Contemporary Reads

Reviews & recommendations of contemporary books.
Literary Fiction, Thrillers, Feel Good Books, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction & more…

27 November 2022 | Sunday · 9:24 AM

How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water

How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water
Title:
How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water
Series:
NA
Genre:
Literary Fiction
Publisher:
John Murray
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
209
Source:
Book Forums 2023

Look what I found!! This is exactly how I feel having picked this book from Angie Cruz. Honestly, I had seen this book a couple of times in the past few weeks. The title seemed indicative of some self-help or better living book. But when it popped up again last week, I decided to give it a go. And boy, am I not pleased!

How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water is a unique story narrated by the protagonist Cara Romero – a Dominican immigrant, in her mid 50s & having lost her job to Recession. Enrolled in a 12 session job counselling program to help procure a suitable job, she instead ends up narrating …

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5 November 2022 | Saturday · 11:00 AM

Demon Copperhead: A Dark Story With Spurts of Brightness

Demon Copperhead | Book Review

The intended similarity to David Copperfield is what drew me towards this book by Barbara Kingsolver. I usually lack the patience for a weighty 600+ pages book. But such was my ardour to read the modernized version of the classic that I pepped myself to do it.

Demon Copperhead traces the life of the protagonist Damon Fields – from the time of his birth in freakish circumstances, his life as an orphan accentuated by his journey through various foster homes, his adult life, a short lived fame and the unsavoury habits that threaten to ruin his life.

The book starts with a whole lot of promise and keeps you engaged with a vivid and realistic narration of the adversity and challenges faced by little Damon starting with his birth in the most bizarre situation. It brings to light so wonderfully well – the hardships that a child is forced …

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18 October 2022 | Tuesday · 5:51 PM

The Housemaid: The Spine Chilling Read of 2022

The Housemaid | Freida McFadden | Book Review

An intriguing name, enticing you just enough to pick this one outright. The Housemaid comes from the house of Freida McFadden – an acclaimed name when it comes to thrillers. It is the first in The Housemaid Series and you can be assured of a roller coaster of a ride guaranteeing a flurry of adrenaline rush.

Speaking of the name, one cannot help draw a comparison with one of the most successful books of the year – The Maid by Nita Prose. What’s more, even the names of the protagonists sound similar – Molly The Maid and here it is Millie. But that is where the similarity ends!

The Housemaid begins with one of the central characters – Nina – sitting in her home, with the detectives investigating something, which is not immediately disclosed to the reader. From there on, the story goes into flashback – 3 months …

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11 October 2022 | Tuesday · 4:56 PM

Next In Line (Jeffrey Archer)

Next In Line | Jeffrey Archer

Its celebration time as Willam Warwick and the team are back! Next In Line brings back all your favorite characters, for those of us who have followed the William Warwick series. Few things give the high that reading a Jeffrey Archer book on a lazed out, relaxed Saturday afternoon!

Next In Line conforms to the same set pattern that this series has so diligently stuck to. The ongoing story of the shrewd Miles Faulkner picks up from where it had left in Over My Dead Body. And, it continues to thread together all the books of this series. While in addition to it – just as in previous books – there is a fresh case at hand for Warwick and his team, which is unique to this book. From painting heists, drug cartels, corruption and murders, this time round they are tasked with Royalty Protection.

An interesting aspect of …

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28 September 2022 | Wednesday · 5:37 PM

The Botanist: Washington Poe Book #5

The Botanist | M.W. Craven | Book Review

So, yet another thriller. And yet another thriller series. The Botanist is the 5th in the DS Washington Poe series of books. But it is my first. There were quite a few deterrents as I picked this book up. First, with so many thrillers one after another, I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to read another. And second, at 500 odd pages, this was threatening to test my patience for sure! But whoa! Am I not glad I read this. I would have missed such an enjoyable & engaging read.

The plot in a nutshell – some well known people of the city are mysteriously dying, each receiving a weird poem & a dried flower as a warning (or threat). And despite the most stringent of security measures in place, the security forces are failing to save them. So, this basically forms the case that DS Poe and his team …

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13 September 2022 | Tuesday · 5:24 PM

Dream Town: Aloysius Archer (Book 3)

Dream Town | David Baldacci | Aloysius Archer

The 3rd book in the Aloysius Archer Series, Dream Town carries forward the adventurous & lethally dangerous journey of PI Archer as he continues to strive towards making this world a better place, notwithstanding the threats to his own life, miraculously escaping death on more than one occasion.

The story picks up from where The Gambling Man ended, except that 3 years have passed since. And Archer is now on his way to LA to meet his friend and aspiring actress from the previous book – Liberty Callahan. And as he does so, he finds himself unwittingly a part of a complex and dangerous ploy with it’s roots running deep. The story thus makes it’s transition from the dark undertone of Bay Town from the previous book to a bright & glittering LA – the city of dreams.

It was revelling to see the old characters return! The …

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