Archive | May, 2011

My earliest knowledge of the epic ~ Mahabharata comes what I saw on TV as a child. Come Sunday morning and every body in the house would be glued to their television sets watching the epic tale. I was too young to understand it all, the complexity of the plots and characters, the philosophy, the wisdom yet, I was always awe struck by what ever I could grasp and even today, if I think of Mahabharata, glimpses from the TV series comes flashing in my mind.

I am so glad that I could relive that experience…

Author: Salil Desai
Publisher: Gyaana Books

Senior Inspector Saralkar has just returned to his desk after attending a Secrets of living course for police officers in Pune. It clearly did not offer him peace. He is now eagerly waiting to sink his teeth into a new case. A body has been found in the back seat of a car in the tow yard of the Chaturshringi police station in Pune. To PSI Motkar is seems to be a straightforward case of suicide, but the senior inspector is not convinced. He…

I remember a few bloggers reviewing Manju Kapur’s books positively and had wanted to pick something up by her for the longest time. My library had a couple of books by her and for some strange reason I was attracted to this book.Guess it had something to do with the fact that I was intrigued by the storyline- about a relationship an older woman has with a younger one and wanted to see how the subject’s been handled by an Indian writer.

Astha is a middle class woman ,who lives…

Douglas Misquita- Haunted

Review of Haunted; Douglas Misquita; Frog Books 2011; Rs350; pp 372

The Black & White cover with a pool of red caught my eye, and before i knew it, i was done flipping pages and was left haunted by Kirk Ingram’s life!

FBI Special Agent Kirk Ingram’s life is completely torn apart when his family, his 2 beautiful women – wife Madeline and Daughter Lisa brutally murdered right before his eyes. On their drive back home, many thoughts had haunted Kirk- his work, his wife going for…

Title: Anatomy of a DisapperanceAuthor: Hisham MatarPublisher: Penguin VikingISBN: 978-0670916511Genre: Literary FictionPP: 256 PagesPrice: Rs. 399Source: PublisherRating: 4/5
Hisham Matar’s background has a particular resonance at the moment, with the momentous and violent events taking place in Libya. His father was a political dissident opposed the Gaddafi regime, and the family were forced to flee their home and went to live in Egypt. It was from Cairo that his father was abducted, never to be seen again by Matar, although he was reported to be imprisoned in a notorious Libyan…

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-One good…One evil…Who will prevail?Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents’ deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. Lia and Alice don’t know whom they can trust. They just know they can’t trust each other. (From Goodreads).I have to say, I literally…

Italy in Books – Reading Challenge 2011

Paperback: 267 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services 2011
Source: eBook provided by the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Review Quote: “Anyone who enjoys Medieval Italy, love, betrayal and a strong, resourceful heroine on a knife edge, will enjoy this well researched and well written book.” Historical Novel Review

The May post with a list of books that the other people taking part are reading this month has already been posted. May ReviewsUntil fairly recently the only…

Title:       The Lotus Queen
Author:    Rikin Khamar
Price:       195/- (Available at Rs. 146 @ Flipkart)
Publisher: Rupa & Co.

Set in Chittor OF 1303 AD, The Lotus Queen is the story of Rani Padmini. Married to Rawal of Chittor, Padmini is considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Known across borders for her beauty there were fables associated with her.

Pulled in by the talks of her beauty, Ala’uddin Khijli the then ruler of Delhi sends a proposal to the King of Chittor. “…..all the precious stones he…

Engaging, entertaining and thrilling.
Sometimes all you expect out of a book is to have fun reading it. You want it to pulsate, hold your attention, make sense and have an element of surprise- this book has it all.
On the last day of med school exam, Danny Benson receives a letter from his fiancée Heather. The girl he wants to marry informs him that the engagement is off. Danny isn’t satisfied and your home bird sets off on an adventure to find Heather. He takes the Magic Bus and…

I first noticed this book in my neighbourhood book store. Fresh new copies were on the shelf. My first impression was it must be a new timepass book by another new author. I have had some bad reading experience with some new authors. The cover art looked light and on a whim I picked the book.
I got immersed in the story of the two protagonists. Sharmila Mukherjee and Indira Sen are two different strata of women. Infact Sharmila or Mil is still a girl. Newly wed Mil is proudly…