THE GOOD WIZARD by Prasun Roy

Wizardry and magic is one genre that attracts most of the kids, so there was no doubt that the book reached its target audience faster than other kids' books. The good wizard added to my library due to two reasons, the first one I just gave above and the next reason is the author's previous book. Unfortunately, I missed Prasun's last book "Ringo & the Yogi". 

The plot of our story is situated in the era of the Mughal Empire these the in the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. Two central characters of our story are Badshah Best and Titli. Badshah is our good wizard who was awarded a title equivalent to Master of all wizards by the Emperor. But one notorious person didn't want this. He wanted to take Badshah's position and his secret knowledge. On top of that Badshah was diagnosed with a disease that was affecting his memory. He left his Jannat Mahal in search of a cure. Unknown to all this Titli was waiting for a teacher and a mentor who can make her the best magician in the world. Read the book to know whether this duo could turn the table or not.

Good things about the book

1) Easy and short sentences. Ideal for even age 8-9

2) Each chapter has a supporting artwork to increase a readers interest

3) Good story built up and character description

4) Good climax

Overall an enjoyable read for adults as well who are reading it out to their kid(s).

I will give 4.25 out of 5 to this book.

Book link - Amazon & Goodreads

Bend Your Knees & Do Your Best by Kalyani

I would like to thank Kalyani for providing me the review copy of "Bend Your Knees & Do Your Best" in exchange for an honest review. Before I start let me give the first impression of the book I perceived. The first communication of Kalyaani was kept unread almost for a week, but the self-help-looking name didn't give me enough motivation to check the mail. Later on, I checked the book and found the blurb interesting enough to venture. 

The protagonist of our story is Kalyani (don't worry it is fiction, not memoir). She is working in the IT industry and settled in Bangalore. She has already spent more than a decade in the industry. She has managed to keep away normal expectations away from her, the expectations that usually society has from women generally. She is just happy with her life, food habits, fiction books. But the funniest thing is her best friend and confidant. Hardly we have any imaginary character as a friend, Kalyani doesn't only have an imaginary friend but that friend is a demon from Hindu mythology, Hiranyakaship. 

Things were going great when things started changing. Well, that's when the interest quotient changes in the story. First pressure and firing at the office. Second health issue and the last one her acceptance and mental peace over the situation. Read the book to know more.

The book is a lengthy one. And that required efforts at least for the first 50 pages. Language is easy, and content is age-appropriate. The book has a good amount of humor in both formats direct jokes and satires. As the author is from the IT field, she has nicely connected the pros and cons of the domain and made it lighter in tone keeping a humorous tone.

Overall a nice book. But things that the author could have improved the length of the content, title & cover.

I will give 3.75 out of 5 to this book.

Book link - Amazon and Goodreads

50 Desi Super Drinks by Lovneet Batra

I have started reading and collecting support for books, and to my surprise, most of them are easy to cook compared to most of the recipes. When I saw 50 Desi Super Drinks by Lovneet Batra, I wanted to take the maximum out of it during summers. With 50 damn easy recipes, none of which takes more than 20 minutes to prepare, I loved the book.

Talking about the content, you will find 50 chapters, one chapter per drink. Each chapter starts with the benefits of that drink and ingredient, not just a basic introduction, but the author has emphasized giving an elementwise scientific description (don't worry is not academically detailed). Then comes ingredient requirement and how to make it. As mentioned below most of these drinks can be made by even 14 years old kid. Each recipe covers the exact serving size and ideal serving state. 

Taking about some very basic drinks like coconut water which are readily available, I tried Aam Panna, Jal Jeera (made myself), Sattu, etc. They were delicious, I think I can have a comferting, healthy and delicious summer. 

Full marks to this wonderful book, 5 out of 5.

Book links - Amazon & Goodreads

MATINEE MEN: A Journey through Bollywood by Roshmila Bhattacharya

I selected "MATINEE MEN: A Journey through Bollywood" by Roshmila Bhattacharya, simply based on its cover. In the last 3 years, I have read many books based on Bollywood, these books take me through the journey of Indian celebrities. From the cover, I judged that I would come to know at least 6 different personalities in this book. But the book has more to offer.

Coming to the content, there are 13 great actors discussed in this book. I know each of these actors has painted a bigger canvas to cover them all under 250 pages. But the author has covered a few of their important moments in this book. Each chapter also contains part of the interview that the author has covered for that celebrity. The tone of the interview is smooth and interesting. The language used is simple and easy, written for all age groups. It is a perfect read for movie buffs. 

The chapters I liked the most are

1) Ashok Kumar - Decoding Dadamoni

2) Dev Anand - Evergreen at Eighty

3) Dharmendra - Hero with a Heart

4) Farooque Shaikh - The Extraordinary Actor

5) Irrfan Khan - The Warrior

With the attractive hardcover design, one cannot ignore this book. Giving 4 out of 5 to this interesting book.

Dandkaranya Sangram (Rankshetram #5) by Utkarsh Srivastava

Rankshetram by Utkarsh Shrivastava has covered the longest distance in terms of storyline and characters. I haven't come across any such novel with so many subplots and characters in modern Hindi literature. With its 5 volumes, the series has developed a giant storyline. I think it is an ideal candidate for animation adaption for the younger generation.

Coming to the latest part in the series, that is "Dandkaranya Sangram". Utkarsh has given proper weight to the finale. He has used the stage of the finale to bind all loose ends of the series. As mentioned in the blurb, the war was inevitable, and Durbhiksh decided to support Asura, Danava & Rakshasa. But his good deeds were not washed away completely, merits of his good deeds earned him consideration from mighty Vishwamitra, read the book to know more. 

I have shared already in reviews of the previous 2 parts, how the author and series evolved with each part. The maturity of writing plots, fights, and conversation are visible. The best proofs are conversations of various characters over philosophical and social topics. Weaknesses that I found in numbers initially became rare as the series progressed. 

If you love to read Hindi action series then you should try this one.

Rating for this part 3.75 out of 5

Rating for whole series 3.5 out of 5