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Showing posts from November, 2020

Book Review: The Disappointing 5 by BOBANGA

I have been introduced to teenage madness and vagrancy through Ruskin Bond books. I am still on the lookout for more books where my favourite Rusty – an orphaned Anglo-Indian boy – awaits his next stroke of fate or a misadventure in love. The Room on the Roof and Vagrants in the Valley are perfect epitome of teenage rebel and all the problems that come with this phase of life. No matter what people think or hate you for anything, this is the time when we all experience something that changes us forever. Being into teenage rebel is a beautiful time of our lives; however, not many authors were able to capture it well except Ruskin Bond. Time has changed! Ruskin’s characters were set in old time like 1960s to 1990s. What about now? The new author BOBANGA tried his hands on contemporary teenage rebel through the book: The Disappointing 5 .  It’s a good novel stretching over 200 pages about 5 teenagers, students of 12 th in a same school. They hail from different family background – none i

Book Review: A Pleasant Escape by Piyush Rohankar

A Pleasant Escape by Piyush Rohankar is a riveting novel with some interesting themes like romance, infatuation at young age, horror, contemporary social issues, and above all struggle of one IAS aspirant. This is a story of Alok Shirke, he is from Maharashtra. He already has, to his belt, B.Tech and MBA…but something is still missing. Thus, at parents’ behest and due to social pressure of securing a certain career in any field, his life brings him to Rajendra Nagar, in Delhi. But little did he know that something clumsy and intriguing awaits him. Like many obedient students, at first, he begins his preparations diligently. He acquaints with students like Gaurav, Manish, Sarah, Ankit and Sakshi, and a few more. The story has been told in flashback manner but you will not be able to distinguish until you reach the unexpected end. The main characters of the novel are young, representing the student crowd of India. They have their set of ambitions and challenges. The author keeps the stor

Book Review: Handcuffed to Love by Yuktha Asrani

Handcuffed to Love by Yuktha Asrani is a fast-paced and entrancing romance novel. It is a contemporary romance but, at the same time, also sheds light on social barriers when it comes to marriage. The world may look smooth and connected but when two lovers are up for marriage, problems begin pouring in. The novel features Saanvi Malhotra from Delhi and Sean Wilson from New York. The story takes a riveting momentum when Saanvi lands up in New York for her internship in journalism   but little did she know that her life is going to be changed forever as soon as she acquaints with a NYPD detective. Saanvi has a group of friends in New York and through them she stumbles upon Sean Roger Wilson, who is working as a NYPD detective. Other than Saanvi and Sean, there are a few more love affairs. The book is not solely based on two people’s love saga, rather in between a lot of family melancholy and action keeps us glued in the story. Sean is chasing a serial killer named Joe Douglas, a dea

Book Review: Bena’s Summer by Shibal Bhartiya

I am fond of simple and light children’s literature. I often read Ruskin Bond and Sudha Murty and also tried Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal. Well, the quest to find more authors in the children’s literature genre is insatiable. I read fiction where children play the major roles, change the climax, and put readers back to their time. So this time I have ‘Bena’s Summer.’ As the title suggested, a novel built around a kid, I picked up without much hesitation. It is a fascinating account of an eight-year-old Muslim girl named Benazir (in short Bena) at two places, first in Gaya in Bihar, and second at Sultanpur in the eastern UP. The story is about one summer which didn’t go as usual like the previous ones. The author has staged the story back in time when mobile phones and modern ways of telecommunication were not available. Bena has a good family. The family cares for her, loves her, protects her – in fact nothing is missing in her life. There are other children, women, old men in th

Book Review: What is the Demand of Time by Arijit Chakraborty

What is the Demand of Time by Arijit Chakraborty is a highly relevant self-help book that teaches us how to understand demands of life at different situations, which results in leading a good and thriving life. It is true that our mind is always engaged and keeps thinking of various things, but the key lies in leaving it, and focusing on creativity to solve problems and to fulfill demands of our life. The author took time to explain various demands that we get in our life. For example, in the very first chapter, he stated that when some guests arrive at our home, we seek help from elders to serve them properly. And on the other hand, we take hidden demands to follow a career path. This sort of demand is not vocal but we understand as what is needed to achieve something specific. From general demands to demand for creativity, fearlessness, and knowledge and much in between, Arijit listed out the most sought-after things. Understanding this book means getting a clear picture about the

Book Review: Double Deceit by Julienne Brouwers

Double Deceit by Julienne Brouwers is a riveting crime thriller cum murder mystery. The story kicks off with Jennifer Smits and her family. She is out on a weekend trip with her husband Oliver and son Tim. Oliver is found dead in a nearby forest. The police are clueless, whether it is a murder or just an accident or something else. However, on the other hand, Jennifer’s world is devastated. She has had some scuffle with Oliver…but not to an extent where something untoward could take place. The story starts as a simple story, with no terrific crime scene. But with time, Jennifer’s restlessness and urge to find out truth drives the plot to a level of unputdownable. The novel is classic with its storytelling and narration, and it urges readers to guess what lies next, but in its pure essence it’s highly an unpredictable thriller . As the story chugs ahead, Jennifer comes to know about Oliver’s extra marital affair with a lady named Sandra. It is another blow to Jennifer. She collaborate