pen.books.and.scalpel

BOOK NAME: UNTIL I FIND YOU AUTHOR NAME: KANCHANA BANERJEE GENRE: MYSTERY THRILLER PUBLISHER: OM BOOKS INTERNATIONAL  BOOK BUY LINK :   https://www.amazon.in/Until-Find-You-engrossing-thriller/dp/9353768004 A good mystery thriller should make your guts twist and squeeze your brains, leaving your mouth agape at the last page with bone-chilling details. If you are reading a good thriller, then it should give you palpitations and leave you pondering over it for days. I experienced all of these while reading this book, which is why it is one of the best mystery thrillers out there. Jenny, the only survivor of the mass massacre of the cult that happened years ago, comes to a small village in Rajasthan named Bannod in search of a boy named Subah. Subah is connected to her life in more than one way, and she needs to meet Subah to relieve the guilt of not being able to help his mother, her best friend, during the massacre. He lives with his so-called father, who is also a powerful...

BOOK NAME: WHY AM I LIKE THIS? AUTHOR NAME: JUDY BALAN GENRE: NONFICTION PUBLISHER: SIMON AND SCHUSTER INDIA BOOK BUY LINK :  https://www.amazon.com/Why-Like-This-Psychological-Astrology-ebook/dp/B0BTZTTZ1V/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1687260591&refinements=p_27%3AJudy+Balan&s=books&sr=1-1 This book is nonfiction and is based on the author's real-life events. Judy Balan is a consulting psychological astrologer with a post-graduate diploma in Jungian studies. She is also an established writer who has published six novels, including 'Two Fates: the story of my divorce'. The book starts with the author's struggle with self-doubts and internal conflicts and her experience as a child with a well-settled life. Though she had everything in her life, she always found something was amiss, and she was searching for the missing piece, which she later found in her Jungian astrology journey. This book for me was very fascinating and exciting because the topic and details were ver...

BOOK NAME: AS LONG AS THE LEMON TREES GROW AUTHOR NAME: ZOULFA KATOUH GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION PUBLISHER: BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING BOOK BUY LINK :   https://www.amazon.in/As-Long-Lemon-Trees-Grow/dp/1526648512 "When I go to heaven, I'll tell God everything."  Well, I am flustered and completely out of words. Where do I even start, and how? It's been a few days since I finished this book, and I still can't get over the lines. I have a few more book reviews to share, which I had read earlier, but I want to rant about this one first. Not many times have I loved a young adult book like this one. An historical fiction with a young adult romance blossoming amidst the chaos is never something I thought I would fall for. But here I am, recommending this book to everyone over and over again. Salama is a young pharmacology student who was forced to take up the surgeon's job under Dr. Ziad. She works every day in the hospital, stitching up wounds and saving lives destr...

BOOK NAME: THE SORCERY OF THE SENSES AUTHOR NAME: TANIMA DAS GENRE: FANTASY PUBLISHER: ARTOONSINN BOOK BUY LINK :  https://www.amazon.in/Sorcery-Senses-Tanima-Das-ebook/dp/B0BQZJQNBX Where are my reader friends who feel Indian fantasy writers haven't been able to nail it right yet? Take note; your search might very well end here as this book falls right in the epicentre. Honestly, I never thought this book would turn out so good as I experimented with reading something out of my preferred zone. But did it turn out to be an accidental discovery of the best fantasy read of 2023? Yes, it is right there at this moment.  After dealing with his midlife crisis, Dhruv returns to his parental home in Raukipur. While he contemplates his past life and the decisions he made, he accidentally stumbles upon his mother's treasure, a crown with a missing jewel in the centre. Looking through it, he gets teleported to the universe, where he is welcomed by Dristi, the sense of vision who show...

BOOK NAME: NEW NORMAL AUTHOR NAME: MICHELLE PARIS GENRE: CONTEMPORARY/WOMEN'S FICTION PUBLISHER: APPRENTICE HOUSE PRESS BOOK BUY LINK :  https://www.amazon.com/New-Normal-Michelle-Paris/dp/1627204520 By the looks of it, the book may seem like a cute rom-com or a fun beach read. But it is not. It is an intense women's fiction which is emotional, compulsive and insightful.  Emilie Russel is a middle-aged widow who is trying to cope with the sudden tragic loss of her husband. Her best friend, Viv, suggests that she start seeing other men to feel normal again in life and tries her luck in setting up Emilie with her neighbour. But only that, her neighbour Colin is gay and has also been through the loss of his partner. After much contemplation, Emilie tries therapy with Dr. Jeffries and finds minimal success in it, while most of her comfort comes from being around Colin and their accidental friendship. Emilie tries dating a few other men until she finds the one, and in the proce...

BOOK NAME: EKARAT - STORIES HE LEFT BEHIND AUTHOR NAME: AJAY KHULLAR GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION PUBLISHER: THE BROWSER BOOK BUY LINK :   https://www.amazon.in/EKARAT-Ajay-Khullar-Ekarat/dp/9392210086 This book, written by Ajay Khullar, the phoenix author 'EKARAT', was published posthumously by his father and is a collection of short stories, tributes, unfinished novellas and poems. This book is unique in most of its ways because it's a collection of different styles of writing in a single book. The author explores dark and untrodden topics like infidelity, forbidden love, power and sexuality with a blend of satire and humour. His writing is powerful and painful at the same time. Every time a character was introduced in a story, it was distinct, and a few chapters left me asking for more.  Few of the novellas and short stories were interconnected, and the unfinished endings left me wondering what exactly was running in the author's mind. Though I was able to imagine...

BOOK NAME: KAIKA'S SONGS AUTHOR NAME: M.A. MODHAYAN GENRE: FANTASY PUBLISHER: PENGUIN SSEA BOOK BUY LINK :   https://www.amazon.com/Kaikas-Songs-M-Modhayan/dp/0143459120 This is the story of the last of the survivors of the island. The story of the five siblings and half-siblings who depend on each other for survival, procreation, food and leadership. The sand island is fierce and hungry, reacting to the songs sung by the tribe members. Singing has been the language of the islanders since ages, passed along generations. They sing songs of hunger, thirst, fear, hope, fury and mercy. They sing to convert their times of distress into times of solidarity and vivacity. Among the five tribal members, Kaika is the chosen one as she starts leading the gang from the front against the wrath of the sand island and the monster. But times change, and the painful death of one of them starts looming as a curse causing the island members to perish without a trace. Soon after, AiYi, the younges...