Faith and the Beloved by Kochery C. Shibu

Book- Faith and the Beloved

Author- Kochery C. Shibu

Genre- Crime thriller

No. Of pages- 254

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 Tony D'souza have witnessed his family burning alive in front of him in the riots and he couldn't do a thing. Later he is doted upon with a significant role to play in the underworld. Naithy's husband got killed  in a terror attack and she is left with her only child Alice. Tony married Naithy on a purpose. Alice skilfully murders Tony D'souza and got her hands on some important information about the diamonds. She is too smart for her age. She had immense hatred for her stepfather and hence she had to save her mother from him and now she has to save both of them from the dogs of the underworld. 

Arun and Prem- the two brothers shifted to Mumbai grabbing their only chance at survival. Meanwhile Arun gets deviated from his path and later gets killed under some suspicious circumstances. Prem sets out to find the mystery behind his brother's death and decides to avenge his loss. 

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Will Alice be able to save herself and her mother from the underworld? Will Prem be able to get answers about and avenge his brother's death? 

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Verdict- Initially, I found the book to be a bit confusing but later stories intertwined together to highlight the centre plot. I liked how each character had it's share of limelight in the story. Also how the author was successful in merging different stories into one is commendable. But I felt a bit dragged at lot of places and that too is acceptable upto a certain extent. Moreover, the basic and the most significant problem I found with this storyline was it's degrading nature towards female characters. Rape, being such a sensitive issue has been casually termed as 'fantasy sex' which literally infuriated me. To name it as a thriller, it undoubtedly was. But I ain't happy with this kind of portrayal of sensitive issues and the attitude towards women. 

Panoti in Blunderland by Pawan Jangid

 OMG..I don't know from where to start with this book..Okay let me start with quoting the blurb of this book :

"A loser larger than life.

A life full of blunders.

A dream bigger than his aukaat.

A friend faster than excuses.

And an enemy deadlier than death."

To be very honest I bought Panoti in Blunderland with the other stuffs I was ordering online in order to qualify for free delivery plus it was on sale then and also I was fascinated by the quirky name and the blurb of the book.

Paneerchand Okaatmal Tikka- I bet many Indians won't stop drooling over this delicious name. But pardon me for bursting the bubble, it isn't the name of a dish but the name of the protagonist of this book. Yes, you read it right, I repeat, PANEERCHAND OKAATMAL TIKKA a-k-a Pan-O-Ti is the espouser of the story. The storyline isn't new but the way it has been narrated is exceedingly hilarious. From the very first page(even the Preface), the author starts playing with witty sarcastic lines.

This book is a concoction of bundles of emotions. If there's anything in the world of literature to be labelled as antonym of fairy-tale, then this is it. This is the story of struggle, hard work, real friendship, attempt at true love, fall and then rise of the main character Panoti. The book promises to take you to the roller coaster ride accompanied with feelings of sadness, happiness, love and real friendship with laughter as a constant companion.

The author is brilliant at the usage of alliterations, similes and metaphors to speak the story. With the end of this book, you will eventually come to realize author's weird obsession with the letter 'P'. All the 33 chapters of the book is named with a letter 'P', his best friend's name is Parakaram and his 'girl-of-dreams' is also named Pari. (I don't know why it feels as if I have cracked some code, LOL!). I must mention it is the debut novel, and the only novel released till now(since 2016), of the author.

Verdict : The storyline is definitely not a new one but I enjoyed reading it due to author's smart and witty portrayal of the story. In the midway somewhere, the story sort of lagged and I felt dragged but, no big deal, the story catches up the pace later. Overall, it's a light hearted and a hell of an entertaining pick. Certainly a Thumbs Up from my side.

To grab your copy, Click Here.

 

It's All in the Planets by Preeti Shenoy

It's rightly said "Never judge a book by it's cover" and soon you will discover why I'm starting my blog with these lines..

To be honest I was really fascinated by the cover of this book and it's name which lured me into buying this book. If you are a non-believer of destiny, then It's All in the Planets is a book that will make you want to believe in destiny and that nothing happens without a reason. It was my first book of Shenoy and to be honest I didn't like it much. I found it to be extremely and unnecessarily elaborative. The book speaks of four characters-

1) Aniket, a 27 year old techie
2) Trisha(Trish), a supermodel and Aniket's love interest
3) Nidhi, a 34 year old woman who quits her job to pursue her passion in pottery and writing
4) Manoj, Nidhi's fiance` who earns well and is upset about Nidhi quitting her job and following her passion

The two love stories go on simultaneously. The book is written in dual perspective(Nidhi's and Aniket's) and hence initially same situation and dialogues are repeated twice which, I suppose, is redundant. 

Throughout the story Aniket remains awestruck by Trish's beauty and Nidhi seems no longer happy with her then lover and now fiance`. Nidhi and Aniket started off as complete strangers to each other on a train journey and soon become good friends. The audience is left to wonder how one thing led to another and what happened when is all a game of destiny. Darshita Sen is an extremely popular astrologer. Her role play in the story is short yet significant. Subbu, Aniket's best friend, also plays a important part in the story.

The story ubiquitously revolves around the title of the book. Every chapter of the book is a narrative  from Aniket's and Nidhi's view alternatively. And I quite liked it how each chapter started with a horoscope prediction which gave us an idea about what might happen in the chapter. Having heard and read so much about the achievements and acclamations of Shenoy, I really wanted and wished it to be a great read but to my dismay it wasn't. I really wanted to quit reading it midway but I read it until the end just for the sake of completion. Amidst all the boredom aroused by the book, there is an interesting twist in the second half of the book which leads to 'still-a-much-predictable-end'. 

Some points that Shenoy was successful in delivering through this book were :

• It breaks the stereotype of the society- women being younger to men in a relationship.
• A very warm and beautiful relationship is depicted between Nidhi and her step-mother.
• Through Nidhi,s character, Shenoy inspires us to follow our passion and not just simply earn money by draining our energy into something we don't love.
• Also the book makes us recognize the difference between a lover and a soulmate.

To conclude I would say, the book hasn't failed to struck the chords of disappointments in me. But if you are new to reading novels, then you might enjoy it as the language used is extremely beginner friendly.

To grab your copy, Click here.

And then there were None by Agatha Christie

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, aka Agatha Christie is considered to be the Queen of Mysteries in literature for all the obvious reasons.She continues to hold this title even after her death due to her phenomenal work in literature, most of which are categorised under Suspense and Mystery genre. 

And then there were None is one hell of a thriller. The whole book is based upon a nursery rhyme which is a modified version of an American's children counting rhyme. It's disturbingly funny how a plot of a book revolves around a childish rhyme which doesn't seem crazy at first but when you dive further into this mystery, a macabre series of murders is related to it. The rhyme goes like :

"Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one of them and then there were five.
Five little soldier boys going through the door;
One stubbed his toe and then there were four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little soldier boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got all frizzled up and then there was one.
One little soldier boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none."

 The novel carries a story of 10 people, once culprits are now turned victims, who have committed atleast one murder throughout their life, which has gone unnoticed in the eyes of the law. Eight people who are strangers to each other are lured to the soldier island(an island that claims lavishness yet it is very mysterious). Upon arrival, they are greeted by the butler and his wife(the housekeeper). The identity of the host is unknown(and hence his initials U.N Owen, pronunced together sounds like unknown). These ten characters are very distinctive in themselves yet they share the burden of committing a sin of the same category- MURDER and so are binded together by same fate yet in different ways. All the murders in the book are foreshadowed through this poem.

The most charismatic thing about this novel, according to me, is that these characters as well as the readers know very well the ways murders are to happen but nobody could tell who is the murderer until the end. The story is well-spun and gripping. The language of the book is extremely comprehensible and it promises the readers to keep them on their toes without a slightest of disappointment. No doubt this novel stands out to be an all time International Bestseller. This book was written in 1939 and it became so popular that a movie of the same name based on the book got released in 1945. Even after 70 years of the release of the movie, the audience still could not get enough of this story so in 2015, a television serial came out by the same name based upon this book. The show too was an instant hit. This is the kind of book which one shouldn't miss reading. I assure you this book will make you want more of Christie. 

Grab your copy of the book now.Click here.

I too had a love story by Ravinder Singh..

This was my first ever novel and since then I have not been able to imagine my life without novels. Since this was my first experience at novel reading, I am starting my blog with reviewing this beautiful book by Ravinder Singh. I too had a love story is very simple and lucid in language yet it manages to mesmerise your soul. This is the debut book of the author through which he has bared his broken heart to the audience. This is the thing with writing if it's straight from the heart, an instant connection is formed between the readers and the author and this is one such book.

The story revolves around two characters- Ravin and Khushi and how a typical Indian match making through a matrimonial website can turn into a beautiful love story and how everything being perfect, the fate decides otherwise. This book will certainly make you fall in love with Ravin, Khushi and their simple yet phenomenal love story. The book challenges your emotional stiffness on its completion. I dare you not to cry by the end of this book.

If you are into romantic novels then this book is no escape for you. The thing I liked the most about this novel is that it is written in such a sober language that anyone with an average English vocab can read it without having the need to pick a dictionary for searching meanings of the words. In this way the story directly flows into your soul uninterrupted. By the end of the story, the pain is not only restricted to the author but it is translated and transferred to his audience. And managing to build that level of connection with your audience is incredible.

My favourite line from the book:

" Not everyone in this world has the fate to cherish the fullest form of love. Some are born just to experience the abbreviation of it."

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