Published on 12:00 AM, February 01, 2018

100% accurate book descriptions

Are you tired of all the vague summaries written on the back of books like, "A thrilling story about a particular person who went through the typical ups and downs of life and how he/she overcame them"? I hate them too and that is why I wrote my own descriptions for my favourite books. This is going to be really helpful for book lovers like you.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

One day, Tom goes out to buy himself a pet to fill the empty void left in his heart by his ex. After searching hours for that one perfect pet which will act as a vicarious medium to his ex, he comes across a mockingbird. He buys it from the shady seller knowing full well that keeping a mockingbird captive is illegal; love really does know no bounds. For the next couple of months he trains the bird to make sounds his ex used to make. Things take a turn for the worse as, unexpectedly, the sounds invoke painful memories of the past. Tom finally cracks and plans to end the bird, but all his plans keep falling apart when the bird sings to him, "I love you, Tom" every single time, just like his ex.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

After the 2008 financial crisis, Jared loses everything. With nothing to his name, he gives up all hope in humanity and what it has to offer. He runs away from civilisation and secludes himself in a forest nearby. Desperate for shelter, he constructs a wonderful house made of leaves for himself. The rest of the story revolves around how he grows attached to his comfy abode and tries to protect it from the evils of the world like wild animals, storms, and forest fires. It gives us a glimpse of how truly precious our fundamental needs are when materialism is stripped from us.

Millennium (novel series) by Stieg Larsson

A story about a problematic teenage girl who tries her best to always rebel against society and show the whole world how tough she really is. In the first instalment of the series, she gets a tattoo of a dragon because she's cool and edgy like that. After her conservative parents discover her work, they kick her out of the house. Fending for oneself is not easy as she finds out in the second book where she accidentally lights up a crate of fireworks and burns a house down, ultimately ending up in jail. After getting out, she kicks a big hornet's nest and the third book follows her along as she tries to shake the swarm off her. A valuable lesson about the volatility of the teen years.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Green brothers have made a name for themselves through their online endeavours to educate and form a community of nerds. In this book, the smarter Green brother goes through all the popular stars and explains why they suck. He shows mercy to no star, including our very own sun, which he calls, "a glowing ball for big babies." Taking blatant inspiration from Carl Sagan's Cosmos and whatever that deGrasse guy wrote, John tries his best to illustrate what makes a good star "good" by focusing on the bad. If you're not keen on his pessimistic approach, I would recommend Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns which is all about appreciating the wonders of the stars.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

An exciting adventure about a guy who is hell-bent on finding the finest wood to make his furniture. He travels all around the world in search of the elusive trees and ends up in Norway. Opposition is always present in the form of unscrupulous vendors who try to sell him wood of poor quality, and environmentalists who are adamant to stop him every step of the way. Does he find it? Does he manage to make his rocking chair? I'm going to let you find out for yourself.

Fifty Shades (novel series) by E. L. James

Lisa suffers from achromatopsia, otherwise known as total colour blindness. The first book of the series introduces us to the colourless obstacles one faces when all he/she can see is grey. Fifty Shades Darker takes us deeper into the downward spiral of depression and jealousy of those who can appreciate the colourful flowers. The last book seals everything off when Lisa finally realises that everyone does not have everything and chooses to accept her eyes.

 

Shoaib Ahmed Sayam tortures himself by watching fake sports and Vietnamese cartoons. Send help at: fb.com/ooribabamama