Books and Musings

  📗BOOK: A History of Objects 📗AUTHOR: Carlo Pizzati 📗GENRE: Contemporary Short Stories 📗THEME: Sentimental attachments 📖RATING:  ⚡Storyline- 4.1/5  ⚡Literature- 4.3/5 📝CONTENT:  A History of Objects is your quintessential collection of stories shedding light on human idiosyncrasies.  There are a total of 23 short stories, each with its distinctive satirical plot bringing out the various hidden manifestations of humans and what they are within the ulterior surface. ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros:  1) Kudos to the author for his ability to understand the human psyche so well and create quirky yet realistic stories laced with an element of humour. 2) I loved the fact that the stories are so diverse and inclusive in terms of geographical locations and culture. This book felt like a miniature representation of the world map and various existing cultures specific to the place. 3) The author included many recent and relevant scenario especially with regards to the h...

  📗BOOK: My Swapna 📗AUTHOR: Tapan Ghosh 📗GENRE: Contemporary Fiction 📗THEME: Love, relationships and rebirth 📖RATING:  ⚡Storyline: 3.9/5 ⚡Literature: 4/5 📝PLOT: Harry is successful septuagenarian living his life in a penthouse in Colaba and manages his factories across Mumbai. Despite his luminary life in Mumbai, he yearns for his hometown Kolkata, erstwhile known as Calcutta during his youth, which used to be a glorious city during pre-Independence. Harry fervently wishes to restore Calcutta to its former glory. Harry found an intimate connection with Swapna which never wavered despite long years of separation. With the help of certain key characters like Raima, Shom, and Khush, Harry had been able to rekindle his romance during the end circle of his life. ✒VERDICT: 🥇Pros: 1) This book portrays the intimate emotions of human nature in a very lucid and passionate manner which was evident when the author described Harry’s nostalgia for his hometown Calcutta, his joy and ...

  📗BOOK: 2034 📗AUTHOR: Bruno Beaches 📗GENRE: Dystopian Fiction 📗THEME: Futuristic world divided basis medical technology 📖RATING: ⚡Storyline- 4.1/5 ⚡Literature- 3.9/5 📝PLOT: Given the mortality onslaught that we have faced during the last past few years, how would you feel about receiving full medical security and mental peace in return of accepting a medical-digital dictatorship? 2034 revolves around a futuristic world where the divide is basis people's personal choice of accepting  medical rules regarding vaccination and digitization. The divide is maintained geographically through dangerous drones. The people who have accepted the medical dictatorship have access to all amenities like electric unmanned vehicles, artificial food and no requirement to work and earn. On the other hand, people who rejected the medical security have free will, with the responsibility to look after their own needs with no assurance for health and food each day. 2034 unravels the future of p...

  📗BOOK: What Happened On Saturday Night?- Ghanshyam Shashtri Series 📗AUTHOR: Saras Azad 📗GENRE: Suspense Thriller Fiction 📗THEME: Murder Mystery 📖RATING:  ⚡Storyline- 4/5  ⚡Literature- 3.2/5 📝PLOT: After the tremendous success of Detective Ghanshyam Shashtri on the Rajni Mehta case, the Ahmedabad Police reached out to the famed detective to help them with the suspicious death of Payal Kothari, the daughter of famous businessman, Vithalbhai Kothari, in a hotel room. Payel was found dead due to the effect of sleeping pills. The case pointed towards suicide as CCTV footage shows no one entered or left the room throughout the duration of the night. However, Ghanshyam Shashtri was not convinced on the suicide theory and when he unravelled the horrifying secrets tumbling out of the Kothari family's closet, he was convinced that it might not have been a suicide. 🎭What factually happened on Saturday night when Payal died? ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros: 1) I commend the author for...

  📗BOOK: Dead Trees and A Nightingale 📗AUTHOR: Ujjwal Sharma 📗GENRE: Poetry 📗THEME: Musings and Reflections 📖RATING:  ⚡Poetry: 4/5  ⚡Literature- 4.2/5 📝CONTENT: This book consists of a collection 51 poetic compositions shedding light on the author's predicament while he was in London. The poems induce a sense of nostalgia of the relationships, once beautiful, that are now broken. Dead Trees and a Nightingale give a context of the autumnal feel where we try to shed our residual or mentally taxing emotions with the hope of blooming anew. ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros: 1) I would like to compliment the author for writing such a genuine piece of poetry that seems unadulterated and unedited. It seems like the author has directly let his pen do the talking about what was stored in his mind and did not dare edit the final draft lest it tampers with the beauty and the sadness of his words. 2) I have a soft corner for rhyming poetries which the author has put in abundance in this bo...

  📗BOOK: The Last White Man In India 📗AUTHOR: Subhati Anand Waight 📗GENRE: Contemporary Fiction 📗THEME: Transitioning between British Raj and Last White Man in present-day India 📖RATING:  ⚡ Storyline- 4.2/5  ⚡Literature- 4.5/5 📝PLOT: The story revolves around the present day idea of India- a progressive nation which is still deeply rooted in traditions and superstitions.  Stephen Pankhurst,  a 'white man' from England, has an inexplicable attraction for India. Even when his IT career was in doldrums in India, he was trying his best to strike a deal with Mr Arun Patel, an Indian Business Tycoon, to stay afloat in this country and not go back to his hometown in England. Things started becoming interesting and dangerous when he got involved with the gorgeous Mrs Sakshi Patel, wife of the Arun Patel. Sakshi introduced Stephen to the world of 'tantric pleasures' which were hidden in the annals of Indian cultural history. Somehow, Stephen's involvement in India ...

📗BOOK: Scrabble Babble Rabble 📗AUTHOR: Bruno Beaches 📗GENRE: Contemporary Literary Fiction 📗THEME: Prison Stories 📖RATING:   ⚡ Storyline- 4/5  ⚡ Literature- 3.9/5 📝PLOT: When we hear the word 'prison', we imagine a place housing criminals within a restricted world; the criminals who do not deserve the societal empathy; the criminals who don't have the right to be given access to a better life. However, Mr Blanchflower, a noble soul and a committed teacher, wants to bring out the best out of the prison inmates and hence mentors them on the topic of communication and English Language. He has devised a game of scrabble wherein the participants have to create a word and narrate any incident that comes to their mind related to that word. What started as a game of scrabble, turned into a cathartic experience for the prison inmates who recounted their ordeals, emotions and backstories. ✒VERDICT  🥇Pro: 1) I have recently read some of the works of Bruno Beaches and I w...