Books and Musings

  In conversation with Author Aleksandr Jarid, who has won the hearts of his readers with his uncanny thriller rich with human emotions and cathartic character arcs.  1)   You are now the proud author of 5 edge-of-the-seat thrillers. When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer? I have a varied background, strangely using both the hemispheres of the brain for various careers in the past. Writing really took centre stage when I was trying to find the right medium and outlet to express and process not only current thoughts but also aspects of growing up. I found that we often now do not stop to understand how we have become to be where we are. In todays society we are always on the go and looking to tomorrow or next week or next year. But the important and fundamental components to do that successfully is to understand how we have got to today. That is how I fell into writing when I saw that life is a collection of important events and stories and if we don’t under...

  📗BOOK: Trust Your Instincts 📗AUTHOR: Janvee Menghrajani 📗GENRE: Non Fiction, Self-help, Memoir 📝RATING: ⚡Content: 4.1/5 ⚡Language: 3.9/5 ✒REVIEW: This young and enterprising author has bared her raw insecurities together with the pure joy at achieving her milestones. Somewhere, the simplicity and the elegance of her thoughts penned down in this book touched a chord in my heart and took me to a walk down the memory lane. The excitement of venturing into college or the apprehension of coming out of the safe cocoon of our family and flying into unknown territory have been captured beautifully by the author that is bound to resonate well with most of the readers. The author gave a very pertinent piece of writing in terms of generation gap and the definition of adulting. Being from the 20s segment, the author has understood the difference in thought process between our parents/grandparents and us. These differences arise due to their overt concern of our well being and our confide...

  📗BOOK: The Magicians of Mazda 📗AUTHOR: Ashwin Sanghi 📗GENRE: Mythological Fiction 📝RATING: ⚡Storyline: 4/5 ⚡Literature: 4.2/5 📖PLOT: Jim Dastoor, a renowned scientist, has been kidnapped from Seattle for a scientific breakthrough that he has achieved through a concoction called Hamza Dura. Turns out that this Hamza Dura is a key element of the Zoroastrian legacy that gets passed on to the 'rebel' family member of the Dastoor clan which is how Jim inherited it. There are powerful organizations who are after the Hamza Dura, either to take it back to its rightful ethnic place or to monopolize the pharmaceutical industry. ✒VERDICT: 🥇Pros: 1) Trust Ashwin Sanghi to take you on a fascinating historical trip while creating a literary treat. The Magicians of Mazda takes the readers centuries back when the flourishing and rich Persian community was persecuted due to Islamic invasion which made them flee and land on the Indian shores.  This book proved to be a historical treasur...

  1) You are now the proud author of "Trust Your Instincts". You have ventured towards Engineering during the initial phase of your career. When was that ‘eureka moment’ when you realized that you wanted to be a writer? It was during the pandemic that I had my 'eureka moment'. I had been writing in college but never felt writing was a career I wanted to pursue. It was during the pandemic my love for writing reignited. It navigated me all the way through & here I am pursuing writing as a career! 2) Any specific author or book which inspired you towards your writing journey.  An author that inspired me was Sudha Murthy & a book that drove me was Wings of Fire. 3) What does a normal day look like in the life of Author Janvee Menghrajani?  Along with being an author, I am a professional writer. So, I write during the day for my organisation & use the night to explore new ideas for my upcoming book! 4) In your latest book, ‘Trust Your Instincts’, you hav...

📗BOOK: Turmoil in Punjab 📗AUTHOR: Ramesh Inder Singh 📗GENRE: Non-Fiction, Historical Event 📗THEME: Before & After Operation Blue Star 📝RATING ⚡Content- 4.2/5 ⚡Language- 4/5 ✒REVIEW:  The author has given a lucid and a 360-degree view of what transpired throughout the planning, implementations and aftermath of Operation Bluestar which was an attempt to drain out the terrorists holed up in the Golden temple. Adding on, this book is a first-hand eyewitness record of the District Magistrate of Punjab who happens to be the author himself. This aspect adds immense credibility to the ground level truth which actually transpired. As a first-hand narration, the author left no stone unturned to pen down what he had experienced, felt and witnessed during the tumultuous decades of Punjab. As a reader, I have always found myself intrigued towards political drama and  its consequences which shapes our national discourse and history. The writing style of this book did not disappoint...

  📗BOOK: Memsahibs 📗AUTHOR: Ipshita Nath 📗GENRE: Historical Non-Fiction 📗THEME: British Women in India  📝RATING: ⚡Content: 3.8/5 ⚡Literature- 4/5 📖CONTENT: 'Memsahib' is a popular sobriquet used to refer to the ladies of higher standing and refined etiquette. Who better than the British women of Colonial Raj in India are the rightful segment to be referred to as 'Memsahibs'. This book enumerate the journey, lifestyle and 'adventures'of the Memsahibs who have settled in India during the British Raj.  ✒VERDICT  🥇Pros:  1) I was enamoured with the idea of reading about the supporting but crucial characters of colonial era who  actually came with the intention of settling down and maintaining the household while their husbands faithfully did their duty for the crown. It was interesting to note and understand how they took to the Indian lifestyle despite being bred as an English Memsahib. 2) One of the noteworthy highlights of this book is the description...

BOOK: The Unproposed Guy AUTHOR: Bhavik Sarkhedi and Suhana Bhambhani GENRE: Satirical Fiction What happens when life gives you lemons? You either make a lemonade out of it or if you are in your sassiest element to prove yourself, you upgrade and make a Virgin Mojito out of it. Kevin is person who has always found himself subjected to disappointment from his parents. Adding salt to the injury, Kevin keeps on adding the feathers of disappointment to his cap when the opposite sex refuses to see him as anything more than a friend. He is on the verge of emotional downfall and 'existential crisis' when he got the brilliant idea to express himself through stand-up comedy. What better way to cope up with the monotony and the rejection than making a mockery out of it by adding humour and sarcasm! VERDICT: Pros: 1) The Unproposed Guy Book is a humour novel by Indian author who makes a thoughtful and good attempt in utilizing the potential of the comedy genre which is still sadly untappe...