A Lot of Pages...: eBook

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A Perfect Murder and Other Stories, by S. R. Nair

There’s a charm to short stories that novels may not always have. It expresses a tale in very few words, and to make sure no threads are left hanging is a challenge. I took this set of short stories as I felt that the collection would give me a welcome change from reading novels. The title A Perfect Murder also appealed to the crime fiction lover in me.

Perhaps it was the title, but I began reading with the assumption that it was a collection of short stories in the crime fiction genre (which is rare). The book has fourteen short stories, but they don’t stick to a particular genre. From the fourteen, there were few favorites, and there were stories that didn’t appeal to me as much.

My favorite story from the collection was iPad. The story is perhaps the shortest one in the book, but it ranks right at the top because of the emotional ending. That the ending was also quite unexpected only added to the quality of the piece.

Salma’s Fate is another story I liked. There might be a Salma we know or whose story we may have read in the news. But this story, thankfully, has a positive twist to it instead of a negative one.

The story Visa for America felt familiar, like I had read it before somewhere. But it ended unlike how I thought it would. The love story still had a chance for a happy ending, and I was thankful for that.

Other stories that I liked were The Soothsayer, The Grandson, and Seema.

The stories not only cover a variety of genres, but also many themes that are quite common to see. There’s a mother-in-law who wants a grandson, and doesn’t accept the granddaughter though she had daughters of her own too. There’s a man who divorces his wife over the phone because she went against his father. There’s a lovelorn man who still wants to be with the old “crush” even though he’s married. These are characters that seem familiar or real. The author puts each story across quite well.

I like stories that leave something to the imagination. But most of the stories here had an enormous amount of detail. Though that helped to bring the scene to life, it didn’t quite manage to engage me as a reader. The title story, I felt, was a bit too long (though a perfect murder would need planning, I suppose). There aren’t many twists either. You know what might happen, and more often than not, that happens.

I’d read the collection to enjoy some simple, almost realistic stories. It’s a one-time read, but not a quick read. I took longer than I thought I would to finish it.

I thank the author for sending me a copy to peruse and review.

Book Review: Angry River by Ruskin Bond

I love short stories. They are perfect to read after those heavy reads that take a lot out of me as a reader. On that front, I think Ruskin Bond’s books excel. I admire the author a lot for his simplicity. I found this book at the library and just the title alone made me wonder what it had in store.

Angry River shares the story of Sita, her small family consisting of her grandmother and grandfather, and their life on an island at the middle of the big river. The river floods when her grandparents aren’t around, leaving Sita in a dilemma.

The story, I feel, is one about hope and faith. Sita’s seemingly simple and happy life is disrupted by the flood, but the girl, who has grown up near the river and hearing of its tale from the grandparents, continues to be hopeful. She tries to survive, rather than get panicked. The story, on its face, is a simple one. There aren’t any unexpected twists and turns, and neither does the storyline call for one. It’s engaging in its brevity too. There are just four or five characters through the story, but the focus is the young girl and her struggle during the flood. Her innocence is well portrayed, as is the fact that the stories she has heard is from her grandmother. This in turn is reflected in her imagination. I remember the stories of Krishna, Sita and others from Indian mythology being shared with me by my grandmother as I was growing up. It’s the same with Sita, and that is something beautiful.

This book is a quick read, and a beautiful one. I would definitely read it again, even if just to take a break from the longer length stories/novels around.

Reviewed by Vinay Leo R. No payment was taken for this review; these are the unbiased and uninfluenced thoughts of the reviewer about the book.

Unanswered, by Kunal Uniyal

Life is all about questions and answers. When in our journey, we don't seem to find an answer, we invoke the almighty and put the question to him, see if he can give us the answer, or better yet, help us to find the answers within ourselves. That is a part of spirituality that I admire. And to me, that's partly the path that this book "Unanswered" takes. The book is the poet's contemplation on life, and these questions, and at times, the answers that he finds to these questions.

How one looks at different aspects or characteristics of life varies with each person. Through this book of poetry and philosophy, the poet looks at and discusses on topics like death, immortality, morality, dharma, ego etc. He seeks answers for these in the pages of spiritual and religious texts like the Bhagwad Gita, and enlightens us on what they say about these. And in his own style, he makes us think on those topics as well. Something that I noted down in particular was a quote from Bertrand Russell that I hadn't come across before: "It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly." I don't quite feel the poet or Russell talks of the very human yearning for something, but it's an obsession that we seem to have for something materialistic that kills peace. And another aspect of this book I could relate to was the contemplation on prayers, for they are something that's very common to mankind, not just a religion.

Poetry cannot really be reviewed, I feel. One can only review or state what one finds or understands in the poem. It is an interpretation of the reader. If it matches the intent of the poet, the joy is more. If not, it doesn't mean that the poet or the reader has failed. The poet here shares many of his verses, but perhaps the one that stands out to me is the very first. What I can relate to is what will be memorable, after all. The poem, titled "You and I" questions and seeks the almighty, and queries if we, or the poet, can see Him in his form, that if He is everywhere and in everything, can He, for some moments, be ours and only ours. I've felt that often. More so, it reminded me of Hiranyakashipu, who wanted to see if God was in a pillar, though not with the same emotions.

There is depth, I accept, in this collection of Capt. Uniyal's thoughts. And it is warranted. But it might still be a bit heavy for most readers, with the vocabulary especially not helping to keep my attention on the prose. But it is worth diving into, and it is appreciable.

I like the book for the most part, but it doesn't engage me a lot. So I rate it 3.5 stars. Best wishes to the author for his future books.

Reviewed by Vinay Leo R. for the author, who gave a copy of the eBook.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach

Books that talk on life are interesting, and there are many that help inspire us to look at life in a different way too. I came to know of this book from a friend, and the way she put it across, it felt very interesting. So I took it up to read.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is one who stands out from the colony of seagulls and their usual way, their habits. He's not welcomed when he does that, or when he questions the norms, and is eventually thrown out of the colony. But that doesn't break his willpower or change his attitude. He continues to aspire, taking the hardships that come in his stride. He continues to challenge the boundaries that the gulls have been taught to keep within. Eventually, he returns to near the flock, and finds more and more gulls willing to break the boundaries, and learn from what he has to share.

What I loved in the book is that teaching, that we don't have to be part of the crowd, that it is okay to question, that we shouldn't be dejected when we are chastised for that and continue to aspire. There are beautiful photos as well to add to the story. However, I felt the book, as it progressed, became more preachy than teachy. And that kind of doused the interest a little.

An interesting book which I'll look at when a little inspiration is needed. I rate it 3 stars.

The Teddy Who Ran Away, by Preethi Venugopala

This is a book with a single story written for tiny tots, an experiment in writing in the genre by the author who wrote this for her child.

The book, kind of like Baby's Day Out, is a Teddy's Day Out. Teddy, the Teddy Bear, like Hobbes, seems alive yet bored with life at home, and decides to run away. The story follows the adventures he has in the little time that he spends in the world outside.

Knowing that it is for small children, the author has kept away from big complicated words and made it very short and simple chapters. It's a fun bed time story which I am quite sure a child will love, and of course, it has a happy ending too.

I think what a child would love more is to have pictures, and not just at the beginning of each chapter. If the book is illustrated more, it would delight a child, as at that age, they find pictures more appealing than words, and also, it'd help to learn.

I rate it 4 stars.

The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain

There are few works of some authors that will surprise even the best of that author’s fans. Not many could believe Rowling wrote The Casual Vacancy. This short novella by Mark Twain is another. At first read, I couldn’t quite understand how the author who wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn could write such a tale. The novella is considered as his last work, to an extent that parts of it are not even Twain’s.

The story deals with humanity as a whole, and goes into an exploration of religion, moral sense etc. It is satirical, and with small events, shows aspects of society we are accustomed to seeing. It is a discussion between “Satan” and the narrator. The concept of Satan itself is well dealt with and his character, intriguing. It made me wonder how Satan could befriend the three boys, and the narrator Theodor in particular. But I guess, if Satan can appear anywhere and know every thought, then it’s quite easy for him to control people too.

The story goes quickly. It would appeal to certain readers more than it did to me. I chose the book only because of the author. Though it did not have that essence of Mark Twain’s style that I had hoped for, it was worth exploring. On the whole, I rate it 3 stars.

Reviewed by Vinay Leo R.
Source: Own Copy

I Don't Wear Sunscreen, by Kavipriya Moorthy

When it comes to fiction, I have read (and sometimes written) stories that tend to border the extreme. But it is the idea of a plot being true to life that sometimes appeals to the reader in me. The book became known to me for completely different reasons, but after reading the blurb, it was the plot that piqued my curiosity, and made me download it.

Laksha’s life seems easy at first. She has the little things that matter – good friends, a loving family, dreams that make her stand out from the group and an enthusiasm to do well in life. That desire makes her excel, and helps her to convince her family to let her pursue further studies in a different city. But there are obstacles thrown in her way which test her mettle.

On first look, the plot seems to indicate the tried and tested route – a character whose life is going smoothly, a twist that brings the problem into her life and a happy ending. Thankfully, the plot has enough smaller plots in it that it is not as direct as that. And I loved the happy ending, which did not go the usual route, and brought a smile as I read it. One thing that I didn’t like was that the plot feels like it rushes through. When a plot is as true to life, I felt that a little detailing might have helped make it better.

The characters in this book felt quite different, in a good way. The main character Laksha has been done justice, I felt, as it needed to be, but the character of the mother is more memorable. She’s strong, trustworthy, adamant, and she has a lot of belief in her daughter. I wanted to read more about her. In contrast, Laksha’s father, while as loving as her mother, is the more worried of the two, which was nice to see. There are very few prominent male characters in this book, I feel. At times, I got confused between two of them, Sai and Prabhu for a reason that another character, Pallavi, stated.

The book is a small one, and does engage me as a reader from the start to the end. And yes, it is a quick read, which I finished in a couple of hours. However, I felt that the editing could have been far better than it is. The casual tone of the dialogues, as told between two friends or teenagers, is a plus point, because when with friends, that would be how we talk, without looking at grammar or tense. However, the same casual tone through the book feels out of place.

Did I enjoy reading the story? Yes. Was I totally wow-ed by it? No. There are aspects of the book that can be fine tuned, and help it to become better. I rate it 3 stars out of 5.

Reviewed by Vinay Leo R.
Source: Own Copy

Just You, Me and a Secret, by Ganga Bharani Vasudevan

Mysteries intrigue me, and I end up playing the sleuth to find out what happened. This book is a mystery, but not one to sleuth. Just You, Me and a Secret is a book where the protagonist Meera is a mystery, not only to me, the reader, but to herself as well. And as she finds out more about herself, so do we. When we first meet Meera, she has woken up in a hospital. She doesn't know who are the people around her, and she doesn't remember anything, not even her own name. She is in the care of Ashruth, a man who says that they were going to marry soon when fate brought that unexpected obstacle in their way. Can she believe him? And will her memory ever return?

This book is a very easy read. It's not light, but the mystery of Meera's life had enough in it to keep me engaged for some time. The author has done justice to her character, and I felt the pathos for her predicament, which is essential. The twists that come with parts of her life coming to light are good, and help in no small amount to keep it interesting. Writing down moments in a journal or diary is useful should one need to revisit them, and I thought introducing "Clara" - Meera's diary/journal was a nice touch.

At times though, Meera's actions to unravel the mystery of herself feel a little unbelievable. And though we see Meera's character come to life with the story, the sub-characters, some of whom are quite important, don't seem that important. The story, which develops nicely in the first part feels hurried towards the end, and perhaps diluted the read a little for me as well. I thought the presentation was a little odd, but I don't know if it was because I read it on the Kindle. Some of these points aren't deal breakers, but the book would definitely improve more with these in mind, I feel.

The language is easy to read, and quite simple, and for this book, I think that worked quite well. All in all, if you're looking for an interesting book to keep you occupied for a few hours, this book might be worth considering. I'll rate it between 3 and 3.5 stars.

3 Stars < Rating < 3.5 Stars
Genre: Love/Mystery

Reviewed by: Vinay Leo R.

This is not a paid review. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

Milan: A Wedding Story, by Simi K Rao

A simple story can still be interesting if the plot is executed nicely, and the story of the characters engages the reader. Love stories even more so. In India, though love marriages do happen, arranged marriages still rule the roost.

I'll start by applauding the cover design, which is quite grand, like a wedding. This story is of a marriage, where the characters Mili and Ahaan meet after years, slowly fall in love with each other and then get married. The story doesn't have any big twists and turns and flows well. The descriptions are appealing, and does its part to make it easy to imagine the setting.

There is something to like about each character, but that seems to be balanced by some things that don't quite feel enjoyable. Mili's character is fun. She's portrayed as a bubbly girl, with ambitions in a field that's not quite usual. She's a loving daughter as well. Somehow, there's a mystery to her too, and one that could have been a good platform to make the story much more interesting. Instead, the character doesn't get a complete makeover, and feels incomplete. While her dialogues and insecurities feel realistic, they also go beyond a level where the character begins to irk me, and tempts me to skip in between. Ahaan remembers Mili and falls in love with her at first sight, even before meeting her in person. His character feels sweet and determined too, and even at the end, the prince charming who comes gallantly to the rescue. But other than his love, true as it seems, for Mili, not much is revealed of him.

Plot lines that begin for the other smaller characters also feel like they are left open, which is a shame as their characters were interesting too. The parents who want the best for their child, but aren't that forceful when it comes to their vision of her future. The friends who support her, and the story that runs in that small town. The plans the couple have for after marriage.

I didn't finish the story in one sitting, as I thought I would, but it did keep me engaged. Milan is a wedding story. I can't help but wonder if we might see a sequel that reveals more of Mili's life post marriage, and closes those threads that are still open and make me curious to know about them.

I rate it 3 stars.

Rating: 3 Stars

Reviewed by: Vinay Leo R.

Genre: Love Story

Book Source: b00k r3vi3ws blog tour

This is not a paid review. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

Edgar Allan Poe - The Raven (Review)

To write poetry in itself is no easy task, but to tell a story in verse is, I feel, more difficult. And to tell a horror story in verse, I doff my cap to Edgar Allen Poe. I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. What the book The Raven manages to do is bring a feel of horror to the story. I’ve told before too, when it’s the genre of horror, the reader must be able to get into the skin of the character and feel the chills, and with this poem, Poe manages to successfully do that. He even manages to bring a bit of lightness to the experience, which is remarkable. To step into the man’s shoes, wondering where the knock was, who the visitor might be, and then throwing the door open only to see the empty night outside was brilliant, and then the winged visitor at the window too. The Raven, with just one word, felt a little disinteresting, but it still worked for me. This book was the illustrated version, and the artwork was quite fascinating too, though I think only the verse would still work well to bring the art to the imagination of the reader. If this book is labeled a poetry classic, I have no doubts now why it is so, and why it is so evergreen. An enjoyable read this was, for sure.

Rating: 4 Stars

Genre: Poetry

Source: Own Copy

Reviewed by Vinay Leo R.

Fireplay, by Steve P. Vincent

Novellas make for quick easy reads, and this one is no different. This book, Fireplay, is a really short (36 pages) book that is written as a prequel to the first book in the Jack Emery series. It focuses on the Australian journalist Jack Emery, who’s in Afghanistan, in the company of Marines as he works on a cover story. It seems to be going well when they’re attacked by a single soldier. The whys take them to a camp, Camp Navitas, but Emery feels there’s more to the Camp than meets the eye.

The novella is quite thrilling and works well in the short length to keep the flow. Short action scenes, and the characters of Emery and the marine leader Ortiz were interesting. I feel those who have read The Foundation, first book of the series, might find it easier knowing the main character and also the author’s writing style. I, knowing neither, felt like there was something missing. Wasn’t much of a fan of the cover page either.

I’d say this makes for a good fast read to enjoy on a journey of say half hour or less. I’d rate it 3 or 3.5 stars at most.

Rated: 3 stars

Genre: Thriller

Source: Author/PR

Reviewed by Vinay Leo R.

Wild Woman Waking, by Morgan Dragonwillow

“Sleeping isn’t possible once you explore the inner and outer world of poetry; transformation happens and your eyes open wide.” – Morgan Dragonwillow.

Truer words have not been said for the power of poetry. Being a poet, I can understand it, having traveled through the lanes of my imagination, exploring verse, and letting it explore me whenever it wants to. It must have been kismet that this book fell into my reading path, for I’ve not read a collection of poems lately that has spoken to me more than this one.

“My Words”, a poem in the collection so effortlessly says what I go through as a poet, what words do to me at times, how they escape from my hands and spill onto paper. In life, a lot of times, I’ve been “Hiding from the Pain”. It’s a lesson that most of us learn the hard way I suppose, and some of us not at all, even though it stares us in the face. We “Fall” to realize who we are, “Haunting” us till the words come out and another poem is written.

Reading her words, I wonder at times “What Happened” to our lives, when making money became more important than making moments to remember, when hearts that mattered became “Neglected”. It makes me think of “Anger” in a different, almost “Unforgiving Light”. It takes some words out of me, leaves me “Shouting” silently and “Grasping Air”.

Whatever I’ve put in quotes here are the titles of some of my favorite poems in the book. There are more that I love, some that I don’t quite get. Another thing that makes this book beautiful is the image with each poem. I’ve seen acrostics and cinquains in this collection. But mostly, it’s just fabulous free verse. It is a collection that, as a poet, I will return to reading often.

Title: Wild Woman Waking
Author: Morgan Dragonwillow
Genre: Poetry
ISBN/ASIN: B00IP1E1FG

The Governess, by Noorilhuda

The Governess is a story set in nineteenth century England, and follows the life of Jane Adams, divorced by her husband and disinherited by her father. The circumstances force her to seek employment as a governess. She finds someone who employs her despite what has happened, and even with her former husband trying to influence her present life. Jane works and saves money, enough to try and clear her name. Other than this, each character seems to have their storyline, quirks and such.

Historical fiction… the genre and I have a love-hate relationship I suppose. The same holds true for this book. The language it is written in feels like it was from that era, and the characters feel the same too. The dialogue seems real and believable. You feel some pathos for the main character and her circumstances. Even the male character John Lockwood feels interesting. The narration tends to be long and drawn out mostly. Whereas it works in bringing a historical feel to the novel, I personally felt it to be boring, and didn’t retain my interest. I don’t expect the pace of a thriller, but I don’t expect it to be so slow either. Having not read much books set in this era, I felt I needed a dictionary to follow certain parts of the book.

For someone who actually enjoys historical fiction, I think the book will hold merit. It is complex and deep and whatever I’ve heard makes a good historical fiction. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the story a lot, but even in its drawn out detailed storyline, it has the potential for a story, and I recognize that. One-time read for me.

Title: The Governess
Author: Noorilhuda
Genre: Historical Fiction

The author gave me a copy of the book for review. The views expressed here are mine, and unbiased.

The One Who Stood Against Shiva, and other stories — Siddhesh Kabe

Mythology is a genre I’m very fond of. I’ve told it many times before, that I’ve grown up devouring tales from Indian mythology, so it holds a special place in my heart. So when a book comes asking questions like “What did Bhisma had to say about Krishna before the Mahabharata war?”, “Why did Shiva get defeated by hands of a child?” and “Do you know what the snake mother had to teach before the Gods were born?”, it definitely intrigues me, because I know the answer partly, if not completely.

“The One Who Stood Against Shiva, and other stories” brings six stories into focus. The first of the six deals with Bhishma and his words before the war. The story would make those familiar with the Mahabharata turn their heads. The second story deals with the Ramayana and corruption in the kingdom of Lanka, and the wisdom of Vibhishana. The third story is “The Story of the Goose” which was one I didn’t know. I won’t tell what it is about, in case you don’t know it either. The fourth story brings the birth of Lord Ganesha into focus. That’s one I knew and loved reading. The fifth story is the story of Kadru and Vinata. This again turned out in a way contrary to what I have read before. The last story is another that I didn’t know of, and as such, won’t discuss here.

What I love in this small book is the mythology. Tales that are familiar, yet have a bit of mystery to it. What I wish was that there was more to these tales. It starts to build up the fun for that mythology lover in me, and then it just ends. It needs more magic, more substance. It left me with a feeling of “there, yet not there yet”.

Book Title: The One Who Stood Against Shiva, and other stories
Author: Siddhesh Kabe
Genre: Mythology
ASIN: B00HLPNCAM
Price: INR 51

Dancing Within Shadow, by Morgan Dragonwillow

Poetry of a known person is always wonderful to read. You have a sense of their muse, even if it is an incomplete one, and that sense helps to understand that poem a little more than reading the poem of an absolutely unknown poet. Of course, it helps if the poetry is understandable and not too deep. I’ve known the poetry of Morgan Dragonwillow only through her blog and through the OctPoWriMo writing challenge. So when the opportunity came to get her eBook for free, I grabbed it.

Section 1 of the book is titled Darkness, and true to the title, the poems in the section are dark, poignant and thought provoking. I think the poem I could relate to mostly was “I remember me”, for I have seen a similarity to my life and that of the comic character she mentions in this poem.

Section 2 of the book is titled Rebellion, and it’s about standing up for what you believe in. The poems in this part were about strength, and somewhat about other’s opinions. My favorite from this part of the book was “Out loud”, which is about laughter, and laughing out loud even when others try to stifle it.

Section 3 of the book is titled Love, and the poems in the part are about love, and feeling it. Though I liked most poems in this part, the one that I loved the most was “Grandpa Joe”, for I could relate to it easily, my grandfather having taught me a lot of things even though his ideas were mostly inflexible.

Section 4 of the book is titled Light, and the poem I loved is “Peace”. A palindrome poem that felt as peaceful as the title. And she ends the book with a poem that ends with the lines “Who I really am… is me” which felt just wonderful.

There are poems in this book which I do not understand as easily, but some that I really like and relate to. But none of the poems deter me from trying to understand it. I would rate this book a 7 on 10. And yes, I would read it again.

Book Details:
Title: Dancing within Shadow
Author: Morgan Dragonwillow
Genre: Poetry
ISBN/ASIN: B00C100FPC

Gifts with no Giver, by Nirmala

To read poetry is easy, to understand poetry is a little more difficult. Spirituality and poetry have always gone together. A casual look into Indian history and mythology will show the same. Meera Bai or the sage Narada, they have composed poetry in dedication to the gods. Those poems cover the aspect of love and truth often. It is with a mix of alacrity and anxiety that I began to read this book of poems.

So, what are the poems about? In the poet’s own words, they are an attempt to capture the undying presence of love. They are to touch our souls, the words of a lover drunk with a passion for the truth.

Do they work? I suppose to each person, the understanding of a poem varies. I did enjoy and understand a few of the poems. Like one that speaks of being satisfied in the moment that is now; or the one that talks of the good things in “not knowing”. They carried meaning, and they were beautiful.

But, for the most part, these poems were confusing. Yes, I could sense that the poems were talking of love. But to me, they spoke in riddles that were too hard to unravel.

I’ll not be re-reading it. But I feel, if the reader can unravel those riddles, they might enjoy it enough to read them again.

Title: Gifts with no Giver
Author: Nirmala
Genre: Poetry
ISBN/ASIN: B003YL4FUI

Long Journey Home, by Lucy Lipiner

One of the torrid historical events I have read about, and researched for a school project, is the Holocaust. Whereas the information I put into the project remains forgotten, the event itself resurfaces to mind with books on the topic. No book better than Anne Frank’s diary to touch on the topic. It was recently that I came across another book on it, and I thought I’d give it a go.

Long Journey Home is the memoirs of the author Lusia (Lucy) Lipiner. She returns to Poland and her native village of Sucha Bezkidzka there, to try and find a picture of her mother’s family. She wants to give it to her mother as a gift, the best gift she can give. The journey is not only about traveling the physical miles, but also the emotional miles that seem much more, because she left the country when she was a child. She finds one, of her parents’ engagement, and it opens a path back to her past, and to this memoir. She takes us back to her childhood, introduces her family, and tells how her uncle got caught by the Gestapo. She visits her ancestral home, and takes us along with her. She takes us back to the time when war first came (on a Friday, which she remembers because of Sabbath candles) and how they ran, almost toward the Germans. She tells us how they hid, how they were captured and taken to Siberia. The memoir is about them fleeing one country to another, in a bid to remain safe.

As with any memoir, there is sadness. It makes me feel sad, feel sorry for those families that had to run from one country to another to survive. Some things bring a smile, even though the moment that follows is a sad one, like Lucy unwittingly giving away her relatives’ hiding place because of her concern that they’ll be left behind. There are those moments of wonder, of near escapes. It has photos that tell a tale in itself; that was good. The writing here, perhaps because the book is a flashback, doesn’t manage to bring out that emotion strongly. You know it’s a troubling tale, and you feel glad that Lucy and her family survived, but the narration feels very plain to me.

I don’t think I can read it again. It’s not because of that plainness, but because of the setting of the tale. But it’s worth reading at least the once, because it is a tale of survival, and that’s an inspiration in a way.

Book: Long Journey Home: A Young Girl's Memoir of Surviving the Holocaust
Author: Lucy Lipiner
ASIN: B00H6QVRNU
Genre: Memoirs

A Scandalous Proposition by M.M.George

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A SCANDALOUS PROPOSITION: General Fiction, YA, Indirom

AUTHOR (Bio from Indireads): M.M. George is the pen name of Mimmy Jain. Mimmy lives in London and edits stuffy academic books and journals when she is not dreaming up frothy romances. Mimmy has been writing as far back as she can remember. She won her first national award for writing in the International Year of the Child, at the tender age of 14.

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She had her first romantic story published around the same time in a national magazine. For many years, she wrote a humor column, which was published under various names in India Week, The Financial Express and National Review. As Mimmy Jain, she has been a mainstream Indian journalist for the last 27 years and has worked in senior positions at publications such as The Economic Times,The Times of India, The Financial Express and Mint.

BOOK(S): A Scandalous Proposition is her debut e-novel.

SYNOPSIS:

When Ranbir Dewan offers to make small-town girl Mira Talwar his mistress for six months, she is shocked

and refuses outright. But fate has other plans for them. Will the sensual attraction Ranbir and Mira share

mature into something more substantial?

EXCERPT:

She blushed and tried to bring her hand down, but her dupatta was caught in her earring. She pulled at it impatiently, but it refused to budge. She was just about to tear it away recklessly, when she heard the scrape of a chair and then felt his warm breath on her neck as a long finger extricated the flimsy material from the little bell in her ear. She closed her eyes to quell the thudding that started suddenly in her heart.

“You still haven’t learnt how to get yourself out of sticky situations, have you?” said a soft voice in her ear. She shivered suddenly as Ranbir caught hold of her hand, forcing her back against him, his fingers rubbing softly on the sensitive skin of her inner wrist. “These are the Dewans you are tangling with, Mira. Be very careful.”

MSM Speaks: Ah! After a long time, I read a book of this genre, Chick-lit that is. And let's just say "A Scandalous Proposition" is a fantastic mixture of Fifty Shades of Grey, Ekta Kapoor's Family Saga and some invisible background Hindi music. I mean this in a good way, don't be judgmental, you! It is a tiny package of handful of pages and works like a charm.

Mira comes to New Delhi to find a job with her mother and younger sister, Reema and finds herself in a sticky position hard enough to extricate herself from. Unpredictably, she does find a way out of it, only to land in another hot boiling soup cooked by Mr. Ranbir Dewan - touted to be the hottest bachelor, who is also a heart breaker. But he cannot ignore Mira, the one who wears shimmering earrings and bangles that would irritate the hell out of him, but also fill his silence with music. He finds himself irresistibly attracted to her and despite her initial apprehensiveness and hostility, she reciprocates like dew drops, not in earnest.

Not all is birds and bees with them though, mind you! They have very real issues to deal with, their sister and brother respectively who have got themselves into trouble, together. Now it is on these seemingly polar magnets to reconcile the situation and work their way around the scandalous proposition which Ranbir gives to Mira, who like any dignified woman, declined. But somewhere deep down her heart, she finds herself imagining the forbidden prospect. Ranbir's and Mira's journey beyond the physical attraction is worth a read. Totally mazedar read!!!!! MSM Recommends!!

You can get the e-book here at Indireads

Pyar aur Poetry by Roopa Menon

College beauty Arundhati Basu would rather stick her head in the proverbial oven than host this year’s Founder’s Day event with tongue-tied nerd, Nikhil Menon. Compared to the brilliant but elusive poet, D. G. Beckett, Nikhil is a green toad.
As Arundhati gets to know him, however, she finds herself oddly drawn to the shy geek, and he, in turn, grows in confidence as he spends more time with her. His hopes for a lasting relationship with Arundhati seemed to be within his reach.

If only she could forget D. G. Beckett!

My views : Have you ever felt love for some one whom you do not know except his writing ? Ever fell for someone whom you perhaps admired for talent without knowing who he really is ? If yes , you will find those memories hitting you back when you read this novella. And then there are people whom you notice not but a chance encounter leaves you in awe !

This is a story of discovering talent in some one you have never bothered to know. A story of a guy finding unique way of overcoming his inhibitions and trying to win over his love.a clash of literary choices and the merits of each. I absolutely liked both the characters in equal proportions. while some where i relate to Nikhil finding it hard to be liked , i also have been like Arundhati when it comes to exploring Indian literature. if Arundhati had ever read a tale like this one , i am sure she would have respected Indian writers ! It was most amusing how Nikhil deals with DG Beckett !

I really liked this fresh take on love in college setting.

This is an e book which you can buy here

I, Writer by Anthony North

The challenge with short pieces of fiction is to leave the reader wowed after reading very little. It's not the matter of holding the interest of the reader, since one can't get bored of such short pieces very soon.

I, Writer by Anthony North brings together few pieces of such fiction that leave me with a smile because of the twist to the endings. I like it because it makes me imagine the scene, and well, most of the pieces work nicely and are interesting if not all of them. The book itself is a short one, one that you can finish in a few hours. But I feel it'd be best if you take time with it. Read a few stories at one go and then come back to it after a while, to read again. Maybe to soothe your mind between two heavy reads.

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1) First Reads Challenge at b00k r3vi3ws

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