pen.books.and.scalpel

As someone born in the 90s, something I truly miss doing in this bustling world is writing a letter to a loved one. The ease of sending a WhatsApp message, an Instagram DM, or an email has brought down the joy of writing on a piece of paper, sealing it carefully inside an envelope, and securing it with glue or tape. We took pleasure in walking to the post office, affixing a stamp before posting it and waiting anxiously until we knew the mail had reached the recipient. Modern times have certainly reduced the waiting time and the efforts involved, but the joy of the process is lost with time. The future generations might never know that feeling. THE BEGINNING The first letter I ever wrote was to my maternal grandfather. As a well-read man with a love for books and writing, his shelves were always brimming with personal and professional postcards and letters. We would often watch him unwrap the letters one by one, carefully stacking them in order. Whenever the table was left empty, we wou...

BOOK NAME: DREAM MACHINE AUTHOR NAME: APPUPEN AND LAURENT DAUDET GENRE: GRAPHIC NOVEL PUBLISHER: CONTEXT (WESTLAND) PUBLISHERS BOOK BUY LINK:  https://amzn.in/d/3gttBq4 BOOK RATING: 5/5 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Dream Machine is a comic book about AI and its significance and complications in human lives. Hugo, the protagonist, is the founder of an AI startup who is about to merge deals with a tech supergiant, REAL.E, whose entire vision is to take over the world with the help of artificial intelligence. After discussing his doubts with his partner Anna and his friends, Hugo is caught in a moral dilemma. Now, Hugo has to decide what he wants quickly or else he will suffer one way or the other.    I went in with the least expectations into this book because sci-fi is not for me. I haven’t enjoyed science fiction on AI as much as I should have before. But this book was an instant hit. It stuck with me since the first page, and I knew I would like it. The illustration...

BOOK NAME: THE BOOKSELLER OF MOGGA AUTHOR NAME: ANAND SUSPI GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION PUBLISHER: CLEVER FOX PUBLISHING BOOK BUY LINK:  https://amzn.in/d/iFUkdp7 BOOK RATING: 4/5 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW This book is a light-hearted take on the world of books and an ambitious reader who wants to shape his world through books and readers. The Begur family is a special case in the town of Mogga. They delve into fiction and fantasy not to escape reality, but to build one of their own. Begur inspires the boy who grows up in his house, Cylinder, to read and write. He takes up books with one mission in mind - if people don’t come to books, the books will go to them. But everything along his path is challenging. He endures the intense heat, unforgiving showers, chaotic traffic and the unyielding people of the town of Mogga. But Cylinders isn’t among those who give up. I chose this book purely because it was suggested by the Blogchatter book list, and since it was a book about bo...

BOOK NAME: FOR THE LOVE OF APRICOTS AUTHOR NAME: MADHULIKA LIDDLE GENRE: ROMANCE PUBLISHER: SPEAKING TIGER BOOK BUY LINK:  https://amzn.in/d/9K2y7hk BOOK RATING: 4/5 BOOK COVER IMAGE BOOK REVIEW Forty-year-old Nandini has moved to the small Himalayan town of Mukteshwar at her father’s insistence after suffering heartbreak in Delhi. Independent and outspoken, she starts a homegrown pickle business and successfully turns it into a women’s cooperative. She meets Vikas Joshi, a 32-year-old former IT employee who has called it quits and moved to the same town to take over an apricot orchard. The young widower initially locks horns with Nandini over minor issues, which soon sparks something deeper between them. Nandini never thought she could fall in love again. Yet, she finds Vikas irresistible. Will her fears take over, or will Vikas’s love prevail? I always keep nagging about not being able to enjoy romance books because of their unbelievable plotlines and cliches. Well, this one...