BOOK REVIEW #1

I bought “Adrian Mole & The Weapons of Mass Destruction” as a mystery book wrapped in newspaper and the label that read — “Chronicles of midlife, mistakes, and mild disasters" As I grow older, the intricacies of a midlife grips by my throat; I don’t want to repeat the common mistakes that most of the adults make in their lives. So, it didn’t take much convincing for me to get it.

Written in the format of diary entries, Sue Townsend immerses us in the life of Adrian Mole. I can best describe him as a ludicrous character who eventually becomes tolerable, almost annoyingly gains sympathy as you read the final pages of the book.

If there’s a fictional character who can make me go, “At least my life is better than this guy”, it’s Adrian Mole. Underbaked core values, dissociative personality that “listens to himself get engaged to a woman he does not love”, ridiculous financial decisions, and surrounded by other morons and swans and cries himself to sleep when faced with the reality of war and death. This book in a nutshell made me laugh out loud, and shake my head furiously, and twisted my heart into knots all the same time.

As a writer, every book I read is a tool that builds on my own literature skills. The intricate details of 2002 Britain & it’s citizens are fairly hilarious to indulge upon, I think I have picked up how to include a lot of instances where a seemingly irrelevant plot point can add to the flavour of the story — I’m honestly a sucker for kutti (small) tangents that add humour or refine the universe of the story—

MY FAVORITE IRRELEVANT DETAIL COMES IN GOOD OMENS. The one where the entire London is stuck in a traffic jam due to the Anti-Christ and the police and military are trying to figure out what’s going on but there’s this hotdog guy in the middle trying to make ends meet. Man, now I have to go read Good Omens again.

COMING BACK to Adrian Mole, I finished the book and I got to know it’s a series?! I usually hate it when I get to know this important detail after it’s over, but yes, it didn’t throw me off too much. However, will I be reading another diary of this Adrian guy? I don’t think so. I have this huge list of books waiting and honestly I don’t think I can get through another book looking at this guy making terrible decisions and not strangle him (it’s tough considering he doesn’t exist)

Random tangent, last year I made a vow to read 50 books and I completed around 40. This year hasn’t been very successful in my reading scene, including Adrian Mole, I have read around 12 books??? But I won’t be too hard on myself, considering I WROTE A BOOK MYSELF! So yes. Achievement unlocked.

Now, I’m unemployed, I plan to make the most out of this break and read as many books as possible. If I start now, I could maintain my streak and hit 40 books, or if things go well (touchwood) maybe even 50!

Ah, I do love to yap, but hey, it’s MY blogsite, where else will I yap if not here? I’m planning to write more blogs as well. So I’ll catch you again, very soon?

Heading out,

Yutika.