The Murder of Sonia Raikkonen is Salil Desai‘s 4th published work and 3rd crime thriller. The book brings back the team of Inspector Saralkar and Constable Motkar from Desai’s debut – Killing Ashish Karve. And thankfully so. After a dismissal 2nd book – Murder on the Side Street, where the author attempted with a group of young investigators, I am glad
Read moreCrime fiction in India especially Indian writing in English (IWE) has always lacked that one awesome, swish-buckling investigator. Barring the ones in regional literature translations like Byomkesh Bakshi or Feluda, our crime fiction is still very nascent as far as looking forward to a rocking investigator and his/ her awe inspiring criminal invincibility is concerned. Though authors like Piyush Jha
Read moreAs soon as I noticed the title of this book, I knew it will be fun. In a society like ours where body shaming is a regular practice and marriage is the only testimonial for a good girl; Shuchi Singh Kalra‘s I am Big So What shows a girl who fights against all odds and succeeds in vindicating an independent woman’s concept
Read moreA saga of forbidden love and loss, of insurmountable desires and longing, of resistance and change… Of Marriageable Age narrates the story of three characters divided by time and space and yet intertwined together. Spanning across continents and decades, the novel intersperses a coming of age story of Nataraj, Savitri and Sarojini who refuse to bow down by the sheer
Read moreI devour crime fiction. There are not many Indian authors who attempt this genre. So when I got an the opportunity to read this crime fiction by Joygopal, I immediately took it up. Joygopal had written 5 novels in 9 months in 2012. Also 10 novels in 21 months. Alarmed by his speed, I was pretty excited to read Chief Minister’s
Read moreThe Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal focuses on the life of a wife in an orthodox milieu of Indian society. The story in this book shows that a wife in a traditional Indian society is generally given a secondary place. This results into losing all notions of her independence, her individuality, stature and strength. The story revolves around Megha who gets
Read moreAjit wrote One Life To Ride quite some time back. The actual road trip happened much earlier. My guess – 2003 or so. That explained some of my discomfort with the context, as things have changed dramatically in the last few years, and more and more people are doing these road trips. Now, for a true travelogue/ journey book, should this
Read more“…Trying to move away from his turbulent past, He sings a song palpable, but fast… Cold and hungry like a herd of cattle, He moves forward, like a man who’s out to battle. His desire unfolds the light of the day, As he sees the leaning grasses in May…..” This song initiates the tale of a thief rising to be
Read moreThe book is a collection of biographical sketches of seven entrepreneurs from across a variety of industries in India. In bringing them together, Riddhima successfully weaves a four decade long view of entrepreneurship in India. The choice of entrepreneurs is interesting – across gaming and technology (Vishal Gondal of Indiagames and Goqii), hospitality (Patu Keswani of Lemon Tree Hotels), logistics
Read moreFiercely independent and free flowing spirits finding anchors has been a long written about narrative. Two soul-mates over-analyzing their overtly obvious connection, eventually coming of age, and finally, defining their relationship is a script that Ranbir Kapoor has made a career out of. Yet, to dismiss the book as just such a story would be a disservice to it. Siddharth
Read moreI read Sriram Karri’s Autobiography of a Mad Nation and wondered if something was wrong with me. The book has apparently been longlisted for the MAN Asian Literary Prize. And I suffered through most of it. The book begins with a rant a few pages long, which has the sort of putrid vile hatred which makes you wonder how the
Read moreAuthor Shobhan Bantwal, summarizes in this book what so many Indian American youngsters go through, especially when it comes to striking a balance between the freedom they have, and the need to follow tradition. The Full Moon Bride is a fun-filled, pacy read about Siya Giri, who is a virgin hitting the big three-oh, and her experience with the Indian
Read moreLosing my Religion is a roller-coaster ride — that of exhilaration and dismay, hope and despair, enthusiasm and disappointment. It says the story of life itself. How an individual faces the ups and downs of life and emerges a winner! An oft-told story, you would say. Perhaps, but not in the way in which it is narrated…there is an inspiring vitality
Read more“Land – you can’t burn it like money. You can’t melt it like Gold. You can only buy it, sell it, snatch it, grab it. Titles change, governments change, times change but land stays where it is unmoved and sterile. That is its beauty” – Nilesh Shrivastava, Author, No Man’s Land This is a story of a dysfunctional Indian family
Read moreIt’s the age of retelling in the Indian book publishing industry. So many new re-tellings of Ramayana and Mahabharata in the Bookstore, that you are confused on which to choose. They all tell the same story but with different insights and angles which make it impossible to not like it. But what about mythological fiction? This genre is still in
Read moreI have a rule when it comes to writing. When a book comes endorsed by one of your favorite authors, in this case Khaled Hosseini, you don’t think twice. That is the reason I picked this book. Maybe, this is what lead to my slight disappointment when I ended the book. I somehow expected the author, Soniah Kamal, to be
Read moreWelcome to the detective mind(s) of the Two-Headed Man This Halloween The Tales Pensieve & Fingerprint! Publishing bring you a chance to get ALL of your problems solved by the infamous twins. Presenting the protagonists of An.Al – The Origins – Andy and Alfie, who are here, in The Pensieve, all month long to help you with your problems. Somebody messing about
Read moreThe ritual is simple. Read the rules listed below. Write a story adhering to those rules. Upload the story using the form below. Go have coffee, read a book, twiddle your thumbs or go on vacation till you get a winner announcement eMail from us.
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