Literary Thoughts of a Dragon Fly

Thoughts on Nadia Akbar’s debut novel- Goodbye Freddie Mercury “ Goodbye everybody I've got to go Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth Mama, ooo” – Freddie Mercury The psychedelic cover will attract you first, then the title, then Lahore & then the story of many lives intertwined in the book. The book stays with you after a long time it gets over & you think about the characters, thinking about their lives, about Lahore or perhaps how as an Indian reader one finds so many similarities in Lahore and its inhabitants. In bringing Lahore, its language and the people alive , Nadia Akbar does a commendable job in her debut Novel – Good bye Freddie Mercury. The book is like a heady cocktail mix which you want to sip it slowly & soak in all the flavors of life, love, friendships, family & of course music. The story is moved forward with the alternating voices of Nida & Bugsy. Nida has just started her college in Lahore &

Thoughts & Review on “Love Curry” by Pankaj Dubey Imagine a   flavor full curry of characters. The spices are perfectly blended and they complement each other. Each are incomplete without the other. That is what “Love Curry” by Pankaj Dubey is all about. Three roommates, from three neighboring sub continents& just like their neighboring countries relationships with each other, Rishi Mathur from India, Shehzad from Bangladesh & Ali from Pakistan have with each other. They quarrel, they bicker, fight world wars over cricket matches & food and yet they remain best of friends at heart and lookout   for each other. The three roommates apart from sharing the flat in London & also share a turbulent, troubled past each different from one another. They have all come to London to escape the past and form their lives again. Rishi, wants to be a nondescript & a sustaining employee anywhere, where he is in the background & he can survive the ti

Thoughts & Review on Story wallah by Neelesh Misra’s Mandali छोटी सी कहानी से, बारिशों की पानी से सारी वादी भर गयी न जाने क्यों, दिल भर गया न जाने क्यों आँख भर गयी This beautiful song written by Gulzaar saab captures the perfect essence of a story & monsoon. Stories, lyrics, novels are the only everlasting magic for us. Neelesh Misra’s Mandali spins that magic yarn for us and shares us with heart-warming, earthy stories, to make this very moody monsoon a bit tolerable for us. I heard first about Neelesh Misra on Twitter reading his lyrics/poems in Hindi on Twitter ages ago. Now when, I got this opportunity to read his book- Neelesh Misra Mandali’s Storywallah, I took up the opportunity to read it.  There is something about short stories, they engulf you in their world for a short time & yet stay with you with forever. Neelesh Misra’s Mandali’s –“Storywallah” is the collective efforts from different authors who have written 20 stories. Each story

Thoughts & Review on Eleventh Hour by S.Hussain Zaidi "Terrorism is a psychological warfare. Terrorists try to manipulate us and change our behavior by creating fear, uncertainty, and division in society." - Patrick Kennedy Recently suspended SP Vikrant Singh, earned his suspension while hitting a Pakistan High Commissioner at a diplomatic meet, the reason being injustice & irresponsibility of the neighboring country’s stand on 26/11 attacks. SP Vikrant Singh was the master mind behind the arrest of the five terrorists from IS who were involved in 26/11 Mumbai Attack.   The five dangerous terrorists escape from Bhopal jail and SP Vikrant is brought on the case as a consultant by his mentor Shahwaz Ali Mirza and together they start tailing the five terrorists across the states. During the same time, a cruise liner on Indian Waters is hijacked by Somalian Pirates. And here is where the real story develops & Connects. The twists and turns, the he

Thoughts & Review on Shyam -An Illustrated Retelling of the Bhagvata by Devdutta Pattanaik How will you define Shyam ? Is he your friend, lover, husband, well wisher, inspiration behind countless songs/dances, stories, the epitome of bhakti devotion, or a great warrior or perhaps he is  the most famous historical/ mythological figure of our times. What is Shyam to us ? Perhaps that is a personal question for all of us and most of all it is a question of faith. Shyam by Devdutt Pattanaik an illustrated retelling is the story of Shyam from his magical birth to his end. Devdutt Pattanaik explores the  myth, historical facts & concept of Shyam as explored in other religions too. The book begins on how Krishna looked & exploring various ways of Krishna being worshiped differently through all ages, countries, religions. The story begins when Vyasa retells the story of Shyam to his reluctant baby Shuka. "It is the story of God on earth, of the journey of the infini

Thoughts & Review on - Job be Damned by Rishi Piparaiya  Picture this real life incident:- Me- who struggles all day long, actually works, prepares report, consumption analysis, deals with other departments, slogs till 5 pm Conclusion- who gets the promotion/increment- Not me Another colleague- Who is on the phone all day long, pantry is his unofficial cabin, books tickets for senior colleagues and boss-etc, takes half day leave & goes home. Conclusion: - who gets the promotion/increment- Him If you are like me, stuck somewhere on corporate ladder and racing to heaven or hell, then this book is for you. When I was offered the book “Job be Damned” by Rishi Piparaiya   for review, I had that illusion, that the book was going to pull me out of monotonous life of a desk job and make me an outside of the box, the innovative, fire cracker of an employee. What I didn’t realize, that I was in for a ride, a corporate roller coaster, laughter guaranteed. Rish

Thoughts & Review on- The Shrine of Death by Divya Kumar Summers are made for reading. Especially Mysteries & Thrillers. In a hot, sultry afternoon when I am dozing at work, the only things which keeps my brain cells alive is the tick tock of the clock to strike 5 & the anticipation of reading the thriller on the way to home. So when I got the opportunity to read The shrine of death by Divya Kumar, I knew I had to read it. It had all the perfect ingredients to make a perfect potpourri of a gripping thriller. Interesting Characters, catchy dialogues, urban legend of finding the stolen treasures &an unique story plot.  Prabha Sinha, an IT professional based in Chennai has recently quit her job in order to do something worthwhile with her life. Weighing between the heavy memories of her bohemian family & applying simultaneously for a new job, she receives a call from her long-lost friend Sneha Pillai. Sneha Seems to be in distress, but due to poor connection, th

The Puffin Book of Folktales in collaboration with Penguin & UNESCO  Its almost an end of the day, but just not an ordinary day. Its World Book Day & for all the book lovers out there in the vast world, this day is just an excuse to read more and purchase just that one book (I promise its the last book)  So when today morning, i received mail from @vivekisms (From Flipkart)  About a book of folktales, I knew i had to read this book & Write about it.  No matter how old or how young we are, our quest for reading always begins with folktales. Some are told by our grandparents, a few we read, a few embellished tales we see on television. The quest, thankfully is not quenched and a reader is forever in search of  folk lore.  From time immemorial, books are a gateway to our culture, to a country, our thoughts and beliefs. Folk tales are originated from our lands, they are the very much center of every culture in this world & from each folk tale germinates a seed of

Revisiting The Bell Jar again   It was almost the last leg of summer of 2008. The boredom, restlessness, unemployed status & balmy summer of course had reached pinnacle in my life. Online shopping had just began its baby steps in India and out of few websites back then Flipkart ruled the roost for buying books.  Somewhere, on internet, I had read few snippets of Sylvia plath’s poems, Her writings had intrigued me & it was an interesting fact to know, that she had written only one novel till date “the Bell Jar.” Needless to say, I ordered it from Flipkart. It was my first online purchase & I gingerly held the package when it arrived. Enthusiastically I showed it to my mom , who was busy shooing away the pigeons in the kitchen balcony. After 5 days, I had my exam but I knew this, I had to read this book. After mulling over my sparse savings & not regretting one single bit of first book purchase, I started reading.   As a reader I met Esther Greenwood, a successfu

Thoughts & Review on - A girl like that by Tanaz Bhathena  Confession :-  I was interested in the book when I got a chance to read the blurb, what i didn't realize that it was going to be a trip down memory lane, back to school, back to first heart breaks, love, first kiss & friendships for life. I almost risked today at job for reading this book at my work desk for the whole day, ignoring work, colleagues & passing the day like a zombie. I didn't know i was in for a ride, chanting names of Zarin & Porus. The heaviness tugged at my heart & I was left in tears. Their story began where most stories ended.  Name :- A Girl like that Author :- Tanaz Bhathena Genre :- YA Fiction Publisher :- Penguin Books-Penguin Random House India ISBN :- 9780143443018 No.of Pages :- 378 Book source :- Flipkart Review Programme You can buy the book from :- Flipkart | Amazon | Infibeam | Zarin Wadia story begins even before she is born, she is constantly associated

Thoughts & Review on- Letters to my Ex by Nikita Singh The story starts with Nidhi leaving her fiance Abhay on the day of their engagement. As the author introduces us to Nidhi's world, we are shown a glimpse in Nidhi & Abhay's broken universe. She starts writing these unsent letters to Abhay where she explains the state of her heart, mind on why did she leave him. Its writing therapy, she explains. The story moves forward with letters, chat, coffee meets . Letters are written both by Nidhi & Abhay. Both of them are trying to move on and trying to find alternative soul partners. As a reader, even i could feel the compatilibilty between Nidhi & Abhay. Their high school romance blossoming to years of "togetherness" in college and when they finally face an unresolved issue in their lives is written with a touching flair. As the author, Nikita Singh deftly describes Nidhi's condition, the emotions she is going through, her heart to heart talk

Cover Reveal of Nikita Singh's Letters to My Ex I am not much of a love story person. They are good, when they are stories. But what sometimes becomes special, when you can connect with the same person with the renewed intensity again. "Letters to My Ex" by Nikita Singh is one of those books, turned out to be that book  which instantly connected with me through its blurb and its beautiful cover. I am grateful to the publishers - Harper Collins Publishers India for giving me this opportunity to reveal the cover of this book- Without much further ado, here is the beautiful cover-  This book releases on 14th Feb'18. Mark your calendar dear folks. As per the press release from the publishers - Harper Collins India- With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, it is time for a rekindling of memories and stories – of romance and  heartbreak. To add to the season’s spirit, here is a novel that is not just about idyllic love, but of what comes after, and in be