Reviews & Musings

  ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0912LQ87J  Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rubric Publishing Price: INR 275/- Gopal Lahiri's latest poetry collection has been divided into 7 separate sections – Voyages In, Voyages Out, Cityscape Silhouettes, Macrocosm, Haiku Series, and Micro Poems, Travel Diaries, and Pandemic and Resilience. In every section, his writing manages to hold your attention long after you have finished reading the book.  Lahiri is a prolific poet with close to 17 poetry collections to his credit. His works are beautiful imagery of his observations from life at large.   Gopal Lahiri's writing flows in the book in ebbs and tides. It makes you smile, think, cry, wish and sigh as you go through the poems.  Here I am alive in isolation,  breathing in soulless life   waiting for a new world. Lahiri's words are thought-provoking in ways where he questions a lot of things in parts. While some parts are like a gentle nudge where you want to pause and see things the way Lahiri wants you to

“Words and the music of words are closest to my heart.” – Jerry Pinto (Poet, Author, Translator) Team Kitaab is in conversation with award-winning writer, translator and poet Jerry Pinto where he speaks about his love for writing, his inspiration behind all his work and the changing scenes within the publishing industry.  Jerry Pinto is an award-winning writer and translator based in Mumbai. His works include Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb (2006), which won the Best Book on Cinema Award at the 54th National Film Awards, Surviving Women (2000) and Asylum and Other Poems (2003). His first novel Em and the Big Hoom was published in 2012 and won The Hindu Literary Prize that year. It was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize. 

Namrata reviews Hesitancies by Sanjeev Sethi (Classix, July 2021) and calls it a book you can always keep coming back to every time your soul craves for a deep melancholic touch of verses dipped in emotions.  Image Source: Amazon.in ISBN: 978-81-952562-3-5  Published by Classix (A Hawakal Imprint)  Year: July 2021  Price: INR 500/- 

Namrata reviews Invictus by Nidhie Sharma (Pan Macmillan, 2021) and emphasizes how this book is a reminder of a courage zone that lies beyond our comfort zone where we can sometimes surprise ourselves too with the things we can do.  ISBN ‏: ‎ 9789390742073  Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pan Macmillan  Release date: 10th August 2021  Price: INR 399/-  Six children One treacherous jungle A gripping story of resilience With a blurb that starts like this, Nidhie Sharma has surely got the readers hooked from the first glance itself. Add to it the fact that it is a true story, one based on a real-life incident faced by the author as a teenager. The strength and determination visible in this story are the ones that leave you with goosebumps long after you have finished the book. 

Namrata reviews Arundhathi Subramaniam’s Women Who Wear Themselves (Speaking Tiger, 2021) and observes how this book is a beautiful reminder of the fact that not every journey is meant to be taken physically.  ISBN ‏ : ‎ 978-9390477463  Publisher ‏ : ‎ Speaking Tiger  Release date: 14th June 2021  Price: INR 499/-  The journey of a woman as per the societal norms consists of birth-marriage-children-death. Anything and everything beyond these four milestones are considered to be path-breaking (literally and otherwise too!) We are in the 21st century and we still raise eyebrows for women who choose a career, decide not to get married or have children or make any such independent choices that define their lives strongly. Now imagine women choosing the path of spirituality amidst this. Award-winning author and poet Arundhathi Subramaniam’s latest book Women Who Wear Only Themselves is about four such women who chose spirituality as their true calling and walked on their sacred journeys d

 

 

  Image Source: Amazon.in ISBN: ‎ 9354402917  Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fingerprint! Publishing Genre: Nonfiction/ Spirituality/ Graphic Novel Price: INR 299/- About the Book  All human pursuit is born out of a longing for happiness. Yet, this feeling is universally elusive and when attained, it is ephemeral. Why is it so hard to find happiness? Is there a way to make it last? If Sri Ramana Maharshi was asked this question, he would say, “Yes, there is a way. But to get there you must first find out who you really are.” Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) and Ramesh Balsekar (1917-2009) are two of the greatest mystics of modern India. 

ISBN ‏ : ‎ 978-9390652242  Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aleph Book Company Price: INR 699/- Genre: Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction About the Book The Mahabharat is renowned for its great battles, heroic men, and gods walking the pathways of mortals. However, the beating heart of the epic is often forgotten—the stories of its women. Many of these exceptional women appear in Song of Draupadi—the indomitable Satyavati, the otherworldly Ganga, the indestructible Kunti, and the tenacious Gandhari—but the passionate and fiery Draupadi rises above them all to grip the imagination of the reader. Born of a dangerous sacrifice, Draupadi and her brother Drishtadumna are called forth to avenge Drona’s insult to their father.  While Drishtadumna is expected to kill Drona on the battlefield, Draupadi’s role is not set out, but she dreams of fire and blood. From beloved daughter and princess of Panchala to wife of the brave Pandavas and queen of Indraprastha, Draupadi finds herself exiled to the forest, humiliat

ISBN‏ : ‎ 978-9390652747  Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aleph Book Company  Price: INR 999/- Genre: Fiction / Anthology/ Myths, Legends, and Fairytales About the Book From Jammu and Kashmir in the North to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the South, from Dadra and Nagar havens and Daman and Diu in the West to Arunachal Pradesh in the east, and all the other states and Union territories of India in between, here are 108 fabulous folk tales, legends, and stories from more than fifty-seven languages and dialects. You will delight in wondrous tales of heroes and heroines, of ordinary men and women, of wicked mothers-in-law and foolish sons-in-law, of love lost and won, of a tree who loved a girl, of seers and wise men, of chudails, werewolves, and wizards, of a Potter girl and the divine cow, of demoiselle cranes and humans transforming into elephants, of how the Woodpecker got its Crest, and much, much more. Startlingly original, brilliant, wise, and often funny, these stories will delight readers

  Image Source: Amazon.com Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pan Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages  ISBN : ‎ 978-9390742172  Price: INR 350/- About the Book Kunti, a rare matriarch in the Mahabharata and one of the revered Pancha Satis, holds an unforgettable position in the Indian literary imagination. Yet, little is known about the fateful events that shaped her early life. Taking on the intricate task, Koral Dasgupta unravels the lesser-known strands of Kunti’s story: through a childhood of scholarly pursuits to unwanted motherhood at adolescence, a detached marriage, and her ambitious love for the king of the devas. After the remarkable success of Ahalya, the first book in the Sati series, Kunti presents a brilliant and tender retelling of a story at the heart of our culture and mythology.  In the Sati series, Koral Dasgupta explores the lives of the Pancha Kanyas from Indian mythology and reinvents them in the modern context with a feminist consciousness. 

Namrata reviews Jerry Pinto’s poetry collections – Asylum & Other Poems (Speaking Tiger, 2021) and I want a poem & Other poems (Speaking Tiger,2021) and shares how she discovered a newfound love for the poet Jerry Pinto.  I want a poem like thick tropical rain Jerry Pinto  These words by Jerry Pinto from the blurb of ‘I want a poem and other poems’ hang heavily in the air as I let my thoughts wander with the clouds floating away above my head. It is peak July and Mumbai looks like a million shades of grey at the moment.  Recreating the cover images of both these poetry collections by Jerry Pinto on my desk, nudging me to finally give words to the wandering thoughts long after I have finished reading both the books. Jerry Pinto is a writer who needs no introduction. He is an award-winning poet, writer, and translator based in Mumbai.  Having read his work across genres, I still cannot pick which side of his do I enjoy reading the most. Though this is the first time I picke

Edited by: Mary E. John and Meena Gopal  Published by Orient Blackswan, 2021  You can get your copy from *-*-* Introduction As I stared at this headline by The Print : Covid has devastated India’s self-employed women – I kept thinking about this book I had recently completed.  According to World Bank data released in June 2020, that year India’s female workforce participation fell to 20.3%. India has one of the world’s lowest participation rates for women.  This book features 20 essays by women scholars and researchers who share their thoughts and observations about how India is failing its labouring women. We are staring at a huge crisis waiting to explore and it is high time we act on it. 

 

  Image Source: Amazon.in Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amaryllis  Year: 2021 ISBN ‏ : ‎ 978-9390924080  About the Book  When Kamla Malik's husband Nihar dies of a heart attack in Goa, she’s devastated. Haunted by the lack of closure, she tries mediums, séances, and Ouija boards to help her establish contact. All she wants is a final goodbye. She tries to find him in the twisted labyrinthine worlds that he now inhabits, but does she really want him back, and worse if she finds him, will he let her go? Or is she, as the doctors believe, living in the tunnels of her mind, making it impossible for her to distinguish hallucination from reality? Coincidentally, her eccentric and ailing maternal aunt invites her to visit her splendidly isolated and crumbling villa in Goa.  Here, Kamla meets Victor, her aunt’s stepson. He stakes his claim over the villa and with it, over Kamla. While she accepts that Victor is her here and now, why does Nihar continue to torment her? Is she doomed to be forever haun

  This blog was started in 2011. and is currently in its 10th year. It has been through many changes, many alterations and it has also witnessed the changes in the publishing industry. Including the changes in Indian Writing along with the changing trends in the readers too.

Namrata reviews Ritu Menon’s publishing memoir, Address Book (Women Unlimited, 2021) calling it ticketless travel especially in these dark times when we are all couped up in our homes.  Published by: Women Unlimited  Year: 2021  Price: INR 300  As I held, Address Book, Ritu Menon’s publishing memoir in the time of COVID, I could feel the excitement building in my heart and mind. Here was a person who has been a part of the publishing industry for more than three decades. Known as a feminist publisher, she has published some of the most iconic titles under her publishing house, apart from writing some brilliant books herself. In short, here was someone who had witnessed this industry grows and become what it is today. Imagine the stories she had to share! Read the full review on Kitaab . 

Namrata reviews The Demoness: The Best Bangladeshi Stories- Selected and Edited by Niaz Zaman (Published by Aleph Book Company, 2021) and emphasizes how these stories are an immaculate reflection of all that encapsulates Bangladesh.  Published by: Aleph Book Company  Year of Publishing: March 2021  Price: INR 799/-  The Demoness, as the title suggests is a collection of the best Bangladeshi stories written by various authors and poets. As we know, Bangladeshi is not a language and hence these stories are not translated works originally written in Bangladeshi. But this collection definitely captures the best of Bangladeshi literature possible. Ranging from stalwarts like Kazi Nazrul, Shawkat Ali to Anwara Syed Haq, Jharna Das Purkayastha and Akhtaruzzaman Elias- these stories are strung together brilliantly to create a captivating read. In the words of Niaz Zaman, the editor of this collection:   “’ Bangladeshi Stories’ refers to stories written in a political and linguistic space. It

  Namrata reviews Anubha Yadav’s The Anger of Saintly Men (BEE Books, 2021) calling it a stark reminder of the toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and all the things in between.  Publisher: BEE Books  Year: March 2021  The Anger of Saintly Men written by Anubha Yadav is a stark reminder of the toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and all the things in between. A deadly concoction of all of this becomes the daily diet of a lot of young boys and girls in a country like ours, who when they grow up, turn into unrecognizable individuals. Anubha Yadav is a writer, academic and filmmaker who teaches broadcast studies at University of Delhi. Even before one begins reading the book, the blurb reminds you of another book that spoke at length about the great gender divide in terms of the treatment since childhood in India, which eventually leads to a lot of the biases we harbour as adults – Chup: Breaking the Silence About India’s Women by Deepa Narayan. (Juggernaut, 2019) Yadav’s story adds more weig

  ISBN: 978-9354400520  Publisher : Wonder House Books Year: 2021 Genre: Colouring Books / Self Help / Spirituality  About the Book Tatva: An Aspect of Reality, combines sacred geometrical designs to create images that soothe and relax the mind. Frame your favorite image or choose from over eight possible combinations to make larger versions. This is a never-seen-before coloring book that is sure to take you on a transcendental journey and gift to you a unique spiritual experience.  About the Author  Anaida Parvaneh is known for her famed rise in the Indian pop music scene of the nineties. She is an award-winning celebrity chef, artist, inspirational speaker, and healer. Her 'Power of You' workshops employ music, food, and art to help people connect to their inner selves. Book Review Tatva is a colouring book however, it is not the usual colour book with random images meant to be coloured by the reader. It is a book that has a lot of hidden meanings and signs which have th

  ISBN: 978-0578849010 Price:  INR 291/- Genre: Fiction/ Young Adult/ Thriller Book Blurb When was the last time you confronted the skeletons in your closest?  Immediately following book one, “Elephant,” Matthew “Matty” Smith awakens from his coma and discovers that his worst nightmare is all true: his grandmother, Jamie, and Derek have gone missing and his mother murdered his father and grandfather years ago. With the hospital placing him on lockdown, including no visitation rights by his loved ones such as his best friend, Lisa, Matty finds himself deteriorating into a state of the abyss, consumed with the secrets of his family. Convinced that it was the ‘stranger’ who kidnapped his grandmother and friends, no one believes him.  The hospital only believes that Matty is slipping into a toxic mental state, repeating the cycle of his family. Until one day, Lisa helps Matty escape the hospital. On the run from Dr. Brown, Officer Barry, and the town of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Matty and Lis

ASIN:  B085XMDJZP Publisher: Natalie Rodriguez Price: INR 228.21/- Genre: Fiction/ Young Adult / Mystery/ Coming of Age Book Blurb When was the last time you were shut down for experiencing a mental health struggle or feeling unheard by others, including those closest to you?  Summer of 2006.  Four childhood best friends.  A family secret.  After a strange encounter leaves him hospitalized, a timid teenage boy named Matt "Matty" Smith comes home to a continuous series of events met with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Under the guardianship of his grandma, Lucia, Matt lives with unspoken questions about his grandfather and parents. The elephant in the room.  As Matt develops over the summer, the secrets only grow more profound and complex. Will the answers ever come? While searching for answers, Matt and his three childhood best friends encounter the meanings of love, forgiveness, and fate.  This story is for those who feel their voice is unheard and for children, teenagers,

  Genre: Nonfiction / Biography/ Memoirs ISBN: 978-9390356355 Price: INR 695/- Publisher : Rupa Publications India  Year of Publishing: 2021  Book Blurb  The Presidential Years gives a fascinating account of how one of the country's most respected veteran politicians reshaped the functioning of Rashtrapati Bhavan and responded to tumultuous events as the country's first citizen, leaving behind a legacy that will be hard to match. Pranab Mukherjee became President of India after having spent several decades in politics, and there was great speculation over how he would approach his new bipartisan role after having been associated with a political party for so many years of his life.  By the time he had served his term, Mukherjee had won the respect and admiration of people from across the political spectrum, including those who were his rivals when he was a political figure. He had the occasion to work with two prime ministers, belonging to two parties who were (and are) fierce

Namrata reviews Salma’s short story collection, The Curse: Short Stories translated by N Kalyan Raman (Speaking Tiger, 2020) emphasizing how the plausibility of these stories remains intact across the globe. Publisher: Speaking Tiger  Year of Publishing: October 2020  ISBN-13: 978-9389958874  Price: INR 350/- 

Namrata reviews S.L. Bhyrappa’s Brink (Translated by R. Ranganath Prasad and published by Niyogi Books, 2020) calling it a much-needed reminder in today’s times when mental health is still spoken about in a hush-hush manner.  Translated by R. Ranganath Prasad from a popular Kannada novel ‘Anchu‘ originally written by S.L. Bhyrappa, Brink is a story that touches a raw nerve with the reader in various ways. It talks about mental health and relationships with a rare poignancy all throughout its narrative.  Considered to be one of the foremost writers in Kannada literature, Bhyrappa has been honoured with many awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Daatu in 1975 and Saraswati Samman of K.K. Birla Foundation for Mandra in 2010. His novels have been translated into almost all Indian languages. Previously R. Ranganath Prasad worked for a public sector bank and later resigned from his job to pursue his interest in literature and translations. Initiated to metrical versification, he has

Image Source: Amazon.in ISBN: 978-8194874157 Genre: Fiction, Mythological fiction, Legends Publisher: Aleph Book Company (10 December 2020)   Price: INR 999/- About the Book One of India’s greatest epics, The Kathasaritsagara is thought to have been compiled around 1070 CE by Somadeva Bhatt, during the reign of Raja Ananta of the Lohara dynasty of Kashmir. Even though this extraordinary work is one of the longest creations in Indian and world literature, it is considered to be only a small part of an even longer work called Brihatkatha, composed by Gunadhya in a lost language known as Paisachi. Somadeva collected and retold the stories of The Kathasaritsagara in Sanskrit to entertain Raja Ananta’s wife, Suryavati. This masterpiece is foundational for many of India’s best-loved folk tale traditions, such as Vetala Pachisi and Panchatantra, and it has influenced many of the world’s best-known classics, including One Thousand and One Nights, The Decameron, and The Canterbury Tales.  In

  Namrata reviews Raza Mir’s Murder at Mushaira (Aleph Book Company, 2021) and calls it a thrilling murder mystery with the charm of the bygone era woven intricately in it.  Murder at Mushaira as the name suggests is a historical thriller, where the legendary poet Ghalib turns into a sleuth and solves this murder mystery. Set in 1857, when Bahadur Shah Zafar ruled on Delhi, this book is infused with drama, mystery, history, poetry ( sher-o-shayari ) and humour. Author Raza Mir has brought together his love and passion for history and Urdu poetry in this book. As is evident from his previous works, Ghalib: A Thousand Desires, The Taste of Words: An Introduction to Urdu Poetry, and the co-author of Anthems of Resistance: A Celebration of Progressive Urdu Poetry, Mir is a perfect aficionado on this subject to weave a tale around it. Read the full review on Kitaab . 

  Image Source: Amazon.in ISBN: 978-9389305678   Publisher: Jaico Publishing House Price: INR 499/- Genre: Fiction, Fantasy About the Book  Patience is a Drawn Bow. Rage, its Relentless Arrow.  Shukracharya’s plan to break the unity of Vikramaditya’s Council has borne bitter fruit. Friends have become sworn enemies, and brother has turned against brother, setting Avanti on the path to self-destruction. Even as Vikramaditya prepares to counter a Huna invasion, a rebellion brews within Ujjayini, while a devious conspiracy is hatched to humiliate him. With Indra’s spies swarming the palace and Shukracharya making a bold bid to take the Halahala, the king is dangerously close to the brink of defeat. Alone and abandoned by those dear to him, fighting to protect his people, trying his best to keep his promise to Shiva, will the samrat rise one last time to defend his love, his city and his honour? As the asura and deva forces muster in a final, desperate gamble to claim the Halahala, Th