Book Review: The Lovers Dictionary by David Levithan

When I first saw this book at the used bookstore, I realized that I'd seen it around on Bookstagram. I didn't know what it was about, I usually don't know what the books I'm going to read are about since I love diving into the unknown. But I didn't want to buy a book I wouldn't enjoy, so I decided to read a couple of pages in the store while bae scourged the piles of dusted books for something I'd like.

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 As soon as I read the first few pages I knew that this book was a keeper. I knew that I would from time to time flip pages and read out randomly from it. That some definitions would stay with me, that some would make me want to flip the book in the middle of the night to read precisely what's written. It's a quick read, an hour/ an hour and a half tops. What I love about it is how the author has given us the story of two unnamed characters through different definitions, different phases of a relationship. Each page has one word, and a random snippet of the relationship that fits the definition of that word. Some definitions are one line long, some a paragraph and others a page long. The book literally is written in a dictionary form.

The author has turned the mundane moments into something you'd yearn for yourself in future. The comfort of being around someone you love. The nasty truth behind happily ever afters which isn't all roses but a lot of thorns. A lot of self-doubts, insecurity. Jealousy. A lot of being sure just to become unsure again. Of how the fights are continuous. But also of how you have somebody to share morning kisses with, or start your day with champagne cause why the hell not? It's the mundane beauty of relationship conceived from the first flirty dates to the cozy nights spent in each other's embrace. 

A very cute & adorable story of most relationships.

Have you read The Lover's Dictionary? Did you like it?

Reading Schedule 2016

Now, we used to announce our monthly book themes & book in spotlight a week before the new month begins, but we've realized that it doesn't give our readers enough time to buy/borrow the books and/or set their TBRs for the month, so here we are, with a reading schedule for rest of the year. This will give you plenty of time to arrange for the books and set your TBRs.

Let's dive straight into it, shall we?

June-July: It's Pottermania at Fictional Fortress. We're reading all the seven books, watching 8 movies + hosting 6 giveaways! You cannot ask for anything better, can you?
For reading schedule, go here.
For movie schedule, go here.
To join the readathon, all you have to do is start reading the books and post about them online using the tag #MugglesToWizards. For more info, check our Instagram out.

August Theme: You asked for Historic Fiction, you get Historic Fiction.
Our Pick: Such A Long Journey, Rohinton Mistry.

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September Theme: It's the month of Banned Books! Let's be the rebels we are and read the gems that have been banned.
Our Pick: Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie.

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October Theme: We'll be reading books along the theme of Mental Health during Oct.
Our Pick: Em and the Big Hoom, Jerry Pinto

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November Theme: Graphic Novels month it is!
Our Pick: Munnu by Malik Sajad

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December Theme: Holiday Theme Books read along.
Our Pick: Instead of a book, we pick Ruskin Bond. The snow capped mountains and pine trees call!

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To participate in any of these read-a-longs all you need to do is pick a book revolving around the given genres/themes, read & post about them online using #ficfortressreads.
The "Our Picks" are the books we recommend you pick & the ones that we will be reading in the said months :)
           
We hope you join us in reading these themes and books as well as in discussing them at the end of the respective months. Happy Reading!

BOOK OF THE MONTH REVIEW - MRS. DALLOWAY BY VIRGINIA WOOLF

 Genre : Classics, Fiction, Feminism, Women Literature

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Mrs. Dalloway was written by Woolf in 1925, when the world, particularly Europe, was experiencing a lot of changes in all fronts. The story is set in those days of modernism; and revolves around a woman named Clarissa Dalloway, the wife of a rich influential bureaucrat, who loves throwing parties and socializing. The entire story is set in a day of Mrs. Dalloway's life, where each character tells a story about his or her life. Each character directly influencing Mrs. Dalloway, looks back on a day when they were younger, when Clarissa turned down her friend, Peter Walsh's proposal for marriage. Mrs. Dalloway is one of the classics which have been widely read and appreciated around the world.
What I loved the most about Mrs. Dalloway is it's representation of the characters. A typical London morning in 1925 will have all the prominent characters in the novel. Clarissa is a socialite who arranges parties and indulge in socializing with high class families to share gossips and talk about life in London. What is even more special about the timeline is that it is set in 1925 which means the story encapsulates the old fashioned ways of living and the new modernist approach to life. Clarissa Dalloway, is taught from her early childhood how to become the perfect wife in a rich household, and that just represents how women had a certain role in lives. While she is not happy about the ways of life, she has not been able to break out of it. On the other hand, several characters, break out of the perception to become independent and "different" from the women in that time.
The novel has no chapters, just a steady flow of thoughts which jumps from one character to another to form an entire day of activities, impressions and views. Every thought, every view has a specific opinion on life in 1920s, every argument had different approaches and every view had its consequences. Every character has a personality so strong and so different, it's hard to talk about just one character. A character, Septimus Warren Smith is particularly interesting in the story, who is apparently written as a double to Clarissa. While both of them doesn't appreciate the way of life, Septimus breaks out of it by killing himself. And when Clarissa comes to know of it, she describes it as a defiance; she sees it as a way of escaping from the world of mishaps and misfortunes.
Virginia Woolf is a genius, and someone who has read at least one of her works will agree with me when I say this.

-NIVEDITA