Saturday, May 14, 2011

In My Mailbox (53) Bollywood Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to share what books you received for review, purchased, or checked out from the library during the past week.

Books I'm most excited about: Sideways on a Scooter by Miranda Kennedy

I will be doing a Bollywood/South Asia themed program at my library next month so I am doing some research this week which is why most of my books have something to do with Bollywood, India, or Sri Lanka. I have to show people how to drape a sari (which I haven't done in years) so I need to brush up on that too!




I hope you'll watch the video! It is from the movie Lagaan, one of my favorite Hindi films. The song is "Radha Kaise Na Jale". Enjoy!

From the library:

Indian Cinema: The Bollywood Saga by Dinesh Raheja

This is a beautiful coffee table book with lots of pictures and information about the history of Bollywood films. The woman on the cover is Aishwariya Rai, considered to be the "most beautiful woman in the world" according to Julia Roberts (Roger Ebert also goes on and on about her beauty in his reviews of her movies). She has been on Oprah and was the face of L'Oreal a few years ago.


Bollywood: Behind the Scenes, Beyond the Stars by Nicholas Bradley


King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema by Anupama Chopra

Shah Rukh Khan is the most famous Bollywood actor and while has been called "the Indian Tom Cruise" I'd say his acting ability is better than that! My favorite SRK film is Veer-Zaara about an Indian man who falls in love with a Pakistani Muslim girl who is engaged to someone else.

The Sari by Mukulika Banerjee

This is a fascinating book not just about saris but about the women who wear them. I've already started reading it and though some parts don't flow as well as others it is still really really interesting.

Purchased:


Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India by Miranda Kennedy

I read some good reviews of this in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and I thought it sounded fantastic so I had to buy it. Hopefully it will live up to my expectations! I can't imagine what it would be like for an American woman to just uproot her life and move to India for five years. I like that the book focuses on women's lives and dating and marriage in India.


Not Quite Paradise: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka by Adele Barker

I've already read Adele Barker's account of her years teaching and living in Sri Lanka but I had to have my own copy so when the price dropped under $6, I snapped it up. I learned so many interesting things about my parents' homeland from this book, not just about the Civil War but also about the tsunami and its aftermath.
For review:


The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

I have been wanting to read this since I saw early reviews of it. The synopsis reminds me of Downton Abbey, a BBC miniseries I loved. I received this for review from Amazon Vine.


Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

I've already read this spin off to the Bridgerton series and thought it was predictable but cute. I loved the friendship between Marcus and Honoria as well as the humor involving the musicale. What an interesting family the Smythe-Smiths are! I received this from Amazon Vine as well.


My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

I am currently reading this story about two people with physical and emotional scars. I really like it so far. I received this for review from LitFuse as part of a blog tour. 

15 comments:

  1. I have been meaning to see Lagaan for ages.

    I can't wait to hear more about My Foolish Heart

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  2. Omg this is so cool since I'm actually a Bollywood fan! I watched Lagaan some years back,and its great but the kind I could only watch once. Here's an amazing bollywood movie with a lot of meaning behind it and a good plot it's called "Rang De Basanti" with Amir khan. Amazing movie, and isn't Aish just gorg. So not fair! :P

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  3. I love Bollywood! All those books sound fascinating :)

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  4. Hi Christina, Aaaaahhhh Bollywood!! I am a HUGE fan and thoroughly enjoy watching the worlds most colourful and charismatic movies! And yes Lagaan is a great movie. Thanks for posting the vid...I know might go off and watch the movie again :). Yes Aishwariya is stunning. This week's book look great. Hope you enjoy them all. And good luck brushing up on the sari wrapping!!
    Cheers Marissa

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  5. I love that there is a theme to your IMM, I've been meaning to check out Downtown Abbey and I'm also curious about The American Heiress xD

    Here's my post: http://www.bookpurring.com/2011/05/in-my-mailbox-9.html

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  6. SO excited for an American Heiress! Looking forward to your review of that. Good luck with your bollywood theme! I think you'll be well prepared!

    Here’s My IMM!

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  7. American Heiress looks really good; I will have to check out that one. I love the Bollywood theme! Good luck!

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  8. You have certainly got an interesting selection here! ENjnoy

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  9. Marvelous books, I would like to read The Sari. I think saris are very feminine and beautiful. Would like to know the thoughts of the women who wear this garb every day. Great books.

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  10. Ohh, exciting! Here's to the event going well. And The American Heiress looks and sounds intriguing. Happy reading! :)

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  11. Great books and I LOVE Lagaan! It's got to be one of my favorite movies ever! Have fun with wearing the Sari! I'm Indian and my mom wears them and I swear, I'll never understand how to wear one!

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  12. I don't know much about Bollywood, aside from seeing a couple of awesome dance sequences, but I definitely need to check out some movies. Sideways on a Scooter sounds interesting, too. Happy reading :)

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  13. Such a fun mailbox! Great to see all these beautiful books! I'll have to see if I can find The Sari just so I can browse through it! Gorgeous!

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  14. The Sari looks pretty good.

    Happy reading :-D

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  15. Love the Bollywood collection :P The American Heiress seems like a great book. Enjoy reading!

    Take a look at my Mailbox for this week!

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