Reviews & Musings

  Why would anyone want perfection when they could have Vaani Jaishankar instead? Aditya Khamankar was a chartered accountant who built his life on a bedrock of numbers. For no matter what happened, numbers and math never let you down. They stayed the same. And that fundamental fact defined many of his choices. He was the obedient son, the diligent student, the overachieving employee, and the reliable friend. All he wanted in his life was routine and sensible discourse. All he craved in that same life was peace and quiet. And then his senior partner’s flighty daughter came home. And life as he knew it was never the same again… Reality television villain and tabloid fodder, Vaani Jaishankar lived for the arclights. The notoriety, the glamour, the larger-than-life noise that came with it held her in thrall. Until the industry she loved and the people she trusted used and abandoned her. And now, she was back home. Darkening the doorstep of her childhood home, something she’d sworn she’d

From this blog in 2011 to Barnes and Noble website, my reviewing journey has been full of surprises.  I am working on an essay tracing it and realized that I started reviewing books in 2001 (Yes! I am old) for a small library next to my house. Needless to add, my payment was in the books. The library owner also happened to be the first person who taught me how to write a book review and what to focus on. And that is where I learned why reviews matter.  Cut to 2016 when my book review was taught in a Literary Criticism class held by British Library. A relative happened to attend that class and the news spread like wildfire in the family. That is the moment when my family knew this much more than just a hobby. 

  About the Book  Women today not only deserve but should expect a pain-free, active lifestyle, no matter their age, no matter their previous experience. In his famed San Diego clinic, Pete Egoscue has taught women of all ages and from all walks of life how to use the Egoscue Method for safe, effective, and permanent relief from chronic pain without prescription painkillers, physical therapy, or invasive surgery. Now he shares his specially adapted “Pain Free” program for women to use at home.  Whether you suffer from back or neck pain, joint discomfort or sore knees, or need more stamina, improved balance, and extra strength, here is a revolutionary and proven approach to self-care that promises optimal health through a simple set of exercises that will transform the way you move and feel — forever! Egoscue shows women how to take back their bodies by recovering and restoring a precious health asset — full, free, flexible motion — that he believes has been drastically reduced by our

Introduction  Living with Chronic Illness is like being in for a new surprise every day. Despite following all that you have been advised, your body might choose to respond differently to the same factors daily. Bringing together such experiences of day-to-day life is Shruti Buddhavarapu’s book ‘The Weight of a Cherry Blossom‘.  About the Book  If you took a map and pinned each city I’ve lived in, I’d exist somewhere in the tautness of the string attaching one point to the other.    ISBN: 978-93-5333-699-8  Category: Non-Fiction  Imprint : Rupa Publications  Year: 2019  If a life is lived across many homes—from balmy Chennai to muggy Mumbai, the crackling expansiveness of Delhi to the breathtaking splendour of Vancouver in spring—where do you truly belong? If you are constantly on the move, is home just what Customs can clear? And how do you find love, in the middle of it all, when you do not or cannot stay in one city long enough? Funny, poignant, and reflective, The Weight of a Ch

  “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”― James Baldwin  I don’t remember a time without reading as a hobby in my life. Having been introduced to books at the age of 4 by my mother, my love for the written word has grown manifold since then. Though, I must confess there was a phase in between when I was unable to read a book. This was after my autoimmune detection. The sudden changes in my body had taken me aback and I was almost on the brink of depression, which I am told is the case with many sufferers.  During one of my routine visits to my doctor, he suggested I take up some hobby to keep my mind busy. And, I broke down. He didn’t realize he had opened a can of worms with that statement of his. In between sobs, I told him, “What hobby? I can’t dance.

  One wrong choice on the eve of her wedding has left Ananya married to one brother and in love with THE OTHER… Ananya Saxena is a good girl who has always done the right thing. She is a dutiful wife, faithful daughter-in-law, and fierce champion of the law. Except, in her heart was another phrase—reckless lover. An impossible choice for a good Indian girl. Duty had Ananya marry her best friend only to end up with a bitter, vengeful husband. Arvin Saxena is now a cripple, both physically and emotionally, after his wife’s confession the day before they were to be married. So, Arvin’s never-ending pain finds release only in hurting her. What he doesn’t know is that her secret sin was loving Arnav Saxena. Arnav turned his back on all of them when she discarded him and married his younger brother. When he is forced to return, it sets Ananya on a collision course with fate and she chooses desire over duty to embark on an affair with Arnav. For a brief glorious time, they have it all. But so

Namrata reviews Jerry Pinto’s latest book, The Education of Yuri (Speaking Tiger, 2022) emphasizing how everything about this book spells classic.   “We are born alone, and we die alone. In between, we reach out to other people.”    From the book blurb  Jerry Pinto’s latest work of fiction, The Education of Yuri (Speaking Tiger, 2022) is a tender portrayal of a young boy growing up in Bombay in the 1980s. Jerry Pinto is one of India’s finest writers with award-winning works to his credit across genres ranging from translation, poetry, memoirs, and fiction. Time and again, he has proved that he is a writer par excellence. In his writings, he is known to capture Mumbai and its nuances with an unmatched exactness. This is exactly what he does with The Education of Yuri too. Mumbai (then- Bombay) is the heart of this story which takes you through some of the early days of Yuri, as he grows up in the 80s.  Pinto tells us his story with a certain profundity while still keeping it tender an

‘Someone is stalking the streets of Sonagachi.’ It’s the 1870s, and Calcutta is bustling with commerce and colonialism. A sea of changes has been ushered in by the relatively new British Raj, which has led to migrants from all over India filling up the city with their hopes and dreams. Amongst these struggling masses is a serial killer on the prowl. Corpses of sex workers start turning up at ponds and in the by-lanes of Sonagachi, Calcutta’s famed pleasure district choked to death and stripped of all their ornaments. Fear has gripped the city and the nascent police department seems to be chasing shadows. This is the story of Trinoyoni Debi: a sensuous seductress with a silver tongue and a love for all things shiny. But behind those eager eyes lurks a savagery that has made Trinoyoni the stuff of legends. How could such a breathtaking beauty be so terrifying? How many more will she kill before she is satiated? And is there anyone who can stop her? Follow her life as she transforms from

The Middle Finger by Saikat Majumdar  Publisher: Simon and Schuster (2022)  The first thing one notices about The Middle Finger by Saikat Majumdar is its dark grey cover with the left profile of a young lady on it with a colourful eye. It is only when you remove the jacket from the cover that you see underneath a picture of a woman’s reflection in the glass pane of a window, with a cup and some books lying by it. It is that woman’s eye that is popping through the cover image from a round cutout. In many ways, this speaks a lot about the book itself.  Every single character in the book has layers, multiple of them. On the face of it, they look very different as they struggle to go through their day-to-day pretending to be someone else. To an extent, they are scared to reveal their truest selves to the world. And yet, there are times when they see the world differently because their soul is tired of pretending. Saikat Majumdar is a critically acclaimed writer with many popular titles t

  When Aisha Rajput, the queen of raves and celebrity after-parties, is asked to plan a hospital fundraiser, she's convinced the sun finally rose from the west. And yet, she is determined to blow this brief out of the water for it is her one chance at redemption. Seven years ago, she shattered Dr. Kabir Pradhan's heart with a deliberate, conscious act of betrayal. The least she can do to make up for it is to save his hospital. Aisha is the woman who loved him and broke him. The last thing Kabir needs is for her to do it all over again with his hospital. He doesn't want her, he doesn't need her, and he certainly won't tolerate her. Or so he tells himself. When the hospital board leaves them with no choice but to work together, the stage is set for fireworks. When the heartache of the past collides with the irresistible desire of the present, the future looks to be in jeopardy. Unless the Bad Girl goes Good and saves the day. But can she? And does Kabir even want her