That's In My Library!

JAYA An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata There's something about the biggest epic of the world that makes people come back to it time and again. Mahabharata is probably the most retold story in the world; and deservedly so. Of all the stories I've read of the characters of this legendary epic, this version by Devdutt Pattanaik has got to be one of the most detailed and thought-out ones. There's been neither the humanizing of the demigods of the tale, nor any attempt to make the story more realistic. He has presented the same story in all its beauty, keeping all its strengths and flaws alike. Almost everyone is familiar with the story of the Mahabharata. This book is written as a flashback; as Astika, king of the Nagas and Vaisampayana, guardian of Vyasa's great tale, tell Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, the grandson of the Pandava, Arjun, the story of his forefathers just before he was about to perform the Sarpa Sattra, a sacrificial ritual...

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 ...

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...