We Never Know

We Never Know

Author : Bhumika Monani
Publisher : Half Baked Beans
Pages : 118
Price : 225/- INR
Buy : Amazon / Flipkart
Rating : 3/5 stars

Blurb :
Jigisha, hailing from the small city of Ajmer, and a fresher at St. Edmunds College, has a lot in store for her for the next three years of her life.
Would her friendship with Shantanu, and love for Nikhil turn her into a different person?
Or would she gain a new perspective on life?
Will the iterations of ever changing circumstances leave her high and dry?
Read this gripping saga that will take you back to your college days and make you nostalgic.
Review :
This was an awesome and quick read. A great blend of college life, romance , friendship, a bit of angst , a touch of drama. This book has everything to make you feel nostalgic. Some scenes were very relatable.The story revolves around Jigisha and Sushant. The book is well written and engaging. Language is simple and easy to read.Overall the book is a good light read. Definitely one i recommend.

Twenty Three

Twenty Three
A Collection Of Short Stories

Author : Bikramjit Sen
Publisher : Notion Press
Pages : 161
Price : 175 /- INR
Buy : Amazon India
Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb : Everyone has a story to tell or a story that deserves to be told. Since no person is the same, everyone’s life is a unique tale. 

This uniqueness of different lives is honoured by Twenty Three: Collection of Short Stories that narrates the lives of various people. 

Twenty Three tells all kinds of stories, ranging from stories of ordinary people to those of paranormal entities. So, step into different dimensions as you flip through the various stories of Twenty Three.
Review :
Loved this collection. The great collection of stories, observational , character driven , brilliant in style and tone. Many stories are whimiscal that makes them incredibly beautiful and sad at the same time. The characters are interestiing. Language is simple and easy to understand. The cover of the book is beautiful and compel you to pick it up. The title is apt. Language : Greatest of all ? and Platonic love are my favourite. A must read book for those who read short stories. Highly recommend !

Paradise Towers

Paradise Towers

Author : Shweta  Bachchan - Nanda

Publisher : Harper Collins India
Release Date : 10 October 2018

HarperCollins India to launch Shweta Bachchan-Nanda’s debut novel, Paradise Towers, on 10^th October 2018

HarperCollins India is delighted to announce that Shweta Bachchan-Nanda’s debut,Paradise Towers, will release on 10^th October 2018, with a book launch event in Mumbai. A heart-warming slice-of-life novel set in an apartment building in Mumbai, Paradise Towers, is a riveting read brimming with the drama and intrigue of everyday lives. The book is now available for pre-order on major online retail sites.

About Paradise Towers: 

Dinesh opens the door to the Kapoor flat to find Lata, the enchantress who works at Mrs Aly Khan’s, carrying a hot case with freshly made gaajar ka halwa. On the first floor, the inquisitive Mrs Mody wipes the dust off her precious binoculars to spy on the building’s security guard. The Singhs open the doors of their SUV, their four boys creating a ruckus – they are the newcomers, the outsiders. Through the peephole, the ever-watchful Mrs Ranganekar observes their arrival. Welcome to Paradise Towers, an apartment building in central Mumbai. Everyone here has a story to tell. Or maybe they have stories to hide.

Shweta Bachchan-Nanda’s quirky, intimate debut explores the intertwined lives in this building – a forbidden romance, an elopement, the undercurrents of tension in corridor interactions and an explosive Diwali celebration. Shweta Bachchan-Nanda’s is a dazzling voice that will draw you into the intoxicating, crazy world that is Paradise Towers.

Speaking about how she came to write Paradise Towers, Shweta Bachchan-Nanda said, ‘I grew up with my grandfather who was a poet and a writer. Writing and reading was always a very important part of our lives. I’ve been writing a diary ever since I was a little girl, and wrote stories that I never shared with anyone. Then, one day I just said, I am going to take this plunge. I started writing a column for a newspaper in Mumbai and it gave me a lot of confidence to go ahead and do this full time, and that’s where Paradise Towers comes from.’

Latitudes Of Longing

Latitudes Of Longing

Author : Shubhangi Swarup
Publisher : Harper Collins Publishers India
Pages : 331
Price : 599 /- INR
Buy : Amazon India
Rating : 4/5 stars

Blurb :
‘Intense, lyrical, and powerful … This is a remarkable debut.’ – Jeet Thayil An astounding exploration of intense longings, Shubhangi Swarup’s novel begins in the depths of the Andaman Sea, and follows geological and emotional faultlines through the Irrawaddy delta and the tourist-trap of Thamel, to end amidst the highest glaciers and passes of the Karakorams. The story sweeps through worlds and times that are inhabited by: a scientist who studies trees and a clairvoyant who talks to them; Lord Goodenough who travels around the furthest reaches of the Raj, giving names to nameless places; a geologist working towards ending futile wars over a glacier; octogenarian lovers; a superstitious dictator and a mother struggling to get her revolutionary son released; a yeti who seeks human companionship; a turtle who turns first into a boat and then a woman; and the ghost of an evaporated ocean as restless as the continents. Binding them all together is a vision of life as vast as the universe itself. Richly imaginative and irresistible in its storytelling, Latitudes of Longing announces the arrival of an incredible new literary talent.
Review :
Enchanting , whimisical and Beautiful. What an incredible read. A beautifully written novel that will give you a strong setting and feeling.I realize i think about the book many many times since i read this book.Enjoyed the book through for its lovely imagery of land and people. Language is simple and easy to understand. Book cover compell you to pick it up. Title is apt to the story. A must read book.
Highly Recommend !!

** I received a review copy of the book from Harper collins and the curious reader ( thecuriousreader.in) for a honest and unbaised review. **

Hungry Gods

Hungry Gods

Author : Richa Lakhera
Publisher : Rupa Publications
Pages :196
Price : 295/- INR
Buy : Amazon / Flipkart
Rating : 4/5 stars

Blurb:
Beaten and brutally raped, her body is never found. However, the killers make one mistake. They leave a witness, a witness who has nothing to live for except revenge. And when he crosses the boundaries of time to make the guilty pay, a whole lot of dark characters come to light. There is Valentine, the superstar brand ambassador who sells anything for a price; there is Medici, a pharmaceutical company fraudulently manufacturing banned drugs; there is the perverted and sinister minded Dr Ranga and there is Este, the prostitute whose dark secret will blow up a daughter’s sanity. So, is there another murder waiting to happen? Will Police Inspector Dorab Silva be able to connect the clues to prevent another crime? Will these gods of greed be exposed? And yes, you will be surprised by who you will find there, finally. Deeply unsettling, Hungry Gods takes a hard look at greed for wealth and power.
Review :
Hungry Gods is a tense, gripping and somewhat disturbing story for me.This book looks like a fluffy crime thriller because of its colourfull cover but its grittier than its look that is more dark and black. The book is filled with wonderfull characters and a great plot. This fast paced story covers many aspects at times somewhat predictable but is so entertaining that i had hard time putting it down infact it took me only two sittings to finish it. The naration is smooth. Language is simple and the title is apt to the story. I greatly enjoyed the book.

Table For One

Table For One

Author : Neha Bindal
Publisher : Half Baked Beans
Pages : 171
Price : 245/- INR
Buy : Amazon India
Rating : 4/5 stars

Blurb : Taara Maheshwari, a single woman in her thirties and a successful lawyer, is tough from outside but a die heart fan of romantic movies from inside. She grew up seeking her “happily ever after’ but amid various heartbreaks andculture of modern age short term relationships,her believe in “true connections" got replaced by the comfort of being “emotionally disconnected.” After she turned 31, her parents persuaded her into meeting a guy for marriage who sounded just perfect for her. Acting on impulse,she told her parents that she would meet him only if they let her go on atrip to Europe. As Taara went on to explore the world, she experienced what actually happens when a single Indian girl travels to Europe all by herself. Is it only about dancing, singing or falling in love? What happens after you fall in love? Does love conquer all? Only her story would tell.
Review :
The book Table for one was all in all a good read and as a avid  reader it was refreshing and very realistic. Protagonist Taara Maheshwari is a single woman in her Thirties and a successful lawyer. Taara Maheshwari faces her own struggle before the journey.The storyline is just different than the routine plot line. The book was an adventure. Although it was a little boring at times.I really liked the book. The language is simple. The cover of the book is simply awesome and compel you to pick it up.The title is apt to the story. Author  Neha Bindal unique and refreshing story telling is going to get her far, very far.I would recommend picking this book up for a refreshing read.

Rakshasas

Rakshasas

The Shadow Warriors

Author : Rajiv G.Menon
Publisher : Westland Publications
Pages : 442
Price : 399/- INR
Buy : Amazon India
Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb :
Rise, o mighty Rakshasas! The time has come for us to give these warriors of Light a reason to fear the Dark.’

The world is in turmoil. Naraka and his formidable Asura war machine march unhindered across it bringing once great nations to their knees. They have now set their eyes on the ultimate prize — Bharata, the land of the seven rivers. Indra and his Devas struggle to contain this threat, even as they battle their own differences and the temptations of Swarga.

In Bharata, Jayanta, the son of Indra, is the new ruler. Even as he prepares for the Asura invasion, a potent threat is rising in the vast forests of Dandaka. Vidyutkesa — the only survivor of a genocide perpetrated by Jayanta — has journeyed into its heart and made contact with the Order of the Sarpa. An ancient and powerful secret society headed by Queen Manasa. With the blessings of Raksha, the Earth Spirit, the Sarpas transform Vidyutkesa and his companions into supernatural beings called Rakshasas. Their mission: to protect their land, forests, and way of life.

In this second installment of his Vedic Trilogy, Rajiv G. Menon weaves a rich and vibrant tapestry of the epic struggle between earth-worshipping feminine cultures that live in harmony with nature, and the patriarchal forces that seek to tame her.
Review :
The book Rakshasas by Author Rajiv Menon is engaging and fascinating. Book is a fast thrilling read with a good plot and excellent usage of mythological characters. The characters are strong. The blend of facts and fiction was good. The first half was so so but was glued in the second half. The book is a pageturner from start to finish. The language of the book is simple and cover and title apt to the story. A must read book for those who love mythological fiction and adventure. Eagerly waiting for the last book of the series.