Kabira khada bazar me mange sabki khair; Na kahu se dosti na kahu se bair.

Ganga: The Constant Goddess by Anuja Chandramouli My rating: 4 of 5 stars “According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.” ― Plato, The Symposium This quote is obviously an allegory which is about how man and woman are incomplete without each other. Or how humans are incomplete no matter what we do? Mythology is an interesting way to know not only about our past but also about our present and future. Anuja always does a great job in mythology with her sharp new insights and impeccable language. “Ganga the constant Goddess” is another one of these. Ganga and Parvati both daughters of Mena and Himvan are unlike each other. Where Parvati just wants to get married to Shiva, Ganga can not be domesticated. She is a wild force of nature which cannot be still or ...

The Retreat by mari reiza My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Money is a necessary evil,” Marie’s mother would say, “and to earn much, unfortunately, one has to devote an excessive amount of time to it, more than reasonable. These words struck a chord with me. How true is that? Money is necessary but its pursuit takes away a lot from us. Mari Reiza’s Retreat is story of Marie (Mari??? Or I am just wondering). Marie is a young girl who is feeling suffocated by all the rules by her family and society. She wants to break free, but will she? The struggles of Marie will feel familiar to every girl. This is a story of grit and determination. The book is a bit long and could have be edited tightly. 3/5 stars. View all my reviews

Opera by mari reiza My rating: 3 of 5 stars Death is a certainty. Our death is as inevitable as our birth but that doesn’t matter. Real thing is how we live before dying. Mari Reiza’s Opera is tribute to the triumph of human spirit. Ivanka is a rich lady who is dying, then she received a letter. This introduces her to Maria and they start work on opera again. Will she be able to live again before dying? The story is moving and inspiring. The way Ivanka fight with her illness is gratifying and a lesson for all who are defeated by life. The story becomes somewhat boring and stretched at places and you need patience to finish. 3/5 stars. View all my reviews

Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories by Annup Sonii and Oswald Pereira My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Criminals should be punished, not fed pastries.” ― Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book Crime never pays. Or does it? This is most intriguing and gruesome aspect of humanity. Why does people turn to crime? Is it greed, poverty, lust, laziness, sloth or pure evil? This book tries to throw light on these through some real-life crime stories. Anup Soni is a veteran actor and host of popular serial “Crime Patrol” on Sony network. Oswald Pereira is a seasoned journalist and author. These two collaborated to bring to readers some real time crimes. These are eight criminal stories in all. The reasons for committing the crime are varied but the end is similar. In the end they were caught and imprisoned. The stories are told in a rapid flowing way so that you don’t have time to feel bogged down or get bored. In some stories police investigation is shown which is like...

TO ALL YOU EX FORCES Swearing At Work Dear Staff It has been brought to the Managing Director's attention that some ex-servicemen throughout the organisation have been using foul language during the course of normal conversation with their civilian work colleagues. Due to complaints received from some employees who may have been easily offended, this type of language will no longer be tolerated. We do, however, realise the critical importance of being able to accurately express your feelings when communicating with colleagues. Therefore, a list of 13 new and innovative "TRY SAYING" phrases have been provided so that the proper exchange of ideas and information can continue in an effective manner. 1.Try Saying: "I think you could do with more training." Instead Of: "You don't have a fucking clue do you Lofty ?" 2.Try Saying: "She's an aggressive go-getter." Instead Of: "She's a fucking power-crazy bitch." 3.Try...

Ashwatthama's Redemption: The Rise of Dandak by Gunjan Porwal My rating: 3 of 5 stars Anything except romance is welcome from Indian writer. Romance writing is lazy. After success of Amish’s Shiva trilogy mythological genre is revived. It has unlimited potential and can be a most interesting. Gunjan tried to t=doo that in “Ashwatthama’s Redemption”. Vikram, Rana and Urmila come to know a sinister secret wherein the mankind is threatened. Ashwatthama, the cursed son of Guru Dronacharya is the only one which can avert this. They have to find the Kodnada, bow of Lord Rama which is hidden in great Himalaya. They travel though Gangetic plain to find Kodanda. Will they be successful? This book is different and it takes a detour from that done to death genre of Romance. The mythological fantasy is light and free flowing. The language is first rate and interest is kept throughout. This is first part of the story and more can be said after reading next in...

The Hidden Children: The Lost Grimoire by Reshma K. Barshikar My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry Potter opened up a new world to be explored. It is not that this genre was not written before but it broken new ground. Reshma’s brainchild “The Hidden Children” is a very good book in fantasy genre. Jai and Nallini (shoudn’t it be Nalini? Never mind) wants to be extraordinary. Shayamukthy is just a wanderer. The story takes a turn when some strange things start happening around them. Will they be able to deal with it? The fantasy genre is being explored in India right now. The main market is of romance and those writers are dime a dozen. Everyone is writing romance. This book is different and it takes a detour from that done to death genre. The teenage fantasy is light and free flowing. The language i...

An Indian Loser by Uzma Hameed My rating: 3 of 5 stars Indian education system badly needs overhaul. It relies too much importance on marks and academic achievement. Average middle-class family has no other means to succeed and hence they push their children into rat race. Peeyush (should it not be Piyush?) is from and average middle-class family who is under tremendous pressure to crack IIT joint entrance exam. He fails and has to run away. Will he succeed in the end or will simply give up? The story is coming of age of Piyush. How he overcome all the odds and beats the moribund education system. This is a must red for parents also. Some tight editing is needed. Overall a great effort by Uzma. 3/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

A Flight of Broken Wings by Nupur Chowdhury My rating: 3 of 5 stars The fantasy genre is being explored in India right now. The main market is of romance and those writers are dime a dozen. Everyone is writing romance. This book is different and it takes a detour from that done to death genre. Aeriels are very strong and they have energy shells which makes it difficult to take them on. Even without shell they are powerful. Ruban and Simani take on the mighty aeriels. Will they be take on to them with the help from friends? The book is fast paced and well written. Nupur has guts to write fantasy in India. It is a good effort and should be appreciated and promoted. 3/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

After Annihilation: Would you want to survive? by Gauri Mittal My rating: 3 of 5 stars What happens if there is nuclear war and everything is destroyed? We have seen many apocalypse movies which imagine this scenario. The book also deals with this. Madhavi meets Shunya after the annihilation and the torture begins. The story is dark and depressing. It is not for faint hearted. Read it if you like apocalypse movies and books. 3/5 stars. View all my reviews

Corporate Monk by Anju Sharma My rating: 5 of 5 stars The life in corporates is high speed. The rewards are handsome but the price to be paid is also high. You are under pressure 24x7 and there is no time for health and family. Is there a way out of this conundrum? Anju Sharma answers these questions in this fiction book “Corporate Monk”. Sayani and Aman were batchmates. Now she is a mentor of professionals and Aman has become a hot shot corporate Manager. He has all the material pleasures in the world but no peace at home and office. When he is bypassed for president’s post, he becomes depressed. He turns to Sayani for help and she takes him to Rahul. How will Rahul help Aman? There are many techniques and steps given in the book which is highly practical and time tested. The seven bridges are Awareness, Light enters, Objectivity, Equanimity, Compassion, Joy, Transcendence and Purpose. In each chapter the story is told through interaction and development of A...

KAALKOOT The Lost Himalayan Secret by S. Venkatesh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received this book from Outset. Kaalkoot is a high-octane thriller. The readers who likes reading thrillers with chase. twists and turns will like it. The chase is fast and furious. This is a mythological cum historical thriller which starts in 1940s in Uttarakhand. The story starts in Uttarakhand where Manohar Rai a soldier is killed by Britishers. He has found a deadly secret. Then the story comes to present day. Steve Watson came from Himalayan hills and found out a secret. He is tracked by goons and almost killed but saved by a Goan. The goan tells his friend Bani in Kolkata and ask him to come to Goa. Damini is an Indian agent who is high on chase of a North Korean agent. She also loses him and goes to Goa. Sam aka Sameer girlfriend Ananya goes missing and he gets a hint that she might be in Goa. All these people reach goa and then the story moves forward at a rapid pace. The story is ab...