The Ex-Wife’s Survival Guide

Sometimes, you only want a lightweight book that follows standard tropes, so you don’t have to tax your brain too much – particularly for reading on a train or when waiting for a doctor/dentist/whoever to attend to you. For such times, a predictable chick-lit or mystery is just the ticket.

This time, for my train travel to Chennai a couple of weeks back, I picked up The Ex-Wife’s Survival Guide by Debby Holt from the library. I had never heard of the book or the writer, but I was charmed by the book cover and book blurb – predictable but quirky, and that fit exactly the mood I was in.


Book Blurb

The Ex-Wife's Survival Guide by Debby Holt
The Ex-Wife’s Survival Guide

Right before Sarah Stagg’s teenage sons leave the nest, her husband, Andrew, the star of their local dramatic club, leaves her for his twentysomething leading lady, Hyacinth. Sarah, a freelance artist, quickly discovers that the path of a discarded wife is strewn with hazards and humiliations. Her neighbors and friends treat her like she has the plague. And her soon-to-be-ex wants to sell the house she’s spent years turning into her dream home.

Her best friend Miriam offers one concrete piece of Sarah should keep busy — and with Andrew and Hyacinth on a sabbatical from their acting group, what better distraction than the theater? To Sarah’s horror, she is promptly given the starring role intended for Hyacinth.

She wonders if she should write a survival guide for ex-wives. Her first chapter could be titled “How to Invite Utter Humiliation to Your Life in Front of an Entire Town and Watch Your Heartbreak Magically Melt Away.” Then Sarah runs into the biggest crush of her youth. Now Sarah has more — better — advice to add to the Confront your past. Revel in the present. Be open to romance. But despite her new love interest, Sarah wonders if she’s actually dealing or just having fun dreaming up sage words for women scorned. Will she ever truly understand what it means to live wisely and independently?


My Review

If I could use one word to describe this book, it would be – adorable. The main character Sarah is so much fun! A book about a woman processing the end of her decades-long marriage would expectedly be a bit grim.

But Debby Holt does a good job balancing Sarah’s heartbreak while at the same time keeping the tone lighthearted.

The supporting characters are also lovely. There is a very warm feel to this book that made it very comforting to read.

I would say the only negative would be that it’s just too predictable. I knew exactly which way the story was going, but I didn’t mind it so much.

As I said, it’s a nice heartwarming read, perfect for those times when one is stressed or in a slump.

Acropolis, Plaka, Acropolis Museum: The Ultimate Athens Experience

Just back from our whirlwind trip to Greece! What an action-packed week it was! Two days in Athens, two days in Mykonos, two days in Santorini, and then back home.

It was nowhere near enough time to spend in Greece, and I am sad that I missed Delphi, Meteora, and Olympus, but since this was quite last-minute (we didn’t get our visas until the week of our departure), I am grateful just being able to visit Greece.

With that said, on to our travels!

Surprisingly, the Acropolis was the last place we visited before leaving Greece. Our first day in Greece was just spent roaming around the Plaka (downtown Athens area, surrounding the Acropolis). Our plane landed too late for any of the guided Acropolis tours – something we wanted.

So, our first day in Acropolis was just a bit of acclimatization, followed by two days in Mykonos and Santorini each. We returned early morning from Santorini just in time for the Acropolis tour.


The Acropolis tour

The tour bus dropped us at the base of the Acropolis. We then walk through the park and up the hill enjoying the wonderful city views.

Note: The only way to get up to the Acropolis is by walking. You need to be able to climb up that hill. There is a lift that takes people up, but it’s strictly for those who have a disability card. A couple of older women nearby requested the lift but were denied. So, keep this in mind while planning for the tour.

That said, the climb wasn’t particularly difficult. It was a beautiful day, the crowds moved slowly, and so it ended up being quite a pleasant walk.

Looked up while climbing to see these wonderful ancient structures above us
Looked up while climbing to see these wonderful ancient structures towering over us

The guide, who was very knowledgeable, told me that the Acropolis was a common structure in all the city-states of ancient Greece. This one was the most famous because it lasted, being made entirely of marble. Also, the Acropolis isn’t one building; it’s more like a complex containing an amphitheater, temples dedicated to Athena (the temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and the most famous Parthenon).


Odeon of Herodes Atticus Amphitheater

One of the first things we saw upon entering the complex was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This is the famous open-air amphitheater that is still in use today. Famous musicians and singers such as Yanni, Maria Callas, and others have performed there. I can’t imagine what a wonderful experience it must have been; our tour guide said the acoustics are excellent here.

Standing in front of the auditorium
Standing in front of the auditorium
The amphitheatre in the Acropolis
The amphitheater in the Acropolis

Temple of Athena Nike

This is the first temple we saw. We saw this temple from a distance; our tour didn’t let us get too close to it. What we saw of it (pretty much the view in this photo) was breathtaking. Our guide informed us that the temple had been heavily renovated and rebuilt.

The Temple of Athena Nike
The Temple of Athena Nike

Fun fact: Did you know that the Nike sportswear brand is inspired by Greek mythology? Nike (goddess of victory) is a facet of Athena, and her wings inspired the design of the Nike swoosh logo.


Erechtheion

The Erechtheion is another temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. It’s not as famous as the Parthenon (visible from miles); however, it’s just as beautiful.

Shot of the Erechtheion
Shot of the Erechtheion

Again, we weren’t taken close to the building – probably because of all the broken rocks. I thought of asking our tour guide to take us closer, but I didn’t see anyone near the building, so I guess it’s forbidden to come close.

This temple is renowned for its beautiful Caryatids – the maidens who support the roof. There are 6 in total. The ones here are copies; five originals are in the Acropolis Museum, and one is in the British Museum.

Details of the Caryatids
Details of the Caryatids

Parthenon

Now, we come to the most famous building – the Parthenon. This is also a temple dedicated to Athena.

The awe-inspiring Parthenon

There’s a lot of reconstruction ongoing at the Parthenon, so there is a lot of scaffolding all down one side of the building. The guide, however, mentioned that they weren’t building anything new, just filling in the gaps.


Acropolis Museum

Combine a visit to the Acropolis with the Acropolis Museum nearby. It’s a great way to get an up-close look at the artifacts that have been moved from the open-air Acropolis into the safety of the museum.

The museum is an architecturally very interesting building with a lot of natural light and good use of white space.

The interior of the Acropolis Museum
The interior of the Acropolis Museum

The exterior is also beautiful. I didn’t get a full photo of the building, but here you can see some of the interesting structural bits.

The museum is built over the remains of the ancient city. You can look down into the kitchens and latrines of Ancient Greece as you walk toward the entrance.

Ancient ruins below the Acropolis museum
Ancient ruins under the Acropolis Museum

They also have neat models of the Parthenon and other buildings in the Acropolis – showing what they must have looked like when they were first built.

Acropolis
Model of the Parthenon

All the models were interesting. I particularly loved the model of the Parthenon frieze that tells the story of the birth of Athena. It’s too long a story to tell here, but there’s plenty of information on the web. Greek mythology, in general, is extremely fascinating. To learn more about these tales, I highly recommend reading Mythos by Stephen Fry.

A copy of the frieze from the Parthenon
A copy of the frieze from the Parthenon

The highlight of the visit was seeing the Caryatids up close.

My favorite display in the museum

Another reason to visit the museum is to enjoy the views of the Acropolis from the building.

Views of the Acropolis from the Parthenon Gallery

You can visit the museum alone or opt for a guided tour. I’d recommend a guided tour that combines the museum and the Acropolis – it’s cheaper and more informative than wandering on your own at the museum.


Recommended Tours

The Private Mythology Tour of Acropolis and Acropolis Museum or the Best of Athens in One Day: Acropolis & City Tour with Transfer are excellent choices for a complete tour of the place with knowledgeable guides.


Enjoy the views of the Acropolis from the neighborhood

The last thing to do on your Acropolis tour is to enjoy the view of the monuments from the surrounding areas.

The walls of the Acropolis from downtown Plaka
The walls of the Acropolis as seen from the Acropolis Museum

You can climb nearby hills, or relax on the terraces of nearby hotels or restaurants and immerse yourself in the view.

Another cool thing to do in Athens is to dine in the Plaka (downtown) area. You can sit in the outdoor restaurants, enjoy dinner, and soak in the vibe of dining near a world-famous monument built around 5000 BC.

We dined at the Cave of Acropolis, and it was crowded; the food and service were mediocre and a bit of a tourist trap in general. However, this view made up for all of it. ♥

Dining in Plaka under the walls of the Acropolis
Dining in Plaka under the walls of the Acropolis

So, while I don’t recommend the restaurant we visited, plenty are around for you to pick and choose.

Another thing to do is watch a Greek play. These are generally performed on a rooftop, and it is quite the experience. Here’s one you can check out – Medea and other friends.

Or, walk around and enjoy the views that surprise you at every turn! You can shop, dine, or even walk around with a gelato exploring the Plaka area. It’s a great way to spend a couple of hours.

Note: Avoid buying food to take home from here. The best food items (olives, honey, baklava, sweets etc.) are at the airport and have better prices. Instead, visit the nearby Monastiraki flea market and explore the lovely home decor, t-shirts, fridge magnets, and sandals. They are worth buying and of good quality as well.

Views of the Acropolis from downtown Plaka and surrounding areas

Devote a full day to the Acropolis and Plaka areas. This is one of the must-visit places in Athens that’s easily accessible., and worth lingering for an entire day. We came twice to this neighborhood; it was just that magical!

The Acropolis

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series

I heard a lot of raves about this book series on the internet, but I didn’t take too much note of it. The title made it sound very YA, and slightly kiddish. But last year after loving the Truly Devious series, I thought I’d explore more books in this style – hence A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.


About the series

As of now, this is a trilogy of three books. The protagonist of this series is lovable Pippa Fitz-Amobi – an intelligent and tenacious high school student with a penchant for unraveling mysteries. Driven by her insatiable curiosity and an unyielding sense of justice, Pippa finds herself caught up in a series of unsolved murders that shake the tranquil town of Fairview to its core.

I have currently read the first two books.


A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

~ Synopsis from Goodreads

Thoughts

This book surprised me! I didn’t expect it to be so good, with such a solid mystery and great characters. Think Nancy Drew but modernized, with a strong enough plot and no unnecessary romances or crushes. The book starts with a bang – Pippa has a school project for which she needs to relook at an old murder case (a rather tenuous reason to investigate the murder, but it works).

Soon, she’s interviewing all the characters, making case notes, and rattling many people. She and her friend (adorable Ravi Singh 🥺 🥰) go about the investigation systematically. The book takes us step by step through the investigation – Holly Jackson takes a multimodal approach to share Pip’s investigation; the narrative switches from the third person to interview recordings to pages in a diary to email exchanges, which keeps it interesting and adds an element of realism.

The last part of the book is a little weak. The killer’s motivations seem a bit sus, and I found the ending a little unbelievable.

But overall, I thought it was a really fun book. I buddy-read it with my daughter; it was such fun speculating on all the characters, motivations, etc.


Good Girl, Bad Blood

Good Girl, Bad Blood
Good Girl, Bad Blood

Pip isn’t a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she must break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds disappeared on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie, then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way, and this time, everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?

~ Synopsis from Goodreads

My Review

Things turn darker in this book. Pippa is the local celebrity in her town; she’s got a podcast (which I love as I have lately been into true crime podcasts); Ravi is now her boyfriend; life is good.

However, one day Jamie Reynolds – her friend’s brother, goes missing, and she’s asked to investigate. In what I now recognize is Jackson’s trademark style, she goes all-in, interviewing the concerned people, recording the investigation as a podcast, and everything as per the template.

But this time, the mystery was structured better. I didn’t see any of the twists coming, and the ending was intense. There’s a very addictive quality to both these books, and we were reading these books back to back.

My daughter also read the third book and says the series turns even darker and stupidly unbelievable. She also let out some spoilers, and now I cannot forgive her for spoiling the book for me 😭 😭. I will have to wait a while to somewhat forget the spoilers, so taking a short break before I continue with As Good as Dead.

Have you read these books? What did you think of them? Any in the same genre you’d like to recommend?

The Grownup Book Review: Thrilling Twists and Missed Opportunities

The Grownup
The Grownup

A canny young woman struggles to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud.

On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the “psychic” visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore.

Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.

~ Synopsis from GoodReads


Review of The Grownup

This short story was initially included in the Rogues compendium by George R.R. Martin. Then later, it got spun off into its own very short novella (about 60 pages approx in large print).

I loved the concept of the story. The beginning is really promising and in true Gillian Flynn style – meaning an obnoxious heroine.

I didn’t stop giving hand jobs because I wasn’t good at it. I stopped giving hand jobs because I was the best at it.

She soon finds herself in a creepy, ghostly situation and has to determine if there is a haunting or if she’s getting scammed.

And this is where the book started to lose me. For a heroine who is supposedly street smart and canny – she’s the one who scams people, I found her pretty dumb. She believes everything that is said to her.

The non-ending was also disappointing. This is a book with too many twists that weren’t developed adequately. While I read it as a quick read within an hour, it felt like she could have taken a little more time and pages to develop the story fully in a longer format.

It just felt a little unfinished and raw to me – kind of like she published some old college writing assignment.

Certain Dark Things: A Thrilling Vampire Adventure in Mexico City

Ever since reading (and loving) Mexican Gothic, I have meant to read another Silvia Moreno-Garcia book. I pored over her book list, and it’s fascinating. Each book seems very different in tone, style, and theme from the other. I eventually settled on Certain Dark Things because vampires, and also the gorgeous cover, which looks even better than the photo I have here on the blog.


About Certain Dark Things

Certain Dark Things
Certain Dark Things

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.

Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn’t include Domingo, but little by little, Atl is warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?

~ Synopsis from GoodReads


My Review

This is an odd, odd book – or maybe I am unfamiliar with neo-noir or Urban Fantasy books, but this book was spectacularly different from any other books I have read.

What I Loved

Great world-building. I love the concept of vampire species, and I love how history and myth have been intertwined beautifully – for example, the colonization of Mexico by the Spanish vs the migration of European vampires destroying the local species of vampires.

Fast-paced. While there is world-building, it’s not page upon page of just that. This is a fast-paced, violent romp through Mexico City.

What Could Have Been Better

Too Long? This is technically a short book (about 230 pages or so), but it felt long for the story it told. It could have worked just as well as a novella within 120-150 pages.

The love story. Too much time was spent on the love story between Domingo and Atl. While I get that there needed to be a strong reason for Domingo to help Atl escape Mexico City – the instalove wasn’t interesting or unique.

Still, I liked it for the unique take on vampires. Sadly, this is a standalone novel. I would have liked a series of books set in this universe.

Top Ten Tuesday | Ten Books I Randomly Picked From my Shelf

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books that coincide with that week’s theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining here!

Top ten tuesday

This week’s theme is the first ten books I randomly grabbed from my shelf.

Without further ado, here are the books I blindly picked up (some of which I have read, some are new, and some are old, sitting unread).

Ten books I randomly picked up from my shelf
Ten books I randomly picked up from my shelf
  1. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – This is one of my daughter’s books. She’s into romance these days, and she tells me this is very good and not steamy. I have my doubts.
  2. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas – Fifth book in the Throne of Glass series. I liked this book ok, but I realized I wasn’t that invested in the direction of the series. I limped along with the next book – Tower of Dawn before dropping the series entirely with zero regrets.
  3. Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee – I have yet to read this book. I fell in love with the beautiful cover, and it’s been a long time since I read a family drama, so this is a definite must-read.
  4. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – Another historical fiction + family drama. I can’t decide which one of Min Jin Lee’s books I need to embark on first. I plan to read this for Dolce Belezza’s Japanese Literature reading challenge early next year, but we”ll see how it goes.
  5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – I read this book in the space of one weekend. It’s that good. Just the right blend of fast pace + character building + tragic ending. Highly recommend!
  6. Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang – A friend highly recommended this to me. Coincidentally, the very next week I happened to be browsing at a bookstore and bought this book on an impulse. I am looking forward to reading it.
  7. The Fault in our Stars by John Green – Another of my daughter’s book picks. I am quite curious about this one, I have never read anything by John Green.
  8. Bucket List of a Traveloholic by Sarika Pandit – This is a fairly old, battered book that came for review a long time ago. Usually, I don’t keep review books, I finish my reviews and then resell them. But this one is rather endearing. I love to browse one of Pandit’s short travelogues now and then and dream of all the wonderful destinations she visits.
  9. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – This is yet another of my daughter’s picks. Again, I am intrigued by this one, but will probably keep it for the Japanese literature reading challenge.
  10. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell – One of my favorite thrillers that I read this year.

Question: I am spending next week at home with my parents, and am planning to take one of the unread books in the above list with me. Which one do you recommend I take?

March and April updates

March and April have been strange months this year. I am looking back now and feel so overall negative about the last two months. This is an odd feeling because nothing awful happened (especially compared to the turmoil at the beginning of the year), but it feels more like a holding pattern, where I am waiting strangely passively for things to happen.

I am starting to realize that I don’t like feeling that I don’t have control of events. However, this was pretty much the case for the last two months.


Work

Work was in a start-regroup-stop-restart-replan mode, where I took two steps forward and then four steps back. A lot of work, but very little to show for it at the end of the day. Plus, all the chatter on the internet about job losses in IT, etc. was disturbing and anxiety-inducing.


Life

Home life was better. K is recovering nicely from his bout with cancer, getting his strength back slowly, and doing his checkups; everything seems normal for now.

It was the kids’ summer holidays and there were no major plans – partly because the heat was overwhelming – making me not want to even step outside my air-conditioned room. Second, K was still recuperating; we didn’t want to make any plans as a family while he was still under the weather. Also, this year my poor Piglet has a bucketload of holiday homework to complete. I don’t know what the teachers were thinking to give such a workload over the holidays!

Snubnose had a school trip planned, which was very exciting for her – a trip to EuropeParis, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Heidelburg, and several other smaller towns. It was a most exciting time for her, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Piglet’s crestfallen face when he saw her enjoying her dream trip, but there was nothing for him.

Still, she did work very hard the last few years in school, and it’s been a pretty rough time for her, so I am glad she got the opportunity to go have some fun.

Now that she’s back, it’s time to slog her butt off for the next year or so, so she’s well-prepared enough to get into the college of her dreams.


Books

In terms of books and reviews, these were good months. I read A LOT, and reviewed quite a few too.

Of the entire lot, I loved The Greatest Urdu Stories Ever Told and The Song of Achilles. They were simply fabulous. I also enjoyed The Wych Elm (my introduction to Tana French and her sublime writing style) and The Hunting Party. Dark Matter was good too, but not exactly my kind of novel. The biggest disappointments were Ghost Lover and Don’t You Cry. The former was a bit too much overall in terms of angst, and the latter, while having an interesting premise, just seemed too unfinished and poorly written.

There were plenty more good books in the past two months and I will be sharing them on the blog soon.


Screen time

The Vampire Diaries

I didn’t do much screen time these last two months. Nothing seems that interesting! I started on a rewatch of The Vampire Diaries – a series I had watched when it first came out, but I think I have outgrown vampires. I also watched the third season of Indian Matchmaking – fun but predictable. At least, this season – the people seemed nicer. Scratch that; only the women are nicer. The men are as entitled as ever.

Season 3 of Indian Matchmaking

Travel

I look forward to May, when the kids and I head to Chennai for a few weeks during the summer holidays. Yes, we are heading from the frying pan into the fire (regarding the summer heat). But spending time with the gramps is always fun for the kids. Plus, we are traveling in the new Vande Bharat train, which is pretty exciting for Piglet. I hope it lives up to his rather high expectations.

The new Vande Bharat train, which looks fancy, but everyone tells me it’s no different or faster than the regular trains

We aren’t going to do much other than visit relatives and buy Piglet a new school bag and a pen (he’s super excited that from next year, he will be writing with a pen at school). We may also try out a couple of new restaurants and visit Piglet’s favorite crocodiles.

I originally planned some personal travel in May, but the more the time passes, it looks like that isn’t happening 🙁 .

Still, I have my fingers crossed things work out. If not, I realize it’s not such a big deal. In my current mindset, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it anyway.

How has your year been looking so far?

Thrilling but Flawed: Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica

Hot summer days in Bangalore, when it feels like my brain is melting, is the perfect time for some brain-dead thrillers. Not much focus is required, and the slightly predictable but enthralling format is enough to provide a few hours of entertainment. This summer, you’ll see a bunch of mysteries/thrillers featured on the blog, and Don’t you cry by Mary Kubica is one of them.


About Don’t you cry

Don't you cry
Don’t you cry

In downtown Chicago, Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace.

A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her roommate Quinn Collins questioning how well she knew her friend.

Meanwhile, in a small town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

~ Synopsis from GoodReads


My Review

Meh! It’s a fairly forgettable thriller – somewhat humdrum. And if you’ve read her previous book – The Good Girl, you’d recognize a pattern fairly quickly. At least one character is written almost exactly in the same way as in The Good Girl. And that made me guess the outcome quite easily.

There is some suspense in the first half of the book. I wanted to like Quinn and was initially sympathetic to her confusion over her missing roommate, I liked the investigation she took on. But the romance baked into the book was dreary and made it feel like she took on the investigation only to further her romance (not saying this is true, but this is how it came off). Toward the end, I was skim-reading her portions. She came across very unlikeable; giving strong pick-me vibes.

Esther Vaughan is a more interesting character. It took a long time to understand her motivations and her predicament. The mystery behind her disappearance is also interesting and unpredictable. And I was very invested in her story and the story of the mysterious girl and Alex. But sadly, it all ended quite badly. The second half was very half-baked. It was almost like the writer made up the story as she went along.

Overall, the concept was good. It felt fresh compared to other mysteries I read. But the writing (pedestrian) and plot development (especially in the book’s second half) ruined the book. Would not recommend it.

The Greatest Urdu Stories Ever Told

The Greatest Urdu Stories Ever Told by Muhammad Umar Memon
The Greatest Urdu Stories Ever Told

The Greatest Urdu Stories Ever Told is an anthology of 25 short stories by various Urdu writers – some famous, some relatively unknown.

The book opens with an introduction by the editor where he acquaints the reader with the history of Urdu fiction- short stories, to be specific.

He then, in a very textbook manner – dry and verbose proceeds to list practically every writer and then pontificate on their writing style.

Yes, the foreword was dull enough to take me almost three weeks to read.

At the end of the foreword, I was exhausted. Were the stories going to be as boring?

Thankfully no. I rarely appreciate almost every short story in an anthology. But this one comes near perfect.


My Review

This book is part of the greatest stories ever told series – translations of stories from different parts and cultures of India. So far, I have seen Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, and Urdu books stocked in the shops. But there’s probably more. Not much information on the web, but all four books I saw are beautifully designed and published – quality paper, hardbound, and seem to be a treasure trove of local literature, well-translated and carefully curated.

I decided to start with the Urdu set because I saw Manto listed as one of the contributing authors, and I have long been curious to read his stories.

What surprised me was just how strong the stories from the lesser-known writers were. I loved the vast range and diversity in this book. Although the stories are mostly based in pre-Independence or post-Independence India (meaning they are all historical fiction), there is so much variety. The stories range from political / social issues to more modern personal journeys.

I read this book leisurely – a story every night before bed. And I just loved it. This is a book to read slowly, imbibe its atmosphere, and sink into the life and times of these writers, their settings, and their stories.

Of course, while reading, we must remember that the times were different then. So a story about hitting your wife (Laajwanti by Rajinder Singh Bedi) may not hit (bear with the pun, please) the spot. But still, despite a few of these jarring moments, the book worked very well for me. The stories sound very contemporary, even years after their publication.

If you’re not in the mood for 25 stories, here are some I’d recommend you pick and choose:

  • Banished by Jamila Hashmi. In this story set amidst the turbulent times of partition, Sitaji accepts life with Ravan after being kidnapped.
  • Anandi by Ghulam Abbas is an amusing story about how remote areas turn into magnificent suburbs (spoiler: prostitution is the root of all development).
  • Fists and Rubs by Ismat Chughtai is a hard-hitting and brutal story about abortion.
  • The Shroud by Premchand is a troubling story about poverty, laziness, and indifference.
  • Fable of a Severed Head by Sajid Rashid is one of the more modern stories about terrorism in India.

However, I’d suggest taking the time to read the entire compilation. These stories are absolute literary marvels.

Bali: A Paradise for Kids with a Thrill-Seeking Spirit

Bali is a treasure trove of culture, shopping, beaches, and more. But one thing we, as a family, enjoyed the most was the adventure activities available for kids.


ATV Riding in Ubud

ATV riding in Ubud
ATV riding in Ubud

Ubud has tons of activities – such as white-water rafting and ATV riding. After a brief discussion, the kids decided to try ATV riding alone.

So, we packed them off on a short ride through the forest while Mom, K, and I chilled with a drink. And we sat and waited and waited. Eventually, we got quite worried and started walking around looking for them.

Thankfully, it was not a long search. We soon saw them rumbling along the road. Turns out, the ride was a lot more adventurous than expected. Snubnose stalled twice, then drove them into a ditch, and they needed to be fished out.

Still, they came back with happy smiles and stories to tell. So, it was all good, finally!

Overall, recommend the ATV ride – but maybe for bigger kids.


Water sports in Benoa

Piglet wanted to try some water sports in Bali. And our tour guide Google said that Benoa Beach is the best place for water sports – especially for small kids and beginners.

Piglet wanted to dive, but unfortunately, he was below the age limit and had to stick to snorkeling. He enjoyed the snorkeling experience; it was cool, and there was a lot of fish. He was snorkeling after a long time (more than 3 years), so it was lovely to see him take to it smoothly.

He was a bit disappointed at not getting to dive, though.

Snorkeling in Benoa beach
Snorkeling at Benoa Beach

Snubnose and I chose to dive, and it was ok. I preferred our diving experience in Sri Lanka to what we did in Bali.

Here, our dive instructor took us straight to an underwater farm kind of place, where fish were gathered and then we were told to feed the fish. It made for lovely videos but not such an authentic experience.

Feeding the fish in the sea

I also thought that the diving experience in Sri Lanka was a lot longer, we went further and deeper, and overall, just a more immersive and satisfying time.

So, yes, Benoa beach diving is strictly for beginners.

Para-sailing was a much more satisfying experience for the kids. It was Piglet’s first time, so Snubnose offered to go “doubles” with him.

Piglet’s anxious face as the kids go para-sailing

Piglet was a little worried, but all that changed once they launched into the sky.

Siblings parasailing together
Siblings parasailing together

There were tons more activities we wanted to try, but with our limited time, this was just about all we could manage.

One more day, and we would have tried the river rafting in Ubud!