Hello readers! I’m back at it with another review!! (Oh god, why do I keep using the same intros? I’m a creative person, I write books for heaven’s sake, and I CAN’T FIND AN INTRO??)
Here I am, writing about another Geronimo Stilton book. “The enormous pearl heist”.
Straight up on the cover, we can see Geronimo the mouse leaning out of a ship or a boat, I don’t know which, looking in wonder at a very large clam. Beside him is Bugsy (don’t mind her name, I don’t know why the author gave that) and his nephew Benjamin whose age never goes higher or lesser than 9 years old.
From the back cover where the blurb is written, we can already tell what will happen, as in general case only one plotline is followed, but I get it, it’s a children’s book, and younger kids enjoy it. (even I used to gobble these up once upon a time)
Geronimo was just feeling like having a relaxing holiday when he and his friends made an ‘amazing discovery’. They had gone scuba diving, and while doing so this mouse spotted an enormous thing that he first thought was the jaws of a predatory animal. In the end, it turned out to be an Oyster.
(seriously, how do you mistake an OYSTER for jaws? Okay whatever.)
And that oyster contained an ‘enormous’ pearl which was very expensive and precious.
And someone wanted to steal it! (I know right, no one would have ever guessed it!) And it was their duty to uncover who it was and protect the pearl at all costs.
Will they be able to?
The book follows Geronimo and co. ‘s adventure in exceptional detail. It’s a little childish. The illustrations are awesome though, it’s not all books that can give you a beautifully detailed picture on every page. I get a lot of inspiration from how they detail all the stuff!
Another good thing is that the book or so, meaning it will be a quick read. Younger children might feel that big books are overwhelming, so such stories are good choices for them.
However, after a certain age, you might begin to feel the stories are getting too silly.anage to wrap up the mystery in only 100 page
One thing about Geronimo Stilton’s books is that while all the titles and stories are written differently, the plot more or less stays the same.
And when someone generously offers them a prize of money or gold etc, they all decide to be noble and decline it. Not in one single book will you find them
taking anything. I suppose it’s a good thing, to teach children not to be greedy.
I like how the story in this book was about something slightly different, I haven’t read a Geronimo Stilton book that talks of sea treasures before. And also the innovative way they free the oyster from the clutches of the evil thieves. It’s very unique, and I found it interesting.
I would suggest that this book is for younger children, who haven’t started middle school yet, because after a certain age, they will start to find it a little silly.
Anyways, see you all in another post! Goodbye now!
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Nice Day for Doing nothing plus Audiobook Release!
A nice day for doing nothing!This was said by Daddy pig of the Peppa pig fame.I have realized you need to do a little bit of nothing every day.Quality of life improvement by doing nothing is my way of self care.
But what constitutes “nothing“,when you are an adult?Kids seem to have no trouble playing with cardboard boxes and old toys or making up mindless(to us) games.Its an inbuilt talent which we seem to lose as adults .Just like creativity and the inner genius ability to do nothing with joy is a childhood habit which needs nurturing .
My version of doing nothing is rereading a favorite book(paperback) or read a mystery book, curled under the blanket on the bed with my daughter happily reading her own newest/favorite story book or painting .Stopping the busy work of thinking and doing,needs a break and that’s where the connection to self happens.State of flow starts with letting the mind rest but not stagnate.
2024 was a strange year.The Abhaya RGkar incident happened on 7th August and its 8th January as I type this.I hope justice is served and the killers and all those who planned this get their dues.But whatever happens the young doctor will never again be amongst us.We lost a young spirit to evil at a place where she went to heal people while staying on duty for 36 hours at a stretch .I am glad I resigned in 2018 because the duties were too much and I couldn’t cope the juggle.Overworked and underpaid after becoming a specialist ENT surgeon was never my goal.So I left my job in 2018 and did my own thing.I don’t know whether thats an easier or a more difficult path.It just felt right and continues to feel right.I sleep better and worry less.Finding my own path is the best gift I could give myself and I feel blessed.Its 2025 .A chance to some more.
Incidentally I published the Audiobook version of How to Walk Write and Garden for the Healthy Life you Want .
Here are the links to the marketplaces where its currently avavilbale.It’s free in many of them,if you have a subscription!
Live everyday like its your last chance to do something meaningful.Because you just never know.
Sharing is good Karma!
How To Know Whether You Can Be A Chef Full Time?
How to know whether you can be a chef full time?You can’t until you actually become a chef plus there’s no simple answer.
Just like I now know, I don’t want to work at anything 24×7×365 .Luckily I enjoy being a doctor but not the unnatural unhealthy workload the Government hospitals and Medical Colleges have .Doctor heal thyself made me step back. I couldn’t cope.
I was asked “didn’t you know ,you would have to do this?”.
Honestly at the premium colleges I studied in ,there were many teachers and there was no dearth of faculty .There was a division between the hospital and the medical education side,which is required, as patient care is impossible to juggle with anything else.But I digress I wanted to share about the site culinaryschool.org which gives a very interesting list of culinary schools.
A very close relative ,who was passionate about cooking , wanted to study hotel management and a weird older sister told her that it was too much work since the training starts at the bottom.
If there were sites like the culinaryschools.org it would help.Maybe all career options should have online and offline try-it-out or internship options too ,before you make the choice which can make or break you.
While real life is always better ,sometimes we don’t ever want to try dangerous things,unsuitable or unsustainable carrers,harmful food and that’s why knowing what works for you,what’s junk and what’s not must start early.Good food and junk needs to be strictly separated and kids do learn great with play.
The many games on the culinary schools site are fun ,entertaining and informative,while the extensive Directory of schools are a treasure trove.
Fitness Food run is one such game ,which I played to check whether it actually made sense.I also liked Fast food combat .It was easy to understand and kids will understand that free fruits and veggies are better than frozen and stale ones.
Sometimes interactive games serve a purpose.That’s why I played the recycling games where Tom and Jerry show river recycle game shows us how Tom and Jerry are cleaning up the river.I am a passionate advocate of environmental health and choosing to keep nature clean is our way of growing food rich in nutrients.
In case of online games ,be careful about how long you spend time on sites and kids must always be under supervision.
This is a partnered post .Kindly read my disclosure .
Sharing is good Karma!
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Review)
Hello dear readers!! I am back at it after quite some time with another book review. I’m quite sure you have heard it before. It’s one of the most famous Y/A, or, a ‘young adult’ fiction book. Written by Holly Jackson, I present to you- ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’’s review.
Firstly, let me just give a disclaimer that Young adult books refer to books read by people between the age groups of 12 and 18, but of course, older people can read them too. However, children younger than this age will have difficulty reading and understanding such books because they contain more mature content they wouldn’t understand.
A Good Girl’s guide to Murder- you know what, let’s just call it AGGGTM (partly because of convenience and partly since the internet calls it that and I want to be ‘#relateble’) tells us a story of a teenage girl, Pippa Fitz-Amobi who is investigating a cold case murder for her final year report.
Five years ago in the town of Little Kilton, Salil ‘sal’ Singh had allegedly killed Andrea ‘Andie’ Bell for reasons unknown. Why the ‘reasons unknown’ part? Because when Andie Bell went missing, a few days later the police claimed she was dead, as they found a supposed confession note in Salil Singh’s phone.
They closed the case.
Why?
Because Sal Singh was dead. He had killed himself.
And Andie Bell, after her death, was believed to be a Martyr, an ‘angel taken too soon’.
Or that’s what they thought.
Pippa believes Salil is innocent and wants to prove it. She, along with Ravi, Sal’s brother, investigate the case together. But, someone doesn’t want her to find answers. She’s being spied on. Left threatening notes. But she still doesn’t stop.
Will she be able to uncover this mystery and handle the horrifying truths she finds along with it? Or will her stalker manage to scare her into stopping?
I found this book awesome, and it’s something you can read again from the beginning just because of the beautiful way it’s written. I like how the author managed to weave the mystery into the story along with the casual teenage drama that occurs in life. And one good thing about it is that it’s exceptionally intriguing, and makes you want to read page after page without stopping.
Pippa’s production log and report drafts are included in the book, so you can read how she interviews everyone and collects information from both her point of view as well as third person narrative. It made me feel like I was solving the mystery alongside her.
I liked how her two best friends, Lauren and Cara play such an important role in the story. While at first you might think that they are just side characters and would have no sort of connection to the mystery, later on you discover just how well they are involved. Naomi, Cara’s elder sister, is also a major part in the story. We can see how Pippa is attached to them both and will do alot to protect them.
Ravi Singh is a crucial aspect in the story, as he is Sal’s brother and can connect better to the case than anyone else. Without his character most of the story would change drastically. He and Pippa grow closer and have a better bond because of this case-solving.
Another girl, Natalie D’Silva, is also included in the ‘major people’ list I have. Her backstory and relation with Andie is NOT good. Its reflects on cyber-bullying and harassment and brings you back to reality. This book also focuses on more of the modern problems in this world, like cyber bullying, backstabbing, fake friends, drug-dealing and alot more.
While the plot is actually serious and contains scary life truths, somehow it still contains humour and sarcasm, put in just the right places.
One thing to understand, however, is that because so many people, including Andie herself, her father, her sister, Naomi, etc were involved in different aspects of crime, there are a lot of clues, leading to a little confusion.
Most of it is very ground breaking and majorly theory-changing, which is impressive since I don’t know how the author managed to get so many ideas in the first place. It’s initially confusing how everything is linked to everyone. Towards the end of the story, we get to see who the real killer was, and I’m sure no one expected that, however, it fits perfectly.
A small problem was that I felt the author put too much evidence against everyone, and in the end, I feel some clues were unchecked, some leads were not followed up on, and some stories not match at all. It’s like: “OOOHHHH, So THATS why this was like this-” and then suddenly, out of the blue “oh wait, no.”
Otherwise, though, this book was one of the best murder-mystery-thrilller I’ve ever read. Would most definitely recommend it!
Well ‘fare thee well’, my dear readers! See you later in another review. Cheerio 🙂
Sharing is good Karma!
Winter: Things I love (Then and Now)
I grew up in Kolkata where winters meant cool mornings,cold nights but daytime required just a plain cardigan at most.
At nights, we looked forward to the lep/blanket which was a bright red colour ,hand-made stuffed with cotton and was taken out to be aired, well before the nights we needed them.
The weight of those comforters were way more than the modern ones and the cotton in them kept us warm as toast.
Then came those Darjeeling oranges .Sweet tangy and just the right amount of skin on them.Absolutely binge worthy.Lake market in South Kolkata had some of the best fruits on offer and my mother ensured we never fell short of fruits.
Winters also meant the long Christmas holidays which a Convent school usually has.But since I studied in West Bengal board,the final exam of the year happened in December just before Christmas holidays. That meant, that particular school holidays were really happy holidays.
My mother was working at a Central Government office with her work place at Park Street .Come winter holidays, Park street , New Market and Kolkata herself was decked up in all holiday fineries.Christmas decorations and lights made the entire place look like a giant party zone.
My sister was working there from 2018 to 2023 .While coming back from work in December, she shared pictures and videos of all those fairy lights.That made nostalgia nostalgic!
While there was a school picnic at Victoria grounds or Nicco park where we shared ,fried rice,chilli chicken,dosa, ice cream and cold drink without thoughts of calories,seed oils or food additives family picnics always had home cooked food.My mother and aunts remembered to cook and pack luchi, aloor dom and sandesh for breakfast ,followed by plain rice ,dal,aloo bhaja ,mutton kasha,mishti for lunch even if we visited the Alipur Zoo .As kids it was a no worry zone about what to eat.We ate everything .
My friend Rukmini’s mom Debjani aunty,took us out for Christmas Eve dinner and a stroll down Park Street.Those were good times.
As a grown up now winters are full of picnics in mango orchards at Malda,New Year’s Eve dance party at our Kolkata apartment complex,winter vacation with family and friends, winter mornings in the village home,winter garden full of Petunia, Marigold,Rose.
I still love curling under a blanket with a good book .
New memories in old places and new .That’s what seasons of life is about.
What’s your favorite winter memory?Let me know in the comments below.
Sharing is good Karma!
11 Favorite Books of 2024 Perfect for Christmas Gifting #BlogchatterWrapParty
Books are my all time favorite.Authors are my friends as well as teachers and the biggest reason behind everything I do.If there’s something I want to learn,I always research a book on the topic.But this year was amazing. I managed to read a large number of both fiction,nonfiction,children and books for Adults.I also bought books on painting and that’s always a pleasure .
My favorite books for 2024 for Adults
- Under the Influence by Malini Agarwal
- Enid Blyton the Biography by Barbara Stoney
- The Treasure Hunters by Enid Blyton
- Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike 3) by Robert Galbraith
- Little Book of Serenity by Ruskin Bond
- Bonus book –Human body for Kids
For kids curated by my daughter who is also a contributor on the blog -Young Reader Book Review
- Frost Heart book 2 Escape from Aurora by Jamie Litter
- The Midnight Gang by David Walliams
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (one of my favourites too).
- Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson Book 1)
- The False Prince by Jennifer A Nielsen
