Exploring the Bookish World

Medical Maladies is an exceptional anthology that delves into the spectrum of medical experiences and practices in India. The collection features nineteen captivating short stories translated from various Indian languages. This compilation, which includes renowned authors like Rabindranath Tagore, Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhyay, Premchand, and Saadat Hasan Manto, as well as medical practitioners such as Rashid Jahan and Shirin Shrikant Valavade, offers readers a thought-provoking and immersive exploration of the intersection between literature and medicine.  A notable aspect of this collection is its inclusion of stories that delve into women's mental and physical health, including pregnancy, childbirth, abortion, and depression. By exploring these topics, the anthology offers valuable insights into the unique challenges faced by women within the Indian healthcare system, thereby adding a layer of depth and relevance to the overall narrative.   Through their narratives, the a...

Arushi Vats' latest book, Oasis In The Desert And Other Stories, is a collection of nine short stories. Each one of the stories is unique in its own way, yet seems to be connected by a single thread. The book begins with the story titled, An Oasis In The Desert. It is about two star-crossed lovers - Aryan and Neelakshi. Another story, Dadu is a heartbreaking story about the relationship between a grandfather and his grandchild. The Wheel of Memories is another brilliant tale which is included in this collection. Apart from these, there are six more short stories in the collection that makes the readers think, and see life from a very unique perspective. The subtle messages that these stories embody make it quite a thought-provoking read. The author has intricately woven each of these beautiful stories. The stories perfectly capture the hope, disappointment, the pain, and the happiness that the characters experience. The readers can feel all the emotions as they read the stories. Th...

A collection of ten horror stories, Ghosts of The Silent Hills by Anita Krishan is a book which will make the readers shocked and scared. Eerie stories set amidst silent hills and deserted lodges, surrounded by forests enveloped in a deadly silence... The book is divided into two parts. Each part contains five stories each. All the stories are based on true hauntings. Scary, mysterious and spine chilling - these are the words that best describe the stories. It is so gripping that I could not stop reading it once I started. It took me a few hours to complete reading the entire book. What makes the book really gripping is the fact that each of the stories is really realistic and unique in nature. The spooky atmosphere that surrounds the tales left me terrified. The vivid narrative style adopted by the author to pen this book, and the use of simple language make this book an easy read. The plots of the stories are very well constructed. Some of the stories which I really liked a...

Chinmaya Desai's debut work, The Grandmaster & Other Short Stories is a collection of seventeen short stories. Each one of the stories is unique and has a twist in it. The very first story in the book is 'The Grandmaster'. It is about a chess grandmaster who is accused of losing a World Championship game intentionally. Some of the stories that I liked are - 'The Inspiration', 'G Male' and The Carrot. Each of the stories ends with an interesting quote. The stories are written in simple and easy language and are fast-paced. There were twists in the stories, although the endings were quite predictable. The characters were well portrayed and the narrative style is quite simple. It is a short read and can be completed reading in a few hours. However, there are certain things which I did not like about this book. This book lacks proper editing. There are a few grammatical errors in the book. Certain parts could have been much better. Also, the use o...

Joginder Paul's Land Lust is a collection of twelve short stories in English, translation of Dharti Ka Kaal , originally written in Urdu. Beautifully narrated, each tale is about the hardship, poverty, racism faced by the people of Kenya. The author has brilliantly portrayed the harsh reality prevalent in society. The book begins with the story 'Miracle' (translation of 'Mojaza'), in which we come across young Kenyan boys forced to jump into a dangerous lake to pick up coins thrown by foreign tourists, just for their amusement. The boys put their lives in danger to retrieve the coins which are not of any value to the tourists, but for them, it is a lot of money.  All the stories are equally beautiful and do not fail to strike a chord with the readers.  Another brilliant piece is 'When Life Dies'. In this tale, the protagonist Jagore is an enthusiastic and well-meaning African employee - becomes a victim of institutional racism when he is abruptly fir...

A collection of thirteen short stories, originally written in Urdu, translated into English: Preeto & Other Stories is a book which makes you contemplate and leaves a huge impact. Each one of the stories is thought-provoking and unique in its own way. Female characters in stories and novels have always been viewed by male authors through a monochromatic tinted glass. There can be no in-between, no 'grey' area in the female characters. This book brilliantly portrays how famous male authors, who mainly write in Urdu, has depicted female characters in their works. Often the primary idea of the original work gets lost in the translated version. However, this has not been an issue here. Each of the stories has been impeccably translated and has retained the original idea and feel. I personally liked most of the stories. Among all the thirteen stories, I liked Preeto by Krishan Chandar, Man by Gulzar and Driftwood by Deepak Budki the most. There is one single thread t...