Mundane Musings

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is a nice, racy read. Since it is a young adult book and I am not the intended audience being in my late 30s, my rating shouldn't matter much. But having read John Green's and J K Rowling's books I felt the book lacked a bit in its story telling. The Thief is book #1 of The Queen's Thief series and Gen, The Thief doesn't quite inspire confidence when the story begins in the gallows of the King of Sounnis. We are shown his idiocy and weakness and are left wondering how he would redeem his title or his reputation. Once they embark on a quest for an unnamed object, the story starts off and it is engaging and page-turning. His many skills and keen mind that is such a requisite for being a good thief are brought forth as they make way to a place that only one of the team members, the magus of the King of Sounnis. Up until page 100 odd in this 280 odd pages book, all that we come to read is the de...

A very happy Women's Day folks! Marriage and parenthood made me truly understand the importance of celebrating my womanhood; I  was proud to be a woman and all that it represented. It gratified me to see strong, empowered women paving the way to make this day count and to make our gender count. Most often Women's Day celebrates an empowered, successful woman and that can sometimes detract from everything else a non-successful, ordinary woman represents. Mostly the focus is on the two extremes - celebrating a successful, strong woman or empowering an embittered/abused/poverty-stricken woman, whereas there are millions of women who simply keep the wheels of the house moving smoothly and are taken for granted because it doesn't count for anything. The ordinary extraordinary hands that bind the family together. Pic: The Oz Safari I'm happy that Hindi movies have slowly begun to portray such women and their stories in a realistic, mature manner. In fact, 2017 had to...

You wouldn't believe how old this post really is. I started writing this in a completely different frame of mind from now. It was when Ana kutti had started her Montessori school and in addition to a whole host of things she learned, she was unwell most of the time. That was a very challenging time. Fast forward a year almost, post her 'jumping' performance in her school annual day, and I had to rethink why I started writing this post in the first place. Enrolling her in this school at the tender age of two had its own problems, biggest her health (or lack of), but the positives have been amazing too. Below are a few highlights of her school life, including the ones that had me up many nights, messaging other girl friends who have crossed this phase and checking discussion groups for some ... Health Of course I can't lay the blame on the school per se, especially when so much effort was taken to keep the school spic and span, but it was one worrisome factor. I p...