Bookishlife2022_

 Lanterns for the Dark by Rheaa Noor This poetry book is an intensely personal and emotional trip that will leave you breathless. The author's voice is gentle, honest, and unafraid, as if you were reading a message to your own heart. The poems address themes of grief, heartbreak, and resilience, yet they do not dwell on the agony. They are about healing and discovering power in vulnerability. The author's words are like candles in the darkness, guiding you through difficult moments and reminding you that you are not alone. Each poem meets the reader exactly where they are: in sadness, doubt, or desire for something they can't quite put a name to. However, each piece serves as a reminder that your emotions are valid, your scars are real, and your light continues to matter. Overall, Lanterns for the Dark is a comforting, sympathetic companion for anyone going through emotional healing. It is not a book that dazzles with technical experimentation; rather, it is a book that c...

 Arsenal of The Gods by Ajeet Pratap Singh "Arsenal of the Gods is a fast-paced, immersive mythological thriller that pulls you in from its very first mystery and never quite lets you breathe. The idea of waking up with eleven days erased from memory is unsettling on its own, but the novel quickly deepens that unease with haunting visions, cryptic symbols, and the growing realization that nothing about Rudra’s life is what it seemed. Rudra is found thousands of miles away from his factory in Goa, in his home in Allahabad. Gradually he begins to join the pieces of this puzzle. In his adventure, Kshitip is his ally and together they must solve cryptic riddles hidden in ancient temples across India. Each riddle unlocks a piece of the weapon that has the power to burn the entire earth down. Are they succesful in keeping the balance of the power of not? Well I am not going to tell you everything here. Pick up the book and find out more. For the most part, the pacing is excellent, keepi...

 Finding our Forever: A frenemies to lovers, slow-burn office romance! by Manisha Vashist Manisha Vashist's Finding Our Forever is a slow-burning office romance that draws together Ruhi Sharma, a responsible, career-driven lady who only falls for fictitious men and has sworn off real ones, and Samar Malhotra, the charming but guarded CEO who no longer believes in forever. Two years after an accidental encounter on a solo walk that resulted in heartbreak and misunderstanding, fate brings them back together. Now working together, their polite professionalism conceals an unmistakable chemistry that threatens to revive old sentiments and create something neither of them anticipated. This beautiful story, with supporting families and a sweet happily-ever-after, is the ideal combination of love, fun, and warmth. The chemistry between the leads is evident, making their journey to the altar enjoyable to watch. The text is lush, dramatic, and unabashedly emotional - extravagant at times, ...

 THE RIVER KNOWS HER NAME: A novel of sisters, secrets & mysteries by Dr GEETHA KARIAPPA "The River Knows Her Name" is a delicate yet powerful book about grief, memory, sisterhood, and healing. At its core, this tale is about love and grief; it is about sisters who are connected not only by blood but also by secrets that run underneath their lives like an invisible stream. It begins with a devastating heartbreak: Revati, a bright sister, was killed and found dead on their family's Coorg estate. Swati, her sister, is upset and left with a lot of unanswered questions. It follows Swati, a woman shattered by her sister Revati’s death, who seeks healing in a monastery far from home — and there encounters Jayanti, a monk whose calm presence stirs memories she cannot explain.  Their journeys, through grief, guilt, forgiveness, and transcendence, reflect my own fascination with how pain can become a teacher and how the search for peace often begins in the depths of suffering....

 Unconventional: Love and Distraught in the time of Corona by Kalam Babu Unconventional is a collection of raw stories that make you feel the pain of a person through varied angles. The stories give a glimpse of real life from an eye of the victim and get more struck due to covid when he/she is locked with the same person who is hated from the core of his/her heart. There are 16 stories that make you dive into the lives of different person who make you feel their pain especially in the covid period. Their dilemna faces the reality where it is hard for them to either live or leave the person. Among these stories I liked "Scarlet"; "Ash of the Snow"; "Alive" and "Dhaman". In the story Scarlet, the author paints the hard faced time of a wife. She is getting dream of scarlet as she is just a piece of flesh for his husband. Her relation with her husband is depicted that make you absorb the scars of a woman who is nagged day and night without pause. Ye...

 सीमा प्रहरी - कर्त्तव्य, साहस व समर्पण की अमर गाथाएं "सीमा प्रहरी" BSF जवानों के रोमांचक पलों का एक कलेक्शन है, जिन्हें वीरता पुरस्कार मिले हैं। यह आपको इन जवानों की ज़िंदगी के सफ़र से थोड़े समय के लिए गुज़ारता है, लेकिन इसका असर लंबे समय तक रहता है। BSF के हर जवान की कहानी आपको अपने फैसलों पर सोचने पर मजबूर करती है और कैसे ये फैसले दूसरों की ज़िंदगी में फर्क ला सकते हैं। मैं इन जवानों की प्रेरणादायक और अनुशासित ज़िंदगी से बहुत प्रभावित हुआ, जिन्हें अपने परिवारों के साथ समय बिताने का मुश्किल से ही समय मिलता है, फिर भी वे मुस्कुराते हुए देश की सेवा करते रहते हैं। मैं BSF के उप महानिरीक्षक नरेंद्र नाथ धर दुबे की यात्रा से प्रेरित हुआ, जिन्हें कीर्ति चक्र से सम्मानित किया गया था। उन्होंने खुशी-खुशी 8 गोलियां खाईं, लेकिन गाजी बाबा के साथ मुठभेड़ में हार नहीं मानी। ये गोलियों के निशान आज भी उनके शरीर पर हैं, जो उन्हें देश के लिए उनके प्यार और बलिदान की याद दिलाते हैं। वह याद दिलाते हैं और इस बात पर ज़ोर देते हैं कि युवा पीढ़ी को इस वर्चुअल ज़िंदगी से बाहर निकलना चाहिए और अपने देश...

 The Turning by Shannaaya Chopra Kiara Sharma, a young student living with her widower father and a bunch of crazy friends, is happy and carefree until she turns eighteen. Just like Cinderella, at the stroke of midnight, and when a full moon rises, her life takes a 360-degree turn. Cinderella’s life changes for the better, whereas Kiara’s life takes a turn for the worse. To her dismay, she turns into a dangerous werewolf. The icy hands of fate take her to the land of werewolves – Ordenia, a secluded forest. There, she meets fellow werewolves and acquaints herself with the ways of the werewolves. Immediately after she settles down there, their community is attacked by enemies. A surprise encounter with the head of the werewolves leaves her stupefied with shock and pain. She sets out on a quest for an elixir that could save her friends. As she navigates a treacherous landscape filled with both allies and foes, she discovers that the journey for the Elixir is as much about self-discov...

Impossible Makes Possible by Yashodhara P Learning about personality traits is tough but not impossible. I wonder how the upbringing of a child can mould his choices and friends. It resonated more when I stumbled upon a new book by one of my favourite authors, who writes to impart deep messages of life in her short and vivid stories. " Impossible Makes Possible” is a crime story where six friends visited Zion National Park for trekking and hiking. All of them were the students of Phoenix University. One of the friends, Christopher is found dead in the serene waters where he went with his friends for trekking. No one could figure out the reason for his sudden demise or murder. As the investigation proceeds, the friends are cross-questioned, and the planning is figured out. I was intrigued to know how he was separated from his loved ones and why. The way the childhood memories are pondered one by one and the real reason comes upfront shocked me.  The story is related to peer relatio...

Become The Boss Of You: A No Bullshite Guide by Ishall Dogood Become the Boss of You bridges the gap between cumbersome works on self-help and the practical use of our natural human abilities. This is a guide for using your mental tools and actions practically.  It can guide anyone and everyone. It is organized to be functional, easy to understand, and implement. Most will find the book practical. You will also find it inspiring, rewarding, and fun. This book is a set of tools that can help you achieve results and help you cope. As you master these tools, you become a more skilled craftsperson, capable of tackling complex projects and achieving self-control. The book provides hacks for navigating from complexity to simplicity. We, the humans are complex creatures, and guiding ourselves can be tricky. Yet, everyone can apply these principles. All that is needed is the willingness to do the work and use these tools to become the craftsperson [A1]of life. Secondly, it doesn't sugarcoa...

 12 Years: My Messed-up Love Story by Chetan Bhagat I am a firm follower of Chetan Bhagat as I started my reading journey through his books. Today when I get to know that he is launching his new book. I was unstoppable and I picked up my copy at the earliest.  In 12 Years: My Messed-up Love Story, a thirty-three-year-old divorced stand-up comedian and a twenty-one-year-old rising star in private equity have a relationship that society would quickly discount. This story's main source of tension and heartbeat is the twelve-year age difference. The narrative poses a central query that permeates all love tales: how can one determine whether someone is "the one," particularly when all the signs point to the contrary? Through Saket Khurana and Payal Jain, two people who shouldn't work on paper but develop unmistakable chemistry in real life, Bhagat addresses this common conundrum. Saket and Payal's romance grows organically as they talk on window ledges, have midnight ...

 The SIS Story: How an accidental entrepreneur from Bihar created a global services conglomerate by Prince Mathews Thomas The book does more than just revisit India's corporate history; it also places SIS in the backdrop of tremendous changes in India's socioeconomic landscape, from the days of the so-called Licence Raj to economic liberalisation and the marketplace today. The founding of SIS by a reporter who earned barely Rs 250 per month gave it a fresh perspective that anybody who wishes to change the society can do it easily. It's incredible to watch how a little company idea based on compassion and social responsibility has grown into a global giant with hundreds of thousands of people and operations on every continent. Ravindra Kishore Sinha formed SIS Group Enterprises Ltd, which stands for Security and Intelligence Services Ltd, in 1974. It started as a social project to enable former army jawans and officers to find work as security personnel. Over time, Ravindra ...

 Stitching Stardom by Madhav Agasti "Stitching Stardom" is a gripping autobiography. It provides a unique, behind-the-scenes glimpse into Bollywood and Indian politics via the prism of fashion. This book focuses more on resilience and what it takes to continue pursuing your passion in the face of adversity. Unlike other traditional autobiographies, it helps to know more about the reasons for the chosen job. The film business anecdotes are particularly fascinating, and the knowledge that Agasti was responsible for classic looks like Mr India's Mogambo adds an exciting element to the reading experience. His work with political personalities like Balasaheb Thackeray is equally fascinating. The book also describes the craft, the long hours, the ingenuity, and the strain of getting the smallest details correct that millions of eyes will see on screen. These chapters provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at how identity and power can be conveyed through apparel. The book mast...

 The First Wave: Life of a Covid Warrior by Prashant Nayak Dr. Prashant Nayak's remarkable book "The First Wave: Life Of A Covid Warrior" is a heartbreaking and very personal biography that takes an unvarnished look at the life of a frontline healthcare worker during the traumatic first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The book is a detailed account of the author's hospital's evolution into a fully operational COVID institution, reflecting the hardships and unique perspectives of healthcare personnel. Dr. Nayak's coping strategies, like as rediscovering his love of writing and singing during lockdown, bring a human element to the plot. The narrative dives into the pandemic's broader social impact, tackling problems such as the misery of migrant workers, political blame games, and prejudice against healthcare staff. These insights help to provide a thorough grasp of the many difficulties that confront us in these unique times. His writing, in part...

 True Spirit by Pratima Jaidev The book TRUE SPIRIT tells the real-life tales of women who have persevered, overcome adversity, and possessed faith. Their approach to life has been enlightening, inspirational, and had a profound effect on me. There are twenty-one real-life stories that are heartfelt and sensitive. These accounts of twenty-one women employed in a variety of fields, including media, education, IT, and more, transported me to various stages of their development. In order to overcome all obstacles, discover their life's purpose, and realise their aspirations, they have gradually transformed their lives with grace and grit. The stories span across different cultures and circumstances, but they share a common thread: the recognition that grace and peace isn’t the absence of struggle, but it is the way we choose to move through that matters the most. And grit isn’t about never failing or falling down, but it’s about having a ‘never give up attitude’, the will to rise up ...

 The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath by  Amish Tripathi The book really shines in its portrayal of retribution, showing how the Chola Tigers systematically destroy the forces of devastation out of grief and rage. Amish skilfully depicts a multifaceted mission of vengeance that goes beyond simple military triumph to include honour restoration and the symbolic reaffirmation of a civilization's might. The book opens with one of the worst moments in Indian history—the brutal devastation of the Somnath temple by Mahmud of Ghazni. Even if many are killed and the Shiva Linga is broken, a pledge is made in the middle of the devastation. a promise of retribution. A Dharma vow. From the Chola capital of Gangaikonda Cholapuram to the snow-covered summits of the Hindu Kush, Amish weaves a daring revenge story that combines historical vision and emotional intensity. The premise is compelling: five people, driven by grief and spiritual obligation, set out to retrieve what was lost: not o...

 Wai Bangkok: Stories of Culture, Faces and Self-Discovery by Bhuban Patra "Wai Bangkok " is a collection of short stories for a person who gets transformed personality-wise after facing so many challenges from a change in place. Written in simple English, it enhances the flow of readers in reading these thought-provoking and impactful stories. It is a collection of 7 stories that explore the hidden corners of the city where expatriates, locals and wanderers intersect. I was overwhelmed with the narrative and how the author explored varied places. The best part was the prose: 🔥 "What we seek is not an end, But a beginning, rising quietly, Like a song in the heart of silence. The struggles we bear are seeds, And today, they break into blossoms of resolve." I was intrigued by the story from his onset in Bangkok, where he gets a place where the author tried pad Thai, a tangy and fiery Som Tam and much more. His indulgence in the workplace and exploration of the city m...