pen.books.and.scalpel

BOOK NAME: VINEGAR GIRL (BOOK 3 OF HOGARTH SHAKESPEARE) AUTHOR NAME: ANNE TYLER GENRE: DOMESTIC FICTION  PUBLISHER: VINTAGE BOOKS   BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Vinegar-Girl-Hogarth-Shakespeare-Tyler/dp/178109019X BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler is a modern-day retelling of the Shakespearean classic, The Taming of the Shrew. The protagonist, Kate, is 29, single, strong-headed, and outspoken. She lives with her father, Dr. Battista - a scientist who spends his time in his lab - and her teenage sister, Bunny. Kate is a teaching assistant in a preschool, and there is no other purpose to her life than caring for her family and tending to her garden, or so she is made to believe.  Dr. Battista has finally found a useful assistant to his ongoing research, Pyotr. But there seem to be problems with his immigration. If someone can make Pyotr stay with Dr. Battista, that would be Kate because she has to marry him to secure him a green card....

BOOK NAME: BLACK CAKE AUTHOR NAME: CHARMAINE WILKERSON GENRE: HISTORICAL/ DOMESTIC FICTION PUBLISHER: PENGUIN BOOKS   BOOK BUY LINK:  https://www.amazon.in/Black-Cake-Novel-Charmaine-Wilkerson/dp/0593358333 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Black Cake is a book that appears sweeter on the outside but is surprisingly more emotional and profound on the inside. This multigenerational saga is a domestic fiction combined with a historical background that surrounds a family on an unnamed Caribbean island. Eleanor is dead, and her estranged children, Benny and Byron, are reuniting for her funeral. They meet their mother's lawyer, who hands them down her only legacy. Benny and Byron wouldn't have guessed what their mother had to say to them that she had left behind for her children in addition to the exclusive black cake. It leaves them flustered to learn about their parents' past, and they feel like they never knew them at all.  Also, the much-treasured Black cake left behind by E...

I always found beside me During the times of my sorrows and fears, A shadow which was cast by you Removing my spooks and tears. The Anthony of the great Caesar If alive would have envied you; For your love is no lesser Than the magic of the morning hue. Confused, I stood still and blank You came from nowhere and chased my worries up. Needless anymore to know if you are good or not Because I only know one thing about you. That you are the special one I have had And a friend who is bestowed to a very few. This is a part of  #Blogchatterhalfmarathon2024 #penbooksandscalpel

I steadily raised my head above And gaped at the deeply decorated sky. I wondered watching it through the alcove How does it stand still, so high? As I drifted gazing through the misty window The moon threw her mighty dazzle on my meadow I stared at her as if I hadn’t before Wondering how each day she kept on to differ. And how the moon became diffident upon my sight As behind the clouds it went for a ride, And when the fluffs of cushion began moving I could still see her radiantly shining. The jealous stars then felt a little bitter And surpassing the moon they started to jitter I finally gave in to the warmth of my cozy rug  After late, when my couch called in for a hug. And as I was adrift, her charm and radiance still pursued my eyes And I could see her the whole night even as the darkness slowly died. This is a part of  #Blogchatterhalfmarathon2024 #penbooksandscalpel

She could see nine heads bobbing in unison, one of them with a clean oiled braid and the other with neatly layered wavy hair reaching to the shoulder; the rest of them were mostly shaven close to their heads, a few with evenly spaced bald patches and a few with dense, bushy gelled hair. She would be the tenth one attending the meeting on the same topic for months in a row. But why were only three women attending the menstrual leave proposition meeting, and where were the rest, she wondered. "So, we have come up with this new departmental proposition of offering the women employees one paid leave per month..." Dr. Sunita did not complete her sentence, and Dr. Vidyut had to intervene in between as usual. He did not understand the concepts of space, time and place. He always speaks before someone can complete it, especially if the speaker is a woman. "Didn't we have this discussion already?" "Yes, we did. But sadly, only seven of us appeared for the meeting th...

BOOK NAME: DO NOT ASK THE RIVER HER NAME AUTHOR NAME: SHEELA TOMY (TRANSLATED FROM THE MALAYALAM BY MINISTHY. S) GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS INDIA   BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Not-Ask-River-Name-award-winning/dp/9362139901 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Have you heard that all is well that ends well? I must say, it's true with this book. Not that the book has a happy ending, but the way the story progresses makes you think that something is amiss but it surprises you and makes you want to read more of it - it's that kind of ending. The story intertwines the lives of Sahal, Asher and Ruth through misfortunes, pain and endurance. Sahal is a young Palestinian scholar and rebel who runs a social media forum called 'Warrior of Light'. He keeps publishing the atrocities of the Israeli army against the Palestinian civilians on his page and is now being hunted down by the army. Asher, his Jewish friend, is his protector and keeper who fights...

Do you hate people judging you based on what you wear? Do you constantly feel the need to yell "shut up" in their faces but don't do so for whatever reason? Do you also keep to yourself and your loved ones because it's your personality, but people misread it as being subservient? Then this post is for all of us! As someone who chose to embrace hijab even though I had a choice not to, it always amazes me when people make the wildest judgements about me. It doesn't matter if we know each other that well or not; they feel this intense urge to point out how "domestic" and "obedient" I am. Indians and their obsession with obedient women never fails to amuse me. But dear stranger, please listen up. If we did not spend years together as friends biting each other's ears off with gossip and spending all our money on coffee and momo during late evenings, you don't know me a bit at all. There is an insane amount of difference between being an intr...

BOOK NAME: THE RAINBOW RUNNERS AUTHOR NAME: DHRUBAJYOTI BORAH (TRANSLATED BY THE AUTHOR FROM THE ASSAMESE ORIGINAL ARTHA) GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION PUBLISHER: NIYOGI BOOKS   BOOK BUY LINK:   https://www.amazon.in/Rainbow-Runners-Dhrubajyoti-Borah/dp/9391125999 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW This book provides a wonderful insight into the times of the Assam insurgency and agitation that led to a lot of mob killing, underground activities, and political upheaval. The story revolves around an unemployed Sriman who is trying to set his life right. He one day witnesses a gruesome murder on his way back home, and everything changes suddenly for him. His life takes a U-turn, affecting him mentally and emotionally.  The book is written in two parts, the first in the third person perspective about the insurgency in Assam and the next in the first person pov, where Sriman learns about Buddhism and the Tibetan struggle from a chance encounter. He stumbles upon the localites and to...

BOOK NAME: SUMMER OF THEN AUTHOR NAME: RUPLEENA BOSE GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION   PUBLISHER: PENGUIN INDIA   BOOK BUY LINK:  https://www.amazon.in/Summer-Then-Novel-Rupleena-Bose/dp/0143465708 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW It's very unfortunate to break it to you that this book didn't make the cut for me. However, I looked up the reviews from others and realised it was just me. It was a solid five-on-five book to me until upto 50%. And then it started tumbling downhill. How not to mess up a well-written book with a remorseless protagonist and a messy story is what I got from this book. So, if you are planning to read this book, please ignore the caption, as I am choosing to go with a spoiler-filled review here because a rant would definitely help me out.  This is a coming-of-age story of the protagonist who narrates her struggles as she navigates life between her boyfriend, Nikhil and his best friend, Zap, aka Zafar. Why would her life navigate around her boyfrie...