives in Derry, Maine in 1958. They are not strong, not so popular, and definitely not the smartest. They call themselves  "Losers". They encounter a horrible force in their hometown. Force, that look like a clown. Force that adult dont want to see. How these children confronts and defeats IT is what this book all about. So, go ahead, grab a copy and start reading as to what happen and how it happen and what happened NEXT ... 

Happy Reading !!