Inane Murtaza

Title - Suncatcher Author - Romesh Gunesekara Genre - Coming of Age Historical Fiction So this is my first venture with a book based in Sri Lanka and I must say this was pretty impressive. Most of the coming of age books that I have come across these days had been revolving around fantasy but hardly I have come across books that even revolves around the political turmoil in the country and Suncatcher is one of them. 'Suncatcher' by Romesh Gunesekara  is a story of bonding and friendship between two young boys Jay and Kairo during the year 1964 when Sri Lanka was under troubled times. The two of them are as different from one another as Chalk and Cheese and yet are bonded with each other as glue and paper. Jay, a born naturalist loves birds and fishes and dreams of a natural home for the birds across the country. Kairo, an introvert kid, has his life changed and his thoughts expanded when he meets Jay. This coming of age story talks about their evolving friendship and

Title : Anecdotes of a White-Collared Slave Author : Aashish Gupta Genre : Humor From past few years, we have seen a high growth of Indian authors exploring various themes while presenting their books. From stories based in college to stories that talks about start-ups, the recent trend have caught up to them all. So, my expectation with this novel was quite different since this had been my first novel based on corporate life and here is my take on it. Anecdotes of a white - collared slave is a story written from the perspective of the author Ashish himself who has joined the corporate life after a brief stint as a failed entrepreneur. He talks about the different kinds of species (personalities) during his tenure at the company and how they apparently made his life miserable until the tables turned and he was made to supervise a new employee. Since I had been a part of a corporate life myself, there are many incidents within the book that I can actually relate to. The book is writ

Title : You Beneath Your Skin Author : Damyanti Biswas Genre : Thriller It is pretty much surprising when you pick up a book and it exceeds your expectations to a great extent. I recently came across 'You Beneath your Skin' by Damyanti Biswas due to its intriguing plot and almost apt timing (with Delhi currently under smog) and this book did exceed my expectations to another level. Here is my take on this book. The story revolves mainly around Dr Anjali Morgan who lives with her autistic son Nikhil. On one fateful day, Anjali is attacked with acid who resembles her son and how her entire life comes crashing down. Her affair with Jatin Bhatt (the other central character) forms another vital part of the story and how their life gets involved with one another forms the rest of the plot. I was pretty much surprised by the book since I did not expect the book to be so good. A thriller with characters such immensely deep was way beyond my expectations. The plot kept giving bringin

Title : Bone China Author : Laura Purcell Genre : Horror I came across Laura Purcell when she had launched her first book 'The Silent Companions' which was quite spooky for me. Her book gave me chills that many horror movies failed to do so and I couldn't stop myself when her third book 'Bone China' (I'm yet to read her second outing 'The Corset') was announced and I got my hands on it as soon as possible. This was my read for the Halloween month and here is my take on it. The story revolves around two main characters Hester Why who had arrived at Moroven House to take care of Miss Pinecroft. As the story moves ahead, we see Hester experiencing a certain spook around the house and she also tries to deal with her past before she arrived here. On the other hand, we also get to know about Louise Pinecroft and her father's experiment on five prisoners who were suffering from a terminal disease. In my opinion, though the book is pretty go

Title : Upon a Burning Throne : Part 2 Author : Ashok Banker Genre : Mythological Retelling Ashok Banker is one of those authors that I came across pretty recently when I had heard of Upon a Burning Throne which is a retelling of the epic saga Mahabharata. A bit of research across platforms, I was pretty much intrigued by his books and that was the time when I had picked up the first part of Upon a Burning Throne. Apparently for Indian audience, the book was divided into two parts for reasons unknown and since I had dedicated myself to the first part, I picked up this one to further prick my curiosity and here is my take on it. Blurb (From Amazon): He is poisoning the very heart of Hastinaga. And he must be stopped. The powerful demonlord Jarsun has declared war on the vast burnt empire. Wars, deceit and sorcery wreak havoc, practically shattering the realm. And he must be stopped. But how? the odds are unsurmountable. And then, on one dark night, everything changes. For the

Title : The Dutch House Author : Ann Patchett Genre : Historical Fiction I had never read much of Ann Patchett books, this is basically my first from the author and I had my own reasons to pick this one up. Internet has been quite a boon to me since it has introduced me to so many different authors helping me expand my horizons and Patchett turned out to be one of those. Since the time, I came across the blurb of this book, I decided to pick it up and here is my take on it. Blurb :  Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is final

Title : The 117- Storey Treehouse Author : Andy Griffiths and Terry Dentons Genre : Middle Grade Graphic Novel Off late I have been getting my hands on quite a few Graphic Novels and I must say my picks have been really diverse and interesting. Yesterday, it was about a humorous take on life with Trust No Aunty, today it is about Middle Grade Fantasy 'The 117-Storey Treehouse'. Blurb : Andy and Terry have added another thirteen levels of crazy fun to their every-growing treehouse. They've got a tiny-horse level, a pyjama-party room, an Underpants Museum and Treehouse Information Centre! But Andy and Terry have found themselves running from the Story Police and the only way to escape, is through the terrifying Door of Doom! Honestly, since it was my first encounter with the Treehouse stories of books, I wasn't sure what to expect from it. From what I had read about the other books in the series, each book adds 13 levels of fun and excitement. The illustra

Book Title : Trust No Aunty Author : Maria Qamar Genre : Humor / Hard Hitting Reality Are you a Desi Girl? Are you someone who has been brought up in a desi household family? Then no fear when aunty is here. I had picked up this graphic purely on recommendation by my other reader friends and honestly speaking, the book is truly hard hitting. Based on her popular Instagram @Hatecopy and her experience in a South Asian immigrant family, artist Maria Qamar has created a humorous, illustrated “survival guide” to deal with overbearing “Aunties,” whether they’re family members, annoying neighbours or just some random ladies throwing black magic your way. If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh in splits throughout, this one is your pick. Eventhough it is more relatable to all the lovely ladies out there, you can even glimpse similar incidents as a desi boy as well. Out of the 7-8 different types of personalities that we have encountered in this book, Im sure each and every

Title :  The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar Author : Sunanda Mehta Genre : Non - Fiction There are times when all you find a person being put up on a pedestal of celebrity status so suddenly that you always keep wondering where did this person came from. For me, Sunanda Pushkar was one such person who came into limelight mainly because she married the evergreen politician Mr. Shashi Tharoor. Her marriage was in news everyday and people flocked to internet to find out more about her. Her death became another sensation when she passed away amidst the huge controversy of fights between herself and her husband where she accused Shashi Tharoor of infidelity. But who exactly was Sunanda Pushkar? What was her life before the status of celebrity and how did she die? All the details are explored in this book written by one of her juniors in college which is quite interesting. The book talks about Sunanda Pushkar and her life at every different stage. A Kashmiri girl

Title - The Truants Author - Kate Weinberg Genre - Coming of Age Fiction Agatha Christie has always been one of my most favourite mystery authors and her books have always been my first recommendation to people who are looking for books in the genre.So when I found out the book 'The Truants' is a book where the plot involves Christie's book, I didn't hesitate even once to pick it up and here is my take on the same. The Truants is a story mainly revolving around three people. Jess, Alec (Jess's friends boyfriend) and Lorna. Jess arrives at the university mainly bcoz she is in awe with Lorna and wants to take her classes. Though initially disappointed with the course she was enrolled in (Agatha Christie's course) she makes her way to one of Lorna's favorite student. A twist in tale involving them all puts their life upside down and what happens next forms the rest of the story. While the book was pretty intriguing, you do keep going chapte

Book : Pan's Labyrinth Author : Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke Genre : Children Fantasy We have all heard about movies being made from books and at times criticized them for leaving out so much from the books but there are extremely less cases when we see movies translated to books and the one we are talking about here was a major success garnering critical acclaim all over the world. Pan's Labyrinth was a 2006 fantasy film which even made Stephen King squirm in his seat and we finally have the literary adaptation of the same. Pan's Labyrinth is the story of Ofelia who moves in with her mother to her stepfather's place. A gullible girl who still believes that magic exists in the world looks at the people in the same frame of lens. Her surprise knows no bounds when she meets a Fawn who tells her that she is a princess of the Underworld and gives her three tasks to return back. A book based during Spanish Civil War needs no introduction to readers who are f

Title : Spinning Silver Author : Naomi Novik Genre : Fantasy The book Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik  has been one of my most sought after book since the time I saw it with a subscription box providing it to readers. . Tried really hard to get my hands on it then but it took me months before I could get my hands on this beauty. What I felt on reading the book is that the book was truly worth the wait and was one of the best books that I have read this year. The book revolves around three women, Miryem, Wanda and Irunishka. Miryem who is a daughter of a Russian Moneylender who himself have fallen into debt owing to his failure in recollecting his money. Irunishka, daughter of a farmer who has borrowed money from Miryem's father and is now being forced to work for Miryem to clear the debts. Wanda, daughter of Duke who is forced to marry the Tsar in a turn of surprising events. Their lives gets entangled within one another with Miryem being forced to be the queen of the Winter

Title : The Doll Factory Author : Elizabeth Macneal Genre : Thriller I have been pretty erratic about my book reviewing for past one month due to excess travelling that I have been making the entire month, though I did make sure my book reading abilities do not take a toll and one of the books that did make it in the list was 'The Doll Factory' by Elizabeth Macneal. What attracted me to this book was the era the book was based on. Last year I had come across another book from the same era 'The Silent Companions' and that book haunted me for quite a while. So, I finally picked up this one and this is my take on it. My Take on the Novel The book pretty much revolves around three major characters. Iris, a small time worker at a Doll Factory who is an apprentice along with her sister, Rose. She gets noticed by an upcoming painter Louis Frost who wants her to model for his latest painting. Their lives are connected to Silas who is known to make stu

Title : City of Girls Author : Elizabeth Gilbert Genre : Romance Okay, being honest here, but I guess I'm one of those readers who had DNFed Eat, Pray, Love by the same author that became a huge sensation. The reason being that I felt it kept dragging endlessly across the three cities she visited. Keeping all my notions aside, what attracted me to this book was the interesting premise that the author has come up with. Setting the book in 1940s of New York, the book deals with a theatre troupe who have finally hit a blockbuster around the time of World War. The book is basically a letter written by our protagonist Vivian Morris to Angela describing her relationship with Angela's father. The story follows how a 19 year old Vivian who had to move to New York to her aunt Peg gets accustomed to the city and her theatre group. As the story progresses, we see Vivian dealing with a lot of interesting personalities as the theatre troupe is preparing for their biggest pla

Astra - The Quest for Starsong by Aditya Mukherjee, Arnav Mukherjee The world should burn . . . burn like a star! Blurb (From Amazon): The balance of the world is askew. The winds speak of a terror from the south. Ravana, the Lord of Lanka, is on the march. Seers whisper that he has awakened Starsong, a mythical astra of the gods. And that he thirsts for this weapon that will make him invincible. But there is one thing that he hasn't considered. Up high in the glistening tower of the city of Ulka is a boy, held captive. Today is the day Varkan, the young prince of Ashmaka, will taste freedom. Today is the day he will lay claim to his destiny as the wielder of Starsong. And along the way, perhaps he will change the destiny of the world itself. My Take on the Book: Off late we have seen a lot of books based on the Hindu Mythology and each one is unique in its own way. Though the base of each story is always the same, what makes a book apart is the narrative that takes its c

Title : Upon a Burning Throne - Part 1 Author : Ashok K Banker Genre : Mythological Fantasy Of the two major Indian Epics, Mahabharata has always fascinated me more. The epic consists of so many characters with different shades that one cannot rightly put them in black or white zones. The epic is so well written with characters etched deeply that one always looks for various narratives for the story and yet each narrative brings in more questions and surprises even more. So apparently, when I finally came across this retelling of Mahabharata, I had to get my hands on it and here is my take on the first book. The plot majorly revolves around Adri and Shvate who are in line to rule the vast Burnt Empire, yet on the day of their test for inheritance, they are challenged by another ruler whose daughter comes from the same bloodline and to everyone's surprise she passes the test too. When her claim to inheritance is denied by family elders Vrath and Jilana, the empire is thro

Title : The Gifted The Talented and Me Author : William Sutcliffe Genre : YA A year or two back if I was asked my opinion on a Young Adult book, I wouldn't have had much to say since I had hardly read much of them. Now, I have read quite enough novels on YA to differentiate between a promising one and a book that will again take up the same old plot, try a bit of tinkering and serving it back. Honestly, quite a lot of YA fantasies have been treading this path and so I was pretty much surprised when I picked up this one which tries to explore the Young Adults in today's times.  Sam apparently had a pretty normal life with his days spent as a famous vlogger and chatting with friends but his life apparently turns outside down when his parents suddenly get rich and shift to North London. He is enrolled into North London Academy for the Gifted and Talented which is apparently a school where your talents on Drama and Art are explored more rather than sports. The plot explor

Title : Beast Author : Krishna Udayasankar Genre : Fantasy I'm generally quite reluctant to pick up Indian authors since in recent times I have had experiences that were from bad to disastrous. Hence, when I finally decided to pick up this book, I kept my expectations at an pretty average but I did expect a good storyline as she has written a few books earlier which had pretty rave reviews. Read ahead to find out whether the book did meet my expectations or not. The plot revolves primarily around Enforcer Prithvi who has been assigned to find out about the gruesome murders that had taken place in the suburbs of Mumbai. ACP Aditi Kashyap, the investigating officer had been hearing weird theories about the murders which she ain't ready to believe but as the plot moves on, the circumstances does allow her a hint of doubt on the legend of Saimhas or as we call it Werelions. With deep buried secrets that would be unveiled, we are put on a roller coaster ride of twists that prom

Title : The Near Witch Author : V E Schwab Genre : Middle Grade Fantasy Being quite an active Bookstagrammer, V E Schwab was one of those authors that one can hardly missed. Her books were well received and I was shocked to see that she has been around for quite some time and has written a lot of books. Finally, I picked up her debut novel when the books came out pretty cheap and this is my take on it. The plot revolves around the town of Near where we see Lexi living along with her younger sister Wren and her mother. She despises her uncle Otto who tends to control every action of hers. Her father also known as the Protector of Near had died in mysterious circumstances. One day Lexi sees a stranger arrive in town and this follows up with the disappearances of kids around the town? Who is the stranger? Will Lexi be able to find the kids? What are the various mysteries revolving around the town brings up the rest of the story. The best thing about reading a debut author is as

*I was provided an ecopy of this book for review purpose* At times, you do land up with a book that is pretty easy to read but takes a toll on your capacity to think. Greed Lust Addiction was my recent pickup by an upcoming Indian author and this is my take on it. To be honest, my review is pretty polarised from the ones you would find online but again this is my opinion and you are free to counter the same. Blurb (From Goodreads): The book covers the journey and encounters of an investigative journalist, thrillingly revealing mysteries of the corrupt material world, who believes in following the virtuous, righteous and spiritual path in life but is lured by a society dominated by corrupt politicians, unscrupulous greedy businessmen, puppet media, insensitive police, and even a biased judiciary. It leaves the readers wondering: Will the protagonist survive in the midst of the powerful lobbies who have scant regard for human life? Or will he be crushed like a beetle under a booted fo

I have delayed this article for quite a long due to my reader's block but as a blogger it is my duty to review the books that I have been provided copies for. Last October, Bloomsbury had conducted a readathon for some of their award winning books to inspire more readers to read new books. I decided to pick up these books and here is my take on the same. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) The Graveyard Book is a book about a little boy named Nobody Owens. Bod, as his friends call him is an orphan who has the most interesting surrogate family. Having lost his entire family to a brutal murder, Bod wanders into a graveyard and here is where he finds the most amazing myth to be a reality that ghosts are real. Neil Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller and the same is portrayed in The Graveyard book. Although, a book primarily written for children, this book is surely to captivate childrens and adults alike. The characters have been portrayed pretty detailed and there

This book did put me in a great dilemma. Should I pick up this book because I just loved watching Gaur Gopal Das's video online or should I not pick it up because I generally avoid self help books. The dilemma was sorted out by a friend of mine who had picked this book earlier and encouraged me to give it a try. Little did I know that this book would turn out to be a blessing in disguise for me. Read further to find out why? Blurb (From Amazon): While navigating their way through Mumbai's horrendous traffic, Gaur Gopal Das and his wealthy young friend Harry get talking, delving into concepts ranging from the human condition to finding one's purpose in life and the key to lasting happiness. Whether you are looking at strengthening your relationships, discovering your true potential, understanding how to do well at work or even how you can give back to the world, Gaur Gopal Das takes us on an unforgettable journey with his precious insights on these areas of life.

Procrastination is evil. How I have been a victim of it for quite a while is something I cannot express. This has even spilled down on my book reviews some of it which were pending since February last year. So, to pile down a few of my reviews, I have decided to consolidate some of the book reviews into a single post and make it easier for even readers to chose. Wonder Woman : Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo (🌟🌟🌟 out of 5) The first in DC Icons series, this book revolves around Diana AKA Wonder Woman and her struggles to accept herself as a hero. This origin story teams up Diana and Alia, who is termed as a Warbringer a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. Together, along with few other characters, they face their enemies and rescue the Amazonians. I was pretty much excited about this book as I had been on a Leigh Bardugo marathon and especially loved her Language of Thorns and Six of Crows. Alas, this book