Books and Musings

  📗BOOK: Storm Tide 📗AUTHOR: Wilbur Smith, co-written by Tom Harper 📗GENRE: Historical Fiction 📝RATING: ⚡Storyline- 4.2/5 ⚡Literature- 4/5 📖PLOT:  The sea and the ocean have always beckoned Robert Courtney and so when his grandfather, Jim, breathes his last, Robert resolves his mind to leave his home behind and set sail to England.  London has been an eye-opener for Robert dealing with the travails of life without a penny in his pocket. Soon the Navy inducted Robert after which he sailed across Atlantic to fight against the American colonists. On the other hand Robert's distant cousin, Cal, is fighting is own rebellious war to drive the British away and create an independent America. 🎭What happens when Robert and Cal come face to face? ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros: 1) This is another Wilbur Smith treasure which did not disappoint. I enjoyed the adventures of Robert Courtney which took place both on land and sea, keeping us riveted to know more about his expeditions. 2) I l...

📗BOOK: Myra 📗AUTHOR: Madhuri Vijay 📗GENRE: Psychological Thriller 📝RATING ⚡Storyline- 4/5 ⚡Literature- 3.8/5 📖PLOT: Myra was the unsettled teenage daughter of a seemingly well-settled and perfect family. A teenager with superior intellectual prowess, Myra's nature and thinking equals to being the devil incarnate for the loathe and disdain with which she views the world. The only person Myra loves is her father while she despises her mother to the core. One day, she stumbles upon a diary penned by her father which threatens to spill the skeletons out of the closet and unravel the reality of the seemingly perfect family. 🎭What contributed to Myra's disturbed personality and why does she hate her mother? 🎭What secrets were buried in the diary that has the ability to crumble the image of the family? ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros: 1) I am in awe of the central character of this book and would like to commend the author for creating Myra in such a sensitive yet powerful manner. Myra's ...

📗BOOK: A Little Before Sunset 📗AUTHOR: Suman Mukherjee 📗GENRE: Contemporary Romance Fiction  📝RATING: ⚡Storyline- 4/5 ⚡Literature- 4/5 📖PLOT:  Bhaskar Bhattacharya curses the day he came into the Earth as he was born in an emotionally toxic family who believed in arguing and vitiating the familial environment rather than create a happy space at home. It did not help Bhaskar's mental disposition when his first love dumped him but this incident changed the course of Bhaskar's trajectory towards a positive spike. The happenstance entry of Kavita Chatterjee in his life ushered in the much needed sunshine which was otherwise clouded with misery. However a deadly blow is waiting to eclipse the happiness that Bhaskar was finally starting to enjoying. ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros: 1) I am simply amazed at the quality of storyline that the author is capable of belting out one after the other. After thoroughly enjoying his works in thrillers like The N.G Code and The Lankan Link, I expect...

📗BOOK: Not Just A Night Watchman 📗AUTHOR: Vinod Rai, Ex-CAG 📗GENRE: Non-Fiction 📗THEME: Clean-Up of one of the richest Cricketing Organisations in the world, BCCI 📝RATING ⚡Content: 4.5/5 ⚡Literature- 4.5/5 🔥CONTENT: When the ex-Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India gets appointed by the Supreme Court of India to revamp and clean the infrastructure and compliance of the world's richest Cricketing organisations, BCCI, it is bound to create ripples and stir the hornet's nest. This book is the first hand account narrated by Vinod Rai himself regarding the travails, obstacles and the insubordination of BCCI top officials towards the Supreme Court directives. ✒VERDICT 🥇Pros: 1) I can only applaud the decisive and  factual manner with which Mr Vinod Rai has enumerated the context and what lead to his appointment as a part of Committee of Administrators to implement the rulings of Supreme in the governance of BCCI. 2) It was endearing to see the personal touch the autho...

📗BOOK: The N.G. Code 📗AUTHOR: Suman Mukherjee 📗GENRE: Suspense Thriller Fiction 📗THEME: Chief Minister's Assassination 📝RATING: ⚡Storyline- 4/5 ⚡Literature- 3.8/5 📖PLOT: Natle Gouse is a prized assassin who gets hired to eliminate high profile public figures. The job of assassinating the Chief Minister of Bihar was like any other task for him however the implementation and the aftermath changed his life forever. No, he didn't get caught! Something far more astonishing. IPS officer, Nirvaan Guha, is the star of his cadre and his series of successful operations has reached the halls of the Prime Minister. After 8 years, Nirvaan gets the task of finding the killer of the Chief Minister of Bihar but the revelation during the investigation turns his world upside down. ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros:  1) The structure of the plot is fantastical and unconventional. Many thriller stories follow a certain pattern in terms of storyline however in this case I can safely say that the plotline is ...

📗BOOK: Chinese Spies 📗AUTHOR: Roger Faligot 📗GENRE: Non-Fiction 📗THEME: Chinese Spy network, Making of China 📝RATING: ⚡Content: 4.5/5 ⚡Literature- 3.9/5 📖CONTENT: This book enumerates the series of events spanning from 1920s to the present era about the intricate spy network created by Zhou Enlai which has strengthened through the decades and impacted the world at large. The books consists of some of the first hand accounts collected by the author to showcase the impact of Chinese Spy network at a global stage which impacted Superpower countries and third world countries at large. ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros:  1) The depth of research done by the author has completely blown my mind. This book is filled with facts and the information is exhaustive. This adds to the credibility of the book. 2) The author has paced the chronology in a very gripping manner which hooked me as a reader to understand the sequence of events right from the early 20th century. 3) This book was a fascinating ...

  📗BOOK: The Queen of Nothing 📗AUTHOR: Holly Black 📗GENRE: Fantasy Fiction 📗THEME: Rise of Mortal being in Faerieland 📖RATING:  ⚡Storyline- 4.5/5  ⚡Literature- 4.1/5 📝PLOT: Jude Duarte faced one of her biggest betrayals and humiliation when she was exhiled to the mortal world after becoming the Queen of Elf by the one person she was beginning to trust and fall in love with- Cardan, the High King of Elflame. Jude was desperately looking for any remote opportunity which could end her exile and take her back to the Faerieland. So when Taryn requested her twin, Jude, to take her place in the inquest for Locke's murder, Jude agreed. What follows is a deadly coup to take over the throne of Elflame.  💫Is their relationship just a matter of convenience and deal? 💫Will Cardan be able to retain his Blood Crown amidst so many contenders for the throne? ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros: 1) Holly Black creates a masterpiece in the form of a trilogy where the interest does not waver ...