That's In My Library!

With its  subversive feminist thrust and persistent questioning of what constitutes religion, tradition and  culture, Saswati Sengupta's debut novel  The Song Seekers is sure to strike a chord. It is a poignant exploration of the lives of women in Indian society transcending time and space. Weaved around mystery and laced with beautiful poems throughout, this makes for a perfect unputdownable read.  Set in the turbulent 1960s in Bengal, the novel revolves around the life of newly wed Uma, an  English Literature graduate from Miranda House, as she steps into the threshold of her marital home  Kailash, the ancestral mansion of the highly reputed Chattopadhyay family of Calcutta. Even as she  tries to find her footing in a new, unfamiliar world, Uma is intrigued by the shadows that seem to  linger in the sprawling mansion; her husband’s silence about his mother’s death, the presence of the  enigmatic green-eyed Pishi, a few old letters kept safely in her father-in-law’s bedsi

This book is beautifully written, and at a peaceful pace. Nevertheless, it takes your heart for a wild roller coaster ride. If you're able to relate to any of the characters, or even if you're not, you will definitely be left asking for more in the end. Also, the story is left at such a point, I had to check up online to see if there is a sequel. (P.S.- There is.) Like all old traditional Indian stories, Chitra B. Divakaruni writes about unfulfilled desires and sacrificial love in an emotionally charged flowery prose. The story is about two sisters, Anju and Sudha. They are cousins, although there is a little discrepancy there, born on the same day in the same house in Calcutta (now Kolkata). The very same day their mothers come to know that both their fathers have died in an accident. The sisters grow up as best friends, more like soul mates. They have completely different personalities shaped due to the ideas that society imposes on them. Sudha is made to believe that h

I happened to come across this book at a bookstore sometime back and the first thing that caught my eyes was the stick figures along with big fonts that mimicked handwriting. I knew it was for kids, but picked it up anyway (the cover does play a role at times!). And the book is pure pleasure! Greg Heffley, the protagonist, is a kid in middle school who is subjected to bullying at home by his elder brother and at school by his peers. He is the typical weakling, the middle in a family of three kids and a coward with a lack of perseverance. So throughout the books, he tries to become someone who can't be bullied. In the process, he tries for shortcuts to success; takes advantage of his best friend’s simplicity, bullies his own younger brother, lies to his parents and teachers to name a few. He is not a character everyone would like, but you definitely end up empathizing with him. Also, the book is meant for kids and hence, the good part is it retains the goodness when all o

RIOT, by Shashi Tharoor, is not a conventional novel. It is not a story that starts with a ‘once upon a time’ and ends in a ‘happily ever after’. It has no linearity, no narrative, and neither a formal structure. It is an engrossing story in its own right; but which serves a much wider purpose in this ambitious and utterly fascinating novel. Yes, it is an experiment; but a pretty successful one at that! It speaks about a troubled time in India. It is about one of the most historic riots of the country, when extremism and provocation by Hindus and Muslims led to militancy. The author has admirable knowledge about the subcontinent’s history and current ills, including the increasing intolerance of religious diversity. The ensuing mayhem gave license to kill and avenge with little chance of accountability. Amidst all this, there is the ill-fated romance of Priscilla Hart, a young American working for an NGO in India, and Lakshman, an older, married Indian civil serva

There are some books you read and put away; and then there are others, like Gora, that you absorb. You get sucked into it, you feel everything the characters go through, and you come out of it as a better person altogether. Gora is one of the finest and the most complex of the Tagore's writing. It is not merely a novel; it is an epic saga of India, in a troubled time, questioning the basis of caste, tradition, filial piety, patriotism and marriage. Gora (Gourmohan), the protagonist, is intensely patriotic and a strong advocate of Hinduism. He practices his religion with thorough conviction and strict austerity, making him seem an arrogant, self-asserting, aggressive and violent person who thrusts his opinions unto others. On the other hand, Binoy, Gora's best friend, is soft spoken and compassionate gentleman who initially comes across as a shadow of Gora, but subsequently emerges as genuine and self-analyzing. The two boys come in contact with Poresh Babu, a spokesper

The Complete Sherlock Holmes -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ‘Crime is common. Logic is rare.’ I don't need to introduce the protagonist or the author of this book. Sherlock Holmes and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, are both recognized as the greatest in their respective fields; and that needs no justifying. The Complete Sherlock Holmes  is an  anthology of stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It comprises  four novels and fifty-six short stories,  including some of the most famous collections of Sherlock Holmes stories, such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, along with longer stories like The Hound of the Baskervilles. The stories revolve around the eccentric, arrogant, and ingenious Sherlock Holmes,  the most popular and influential fictional detective ever created . He and his trusted friend, Dr. John Watson, from whose perspective the stories are written, step from Holmes’ 221B Baker Street home into the swirling fog of V

First of all, I am so glad that the concept of 'Autobiography' has been utilized by people like Helen Keller. Her life in itself is inspirational; moreover, the fact that she wrote about it in such a pretty (yeah, that is the adjective I'm going to use) way is commendable. Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Alabama, USA and became blind and deaf due to an illness when she was 19 months old. This book captures her life in her own words. In The Story of My Life, she writes about how she accustomed herself to living her life normally, at the same time being aware of her obvious differences with everyone else. She talks of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, probably the biggest influence of her life, and describes her impact on her. She talks about all her other memories, from being a carefree child to travelling all over the world advocating for the blind later in her life. Helen Keller's spirit certainly shines in this beautifully written memoir . Although brief, i

Robert Langdon is back... And how! The Lost Symbol is the third adventure in the symbologist’s life  (after Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code ) that involves art, architecture, history, science and religion. This book is pretty similar to his previous books. It has a similar plot, structure, and theme; only this time it takes place in Washington D.C. and involves the Freemasons and quite a bit of Noetic Sciences. Langdon is called to Washington at a friend's request, only to find him missing, and spends the rest of the book chasing clues throughout the city trying to outwit a new villain who is seemingly as smart as he is. I enjoy all Dan Brown books. While I'm not a huge fan, I do like the fantastical idea that there exists a huge conspiracy out there that only a few people know about. His writing could use some work, and he's not exactly crafting great literature, but his stories are pretty suspenseful and high on content, which do enough to cover up

This was my first by Robert Goddard. And this mystery thriller took me by a fine surprise. The prologue itself has such a huge impact that you want to read the whole book! It's a summer’s day in 1981. The protagonist, David Umber, sees a two-year-old girl being abducted during a picnic and her older sister knocked down and killed by the abductor’s van. That leaves the nanny and the girls' brother standing there. The story starts over 20 years later. Umber has had married the nanny who, however, was never able to get over the incident and committed apparent suicide. A retired detective, CI Sharp, originally on the case, seeks Umber out in Prague and convinces him to assist in investigating the truth of the incident, even though there was already a confessor in jail. Soon after, he is murdered too. As their efforts proceed, many new things come into the picture and a theory arises that David's wife also was murdered. In the process of the two men solving the mystery

Ruskin Bond has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He is the one who introduced me to reading, and inspired me to write! He is a very important factor as to why my love for books developed. His books were the first to take me to those corners of my mind where I'd never been before (or maybe Enid Blyton was the first, but he has definitely influenced me more!). Ruskin Bond writes simple stories; stories that people living in cities can only imagine, stories that make us relive our childhoods and enjoy the memories of the simpler times. Ruskin Bond's Children's Omnibus is a compilation of such short stories and novellas. I have read and re-read these stories countless times. The stories range from innocent happenings in the Indian village life to some more witty ones. Though I like almost all of them, my favourites would be The Blue Umbrella (which has also come out as a movie), Angry River and The Road to the Bazaar. Sometimes you just need to belie

The legend of Shiva, the Destroyer God according to Hindu mythology, is a very fertile ground for authors to adapt and weave magic tales of adventure from. Amish Tripathi in his Shiva trilogy aspires to do that. The Immortals of Meluha is first of the three. This book is based on the belief that actions, deeds and karma are the only determining factors to metamorphose an ordinary man to a God-like figure or one whom legends make God! Amish, in his book, attempts to humanize the Hindu infinite 'Mahadev', The God of Gods and the Destroyer of Evil, with a refreshing take on mythology, but wavers in the process.   Shiva's life, that he depicts, is credible in some parts and amateurish in others. It will definitely appeal to those who have no knowledge about mythology, but not to those who are acquainted with some facts about Shiva. The story is set in Meluha, a near perfect land, around where the Indus Valley civilization existed. Shiva, a young tribal from Tibe

Before reading this book, I had a few apprehensions. I usually read Hercule Poirot's short stories and was a little sceptical that a novel might turn out to be a drag and boring; but thankfully, it's none of that. It is classic Agatha Christie (the Queen of Mystery) with an excellent murder mystery only she could have written. Poirot is semi-retired, only willing to take cases that interest him. And then he gets his wish! Alice Ascher is killed in Andover, Betty Barnard dies in Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke is found dead in Churston. Hercule Poirot receives a letter in advance of each murder, telling him where to expect the crime to take place. The great detective must unravel the clues and try to stop the killer before further lives are claimed. There were a lot of things to like in this story. The little Belgian man, with his funny moustaches and the queer dialogues, was obviously a big delight. The characters, their personalities and their reactions to the

INDIA 2014 -Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India Publication Division’s India 2014 is a comprehensive book with information about every policy initiative of our government. It is a comprehensive digest of our country’s progress in various fields, a giant yearbook with over a thousand pages and over thirty chapters of national interest in all areas of development like economics, sports, environment, science and technology, art and culture, health and defence. India 2014 is a reference annual published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It is an oft-prescribed reference book for civil service and other exams aspirants, as it attempts to condense and present the current Indian situation from a bureaucratic point of view. The reliability of data is assured as it is published by the government itself. It is filled with charts, tables and lists with data from the latest census and socio-e

The Alchemist is one of the more beautifully written books of our times. Though the book was originally written in Portugese, the translation in English still manages to bring out the essence of the original story and its message. It is a simple story of a young shepherd who follows his dreams of treasure and encounters many experiences and people, learning wisdom and life lessons along the way. Santiago is a shepherd boy who lives in Spain leading an ordinary life. He is simple and innocent, but craves for excitment and adventure. Believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, he starts on his journey to discover the treasure he believes is hidden in the Pyramids of Egypt. The book follows this journey, the people he meets, the dreams he has, the omens he encounters, and the nature he speaks to. Paulo Coelho’s work is a delight to read. All the things mentioned in the book are that we can relate to, things that we've either forgotten about or simply dismissed as childhoo

The Testament   is a classic John Grisham novel. It involves a hard-pressed lawyer, an action-packed pursuit, a lot of money and the highest issues at stake. One of the richest men in the world, Troy Phelan, writes the expected heirs (his six children by three failed marriages) out of his will and leaves everything to Rachel, an illegitimate daughter no one knew about, and jumps to a spectacular death. The wrinkle is that Rachel, a missionary in a remote part of Brazil, is totally out of touch with the outside world except for two phone calls a year. So Josh Stafford, Troy's long-time lawyer, sends Nate O'Riely, an associate, on a mission to find Rachel. Nate is fresh out of drug rehab for the fourth time, and is yet to come to terms with the wreck his life has become, a failed marriage and kids he doesn't stay in touch with, federal charges that jeopardize his law practice, along with little hope of true sobriety and recovery. Josh sees this little trip as a ch

As I start the review of this book, I need to mention that I'm going to be biased on this one. I deeply respect the writer and have immense love for all his works, albeit understandably. Even before I'd gotten down to reading this book, I'd heard so much about it. That rose my expectations quite a lot, but there was also a fear that it might not lead up to the hype. However, the poems are beautiful; according to me, you need to read it more than once to actually take in all that he has to offer. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), by Rabindranath Tagore, is a collection of poems written on varying subjects like hope, solitude, empowerment and prayer.  It was originally written in Bengali and translated in English by Tagore himself. His poems may have a complex subject, but his writing is noble and pleasing. There is simplicity, romanticism, philosophy, depth, morality and sublime imagery in the texts. The lines are subtle and comforting, and that will refresh your spiritu

It is a known fact that Jeffrey Archer can write suspense novels. Hence, it comes as no surprise when False Impression comfortably falls under the genre. Full of suspense, mystery, thrill, a bit of romance and humour, it is definitely a book worth reading. This novel is exceptionally well written, the language is clear, the plot is concise, and the characters are well developed. This book takes off with the 9/11 incident. A young, successful spotter, Anna, is fired from her job by her boss, Bryce Fenston, the owner of Fenston Finances, whose offices are in the Twin Towers. She finds out that Fenston is an experienced con artist, and is deceiving Lady Victoria in order to possess one of the most valuable Van Gogh paintings in the world. This takes place right before the two airplanes crash into the towers, sending the entire tower into frenzy. Anna escapes off radar, and determined to serve justice, forms a plan to stop Fenston and help Victoria. Along with plenty of friends t

Stephen W. Hawking is most probably one of the most brilliant minds of our time. He is perhaps the world’s most widely known physicist, partially because of people's amazement that a man who is so severely disabled by motor neuron disease can be such a brilliant scientist, but also due to the way he presents his facts about Cosmology to the world. ‘A Brief History of Time ’   is a very readable explanation of complicated physics. In this, Stephen Hawking has tried to make the readers understand the origin of the Universe, and the actual physics of the Universe. In the process, he explains many laws of physics, always giving a quick background of how these theories came to be. The explanations are simple and easy to understand. In fact, they are so good that readers with a background in Physics will likely find their understanding of the concepts increase, and others would develop an interest in the world’s oldest, and perhaps the most intriguing, science. Hawking'

Before I start, I would like to point out that I'm not a huge fan of chick-lit. So, I don't really remember why I picked up this book to read. Probably I was getting bored that day and this was the closest thing. Anyhow, I'm pretty glad I picked it up. This book has all the elements a fun light comedy should have. A great plot and amazing humour, and not the one where you smile or think 'that's funny', but the one where you snort and choke and literally roll on the floor laughing. Emma Corrigan, the lead, isn't a twit, but she does have a tendency to fall into awkward situations, mostly because her insecurities rule her personal roost. There are a few unrealistic but predictable coincidences, like the person Emma tells all her secrets to turns out to be her boss and the fact that he actually hears the drunken ramblings of a fellow passenger on an airplane. But her funny secrets, and her reactions in equally funny situations, make you want to read the