Book Review: Wings of Fire by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Book Review: Wings of Fire by Abdul Kalam

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Wings of Fire

·         Author: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

·         Genre: Non Fiction

·         Publisher: Universities Press; 1st edition (1999)

·         ISBN-10: 8173711461 (ISBN-13: 978-8173711466)

·         Pages: 180 Pages

·         Rating: 3.5/5

Behind The Book. . .

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the son of a little-educated boat-owner in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating in the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna. As chief of the country's defence research and development programme, Kalam demonstrated the great potential for dynamism and innovation that existed in seemingly moribund research establishments. This is the story of Kalam's rise from obscurity and his personal and professional struggles, as well as the story of Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag-missiles that have become household names in India and that have raised the nation to the level of a missile power of international reckoning. This is also the saga of independent India's struggle for technological self-sufficiency and defensive autonomy-a story as much about politics, domestic and international, as it is about science.

Book Review: Sai Baba is Still Alive by Jaya Wahi

Book Review: Sai Baba is Still Alive

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Sai Baba is Still Alive

·         Author: Jaya Wahi

·         Genre: Devotional

·         Publisher: Times Group Books (2013)

·         ISBN: 9382299483 (ISBN-13: 978-9382299486)

·         Pages: 232 Pages

·         Rating: 3.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

“… when I read about Sai Baba and all that He professed, the one thing that comes to my mind is this: Be a fakir and live in bliss.”

– Jackie Shroff

Sai Baba Is Still Alive is a book of miracles that devotees of Sai Baba have experienced in recent times. Ranging from simple yet heart-rending experiences to astounding life-saving ones, this book affirms the victory of faith over suffering, sorrow and even death, and at the same time reinforces the faith of Baba's devotees in His Eternal Soulful Presence. Interspersed with nuggets of Baba's teachings, excerpts from His life and replete with His quotes, this book is a handbook to everyday living as well as a guide to good karma and a meaningful life.

Whether you are a confirmed devotee of Baba Sai or on the path to discovering Him or simply curious, this book will delight and soothe you that in these testing times of uncertainty and stress, Sai Baba is still alive.

Book Review: Ramayana - The Game of Life: Stolen Hope (Book – 3) by Shubha Vilas

Book Review: Ramayana-The Game of Life

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Ramayana-The Game of Life: Stolen Hope (Book – 3)

·         Author: Shubha Vilas

·         Genre: Religion & Mythology

·         Publisher: Jaico Publishing House (2016)

·         ISBN-10: 8184958242 (ISBN-13: 9788184958249)

·         Pages: 312 Pages

·         Rating: 4/5

Behind The Book. . .

In the evil labyrinths of Dandakaranya forest, human values are put to test. Rama’s righteousness, Lakshmana’s loyalty, and Sita’s endurance reflect our own sense of values and judgment in difficult times. The story unfolds the facets of human life – the conflict and trickery, the praise, the slander and above all, the hope and the despair in the eventful forest life of exiled royals.

Stolen Hope is about extreme deception and extreme love. It is about arrogant power and deep devotion. With every twist and turn, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana find themselves robbed of whatever and whoever they valued the most.

Exploring the dynamics of human relations – between father and son, husband and wife, teacher and disciple – and the complex game of power and greed, Stolen Hope mirrors our own dilemmas in the modern world and teaches us how we must overcome them.

Seek courage when everything, including hope, is stolen.

Book Review - Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India

·         Author: William Dalrymple

·         Genre: Non Fiction / Travel Writings

·         Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing India Private Limited (2013)

·         ISBN: 1408846144 (ISBN-13: 978-1408846148)

·         Pages: 304 Pages

·         Rating: 3.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

A Buddhist monk takes up arms to resist the Chinese invasion of Tibet - then spends the rest of his life trying to atone for the violence by hand printing the best prayer flags in India. A Jain nun tests her powers of detachment as she watches her best friend ritually starve herself to death. Nine people, nine lives; each one taking a different religious path, each one an unforgettable story. William Dalrymple delves deep into the heart of a nation torn between the relentless onslaught of modernity and the continuity of ancient traditions.

Book Review: #IAm16ICanRape by Kirtida Gautam

Book Review: #IAm16ICanRape

Book Details. . .

·         Title: #IAm16ICanRape

·         Author: Kirtida Gautam

·         Genre: Thriller/Social

·         Publisher: Read Out Loud Publishing (2015)

·         ISBN: 978-8193136027

·         Pages: 593 Pages

·         Rating: 3.25/5

Behind The Book. . .

To destroy great EVIL, GOOD has to shed tears of blood.

Rudransh Kashyap is a self-made billionaire and man of high moral fiber. His life is shattered when he returns home one day to find that his prodigy, his 16-year-old grandson, Aarush, has been arrested and accused of a brutal gang rape. It is easy to say, “Kill the Rapist” but what if the accused is your child?

This case takes an unprecedented turn when Aarush’s identity is made public on social media. Rudransh finds himself living a nightmare as he fights against tremendous odds to get justice for Aarush, to save him and to bring him back home… But what if the unthinkable is true? Can Rudransh save his grandson, or will he end up fighting a different battle altogether?

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Source: Google Images

Book Details. . .

·         Title: The Fault in Our Stars

·         Author: John Green

·         Genre: Fiction

·         Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (2013)

·         ISBN: 9780141345659

·         Pages: 316 Pages

·         Rating: 3.5/5

Behind The Book. . .

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love

Book Review: A Mirrored Life: The Rumi Novel by Rabisankar Bal

Book Details. . .

·         Title: A Mirrored Life: The Rumi Novel

·         Author: Rabisankar Bal (Author), Arunava Sinha (Translator)

·         Genre: Fiction

·         Publisher: Random House India (January 2015)

·         ISBN: 9788184006155

·         Pages: 224 Pages

·         Rating: 4/5

Behind The Book. . .

On his way from Tangiers to China, the medieval Moorish traveller Ibn Battuta arrives in Konya, Turkey where the legendary dervish Rumi had lived, danced and died. More than half a century may have passed since his death, but his poetry remains alive, inscribed in every stone and tree and pathway.

Rumi’s followers entrust Ibn Battuta with a manuscript of his life stories to spread word of the mystic on his travels. As Battuta reads and recites these tales, his listeners discover their own lives reflected in these stories—fate has bound them, and perhaps you, to Rumi.

A Mirrored Life reaffirms the magical powers of storytelling, making us find Rumi in each of our hearts.

Book Review: Dongri To Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia by S Hussain Zaidi

Source: Google Images

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Dongri To Dubai: Six Decades of The Mumbai Mafia

·         Author: S Hussain Zaidi

·         Genre: Crime Thriller / Non Fiction

·         Publisher: Roli Books (2012)

·         Pages: 408 Pages

·         Rating: 3.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

Dongri to Dubai is the first ever attempt to chronicle the history of the Mumbai mafia. It is the story of notorious gangsters like Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem, but above all, it is the story of a young man who went astray despite having a father in the police force. Dawood Ibrahim was initiated into crime as a pawn in the hands of the Mumbai police and went on to wipe out the competition and eventually became the Mumbai police’s own nemesis.

Book Review: THE SLIENT SCREAM by Siddhartha Garg

Book Review: The Silent Scream

Book Details. . .

·         Title: The Silent Scream

·         Author: Siddhartha Garg

·         Genre: Non Fiction / Social Cause

·         Publisher: Rumour Books (2015)

·         Pages: 158 Pages

·         Rating: 3.5/5

Behind The Book. . .

Child abuse, one of the many problems that persist in India today, is arguably the filthiest. Of late, we have heard of instances of children being exploited but the most gruesome abuse is child sex abuse. The Silent Scream takes up this issue which people normally turn a blind eye towards. Through the subtlety quoted instances mentioned in this narrative non-fiction we are exposed to the disturbing lives of child predators and their innocent, young unassuming victims. The Silent Scream is a ready guide to create awareness about this rampantly growing evil with the aim of sensitising the general public on the ways in which sex abusers operate. A humble effort is also being made to counsel the victims and carry forward the war against this menace so that other innocent souls are saved.

Book Review: THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST by Mohsin Hamid

Book Review of The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Source: Google Images)

Book Details. . .

·         Title: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

·         Author: Mohsin Hamid

·         Genre: Fiction

·         Publisher: Penguin Books India (2008)

·         Pages: 225 Pages

·         Rating: 3.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

At a cafe table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter . . .

Book Review: RAMAYANA: THE GAME OF LIFE - Book 2 (SHATTERED DREAMS) by Shubha Vilas

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Ramayana: The Game Of Life - Book 2 (Shattered Dreams)

·         Author: Shubha Vilas

·         Genre: Mythology

·         Publisher: Jaico Publishing House (2015)

·         Pages: 404 Pages

·         Rating: 4/5

Behind The Book. . .

Shattered Dreams is the sequel to the national bestseller, Rise of the Sun Prince, in the new spiritual and motivational series Ramayana - The Game of Life. Twelve joyful years have passed in Ayodhya since the wedding of Rama and Sita at the end of Book 1.

Now, in Shattered Dreams, Shubha Vilas narrates the riveting drama of Rama’s exile. Through tales of Rama’s unwavering and enigmatic persona, the book teaches us how to handle reversals positively; through Bharata’s actions, it teaches us to handle temptation; and through Sita’s courage, to explore beyond our comfort zone. This complicated family drama provides deep insights on how human relationships work and how they fail.

With Valmiki’s Ramayana as its guiding light, Shattered Dreams deftly entwines poetic beauty from the Kamba Ramayana and Ramacharitramanas, as well as folk philosophy from the Loka Pramana tales, to demonstrate how the ancient epic holds immediate relevance to modern life. Experience the ancient saga of the Ramayana like never before.

Book Review: HALF A RUPEE STORIES by Gulzar

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Half a Rupee Stories

·         Author: Gulzar (Translated by Sunjoy Shekhar)

·         Genre: Fiction & Non Fiction

·         Publisher: Penguin

·         Pages: 232 Pages

·         Rating: 3.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

Twenty-five fascinating stories from the inimitable Gulzar.

A suicide bomber in a small town plans out her last day, getting herself photographed before she goes and blows up the prime minister. A drunkard in a Mumbai slum tries to compete with the torrential rain, even as it washes his dwelling away. An army man at the border has become so accustomed to speaking over the wireless that he ends every sentence with ‘Over!’ And in the title story, a cop drags a dead cow from Vinayak Rao Patwardhan Road to the adjoining Bapu Road, since the latter is so much easier to spell.

Book Review: INDIAN TANGO by Ananda Devi

This review was done for The Tales Pensieve (TTP) under their reviewer program. I thank TTP for giving me the opportunity to review the book.

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Indian Tango

·         Author: Ananda Devi (translated by Jean Anderson)

·         Genre:  Fiction

·         Publisher: Random House India (2013)

·         Pages: 208 Pages

·         Price: INR 275 (Flipkart)

·         Rating: 2.75/5

Behind The Book. . .

Lost to the meaning of her life, a foreign writer arrives in Delhi seeking the wordless company of strangers. Delhi is an exploded sun, bleeding everywhere its untrammelled chaos: the feral dampness of bus fumes; the suicidal rush of scooters; the autorickshaw scats impregnated with thousands of odors - nauseous accretions of India's muddy human tide. The men with their stinking bidis rule as masters and the women remain walled in by centuries of tradition.

Book Review: GHALIB: The Man, The Times by Pavan K Varma

Book Details. . .

·         Title: Ghalib - The Man The Times

·         Author: Pavan K Varma

·         Genre: Non Fiction

·         Publisher: Penguin

·         Pages: 344 Pages

·         Price: INR 254

·         Rating: 3.5/5

Behind The Book. . .

A brilliant biography of one of India’s greatest poets.

Mirza Mohammad Asadullah Khan Ghalib began writing poetry in Persian at the age of nine and the pre-eminent poet of the time, Mir, predicted a great future for the precocious genius when he was shown his verse. But success and material rewards did not come to Ghalib easily, for the times were against him, and he did not suffer fools gladly even if they occupied positions of importance.