Book Review-De. B. Dubois's The Girl Child

The Girl Child

by

De. B. Dubois

Blurb

Growing up as a strong-headed single child with a privileged upbringing in Calcutta, Devi has learned much from her surroundings. Her childhood memories are filled with mixed emotions – especially as she remains angry with her mother and the hypocrisy of women in India. On an unexpected journey home, she encounters reality – new stories and experiences of strangers, as well as friends. It has been years since she left Calcutta, yet the city’s untold stories haunt her. This time Devi is back in town to solve issues and above all, through some painful and hard revelations, to make peace with those she can.

My Honest Review:

Why in India is it so sinful to be born as a girl? Since the day a girl is born she is treated as a burden, as a liability, as an object, who is born to fulfill her duties as a dutiful daughter, wife, daughter in law and a mother...

The Girl Child is the story of Devi who reminisces her journey of life since she was born and her experiences and partial treatment she suffered from her family.

The Author has covered each and every phase each and every instance of a girl's life. Not only of the protagonist but also of each and every insult, every torture a woman faces in her day-to-day struggle called life.

Simple language, easy to relate instances, all makes it an easy read and easy to connect too.

The Girl Child is a book which can make you angry and sad about the injustice met and elated on Devi's triumph.

Hats off to the author who chose to wrote on such bold topic. The book is an eye opener and a must read for one and all

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

De.B. is an ordinary person with her daily struggles of being fun and peppy; as all those heavy readings on sociology, philosophy, history, art and culture have done her sombre. – Not that she is complaining, – however when things do get too hectic, her escape solutions are: long walks through nature trails with her adopted Maltese, a good glass of absinthe from Val-de-Travers, and creating visual arts. Her friends best describe De.B. Dubois as, – ‘the hermit’.

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Book Review - Varsha Dixit's Killer Moves

Killer Moves

by

Varsha Dixit

Blurb

Everyone has a secret. Aisha Khatri has many!  Aisha’s life is seemingly mundane on the surface-she writes for television and takes care of her niece Kiara and her retired father. But when Kiara’s life is threatened during a modeling assignment for the famous Kabir Rana, once a suspect for his wife’s murder, the only way Aisha can save Kiara is by accepting the unique ability she has aggressively resisted all her life.  But Aisha is not the only one with secrets. There are others who have secrets and will kill to keep them. Aisha is determined to protect Kiara even if it means placing herself in the crosshairs of a depraved killer who butchers beautiful girls and leaves them as grotesque displays.  Is Kiara a target of a serial killer or is the killer closer to home-and Aisha’s heart?  Who is Kabir Rana? An elusive and moody fashion photographer burdened with a dark past or a murderer who got away?  How will Aisha save Kiara from a killer who is several steps ahead of an entire city’s police force? When the dead come calling, will Aisha answer?  From the bustling streets of Goa to the beautiful palaces of Sirsa, Killer Moves is a fast-paced, gripping, romantic suspense tale with strong thriller and supernatural elements. 

My Review:

When your favorite romance author, pens a thriller, the level of expectations are high. So when Varsha Dixit’s Killer Moves was released, I was eager to read it as I have read all her previous romance novels and have loved reading her work.

So was it up to my expectations? Well, it was more than that. I was surprised and held in awe. Just like her romance books, the story of Killer Moves is just flawless and a super addictive read.

The protagonist Kabir and Aisha, both victims of childhood tragedy are thrown together due to circumstances and sparks fly, but will it kindle the fire between them?

Varsha has definitely written a super thriller story, which gives you chills and keeps you on edge of your seat while reading it.

Awesome book cover, fast-paced story, well-defined characters are all the plus points of Killer Moves.

So if you like to read a thriller and you want to read a good book, this one is a must read.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Varsha Dixit, the best selling author of six successful contemporary romance books. Her debut book, Right Fit Wrong Shoe was a national bestseller for the year 2010. Varsha was a part of the Indian Television Industry and worked as an assistant director and online editor. She considers herself a dreamer who thinks deep but writes light. Even though creativity is gender free,Varsha feels blessed and enriched to be a woman.Currently, with her family, Varsha resides in CA, USA.

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Book Review-Ruchi Singh's The Bodyguard

THE BODYGUARD

by

Ruchi Singh

Blurb

Someone wants Vikramaditya Seth Jr. dead. 

He refuses the Z+ security option offered by the government. With too many variables trust is hard to come by…

Esha Sinha prepares for her first assignment outside of active-army service, oblivious to the fact that she has to baby-sit a man who has no respect for rules or protocol—a man who is headstrong, workaholic and a tenacious flirt. As the attraction between Vikram and Esha simmers and sizzles, another attempt is made on his life. 

The killer is resourceful and determined. 

The motive is unclear and perplexing.

Will they be able to nab the assassin before he gets to Vikram?

My Review:

Wow!!! Splendid!!! Mind Blowing!!! Unputdownable!!!

Since I had read ‘Jugnu’, author Ruchi’s debut novel, which was an out and out romantic story with a little bit of suspense. I was expecting The Bodyguard to be on similar lines. But I was really astonished.

The Bodyguard is one masterpiece which one must definitely read. It’s a fast-paced, flawless storyline, well-etched characters, full-fledged action and suspense with romance and a little dose of comedy makes this book an awesome read.  Impressive storytelling skill by the author, lovely book cover design, well-developed characters, error-free writing, all these make The Bodyguard a good read.

The Bodyguard is definitely a must read by all.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Ruchi Singh is a novelist, and writes in two genres; romance and crime. Winner of the ‘Times Of India’ WriteIndia Season I under Amish Tripathi, she began her writing career writing short stories and articles, which have been published on various online forums. She has been a contributing author to many anthologies and Jugnu is her third novel.

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Book Review-Reshma Ranjan's Blind, Certainly is Love

BLIND, CERTAINLY IS LOVE

by

Reshma Ranjan

Blurb

Neha Jaiswal is beautiful and intelligent—an alluring combination—but chooses to be a recluse. What works for her is her intimidating personality that comes with her success. With no desire to get into a relationship, the strong, assertive, and hardworking Neha manages to keep the men at bay—all except one.

Sumit Conrad, a super successful businessman, is an intriguing specimen of a man. Known to the world as the good Conrad, Sumit is actually a recluse who prefers only his own company, to the exception of his brother John and sister-in-law Sarika.

When fate throws the flirt in Sumit and the furious Neha together, sparks are bound to fly.

Will Sumit be able to convince the headstrong and opinionated Neha that what he wants is a long haul and not a passing phase?

Or will the stubborn and cantankerous Neha be successful in driving him away?

Will their love make them blind to each other or to their own flaws? Will this blind love ever find its way?

My Review:

All say ‘Love is Blind’. But I always wonder why? Does the person who falls in love lose his/her sight? (Just joking). Love is not a person, it is an emotion.

But yes, when one falls in love; one is oblivious of everything except the person whom he/she loves. So I think the proverb should be ‘Love makes one blind’… (Joking J)

The story obviously is a love story, which starts off with the protagonist bumping into each other. As they say, anger/hate is the first step to love, the same concept is applied by author Reshma Ranjan in this story.

Neha and Sumit, they meet and they hate each other. Their hate gives way to full-fledged romance. But when you think the story will end with “And they lived happily ever after” comes the twist. And what is that? Do grab the book and read.

What I liked is, I got instantly hooked from page one. It’s a fast and intense love story (with several hot scenes) between the protagonists. It’s a mix between erotica and Mills and Boons. The story is definitely addictive as you want to know why and what happened to the protagonists.

I liked the way Reshma has weaved the plot and not letting the reader get a clear picture at once by going in time leap and then going to flashback and then again coming back to present.

What I didn’t like is after such a fast and intense, full of ups and downs throughout the whole story, the sudden and simple end didn’t go well with me. I had expected some more fireworks at the end.

Other than that Blind, Certainly is Love is full on a romantic story with fireworks and which one can finish reading in one sitting, as you won’t get up until you finish reading it.  

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Reshma Ranjan is a passionate romantic who loves literature and has been driven by the romance around her. She has made up her own happy endings in her imagination for every movie and for every book with a sad ending. 

"Slowly I started to create my own characters and situation, creating a world of romance and happy endings to my liking. But for my laziness, I would have penned umpteen numbers of stories with unexpected people meeting and falling in love and uniting for a lifetime."  

Also a voracious reader but for which she believes she could never have started writing. "If I can bring a smile and a happy sigh on at least one reader’s lips I will feel a blessed writer."

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Book Review - Zoe M's Call Me Saaya

Synopsis

Shamsher Singh Rathore has it all. A job he loves and a life he lives every moment. Until an untimely call from home embroils him with a woman called Saaya who proceeds to turn his orderly world upside down!

The only interest Sayana Singh Rajput had in him was the prized Sheesh Haveli. She had never believed in love until destiny threw her this impossible challenge.

What do you do when all that you believed in turns out to be a lie?

Will Shamsher be able to save his world?

Will Sayana believe in love or will she allow avarice ruin it all?

What about Saaya?

What happens when desire meets destiny?

Set in idyllic Rajasthan, Call me Saaya is the story of two souls in pursuit for true love while destiny has other plans for them.

About the Author

Zoe M lives and works in Mumbai.

She fell in love with the written word at the age of sixteen. Her affair has only matured over the years as she read stories that captivated her. Now, she uses the magic of words to help her spin her own stories. Her love of reading was born when she read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

Call Me Saaya is Zoe M’s debut novel. It is a romantic tour de force that weaves in and out of metros and a forgotten, quaint village in Rajasthan, revealing stories as it goes. The novel reflects the author’s love for the unexpected and is as engaging as she is.

One can follow the Author and her works on 

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My Honest Review:

Call me Saaya is Author Zoe M’s debut novel.

Call Me Saaya is the story of Sayana (Saaya) and Shamsher; their anger, their love, and their true identities. It is a romance with suspense as the background.

The author has done a nice work with the use of local lingo as the story is based in Rajasthan. The characters are well defined and the pace of the story is also good especially in the first half.

Though the author has maintained the romance part 100%, the suspense of the story is not up to expectations. Also, I felt the tug of war between the protagonists has been dragged a little too much which made the story little stretched.

Secondly, the antagonist, Ravindra Rajput Kumar, who is supposedly a vile and scheming person, how can he just disappear in the second half of the story. How come he didn’t fight back?

If one ignores the above shortcomings, one can really enjoy this light-hearted, romantic plus suspense story on a dull day, with a cup of kadak chai. It will definitely lighten your mood and bring a smile on to your face.

One can buy this book on Amazon.

I got this free review copy from Keemiya Creatives

Book Review-S K Sanyal's A Morsel of Different Shades

A MORSEL OF DIFFERENT SHADES

by

S.K. Sanyal

Blurb

Sumitra Ghosal came all the way from Bankura in West Bengal to join the education service in the recently formed Bundeli State. During the period from 1956 to 1990, spanning more than three decades, she got shunted around small towns and semi-rural areas. The book is woven around her experiences on women teachers lives. She found for some teachers, cruel circumstances charting out the unknown trajectory, while for the others, the evil streak already present manifested itself rather blatantly during their teaching careers.

Ranging from the weird to the quirky, scheming to whimsical, there were all kinds of women for Sumitra to experience and continuously learn from. Bearing a religious bent of mind, Sumitra, a spinster by choice, didn’t fail to take cognizance of the bizarre instances of marital co-existences in the couples she met throught the story.

Read an excerpt

Sumitra Ghosal had stepped into the thirties. Young and hopeful, bubbling over with the excitement of yet another transfer, she arrived at Domod, a district town. The three successive postings at Putlinagar, Bajera and Sagar in the sprawling Uttar Madhya Desh (UMD) had done little to exhaust her. UMD had its capital at Lakshminagar. As distinct from other States, it had predominantly Government schools, private schools not many in number. This State was created according to the prevailing trend of creating smaller states out of larger ones. Rashtriya Daridrya Mochan Party (RDMP) was in power, their manifesto focusing on widespread measures for promoting education for women in remote corners. Sumitra, though, found the efforts not coming entirely from the depths of a sincerely dedicated state. It seemed to be RDMP’s propagandist move to gain more votes.
Sumitra found travelling in ramshackle buses and waiting at railway platforms for the few trains available at odd hours, quite an ordeal. Hers was the fate to move around insignificant remote corners in the heartland of India, where commuting was not easy; semi-rural people formed the stock of commuters. Sumitra, however, didn’t rue her fate; she enjoyed, for she was an optimist drawn by the hidden charm of the unknown places. And what a taste of independence in not marrying – she wasn’t anybody’s property. Her decisions were squarely her own. She had her own conduct or the way to what people say, religiosity; none could teach her the way to realise God. If, as a woman, she worshipped the deity of Hanumanji, let people laugh at her fasting or bratas on Tuesdays and Saturdays. That she got the strength of character by observing the rituals of her making was what mattered. That she wrote with her fingers, without making any impression, the names of Gods and Goddesses on her pillow before sleeping was her unique way to ward off any trouble.
She had a personality built up over long years of getting over the inferiority complex she had developed in her formative years. Neglected and over-ruled, she wasn’t permitted to go for higher education, as her parents wanted their nubile daughter to be tied in a nuptial knot. But Sumitra went on rejecting proposals one after the other until her parents got tired. She was finally allowed to go for higher education. She had a late start, but this belated take-off made her even more determined to be independent, even to take a curious, brave and adventurous decision to take up lectureship in the newly created state of UMD when her native place was in Santhal Parganas in the east.
The fourth and the youngest daughter of a businessman, she had had occasions to go to shikar and witness ruthless killings of sambars, tigers and other small animals or birds. In those times, there was no ban on shikaris engaged in indiscriminate decimating of wild animals. One day, she was seated in the jeep with her legs on the warm and still throbbing body of a fallen sambar. Touched, she took a vow not to have meat ever again. Thus, she was the only vegetarian amongst her non-vegetarian sisters. Alas, she had no brother, and that is why she equated the male visitors of her generation to her parental house as brothers and bestowed them with sisterly affection.

***

It was the month of April when nature attired herself in a new garb with little smooth green leaves sprouting on some trees, while the others had not yet shed completely their brownish yellow leaves. A mixture of dusty yellow fallen lifeless leaves under the massive trees and the seasonal flowers past their full bloom presented a spectacle of life and death. One had to step over the crispy fragile remains of what once was a prized greenery to get near the rows of pansies, zinnias, lilies and other flowers to see the minute tapestry of the multicoloured spectacle amidst the crackling dead leaves. The winter’s ruthlessness had made way for the pleasant breeze, dusty at times, that replaced the cold winds of February. It was a pleasant, beautiful, sombre and placid morning in a strange land when Sumitra joined the school at Domod as a lecturer. It could have been the month of July with blackish-grey clouds suppressing the bright onset of the dawn or the torrential rains drenching her on her first day of school; it could have been the month of December with its biting cold necessitating the full stock of woollen clothes. Nevertheless, out of all the random eccentricities of the transferring authority, she was slated to join the school during the best period of the year, and it sure augured well. A placid look came over her face when she saw the red cap over a green body, the gulmohar, topping the fresh green leaves of the massive tree at the end of the road leading to the school. The April bliss.
She got the first shock when she found the distance cut short abruptly. The school happened to be in full view, even as she was jostling through the crowd, manoeuvring the sharp cuts and turns of the street; an expectation of an ideal location of the school belied. Why this proximity? A school in a bazaar? How nauseating and depressing?

My Honest Review:

A Morsel of Different Shades spans a period of three decades from 1956 to 1990. The story is about Sumi (Sumitra) who travels along the length and breadth of Madhya Pradesh as a government school teacher and later as a Headmistress. The story covers her journey and her experiences during her tenure in the various schools.

Author S K Sanyal has given local flavor by using local folk poems to describe an instance or importance of a festival. His knowledge of local folklore can be seen through his use of poems and verses sang during the festivals. Also, his knowledge about the system and working of government lead schools is also commendable.

I loved the book cover as it gives a rustic look which is similar to the story.  But my only grouse is the use of too many characters in the story; so many that it became little tedious and confusing to keep a track of all. But on second thoughts, it is not irrelevant, as the story required it, I feel.

What I loved the most is the story brings out the flavor of remote areas of Bundelkhand and also in and around Madhya Pradesh, which one rarely gets to read as there are not many stories written about local folklore.

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Dogearsetc

About the author

A member of the Indian Statistical Service, S.K. Sanyal retired as Director, Central Statistical Organisation, Delhi, after having served as a statistician at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, and as a Professor of Statistics at All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata.

After retirement,he served from time to time as a consultant with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Delhi. As a UNDP consultant, he had short-term assignments at UN Statistical Office at New York, Malawi University, Malawi, and Central Statistics Office, Sierra Leone. Prior to those, as a sampling expert, he delivered lectures on Sampling at Fiji and Nepal on behalf of Statistical Institute for Asia and Pacific, Tokyo, and ESCAP, Bangkok. At NIPFP, he was deputed for poverty studies at Sikkim on behalf of the Asian Development Bank.

Besides numerous technical papers and articles, he has also published a novel, ‘Shifting Silhouettes’, and a real-life story, ‘Memories Unlimited’. He resides in New Delhi.

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