J.K. Rowling

#5 Top Ten Tueday

Late again! Yesterday’s prompt wanted us to name our ALL-TIME favourite authors. Pretty exciting prompt!  Here are my top ten favourites:

10. Enid Blyton –  With Secret Seven, Famous Five, and The Magic Faraway Tree, she kindled the fire of reading in me.

9. Roald Dahl – Oh Matilda! Oh Esiotrot! Oh The Fantastic Mr.Fox! Roald Dahl brightened my childhood with his innovative and quirky stories.

8. Ruskin Bond – Quite the children’s writer and a YA writer too! From The Room On The Roof and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, he made me cry and laugh in turn with his stunning description of nature and gave words to emotions we couldn’t name.

7. Agatha Christie – My cousin compelled me to read Evil Under The Sun until I went out of my mind. By far, she’s one of the best crime writers the world has ever seen.

6. Kalki Krishnamurthi – Ponniyin Selvan ( The Son Of The Ponni River ) is one of the most majestic historical romances ever written by him. I am unfortunate to not know enough Tamil to read this book, but even in English, I was attracted by his vivid descriptions and intriguing story for the throne of the Cholas.

5. Frances Hodgson Burnett – Anybody who has read The Little Princess or The Secret Garden will know my reasons for selecting her. If you haven’t read them…well, give it a shot, and you’ll understand.

4. Louisa May Alcott – Of Little Women fame, her stories are always delightfully beautiful.

3. Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games says all I ever wanted to say about her.

2. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson And The Olympians shook me like anything. I developed a great love for mythology, and had split my sides laughing with Percy’s description of the Gods.

1. J.K. Rowling – Rightfully tops my list along with Harry Potter.

Who are YOUR favourite authors? Tell us in by commenting below!

#3 Top Ten Tuesday

Today’s prompt requires us to name the top ten characters with whom we would like to check in with (that is, about who’s future we want to know more about).

10. Peeta Mellark – How did he even convince Katniss to have kids? How did he regain his normalcy? So many questions. So little time.

9. Amy Cahill – Long time no see, Amy. You dumped (rather, saw the the death) of your boyfriend, now what next?

8. Dattatrerya – The last I heard of him, he was setting out to rescue his lady-love from the clutches of a womanizing drunkard.

7. Uruvi – This poignant character from Karna’s Wife had me enthralled. Whatever happened to her?

6. Alice Cullen – Come on, she’s the only reason I ever got through the Twilight Saga. I owe her that one (or rather, I don’t).

5. Albus Severus Potter – Slytherin or Gryffindor? Gryffindor or Slytherin? The suspense is killing me…

4. Gale Hawthorne – I didn’t really like Gale, but he fact that he was spurned by Katniss just because he got transferred to District Two makes me curious about how he’s faring now.

3. Draco Malfoy – THIS IS KILLING ME!!! Okay, he married Astoria, had a kid named Scorpius, then…WHAT??? J.K. Rowling should let us know…

2. Annie Cresta – Okay, I loved Finnick Odair, and that’s the only reason I’m including her here (I know I’m mean). I want to know more about her kid actually. Whether he’s as good-looking as Finnick or what…

1. Leo Valdez – Whatever happened to Leo after he returns from the dead and joins Calypso? This is the sort of mean end-of-the-series-think-for-yourself-now cliffhanger that Rick Riordan gives.

#1 Top Ten Tuesday

Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, I discovered this awesome meme all thanks to Nut Free Nerd and Bloggiesta!

Today’s prompt are the top ten books from my childhood that I’d love to revisit. Thankfully, I’ve many such books that have left a lasting impression on me.

10. The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas – Though it is considered a pretty boyish book, I loved it.

9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – A simple story of the trials and tribulations of four sisters, this series had me crying and laughing in turns.

8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan – This book was a huge part of my middle-school days, and I’d love to read it again.

7. Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie – This is the first Christie I ever read, and had me completely enthralled by Hercule Poirot.

6. Thomasina by Paul Gallico – Absolutely magical story of a cat with three lives.

5. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – Classic. That one word describes everything about this series.

4. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett – I started believing in Magic only when I read this book. Must read for everyone!

3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – Who doesn’t like this series? An integral  part of everyone’s childhood!

2. The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan – This series is racy, pacy, thrilling, chilling, and whatever other adjectives you’d use to describe a YA book.

1. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton – The magical feeling this series gives is unmatched by anything else I’ve read so far!

The Epic Reads Tag

The Epic Reads Tag

The Epic Reads Tag

After selfishly accepting Nut Free Nerd’s open nomination for this awesome tag, I’ve chosen to leave an open nomination to this tag as well!

And here come the questions:

1. If you could invite one author and one of their fictional characters to tea, who would you invite and what would you serve them?

That is easy! I’d invite Rick Riordan and Leo Valdez! I’d love to know how Rick managed to make so many people take such a great interest in a subject as drab as Greek mythology, and how he gathered courage to stand up for a sensitive topic in The House of Hades. That too in a YA book. And as for Leo, I’ve mentioned atleast a million times that he is one of my favourite characters in YA books. All said and done, I’d serve them some spicy Indian chaat, and maybe Leo could spare some nectar and ambrosia.

2. What book do you wish the author would write the prequel for?

Like everyone else, I would want a sequel for Harry Potter. The Marauders, Lily and Snape’s friendship, rise of the Death Eaters, life as an Auror…so much to know. So little time. Sigh.

3. Which two characters (NOT from the same book) do you think would make a good couple?

This question sucks, because if it were the same book, then I’d opt for Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy (I never did like Ron Weasley). However, as it is (sadly) prohibited, I’d probably go with Reyna Ramirez-Arellano from The Heroes of Olympus and Fred Weasley from Harry Potter. Okay, I know, Fred is dead, and Reyna is bitter, but I didn’t wish to break any OTP. Also, Fred has a huge chance of making Reyna laugh and keep her happy, while Reyna’s quick wit would go well with Fred.

4. If you ran into your favorite author on the subway and only could say one sentence to them who is it and what would it be?

Tough one. Well, let’s assume that I run into Agatha Christie (No, I’m still alive) I’d just say: PLEASED TO MEET YOU MISS CHRISTIE YOU MADE ME LOVE MYSTERIES THANKS FOR EVERYTHING and probably take a selfie with her.

5. What book made you a reader and why?

Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven series. I was only about seven then, and I fell in love with the thrill that the books offered. This made me embark on a bookworm’s adventure. And I’ve never looked back since then.

6. Your bookshelf just caught fire! What is the one book you would save?

I’d put off the fire and save all my books. Duh.

7. Which dystopian world would you want to live in and why

To be honest, I’m still to read any book with a dystopian setting. Blame the library. So, just skipping it. But I consider Bella Swan’s universe hell enough to make me kill myself, so if it is considered dystopian… 😛

8. What is your most Epic Read of all time?

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. I still have literal goosebumps when Snape says:

You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? Yes. I’m the Half-Blood Prince.

As mentioned before, this is an open nomination. The more, the merrier!

Friendship And Harry Potter…

Almost every Potterhead would remember the brilliantly crafted quotes on friendship and love from the Harry Potter series. On the occasion of Harry Potter’s 34th birthday, J.K. Rowling’s 49th birthday, and Friendship Day, let’s celebrate love, friendship and good cheer with some of these heart-warming quotes, which will bring back the happy times we spent with our friends and Harry.

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

“Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry — be careful!”

“I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth…
And they didn’t desert me at all. Instead they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi.
They couldn’t keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals.”

“Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still. For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent. In this divine glass, they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure. This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.   William Penn, More Fruits of Solitude”

“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort’s gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”

“You think I’m a fool?” demanded Harry.
“No, I think you’re like James,” said Lupin, “who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends.”