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 f...

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...