pen.books.and.scalpel

Ahem, ahem. Pardon me for starting the challenge with the scariest topic of today's time - ageing and diseases. But it's high time we speak about it to learn about a condition that is fast growing today. Not many years ago, as I watched my grandfather helplessly succumb to the nameless monster we never knew existed, I wished we had a solution to his problem. But sadly, they said his condition didn't have much scope for cure. Years later, when I realised that he had Alzheimer's at a time when we lacked awareness about the disease, I resolved to talk and write more about it to let people know what really Alzheimer's is.  Let's assume we all know how scary ageing is if not for Alzheimer's. Rightly so, not many of us might know of the condition because awareness hasn't been created actively, and research and treatment on it are only in the developing phase. Like many, if you too have little idea about it, keep reading to learn more. You know how they say nev...

BOOK NAME: THE NAMESAKE AUTHOR NAME: JHUMPA LAHIRI GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION  PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Namesake-Jhumpa-Lahiri/dp/0007258917 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW What's in a name? Does it even matter if you like your name or not? If you think it doesn't then hear me out. Gogol Ganguly, born to Ashoke and Ashima Ganguly - an immigrant couple in America from Calcutta, hates the name he was given in a hurry. Unlike his father, who has an emotional connection with the famous Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, he feels no bond with his name at all. He is often ridiculed for it, misspelt at times, leaving him feeling like a stranger in his homeland. And he hates it even more when he learns about the author's life in detail. He isn't named American, which is not his problem; he isn't given a Bengali name either, which makes him hate it even more. His frustration grows towards his parents for naming him such, and he senses the g...

Finally, finally, it's the most beloved writing challenge for all Blogchatter members, I suppose. It definitely is for me. Did you all notice how 2024 started only yesterday, and it will already be April in a wink? Or is it only me? But no worries, since with April comes the most exciting part of blogging, which we all love to be a part of. Thankfully, this year, I was able to select my theme without breaking my head, unlike the last one.       I realised that the Blogchatter A2Z challenge would be the most fitting for my chosen theme, and I waited impatiently for April to arrive the whole time. And now, I can't wait to announce to you all the theme of my challenge this year - " The A to Z of women's health ". This series post is long overdue, as I have been contemplating doing it over the past few years as a part of my blog / social media posts. But why only women's health, not everybody's, you ask? So here is why I chose to do it.     Do you know that in...

BOOK NAME: IF I HAVE TO BE A SOLDIER AUTHOR NAME: NIKHIL J. ALVA GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION  PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS INDIA BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/If-I-Have-Be-Soldier/dp/9356998701 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Set in the backdrop of Mizoram's fight against the Indian army for an independent nation in the 1960s, it's a story of two friends turned rivals coming face to face after years. Captain Samuel is tasked to capture the head of the guerrillas popularly known as 'Che', named after the revolutionary Che Guevara. But Samuel manages to take Sena under his custody, his childhood friend whom he had fallen out with because of grave misunderstandings. Will Sena's capture lead him to the much sought-after Che, or is there a deep secret that no one knows about Sena and Che's connection? When Samuel learns about it, it's too late for him to act on it, as he is now caught in a labyrinth of problems. Samuel is framed as a traitor by the commandant...

BOOK NAME: RUKHMABAI (The Life and Times of a Child Bride Turned Rebel Doctor) AUTHOR NAME: SUDHIR CHANDRA GENRE: BIOGRAPHY  PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN INDIA BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Rukhmabai-Times-Child-Turned-Rebel-Doctor-ebook/dp/B0CSYXY8N1 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Who would have thought that this serene-looking saree-clad woman would revolutionise the world of medicine and fight patriarchy one day? An eleven-year-old Rukhmabai was married to a 19-year-old Dadaji as a child bride. She later refused to cohabit with him after coming of age, which was against the norms of the olden days. What started as a personal divorce proceeding turned into a full-blown struggle against the entire orthodoxical society. She had to take down each and every one and lose everything along her path to divorce, as she was feared to be a revolutionary and a trendsetter for the otherwise “naive” women. Later, phase two of her struggle began as she took up medical education ...

BOOK NAME: MINOR DETAIL AUTHOR NAME: ADANIA SHIBLI (translated from the Arabic by ELIZABETH JAQUETTE) GENRE: POLITICAL NOVELLA PUBLISHER: FITZCARRAKDO EDITIONS (PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE) BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Minor-Detail-Adania-Shibli/dp/191309717X BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW I would love to wish you all a "happy" women's day with this post, but quite a few incidents have happened recently, which prevents me from doing so. With the current state of children, women and the overall population in Palestine, I could hardly acknowledge the day when the world is left to watch the genocide silently. To add to the woes, the news of a Russian traveller who was gang-raped by a few men when she visited India circulated last week. The comments section of her post was sickening because she was preached by women (sadly) about dressing appropriately to avoid inviting men. Just as I blinked in frustration, another incident occurred just a few kilometers away from where...

BOOK NAME: ZIN AUTHOR NAME: HARITHA SAVITHRI (translated from the Malayalam by NANDAKUMAR K) GENRE: POLITICAL FICTION PUBLISHER: PENGUIN INDIA BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Zin-Haritha-Savithri/dp/0143461664/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= BOOK COVER IMAGE  BOOK REVIEW There's something special about translated books that others don't have. It's their ability to bring a platter of literature to our table when it's humanly impossible to read books in every language that exists, and I can't stress the importance of it enough. This is another translated gem, especially from Malayalam, that I will cherish forever. Seetha, an Indian studying in Barcelona, goes to Turkey to search for her Kurd lover, Dewran. Meanwhile, the Turkish government is looking for Dewran and his brother Arman, framing them as extremists for resisting their persecution. Seetha doesn't have a clue where Dewran must be. But she must get to him to break the news ...