Book Review :Poonachi -The story of a black goat

Poonachi -The story of a  black goat

Written by Perumal Murugan

Poonachi,  is a little black she-goat who  survives the world, against all odds.

A human couple was given a black She goat by a stranger. Story moves on how the couple loves the goat kid like their own child and  raise her through various troublesome time. The story moves on with how slowly poonachi  reaches teenage time, her growth , maturity and henceforth. The story also talks about her motherhood, nurturing her kid and getting separated from them. Poonachi's life  and suffering including seperation from the one she loved can be easily connected to human's life and the society we live in.

This is my own opinion and I think this book should fall under classic category of our times.

Consider this little orphan goat as a girl. A Human girl name Poonachi. or even a goat with human emotions n then read the story. and you will understand how beautifully the author weaved the two together. An irony of a girl child getting born in rural areas. Difficulty  the girl faces n her family soon after her birth.The author also talks about the animals, the voiceless creature getting tortured , sacrificed and also castrated.

The book has been  translated extremely well, with easy english.
It will remind you of George Orwells  Animals Farm.
A sensitive potrayal of WOmen's life.


A must read book if you are from India or looking forward to understand life of a women in India from Rural areas.


Rating: 4/5

Book Review : Wake Up,Life is Calling By Preeti Shenoy

Wake up ! Life  is Calling. 

The story is  nothing special, YET gives a POWERFUL Message.  There are few book which leave you with positive thoughts about life, and here  is one such manual. An oversensitive person who gets suicidal thoughts often,  needs to read some of the important points  in this book over and over again like a manual.

This book reminds me of a bengali movie which I watched some years back called Hemlock Society- a school that teaches how to commit suicide with failing.  ( many a times suicide becomes unsuccessful and aspirant ends up in hospital with more problems around) 

There are many important lines in the book, but this one I found was  noteworthy.

We are not responsible for other people's actions. Those are choices they make. Can we control how other behave?  ....We do not control others. We only control our minds. We should do everything we can to keep it in check.

Ankita the protagonist suffers from Bipolar disorder  and was sent to the mental hospital by her parents. After curing she returned back to her normal life and joined creative course in Mumbai.  In her class library she discover a book  which is a suicide manual.This book digs her past out again and she is back to her fits.

How she comes out from it is the answer for many people in reality who suffers from past trauma.

Rating 4/5

Book Review:This Little Dark Place By A.S Hatch

This Little Dark Place By A.S Hatch

Rating: 4

 How well do you know yourself? Or How well do you speculate things? 

Reading this book, I was confidently going with the thought  of the protagonist Daniel, but then I found that my speculation sucked big time. The last few pages changed my whole point of view.

The story starts off with Daniel writing a letter to a person name Lucy. We don’t know who Lucy until the very end.

The couple Daniel and Victoria tried to conceive for a very long time, but in vain. They took medical assistant but ended up with miscarriage. Slowly their happily built up nest got filled up with depression. Each started their own way to cope with life. Victoria joined Yoga program while Daniel joined a pen pal program where he gets to write letter to a prisoner. There he meets Ruby. Convicted of assault on an abusive partner.  They both write to each other, sharing their darkest secret, making ruby slowly like Daniel. And one day she comes to find Daniel. Meanwhile Victoria is unaware of the entire thing. How will Daniel manage Ruby whom he thinks is somewhat Schizophrenic.

 The story is more deep than what the blurb has portrayed.

Throughout the book reader can predict what is happening and who is doing until the end will blow you off.

Though the  switching back and forth in the letter was little difficult to understand at times,but overall enjoyed the thriller.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

The book is expected to release on 3^rd of Oct 2019

150 Brilliant Ideas to Keep Young minds Fit and Fine

This book is written for the self contradictory,and the unique breed The teenagers and the preteens.

The catchy title 150 brilliant Ideas to Keep Young minds Fit and Fine made me grab it to know how to maintain a positive lifestyle when you have a teenager at home . This 128 page book by Neera Maini Srivastav is full of positive ideas to nourish  insecure minds.

Teenage or Preteen is such a time when a child crave for acceptance and face a lot of peer pressure. They are full of intense emotion and conflict.This is the most challenging time period for any parents and this book suggests healthy way of living.

The book is divided in three sections which includes topics like:

Mind your Body

Mind your Mind

Mind your Spirit

Under each topic there are 50 thoughts and advice to stay positive in life both mentally, spiritually and physically.

What I like about the book is that the writings are short  precise and simple making it interesting for impatient minds.  It is almost like the author is having conversation with the readers without being preachy.

What I didn't like about the book

 Some of the topics has been repeated in different pages example Sex education.

Some topics I felt are irrelevant for teenagers like playing outside in the sun for Vitamin D or dare to speak the truth  is more suitable to teach a  child than a teenager.

Lastly I think it is difficult to tame a raging hormone. As a parent it is better not to act impulsively, adding fuel to the fire  and creating more problem.

Rating:3/5

Book Review: The Darkest Summer By Ella Drummond

Weekend without Thriller is like Tea without Milk

The story written is inspired from real life incident of loosing a teenage friend who dissapeared from the author's life one summer . Though the story is nothing close to the real incident as the author ended in meeting her friend years later.

Expected Publication of this book is 18th July 2019.

When the first few pages bangs you with interest you know what's lying ahead. The book surely made me stick till the end especially to know what happened to the character Dee . 

Dee? I called spotting movement behind the largest hydrangea. A slim figure with dark ,bobbed hair stepped forward. She looked timid and nothing like the Dee I remembered. You are all grown up,I laughed desperately to hide my shock at her tense sullen appearance. I hurried over to her.

The story line:

Dee and Sera were two best of friends .They shared their childhood together, but suddenly Dee and her family which included her brother Leo disappeared one summer without giving anyone any clue.
Years after Sera who is an adult now and have a daughter Katie 5 years old., shifts to her old home to live with her mom. Her husband die due to an accident. Little did she imagine that her stay would dig up some mystery about herself and her long lost friend Dee.

With added mystery man Henri in Sera's life, the new neighbour, it made the story more unpredictable.
Easy English for thriller lovers to begin with.I totally kept reading and reading just to know about Dee's daughter Ashley's peculiar behaviour and also a connection between Hazel and Mimi.
Did the book satisfy my thriller craving ?I would say yes somewhat .

I received the ARC of the #TheDarkestSummer written by #Ella Drummond from #netgalley

The Dark Side Of The Moon: Volume 2 -Shubham Arora

As much as I have enjoyed reading Volume 1 of the  Dark side of the moon, I enjoyed reading this too. But if you ask me which one I loved the most in terms of  horror, I would definitely pick the Volume 1.  In this second volume , the author  choose three different stories to spook out the readers. The creepy concept made the book entertaining.

The three stories includes

• December

• The dark side of the moon

• Seventy Metres.

In the spooky tales - December, on a chilly stormy night in Mussorie, a female police inspector gets a call from a women. When she reach the spot she discover an abandoned house where a women lying in a room soaked in blood. On the way to the hospital with the victim , the inspector  gets  a de ja vu of the dying women. Or was paranormal activity. The narration of this story was griping till the end.


The second story -The Dark side of the moon- Talks about the other side of the moon?  Two Astronaut were send to the moon ,the other side, when their rocket crashed.  What happens to them as they waited  for rescue.

The third and the last one Seventy Metre didn't interest me much. It left me with series of questions.
A women commits suicide as she feels  that their love have withered away with time. The promise of being with each other  faded with passing days. With her committing suicide will she leave her husband behind?


A perfect set of short stories to spook you out on a stormy monsoon night.
Ratings: 4/5

Check out Volume 1 
Read the Book

I Didn't expect to be expecting By Richa Mukherjee

 Listen my neighbours also never  wanted to have kids and today the wife was crying saying they want children ,but her husband's potli has stopped working.

What do you mean stopped working ? it's not a tap! I quipped.

Disclaimer: This book is strictly for newly married couples or couples with the question" to be or not to be"   ( parents). Any one reading without prior experience about " Married life and the surrounding people" might not able to relate with real life situation.

Tara and Abhi  was having  the best moments of their life. Perfect friend circle, foreign vacation ,weekend parties and little bit of gyaan about having a baby and biological clock ticking from here and there which they happily ignored. Life was smooth  until they went for vacation in Italy and Tara  became pregnant. The story then takes on a hilarious turns on Tara's pregnancy and the surrounding people which includes her maid, parents, In-law, doctor and henceforth.

My view : 

The story is from Tara's point of view. The narration was hilarious. with Bengali expressions.

There were few points in the book which I feel  is relatable, which includes people constantly pushing you off the edge to think about baby,or  pregnancy myth which  people pass  on to generations.

The hideous hormonal mood swings  -The overwhelming feeling which one might get looking at food

and the doctor and checkups and lastly the entire labour room and holding the baby for the first time  is something to Awww about!

RATING :4/5

What is the most  ridiculous Pregnancy Myth you have heard?

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Want to know the after effect of having a baby Click here

Book Review:The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient 

..And so it went on, endless  speculation- no answer , only more  questions-about Alicia's motives and her subsequent silence . Why did she refuse to speak? What did it mean? Was she hiding something ? Protecting someone? if so who? And Why?

Alicia, 33 years old, married for 7 years was held captive for murdering her husband Gabriel , who was a fashion photographer in demand.

Alicia herself was a well known painter and together they had a perfect married life with success and comfort.  But one fine day Alicia shoots her husband on his face and remained silent for years  refusing her guilt or confessing it.  Her silence turned into story. The only statement she made was " The painting" The title was " Alcestis". The entire London was curious to know what has happened and why she is silent for years. She was finally made to stay in a forsenic Unit Grove under extreme supervision. Theo Faber a forensic psycho therapist  was fascinated by the mystery of Alicia and her enduring silence.He wanted to help her ,heal her and get her well and therefore took the case.

My thoughts:

 The hype for this book is 100% real, and people buying it  wont regret !

This psychological suspense thriller was recommended bytheguywiththebook and finally when I am done reading this novel my brain is whip lashed with its twists. 

Beautifully build up plot and well narrated in first person.

 Extreme research on criminal mind will hypnotise your brain into the reading.

 From the very first page you will be drowned into it,as it is written in very simple English.

The story takes you into details of the characters life. Also the diary pages written by Alicia ,was quiet interesting to know if she had any conflict with her husband or even childhood trauma

The ending startled me. Well entertaining and well satisfying .

I think everyone should read this book and not miss it.

Rating 5/5

Are you planning to read this anytime soon? Or adding in your TBR?

Book Review :My Lovely Wife: Samantha Downing

Blurb: Millicent and her husband is married for 15 years with 2 children.  They are just like other families whom you see next door. A hardworking mother ,who knows how to take responsibility and maintain a decorum at home and among their children.Her husband a tennis players, loves her gorgeous wife and supports her  in every high and low. He is also very serious about his kids. But the secret in their much loving marriage is  ,they kill women for fun, and no one gets to know. There killing started affecting their children's mental and physical health and they decide to change their plan. But the twist takes an unbelievable turn.

Some are born psychopath . And how far a couple can go to impress each other is all what you will get here in My Lovely Wife.

My views:

I am thankful that this thriller has some meaningful ending and dint leave reader hanging with questions. Half of the book i read these days have ending which makes you throw the book after investing so much time on it.

 The beginning of the book though slow, but still unputdownable. At times the author did make it monotonous with unwanted  information. By the end you will be flying through the pages.

What thrilled me was how a couple picked women and killed them, just to keep their marriage more fun or rather Sex more wild.

What still confused me was the motives behind the entire thing. It was unclear.

The entire story is from a man's point of view, so we don't know much about the wife.

Finally I would recommend thriller lover to go for this book as your Monsoon TBR.

Rating. 4/5

Bookreview :Circus Folks And Village Freaks by Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyal

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Author: Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyal

Publisher Vishwakarma Publications

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 152  (hardcover)

 

Not all tales are grand or legendary

Some are so wretched they make you wary

Of humanity and it's very grain,

so, listen and learn from this tale of pain"

   

Circus Folk and Village freaks is not just some regular poems, but a show case of  painstaking tales of individuals who joins  circus and dedicate their life in entertaining audiences. The author  has written about " not much talk" about topics like  hirsutism, mental illness, sexual problem, superstition and henceforth in form of 18 narrative poems which  are inter connected  to each other. Few of the poems were so oddly creepy and it will  make you think about the society.The book  focuses on how and why the village individuals took shelter in the circus. Every individual small or big  has their own personality and they are dedicated in their job. Strong use of vocabulary  made each character stand out among the rest. But it can be tough at  times.The book contains beautiful art work making it easier for the reader to understand.It  is totally an unique book of  queer tales and  recommended for poem lovers.

Primrose's Curse:A Fairy Tale of an Audacious Girl: By Kiara and Vinay Shankar

Paperback/ Kindle Format (49 Rs) available

At Amazon:

Click to Buy

Back in my childhood days Enid Blyton was one of my most favourite author. Infact I was so stuck on to her books that I missed other popular books like Nancy Drew and Hardy boys.  Why I am an ardent fan of her, is only because her books made me become an avid reader, a day dreamer and a book lover since childhood.

After such a long time, I came across a book which reminded me of my childhood memories reading Miss Blyton and enjoying every bit. The Primrose's Curse- written by Kiara Shankar and Vinay Shankar is one such lovely bed time story which I am sure will make your / child's mind wander far in the woods searching for adventure.

 Story Blurb:

This story is of a brave little girl Primrose who wandered into the woods one fine day in search of the nectar of a divine flower to cure her father. Having lost her mom, Primrose worked very hard, day and night to take care of her family. In the woods she meet mystical creatures and animals who promises to help her if she fights the Evil Sorceress who have cursed the world. How will she fight the evil to protect the humanity, her adventure all the way through, with her newly found friends is what the book is all about.

What I liked about the book?

• The book contains beautiful illustration,lesson for children , and also teaches one to be brave and deals with circumstances.

• It made me eager to know how she will defeat the evil sorceress , even though I know her adventure ending will be safe and happy 

• The story teaches children to work as a team.

• The ending comes with very happy note

Looking forward for more such beautiful adventure by the father daughter duo, how Primrose Save the Earth

Book Review Mehboob Murderer By Nupur Anand

Pages: 281

Click on Link:Buy

 Publishers: Om Book International

"They were all screaming frantically.  Colour drained out  from their faces. The cold  fear of death etched into their retinas. They shrieked and hid under the tables. They ran round  trying to escape, but there were no way out. The front shutter has been pulled down 10 min ago. he had latched the back door. They were all trapped inside the 500 square feet restaurant with the doors locked and a mad killer who was spraying bullets.

Story:

 Six people were been murdered in a cafe  named Mehaboob on a rainy september night in Mumbai . With no clue,from where  to start investigation, inspector Abbas and his team were given charge to find out the murderer.  The city blamed it to the madman, but there is more to it. 5 story slowly unveils the murder mystery.

My view:
        

•          Reading this  crime thriller, will make you think if it is actually a  debut novel of the author.
• ·         The plot, characters setting  everything needs an applaud for being  so flawless with its twist.
• ·         Being Crispy clear from beginning till the end the book focused only on the murder and the past of each victim.
• ·         The character Inspector Abbas and his team member interrogating  people and investing the case somehow made me feel  I am watching  CID.
• ·         The story behind every victim were very unique .
• ·         Language is lucid  and therefore if you are a  beginner looking for  crime thriller ,you bet this is the book.
• ·         The ending makes me feel, there will another story we might see with inspector Abbas.

• Rape, Abuse, Cheat ,mental health is all what you will read in this exciting novel and I am sure the first story and there after of the victims will give you goosebumps in every page

Book review: The Blue Umbrella By Ruskin Bond

Can a story be so simple yet so touching?  The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond is written for children but being an adult I enjoyed it so much in the midst of reading all the fat novels.
The story is of Binya , a little girl who live in the foothills  of Himalaya a little village in Garhwal, got an umbrella from tourist ( picnickers) in exchange of her lucky charm necklace made of leopard claw.
Binya's love for the  umbrella is shown so beautifully  in a very simple way. Her way of flaunting the umbrella made many villagers jealous especially Ram Bharosa , the shopkeeper and secretly he desired to own it.
How and why  Binya gave her umbrella away. How an unexpected act of kindness, change human mind. How Ram Bharoshi tried to still her umbrella, and how the act of kindness comes back like a boomerang  is all the Blue Umbrella about.

Book review : Ahira: The battle of princess and queen

A short 32 page read by Dhruv Anand is about  a free spirited  Princess Ahira from the kingdom of Vishard , whose destiny took a different path when she got married to King of Mahiruha , their rival kingdom. 

There is nothing much to talk about the plot as  it is all about her battle to save her kingdom.

The book didnt have a cover picture and the title somewhat didnt click with the plot.

The Starting of the story was very descriptive, an Indian tales of King, Battle field,  Revenge and henceforth.

The narration from different characters confused me in understanding the story.

Also Ahira being the main character, her part was less compared to the other side characters.

Rating 2.5

Bookreview :An Unmatched Couple's Misfit Relationship

This is not a love story, it a story of breakups.  Should I call it a Series of Unfortunate Events?

An Unmatched Couple's Misfit Relationship by Biswajit Misra made me surprised when the protagonist turned out to be a female. I admire the author's novel because being a male, he portrayed what a girl went through after every breakup with so much emotion.

 Paayesha's  first love and heart break happened when she was in college. Abhishek was a good natured guy who loved Payeesha too, but being spineless, he couldn't tell his mom about his affair from different caste.  So he slowly started ignoring her and finally stopped  being in touch with Paayesha.

Once Payeesha came out from her depression , she slowly started moving ahead with her training and career and finally her parents made her marry  a guy who they "Thought" was suitable for her.

On the wedding night the guy Shishir came drunk! Followed with series of events, and learning her husband being impotent made Payeesha move out from her in-law's place and stay in a PG while doing her job. She visited them on weekends but later she went through mental torture.

In her office she found comfort from her friend  Rishav who was a cool breeze for her tired heart. But Rishav too played with her heart.

Every time Payeesha  tried to pick herself up, she was being pulled down by the men surrounding her.Who will come to her life after Rishav. What was the secret Rishav have been hiding from her. Will she choose Rishav or someone else?

My view:

The cover of the book didnt portray  breakup, It made me feel its another love story.

The plot is unique,fast pace but the title is extremely long. Somehow I felt it is  difficult to remember such long complicated title. The book had grammatical error which needs to be covered. Narration is simple and it will keep you on your feet till the end, to find out what will happen to Payeesha.

What Paayesha did was wrong. She rushed through the relationship without taking time to heal from her past. It is never a good idea to jump into a relationship , you should know if the guy is worth dating ,he will wait till you are ready and comfortable.

Rating 3/5

Thank You Bookcharming for the review copy.