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The Great GATSBY

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

The Great Gatsby is a novel written by an American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel was written in 1925 and is set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City.

Novel illustrates Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan

This novel is inspired by a youthful romance writer Fitzgerald had with socialite Ginevra King, and the riotous parties he attended on Long Island's North Shore in 1922.

After its publication, the book received favorable reviews in general. However, compared to Fitzgerald’s earlier novels, Gatsby was a commercial disappointment

During World War II, the Council on Books in Wartime distributed free copies of this novel to American soldiers serving overseas. And the novel experienced an abrupt rush in popularity. This new-found popularity launched a critical and scholarly re-examination. Eventually this work of Fitzgerald became a core part of most American high school curricula and a part of American popular culture. In the subsequent decades, numerous stage and film adaptations of the novel have been made

Gatsby continues to attract attention. The novel is widely considered to be a literary masterpiece and one of the great American Novels

A Boy Called Christmas

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Year 2021 British Christmas fantasy film, A Boy Called Christmas, has been directed by Gil Kenan. The film is based on a 2015 book by the same name by Matt Haig.

Netflix released the film on 24Nov2021. Film has received positive reviews from critics.

On Christmas Eve, Andrea, Moppet, and Patrick are put in the care of Aunt Ruth as their father has to leave for an urgent work related task. The mother of these children has died recently. Aunt Ruth, an old woman, tries to entertain the kids by telling a Christmas tale as follows.

13 year old Nikolas lives in the forest with his his father Joel who is a woodcutter. Nikolas' mother has died two years ago. Nikolas tries to take comfort every night remembering the legend of a place called Elfhelm. It is the place where a girl found a magical place inhabited by elves who help her survive the winter. One night a mouse tries to steal some food but Nikolas spares his life, calls the mouse Miika and tries to teach him to speak.

One day, the King calls his subjects and promises a big reward to one who is able to bring an object that would bring hope to the kingdom. Joel joins a group of hunters who try to find Elfhelm. Joel has to leave Nikolas under the care of Aunt Carlotta, a selfish woman, who makes the life of Nikolas miserable.

Around the same time, Nikolas finds a map that confirms the existence of Elfhelm. He decides to go to the extreme North to find his father and give him the map. During the journey, Nikolas finds out that Miika has learned to speak and this provides hope to continue his quest. Once they reach Half Moon Forest, a reindeer allows Nikolas to mount him. Nikolas names him Blitzen.

When the trio reach Elfhelm, they find nothing there except for Joel's knife. Nikolas loses hope and collapses. There he is found by Father Topo and Little Noosh. Father Topo gives Nikolas a hope spell that helps him recover. Father Topo informs him that he is in Elfhelm, but the place is only visible to those people who believe in the place.

Nikolas is able to see the place after believing in the elves and tries to stay in the town. He comes to learn that a group of humans, including his father Joel, have kidnapped a small elf called Little Kip. Nikolas is sentenced to be eaten by a troll in the Dark Tower. However, Nikolas manages to escape from them with the help of a young fairy called the Truth Pixie. He then decides to try to find Joel's group and clarify the misunderstanding.

In the forest, Nikolas finds a group of hunters and Little Kip. He is trapped by the hunters and discovers his father is along with them. Joel has a change of heart and comes up with a plan. He frees Nikolas, Little Kip, and Blitzen and all four of them run away from the hunters. Since Blitzen is unable to lift the sled with Joel sitting in it, he decides to sacrifice himself to allow the trio to fly away.

Nikolas comes back to Elfhelm with Little Kip. He is able to bring the little elf on time to prevent Father Topo from being punished. Little Kip's parents reward Nikolas with the elves' traditional making of toys. Nikolas then has an idea. He makes all all the elves create a bountiful of toys and candies.

When Nikolas is about to ride Blitzen with the gifts, he is confronted by Mother Vodol. She sees the locket he carries with him that has the portrait of her mother, revealing that the girl who reached Elfhelm as per the legend is no other but Nikolas's mother.

Mother Vodol tells Nikolas how she lost faith in the humans when news spread in the place that the men (including Joel) has taken Little Kip. Nikolas tells her that his mother always remembered how overjoyed it was in Elfhelm.

Nikolas goes back to the kingdom one night. He shows himself to the King, offering one of the toys. This confuses the King and he asks Nikolas about the meaning of the gift. This leads to Nikolas bringing the King to all the houses in the kingdom and leave toys for the kids while trying not to disturb them. The King is moved and decides to help him.

Finishing the story, Aunt Ruth explains to all 4 kids the meaning of Nikolas's actions. When the childrens' father comes back, to their surprise, they find the living room to be filled with Christmas ornaments and presents. Aunt Ruth leaves the place and throws a firecracker in the last scene, revealing herself to be the Truth Pixie.

Top ten korean series you must watch

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Korean series are becoming popular worldwide these days and I am one of the crazy fans who enjoy watching korean series in my free time. Here is a list of top ten korean series I would recommend to anyone trying to check out korean series for the first time.

I have watched a lot of Korean series in the last 2 years and here is a list of 10 korean series I especially enjoyed watching. All of them are available on Netflix and Dramacool. I am listing them below in no order of preference -

Hospital playlist (2 seasons)
Reply 1988
Something in the rain
My mister
Uncontrollably fond
Crash landing on you
Guardian: The lonely and great God
Its okay to not be okay
Descendants of the sun
The Heirs

Hospital playlist (2 seasons)

Synopsis: This series follows five middle aged doctors who have been best friends since they entered medical school together

Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk) is a single father and an assistant professor of general surgery specializing in liver transplants. His character is shown to have cheerful charisma that allows him to connect with many people. He is a very popular figure among both patients and other doctors.

Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok) is unapologetically good at anything he puts his mind to. An assistant professor of pediatric surgery, he is generous and caring. He is a devout Catholic. Due to the pain caused by seeing his patients suffer, he secretly plans to become a priest.

Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho) is an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery. He appears cold, rigid and professional, however hides a soft, kind temperament that rarely shows.

Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung) is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who appears to be an aloof and introverted doctor. Though he comes off as detached, he is always willing to go the extra mile for the patients under his care. He is divorced and cares deeply for his mother.

Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do) is the only female in this group of friends. She is an associate professor of neurosurgery and is considered perfect by her colleagues. She treats her patients kindly, has performed hundreds of successful surgeries and comes with a great personality.

The story revolves around these 5 friends as they embark on the hospital adventures involving medicine, music, and relationships.

Reply 1988

Synopsis: Beginning in the year 1988, it revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong, Dobong District, Northern Seoul. It is the third installment of tvN's Reply series and received both critical and audience acclaim with its finale episode recording an 18.8% nationwide audience share, making it the fourth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history.

Lee Hye-ri as Sung Duk-seon/Sung Soo-yeon: She is the middle child of her family, infamously ranked 999th in school and is the only girl in their group of five neighborhood friends. Though not academically gifted, Duk-seon has a bright personality. She cares deeply for her friends but feels lost without a dream to pursue. Duk-seon moves through the stages of her youth alongside her male friends, and the mystery of which of them she eventually marries was the continual point of tension for viewers throughout the series.

Ryu Jun-yeol as Kim Jung-hwan is stoic and sarcastic. He is handsome and athletic, often taking on extra pressure of responsibility to fulfill the dreams of his older brother Jung-bong, who has a chronic heart condition. While Jung-hwan doesn't often share his emotions with others, he feels things deeply and uses his sarcasm and attitude as a shield. He develops feelings for a neighborhood friend early, but is reluctant to admit his crush.

Go Kyung-pyo as Sung Sun-woo is a class president, caring brother and dependable son to his widowed mother. Sun-woo is an ideal young man. He is devoted to his friends and dotes on his younger sister. Sun-woo harbors a secret crush on a neighborhood friend that lingers into adulthood.

Park Bo-gum as Choi Taek is an internationally renowned Baduk player. Taek is the quietest of his neighborhood friends. He dominates on the Baduk board as well as struggles with simple everyday tasks. He is generous to a fault and hesitant to make a fuss. When he realizes that the person he likes has another admirer, he has to weigh romance against friendship.

Lee Dong-hwi as Ryu Dong-ryong is the neighborhood clown who loves to sing, dance and play jokes on his friends. Not a natural academic, however his thoughtful insight and surprising wisdom serve him and his friends well. As the son of two working parents surrounded by tight-knit families, he feels neglected by his parents and makes up for their absence by acting out. Due to his nosy nature he ends up knowing many of the neighborhood's secrets before anyone else.

Something in the rain

Synopsis: The series explores the relationship of two people as they go from being acquaintances to a couple. The series give an intimate look into how they fall in love, struggle with their age differences (considered as taboo in some circles), and find the courage to go public with their relationship to everyone around them.

The series has other storylines running parallelly that includes the struggles female employees face in the companies as they try to climb the corporate ladder amidst severe sexual harassment, mistreatment, discrimination, and career sabotage from their male managers as well as about children who grow up without parents and society’s outlook towards them.

Son Ye-jin as Yoon Jin-ah is shown as a single middle-aged woman who works as a store supervisor for a coffee franchise. Despite being an easygoing person, she lives a rather hollow life. After being dumped by her boyfriend, she suddenly develops romantic feelings towards her best friend's younger brother Joon-hee.

Jung Hae-in as Seo Joon-hee is the younger brother of Kyung-seon's , Jin-ah best friend. He is a character animation designer at a computer video game company. He has returned to Korea after being in US for 3 years for work. While getting reacquainted with his older sister's best friend Jin-ah, he protects her a couple times and falls in love with her.

My Mister

Synopsis: My Mister tells the story of an impoverished and debt-laden young woman struggling to stay afloat as she nurses her deaf and sick grandmother by working temporary jobs. She develops a platonic relationship with one of her pitiful supervisors, which is subjected to scrutiny and manipulation by their colleagues, friends, and dysfunctional families. Enduring the weight of their respective lives, they come together, forming new relationships, keeping parts of themselves secret — but ultimately healing one another's past scars.

Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-hoon is the second oldest of the three brothers. He works as a honest structural engineer and has a safety-first approach to life. Though he is quiet and stoic, he also goes all in for the people he loves.

Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Lee Ji-an is a woman who is enduring a lot of hardships in life. She is tasked by her boss to discover Park Dong-hoon's weaknesses to be used against him and fire him from the company. However, she soon ends up falling for his warm charms and learns to trust someone for the first time.

Uncontrollably fond

Synopsis: Shin Joon-young and Noh Eul were classmates who were separated during their teenage years due to an ill-fated relationship but meet each other later in their adulthood. Shin Joon-young has grown up to be a a top actor-singer while Noh Eul works as a documentary producer.

Noh Eul (played by Suzy Bae) had a tough childhood. Her father dies in a hit-and-run. Noh Eul quits school to make a living for herself and her brother.

Shin Joon-young (played by Kim Wo-bin), on the other hand, had his life planned out for him. His mother wanted him to become a prosecutor following the footsteps of his estranged father, but an incident causes him to quit law school and he becomes a top singer-actor in the country.

Noh Eul and Shin Joon-young reunite when Noh Eul is tasked to film Shin Joon-young's documentary after telling the producer that she can persuade Joon-young to give consent to shoot the documentary. Joon-young initially gives Noh Eul a miserable time before finally agreeing to do the documentary and eventually tries to win her heart back.

Crash Landing on you

Synopsis: Yoon Se-ri is a successful businesswoman. She is her father's choice to take over leadership of the family business - the Queen's Group. Rejected by her stepmother and viewed as a threat by her half brothers, she steps away from the family business and successfully establishes her own fashion and beauty company, Se-ri's Choice, which makes her independently wealthy.

Se-ri's father is recently released from jail on probation and can no longer run the Queen's Group. He wants Se-ri to take over as brothers are no match to her talent and business acumen.

As the Queen's Group prepares to make the official announcement, Se-ri goes out paragliding to test her latest line of extreme sportswear. She gets caught in a sudden tornado, which blows her over the Korean Demilitarized Zone and into North Korea, where she has a fateful encounter with Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok.

Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri is a successful South Korean CEO and chaebol heiress to Queen's Group. She has a troubled family history. She is an illegitimate child whose biological mother died after she was born, and has a strained relationship with her stepmother. She meets Ri Jeong-hyeok after accidentally crash-landing in North Korea due to a paragliding accident. He shelters her in the North Korean military housing, and they fall for each other.

Hyun Bin as Ri Jeong-hyeok is a proficient Captain of Company Five in the Korean People's Army who is stationed along the North Korean portion of the DMZ. A piano prodigy, he was studying to become a concert pianist in Switzerland before being forced to join the North Korean military after his older brother dies in a mysterious car accident. He belongs to a powerful political family and hides and protects Se-ri after she accidentally crash-lands into his patrol territory. As he tries to help Se-ri find her way back into South Korea, he begins to fall in love with her.

Guardian: The lonely and great God

Synopsis: Kim Shin is a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty. He is framed as a traitor and killed by the young king. Years after his death, he is cursed by the Almighty to stay immortal forever, enduring the pain of seeing his loved ones die as a punishment for the soldiers he killed to protect his country. He becomes an immortal goblin. He helps people with his powers despite his grieving past. The only way to put an end to his immortality is the Goblin's bride, whose aid in pulling out the sword will end his painful immortality.

Gong Yoo as Goblin is a 939-year-old immortal goblin and protector of souls who is in search for his bride, who is the only one who can remove the sword piercing through his chest. Once the sword is removed, he may finally move to the afterlife and rest in peace. This is until he slowly falls in love with his bride who gives him a reason to live again.

Han Seo-jin [ko] as young Ji Eun-tak is an optimistic and bubbly 19-year-old high school student and the legendary Goblin's bride. She can see ghosts and summon the Goblin due to her way of birth. Orphaned at age 9 and pursued by the Grim Reaper, she is forced to live with her abusive aunt who was seeking her mother's insurance policy. She immediately becomes interested in the Goblin, who takes her in his home. She is oblivious to her duty of removing the sword from the Goblin's chest, however, eventually learns the truth and struggles with the decision as she falls in love with the Goblin.

Lee Dong-wook as Grim Reaper is a good-looking, cynical yet humorous grim reaper (Angel of Death). He guides souls to their reincarnations or afterlives and is the housemate of the Goblin. He prefers to be by himself, however, falls in love with a chicken restaurant owner named Sunny who eventually reciprocates his feelings and becomes a key to remember his past lives.

As the lives of Kim Shin, Grim Reaper, Ji Eun-tak and Sunny interweave, a deeper story unfolds, as they are not just strangers who met by chance, but people with deep-rooted relations.

Its Okay to not be Okay

Synopsis: Moon Gang-tae lives with his older brother Moon Sang-tae who has autism. They frequently move from town to town ever since Sang-tae witnessed the murder of their mother. Gang-Tae works as a caretaker in a psychiatric ward at every place they move to. While working in a hospital, he meets a famous children's book writer, Ko Moon-young, who is rumored to have antisocial personality disorder.

Moon-young after finding out that their past overlap from their childhood spent in Seongjin City, forms a romantic obsession for Gang-tae. She follows him to Seongjin where the brothers currently live. The trio slowly begins to heal each other’s wounds, unravelling many secrets, seeking comfort in each other and moving forward in their lives.

Kim Soo-hyun as Moon Gang-tae is an orphaned caregiver working at OK Psychiatric Hospital. He is empathetic to everyone around him but struggles with self-esteem as a result of his past experiences. He avoids having close relationships with anyone other than his older brother.

Seo Yea-ji as Ko Moon-young is a popular children's book author with antisocial personality disorder. She had a troubled childhood and her relationship with her parents is very. After a coincidental encounter with Gang-tae, she develops a romantic obsession over him and goes to extreme lengths to get his attention.

Oh Jung-se as Moon Sang-tae is autistic. He is a fan of Moon-young as well as an aspiring illustrator. He is the only witness of his mother's murder. He has an irrational fear of butterflies as they remind him of the traumatic experience. His fear develops into nightmares every spring forcing Gang-tae to move towns with him to run away from the butterflies.

Descendants of the Sun

Synopsis: Yoo Si-jin is the captain in a South Korean Special Forces unit. He and his friend Sergeant Seo Dae-young are off-duty when they witness a young man stealing a motorcycle and apprehend him. The thief is injured during the chase and sent to the hospital. Dae-young realises his cell phone was stolen by the thief and goes to the hospital with Si-jin to retrieve it where Si-jin meets Dr Kang Mo-yeon for the first time and is instantly attracted to her.

Si-jin and Mo-Yeon begin to date. During their courtship, due to their philosophical differences owing to their profession, they agree to part ways. Dae-young, on the other hand, faces a dilemma on whether to continue his relationship with Myung-Ju or risk being forced out of the army for breaking fraternization rules set by Myung-Ju’s father who is a three-star general and commander of the Special Forces.

Mo-Yeon and Si-jin continue bumping into each other at different places in their lives with on and off relationship.

Song Joong-ki as Captain Yoo Si-jin is the Captain and leader of Alpha Team, a fictional elite special forces team. He falls in love with Mo-yeon at first sight but gets rejected by her three times.

Song Hye-kyo as Doctor Kang Mo-yeon is a cardiothoracic surgeon who works at Haesung Hospital. She is a beautiful and strong woman who believes that competence should outweigh connections. She stands firmly by her principles. She becomes attracted to Si-jin rejects him three times as she finds herself struggling to accept his occupation as a soldier in the special forces and what it entails.

Jin Goo as Sergeant Seo Dae-young is the most senior non-commissioned officer in Alpha Team and Si-jin's right-hand man and best friend. He sticks to his principles and is extremely loyal to his commanding officer, Si-jin and comrades. He struggles with expressing his true feelings for Myung-ju due to the objection of her father who wants Si-jin as his son-in-law.

Kim Ji-won as First Lieutenant Yoon Myung-ju is an army doctor. She is the daughter of Lieutenant General Yoon, commander of the South Korean Special Forces Brigade. During an assignment, where she is the medical officer on duty during a training exercise, she meets Dae-young and is instantly attracted to him. Their relationship is well-known among other doctors and fellow soldiers but is considered a taboo due to difference in their ranks.

The Heirs

Synopsis: The series follows a group of wealthy, privileged high school students who will take over their families' business empires, overcoming difficulties and growing every step of the way.

Kim Tan is a wealthy heir to a large Korean conglomerate called Jeguk Group. He was exiled to the U.S. by his stepbrother Kim Won who wants to take control of the family business. While in the States, he meets Cha Eun-sang, who is there looking for her sister. Despite being engaged to Yoo Rachel, a fellow heiress, he immediately falls for Eun-sang. When he returns to Korea, his former best friend turned enemy Choi Young-do begins picking on Eun-sang, who is in the same school, to irritate Tan. Drama ensues when Young-do also falls for Eun-sang, and Kim Tan is forced to choose between his responsibility of pursuing the family business or love.

Lee Min-ho as Kim Tan is the future heir to the Jeguk. He is an illegitimate child as he is the son of his father's mistress. He is however listed in the family registry as the son of the second wife in order to be a legitimate heir. Though hot-headed and at times immature, Kim Tan is warm-hearted and honest. He is engaged to Rachel Yoo, but is attracted to Cha Eun-sang at first sight and falls in love with her despite her poor background.

Park Shin-hye as Cha Eun-sang works diligently in her part-time jobs to support herself and her mother after her elder sister leaves for the U.S. She lives in Kim Tan's home since her mother is a live-in housekeeper of the family. She is enrolled in Jeguk High School on a welfare scholarship.

Kim Woo-bin as Choi Young-do is the heir to Zeus Hotel Group. He is known for his volatile manners and is feared by his classmates, whom he bullies. He and Kim Tan used to be best friends but turn enemies due to a misunderstanding. Young-do begins picking on Cha Eun-sang to irritate Tan but soon realizes that's not the only reason she's always on his mind.

People We Meet on Vacation book review

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love - People We Meet on Vacation is a sweet, fluffy, beachy read.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read, a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.

Poppy and Alex have been best friends since college. Even though they are as different as two people can be, they just get each other. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

Malibu Rising book review

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them ….. and what they leave behind

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensures will change their lives will change forever.

The Push by Ashley Audrain review

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.

A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family – and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for and everything she feared.

Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.

But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do.

Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.

Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.

One Last Stop summary

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks...

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Project Hail Mary review

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

Project Hail Mary is a 2021 science fiction novel by Andy Weir. It is his third novel, after 2011's The Martian, and 2017's Artemis.

Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian – while taking us to places we never dreamt of going.

A court of silver flames review

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold more than nine million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages.

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.

What Experts Are Saying About Omicron

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

India recorded 8,503 new Covid cases on 09 Dec 2021, taking the country's infection tally to 3,46,74,744. There are 94,943 active cases, accounting for less than one per cent of the total cases.

A total of five states have reported 23 cases of Omicron in India so far. These include Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is said to be deadlier than the Delta variant, which wreaked havoc earlier this year. Cases of the new variant are rising all over the world.

More data is needed to know if the Omicron infections, especially reinfections and breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated, cause more severe illness or death than infection with other variants.

Scientists around the globe are trying to gather as much information as possible about this variant.

Most common symptoms for the new COVID Variant “Omicron” are fever, cough, tiredness, loss of taste or smell

According to the available data, this variant is now targeting children as well. Experts say that this variant may become a big challenge for everyone in the coming times.

Omicron symptoms in children may include high fever, cough, headache.

On 26 Nov 2021, WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'.

Omicron – signs, symptoms, WHO guidelines

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

Omicron, a new COVID Variant was identified in South Africa on 24 Nov 2021, has been designated as variant of concern by World Health Organization

Omicron COVID Variant Symptoms

Symptoms for the new COVID Variant “Omicron” are given below: -

Most common symptoms

Fever
Cough
Tiredness
loss of taste or smell

Less common symptoms

sore throat
headache, aches/ pains
diarrhea
rash on skin
discoloration of fingers or toes
red or irritated eyes

Serious symptoms

difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
loss of speech or mobility,
or confusion
or chest pain

After the detection of a new variant of COVID, the WHO has advised the country and every individual to follow the SOPs (Standard Operating Protocols).

The WHO has published the advice on its official website @who.int for countries and individuals.

In an article that was published on 28 November 2021 on who.int, it is mentioned that “It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g., more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants.” It may be more transmissible, studies are ongoing, in order to get transmissible details.

In the same article, WHO has also said “It is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta”

Omicron: COVID-19 variant of concern? Situation worldover

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0530

The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (an independent group of experts that periodically monitor and evaluate the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assess if specific and/or combination of mutations alter the behavior of the virus), was convened on 26 November 2021 to assess the SARS-CoV-2 variant: B.1.1.529 (Omicron) of which the first case was reported to WHO from South Africa on 24 Nov 2021

Omicron variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other variants of concern

Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this variant.

As such, WHO has asked the countries to do the following:

enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts to better understand circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant
submit complete genome sequences and associated metadata to a publicly available database, such as GISAID
report initial cases/clusters associated with VOC infection to WHO through the IHR mechanism
where capacity exists and in coordination with the international community, perform field investigations and laboratory assessments to improve understanding of the potential impacts of the VOC on COVID-19 epidemiology, severity, effectiveness of public health and social measures, diagnostic methods, immune responses, antibody neutralization, or other relevant characteristics
Individuals are reminded to take measures to reduce their risk of COVID-19, including proven public health and social measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and getting vaccinated

Here are all the countries that have recorded cases of Omicron Covid-19 since the discovery of the strain by researchers in South Africa

South Africa **183 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
US** variant has been found in almost one-third of US states
India **Total tally of Omicron cases in India raised to 21
Saudi Arabia **1 confirmed case of Omicron variant reported
UAE **1 confirmed case of Omicron variant reported
Nigeria **3 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
UK ** A further 86 cases of the Omicron Covid variant have been reported in Britain as of 05Dec2021, taking the total to 246
Japan ** Japan reports 3rd case of Omicron variant in traveler who had been in Italy
France ** France has confirmed it has detected 9 cases of the omicron variant
Brazil ** 3 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Netherlands **18 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Germany **1 confirmed case of Omicron variant reported
Hongkong **4 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Canada **15 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Australia **15 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Portugal **19 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Botswana **19 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Spain **3 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Belgium **9 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Italy **1 confirmed case of Omicron variant reported
Switzerland **2 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Austria **1 confirmed case of Omicron variant reported
Denmark ** Country saw confirmed cases increase to 183 of the Omicron variant of Covid-19
Sweden **3 confirmed cases of Omicron variant reported
Chile ** 1 confirmed case of omicron variant reported

Best books to read in 2021 fiction

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 22:18:04 +0530

Yes, Year 2021 is coming to an end. And as we all gear up to spend good quality time with ourselves, with our families and friends, I would like to leave you all with a short list of fictional books to read.

These couple of years have been tough for all of us and with the recent finding of new variant of corona virus, I am praying that we are able to stay safe and keep our families and people around us safe.

Wishing you all a great end to the year 2021 and a safe 2022

Here is my list of top 5 books you should read before the end 2021 and one bonus 😊

People we meet on vacation by Emily Henry

The. People We Meet on Vacation is a sweet, fluffy, beachy read that gets a little long in the tooth towards the end. Poppy and Alex have been best friends since college. Even though they are as different as two people can be, they just get each other

From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read, a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations

Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.
Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A New York Times Bestseller

One of the best books of the year – Washington Post

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them ….. and what they leave behind

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensures will change their lives will change forever

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks...

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

Project Hail Mary is a 2021 science fiction novel by Andy Weir. It is his third novel, after 2011's The Martian, and 2017's Artemis. Set in the near future, the novel centres on junior high school-teacher-turned-astronaut Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma afflicted with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity.

A court of silver flames by Sarah J Maas

One bonus to the list 😊

The Push by Ashley Audrain

The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.

A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family–and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for–and everything she feared.
Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.
But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do.
Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.
Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.

Hope you all like reading these books and have a perfect ending to the year. Happy Reading !