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 moreThe title of the book, a combination of three words, did not make much sense to me. I was hoping reading the book would clear that confusion up and bring a magical connection that will reveal the purpose behind the curious name. With the growing influence of vernacular words on the title, I wasn’t even sure if I was reading
Read moreA nurse goes missing when she visits a patient. The investigation further delves into her story, and it begins to unravel. The cover art of this novel, Saanvri, gives the reader an idea of what to expect from the novel, the blurb makes it more interesting as it promises the story of a woman’s transformation from victim to exploiter. Perhaps
Read moreIndraneel is a successful bollywood celebrity. He has all the good fortune of life, looks, education, fame, personality and a life that looks well settled. At the utmost peak of his life and career, things suddenly take a complete U turn, totally upending his life. Despair and hurt take refuge in his heart as he tries to see through the
Read moreLet the Game Begin, a thriller penned by Sandeep Sharma has been classified as a historical thriller by the author. Thriller as a genre often comprises the elements of suspense, mystery, uncertainty and anticipation to keep the reader hooked till the very last page. Historical fiction usually depicts historical figures in fictional scenarios, fictional figures in documented historical events or
Read more“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose“- Tehyi Hsieh Unconventional stories always pull me. They always get me excited. Cabbing All The Way is one such tale that talks about 12 different people coming together for a common purpose. As this was also different than the normal genres I prefer
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 moreThe Speaking Ghost of Rajpur impressed me with the title. It is one of those titles that promises a good read, if carried off correctly, like I hoped this one would be. The blurb was very exciting and it was with a pleasant anticipation that I began reading this book. The theme of the cover and the caricatures of four
Read moreThe question ‘What is good fiction?’ would bring different responses from different readers. For some, it would be the believability of the story, which is not necessarily over the top or unrealistic. For some, it would be the ability of the story to transport them into a world unlike the one around them; a fantasy land where there’s magic and
Read morehistorical fiction provides an opportunity to make connections with the past. And, this is what The Counterstroke by Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran offers you. It presents a story that took place during a notable period in Indian history. The book takes us to seventeenth century India when Aurangzeb (the Mughal prince) was planning to forge a bloody path to the Mughal throne and Shivaji (a Maratha landholder) had started creating trouble for the Mughal Empire.
Read moreShreyas Bhave’s first book The Prince of Patliputra (Asoka Trilogy #1) offers an action-packed story-line to the lovers of historical fiction. Taking a well-known personality from Indian history and weaving a gripping tale on his life is not an easy task. The task becomes more difficult when the personality the author is choosing is a well-known name among his possible
Read moreRalph Findlay, a successful businessman, commits suicide. Jack, his son, is devastated. But soon after the suicide, a note finds its way to Jack from someone named The Saldirgan, claiming to know Jack’s secret. Already traumatized by the loss of his father, the note makes no sense to him. Not till his dear friend is killed, and he discovers the
Read moreHonestly speaking, it is the title of the book that caught my attention more than anything that compelled me to agree for the review. Let me tell you, I am not disappointed with my decision to read the book. Where are my Pants? is a collection of blog posts put together by Nikhil Kumar. Perhaps some of you have visited his blog.
Read moreCategorized as a superhero fiction, a part of speculative fiction by the author; the story narrated by the author often blurs boundary. A part “social satire”, a part “super-villain” story, a part study of human evolution; The Legend of Yuck-Man begins as a story of exploitation and displacement fostered by greed and augmented by capitalism; however, it soon descends in
Read moreI picked this book up because I had seen the seriously hilarious movie The Perfect Murder based on a book of the same name by Keating. If you haven’t seen the movie, do go ahead and watch it… It is one of the lesser known gems of Indian Cinema. However, this was the second time that a Merchant Ivory film led me
Read moreThe second book of the Hastinapur duology, The Rise of Hastinapur, concentrates on the second and the third generation of the Kuru clan, mainly the Queens. This book revolves around Amba who was wronged by Bhishma’s actions and whose daughter eventually led to Bhishma’s death; Gandhari, the queen of Gandhar, who was later married to Dritarashtra, the grandson of King
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As we celebrate Easter today in all it’s fun, frolic and great food, how can we stay away from the joy that books bring. That. is. the. real. joy. Right? Here we go…we bring you 5 fiction books that capture the beauty of real christian life in India in all it splendour, highs and lows. Em and the Big Hoom
Read moreWhen I took up the book for reading expecting some run of the mill stuff with perhaps a touch of suspense laced in to a romantic story… just to catch the fancy of the casual reader! ! But let me tell you… I was in for a pleasant surprise. Love Kills is unique.. it is not what you would look
Read moreI was somewhat surprised that I liked The Zoya Factor so much. I expected to merely pass the time on a flight with the book; what ended up happening was that I was perhaps the only one not sleeping (or not trying to sleep) on a late night flight, completely hooked to Anuja Chauhan’s first. The story line and plot
Read moreThis was the first Jhumpa Lahiri book I read and from the get go, I was enchanted by the poetry of Lahiri’s prose. It is a little difficult for people who have grown up reading Jeffrey Archer’s short stories – people like me who expect every story to have a beginning, a premise and an end – to fully appreciate
Read more‘Being an avid reader of crime fiction myself, I have always harbored an ambition to make my own humble contribution to this genre,’ said writer Sourabh Mukherjee in an interview. ‘The story, of course, had its germs in my own interests in human psychology and in the complexities of human relationships, especially in these times of changing social order.’ ‘Also,
Read moreTo me, ‘God of Small Things‘ has always been the gold standard for the kind of book that should win a Booker. Booker winning book after book since has disappointed me sorely. The Booker Prize it seems, is more about the one eyed amongst the blind and not really the best book of the year. That said, ‘The White Tiger‘
Read moreI normally like to read the blurb and the prologue before selecting a book as I believe some synopsis do not do justice in getting the right feel of the story. The blurb of this one highlighted a very different kind of a subject and that made me pick it up at the very first instance. Naina and Manish are
Read more“We dream and we actualize those which are closest to our hearts” Alchemist of The East is a story about a boy who copes up with his life after the untimely death of his parents and tries to follow his dreams only to be informed about a legacy he is a part of. Everything that follows adds to the making
Read moreAs a lover of books based on Indian mythology, I opened Jagmohan Bhanver’s The Curse of Brahma with a bit of apprehension. And, there was a certain reason behind that. Lately, a number of retelling of Indian mythologies had disappointed me. But, to my own surprise, this book captured my attention in the Prologue and then I could not stop
Read more“It’s not right, but it’s okay. I’m gonna make it anyway… Don’t you dare come running back to me… I’d rather be alone than unhappy.” This number by Whitney Houston has been playing on my music system ever since I accidentally discovered it while looking for Anuj Tiwari’s novel of the same name. The song examines a woman confronting her lover about his infidelity.
Read moreI am quite ambivalent about my opinion on this book. It usually does not happen. I know whether I like it or not. It is a different matter that I may not be brutally honest in my review for a bad book, or superfluously glowing for a good book. But I know. Not this time. Because, Palm’s Foster Home For
Read moreIs that a flying saucer I see? Yes, saucer flies and there is nothing extraordinary about it. Does the flying saucer fit into your story? That’s a question that you ought to ask yourself before introducing the green aliens and their saucers in your story. I agree that readers like surprises. However, that doesn’t mean that they want flying saucers and meteors
Read moreWhen I contemplated writing as a profession, I had only short stories and novels in my repertoire. In fact, I hadn’t any idea that there exist a host of other forms. Of course, there’s poem, but then that’s for the real lucky people. It is said that poetry comes to only the gifted ones, lesser mortals have to be content
Read more‘Too much of a good thing is a bad thing’ is an oft quoted term in various spheres of life. As far as the literary circle is concerned, nothing fits more aptly for the segment of anthologies in India. From being a nice, refreshing concept initially, the business of anthologies has turned mundane, boring – failing to garner much interest
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 moreThe genre of espionage fiction hardly fails to thrill. To say that the first part of The Svastik Trilogy, Baramulla Bomber by Clark Prasad, is just an espionage thriller, would be tantamount to the statement that our country, India, has only natural bounty. It is a must read for anyone who likes reading espionage fiction, with an after taste for scientific
Read moreAndy Paula is quite a versatile personality. From a teacher to a corporate trainer to a writer, she has travelled a long road, which few of us dream of travelling or are apprehensive of. After the innumerable essays, poems, articles, editorials, congratulations & condolence letters she wrote for herself and others refused to satiate her writer’s self, she finally put
Read moreA chance for short fiction writers amongst our members to get published in a paperback releasing by mid 2014. The winners will also have the rare distinction of being published in the book as the Winning entries from The Tales Pensieve.
Read moreReady for another E.X.I.C.T.I.N.G. contest on The Tales Pensieve! Best Asin-isation Contest (oh no it has nothing to do with the actress orrr…….may be it has 😉 ) This one gets you a Flipkart.com gift voucher worth Rs. 1000/- Plus you make it to the banner on the home page of The Tales Pensieve! What Do You Do: Asinisation – Every institution,
Read moreThe ritual is simple. Write a story/ tale around the given collection of prompts adhering to those rules. Upload the story using the form below. Go have coffee, read a book, twiddle your thumbs, celebrate raksha bandhan or go on vacation till you get a winner announcement eMail from us.
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: Luwan of Brida Authors: Sarang Mahajan Publisher: Periwinkle (Imprint of Popular Prakashan) ISBN: 978-817991-671-1 Pages: 272 Genre: Fantasy Fiction Rating: 4.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Author A Debut book. An Indian. A fantasy fiction series! I have always been a lover of a bit of
Read moreThe Stopover has been one of the most exciting debut books I happen to read in the past six months. It not only introduces a talented photographer and two exciting story writers but also a genre itelf – Photofiction. The art of story telling through pictures was somewhere lost to children books; we adults after a certain age think it
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: The Stopover Author: Ram Prakash & Deepa Pinto Publisher: Krab Media ISBN: 978-8-1908421-6-7 Pages: 198 Genre: Photo Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Authors An exotic travel with four places on the itinerary into the exotica synonym – India – and a foray into four
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Krishna Coriolis 1: Slayer of Kamsa Author: Ashok K. Banker Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-93-5029-000-2 Genre: Fiction Pages: 325 Rating: 4 of 5 ‘VISHNU, I AM COMING FOR YOU.’ – your uncle, ‘Child Slayer’ Kamsa What do you do when the last page of a book screams those six words in caps? Can’t
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: What Young India Wants Author: Chetan Bhagat Publisher: Rupa Publications ISBN: 978-81-291-2021-2 Pages: 181 Genre: Non-Fiction Rating: 3.5 of 5 Ok, before anyone jumps on me let me confess I am a fan of Chetan Bhagat’s columns, if not of his books (though I loved 2 states; it is his best fiction work
Read moreMarketing professional and author of a book that is Spiritual Fiction! That is Srini Chandra for you, who wrote a book that I love to call crash course in life discourse. But if you happen to read Srini on Twitter most of the times you don’t get a philosophical discourse, you mostly are rolling out of your chair. While we
Read moreTitle: The Stopover Authors: Deepa Pinto, Ram Prakash (co-author & Photographer) Publisher: Krab Media ISBN: 9788190842167 Pages: 208 (All color) Genre: Photo Fiction Previewed for: Krab Media This is the very first time that I am writing a preview of a book (I love my books whole and stories with a The End) but I just loved this innovative concept
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: 1888 Dial India Author: Anuvab Pal Publisher: Random House India ISBN: 978-81-8400-158-7 Pages: 230 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Random House India
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