The Tsarina's Daughter (~)

I've finished another book called The Tsarina's Daughter written by Carolly Erickson. It's a historical fiction about the fall of the Romanov dynasty in Russia. It was fascinating reading about a country's history that I don't know about. I mean it's different when I read about King Henry VIII because he's so widely publicized (having his own TV show and whatnot) but when it's about an Eastern-European country it makes it all the more interesting to me (or at least that's what I believe anyway). I have heard of the Russian-Revolution (I didn't know during what time period it occurred) and who the Romanovs were, but I didn't know in great detail what it was all about. I think mainly, that's because being in the Western side of the world, we don't have much connection with the other side, and aren't forced to learn about Russia, or the rest of Asia.

So as I kind of give away in my previous paragraph, this novel is about the fall of the Romanovs dynasty, and the Russian Revolution. It follows the 2nd oldest daughter Tatiana as she tells the story of her life. It's not a biography, it is a historical fiction and so there are (of course) characters who didn't actually exist, not to mention there are a few other things that are not true. It's still a pretty good way to gain basic information about the Russian Revolution and the family in general, and if you want to learn more, I'm sure you could do research and find out a lot more information. For me, this is why I read historical novels is mostly to gain basic information so that if I want to learn more, I can.

All in all, this novel was alright. Not one of my favourites. If you want to learn more about the Revolution, etc., then this would be perfect for you. It was a good read, and it went quickly, and it certainly didn't go too in depth either, so I was able to still concentrate on my studies AND read this novel also.

Anyway, seeing as I'm now home, I can read more, so hopefully there will be more posts in the future. Hope all is well, and until next time, Happy Reading!

The Devil Wears Prada (~)

I've finished another book. Surprisingly, actually, considering it's exam period. But anyway, the book I finished was Lauren Weisenberger's The Devil Wears Prada. Another mindless chick lit novel. No real romance though, more about finding out who you are and who you want to become. Which, by the way, is  fitting, considering I found out I'm not accepted into the graduate study program I really wanted. Such is life I guess. Everything happens for a reason, and I really really hope that the time I'm going to take off is enough for me to find out what I really enjoy and hopefully see about making a job out of it. Or even find out what I really want out of my life so I can go back to school to help myself achieve it, or find a way to live it out.

Anyway, enough about my problems, and more about the book! Basically, this book follows a girl as she becomes an assistant to the worst woman on the planet. It goes through her family, social and love life going down the drain as she works overtime, and becomes under appreciated until one day, she can't take it anymore and she blows up at her, and is fired. From there on things are peachy.

The movie is based off this novel. I watched it to compare, and really there's not much in common. I still enjoyed it though.

I don't know if I want to recommend it to anyone unless they need a mindless read, but it's really up to you. Anyway, until next time, Happy Reading!

The Twelve Little Cakes (↑)

I've finished a book, and I must say, it's one of the best ones I've read in a really long time. It's called The Twelve Little Cakes and was written by Dominika Dery. It's a memoir of her life growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia. Although, her description of Prague during this time paints it as a run down city (probably because of the communist regime), she really did live a full life and was able to have (most of) the same experiences other children could have. It made me sad to read about the conditions in this country, but also I couldn't help but smile at the antics the child would partake in. She was a precocious little girl, and the things that would happen to her and her family actually caused me to chuckle to myself a few times. I would recommend this novel to ANYONE! Whether they want to learn something about Eastern European history, or just want an amusing story to read about.

I don't want to give away too much information about this novel, but basically this book follows the life of Dominika Dery (the author) from age 3 to about age 10. Her parents were dissidents and so they were shunned and constantly persecuted by the communist police. Although her family didn't have much money, they still succeeded in giving Dominika and her sister a good life full of fun and love.

It's definitely a favourite, and I will NOT give it up (and surprisingly I only spent $1 on it at Zellers!) Anyway, until next time, Happy Reading.

The Sari Shop Widow (~)

I've finished another book. It's called The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal. It was an okay book. It kind of gave me a taste of Indo-American culture, which was cool. It was definitely more romantic than I expected so that made it difficult to finish because it had gotten so sappy at the end. It's also predictable, so that was also irritating. But it was a nice quick, no-thinking read, which is what I need at the moment.

Basically this novel is about an Indian woman who was a widow and was helping her parents at their sari shop in 'Little India' in New Jersey. Their store was going bankrupt, so her father called in his businessman brother to help bail them out. He arrived along with his young business partner, and it goes on from there. Secrets come out, and there's a definite attraction between the young business partner and the main character, etc.

Anyway, onward to other novels. Until next time, happy reading!