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 interesting. Howe