Tag: book review

  • Dharma Artha Kama Moksha – Poetry by Seethalakshmi Suraj

    Dharma Artha Kama Moksha – Poetry by Seethalakshmi Suraj

    My journey in the world of poetry began quite late. I hardly enjoyed them during my school days. However, when I was in college, something came to me spontaneously and my journey started. My lines were not polished, nor they had a particular form. So I started to read about poetry. After a decade or so, I can dare to say that I write a decent poetry in Marathi with one audiobook under my belt. “चिमुकली स्वप्ने” my first and only poetry collection is available on storytel for you all to enjoy.

    However, my understanding of English poetry is that of a beginner’s level. I sometime fail to comprehend if a particular piece is a poetry or just a paragraph. I found Seethalakshmi’s “Dharma Artha Kama Moksha” in Blogchatter’s E-book librabry. This particular book is a part of their Ebook carnival where I have also put up my book ओंजळभर प्रेम.

    Who did I like this one?

    Let me tell you very frankly that I fail to understand quite a few poems in this book due to my lack of understanding. Yet there are few pieces which grabbed my attention and one of them is “I See a Monster from My Window”. I just loved the way she has created this imagery of continuously growing plastic eating monster which one day will eat us all. My most favorite lines from the poem are

    Who feeds the monster, you ask?
    Oh, to remember every name, is a task
    It’s definitely me, it’s definitely you,
    It’s our every neighbour, old & new

    I see a monster from my window | Harita (Dharma Artha Kama Moksha by Seethalakshmi)

    She has penned poems covering four aspects of human life and I am sure every poet atleast once have written about Moksh / Mukti in one form or the other. Even I couldn’t stop myself from writing

    लागे मज आस, सायुज्य मुक्तीची,
    तोड बेडी आता, कर्मचक्र… ||

    I liked the way she has designed the book. Yet only think which is missing in the copy of ebook is the cover used in other graphics. Use of the same cover would have improved the appearance a bit. I am enjoying my this learning experience and am sure people who are ahead of me on this path will enjoy this collection for sure.

    You can grab your copy of Dharma Artha Kama Moksha by Seethalakshmi here.

    This is a part of Blogchatter’s Ebook Carnival. You can read more of my book recommendations here.

  • One when you miss the bus – Review of The Demons of Jaitraya

    One when you miss the bus – Review of The Demons of Jaitraya

    Indian mythologies have such a strong characters and folklore surrounding it, that any fiction author will get enticed to work on them. Some try to retell the story from different character’s perspective or some try to take the characters to entirely different era and see what will happen to them. Shubira tried the second thing.

    Review

    Plus point of The Demons of Jaitraya is a very strong plot to work with. However, I find the book an okay read for one time read. Her book couldn’t keep my eyes glued to words she has written. But i would not attribute this to her writing or storytelling. I think this book could have been more crisp and enticing with a better editing. There was a lot of repetition. Some things were told again and again which almost felt like copy paste of earlier paragraphs. I hope other books of this series have taken care of this. Cause I don’t want to lose out on this wonderful plot of events happening when Demons escaped from past wreaking havoc in today’s time and age.

    Blurb

    The epics say, in the great War of Ramayana, a number of rakshasas escaped. They hid in the bowels of the Earth, in the water and in space and remained dormant for eons. In the 20th century of the Christian era, however, some of them reappeared in different forms to plague the Earth with Wars and illnesses. At the end of his war with Ravana, Rama had asked Hanuman to raise and train a contingent of warriors who would take birth multiple times on Earth, to contain the demons. Aishani and adheesh are two such warriors, blessed with divine weapons and powers to fight the world’s evils at present times. Read this exciting story to know who finally wins. The good or the evil? The demons of jaitraya is the first book of the trilogy of the war between demons and humans.

    About the book

    Title: The Demons of Jaitraya
    Author: Shubira Prasad
    Publisher: Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd
    Pages: 242

    Where to Buy

    My review

    Story: 3/5
    Editing: 1/5
    Writing style: 3/5
    Cover Design: 2/5

    Overall rating: 2.25/5

    Should you read it?

    Personally, I think book has missed the mark and is ok to read once if you are into mythological fictions. Overall, strong story, poor editing, ok cover. Pick up at your own risk.

    If you want more book recommendations, click here.

  • Lahore – Poignant and rattling story of 1947 partition

    Lahore – Poignant and rattling story of 1947 partition

    The Partition of India is a saddest time in the whole Indian history. India was about to get her independence after paying a huge sacrifice of blood sweat and tears of her sons and daughters, many of whom remained unsung. And at the same time, Jinnah’s direct action plan was creating a mayhem in areas which were going to be East and West Pakistan. Stories around Lahore particularly were distressing. Jinnah’s plan disrupted life in the region. During this time, young ones lost their parents, youth lost their job and love interests. Many families left their home behind and took the leap of faith to reach safety from the massacres happening around. Undivided Punjab was a thing of past. Lahore, was on the other side of the border. Those were the dark days indeed with a tiniest silver lining of Indian independence.

    Magnificent characters from history and her mind

    Writing anything about this period needs to be researched with the highest possible depth. There are so many movers and shakers of the Indian subcontinent’s history involved.  Manreet Sodhi Someshwar had taken up that herculean task to enter into the labyrinth of historical events. And she emerged triumphant out of it. Her research about facts and stalwart figures like Sardar Vallabhbhai, Pandit Nehru, Jinnah, etc. is thorough. 

    But, this is not a history book. Lahor, Book 1 of the partition trilogy, is a novel. It’s a story of people whom Manreet has conjured. She had done such a wonderful job of making them equally real as these historical giants. Manreet is a master storyteller. Her story is engaging. It keeps you reading through its pages until you feel burdened by the emotions her characters are going through.

    Cover is so colourful – Just like Lahor

    I just loved the colourful cover of this book. Vibrant red with yellow flowers and the iconic building of Badshahi mosque on the cover catches your eye at a first glance. I have heard stories about how colourful and lively Lahor and other historical cities have been. This cover design has done justice to those glorious tales.

    If you like historical fiction, you should not miss this book. I am so much looking forward to Kashmir and Hyderabad, the next two books Manreet has planned for this partition trilogy.

    Blurb

    In the months leading up to Independence, in Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel are engaged in deliberations with British Viceroy Dickie Mountbatten over the fate of the country. In Lahore, Sepoy Malik returns home from the Great War hoping to win his sweetheart Tara’s hand in marriage, only to find divide-and-rule holding sway, and love, friendships, and familial bonds being tested.

    Set in parallel threads across these two cities, Lahore is a behind-the-scenes look into the negotiations and the political skulduggery that gave India its freedom, the price for which was batwara. As the men make the decisions and wield the swords, the women bear the brunt of the carnage that tears through India in the sticky hot months of its cruellest summer ever.

    Backed by astute research, The Partition Trilogy captures the frenzy of Indian independence, the Partition and the accession of the states, and takes readers back to a time of great upheaval and churn.

    About the book

    Title: Lahor

    Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

    Publisher: Harper Collins

    Pages: 313

    Where to buy

    This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program. Also read more book reviews penned by me here.

  • Nice to be acquainted with A to Z’s of Tilottama

    Nice to be acquainted with A to Z’s of Tilottama

    Jibanananda Das, a Bengali Poet once said, কোলকাতা কোনোদিন তিলোত্তমা হবে meaning, Kolkata will one day be Tilottama. Kolkata, our own city of joy, music, art and culture has always fascinated me. It is still very illusive for me as yet I haven’t set my foot on her soil. It keeps intriguing me through the references I see in movies, and read in stories. Recently, I got an opportunity to get acquainted with the A to Zs of this Tilottama through the lens of a book called Tilottama at a glance, written by Sreeparna Sen.

    Unique way to introduce Tilottama

    When you pick up a book which started as a part of a blogging project, you kind of go in with the preconceived notion about the book. However, this particular book will break your assumptions and will make you read it through and know about this wonderful city in one go. It has been a really long time that I have finished a book in one sitting. This short read of just 68 pages, takes you on a journey through the streets of Kolkata taking you to meet its people and their quirk.

    I really appreciate the author for not making it a typical A to Z about a city. It’s not a list of famous places and tourist attractions. There are a couple of iconic locations like Howrah Bridge and Victoria memorial that are part of this book. However, I loved the way Sen has introduced the culture of Kolkata and habits of her citizens as quintessential parts of the identity of the city. The strong passion for food, music and art shared by the people of Kolkata is evident in many pages of this book. 

    My Rating

    I will definitely recommend this book if you want to get acquainted with Kolkata and the people of the city of joy before going in for your maiden visit to the city. Sreeparna Sen has done a great job in introducing her readers to the quirks of her city.

    Content: 4/5

    Writing style: 4/5

    Cover Design: 4/5

    Blurb

    Tilottama At A Glance is not merely the A B C’s of Kolkata for a casual traveller. This book allows you to acquaint yourself with the heart and soul of a rather unusual Indian city with loads of quirks. It is a journey through the culture, history, architecture, idiosyncrasies and other endearing or astonishing traits of Kolkata, that make this city unique.

    About Author

    Sreeparna Sen is a banker and finds her solace in writing. She has authored the book Tales of Wizardencil. Sen is a part of 10 anthologies including an international project Until Dawn.

    About the book

    Title: Tilottama at a glance

    Author: Sreeparna Sen

    Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing

    Pages: 68

    Where to buy

    This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program. Also read more book reviews penned by me here.

  • An Invitation to Die – Captivating Murder Mystery

    An Invitation to Die – Captivating Murder Mystery

    I have observed that as I approach mid-October, I naturally gravitate towards mystery and thrillers. Maybe this is the motivation I need to keep reading till the end of year. I have mentioned in my earlier posts about how much I love a good mystery or thrillers. They keep me glued to the pages or screen if I am reading them on Kindle. This year, thanks to the Blogchatter’s Book Review Program, I got an opportunity to review a captivating murder mystery written by Tanushree Podder.

    An Invitation to Read

    Harper Collins is famous for their wonderful books and this one surely keeps up to that tradition. An Invitation to Die is the third mystery that Col. Acharya, a local sleuth of Ramsar solves ASP Timothy Thapa. I suppose, I was living under a rock till date. I haven’t read the earlier two books. And yet, Tanushree is successful in grabbing my full attention in this third one. She has done a wonderful job as a storyteller. Plot goes on thickening as you keep turning pages.

    With a lot of mystery reading, you kind of become sleuth yourself. It becomes a curse when your little grey cells start working when you pick up a mystery novel. You start guessing the plot in advance. But hold your horses my fellow sleuths. Podder has lots of twists and turns which will leave you surprised whenever you start guessing the next step. 

    I am eager to go back and grab other books from this series and read them. Tanushree Podder has captured a spot on my favorite authors list with this book. I highly recommend this one to you. I am sure you won’t regret your decision.

    Blurb

    It begins with a simple mystery – elderly widow Violet William’s van goes missing after her granddaughter Pia forgets to lock the door when using it to cater for a wedding reception. But this is Ramsar, and soon, a simple case turns sinister when ASP Timothy Thapa finally finds the missing van, and promptly discovers a dead body inside it. Enter Colonel Acharya, Ramsar’s resident amateur sleuth, with his merry band of bridge-playing Watsons. As the detective begins his investigation, he finds that things are not what they seem, and with few clues, several suspects, and no leads to go on, Colonel Acharya might be facing his most challenging case yet.

    My Ratings

    Story: 4/5
    Writing style: 4/5
    Cover Design: 5/5

    Overall rating: 4.5/5

    About the book

    Book: An Invitation to Die: A Colonel Acharya Mystery
    Author: Tanushree Podder
    Publisher: Harper Collins
    Genre: Crime Fiction
    Pages: 288

    Where to buy

    P.S. This book also marks the completion of my TBR Challenge. I had pledged to read 25 books in the year of 2021.

    This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program.

  • Eye On You – Chilling Thriller by Kanchana Banerjee

    Eye On You – Chilling Thriller by Kanchana Banerjee

    Good thrillers, crime and investigation are the most engaging stories for me and they are pretty rare to find. But when you find one. You just can’t stop until you reach “The End”. Anita Nair, Salil Desai, Sujata Messi, Vaseem Khan and Abeer Mukherjee are a few names which are setiating our hunger for Indian thrillers. Today I want to add one more name to the list. Kanchana Bannerjee has given us her second crime thriller “Eye On You” and man, it’s a gripping tale.

    My favorites from “Eye On You”

    Eye On You is the story of Myra, a leading sales head of a reputed company and social media influencer on the side. It revolves around the event of her getting raped in her own bedroom without any signs of forced entry in the house, no signs of struggle and no forensic evidence. The story is set in today’s Gurgaon with all of its problems like overcrowding, worsening air quality along with many others. New found glamorous career of being a social influencer plays an important role in the story to take it forward through various plot points. It connects with the reader because of the contemporary settings and events which we read and hear around us.

    The style of writing is fluid and fast paced which makes the book interesting to read. The way of narrating a story with the perspective of different characters takes it to a next level. Grab your copy to enjoy a gripping thriller story.

    Blurb

    You’re seen, tracked, and followed everywhere you go. Every line & picture you post; someone is watching. All that information in the wrong hands is a recipe for disaster.

    You have a smart door, a CCTV; everything is controlled via an app on your mobile phone. All they need to do is to hack into your phone. Anyone can get in, anyone can see you inside your home.

    How safe are you inside your home?

    Myra is a young, independent, single working woman living in Gurgaon. After a party in her home, she wakes up the following morning and discovers that she has been raped. But she was at home, surrounded by her friends.

    Who could have done this to her? Was it one of her friends or a stranger?

    My Rating

    Book Cover: 2/5
    Writing Style: 4/5
    Story: 3/5
    Overall: 3/5

    About the book

    Book: Eye On You
    Author: Kanchana Banerjee
    Publisher: Self Published
    Genre: Crime Fiction
    Pages: 188

    Where to buy

    I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s My Friend Alexa. My current ranking is 272,112. This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program.