Showing posts with label Balli Kaur Jaswal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balli Kaur Jaswal. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Twitter

Published: 2017
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Historical, Romance, Women's Fiction, London, Indian culture
Hardback: 304
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
Why did Mindi want an arranged marriage?

Every woman has a secret life . . .

Nikki lives in cosmopolitan West London, where she tends bar at the local pub. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she’s spent most of her twenty-odd years distancing herself from the traditional Sikh community of her childhood, preferring a more independent (that is, Western) life. When her father’s death leaves the family financially strapped, Nikki, a law school dropout, impulsively takes a job teaching a "creative writing" course at the community center in the beating heart of London’s close-knit Punjabi community.

Because of a miscommunication, the proper Sikh widows who show up are expecting to learn basic English literacy, not the art of short-story writing. When one of the widows finds a book of sexy stories in English and shares it with the class, Nikki realizes that beneath their white dupattas, her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories. Eager to liberate these modest women, she teaches them how to express their untold stories, unleashing creativity of the most unexpected—and exciting—kind.

As more women are drawn to the class, Nikki warns her students to keep their work secret from the Brotherhood, a group of highly conservative young men who have appointed themselves the community’s "moral police." But when the widows’ gossip offers shocking insights into the death of a young wife—a modern woman like Nikki—and some of the class erotica is shared among friends, it sparks a scandal that threatens them all.


My two-bits:

Despite the title, this story is a bit more serious with a slightly dark edge.

Learning about the culture and Indian side of London was interesting. The erotic stories were entertaining. And, the overall romance layer pulled everything together nicely.

~*~

* part of Reese Witherspoon's Book Club (here)

* part of World Reads challenge - India (here)

Monday, July 2, 2018

World Reads: India

World Reads
hosted by Stephanie Jane
details | my world posts

World Reads blog series challenge is to encourage and promote the reading of global literature. On the 5th of each month Stephanie Jane highlights five books. Everyone is welcome to join in by reading one or more books from a different country each month, write a post about them and include the World Reads banner.

My reading list:

Experiencing India and Indian-American stories this month.

A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
-Literary, Family, India, Muslim
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4

The Bollywood Bride
by Sonali Dev
-Romance, Asian American, India
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: tba

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
by Balli Kaur Jaswal
-Women's Fiction, India
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5

River of Flesh and Other Stories:
The Prostituted Woman in Indian Short Fiction
by Ruchira Gupta
-Short stories, Women's Studies
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4

When Dimple Met Rishi
by Sandhya Menon
-YA, Romance, Asian American, India
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Lovely Books and Things - 3.31.18

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

HAPPY THINGS:

1. Hanging out with the kid who is home from college for spring break :-)

2. Grilled Cheese sandwich made with cheese from Cowgirl Creamery - yummy in the tummy

3. Crafting projects - from craft magazines mentioned in a previous post (here)


I made my first pom pom creature with a pom pom maker from Mollie Makes #88 spring edition. It turned out scrappy looking - so dubbed it the zombie chick.


From the Make Special Cards magazine kit, I made a spring card themed card by assembling some of the kit ingredients into a layered piece. Sending it off to one of my nieces.

FYI: I ended up using the stickers, washi tape, etc. from the My Creative Journal kit for my Happy Planner and will use the journal for something else later.

~*~

Bought:

Tokyo Hearts
by Renae Lucas-Hall
-Romance, Japan
Amazon | Goodreads

FOR a Japanese reading binge I will be doing in April.

Death Going Down
by María Angélica Bosco
-Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Argentina
Amazon | Goodreads

FOR Foreign Intrigue Book Club April pick (here).

Author event:


Book Passage, Corte Madera hosted a Q&A with Jacqueline Winspear for the release of To Die but Once (Amazon | Goodreads). She mentioned that this book was inspired by her Dad and his war experience.

For Review:

Perfectly Misunderstood
by Robin Daniels
-Romance, YA
Release date: April 4, 2018
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Library:

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
by Balli Kaur Jaswal
-Women's Fiction, India
Amazon | Goodreads

FOR Reese Witherspoon's book club March pick (here).


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate


MARCH Box includes:
theme: Across the Galaxy

- Owlcrate spoiler card
- Owlcrate button - monthly theme
- Owlcrate booklet - includes Q&A with author
- Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
- Signed edition, letter and character poster from author
- Candle inspired by Kady Grant character of The Illuminae Files from Wick & Fable.
- Rocket of Guardians of the Galaxy FUNKO pint-sized hero
- Bookmark inspired by Star Wars created by Lexy Olivia
- Infinity scarf by Owlcrate
- Ceramic mug inspired by Lunar Chronicles designed by Sasha Natasha.

Heart of Iron
by Ashley Poston
-Fantasy, SciFi, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him.

Ana’s desperate effort to save D09 leads her on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship that could offer all the answers. But at the last moment, a spoiled Ironblood boy beats Ana to her prize. He has his own reasons for taking the coordinates, and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them.

When everything goes wrong, she and the Ironblood end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

What they find in a lost corner of the universe will change all their lives—and unearth dangerous secrets. But when a darkness from Ana’s past returns, she must face an impossible choice: does she protect a kingdom that wants her dead or save the Metal boy she loves?



AND watched: in theatre

A Silent Voice (2016)
Koe no katachi (original title)
The Shape of Voice
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writers/Screenplay: Yoshitoki Oima, Reiko Yoshida, Amanda Winn Lee, Clark Cheng
Based on comic: Koe no katachi by Yoshitoki Oima
Based on book: Curry and Rice by Kiyoshi Shigematsu
-Animation, Drama, Romance, Japan | imdb | my rating: 4

A young man is ostracized by his classmates after he bullies a deaf girl to the point where she moves away. Years later, he sets off on a path for redemption.

INTERESTING take on the consequences of a bully.


Ready Player One (2018)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline
Based on book by: Ernest Cline
Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
-Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 5

When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.

LOVED the book, so had to see this. Although not as detailed as the book, it was adapted well for a fan like me.


AND watched: on DVD

Whisky Galore (2016)
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Writer: Peter McDougall
Stars: James Cosmo, Eddie Izzard, Naomi Battrick
-Comedy, Romance, Scotland | imdb | my rating: 4

Scottish islanders try to plunder cases of whisky from a stranded ship.

THIS was part of the Mostly British Film Festival selection that I missed seeing last month. So, I got the DVD to complete that viewing session.

Loved the small town island community and the humorous trials and tribulations that surround the love of whisky during a time when it was scarce.

Marshall (2017)
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Writers: Jacob Koskoff, Michael Koskoff
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens
-Biography, Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
Oscar 2018 nominee

The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.

GEM of a film that is a good bit of history about Thurgood Marshall.

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Monday, January 8, 2018

Reese's Book Club 2018

Reese's Book Club
@Reese’s Book Club

I have been enjoying Reese Witherspoon's Book Club posts on instagram since last July and finally decided to join. Below is the book list of selections since July which I will catch up on this year.

2018


Loved this list of reading goals and plan to take it on for mine.

~*~

DECEMBER
One Day In December by Josie Silver
Goodreads | my review: tba

NOVEMBER
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
Goodreads | my review: tba

OCTOBER
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Goodreads | my review: tba

SEPTEMBER
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5

AUGUST
Still Lives by Maria Hummel
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

JULY
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

JUNE
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

MAY
You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 3

APRIL
Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
by Heather Harpham
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF


MARCH
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5


FEBRUARY
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

JANUARY
Braving the Wilderness:
The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
by Brené Brown
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4


2017

DECEMBER
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 5

NOVEMBER
This is the Story of a Marriage by Ann Patchett
Amazon | Goodreads

OCTOBER
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Amazon | Goodreads

SEPTEMBER
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5

AUGUST
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5

JULY
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4

JUNE
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Contemporary, Mental Health | Published: 2017 | Goodreads


Saturday, November 25, 2017

Lovely Books and Things - 11.25.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~

This post that covers the last three weeks as I am doing some catchup after returning from vacation last week. Had a lovely time in Singapore and Bali and picked up some books from each for my souvenirs.

Happy things:

1. Turkey time with friends and family
2. Catching up on sleep
3. Sharing stories

~*~

Bought:

Sugarbread
by Balli Kaur Jaswal
-Contemporary Fiction, Singapore
Amazon | Goodreads

GOT this in Singapore which was recommended at BooksActually bookstore.

Beauty Is A Wound
by Eka Kurniawan
-Historical, Magical Realism, Bali
Amazon | Goodreads

GOT this in Ubud, Bali which was recommended at Periplus bookstore.

Bali Undercover
by Malcolm Scott
-Social conditions, Bali
Amazon | Goodreads

GOT this at the Bali airport which was recommended at Periplus bookstore.

Are You Alive?
My Journey of Hope
by Valerie Barlow
-Memoir
courtesy of the author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

GOT this as a gift after meeting and lunching with Valerie. She's so cool!


For Review:

Have You Met Nora?
by Nicole Blades
-Women's Fiction
courtesy of Wunderkind -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Tercentennial Baron
by Will Damron
narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds
-Fantasy, YA, Scotland
courtesy of Forte Business Consulting -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads | Smashwords | Audible


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Book Blogger Hop
features a book related question
Sponsored by The Coffee Addicted Writer (details)

This week's prompt: What's your immediate feeling when entering a bookstore, as compared to how you feel when entering a department store?
(submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books)

LOVE looking at every nook and cranny in a bookstore to see what all it there.


AND watched: on DVD

My Cousin Rachel (2017)
Director/Adaptation: Roger Michell
Based on the novel by: Daphne Du Maurier
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger
-Drama, Mystery, Romance | imdb | my rating: 5

A young Englishman plots revenge against his late cousin's mysterious, beautiful wife, believing her responsible for his death. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: seven. game of thrones. Iain Glen

Loved the time period and setting is presented. I liked how the cousin Rachel kept me off balance. I gotta re-watch this.

Frank (2014)
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Screenplay: Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan
Based on news article: Jon Ronson
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender
-Comedy, Drama, Music | imdb | my rating: 4

Jon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: twenty. true detective. Travis Hammer

Travis Hammer appears briefly as a tree surgeon. I was not sure what I was getting into with this movie as the big paper-mâché head gives off a campy vibe. But this was a surprisingly good film. And Michael Fassbender and Maggie Gyllenhaal sing!

American Psycho (2000)
Director/Screenplay: Mary Harron
Screenplay: Guinevere Turner
Based on the novel: Bret Easton Ellis
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux
-Crime, Drama | imdb | my rating: 5

A wealthy New York investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: thirteen. ally mcbeal. Justin Theroux

Does well in capturing the decadent 80s with a synth and pop soundtrack that buffers the doings of a psycho killer. Ick.

A Knight's Tale (2001)
Director/Writer: Brian Helgeland
Stars: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell
-Action, Adventure, Romance | imdb | my rating: 5

After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: six. firefly. Alan Tudyk

Renaissance times with a modern beat made this highly entertaining tale.

Drive (2011)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Screenplay: Hossein Amini
Based on book: James Sallis
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston
-Crime, Drama | imdb | my rating: 5

A mysterious Hollywood stuntman and mechanic moonlights as a getaway driver and finds himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbor.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: eighteen. rizzoli and isles. Tina Huang

A bit of the gritty side of L.A. that wears you down. Ryan Gosling's character does some fast and fancy driving on L.A. streets - what a concept ;-)


AND watched: on airplane

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Director/Writer: James Gunn
Based on comic by: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana
-Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | imdb | my rating: 4

The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: eleven. knight rider. David Hasselhoff.

Fun sequel with more backstory. Kid Groot was adorable.


Baby Driver (2017)
Director/Writer: Edgar Wright
Stars: Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm
-Action, Crime, Music | imdb | my rating: 4

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: four. downton abbey. Lily James

In for a sweet ride which includes a blaring soundtrack.

Daddy, You, Daughter, Me (2017)
Director: Hyung Hyup Kim
Stars: Je-Moon Yoon, So-Min Jung, Il-hwa Lee
-Comedy, Drama, Family, South Korea | imdb | my rating: 5

In this the daughter used to spend time with her father when she was a child but when she grew up her relation with his father became weak ...suddenly a new twist came in their life which caused them to understand each other again...with this new twist many things happen...

CUTE freaky friday-like family comedy.

Part-time Spy (2017)
Director/Writer: Deok-Soo Kim
Stars: Ye-won Kang, Chae-Ah Han
-Action, Comedy, South Korea | imdb | my rating: 5

Jang Young-Sil (Kang Ye-Won) barely lands a job at the NSA (National Security Agency). She is hired as a contract worker to write positive comments for the NSA. Na Jung-An (Han Chae-Ah) is a detective who often uses foul language. They carry out an infiltration operation to recover money that was stolen from her boss in a voice phishing scheme.

COOL look into the work situation for women in South Korea.

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

:-)
 
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