Unofficial emergency – the Cold war

We have a dire situation at home. Hubby has got common cold. In such situations, I am a witness to gory sights which I have never witnessed before.

When hubby catches common cold, the situation is alarming and it usually results in undertaking extreme and desperate measures to control the awful (!) illness.

The mucus turns into solidified rocks which blocks the two openings of the volcanic mucus mountain. Frantic measure are then undertaken to make this mountain erupt.

I try to take a deep breath and will myself to be calm. Perhaps I am being insensitive and I do not understand the gravity of the situation. I just think he has got cold. In situations when he catches the cold, the otherwise calm, resilient and macho Buddha turns into a touchy, vulnerable, noisy stranger.

Every few hours or is it minutes? the stranger sniffs, growls, uses swear words and cries mummy. Literally. He has long given up on tissues and handkerchiefs and is now using the fleece baby blankets that I had got 2 years back for my son.

This is a disaster of epic proportions, mind you. The invincible macho-man, Saint, as I usually prefer calling him has turned into a giant-cry-baby.

And this is not the worst part of the situation. The worst part is I am not supposed to laugh at the comical drama that is unfolding.

Alternatively, medicines, Ayurvedic and antibiotics, home-made soups, steam, vicks, sleep and phone calls to mumma dearest will help him traverse the rocky lava journey.

PS: On reading this post I am not sure who will fire me the most…hubby or FIL. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help posting it.

Book Review: Faceless Killers

Cover via Amazon

Title: Faceless Killers
Author: Henning Mankell
ISBN13: 9781400031573
Source: Library Copy
Rating: 1 out of 5

Synopsis from Goodreads: It was a senselessly violent crime: on a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck. And as if this didn’t present enough problems for the Ystad police Inspector Kurt Wallander, the dying woman’s last word is foreign, leaving the police the one tangible clue they have–and in the process, the match that could inflame Sweden’s already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.

Unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the beautiful but married young prosecutor who has piqued his interest, in this case, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes, but soon comes to realize that it will require all his reserves of energy and dedication to solve.

My Review:

I already wrote about how uninteresting  I found this book to be. Now that I have finished reading it, I feel it was a total waste of time.

Maybe it was the translation? I don’t know. It lacked suspense and urgency, the characters were dull and the plot was boring and poorly written. I don’t know why it was put in the thriller genre. It is neither psychological nor political.

When I read a mystery book, I expect the murderer to be a complex character with enough motive to execute a cold-blooded murder. The murderer’s character should at least be discussed, outlined, debated and focused on to solve the crime. It was surprisingly missing in this book.

The police officers were predictable. Kurt Wallander himself is a bit of a complex character but is not developed enough. I think with more description and emotion the book could have been better. I mean why is he so popular? His colleagues detective Rydberg and Boman were more interesting comparatively. They were at least doing things and were on the right track.

I also expected to read about Ystad’s landscape, scenery, surrounding, which makes the setting of this novel. Unfortunately, there is none, except the repetitive “the wind was blowing”.

Do the next books in the series get better? I don’t know. I might give Wallander another chance but not anytime soon.

I had no motivation to go on reading this book but I thought it might grown on me and there would eventually be something startling or maybe there was something I am missing but really the book was quite forgettable.

Puzzle time and some reading

Kiddo’s puzzles…all containing Thomas and his friends. 🙂

In other news: Am currently reading Faceless Killers by Swedish author Henning Mankell…the Kurt Wallander series.  The series are famous and the book has won Glass Key award given to crime writers in Nordic countries.

I picked it up as I was excited to read a new author and mystery based in Sweden. Something new, something exciting. The premise is interesting but am having a hard time finding the motivation to keep reading because am halfway through the book and nothing is happening. After reading a couple of pages, am turning to another book just to pep up.

Perhaps it’s the kind of book that takes up speed in the later half. Am not sure. So far I am not hooked.

Has anybody read it? What do you think?

Gadgets and updates

A short update on the happenings:

My parents arrived last Wednesday and I have been doubly busy. Kiddo is super excited with all the gifts he is getting everyday. Books, puzzles, alphabets and action songs is keeping him busy. He hardly has time for me and I get a customary hug once in a while. 😦

I have had an unexpected gadget windfall…I am now the proud owner of iPad (courtesy my FIL) and Samsung Galaxy smart phone (courtesy my dad). Early birthday gifts for me 🙂

Too many gadgets and not a productive thing to do 😦 I have now decided to use each device at least once a day. Whatsapp on smart phone is addictive. It reminded me of the time I first experienced chat rooms on yahoo.

iMad with iPad. Laptop, kindle, smart phone and iPad. iSnob. iBoast. 🙂