Review: Guardian Angel by Ruchi Singh

     
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Nikhil is a person captured wrongly and for no reason apparently. And that does not go well with Ayesha who is told to nurse his woulds so he can be tortured for information.

Ayesha is a girl who would be soon married to the guy who tries too hard to earn name and money from the so called holy war against the Indians.

These two are star crossed lovers from the moment they meet and it is their story that Ruchi has penned down so beautifully.



Guardian angel is a real good story with a plot that's sorted and feels complete. Every string of this web is tied beautifully and there is a human touch to even the extreme violence that you feel throughout. I enjoyed the clarity in the writing which reflects that the author has spent due time and diligence on the characters and overall feel of the story.



A short and yet engaging read.

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Storywallah - Stories from everyday India ( Anthology)

I have been a fan of Nilesh Mishra's storytelling and stories from the beginning. And as an extension , I have liked his "mandali" too from the stories I have heard in FM, which were written by his mandali members.

With that expectation and memory I picked this book Storywallah. And it was a little disappointing. The depth and the details that one associates with short stories is some what lacking in the stories of the book.

The book has a variety of emotions - friendship , love , loss , pride , sorrow and a little bit of society's thoughts and working shown using characters of the stories.  There are incidences that one will relate to , moments that you feel one with the person in the story but I can perhaps count those stories on my hand.

My favorite story is "the overcoat" where a girl discovers the meaning of true love through other's life. Another story I will remember for a long time is "The seal" but only for the father dialogues in that one. Another gem is "together" for me as that's about true friendship and having to love someone a second time over.

 This book failed to excite me most part or make me feel strongly for rest of character. I understood the emotion but there was nothing to bind me there. Perhaps the book would have been better in hindi language and it's the translation that has taken away the shine from these tales of every day India.

My rating - 3.5/5 

Review: The Ghosts of Gurugram by Debeshi Gooptu

The Ghosts of Gurugram by Debeshi Gooptu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5/ 5

This book looked like a little serious when I began reading. Ofcourse the inspiration and the plot idea is a topic of concern these days. But actually the book was fun to read.

 Tara moves to guru gram to get over a breakup and to start life afresh at a new job. While she makes friends at office , her house ghost also decides to make a friend out of Tara and that leads to an adventure that is both heart warming and heart breaking. The book was well balanced with a good heart and a solid writing style. The gems of wisdom and after effects of our choices are so subtly presented by the author. This really made me little more aware of our own hesitation to seek others and to drive our life better. Enjoyed this short quick read.

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Avishi by Saiswaroopa Iyer

 

Long before the times of Draupadi and Sita

Immortalised in the hymns of the Rig Veda

But largely forgotten to the memory of India

Is the Warrior Queen with an iron leg, Vishpala

 The reason i like to read mythological fiction is that it gives me a chance to know of the stories that are not popular and hence are not narrated or passed to our generations. Even if the stories are fictionalized or mixed with other tales from that time / era , it is still another addition to my knowledge of stories of the ancient India. 

Avishi is story of the girl , destined for great things in her  life and so is rescued by foresight of great Maharishi Vahini who silently guards and guides everyone onto their paths.  After the death of her father , Avishi is brought up in the ashram of Naimisha , the learning center and center of dharma in the enchanted forest. There she becomes a warrior and when time comes , she sets out to fulfill her destiny and her duty to the kingdom where she was born. she was after all, to be the queen. What is most remarkable part of this narrative is how the author has added other aspect of the life of those times. I would not want to give spoilers or mention some of the research areas but be assured that you will learn a lot about the evolution of society and knowledge while reading this book. 

The references mentioned in the end  of the book are an indication how well thought and crafted this book is. Apart from telling the story of Avishi , it is a book that has some important lessons to offer in terms of leadership and keeping a community close. Much thought was given to the conversations and the strategic part of the story.

And now to the flaws , i totally disliked the story arc of Avishi's mate Satya in the middle of the book. Also , his character , though him being a genius with herbs was not much likeable. Plus the climax was a little stretched out and after reading the book , you would expect better fight scene. That scene looked unreal to me , unlike the rest of the story.

But this is just me having high expectation from the author perhaps ;) 

My rating : 4/5

What Kitty did by Trisha Bora

Kitty , whose real name i almost missed in the book unless i realized , she was Ketaki ( i thought she was trying to give a false name :|) is the only daughter of a successful creative lady and an adorably dotting dad who is a professor. With some amazing friends , roommate , ex-bf , and a current love interest , this story is a fun read for most parts. Reading Kitty's survival and mis-adventures across different Delhi parts gives the reader a good idea of this city - both the high and low of it . Since, I am from the city and having seen most of it , the stuff was a little cliched but endearing in its own way. More than that , I loved the way Kitty has a thing to say for everyone and mostly herself. She is not too flattering about anyone , but in a real sort of way , her dialogues and reactions were witty and spot on. Also, I had a little issue with the way she wasn't a responsible person when drunk , nor her friends too keen to address that any time or be aware of it. That felt unlike friends.

What Kitty Did , though appears to be a thriller from the blurb , the thriller part is actually the reason this book falls a little short of the wow factor.The whole cast and plot for the mystery section of the book looks incomplete and hurried. the multitude of  characters do not allow even one of them to be explored and presented in detail - not even the victim. Why Kitty gets involved in it , might be understood but how she figures it all out and why the murder happened , is still not too clear to me.

The writing is fresh , breezy and definitely honest. The book, has some real good observations and quotes on life and friends , my favorite being-

What you need in life is a set of friends. Loyal as dogs, frothing-at-the-mough-to-stic-up-for-you friends. Without that , you're a goner.

My rating : 3.5/5

Someday .. with or without you by Bhanu Pratap Singh

Someday.. from the cover and the blurb looks like to be a usual love story , perhaps a love triangle too. But fortunately this one is bit more than that. The book opens in a parallel track of two different people , in different years narrating their version of events. There is an obvious overlap but for most part , the story moves on its own pace and hooking the reader to this heady mix of past , present and the characters in the book. The book is almost an accurate version of relationships , tangled emotions and messed up ego of the current generation. You will see a part of some one known in the characters described , without judgement of course.

The story has some loopholes , a little too much cheesiness at times but perhaps I have heard equally weird tales in reality so I could accept certain events as it is and move on. I do have a certain disregard for the kisses and making out scenes but only once did I feel the scene was out of flow. Rest of the story is pretty engaging and quite believable in its premise. What totally made this book a worthy read was the point where the past and present overlap and we see Dave go back to face his past , the consequences of his one mistake in order to sort out his present love story. There the things get too interesting for me. That is when I actually smiled and gave an imaginary thumbs up to the author for this story.

The book has its own flaws , it is not too refined at places and seem like any other indian fiction we come across. But it has the potential to make you forgive those flaws by the time you finish the book.

My rating : 3.5 / 5

Do give this one a try. You will not regret reading this.  

The Sialkot Saga by Ashwin Sanghi

I have been a fan of Ashwin sanghi , mostly for his first book. The next two were good ones for different reasons but no way near Rozabal Line. I have missed rest of them and was not aware of Sialkot Saga till it hit the markets. The size , the plot and the hype around the book made me think that this book might be almost like the previous ones I have read. I was wrong. This was not as good as any. Call it a personal quirk or something , but I go restless unless I understand the reason behind the book's name. Here, it took me 400 pages to even hear Sialkot mentioned. This 500+ pages book is not difficult to read ;cause lets agree , most of us are used to follow the story of two people from diverse cultures and background engage in rivalry from ages.  We have seen that in movies , in books and bollywood has fed us this plot more than one can count. Hence the stories of Arbaz and Arvind - one son of a dockyard worker who rises to be the trusted aide of local don and other an ambitious son of an average businessman. Both of them dabbled on both sides of legally / morally wrong deals and kept putting each other down for no other reason than ego and revenge. The heights of cliché was their kids marrying each other and them being tied to each other much before they ever heard of each other.

The parallel track  that begins with Ashoka and his nine gems discussing their knowledge that must be preserved and so passed to next generations carefully. Every now and then , we see the traces of this knowledge , the manuscript and the people entrusted with the same. Everyone who is in touch with these men seem to be wealthy beyond means and one starts wondering if we are on a treasure hunt. It is only in the last 100+ pages that the story starts to emerge clearly and by then Arbaz and Arvind die without ever realizing the truth.  It is passed to their kids and friends to reveal the importance of their connection , the "big secret" and how it all began.  but even that backstory is not descriptive. how was this knowledge obtained and what was the role of the nine unknowns gathered by Asoka ?   I would have liked this book more if some of the present characters and events would have been left out of the book. The characters go through every possible historical landmark between 1950 to 2010 - the wars , the different PM , emergency , assassinations , technological advances , the scams , earthquakes , Plane attack in USA  and even the Godhara tragedy. It kind of put me off  , this historical reference overload.

This book is more for his die hard fans and those who want an easy read. Many of readers who read a lot , will find certain similarities with other international books. I appreciate the research and the ability to spin a story that envelops all the mentioned events and people in here , but the effort did not make it an entertaining read for me.

My rating : 2.5/5

When Our Worlds Collide by Aniesha Brahma

I have always admired Aniesha's books. For some unexplained reason,they remind me of my younger dreamy self. And then there is the poems she weaves into the stories. Like icing on a fresh yummy cake :D

One night last week,I started reading this book just to get it started so I would finish it next day. 2 hours later, i had finished the book and had such a huge smile on my face.

This is a story of Akriti ,Zyan and some more people who are a part of their world. Akriti and Zyan are as different in approach to life as much they are similar in interests and understanding of life. But this book is not about the plot but more about how Aniesha has treated it with her words and understanding of characters. There is this whole range of love and friendship saga that we all go through and sometimes we do realize its neither the end or the beginning of either. It is a ride life offers us at times and one should just enjoy it.

Aniesha is one of the few authors who really write YA in true sense. The way the changing emotions and trends are captured in this novella is brilliant. The book size is perfect , flow of the story too. This is a book for readers of all ages and taste.

My rating : 4/5

Buy When Our Worlds Collide (General Press) here

The house that BJ built by Anuja Chauhan

I have not read Anuja’s any book before this but I had heard great reviews for them. Not to forget that my mother likes the show based on Thakur girls , so I was overjoyed when I got a chance to review “the house that BJ built”. First thing that I realized when I started reading the book was that people are people. There is no rich / classy / poor / crass kind of attitude. We all are just human having a hell lot of qualities which are too hard to explain. Though this is the story of Bonu ( Bonita ) and Samar ( her step cousin ) , the generation after The Pricey Thakur girls ; I got a good amount of background story and character analysis on the sisters and the Thakur clan as a whole. The story set up in Delhi has all the necessary ingredients of a well-crafted story with strong characters , the cunning relatives and the human greed that has made blood thinner than water. Plus the plotting by powerful agencies like builders , self declared mafia and likes. 

The book also touches upon the dramas and entertainment of a family that has people from different backgrounds and how their current situations shape their mindsets. There was a particular scene where Bonu’s uncle wonders about ignoring her while trying to save the world through his news channel. That is exactly how I feel about a lot of people who are fighting for bigger causes. We somewhere ignore and forget the people who are closer to us and who need our love just the same.  I could feel Bonu’s loneliness , her strength , her will power and anger all perfectly well in the story that picks pace with the grandfather BJ’s death and his brother filing a case for the eviction of the house where Bonu and his aunts had once spent their childhood. Following Bonu’s and Samar’s adventures through Mumbai and Delhi , Anuja has created a wonderful book that doesn’t let you stop reading without a tiny bit of irritation. The characters are somewhat very real and I found identifying in them a few friends I know. 

 I now want to read the first Thakur girls novel soon since I loved this one a lot. 

My rating : 5/5

Guilty by Choice by Shanti Paramashivan

Kiana Shetty is a young, dynamic and beautiful girl who lives in Mumbai with her mother and a younger brother. Like every recent graduate, she dreams of making it big and making it big quickly. But fate may have other plans for her in the form of her own brother: meet Viraj, Kiana's younger brother, who works at a call center but wants to open his own tattoo studio some day and he will do anything to make that happen. While Kiana deals with Viraaj's dreadful secrets, she also has to put up with Abhit, Viraaj's best friend, who won't stop professing his love for her at every opportunity he gets. It looks like the only person she can trust in all this hullaballoo is Sarthak, her best friend and collegue. But for how long?

'Guilty By Choice' is a story about dreams, about love, about friendship, and above all, family. Because in the end, you do it all for the family, right?

Usually I do not read the blurb right before I pick a book ( I read it only when I buy and then forget about it ) But it so happened that I did read the plot before I opened the book and some where I expected a very messy situation and to see how the writer gets Kiana out of it. 

What I got was a build up too long and the end cut short. There were lot of possible angles for the story and none was followed. But instead we get a pretty detailed account of a Mallu wedding, the usual life of  Kiana and the cast in their society , how we fail to recognize worthy friends and more so how idiotically the love story of Kiana and Abhit goes to the stage of mutual acceptance by the end of the book. And then comes the twist which the reader might be waiting from a long time. But before you could settle down with the flow , the book ends. Ok , I would even have made peace with the end if there was not that last page of epilogue !!

Either let me figure or decide things on my own or give me an explanation that makes total sense.

I enjoyed the breezy tale of Kiana and her loved ones but the last page was a little disappointing. 

My rating : 2.5/5

Buy Guilty by Choice

Life less lived by Saumya Misra

Life is full of miracles and weird coincidences. Life is unfair at times but have we ever stopped being hopeful about happy endings ?

Life Less lived is a story of a girl who out of kindness , involves her parents in taking care of an old man from streets. They bring him home when he is critically ill and not just help him recover physically but talking to the girl and her family of his past also heals him mentally. The old man is Panna , the eldest son of a village Pradhaan who has always seen and ruled with a steel hand. Panna is the idealistic sort who gets invlolved in a decietful plan of rivalry and hatred between two villages and loses everything in the process. This is a story of how he and his people cope with loss and hopes in their life.

Then there is Rati , Aparna's best friend caught between uncaring parents and more scarred by her greedy mother than the absent father. She has everything money can provide but not the love she craves for and one day she decides to run away from all this. The twist in the story is bit stretched but then the book is generally a hopeful story of miraculous ending.

The novel is a short and sweet read , if you like simple family dramas with happy endings and a lesson thrown in the mix.

My rating : 2.5/5

When she smiled by Ritoban chakrabarti

This is a story of Joy who like any other teenager has a lot of hopes and dreams for the school year - rekindling old friendships, making new friends, impression on teachers, good marks and probably in middle of all this live up to his parent's expectations.

Joy is from a family of a very strict father, loving and perfect elder sister, a really cool elder brother and a mother who balances the equations between the kids and the father. While Joy is almost perfect guy - intelligent, talented and helpful, he is way too nice and almost borders on being a little unreal at first. That said, his ideas about life, nature and the poems that he pens made me think of a friend of mine and I could relate to him after that. I loved Sid, the elder brother a lot. While we know about him only from what Joy shares, it’s enough to like him more than Joy.

The book has some really heartfelt and almost true portrayal of relationships, the confusions and the effects that smallest of events can have on changing one's destiny. For me it was almost like a trip down memory lane, as some old music, cartoons and tv shows were referenced. Description of Shimla is very beautiful and transports the reader there at times.

My problem with the book was that it took me almost 70 pages to get interested in finishing it. Some of the parts could be removed or cut short so as to keep the story's pace steady. I also did not like much of background stories coming up in the current flow. A plot that looks a little predictable, but promising too. A guy character who is very emotional and probably thinks a bit too much ( of himself and everything else ). A girl character who is not only moody but at times I just wanted her to be little reasonable (too much to ask perhaps! ). And personally, the end did not justify the title at all. But perhaps that's an adult's opinion. For Joy, it mattered and that’s how it would be.

All in all, this is a book to finish in maximum two sittings once you get into the rhythm. A decent one to go and think of your teenage and smile at the stuff you probably thought as big deal then.

I will rate this 3.5/5

Happily Murdered by Rasleen Syal

Who killed Gulab Sarin?

The radiant new daughter-in-law of the influential Mehta family dies mysteriously on the very next night of her wedding. The murder is an inside job, the police are certain. It could be anyone, the adulterous husband, conniving in-laws, jealous friend and the love struck ex-fiance. With an aim to save themselves and incriminate others, it is not long before these suspects turn into amateur detectives, hunting for clues and delving into hidden secrets only they can unearth. They coerce, pry and blackmail in an attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

Will one of these nine unlikely sleuths finally unravel the mystery behind Gulab's death and avenge it? Or will the truth die as viciously as Gulab?

Nimue Says : There are some books you read not for the end but for the story behind the end. A lovely damsel in distress who built her world around the people she loved and watched it crumble bit by bit at every turn ,is killed on the day of her wedding. What was supposed to be her happiest day , turns out to be the last. And so start Gulab's story , her past in her voice and the present case of finding her killer. 

Happily murdered has the perfect mix of characters ; lovable , unlikely ,honest ,cunning , resentful , innocent ,loyal and a few self centered too.  Every one has an alibi for the night and also a reason to hate Gulab. Some for her money , some for her lost love and some were jealous of her for their own weird reasons. Well , this is weirdly familiar and engaging tale of Gulab ,Dullas and the Mehta family.

It has all ingredients of family histories , politics , love , unfulfilled desires , friendship and Gulab trying to make sense of her life and reasons for everything. 

The writing is so endearing and fresh that you feel like a mute spectator in the book, like peeking into a room full of stories.

I totally enjoyed reading this book. 
I loved Gulab Sarin.

My rating: 5/5

Half Girlfriend - Chetan Bhagat

Self - clicked image.

Read PULKIT'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK

MSM Speaks: With the success of stories in both readership and film viewership, Chetan Bhagat's titles have come a long way. But he was never my first choice in picking up books to read. I must admit, I never respected the fact that he wrote in simple English. I stand corrected, because writing simply is one of the toughest things that a writer has to do, if he wants to connect to his readers (especially if the readers are the masses, who would rarely pick a book). With due respect to Mr. Bhagat and his writing prowess, I believe Half Girlfriend is written keeping in mind that it will be adopted as a movie. Anywayyyyyy, so I received this book as a gift and I decided to give it a go right away. The story is of Madhav Jha (A Bihari, so am I, but I will get to that later), who is an ace basketball player, and accordingly, is six feet tall and handsome prince of Dumraon, which is a sleepy hamlet in Bihar. He gets through St. Stephens College, New Delhi, even though, as Madhav says, his english at that time was bound to give us headaches. Nonetheless, stereotyping aside (since Mr. Bhagat has rightly addressed all the stereotypes of Bihar and Bihari people - and I mean it in a real, non offensive manner) he unexpectedly makes through the college entrance interview on the basis of his star basketball playing skills. Not to forget, the cheeky answers he gives to the panelists (Score one for Madhav!!)

Fraught with fear and the anxiety to fit in, Madhav Jha gets the biggest and unexpected twist of fate at Stephens, he falls in love, with Riya Somani, who is portrayed as the beautiful, rich and sophisticated Delhi girl, who co - incidentally is also a basket ball player. The plot becomes drab with Madhav trying to get her attention, but afraid to open up, while Riya eventually gives him attention - much like the basket ball that passes from hand to hand and you get BASKET!! But Riya is complicated. Very much so. I could not figure out her exact character, nor to be honest, I understood Madhav well. She toys with Madhav, who apparently is constantly horny. 

The story becomes insightful at places where Madhav reminisces about his mother, the Rani Sahiba, the gap between the rich class and the low class, the impossibility of striving in this nation without good English. Good pointers, Mr. Bhagat. However, Riya Somani, after spending ALL of her time with Madhav, decides that she cannot be Madhav's girlfriend (friend-zones him) and offers a compromise - to be his Half Girlfriend: Meaning I-will-hang-out-with-you-but-we-will-not-do-any-of-those-things. It gets whacky when Riya Somani suddenly disappears and Madhav makes his way back to his village - to turn the fate of his mother's school. At this point the story becomes very engaging, though I must tell you that we Biharis don't eat Litti Chokha all the time! What comes in for Madhav next is an opportunity to meet Bill Gates, learn English (courtesy Riya Somani) and find his life upside down, when he thinks that finally things were on track. The chase for love begins and the character of Madhav grows but I feel, certain things were rushed which could have made great impression if they were given a time to develop. 

For me  Half Girlfriend was more like Forrest Gump meets Queen meets Jab We Met plus a flurry of movies that came to my mind while reading.  BUT! You can finish the book quick and it will leave you with light heart (and head) and an impression, that even Chetan Bhagat has matured somewhat as a writer that the masses love. 

My Rating: 2.5/5

Beyond School by Chitra Anand

There are lot of books being written today and thankfully , some of them are about teenage issues and parenting. "Beyond School" is one such wonderful book that has Shail , his parents , his teacher Gladys under spotlight and through their interactions with other people ,the book weaves an almost accurate account of any child in the last years of school.

We all go through the stage where we swing between extreme love and anger at our parents. Some times we irrationally and intentionally have done things to irritate them ;perhaps our way to show them hoe we felt under their constant nagging. Its portrayed so well here with Shail and his father Sushil and then there is Sushil thinking how he was a rebel in his family. There are similarities as well as differences in the intentions ; which is what the younger generation fails to understand when we throw tantrums and accusations meaninglessly.

Shail's parents are very understanding and cooperative folks which he realizes only when he happens to be in trouble and his parents alone support him. By focusing on other's behavior and way of dealing problems , the author clearly makes the reader realizes which is the best way and how to avoid the mistakes of others.

My favorite part was when shail's mother reads his messages to his girlfriend and is shocked by the frank references to their sexuality. The way the author sorts her thoughts is brilliant.

Glady's past , her experiences and her lessons shape her present and future. She represents the set of students who are different and hence a little confused about their identity. Her father is her mentor and his patience alone helps her move on from the childhood scars. I loved her father's character the most. In so many ways, he reminded me of my mother.

All in all , this is one of the best reads for me from Indian fiction this year. I will love all teenagers and parents to read this and find a mirror to their life.

My Rating : 5/5

This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours, to get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com"

Rapid Fall by Adiana Ray

JD avoids relationships after his divorce, but when he meets Sonia, the attraction is instant and intense. She wants a commitment, however, unwilling to settle for anything less. Can they fall in love, or will they fall apart?

Nimue Says : A beautifully knit tale of  rapids not just in river Ganga but also in love and life. 

Rapid Fall might feel like a rapid read but it is definitely not for the size of the book but for the fact that the story flows so seamlessly from Mumbai to Rishikesh and back to Mumbai.

JD meets Sonia on a trip to Rishikesh , training and saving her life during river rafting. They begin on a not so good note but something about each other keeps both wondering. finally it is JD who decides to take a chance at setting things right only to mess it up with his insecurities. 

Of course there is happy ending but the build up is amazingly done.  I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is a fresh feeling to read love stories that are real and handled with keeping in mind that readers wish to read about intelligent and real people.

Rating : 4/5

Love's Labour by Andy Paula

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LOVE'S LABOR: General Fiction, IndiRom

AUTHOR (Bio from Indireads): Andy Paula has been a corporate trainer, traveler, voracious reader and a blogger, who decided one day to never crush other dreams of publishing books, when she reviewed them and decided to tweak her own work. She also writes a food, travel and thoughts blog called Food Stall, Yatra and  iThink 

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EXCERPT:

“I want to talk to you after lunch,” Piali’s plea sounded more like an order.

“Yes ma’am.” Sathya did not sound surprised, at least he did not show that he was. Piali quickly finished her lunch and other chores and headed towards the door.

Don’t be foolish, Pia. You’ve met him just two days ago. Let him go away thinking you’re a smart woman, not a nervous teenager. Why did her inner voice have to start talking at the wrong time? Damn. I’ve already made a fool of myself, lemme just go ahead with it. No, Piali Roy, you’ll stop right here, right now. This man is engaged to be married.

“At your command, Your Highness.” Sathya had caught up with her and was waiting for her to speak. Piali’s throat was dry. Collecting herself quickly, she put her chin up to face the man. Sathya Nair should never know the effect he had on her.

“I wanted to talk to you about the skit.”

“The skit? I don’t believe it.” Sathya shook his head incredulously.

MSM Speaks: One of the best things about Indireads novels is that most of them create a hopeful end, at least the ones I have read. Love’s-Labor is no exception to a happy ending tale. It is a heady mix of Bollywood romance with a heavy dose of realistic tadka. The story features Piali,  a school teacher, who is not merely your average order-following woman. She is beautiful, smart and has her head on her shoulders. Plus the son of the Chairman of the school is smitten by her. Sathya, a man of integrity and personality, never thought he would be finding the love of his in a teacher who was at his school. Their chemistry is undeniable and the world is noticing it. 

The real challenge is to convince Piali's parents, the very strict Mr. Roy and his wife, Piali's mother, who is understanding but does not want to hurt her husband either, after all it is the question of alliance between a Bengali and a South Indian family. The journey of Piali and Sathya to marriage is filled with ups and downs and how they overcome it, is worth a read! Little cheesy in some places, and a little filmy in others, Love's Labor is a romantic reader's delight!

You can get the e-book for Love's Labor HERE at Indireads.

Lost in Pattaya by Kishore Modak

It is every dad’s nightmare – his little girl goes missing. For Palash, the sorrow compounds from the incessant replaying of the critical minutes when his ‘Daddy-eye’ faltered, distracted by his own weakness, substance abuse. The loss and the ensuing search sends him spiraling into a divorce and the loss of a steady corporate job. Scouring for his little girl in the brothels of Pattaya he is ensnared in the web of mafia that runs the sex trade of Thailand. When he eventually finds her, will he be able to build back a wasted lifetime, or, is it too late for rescue, for him and his child?

There are books that charm you with the plot, and some with the way the author writes. Kishore Modak wins my vote partially for both reasons. When I first picked the book, the blurb made me think this would be a little predictable plot - the child being lost in the lanes of drugs and sex and a father's journey of recovering her out of the darkness. But i was still hopeful of a good read since i liked Modak's previous book. Am glad to say, I was wrong. The book offers a lot more than you would imagine the story to be.
Lost in Pattaya starts with the father character writing about his life, from the moment of losing his daughter to reaching the hospital where he lies awaiting death. the opening is not linear , but like any person narrating his life , it criss crosses between events and characters and finally smoothing out to the chronological order. The point where he sees his daughter first time after abduction is totally unexpected. And from there , the book takes on a new flight or should I say , a new dive into the world of sex , drugs and revenge. The characters in the book are almost believable and their imperfections have a space for principles and prayers in an amusing way. Fear and forgiveness goes hand in hand most days though we fail to consider it that way. The book might not be liked by few for the fact its based on the sex trade and the people associated with it. Or for the fact , no one likes to read and accept how this trade is so much a part of the society and often bearing so much violence. These instances , though few in the book, did make me cringe or sad. But the curiosity to know what happens to the daughter, kept me hooked to the book. A worthy read. I liked being proven wrong to say the plot was predictable. Rating : 3.5/5

PS : I love the cover.

If you loved reading the review, you can buy the book from one of the following sources :

The Perfect Groom - by Sumeetha Manikandan

Very little has gone right in Nithya’s young life. So, when a proposal from a young, handsome NRI comes along, her mother jumps at the opportunity and packs her daughter off to the US with her perfect groom. Nithya seems to have settled in with Ashok, ostensibly happy, if as yet childless, in her new life. When an old flame comes back into her life, however, the cracks in her perfect marriage begin to show…

Honestly, The Perfect Groom (by Sumeetha Manikandan) is a very familiar story. It is a light read meant for times when you want to pick up a book but know there will be lack of concentration. Things that I liked about Sumeetha’s book were Nithya’s moments with her in-laws and obviously the happy ending.

The plot presented is quite predictable and so are the characters. I believe that universally story-outlines are limited and every author presents those same outlines in new flavours, with new colours and different twists. But The Perfect Groom lacked all of that! I wish the author would have invested more in bringing out the emotions of each scene. I wish she would have been more descriptive of the characters.

Another thing I admired about the book was that it was a tight story. By this I mean that there were no unnecessary scenes/situations or even characters. The story might be predictable but it has the potential to resonate with a varied audience. This is precisely why I feel that Sumeetha should have dug deeper.

Would I recommend The Perfect Groom? As a super-light read yes!

Would I ever pick up another book by the author? I sure would give it another shot!

Rating: 3/5 (as light as a read can get!)

Newton's Law Reversed: 'Conflict - Some evade, some efface, while most embrace' by Howard Roark

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NEWTON'S LAW REVERSED Conflict - Some evade, some efface, while most embrace: General Fiction

AUTHOR: Howard Roark, a Chennai based Software Engineer, who derives pleasure from interchanges on psychology and philosophy. 

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BEST SELLER(S): NEWTON'S LAW REVERSED Conflict - Some evade, some efface, while most embrace is his debut novel.

SUMMARY (From the back cover): 

On a trip to meet an ailing relative in Gangaikondacholapuram, Akash is introduced to conflict when a simple village girl, Ganga, trespasses his thoughts. His mind fails to elude Ganga, and being overwhelmed by the new found emotion, his attempts to free himself of his battles only grip him tighter.As his mind flits between Ganga and Ganesan, another tormented soul, Akash's only reprieve could have been a banter with his father, when unexpectedly he hears the news of his father's expiry. Little did he know that his father's demise and the ensuing trip to the village would alter his cynical view of the world. In this journey from boyhood to manhood, Akash derives profound meaning through his retrospective deliberations on his dead father's words.

EXCERPT:

"From atop the hillock, the world looks open as he lies on the grass beneath a benevolently-spread and richly-leaved Gulmohar as the wind whistles by his ears causing a light and steady hum. Caused by nothing, an easy calmness ensues.

I wish I could forget my identity and enjoy the beautiful stillness of this moment. Appa once said 'Identity breeds the self. The self breeds ambition. Ambition breeds passion. Passion breeds strength. Strength breeds vanity. Vanity breeds...' Yes! And because of all this, the stillness no longer has any beauty left. Much like an effect being the cause of another effect, my joy is caused by this now.'"

MSM Speaks:

Hello! Long time no see and a new book review!!! Again I have been trumped by a debut novel (If you have read my previous reviews, you would know what I mean). NEWTON'S LAW REVERSED Conflict - Some evade, some efface, while most embrace stands out among others due to its hand sketched illustrations and cover. The author's narrative style vacillates between the present and the past, ruminating on the protagonist's father's words. The tale begins at Ganagaikondacholapuram, a small village to which Akash belongs. Post his father's death he recounts what he observes in a resigned and judgmental manner. Being from Mumbai, he is quite critical in his outlook of the village folks and their demeanor. He falls for Ganga, a simple, English speaking girl (I will mention the relevance later) and rescues her from a sticky situation, evolving into a better man. He meets a set of people - Ganesan , Velu, Suresh and others, who show him the different view of the world.

I personally had to struggle a lot to keep up with the narration style, because the transition between Akash's past and present was not very smooth. I found the character's musings (which kept interrupting the flow of the story) distracting and annoying at places. To break the stereotype of belonging to a culturally rich and beautiful South Indian state, the character "abhors" idlis and the villagers. I felt the writer tried too hard to ensure that the reader does not mistake the protagonist to be a gentle and mature person. Too hard. Akash's views on people's language and the superfluous usage of words ruins the book a little for me.

NEWTON'S LAW REVERSED Conflict - Some evade, some efface, while most embrace is a one time read. 

My rating 2.5/5 

NEWTON'S LAW REVERSED Conflict - Some evade, some efface, while most embrace @Frogbooks - Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

ISBN 978-93-82473-99-2

Author's Copy, the book is available at Rs. 145 on flipkart.
Number of pages 172.
Illustrations by Ms. Divya Palaniappan