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

Mohini: The Enchantress by Anuja Chandramouli My rating: 4 of 5 stars Lord Vishnu is the operator of universe. He maintains the balance between the forces of good and evil. One of the tools is incarnation. He took birth in animal forms and later one in male forms. The main avatars known as Dashvatar (10 incarnations) include Matsya, Varaha, Rama, Krishna etc. Where does Mohini fit in? She is said to be only female incarnation of lord Vishnu and is not included in the Dashavtar. She has a small and specific role to play during churning of the sea (Samudra Manthan). However in this novel Anuja gave her a bigger role. Mohini name comes from Hindi word “Moh” meaning infatuation or illusion. Mohini is someone who seduces with her beauty, viles, magic and enchantment. She is incapable of love according to Shkati, which is not a bad thing per se but a sad thing nevertheless.  This story is not linear. Mohini says “I am Mohini. And this is my story. B

Age of the Imperfect Leader: A book that demystifies the complexities of leadership success! by Pawan Verma My rating: 3 of 5 stars Mahatma Gandhi, Einstein, Barack Obama, Jack Welch and Donald Trump have something in common. They all are leaders though of different eras. This book talks about leadership challenges in 21st century. What is leadership? Is it just giving orders and getting things done? Is the leader is all-knowing powerful being? In today's times leadership is not just getting things done by giving orders. It is about not knowing everything. It is getting the right [people for right job. Leadership is about creating leaders. Due to media coverage and rise of social media a small incident gets blown out of proportion and the leader has to act quickly. People want quick fixes and quick justice. Now the leader has to be smart, emphatic and self-assured. Read if you want to know about leadership in today's times. View

Potpourri : Stories for Children by Urvashi Tandon My rating: 4 of 5 stars Good children books are in short supply. “Potpourri-Stories for Children” by Urvashi Tandon is a good children’s book. It has 10 stories which are about small primary school going children. The stories are interesting and have good messages also. Language is simple and easy to understand for small kids. “Rajah and His Best friend” is about a five year old rajah who lives in Bandhupur. It is story how Rajah settles in his new schools and make friends. “Sheru does a good turn” is about a 74 year old Mr Mathur who feeds stray dogs. “A memorable vacation” is an excited boy Robert who goes to a summer break which becomes memorable. It is a good book overall. However the eBook is having rigid format and the text size and fonts etc can not be changed. View all my reviews

The Stranger's Bedroom by Bijoy Munshi My rating: 3 of 5 stars Temporary amnesia is a dramatic story tool. What happens when one fine day you wake up and don’t remember anything? Ravish is a newly published author and a corporate worker. He loves Kriti but they grow apart due to differences. One day he is thrashed in a metro and loses his memory. Neha rescues him and helps him recover. Ravish is a confused person who is an introvert. He never had a girlfriend and kept to himself. When he meets Kriti he falls immediately. But then he falls in bad company and goes for easy sex and drugs. Kriti on the other hand is a composed person who loves him dearly. When she finds out about Ravish multiple dalliances and drug abuse, she is heartbroken, nobody knows will they ever meet again. Neha seems forced into the story. I couldn’t understand weather she is just a listener or a proper character in the story? The story is basically a love story and it moves

Animal Farm by George Orwell My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book will never get old it seems. This is a timeless classic. At least till the time men lust for power is there and they are ready to subjugate others for politics and power. It has strong resonance to today’s world also. Mr. Jones runs a manor farm in Willingdon, England. Two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon stage a revolt with the help of other animals and make Mr. Jones Run away. They rename the manor “Animal Farm” hence the name of book. They proclaim seven commandments of the farm. THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal. The farm prospers and they start building a wind mill. Snowball with the help of dogs drive away Napoleon. From tha

The Giver by Lois Lowry My rating: 3 of 5 stars “The Giver” is the memory keeper of a supposedly ideal society. Lets us imagine for a moment an ideal society where there are no wars, no strife, no lies and no disorder. That will be a paradise?? Yes, No, Maybe? This is about one such society where they have made everything same. Sameness is the motto. Jonas is an 11 year old who will be chosen for a profession when he will be 12. He lives in an ideal, Utopian society where everything is in order and there are no surprises. There is a council who chose children for these. He is assigned a mother, father and a sister. Every family gets one boy and girl. There is a limit of 3 child per couple for reproduction so as to avoid scarcity. Everything is same and there is no difference of flora, fauna, landscape or color. When someone does something awful or gets old she is released from society and that is very harsh punishment. There is only one receiver who

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides My rating: 5 of 5 stars But Why does she not speak? -Euripides, Alcestis This is how the book starts. What an amazing book. I cannot believe it is the first book of Alex Michaelides! This hooked me from page one. Though he has written the film The Devil You Know (2013) starring Rosamund Pike and co-wrote The Con is On (2018), starring Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Parker Posey and Sofia Vergara (source Goodreads). This is a psychological thriller so I can’t give away any spoilers. ALICIA BERENSON WAS THIRTY-THREE YEARS OLD when she killed her husband. This is how the chapter one starts. Quiet a beginning. She is/ was a painter. Her husband Gabriel was a fashion photographer. They were living supposedly happy life. Then why she killed him? But that is not the main question. She is arrested and she is sent to THE GROVE, a mental institute as she does not utter a word during trial. One there she still does not speak. Theo