Impulse Buy: The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle by Enid Blyton

The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle was one of the first books I remember having read...actually my Dad and brother read the book to me and when I was able to read, it was the first book I ever read. I would have never parted with this book but I guess we lost it while moving houses years back.I have been looking for it for quite sometime and I was so overjoyed to find it.

I found this book on Amazon long back but it was really expensive but I continued looking for it on Amazon and book stores, and finally found it at a very reasonable price on Amazon. I have moved on from reading children's books like and thought I would not buy it but just make sure it is around in circulation. However, I just bought is nonetheless without thinking about it too much.

As a child, I read and re-read this book several times. I just loved the book and still do, and it has made a lasting impression on me. Some of my user names of various social media platform have been inspired by the characters in this book.

The book was delivered to me a short while a ago today (earlier than expected) and I "unboxed" it just a short while back. I was happy and a tad bit disappointed but the balance tipped more to the happy side. The only reason I was disappointed was- the cover illustrations of the book that I had as a child was:

The book that I got had a different cover illustrations (see below):

However, the illustrations inside the book (it is not heavy on illustrations) are just the same as the book I had as a child.

This is a perfect book to start reading to children or get children into a habit of reading. It is a book all children are going to love. I do not think I should be rating this precious gem.

The book has 11 extremely short stories. As the name suggests, the story revolves around Mr. Pink-Whistle who does good to people. I know it is not much of review but the stories are really small and I really cannot say much other than the fact that children are going to love it. My favourite story from the book as a child, A Surprise for Dame Gentle. Another reason why I love the book is- the description of food in many of the stories is just yummy!!!

If you ever get your hands on this book, do grab it and enjoy it thoroughly.

It's All in the Planets- by Preeti Shenoy

I pre-ordered this book by Preeti Shenoy on Amazon and to my surprise, I received a personally signed off book by the author after it was released. I have read all the books by Preeti Shenoy except 34 Bubblegums and Candies and Why We Love the Way We Do. I had also reviewed some of her books in the past. Please click here to read those reviews if you are interested.

Coming to this book- I really felt like I was watching a movie. The book is very fast paced and the storyline does keep one hooked. However, some of the things mentioned did not feel very Indian- maybe, I am still living in a completely different time. One example would be someone having a relationship coach. There are a few other things which does make the book feel a work of fiction and unreal.

The title of the book suggests that the planetary movements and the like have an impact on our lives. Though the writer has tried her best to incorporate this element in the book, it is not very obvious or clear and does not even seem like the main theme of the book.

The book is a story of love which Aniket has for Tisha, who are NOT made for each other but they seem to in a relationship for a long time. On a train journey, Aniket meets a relationship blogger- Nidhi, who seems to be the right person for him but is engaged to a man named Manoj. Aniket is madly in love with Tisha. Nidhi and Aniket become the best of friends just after one meeting. When things are not going well between Aniket and Tisha, he asks Nidhi to be his relationship coach. There is a series of events which turn all four lives upside down and how they deal with this.

What I really love about the book is the lovely description of Nidhi's home. I could just picturize how it would be like in my mind. I also loved how she lead her life- the description is amazing and liberating.

There are some other characters in the book as well- Aniket's friend Subbu, Nidhi's family, Aniket's family, an astrologer (sorry, I forget her name) and a few other random characters. Most of these characters just make very brief appearances in the book. While some play an important part in the book (I really cannot reveal as it could be a spoiler) in character building, others just appear to make the story more real.

Though the post may not look like I thought too highly of the book, I actually liked it much better than some of Preeti Shenoy's other books. It is not as good as Life is What You Make It. On a scale of 5, I would rate the book 4/5.