pen.books.and.scalpel

If someone has to speak of having a sound, relaxed sleep, then it definitely shouldn't be me. Because I hardly follow 'early to bed, early to rise' even though I preach to my patients to have 8 hours of nap every day. Are you even a doctor if you strictly follow what you advise your patients to do?! But, hey, it's not me; it's my work schedule and the innumerable emergency night calls that don't let me have what I want. But let me tell you what I do on other days and how to make your sleep peaceful, even if it's just for a few hours. Because, well, I am at least qualified to. CIRCADIAN RHYTHM - THE BEAT OF LIFE Have you ever wondered how you start feeling sleepy just as the broad daylight dims? Why should humans sleep at night and wake in the morning? Why do we struggle to keep our eyes open at night when demanded? That's simply because we all dance to the rhythm that chimes within us - the circadian rhythm or cycle. This internal clock in our brain cont...

BOOK NAME: THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE AUTHOR NAME: MICHAEL SCOTT-BAUMANN GENRE: NONFICTION PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN INDIA / PICADOR INDIA BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Shortest-History-Israel-Palestine-Intifadas/dp/8119300505 BOOK COVER IMAGE QUOTE FROM THE BOOK "Let them breathe, and they will find out that life is more beautiful than death" - Amira Hass, Haaretz journalist, when asked about the radical ways that the Gazans used against the Israeli army to show their resistance. BOOK REVIEW As readers, we all like to believe that we know it all, don't we? But there is always something that remains unshrouded from human minds, waiting to be discovered. When I finished this book, I had this gnawing feeling of how uninformed I was about most things regarding Israel's occupation of Palestine and the latter's retaliation and massacre. I was so ashamed of myself for not having read the history in detail before. I always thought I knew enoug...

Ta-da! It's that time of the year when you enrol for the year's TBR challenge to outdo yourself from the last year. As someone who has been a part of this challenge successfully over the past two years, I can assure you that it is a boost  to see yourself move up the readerboard ladder every time you finish a book. So, what is this fuss around the TBR challenge about? Every year, Blogchatter comes up with this amazing TBR challenge where readers enrol themselves with an achievable reading target for the year. Any count from 1 to infinity is considered, and credit points and stickers will be added once readers complete the challenge successfully. Once a participant completes reading a book, the book review or reading experience must be submitted as a blogroll and added to the TBR list later. You repeat this until you hit your number in the chart. And…Voila! The TBR challenge is now complete. So, I hope now you know how to hop into this challenge with other readers. Because I am ...

The line I was standing in was very uncharacteristically organised and obedient. It was like a trail of ants patiently waiting for their turn to meet the queen. Not once in my life had I seen a queue like this where no one tried bypassing the person in front. Instead, a few of them even moved behind, paving the way for others to defer their turn. Strange! The eerie silence made the voice at the entrance of the gate echo from all directions. "You may proceed this way. The guard over there will take care of the rest." The gatekeeper pointed to the first one in the line towards a gate painted golden yellow, making it appear like an entrance to heaven.  Minutes later, a sudden commotion broke out a few feet away from me, but the man before me obscured my view. I gently tapped on his shoulders to ask him what it was about.  "Excuse me! Excuse me, gentleman." My index finger stopped midway in the air, and I gasped when he turned to face me. I knew him very well, but I was...

BOOK NAME: THE COVENANT OF WATER AUTHOR NAME: DR. ABRAHAM VERGHESE GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION - FAMILY SAGA PUBLISHER: ATLANTIC BOOKS BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Covenant-Water-Oprahs-Book-Selection/dp/1804710431 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW When I tell you that a book has finally managed to reach the levels of 'A Little Life' and 'Valli' in their respective genres for me, you must know that I am going to rant about it forever and keep recommending it over and over again to everyone I know.  This multi-generational saga, spanning three generations from Big Ammachi to her namesake - her granddaughter in Parambil, Kerala, is a breathtaking piece of literature. It is a coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old moving to her marital house in Parambil to her 40-year-old husband, who later becomes 'Big Ammachi' - the matriarch of Parambil. Ever since Big Ammachi got married, she wondered why one person from every generation in her family had to die mysterious...

'Can you make it a little faster? They will be here anytime.' My husband was running around the household fuzzily. He was moving the damaged cardboard boxes outside to dump them and create more space for storage. Our humble double-bedroom house is a chicken coop filled with love that is otherwise clumsy and disorganised. Papers and notebooks occupying the desk, books falling out of space from the shelf, clothes dumped on chairs and sofa and strands of my hair dancing around the floor - that's how a regular household where a working couple live without a domestic help would look like, and I have never regretted it. The extensive cleaning day happens once every week, and decluttering is reserved for times when there is an anticipated visitor.   'Yes, yes. I am doing my best. It will be done in a few minutes. You just wait and watch.' I tested his patience by wantedly doing things my way, and he nodded his head in resentment. His long-distance relatives were visiting u...

BOOK NAME: 10 MINUTES 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD   AUTHOR NAME: ELIF SHAFAK GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION PUBLISHER: PENGUIN BOOKS BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Minutes-Seconds-this-Strange-World-ebook/dp/B07N3663SF BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Elite, elegant, and chic - three words that I would choose to describe Elif Shafak's world and her writing. The story starts with the final moments of the protagonist - Tequila Leila, and her recollection of the best moments of her life. There is no spoiler here, as the story is largely about the concept of death and life. Tequila Leila, a sex worker in Istanbul, had fled away from her home at a young age after facing abuse. She left her house with dreams and aspirations, but she was accidentally caught in the world of trafficking and into a business she barely wanted to do. Later, she adapts to the world that she lives in and becomes stronger. Though her bloodline outcasts her, her five friends stand by her like a pill...

BOOK NAME: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE AUTHOR NAME: GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ (TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY GREGORY RABASSA) GENRE: LITERARY FICTION PUBLISHER: PENGUIN BOOKS BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Hundred-Solitude-Harper-Perennial-Classics/dp/0060883286 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW I know most of you would have already read this book and lived through its magic. But I needed to find the perfect time to start this since I wasn't prepared for Marquez's world earlier. As someone who adores Murakami, picking this one was inevitable, and I can see how their worlds are so similar yet very different, exceptional in their own ways. I savoured this book over months to absorb its essence and enjoy the journey.  The cursed town of Macondo, a fictional land, is discovered and occupied by the  Beundia couple, Jose Arcadio Beundia and Ursula. The story is of the founding and the catastrophic ending of their lineage in Macondo after endless years of solitude, repres...