Book Review: Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald

Title: Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure

Author: Sarah Macdonald

Publisher: Bantam Books (Random House)

Pages: 320

Price: Rs 375

Genre: Non Fiction / Travel / Memoir

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

I first read ‘Holy Cow’ in 2006 or 2007. It was interesting to look at Indian diversity and idiosyncrasies through the eyes of an outsider who wanted to make sense of the chaos. I loved it. But in order to appreciate this book, you must have the ability to laugh at India’s eccentricities. It is one of the very few books which I have re-read and enjoyed.

Sarah Macdonald, an Australian journalist, broadcaster and presenter, did not like India on her first visit and never wanted to return. But she returns to India after almost 11 years to be with her boyfriend Jonathan Haley. “Holy Cow” is more of a spiritual journey of the author which takes her through interesting experiences and people.

She writes right at the beginning: “India is Hotel California: you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.”

In her early days, her cynical self only finds the problems: widespread poverty, no respect for time, no sense of space and privacy, people gawking at western women, dirt and filth, the unbearable heat, poor medical standards, etc., etc. But soon she decides to make the best of her stay in India, since Jonathan was away most of the time for long duration owing to wok commitments. Sarah’s experiences were diverse: finding anything but peace in the spiritual ‘market’ of Rishikesh, brushes with death in the forms of earthquake and double-pneumonia, making sense of the Indian marriage scene (its close connection with family and honour), cleansing of mind and finding inner peace through Vipassana, learning about Sikhs and meeting a unique group of white Sikhs, grim realities of a paradise lost in Kashmir, experiencing Jewish rituals, getting blessed by Mata Amritanandamayi, meeting film stars, exploring Christianity at our Lady of Velangiri, to name a few.

There are several such books by western travellers / journalists / explorers but Sarah Macdonald has a distinguished voice. Some may find a few of her observations or comments offensive, but you must remember while reading this book, or any such book, that this is a personal journey of the author. In this particular book, we find Sarah Macdonald transform from an atheist to someone who begins to enjoy the expansive spiritual roads India offers, its many religions. At the end of it, she is humbled by India’s accommodating culture, affectionate people, diversity and experiences. At the end, if you really read it with an open mind, there is not a thing to offend. She sounds a little conceited in the beginning but I think, it is purely to bring out the contrast in her transformation from someone not amused by the situation in India to someone who had begun to enjoy the “organised chaos”. 

Few gems from the book:

About the Hindi she learnt from her teacher who scoffed at the use of street language:

When I thought I was asking a taxi driver to take me somewhere I was really saying, ‘Kind sir, would thou mind perhaps taking me on a journey to this shop and I would be offering you recompense of this many rupees to do so, thank you frightfully humbly.’ And I have been greeting filthy naked street urchins with, ‘Excuse me, o soul one, but I’m dreadfully sorry, I don’t appear to have any change, my most humble of apologies.’

These lines beautifully capture her thoughts on religion:

“I realise I don’t have to be a Christian who follows the church, or a Buddhist nun in robes, or a convert to Judaism or Islam or Sikhism. I can be a believer in something bigger than what I can touch. I can make a leap of faith to a higher power in a way that’s appropriate to my culture but not be imprisoned by it.”

She says about her trip to Pakistan:

“I feel like I’ve travelled between two divorced parents who are trying to outdo each other.”

About war against Afghanistan

This war has shattered my Great Australian Dream – the fantasy that I could be part of the world community with all its benefits but isolated enough to be safe and separate from its violence and brutality.”

And finally, her thoughts on India towards the end:

”India’s organised chaos has exuberance and optimism, a pride and a strong celebration of life. I truly love it. There’s no place like this home.”

It is an interesting book; and people who love to read about India, or Non Fiction in general or travel stories in particular will love it.

Review Book courtesy: MySmartPrice Books - Get the Best Deal on Books!

Image source: MySmartPrice Books

Book Review: Who Do You Think You're Kidding? by Lina Ashar

Title: Who Do You Think You're Kidding?

Author: Lina Ashar

Publisher: Random House India

Pages: 304

Price: Rs 299

Genre: Non Fiction / Parenting

Rating: 10/10

Format: Paperback

‘Who do you think you’re Kidding?’ happened to me at the right time. I am a mother to an 18 month old toddler and almost-obsessed about creating right environment and providing enough opportunities to our son. Learning, education, parenting techniques, discipline, etc., are the buzz words that rule my thoughts and rock my world these days. Every parent would agree that parenting in this day and age is far more challenging than it was for the previous generation.

I am a book person. When I seek knowledge beyond the scope of Google, I pick up a book. I feel there is a dearth of good parenting books in India. There are several books from foreign authors but we need books that address issues and concerns specific to our country.

In ‘Who do you think you’re Kidding?’, the author, Lina Ashar, enunciates several concerns and challenges of new age parenting and offers solutions from her experience as an educationist and a mother. Children today have to deal with excess of everything – exposure to various media, information, competition, consumerism, to name a few. They need support and guidance from their parents to deal with them. And for that, parents themselves need to break out of their traditional approach to parenting and move with the times.

Here are a few takeaways from the book:

• The kids of today are being bombarded with information through TV, Internet, Radio or Outdoor. There is no getting away. With technology influencing every facet of life and education, a child cannot live in a vacuum. It is imperative to teach children to use technology with prudence and responsibility.
• It is important to develop a child’s self-esteem, which in turn depends on the kind of messages they receive from others about themselves, especially parents.
• Intense competition is taking over the joys of childhood. Children should not be made to bear the burden of their parents’ unfulfilled ambitions. They should be allowed to choose their own path with support and encouragement.
• A parent or teacher should incorporate a child’s interest area to make learning interesting and fun.
• Whatever be our parenting styles, we should be aware / conscious about its implications on our child.
• Role of a father or a mother in the life of a son or / and a daughter; and how we as a father or a mother can improve our relationship with our child. The book also cautions about the pitfalls of gender stereotyping.
• Understanding the differences in raising a son vis-à-vis raising a daughter equips you in helping them realise their potential and encouraging them to try different things. It is not the same as gender stereotyping.

Many more such issues as challenges of early years, the beginning of learning, left brain vs. right brain, transition years (tweens and teens), exam anxiety, career choices, etc, etc. have been packed into 300 pages.

This paragraph (quoted from the book) best defines what the author attempts to achieve:

"Increasing levels of competition, reducing paradigms of space and time, evolving sources of information and entertainment, changing moral, social, and religious values is leaving us with an unknown future. The dilemma that every parent and teacher faces today – ‘How do I use the tools I have to prepare children for a future that I don’t know anything about? How do I prepare them to resolve issues that have not yet risen? What is parenting in this age of digital revolution and globalization?' These are the questions I seek to answer in this book."

There are no hi-fi fundas or tangential jargons in this easy-to-read book. Every parent will find resonance of their concerns in this book. The book is peppered with witty yet relevant illustrations to support the points, and very relatable examples.

A few words of wisdom from the author (quoted from the book):

“The advice I give parents is to keep opening windows of opportunities for their children – sport, musical instruments, theatre, dance, everything – and allowing them to decide what they like and want to pursue.”

It is certainly a must-read book for new age parents!

Here’s an interview of the author which will give you more perspective on the book.

Review Book courtesy: Random House India

Image Source: Random House India

Book Review: The Invitation by Anne Cherian

Title: The Invitation

Author: Anne Cherian

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages: 304

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary fiction

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

I am a cover page person. I do judge a book by its cover. Though in this case, I was not drawn by its cover page, rather I picked this book on a whim, without any expectations. And this book sure took me by surprise. This immigrant fiction is about a group of four friends, complete with their imperfections, the hidden truths, their insecurities and everyday real issues about family.

Frances, Jay, Lali and Vikram, all Indian immigrants, meet at UCLA. The author takes time to dwell into the lives, present and past, of each of these characters. I was instantly drawn to their stories.

Frances and Jay (or Jayant Bakshi) are college sweethearts who married right after finishing college. They have three children – Mandy, Lily and Sam. Frances is a real estate agent, while Jay works in the middle management for a computer company. The couple, who considered themselves the best during college, is struggling to provide a decent lifestyle to their family while also trying to understand the dramatic change in their first born, typical of teenage years.

Vikram, the prodigious son of a farmer, starts his own computer company after completing his course at UCLA, and is a successful entrepreneur. Though successful in terms of money, he is battling his own childhood issues, imposing his aspirations on his MIT graduate son Nikhil. He is married to Priya; their marriage arranged by their parents.

Lali married Jonathon, a cardiologist and has a son Aaron. The perfect harmony in Lali’s marriage is troubled by Jonathan’s sudden interest in his religion. She finds herself distanced from her husband due to his new-found passion. As is beautifully put in the narrative “… he had parted the curtains to his own religion, and she found herself offstage.” This growing distance momentarily clouds her judgement and she starts corresponding with an ex from college. She is also peeved about her son’s decision to take a break from his course at Harvard.

The individual stories lead up to the party that Vikram is throwing to celebrate his son Nikhil’s graduation from MIT. All of them are going to meet after 25 years, so they are apprehensive about their relative success or failure in their personal and professional lives while also extremely curious to know about each other.  

For most of the book, I loved the way the author has let the characters unfold for her readers. I found the writing rich and nuanced, while the narrative was engaging.

The ending seemed a bit hurried though. There were quite a few unanswered questions and loose ends.

If you have not read the book, skip this part and explore for yourself because I don’t want to cloud your judgement; but if you have read the book, read on to see if your thoughts echo in mine. A few questions which came to my mind at the end:

Book Sale: Discounts Alert January 2013

This discount offer has been going on for a while now at the Landmark Bookstores. They have a huge collection of books available under "3-for-2", which means that you can buy 3 books by paying for 2 from the books on offer. And this is a really good offer because several popular titles are available on offer.

Besides, Penguin India has been celebrating 25th anniversary. So, I also found 25% off on Penguin Titles at Landmark stores. But this was sometime back so it needs to be validated if the offer is still running.

Books Round-up: 2012 in Books and 2013

Non Fiction

Though I read only 21 books (not counting the various Parenting books which I used as reference since I did not read them start to finish) last year, yet it was a good year. I was focused on reading and reviewing books, as I have eliminated TV from my life completely. Had it not been for reviewing almost every book that I read, I would have actually read many more. Till the time I review the book, I usually do not proceed to the next one. 

Fiction

For 2013, these are the few things which I have decided to do:

• I am targeting 48 books - technically 4 books every month. On the face of it, it looks completely doable.
• I have also decided to do 40 or more book reviews. 
• I would focus on the books which I really want to read, and not pay any heed to other voices
• I would focus on diverse subjects and explore new authors in literary fiction. There are several authors I have never read before - from Naipaul to Rushdie, from Ruskin Bond to Vikram Seth - there are many explored territories.

Book Review: The Shadow Throne by Aroon Raman

Title: The Shadow Throne

Author: Aroon Raman

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Pages: 332

Price: Rs 250

Genre: Fiction/Thriller

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

Of late, Indian writing has come to epitomize a different kind of genre rather than what it used to. I remember I had an ‘Indian writing’ phase in reading. I would read Indian authors because I could connect to their stories better and felt at home. Shashi Deshpande and Jhumpa Lahiri were favorites; they still are! But of late I had stopped enjoying the popular fiction genre in Indian writing. It did not add any value to my reading. But it seems things are changing for better. Interesting books are flowing out of different publishing houses.

Well, to cut the long story short, this book offered an interesting premise, unlike anything we have seen recently in Indian writing. ‘The Shadow Throne’ is a fast-paced thriller built around a very topical issue - nuclear attack and are we ready to deal with it. The language was pretty good yet easy to read. The book is actually of small size and it reminds me of the Pocket Books my Dad used to read (a la Surendra Mohan Pathak).

‘The Shadow Throne’ offers enough teasers to pull you into the story – a mysterious murder at Qutub Minar; a victim straight out of antiquity; the uncertain and murky world of Pakistan’s ISI and India’s RAW; a journalist (Chandrashekhar), an inspector (Hassan) and a history professor (Meenakshi Pirzada) find themselves in a conspiracy of a potential nuclear attack on India; and a race against time to save the nation while not knowing whom to trust in the run.

The book begins on an interesting note where Chandrashekhar is reminiscing about his dead wife Yamini. But in no time we find ourselves entranced in a gripping tale of murder, conspiracy, deceit and questionable loyalties. A body is found at the foot of Qutub Minar. The Inspector-in-charge Syed-Ali-Hassan calls in Chandrashekhar, a journalist with whom Hassan has worked in several cases. Chandrashekhar pulls in Meenakshi Pirzada, a history professor and Chandrashekhar’s deceased wife’s best friend, to help him find out more about the victim. This incident spirals into a conspiracy involving RAW and ISI and stretches beyond Indian borders, to Afghanistan.

On the other hand, there is a small group of aborigines in Afghanistan, assumed to be extinct, who are working towards ascertaining their place in the world, at Bamiyan Valley. OK, I admit getting tiny-winy bored in the details of this part. But, overall, the author has been successful in constructing an interesting plot together and creating an exciting spy-thriller that would keep you guessing till the end. A few things were surreal but could be overlooked in favour of an enjoyable read. It sounded so much like a film that I wouldn't be surprised if it got made into one.

I also got a feeling that this could turn into a series. Towards the end, there is a hint that Chandrasekhar could be called anytime if need be. I would certainly look out for the author’s second book.

Image source: Amazon

Book Review: Drop Dead by Swati Kaushal

Title: Drop Dead

Author: Swati Kaushal

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages: 321

Price: Rs 250

Genre: Fiction / Thriller / Crime

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

‘Drop Dead’ is the third book by the bestselling author Swati Kaushal. But unlike the earlier 2 books, this one is a crime mystery novel. This book is supposed to be the first one in the ‘Niki Marwah Mystery series’.

In this book, the author introduces Niki Marwah, the Shimla Superintendent of Police. Young, attractive, charismatic, tough, sharp and level-headed; she has all the makings of a promising central character. She does not consider living it up with stylish clothes and driving a flamboyant 2X2 SUV frivolous for a cop. Priyanka Chopra in Don is definitely a benchmark because we often find her references. (Niki also reminds me so much of Nancy Drew!).

This book is about only three days during which a dead body is discovered, an enquiry is conducted and the case is solved. Rakesh Mehta (also known as Rak), President and CEO of Indigo Books India Ltd., is putting up at the luxurious Lotus Resort, Sonargam (a fictitious place near Shimla) with his team for a corporate meet. Rak Mehta is ruthless, shrewd and opportunistic. He is flamboyant and quite a ladies’ man. On the verge of making an important announcement, he is found dead at Jharna Point, near the Lotus Resort, apparently due to a fall from the cable car. Niki Marwah takes charge of the investigation with her team, and soon finds out that almost everyone could have a motive to kill Rak.

Since there is an intention of a series, so one would find a few seemingly unnecessary parts and characters. Niki’s friend Kam or Niki’s big Punjabi clan, even a potential romantic angle have not been explored in this book but I am sure they would have relevance in the coming books from the series. Niki’s subordinate Shankar Sahay is a likeable character though his casual banter with Niki sounds more like that of a younger brother rather than a junior who has just started out.    

The title is catchy, and seems ironical when you read the book. The cover page is in line with the author’s previous two books. I found the publishing industry setting pretty interesting. But the book lacks in-depth characterization. Even Niki’s character is not too fleshed out. The book is actually a chick lit married to a thriller; so apart from pursuing the case, Niki also has her moments of meeting single men, dodging the marriage question and fantasizing about shoes and clothes.

The other issue with the book is finishing the story in haste towards the end. From taking every suspect’s statement to nabbing the killer, there should have been a logical connect. However, it certainly is a page-turner which should appeal to anyone who is looking for a fast-read and favors thrillers. Young Adults is another potential audience for this book. We also get a glimpse of the second book in Niki Marwah mystery series towards the end - ‘Sweet Cyanide’.

Image courtesy: Amazon

Book Review: Operation Lipstick by Pia Heikkila

Title: Operation Lipstick

Author: Pia Heikkila

Publisher: Random House India

Pages: 287

Price: Rs 250

Genre: Fiction 

Rating: 6/10

Format: Paperback

I am beginning to conclude that most of the books are good in parts, like this one. There I said it, I liked the book in parts; the second part, that is!

The cover page is tantalizing but it gives the feel of a spy-thriller, which may not be the right words to describe this book. And then the title - ‘Operation Lipstick’- and the by-line ‘mission for Mr Right’ seem more suitable for a chick lit.

In this interview, the author says that ‘she wanted to marry different genres – war writing, chick-lit and adventure’. It may be what some people would like about this book (I gather it has also made to the bestselling titles list for the month) but for me that was the key problem because where the first part was clearly chick-lit, the second part was majorly war journalism.

The protagonist, Anna Sanderson, is a 32 year old war journalist based in Kabul, working for London-based GNN, and in her own words “single and horny beyond belief”. She stays with Tim, her cameraman, who is in his late thirties; and Kim, an Australian print journalist, touching 30. The book begins like a classic chick lit, and for first several pages we follow the protagonist in her never-ending smoke and booze sessions, fantasies or confessions about men she would like to have sex with or have had, and meeting a man of her dreams Mr Delectable, Mark, at unlikeliest of places. Kelly finds out that her boyfriend Rich had been cheating on her, and she decides that this time she would not forgive him, and plans revenge. Anna, Kelly and Tim team up to pursue a big story that involves Rich in arms smuggling. The mission is christened ‘Operation Lipstick’. The mission eventually turns out to be life-threatening for all of them and clearly, much serious than they had imagined.

Anna also explores the barely there possibility of finding true love in war-torn Afghanistan where there are not enough opportunities to meet the right men. But she meets Mark and keeps bumping into him at unexpected places. She finds herself deeply drawn to him and eventually all works out well at the end.

As I mentioned, the first part of the book has a lot on sex which sometimes can make you cringe. Sample these:

“Nothing wrong with a bit of American beefcake after a main course. I was now imagining myself sucking his, what I hoped would be, huge cock.”

“But it seemed clear that I was arousing something else as there was a huge bulge in his jeans.”

But the crown should go to this piece which starts with “I decided to take a walk to think things through”. The next two pages dwell on Anna fantasizing about having sex with two twenty-somethings army men in detail and ends with Anna masturbating.

However, the book has several funny moments too.

“I fiddled with it, and it turned out that the camera was still working. Bloody mobile phones, no good for saving my life, but hey, don’t worry, it can still take scenic pictures en route! The voice recorder was also in good condition – good to record my will, I guess.”

“Stay calm. You have been in worse shit than this. Actually you haven’t. But keep telling yourself that.”

 “He held the rope, while I lowered myself down. The movies never show you how it happens in real life. My getaway wasn't really elegant or Catwoman like. I looked more like a sack of potatoes wobbling on some string.”

There are no detailed characterizations barring Anna’s. We get to know neither Mark nor Kelly or Tim.

Few other things which I would like to highlight:

• The background or the setting was promising and I loved the part that deals in Anna’s experiences as a war-journalist and her adventures. That part was quite a page-turner.
• I thought Operation Lipstick did not have a proper closure at the end. In fact, I thought it was preposterous to embark on such a dangerous mission to teach a cheating boyfriend lesson. 
• The romantic angle between Anna and Mark needed more fleshing out. Mark – her Mr Delectable – kept popping up at every place Anna goes and eventually both proclaim love for each other. Anna, a self-confessed sex-maniac, was in love with this man was hard to digest when all she did was either fantasize about him or his good looks.
• The angle on Tim was unnecessary.
• Anna Sanderson’s adventures as a war journalist have potential of developing into series (except for the overdose of sex). The author can still marry the chick lit and war-reporting genres.

All said and done, I think, the author shines in the part where the story dwells into the challenges of war-journalism, adventure and the situation in Afghanistan. I would have loved the book much better if the book stuck to a charming yet gutsy heroine and her adventure in war-reporting.

Note: There are a lot of typo errors too. When you love a book, you overlook a few mistakes here and there, but when you have mixed feelings, such mistakes just become eyesores. Don’t they?

Image source: Amazon

Book Review: Return To India by Shoba Narayan

Title: Return To India

Author: Shoba Narayan

Publisher: Rain Tree (Rupa Publications)

Pages: 269

Price: Rs 395

Genre: Non Fiction / Memoir

Rating: 9/10

Format: Hardbound

I read Mint Lounge, mostly because I love reading about culture, books, movies, urban life, etc. So I have read and enjoyed Shoba Narayan’s columns. When I first came across this book, I was completely charmed by its cover page. It evokes nostalgia. I noticed the author and the subject of the book, much later. And then, I just had to read it. Thanks to Blogadda, I did not have to wait for too long.

In ‘Return to India’, Shoba Narayan writes about her journey from being a young girl chasing American dream and better opportunities, to a mother caught in an emotional quagmire of how to provide the best of both countries (India and America) to her children. In the author’s words, ‘immigrant dilemma is at the heart of the book’.

The book begins with her pressing desire to escape from India and its many problems, to chase better opportunities in America, to live a better life and to become whatever she chooses to become. She had romantic notions about life and opportunities in America. And the book eventually tells us, they weren’t unfounded. Shoba achieves much more than she ever dreamt of and in fields she would have never explored in India.

However, the book is not so much about whether she gets the kind of opportunities she dreams of, rather it is about finding one’s identity. In that way, it also reminded me about ‘the Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri. When she talks about her younger self, cajoling and convincing her parents and family to let her go abroad, she could be anyone of us. It mirrors the life of so many young people who leave their homes for education and better opportunities, whether for a different city or a different country [as she also mentions in the Prologue]. The angst of a parent is the same. The underlying fear that the child would never return, is the same.

America never fails her, with its wonderful people, myriad of opportunities, and a great lifestyle. For the 15 years of her life in America, first single and later married, she is never bothered by the weighty questions of identity and roots, culture and family. Only when she becomes a mother, she dreams of providing her daughter with the same kind of loving environment, familiar surroundings, loving grandparents, fussing relatives, as she had experienced while growing up. In India, people go out of their way to help relatives and friends even if it meant inconvenience for them. That is how we are raised and that is how we become.

Though she considered herself modern and adventurous, Shoba surprises herself by agreeing for arranged marriage. And later, as a mother, she is always consumed by thoughts of how to keep her children rooted in Indian culture while living in America. Life comes a full circle for her when she feels a similar kind of angst like her mother on the question of whether she would be okay if her daughter chooses to marry an American. She discovers that actually under the surface, she was quite traditional.

I loved the book. The author has a fresh voice, and her writing style is witty, particularly in the first half. She is a natural writer and draws the reader to the story well, never losing his attention. Although I did find the part on her dilemma of returning to India a bit long drawn but may be it actually was. Such decisions are not easy. For quite a long time, she goes back and forth on her decision, even till the last moment. The various conversations are interesting. Towards the first half of the book, she is particularly charming, adventurous and exciting, while toward the ending, perhaps because of the dilemma she was in, there is restlessness.

But all said and done, it is a fabulous book. There is something to which every reader would relate to whether it is the dreamy-eyed young girl or dynamic woman chasing opportunities, young students leaving home for education or those in 20s-and early 30s driven by ambition and passion, angst of a mother or the many challenges of parenthood!

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This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at Image source: Amazon

Book Recommendations: Mini Book Reviews - 1

Here are a few books which I have read at some point of my life – may be a few months back or a few years back. I do not remember the specifics, so I would not be in a position to write full reviews. But these books have stayed in my memory because when I read them, I loved them and I often think about them.

1.

Image Source: flipkart.com

Title: Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars

Publisher: Penguin India
Author: Sonia Faleiro

Genre: Non Fiction / Biography /Anthropology

This ‘narrative non fiction’ is a result of author’s pursuit of life of bar dancers through the years. This book is about Leela, a bar dancer the author meets while researching for her story on dance bars. Read author’s interview here and a review of the book here. What stood out for me is the stark contrast in the world these girls live in from ours, their hopes, their dreams and their usually bleak future! It is a remarkable book and very well written.  


2.
Title: Death in Mumbai
Publisher: Random House India

Image Source: flipkart.com

Author: Meenal Baghel
Genre: Non Fiction / Crime

Who hasn't heard about the Neeraj Grover Murder case that involved a TV producer, an aspiring actress and her fiance, a Naval officer! It was a case straight out of a movie or a potboiler. What sent chills down our spines was the gruesome murder of Neeraj Grover, in what looked like a case that involved passion and envy.
There is a dearth of good literature on crime in India. This book is not a simple retelling of the probable turn of events. Meenal Baghel, through her interactions with friends and families of the three people involved in the case, attempts to dig deeper into their personalities. Along with trying to understand what went inside them, she also explores the outside factors like the changing urban culture, driven by high aspirations of small town youngsters, low tolerance, aggression, etc.
Here's a review of the book.


3.
Title: Second Turn

Image Source: anobii.com

Publisher: Macmillan
Author: M.T.Vasudevan Nair (Translated by P.K. Ravindranath)
Genre: Fiction / Mythology

I am particularly fond of various interpretations of Mahabharata and I have several versions already. It was Yajnaseni that sparked my interest in this ancient epic. Mahabharata is quite addictive. Even if you read different versions of the same story, you never get bored. There is always a revelation!
Bhim's character has not got its dues in any of the popular versions, therefore I was curious to get my hands on this one. 'Second Turn' is Mahabharata retold through Bhim's perspective. Draupadi was married to all the five Pandavas and as per their mutually agreed rule, she would stay as a wife of each brother for one year. Since Bhim was the second brother, therefore the name 'Second Turn'. 
Bhim is generally known for great physical might and his love for food. MT Vasudevan Nair's portrayal of Bhim opens our eyes to a sensitive character who is completely dedicated to his mother, brothers and wife. He never really got his dues.
This book is quite a gem but very difficult to get your hands on. It is 'out-of-stock' at most of the online sites. You will be able to get it only if you are lucky.
Here's a review from the Outlook magazine.

4.

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Title: The Invisibles: A Tale of The Eunuchs of India
Publisher: Random House
Author: Zia Jaffrey
Genre: Non Fiction / Anthropology / Culture / Gender Studies

It is an outstanding work of non fiction that focuses on the class of people, which have been rightly called 'the invisibles'. The eunuchs, the hijras, the cross-dressers, call what-you-may, are found everywhere - in trains, on roads, visiting homes at the birth of babies, during marriages, etc; and yet they are an 'invisible' lot. The society does not talk about them or their plight. It was a revelation to learn about their hierachies, how these people depend on each other (with their families turning back on them), how society perceives them, how they are forced to earn their living by begging, how some of them have been kidnapped and castrated, and many such pieces of information.
Here's a review of the book. I cannot recommend it enough but it is yet another difficult book to get your hands on. It is out-of-stock on most places.


5. 
Title: May You Be The Mother of Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of India

Image Source: amazon.com

Publisher: Penguin India
Author: Elisabeth Bumiller
Genre: Non Fiction / Travel

I read this book really long time back, may be 7 years. But I do remember that this was the first book among many that I read, which showed India from an outsider's perspective, and that is what appeals to me about such books. Many times, several things which happen close to us, start appearing ordinary or mundane, unless an outsider points those out to us. 
Here is a review, and here's another one.

6.

Image Source: flipkart.com

Title: Holy Cow
Publisher: Bantam
Author: Sarah Macdonald
Genre: Non Fiction / Travel

I read this book shortly after 'May you be....' and loved it. In this case also, I don't remember the nitty-gritties. Sarah Macdonald, like several Western tourists before and after her, was enamoured with India, and chronicles her experiences. And like everyone who writes about India, impact of religion on everyday living, widespread poverty and misbehaviour with western women form chunk of her writings. But I loved the book and I would like to read it again now!

I don't have this book because I had taken the book from a library at that time but guess, I will order one for myself. Read a bunch of really good reviews on GoodReads. 

*Update*: I have re-read and reviewed it here.
 
7.

Image source: fantasticfiction.co.uk

Title: Eleven Hours
Publisher: Harper Collins
Author: Paullina Simons
Genre: Fiction / Thriller

I  have read many thrillers but I have not been able to forget the feeling of reading this fast-paced edge-of-the-seat thriller. It was so good. 
Here's a review to add to my case.