Book Review-Neil D'silva's Right Behind You

My honest review:

    If you have read Neil D’silva’s previous works you definitely know what to expect from this one. Having read Pishacha and Bound in Love, I was expecting enough chills and was really eager to read Right Behind You as the book cover and blurb was intriguing enough.

    Right Behind You is a collection of thirteen short stories (he had to choose the number 13…); stories which are a figment of author’s imagination, some which are based on rumors or stories of local folk.

    But each story is written with the right amount of horror, which really sends chills down your spine. So a precautionary warning to readers with faint heart…don’t read this book at night.

    The book cover is apt and intriguing, no errors except in the last story in which some parts are printed twice but given the good content, this one error can be ignored. An additional point is the blurb contest of the book which really makes the reader curious and read with utmost interest and attention.

    So if you like to read horror stories Right Behind You is a must read. Make sure you sit down with enough munchies while reading it.

One can buy the book here and read more about the author here.

PS: I won the copy of this book in a contest held by the author. 

Book Review - Janaki Nagraj's Fragments

BLURB

“I often painted fragments of things because it seemed to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could” - Georgia O'Keeffe.

A serial killer on the loose who chooses a particular day of the month to kill his victims; a strained father – son relationship, when the father returns home after being presumed dead; a girl who can go to any extent for her career and money; a woman openly acknowledging the presence of the many ‘other women’ in her life; a lady's dark past finally catches up with her... Life is an ongoing sequence of events meshed with everyday mundaneness so that it becomes difficult to isolate them.

‘Fragments’ captures the essence of those parts of our lives that we are not proud to show to others. It takes you through a range of emotions and leaves a big question mark on what is supposed to be.

 My Honest Review:

               Fragments is a debut book authored by Janaki Nagraj. It is a collection of short stories, stories which are influenced by real life experiences and day-to-day instances happening around us.

          Fragments has suspense, mystery, horror, romance, exploration of relationships between father and son, a couple who wants to take their relation to next level, so on and so forth.

         

          Some stories are emotional which brings tears like The Homecoming and If you can’t understand my silence. While Stree, Sexy body big boobs, The other women in my life, I don’t want to be an adult, What goes around are some of the stories which bring out women oriented issues and make us ponder as they depict the truth around us.

          Each story is unique, title of stories apt and book cover beautiful. Fragments is a must read, if you like short stories and also if you like to read about human emotions.

         

          

About the Author -

       

         Janaki Nagaraj is a graduate in English Literature from the Bangalore University. She has been a blogger with a flair for free verse poetry, book reviewer, a fitness enthusiast other than being a full time homemaker. This is her first book as a writer. She currently lives in Mumbai with her husband, two grown up children and 3 cats.

Review-Panorama by Shilpi Chaklanobis

Synopsis

          A turbulent relationship between a mother and a daughter takes a sudden turn when the daughter stumbles across a past that she never knew.

          The golden period of a professor’s life is tainted by questions about his purpose until one night gives him all the answers he needs.

          Desperate times test us all but when hunger drives a girl to do the unthinkable, her life changes forever.

          Woven around lives of the people around us – the shy girl on the metro, your domestic help, your neighbors and perhaps even you – this collection of short stories will take you on a bittersweet journey that explores the spectrum that is part of any human relationship and all the complexity and chaos that secretly dwell within homes and hearts of India.

Often laced with element of introspection, the stories are sure to change the way you see the world around you …

My honest Review

          I received a free copy of this book directly from author for reviewing her book.

          Panorama – as the name suggests gives us a wide view of people around us. Each story, when you read touches a cord in you, as each story has a hint of reality.

          Each story explores a relationship in various situations, like how a mother struggles to fulfill her daughter’s desire to have chapatti with curry, whereas a politician mother has plans for her journalist daughter who is going to expose her wrongdoings, a child’s memory of their pet dog, a father’s typical reactions on seeing his daughter unwell, a story of two friends who meet after a long time and catch up with their lives, and so many stories which are day-to-day happenings around us.

          These stories though fictional, but when you read them you feel their pain, their joy, their suffering… like while I was reading Second Tsunami, the end left me gasped and shocked.

                   I would say Panorama is about various emotions that one experiences at some or other point of life. Inspite of being a debutant author, Shilpi has done a good job. The stories, the use of simple language, the way she has conquered human emotions are awesome.

         Nice work Shilpi…Loved the cover picture of the book.

About the author

Shilpi Chaklanobis hails from the beautiful city of Kanpur and has spent majority of her adult life in Delhi. She is currently heads the digital marketing division at an MNC. The amalgamation of her years spent amongst the quiet, calm streets of a small city and the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan like Delhi has lent her a unique perspective towards life. She aims to translate her experiences and understanding of human relationships into stories that not only move people but also resonate with them. She believes that the beauty of a story lies within its ability to be interpreted by the reader in the way they desire s is evident from her writing. Apart from writing, she spends her time devouring books by dozen. This is her first endeavor as a writer and her writing not only shows promise, but also has a sense of sensitivity that compels you to think about lives you touch every day.

You can contact and know more about the author by visiting :

http://mybookshelf.in/
https://www.facebook.com/ItsMyBookshelf/
https://plus.google.com/114978768739258769926/posts

Book name : Panorama – A collection of Short Stories

Author : Shilpi Chaklanobis

Total number of pages : 134

ISBN : 978-93-5206-966-8

Binding : Paperback

Cost : 150 Rs.

Genre : Fiction

Language : English

Publisher : Notionpress.com

Where we can buy the book from

Amazon: http://www.amazon.in/Panorama-collection-stories-Shilpi-Chaklanobis/dp/9352069668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460390493&sr=8-1&keywords=panorama

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29756017-panorama?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true

Review-Rukhsat by Sujit Banerjee

RUKHSAT THE DEPARTURE 

BY 

SUJIT BANERJEE

Blurb 

Where a story stops, another one begins. The thing with them is, they never walk alone. They always walk with a group of friends. Each reaches its own climax. Then with a final gasp of mortality and despair, fade away. No, they never die, they multiply. To the extent that the original gets lost and new ones are born. Over and over again. Yes, they get lost. No, they never die. They live on, permanently etched in the book of time. And from there, we borrow them and bring them alive. Again. And again. Here are twenty six of them, some standing alone and some chatting up with their long lost friends. When they depart, they leave a lingering fragrance of nostalgia and curiosity. What happened then?

Twenty-six alphabets, twenty-six names, and twenty-six short stories. Each exploring one unique emotion, taking you into the dark recess of the mind. Some frothy and most of them dark. Most standing alone and some facing a mirror, where the same story comes alive in two different ways, through two different protagonist . Meet myriad characters - from the single-minded prostitute to the man on the railways station bereft of any memory; a woman desperate for a biological child to a dead man's trial. Meet a jealous lover with a twisted brain and a gay man's memory of a one-night encounter. Meet twenty-six such characters arrested and sentenced for life inside the pages of a book. Each one leaving an indelible mark on your soul.

Buy @

amazon.in | amazon.com

Meet the Cast 

Abhimanyu – In the Beginning

I felt the poison of anger raging around me, inside me, pulsating like an entity; anger at the one who betrayed and the one who took advantage of this betrayal. The anger of not being able to stop both. Then the flash of knife and the flowing blood, shimmering in the flames of the torches inside the chamber. Screams followed by hushed voices; bodies being dragged down a flight of stairs. The sound of digging and burying. Later, ruins all around as empires fell and one intrigue chased another through time while swords sliced and arrows whiz past, seeking hearts. Who was I and what was all this about? Why were most of the images that flitted through my head always dark and tinged with red? Rarely, very rarely were they warm and loving. So rarely were they, ever like the sun shining on a cold and shivering memory.

My Honest Review

I received this book from The Book Club for writing an honest review.

26 alphabets, 26 names, 26 short stories…

WOW….Hats off to Sujit Banerjee for thinking of such unique theme for the April A to Z Blog challenge and then getting it complied into a book.

            Each alphabet gave rise to a name. Each name gave rise to a title and each title to a story. Each story is unique like its name, as if each name is a story itself. Each story is linked with previous one is one way or other. As if each character in the story is continuing with his/her version of an incident. Each protagonist is putting forth his/her point of view as seen through their eyes.

            Rukshat, The Departure – as the title of the book suggests, each character at end of story has to depart with something close to his/her heart; something from their character, something from their soul.

            Some stories touches a chord in your heart and makes you feel sorry while some leave you guessing, but not happy, as Rukshat of anyone or anything always makes a person sad. Departure of a child or parent or a friend or a lover or any person who is close to heart is not which one wishes to experience. But as it is said each and every thing which arrives has already a time fixed for its departure. Whatever comes has to go after it's time is over.

            Loved the way Sujit Banerjee has woven short stories interlinked with each other. It makes you feel, you are reading a novel and not short stories. You feel instant connection when you read stories with real life incidences.

            So, if you want to so some serious soul searching kind of reading, Rukshat is one. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Born to Bengali parents in Lucknow, I grew up in Patna where I finished my post-graduation in Psychology and ended up becoming a tour operator instead of a Psychologist! Which was 

good since a Bengali born in UP and reared in Bihar does not make a great Psychologist! Am I now glad to be in tourism? It has taken me all over the world including places you would have never heard of. Eh? How about Tlacotalpan? It’s in Mexico.

Destiny had other plans as well so I became a reluctant healer. A crazy Shaman in Mexico set the ball rolling and it has rolled all the way to Delhi. Today I both heal as well as read Tarot cards. My wife thinks I am mad. My friends think I am weird. I guess I am both. 

My first story was published in a magazine when I was seventeen. The Editor made such a hash of it that I stopped sending out my stories but I continued writing. Then I broke my heart and started writing poems; first in Hindi and then in English. All personal collection. They still remain personal. I do shudder when I read some of them! Then the short stories came back and written over two years - now is a collection.

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