A Short Update: A Non-Linear Trajectory for my Blog

Hello, My dear blogger friends and readers! I hope all of you are well in this unprecedented time of crisis. I have a short update to share.

You might have noticed I have not been active in blogosphere lately. I registered my blog on WordPress seven years ago, but it was only from November 2018 that I started writing in my blog regularly.

2018-2020 was a particularly tough period for me. I had left my job to prepare for a grueling and extremely competitive Masters entrance examination. It took me two years to realize my dream. While I was struggling professionally, my blog was a means of escape for me. And books too! Where will I be if not for the books.

And Turkish series. Yup, they helped me survive too! If you have not watched a Turkish series yet, I request you to read my articles on them. There are some great Turkish series out there. Although the English translations sound cheesy, I promise you will be hooked.

• Dolunay (Bittersweet / Full Moon)
• Erkenci Kuş (Early Bird / Daydreamer)
• Bay Yanlış (Mr. Wrong)
• Aşk Laftan Anlamaz (Love does not understand words)
• İnadına Aşk (Love out of stubbornness)

After this small detour from the world of books, let us go back into it again.

By God’s grace, I am now admitted into a STEM Masters program of a prestigious university in India. However, Masters course is demanding. Very demanding! I hardly have time to breathe some days.

This, naturally, affected my blogging schedule. I used to post on Wednesdays and Saturdays. But, that was no longer possible. My blog is mostly about books. But, I have not been able to read as many books as I want. Hence, now I post once a week. Sometimes, even that is not possible.

Other than paucity of time, another factor has affected my blogging. I no longer feel that same happiness in blogging. Why? Well, growing stats is a major factor in motivating any blogger (no matter what they claim). Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, book reviews do not work well. In fact, it is my posts on Turkish series that garner most of the views on my blog. I have no shame in admitting in this.

I tried a lot of tricks in the bag to improve my stats. Joining blog tours was one of them. While I enjoyed them initially, the joy has now tapered down for me. Blog tours have not resulted in any significant improvement in my stats. As a result, reading a book and writing a review within a stipulated period of time is taking away the bliss of reading for me. So, I have decided to participate in only those book tours which will absolutely rivet my attention. I have already started doing so.

Then, there is a beast called Netgalley. A very attractive beast. But a beast it is! Once it lures you into its portal, only an extremely strong willpower can get you out of it. Though I have stopped requesting books from Netgalley (Yay, willpower!), my ratio stands at 60%. So, more ARCs to read … in time!

Moreover, as any book blogger knows, blogging is not just writing. It is also about presenting. You need to create graphics that enhance the attractiveness of your post. Writing the review itself is not easy. All of these take time. A precious commodity which, now, I do not have.

Hence, I have decided to go completely wild with my blog. I am no longer going to bind myself with compulsions of posting according to a schedule or finish reading a book within a certain date. I am going to pickup any book that fancies my mood at that time. It might be a classic or an ARC or a backlist title. My blog is not going to have a schedule, at least not for the immediate future. I may post more series or film reviews than reviews of books.

I have never written a discussion post before. This is more of a revelation-of-self post. So, I may write discussion posts in the future too.

The schedules for the book tours I have signed up for will definitely go up on time. I will try to read all the ARCs I have requested and have been approved for in the next 3-4 months. However, that’s it!

I require time to get back my joy of blogging. Till then, I request my readers to be patient with me.

Meanwhile, you can let me know in the comments below if you also experienced a similar situation. If yes, how did you overcome it?

Bay Yanlış – Turkish Dizi Review | Episodes 13 – 14

Let’s dive into another spoiler-free review for episodes 13-14 of Bay Yanlış (Mr. Wrong), starring Can Yaman and Özge Gürel, in this post. They had previously worked together on Dolunay.

To date, fourteen episodes have been aired. Spoiler-free review for episodes 1-5 are available here.

Spoiler-free review for episodes 6-12 are available here.

Bay Yanlış is a romantic, fun, and light-hearted drama. It features a great lead pair, a strong supporting cast, and a good script as well.

Bay Yanlış Turkish dizi poster

Bay Yanlış – Turkish Dizi Review | Episodes 6 – 12

Can Yaman and Özge Gürel are back with a new series, Bay Yanlış (Mr. Wrong), that airs on Fox Turkey every Friday 8.00 P.M. They had previously worked together on Dolunay.

Being a huge fan of Yaman, I could not afford to miss this one. To date, thirteen episodes have been aired. Spoiler-free review for episodes 1-5 are available here.

Spoiler-free review of episodes 13-14 can be found here.

Let’s dive into another spoiler-free review for episodes 6-12 in this post.

Bay Yanlış is a romantic, fun, and light-hearted drama. It features a great lead pair, a strong supporting cast, and a good script as well.

Bay Yanlış Turkish dizi poster

Secure the Shadow by Marion Grace Woolley – Review & Blog Tour

WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT

In 1824, a young man buttons up his redcoat and goes to war. Amidst the blood and devastation, he discovers a magical power which can save memory from the ravages of time.

1867 and a woman, living above a watch shop, meets two men who will change her life forever. As she ventures further into a world of séance and mysticism, she must decide whether to trust her own eyes.

In the present day, a rebellious artist finds herself photographing stillbirths for a living. At Little Angels, it’s not about what you can take from a picture, but what you can give.

The story of three lives, spanning the history of photography and our relationship with mortality.

Secure the shadow, ere the substance fades.

Secure the Shadow by Marion Grace Woolley Blog Tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Shape of Water – Movie Review

The Shape of Water is a 2017 American romantic dark fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor.

WHAT’S THE MOVIE ABOUT

Set in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1962 (Cold War-era America), the story follows a mute cleaner, Elisa (played by Hawkins), at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured part-human, part-amphibian creature. Now, it is a race against time and American and Russian foes alike to save this beautiful creature from a brutal death. Does Elisa succeed? Watch the film to find out.

The Shape of Water – Movie review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Bay Yanlış – Turkish Dizi Review | Episodes 1 – 5

Can Yaman and Özge Gürel are back with a new series, Bay Yanlış (Mr. Wrong), that airs on Fox Turkey every Friday 8.00 P.M. They had previously worked together on Dolunay. Being a huge fan of Yaman, I could not afford to miss this one. To date, fourteen episodes have been aired. Episode 14 is the last in this series. This post features reviews of the first five episodes.

Let’s just say this is going to be another great series, which is going to take the world by storm again.

Bay Yanlış is a romantic, fun, and light-hearted drama. It features a great lead pair and a strong supporting cast. Hopefully, with enough help from the scriptwriters, it will be another magical series, even better than Yaman’s previous works.

Bay Yanlış Turkish dizi poster

Now, let’s have a brief look at episodes 1-5.

Spoiler-free review of episodes 6-12 can be found here.

Spoiler-free review of episodes 13-14 can be found here.