The Book Critiques

BOOK – My Best Friend’s Son’s Wedding
AUTHOR – Zarren Khan
PUBLISHER – HarperCollins
GENRE – Fiction
PAGES – 253
REVIEW – Don’t we all get excited when the topic of someone’s wedding comes up and if the person in the frame is our best friend we go crazy. Why we won’t, it’s our bestie’s wedding, after all, we all have so many plans like what we will wear in which event, how we will pose for the snapshots and the songs on which we will perform and whatnot.
Now, what if I tell you that you have to plan not only for your best friend’s wedding but for your best friend’s son’s wedding also?
Sounds super crazy?
Well, that’s exactly happened with Kriti Vasani or our narrator Kittu.

‘My Best Friend’s son’s wedding’ is the story of Kittu’s best friend, forty-two years old Mrinal Sood aka Minty, the widow of Sunny Sood, daughter-in-law of Soods- Soods of hospitality, a known face in Delhi’s elite society. Everything was going smoothly in her high profile life till the day her 22-year-old son decided to get married.
And as if this was not enough, Minty got a marriage proposal from Puneet Bhalla(with whom she runs a shelter home) and guess what, she accepted it.
Now Minty has to switch gears from being a bride-to-be to mother-in-law-to-be.
All this sounds weird but but but the story does not end here, it has more craziness to witness.

Our narrator kittu has done a terrific job, she has narrated her best friend’s story in a very juicy and spicy way which will make you go roll on the floor with laughter.

All the characters are well sketched but Kittu becomes my favourite, the way she cared for Minty and helped her in taking all the important decisions, she stood with Minty in her thick and thin. And other than her, all characters are relatable.

The story no doubts is an entertaining one and will keep you hooked but the climax disappointed me. I think the author was in some hurry to end the book as the story takes too many jumps in the end.

Overall, this one time read narrated in a very juicy manner way by Kittu will surely entertain you.

I give this book a 3.5⭐

BOOK – Those Delicious Letters
AUTHOR – Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta
PUBLISHER – Harper Collins
GENRE – Fiction
PAGES – 257

REVIEW – Letter writing is a lost art, no one writes letters to their love ones the way people used to write before this social media era.

Shubha, our protagonist, was content and happy with her life, two lovely daughters a caring husband and house in the USA what else a person wants. Life was going smoothly until the day she starts receiving letters from a lady in Calcutta who claimed to be her grandmother.

Traditional Bengali recipes along with the life story of the so-called grandmother were written in those letters. The letter changed Shubha’s life and give her a new purpose, the person who abhors cooking started experimenting with those recipes and to her utter surprise, her dishes becomes an instant hit with everyone she knows except her husband.

From the cover to the end this is a mouth-watering book, yes you heard me right. Mention of different dishes made me drool and oh my God how badly I wanted to eat them. And I think proves that this is a wonderfully written book.

With her witty narration, the author touched the right cord. The suspense build by the author will ask you to read the book in one go. In the climax, it became so difficult for me to read the book calmly as I wanted to know the truth asap.
The best part of this book is the way the author mixed the story and her delicious recipes.

Overall ‘Those Delicious Letter’ with its unique concept is the story of food, family, relationships and love which will make you nostalgic.

BOOK – Twin Traitor and the Trident: Secret of Silver Lion
AUTHOR – Tanvi Nishar
PUBLISHER – Crossword
GENRE – Fiction(Fantasy)
REVIEW – ‘Secret of the silver lion’ by Tanvi Nishar is the first book in the ‘Twin Traitors and the Trident’ series and in the very first book the author has done a commendable job.
The story is about a kingdom named Ursalazen which was ruled by a cruel ruler. The subject of the kingdom was sick of their ruler, they wanted freedom and the fire of the rebel was visible in their eyes.
On the other hand, there was a girl Elisha who was born with a birthmark on her nape which made her the chosen queen of Ursalazen. But Elisha being unaware of all this was living a happy and carefree life with his twin brother Eshan and father until the day when the twins were abducted and taken to Ursalazen.
Now it’s on Elisha to save her kingdom and bring back its glory.

The author has dazzlingly created the world of sorcery where you will see unusual creatures like talking trees, trolls, shapeshifters, ghosts etc. The author has presented the plot gracefully that too without any error.

The language of the story is crisp and the use of rich vocabulary made this book more impressive.

All the characters are well sketched. Elisha being the protagonist has been given the required attention. And it was super easy to picturise the characters.

Overall, the story is gripping and unputdownable one. The targeted audience that is teenagers will surely love the magical world of Ursalazen.

BOOK – Adventure of an Indian Techie
AUTHOR – Nipun Verma
PUBLISHER – Notion Press
GENRE – Fiction (Humorous)
PAGES – 91
REVIEW – Adventure of an Indian techie is the story of those computer engineers who chooses the engineering field either out of the family pressure or because of not knowing what to do in their life.
The story revolves around a computer engineer who talks about his experiences of being an engineer. The protagonist shares how he is being treated by his relatives and how his neighbours call him to repair their computers.

This fast-paced novella is written in an easy language but with some tech jargon for which there is a glossary given at the end that too is super fun to read.

The author has shared in a very humorous way the embarrassing moments and situations an engineer faces in his life. The author has touched all the important moments of a techie’s life in his book.

It’s always easy to make assumptions about others lives especially of those who look happy from outside and we don’t know what is going in their life. And that’s what happens with engineers and other salaried persons whom we think are the happiest person living on the earth but we don’t know whether they are doing what they always wanted to do, whether they are treated well at their workplace. And that’s what the author tried to make us understand through his book.

Now you ask Prerita why are you recommending this book to a non-techie, well dear reader this book is for all. A person who is misunderstood by others because of his/her profession can easily relate to the story and others too can learn some lessons on how to treat engineers and other professionals.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, each page made me laugh hilariously, everything in the book is on point.
So, I give this book a 4.5⭐ and recommend it to all.

“Don’t to be ‘Accidentally Educated’. Take charge of your education.”

BOOK – Accidentally Educated

AUTHOR – R. V. Dadhe

PAGES – 200

REVIEW – Education is the most important part of our lives. We, especially Indians, regard education with jobs. Your degrees will decide the money you will earn, the more degrees you have, the more you earn.
But what we are learning in schools and colleges is even education? Are we learning something or just mugging up the syllabus and splitting in our answer sheets to get marks?

Today I am not here to give a lecture on education rather I am here to recommend you a book which is based on real-life experience, a book which changed my outlook towards education.

‘Accidentally Educated’ is a story of three college students Rushi, Sahil and Parth who were given once in a lifetime opportunity, the trio was selected for an exchange semester in Canada.
The three carefree best friends were excited more about spending gala time in Canada rather than the opportunity of learning new things.
And that’s exactly what Rushi and Samir did but not Parth who took this chance seriously and focused more In brushing his skills.

The trio faced lots of ups and downs during 6 months but one thing which remains intact was their bond.

There is so much to learn from this book. The author has excellently narrated his 6 months journey and the lessons he learned during that period.

I too agree with the author that we should focus more on creating real assets and cash flows to have some financial freedom in life.

This is the perfect book to be read by youngsters so that they can have some clarity regarding their career.

RATING – 4.5⭐

BOOK – Brick, Cement & Dotcom
AUTHOR – Deep Malhotra
PUBLISHER – Invincible
GENRE – Non-Fiction(Self-help)
REVIEW – You wake up one day with an idea to start a business and you went out of the house and set up your business which became an immediate success.
Is being an entrepreneur this easy?
Nope, it’s not. It needs hard work, patience, perseverance. Don’t trust me? Then come and read this book specially written to wake you up from your reverie.

In this book, the author has shared his journey from being a teenage graphic designer to quitting a promising job at Google and joining his father’s real estate business and he didn’t stop there while striving to make a mark in the real estate industry the author tried his hands in start-up also.

Brick, Cement & Dotcom is a self-help book divided into 21 chapters where each chapter ends with postscript note coming directly from the author’s life experiences.
This book talks about the difficulties and struggles which an entrepreneur face and how you can overcome them.
The author by flawlessly blending his experiences has prepared a guide book for those who want to enter the world of entrepreneurship or are struggling here.
The best part of the book is that in the whole book the author haven’t deviated from the topic and stick to the point.

It’s always easy to blab about your success but it’s hard to even think about your failures let alone sharing it with others. And that’s what Deep did in his book, he not only talked about his achievements but also of his mistakes and the lessons he learnt from them.

So, if you are someone who wants to start his/her venture then do give this book a read, it will help you in accomplishing your goals.

“Fire cannot extinguish fire. Arrogance can be challenged only with courteous firmness.”
▪︎

BOOK:- Rise Of Dharma

AUTHOR:- Semanti Chakraborty

GENRE:- Mythology Fiction

Page Count:- 257

REVIEW: The story revolves around Yudhishthira, the protagonist and the narrator of the story. After his father’s death, all responsibilities come on his shoulders as he was the eldest prince of Hastinapur and he deserved the throne because he was just like his father, the person who wanted to treat his praja well. He treated his subjects like his family members.
The book is a retelling of Mahabharata from the point of view of Yudhishthira, a follower of the dharma. It had fights with Dhuryodhana and Bhima, the most remembering scene of the archery test, and the life of being a prince.

We all think that Yudhishthira blindly followed the Dharma, but this book explains Dharma according to him. For Yudhishthira Dharma was means to give life and not destroy it.
The book gives insights of life of the prince before the war, including the poisoning of Bhima’s food and Marriage of Draupadi, etc.

It’s always amazing to read Mahabharata from a different perspective as you get to know the same story but from different angle. This book is just amazing, the author has done a commendable am desperately waiting for the sequel of the book.
Talking about the language, the author has used a strong yet understandable vocabulary.

The book cover and the title had the meaning of their own.
In short, it was a lovely read and definitely recommend this book to mythology lovers.

BOOK – The mother of all the parties

AUTHOR – Padmini Sankar

PUBLISHER – Harper Collins

GENRE – Fiction

PAGES – 261

REVIEW- It was Pam’s twentieth wedding anniversary and all she wants to do was throw a party which no one has ever attended, which will become the talk of the town and also which will give Honey Sarin a direct message that Pam is no less.
But was it that easy when Pam has a businessman husband who used her to get his deals and a rude daughter who thinks her mom just care about her social life?
And as if this was not enough her ex makes a comeback in her life from nowhere.
Read this exciting tale to know whether Pam’s party became the mother of all the parties or not.

I like the witty narration of this fast-paced novel which have sufficient twists and turns. These twists and turns will surely keep you stick till the end.
The story does not revolve around the party only but it also shares some valuable messages.
The author has one side beautifully portrayed the challenges faced by a teenager’s mom and on the other the harsh reality of elite society.
Overall, it’s a light story which will surely entertain you.

किताब – कच्चा चिट्ठा
लेखक – गुलशन कुमार
प्रकाशक – Bigfoot Publication
पृष्ठ – 179
समीक्षा – प्रतापगढ़ की पृष्टभूमि पर लिखी गई कच्चा चिट्ठा की कहानी कई किरदारों के इर्द गिर्द घूमती हैं। मगर कहानी का मुख्य पात्र है कर करन।
करन एक 20-22 साल का युवा पुलिस इंस्पेक्टर एक वृद्ध डाकिये गोपालनाथ की मृत्यु मे अत्यधिक दिलचस्पी लेता है जिसकी वजह से उसकी चौकी के दो हवलदारो को उस पर संदेह होने लगता हैं और वो दोनो भी अपनी छान बीन करने लगते है।
लेकिन अंत तक उन्हे करन के खिलाफ कुछ ठोस सबूत हासिल नही होते हैं।
उधर करन भी हर संभव कोशिश करता है गोपीनाथ के बारे मे जानकारी जुटाने मे।
करन जानना चाहता है की गोपीनाथ कौन है, वो प्रतापगढ़ मे कैसे आया और क्या कर रहा था और गोपीनाथ का करन के भूतकाल से क्या संबंध हैं।
गुलशन कुमार की कच्चा चिट्ठा आपको ले चलेगी 90 के दशक मे जहा आज के समय के ट्विटर- व्हाट्सअप नही थे बल्कि उस जमाने मे अपने दूर के रिश्तेदारों से बात करने का एकमात्र जरिया थे तो बस खत।
तो आप भी आईये और जानिए की आखिर कौन हैं ये गोपीनाथ।

कहानी को लेखक ने बहुत ही सरल शब्दो मे पिरोया हैं। लेखक ने अपनी कहानी मे जिंदगी के फलसफो को बहुत ही उम्दा तरीके से उकेरा हैं।
लेखक ने सभी किरदारों की रचना बखूबी की हैं किंतु कहानी मे कुछ ऐसे किरदार भी है जिन्हे लेखक ने जरूरत से ज्यादा महत्वता दी है जिसकी वजह से यह किताब वो असर करने मे विफल हो गई जो इसे करना चाहिए था।

अगर आप हिंदी भाषा मे लिखी हुई कोई सरल सी किताब पढ़ना चाहते हैं तो आप कच्चा चिट्ठा को एक मौका दे सकते हैं।

BOOK – Ahalya
AUTHOR – Koral Dasgupta
PUBLISHERS – Pan Macmillan
GENRE – Fiction(Mythology)
PAGES – 204
REVIEW – ‘Ahalya’ by Koral Dasgupta is the first book in sati series. In this series, Koral will bring to us the unheard tale of panch kanyas.
Now, in the first book of the series, the author retells the story of Ahalya( also known as Ahilya) the most beautiful creation of Lord Brahma.
Lord Brahma handover Ahalya to sage Gautam for safekeeping her. But as Ahalya spent her days in the sage’s ashram it became very difficult for the sage to keep himself unaffected from the charisma of Ahalya hence she was married to Gautam.
Ahalya considers herself anything less than Gautam, she attended his school and sat beside him even accompanied him & his disciples to the villages and all this exhibits how strong and fierce woman she was.
As the days passed Ahalya and Gautam’s relationship also improved, they started connecting emotionally.

But is Ahalya known only because she was the daughter of Brahma?
She is mentioned in the pages of history, not because of her father but because she was cursed by her husband for infidelity and this curse turned her into stone.

The author has narrated superbly the entire story of Ahalya, she even has shared Ahalya’s point of view and the reason for the curse about which most of us are unaware but with a little twist.

If Koral has done this magic in the first book of the series, I don’t know what we will receive in the other parts.
I am eagerly waiting to read the other stories of other panch kanyas.
This book is a must-read for mythological loves, come and learn the tale of Ahilya.