Exploring the Bookish World

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

An Indian novel published in 2018 and set in various parts of Asia and Europe was uncannily prescient about the possibilities of accidental or otherwise release of biotechnology products and how it can trigger an epidemic comparable to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. In this novel, The Butterfly Effect (Niyogi Books) by Rajat Chaudhuri, North Korean agents steal an untested genetically modified rice variety, from a UK lab and carry it back to Korea, which cross-pollinates crops and triggers an epidemic of rapid ageing across the continent with high fatalities. The prestigious Nature journal reported last week about the arrest of a Harvard chemistry chief for making false statements about receiving research funding from China. It is alleged that he received ` hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in China and agreed to lead a lab there’. Although involvement, if any, of the arrested professor cannot be assumed or rejected at this s

The World Between Us by Sara Naveed tells a heart-warming tale of love, the journey of the protagonists, and how they overcome the demons of their past. It is very different from the regular cliched plot that romance novels in general have. It is unique and that is what I really liked about this book. Amal is a simple girl who is troubled by the memories of her disturbing past. Although she tries to move forward, she cannot completely let go of her disturbing memories. Qais Ahmed, on the other hand, is very different from Amal. He seems narcissistic, manipulative and arrogant. But Qais has a troubled past too. And that affects his mental health. Qais joins Amal's office and both start to develop feelings for each other. However, the story takes a drastic turn, when they find out that they have a deep connection to the past from which they are trying to move forward. The author has a beautiful style of writing. It is descriptive yet the story proceeds at a fast pace. It

Chandan Deshmukh's book, 6 Secrets Smart Students Don't Tell You, answers all the questions that are always asked by students and parents alike: 'How to study better and have a successful academic career?', 'How to succeed and crack exams?' and many more.  This book is a compilation of many advices for students that are really helpful. The book describes each and every aspect of detail pointwise. There are diagrams and flowcharts for better understanding as well. It is quite relatable for students as it discusses the problems that they face. The book is based on extensive research by the author and the tips and tricks seem very useful. It is conversational, funny and quite insightful in nature.  The writing style is very simple with the use of lucid language, making this book an easy read. It is indeed a very useful self-help book. It took me a few hours to complete reading the entire book as it is quite a short read. Overall, it was a good a

A sweet tale of love, loss, and most importantly, second chances, Sindhura Kotaru's novel, My Crownless Queen  is quite an interesting read. The protagonist, Peter, is a doctor and has his career soaring, his dreams fulfilled, new colleagues in his life, and his friends beside him. But his life takes a turn when he comes for a trip back home. His parents have fixed his marriage with a girl of their choice. But Peter cannot forget the love of his life, Annie, with whom he broke up ten years back. Both of them tried to move on with their lives. But clearly, Peter had not. Although none had tried to contact each other during the past ten years, Peter still had feelings for her. But, what awaits for his is the most unexpected surprise! Will he be able to accept his past and move on, or will fight for what he believes in without any guarantee for happiness? Peter is left with two choices. Either to make peace with his past or to keep dwelling on it. Read the book to know what