Review Diaries (Love on the Everest: Love Conquers Everything by Deepthi Ayyagari)

Name of the book- Love on the Everest: Love Conquers Everything by Deepthi Ayyagari.

Stars given - 5 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

So I stared this one when I was all the way hooked, booked and completely cooked by my studies.

A very cutesy love story which reminded me of, well me.

My parents are true romantics who still love to go on dates and adventures. As my name suggests, I was named after one such adventure.

I adore these two and they love me in loads and this is where the similarity ends.

His parents want him to settle down and then life shows him a different plan.

Over all I liked the story, it's a real small book. I finished it with 45 mins, so not much character building is there but you will not feel left out of the story. It's all there for you.

There were times when I feel the Indianised English can be replaced by a tad bit more formal version of it but that will only increase the story's likeability.

PS happy new year.

Review Diaries (Beyond Lies: A nail biting psychological thriller with a killer twist by Alka Dimri Saklani)

Name of the book- Beyond Lies: A nail biting psychological thriller with a killer twist by Alka Dimri Saklani.

Stars given - 5 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

Today it was real cold in Calcutta, like almost reaching single digits on the scale cold.

And nothing can be better than grabbing a thriller, a cup of coffee and some blanket time. Today was even more special cause I read this one to my Mimi as well.

The book was both interesting and in some places borderline aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing.

Kudos for the fast pace of the book.

All that was missing was some popcorn and lots of butter but those weren't possible so let's take this one have a ball of a time. If one likes thrillers and mystery then this a darn good read for them.

Review Diaries (The Apple: History's greatest mystery. Mankind's greatest theft by Devashish Sardana)

Name of the book - The Apple: History's greatest mystery. Mankind's greatest theft by Devashish Sardana.

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

As a student of literature there is nothing more tempting than hearing of a book that says it's about mankind's greatest theft… I for one was all in for it.

You see I used to be a commerce student and I took on the epic journey to tackle literature for my grads cause I was hungry to read anything and everything could about mythologies around the world, have I heard of libraries and the internet, right? Yeah I hear that mocking smirk filled laughter but I regret nothing.

Coming back to this one, I enjoyed it, like a lot.

I almost left part of the story, with my exams coming soon and me sneaking a read or two here and there.

The language of the book is straight forward and simple and it enhances the whole reading experience.

Here's to hoping that the sequel comes after my exams are all done.

Review Diaries (Unique Scientific Puzzles by Dr Subramaniam Pancharatnam)

Name of the Book - Unique Scientific Puzzles.

Author - Dr Subramaniam Pancharatnam

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

On the starting this book I was very impressed. This was one fun read, in between my exam preparation I read this one and had a whale of a time.

The first part with the puzzles was a bit tough to understand in the beginning but slowly it became easy and then it was one smooth ride.

The second part with the jokes made me giggle like maniac. I read a few to my Mimi and she too enjoyed them as well.

Author Interview (Seemaant Sohal)

Navkiran and O Charam are two books of a poetry collection by Seemaant Sohal that have been published under the aegis of Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi, Udaipur. The author was given the Sumnesh Joshi award for his book Navkiran. He (along with Mayamriga and Pramod Kumar Sharma) has edited the short stories and poetry collection book ‘Sahitya Prasav’. Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi’s book of collection of poetry of poets from Rajasthan, ‘Ret Par Nange Paanv’, contains Seemaant Sohal’s poetry. He has also done Punjabi to Hindi translation work.

The poems in Sohal’s new book, Rabaab are inspired by the enlightening words of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Collectively, the poems encompass and encapsulate the philosophical teachings of the first Sikh Guru, and his thoughts on life and spirituality. I have strived to keep my verses true in their spirit to the words of Baani and Japu Ji Saheb.

In an interview about Rabaab, Seemant Sohal talks about the inspiration behind the poems and several other topics. Read the full interview below.

Q1. What is your book about?

Ans. The poems in Rabaab are inspired by the enlightening words of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Collectively, the poems encompass and encapsulate the philosophical teachings of the first Sikh Guru, and his thoughts on life and spirituality. I have strived to keep my verses true in their spirit to the words of Baani and Japu Ji Saheb.

Q2. What inspired you to write this book?

Ans. During a car journey, my mind wandered towards the writing and philosophy of Amish. On that trail of thought, I started thinking about my readings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his illuminating doctrines on life and the spiritual process. It was then that I decided to pen down my interpretation of his teachings in my own verse.

Q3. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

Ans. Gurbani refers to the hymns in Sikh Texts. In Rabaab, I have tried to enunciate the teachings of the Gurbani in simple verses. My hope from this book is that it gives the readers a better outlook on the teachings in these hymns, helping them better understand, appreciate and adopt them.

Q4. Is writing your full-time career? Or would you like it to be?

Ans. Writing is not a full-time career for me, yet. But, I would love to pursue it as my main profession.

Q5. What was your dream job when you were younger?

Ans. As a child, I dreamed about securing a stable job, much like the other kids my age. Later, I found great joy in reading short stories and poetry. I still remember one of my favourites was the Bure Phanse series. After I started reading, I started leaning towards writing gradually.

Q6. Do you like reading? Who is your favourite author?

Ans. I still enjoy reading as much as I did as a child. My favourite Punjabi author is Surjit Patar. The Hindi authors I like the most include Naresh Saxena, Rajesh Joshi and Krishan Kalpik.

Q7. What is the significance of the title?

Ans. Rabaab is string instrument that Guru Nanak Dev Ji gifted to his cherished friend, Bhai Mardana. Bhai Mardana played the instrument when the Guru sang his hymns, adding to their beauty, which is precisely what my book aims to do.

Q8. What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?

Ans. I don’t believe writing to be a thing one can learn. You can only take inspiration from the maestros, but it is not a textbook subject that can be taught and learned. If I ever get the chance, I would be honoured to seek inspiration from the master Hindi poets- Naresh Saxena, Rajesh Joshi and Krishan Kalpik.

Q9. What does success mean to you?

Ans. Success, to me, means a peaceful life with mental and physical relaxation. I believe a person is truly successful only when he is kind, generous and giving.

Q10. What is your opinion on the relationship of the present youth with spiritual knowledge?

Ans. I believe that every person must know where they come from, socially and spiritually. The knowledge of religious texts teaches a lot more than just stories, it teaches us the way of life. I think that a society that abandons its spiritual roots would inch close to chaos, and the people would be far from good.

Review Diaries (Music Men Volume 1: Badoga by Pankaj Saini)

Name of the book - Music Men Volume 1: Badoga by 

Pankaj Saini.

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book -

I really had a whale of a time reading this one.

Sitting at home, missing class cause I have twisted my ankle and feeling sorry for myself this one could not have come at a better time in my life.

So the cover of the book made me think that this book will take a different direction than the one it did, but the one in the book is a cool one as well.

Everyone's parents think that their kid is destined for great things and so does our protagonist's mom, is she right or wrong is a question I won't answer, cause wink wink that's a major part of the story.

The language at times was a bit brash and overwhelming for me but that can be cause I have been propped up on the bed with a mountain of pillows for company but the conversations and humor made me crack a rib, well almost.

Anyhu, this one was a cozy read for me this winter.

Review Diaries (MIЯЯЯO : at THƎ WƎIЯⱭ WAYWAЯⱭBy Manoj Kumar Sharma)

Name of the book - MIЯЯЯO : at THƎ WƎIЯⱭ WAYWAЯⱭ

By Manoj Kumar Sharma.

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

So when I started the book, I thought it will be a very Bollywood inspired book. You know where there is action and drama and dance and romance then lots of tragedy and hero saves the day. And boy was I in for a surprise…

So this story is based in the year some time in the future, needless to say the problems that plague us today are still in play then as well.

The book is peppered with small comics strip like sketchs which gives you a clear picture of the situation in details.

The language of the book is simple, very colloquial in it's use.

There is one thing that needs mentioning, start the book when you have some time with you, cause this isn't a story that you can leave half way and go do something else.

Review Diaries (The Slut Chronicles: EnslavedKritika Sharma)

Name of the book- The Slut Chronicles: Enslaved

Kritika Sharma.

Stars given - 5 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

I read book 1 some time back and was eagerly awaiting the release of book 2. And boy oh boy was I in for a treat.

This book had always been one of those thriller books that you knew would give you nightmares.

I mean she does let you know what might come next and yet you go ahead with the story.

This girl has been a friend, yes I adopt fictional characters, and now she has my friendship and lots of hugs.

The language, like the first book is simple, to the point and very apt.

I did find out a secret about this book all on my own, which I of course won't be giving away.

But when at the end of book 2 I saw that someone who made my blood boil, I kid you not I regretted not taking karate classes as a kid.

On a serious note book 3 can't come see on enough for me.

Review Diaries (Supercop of Aryavrat by MIthilesh Kumar)

Name of the book - Supercop of Aryavrat by MIthilesh Kumar.

Stars given - 5 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

So growing up I was a big story hogger, if there is a time I could get away with asking for a story and get away with it, I would ask and insist in it being completed.

My Nani was my storehouse of stories.

She is the one who made me believe in fairies and in a way God, my love for Ma is something I got as a legacy.

But Krishna was someone I had a lot of problems with, he was like this little kid I would fight against for attention. So needless to say his stories were strictly avoided.

In recent years I have read a lot of re-tellings but this one takes the cake for it's the same old story but all happening in some very far away time in the future.

The language was very straight forward and I really had a whale of a time reading it.

Review Diaries (ROSÉ'S... BENT STEM: Girl Tangled by NOMITA KHANNA)

Name of the book- ROSÉ'S... BENT STEM: Girl Tangled by NOMITA KHANNA.

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

As someone who is big fan of thrillers this was a good read.

The language of the was very straight forward and the story was nice 

The best part about the book was the fact that one had to wait till the last to realise what happens.

You can see things happening but you would not realize whose side you want to be on.

The protagonist was one hell of a character and the supporting ones played well into the plot.

I just had one problem with the story and that was mentioning things like 'a fair hand' or 'chocolate brown throat' sounded a tad bit weird in my opinion otherwise me likey.

Review Diaries (Small is Big - Volume 3 by Rafaa Dalvi)

Name of the book - Small is Big - Volume 3 by Rafaa Dalvi.

Stars given - 1000 on 5 stars…

My take on the book-

I loved it.

Yeah it's as simple as that.

In the beginning of the book and also the blurb it said that there is one for everyone, including YOU and I was like uhu, sure why not.

And now here we are with me trying to see if I can get my hands on the first two volumes.

So this is a collection of short shorts, like 4 to 5 lines in each story but they make a good mark.

Let me rephrase that,  they stay in your mind long after they are done.

Some of them are dark while others are real cute, but the key is to think and think and then realizing there is a different side as well.

So yeah, me likey.

I am this close to finding the Author online and asking him out for coffee, cause this book was aaaaaamazing.

Review Diaries (The Homecoming by Maitry)

Name of the book - The Homecoming by Maitry.

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

Sometimes a good book is what the doctor prescribed to make your day and that is what this book did.

Solo trip and lots of adventure, need I say more?

PS growing up I have always been obsessed with going in trips and visiting new places and meeting new people but a solo trip is something that I am yet to take up on. So coming back to the book, it had this simplicity to it that charms any weary heart for sure. I mean I have an exam tomorrow and I finished it today, so take my word for it…it's an amazing read for sure.

Review Diaries (Sacrifice by Ameya Kale)

Name of the book- Sacrifice

by Ameya Kale.

Stars given - 4 on 5 stars.

My take on the book-

This one was one cool read for me and very early on it showed great potential of being something amazing.

Remember the last thriller or sci-fi you saw?

It stared like any other regular day, birds are chirping, people are being peps and our protagonist is showed at his or her most natural habitat and then bamb!

It all happens!

Nothing is the same again and everything is now beyond repair or so it seems.

I liked the whole thing with one exception, you see see the plot was nice so was the language. The lucid and simple text made it easier for one to easily read it and the exception you ask, it's just that it ended a bit early for my liking.