Amateur Author - Author of Extracts...From The Life - 12 Short Stories

  The book starts with a question - Are you a believer or a cynic? Since, I am a believer, I picked up this book from the local library. A sweet love story of Sidhu and Sahiba that ended tragically when Sidhu dies in a car crash. Then enters the ghost Harry, who used to love Sahiba when he was alive and then helps her get back Sidhu as her guardian angel. Too Bollywoodish, I must say.  Yes, Its a fantasy novel meant mostly for the teens. The book starts well but gets slightly boring later on. The book is in the form of third person narration. Harry is telling the story of Sahiba and Sidhu to a 13 year old girl Akshara who lost her mother and is undergoing therapy to overcome her grief. The book deals with love , faith, confusions, one sided love, grief and pain of losing a loved one .  The author tried to create a romcom of a different genre which I think he did.  Towards the end, Akshara feels that Harry is her illusion while Harry keeps maintaining that he is for real and the story o

  When I looked at the title of this book, I thought it was about politicians and politics of India. However, that's the style of our master cartoonist - RK Laxman. The wit and the satire starts right from the title. This book is a collection of 10 stories about those who are an integral part of our daily lives - The Domestic Helps . The various characters etched by the author are unforgettable.  The stories revolve around drivers, cooks, cleaners, nanny and their relationships with the employer. There is Swami, the cook, there is Anthony, the driver who makes money on the side by giving lifts to strangers, there is Kumar, a part-time theatre artist who later becomes a full-time movie actor, there is Shanthi, the maid who has her romantic escapades with the neighbour's servant and so the chronicles go on.  The stories are nostalgic, funny, witty and emotional. A simple and short read and you'll find pencil sketches drawn by RK Laxman before every story. On the whole a delig

                                                              What will you do when you get to know that you'll die in few months? A story of emotional connect between an old dying professor and his ex-student. Morrie,an old professor is suffering from a degenerating disease - ALS which is eating him up slowly. He know he is going to die in few months.  Mitch was his student who got busy in rat race gets to know about his professor and visits him every tuesday. Then starts some thought-provoking conversations. They talk about everything in life - about life, about relationships, about money, about work. This book talks about one important aspect of life and that is "Acceptance". Morrie knows he is going to die but doesnt fuss about it. He doesnt want to be pitied. He doesnt want people to feel bad for him.  Another point which Morrie talks about is giving our time and concern to people. "You know what really gives you satisfaction?" What? "Offering others w

  Book - Daastan-e Tawareekh Written By - Damodarlal Garg Dastaan-E-Tawareekh is a collection of 21 short stories and anecdotes from Indian History. Its written in Hindi and talks about some undisclosed aspects from history wrt the culture, some unique traditions that once prevailed in India and the neighbouring countries. The stories capture the rise and fall of kingdoms, human emotions like love,lust, jealousy and competition. The stories also talk about how humans can turn ungrateful and unfaithful and then destroy themselves. There is also a pinch of sarcasm that the author adds in these stories. Some stories that I liked: Amavasya ke din Poornima Ka Chand Vichitra Riti-Riwaz Bundel ka nayak Hardoula Premika ki yaad mein basa Hyderabad Mewar ka Bheeshm-Rajkumar Chudaji I looked for more information on this book, but could find a single mention of the same anywhere on internet. However, the other works of the author are there. I found this copy in a local library. The author mention

  " The Nation has a right to know and we have a duty to tell how our Captains of War keep vigil over the borders of India around the clock and sacrifice their lives so that the Nation lives" Book Title -  Battles of Dograi - 1965 - Dare Devilry of 3 Jat BN Written by - Dr. Virendra Verma This 74 pages book is a power packed account of one of the hard-fought war fought by India - The war of 1965. Very effective narration and story telling. I felt as if I was right there in the war field watching it live. It has all the minute and first hand details of the war. No nonsense and just absolute facts. Read this book to know what a soldier goes through during the war, how a soldier prepares for the war and how does it feel to be there in the war-field. This book also has take-away on the leadership qualities, the importance of discipline and keeping oneself fit and the importance of physical training. Mentions of some of the Heros from the Battle of Dograi: Lt. Col Desmond Hayde Su

           A story that deals with the struggles and emotions of a teen who is on the heavier side.   The story deals with Fat-Shaming and bullying which we as a society overlook. Pamela is a young girl who is bullied, mocked at for her weight, the way she eats or for her looks and this has affected her badly. She feels unwanted and unloved. She has no one to express or confide and hence, makes her toys her family. She talks to them, confides in them, fights with them and even takes advice from them. The author has brought out the human emotions very well along with an added flavor of subtle humour.  The way Pamela ended her relationships with her love interests shows that Body-Shaming not only affects a person emotionally and psychologically but also his or her relationships. Her self-doubts ruined her romantic relationships. A very touching story. Though the initial few chapters were little slow,but the story picks up the speed later.  On the whole a good read. Reviewed By, Shilpa Bh