“The phenomena and events which occur (incessantly) in Nature are countless. But on careful observation, we can notice that some forms of common threads run across different platforms or fields.
These fascinating parallels can be found amidst the world of human affairs also, apart from the natural, scientific laws and theories.”

Parallels by V.S. Sury has diverse topics. So diverse that you’ll pick any chapter and you’ll have various analysis of one word. This book is just so full of information and knowledge that it could have easily been a 5 star read for me. But, no, it failed my expectations.

I love learning about different things. But there should be a methodology to that, or a sequence of any kind. Suppose you’re teaching someone how to use Facebook, you don’t directly start talking about how to share posts, now do you ? You’ve to teach them about Facebook, why it’s used, what all you can do and then comes sharing a post, much later !

The issue with this book was it did talk about pretty amazing concepts, but it would just start anywhere and then jump off to somewhere else. For sometime, I thought this is might be a different kind of writing style fit for this topic, but as I progressed I started feeling as if there’s no connection, no thread and smoothness – different concepts realted to one word without any proper beginning or ending.

I still kept reading and it just felt like a burden, because I tried really hard but I couldn’t retain a single thing, everything was so random and fast that it didn’t give a proper time or information to sink in whatever was written.

At one point, I was seriously annoyed because there was a whole lot of facts and concepts I could have learned, such brilliant were the topics, but the skill to present those topics was so haphazard/unpolished that any layman would be exhausted just figuring out what’s going on in the book.

This post seems like less of a review and more of a rant because I am annoyed. I spent time with this book and neither did I learn/retain anything nor did I enjoy it. And, I’m exhausted ! Idk some people might find it good, may be this is for people who already possess knowledge about the topics discussed in the book, but it just didn’t work for me.

Rating – 2/5

Amazon Purchase Link : https://www.amazon.in/dp/1648508855/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WPejFbEKYEZVX

Book – The Busyness Age

Author – Rajesh Seshadri

Review by – https://instagram.com/vishakha_goplani?igshid=1uvlt8xdkvas2

The Busyness Age is one of that self-help book which tells us to focus on productivity, creativity and most importantly promotes “business” world to venture into.
Seriously, it’s easy to start any business but to keep it sustained that is highly important. We should give preference to your productivity. Time management and focus on less procrastinating can help much. Personally, procrastinate is my bad habit, but after reading this book I could understand its smooth narrative. It was more like conversion than lectures.
I would recommend it all who want to venture into business.

I rate it 4/5🌟

Book – Feni Daze
Author – Matthew Vincet Menacherry
Pages – 346

Feni Daze. The title itself is so intriguing that I had to pick this book up. Scenes swapping between the past and present life of our protagonist Victor, portraying the hardship he went through as a kid and it’s aftereffect was painful. The writing style is such that it makes you enjoy and absorb all that is happening in the story. I love how deeply Victor’s character is crafted, his battles and turmoils so realistic. In fact, all the characters were well developed. There was actually a lot going on, scene after scene, subplots, which isn’t exactly messy but a bit too much was going layer after layer. Set in various locations, the description about these places was right on point. The narration was good, especially because the way it makes the readers feel about the story and the characters.

Rating – 4/5

1. Would you like to introduce yourself to your readers?

Reply: Why not…!!! Hello once again to all, especially those who have already read my book TALES FROM BENGAL. And of course, would like to request those who haven’t gone through it as yet.

2. Well, before I ask you any other question, I would like to know about your calling in writing?

Reply: I can’t remember exactly when I started writing. But yes, most probably it was the eighth standard when I got my first ever submission for the school magazine published. But the thought of getting my own book published occurred to me when one essay of mine concerned with the educational issues prevalent in India got published along with those of some eminent professors of West Bengal. And thus, began my journey with fictionalized composition.

3. If not writing books, how would you express your creativity?

Reply: It could have been through my painting or music, my guitar. Or, could have been a cricket umpire, had I not engaged myself in writing.

4. Wait, wait. Did you say cricket umpiring?

Reply: Yeah. Really, I used to officiate games at the junior and district levels. Could have gone further. But just then got appointed to the post of assistant teacher in a high school. And that was it with umpiring.

5. Ok. Now back to your book. What did you learn while writing this book?

Reply: So many things…! First and the foremost would be the fact that only plot and characters can’t help build up a story for the author. He himself has to be an integral part of it by getting involved in the settings or situations he is describing or explaining. The easiest way to do this is by visiting the scenes or backdrops he has decided to use for his purpose. He has to feel the situations with his own senses. Remember one thing, a story is not a mere conglomeration of words, rather a medium of presenting what the author thinks about a certain happening in life. So, it’s obvious that the depiction has to be full of life in it. To me, a story always has to be real, and I stick to this principle of mine. Visiting the workshops of the blacksmiths of the countryside is just one of such real things that I did while composing the story ‘Iron Irony’. In another case, I had to take note of every single detail of the behavioural traits of the stray mentally impaired persons when I had Manglu in my mind for the story ‘The Abstainer’.

6. All the stories written by you are extremely sensitive, picked from real-life yet unique. Are these stories entirely fictional or inspired from real life?

Reply: As I’ve already told you I just wanted my stories to seem real in every sense, the plots had to belong to real life. ‘Absolution’ can relate to any uneducated youth lacking proper knowledge of life. While Subal and Seema of ‘Anomaly’ are just the ones running for safety and security in life. Similarly, ‘The Abstainer’ is anyone among us without a goal in life. And of course, all the stories are drawn from the real-life experiences. The housemaid, the rickshaw-walla, the fake doctor forging an identity, all of them are real characters.

7. How do you select your characters and build them?

Reply: That I have already told you. Actually, I myself believe that the plot comes first. Then the characters. It’s true to all the stories of TALES FROM BENGAL too. First, I try and find my resources, the plots. Sometimes, two or three small plots shape up a combined larger plot. Once I am ready with the plot, I start developing it by adding characters to it.

8. Do you think a writer should have a signature writing style or should he keep experimenting with it? And why do you think so?

Reply: As for me, I do not follow any such notion. In TALES FROM BENGAL too I tried my best to keep the narrative techniques as much unique as possible. I believe typicality pushes one author into certain kind of shell that sometimes is really very hard to get over. Even in my upcoming book that also will include Bengal as one of the twin topics alongside the issues related to current trends of women psyche, I’ve tried to maintain that very aspect. Even the diction will vary from story to story. I also prefer experimentation to some extent.

9. What is your go-to genre?

Reply: Of course, short stories. I could have said that even in my dreams.

10. What is that thing about yourself that surprises you the most?

Reply: Yet to think about it this way.

11. As you’ve mentioned that your new book too is going to focus on Bengal, would you like to how it’s going to be different from TALES FROM BENGAL?

Reply: The prominent factor of the upcoming book is that it’s not going to discuss on not only Bengal but also will cast light upon the feminine psychology and the pertinent issues. Another difference would be it’s not going to be any ‘look-back-into-past’ sort of a book. I will discuss the current generation Bengal. Its politics, its intellectualism, its love, its sensuality, its trickery, and all. And of course, when you are to discuss love, affection, deceit, and repentance in your stories, won’t you include the shades of feminism in them? I think anybody would do that.

12. Any message for your readers?

Reply: I would only say: keep reading, keep learning to start writing.

#bookreview

Book – Tales from Bengal
Author – Sourish Roy

Tales from Bengal is a collection of short stories. Each unique in it’s own sense, yet similar to the other. Picked from the life of common Bengalis, just as urbanization and technology came knocking Bengal’s door, portraying their raw traits, the stories are threaded into this book.

It’s not a myth that people from the same regional background share similar traits and it was absolutely endearing reading about people with the sweetest tongue ! The Author has done a great job in portraying different parts and people of Bengal, yet showing how similar they are. Hats off to the authenticity of the stories !

The stories were one of a kind, mirroring the deepest human emotions, the struggles, the sacrifices, the adjustments and what not !
As much as I liked the stories, I wish the language was a bit simpler. With such usage the vocabulary, the essence was somewhat lost, making it a not-so-smooth read. Nonetheless, everything from the title, cover and the 9 stories, this book is a beautiful piece of art !

Rating – 4🌟

#bookreview

Book- You Beneath Your Skin
Author – Damyanti Biswas

You Beneath Your Skin is one riveting tale of gruesome crimes, deep emotions, betrayal, characters that’ll stay with you for days to come and the horrifying fact that this book is just the product of the Author’s imagination and the truth that reality is much worse than what you’re going to read.

Human trafficking, sexual abuse, drugs, acid attacks, murder and what not !
Every crime is ultimately connected to each other. The cruelty with which one person harms another is beyond imagination. Inflicting an unbearable degree of pain on one person, especially after knowing the result of such commission is barbaric !
The reality that both the abuser and the abused are the part of the same society, that we cross path with such people, that we really don’t know who is watching and might be targeting his next move on us shows how we are so unsafe and vulnerable amongst our own kinds.

The intensity of the victim and the victim’s loved ones suffering has been so intricately described that it’ll show how much effort the Author has put into writing this story. I love the fact that she has given equal attention to all the topics she has touched in this book. I admire how tastefully she has handled the relationship between an Autistic child and his mother; the portrayal of a mother’s struggle and patience and that she is the epitome of love has been has been very well executed. The Author’s narration is so solid that when she describes an acid attack victim’s pain, it draws a clear picture that the acid thrown at a person, very literally shows the intensity of grudge the abuser holds against the victim.

Alongwith with great writing, the Author has put life into the characters. I loved how the writing style and effect kept changing for each character, that was brilliant !

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Rating – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5