A Year Without Summer-Shreyan Laha

Book: A Year Without Summer

Author: Shreyan Laha

Publisher: Bigfoot Publications

What if what you are witnessing is not real? What if every time you dream, you are transported to another realm?

A Year Without Summer by Shreyan Laha is based on this concept. The book is based in the year 1816 when the Earth experienced a sudden downfall of temperatures. Kolkata had frozen to its lowest of -15 degree Celsius, and widespread diseases were common. Sharat was no exception and he had to quit his high-profile lifestyle after his parents catch the disease. At the other end, in the year 2018, Niharika lives in the best of times, in a modern society and has everything one could wish for. Neither knew that fate had something else in store for them 6 billion years into the future, on a planet Nocturne which was ravaged by compounds of an element called Barrenium. It is a tale of how stories and lives connect without respecting the boundaries of space, time and dimensions.

The storyline of A Year Without Summer by Shreyan Laha is very confusing. It feels as if the writer read up on a lot of scientific advancements and then rammed everything to create a story. The parallel storylines are incoherent and the connection between various stories is almost nil. The story flits between the conscious and the sub-conscious of Sharat and Niharika. Connecting various events of the book was quite difficult as well. Talking about the science in the Science fiction of the book, it was more than the story needed and it created a lot of confusion. The author did a good amount of research to create the plot but that actually led to a lot of plot holes and time confusions as to what was happening when and where. I felt that the climax of the story was not up to the mark and could have been done a bit better.

The story has a lot of characters and that actually went a bit on the negative side as developing so many of them was not possible in this intertwining storyline. The author has tried to divide the book into sections as to provide clarity on this but that is not very sufficient. He has created a fantasy world, but connecting or imagining the characters is quite difficult, hence the connect to the story gets missed out.

 Another point that I would like to specifically mention is that the quality of the book is not what you would expect from a book placed in this price bracket. The cover art is very blurry and does not fit into the story. The printing quality is also of a lower quality which actually reduces the reading experience.

Overall, I’ll recommend it only for people who are hard-core science fiction fans and can devote a very long time to read.

The book scores a 2.13 on 5 for me.

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The Fragile Thread of Hope-Pankaj Giri

Book: The Fragile Thread of Hope

Author: Pankaj Giri

Publisher: Fingerprint Publications

Hope is something that gives us the will to move, to live and to trust. Everyday, we wake up with a hope to make a difference and sleep with a hope to rise again, but there are moments in life, some points that make hope a scarce commodity.

The Fragile Thread of Hope by Pankaj Giri is the story of two unsuspecting people-Soham and Fiona- with whom lives plays a very cruel game. Soham has a devastating past involving his brother that haunts him till date. Fiona, who believed that the worst in her life was over when she gets married, is dealt with a blow yet again. A story of two usually unconnected people, living life through ups and downs, it is seasoned with Nepalese traditions and customs, set in the town of Gangtok, the book explores the themes of spirituality, faith, alcoholism, love and guilt while creating a moving story of the healing power of love.

The Fragile Thread of Hope by Pankaj Giri is a story of two people who are dealt multiple blows by fate that alter the course of their lives. The story runs on 2 parallel tracks, one each of Fiona and Soham as we take a journey through their lives who seem to be not connected at all. The story is very compelling and engrosses the reader and the reader becomes a part of the storyline. The story of Fiona living in an abusive home, her struggles with faith and love seem very real. They way she deals with life and how her attitude changes when love enters her life is very explicitly charted. The story of Soham, dealing with the tragedy at a young age and how it changes him is quite heart wrenching. The development as he moves to Bangalore and faces yet another setback there showcases is the basic tenet of the story that the author is trying to present here. The meeting of the two storylines is very interesting and presents a completely new dimension to the plot. I loved the climactic twist and while I was expecting something like this, but the actual occurrence is something that will shake you to the core.

Talking about the characters, this book is a collection of multiple characters with different facets. The character of Soham is someone who saw death at a young age, and it changes the way he takes life. His character arch development from a timid schoolboy to a caring person is filled with ups and downs and that is one of the beautiful things about the book. Taking up the character of Fiona, we see resilience in her as one of the major character highlights. Her will to live life on her own terms is commendable. She, in her own way, charts her own path in the story. Be it marriage, dealing with grief and tragedy, or for that matter the happy ending she is looking for, are all something that she survives and lives through.

The book is a wonderful read and I would recommend reading it with leisure, soaking in the nuances, for this is truly a delight.

The book scores a 5-star rating and goes all the way to top to become the 2^nd 5-star rated book for me in 2020.

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Startup Secrets from the Ramayana-Prachi Garg

Book: Startup Secrets from the Ramayana

Author: Prachi Garg

Publisher: Srishti Publications

The epics are not just a treasure trove of stories but contain some very interesting metaphors as well. Each of the stories from the epic is a lesson in management, if looked at from that perspective.

Startup Secrets from the Ramayana by Prachi Garg is the story of Ram, a next door, go-to guy for advice on business administration. A gold medalist from a premier management institute in the country, he was the person who was approached if anyone had a business-related query in Ayodhya. He had loyal customers, brand value, trust and everything was going on smoothly until his ambitions and simple nature caused people close to him to betray him. The story is how he picks himself up from the ashes and rebuilds his business empire in a span of 14 years and the tools and techniques that he uses to do so.

Startup Secrets from the Ramayana by Prachi Garg takes up the storyline of Ramayana and places it in the current context to extricate the concepts of business management from the tale. The empire becomes a business, kidnapping of Sita becomes an espionage plot and the 14-year vanvaas is the setting up of a co-working space. The transformation of the storyline is amazing. Prachi has created a life-like world where you can imagine the events as they take place. The learnings at the end of each chapter are very apt and are a true essence of the basic concept of this book. The various parallels to the epic and this story are very aptly placed and created. I specially loved the one where she recreates Hanuman bringing the Sanjivani booti part of the epic. The flow of the story is gripping, and the climax has been created with the same zeal.

Talking about the characterization, the book is based on the characters of the Ramayana and Prachi has retained the basic essence and the names as is. The modern interpretation of the characters is beautifully done. Be it the law-abiding Ram or the hot-headed Lakshman, she has created them in line with the requirements of the plot and none of them seem out of place. The character of Hanuman as an intern is one of my favorites and the way it has been done is spectacular. A special mention to the way in which the author has used the 9 names of Goddess Durga towards the end of the story.

Overall, a definite recommendation to everyone who in some way or the other is a part of the corporate jungle. It has something for everybody.

The book scores a 4.25/5 for me.

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Supercop of Aryavrat-Mithilesh Kumar

Book: Supercop of Aryavrat

Author: Mithilesh Kumar

Publisher: Authors Upfront

Retelling of the epics is a rage today, and everyone is trying their hands on this genre today. We have seen multiple retellings and multiple POVs of the various epics in the recent times, and some very amazing at that.

Supercop of Aryavrat by Mithilesh Kumar is the story of Krishna, as it happened, from his point of view. Starting in the year 3102 BC, it is basically a flashback story of how things unfolded around the events of the Mahabharata. Its basically the story of a “Supercop” who is the go-to man for anything that happens in Aryavrat and he is the one to handle it.

Supercop of Aryavrat by Mithilesh Kumar is stuck somewhere between a retelling and a paraphrasing of the epics. The author created the character of Krishna as a human but forgot that he was treating him as one towards the end. The book is basically a compilation of the tales of Krishna that everyone has heard, with a twist here and there. The storytelling is quite bland with no ups or down to excite the reader. There is almost nothing new that this story adds to our understanding of the epics, neither does it offer a radically approach. The story feels very stretched and some of the parts are quite unnecessary for me. The events happening one after the other do not have specified breaks, which tends to confuse the reader as to when the scene actually changes. The ending was very abrupt and I feel it did not do much justice to the story as a whole.

While talking about characters, the book revolves around Krishna, the man, the myth and the mythology and the author has taken various instances to show various facets of his life. He has critically analysed the character of Yudhisthir which I felt was one good thing about the book and presented a different take to it. All the other characters carry a similar vibe as the epics and thus not much to detail about them in a review.

Overall, the book is recommended if you would like to know more about Krishna in detail, and not as a preferred fiction read.

The book scores a 2.75 on 5 for me.

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Oscar for Loving, Grammy for Not-Priyadeep Kaur

Book: Oscar for Loving, Grammy for Not

Author: Priyadeep Kaur

Publisher: BookSoul Reads

Choices are something that can make or break us, for we are nothing but a sum total of our choices. Everyday in our lives, we make a choice. Get up early to go to college, take a bus or a metro, and that kickstarts a series of events that takes a different path with the choice we make.

Oscar for Loving, Grammy for Not by Priyadeep Kaur is a story of choices. Udi is a force that is to be reckoned with. A strong, independent young woman and a journalist, she is someone who takes charge of her life, until she bumps into Garv, a senior in college, and a sweet and romantic person and thus begins a story of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Udi shares her flat with her best friend Rupali who’s in love with Siddharth and that was the love story she saw. While things were not very good in the planet where Rupali and Siddharth resided, it was dragged down by Siddharth’s love and Rupali’s material desires. In the gamble called life, will their choices propel them ahead or will the desires overpower their sense of judgement to maintain it?

Oscar for Loving, Grammy for Not by Priyadeep Kaur has a good storyline. She has separated incidents by creating short rules that are engaging and prepare the reader for what is to happen in the story. The storytelling is easy and understandable. Set in my city of Lucknow, this was another journey as I got to take with the eyes of the characters, and it was an interesting one at that. The parallel storylines of Udi-Garv and Rupali-Siddharth is a study in contrasts yet parallels and that has been addressed nicely. The climax of the book was predictable but treated nicely so that gets a point there. The one thing that took away a part of the fun was a myriad of grammatical mistakes in the book. It needs a through proofreading and a second round of editing to deliver the punch it was written to give.

Talking about the characters, Priyadeep has created 4 very different characters for the story. Udi is fiercely independent, making her own choices, outspoken and unabashed in expressing herself, whether in life or in love. We see the way in which her character arc matures and how fiercely she loves the way she loves and leaves no stones unturned to get the one she loves, but at the same time proves the adage, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Garv is created as a mirror image of Udi wherein he is unable to make choices when is needed and stumbles at multiple points in life due to this. In the character of Rupali, the author creates a gold digger for whom money matters more than love and that her character arc is one of self-realization and understanding the value of love. Siddharth, on the other hand, is a beacon of hope, the unrequited lover who despite being scorned, is at the beck and call of Rupali and this is one of the important plot points of the story.

Overall, an engaging read, but could have been better.

The book scores a 3.25 on 5 for me.

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My Happily Ever After-Sanjay Sharma

Book: My Happily Ever After

Author: Sanjay Sharma

Publisher: Srishti Publications

Fate, love and life- These are the things that can neither be controlled nor influenced. Each of them will happen when they are destined to happen.

My Happily Ever After by Sanjay Sharma is the story of Keshav, a guy from a small town in Uttar Pradesh who dreams to make it big by following his passion-writing, but folds under the family pressure and secures admission in a prestigious engineering college and lands up in Delhi. A top-performer, he is a consistent topper and is excelling in his course. When he returns to Delhi for his second year, he comes across Aditi, who stumps him with her beauty and elegance. She aspires to be a singer and not an engineer. Bonding over common thoughts, and passions, things were going good until the 7^th semester when a single incident derails their lives as they know it. Aditi leaves to pursue her dreams and Keshav spirals down into a well of depression and anxiety. It is a story of deep friendships, life-altering dreams and everlasting love that can fuel you if handled properly, but at the same time burn you if you are not careful.

My Happily Ever After by Sanjay Sharma is written from Keshav’s point of view. The plot of the book is the usual boy-meets-girl story. As a stereotyped Indian Engineer, he is smitten by the girl and his love starts lacking the physical intimacy, while the girl is adamant of keeping the relationship platonic. Typical to a boy’s hostel banter, students hype their friendship and things get out of hand. The storytelling is pretty flat with the situations seeming random at times. The pace is not consistent and that causes a break in the mind while reading. There are multiple grammatical errors in the book and its needs a re edit to improve on it. The prologue of the story is technically an executive summary and serves no true purpose. The climax is good but is very hurried.

The character creation of Keshav is quite generic. Other than the fact that he comes from Gorakhpur and is tall, we get no information to create a character in our minds. Same goes for Aditi, though she is described in a bit more detail. The family backgrounds of both the characters are described nicely and thus it is easy to relate on that level. The success stories of both Aditi and Keshav is very sudden and had time been given on it, it would have helped the reader connect with them.

Overall, a good enough read, but could have been better.

The book scores a 3/5 for me.

The Store of Stories-Asim Jaffri

Book: The Store of Stories

Author: Asim Jaffri

Publisher: Notion Press

Have you come across stories that are short yet engaging?

The Store of Stories by Asim Jaffri is a collection of 5 short stories, each with a different context and a very deep meaning. The first story, The Local Superhero is the story of Dipu who runs across the lanes of Kanpur, selling tea when an incident changes his viewpoint on life. His selfless act makes him what he wanted to become, a superhero. The Quarter’s Review is the story of Ameen, who wishes to break free from traditions and live life in the fast lane, until one moment changes his life forever. Keto is a wonderful story of the namesake, who lives in a wonderful and fascinating land and is amazed by a daily occurrence that is inexplicable yet amazing. Alka and Alok is a hear rendering love story of the namesakes who get separated due to societal pressure but cross paths again after 7 years. Destiny gives them a second chance, but the question remains whether they can make use of it. The last story, The Very Short Story of Jim and Tim is a light read which explores the life of twin brothers Jim and Tim, who face an existential crisis when they come across their fate and are at a risk of getting disowned by their family.

The Store of Stories by Asim Jaffri has 5 stories which are crafted very nicely. Each of the story has an underlying concept that comes out really well in the end. The Local Superhero brings out the struggle of a person living in poverty, yet how the humanity in the protagonist is worth a lot more. The Quarter’s Review is a mirror to the society showing how we have become slaves to material things and moved away from the real joys of life, of fun and the meaning of family. Keto is a story that brings out the importance of being inquisitive and the need for moving out of the comfort zone. Till the time one is living in his/her own world, they would never be able to see what lies beyond the horizon. Alka and Alok is a story that highlights the power of love and fate. It goes on to show that if two people are in love, they are bound to cross paths and life will always give a second chance to someone who truly wants it. The Very Short Story of Jim and Tim is a satirical take on the nature of people to discard people once they have outlived their usefulness. It goes on to show how insensitive as a species we have become.

The characters are relatable, and the storyline is fairly consistent with the tone and the plot of the story. There are some places which could have been edited better but that in no way affects the storytelling or the flow of the book.

Overall, a good read and is recommended for anyone looking for short yet impactful reads.

The book scores a 3.88 on my scale.

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Moral Fiber- A Practical guide to Living Our Values-Shawn Vij

Book: Moral Fiber- A Practical guide to Living Our Values

Author: Shawn Vij

Publisher: Wiley India

How many times have you been told, “It’s not personal, it’s just business”? how many times have your emotions taken over you in a situation, only for you to see in hindsight and look at it with a completely different perspective?

Moral Fiber by Shawn Vij takes up one of the major questions that the people joining the corporate world face today. The book is filled with a lot of incidents, anecdotes and tips to identify toxic workplaces and ways to get out of them or resolve them. The book also incorporates priceless lessons from top industry leaders and powerful research from academics. It is the ultimate guidebook on how to create a thriving business and career while staying true to who you are and what you believe. Taking an innovative and secular approach to business Ethics, moral fiber shows us how living our values unlocks a more purposeful life and career. This book helps us to re-discover the inherent core values, such as fairness, respect, compassion, and honesty, and then how to genuinely act on them daily.

The book is written in a very crisp manner, with each chapter laying the ground work for strengthening one’s moral resolve to act in line with our own value systems, irrespective of the environment around us. The book takes up some very apt examples from the author’s life and presents to the reader a scenario when the needle moves towards the moral fiber of the author and how things start working for him. The snippets of teachings of the Buddha in the text are an advantage as they convey the message of the book quite swiftly and aptly. Shawn has collated his work and life experience in this book that can serve as a learning for anyone who is aspiring to join the corporate jungle.

The toolkit in the end is amazing and I am definitely going to use it in my life.

The book scores a 4.13 on my scale.

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The Indian Soldier-Sushant Saini

Book: The Indian Soldier

Author: Sushant Saini

Publisher: Jufic Books (Leadstart Publishing)

Some moments in life are ones that can change your life overnight. Be it a college choice, or maybe making a friend, each of these decisions is a brick that joins together to make our life.

The Indian Soldier by Sushant Saini is the story of Arjun, a young boy who wants to become a soldier. He faces a fork in the road, when he clears his IIT entrance examination, as well as his NDA testing. He is rescued from his dilemma by his family who help him to pursue his dream. While at NDA, he suffers initial setbacks that make him reconsider his choices, but he perseveres on. Also, NDA, he makes 3 friends which become his lifelong partners-in-crime. With his expertise, he is inducted into Team A, a covert and lethal team in the Indian Army. He is an exceptional soldier and carries out some very covert and dangerous missions, always emerging victor. A terrorist attack one day changes his viewpoint on life completely. Disgusted by what was happening and the way things were being handled, he decides to leave the country, but a situation comes up. An airplane carrying over 200 passengers is hijacked, and he is the only one to save them, but will he put himself at risk to carry out this mission?

The Indian Soldier by Sushant Saini is a wonderfully crafted story of a patriotic boy, turning into a man and being tested at life at various junctures. The book basically chronicles the journey of this man as he follows duty without expecting anything in return. The incident that changes his outlook is very vividly described and the way that is projected onto Arjun is really appreciable. The author has penned a very contemporary story that can be seen with respect to a lot of happenings that we see around us. More importantly, it shows us a fresh perspective that can be applied to what is happening across the world today. There are some references in the book that can be drawn as parallels and I loved the way they are written. The storytelling is very engaging and may force the reader to binge read.

Talking about the characters, Sushant has created some very relatable characters. The character of Arjun is a quintessential boy of the millennium, who is very clear in his goals. The character arc of Arjun as a boy, as an NDA cadet, a soldier and a covert operative, we see various shades of his life come to the fore. His dilemmas, fears and questions are very relatable and can be connected to what we think in our lives. The other characters, specially Arjun’s friends, are crafted in a nice manner who complement his personality. I specially love the character of Arjun’s Grandmother and the way she is a positive influence on his life.

A wonderful read, it scores a 4.63 on my scale.

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The Silent Patient-Alex Michaelides

Book: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

Publisher: Hachette India

Do you believe that some secrets are meant to stay buried, or do you believe that truth always sees the light of the day?

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is the story of Alicia who writes in her diary as a release, and to probe to her husband that she is fine. Everything seems fine until one day she shoots her husband, Gabriel, five times in the head, and never speaks another word ever again. Forensic Psychotherapist Theo believes that he can treat Alicia and make her speak. He takes over her case and starts investigating what went wrong that day in Alicia’s life when she decided to stop speaking to the world. With a plot full of hooks and suspense curves, the question arises, would Theo really want to hear the truth, would the world understand the truth?

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a suspense thriller that keeps the reader on his/her toes while the narration goes on. With a staggered timeline and things being told in a manner that the characters are reminiscing, each chapter is a hook for the other one. I took up the book on the recommendation of two amazing readers Shreya and Roshni and as a part of a buddy read, but the hooks kept me hooked and I wrapped up the book in a day. The storytelling is amazing, and I was floored by the way Alex treats his plot points. The unravelling of the story is carefully handled, not giving out any spoilers at any point. The way each sub lot blends into the main storyline is just mind-blowing. The climax of the story was breathtaking and totally unexpected. The way the things start making sense as soon as the last page is turned is the evidence of the mastery of the art of storytelling by the author. I would also like to specially mention the way things are described, specially the setting, the hospital room, Alicia’s home, that one can actually visualize the scene happening in from of him/her. I would also like to mention the cover art that subtly hints at perspective and which I believe is the central plot of the story.

Talking about the character development, this book works because of its extremely strong character development. Alicia is developed as a woman who is surrounded by men who have different feelings for her. Be it her husband, or her brother-in-law, her father etc., each of them are shown to have an impact on her and the stories are convincing, and we get to understand the mind of Alicia today and the reasons behind it. The character if Theo is quite complex and the way his story unravels is a masterpiece in itself. His struggle with drugs, depression, abusive father etc., we sympathize with him and connect with him to a certain level. Same goes with the characters of Christian, Ruth, etc. each of them plays a part in the story and elevate it to the level of an impressive murder mystery.

Overall, a must-read for people who love mystery stories.

A cocktail of emotions, the book is the first 5-star rated book from my 2020 shelf.  

Gunpoint Groom-Kamini Kusum

Book: Gunpoint Groom

Author: Kamini Kusum

Publisher: Redgrab Books

Are marriages predestined, or do we make our own destiny? Imagine your life being given a complete twist one day and everything that you see now ceases to exist as you know it?

Gunpoint Groom by Kamini Kusum is the story of Karan Rai, a government servant, who is in love with Jia and plans to marry her, who is abducted and is forced to marry a stranger at gunpoint. The journey of accepting his fate and a transformational journey for Karan begins thereafter when he starts accepting reality. On the other hand, Kavya, his forced wife, explores the life where she is in an unwanted relationship and how emotions develop the course of time between people living under one roof. This is a story of love, romance, sex, sadness and it explores the world of groom kidnapping and what takes place in the families that go through it.

Gunpoint Groom by Kamini Kusum takes up a good story but the plot development is quite weak. The groom kidnapping part of the book is rather sudden and culminates really fast. The bride’s family seems quite unconvincing with whatever happens in the book. Moving from Arrah to Gurgaon, the story still does not pick up pace and we suffer from a flat and rather draining storytelling. Infidelity by Karan and his closeness to Jia takes the forefront and Kavya is used as a filler for the story of Karan. The climax of the book was very expected, and it seems more like a Bollywood movie script, rather than a book. There are numerous grammatical errors in the book that further reduce the experience while reading the book.

The character development is not that well defined. We get no background on the love story of Jia and Karan, nor do we see the unravelling of the two marriage proposals quoted by Kavya’s family in the book. It would have been interesting to have included them in the book, thus developing a character for Karan’s family, Karan’s Family and Jia’s Family as well. Kavya, as a character, grows in the story but it does not suffice the plot holes. I liked the way the character of Karan comes out in the end, but it was too little, too late.

Overall, a good enough read.

It scores a 2.5/5 for me.