#ReadChristie2024 - 1920s | The Mysterious Affair at Styles is an alluring whodunit that gave to the world, Hercule Poirot…
Igniting the Emotions - The Books that made me feel
Emotions are what makes us human. The first cry of a newborn, the happy laughter of a friend’s group, the grief-pounding heart, or the envy that boils inside, every little expression reminds us each day of the best and worst of human nature. Mirroring our feelings onto the inked pages, books can evocate strong responses from us. They ignite the emotions!
Being an overly emotional reader, I empathize as I turn each page. From wonder, love, and desire to fear, disgust, and even empathy, they become an exciting adventure to live and die for. They ensure that even an introvert like me aches to shout aloud – “That was one hell of a read.”
These are some of my favourite reads that made me “FEEL” ever so strongly and made for a great, unforgettable experience.
Imagine reading over two-thirds of the novel, and a surprise twist shatters your world upside down! That is Dan Brown’s Inferno for you. Like all the other novels by the author, this also follows the lead, Robert Langdon, across the world as he unravels the history and pumps adrenaline straight through our hearts. Taking a cue from the Italian masterpiece Dante’s Inferno, Langdon battles hell on Earth to save the world after waking up disoriented in Italy. The most startling aspect of the novel is the unexpected twist that catches you off-guard, and believe me when I say I had to shut off the book and wait for two to three days to let the shock subside before I could pick it up again.
“By the time you read this, I will probably be dead.”
From the first line itself, the novel hits you right at the centre. Told in an epistolary fashion, it follows the final days of an eleven-year-old leukaemia-stricken boy. Sam loves to collect stories and fantastic facts. Yet it is his story that makes the tears swell up in our eyes. I found this gem in our school’s book fair, and many years later, it remains the only book that ever made me cry. As the pages pass by, we enter Sam’s world. We see him brave the treatment, make friends, enjoy life, and demonstrate emotional intelligence beyond the grasp of an able adult. Indeed, circumstances become the best teacher and can mature a young bud before time.
Djinns, magic, power, flying miracles, spells and most importantly, adventure! This book has it all. Young teens John and Phillippa run across the world from London to Babylon to save their mother and defeat the evil Ifrits. Straight from the picture, the storyline paints in our mind the riveting plotline and subtle exploration of the concept of the family would leave you in pure wonder. It is a children’s novel, yet the adult me also comes back to re-read the story more often than ever. The book is a fantastic escape from reality and transports the reader to a parallel magical world. And the good news is, it is part of a big series – Children of the Lamp. With a total of seven books in its kitty, this was my first and hence, unforgettable entry to the world of fantasy and magic.
This is the book that left a bitter aftertaste for me. The only book that I can never re-read knowing well enough how it can leave me deranged. Once is enough. Why one might think? Well, the amount of psychological manipulation and the cunning mind of the lead, Amy Dunne, is something I can never come to terms with. It begins with an exciting premise – a worried husband is out looking for his wife, and in a quick escalation of events, the husband himself is suspected of foul play. Did Nick do away with his wife?
“There are two sides to every story.”
Reading through the pages, the real story comes in bits and pieces. But the subtle revelations and the final truth made me crumble. It was, in one word – disturbing to the core. You can never imagine the lengths one can go, the depth to which a person can fall in the name of (twisted) love.
David Baldacci’s stories are always thrillers that surge up our adrenaline every passing second. The intelligence community, the spy nation, and under-the-rug missions of trained executives to “save the world” from evil encompass his novels. One amongst them following the shadowy operatives – Katie and Shaw, is Deliver Us from Evil. It is a magnificent spy thriller written in classic Baldacci style. But what sets it apart, what made me pause and take a little while to digest – was how ‘evil’ was dealt with in this story. The pure, unrelenting, and unapologetic illustration of World War torture techniques and murderous exploits makes me afraid and shake in disbelief. I could not stop wondering in disgust – at the levels to which humanity falls under the umbrella of war.
#ReadChristie2024 - 1920s | The Mysterious Affair at Styles is an alluring whodunit that gave to the world, Hercule Poirot…
Can you ever think of a combination of quantum physics, buddhism and radical philosophies? Read Ashwin Sanghi's Keepers of Kalachakra!
Angela Henry forages into the extra-marital arena, exploring the consequences of an affair in her new book, A Perfect Affair…
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Which book ignited the reading passion for you?
Tell me about your best reads!