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Book Review- The Ocean at the end of the lane

The ocean at the end of the lane

Book Review Ocean at the end of the lane   Magic realism is a style in literature that is not only difficult to write but even more difficult to understand as a reader. There are characters with superpowers and human limitations. The plot is more about what a reader can interpret as compared to what the author has narrated. Ocean at the end of the lane was my first book on magic realism and it made the reader in me go on a adventure ride in a fantasy world. It was like watching one of Christopher Nolan’s movies where you spend more time reading about it than reading into it. This is a novel that manages to balance frenetic action with wistful...

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Book Review- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Dear Ijeawele-A feminist manifesto in fifteen suggestions.

Have you wondered that how you want to raise you daughter? What are the values and opinions you want to instil in her? I often wonder about these things and this book came in so handy to put my thoughts in my words. This is a very slim book and something I did not read in one go. There is so much to absorb from the book that I found it unfair to gulp it down at once. I sipped it like a fine wine last week and I already feel like a better person. This was gifted to me by my sister when my daughter was born and now I think, this has been the most valuable gift. What is...

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Book Review- Gopi Diaries by Sudha Murthy

Gopi Diaries By Sudha Murthy Gopi Diaries is a book about the dog Gopi who is adopted into the Murthy household by Rohan. There are three books in the series Gopi Diaries. This week I got a chance to read it to my daughter, who is still very young to understand the words but, she enjoyed the illustrations and got an idea about the story. My daughter has a dog sibling and, she loves the company of pets, but I know that a lot of children find dogs scary or intimidating. This book explains to them in simple expression that pets can be part of the family. I plan to gift this book to my six-year-old nephew, who is pestering his...

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MOTHER’S DAY

It is Mother’s day again, that hot Sunday in the month of may when the malls would be cashing out on emotions, social media would be oozing out with love for mothers. While I am not against celebrating Mother’s day, I just want people to know that it is a celebration of motherhood and not just mothers. Motherhood is not restricted to women who has given you birth. Motherhood remains the most natural institution in women and some men too, fatherhood is rather an inventive institution.  Men are not born fathers but women are born mothers, even in their young years of girlhood they develop a maternal feeling for their younger siblings. Few of the most prominent motherly figures in religion...

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BOOK REVIEW-CAPTAIN AMARINDER SINGH: PEOPLE’S MAHARAJA – AN AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY

I found Captain Amarinder Singh in his orange turban and black sherwani, standing tall on the cover page looking at me from my bedside table and asking me-“why have you kept me here from last one week? Either read me or put me back on the shelf” I wanted to give you my undisturbed attention Captain Saab, so I have fixed the weekend date with your book. People’s Maharaja- an autobiography of Captain Amarinder Singh. By Khushwant Singh Publisher-Hay House 381 pages He must be a brave man to have someone write his biography and not Hagiography just before the elections. The book presents 70 years of the protagonist’s life in some 380 pages over 49 chapters that are short and precise. This is surely a...

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SOULMATE

As part of the writing workshop, all of us were asked to pick a random phrase from any book and write a story on it. Here’s my story Soulmate Keeping the direct sunlight from her kitchen, she pulled the binds and stirred the halwa on stove rigorously. “Suresh…Can you please open the door, I think Anjali is here”..She said in a loud voice. Suresh walked with towards the door clumsily holding his stick in one hand, he peeped through the eye hole in the door and with a smile on his face, he unlocked the door to welcome Anjali. “Please come beta, we have been waiting for you” said Suresh and offered her a seat in their living room. Anjali was looking beautiful in her pastel blue...

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COLOR ME RED

I am the color red, I saw you today when you were thinking about your favorite wine, looking at me as a plastic cup in a cafe.I know how you fall in love with me every time I look at you. You live a little more looking at me. I saw you yet again on the traffic lights with fiery eyes full of warning. I met you minutes later with your long due touch up the “rosy Sunday” shade of your lipstick, I was amazed to see how confident you feel even with the dark side of mine. I was in the flare of your gypsy skirt giving you the Scarlett glow on your face while you were thinking “the hem of my skirt...

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MAHARAJA IN DENIMS (BOOK REVIEW)

When you need a fiction for your summer evenings with Merlot, you pick up Maharaja in Denims by Khushwant Singh. So once again I went the Flipkart way and ordered Maharaja in Denims by Khushwant Singh. It took me 3 days and few glasses of wine to read the book. Maharaja in Denims is fiction written keeping in my mind the fancy-schmancy ‘Chandigarh life’, which is unique and you cannot compare it to any other city in India.In the background, there is a story about Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well. When I was doing my graduation in Melbourne, I was often asked a few question about Punjab from fellow Gujarati and Maharashtrian friends. “Is Makki ki roti your staple diet? Do you all know...

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SITA (BOOK REVIEW)

Stories of Indian Mythology have always been intrigued my interests. Their magic, mysticism, and their morals, unfold a layer of human psychology and history. Stories are written to seduce human mind with the rights and wrongs. Stories about curses and boons. My recent read was Sita- an illustrative retelling of Ramayana by Devdutt Pattanaik, I like the way Pattanaik gives a very unbiased version of Ramayana in this. I am more of a  believer in Karma than dharma so for me this book was about getting to know Ram and Sita and while reading I felt that hero of the story was actually Hanuman!!. So I finished the book in about 8 days, the book was very gripping till the end and left a lasting impact...

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