The Tantric Curse by Anupama Garg: Book Review

This review is also published at my Personal Blog, Pages from Serendipity.

I could not have written this review on a better day for it's Gurupurnima tonight!

As the cover image and book title reveals, the tantric curse is about tantra, one of the spiritual  practices originating from India. The word 'Tantra' is most often associated with the fear of an unknown realm of mysticism. Another common mis-association with tantric rituals is sex. 

Author Anupama, a tantric herself, writes with deliberate sincerity the reality behind the concept, practices and rituals of tantra, in her debut fiction, the tantric curse. At the end of the book, one can certainly attain a clarity on the subject, not by enforcement or judgement but by acceptance of the truthfulness in the author's words.

Irrespective of whether a reader has an inclination towards tantra or not, this book can offer profound knowledge about the basics of spirituality. 

300 Days by Bragadeesh Prasanna

300 Days is a simple love story of Jai and Sravani. While Sravani is struggling within a confined relationship with Sai, Jai hopes to win Sravani's love. In contrary to the usual, complicated triangular love stories, 300 days sets off  with a smooth sail between the two main characters. Following cycles of love and separation, whether Jai finally wins her love is the rest of the story. 

The book stands out in realistically depicting the emotions beneath seven gradual stages of love as enumerated in Arabic literature, namely,

Hub - Attraction

Uns - Infatuation

Ishq - Love

Aqeedat - Reverence

Ibaadat - Worship

Junoon - Obsession

Maut - Death

(Though the course of the novel is subtitled according to the seven stages, one cannot find a brief explanation about the same in the book. However, the author, in his blog, shares his inspiration behind adapting the concept). 

300 Days is author Bragadeesh Prasanna's first book. As a debut author, he has proved his stand as a writer and as an earnest narrator. 

Just You, Me and a Secret by Ganga Bharani Vasudevan: Book Review

Just You, Me and a Secret marks a history in my book reading experience for two reasons: This is the first complete book I've read in the digital format through Amazon Kindle Unlimited. And the first book I've read without taking a break because I just couldn't. 

Just You, Me and a Secret is a psychological romantic thriller in which the protagonist, after losing her memory in an accident, tries to regain her lost identity. Shuttling in between whether to trust or not the stories told by people around her, she finally arrives at a point where she understands what has been done to her while she remained unconscious. 

Author Ganga Bharani, as a debutante, has proved to the literary world, "Man, I have a great plot and I can write in flawless English. That was all it required to write a fantastic book."

KLASS by Prita Yadav: Book Review

KLASS is a sports school in Pune where our protagonist, Jolene Jordan, is forced to join, by her father. Jo is determined to behave as bad as she could at her new school, hoping she will be soon expelled by the school authorities. However, the events that follow bring unexpected turns in her life and the book temporarily ends at the end of the first year of her schooling, making the readers curious for the next in the KLASS series. 

Halfway through the book, without the reader’s realization, she/he would be watching a vivid movie about KLASS. The narration is so full of life that the reading experience surpasses beyond words to render an in-depth visualization of the scenes. Friendship, rivalry, hatred, love, passion – human emotions have been well-placed throughout the plot. 

Most part of the book is in the form of conversation between the n number of characters of students and teachers at KLASS. Yet, each character is marked as a unique personality. And that’s where author Prita stands out as an extraordinary debut author. 

I don't wear sunscreen by Kavipriya Moorthy: Book Review

Two girls being friends since childhood is a unique relationship. They would hold hands while walking on the road; they would feel jealous when the other gets closer to a new acquaintance and they can't blurt their hearts out better to anybody else.

There hasn't been a formal proposal yet between the boy and the girl. But their relationship is apparently heading a romantic way. They know that it's only a matter of time before the ice gets broken and they are relishing the best phase of their love story. 

All of a sudden, after a train journey, the would-be boyfriend becomes a question mark, the job that she's been dedicated to, slips away and eventually, the best friend walks away from her life. To add to her misery, she is confused without the missing links which she suspects to be connecting the circumstances. And she ends up in a neurotic state. 

I don't wear Sunscreen is a fast-paced tale of Lakshya which carries, till its last page, emotions and suspense of  a myriad of things that could happen to a young Indian girl.

The Bride of Amman by Fadi Zaghmout, translated from Arabic by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp: Book Review

Passed university with distinction? Good, you are well enough a bride material now.

Thirty and unmarried? Bad, you've almost reached your expiry date.

Did your father take your virginity? It's okay. Keep quiet.

Do you love someone of another religion?  Beware,you might be soon ostracized from your society.

Are you attracted towards the same sex as your's? Worse, control yourself, get married and have children. 

Author Fadi Zaghmout shares such social taboos that have confined young Arab men and women to the deepest corners of their beings. The Bride of Amman is a tale of five young dwellers of Amman, the capital city of Jordan where gender inequality and gender discrimination, make them struggle through their everyday lives. 

Published originally in Arabic, the book is translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp.

Umbilical Cord by Meena R Chandawarkar and Santosh Avvannavar: Book Review

At birth, the umbilical cord is cut as a baby passes from the womb to the outside world. However, there are myriads of other cords that bind us to a blind existence. This book talks about a few of such cords that should be better, nipped off.

Umbilical cord is my 5th read of author Santosh’s. All of his previous works speak of a theme, directed at, either an individual’s development or a societal reform, mostly in the form of short fiction. To readers’ delight, umbilical cord showers forty of such stories, each with a unique message.

The short stories are notably of just one or two pages which gives an additional charm to the authors’ ability to convey a profound point in a few words. Most of the messages addressed are neither extraordinary nor new to readers. Rather, they are simple incidents that all of us can relate to, with the matters of our daily lives.

Though at a quick glance, Umbilical cord seems to enlighten readers about the most elusive emotions like love and forgiveness, at a greater depth, it actually intends to remind all of us, the little nuances of life that we unmindfully overlook with age and time.

There's Something About You by Yashodhara Lal: Book Review

I read the last 50 pages almost breathlessly, completing it at 2 midnight. 

If you've ever been into the confining world of a book, you would know why I did that. 'There's something about you' is one such work!

Trish looks at herself as a fat, unattractive woman who can never get along with the corporate gimmicks; yet can hold her heart and head strong against any level of criticism with her sarcasm - an attitude that will make you fall in love with the character. 

She gets unexpectedly fired from work. She meets Sahil unexpectedly. She finds a new fortune through her sarcasm, unexpectedly. She unexpectedly discovers her potential interest and it's a series of unexpectation to the readers as well. 

One might presume the fiction being directed towards love, overcoming difficulty or just a personal ranting, but believe me, at a deeper level, the story of Trish is about understanding relationships, diving into the subconsciousness and following one's heart. Shouldn't miss reading!

The Departing Point by Santosh Avvannavar, Jyothi Byahati & Raghunath Babu Are: Book Review

Two people departed…

In search of love…

Leaving love in between”

This is the tag line of the book.

The Departing Point is a collection of seven love stories that neither have a happy ending nor highlight the sadness of love failures. Three common aspects of all of the seven tales are:

• narrated by the boy in love

• the couple in love does not get to stay together in the relationship for long and

• the girl in love happens to be the reason for the break-up.

Hence there comes a departing point in their relationships which all of those men end up facing with both maturity and resentment. 

The authors have brought out the persistent mind set of men when it comes to love. At the same time, the wavering and indecisive natures of women towards relationships are also highlighted.

The Other End of the Corridor by Sujata Rajpal

Leela is a bored, frustrated, humiliated and childless housewife. She  did have romantic dreams about her marital life and an ardent aspiration to become a RJ. However, with time, her dreams and aspirations get diluted by the constant pressures of her suffocating marriage. 

At a point when her days move without anything to look forward to, she lets her heart and mind waver in the direction of shallow gratifications until something happens that changes her life forever. 

The dormant warrior in her gets revived and she is no more the woman who worships her husband's feet. 

Surrogate Author by santosh Avvannavar and Shilpa Patil: Book Review

The corner tag of the book says ' To Aspiring Authors'. 

And that says it all! 

If you've been brooding over a plot or a concept to make a book out of it, and you seem to move nowhere, you are sure to delight in 

Surrogate Author.

If bollywood movies like Devdas, Sholay and DDLJ recharge your soul, 

you are sure to have a heart full of laughter with

Surrogate Author.

Yes! It's that rare combo of a serious career put in a LOL way!

Blame it on Destiny by Soorina Desai

 One of the interesting fictions I've read in years!

From the book blurb, one can guess that the book is about five strangers who never happen to meet one other all their lives but unintentionally influence each other's lives in a mysterious way. 

However, only when the reader turns over the last page can he/she get the central theme of the book. How our prejudices about people and situations can prove far too different from the reality or truth in it! Based on a few facts or incidents, we tend to judge the personality of those known and unknown and we, as well, assume how their lives would get directed, in our own imaginative way. If ever, we get to see the truth that gets veiled off behind our assumptions, we would be utterly surprised. 

That's what happens to Sharmila in Blame it on Destiny!

Unravelling Anjali by Nim Gholkar: Book Review

 


Anjali is like any other middle-class Indian girl raised by the traditional values of India. When she was seventeen, she made a decision that she would only ever marry for true love. 

At last at the age of twenty six, marriage knocks her door and she is married. It was an arranged marriage, to Ravi, a Non Resident Indian, settled in Australia and a divorcee. Her family is happy about getting her married to a NRI and she as well is excited about the life abroad and looks forward to a romantic married life as she lands at the Sydney airport, a few months after their wedding. 

Least did she know then, the fate that awaited her in the new place and how the turn of events would change the traditionally rooted Anjali to an entirely new person. 

The Archers Revenge by Destination Infinity: Book Review

Vibrant Story Line

The Archers Revenge is a a dramatic story line which is quite close to that of a few inspirational Indian films. The protagonist, Aryan, has a strong motive to take revenge on one of the leading political leaders of the country. As he prepares ardently for the D-day, he is taken aback to discover a new ally, Divya, who has been training for the same mission as his. The rest of the plot is their inter-mutual efforts to charge their common target at every possible event. The end of the story, however, unlike Indian films, has taken an interesting twist that would leave the readers light and easy. 

Abridged!

The narration is kept precise which is rather unusual, especially for this genre of a crime fiction that usually involves vivid descriptions. It seemed like the nutshell scenes from the lengthy version of the story were extracted to frame this book.

The Bluest Marble by Vipin Kumar: Book Review

Yet another energetic write-up of man’s search for meaning!

The Plot

Aditya Saxena lives a quite decent life as an investment banker with a loving girlfriend and nice friends in the most happening city of Mumbai until one day:

when he finds himself thrown out of the company because of his boss' clever politics

when he finds his girl friend's secret relationship with another man

when he realizes that friends are helpful but not to the extent he had expected them to

when Mumbai can no longer accommodate him jobless

when he realizes his parents don't trust him now after all of the above