When I read the blurb of An Unequal harmony for the first time, for some reason I thought that this book would have something to do with betting rings involving Reva, Sid and Anshuman. Pretty naïve of me and I blame it all on the new age Bollywood films 🙂 Speaking about Bollywood, here is a novel that has all
Read moreWhat should I tell about a young woman named Savita Halappanavar that she was smart, beautiful and vivacious; that she was a doctor by profession and loved to dance; that she was ever vibrant in personality and had a diamond smile; that she was recently married and was expecting her first child; that her womb had along-with the fetus, some
Read moreIn the current market scenario, where the term Recession finds its way in any and every conversation, job security is no longer an idea that professionals cling to. In order to set up a well-established career & to fulfill their requirements (both professionally as well as financially), the number of people jumping from one organization to another is on a
Read moreIn Skyserpents, Jash Sen has proved once again that a background of Hindu mythology and ancient lore, gods, demi-gods and asuras can form an arresting and deadly cast of characters when thrown together with her creative ingenuity. The second book in the trilogy, Skyserpents starts out with one of the most well known and pivotal moments in Hindu mythology –
Read moreBollywood junkie meets bollywood inspiration! That is what Priyanka Sinha Jha‘s debut book Supertraits of Superstars did to me. That I am a huge bollywood fan is no secret, in my close circles, and nor is the fact that I have often gotten into twitter spats and been on the defensive side on many occasions when ever movie stars have
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 moreI am the type of girl who would do her best to avoid horror stories/ movies unless my curiosity gets the better of my senses. My initial foray into this genre started with Goosebumps and similar R. L. Stein novels and somehow stopped there. I did delve on to some serious horror novels like The Shining and Carrie by Stephen King,
Read moreThe art of yoga, is the way to good living, as we all know. Combining yoga with the principles of management, is quite novel and unique to say the least. The book draws inspiration from the epic, The Mahabharata, especially the gem within that epic, The Bhagavad Gita, which is the series of conversational pieces between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna/ Dhananjaya. In the Foreword of The Yogic Manager:
Read moreInformation technology and exploration of its hallowed portals are the mantras of the present perfect. There are both pros and cons of getting high–tech. The ordinary mobile phones have got upgraded to smart phones. But given the fact that we have gone more tech-savvy with each passing day, Smart Phones Dumb People? – Using 21st Century Tools To Address 19th
Read moreI wanted to read Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowlands. Not only because it made it to the Booker long list even before it was published, but also because she has a beautiful, evocative writing style. A friend who read the book slammed it, though, saying it was nothing new, just the same set pieces of Bengali characters living abroad who were
Read moreJack Patel and his partner-in-humour Brahmadesam Balasubramaniam Krishnan (Kitch) are back in Dubai to regale us with their corporate adventures. Jack is Back in Corporate Carnival – as the title suggests that it’s a sequel to Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams. Thankfully as you read along, it doesn’t make much of a difference if you haven’t read the previous book. Jaikishan
Read moreBrooks Town is a sleepy hill station that hasn’t changed much since independence. Everybody knows one another, and secrets, it seems, are rare. But Charlotte Hyde has some rather big secrets that she manages to guard very well. Only one person – Soumen – knows all her deepest and darkest secrets, but he is a rather unreliable character, appearing and
Read moreThe Seventies decade of the Twentieth century started on a very inconsolable note especially for the South Asian countries. There were series of events & agitations in eastern Pakistan that culminated in the Indo-Pak war of 1971 eventually leading to the birth of a new nation called ‘Bangladesh’. The irony of these events is that despite being involving one of the
Read moreCalcutta,1924. In the vibrant world of Bengali theatre, Sisirkumar Bhaduri, a young man of talent and vision, is king. The opening lines of the blurb present a fair idea of what The Lonely Monarch is about. The twenties were an enchanting era in Calcutta encompassing dazzling celebrities in the literary, academic, cultural and socio-political arena including Rabindranath Tagore. Sisirkumar Bhaduri
Read moreSet in the 1960s, in the fictitious hill station of Hamara Nagar, Love Potion Number 10 transports its readers to a gentler age and times with its quirky cast of characters. Though touted as a Jana Bibi adventure, do not expect any pulse pounding action. The intrigue that the book blurb refers to is at best muted. But that doesn’t take
Read moreWhen I first read the blurb of this book, I expected an emotional drama filled with behavioral and emotional theatrics displayed when a group of individuals, especially those that have migrated to the promised land of generation ‘X’ meet after a decade! I was expecting chapters filled with the display of wealth and success by the main protagonists in true immigrant
Read moreNovels which deal with and describe places of my very own city of Kolkata, always intrigue me. They produce an indistinguishable sense of déjà vu. Given its rich historical parentage, the city never fails to fascinate writers , even when it does not happen to be their hometown. But if it is, then in most cases, a writer’s debut novel undoubtedly is based on/in the city of Kolkata.
Read moreWe all know of Salman Rushdie as the controversial author who has a fatwa hanging over his head for stepping into forbidden territory in his controversial treatise The Satanic Verses. But I had missed out, before I read this book, that he had soon after the fatwa stepped into action in what can be called a lit contrast – from
Read moreThe Sea of Innocence by Kishwar Desai is her third work in the Simran Singh Series. The first one was Witness the Night which dealt with female infanticide while the second one Origins of Love focussed on surrogacy. The only thread linking all these three reads is the recurring protagonist – Simran Singh who is a social worker/ investigator making it suitable
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 As soon as I started reading the first page of Jash Sen’s debut novel, The Wordkeepers, I was instantly hooked by the scene, which drew me right onto the battleground in Kurukshetra, set at a pivotal moment, with Arjun–Ashwatthama about to annihilate the planet, and Lord Krishna trying to prevent it. Thus began a
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 An Incurable Insanity is the story of two people bound by an arranged marriage where one party is all set to start a new life, while the other never wanted to get married in the first place! It is a tale that most of us would have heard before from friends or relatives of those
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 Are you one of those wandering souls longing to have proficiency in English language but the ghost of which continue to scare you away…then English Bites is the book for you. It is surely for all those who swear to have been smitten and bitten by English – smitten as being sincerely wanting to
Read moreAisle Be Damned attracts the reader with the cover and tagline. It is an intelligent blend of pun and posh-ness. The book starts with airports, covers check-in, security, boarding, flight safety, food and all the other steps in separate chapters. There is a little something for everyone – tips to strike useful conversations with attractive co-passengers, a very important section on choosing your seats wisely before boarding, a rather intimidating chapter on flight safety, hilarious anecdotes on captains and cockpits.
Read moreA north american with memories of India, returns back after decades to write a fiction based in the country of her childhood memories. Part memoir – part fiction the Jana Bibi Adventure series is back this winter with its second instalment. We get inKonversation with the creator of the vivacious fortune teller Jana Bibi and her intriguing parrot – Betsy
Read moreLike any horror fiction, the presence of the supernatural dominates almost every story in the book, but what makes this book scary is the mysterious/ unexplained factor that looms over most of its tales. The lack of a good reason as to why some of the incidents occur will give you a serious case of heebie-geebies
Read moreMeet Sonia Samarth, a private investigator with a twist – she solves cases uses Hindu astrology as a crime solving tool. Within a day of advertising her services her phone starts ringing non-stop. Of course, there are a lot of calls from people asking her if she is an astrologer and can help them with their family problems!
Read moreApurva Purohit talks about the Suffering Sita syndrome and the fortyish syndrome found in Indian women. She points out categorically that these not only hamper their career growth prospects, but also impede their character development. She writes, “Like wine, we only become better with age.” The modern social scenario, according to the author: “It is thus crystal-clear that traditional stereotypes are getting redefined and we cannot slot men and women into airtight boxes any longer.”
Read moreThere are books which engage us for a short time and some which touch our hearts. Sreemoyee Piu Kundu’s novel lingers on in our hearts even after we have finished reading the book. It is lyrical and very very feminine. Though not a feminist statement, it does reveal an underlying feminine consciousness.
A piercing insight into human emotions, Faraway Music is a wonderful debut creative endeavour.
Once in a while, you come across a book that will make you ponder about the life you have lived – about everything you have learnt and done; and this thought process might trigger a self introspection of your being. This book did that for me – it had me thinking about my journey, things that I could have done better and how I can start making little changes that would make me a better person and take a step closer to achieving my dreams.
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 The fact that the author’s name rhymes with Chetan Bhagat, is not a coincidence. Ketan Bhagat, is in-fact the younger brother of an author who has redefined our reading habits and has proved that best-selling books can also be made into box-office film hits, in an Indian context. As Ketan Bhagat writes, in his
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 Love, Films and Rock ‘n’ Roll explores a different track of life far removed from the preconceived ideas of society. The novel seeks to link the present and the past talking about the changing outlook of the young generation on love, films and music and how they rediscover their inherent cultural values through personal trials
Read moreThe genre of self help books has gained immense popularity and readership over the past couple of years. These books help in self –improvement as well as provide useful guidance to enable one to tide over the tumults of life. Readers Digest (yes, that international magazine) had conducted a survey and had found the top ten self help books that have successfully
Read moreMills&Boon (M&B) are books that a girl apparently grows up with but fortunately or unfortunately, my reading group in school – we grew up looking down on M&B. Even though reading wasn’t that cool in the 90s, we beleived we were too cool to be reading about love struck petite heroines and love deflecting hot heroes.
The first time I read a part of a M&B was (preposterous as it may sound) when I was forced to read a chapter during the hostel ragging.
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 Tell us who is your favourite character from The Mahabharata and why? Answer in the form below. The best answer makes you the Reader-Winner of September 2013 and gets fun-express The Average Indian Male by Cyrus Broacha home delivered at your place. Sandipan Deb’s debut novel, The Last War surely is a page-turner. Having a corporate and
Read moreSomethings are change makers, like some people. They can be movies, conversations, books…anything. Even fiction. Yes the make belief can challenge beliefs. This book did it for me. Call me ignorant but being the avid shiva believer Varanasi has, in my mind, remained a city of temples, tourists and tantricks. The Virgins made the city real for me. It put forth on the 318 odd pages a city like any other Indian city, with real people and relatable problems. Siddharth Tripathi in his debut as a novelist presents rare maturity in Indian English writing and a cast that is as entertaining as it is enticing.
Read moreThrough the story of captain Ranjit Singh, Ahmad showcases one man, at two places – thousands of miles apart, in two situations – set years apart, yet connected like those thin threads of cheese that refuse to break, stretch as much as you may. A word-potrait of emotions with some intriguing secrets and revelations infused in the storyline is what, I would call The Caretaker is about.
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013, South Asian Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads What is the most exotic thing you know about Kumbh Mela in India. Answer in the form below. The most e.x.o.t.i.c. answer makes you the Reader-Winner of July 2013 and gets the laughter riot book The President’s Coming by Anuvab Pal home delivered at your place. A
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Vanity Bagh could be anywhere in India. Any City. Or any town even. It could be the gali you pass through everyday. It could even be the street you may have lived in. For me Vanity Bagh could have been a neighborhood in old Bhopal (my home town) – the characters,
Read moreCertain things when they associate with certain places hold a very different level of excitement. Crime and Mumbai have a similar association. Blame it on the reputation of the city or hindi cinema but the association runs deep and the proposition always excites. Last year when filmmaker Piyush Jha decided to move his mode of story telling from celluloid to pulp he took it upon himself to explore the fascinating yet rarely explored genre ( in India) of crime thriller. And choose his favourite muse Mumbai as the canvas. Mumbai and crime – the stage was set.
Read moreTrue Friendship! The chord that comes out of no where and may go into eternity. The connection that is as mysterious as it is deep rooted. The bond that is as strong as it is fickle. Amrita Anand Nayak chooses this complex relationship amidst three girls to debut with.
Read moreThe Karachi Deception starts of with a foiled assassination attempt on Irshad Dilawar – India born, international criminal, most importantly wanted by India for a number of crimes against and in his home country. The action soon shifts to India where, the elite secret group of RAW -Unit Kilo – are selecting a 3-member team..
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013, South Asian Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads A book all the way from The United States of America. Quite literally! This one took four weeks to reach me, is published by an American publication house based in New Jersey and written by an Indian based these too. At 133 pages,
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Legend. Secrets. A cult of protectors. A child of destiny. What more does a fantasy fiction fan need? Fantasy fiction seems to be taking some steady, sturdy steps in Indian literature these days. This year at The Tales Pensieve we have had the fantastic Luwan of Brida
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Time does funny things to us. And so do circumstances. It is true for life but fiction just emphasizes it better. Like The Homing Pigeons does. Sid Bahri‘s debut novel is a much needed fresh breath in the stagnating romance sagas that present day Indian literature sees. The book has its
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads I am sure by now anyone who follows this site knows that if there are books that I will pick up by just the genre then they have to be Indian history and mythology. I first saw Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince on Flipkart.com amidst new
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads A crime thriller should have pace. It should have multiple suspects. All suspects should have motives. All motives should be equally compelling. And finally the fun is in spite of all the suspects and their motives, the murderer turns out to be someone we (the reader) suspected
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Magic could be so magical!! (don’t get your hopes high, this book is not a magic propagating fantasy fiction) But it is definitely about the magical stories that entwined our growing years – with a twist. The Arabian Nights – what a fabulous collection of stories it was. Fascinating, intriguing and magic
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 Books have strange relationships with the readers. I like to call it something akin to eating. We try out a lot of dishes before we know, yes, this is what I like. On the same principles readers read (try out) different genres and books before they can put a finger on some genre/s and say,
Read moreThe Shiva Trilogy by Amish for me will always represent that whiff of freshness that stormed the Indian literary scene that was nearly choking with louveeee in 2010! (not that the scene is any different now [after 3 years] but the winds are definitely changing). The mythological – historical – adventure – fiction series is all but immortalized as one of the trend changers amongst Indian books and Indian publishing
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads So, a parrot green cover – a white clock – 30 over it – and a hookah, a lipstick, a ladies handbag and sunglass among other things splashed around! With a cover like that I don’t think I had any illusions about what I was getting into when Milan Vohra,
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads This review is honoured to be on the author’s website. I had earlier interviewed Amandeep and his answers were the major push behind me wanting to read the book. I was born at the end of 1983 in Bhopal. Two major events happened in Bhopal around my formative, childhood years
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: Tantra Author: Adi Publisher: Apeejay Stya Publishing ISBN: 978-81-908636-2-9 Pages: 335 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com I am going to let you on a secret. Many may tsk tsk me after they read this especially the ones amongst you who are
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 morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: A Splash of Love Author: Rajeev Ranjan Publisher: Diamond India ISBN: 978-81-288-3278-9 Pages: 212 Genre: Fiction Rating: 1 of 5 Reviewed for: Author Ever confused infatuation with love? I have; for a very long time. Tell me about that realization moment. Answers
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 Title: Cold Feet Author: Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan Publisher: Penguin Books India ISBN: 978-0-143-41720-0 Pages: 234 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Mysmartprice.com Chick Lit – Yes, that very insulting word for literature by any woman writer who dares write a story on fellow gender friends. Yes Cold Feet is a book by
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013 Title: Blood Red Sari Author: Ashok Banker Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers ISBN: 978-93-5029-321-8 Pages: 283 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4 of 5 Reviewed for: Mysmartprice.com Ashok Banker is a name I have always associated with mythological re-tellings having read his Slayer of Kamsa, The Forest of Stories and The Seeds of War, finding a women centered thriller
Read morePart of Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads and South Asian Challenge 2013 Title: Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams Authors: P.G. Bhaskar Publisher: Penguin Books ISBN: 978-0-143-41526-8 Pages: 231 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4 of 5 Reviewed for: Author A debut and this is as fresh as it gets. P.G. Bhaskar writes from his familiar surroundings of Dubai and banking to give us
Read moreTitle: The Seeds of War Authors: Ashok Banker Publisher: Westland Publishers ISBN: 978-93-81626-86-3 Pages: 345 Genre: Fiction/ Mythology Rating: 4.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com Ashok Banker is back with what he has been doing for years and what he does best. As the cover of this book claims, he is India’s ‘epic’ storyteller and he takes us forward on
Read morePart of Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: When The Snow Melts Author: Vinod Joseph Publisher: Amaryllis ISBN: 978-93-81506-11-0 Pages: 202 Genre: Fiction Rating: 2.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Author Afghanistan is on the creative radar for a horde of Indian writers and it is a pleasure to read different angles to a definite chapter in modern history. After Red Jihad,
Read morePart of Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: Alchemy: The Tranquebar Book of erotic Stories II Authors: Various | Edited by: Sheba Karim Publisher: Tranquebar Press/ Westland Ltd. ISBN: 978-93-82618-03-4 Pages: 229 Genre: Fiction Rating: 2.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com A different genre from what has ever been reviewed on The Tales Pensieve – Erotica – and all thanks
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads Title: Chasing Maya Author: Rohan Gogoi Publisher: Global Vision Press ISBN: 978-93-80707-36-5 Pages: 142 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Global Vision Press They say fiction is the only truth that exists! How apt and true atleast in the case of this book by Rohan
Read morePart of 2013 Reading Challenge: First Reads Title: Beaten by Bhagath Author: S.V. Divvaakar Publisher: Frog Books/ Leadstart Publishing ISBN: 978-93-82473-3-9 Pages: 193 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Author A book for the writers by a writer. That is what Beaten by Bhagath is. A book that is in the past, present and the future. An inside
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 2013 Reading Challenge: First Reads Title: Return of a King Author: William Dalrymple Publisher: Bloomsburry Publishing Plc ISBN: 978-1-4088-1830-5 Pages: 487 Genre: Non-Fiction Rating: 4.5 of 5 Reviewed for: MySmartPrice The line between fiction and real blurs as one digs more into the real. History exploring is one such real digging and unbelievable are the treasures that pop
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Once Upon The Tracks of Mumbai Author: Rishi Vohra Publisher: Jaico Publishing House ISBN: 978-81-8495-305-3 Pages: 266 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Author Some books are like A.R. Rahman’s music, first you are struck and then you are awestruck; they just build on you as you go forward.
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: My Magical Palace Author: Kunal Mukherjee Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-93-5029-119-1 Pages: 372 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4.75 of 5 Reviewed for: HarperCollins Publishers A nizam’s palace in Hyderabad, the exotic Bengali culture and the pangs of first love – that is where Kunal Mukherjee’s debut saga takes us.
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Wrong Means Right End Author: Varsha Dixit Publisher: Rupa Publications ISBN: 978-81-291-2046-5 Pages: 311 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Author Varsha Dixit is back with her brand of Indian Romance and how! She returns with the sequel to Right Fit Wrong Shoe in this book with some old and new
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: The Edge of the Machete Author: Abhisar Sharma Publisher: Westland Publications ISBN: 978-93-81626-67-2 Pages: 333 Genre: Fiction/ Thriller Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com Islamic mendicants centric novels seem to be on the rise with The Edge of the Machete by Abhisar Sharma being the third one, after Red Jihad and Zombiestan,
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2012 and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Toke Author: Jugal Mody Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India ISBN: 978-93-5029-340-9 Pages: 214 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4 of 5 Reviewed for: INDIAreads.com This review is honoured to be on the author’s website. Three facts I bet you did not know about marijuana and getting stonned: 1. We know
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Zombiestan Author: Mainak Dhar Publisher: Duckbill Publications ISBN: – 978-93-81626-92-4 Pages: 248 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com This review is honored to be on Duckbill Publication’s Official Page and the official page of the book. I confess, while agreeing to review this one I had never been this wary
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 Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Red Jihad Author: Sami Ahmad Khan | inKonversation Publisher: Rupa Publications ISBN: – 978-81-291-1987-2 Pages: 263 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com This review is honored to be on Rupa Publication’s official page and the official page of the book. Lives have been held to ransom
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 moreEntry no. #10 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: The Aryavarta Chronicles Book I: Govinda Author: Krishna Udayasankar Publisher: Hachette India ISBN: 978-93-5009-446-4 Pages: 444 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Hachette India
Read moreEntry no. #9 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Boats on Land Author: Janice Pariat Publisher: Random House India ISBN: 978-8-184-00074-0 Pages: 283 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4 of 5 Reviewed for: Random House India
Read moreEntry no. #8 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Untruly Yours Author: Smita Shetty Publisher: Leadstart Publishing ISBN: 978-93-81836-29-3 Pages: 146 Genre: Fiction/ Romance Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Leadstart Publishing
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: The Bankster Author: Ravi Subramanian Publisher: Rupa Publications ISBN: 978-81-291-2048-9 Pages: 358 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4 of 5 Reviewed for: Author This review is honored to be on the official page of the author.
Read moreEntry no. #7 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: The Shadow Throne Author: Aroon Raman Publisher: Pan Macmillian ISBN: 978-81-923-9800-6 Pages: 329 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Pan Macmillian
Read moreEntry no. #6 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: 3 Lives: In Serach of Bliss Author: Srini Chandra Publisher: Self-Published ISBN: 978-1-4637-6255-1 Pages: 128 Genre: Fiction Rating: 4 of 5 Reviewed for: Author
Read moreEntry no. #5 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Death in Mumbai Author: Meenal Baghel Publisher: Random House India ISBN: 978-8-184-00065-8 Pages: 231 Genre: Non-Fiction Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Random House India
Read moreEntry no. #4 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Mumbaistan Author: Piyush Jha Publisher: Rupa Publications ISBN: 978-81-291-2017-5 Pages: 239 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Rupa Publications This review is honored to be part of the official page of the book.
Read moreEntry no. #3 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Thundergod Author: Rajiv G Menon Publisher: Westland Ltd. ISBN: – Uncorrected Proof Pages: 384 Genre: Fiction Rating: 2.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com
Read moreEntry no. #2 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Quarantine Author: Rahul Mehta Publisher: Random House India ISBN: 978-81-8400-135-8 Pages: 248 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Random House India
Read moreEntry no. #1 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: An Idiot, Placements and IntervYOU Author: Toffee Publisher: Times Group Books ISBN: 978-93-80942-87-2 Pages: 189 Genre: Non-Fiction, Self Help Rating: 1 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com
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 moreTitle: I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced Author: Nujood Ali, Delphine Minoui Publisher: Random House India ISBN: 978-0-307-58967-5 Pages: 176 Genre: Memoir Rating: 2 of 5 Reviewed for: Random House India
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Poor Little Rich Slum Authors: Rashmi Bansal, Deepak Gandhi, Dee Gandhi (Photographer) Publisher: Westland ISBN: 978-93-8162-618-4 Genre: Non-Fiction Pages: 187 Rating: 4.5 of 5 The book cover with blue colored low roofed, sandwiched shacks sprawled all over its front and back, against a background of white with a blue airplane taking off over
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
Read moreWhat would you do if your ‘only’ friend is murdered and you were witness to the act, hidden on the other bank of the river – scared, helpless and heartbroken? When all your waking senses will remember is the silhouette of the murderer under the moon against the dark of the night with blood on his hands amidst the gurgle of
Read moreTwo huge blue colored doors, possibly wooden, vedic flower designs splattered over them in a matrix pattern, bells hanging from each of those flowers, golden pegs, an ornate lead lock that brings them together with a single beam of light between them hinting at the other side and golden words underneath the huge lock proclaiming The Krishna Key. The cover
Read more‘The wind blows this way and goes. The same wind blew yesterday. After wandering about it will return as the wind of tomorrow.’ – Father Roy Francis Karikkan Tucked away in a corner in crossword, the book with a blemished female face and the yellow round patch declaring it as the winner of ‘Vodafone Crossword Translation Award‘ of 2009, the book
Read moreEach day of my childhood had begun listening to my father read out of his Ramayana, Mahabharata or Bhagvatam. Each day had begun with pulling the pillows over the ears to block out the words, that debuted sounding as gibberish but eventually with passing years started making sense, atleast to the story lover in me. Amidst the magic, myths and magnanimity,
Read moreDid gods create mankind, or did mankind create gods? The back cover screams this question at the reader with the preamble concluding that this book by Ajay Kansal deals with establishing the fact that anthropologies and histories lead to one conclusion – mankind created gods! The writer starts off with a very arresting question in the preface – Why are
Read moreThe bright yellow cover with a painting depiction of the blue god Krishna on it, is eye-catching enough to get added to any book collection. The cover design by Dhaivat Chhaya completely justifies the title and contents of the book – 7 Secrets of Vishnu. The god who is said to be draped in yellow silk has a book cover
Read moreWho was Jesus? A divine soul who led humanity to spirituality or a mortal who led himself to divinity on the path of spirituality? ‘Do what you will, Father but if you love me, bury me yourself when it’s done.’
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