Kolkata: BEE Books (a Kolkata based publishing house) and STORY (predominantly a bookstore, previously called CROSSWORDS) organised a reading session on the evening of December 13, 2015 here. The event was of actor-author Barun Chanda who released his thriller, COKE, back in October in conversation with actor-director Churni Ganguly. After going over the basics of the storyline where the young
Read moreThere is something about Short stories. You get done with them fast. Also if it is a collection of short stories then, you can relish many more stories (10 in this one) in one, which is like extra icing and chico chips on the cake for a reader. I like the fact that at the start of every story a brief
Read moreAnurag Mathur is the man who was Chetan Bhagat in the 90’s and early 00’s. After the unprecedented success of his book, The Inscrutable Americans (the book was even made into a movie), Mathur fathered several other books. The Department of Denials is one of them. I found The Department of Denials readable. It’s not massy, it’s not coherent and most importantly,
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 moreGlowing Dark by D Siva Rama Krishna is an adventure thriller. The story revolves around a hidden treasure in a palace. The story is about a vicious plan plotted by a dear companion of an imperial family to plunder the concealed fortune of a kingdom. While some members of the royal family were killed in the process of plundering the concealed
Read moreWe are termed as the Y generation. Science and technology has progressed and reached a level where nobody can function without Internet. Like every coin has two sides, this definitely has it’s own share of cons. Teenagers are feeling lonely. Relationships have become futile. Intrigued to know about their day to day issues, I decided to read this one. Raghu, like
Read moreWhile the Indian Government over the years can be credited with many controversial, idiotic, pointless acts and decisions, a stand-out achievement of theirs is the tenure of Late Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam as the President of India. It was a choice that the entire nation approved of, even as most don’t care much about the figurehead Presidential post.
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 most of the memories a person makes is during his childhood, especially during his school life. The book I had been reading for a week – The Last Soul Children by Aman Chougle is a perfect picture of childhood memories depicted through various short episodes that are stitched together in order to create a thread of recollections. The book
Read moreI finally finished the book that has had tongues wagging from South Block to South India and also, possibly contributed maybe ten odd incremental seats to the NDA. Baru begins the book by justifying his reasons for writing the book (i.e. showing Manmohan in a better light than the internet jokes circulated about him), using the example of foreign civil
Read moreThis is Yashodhara Lal’s third book, after her first two successes Just Married, Please Excuse and Sorting Out Sid. The lady is firmly establishing herself as one to watch out for in the Young Rom-Com space. Her protagonists are career folks sweating out their love stories. Their work, personal and social spaces and the balance (or the lack thereof) in them,
Read moreSunil Gangopadhyay was one of the most prolific writers in Bangla. His books, over the decades, have enriched the readers and reached new heights of popularity. He is my favourite author, of course, having read almost all his novels since they came in periodical magazines with a lot of suspense between a week’s separation. Not only novels, Sunil Gangopadhyay was
Read moreWe all think everyday, every hour, every minute about things that this universe has created, about our existence and belifs. The questions never have proper answers. A poet on the other hand has a mind that’s a never ending questionnaire, that gives the million minds the answers they seek. Poetry is really different than prose; it has depth and brevity
Read moreBrought to you by the same mind that brought you crass such as Mr. Prime Minister, Censor, Love in Times Square, etc. Dev Anand’s autobiography Romancing with Life is a hodgepodge, below par literary effort, mostly overflowing with Mr. Anand’s barely concealed lust for women. When I started reading the book, I expected to come across filmy anecdotes – to be transported
Read moreI must say I have not read too many Booker Prize winning books. In fact, not more than one. The only Booker Prize winning book I have ever read is Arundhati Roy’s ‘God of small things’ which blew my mind away. That book was a Booker and a half, and then some more. I was drawn into Jhabwala’s world with
Read moreMen, authors, books come and go and yet our country remains filled with angst ridden youth. Sankar’s Middleman is a Bengali novel translated to English and even though it chronicles the life of an unemployed young man in 1970’s Calcutta (as it was called then), it could well have been set in 2014 in any of our country’s cities. Somnath
Read moreWe are living in the world of digital technology and a number of our interactions happen through social networking sites now days. But, what will happen if you find out that one of your beloved Gods is trying to reach you through one of these social networking sites? Have you ever thought about that? Well! 1 Friend Request Sent From
Read more“The Paradox of Vantage Point is the journey of Anwesha Nair, Raghubir Kishor and Vikram Madane from being compassion-deficient to acquiring a deeper analysis of life. It is their story of surviving the battle and ultimately painting the canvas of life with positivity and gleefulness.” Couple of corrections, and then I will say – Raghubir Kishor does not come across
Read moreFrederick Drew pointed out emphatically – ‘from Kashmir AND FROM NO OTHER SPOT IN ASIA one may go westward through countries entirely Muhammadan, as far as Constantinople; eastward among none but Buddhists to China; and southward over lands where the Hindu religion prevails, to the extremity of the Indian peninsula.’ What can be more enticing than the above lines about
Read moreAt 95 pages I Take This Train Too is a breezy ride that will engage your eyes in beautiful colors of the caricatures that fill every page whilst your brains can’t seem to get over the fact that Cyrus Daruwala has managed to classify almost every type of traveler on the Mumbai locals in the most accurate way possible! Every page is
Read moreWhen The Heavens Smiled is a heart-stopping mystical tale of love by Ritesh Arora which talks about love surpassing all odds and winning. As a reader I read novels as they are, sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes confusing. But as a reviewer I can only say to the publishers that the stories being published in recent times are not maintaining the basic requirement of sharp
Read moreWhen I discovered The Edge of Desire by Tuhin A. Sinha, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The blurb sounded promising and the reviews gave a positive feedback. But, the thing about Indian writing is that I could never feel connected to it. Some books just work out fine for me, while others lead to utter disappointment. So it is
Read moreNever Kiss Your Best Friend sounds like a love story that happened when it was not supposed to, like all love stories this one is special too. “Feelings that suddenly come knocking at the door of your heart are feelings that never left the comfort of it in the first place”… A philosophy is born out of love such as a
Read moreHow often is it that we meet a protagonist who is recognized as one of the biggest mammals walking on earth? This was certainly a first for me and such was its grandeur that it will forever be etched in my memory. Period. From the critically acclaimed author of Atlas of Unknowns and Aerogrammes, here is Tania James’ latest adventure-cum-tragedy set in
Read moreIndian publishing is at a very interesting turn now. We currently have a hoard of writers writing in different genres. I don’t claim that all of them are readable but there are definitely some gems that don’t see the limelight much but are gems nevertheless. As a reviewer who gets review copies from most of the known publishing houses in
Read moreIndian history. Ancient secrets. Mythological legends. Thriller. Reminds me of Ashwin Sanghi and The Krishna Key. Yes, when I read the blurb of this one it did remind me of The Krishna Key. A book blurb that has ancient Indian history mixed with some treasure hunting always intrigues me and, blurb of The Curse of Surya had these elements in
Read moreI changed my job recently and was sent on training to a location where so far I have not been able to locate a single bookstore that sells English novels; the only ones me and a colleague could hunt for are a couple of stores that sell Kannada novels! Left with no paperback options I retorted to an option I
Read moreI first heard of the ePublishing venture – Bloody Good Book (BGB) on Twitter (through the tweets of the founder herself – Rashmi Bansal). BGB is a unique eBook publishing venture where the power of crowd sourcing & crowd curating is used to find the book that is considered for publishing by BGB & Westland Books. Brutal by Uday Satpathy
Read moreThe Thirteenth Day is the tale of the Great War between the cousins – Pandavas and Kauravas. The title announces what can be expected out of the book. The blurb is crisp and describes the story, arousing the reader’s interest. The cover page gives a sneak peek into the battle field and how it would have been. Mahabharatha is one
Read moreLove is indeed visible in ‘the Corners of a Straight Line’ Life can never be lived while travelling on a straight line, it is indeed the corners that shapes our destiny and our character at large. “I never wanted a straight line to epitomize my life, I preferred corners” Corners of a Straight Line opens the essence of life and love
Read moreFrom the bestselling author of white collar crimes based thrillers, Ravi Subramanian, comes a story of love, deception and revenge – that the book cover promises to be different from the author’s usual offerings. But when you read it, it turns out to be more or less a thriller of a more domestic nature. Paperback king, Aditya Kapoor’s life is
Read more‘A backbreaking misadventure in the Himalayas’, this line coupled with one look at the book cover was enough to entice me towards it. And I quickly flipped it around to see if its blurb held any material to justify my interest. And it did. There is something about travel writers that I don’t find in anybody else. They pique my
Read moreFrom yet another IT employee turned author comes a surprisingly simple and unpretentious novel – Just six evenings. The novel starts-off with the lead character, Atul Sharma, being arrested by the Haryana police department, for reasons not mentioned and the character thinks about the event that leads to this situation. Eight years ago, while still starting his career, in Bhopal,
Read moreTo begin with, the cover page is funky and vibrant at the same time. It has a boy who is caught between Lord Rama and the scary Ravana surrounded with things that is dear to him. The title is a little long, yet apt considering the plot. The book blurb is brief and would surely grab your attention. The characterisation
Read moreTabrik C’s Prisoner Jailor Prime Minister explores how the twists and turns of fate can play havoc with the life of a man. He is compelled to move between different parts of the world …right from the portals of Harvard to the adventurous city of Mumbai to the political labyrinths of New Delhi. Prisoner Jailor Prime Minister is a fascinating tale
Read moreIn a fast moving world of corporate life and busy schedules, health has become secondary for women, replaced by the aim to earn more money and living a comfortable life. We tend to forget that to achieve this aim we need a healthy body and an even more healthy mind. The lifestyle wellness guru turned author, Payal Gidwani Tiwari, in
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 moreShriti Publication is known for publishing stories that are not only fresh in plot, narration, and characterization but also fresh in formulating that perfect memory that takes you on either a joy ride or a philosophical one. Having read the previous titles published by them I picked up The 3-U Turns of My Life thinking it would be an interesting story
Read moreLove, an emotion which forms the core of our existence can be different but the essence remains the same throughout. This evergreen emotion has transcended ages and brought us together to co-exist peacefully. This has been a popular genre among emerging writers to connect with the masses at large. Frankly when it comes to writing romance the narrative has to
Read moreRang Leela is a collection of poems (mostly in Hindi) by Piyush ‘Jayant’ Arora. Jayant is Piyush’s takhallus (pen name), like Dinkar, Nirala, etc. The collection is not of a particular form of poetry, that is, Hindi Kavita or Urdu Ghazal, or Nazm or Sher. Rather it is all of these. And none of these. The collection moves between Hindi, Urdu
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 moreVirender Kapoor brings us the life of Einstein, the greatest physicist of all times, with a few lessons for us to derive from the genius’s life. How did Albert Einstein acquire such a cult status? What was so great about him? And, more importantly, what can we learn from his life? One of the most admired figures from the last
Read moreLet me start this review with an ominous sentence: Indian writers tend to be bad at storytelling. I was wary of picking this book up but then I happened to real Parab’s “About the author”. Slightly overcooked, but he still had my attention. And then I thought, well, what the heck… let’s give it a shot. I couldn’t have been
Read moreWhen The Tales Pensieve gave me the opportunity to review this book, I was completely unaware of what to expect. I have never read a book like this before. The author had sent me a signed copy, so as elated as I was, I started reading not knowing what a ride I was in for. The protagonist is fatigued by
Read moreKismetwali is a collection of short stories, woven around the –walas and –walis that we are so used to in India. Just to set the context right, we are not talking about the Parsis such as Shenaz Treasurywala, or my good friend Perseus Patrawala or his wife Pinaaz Pagdiwaala. We are talking more about the chaiwala, taxiwala, malishwali, kaamwali, phoolwali
Read moreModelled on self-help/ mentorship books, Jiyo Dil Se is written by Harish M. Bhatia, CEO of 94.3 MyFM, and draws inspirations from his life and professional journey. Picking on the central theme of living your life to your heart’s fill, the book quotes examples liberally from the lives of celebrities to further emphasize on the theme. One cannot help but
Read moreA latest trend in the Indian book industry is the publication of books based on Indian mythologies. This clearly reflects the contemporary popularisation of such books. This also shows that these ancient stories are still compelling. However, most of the times, readers do not find anything new or different. What they generally find is the same old tale with slight
Read moreThe moment I saw this book up for review on The Tales Pensieve, I called for a copy immediately. No, I am not a sadist and I do not enjoy reading about people who are in immense pain (this book is about domestic violence, assault, rape) but sometimes knowing about people who suffer such a great deal, helps you realize that
Read moreBest known for writing crime fiction, Vish Dhamija’s latest offering Deja Karma is a legal psychological fiction. Crowned as the India’s John Grisham, Deja Karma has undoubtedly stimulated the genre of legal fiction in India which was almost non-existent before the arrival of Dhamija on the scene. As suggested by the title, the book commences with the imploration of the
Read moreThis book isn’t a novel and yet it is full of stories. This book isn’t a boring sermon and yet it has lessons that stand on their own legs and walk straight into your heart. This book isn’t mythology and yet it takes a reader on a ride into the sublimity of the ancient texts. This book isn’t shouting at
Read moreThe title of the book should have been my first clue. But then, there was that nagging voice that often rings in your head to not be skeptical and prejudiced about stuff by the looks of it. And now as I have laid the book to rest, I curse that nagging voice for making me pick this one up! Virat
Read moreIt is a recent habit of mine to read a book from the very beginning. A lucky thing, I felt as I started the poetry collection by Joy Goswami (translated so amazingly by Sampurna Chattarji). The 20 page foreword by Sampurna about Joy, his poetry and some snippets from his letters or various essays was a must and very meaningful
Read moreOne of the defining things about growing up in a small town in early 90s was Superhit Muqabla. Those in the metros had access to DD-Metro. Those growing in smaller towns, waited for DD-Metro to reach their cities. Or, they waited for the cable TV revolution and channels like Zee TV, Prime Sports, and so on. Tara with her Ta,
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 moreWhen I read the excerpt of this book, I knew I had to read this one! It had a combination of the attributes I love – art, mystery and history! I am a great fan of historical fiction and reading this close on the heels of The Himalayan Revelation and The Temple of Avinasi made me as happy as a
Read moreStories can go on and on…..they can entangle us in webs and when we are trying to come out of it, wrap us around in another. Can we ever say that there is an end to any story? The novel End of Story? written brilliantly by Arjun Shekhar is a dark, humorous, intriguing thriller which brings us to some probing
Read moreA simple love story written in an extraordinary manner, Advantage Love addresses the age old issue of love albeit from a different perspective. Madhuri Banerjee’s novel explores the arena of love, life and career through the eyes of the protagonist Trisha Mathur. In a strange way the novel seems to be a search for love – true love as one
Read moreThe one thing that keeps me reading Hussain Zaidi‘s books is the inimitable manner in which he becomes a fly on the wall of Mumbai‘s most dangerous criminals and fiercest cops alike. My Name is Abu Salem tracks the life and times of Abu Salem – the man whose crime career is perhaps best known for Gulshan Kumar‘s brutal murder
Read moreThe book cover has the text, “To say I couldn’t put down this down is an understatement: I barely breathed. With rapier wit, Basu introduces us to Nathaniel Brown and his spine-chilling adventures. “ says Wendy Orr, author of Nim’s Island. Samit Basu’s Turbulence is a favorite and the Terror on the Titanic was an easy pick for me, especially
Read moreIf you’ve followed some of the Zen Garden articles (in Forbes India) by Subroto Bagchi, a rather fine business person and a good storyteller, you would know what to expect from the book. You’re getting something a little better than that, by the way, in this compilation of his articles. Is there something new in the articles? No. Is there
Read moreRokda – How Baniyas Do Business is a delightful little book about the Baniya community in India. A compilation of the business stories of five luminary businessmen from the Baniya community, Rokda manages to enthrall and keep the reader hooked till the end. Capturing the life stories of Rohit Bansal (Snapdeal), V. K. Bansal (Kota’s famous Bansal Classes), R. K. Somany
Read moreOur country , India, offers all things exotic and out-of-the-ordinary to the foreign palette. India is a land as full of mysteries as it is of corroded ideas and conventions. Few writers, from across the seas, have empathized with us, with our feelings for compassion and our historical past. Tarquin Hall is a British author, travel writer and journalist, who
Read moreSeveral weeks back, I was sitting as an audience member on an ET Now show – Starting Up With Ronnie Screwvala. Every episode featured three shortlisted start-ups, their journey, and a chance for these startups to ask Ronnie questions that are bothering them at this stage. Premise being – you can learn a lot from an industry veteran who has
Read moreThrillers tend to be either similar to creaking bones oozing with wisdom or strut with the irreverent arrogance of youth that has little to convey. It is rare to come across one that defies these clichés and defines itself as being both young and sane… and I can say with a lot of confidence that Kulpreet Yadav has managed to
Read moreDo you know Jose? VJ Jose? RJ Jose? Have you heard of his podcast (along with Suresh Menon) Kaanmasti? You should. The dude has a sense of humour. And in a world full of outrages, you should find people who have a sense of humour. You need to. And keep them close. Ladies, Please! is a no-holds barred take on dating
Read moreI had heard of the Purulia arms drop growing up, without ever fully understanding the context. It is clear that Chandan Nandy – the author of The Night It Rained Guns – was however, fully consumed by it. I picked this book up with great expectation, expecting to finish it in not more than two days, the average time it
Read moreAbhisar Sharma has written two thrillers before this book, which I haven’t read. This one, however, is all about people and relationships, and it takes montages from three decades of Abhimanyu’s life. A media man with a penchant for reporting, Abhisar seems to have gotten down to writing a deeply personal book, or so it seems as you flip the
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 moreA collection of stories may not be as respected as a novel, but no one can deny that short stories have their own charm. If you ask me it is heartening to read so many stories in one volume. That is the reason why short stories collection never goes out of vogue. The Patna Manual of Style is indeed a
Read moreMy love for Ruskin Bond‘s writing started when I was in the Sixth grade. The lack of a good library and a shortage of books would drive me to devour my English textbook every year, even before the school started, heck, even before my Dad would cover it up in those Brown laminated covers to protect it from a year-long
Read more“What has, however, clearly happened in my case is the discovery that in all probability there is a vital defect in my technique of the working of non-violence. There was no real appreciation of non-violence in the thirty years’ struggle against British Raj. Therefore, the peace that masses maintained during that struggle of a generation with exemplary patience, had not
Read moreThe Sales Room is as attached to its title as inseparably as a bee is to honey. The plot revolves around sales, sales and nothing but salesmen. These are a specific kind of people who, as the writer says, are interested in keeping their economies ticking. This is an innocent satire about a software start-up which seems to be undergoing
Read moreI picked up T. G. C. Prasad‘s The Last Ten Percent skeptically – unsure of whether an Indian author could actually write a good business book. But the foreword was a pleasant surprise. Prasad went from anecdote to anecdote and he finally had me intrigued. I had to read on. The concept of The Last Ten Percent is that companies
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 moreWhile the title The Trial of 2091 and the book blurb itself sounded interesting, I must confess I found the book quite hard to follow and ultimately finish. In fact, by the time I finished half the book, I was quite tired, primarily because of the fact that the author chose to sequence his chapters in a manner where the
Read more“Life for a warrior is filled with challenges… ……..The legacy of our family was written with this sword… As long as you hold it; our family’s name will live.” Ancient Warriors dying for honor and love for their country has always made Indians swell up with pride. Women have always showed their potential in various steps of life down the
Read moreWith Bloodline Bandra, the author Godfrey Joseph Pereira takes us down on what is quite an intense journey of coming of age of David Cabral, from Pali Village in Bandra, Bombay. And as the author states in an interview in the last three pages of the book, the narrative itself is more or less autobiographical in nature, and this revelation
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 moreLeela was destined to be unlucky right from her birth, her being a manglik and all. Her parents had always favored her younger brother Sanjay over her and finally when a wedding alliance presented itself in the form of Vishal, who was a manglik himself, her parents were more than happy to get Leela married off. Little did they know
Read moreA story when penned down has a life of its own. It is like a journey which draws the readers into it. Showing them at every cross road their own reflection in the shades and situations of life. It can be heart whelming, it can be soulful, it can be depressing and it can be disturbing but in the end
Read moreThe half mother is a poignant story of an innocent mother’s search for her lost son, the son who she lost to the political play of governments. Haleema and Ab Jaan are a family of two – a close unit of a father and daughter. With Haleema’s mom’s passing, Haleema is forced to drop out of school and help her
Read moreDamodar Mauzo is a Sahitya Akademi awardee, and a highly respected figure in Konkani Literature. And so, picking this book as one I really wanted to read and review was a no-brainer. “Short stories do not say this happened and this happened and this happened. They are a microcosm and a magnification rather than a linear progression.” ― Isobelle Carmody
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 moreTo be frank I did not understand why Picture Abhi Baaki Hai is a book at all. It put me off at the outset with a lengthy, vapid prologue justifying its existence as a book – a prologue in which the author keeps bringing up the name of the book twice on every page. For example, Picture Abhi Baaki Hai
Read moreIf I was to judge a book solely by its cover, title and blurb, Sanjeev Ranjan’s third novel—Just the Way You Are, would score out of out in this particular review. But I am afraid the artistry under the covers has got to be just as good, and this is precisely where the book disappointed me big time. That said,
Read moreThe Temple of Avinasi by Ayush Pathak is the first of seven books in the series that tells the tale of a boy who discovers that his life is anything but normal and that he is anything if not extra ordinary. He discovers that he is actually the last of the avatars Kalki and is a Dev; that his mission
Read moreThere are stories, good stories and great stories. Stories are nondescript tales you read and don’t leave you thinking about it after it is over. Good stories leave you pondering on the tale it tells even after it gets over. And great stories are the ones that keep coming back to your mind at different points of your life, making
Read moreOriginally published in the year 2002 by Indialog Publications, Just the Facts, Madamji is authoress Sharmila Kantha’s debut work of fiction that introduces us to her very authentic detective, Mr. Ramji. Now, I won’t for a second believe that the Indian publishing industry back then was anything close to like what it is nowadays; especially in fiction—especially in the mystery genre.
Read moreAt some point in time we all have Googled our own names to find what results would the search yield. Of course, it depends on who you really are — a celebrity or a nobody, but for an average internet user the most common type of results would be their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, LinkedIn and countless other social networking
Read moreHalahala – Hindu mythology. Vikramaditya – Indian history. Did I tell you I am a mythological & historical fiction fan. Shatrujeet Nath just went ahead and blurred the lines between the two, and the result is a book that gave me a reason to return to reviewing books 🙂 Coming to the book, The Guardians of the Halahala takes us
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 moreFraudster is R. V. Raman’s first book – a thriller set in the corporate/ financial sector. The premise of the book is the prevalence of NPAs (Non Performing Assets) in a large number of financial institutions and the myriad schemes and machinations involved therein. The core strength of Raman’s book is that the plot is quite realistic and believable. What I
Read moreWhen I started reading this book I thought at worst, Ramulamma would be an Indian derivative of Agatha Christie’s somewhat underwhelming Ms. Marple – a shadow of her legendary Poirot. However, as I got further into the book, I realized that getting an Indian Ms. Marple might have actually been a good bargain. Quite frankly, I did not quite understand
Read moreWhile reading this book, I came across a line that I feel best suits the feeling about this book – ‘All Nations are full of sad stories, especially our nation India’. Even with the common surname Mistry you would never think that the author is anyway related to the much celebrated Rohinton Mistry. Though they share similar literary capabilities, they
Read moreWarning: Mild Spoiler Alert Let us assume that you have no idea who Amrapali was and what the various re-tellings of her story have been. Let us assume that you have not seen the movie starring Vyjayanthimala, read Acharya Chatursen’s Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu, seen Hema Malini’s TV series. Lets just take this book as a piece of fiction loosely based
Read moreDoes the title sound gloomy? Perhaps…but life isn’t always about roses and dreams, nor is it about the seven shades of the rainbow. Sometimes we stumble at stark reality, while one’s head tells us this is real the heart refuses to accept it. And that is what this new novel from Anurag Anand seems to tell us. Look beyond the
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 moreMost of us who are devout fans of the mystery genre have a certain degree of fixation with the whodunits. They suck you into its mystery unlike any other sub-genre. They seduce you to have a look into them and before you even know it, you’ll have immersed yourself into the action in the form of an invisible detective—someone who
Read moreNothing hurts a reader as much than a disappointing read from his/her expectations of a book. When I picked this book, it sounded promising with it’s back cover description of a plot that involved a female vigilante fighting the evils thriving in the capital city, I was looking forward to have a great time with what sounded like a Kick-Ass
Read moreI really love reading books where foreign authors ramble on India or stories with an Indian backdrop. It is not their story or ideas that attract me but rather their perspectives on the Indian culture and how they entwine them with their characters. Its also the curiosity that I develop to see if they have got their facts right, judgmental
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