Exploring the Bookish World

Self-help books are really great and extremely informative. Chandan Deshmukh's 7 Dream Jobs and How to Find Them is one such amazing book. The author, in this book, guides the readers and discusses in detail the various opportunities, challenges and turning point of any career. We spend most of our lives working. And it is very essential for us to like our job. If the job makes us unhappy, neither will it be productive, nor will it give us job satisfaction. A study says that 80% of Indians are unhappy in their jobs. This book solves a lot of unanswered questions that young people find while trying to choose a career option. It talks about human personalities, and how they're suited for certain jobs, and most importantly, how to find a job that gives satisfaction. It is a short and engaging read. It took me a few hours to complete reading this book. The book has detailed descriptions on career and the point-wise analysis makes it easier to read and comprehend. Overal...

The eleventh edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival was held from the 17th to the 19th of January 2020 at five different venues in Kolkata. Various literary events were held, and many bestselling authors, dignitaries, film and theatre personalities graced the eleventh edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival. The first day of the Festival began with the inaugural session on Forgotten Treasures with William Dalrymple and Jawahar Sircar in conversation on the latest book,  Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company by William Dalrymple. The inauguration was followed by discussions and conversations at the various venues of Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival. A special session on what today’s youth want to read with Vivaan Shah, Kavita Kane, Karuna Ezara Parikh and Jimmy Tangree was a unique and interesting one. The next session was In a New Light: Revisiting Dara Shukoh, Sri Chaitanya and Veer Savarkar with Vikram Sampath, Avik ...

Legitimacy of Power: The Permanence of Five in the Security Council by Dilip Sinha is an informative and brilliant piece of work. I have always chosen fiction over non-fiction, but recently as I am reading more of the non-fiction genre, I am intrigued and amazed by the brilliance of this genre. As is evident from the title of the book, it talks about the working and operations of the United Nations, more specifically, about one of its most important organ, Security Council. It is a study of international security cooperation and its international law. It has historical details about how the organisation came into being, with UK, USA, Russia, France and China as the Permanent Five members, and how it has been working since. The book is divided into 16 chapters, each chapter describing the various aspects of the UN, from its formation to the modern times. It is extremely informative and contains a detailed description. Legitimacy of Power is a perfect academic text and is suit...

An interesting collection of micro tales, SHE - Screw Silence! by Reecha Agarwal Goyal, will take you on an emotional journey. It will make you think. Recently, I came across a number of books on micro tales, but this one is unique in many different ways. "Why kickboxing?"                                                                                                                "I plan to knock out patriarchy one day."  As the title of the book suggests, SHE - Screw Silence! is all about equality, feminism, women empowerment, the women raising their voices, and smashing the patriarchy. The book might look like a short, and cute book, but the subject is really deep. Each one of the micro tales...

The eleventh Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival will be held from the 17th of January to 19th of January, 2020. 12 Bestselling Authors, 4 Women Bosses in Publishing amongst over 100 speakers / Poets to grace the 11th edition. AKLF 2020 HIGHLIGHTS · Venues - Allen Park, Park Street, Alliance Francaise, Park Mansions, Max Mueller Bhavan and Tollygunge Club · Voices - 12 Bestselling Authors, 10 Columnists, 4 women bosses in Publishing, Over 100 speakers and poets across genres and age groups. · Writers’ Awards –Prabha Khaitan Woman’s Voice Award in association with Oxford Bookstore will announce its winner. The 2nd edition of the Award that celebrates fresh Indian voices in women’s writing. · Book Cover Design Awards - Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize will unveil its shortlist book covers. This is the 5th edition of the Award in association with Jaipur Literature Festival  · Global representation - Authors fro...

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...

The third and the final book of the Kalki trilogy - Mahayoddha Kalki: Sword of Shiva by Kevin Missal is an amazing read. A tale of love, friendship, adventure, blended with Mythology and philosophy - a journey that started in the first book, Dharmayoddha Kalki,  continued through the second book, Satyayoddha Kalki,  finally concludes in the third book, Mahayoddha Kalki. I have been an ardent fan of the series from the time when I read the first book. And was really eager and excited about this final one. The story begins with Kalki Hari arriving at the city of Indragarh to find out that his brother, Arjan has been taken prisoner, his beloved is about to be executed, and the City is embroiled in a horrifying war with the Naga queen and Dakshini king. Armed with a mighty sword forged by a God, he fights to take the city back from his arch-enemy, the evil Kali. But, Kalki, the avatar of Vishnu is at a crossroads. It is his destiny to fight the last battle with adharm an...

With Ash on Their Faces: Yezidi Women and the Islamic State  by  Cathy Otten  is one of the best books that I have read this year. This book is based on extensive interviews with survivors of the Yezidi population. It is a work of extreme research and analysis. It highlights and brings forward the reality of the war-torn areas of Iraq. ISIS's genocidal attack on the Yezidi population of northern Iraq in the summer of 2014 brought the world's attention to the followers of faith with a long history of persecution. Men were killed, and the Yezidi women were taken to the Islamic state to be sold.  This book narrates the plight of Yezidi women and children.  Who are the Yezidis?  Yazidis are an endogamous and mostly Kurmanji-speaking group of contested ethnic origin, indigenous to Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The majority of Yazidis remaining in the Middle East today live in Iraq, primarily in the Nineveh and Dohuk governorates. In August 20...

The fifth edition of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob was inaugurated at the Jorasanko Thakurbari, the birthplace of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on 22nd November 2019  in the distinguished presence of eminent writers  Shankha Ghosh ; Professor  Syed Manjurul Islam  and editor, publisher  Majharul Islam from Bangladesh  and  Pracheta Gupta  along with  Prof. Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury , Vice-Chancellor, Rabindra Bharati University;  Tridib Kumar Chattopadhyay , MD Patra Bharati Group of Publications and  Swagat Sengupta , Director Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob and CEO Apeejay Oxford Bookstores. ABSU is presented in association with Patra Bharati Group and supported by Rabindra Bharati University. Right to left Procheta Gupta, Majharul Islam, Syed Manujrul Islam, Sankha Ghosh, Meher Afroz Shaon The inauguration was preceded by a one-of-a-kind literary discussion with different Facebook Page Groups who work towa...

Andaleeb Wajid's A Sweet Deal  is a sweet and crispy tale of love and dreams. After reading the blurb, I knew this was going to be a light and breezy read. The perfect book to pick up while I was experiencing a reader's block. The pretty pink cover adds to the sweetness of the book! The plot is very well baked and refreshing as well. The story is centred around Rumana, who along with her friend Neharika has given up their corporate jobs to fulfil their dreams of running a successful cafe. Life takes a turn when Daniyal, a rock star chef - who is very handsome and charming, opens a fancy place - 'Daniyal's Desserts' right next to Rumana and Niharika's cafe - Not Too Sweet. Although Rumana and Daniyal have a not-so-romantic first meeting and they definitely do not start on a good note, as Rumana considers him to be their rival; there's something brewing between both of them. Daniyal cannot get her out of his mind, o the other hand, Rumana is constantly...

Quirky, funny and filmy - these are the three words that best describe Vibha Batra's latest book, Bathinda to Bangkok. Previously, I had read and reviewed two of the author's works and I loved them both. Bathinda to Bangkok is a short and refreshing light read. This rom-com tells the story of a successful party planner Mahi. She is the wedding-planner for her Bff Dingy's wedding. Dingy wants to have her wedding in Bangkok. And for her best friend's sake, she decides to arrange her wedding in Bankok. So, a few days before the wedding, she sets off to Bangkok.  She gets the biggest shock of her life when she finds her ex-boyfriend there in Bangkok to plan the wedding as well! To know what happens to Mahi's story, you have to read the book. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! I was going through a very bad reading slump and this book made me get over it. The character of Mahi has been very well developed. I loved the way she spoke and her desi vibes and...

About Apeejay Bangla SahityaUtsob Apeejay Bangla SahityaUtsob (ABSU), India’s first Bangla Literary Festival (ieUtsob in Bangla) created by the nearly 100 year old Oxford Bookstore in 2015,honours the rich literary tradition of the Bangla language by making it increasingly visible and accessible, building an audience for Bangla books and creating a culture of readership among the new generation. The Utsob is the pioneer of initiating an interactive platform for the voices of Contemporary Bangla Literature at the national and international stage. ABSU not only showcases all aspects of Bangla literature, literary expressions and its impact on various art forms but also aims to encourage youth and familiarize them with the Bangla language. Among eminent personalities who have graced the Utsob in the last four editions are renowned authors like Sankha Ghosh, Shirshendu Mukherjee, SanjibChattopadhaya, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, SamareshMajumdar, Pracheta Gupta, RanjanBandhopadhyay, ...

Mayank Manohar's debut novel, Shadow of the Past is a short and simple light read. It is a story about three young people whose lives are affected by their own past and insecurities. The plot is quite simple yet emotional. The story juggles between past and present. Rehan and Lavanya had been in love with each other in the past but they eventually broke up. Arpita, a close friend of Rehan, falls for him and suddenly finds herself trapped between the incomplete love saga of Rehan and Lavanya. And this creates a love triangle between the three.  Will their lives be crippled by the shadow of their own past or will life give them a ray of hope and another chance to redeem what is lost? Read the book to know what happens to Rehan, Lavanya and Arpita. The title of the book is very apt. The story progresses at a fast pace and is a complete page-turner. Although the plot seems to be filmy, it is engrossing. All the characters are well developed. The writing style is really good ...

Shashi Warrier's book By God: The Making of a Messiah is a satirical tale of the socio-cultural scenario of many of the nations in today's world.  The plot is set in a utopian world, called Ghublistan, which is an island resplendent with the Divine herb. And this country is experiencing a surge in emigration. Two of Ghublistan's people, Tomikanza and a barber, Neepane set out in an endeavour to understand what 'democracy' is. As I was reading the novel, I felt how relevant it is in today's world. It made me think. The author, in this book, highlights various social issues which are extremely relevant. The brilliant use of satire is a speciality of this book. The plot is very well-knit and is subtle with layers of themes embedded in it. It is intriguing and has the capability to keep the readers hooked to the book until the very end. The story progresses at a perfect pace. The style of writing is beautiful and the use of lucid language has made the...

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...