A(NU) Thought

Book: Fragments - A Collection of Short Stories Author: Janaki Nagaraj Publication: Self Published Life is made up of big and small moments, rather memories that stay with us for a very long time. A collection of short stories is more or less similar to that. Different memories, different thoughts all woven in a string, together. Fragments is the debut book of the author Janaki Nagaraj, it is a collection of 13 short stories that covers different aspects of life. The first story ‘The Ritual’ – a murder mystery is indeed a psychotic thriller. It has unexpected twists and is the best among the lot. The next story ‘The Homecoming’ is about a father - son relationship, it is soft-hearted story. It could have been more elaborate on the state of mind of the father, who is a soldier back from war field.

Book: Hell! No Saints in Paradise Author:  A.K. Asif Publication: HarperCollins It is often the thought of acquiring the knowledge of the unknown that gets us curious and motivates us to do things, we never thought we were capable of. Something beyond our reach and power, acts as an influencing factor for achieving the unexpected and the impossible. This thought is what sets the plot of the book – ‘Hell! No Saints in Paradise’. This is a well- researched book by the author A. K. Asif and dives deep into the religious teachings of Islam; he has carved out a blueprint of what the country would be in the hands of the extremist sometime in the year 2050.

Image Credit Book: Unlawful Justice Author: Vish Dhamija Publication: HarperCollins India This is the first book that I have read of Vish Dhamija. After reading this book, I am now tempted to go back and read all his earlier books. Vish has beautifully described the plot and moves from one scenario to another with fluid grace. His language is simple, yet it carries the weight of the story, the emotion and tension between the characters with ease. He doesn't attempt to overdo things, be it explaining the characters, or a particular scene and keeps the suspense well-hidden within the story. The book has the potential to become a Bollywood potboiler. As you read the book, the pre-murder, murder scenarios and the court-room saga becomes a visual scene inside your head and you do not want to put the book down. Not even for a moment.