Book Review: Tarikshir: The Awakening

As fascinating as mythological fiction sounds, the texts written in this genre have a special charm of their own. Bein more closely associated to or drawing from history, the legendary aspect is automatically added to the work. Such is the same for Khayaal Patel’s, “Tarikshir: The Awakeing”. Today’s generation may not actually have seen battle fields but the author does a tremendous job in the manner in which he narrates the story. 

In the blurb of the book, there is a fair idea about the plotline and it makes it easier for the readers to begin guessing what could be happening in the pages to follow. The most noteable and commendable fact is the way the author has blended different genres of myth, history, thriller and action together and in addition there are strong, well built and realistic characters. The other good points include the well knit plot which is paced accurately, the language which is fine and simple and the style in which the author has crafted the story to arouse the interest of the readers and constantly getting the horses of their imagination run faster. For all those who look for a read beyond the mainstream which can keep them on their toes throughout, “Tarikshir:The Awakening” is one must have in the bookshelf. 

Book Review: The Grandmaster and Other stories

In present time when everyone is busy with their lives, everyone has their won experiences and words of wisdom to share. These words of wisdom never lose their practical ability and serve as a guiding light for all generations. The same holds true for Chinmaya Desai’s collection if 17 short stories titled, “The Grandmaster and other stories”. As the title clearly indicates, each story is distinct and different from the other and has an individuality of its own. 

Stories like “Professor Parimal”, “The Mathematician”, “The Politician” and “The Actor” highlight the potential and the ability of the author to explore not just diverse subjects and genres but also characters from different backgrounds. The langauge of the book is friendly to the understanding of the reader and the narrative style that the author uses invites the interest of the reader in every story. 

Book Review: The Metro Maniac Chronicles

In metropolitan cities, using public transport becomes necessary to save time and to reach the destination on time. Delhi metro has not only revolutionized the lives of people but also changed the way people move now. Different classes and groups of people travel and it's more like the metro has brought people to an equal level. Yet, people and their habits can never change. If there's a person who has a strong power of observation and can more or less categorize people and humorously tell about them, there can be nothing better to bring a smile on the face of the one who gets to hear or read about them. That is the treat that Jasveer Singh Dangi offers in his "The Metro-Maniac Chronicles".

Through his short and brief narrative, the author writes about the different categories of people that can be found and makes an average metro travellers easily relate to them. At the same time, he also adds his own sarcasm and humor to tickle the reader and that is what distinguishes his book from any book if ever written on metro and the travel experiences.

For an entertaining read and for those who are interested in knowing humans and their nature a bit closely, this book is a treasure.

Book Review: Small Wins Big Success

The present day world is going through not just a health crisis but also a psychological crisis. Everyone is living in fear and uncertainty owing to the impacts of Coronavirus. Abhishek Ratna with his book, "Small Wins Big Success" tries to bring forward his words of wisdom infront of everyone of how to get through this phase and not to forget that it is humans who have conquered everything possible and he also tries to prepare the people for the time that is soon to follow in the post Covid19 outbreak era as that is going to be much more challenging than the present time.

Not only this, the book continues to be valid even when there are other problems and crisis that people face. He gives very powerful lines in the book that make the book a source of not just motivation but also practicality.  One of these lines is, 

"Small wins to look for: Focus on good things, however small; find humor in difficult situations; fill your day with positive affirmations."

and

"Small Wins to look for –Do something every day that will boost your self-esteem and confidence."

This book becomes an important read for all those who are facing the turbulent times of present and will be equally important for future generations who would have their own issues.

Book Review: Dhruv- Love Story of an Alchemist

As the title suggests, "Dhruv- Love Story of an Alchemist" is a love story of the title character, Dhruv. Karan Verma, the author, gave this simple title and surprises the readers with the number of themes and different aspects that he covers as they go on to flip through the pages. On the surface, the book may appear to be a love story but the other themes that it includes are family, forgiveness, destiny, hardwork, importance of having dreams and the power of love and what it can make a person do. 

The finely paced novel has different events that touch different emotional nerves of the reader and they can not wait to know what will happen next. With well developed characters, the author kind of gives the control to them and they appear to speak for themselves instead of being wooden puppets and the author having the strings. The cover of the book to a certain extent gives an idea about the book and the usage of two similar yet different colors perhaps implies the changing states of life. "Dhruv" can be read by everyone and equally enjoyed by all. Keeping in mind the length of the book, it becomes a perfect weekend read for all.

Book Review: The Shero

Few authors take the risk of focusing on socially delicate subjects especially which have very strong effects on the society at large. Women empowerment always remains one subject of discussion. But who has to empower women becomes the question that keeps resonating in the background. Ashmita Reddy's "The Shero: Silent Hero" gives the answer to that. It is women who can empower women better. The novel may be short, but the subject it focuses on is very powerful and very important from the viewpoint of Indian society. There are many places in India where the difference among male and female child still continues.

The protagonist, Sachi comes across as a strong and determined individual who focusses on the work she has to do. But along with that, her husband, Ved also supports her through. This is suggestive of the fact that empowerment can not just be done by one gender. If both work together as a team, the result would be much better. The book is a fine read for all those who want to read something which is a critical subject and needs attention. The language is simple and the narration is finely done. The pace of the plot is also appropriate to keep the interest of the reader sustained throughout.

Book Review: Beyond the Night Before the Dawn

Nilesh Joshi in his "Beyond the Night… Before the Dawn" explores the darker aspects of life which generally everyone tries to forget. How mishappenings, misfortunes affect human beings and the fact that time doesn't stop is the main central focus of the book. The protagonist suffers a terrible loss of his wife and nothing in the world can replace that. But the author tries to convey to the reader that stopping is not the right thing to do. Also, he suggests that life is unpredictable. Anything can happen at any moment. 

The cover of the book shows two sides of life. It also suggests that no time remains the same. It keeps changing and even the situations keep changing accordingly. The author shows his skill at prose and also gives the tinge of his ability to write poetry by inserting a few lines of poetry here and there. The language is friendly to the understanding of the reader and the plot development is also finely paced. The book can be read by everyone. "Beyond the Night… Before the Dawn" is a fine example of a motivational story even if it may have fictional characters in it. For all those going through tough times, this book is no less than a lifesaver.