Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

"An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life."

I like Sparks' books. They are easy reads, quite romantic, often sad yet redeeming and so very full of emotions. 'Dear John' is another such story that will touch your hearts and will glisten your eyes with tears. While it seems like another 'boy meet girl' love story, it is not. Unlike most of Sparks' books I have read, where surprises are not left till the end this was an exception. The ending was kind of a jolt, nothing of the sort I had hoped it to be, but that is I believe makes the book all the more moving. Pick it up if you like the author's work.

The characters and the plot of the story seemed real and one could actually relate to the incidents that happened in their lives. I almost had an instant liking for John Tyree right from the beginning of the novel and could empathize him when things went hay ware in his life. Savannah seemed to be the perfect match for him. I love the way she wrote letters to him while he was away at army camps and how she expressed her feelings through them. But things did not happen as they had thought and one incident let to a chain of incidents that changed the course of their life. The story also portrayed the difficult relationship John had with his father and how eventually he understood him, credit to Savannah. Sparks deals with these emotions very subtly and that is the beauty of his writing style. I wish I could write more about the plot and the story line, but that will be a spoiler for any aspiring readers.

The story gives a message that can be summarised in this quote (not from the book) ~ "Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love."

This book has been made into a movie and it was released in 2010. Hopefully I get a copy of the DVD soon.

To know more about the author visit http://www.nicholassparks.com/

Linking it to Nicholas Sparks reading challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Bread Ras Malai Recipe | How to Make Bread Ras Malai

Bread Ras Malai #Recipe

Bread Ras Malai is a cheat's version of the conventional Ras Malai we all know. It tastes as good and is comparatively easier and quicker to make.

There are a few sweets I always relish. They are the ones prepared by my mother. They bring good memories from good old childhood days. No matter how much I try but I can't replicate the taste to the T. I think that's the magic of mom's hand that add a special touch to every dish prepared by her. One of them is this Bread Ras Malai. I have tried it on my own a couple of times now and have nearly replicated the taste!

I am an absolute lover of Ras Malai. I can unabashedly gorge on it. As a child, I was not very big on sweets, but for this sweet dish, I would never say 'no'. But, having Ras Malai was a pleasure which I enjoyed only in restaurant or in a wedding party until my mom came up with this version. Its best to use white bread for this one as wheat bread won't really taste that good.

For those, you do not know what Ras Malai is, check this

Bread Ras Malai Recipe

Ingredients:

1-litre full-fat milk
4 tbsp sugar or to taste.
a few strands of saffron
2 cardamom pod seeds crushed.
Almond and pistachios flakes to garnish.
4-6 Slices of good quality white bread.

Serves 4-6:

Process:

1. In a tablespoon of milk add the saffron and set aside. In a non-stick deep pan boil rest of the milk. When it comes to a boil lower the heat on medium and let it simmer till it is reduced to about 3/4th of the original volume, stirring at small intervals. It will take about 10-15 minutes.

2. Now stir in the sugar and stir. Add the saffron and cardamom and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. When the milk reaches the desired consistency turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Refrigerate it till needed.

4. Using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds off the bread slices. One large slice will give 2 pieces of bread. Place them in the serving bowl and pour cold prepared milk mixture over it. Garnish it with almond and pistachios flakes.

5. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that the bread pieces soak in all the flavours from the milk mixture. Serve chilled.

Notes:

1. Check the sweetness of the milk mixture before adding all the sugar and adjust according to your taste.

2. For a thicker consistency, cook it for a little longer.

3. It is always better to prepare this dish while preparing daily meal. Only making this might seem tedious and time taking. I always put it on one of the burners and by the time I am done with rest of the cooking, it is ready.

A bowl for you too! Enjoy!

You can also check out other Indian milk-based desserts recipes I have posted here -

The Classic Indian Kheer

Almond Kheer

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday - Pretty Pink

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

My earliest knowledge of the epic ~ Mahabharata comes what I saw on TV as a child. Come Sunday morning and every body in the house would be glued to their television sets watching the epic tale. I was too young to understand it all, the complexity of the plots and characters, the philosophy, the wisdom yet, I was always awe struck by what ever I could grasp and even today, if I think of Mahabharata, glimpses from the TV series comes flashing in my mind.

I am so glad that I could relive that experience in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's The Palace of Illusions though not in its entirety or fully, but in a new way, in a new perspective that added a multitude of dimensions to the legendary tale. Divakaruni chooses Draupadi also known as Panchali, to narrate the epic saga and that is the charm of the book. It is in fact a feminist interpretation of Mahabharata. Vibha had recommended me this book when I had set out a list of to read books and I am glad to have picked this up. Thanks a lot Vibha!

The novel traces Panchaali’s life, beginning with her magical birth in fire as the daughter of king Drupad before following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright. As she endures a fierce civil war, domestic power struggles, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, her love for her brother and the perils of attraction to elusive men, who also the most hated enemy of her husbands, Panchaali brings a feminine sensibility to her male-dominated world.


The novel is named after the palace which was built by the asura Maya for the Pandavas and Panchaali . Panchaali loved her palace and was proud of it.  It disintegrated when Duryodhana tried to claim it after the Pandavas had lost it in a game of dice to him. 


Though most of the story narrated comes from the legend tale, Divakaruni adds her imaginations and explores the mind of Panchaali. She gives insights to how she felt when she was born and was prophesied to be one to change the course of history, to bring about the greatest and the bloodiest war of all times. She tells us through this book, how she felt when she was humiliated in the Kaurava court and how the incident filled her heart with revenge and the vow she made at that time lead to the battle that wiped of the whole Kaurava clan and all those who supported them. Panchaali also reflects on her own actions, good or bad and even justifies them. I could sympathize with the character the author had painted of Panchaali and even could relate to her at some points. Divakaruni has very skillfully retold the story from the viewpoint of Panchaali adding her own twists and turns which made it even more enjoyable, refreshing and enlightening read. 


I would recommend it to anyone interested or not interested in Indian mythology. I am sure it will change the way you think about the epic ~Mahabharata.

Wordless Wednesday - Flowers