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Month: October 2020

> 2020 > October
Review: The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

AuthorSurbhi SinhaUpdated onOctober 25, 2020December 7, 2020 CategoriesBook Review0 Comment

Review: The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

I have to begin by saying that I have been jumping to read this book since June this year and if you’ve been a regular customer of the wordsmith who is Ken Follett, you know you will not be left disappointed! I am glad I chose to re-read The Pillars of the Earth (click here …

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Review: Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

AuthorSurbhi SinhaUpdated onOctober 9, 2020December 7, 2020 CategoriesBook Review0 Comment

Review: Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

“People had to grow on their own, make their own decisions, good and bad. It was those mistakes and the choice or refusal to learn from them that gave life—and art—their texture, their meaning. It had to be a choice.” Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar is a beautiful coming-of-age story about a girl – Sheetal …

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Review: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

AuthorSurbhi SinhaUpdated onOctober 5, 2020December 7, 2020 CategoriesBook Review0 Comment

Review: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is an epic masterpiece set in 12th century England encompassing the construction of a cathedral in the small town of Kingsbridge. It is the first novel to the Kingsbridge trilogy and its prequel – The Evening and the Morning – having come out recently, I thought it’d …

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CR: The Jasmine Throne by @tashasuri

Surbhi (She/Her) | Bookstagram
//thought dump do not let your allyship be perfor //thought dump do not let your allyship be performative. if you catch yourself to be performative, correct it silently. if it's not about you, don't make it about yourself. sit down, shut up and LISTEN instead. if your feminism is exclusionary in anyway, do us a favour and don't call it feminism. if you choose to say "cis" is a word which is not in your vocabulary, but then go on to draw a clear fine line of "trans women are trans women" especially if you're a writer, remind me why adding an equally important adj to clearly imply otherwise is a problem for you? it is a problem for you, that's why you made your distinction clear. help me understand how saying "if i was born 30-years later, I'd transition too" is not coming from a place of fear? asking authors to be accountable for their words is not cancelling them. calling them out is not cancelling them. asking critical questions is not cancel culture. and lastly ffs don't go around calling people snowflakes simply to discredit their empathy for a cause. // happy whatever-you-want-it-to-be day guys. pride month isn't about your ego. choose happiness for others too. spread love. be kind. #theurbanreader #bipocbookstagram #pride🌈 #loveislove🌈 #pridemonth #ReadWithPride #thecarpetweaver #inheritance #thewall #girlwomanother #rwrb #redwhiteandroyalblue #cemeteryboys #theprioryoftheorangetree🍊 #clapwhenyouland #nematsadat #aidenthomas #ballikaurjaswal #flatlaysquad #flatlayphotography #readdiversebooks #representationmatters #elizabethacevedo #gautambhatia #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #pridebooks #exclusionaryfeminismisembarassing #pridebookstagram #transwomenarewomen
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri Rating: 🔖🔖🔖🔖 #QoTD What's your favourite kind of magic? If you could wield any form of magic what would it be? I had a very special opportunity to be a part of @caffeinetours Blog Tour for The Jasmine Throne by @tashasuri 💛 The Jasmine Throne is the first book in The Burning Kingdom trilogy. It is a desi-inspired epic fantasy which is set in the kingdom of Parijat. A kingdom ruled by a cruel emperor. An emperor who in the name of faith burns women. It is a fantasy set in the conquered city of Ahiranya to where the emperor's sister has been exiled for secretly preparing to overthrow the horrid ruler. It is also about a maid servant working in the regent's mahal who usually wonders of everything she could be but isn't, this is a maid servant with a secret. Find the entire review on my blog, link in bio! I enjoyed the intricate world building - of the city, the rose garden, the Hirana, the monastery, the sangam and even the deathless water. The lush magic system in the book is also quite unique. The Jasmine Throne in its core is a complicated story of powerful and authentic female characters which is always fun to read! The only thing I wished more of would be better pacing and a few less POVs amidst the many. So, do I recommend it? You know I do! Reading The Jasmine Throne is going to be a treat to your imagination and will fulfill your needs to read a sapphic desi book where women fight in sarees. Also, the representation in the book with the food, the names and the character description is just spot on! 💛🌼 Lastly, swipe to see the exclusive CD art for The Jasmine Throne! The white jasmines are for Malini, the princess while the red ones are for Priya, the maid servant. 💕 I received an e-ARC of this book from Orbit Books and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in their tour. This did not impact my review in any way, all views are my own. #theurbanreader #bipocbookstagram #JasmineThroneTour #caffeinebooktours #thejasminethrone #tashasuri #ReadWithPride #thequiltbagreadathon
#QoTD you read the first page of a book and you lo #QoTD you read the first page of a book and you loved it, which book is that for you? I starter reading and listening to Anxious People by @backmansk yesterday with one of my most favourite human being and that's one of my favourite kind of reading experiences. on reading the very first page of the book I was overcome by this feeling of acknowledgement and acceptance. I felt seen, I felt understood - as an adult, as a human being. I love this book from its very first page, I haven't finished reading yet, I'll be reading it slow (because I'm going to try to be a good team player 😋) and idk what the rest of the story is like - though I've only ever heard good things about it - but I know that I will love this book. for now I know that I love what it has to offer. it's poignant, it's real, it's not condescending and from one human to the other, it says, "I see you." there was something about this quote that struck me the hardest because it's an everyday emotion, an everyday fear put into the simplest of words, just like it is, "we have to be grown-up and we don't know how, because it's so horribly, desperately easy to fail at being grown-up." oh this book. :') making me laugh, smile, get teary-eyed already. making me feel like it's okay if we don't know what to do, that it's okay if I pretend and simply get through the day, that it's okay. we're human beings after all, we can't actually control the chaos - at least not all of it anyway. I hope you guys have a day today. not a good day or a great day, just a day if that's what you need. 💛 #theurbanreader #bipocbookstagram #anxiouspeople #fredrikbackman #fredrikbackmanbooks #swedishtranslation #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #unitedbookstagram #flatlaysquad #flatlayphotography #adultingsucks #adultingishard #beinghuman #booksthatmatter #bookstagramcommunity #tragic #mustread
#QoTD What's the Booksta activity for Tuesday? You #QoTD What's the Booksta activity for Tuesday? You know like... #MapMonday and stuff? So, I really just dropped in here to talk to you all randomly today. I haven't felt like doing Instagram for a while and I remained mostly inactive - came back to post a review because it was part of a Blog Tour and that's it. I thought, I'd read a lot of books for #pride🌈 this year. I'm still reading The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri and it's been fun so far. I'm 80% through and the magic system is just 👌🏻👌🏻. It'll not be a five bookmark read for me though unless something drastically changes in the next 20% which I hope will! I have to add that representation really matters yaar! Over the last year I've read so many books with Indian representation and it feels SO good to be reading them, relating to the characters and the culture AND FOOD! I'm also reading The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer by Shrabani Basu slowly and steadily. It's interesting because it's based on a true account. That's pretty much it for now. This is simply me letting you know I'm still here and I'm reading too. 😋 #theurbanreader #bipocbookstagram #unitedbookstagram #diversitymatters #cemeteryboys #theprioryoftheorangetree🍊 #loveislove🌈 #pridemonth #gielwomanother #thewall #representationmatters #readdiversebooks #keepreading
✨International Giveaway of Hana Khan Carries On ✨International Giveaway of Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin✨ Secrets. Everyone has secrets, every family has stories of some family member or the other and why they're know in a particular way. Every family has a story the children aren't told about. Hana Khan is leading a perfectly decent life in Toronto. She lives with her family - her parents, her sister and her brother-in-law. She works three jobs - at her mother's restaurant, at the radio station and for her podcast. She is leading a perfectly decent life until her cousin Rashid and aunt arrive from India. She is leading a perfectly decent life until she meets Aydin. Might I also add that this book falls perfectly in your enemies to lovers troupe AND I LOVED IT. I really enjoyed reading Hana Khan Carries On because of how gently the author chose to represent the Muslim community in Canada. Because of how mindfully the author chose to talk about racism, hate and the need for people within the community to narrate their stories the way they've experienced it. The story is predictable but for a change the predictability works to the advantage of the plot. The characters are fun and it's very very millennial in its narrative. I highly recommend the book to you because the character loves Taylor Swift, she loves daisies and her favourite food is biryani! Be warned of the mouth watering food descriptions throughout the book. This is definitely one of those books that you all will want to pick up at some point this summer. Thanks for the free book! @atlanticbooks #partner Now for the fun stuff! To win a copy of the book✨👇🏼 HOW TO ENTER: - Like & leave a comment! - Follow me, @uzmajalaluddin & @coloredpagesblogtours -Share this post via stories and tag me + @coloredpagesblogtours ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: - Tag friends in different comments! - Visit the #HanaKhanTour hashtag for more beautiful posts & chances to win! Ends 17th June at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be announced on Colored Pages's Instagram. (Not affiliated/endorsed by Instagram) #theurbanreader #bipocbookstagram #hanakhancarrieson #coloredpagestours #flatlaysquad #flatlayphotography #delhibookstafam
PAIN. a four letter word. CAPABILITY. a ten lette PAIN. a four letter word. CAPABILITY. a ten letter word. LUXURY. a six letter word. a quote from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: "everyone sort of assumes that when faced with life-and-death situations, you will panic. but almost everyone who’s actually experienced something like that will tell you that panic is a luxury you cannot afford." a quote from Malibu Rising: "I have done what needed to be done. capable is a question I never had the luxury of asking. because my family needed me." it's true you know. in the face of terror and in the face of necessity you do not have these - what TJR chooses to call and remind us of - luxuries. you simply do what you must in that moment, you do your best and once it's all over. only then do you have the luxury to feel all of it, any of it. I could relate to these emotions from the books terribly hard, especially after being hit with the worst of the pandemic last month. probably many of you will too and what hit me harder was the realisation that when it comes some luxuries, life is not unfair, some you just don't get, some you simply can't attain. pain. capability. luxury. mere words when you look at them individually. but when you put them together like TJR did, you'll never look at these words the same way ever again. I know I surely won't. you see why I said I still have thoughts? you see why I say TJR is a queen? you see? so if you do then go read these two books by her because I highly HIGHLY recommend. and if you don't see it yet, then definitely go read them so that you do too! #theurbanreader #maliburising #thesevenhusbandsofevelynhugo #taylorjenkinsreidbooks #taylorjenkinsreid #tjrfangirl #tjrfans #tjrfan #ReadWithPride #loveislove🌈 #pride🌈 #pain #capability #luxury #evelynhugo #bipocbookstagram #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #tbbbox #thebigbookbox #wordsarepowerful #bookrecommendation #unitedbookstagram #mustreadbooks #favouriteauthor #favouritebooks #flatlaysquad #flatlayphotography
🎈🎈GIVEAWAY🎈🎈 @books_n_sunshine and I 🎈🎈GIVEAWAY🎈🎈 @books_n_sunshine and I have teamed up to spread some joy amidst this gloomy phase which surrounds us. We are giving away these amazing books which we loved and hope you love too!! Along with it, we have a beautiful Nikolai pin by our very own @pins.prints.pages ! Do check out her page, as she has some amazing stuff coming out! We will also be adding a few extra goodies for the winner! 🌸Rules to enter 1. Follow us. @theurban_reader and @books_n_sunshine (Don’t follow to unfollow) 2. Like this post 3. Tag any 3 friends in a single comment. You can do this thrice, so 3x3 comments! 4. Share this post as your story for 24 hours and don't forget to tag us. Private accounts can DM us the screenshot Note: - Open for Indian residents only - Participate only if you can willingly share your address details - Winner will be chosen randomly - Giveaway closes on 15th June, 2021 & winner will be announced soon thereafter - Make sure Amazon/Flipkart delivers to your address
//weekend reminders// during a competition when I //weekend reminders// during a competition when I was in college I was asked to choose between gym and yoga. at that time I had started using the gym for some weight training. you see, weight has always been an issue for me. I have been underweight my entire life. I've heard all the things they say to "thin" folks - be careful when the wind is strong else you'll get blown away, the malnourished child from africa, the kid whose twig like legs may snap in two at any moment, hawa hawai, etc etc. so back to college. i responded back by saying gym over yoga to the question. one of the judges (a male professor) asked me mockingly why did I ever need to go to the gym. ofc I was aware that I was being mocked. in front of my seniors. my peers. AND my juniors too. ofc everyone had a good laugh at my expense as well. I chose in that moment to not respond. the next judge asked me what did I even do in the gym, again with the same mocking tone, again a male "teacher". this judge used the gym himself so you'd expect him to know better? I chose to respond this time, by asking him what did HE do at the gym. this time I was told off, "you can't say anything just because you have a mic in your hand". true. nobody should say anything they want just because they have a mic in their hand. and that goes both ways. likewise, nobody should be given respect just because they're older than you, respect is a two way road. I was eliminated after that round of questioning, the judges probably thought I lost. but I like to remember that incident as a time when I stood up for myself. I like to remember that as a win because I chose myself over being politically correct and respectful to bullies in an annual competition. why am I telling you this? this is my way of reminding you that sticking up for yourself doesn't make you a bitch or argumentative, that the only person who gets to decide your worth is YOU and lastly that "some people are really so delusional that they think it's disrespectful when you don't just sit back and allow them to continue to disrespect you". so choose yourself. ALWAYS.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid Rating: 🔖 Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid Rating: 🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖 and MORE! When I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo earlier this month, I thought to myself, “Wow, she’s going to have a hard time writing something as amazing and heart-wrenching as this.” Like the speculative journalists she portrays in her books, I thought, “Hmm, maybe this is her peak, she can’t get it better than this.” Well, fortunately for all of us, TJR isn’t a one-hit-wonder. Like the Himalayas, she’s got a range of characters and plots in her story-telling arsenal. Malibu Rising in true TJR fashion doesn’t consist of chapters. Rather it’s bifurcated into 12-hour timelines, effortlessly merged with past anecdotes in chronological order. The first part is about preparing for the Nina’s grand end of the summer party which also introduces you to the family, the many firsts of family drama. But it’s in the second part – during the party that the author really pulls off her gloves to make it even more dramatic! What a ride you’re in for then! We know TJR loves her characters because her characters are her story. They are all so versatile – just like her writing – and unique. Each character’s backstory is so worthwhile, even the ones who will be mentioned only once (there were so many additional characters and I feel like TJR might even pick a few of them up for her next book)! I also loved the many cameos from characters of her other books! But what I love the most about TJR books is that they are raw, very raw and in touch with many peoples realities. Read the entire review on my blog, link in bio! The book holds your attention the entire time and is well-paced too. The book is wholesome, it’s complete and it’s perfect! Malibu Rising is the perfect summer read and TJR is utterly brilliant in terms of how every character, every backstory and every plotline she writes about comes together to exist in the same universe, how collectively that realization takes your breath away! I highly recommend you you to pick up and read this book! NOW! Lastly, thankyou @hutchinson_books @penguinukbooks for the #gifted copy! Thankyou @tjenkinsreid for writing this book! ThankYOU!
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adiba_jAdiba Jaigirdar (on hiatus)@adiba_j·
19 Jun

Just realised I reached 15k followers here...so how about a giveaway to celebrate? 🥰

Win a signed + personalised hardcover of HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING!

F + RT to enter
Ends 26th June
Open Internationally!

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theurban_readerThe Urban Reader@theurban_reader·
18 Jun

Oh! And I made some CD art inspired by the book too.

@CaffeineTours @tashadrinkstea @orbitbooks

#JasmineThroneTour #CaffeineBookTours

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theurban_readerThe Urban Reader@theurban_reader·
18 Jun

My review for The Jasmine Throne by @tashadrinkstea is up!

It was my blog tour stop for the #JasmineThroneTour with #CaffeineBookTours 🌼

Thankyou for the eARC @orbitbooks
And @CaffeineTours 💛

Now, go read The Jasmine Throne y'all!

https://urban-reader.com/?p=327

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theurban_readerThe Urban Reader@theurban_reader·
17 Jun

I love it when people pick up books I recommended or when my review intrigued 'em enough to make a purchase.

But I equally love those moments when I pickup a book from the backlist & have people cheer me on abt how much I'll love it!

That's the book community for you friends 💕

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thestorygraphThe StoryGraph@thestorygraph·
15 Jun

We've launched author-approved content warnings!

We've also pushed several updates to the user-added tags including a smart filter to only display a summary on the book page and the ability to click through to the review linked to each content warning added. https://twitter.com/thestorygraph/status/1404465601502920706

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The StoryGraph@thestorygraph

An update!

On top of the earlier proposed changes, we want to add the concept of author-approved content warning tags. If those exist, only those show up on the book's front page (though you'll still be able to see all reviews with content warnings on another page). https://twitter.com/thestorygraph/status/1404339393750577163

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