It's All About Books!!!

Sunday, 7 January 2018

Different Beads Of The Same String by Sujay Malik (Book Review-3*/5) !!!

I am not a great fan of anthologies hence I always feel doubtful about picking any book which has 10-12 short stories. But for a change, I thought of trying something from the new set of releases from an Indian author and thus landed upon Sujay Malik’s “Different Beads Of The Same String” which consists of 10 short stories. The book is published by Notion Press publication and is of only 120 pages which can be completed in a single sitting of 2 to 2.5 hours.

The best part about the book is that the author has tried to keep the stories versatile where no two stories sound similarly. Sujay Malik has also taken care of the narration very well in the stories where he keeps changing his style as per the demand of the story. His command over the language is also skilful as he manages to create emotions, excitements, wonder etc. on his demand. The choice of stories is nicely edited and selected as it manages to strike the chord with the Indian readers. This book will basically be liked by the young or new readers as author has kept things straight and simple.

The story also reflects the contemporary societal problems where a girl from North-eastern stretch is a victim of racism and physical violence. Another story talks about how two guys are being taught a small lesson so that they stop smoking. One story discusses about the personal awakening of a person. One story talks about the condition of the law and justice in our nation. All the stories have different parameters and thus, keeps the reader interested in the book.

Talking about the drawbacks, the first thing I would point out is the number of the stories in the book and the length of each story. I don’t believe a young reader would purchases a novel worth Rs. 200/- for 10 short stories when there are bigger Whatsapp forwarded stories available for free. Secondly, author has kept the language and narration of the stories too simple which might not impress matured and avid readers as they would be expecting a level-up stuff. Otherwise, this book is a light read which is best to read while traveling alone. I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Wednesday, 3 January 2018

Murderous Greed by Arun K Nair (Book Review-2.5*/5)!!!

Reading crime novels by debut Indian authors is a great feeling considering all of them are inspired by the successful Western authors but yet try to carve their own path with a unique story. Arun K Nair has also entered the world of literature with a book based on crime thriller where a set of policemen are trying to figure out the murderers of the two cases that takes places within few minutes. The book is of about 200-pages which I feel is quite applaudable considering how few stories are written in such a stretched manner that the readers start skipping sentences between paragraphs. Author has kept the story to the point without wasting too much time in description. The cover page and the title are also catchy which interested me in picking this book for reading.

Arun’s writing style is average and you won’t find anything to learn from it. This book will be more effective for the new readers trying to associate themselves with Indian novels and wish to start with crime genre. It is an easy crime thriller where you won’t have to remember multiple dates, locations, characters etc. Author has kept things simple for the reader to complete the book in one sitting. I completed this book within 2.5 hours and it’s a wonderful book to carry with you while traveling.

The first half of the book is very interesting when the two unfortunate events take place. The entry of policemen in the story and the way they start attacking each suspect with their questions and interrogations is a nice read. The first half promises a better second half which is where the book couldn’t fully satisfy me. The revelation of the climax is too simple and does not come with a bang shocking the shit out of the reader. The book keeps discussing only one murder scene throughout and totally forgets the other one which makes the story sound half-baked. Author should have tried writing the interrogation for both the cases happening simultaneously.

Overall, Murderous Greed stays true to its title and the story is written exactly aligned with it. The Author’s note in the end of the book states that there’s a sequel planned which is releasing this year itself. This came as a surprise and I am looking forward to it. Arun K Nair will have to write a better book than this one to impress his already created fan-base. I rate Murderous Greed with 2.5* out of 5 as it will intrigue the new readers but for the lovers of crime thrillers, this book is too simple to stand out amongst all.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Thursday, 9 November 2017

Forever is True by Novoneel Chakraborty (Book Review- 4.25*/5) !!!

The book “Forever is True” is the 2nd book in the two book series where the 1st book was named “Forever is Lie”. “Forever is True” starts right from where the 1st book ended and kept us waiting to know what eventually happens in the end with the characters which are so miserably trapped in a web which they do not have any idea about. As always, Novoneel Chakraborty has used his typical style of writing where some strange activities keep happening with the protagonist and his closed ones and the reader is unable to comprehend what the real matter is. The good part about this series is that Novoneel has kept the character of culprit hidden throughout and once we get to know who he/she really is, we find it believable and still support him/her.

To be precise, the climax is worth a wait for the reader who has to finish two books to get to know the real person behind all the killings on the birthday of Saveer Rathod right since he was in school. The narrative is very interesting which does not let you keep the book d own until you know the suspense. The built-up of the story and curiosity is very well done. Being the 2nd book, the challenge for the author was double to keep the book in sync with the first one and still deliver double of it. The author almost achieves this and which is what makes this series one of the recommended books by him. Novoneel knows how to write psychological thriller better than anyone else in India and this is what makes him still the favourite among so many peers and Indian authors.

With this book, Novoneel has evolved better than all his previous books and comparing this work with the Stranger Trilogy, this one is far ahead than that. Talking about the drawbacks of this book, I would say that there should have been some parallel story showing the lifestyle and timelines of the culprit too to make the audience feel more excited about the villain of the story. This is a normal flow in Novoneel’s story that the main culprit is revealed only in the end so it becomes quite risky for him as a storyteller to assure that reader feels the same churn he expects them to have after knowing the killer. Rest, this book is a perfect page-turner and a wonderful thriller with a fine climax. I give this book 4.25* out of 5.

Thanks.

Abhilash Ruhela

Monday, 4 September 2017

Immortal India by Amish Tripathi (Book Review- 4*/5) !!!

Taking just the name “Amish Tripathi” is itself self-explanatory and makes you appreciate the revolution and surprise that he brought in the Indian publishing market with his Shiva Trilogy which is still talked as if it got released last week. After publishing 5 fictional mythology books, Amish Tripathi has come out with his first non-fiction work named “Immortal India” which is a short read of less than 200 pages that can be read in a single sitting of less than 6 hours itself. I have been reading Amish Tripathi’s articles as published since his arrival in Indian book industry hence I know his non-fiction writing capabilities and the book wasn’t much a surprise to me. But for the folks who have read only his fiction books will enjoy reading this book by him and appreciate it as much as his fiction books.

Amish Tripathi has shared his newspaper articles, magazine pieces and several speeches that he delivered at best conclaves, debates and public appearances. The best part about all these articles is his straight-forwardness about the issues. Amish Tripathi does not shy away from speaking his mind irrespective of what religion he follows, which political party he endorses and whatever ideologies he believes in.

The book starts with the section- Religion & Mythology in which my favorite articles are about why the author adores Lord Shiva among all the Gods, The Purpose of God, Recasting mythology and the alternate ending of the Shiva trilogy. The next section is about the social issues our country is facing as of now where author has very rightly narrated about how LGBT issue is never said to be criminal in any of our scriptures. Another impactful chapter is about how religious conversion is negative and never churns anything productive out of it. Almost every chapter in this section is unbeatable and the choice of putting them in the book is commendable. The data shared regarding the difference between our country and others tell us about how great we really are and how wrongly we are projected in newspapers.

The section about history is something for which I would like to personally thank Amish Tripathi. He discusses those topics that people aren’t aware about even a bit. The best information for me has been the chapter State vs Centre where author discusses how the decentralized powers are better than a centralized arrangement. And the last section- Musings is the best closure to this non-fictional attempt which brings the readers closer to their favorite author. Overall, this is a wonderful attempt and I would wish to read many more non-fictional works from the author. Amish have stamped his mark even in this genre too. I give this book 4* out of 5. I am not giving it more because the articles are already on the public forum and hence something distinct was also expected from the book. Recommended!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Thursday, 31 August 2017

Forever Is A Lie by Novoneel Chakraborty (Book Review- 3.5*/5) !!!

Though Novoneel is one of my favorite Indian pulp-fiction writer, I, still, end up reading his books months after its release. This is the first time that it has happened that I have read the book in the same month of its publishing. I have just ended up reading another thriller by him named “Forever is a lie”. If any one of the Indian authors who has really enhanced his skills and showed vast improvement since his/her 1^st book, its none other than Novoneel. His books leave such an impact that even after you are done with it, you keep thinking about it. Same has been the case after reading FIAL. I am more impatient after reading it because the last three words of the book are “To be continued”. This is what I had not assumed that the book must be having a sequel otherwise I had waited for the whole part to release like I did at the time of Stranger trilogy.

Novoneel’s narration is perfect which makes the timeline understandable to the reader in spite of it being little messy in the beginning. The “Mean Monster” thing sounds quite cheesy and unrealistic but the way author handles it immediately before it pisses off the reader is great. The revelation of the real personality behind this name is what starts making this book magical. The chemistry between him and Prisha Srivastav, the protagonist of the book, is nicely portrayed in the movie and it all sounds genuine irrespective of the childishness of Prisha and maturity of the Mean Monster. The philosophical quotes shared in between of the story in voice of any of the characters are again why I love Novoneel’s books.

The suspense part that has still not revealed in this book is the only drawback of the book. A reader feels cheated when he is not told that the book is 1^st part of the many to come in future or the main revelation of this part of the story is also left for the 2^nd part of it. I felt the same in the climax when I didn’t get to know anything about a character that is kept hidden from the readers. Though I know that the 2^nd part will amaze me a lot, I had expected at least some conclusion with this book. Anyways, talking about the anti-climax and climax, it has been beautifully summed up with some fast-paced events which excite you. It is like an orgasm for the readers. Haha! I felt the first goose bump the moment a paragraph tells about something happening at Mean Monster’s home which is not done by him. That itself thrilled me. Rest of the book has just been plus after that. I give this book 3.5* out of 5 as of now because it didn’t deliver the conclusion. Looking out desperately for the 2^nd part of this book.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

7 Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik (Book review- 4*/5) !!!

Reading Devdutt Pattanaik’s books are such an eye-opener even for Hindus who believe that they know everything about their God and customs. I am just done reading the 2nd book of the Hindu Trinity Series which is named “7 Secrets of Vishnu”. The book is again written in the same format with each page consisting of a diagram/image and the opposite page consisting of texts related to the God in discussion. This book tries to decode the Lord Vishnu and the explanation behind many of his avatars and the thought process behind each of them. The importance of each of the avatars in the Hindu mythology has been discussed.

Devdutt Pattanaik has used a very simple language and assures that after the reader finishes the book, he remembers most of the articles and pieces discussed. After reading the book on Shiva, this book sounds more simplistic and easy to understand. The following entities associated with Vishnu are described in the following 7 chapters: Mohini’s Secret, Matsya’s Secret, Kurma’s Secret, Trivikrama’s Secret, Ram’s Secret, Krishna’s Secret and Kalki’s Secret. I, particularly, liked the last three chapters where Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and Kalki are discussed in brief about what is their prominence in our modern society.

Many incidents from Mahabharata have been discussed which clears lots of myth and lets us know about the small incidents that lead to the bigger events. The way author stays democratic in his views and discusses both the good and bad points about the Lord and his differences against Lord Shiva is worth-appreciating. This book is must for everyone who wants to know Lord Vishnu’s philosophies and the perspective of each of his avatars. I rate this book 4 star out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Monday, 21 August 2017

Despite Stolen Dreams by Anita Krishan (Book Review- 4.5*/5) !!!

I am just done reading 48^th book of this year and what an incredible stuff this book is- “Despite Stolen Dreams”. The book is written by Anita Krishan and published by Fingerprint! publication. While reading the bio of the authoress, I got to know that she has already published two novels. After reading this one, I am sure to pick them very soon though I don’t believe that she can ever match the magic she has woven in the book. Whenever any story is based upon Kashmir or India-Pakistan border or terrorism, it gets boring after a while because of the depressive state of characters that is spoken right from the first page to the last. Even the climax is always sad and predictable which makes almost all the books based on this topic sound like one.

I had the same expectation from this book too after reading the synopsis but that’s what made me excited about the book when I completed the first 30% of it. The book talks less about the depressive stories of the characters who have been victim of brutality but talks more about how they have forgotten about the tragic circumstances of their life and moved on. The book tries to spread positivity and the author’s efforts are clearly visible in these sections. The initial pages of the book makes you chill reading about how a family is been held captive just because the team of terrorist want the daughter of the house to marry one of their members. The author’s hold on the language and narrative can be easily judged from these initial pages itself.

Later on, the chemistry between Wali and Kashmira Singh is the USP of this book for which I shall always remember it even after suffering memory loss. That’s the impact the conversation between these two characters do to you. Also the other characters discussed in their colony and how they help them speaks a lot about the author’s motive behind writing this novel. The social issues described through the stories of different characters are very nicely handled without being too preachy or cliché. The anti-climax of the book is another great part of the book where Shakeel’s story is narrated separately. It brings the much needed change in the plot of the story. Talking about the climax, I liked how with all the tense moments etc. the book ends on a happy note. Overall, this is a book that you will always want to keep in your shelf. I give the book 4.5 star out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!