Book Review: Wisdom of the White Mountain

Book: Wisdom of the White Mountain

Author: Kandathil Sebastian

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Price: 145 INR

Pages: 183

Genre: Fiction/ Self-discovery

Blurb: Some powerful men-including performers of black magic, underworld gangsters, sleuths, extremist zealots, and sellers of spirituality-chased a powerless, low caste man from a Kerala village through Mumbai, Karachi and Delhi till he finally escaped into the mountain ranges of Himalayas. All of them wanted to capture this man alive and keep him with them! 

However, none of these men could catch and keep this elusive man, as he always found his way to freedom. In the process of working out his escapes this man also unearthed some important mysteries of human life! Why did some powerful men continuously chase a low caste man? How did the man always find his way to freedom? What are the riddles he solved while he was trying to escape from his captors?

 Wisdom of the White Mountain is a suspenseful and adventurous story told in the cultural, spiritual and philosophical context of the South Asia. It is also about Karma, Kama and Jihad! It ultimately unravels greed and selfishness of powerful men who mix religion and politics to manipulate common people for advancing personal interests. 

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: 

There are some books that compel you to go on a journey with the protagonist and experience every victory and defeat of the protagonist deeply. You embark on an adventure with the protagonist and your mind constantly wanders with him even when you are taking breaks during reading the book. One such book is "Wisdom of the White Mountain". When the protagonist finally found freedom, I literally could taste that feeling of liberation.

The story begins with Thomas who is a low caste boy, always abandoned by people in his village and used by the powerful people for their own benefits. Being born to a schizophrenic mother and considered as an illegitimate child, his childhood was full of difficulties and drudgeries. He never received love or respect from anyone and he could realize at every juncture of his life that he was not a free man. He was captivated and enslaved for a lifetime.

His belief intensified when the rich Shivaraman Nair who was his real father tried to use him as an offering for the Tantric Puja. When he managed to escape there with his best friend Balu, he was captivated by a local goon. His journey continued from one bondage to another with several masters trying to use him as per their requirements. Though he was a Christian, he was converted to Muslim and later he was trained to be a mujahidin in Karachi to sacrifice his life in the Republic Day parade in Delhi. Despite plenty of masters trying to use and captivate him, he managed to escape every single time. Despite not being a free man and being totally powerless, a higher Power always guided him.

That Higher Power took him to The Himalayas where he gained the true wisdom of life. He understood the riddles and mysteries of life there. He became a saint and then a Godman when a Swamiji was highly impressed by his profound understanding for life. However, even after becoming a Godman, he found that he was being enslaved again.

The protagonist lived plenty of lives with plenty of names and embarked on countless journeys but he got the real freedom when he dared to walk the journey that he chose, not the journeys that other people chose for him. 

In the words of the protagonist: "To be myself in a world which constantly tried to make me something else is indeed my greatest achievement."

"Wisdom of the White Mountain" is a beautiful journey to freedom, to self-discovery and to hear that inner calling that beckons us constantly. The narration is beautifully embellished with excellent language and smooth flow. The author has done a commendable job in his second book.

Recommended to people who likes to read good literature and who loves books on self-discovery.

You can buy the book here

Book Review: Butterfly Season

Book: Butterfly Season

Author: Natasha Ahmed

Publisher: Indireads

Price: $3.17 (213 INR)

Pages: 169

Genre: Fiction Novella/ Coming-of-age romance

 

Blurb:  On her first holiday in six years, Rumi is expecting to relax and unwind. But when she is set up by her long-time friend, she doesn’t shy away from the possibilities. Ahad, a charming, independent, self-made man, captures her imagination, drawing her away from her disapproving sister, Juveria.

Faced with sizzling chemistry and a meeting of the minds, Ahad and Rumi find themselves deep in a relationship that moves forward with growing intensity. But as her desire for the self-assured Ahad grows, Rumi struggles with a decision that will impact the rest of her life.

Confronted by her scandalized sister, a forbidding uncle and a society that frowns on pre-marital intimacy, Rumi has to decide whether to shed her middle-class sensibilities, turning her back on her family, or return to her secluded existence as an unmarried woman in Pakistan.

We follow Rumi from rainy London to a sweltering Karachi, as she tries to take control of her own destiny.

 

My rating: 4.25/5

My review:

"Butterfly season" is a novella that has surprised me to the core, in a beautiful way. When I started with the book, I expected it to be another romantic tale. However as I started proceeding, I fell in love with the narration style of the author and with the characters of Rumi and Ahad. The title is perfectly chosen for the book and the cover is pretty.

The book deals with two things simultaneously. On one hand, there is the intense love story of Rumi and Ahad. On the other, there is Rumi's journey to self-realization and self-discovery. The story starts on the note where Rumi meets Ahad at a friend's place in London, where she has gone for a vacation. Sparks fly between Rumi and Ahad instantly and they find each other irresistable. As their relationship progresses, Rumi finds herself in a quandary which challenges her long time convictions and throws her in a difficult situation where she can lose her entire family. In the midst of orthodox relatives, overprotective sister and a lover who is somewhat commitment phobic, she finds herself trapped. She languishes between light and darkness for a considerable amount of time untill she decides to walk towards the path of light (read: self-discovery) crushing the darkness.

The chemistry between Rumi and Ahad is scintillating and readers would root for the two of them to come back together. The characters in the book are very believable and each character has a different flavour. The dilemmas and predicaments that the protagonists face are very relatable. Some moments described in the book are so beautiful that you can actually picture those moments. Kudos to the author's narration skills! The instance where Rumi blurts something very hurting to Ahad totally out of confusion and regrets the next second is beautifully described. The Ghazal night at Ahad's friend's place where Ahad takes Rumi and obviously the instance where Rumi sheds all her inhibitions and runs to meet Ahad does not leave your mind after the book ends.

The climax is definitely beautiful. Though it is quite predictable, but the author has managed to make it very interesting. The language used in the book is marvellous, the flow is smooth and it's a treat to read the novella. I literally felt sad when the book ended as I was so engrossed in it.

Recommended to all! It's a superb work by a debut author. The book starts with these soul stirring lines of Jalaluddin Rumi:

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

You can buy the book from here

Book Review: God is a gamer

Book: God is a Gamer

Author: Ravi Subhramanian

Publisher: Penguin Books India
Price: 299
Page: 324

Blurb:  Aditya is an entrepreneur, running his own gaming company. The arrival of a part-time drug dealer and full-time genius named Varun turns Aditya’s struggling company’s fortunes around. However, things are not as they seem. A banker slips from the rooftop of a high-rise building and falls to his death. A finance minister with his heart on his sleeve discovers that he has made some promises which will cost him far too much. An explosion in Washington D.C. leads the FBI to a chase in Mumbai. The investigators begin to plummet down a world where bitcoins are the only meaningful form of currency. Here, everything is governed by the Dark Net, a group of nefarious websites dealing with illegal transactions. In this world, God is a Gamer, martyrs are villains, the hunters become the hunted and the ancient Greeks teach the secrets of assassination. In this new novel, nothing is what it seems.

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: "God is a Gamer" is a crime thriller devised in the global platform. There are plenty of interesting characters in the book starting from investigation agencies of both India and US, political leaders and some banking professionals. 

In the beginning, it was a little boring to read about so many characters who were introduced in a new chapter which spanned over only 3-4 pages. The extra short chapters was quite a turn off for me. I couldn't find myself getting hooked to the book. I couldn't connect with any characters even after finishing the 324 pages book. However as the mystery starts building up, the story starts getting interesting.

There are plenty of twists and turns thrown in teh story at frequent intervals and so you need to be very attentive. But when I couldn't relate to any of the characters, it was slightly tough for me to read the 324 pages book. Another drawback of the book was the climax which was quite cliched. The dots don't connect smoothly and the zigsaw puzzles do not fall rightly in place.

On the positive side, the fresh new concept of bitcoin thriller was the USP of the book. Though we all have heard about the term "Bitcoin", we don't have much knowledge about it. The book definitely sheds light on bitcoins but not too much. It delves on the mystery. The mystery is well crafted making it an interesting read. However so many events happen parallely that it is quite normal for a reader to feel lost if he doesn't pay 100 % attention. Plenty and plenty of dots which gets connected in the end, in an uneven way. The language of the book is easy going and so people can read it at a go.

Overall the book is more of a gaming thriller rather than a bitcoin thriller. The bitcoin thing is mentioned in some parts but the story doesn't revolve totally around bitcoins.It is a good story, the mystery cleverly crafted but not something to be cherished for long.

Despite the murders for virtual money, catchy title and easy language, this book couldn't impress me much. I guess this is not my kind of book. But however people who love to read such type of thrillers would definitely find it interesting.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book Review: Half Girlfriend

Book: Half Girlfriend

Author: Chetan Bhagat

Publisher: Rupa Publication

Price: 176 INR

ISBN: 9788129135728

Blurb: Once upon a time, there was a Bihari boy called Madhav. He fell in love with a rich girl from Delhi called Riya. Madhav didnt speak English well. Riya did. Madhav wanted a relationship. Riya didn't. Riya just wanted friendship. Madhav didn't. Riya suggested a compromise. She agreed to be his half-girlfriend.

From the author of the blockbuster novels Five Point Someone, One Night at the Call Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States and Revolution 2020 comes a simple and beautiful love story that will touch your heart and inspire you to chase your dreams.

My Rating: 2.75/5

My Review:

After you finish reading Half Girlfriend, you will feel that this book is written to be made into a movie. It is like a prepared script which is just on the waiting list to be made into a commercial Bollywood flick.

The book is divided into 3 acts: Delhi, Bihar and New York. In each of these three places, the lead protagonists, Madhav and Riya  meets, separates and meets again. The story begins with Madhav, a guy hailing from a rural place in Bihar who gets admitted to the high-class and posh St Stephen's College through the sports quota. He is a state level basketball player and apart from that, has no brownie points to earn from the ultra cool people of St-Stephens. He can barely speak English but finds himself falling head over heels for a girl called Riya Somani who also plays basketball at Stephens. 

As expected from the blurb, Madhav falls in love with Riya but Riya doesn't want anything more than friendship. On Madhav's push, she agrees to be his half girlfriend: someone who is more than a friend, can spend lots of time together and have affectionate hugs.A chain of incidents takes place from then, separating their roads and merging their paths and separating the half lovers again. 

The Act 3 of the book was totally predictable and dragged beyond limits. You can easily skip the pages in between and read the last few pages to match your prediction. The Act 1 was quite interesting and romantic. The scenes of Madhav and Riya had some immaculate charm. The Act 2 had some twists and turns but seemed quite unreasonable at places. 

It is a book that you can forget an hour after reading it. There is no freshness in the plot apart from the concept of half girlfriend. You can skip plenty of pages in between and yet catch up with the plot as it is so simple. And after finishing the book, you will surely be wondering which Bollywood actor and actress would be roped to play Madhav and Riya.

A one time quick read. Recommended for people who like light hearted fiction. If you are a literary geek, then give it a miss. You can check out Bhagat's other books in the meanwhile as I felt, all his other books are better than this one. 

You can purchase the book from here

 

Book review : Adultery

Book: Adultery

Author: Paulo Coelho

Publisher: Random House

Price: 299 INR

ISBN: 9788184006094

Blurb:  Linda is in her thirties and is facing a crisis mentally and emotionally. She begins to question the void that was growing in her, the mundane, predictable days of her life. Although her life seemed perfect in everybody’s eyes – a contented marriage, adorable children and a successful career - she feels a keen sense of emptiness and displeasure. But it all drastically changes when she meets a prosperous politician who happens to be her high-school boyfriend from years ago. As Linda revives the passion that was absent in her life, she would have to make a life-altering choice.

My rating: 4/5

My review:  

Being a huge fan of Paulo Coelho, I always expect a lot from his books and I am thankfully never disappointed. However while reading this book, I felt that it is not a book for all. Only those people who are able to introspect while reading, who understand the profound meaning in books and people who are patient should try this book. 

The story starts with the lady, Linda who is strangely unhappy with her more than perfect life. She feels she is slipping gradually into the abyss of depression for no specific reason.  Her husband loves her and she also loves her husband. They have two children and Linda has a lucrative job of a journalist in a leading tabloid of Geneva. Yet she feels her life is dull and captivated in the shackles of monotony. 

In the course of her job, she goes to interview a politician who happens to be her high school boyfriend. When the politician tells her how unhappy he is in his married life, Linda feels that she can see her reflection in him. They indulge in adultery.

However the book is not only about adultery. It is about how fickle a human mind can be. It explains beautifully how an angel and a monster both dwells in a human mind. It is upto you whether the angel/demon will dominate the other. 

A person has to get lost totally in order to discover oneself. The book narrates the tale of Linda's self-discovery after running through pebbles and inferno, commiting deeds she could never imagine in her nightmare.

The narration is wonderful. Readers can feel that they can hear the protagonist talking infront of them. The last few pages of the book is sure to enlighten the readers. The place where Linda goes for paragliding enchants me completely as she feels her soul getting enlightened. The readers may also feel totally lost, just like the protagonist while leafing through the pages of the book. That is perhaps a flaw of the book and so I said that only people who are patient enough should read the book.

It will compel you to introspect and some words of the book wil surely stay with you after you have completed it. . This is actually a book of self-discovery. I really liked it,

You can get the book  here

Book Review: Private India

Book: Private India

Authors: Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson

Price: 350 INR

ISBN: 978-0099586395

Blurb: In Mumbai seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled in a chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the corpses.

For Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, the Mumbai branch of the world’s finest investigation agency, it's a race against time to stop the killer striking again.

In a city of over thirteen million, he has his work cut out at the best of times but this case has him battling Mumbai's biggest ganglord and a godman who isn't all he seems.

And then he discovers there may be an even greater danger facing Private India. Hidden in the shadows is someone who could destroy the whole organization along with thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens.

My rating: 4.5/5

My review:

When two great mystery writers collaborate for writing a book, you can be sure that this book will be no ordinary experience. Private India is one such book that you can pick up without having an ounce of doubt.

The attractive cover of the book along with the intriguing blurb tantalizes readers to dive into the book. And as you dive in the book, the very first chapter captivates you.

The story begins with the murder of a doctor, Kanya Jaiyen in Marine Bay Plaza Hotel. The Hotel asks Private India, the biggest investigative agency to solve the case. The team of Private India constitutes of Santosh Wagh: head of Private India, Nisha Gandhe: an attractive investigator, Mubeen: the medical examiner and Hari: the technology geek. ACP Rupesh Desai assists Private India in this case.

Soon, one by one murders of women keeps happening in Mumbai and the object common to their murder is a yellow garrote with which the victims are strangulated to death. The corpses are left with uncanny and dissimilar objects like lotus, rosary, half one rupee coin, doll etc. The objects perplex Santosh Wagh to extremity until he starts connecting the dots and then tries to reach closer to the killer.

The way Private India solves the case is amazingly witty and interesting. Especially the juncture where Santosh Wagh connects the dots (read: uncanny objects) is brilliant. It will surely give the readers an adrenaline rush. Similarly, the way Private India finally traces the killer is amazing. No one can guess who the killer is until they reach towards the end of the book. Readers will suspect many people in between reading the book. The book is marvelously scripted in this regard.

There are some chapters where we find the killer’s soliloquy. Those chapters will give the readers some extra thrill.

The main characters of the book are finely etched. Santosh’s character is sketched with the perfect hues. We see him as a painfully intelligent investigator who has a tormenting past that haunts him every now and then. Santosh Wagh’s intelligence will surely blow the minds of readers. Nisha’s character of a brave and fearless investigator is sketched well too. Same goes for the characters of Hari, Mubeen, Jack Morgan and Rupesh.

Well, the downside of the book is that in the middle of the book, so many characters are introduced that readers may feel a little lost. But that phase doesn't last long, the book quickly grips and engages again. Apart from this, there are no flaws in the book.

Private India is an unputdownable thriller. The pages of the book turn themselves. Highly recommended!

Just a suggestion to readers: Try to read it at a go. That will help you savor this mystery thriller much more!

You can buy this book from http://www.amazon.in/Private-India-Ashwin-Sanghi/dp/0099586398/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409079162&sr=1-1&keywords=private+india

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book Review: An Audience with Lama

Book : An Audience with Lama

Author: Abhilash

Publisher: Venkatesh Publisher

Price: 100 INR

ISBN: 9789350675

Blurb: In August 2010 the city of Leh was ravaged by a cloud burst. Amidst the destructive facet of mother nature we also witnessed true grit from the survivors. One of the survivors who grappled onto life was Abhilash. He recorded anecdotes and messages of fellow survivors and weaved them into a tantalizing narrative. 

A story that expanses a road trip across the picturesque landscape of Khardung La, laced with mystic spiritualism of Tibet. Aptly titled "AN AUDIENCE WITH LAMA" This piece of biographical fiction coupled with real life events makes a perfect anytime read.

My rating: 3.7/5

My review:  First of all, I must congratulate the author for writing a beautiful book that is a blend of adventure and spirituality. The story begins with ten strangers spending a night on a secluded roof, with apprehension that death may visit them any moment. Leh is galloped by a gigantic flood and destiny brings these ten survivors together. They spend the entire night talking about each other's life, their fears, their flaws and insecurities. When these ten survivors face their demons together, they learn to see their life in a new perspective.

All the characters are different from each other, yet very interesting and relatable. The character that I found the most interesting is the character of Hrijan. The ending is beautiful. Readers will be content when they will finally draw the connection between the prologue and the ending.  The landscapes described in the book will make you fall in love with the places. While leafing through the pages, I literally felt that I have also traveled to Manali, Keylong and Leh with the narrator.

On the downside, some portions of the book were a little dragged. Another drawback that I found in the book is that it becomes difficult to understand who is talking among the ten characters. With proper and frequent change of paragraphs, this problem could have been avoided. 

The author has done a decent job in this book. This book is recommended for people who love spiritual fictions and books on journey of rediscovering oneself.

You can buy the book online at: http://www.amazon.in/An-Audience-With-Lama-Abhilash/dp/9350675609/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407382770&sr=8-1&keywords=an+audience+with+lama