HARAPPA (CURSE OF THE BLOOD RIVER) - By Amish Tripathi

The book is a part of a trilogy which provides a very vibrant mix of all sorts of emotions. It depicts a character who is said to be half-human and half-god. The story keeps building the interest and when it ends you are so curious that you start the next one in the series. The book itself has such a wonderful storyline that you would be unable to resist yourself from reading it.

"Vidyut's dying ancestor summons him to Banaras. The old Brahmin chieftain of the Dev-Raakshasa Matth, or the God-Demon Clan, bears a chilling secret. Their bloodline carries an ancient curse that will plague mankind - towards its own violent extinction."
RISHABH GUPTA

X-A

TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES- Thomas Hardy

Tess is helpless against and mostly submissive to, those around her. But, she suffers not only because of the seducer who destroys her but also because her beloved does not save her. Despite her suffering and weakness in the face of her suffering, she demonstrates patience and endurance. Tess takes pleasure in toiling on the dairy farms, and she seems almost invincible to the trials of life. Given her enduring strength through all of her troubles, in some sense, the only appropriate ending was her death on the gallows. Her story became the ultimate tragedy.

The issue of fate versus freedom of action is another important aspect of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". While the main story-line may sound fatalistic, Hardy does not miss the opportunity to point out that the darkest of tragedies could be prevented by human action and consideration: Humanity.

Anshika Sharma

XI-E

26.07.19

COLLECTED POEMS by Sylvia Plath

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

I lift my lids and all is born again.
I think I made you up inside my head..." 

Sylvia Plath has been, and probably always will be, a poet whose words hit me harder than many others' ever will. Many of the poems in this collection are very familiar to me: I've shed tears over them, adored them, resented them, analyzed them to death and absorbed their every message in my heart over the course of years now. I got to revisit some of my old favorites, which still haven't lost their magic over me.

Some of my favorites included in this collection are: 

- Lady Lazarus (possibly Plath's most famous poem, and one of my all-time favorites)
- The Moon and the Yew-tree 
- Elm
- Paralytic
- Edge 

All of these are amazing poems in their own sense, but reading the collection as a whole helped me understand a bit more about Sylvia Plath as a person whom I absolutely adore.

Anshika Sharma

XI-E

26.07.19

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

"There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense." - Elizabeth Bennet 

As one might expect from a romantic comedy, love is the central theme to Pride and Prejudice. In particular, the novel focuses on the different ways love may grow or disappear, and whether or not society has room for romantic love and marriage to go together. We see love at first sight (Jane and Bingley), love that grows (Elizabeth and Darcy), and infatuation that fades (Lydia and Wickham) or has faded (Mr. and Mrs. Bennet). Throughout the story, it becomes apparent that the novel is arguing that love based on genuine compatibility is the ideal. 

The title makes it pretty clear that pride is going to be an important theme, but the message is more nuanced than just the concept itself. Pride is presented as perfectly reasonable to some degree, but when it gets out of hand, it gets in the way of the characters' happiness. Thus, the novel suggests that an excess of pride is costly. 

In Pride and Prejudice, "prejudice" is not as socially charged as it is in contemporary usage. Here, the theme is more about preconceived notions and snap judgments. Prejudice is a flaw of several characters, but first and foremost it is the main flaw of our protagonist Elizabeth. She prides herself on her ability to judge character, but her observations also lead her to form bias very quickly and deeply.

Like several of Austen's novels, Pride and Prejudice also cautions against infatuation with overly charming people. Wickham's smooth manner easily charms Elizabeth, but he turns out to be deceitful and selfish. Real love is found in compatibility of character: Elizabeth and Darcy come to realize that both are strong-willed but kind and intelligent. Ultimately, the novel is a strong recommendation of love as a basis for marriage, something that was not always the case in its era.

Anshika Sharma

XI-E 

26.07.19

NUMBERS (By-Rachel Ward)

NUMBERS (By-Rachel Ward)

When I read the title, I was very intrigued about the novel and when I started reading it I was unable to resist myself from stop reading it. It has such an amazing plot and characters and the storyline itself is very exciting.

I loved reading this book and would like to read more such books by such authors.

Rishabh Gupta

X-A

Date: 28/07/2019

THE UNDERSEA KINGDOM

In june I issued a sequels of  book from library named "AXISS AND THE MAGIC MEDALLION" ,"THE UNDERSEA KINGDOM and "THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE .It is perfect for the reader interested in adventure and mystery .....

The lead AXISS was a very brave boy who was 14...and he made a lot of friends.He also got know his childhood mystery andwho was hos real father........

SO IT WAS A FUN READING THESE SEQUELS...  

SHAIKH SAMIYA 

9-A

WUTHERING HEIGHTS - Emily Bronte

Instead of presenting an overly sentimental worst-case scenario meant to frighten its readers onto the straight-and-narrow, Wuthering Heights seduces its readers with its dark passion and misguided characters. Both Heathcliff and Catherine are flawed characters, but their flaws intrigue the reader just as surely as they repel.

The darkness of the story and the lack of accompanying moral teachings may come as a shocker, while the intricacies of the cyclical plot―the destruction and ultimate reunification of the families―should not be missed. A novel that combines masterful literary devices with all of the scandals of a soap opera, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights was a drama far ahead of its time and a must read!

Anshika Sharma

XI-E

26.07.19