Sanatan Dharma-Manoj Singh

Book: Sanatan Dharma: Vaidik Gateway to the Next Century
Author: Manoj Singh
Publisher: Bloomsbury

What is your understanding of Sanatan Dharma?

Sanatan Dharma by Manoj Singh explores the concept of Sanatan Dharma and attempts to provide solutions to our current problems using this idea of human civilization. He explores Hinduism as a way of life and promotes the natural way of living. He takes up the idea of the evolution if Vaidik Civilization, and elaborates on the basis of Vaidik Sanatan Dharma. Discussing the life in Hinduism, along with the culture, festivals, rituals, customs, yoga, Vedas, and mantras. This is a comprehensive work that touches upon all the aspects of Sanatan Life philosophy for spiritual enlightenment.

This voluminous book is a well-researched and well written book exploring the idea of a Sanatan Lifestyle. The book details the origins of various aspects of the Sanatan Life such as calendar, dates, festivals etc. and explains the significance of the various terms that each one of us would have heard, but not have dwelt upon. Divided into 5 parts with 33 chapters, the author has taken one topic and talked about it extensively with aspects from origins, meaning and its impact on us. He also draws parallels with science at various points to show how the civilization was quite advanced in the earlier times. The book is engaging, and I loved how the author has referenced various books such as the Bhagavad Gita to support his arguments.

The book is not a monotonous lecture, and it takes a logical path to explain why the Sanatan way of life should be adopted. The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. The things are explained well, and the concepts are believable with the evidence provided. I liked the fact that it helped me understand some of the points I was confused about. The thing that didn’t work for me in the book was the fact that the author tried to demean the other cultures and tried to show that Sanatan is the best culture. His repeated attempts to show that the western Culture is the root of all problems was something I felt should not have been in the book. He did a good job of collating the information and explaining it, but when it is used to demean someone else, then the charm of the book drops a little.

Overall, a good book if you want to know more about the Sanatan Culture that scores a 4.13/5 for me.

Get your copy from Amazon India here.

Dead People’s Town-Siddharth Nirwan

Book: Dead People’s Town

Author: Siddharth Nirwan
Publisher: Locksley Hall

Have you read a zombie horror story?

Dead People’s Town by Siddharth Nirwan takes place in Raisingh Garh, at the Lord Erwin Memorial Hospital when an unauthorized drug trial on terminally cancer patients goes horribly wrong. The patients turn into ferocious breed of predators, hungry for blood and gore. No restricted to just patients, it spreads like fire and everyone is falling prey to it. The hospital goes under a digital lockdown, the survivors inside it are facing their worst nightmare. The question is, would there be any survivors, or would this turn into a dead people’s town?

The plot of the book is quite unique with a zombie horror set in India. The details are gory and Siddharth has used his medical training to explicitly focus on the injuries and the biting. Another thing that the book is specific about are the medical terms and Siddharth’s medical training jumps out from it. This add a wonderful layer of authenticity to the entire plot. The storytelling is excellent and the book is quite fast paced with each page making the reader turn to the next. While the overall impression of the book is decent, there are things that could have been improved. The first point that didn’t work for me was the quite a number of loose ends that the plot has. Second thing that I had an issue with was the lack of the tension in the plot that should have had. The climax was interesting, but it makes sense only if it has a sequel lined up. Otherwise, the plot still hangs in the lurch.

Coming to the characters, Siddharth takes his time and each of the major characters get a proper time to establish themselves. I loved the character of Dr. Hari and his motivations to do what he did. Anjali’s character was someone thought would go in a different arc. The character of Rosie was interesting, but I felt she was underutilized and could have had another way that it developed. The arc of a lot of the characters was left hanging and I would have loved to see more of them being used in the plot.

Overall a good book that scores a 3.94/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book here.

Write Me A Love Story-Ravinder Singh

Book: Write Me A Love Story
Author: Ravinder Singh
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Can you love something you once hated?

Write Me A Love Story by Ravinder Singh is the story of Abhimanyu Razdan, the blue-eyed-boy  of Indian Publishing and known for his romances. PaperInk is an upcoming publishing house looking for an A-list author to add to their catalogue. As Abhimanyu’s contract with his existing publishers comes to an End, PaperInk decides to throw in their hat in the ring and start wooing Abhimanyu to sign with them. Heady with success, Aditya gets into an argument with Asmita Mullick, PaperInk’s literary fiction editor, even before their first official meeting. Things escalate when he finds out that she has a distaste for popular fiction. To soothe his ego, he decides to teach her a lesson, one that could have serious repercussions. As immiscible as oil and water, fate has something else in store for Abhimanyu and Asmita.

The story has a plot that has been well-planned, to the last detail. Ravinder has used his knowledge of the publishing industry and the process completely to create a story that seems hyper real in the way it is told. The story manages to capture the attention of the reader and keeps them hooked till the last page. The primary reason for it is the language and the way it has been told. The words flow out one after the another almost seamlessly and the length of the book is just right. Ravinder manages to convey the emotions that the characters feel through his words effectively and there are times where the reader would be grinning ear-to-ear with the banter that the characters are having. The romance part of the story is his signature with just the right amount of wooing, flirting and intimacy, both implied and physical. The lovemaking scenes are detailed (very), yet they have an aesthetic charm to it and none of them seem forced or exclusive from the story. The story arc is excellent with the primary track not losing its pace even once. I would have loved to see a bit more of Rizwan’s story in the plot, adding to the tension of the plot. The climax is excellently penned and executed. The scenes are visually written, and I could see the events unfold.

Coming to the characters, WMALS is a character driven story, primarily about Asmita and Abhimanyu. Asmita as a character was impressive in the manner she made decisions and how she was externally motivated. This is exhibited at multiple points in the story. Her self-awareness and steadfastness added an interesting flavor to her character. Abhimanyu’s character arc is another interesting study in itself in the manner things unfold for him, specially towards the end. Maaya’s character has shades that highlighted how she was a career-oriented woman and for her, nothing came first against PaperInk. Each of the character got their due time in the story to tell their side and this is something I loved about the book. The character descriptions are vivid and can help you visualize the image he is trying to put in front of you, from the clothes to the emotions. There are minute details that add to the overall picture such as tastes etc.

The description of the scene in the Mumbai Local was the highlight for me as the audiovisual cues as well as the descriptions helped me be a part of the scene, living it.

Overall, the book is a definite recommendation and if you love reading romance, then this is the book for you. WMALS scores a 4.94/5 for me.

P.S. I would love to see Abhimanyu’s book published someday because I loved the storyline that it proposed.

Grab your copies from Amazon India here.
(This is an Amazon Associates Link)

A2Z of Book Terms-Satabdi Mukherjee

Book: A2Z of Book Terms
Author: Satabdi Mukherjee
Publisher: Blogchatter

Have you ever participated in a trivia game and got stuck on a term?

A2Z of Book Terms by Satabdi Mukherjee is a collection of 26 little known terms related to books. From Biopredation to Deckled Edges, each of the term is a revealation about the world we are enthusiastic about, yet know so little. This volume of bookish trivia is a collection that would help you host your own bookish trivia night, or maybe just test your friends on social media!

The trivia in the book is well researched and each of them is quite unique. While being detailed and subjective, the information provided is just right in terms of length and the technicalities that the chapters have are good enough to give a basic understanding of the term. A well researched book, the details cover the history, possible other meanings as well as the utility of the term to create a well-rounded understanding. Each of the chapter has a proper introduction, body and ending, making it easy to read. The USP of the book are the 26 unique terms and their relation to the book community. It must have taken a lot of time to zero in on the terms to include and exclude.

I would definitely recommend the book to you if you like to read slowly and even if you read one chapter a day, it can be finished in less than a month, and it would not take more than 15 minutes to read per day. The book is well formatted and can be read easily on a mobile device or even a kindle and you wouldn’t face any issues related to font or text.

Scoring a 4/5 for me, I would like to suggest Satabdi to look at publishing a pocket-sized paperback and maybe a card game to accompany it.

Download your copy from here.

How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas-Munaf Kapadia

Book: How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas
Author: Munaf Kapadia
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Would you quit a corporate job to pursue your dreams?

How I Quit Google to Sell Samosas by Munaf Kapadia is the story of how he quit his four-year-old high paying job at Google to pursue a venture with his mother. Two years down the line, as Chief Eating Officer of food tech start-up The Bohri Kitchen, he made the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list. The book is the story of how this adventurous entrepreneur grew a weekend Bohri food pop-up from his Cuffe Parade home into an F&B start-up with a Rs 4 crore turnover. A man of many ideas, Munaf regales readers with tales of his big hits-citywide delivery kitchens, catering for Bollywood's biggest celebrities and winning a reality show-and the few misses.

This self-help book is well written, and Munaf’s passion and his zeal for the business jumps out in the story he tells as to how The Bohri Kitchen came into existence. Written in the form of a narrative, the book explores Munaf’s journey and how the idea came to him. The book goes on to detail the ups and downs of TBK and how he survived through them. The best thing about the book is its honesty that it manages to portray. The book shows how commitment to one’s dreams can help you face the trials and tribulations of an entrepreneur. The language of the book is simple, and Munaf has patiently explained the meanings of typical words that come up every now and then. In my opinion, Munaf has a penchant for storytelling, and a testament to this is the chapter where he describes the Bohra Thaal and by the end of the chapter, I was drooling.

The book is also helpful in the manner that it has tidbits of advice from Munaf. Titled “Samosa Gyaan” these are summarize versions of the ideas talked about in the book, and it would certainly help anyone looking to venture out on their own. Another thing I would like to commend Munaf on for including in the book is the experiential elements he incorporated in the form of videos of the TBK Experience and hos pitch deck by way of QR codes. Highly innovative, this shows the way Munaf thinks and presents his ideas. His struggles with TBK have come up with some important learnings, one that can help in navigating the business scenario, specially in the post pandemic world.

This is one non-fiction read I cannot recommend enough for the sheer flavor of self-help, stories, and trivia that the book has. Told in a seamless manner, it scores a 4.94/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.
(This is an Amazon Associates Link)

Two Indian Girls-Kumar Kinshuk

Book: Two Indian Girls
Author: Kumar Kinshuk
Publisher: Poetic Imagica

What is the one thing you like to see in a crime thriller?

Two Indian Girls by Kumar Kinshuk explores the mystery behind the alleged suicide of Khushbu and Ajit’s family is under the scanner under suspicion of abetting it for want of dowry. The case is handed over to Inspector Rajiv who starts confronting the people associated with her to reconstruct the events leading to her death. Amrita, Khushbu’s closest friend, is in a relationship with Rajiv and is trying to help him link the clues to clear the fog. With all the players in the case having a personal stake, would Inspector Rajiv be able to solve the mystery, or would it be filed as a suicide?

The plot of the book is a bit confusing as the central premise of the book does not get established until almost half the book is done. The story is told primarily from Amrita’s and Rajiv’s Point of view but neither of them add too much to the story. Another thing that drags the story down is the excessive use of fillers to add volume to the story which has nothing to do with the primary plot. There is discussion on politics, society, religious customs etc., which did not have almost no bearing on the main idea that the author wanted to convey. The good thing about the book is that it picks up pace in the second half and the things start falling into place. The murder mystery starts making sense and the important characters start jumping out. The climax, however, is abrupt and sudden.

Coming to the characters, this book is primarily character driven and propels forward through their emotions and their beliefs. The author takes his time, setting the pace of the characters and that is something I appreciate about the book. I loved how different examples were taken to establish Amrita as a character. However, one drawback I noticed here is that the presence of too many characters starts creating a confusion as the storylines start jumbling up. Rajiv’s character was well sketched, and I would love to see more stories featuring him.

Overall, a decent attempt at a murder mystery that requires a second round of editing and trimming to make it better. The book scores a 3.13/5 for me.

Get your copy of the book from Amazon here.

It Must’ve Been Love-Mayura Amarkant

Book: It Must’ve Been Love
Author: Mayura Amarkant
Publisher: Blogchatter

Do you think unrequited love gives us a better story?

It Must’ve Been Love by Mayura Amarkant is an interesting book that uses prose to narrate poetry. It is a unique book by where poems are recited against the backdrop of an intense love story set in the ‘90s. The narrative style of the book is one-of-its-kind, she has passionately woven each poem to ensure that the reader is hooked throughout. Poetry lovers and fans of romance fiction will love this book.

I had this notion that poetry and prose is something that is quite separate and mixing the two would be akin to mixing oil and water, however after reading this one by Mayura, I stand corrected. A short read, the book is excellently told as it chronicles the story of unrequited love in the 90s. The idea is well executed with a short prose setting the tone, followed by 7 short poems of varying meters. If we talk about the prose part, it is short yet manages to convey the emotions and the idea that the author is trying to convey. From the first meeting to separation to angst, each section deals with a specific emotion. The poetry follows the same concept and the words are powerful enough to invoke the same emotion in the reader as well. The last part, the ending is interesting and I would love to read a bit more as to what happened after as well.

While the book is well crafted, I would have loved to read Keshav’s perspectives on events as well and they would have improved the experience of the poetry as well. The second part of the book was a bit rushed as well and had that followed the same pace, the experience could have been better.

Coming to the characters, the plot focuses on Keshav and Meera, and how their love changes over time. I loved Meera’s character for her steadfastness and a bit of the impulsive nature that she shows in her narration of events. Her love for Keshav is powerful, yet the idea that it is unfulfilled jumps out from the text. Keshav’s character is shrouded in mystery and while crafted well, I am anxious to understand the reasons behind his actions in the later part of the book, probably in another set of prose-poetry that tells us the tale from his Point of View.

Picking out a specific instance or a poem is a challenge as I loved all of them, and while they might not make sense in isolation, it is them combined together that the true essence jumps out.

Overall, a recommendation irrespective of the fact whether you love poetry or not, it is a recommendation from me. It scores a 4.19/5 for me.

Grab your copies from the Blogchatter website here!