bookalicious

This movie made me laugh, ponder and cry at the same time which is why its absolutely worth watching.

This is a story about a group of teenage boys in an all male-preparatory school held aback by their oppressive teachers and parents from following their dreams. They were frustrated of trying to live up to their parent’s expectations all their life. A gleam of hope could be seen in each one of their eyes for wanting to achieve something great and pursuing their interests. They were strong willed but made weak by fate and circumstances.

Robin William's performance as Professor John Keating was impeccable and that could be witnessed in each and every scene; for me he personified Professor Keating forever. Mr Keating’s demeanor was calming and yet there was something slightly emotionally unsettling about him. Knox Overstreet has portrayed love in a remarkably beautiful way. In his poem to Chris, he wrote, “The heavens made a girl named Chris, with hair and skin of gold. To touch her would be paradise.” This poem highlighted Knox’s profound affection for Chris, despite her having a boyfriend. Interpreting ‘seize the day’, in his own way, Knox chose to act on his feelings and express his love for her. Neil perry and Professor Keating played a crucial role in transforming the personality of Todd Anderson from a shy and quiet person to an outspoken man. He became confident and eventually believed that his ideas deserved to be heard. Charlie Dalton could be seen as rebellious and outgoing with a strong sense of free spirited self. One of my favourite dialogues of Charlie would probably be where Mr Keating conducted a session of avoiding conformity and had the boys marching around the yard in their own unique way and pace, and Charlie said that he would be exercising his right not to walk, thus proving Mr.Keatings point. In the beginning Neil appeared to be obedient, humble and very well behaved. However, as the story evolved, the independent, rebellious and passionate side of him was revealed. His father had high expectations from him and pressurized him to pursue a career in medicine; yet he chose to follow his passion for acting, which was absolutely unacceptable to his dad. His father’s derogatory comments resulted in a huge tragedy.

The movie revolves around the themes of nonconformity, self-discovery, individuality, seizing opportunities , and the beauty and significance of poetry. Mr Keating went beyond teaching poetry; he inspired them to look at life from a different perspective and to challenge societal norms . He advised them to pursue their true interests with courage because “poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

I must say we need more teachers like Mr Keating who break out from the orthodox methods of teaching and emphasize the need for creativity. Students should be encouraged to develop their own ideas instead of being compelled to learn by rote. Education is not just meant to find a job but it should also aim at enriching your life and making it worth living. He never taught them what makes a poem good or bad but rather placed importance on how a poem makes one feel. You might not like a Shakespeare poem but if “Incy Wincy Spider” leaves an impression on you , well then it’s a masterpiece.

At the end of the movie when his students stood up on their desks showing respect and support, Mr Keating’s smile was deeply significant and conveyed a whole lot of emotions; pride, gratitude and a touch of sadness. He was moved by his students gesture and was assured that his teachings made a profound impact on them. While it was a joyous moment for him to see the respect in his student’s eyes, he was a bit upset for the way the school authorities expelled him from the school.

What I reckon

is that we are all equal despite what somesay.

What i reckon

is there is no such thing as supremacy.

What's significant

is the soul and not the hue of skin,

it's the morals and beliefs

not the contrast in appearance.

We all differ, it doesn't matter,

in religion caste and colour.

If everyone was the same

wouldn't the world seem too monotonous and bland?

Has one ever thought

of this unjust prejudice,

this groundless biasness in the world

and how to do away with it.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder is a thriller about a 17-year-old girl who is determined to investigate a murder that took place in her town 5 years ago.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a perfectionist and a straight ‘A’ student chooses the case of disappearance of Andie Bell as her final year project. Everyone had presumed that Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, and a few days later killed himself. But this story had always seemed a bit fishy to Pippa so she decided to dig deeper into the case to find out the real killer. She was able to connect the dots and find out clues and truths that were clearly overlooked by the police. The police’s biggest piece of evidence was a text message from Sal to his parents in which he confessed about being Andie’s murderer. And apparently, this was enough for the police to close the case. Pippa still denied to believe that Sal was guilty even when all the clues and evidences pointed to him. She received various threatening messages to stop her investigation but she decided to ignore these threats because she was committed to prove Sal’s innocence. Ravi, Sal’s younger brother, became her partner in crime in the case. As they investigated further, the persons of interests list of Pippa kept getting longer and longer…….which also included many of her close ones.

The format in which the book was drafted was very engrossing and out of the box. The transcripts of the entries, text messages and photos of evidences were more than enough to keep me engaged. At some point it also made me feel that I was the one solving the case. I loved putting on the detective cap and solving the mysteries alongside Pippa. I was quite impressed and also surprised at how my gut feeling always turned out to be wrong. There were twists and turns, new suspects, new clues and mysteries in almost every chapter. I was completely glued to the book and couldn’t keep my eyes off of it.

There were some things that didn’t rock my socks. I expected the ending to be more interesting but I was a bit dissatisfied. The body of the story was a 10/10 but what didn’t float my boat was the ending. The fact that both of the ‘killers’ blurted out all their wrong doings and crimes instantaneously was questionable and felt unreal. Also, some of the suspicions made by Pippa seemed random and offhand. One thing that was missing was the source of motivation of Pippa to find out about a case that was closed 5 years ago.This was a very important part of the book that the author failed to mention BUT I still don’t take back my word about how utterly amazing the book was. Holly Jackson managed to make it a book with lot of tension and exceptional pacing.

My critical thinking skills were put to work while reading this book. All the clues were tied together intelligently. So overall this story was extremely entertaining. It was a huge page turner and I would sell my soul to read it for the first time again but luckily I won’t have to say goodbye to it yet BECAUSE there are two more books lined up.

This is not to change your mindset but to just provide you with a broader perspective. Teens dating in India has always been very frowned upon. It is considered a taboo in India. I think it's important for parents to understand that interest in dating and wanting to date is normal for adolescents especially in this generation.

All the news that comes on a regular basis regarding teenage dating makes parents all the more worried. Another reason of concern can be a distraction from the career. But parents need to accept the fact that their teen is going to date. Neglecting these topics or putting a complete ban will only provoke them to try it more. It's the same as, the harder you push a spring, the faster it will bounce back. We are told that these are the golden years of our life that will never come back and that our life depends upon how we utilise this time and this is absolutely true but parents need to acknowledge that teens are rebels and they are gonna do it no matter what. People think that today's generation is affected by the Western culture. Sometimes that might be the case and sometimes it's not. Sometimes you connect on a different level altogether and have each other as a psychological support. It's not always peer pressure or impact of others. No matter how much you ignore or forbid from discussing on this topic, your teen is probably dating someone out there. It is important to know that along with warning your kid about how it will affect their future, they should be taught how to draw a line and get their priorities sorted. As time changes, people change too, so society will have to learn to accept this change in today's generation.

And if a cute little relationship makes your kid happy then why not?

(My opinion)

A perfect companion for me would be someone who likes me for who I am. Someone who is serene and talks things through at the time of a squabble. He supports my dreams and ambitions and stands up for me when the rest of the world thinks I am silly. Someone who is not only my life partner but also my best friend. Who may hold my hand for a while but never let go off my heart. He shares everything with me because a true relationship is when there are no lies and no secrets. He may be simple but should always be there for me and stand as a pillar of support when I need him the most.

By Sia Srivastava

India has fascinated people from all over the world with its rich culture and heritage. The tourism potential of India attracts a large number of international tourists. India had been blessed with a cultural, geographical and linguistic diversity.

India is every person's wish to visit. Experiencing the different cultures is very exiting for tourists. The golden-yellowish deserts, and the breathtaking views from the Northern Plains are indeed worth visiting. Not to forget the pulchritudinous monuments that are spread all over India, each one having a historical story behind it. The huge coastline with friendly beaches and delicious food is one of the highlights of India. And of course the unforgettable, finger-licking cuisine of different parts of India with a variety of spices. India is a land of holy cities. The most religious place is Varanasi. It is one of the biggest place of tourism. In India, along with villages, there are also modern cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. This, kind of balances the modernity and traditionalism.

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

                                         -Albus Dumbledore

When I first read Harry Potter, I did not know that I would get so engaged in it that I would start reading each and every part of it thoroughly. Here’s a summary.

Harry is an orphan who lives with his unsympathetic relatives, the Dursleys. He is forced to live in a tiny cupboard under the stairs. Then one day, letters start dropping on the doormat. All of them addressed to Mr. H Potter(Harry Potter). But his uncle destroys the letters before he could read it. Letters keep arriving and the Dursleys panic and hide away on a remote island. On Harry’s 11th birthday he has a visitor-Hagrid- a huge, beardy man. Hagrid reveals all about Harry, including that he is a wizard. Hagrid also tells him that the letters are from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid rescues Harry from his relatives and takes him to Hogwarts. On his train to  Hogwarts, he meets his future best friends- Hermione Granger(a muggle born) and Ron Weasley(a pure blood). Ron has little money but a huge family. Ron however is very friendly, loyal, kind and humorous. While Hermione values logic and knowledge and may have a bit of a reputation as a know-it-all, she prioritizes friendship and bravery over these things. In the wizarding world Harry is very famous and extremely special. He is the boy who lived. He is the one and only person to have ever survived the killing curse cast by the unrivalled Lord Voldemort(the villain). When school begins, things get really exhilarating. There is a sport called Quidditch(a very complicated type of sport played on brooms, it is a type of basketball), talking chess pieces, goblins running a bank, a trap door guarded by a three-headed dog named Fluffy, a baby dragon named Norbert and an Invisibility Cloak gifted to him on Christmas. There’s more for Harry to explore. The adventure begins here.

I can read this book over and over again. There is never a dull moment in this book, whether it is Harry facing Lord Voldemort or battling with a three-headed dog. I would definitely recommend this book as it is so engrossing that you can never put it down. After you finish reading this book, you will want to read more, and the second book is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which is just as great and fascinating as this one. If you haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books you are definitely missing on the best series ever.

Rating - 9/10

Mother, Mother, Mother

I’ll love you forever,

You have loved me like no other,

And we’ll always be together.

-

You blow away all my thunderstorms,

Protecting me in the most harrowing circumstances.

Your snuggly warm arms,

Are cozier than the world’s best beds.

-

You are my paintbrush,

Adding colors to the dullest of my days.

Using bright colors,

And making my life as bright as your smile.

-

I don’t think you know,

But you’re the coolest; believe me its true.

Stand aside wonder woman,

My mother rocks way more than you do!

SPRING

Animals wake up, flowers bloom,

And earth reawakens,

Children burst out of their rooms,

And their mischief begins.

SUMMER

Summer comes with hot days,

Some feel as happy as a sandboy,

Some loathe the heat of rays,

But I prefer a beach stay.

AUTUMN

The trees are shedding

Their precious golden drops,

Chilly gusts of wind are blowing.

And winter is forthcoming.

WINTER

While people bundle up in their jackets

I fancy binge-watching on my tablet,

Next to fire is where we prefer to sit,