A(NU) Thought

Book: The Woman Who Saw the Future Author: Amit Sharma Publication: Readomania Have you ever abused your key capabilities or manipulated people by misusing it? Can you own the consequences it would have resulted into? This was the first thought that crossed my mind after I finished the reading it…and it stayed for some time. Such is the impact of ‘The Woman Who Saw The Future’ (TWWSTF) authored by Amit Sharma. I guess that’s the thing about good (fiction) stories, it get you back to real life but not empty handed. You return with a thought in head that inspires you to be good, do good.

Book: Tree Bears Witness Author: Sharath Komarraju Publication: Westland Books Wise is the one who doesn’t get influenced by anything…even by the truth Tree Bears Witness (TBW), the name says it all. This Birbal mystery by Sharath Komarraju is an engaging suspense book. The building of the plot in interesting it keeps; as a reader you are compelled to get your grey cells to work. Usually while reading a suspense book, we tend to get involved, we tend to get into this invisible race, to solve the mystery before we reach the conclusion. When you are unable to do that, accurately, you know that you have invested your time in a good book. The surprise element!!

Book: Waterboarding Author:  Bragadeesh Prasanna Publisher: Self Published Waterboarding takes you to the life of the main character, Ved, who loses a part of his memory in a bike accident. Life isn't the same anymore for Ved, as he slowly discovers what his past looked like and how he ended up in this state. Bits and pieces of information come to him through his friends and family, however it still remains a distant puzzle that cannot be solved.  If he endured physical pain to the fullest, he also has to face distant reality about loving a woman who is no longer with him and another woman who wants to be with him. Maya is from her past whom he is curious about and don't remember much about the relationship they had. Sara is the only bridge between him and his past, but memory-loss can be a manipulative tool to play with emotions and instill new memories that are unreal in order to achieve something. In this case, Ved's togetherness and love.  ...

Book: The Goat Thief Author: Perumal Murugan Translated by: N Kalyan Raman Publication: Juggernaut Ordinary moments make life extra-ordinary Yes, life is all about the small moments, when felt intensely forms a memorable part of lives. This is the thought that reverberates in all of the short stories. I am glad that I got this opportunity read works of the celebrated Tamil author Perumal Murugan, thanks to N Kalyan Raman’s translation. The Goat Thief is a collection of 10 simple stories that irradiates the rustic charm.

Book: Second Chance   Author: Dr. Sandeep Jatwa Publication: Educreation So, what would you do if you got a ‘second chance?’ We all have committed at least one such mistake in life that makes us wish for a second chance, a second chance to perhaps relive that moment, a second chance to perhaps revisit that event and a second chance to rectify that mistake. The blurb is pretty self-explanatory and it is like, you get what you see, no less, no more. The concept is not something new or unexplored, but for a debut author Dr. Sandeep Jatwa has neatly carved out the story around the theme.

Book: 8 Hours Author: Upendra Namburi Publication: Westland Books Trust, as they say, is an expensive souvenir, you shouldn’t give it to everyone... Going by the title ‘8 Hours’, and the blurb, one would think the book is a fast-paced thriller, well, I wouldn’t call it so. The story progresses at a relatively normal pace, educating the readers on the detailed background of the event and briefing on the past of the characters, well that’s much required, isn’t it? The most prominent character in this book is an inevitable device – mobile phone. Yess! The author Upendra Namburi would have mentioned about 80,000 calls in the 8 hours (not literally, com ’on, I did try counting it, but lost the track :P)

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.