#CoverReveal : Guardian Angel by Ruchi Singh

~ Cover Reveal ~

Guardian Angel by Ruchi Singh

The Man

Security expert Nikhil Mahajan is in mortal danger. Gravely injured and unable to see, he is in the midst of hostile strangers in an unknown place. Any hope of survival is fast fading away. 

The Angel

Should an innocent man be allowed to die just because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Someone has to intervene.

About the Author:

Winner of TOI WriteIndia Season 1, Ruchi Singh is a novelist, and writes in two genres; romance and romantic thriller. A voracious reader, she loves everything—from classics to memoirs to editorials to chick-lit, but her favourite genre is ‘romantic thriller’. Besides writing and reading, her other interests include dabbling with Indian classical dance forms.

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#BookReview ; Ramayana Versus Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik

It is a popular belief that the Ramayana is idealistic, while the Mahabharata is realistic. Yet these two epics have identical building blocks, identical themes, and identical history. In this groundbreaking book, Devdutt Pattanaik, India’s most popular mythologist, explores the similarities and dissimilarities between the two epics in a ‘playful analaysis’ accompanied by his signature illustrations. Whether it is the family structure, forest exile, or war, the comparison between the two epics prove a startling point—the Mahabharata is in fact a reaction to the events in the Ramayana. Ideas in this book are distributed over 56 chapters. In temples ritual, Vishnu is offered 8 different meals daily, different on all seven days of the week—56 dishes in all. May each chapter serve as a mouthwatering offering to the Vishnu within you.

Ramayana Versus Mahabharata is the latest book by mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik & published by Rupa Publications. The author writes & lectures on the relevance of mythology in modern times. He has written over 700 articles in newspapers, and thirty books, which include bestsellers such as My Gita, My Hanuman Chalisa and Business Sutra: A Very Indian Approach to Management. His shows on television include Business Sutra & Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik. He lives in Mumbai.

In this book the author tries to draw parallels between the two epics Ramayana & Mahabharata, both equally popular & revered by Hindus. With their innumerous interpretations & retellings both the epics have passed the test of time. Keeping Karma & Dharma as the centre of both the epics, the author compares the two stories to find common links as well as dissimilarities. The book is divided in 8 parts & 56 chapters where each chapter has been dedicated to one similar aspect found in both the mythologies. Do get this book to read something you’ve never read before,

I have read both the epics multiple times & maybe at the back of my mind drew parallels too but never really gave it a thought, as I read this book I kept reminiscing about the time when I read the two. The author has achieved to cover a large part of both the stories in under 200 pages which is an accomplishment in itself. One major drawback of being a successful & talented author is that their works are going to be compared with their previous ones, hence this one surely feels short of the Devdutt magic which I have felt in his previous books. The language used is easy, the cover is beautiful as usual & the title is well suited too. Mythology enthusiasts shouldn’t miss this one.

#BookReview ; Kartikeya by Usha Narayanan

He was the son of the fierce Durga and the three-eyed Shiva. He was born, he lived, and would die if need be, for a divine purpose--to kill the Soul Stealer. Surapadma's reign of terror flourishes and the fate of all creatures--mortal and immortal--hangs in the balance. Shiva's son, Kartikeya, must destroy several formidable asuras before he can confront the Soul Stealer and salvage the dying, gasping universe. But Kartikeya, whisked away by mysterious forces to live amidst birds and beasts on a bleak mountainside, is ignorant of his destiny, and struggles to find his identity. Not even Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva come to his aid. He can win the final battle only if he can discern his enemy's weakness and his own inner strength. Will Shiva's son rise to the challenge before it is too late? The world waits with bated breath.

Kartikeya And His Battle With The Soul Stealer is a mythological fiction written by Usha Narayanan & published by Penguin India. The author had a successful career in advertising, radio & corporate communications before becoming a full-time author. When she is not travelling, writing or editing, she reads everything from thrillers to the Puranas.She has written several books. To know more about her visit www.ushanarayanan.com .

The story starts with the classic enmity between the gods & demons. The Asuras or demons  did everything they could to get a boon from the Trimurti. As always power corrupts & they start to torture people on Earth, their powers were so strong that even the gods feared them. Surapadma was one such fierce demon among them. On the other side a child is being nurtured by wild animals on a hill, despite all the care that he got from them he pines for someone like him. As his parents came for him, his true destiny is revealed. But will he be able to restore harmony on Earth & get rid of Surapadma? Get this book here to know,

Mythology has been one of my favorite genres & since I have read the author’s work before too, I knew that this book will surely be a recipe for a hit. I believe Kartikeya hasn’t really been explored well enough in mainstream literature yet but luckily this book breaks that charm. The author’s research into the topic is well showcased as it has been seamlessly incorporated into the story. I possibly can’t find anything to critique except a small thing that the pace could’ve been better. The language is simple, I love the cover & the title. Surely something one shouldn’t miss.

#BookReview ; The Man Who Saved India by Hindol Sengupta

Sardar Vallabhai Patel saved India. He illuminated Indian politics with pragmatic and sensible ideas of nation-building at a time when his contemporaries were unable or unwilling to shed the romantic lens. The very shape of India that we recognize today was stitched together by Patel, the Iron Man of India. The Man Who Saved India unravels the personality of one of the greatest men in Indian contemporary history.

The Man Who Saved India is a historical non-fiction book about Sardar Patel written by Hindol Sengupta & published by Penguin Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The author has written 8 books & has won several prestigious awards for them. He has been a journalist at the Indian editions of Fortune Magazine, Bloomberg TV, CNBC & CNN. He is editor-at-large for Fortune India.

The story obviously revolves around Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India. The book is divided into 11 chapters, each chapter depicting a different aspect of Sardar’s life. The chapters are preceded by an introduction where the author sets up the tone for the book. Unfortunately in India we don’t get to know about our freedom fighters a lot, except some prominent names like Gandhi, Nehru, Bose, etc & precisely for that same reason this book is indeed a necessary addition to the Indian literature. Do get this book to know about a personality without whom the idea of India is incomplete,

When India got independent it was indeed a different time, with so many different religions & ethnicities it was quite obvious that there will be some conflict added to that was partition which divided the country into two. The second most prominent problem for independent India was the existence of so many princely states, it was Sardar who took the charge of their integration & as we know that he indeed did it using his diplomatic tactics & when necessary some force. I believe this book is a tribute to that great man, someone who just wanted to work for the country but wasn’t interested in gaining any kind of fame. The language used is as simple as it could be, the cover & title are on point too. Though I think there could’ve been some trimming in some parts to reduce the size of the book. A must have well researched book. 

#BookReview ; A Horse Walks Into A Bar by David Grossman

The setting is a comedy club in a small Israeli town. An audience that has come expecting an evening of amusement instead sees a comedian falling apart on stage; an act of disintegration, a man crumbling, as a matter of choice, before their eyes. They could get up and leave, or boo and whistle and drive him from the stage, if they were not so drawn to glimpse his personal hell. Dovaleh G, a veteran stand-up comic – charming, erratic, repellent – exposes a wound he has been living with for years: a fateful and gruesome choice he had to make between the two people who were dearest to him.

A Horse Walks into a Bar is a shocking and breathtaking read. Betrayals between lovers, the treachery of friends, guilt demanding redress. Flaying alive both himself and the people watching him, Dovaleh G provokes both revulsion and empathy from an audience that doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry – and all this in the presence of a former childhood friend who is trying to understand why he’s been summoned to this performance.

A Horse Walks Into A Bar is a translated book written originally in Hebrew by David Grossman & translated into English by Jessica Cohen & published by Random House. He is a bestselling author whose books have been translated in 36 languages.  He is the recipient of the French Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the 2010 Frankfurt Peace Prize.

The story revolves around a middle aged standup comedian Dovaleh Greenstein who is performing at a club in Netanya where he had invited (or pleaded) his childhood friend, a retired judge Avishai Lazar who is also the narrator of this book to come and attend his show. The standup piece starts like any other with its highs and lows, he engages the audience and keeps them interested which shows his experience but as the performance proceeds, there’s definitely something different about some of the ‘jokes’ he makes which actually leaves the audience perplexed as to whether laugh on them or not. As Dovaleh slowly unravels his true self on the stage and the trauma he had endured, it leaves people dumbfounded. Get this book here,

I had read in an article that most of the stand up comics have experienced some kind of trauma or are depressed themselves and reading the blurb I had made up my mind that this story also would wander around the same topic & the famous quote “the show must go on” but I was wrong, its much more than that. The plot starts slow & drags itself further to the point that I lost the will to read it any further but as it had been awarded the Man Booker International Award my curiosity helped me complete this book. The book picks up its pace quite slowly but when it does, the story ultimately shakes you to the core. Even though I understand this style of writing but I have never been a fan of dragging the story. I definitely won’t miss commending the translator for doing such an amazing job. A story of pain, loss & turmoil. Surely should be read. 

#Spotlight : The Girl Child by De. B. Dubois

The Girl Child

by

De. B. Dubois

Blurb

Growing up as a strong-headed single child with a privileged upbringing in Calcutta, Devi has learned much from her surroundings. Her childhood memories are filled with mixed emotions – especially as she remains angry with her mother and the hypocrisy of women in India. On an unexpected journey home, she encounters reality – new stories and experiences of strangers, as well as friends. It has been years since she left Calcutta, yet the city’s untold stories haunt her. This time Devi is back in town to solve issues and above all, through some painful and hard revelations, to make peace with those she can.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

De.B. is an ordinary person with her daily struggles of being fun and peppy; as all those heavy readings on sociology, philosophy, history, art and culture have done her sombre. – Not that she is complaining, – however when things do get too hectic, her escape solutions are: long walks through nature trails with her adopted Maltese, a good glass of absinthe from Val-de-Travers, and creating visual arts. Her friends best describe De.B. Dubois as, – ‘the hermit’.

You can stalk her @

                  

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#BookReview ; When The Moon Shines By Day by Nayantara Sahgal

India has changed. Rehana finds her father’s books on medieval history have been ‘disappeared’ from bookstores and libraries. Her young domestic help, Abdul, discovers it is safer to be called Morari Lal in the street, but there is no such protection from vigilante fury for his Dalit friend, Suraj. Kamlesh, a diplomat and writer, comes up against official wrath for his anti-war views. A bomb goes off at Cyrus Batliwala’s gallery on the opening day of an art show.

Presiding over this new world is the Director of Cultural Transformation, whose smiling affability masks a relentless agenda to create a Hindu master race. In this atmosphere, Rehana and her three book-club friends, Nandini, Aruna and Lily, meet every week to discuss a book one of them has chosen—their oasis of peace amidst the harshness of reality—even as Rehana’s German friend, Franz Rohner, haunted by his country’s Nazi past, warns her of what is to come. All revolutions, he wryly observes, follow the same path. But is India about to prove him wrong? In this brilliant, dystopian satire, Nayantara Sahgal draws a telling portrait of our times.

When The Moon Shines By Day is a dystopian satire written by Nayantara Sahgal & published by Speaking Tiger. The author is an Indian writer in English. Her fiction deals with India's elite responding to the crises engendered by political change. She was one of the first female Indian writers in English to receive wide recognition. She is a member of the Nehru family. She was awarded the 1986 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, for her novel Rich Like Us (1985)awarded by India's National Academy of Letters.

The story takes us to a different India. A country which has lost its democratic values & in the name of religion segregation & discrimination is practiced. People from minority communities have to live in isolation or change their names altogether. Art is controlled & so is knowledge. Our protagonist Rehana is a part of a book club along with 3 other friends of hers where they try to read different kinds of books. Apart from her there are characters like Kamlesh whose anti-war thoughts land him in trouble. As our protagonist’s German friend tries to warn others about the blatant similarities between the path Nazi Germany went & that of India, it seems close to impossible to make people understand how disastrous that may be. Get this book here to read this exciting story,

Nayantara Sahgal is a brave woman who returned her Sahitya Akademi Award to protest against the rising intolerance in India at a time when several rationalists were getting murdered. As expected people discredited her concerns which I believe needs to be focused on. Hence, I was quite excited to read this book as it serves as a warning to what can happen to India if it doesn’t mend its ways, also it was my first book by the author. The book being a short read was a breezy read & with a topic like this it was justified. What didn’t work for me were the pace & the narration. The author took too much time to set the scene of the story & hence even though it is a breezy read, I was bored for quite a major part of the book. The cover is beautiful & is the title. An important read for our times.