The Girls Are Not Fine: The cost of ambition, careers and becoming by Harnidh Kaur

The Girls Are Not Fine: The cost of ambition, careers and becoming by Harnidh Kaur

"The Girls Are Not Fine" is a thought-provoking read. I recognise daily that society assumes we are fine in every aspect. But when I read the detailed approach from every corner of our life, it made me spellbound.

This detailed approach to how girls are expected to be perfect and speechless, though in pain, is commendable. What stayed with me the most was how the book talks about being "fine".Women are taught from such a young age to hide their anger, sadness, and exhaustion just to keep everyone comfortable. 

The author explains these emotions in a very direct and unfiltered way, and that made the reading experience feel personal instead of preachy.I also liked that it talks about things people usually ignore: emotional labour, family expectations, marriage pressure, workplace inequality, and how women are constantly expected to give more of themselves.

What I liked the most was the refusal toolkit. She explains vividly where to use and how to interrupt the machine that depends on our silence. Even the invisible labour toolkit makes it accessible, as it is important to make other people realise that there is labour in every work that usually goes ignored.

Overall, it is a thought-provoking read.

Shadow Play Love and Blackmail by Nitish Bhushan

 Shadow Play Love and Blackmail by Nitish Bhushan

"Shadow Play" is a mind-boggling suspense thriller. It is the second book in the sequel to Love ... This made me revisit the characters, and the friendship is something I could envy.

The story begins with Raj being expelled from his job for ruining the company's reputation just because of his carelessness. He has no idea of who could be the possible hacker who tried to send a digital email and make him download the malware that takes away all the confidential data from his account.

Raj, Bhanu, and Ravi, continued from the first book, are buddies who stand for each other even in crisis. Their respective wives have brought more friendship, love, stability, and reliance to this. But someone has cast their evil eyes on them. And these guys, like always, are not going to take it lying down.

Amidst the whole revenge, hacking, and treason plot, I liked Raj's ill-timed and ludicrous dad jokes. Even the romance happening in the text is something to read.

The author has meticulously penned the techno awareness with possible threats to it. His blend of suspense with elements of trust and romance makes it a compelling read.

Overall, it is a thought-provoking and captivating read.

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Durga: The Baaghini: A Tattvaverse Saga by Krishnamurthy Shrikanth

 Durga: The Baaghini: A Tattvaverse Saga by Krishnamurthy Shrikanth

"Understanding life requires removing the fear of death." - Quote from the book

Talking about forest life is easy, but living in it and saving wildlife is not an easy job. This book is dedicated to a woman who is the savior of wildlife, and even the forest creatures are mingled with her essence and aroma as if they remember her from ages ago.

I was intrigued by the prologue itself to find out how the Sheshvan forest will be saved from the poachers. Is she going to be alive, or will she take rebirth? As the story progresses, the two girls have different attitudes and love for the forest. I was curious to unfurl who the real choti sherni is and how she will be the future savior of this forest.

I was shocked to hear the wordings of Virendra and Viraj when they said men are not meant to fear from blood. But they have something taken away from the Shesvan that was not meant to be. But how Durga will revive what was taken from them is a thrilling adventure. It is like turning pages to know how Durga seeks revenge and paves the way for justice in a true manner.

The author has meticulously penned the insightful lessons of life in a thought-provoking manner. His simple yet evocative writing is filled with love for nature. The short chapter added intrigue to the narrative.

Overall, it is a commendable piece of writing. 

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Epic Heroes in You by Dr. Krishna

 Epic Heroes in You by Dr. Krishna

Epic Heroes in You provides evidence and validation for the theory that universal psychic patterns do exist. All the principal psychological concepts explained in this book are the theories formulated or dealt with by Dr. Bolen in her renowned works Goddesses in Everywoman and Gods in Everyman.

The author has shared detailed aspects of three categories of heroes:

1. Virgin Heroes

2. Vulnerable heroes

3. Alchemic heroes

Men like Ravana, Arjuna, and Bhishma have the undivided attention that allows them to accomplish what they set their minds on. They can easily exclude everything extraneous to their goal during the process. They do not even mind if they have to give up food or sleep. In its most concentrated form, the focused consciousness can be extremely productive or destructive depending on the nature and intensity of the task at hand.

In every stage of his life, a man with the Ravana pattern only looks for what is beneficial for him, which requires him to expel unprofitable people from his ‘kingdom.’ No matter whether it is professional or personal, every relationship is a utility-based one for a Ravana man. His attitude clearly states ‘if you are of use to me, stay; otherwise, leave.’

Quote from the book that changed me:

"Learn to love selflessly. Stop living in your head alone. Respect the individual freedom of others and their right to make choices. Develop love for humanity and believe in equality."

I was intrigued to know about the varied heroes. Their aspects of perceiving life and dealing with emotions are worth the choice. The concept of keeping your emotions at bay and living a human life is worth the read.

The author has well-researched the characters and their lives in detail. He has depicted each in a well-organized and systematic manner.

Overall, it is an intriguing and captivating read.

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An Anthology of the Best Ghost Stories From Bengal Multiple and Barnali Saha

An Anthology of the Best Ghost Stories From Bengal Multiple and Barnali Saha

 "An Anthology of the Best Ghost Stories" is a haunting collection of Bengali culture and tradition. Despite not belonging to the place, I was able to feel the horror and fear amongst people. It helped me visit the ghostly tales of women in family histories.

It comprises 15 stories written by different writers. Though all the stories made me feel the essence of supernatural powers and the lingering echoes of history, I liked "The Jack of Hearts", "The Road Ends Here", "Burnt Turmeric" and many more.

The haunting narratives are complemented by vivid descriptions that transport readers into the eerie landscapes, especially of rural Bengal. The authors have meticulously blended the emotions of people with the fear of ghosts. Each author has made this essence of horror palpable.

Overall, this is a haunting collection of Bengali ghost stories. It made me recite the name of Shiv Shambu all the time while reading this book.

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Sinners of the Fallen Night by Niladri Shekhar Mitra

 Sinners of the Fallen Night by Niladri Shekhar Mitra

Sinners of the Fallen Night blends filthy realism and gloomy writing genres. The novel shifts between tales that are immediately uncomfortable and merciless, following people who are stuck in patterns of violence, desire, and desperation.

The story begins with the kidnapping of Ankita Sen, daughter of a rich industrialist. Her calm poise reminded Vikrant of someone very special.  No one could assume or ever think of this same person behind the whole kidnapping.

On the other hand, Rishi in dire need of his drugs kills the person who delivers it. The next day when he realises what he has done he feels bad for it. There he meets Poorna who is a whore, and she shares various anecdotes from her miserable life. This made me think how girls are trapped and used. Many a times, they agree readily to be used to protect themselves from starving.

The book vividly depicts how girls are used and they turning into heartless whores as per their pathetic circumstances.It vividly depicts the dark, filthy backdrops, seeming mindless at times but extremely scary.

I was intrigued to know about Ankita and how the cop, Satyajit and his assistant, Mayank would find about her. Will she be saved by the correct person or something more darker will evolve by the end of the book?

Quote from the book that enraged my anger:
“Look, I don’t care about your revenge,” the voice said. “I’m only in it for the money, that’s the only reason why I’ve helped you execute this whole thing. So, beat her, fuck her, do whatever you want to with her, but make the ransom video. Got it?” “Yup,” Vikrant said, after a moment or two. “And one more thing. Don’t kill her before the ransom is paid. Wait till the money comes in,” the voice said, and hung up."

Each chapter unfolds instances of tragedy that serve a deeper purpose amidst pain that is scattered all over. I was wondering what the real motive of the characters is. The backdrop of how these girls were sold at cheap prices or used after that was scary.

The author has well penned the emotional turmoil of characters. She vividly depicts the pain and turn of their grey shades into an empathetic, free character. They hardly feel any emotion after killing people.

Overall, it contains varied sins undertaken in the falling night. It is crimes that begin with the onset of night and turn into different perspectives with the dawn.

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The Spanish Table - A romance novel by Yusuf Poonawala

The Spanish Table - A romance novel by Yusuf Poonawala 

 "The Spanish Table" is a suspense-filled romantic book. Set through the eyes of a businessman, Azam Shroff Agarwal. He plans a secret trip to Spain without telling his wife or seeking his children's consent. Each person in this house hides a secret that is unknown to anyone.

It is intriguing to read how he discloses his trip adventure to his family, and his wife, Miana, agrees to this non-refundable trip. There is hidden affection between parent and children. Every person knows about their love and care but never acknowledges it.

Karan, Azam's son who secretly wishes to write something engaging, purchases a notebook for his vacation. On the other hand, Samaira holds her mirror that secretly tells her that she is a star and to do her best.

On reaching Madrid, there is full fledged plan to roam around and experience the weather altogether. What was more exhilarating was their rental car, "Seat Leon". Miana took photographs for each flaw of the car, as she felt, "Trust was for amateurs. Proof was for professionals".

The author has meticulously penned it into four parts. Each part is a suspense filled with curiosity to know what will happen next. Each person's secret is unfolded one by one, making others in awe and finding it hard to absorb the facts. But their slow and steady move towards knowing each other and accepting each other as they are is palpable.

Overall, this is a book that makes you visit Spain in an unexpected manner."The Spanish Table" is a supense filled romantic book. Set through the eyes of a businessman, Azam Shroff Agarwal. He plans a secret trip to Spain without telling his wife or seeking his children's consent. Each person in this house hides a secret that is unknown to anyone.

It is intriguing to read how he disclose his trip adventure to his family and his wife, Miana agrees as this non-refundable trip. There is hidden affection of parent and children. Every person knows about their love and care but never acknowledged it.

Karan, Azam's son who secretly wishes to write something engaging, purchases a notebook for his vacation. On the other hand, Samaira holds her mirror that secretly tells her that she is a star and do her best.

On reaching Madrid, there is full fledged plan to roam around and experience the weather altogether. What was more exhilarating was their rental car, "Seat Leon". Miana took photographs for each flaw of the car as she felt: "Trust was for amateurs. Proof was for professionals".

The author has meticulously penned into four parts. Each part is a supense filled with curiosity to know what will happen next. Each person's secret is unfolded one by one making others in awe and hard to absorb the facts. But their slow and steady move towards knowing each other and accepting as they are is palpable.

Overall, this is a book that makes you visit Spain in an unexpected manner.

Purchase here.