Dipti Sawant

The book tells the story of two men who turned a dry, 70-year history of making of the Oxford English Dictionary(OED) into a rather interesting tale. After being appointed as the editor of Oxford English Dictionary in 1878, Sir James Murray received thousands of word suggestions from volunteers worldwide. The bold and unique aim of the OED, unlike the dictionaries before, was to include every single word, with etymology, patterns of use, and examples of each meaning from published sources and volunteers were invited to contribute to make it a more democratic process. During this time, one contributor stood out—Dr. W.C. Minor, who, over 20 years, had sent in more than ten thousand word slips from rare books. Despite Murray’s repeated invitations, Dr. Minor never visited Oxford. Curious, Murray decided to visit him at the address on the letters 13 years after he knew of him. After a long journey to Crowthorne, Berkshire, he arrived at a large building and introduced himself to the man at the front desk, eager to meet Dr. Minor. To his shock, he learned that Dr. Minor was not a scholar living in the countryside but a long-term patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, for killing an innocent man(that's NOT a spoiler, trust me, its right there in the book description). Thus began an unusual and touching relationship between two brilliant minds. The book delves into the history of Sir James Murray, Dr. W. C. Minor, George Merrett(the man who was killed by Dr. Minor) and of course the making of OED. The author, a former journalist at Guradian, has invested substantial time in the research to gather all the information from the UK, USA and also from some parts of Asia where Dr. Minor was raised. The journey of all three men and what fate brought them to and the history behind the biography of words that made the OED that we know today is captivating. Imagine, that once there was a time when there were no dictionaries and there was nothing to “look up” to when someone was stuck in a battle of using the correct words or spellings. Reading this book was like going down the rabbit hole of the web albeit with a direction and not mindlessly straying away to a different topic one after the other. Just when I thought the book was over, the author started yet another topic related to the main characters or the OED history and you got engaged in a rather interesting tale. I picked the audiobook on audible during my long inter city drive. The author has narrated this book himself and the british english, the enunciations & pronunciations of some tough words make it a great listen alongwith its great content that keep it an interesting read throughout. This book is for all the bibliphiles and logophiles out there. The 1928 OED first edition took 70 years to compile, was 12 volumes, listing 414,825 headwords, with 1,827,306 illustrative quotes. The hand-set letterpress type was 178 miles (the distance from London to the outskirts of Manchester), comprising 227,779,589 letters and numerals - plus spaces and punctuation. 1988 saw the first electronic version of the dictionary. This book was published a decade later, in 1998. The OED has been available online since 2000. I give this book all five stars. The research, the retelling and the story itself deserves it

This quote summarises the book but you will understand it only if you read the book: “This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. So it needs saying from the outset that it’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is.” What an enjoyable read this book was. I started listening to this audiobook during a 4-hour drive and planned to finish it on my next trip. However, I found myself looking for chores to do just so I could finish it sooner. The characters are all well-defined, the plot is beautifully woven, and I love when all the stories come together at the end. I don’t know if there is a genre for it, but this book made me realise I enjoy it. Apart from the captivating story and suspense, what truly makes this book stand out is the author’s unique perspective on life. He has touched upon every small, big thing that make what life is. From parenting, career, happiness, anxiety (of course), fears, relationships, God, marriage, internet, old age, reading, kindness everything. Those perspectives were little warm hugs that comforted me on topics that make me anxious otherwise. Also, if you must choose, pick the audiobook (Audible) instead. Marin Ireland has done a remarkable job of narrating it by playing distinct voice modulations for 10 odd characters. I heard it during driving and her skills made it easier to distinguish between the characters. Looking forward to listening more audiobooks narrated by her. Generally, I pick a favourite quote for the book review but since I liked several of them equally I am putting them all together here: • “At the end of your career you’re trying to find a point to it all, and at the start of it you’re looking for a purpose.” • “Something my dad says...He says you end up marrying the one you don't understand. Then you spend the rest of your life trying.” • “You can't live long with the ones who are only beautiful, Jules. But the funny ones, oh, they last a lifetime.” I cannot recommend this book enough. Pick this up as your next read, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. I rate it 5/5

Lean In is a small manifesto for the modern world which every single person must read irrespective of their gender. Sheryl in the book addresses the most difficult choices and questions which women face during their work and personal life. She also talks about how women are conditioned to feel that ‘child bearing’ is their duty just like men are conditioned to feel that ‘financially providing for the family’ is theirs. She doesn’t disregard, and in fact respects, the one who quit professional life for child bearing because it is the most fulfilling choice you will ever make and in fact she has often struggled with that question herself while raising her two kids. One incident particularly stuck with me was when her 11 month old daughter while crying leaned towards the nanny and not her although she was in the same room. Her husband quickly showed her the positive side to this by telling her that this is an indication of cerebral development and nothing else. The topics in the book surround women at the workplace, higher management, career, mentorships, hiring, promotions, marriage, raising kids and subtle differences women face in the society. She has a whole chapter dedicated to ‘feminism’ and how it is looked down upon in most of the conversations. Above all this, she talks about the outcome of a woman’s choices by citing statistics and research studies conducted by top institutes in the world. Initially the book was difficult to digest. As Sheryl was hitting me with hard facts and instances that I witnessed daily, I finally accepted the reality and heard her solutions. Talking about ‘feminism’ out loud is generally looked down upon and a woman talking about is regarded as 'loud' and ‘demanding'. She addressed that and tried to change the general perspective by asking women to claim the seat at the table everywhere. If you are reading this book review and do not plan to read the book then read only two chapters in the book: Chapter 7 ‘𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲’ Chapter 8 ‘𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿’ I promise you this will change your perspective forever. My favorite quote- “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦” I would want to rate this book more than 5 out of 5 because it is a revolutionary book that has the ability to change the world.

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This book is about the multi-universe theory of quantum physics with a strong essence of romance which drives the story and leaves you wanting to know more. For the first 50% of the book I was hooked as the author unfolded the mystery of quantum physics and meta-verse and how our mind forms everything around you. I really loved how the author has simplified complex physics concepts like quantum physics and dark matter. It wasn’t too technical and made it a breeze reading it. Next 50-70% it felt like a drag since I felt like I was reading Midnight Library again. Like Midnight Library, this book encourages you to reflect on your life and the decisions you make that shape reality. The protagonist gets to witness how his life would have turned out differently if he had made different decisions in the past, which makes him appreciate what he has more. As Jason says to Daniela in the end- “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦?” After 70%, the book really takes off and how! It was a crazy, mind-boggling ride which left me bewildered many times and I found myself imagining multiple ways Jason could go home. The last part of my book was the best since it was difficult to put it down without knowing what happened to Jason and the family. I liked the ending of the book however I was hoping if the author would have told us what happens to Amanda? 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲: It was difficult to pick my favourite quote from this book since I highlighted so many but I have chosen the one which describes the plot of the book slightly better: “𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚.” 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5. Highly recommended for sci-fi and fiction readers looking for a thought-provoking read.

I finished reading this book in Dec 2020. I have only pre-ordered books twice, this was the second time. I was enthralled by the previous book of this author's, Verity and although it's been several weeks since I read that it's still imprinted in my mind over other books. After Colleen declared that this book is as if Verity and her other romance novels had a baby, I couldn't help but place the order. This book falls in the genre of paranormal romance. I never believed in anything paranormal so this book made its first entry for me in this genre. I had difficulty to remain engaged especially when "someone" from another realm expressed feelings and was difficult to relate to it but then Colleen's writing kept me going. The suspense and the twists in the second half of the book was not at all disappointing and Hoover once again proved how she manages to push the limits of her thoughts and awakens emotions I never thought I could feel. Colleen has a different way of sketching characters, they have their own flaws but we are so interwoven with their mind by the middle of the book that you get into their head and live the story. I am extremely impressed by her writing, the design of the plot and exploring different realms which humans generally try to keep away from, even in their thoughts. She not only enters them but also investigates new nooks and expresses them in words which make you believe as if it's real. Just when you know where the plot is headed to or you start guessing the suspense, she changes it. Favourite line from the book: "Do you know how lucky you are to be a man? You all look the same at the end of a shower. Maybe even a little sexier. Showers transform women. Leave us with flat hair, make-up smeared down our cheeks, concealer down the drain" I felt that Colleen:( I rate this 4.5/5 only coz not my favorite genre, but full points for the book.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Kenna wants to reunite with her daughter after serving 5 yrs in prison but she is worried if her daughter’s grandparents/guardians would allow her to meet especially after she was convicted of killing their only son. In a small town where everybody knows everybody, it is even more difficult to prove that it was a tragic mistake. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Colleen Hoover crafts stories that are filled with emotions you would never expect to confront in real life. She deliberately weaves complicated stories which makes it really tough to read and almost makes me choke. The way she has written Kenna’s character and her emotions through Colleen’s classic “diary” prop really brings you close to her. By the end of the book I felt I was almost in Kenna’s shoes and felt her emotions go through me. Did I cry while reading this book? Well yes, partly coz I binge read this book in 2 days in which I didn’t get any rest between toggling work and this book and it was 1am in the morning when I was at the tailend of the book where the story culminates into a beautiful ending after going through what felt like a roller coaster of emotions. So yes I might have cried by the end of the book. 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲: “People say you fall in love, but fall is such a sad word when you think about it. Falls are never good. You fall on the ground, you fall behind, you fall to your death. Whoever was the first person to say they fell in love must have already fallen out of it. Otherwise, they’d have called it something much better.” 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5 stars. I am giving this book one star less only because I have read better books by her and if I have to rank Colleen Hoover’s books then ‘Reminders of Him’ would come below ‘It Ends with Us’ with ‘Verity’ being on the top.