#12 Teaser Tuesday ~ Mistress by Anita Nair

'Suddenly I know who he is. Like everybody else seeking parallels,I sought him among heroes and villains. I should have looked, instead, into the shadowed zones of the stage, at the minor characters whose doing let men live or die.'
Page: 30


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists!

Six Graves to Munich by Mario Puzo (Cleri)

I do not really read crime fiction very often. Although I do tend to pick up some of them often and they sit on my book shelf for quite a long time before they are picked up to be read. Same goes with this book, Six Graves to Munich by Mario Puzo. It had been sitting quite a while waiting to be opened and read. I had picked up from the library only because of the author's name. I have not read the author's other more known work like 'The Godfather' or 'Sicilian' but they have always been on my TBR list. So, for a start I picked up this book.

The blrub from back cover of the book gives an idea of what the story is about.

Seven Men

Seven Gestapo officers tortured Captain Michael Rogan, murdered his pregnant wife, and left him for dead. After the end of the second World War they escaped to new lives and identities.

Ten Years

Rogan has spent the last ten years recovering from his horrific injuries and planning his revenge. Now he is back, and on the hunt for the Nazis who ruined his life.

One Woman

But ther is one problem, he has met and fallen in love with the beautiful Rosalie. Should he listen to his heart or continue to pursue his quest for vengeance, whatever it takes?

That seems like the perfect recipe for an interesting novel. But, as the readers get on with the book, they realise that the story does not keep the momentum of thrill and suspense alive, which I think is the most important thing to look forward to in such a story. To me it seemed too straight forward with out neccesary twists and turns. However, it was an easy and sort of 'light' read. Even though murders and planning for murders were taking place throughout the novel, it was not particularly disturbing. Another way to say it is ~ it failed to make any impact on the reader.

'Six Graves to Munich' was written by the author under the name Mario Cleri. It was written before 'The Godfather'.

Wordless Wednesday - Lush Green

Malai Kulfi Recipe - Using Condensed Milk | How to Make Malai Kulfi Using Condensed Milk

Malai Kulfi Recipe - Using Condensed Milk 

This version of Malai Kulfi is a quick one - thanks to the use of condensed milk and milk powder. Do check it out.

As promised I am back with another recipe for Kulfi. Unlike the Cardamom Kulfi I had posted earlier, this one is much quicker excluding the freezing time and yet no compromise on taste. I had bookmarked this recipe long back from Tarla Dalal site and tried it a few days back. What makes it quick is the use of condensed milk and milk powder. It has a melt in the mouth texture and I am simply bowled over by the simplicity of the recipe. This recipe is a keeper as it is quite effortless.

I used the exact measurements as given on the site and got 6 kulfis (80 ml each) + extra (about the measure of 2 kulfi) which I froze in a freezer proof bowl. You can enjoy this malai kulfi by itself or serve it with falooda and rose syrup.

Perfect to beat the heat. I know it is just an excuse for me as the summers here in Ireland are not like the one in India as the temperature here once in a while crosses the 23 C mark. Still, I do indulge in the cold treats!

Malai Kulfi ~ Using Condensed Milk

Ingredients: 

500 ml full-fat milk
¼ cup milk powder
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp almond powder (optional)
4 green cardamom pod seeds finely powdered.

Process:

1. Combine all the ingredients together and bring to a boil. Add the powdered cardamom.

2. Simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat and turn of the gas. Cool completely.

3. Pour into kulfi moulds and freeze overnight till firm. Depending on the size of the moulds, no. of kulfis might vary.

4. Allow the moulds to remain outside the refrigerator for 5 minutes and then unmould it or run hot water over the kulfi moulds to unmould it even quicker.

5. Enjoy it on a hot day!




Linking it to Serve it Chilled and to PJ's Kids delight Cool Comforts Event. This event is the brainchild of Srivalli.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

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!