Quills: The Hungry Little Porcupine by Shibani Alter (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

  

30^th Book of 2024

After reading 3 books back-to-back by Stephen Alter, I finally got a chance to pick up the book written by his daughter, Shibani Alter was well. The name of the book is “Quills: The Hungry Little Porcupine” which is published by Aleph in around 30-pages. The book has almost the same aesthetics as the books written by Stephen in the same section for Aleph publications. The illustrations adding up to the story are created by Shruti Hemani.

 

Shibani has narrated this story in a very simple flow wherein the same loop repeats as the group of animal friends keeps getting increased one by one. Starting with a porcupine who has left his home in search of food gets scared every time he feels leopard is around him and ends up meeting one of his friends. The set of animals introduced in the story are pig, money, mongoose and goat.

 

The authoress has ensured that she helps the young readers understand the nature of each of the animal and their different skillsets using which they move to the distinct places for survival. Similarly, they bring back different kinds of food produced of different type of plants and lands. She has shown intelligence and presence of mind while scripting the story. The main feature of porcupine which is its quills which hides one of its important features that it can use to protect against harmful animals is revealed in the climax.

 

Overall, this is a well written simple story which the young readers would love to read repeatedly and share with their friends. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

If You Were a Tiger Cub by Stephen Alter (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

  

29^th Book of 2024

Stephen Alter is one of the very matured authors who know how to infuse the adult-based philosophies in a children book without making it difficult to understand. This is the 3^rd children book I had read by him in just 2 days and I must say with each book I could sense his intention while creating the stories. This time I read “If you were a Tiger Cub” which has been published by Aleph in 30-pages. The book also consists of illustrations created by Mohit Suneja.

 

In If You Were a Tiger Cub, the author takes readers on an enchanting journey through the vibrant Indian jungle, where each creature is brought to life with vivid detail and unique traits. A playful tiger cub sets off on an adventurous exploration, encountering the jungle's diverse inhabitants. A sleek leopard moves silently through the undergrowth, while a hornbill perches high among the branches of a fig tree. Beyond a screen of bamboo, the majestic elephant makes a quiet yet commanding appearance.

 

The sharp call of a sambar deer serves as a sudden warning, urging careful observation—its swift departure reminds readers of its wariness. In a dimly lit cave, a swirling cluster of bats dangles from the ceiling, and a shaggy, fearsome sloth bear arrives, its powerful claws on display. Beneath the forest canopy, the jungle’s secrets unfold: tiny creatures scurry near a towering termite mound, while the roots of a sprawling banyan tree shelter hidden marvels. Through this poetic lens, the author paints a rich tapestry of the jungle, showcasing the beauty and distinct personalities of its wild residents.

 

Stephen wonderfully entertains his readers by making them imagine their life as a tiger cub. One hypothetical version of tiger cub that he mentions, he helps us feel relatable by explaining her relationship with her mother and two brothers. She tells how her brothers put less efforts in good task as compared to her whereas she can be called a tiger baby with good habits. Similarly, author also mentions how even she is dependent upon her brothers at times. The relationship between a mother and child is also given equal prominence and role of a mother is nicely depicted.

 

By the end of the book, I loved how author involves a human being in the story without having highlighted it specifically. That was such a great section to read and relate. Overall, this book is a good empathetical work which makes you feel more compassionate and related to the world of animals. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

How the Cobra Got His Spectacles by Stephen Alter (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

  

28^th Book of 2024

In India, we have multiple legends for any of the cultural aspect, festival, events etc. The positive thing about it is that we never debate or discuss about it but optimistically accept it considering it to be truth. Based on this concept, Stephen Alter has written this amazing short story named “How the Cobra got his Spectacles” which has been published by Aleph.

 

This 30-pages book discusses the Indian cobra’s regal hood which has a mark shaped like a pair of round spectacles. Author gets deeply into this concept and tries to creates a legend around it with a story that has a great message to it. First of all, the book starts with a introduction explaining about the breed and its special mark keeping it non-fiction. Then author dives down into the story and creates a wonderful tale about the relationship of an old hermit and a young naga.

 

Stephen has very intelligently helped us understand the complete characteristic of snakes. Unlike another book, A Little Lost Elephant, which has many animals mentioned but none explained in details, this book covers snake extensively and helps the readers connect with its personality. Even when the character of monkey enters the story, the nastiness of the animal is nicely displayed through its act of stealing the spectacles.

 

The whole flashback story/dream of the king etc. is nicely narrated which makes us believe it to be a reality. The ending is phenomenal which makes the readers learn that one who does good shall always be blessed by others and elders. Similarly, your good deed shall always be remembered for ages. Overall, the book has been nicely conceptualized and story has been told in a very realistic manner. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

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How the Greedy Crane Was Killed by the Clever Crab by Meena Arora Nayak (Book Review: 4.5*/5) !!!

  

27^th Book of 2024

If there is one collection of short stories that everyone remember from their childhood is – it’s none other than Panchatantra. The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story. It’s intent of making children learn about animals as well as our culture through stories are dominant in all its short stories. I just read a book which has two of their short stories retold by Meena Arora Nayak in a book published by Aleph in around 32 pages.

 

The two stories included are “How the greedy crane was killed by the clever crab” and “The Tale of the Fearful Rakshasa Vikala”. The first story about the crane and crab is such a great story to have chosen by the author as it teaches a very important lesson about life. It is as much effective for adults as it is for children. Once the suspense gets unfolded wherein crane’s harmful intention and act gets revealed, the way story takes turn and teaches the lesson about how anyone looking innocent and concern can’t be trusted on face value.

 

It also talks about the difference between a friend and an enemy. Also, how there can be an enemy in the form of a friend who might be close to us but must be planning things against us. This particular story has some tough words which might make the readers pick up the dictionary and learn a new word. I liked how author also mentions about our ancient methods of nakshatra and planetary movements which impacts the life on Earth. This tells how the ancient principles weren’t superstitious but scientific and logical as well.

 

The second story about Vikala is a light-tale which speaks about how a misunderstanding makes an evil person dig his own grave without having anyone else punish him. This teaches the reader how having wrong intention and doing wrong acts shall punish us later if not sooner. The concept of Karma is indirectly shared with the young readers to get an idea about how one shouldn’t trouble anyone as someday you shall be troubled as well. The involvement of animals in this story is also magically handled.

 

Overall, both these stories are impactful and retold in a beautiful manner. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

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A Little Lost Elephant by Stephen Alter (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

  26^th Book of 2024

To ease off my reading marathon, I thought of getting nostalgic and read the books I would have read if I was 5-years old. This made me pick up few children books written by Stephen Alter. I started with the book “A Little Lost Elephant” which is a 40-pages book telling the story of a baby elephant who has got separated from his mother. He is marching throughout the jungle to find his mother back. In this path of search, he has to go through multiple challenges and survive against them.

 

Stephen has very intelligently included this aspect in his book which shall inculcate the behavior of fighting against all odds whenever you feel lost at life to meet your final goal you are anticipating to reach. Similarly, he makes the reader empathize with the protagonist which helps one to feel the pain of others as well. The illustrations in the book helps the readers to imagine the aesthetics in which the story has been based upon.

 

The author also tries the readers to get introduced with many animals such as leopard, jackals, woodpecker, civet, kittens, python, cobra, crocodile, mynah, peacock, grasshoppers, sloth bear, gaur, bull, chital deer etc. The story also tries to help us understand how elephant reacts upon meeting each of these animals. Similarly, the protagonist remembers what his mother used to do when she met with the dangerous animals and copies that to save himself. This teaches the skill of observation.

 

The book is hardcover hence it won’t get spoiled when the young readers would read it. They might get overwhelmed with the mention of many animals thrown back-to-back in the story which I believe author could have avoided. He must have mentioned only few animals but introduced all their characteristics with the readers. Overall, the book is interesting and you can gift it to young readers. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

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The Grip of Greed by Naveen Kundra (Book Review: 4.5*/5)!!!

  

25^th Book of 2024

It is always interesting to read books from the authors who return after their 1^st book as the Book industry isn’t polite with every author. It is always great to see the 1^st time authors becoming a regular in the shelfs of the bookstores. One such notifications that I received from Amazon was about the book release by the author, Naveen Kundra, whom I had first read in 2021. It didn’t take me a minute in ordering his 2^nd book named “The Grip of Greed” published by Srishti Publication in around 225-pages.

 

Literally speaking, it just took me few hours and a single sitting to go through the whole book with an anticipation of what’ll happen next. I love how Naveen writes where he doesn’t mention thriller anywhere in the introduction or synopsis of the book but the moment you are done reading the first 10 pages of the book, it becomes a perfect page-turner where you aren’t allowed to move anymore but know what will happen in the end. As mentioned by the author in the introduction, the book is a tale of power, ego clashes, revenge and the murky world of politics.

 

From the story point of view, it sounds simple as there are two women, Tanvi and Soundarya, who are against each other but I really liked the backdrop set-up by the author where both of them are going through their lowest points in life. This makes them do some really nasty and unnecessary things including a killing set-up as well. Reading the way author has characterized both the women personalities is commendable. Both are strong, ambitious, similar to each other yet very different. This tells how strongly human psyche has been studied and utilized by the author while developing both the protagonists.

 

Naveen Kundra uses the characters working for politics or government services very intelligently and despite them being a side or supporting characters, their involvement in the story works as a catalyst. Also, I love the way he develops these characters using real-life references which keeps the readers interested in solving the puzzle if this is based on a real-life incident or a fictional work. This time, he has used the characters of a Chief Minister and Journalist wittily and how their support aggravates the game of the main protagonists is fun to read.

 

Similarly, he adds an angle of entrepreneurship, business and the dirty connection they have to make with other people in power is phenomenal. It opens our eyes about the society we are living in where everyone is right and wrong at the same time. The relationship of people with money is also explored in different ways which makes us think about the level up to which we can droop down for multiplying our wealth. There are many such moments in the story.

 

Naveen has kept the chapters short which makes it easy for the readers to grasp the story and still read it with fast pace. The story really becomes fast-paced in the pre-climax and climax and it’s fun to read how all the characters come together to bring the exciting end to the story. Overall, this is a fun read which you can pick on any weekend and finish in one-go. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

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Chhath by Ekisha Singh (Book Review: 3.75*/5)!!!

  

24^th Book of 2024

I am glad that our youth is transforming and giving the respect to Indian traditions and festivals. There was a time when it had become scary as it felt that all the culture shall die down eventually seeing the Western traditions being adopted by the new generation. As the youth is getting inclined towards religion, they are moving towards reading and knowing about it as well. Surprisingly, such books are being written by youth themselves. I have just finished reading a book titled “Chhath” written by Ekisha Singh who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree herself. This book published by Rupa publications also has a tagline that says “Worshipping the Sun, celebrating Nature”.

 

Chhath is a very prominent festival celebrated around 6^th day after Diwali – mostly in the Eastern part of India as well as Nepal. Author helps us understand what is Chhath as a festival and how it is celebrated across India these days. She tries to delve into the ancient past and gives us several legends based on which the festival is considered prominent and being celebrated era after era. She throws light upon the fact that it was considered auspicious and effective even in the era of Ramayan and Mahabharat where it is believed that Draupadi, Karna and even Lord Rama has participated in the Chhath rituals for their well-being.

 

I had only heard about Chhath as a festival celebrated in Bihar where women worship Sun by getting into the river or any water body nearby. I didn’t know a word more than that. I am quite surprised that someone could write 200 pages on this festival. This book is definitely insightful as after reading it, you would know as much about it as the people following it and in most of the cases, even more than them. Author has definitely been associated with the festival and her research around it is also evident in all the chapters that she has structured.

 

Author gives proper explanation of the four-day festival where she further explains how they are classified with different rituals namely Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Bihaniya Arghya. She gives information on the procedures people go through by keeping long-fasting session of almost 36 hours and how they worship Sun both starting from Sunset on 3^rd day and Sunrise on the 4^th day signifying that after every darkness, there is always a new fresh start.

 

She explains how the festival aligns with nature, harmony, science, planetary positions, harvesting time, health benefits etc. She also mentions the fact that it brings people of all class and segments of society together on the same pedestal even if its about preparing the prasad/food together or praying together in the same water body without any discrimination. It was wonderful reading the parallel culture being followed in different parts of the world where Sun is worshipped almost with the same importance as in Chhath.

 

Ekisha also helps us understand the relationship of Surya Dev, Chhati Maiyya and other prominent Sanatan God and Goddesses associated with this festival. In the 2^nd half of the book, authoress gets deeper and helps us understand different rituals from point of view of fasting, offering, puja site, Vedic chanting, folk singing, processions and other cultural activities. In the last part of the book, she explains the scientific benefits of participating in this chapter from the aspects of improving circadian rhythm, increasing Vitamin D, relaxing digestive system, detoxifying etc.

 

The book is knowledgeable and must be read by everyone wanting to know about this festival. It’s written in very easy language which helps us in completing it within a single sitting itself. From the drawbacks point of view, I must say that author has repeated many concepts and information multiple times which makes it irritating to read almost the same thing in every chapter. This book could have been easily summed in 100 pages. The editor must have helped the young author in structuring the book better and making it crisp. Secondly, I feel that authoress could have gone deeper into the scientific aspect of the festival the way articles are written on Mahashivratri and Ekadashi where the planetary angles etc. are described in detail.

 

Overall, this is a great attempt by the author on such a critical topic where you can’t make mistake of writing unverified facts or tales. I give this book 3.75 stars out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA

7 Lessons of Karm Yoga by Richa Tilokani (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

  

23^rd Book of 2024

I remember reading a book by Dale Carnegie when I begun my career named “How to enjoy your life and your job” because people had scared me so much that I won’t be able to manage my personal life once the professional commitments would kick in. Definitely, as we say about “Self-help” books, it did help me initially as few of its teachings stayed somewhere in my subconscious mind. After almost 9 years of work experience, I felt that I need to read another book to get new lessons based on our ancient culture which made me pick up Richa Tilokani’s book “7 Lessons of Karm Yoga”. This 200-pages book published by Rupa also comes up with a tagline that says “Mindset management for Work-Life success”.

 

Richa starts the book explaining us about Karm Yoga as an overview before diving into the details. She helps us understand the three gunas and understand in which of the three we fall in. It helps us get clarity regarding the level at which we stand and where we must aspire to reach. The way she explained Rajo, tamo and sattva gun from modern work-related concepts really made me decipher where do I fall and in what quotient is each of them imbibed in my personality.

 

Authoress has studied the ancient texts very devotedly which can be sensed from her research and the types of quotes and references she uses throughout. The book has many Sanskrit quotes with their respective translation and explanation by the author. She has majorly taken reference from Bhagavad Gita as one of its major sections is based on Karm Yoga. She doesn’t restrict her only till Gita but also used Ved and Upanishad quotes to explain the pointers. She even shares us great words said or written by esteemed personalities like Nelson Mandela, Gandhi etc.

 

 Richa has given practical wisdom and ensures that some of the concepts which authors generally use As-It-Is from the ancient texts that further confuses the readers are explained well. For e.g. there’s a whole section on Desires where Richa clarifies that desires as a concept aren’t wrong completely. We must be aware about the kind of desires we are keeping while preparing our professional goals. Along with giving us professional advices, in the very beginning itself, author tells how important is keeping ourselves physically and mentally fit to create a good base for our professional careers.

 

Like Maslow’s hierarchical model, even author starts giving us her 7 lessons in a similar manner where she explains how our leadership must be based upon good foundation and with time, how we should work upon in refining them rather than trying to follow all the seven principles at once and fail miserably.

 

There are key takeaway sections which helps us note the major points separately. Similarly, author has nicely divided chapters into multiple sections/sub-sections and explaining them with multiple bullet points etc. to make it easier for us to understand the concepts well without getting confused.

 

Overall, the book can be completed in two to three sitting though I would advice to read it slowly and try to implement the small lessons in daily office lives. I am glad authors are using the ancient wisdom and trying to deliver them in modern context to make it easier for us to comprehend and create actionable out of them. I will give this book 4 stars out of 5.

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A Glimpse of the Future by Mayank Manohar (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

   

22^nd Book of 2024

I remember reading Shadow of the Past published by FingerPrint publication exactly 5 years back and I had rated it more than 4 stars – quite much as I wouldn’t rate romantic books that highly because all of them sounded the same. After reading the amazing climax written by the author, Mayank Manohar, I had written the following in my review-

"Talking about the climax, the last paragraph is too open for you to be surprised and shocked for some time. I just couldn’t believe what I read which made me read the paragraph multiple times which made me realize that it’s an open ending and there’s a chance we can find its sequel soon. I would request author to bring it out soon as the way he is writing romance right from his 1st book itself is very promising and I would like to read him more."

 

Finally, after 5 years, author took the story ahead and published the 2^nd part of it named “A Glimpse of the Future” which also has the tagline that says “A journey of redemption and resilience”. I must say that the book exactly matches the vibes with its tagline because the way the characterization of Rehan moves on from where it ended in the first book, it’s all about his patience and expectations that sets the future of his life. Author tries to take us deep into the mindset of the person who has lost his first girlfriend and ended up ruining his relationship with his 2^nd girlfriend as well. Obviously, he is going through a lot mentally and it has come to a stage where he has to visit a rehab center as well to get back to his zone.

 

Author has very nicely narrated the whole section where Rehan meets with his ex-girlfriend again and gets a chance to revive his relationship. Reading about his past about how the relationship arc went through its ups and downs during the 2^nd innings makes this book interesting to read. The book is written in two timelines which are just couple of years apart but it tells about two versions of the protagonist- firstly, what happened with him in the past and secondly, where he is currently in his life due to his past which makes the book exciting as it’s not all-and-all a romance and break-up story but also about the mindset, philosophy and mental health a person has to go through after a big life-transforming event in their life.

 

Mayank makes this book sound like an autobiographical account where we get to read many entries such as diary scribbles where the protagonist writes what’s going in his mind. I felt like re-reading these pages. Then there are multiple sections wherein every sentence is quote-worthy and you feel like highlighting/noting each one of them. Not even once does Mayank gets carried away by the concept of his book and become preachy about mental health. It’s all explained only through the character’s pain and rehab stories.

 

The small catalysts that add up to one’s mental shift such as anxiety, helplessness, failure, rejection, hopelessness etc. are nicely conveyed. Author further tries to explain to his audience and clarify the fact that even after rehab, a person might end up in darkness for a long period of time. He keeps it evident that it doesn’t transform you immediately but things settle down gradually for someone who has gone through mental health issues.

 

In the last few pages, Manohar gives a glimpse into how two people who have walked a similar path in their respective lives related to heartbreaks and mental issues can understand each other through better communication and come together for a better life. Author has used this book to mention and explain every possibility that can lead a person towards a better future after a bad past or present. I am glad that this book shall connect with people who have been into isolation once and talked a lot with themselves. They’ll understand the big monologues where Rehan talks with himself quite often.

 

Overall, this book despite being 300-pages long keeps you invested. I must say that author could have edited it more to bring it down to 240-odd pages as it also become tiring to read the similar state of mind of the protagonist for a very long time. But yes, the book is a hopeful story and Mayank’s writing has only got better with time. I give this book 4.25* out of 5. It is as good as its first part. You can still directly read this book without having to read both the book to understand the story. Author has managed it very well. Go, get it!

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Affairs of Deception by Rakesh Kumar Singh (Book Review: 4.25*/5) !!!

21^st Book of 2024

Reading a murder mystery or a suspense book is always the best experience for any reader as the story moves in a very fast paced and keeps us on our toes. Another aspect to it is that we know the way it must be written where the investigators shall be given the main space whereas the people close to the victim shall be given second preference with almost all of them under suspicion. I am glad to have read this book “Affairs of Deception” written by a very experienced author – Rakesh Kumar Singh.

 

The book has treated the murder-mystery as a normal fiction story unlike the above-mentioned template. While reading the book, it doesn’t give you the feeling of reading a thriller. In fact, by middle of the book, you’ll even forget about any murders that has happened in the initial pages. Though the first few pages of the book are difficult due to multiple characters being introduced one after another which makes it hard for us to remember them. I had to create a mind map diagram in my notes which made my task easier. Also, the first 5-10 pages sound like a typical thriller but the way Rakesh changes the tone of the book transforms the whole narrative itself.

 

The characters are nicely created. I am glad to say that author doesn’t forget any of his characters in any of the chapters. Almost all of them are given their share of space so evenly that you might start feeling any of them as the protagonist. The arc of each character is beautifully narrated as we get used to their personalities and their change of decisions. Most of them are gray in nature where they are right and wrong in certain respective aspects but yet you can’t support or defy them completely. Rakesh Kumar Singh is a great story-teller and knows how to use the props in the book well.

 

As the author himself is from government service working with Central Reserve Police Force, he has used his knowledge well in describing the nature of work of people involved in services, politics, business and so on. Their relationship with their family and how they can end up getting submerged into the game of power, greed, lies, lust and crime is described aptly. Even when author talks about the modern-day marriage problems of extra-marital affairs or lust-based actions, he writes them giving so much attention that you don’t treat those sections as just another romantic or love-making section but treat them as an important event in the book. I liked how author treats this taboo-based topics without making them sound a pure criminal act.

 

The book has been divided in short chapters which makes it easy to complete in one or two sittings. The pre-climax set-up is amazing and makes you enjoy the last portion of the book equally. Just in the climax, a random person ends up as the criminal which makes it a bit disappointing because as a reader you keep on raising your fingers among the main characters hence it upsets when a not-so-relevant character turns out to be the criminal. Anyway, the book is a great page-turner and even if you remove the thriller aspect, the story is a nice-to-read work. I would rate this book 4.25* out of 5.

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