pen.books.and.scalpel

Who wouldn’t be excited about birthdays unless it’s someone entering their dreaded 30s? Even those who do not celebrate their birthdays lavishly keep looking forward to it secretly. But as for me, I had the most boring birthdays ever as a child because it always fell on the winter vacations. Sigh! I would feel missed out on all the celebrations that other students used to have at school. Imagine getting to come to school in “colour dress” and standing out among the thousands of students in monotonous shades of blue and white. Wow. And going around classes and meeting friends to distribute candies! That must feel awesome. Sometimes, teachers would gift their favourite students with pens or other stationery. Birthdays weren’t a big deal at home, and they were just like any other day. A few friends would show up; we would cut cake, go out for snacks and be back religiously before 8 pm. Otherwise, amma would strip our skins off. Birthdays, her foot! As if it mattered more than returning ho...

BOOK NAME: RAM C/O ANANDHI AUTHOR NAME: AKHIL P. DHARMAJAN (TRANSLATED FROM THE MALAYALAM BY HARITHA C. K.) GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION  PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS INDIA BOOK BUY LINK:   https://amzn.in/d/073PlwJ BOOK RATING: 3/5 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Ram c/o Anandhi is a lighthearted romcom exploring the lives of people Ram comes across in Chennai. Sriram, aka Ram, is a Malayali who visits Chennai to pursue film studies with the aspiration of becoming a writer and director. From the moment he steps into Chennai until he leaves, he is amazed by Chennai, its people, and its lively surroundings. Ram befriends Anandhi, Reshma, Vetri, and Malli, aka Kalidas, who all have their own stories. Ram falls for Anandhi over time after turning friends from foes, but she is hiding something bigger beyond comprehension.  The best thing about this book is the author’s note, where he genuinely admits that the prose of the book is cinematic and warns us not to expect a perfect li...