Zizzle Literary Magazine - A review

An enchanting experience for both adults and children.

I had never reviewed a literary magazine and was keen to see what this one had to offer. First impressions? This bright blue hardbound copy definitely speaks of quality - the thickness of the page and the bright illustrations were a definite plus when I held it in my hand.

I reckon the difference was more obvious after handling those flimsy magazines that my kids pick up at the supermarkets. This one stands out for its solid cover and eye catching illustration. As the caption goes, it is a literary magazine for young minds. Interesting. Young minds include those budding minds yet to blossom into adulthood and those young at heart. Sums up the ethos of the magazine well.

THE MAGAZINE

Zizzle is a literary magazine published in Hongkong but the contributors are from mostly from United States, UK and Malayasia. The foreword shares an interesting anecdote on how the magazine was born. It was initially visualised as a flash fiction for 8-12 year olds. However when the submissions came in, the editors realised its appeal to the adults too. The focus then changed to children's stories that can be enjoyed by everyone. Therein lies its beauty. Instead of compartmentalising it, the magazine has attained a flexible form providing an enjoyable experience for adults and children.

What works:

• The layout. Each story is neatly spaced with and categorised in terms of reading level - Easy, Less easy, Not easy. It challenges the reader without putting them off. Like that.

• Author connection. Each story is accompanied by the writer's childhood photograph. A great way of getting acquainted with the writer before digging into the story.

• The stories are just the right length, a quick bedtime read.  

• There are tiny quotations that allow the reader to ponder over the story, adding value to the experience.

• The well planned illustrations bring the stories to life, adding colour and imagination to the pages. 

• The USP of the magazine is that these are stories about children that adults can enjoy too. Reminds me of the Disney movies that I enjoy watching with my kids. My eight-year-old daughter loved it especially when we read it together at bedtime. 

• What makes this a holistic experience is how the writers discuss their childhood books and share their experience of reading. A tiny detail that brings the reader and author closer.

• I also enjoyed reading the author bios where they also talk about idea behind the tale - a lovely insight into how stories are formed.

Verdict

• My daughter loved How the moon scared the giant. My favourite was the The Road to Valhalla - a story about a boy discovering his voice. 

• As a learner of the craft, I appreciate the style and the value of these stories. They are extremely high quality and yet accessible to the reader. A big plus in my book.

• I would think it is ideal for 11-14 year olds although they can also be enjoyed by younger children if the parent reads with them. Like I did. It gave me a chance to bond with my daughter through these stories.

For me as a reader, these were like a box of mouthwatering choco bites - quickly gone, but the aftertaste lingers on for a while. You won't be able to stop at just one.

Half a World Away - Cath Staincliff

We were planning a trip to the country and came upon this one when I was looking for books based on China. I had never read Staincliffe and was glad to find her at my local library.

The premise sounded interesting, a mother letting her daughter go on gap year only to realise her worst nightmare had come true.

Gist:

Lori Maddox has just finished her university and wants to go travelling. Her separated parents Jo and Tom drop her off at the airport and go back to their lives. Jo now has a new partner Nick and two young sons. In the beginning Lori keeps on updating them on her life through her blog, "Lori in the Orient" but then the updates stop coming. Jo and Tom begin to worry and then start calling for help.

Lori had moved to China to take up a English tutor job before she disappeared. Unable to find out anything 5000 miles away, Jo and Tom travel to Chengdu in the Sichuan province to track their daughter down. They get in touch with her life and try to find out what happened even as they realise that with each day of her disappearance, their chances of finding her is getting dim...

What works:

The opening scene of dropping their daughter off at the airport, the tension between the exes is captured well.

The characters are well etched. Nick, Tom, Lori and Jo sound like people we know. Easy to relate characters. Loved the way she establishes their personalities.

The way she describes China from a tourist point of view is endearing. I almost felt that I was travelling with Lori when she writes about her experiences. Also love the way Staincliff captured a gap year student's voice.

Staincliff is great with showing relationships. Loved the way the shift in relationships occur due to this life changing incident.

What doesn't:

The momentum sags a bit in the second half as the story reaches its high point - the reveal. Although it backs on track towards the end, the neat tying up of loose ends.

Overall, a good read. If only the reveal was handled properly, it would have been a great read, but nonetheless a good read. I enjoyed reading a story set in China. Read it for that novelty alone.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

photo courtesy: waterstones.com

My first read of the year and what a way to kick off the reading challenge.

I just finished this book and simply had to do this review. I had heard about this book on readingthepast book blog and was keen to get my hands on it. With a title like this, can you blame me?

For a while I was going through a reading slump. Nothing really interested me, I was unable to stick to something till the end. But thankfully this one has put an end to it.

The story with its bizarre premise, is intriguing but it had a big task ahead - To convince the reader to enter that weird world, be invested in the characters and stay interested.

The book does that and more.

Gist:

Blackheath is hosting a grand party at the big house. Guests have been invited to stay and servants working hard, preparing for a ball.

But at the heart of it is a murder. Of Evelyn Hardcastle and it will happen again and again. Aidan can stop it and save her but he needs to get to the killer. But the trouble is every time the day begins again, Aidan finds himself in the body of a different guest. And someone doesn't want him solving the murder.

What works:

• The premise is so weird - time travel, body hopping? but Turton makes it interesting. I was worried that the complicated nature of the premise will weigh down the plot but it doesnt. The superb first chapter that starts off as a very straightforward thriller like scene - takes the reader by hand, slowly taking her to the depths of the plot.

• What I loved about the chapter is that like the narrator, it could well be the reader, finding themselves at Blackheath with no clue of why they are there. The reader gets pulled in immediately as she along with the narrator try to figure out what was happening there.

• The style. What makes any reading experience great is the writing style. It was a joy to look for phrases and imagery that make the story telling a compelling read and an enjoyable experience. It made me take out my notebook to jot down the phrases to admire their beauty.

There's instinctive pause for my rejoinder, the rhythm of the moment collapsing under the weight of its absence.

or the description of how  the mansion Blackheath transformed at nightfall.....

The world's shrivelling beyond the windows, darkening at the edges and blackening at the centre. 

or lines so articulate that is a nod to the writer's skill...

• Nothing like a mask to reveal somebody's true nature.

The stories are spun from one mouth to another and by the time they reach me, they're rich details and patterns, strong enough to be carried out of here and into society.

Death's rolled his dice and Evelyn's paid her debt. All that was of value has been taken.

Some of the imagery that made me chuckle:

Working within the confines of Derby's intellect is like stirring croutons into a thick soup.

I could go on and on but this is testimony to the writer's skill at not only narrating a story that is weird but believable but also add to the reading experience with its rich imagery and superb turn of phrase.

But finally hats off to the writer for building this fantasy world where nothing is as it seems  - at once concrete and abstract.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience to say the least.

What doesn't:

It feels like a fairground ride, thrilling till the end and then a feeling that all is known. But in this case because the device used is so brilliantly handled, it will be exciting to re read it again to find out how
the writer pulled out a stunt like that. There is definitely more than one reading to this book and that is where it scores.

A very well crafted story. Highly recommended.

The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn

photo courtesy:amazon.in

A creepy thriller that is reminiscent of Hitchcock

I was surprised to see this book compared to Rear Window. Having read the book now I can see why. The hype around a book is a sureshot way of heading for disappointment, I believe. However, this is a new writer and sounded very promising from his interviews .

Gist:
Anna is holed up in her house - she is agoraphoic. She loves looking out of her windows into her neighbours - and one day she ends up seeing something bad happen to one of them.
She is on medication, alcoholic and cannot step out of her house.
Will anyone believe her?

What works:

• The writer is writing for today's audience. Crisp sentences, narrative that completely pulls you in are its hallmark traits.

• Anna, the flawed heroine is so reminiscent of today's heroines whether it was Girl on the Train or Before I go to Sleep. It is perfect in line with a characterisation where the protagonist is grappling with her own issues before she can go out there and stop the perpetrator.

• The writing is so tight that it doesn't let you off the hook at all. I found myself tied to it. A great way of smashing that reader's block that I was struggling with.

• Full of action, I can already visualise it as a movie.

What doesn't:

• Although the ride was good, once the suspense is over you feel like you are done with it all. I do not think I will go back to it for a re-read.

Uncommon Type - Tom Hanks

photo courtesy: amazon.co.uk

Too much hype, too little delivered.

I love Tom Hanks as an actor. I have watched You've Got Mail hundreds of times and enjoyed it every time. The story, plot and the Hanks and Ryan combination is amazing. I loved his boyish charm and his ability to get into the skin of the character. I loved him as Dr. Langdon although the subsequent ones were not as good as the first two, I admired his acting capabilities as Walt Disney in an all out battle with Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks.

So, getting my hands on this book felt great. Here was a person I admire who had written something. Believing that a written work reveals a lot about the author, I picked it up. hoping to understand the multi-faceted talent a bit more.

Gist:

A set of short stories from different walks of life.

What works:

• They are average stories.

• Interesting as a first time read.

What doesn't:

• I am not sure, I would have stuck with it if it had not been this famous name.

• Very few stories stand out in my head and even then not for their writing style.

I suppose there was too much hype about it. Hanks is a talent, there is no doubt about that. But perhaps in this case, the hype had more value than the content.

Skip this one. There are better short story collections out there. 

And Then One Day - Naseerruddin Shah

photo courtesy: goodreads.com

A great actor, an OK biography

Shah is an acclaimed actor someone who is highly respected for his acting prowess and for creating the kind of repution he has.

I loved watching him way back as Hero Hiralal to the villian in Krrish 3. He is one of the few actors who have an amazing range of acting capability. The funny thing with actors is that once you watch them enough on screen, there is a sort of kinship with them, a bonding a sense of having known them to a certain level.

 I was in India at a relative's place when his stark black and red cover beckoned me over to the bookshelf. The book cover was incredibly fascinating and the name on the book forced me to pick it up and have a quite read through.

Gist:

Like any autobiography it takes us through the childhood, the making of the individual before it moves towards his acting days  early and late ones and the ramifications of it on his personal life.

What works:

• The style is open, frank as if no holds barreed. 

• The stories are entertaining and it was fascinating how these actors had to struggle to make their mark as the shining beacons as they are today.

• It is about the Hindi film industry and it amazing how he and his wife were part of this elite set 

What doesn't:

• The language is a bit old school and is a bit dated. In this day of blogging where short sentences create most impact, the long sentences and winding narrative tends to slow the narrative down.

• The memoir is honest and with good intentions. However, it is devoid of masala or gossip. Shah doesn't name and shame much and the reader is not his confidante. Therein was my problem.

• A loved one told me the other day, that they found it enjoyable. Sadly, I didn't. It was well written unfortunately not enough substance for me to register it as an enjoyable experience.

This is Going to Hurt - Adam Kay

photo courtesy: goodreads.com

A funny, heartwrenching story of a guy in the NHS.

I have written about topical issues being documented in literature. This is another example. Of how the health service is facing and dealing with hard time.

Anyone following local news will be aware of the junior doctor vs government tussle that hit the headlines sometime back. Art reflects society was what my BA course taught me and this is a case in point.

So much for all the newspaper headlines, documentaries, talks that dominated the media, this book outlines what it is like on the hotseat. Hats off to Adam Kay for summoning the guts and the publishers to back him to taking the issue head on.

Gist:

Adam Kay shares his diaries of his time of a junior doctor (he is not one anymore, he gave up the white coat for a mike and a comedy audience) and takes us through his experience.

Some are comical, some heartbreaking but said with a trace of humour. My favourite was the instance where he asks a woman how many weeks pregnant she was and she gets to count the weeks from her birth. It was so straightforward and dead pan that it was so effective.

What works:

• The book is packaged well, it explains the context of how the book came into being. It takes the non medic reader by hand into the journey of this guy who starts his journey as a House officer to a Senior Registrar.

• There are helpful footnotes explaining the medical terminology. I cringed a bit when I thought I will have to acquaint myself with the medical terms but to Kay's credit those footnotes are a delight to read and I found myself looking forward to it

• The humour that marks through the experience is amazing. It is not surprising how and why he found his calling as a comedy script writer.

• The lack of social life, support these junior doctors get in return for standing on their feet for hours, making snap decisions comes to life in the pages.

• The tone of humour is great, a subtle level of it while it tackles daily life on a ward.

• The letter to Hunt at the end of the book is a great touch and very effective.

What doesn't:

• If you are closely associated with medics (I am married to one and my social circle predominately consists of them) you can empathise and stick through the experiences right till the end. However, even for this ardent fan of Holby City, the highly concentrated medical experiences got a bit too much at one point. 

• The experiences are not varied, it is about life in a hospital more importantly that of a obys and gynae ward so the jokes are centred around it. Perhaps that is the reason why the book although rightly deserved the praised heaped on it, was a bit limiting in its reach and popularity.

But there are some really good bits. How rotas don't let you plan a social evening till later, or shifting swapping is such a pain you give up on meeting up with friends. Also the bit where medics are asked for medical advice at all times is something that was fun reading about.

Overall, a fun read. It is often said that Britons like three things to watch and read about - Food, property and the NHS.

The popularity of this book proves it.