Book Review: THE HOD KING (The Books of Babel # 3) by Josiah Bancroft

The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Polite society! I've learned the true nature of civility. Civility is critiquing how another man pronounces a word or knots his necktie, and then saying nothing about how a ringdom hangs its poor. Civility is having ardent opinions about plays and actors and made-up stories, and no opinion whatsoever about the real tragedies of the black trail. Civility is a crowded execution."

So what started initially as a love story has now become much, much bigger. It's now "trying to save the whole of civilization and mankind" big. And this third book, the longest at a little under 600 pages, focuses on the other supporting characters and not so much on Senlin anymore, which is fine because most of the book features Edith, the female pirate, and one of the most complex and lovable characters ever penned.

And of course, there's also the fact that Josiah Bancroft writes so. darn. well. His fantasy story is so realistic, as it so clearly mirrors our own world and what's wrong with it. He shows how a corrupt society takes even the best of people and chews them out, making them heartless and cruel. But he also shows how these ruined souls can change after being shown a bit of kindness, and of course, how love redeems all (whether reciprocated or one-sided... it does not matter).

I have only one thing on my mind...WHEN WILL BOOK 4 BE OUT??!!!!

Please click on these links for my reviews of Book 1 and Book 2.

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Book Review: I OWE YOU ONE by Sophie Kinsella

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"As I survey the faces that I love so dearly, I feel a kind of contentment. So we're not flash. So we're not moneyed. So we don't have all the answers or know exactly where we're going. We'll still be all right, our family. We'll be all right."

This has GOT to be Sophie Kinsella's best novel yet. The last paragraph actually made me tear up, and I'm typing this through a haze as tears can get in the way of visual acuity. Haha.

Yes, it's formulaic. Yes, her heroines seem to come from a cookie cutter mold.

But come on. Admit it. When the world seems a tad bit darker than normal, you don't crave for a cheese platter. You reach for a glass of milk and chocolate chip cookies because they bring comfort and light.

And Sophie Kinsella, to extend the metaphor, makes THE. BEST. COOKIES. Plus, she keeps getting better and better!

The signature Sophie Kinsella humor is there (you know, where you laugh out loud in public). I love that she has her pulse on trends, the characters and stereotypes in the novel seem so contemporary!

But also, she focuses her novels on the things that matter. Family. Loyalty. Integrity. And this book seemed even better written than the previous ones, so those scenes stood out and shone even more brightly.

And to anyone who turns their noses up on Kinsella because she's "chick lit" and "fluff," well, I dare you to read this book and NOT enjoy yourself. It's impossible.

Will always be a fan of hers and any author who brings joy to their readers.



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Book Review: ARM OF THE SPHINX (The Books of Babel # 2) by Josiah Bancroft

Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Do not allow small people to make large impressions. Do not fritter your beauty upon mirrors. Do not make wishes, for wishes only curse the life you have. Never forget, you stand at the end of a long line of short lives."

Book 2 of THE BOOKS OF BABEL SERIES was a pretty good sequel, although it must be said Book 1 was in another league of awesome. The 2nd book ended on such a cliffhanger, and now I simply MUST look for Book 3!

Why do I like this series so much?

Because it's a simple story, beautifully told, that can be read at its most basic level as the adventures of a teacher in his quest to recover his lost wife... But also, it can be viewed as one big metaphor for humanity's struggle with progress. And I'm just so emotionally invested, after the agony of witnessing an honorable man driven to do less than honorable deeds... for love.

See my review for Book 1 of the series here.

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Book Review: ME AND SHAKESPEARE by Herman Gollob

Me and Shakespeare: Adventures with the Bard by Herman Gollob

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"Why shouldn't I, why couldn't I, enlarge my field of vision before the screen went blank? ... I stood in the middle of the yard, an old man made mad by a love of Shakespeare...I could feel bursting inside me, still there with a vengeance... that heightened sensitivity to the promise of life."

Having endured a particularly rough past couple of weeks, I reached out for this book to fill my near-desperate need for civilization. And man, I certainly got it in spades!

Part graduate-thesis-substitute, part memoir, part lesson plan, and mostly a passionate fan's undertaking to list down any and all experiences relating to The Bard... this book was an unexpected joy to read. It is not an easy read, nor at times not even pleasant --with the author's tendency to name drop famous actors, directors, and intellectuals, and then insert a condescending line about them should their opinion differ from his -- but it shines with fervor and zeal for the pure joy of learning, of seeking civilized environments and the company of civilized men who seek to expand themselves through the study of literature, no matter what age they may be.

I read parts of it in public and couldn't help chuckle out loud at some parts! While far from being the humble narrator readers more easily warm to, the erudite Herman Gollob certainly CAN write! After all, he DID retire a Senior VP of Doubleday, having edited the likes of James Clavell and Leon Uris, among others. Despite the lack of formal academic credentials (he had yet to "get that goddamned M.A.!"), his literariness shone through with restatements of famous poems, assuming that his reader would be familiar enough with Gerard Manley Hopkins and others to pick up on the references.

The book is divided into four major parts: his background before embracing Shakespeare studies (informally) upon retiring, becoming a teacher at the age of 67 and jotting down outlines of his lectures, his adventures in Oxford during a Shakespeare summer course, and his quest to interview and watch Shakespeare experts direct professional actors.

Gollob saw the Divine Hand in everything, seeing the truth that there is indeed a divinity that shapes our ends. He also saw most clearly how self-enrichment had to have purpose beyond study for its own sake.

Gollob calls Shakespeare "The Cosmic Poet." His theses? That Shakespeare retold Holy Scripture, enacted in his multiple plays, all of them metaphors for how interwoven mankind is with God and the cosmos.

This is a treasure trove for teachers, actors, directors, and lovers of literature. And for anyone who grows old. In short, it's a must-read for all.



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Book Review: THE CITY OF BRASS by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think what I enjoyed the most about this was the sheer novelty of reading a book with Middle Eastern mythic characters. Apart from that, there's not much to rave about. The plot was interesting but not un-putdownable.

It was interesting enough, and I feel mildly intrigued to the point that I may look for Book 2 in my next trip to the bookstore. Hence, a 3 star rating for "it was OK."



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Book Review: FOUNDRYSIDE by Robert Jackson Bennett

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


"God. Why are you doing all this? Why are you out here risking your life?“
“Is justice such an odd thing to desire?“
“Justice is a luxury."
"No, it is not. It is a right. And it is a right long denied... The chance for real, genuine reform for this city... I would shed every drop of blood in my body for such a thing."

As much as we try not to judge a book by its cover... when the cover is THIS habdsome, one is dutybound to look it up on Goodreads. ☺ And when Brandon Sanderson gives it five ratings, one simply HAS to give it a try!

FOUNDRYSIDE is the first book of a trilogy, and I simply cannot wait to read the rest of it! I also can't help but think what a glorious movie series it would make. Heart-pounding action, characters that are both morally ambiguous yet endearing, and a spell-run world that is both exceedingly strange and familiar to our own... Written in terse and highly effective prose that seizes you from the first page and doesn't let go until you've finished.

Imagine a world where people can alter reality in small ways by writing down spells on every day objects, in a process called "scriving."

Imagine a desperate thief with the power to touch something and know everything about it... who ends up stealing an inanimate object, only to discover that it is conscious and can alter written spells in major ways.

Imagine the desperate search for answers that ensues, all the while dodging would-be jailers and killers. That's what Foundryside is, and I can't wait to re-enter this dark world when Book 2 is out!!

On a more personal note, I haven't had this big a literary crush on someone ever since Mr. Darcy and John Thornton. 😂 Let's go and add Gregor Dandolo to the list, shall we? A life lived for a cause bigger than himself is sooooo attractive.

"Don't hate Captain Dandolo... I think he's broken, just like you and me. He's just trying to fix the world because it's the only way he knows to fix himself."



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Book Review: THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"You will be remembered for causing the greatest war of your time.
You will bring about the deaths of evil kings ... A million women will become widows because of you."

And no, we are not speaking of Helen of Troy.

I've always heard of the Mahabharata but never had the opportunity to read even an abridged edition... which is why I'm so thankful for this book! Divakaruni presents, in a most accessible form, the re-telling of this great Indian epic from the point of view of Draupadi (also known as Panchaali).

A most beautiful woman for whom the greatest war of the age was fought, pitting demi-gods and gods against each other, as well as brother against brother.

A great hero who knows not who his parents are.

A defeated king who approaches his enemy and asks to be the one to bury his dead son.

A forbidden love.

A war to end all wars. "It was the end of the world -- the world as I knew it. Now the meaning of everything is different -- our lives, our deaths, what we do in between."

Talk about an EPIC epic! The parallelisms between it and the Iliad are too numerous to count, but the Mahabharata is set apart with culture-specific reactions from its protagonists. And also, I found the descriptions of astras (supernatural weapons with unique names) exceedingly fascinating!!

Upon finishing it, I am left in this queer existential reverie. Isn't this what the epics do best? They make us ponder about our place in the universe. They make us re-examine laws both mortal and divine, and make us see that even the best of humans fall prey to weaknesses. They make us realize that we are not alone in our struggles for validation, and warn us of what comes from pursuing righteousness above humanity, vengeance over peace.

I'm so excited to hear from a certain webpage (https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...) that the author's next book features the Ramayana, retold from Sita's POV! Will surely look for her other works, which seem to feature ancient Hindu heroines. Any book that makes a non-Hindu reader appreciate the oldest and third-largest world religion better... in a very fun way... is a book well worth reading!



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