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

Random Subterranean Mosaic 2012 – 2018 - Time frozen in myriad thoughts by Sabarna Roy My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Random Subterranean Mosaic 2012 – 2018 - Time frozen in myriad thoughts” by Sabarana Roy is indeed random. This is fiction or non-fiction or poetry or all of the above; difficult to say. The stories/ poems are short and easy to read. This is semi-autobiographical too. It’s a commentary on politics and current affairs. It has random musings of author. This is a mixed bag. Good, bad and ugly. You may read some and skip some. View all my reviews

Pentacles by Sabarna Roy My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Pentacles” is book of loss, longing and love. Sabarna Roy created a world which has emotions, betrayl and heartbreaks. The hero is scarred from childhood due to his family circumstances. His father was an architect and mother was an artist who never got along. They separated and this left an ugly impression on him. He was seeking comfort in Rohini. The book brings about tribulations of a kid who is raised by a single parent. Love assumes a different meaning for him. The book is a breezy read but somewhat sad. View all my reviews

Winter Poems by Sabarna Roy My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Winter Poems” is a collection is poems written during mild winter of Kolkata. The poems deal with various issues are in free flow. Sometimes they rhyme sometimes don’t. That is not important I guess. I am not a poem person so could not appreciate fully. One sample ""They forgot to put my body on fire On freshly chopped logs of wood On oil cracking and boiling They forgot the charm of cotton ball plugs, the sight of wetted white petals of fecund flowers, the absent-minded twirl of smoke chains, incense sticks, the sonorous trail of holy hymns, crackling sounds of earthen pots and above all, the communal mourning around a corpse"" The book is short read but takes time to understand. The language is beautiful. View all my reviews

Frosted Glass by Sabarna Roy My rating: 4 of 5 stars Love is a complex emotion. It is supposed to be selfless and dedicated but sometimes it is not. At least Rahul was none of that. Rahul lost his father in childhood and his mother brought him up. He is a mountain climbing enthusiast and when he goes to college, he meets his love. But then he wanted variety and, in the process, lose her. There are many stories and poems and the common character is Rahul. The narration and English are good. It explores sexual desires and existential conflict in life very well. View all my reviews

Honeymoon by James Patterson My rating: 3 of 5 stars Femme Fatale intrigues everyone. Do they need money or sex or thrill of kill? A psychopath. Or all of these combined. Even the psychologist in the book was confused. Nora Sinclair is an interesting character. She lives many lives. I mean literally. She herself is an interior decorator and get hefty cut on each deal. Still she likes to marry rich men. She is gorgeous and that helps. She likes company of affluent and suave men. She has a troubled childhood in foster homes as her mom killed her father and went to prison and later to a mental asylum. Perhaps this explains her murderous tendencies. Or it was just plain greed. In any case she can’t settle with one men. Her husbands are just props in the story. FBI agent O’hara is another colorful personality. He goes in to solve the case and is sucked with the sext siren. Who could resist the charms of our sexy Nora or can we say Olivia of Cayman island’...

Abyss by Sabarna Roy My rating: 4 of 5 stars Writers and industrialists usually don’t go together. Former are practical and latter are emotional. In this play these are shown to get along or do they don’t? Debasree is a strong woman and after the death of her hubby she took over the greedy family and business both. Her daughter Oindrila loves a writer named Mriganka. He is very emotional and rebellious. This is a two-part play and a thriller. I loved the play and I recommend it. View all my reviews

फिफ्टी फिफ्टी by सुरेन्द्र मोहन पाठक My rating: 5 of 5 stars Snakes fascinate and frighten us. Shobhna is a small time dancer and a prostitute. Dharmesh was her pimp who later on fell out of touch. One smuggler used her services and now she is in Mumbai. One fine day he sends her a letter in the hands of a crook. Then all hell breaks loose and people start trying to kill her. She feels that there is money to be made but doesn’t have the courage to follow the clues alone. So she hires Dharmesh to help her find the money. Will they get what they want as they are not alone in the quest? This is a high octane thriller where they are chased by assassins at every step. But due to intelligence and quick thinking of Dharmesh they manage till the luck runs out. Highly thrilling fun ride. View all my reviews

The God War by Kabeer Ess Kay My rating: 2 of 5 stars Religion can be a boon and curse both. It can set us on path of peace or path of violence depending upon the circumstances and our inclination. the protagonist visits many places of interest and finds about the motivations of men. He goes to Swarna Mandir in Amritsar and finds about the history of the Sikh religion. How the Mughal emperors killed the 10th Guru of Sikhs along with his sons? The fanatics of all religion are same. The basic premise of book is good and pertinent to today’s India’s condition. However, I find the narrative very disjointed and basic. There was no connect with the story. It seemed like a documentary and simple narration. View all my reviews

Because I Promised by Anupriya Gupta My rating: 3 of 5 stars College is a place for love to blossom. There are no responsibilities except studies, age is such that hormones are surging and youth is beautiful and adventurous. Sushant proposes Varnika and she rejects in a humiliating way. She had a difficult childhood due to her mother’s responsibilities towards her family. Will she get back the love of her life? Love is in the writing big time in India. The Indian writing scene is replete with romance authors. especially the first-time authors play it safe with romance. This one is one more in the long line of romantic books. The language of book is crisp with a generous dose of Hindi. It is a one time read for lovers of romance. View all my reviews

Switch in Time by Rajesh Shankaran My rating: 4 of 5 stars Switch in time is a thriller set in gargantuan business world of Mumbai. These is Lallan Ajmera business empire which is huge. He believes in expanding by hook or by crook. The one fine day Kamsin Ahlawat comes along like a hurricane and takes it over by force. Nobody in the family is amused. Bushra Khokhar is given investigation of murder of Ajmera’s rival. Can she unravel the mystery? The novel is interestingly fast paced and amusing. The business world and the inner family feud is shown beautifully. Kamsin is one character which hold my attention. Bushra is fighting on two fronts; her office and home. Her lover ditched her and left a child in her custody. The novel is must read for lovers of mystery and thrill. View all my reviews

SREEDEVI TALKIES by Karunakaran Shaji My rating: 3 of 5 stars Movies are part of the life of any small town be it any part of India. The extinct single screen theaters are now a thing of past in metros. But in small towns they still exist. The book is written around one such small town of Kerala. Sreedevi Talkies is in small town of Kotta in Kerala. This is a sleepy place and the only thing alive is the talkies. Mythical movies of Gemini Ganesan are a big draw. James Bond Rajan is frustrated and is married to Devika. He doesn’t want the marriage but he has no choice. Even after 5 years of marriage Devika is unmarried and then she strays. There is communist movement, wars, caste discrimination and all. The canvas is large. Language is beautiful. See the sample of Devika’s sexual union: “Devika knew that the lips which were drawing out her soul, were not of the James Bond. But she did not feel the need to resist them. She let herself be carried to the ...