pen.books.and.scalpel

BOOK NAME : COME, BEFORE EVENING FALLS AUTHOR NAME : MANJUL BAJAJ GENRE : HISTORICAL FICTION PUBLISHER: HACHETTE INDIA BOOK BUY LINK:  https://www.amazon.in/Before-Evening-Falls-Manjul-Bajaj/dp/9350090430 Honestly, if there is a time when I can't find the right words to describe how I exactly feel about a book, it's right now. I, for a moment, couldn’t think of any word to fill in the blank pages. But I have tried my best to do some justice to this book. This poignantly beautiful book is a story of a forbidden love entangled in the mess of family honour, caste issues, childhood trauma and morality. Raakha, the new teacher in kala Saand, is a revolutionist trying to change his society. He is surrounded by a strong aura that pulls everyone towards him, men and women alike. They all want to be liked by him and steal moments just to be around him. But he is unable get over Jugni since their first encounter when they locked eyes and horns with each other. Jugni- his Jugniye, is an u...

I still dream of a day when I could go back in time and tell myself those things I was unaware of. I would shake myself to reality and put some words of wisdom into my teenage self's mind. I would start seeing the world differently with all the new things I learned over the years. If I woke up 15 years younger today, you probably wouldn't even notice the change, because it would be as early as 3 AM. "So, how does it matter?" You ask. Because looking back, it's all that matters to me now. I now realise that I had been living a life of an owl, as crossing the board exams was no less battle.  My 15 years younger self would be precisely 15 years old today and tired and sleep deprived, yet pushing myself hard because I had heard a lot of "hustle now and live the rest of your life as a champion." My mother used to say, "10th exams are the most important. If you do this well, the rest of your life shall be carefree." HAHAHA! What a joke! I should have...

BOOK NAME : WHEN WILL YOU DIE AUTHOR NAME : JAYANTHI SANKAR GENRE : SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL NOVELLA PUBLISHER : ZERO DEGREE PUBLISHING BOOK BUY LINK :  https://www.amazon.in/When-Will-You-Jayanthi-Sankar/dp/9395511125 This socio-psychological novella follows the lives of Susan and her half-brother, Jo. Susan lives with her Nani after losing her parents with the responsibility of raising Jo as her own. She loves him as her whole world and is no lesser than a mother to Jo. Susan marries her pen pal, Suiyi and settles in Singapore against her Nani's wishes, and that's when things start changing in their lives. Jo's quirkiness turns annoying and makes everyone's life uneasy. Susan loves her brother and so cannot let go of him. But she must make sure things are taken care of. This story started great for me, and I enjoyed the description of the lives of the main leads in Goa and Singapore. The novella had an exciting way of conveying domestic fiction with its intriguing writing....

NAME OF THE BOOK : ALL DRESSED UP AUTHOR NAME : JILLY GAGNON PUBLISHER : RANDOM HOUSE INC GENRE : MYSTERY THRILLER BOOK BUY LINK :  https://www.amazon.com/All-Dressed-Up-Jilly-Gagnon/dp/0593497325 This book follows Blake and Becca, a couple on the verge of ending their marriage but willing to give themselves a second chance to regain the broken trust. In an attempt to redeem their relationship, Blake takes Becca to a 1920s murder-mystery-themed weekend vacation game. While they get invested in finding the murderer, one of the employees- Bethany, is missing and Becca smells something wrong. All participants in the locked house are on a sprint to end the game by finding the murderer, while Becca is on the chase to expose the actual murder that may have taken place.  I really enjoyed the book very much with its innovative and fast-paced narrative. I liked how the chapters were divided into clues, character cards, game rules and event invitations. The suspense and the mystery were...

I have watched plenty of shows based on Ramayana and Mahabharata in the past, and this book piqued my interest because of its mixed opinions. And I have to admit that this book is slightly different from the Ramayana I have known. War of Lanka is the fourth book in the Ram Chandra series and is a retelling of Valmiki's Ramayana. The book follows the events that take place after the abduction of Sita by Raavan.  Though this book maintains the core values of Valmiki's Ramayana, it's written in a completely different dimension with a more logical explanation of the events that took place. They appear more human than mythical. The author's thought process is incredible as he adds a fresh perspective to the tale through his eyes. It feels refreshing to read it from a different viewpoint. Even though the book is stretchy and repetitive, and one might not miss much even if they skipped a few lines here and there, the war scenes and fight sequences were well narrated.  Though t...

BOOK NAME: THE KARACHI DECEPION AUTHOR NAME: SHATRUJEET NATH PUBLISHER: JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE BOOK BUY LINK:  https://www.amazon.in/Karachi-Deception-Shatrujeet-Nath/dp/812913974X Three commandos of the Indian army under Colonel Mohan, who are a part of unit Kilo operation - Major Ahmed, Captain Shamsheer Sulaiman and Lieutenant Rafiq Mehmood are chosen for a one-of-a-kind mission. They must enter Pakistan and take down the most dreaded underworld don, Irshad Dilawar. But Dilawar is always one step ahead of them, foiling every plan they make. Also, they are not the only ones that want Irshad Dilawar dead.  Major Imtiaz realises that the mission is compromised in no time. Will he be able to complete the task successfully, or will they fall into Dilawar's trap? The Karachi Deception is an international espionage story covering the events of the mission simultaneously in India and Pakistan. The author has treated all his characters equally well, and the action and the ending sce...

You have probably seen this book a thousand times over the internet as it is already all over bookstagram and is a huge bestseller. I am unsure if my review of this book will add anything new to what others have said. But here I am, giving my two cents and sharing my reading experience with you about a recent book that affected me deeply. The book is about Holly and Gerry, who were high school sweethearts. They find their soulmate in each other and are happily married until Gerry succumbs to his brain tumour. Gerry leaves letters for Holly to open each month the following year, which will help her move on and become stronger. First of all, being married to my high school sweetheart, I could not even fathom the idea of someone losing a partner and the grief that Holly must have gone through. Believe it or not, I never knew this was the book's premise until I started it. I like reading a few books without reading their blurbs beforehand. And this book fell in that category for me. An...

BOOK NAME: The Blue Umbrella AUTHOR NAME: Ruskin Bond NO. OF PAGES: 90 (illustrated) PUBLISHER: Rupa Publications BOOK BUY LINK:  https://www.amazon.in/Blue-Umbrella-Ruskin-Bond/dp/8171673406 BOOK 1 of explore India readathon for the state of Uttarakhand. As nostalgic as it can get, picking up Ruskin bond's book yet again is always a pleasure.  The blue umbrella is a short story that follows Binya, who lives with her brother, Bijju and her mother. She is happy tending to her cattle, Neelu and Gori, daily. As a ten-year-old, Binya's idea of fun is walking around the hills and watching tourists on her way back home. One day, she falls in love with a blue umbrella carried by a lady traveller, and Binya sacrifices her leopard claw charm with her beaded chain in exchange for the umbrella. While the other children never miss an opportunity to praise it and hold it for seconds in their hands, the adults are already jealous and disparage it. Ram bharosa is hell-bent on having it for h...

NAME OF THE BOOK: Song of Solomon AUTHOR NAME: Toni Morrison GENRE: Domestic/ historical fiction NO. OF PAGES: 448 BUY BOOK HERE:  https://www.amazon.in/Song-Solomon-Toni-Morrison/dp/0099768410 When you start the year with a book that has an enigmatic writing style and storytelling by one of the greatest writers, the bar for the rest of the year is automatically raised. I guess I don't have to talk about how famous the author or her books are. They all speak for themselves. But for readers yet to explore her works, here is my best possible summary of the book.   Macon Dead junior alias Milkman, a name given to him for a strange reason, born to wealthy black parents in America, realises that he is not like other black children. He chooses a free and sophisticated life while his friend, Guitar, takes up the route of rebellion. When Milkman abandons Hagar, he Takes pride in being the man that made her crazy out of love. His father was a rich man who loved nothing else except for ...