Exploring the Bookish World

All lies, Says Krishna  by J. Rajasekharan Nair is a charismatic retelling of the Indian epic, The Mahabharata. This beautiful book is an absolute favourite of mine. The way in which the story is presented is worthy of praise. I have read many books with different views and perspectives about certain characters and portions of the Mahabharata, but this is very different from the rest. This book is exceptional and extraordinarily well written. I loved the concept on which the book is based. It is set thirty-six years after the Great War of Kurukshetra. Krishna is deprived of everything except his life. And he thus sets out on a journey back to Vrindavan, the village where he spent his childhood, the village of innocence. He returns back to get reunited with his childhood friend and lover, Radha. In her presence, Krishna peels off the layers of myth that portrayed him as an incarnation of God. And at Radha's request, he narrates the tale of the Mahabharata. The plot is bril...

Yoga & Stress Management by Acharya Yatendra is one of the best non-fictions I have read this year. It is a therapeutic guide for those dealing with mental and physical. Not only that, this book can be considered as a reference book for healthy living. As is quite evident from the title of this book, it is a short and easy book on the philosophy of yoga and how to manage stress. Most of us these days suffer from stress and that makes our life very difficult. It feels really great to be able to manage the stress in one's life. And this book has really been helpful in the process of stress reduction in my life. The very first chapter in this book is about 'stress and yoga philosophy'. At the end of this chapter, there is a section called 'rating stress'. It has a chart where the reader can assess how much stress he/she is going through. This, I personally felt, was very helpful. Each reader can assess the amount of stress one is under. That is a great wa...

Sheeja Jose's book, F irst Love,  is a passionate love story which journeys through the love of two youngsters as they get hurt, suffer heartbreaks, and love with an unending passion. The protagonist of this story is a young girl, Tina. She is seventeen. When she was thirteen she fell in love with Adi, her neighbour and classmate. But Adi doesn't reciprocate the feelings. For him, she is only a friend. Things get more complicated when Rohit, who plays tennis with her, falls in love with her. And thus, twist in the plot - a love triangle! The story is narrated in the first person. The story shifts between two different timelines - 2016 and 2012. Read the book to know if Tina succeeds in getting the happy ending which she so desperately wants. The book is very well written. All the characters are quite well developed. I generally do not like reading typical romance novels, but this has a different touch in it. The author has done a really commendable job in penning th...

Turn the Tables is an amazing self-help book by Priya Kumar. It is a very motivating, and really interesting read. 'Turn the Tables' means to change a situation so that you now have an advantage over someone or something that previously had an advantage over you. The book starts with a short story. The author, in this book, speaks in detail about the right attitude to 'turn the tables'. There are twenty-eight chapters in the book, all of which are equally engaging. At the end of each chapter, there are some questions for the readers which help them think and reflect themselves better. Read the book to get an insightful understanding of how to 'turn the tables'! The book is very well written. In fact, this is one of the best self-help books I've read this year. After reading, I felt very optimistic and motivated. Overall, it was a great read and I really liked reading it. About the author:   Priya Kumar is an Internationally Acclaimed Motiva...

Kali's Retribution is the second book in the Kalki Chronicles trilogy by Abhinav. As the title of the book suggests, it is about Kali, the Lord of Evil, and the arch-nemesis of the tenth and the final Avatar of Lord Vishnu, according to Hindu Mythology, Kalki. The story begins at Dwarka, twenty-eight years after the Great War of Kurukshetra, where Krishna and sage Dweepa were having a conversation. The story continuously moves back and forth between the past and the future. The chapters set in the future tell us about Kalki, who is already born then as Anirudh. After successfully deciphering Krishna's puzzles and retrieving the Kaustubha locket, Anirudh finally accepts his destiny as Kalki. Read the book to know what happens next! Lately, a lot is being written on Mythology, especially on Kalki. In the last year, I guess I have read at least four books on Kalki. It seems to be a very popular subject now. The cover of this book looks stunning and the blurb seems qui...

Neharika G upta's debut novel, Adulting is a short, refreshing, light read.  The story revolves around the lives of three young people - Aisha, Ruhi and Tejas. Aisha is a social media manager and a famous lifestyle blogger, who is flirty and flamboyant in nature. Her friend, Ruhi, is very different from her. She works at Litracy Publishing. And, her mother is the editor-in-chief of the publishing house she works at. The third main character, Tejas is a best-selling novelist.  What follows is a story of a love triangle between the three.  And, adulting, at times can be really difficult! I guess all of us will agree upon that.  The plot is mainly centred around these three characters. The book is short and fast-paced. It took me a few hours to complete reading this book. The lives of young-adults is very well portrayed. But the book has certain drawbacks. I was super excited and eager to read this book. The cover looks stunning and the blurb seemed quite in...

Adity Kay's recent historical fiction, Emperor Vikramaditya, is a sequel to her previous book, Emperor Chandragupta.  After reading Emperor Chandragupta, I couldn't wait to read the author's second book which just released last month! As the title of the book suggests, this book tells the tale of the legendary emperor of ancient India, Chandragupta II, or Vikramaditya. The younger son of the Gupta king Samudragupta, the young prince Chandra is troubled within himself as his elder brother Ramagupta prepares to take their ageing father's place on the throne, he wrestles constantly with his brother's decisions. He finds his brother's decisions to be dangerous to the stability of the empire. And thus, begins the conflict, and struggle for power between two brothers. But when the empire is threatened by a dangerous enemy from outside, Chandra emerges as the king in his own right. Read the book to know whether an unwanted prince can save a kingdom on the brin...

History has always been one of my favourite subjects since school days. The stories of ancient times have fascinated me since childhood. The stories of ancient people, their civilizations, the great kings and queens, the battles they fought - amazed and intrigued me. Historical fiction, as a literary genre, is very interesting, intriguing and informative at the same time. This is the reason why I guess I am a sucker for historical fictions. Adity Kay's book, Emperor Chandragupta,  tells us the story of the Maurya king Chandragupta Maurya. He founded the Mauryan empire. The story traces back to the early days, in the third century BCE, when India was a land ruled by powerful dynasties, each fighting for supremacy over the other, and Alexander the Great had arrived from Greece to conquer and wanted to establish his dominion over the entire known world. Moriya, a young boy, raised by a tribe of peacock-tamers, was completely unaware of the legacy that was rightfully his. Und...

Vibha Batra's latest novel, The Reluctant Debutante, is a short and fun read, which will amuse and amaze the readers. The plot is funny, crisp and unique. The story is about how Tanya Grewal, a nerd, who is not as interested in fashion as her sister, Sanya is. Sanya is the multi-talented identical twin of Tanya. When Sanya is all set to attend Debutante International - a glamorous social event - she ends up fracturing her foot! Under such circumstances, Tanya lands up in a sticky situation. She has to attend the super glamorous event in place of her sister. How will Tanya manage to keep her secret intact? Read the book to know more! The characters are very well developed. I found the protagonist, Tanya, to be very relatable. The authour brilliantly uses tongue in cheek humour. It is written in a very lucid and easy language and is fast-paced, which is just perfect for this book. The story is a perfect combination of glamour, humour, and romance. It is a sweet chick-lit,...

Priya Kumar's novel, I Will Go With You , or  The Final Call, which is now a web series on Zee5   is a rather interesting thriller. The plot is wonderfully constructed and it beautifully spins together spirituality with nail-biting suspense. The story starts with Sarah, a writer, who was almost about to miss her flight as she had lost track of time while she was busy shopping. The other important characters in the novel include Muttuswamy, an Indian astrologer; Jim, a teenager; Paul, a businessman who is a billionaire; and Captain Robert, who is going through a tough time. He was in his late forties and was suffering from severe depression. He was suicidal. Captain Robert had lost his wife and two daughters in a car crash. He was thinking about committing suicide while he was at work, mid-air at thirty-five thousand feet above sea level. Read the book to know more about the fate of all the characters in this novel! The book has the capability to make the readers thi...

The Broken Amoretti is an interesting and gripping novel by Sudipto Das and Aparajita Dutta. The subject which forms the crux of this story is sensitive and a very important issue - LGBTQ relationship. The title of the book is very intriguing. Edmund Spencer's Sonnets which he wrote in the 16th century are known as 'Amoretti'. The title  The Broken Amoretti suggests a love lyric which is unusual, similar yet different from the conventional sonnet, which basically deals with the poets' love for his beloved. Poems are a significant part of this novel and so is love. The story begins with Saoli who returns to India after a broken marriage and starts living in Prembajar. She comes across an old diary which contains cryptic poem written in dactylic hexameter, which is an archaic meter used in the composition of ancient Greek epics. There are amazing interpretations of Greek mythology in this book which I really liked. Although the plot is complex and the story is ...

I have been reviewing books on my blog for quite some time now, and I have read and reviewed books belonging to various genres. But this book review is indeed very unique, as this is the first time I am reviewing a play.  Aurangzeb: The Darkness in His Heart is a play by Rajesh Talwar. As is evident from the title, the play is about the sixth and the last great Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb. The play traces the journey of the sixth Mughal ruler's life - from how he ascended the throne to the final days of his life. The play is divided into three parts - 'Aurangzeb, the Romantic'; 'Aurangzeb, the Monster' and 'Aurangzeb, the Fearful'. The first part narrates the tale of how the cold-hearted Aurangzeb fell in love with Hirabai, who was a slave girl. But, Hirabai dies within a year of their first meeting. This incident has a deep-seated impact on the life of Aurangzeb. He becomes more tyrannical, intolerant, and sceptical. The second part of the pla...

Sreedhar Bevara's Moment of Signal is an excellent self-help book which talks in great detail about how being alert to signals can change our lives and make a better leader out of us. This book is one of the best non-fiction books that I have read so far this year. The main concept around which the book Moment of Signal is centred around sensing the correct time in life and bring out the leadership within each one of us. The book is divided into ten chapters, each one focusing on sensing the moment and acting accordingly in order to succeed. For a detailed analysis and understanding, each of the topics is further divided into subtopics. In the Introduction to his book, the author throws light on the importance of Sensing the Moment. He says -  "Today is neither an accident nor a mere occurrence. It is a combination of both past and the present which seeds the future. It is here 'NOW'. Living the moment means being conscious, being aware, and embracing the pr...

Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyal's Circus Folk & Village Freaks is an extraordinary book in which stories are told as narrative poems in rhyming couplets. This book stands out from the rest not only because of its innovative narrative style but also for the beautiful illustrations. A collection of eighteen twisted tales, this book is an absolute gem. Each of the tales talks about important social issues and paints before the readers a true image of typical Indian society. The quirky tales of the circus folk and the people who live in the adjacent village will leave the readers intrigued and astonished. A man bitten by a crocodile becomes a God. A clown finds his place in Hollywood. A Devadasi woos the entire village with her culinary skills. These are a few of the people whose tales are narrated in this book. Read the book to know more about the lives of the Circus folk and the village freaks! With lucid language and beautiful rhyming couplets, the author has done a brilliant...

The Children of Destruction by Kuber Kaushik is a young-adult fantasy fiction, full of magic and adventure. It tells the story of a teenager named Alice. Alice, the protagonist, suddenly discovers that she possesses magical powers. The main theme in this book is magic and the use of magical powers. The character of Alice was very well developed and I really liked her character. Especially her sense of sarcasm was on point. The story started quite well, at a moderate pace. It seemed quite interesting. But as it progressed, things grew really complicated. I had very high expectations from this book, but it failed to impress me. The plot is not very well constructed. It could have been much better. Too many characters complicated the storyline all the more. The book started with a lot of amazing ideas but was not properly executed. Although the language was lucid and the dialogues were quite well written, the book as a whole is not very interesting. Multiple subplots further compli...

Astra: The Quest for Starsong by Aditya Mukherjee and Arnav Mukherjee is mythological/fantasy fiction set in ancient India. Ravana, the King of Lanka sets on a march to find all the divine weapons (astras), in order to become most powerful and invincible. Seers whisper that he has awakened the Starsong, a mythical Astra which belonged to the Gods. Ravana thirsts for this particular weapon, which will make him invincible. High up in the glistening tower in the city of Ulka, a young boy named Varkan, who is the prince of Ashmaka, was held captive by his uncle. He finally manages to escape from the prison with his mother. However, danger awaits him on his way. The Rakshasas, the army of Ravana, attack him to take away the divine weapon or Astra, Starsong, which originally belongs to the family of Varkan. Will he be able to protect himself and the Astra Starsong from Ravana? What will happen in the perilous journey? Read the book to know more. I had expected this book to be rathe...

Kautuk Srivastava's debut novel 'Red Card' is a wonderful coming-of-age story. Set in the suburban Thane of 2006, this book tells us the story of a young boy named Rishabh Bala, a student of the tenth standard. But his life takes a turn and all of a sudden things become complicated. The story begins with four boys watching French Football player, Zinedine Zidane's career's final match. All of them are equally shocked when he gets a Red Card. Rishabh Bala, the protagonist of this story, is one of the boys watching the match. He is completely unaware of the fact that a similar 'Red Card' change his life. Rishabh finds himself in a lot of pressure as his upcoming board exams are knocking at the door. Also, he falls hopelessly in love with one of his classmates. Although his father refuses, he still plays football for his beloved school football team. Amidst all these distractions, how will Rishabh manage to succeed in the journey of life? You'll ha...

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...

The Women Who Ruled India by Archana Garodia Gupta is a book which focuses on the powerful women who are an important part of Indian history. These women were brave, fierce and possessed great leadership qualities. They were great rulers of their times and continue to inspire future generations as well. Their stories of valour and diplomacy, leadership and wit make this book a very informative read. The book features the stories of twenty powerful figures from the archives, offering us a glimpse of their fascinating lives. Each one of them ruled India during different time periods. It is a matter of great pride that such brave and powerful women are a part of India's rich history. From the Bhaumakara Queens, Didda of Kashmir, Raziya Sultan to Nur Jahan, and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, the women rulers who were often overshadowed by their male counterparts in the patriarchal representation of history; their true accounts are presented in this book. The Women Who Ruled India  i...

Nupur Anand's debut novel, Mehboob Murderer, is a nail-biting murder mystery which will keep you hooked to the book till the very end. The book is really interesting. Right from the very beginning, the story is packed with a lot of interesting turn of events and the thrill is kept intact till the end. The story takes place in Mumbai. On a rainy September night, six people are murdered in an old Parsi cafe. The plot revolves around how Inspector Intekhaab Abbas investigates the case. The mass murder suddenly attracts a lot of media attention and political pressure mounts on the police force to nab the mass murderer. But the protagonist, Inspector Abbas is not ready to give up so easily. As he digs deeper into the lives of each of the victims, more complicated the case becomes. Read the book to know how Inspector Abbas proceeds to investigate the murder and what happens next. The plot is gripping and has the capability to keep the readers hooked until the very end. It is f...