Grumpy due to Lock down - Cheer up - Read the Laughter Riot called Scoundrels

I have been a regular member of NetGalley till Sept 2018. Later on my visits to their site reduced, I think one of those visits I applied for "Scoundrels 1 & 2". I got the approval for both the volumes. I think I checked the first volume and read a few pages. But somehow I forgot about those two books and found them during COVID Lockdown. I wanted some good books which can lighten the mood and stress level during these trying times. And Scoundrels gave me that peace of mind. I am grateful to NetGalley and authors for providing such a wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. And I would like to apologize for the delaying review. Still, books needed it's pending praise and here I am delivering duty which was due for almost a year and a half.

Before we discuss the plot let me tell you my first impression of the book cover. I was going through NetGalley shelves when two funny covers came into the view. They reminded me of my favorite childhood tv show "Laurel and Hardy". The title was equally funny, "Scoundrels". I knew the books will be a fun riot. I applied to them immediately. I think they were the last books I applied within those 12 months. I am glad I have these books with me to enlighten my mood. As I applied books in combo and got approval for both, I am posting a combined review. 

"Scoundrels" & "Scoundrels: The Hunt for Hansclapp" are the first two volumes of adventurous, fun-filled & thrilled journey of Major Cornwall and Major Trevelyan. The word scoundrels are not specifically for majors but rather a secretive club dedicated to great Britain. But the name does signify their activities which can not be done through political dialog or war. They do the nasty jobs.

The first volume started in recent times where Major Cornwall pushed Major Trevelyn to work on a combined memoir of their adventures. After much cooing and pushing around Major Trevelyan reluctantly accepted Cornwall's request. And thus started a rollercoaster of comedy. The very first incident they mentioned was "Race to Dakor desert". After that followed, their encounter with the Chinese Emperor. After giving a brief of what is to be expected (if you continue reading the book) both major took sequential narration of their memoir. The first part covers both major's school lives, how they entered the Scoundrel club, how they brought a secret weapon from Nazis, survived as prisoners of war in the Japanese army's captivity. The first part ends with Majors making enmity with Gruber Hansclapp.

The second volume starts with Major Cornwall getting poisoned by Hansclapp, and then went to Istanbul to destroy his plans. On their mission to Istanbul, Major Trevelyan met a lovely 8 years old girl named Anais and adopted her. Same way Major Cornwall adopted a gorilla named Titus. In this part, Major Trevelyan got married and got himself stuck knee-deep problems. Check out both the books to know more. I haven't given any spoilers. So don't worry. 

Major Cornwall is shown smarter of the two always get stuck in the problem and later on saved by Major Trevelyan. Both of them, or I would say most of the club members, were shown as super-rich and their lifestyle is shown with comic style. The way Majors use a variety of liquor and specially made tobacco for various situation/place/moods bring a smile to your faces.  

Now coming to characters & storytelling, I must have mentioned fun quotient more than 7-8 times, and you will find multiple styles of comedy. There is a black comedy, blue comedy, situational comedy, physical comedy, character comedy and whatnot. The selection of words is time appropriate. The first volume was around the second world war, and the second volume covers a decade after the second world war. 

Language is not age-appropriate, it is strictly 16+ material. 

My advice is not to read the book in public, you may end up laughing out loud and may embarrass yourself. 

With this, I will complete the review. Talking about ratings

1) Scoundrel - 4.25/5

2) Scoundrels: The Hunt for Hansclapp - 3.75/5

Book Links - 

Amazon - Volume 1 & Volume 2

GoodReads - Volume 1 & Volume 2

Book Review - Venus with a P*nis - A Tale of Love, Sacrifice and Betrayal

I don't need a reason to explain why I selected this book. It's the catchy name and attractive cover page was more than enough to add "Venus with a P*nis - A Tale of Love, Sacrifice and Betrayal" by Almas Hussain in my collection. And I am happy that I selected the book. 

Book Blurb

Meet Rajan, the irresponsible younger son in a family of doctors. He’s reckless. He’s rebellious. And he’s dressing up like a woman these days.

No. He’s not a cross-dresser. Nor is he transgender. He thinks he’s a murderer. It all begins with a mother-to-be dying on the young gynaecologist’s watch. And to atone for her death, he banishes himself to the boondocks.

He arrives at the remote village of Kaatgram, where pregnant women have been dying left, right and centre. But the Kaatgrami men are not about to send their women to a male gynaecologist. So Rajan does the next best thing—he disguises himself as a lady doctor.

Rajan feels it is okay to deceive the people about his gender, so long as he gets to save their lives. Damini, the local MLA’s daughter, supports him in his dream of setting up a maternity clinic in their village. Rajan falls for her. But she doesn’t even know he’s a man.

Will Rajan manage to woo his sweetheart and marry her? Or will the villagers tear him to pieces when they find out that their lady doctor is actually a man?

As suggested in the blurb, the story covers problems existing in rural India, where primary medical help is not available. Due to a lack of medical facilities 1 out of 10 pregnancy fails with the death of either mother or child. The protagonist of our story is Rajan, a gynecologist who hailed from a well-known gynecologist family. His careless & womanizer traits had kept him away from his family managed the clinic. An accident or carelessness from the Rajan side resulted in the death of a mother & her child. That lady's two girls were abandoned by her family. Guilty stricken Rajan had taken it seriously and taken two girls under his parenthood. That was just the tip of the iceberg, that incident had changed everything. Rajan has started taking things seriously. He came to know the situation of women in Rural India, how lack of female gynecologists endangering the lives of women. He thought about the solution, and when he cannot find the solution outside, he thought of doing something out of the box. He decided to crossdress and pretend as a woman for a greater cause. But what will happen when this pretending woman met another woman in the village and end up having feelings for her. Read this super funny story to know more.

I have read many comedy styles but this has touched my heart. With social message & comedy sequences, this book has delivered stories that of Ayushman Khurana's movies. Good points about the book

• Full to funny
• Entertaining social story
• Easy language usage
• Straight narration style
• Characters with reasoning
• Cover & title
• New concept

Ratings

1. Cover - 5/5
2. Concept - 4.5/5
3. Characters - 4/5
4. Overall - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Story based on Bollywood Struggles - The Stranger in Me Book Review

There are perks of reviewing books. Before that, I used to read a specific genre. But book blogging has exposed me to multiple genres and writing styles. In the last three years, I have been to a blind date with many books where I have been surprised. Almost 8 out of 10 times, I enjoyed those book thoroughly. Same was the case with "The Stranger in Me". I have been provided this book like a blind date(of course in exchange for an honest review). Again the book was a bigger surprise for me as I was expecting a mythological fiction from publishers. Well, we didn't lose heart as at the end of the day as a book blogger we need a book to read.

Book Blurb

One man. His three lives. One city. 

Amit is dead. Amit is alive. Amit is the superstar. Amit is a failed actor. Are there many men or just one man living different lives at different times? After 40 years, Amit wants to hark back to his youth and become a Bollywood hero. But Bombay is now Mumbai and he is no longer 20.

Does Amit have it in him to be the hero of his own story? Rocky, his flatmate, a struggling writer by day and bouncer by night, steps in as a messiah of sorts, along with Disha, the daughter of a renowned movie producer, who is madly in love with Rocky and believes all is fair in love, and Sasha, Amit’s best friend, a hippie stuck in the ’70s.

Chandni, the Bollywood siren of the ’70s, is still the reigning queen of Amit’s heart. With Amit back in the same city, will there be a reunion of two lost souls from another time? Will Amit achieve his Bollywood dream? Will Rocky pen a blockbuster? Will Disha win her love?

"The Stranger in Me" is a story of few struggling characters wanting to enter into the limelight of Bollywood. One of our protagonists is Amit. Amit tried in Bollywood in his younger days, but he didn't succeed. He went back to normal life and had it almost for 30 years. When he got retired from his professional and personal responsibilities he came back to Mumbai for another try as now he didn't have much to lose. He met a guy called Rocky on his first day of Mumbai. Rocky is our next protagonist, who had good looks and body. But he was not accepted by his family as none in his family looks so good. He wanted to become a writer (scriptwriter) but people wanted him to cast him instead of his scripts. Rocky took Amit as his co-tenant and then started a comical journey. Do read if you like to read books on Bollywood backstage.

The book is written with simple language and medium pace. It is an ideal pick for beginners. Don't worry, even seasonal readers can also read it. I would say they will enjoy it for sure. Three things I liked the most about the book

• The cover page. I cannot just ignore if I am window shopping it.
• Pranks by Amit. They are just funny and instant.
• Writing style. not too confusing.

Ratings

1. Cover - 4.5/5
2. Content - 4/5
3. Concept - 4/5
4. Overall - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book Review - Joy in Coorg by Tilak Ponappa

When you go for shopping there are always a few things come to you which you pick up whether you actually need it or not. Same way for bookworms they always find books they want it whether they have enough books to read or not. A painted drawing of two guys playing hockey one of which is a middle-aged guy with pot-bellied got my attention. I didn't even check the blurb, I simply picked up the book. And I am happy that I got "Joy in Coorg".

Book Blurb

Joyappa…considered falling to the ground and feigning a heart attack to get out of trouble. But he couldn’t quite remember if the heart was located on the left or right of one’s chest—so he dropped the idea. Set in the little district of Coorg (Kodagu) in Karnataka, Joy in Coorg is a story of the rollicking adventures of Joyappa in the scenic hills of India’s Western Ghats. Joyappa (Joy for short) is a former college hockey star who, though a coffee planter now, has lost none of his youthful spunk, and revels in pursuits his wife finds decidedly juvenile. He enjoys spending time with his college pals, negotiating various hazards that range from his wife’s snooty friends to wild animals and even wilder humans! As he stumbles through hilarious situations, Joyappa tries, with limited success, to walk a fine line between having a good time and staying in his wife’s good books.

In his quaint, rustic style, Tilak Ponappa manages to create an unforgettable setting of incandescent beauty and memorable characters that are funny, charming and sweet—all at the same time. You will laugh, you will wish to join Joy and his gang, and you might even want to move to Coorg by the time the last page is turned!

Coming to the story part, our protagonist is Joyappa (Joy) a middle-aged free-willed guy married and having two kids (studying in day boarding). He owns a coffee estate and is happy with his life. Unlike other novels which center upon a theme or plot the story of this book is 2-3 years of the carefree life of Joy with multiple short incidents. Joy's wife is Susheela who wanted to bring class and status in Joy day-to-day life along with health. She wants Joy to be in good shape and health and Joy will find every opportunity to gulp down the food of his liking. His adventures with his friends (Chomu and Charlie) shows his innocence and efforts to relive his carefree college days. Joy's visit to his in-law reminds you how son-in-law treated when they were considered not up to the mark of their spouse.

I read 10 pages of the book daily to get the boost of fun and entertainment. This book is not some serious booker priced content, but it will make you enjoy it for sure. I felt like watching a Sarabhai vs Sarabhai series where oy is Indravadan (Satish Shah) and Susheela is Maya when their son was yet to get married. If you read the book you can relate characters as well. So with each incident, I was getting feeling of watching a new episode in the series. If you are reading this book in public then you may need to control your laughter to avoid getting stares.

Good points about the book

• Very light read
• Face paced book. You may finish it within a day
• Easy to cope up the language even beginners can take it.
• Wonderful characterization. 
• Good for any age
• Funfilled story with a balanced storyline

My favorite incidents

• Joy's hockey match and cheerleaders reaction
• Charlie's visit to girl's house
• Charlie's visit to a beauty parlor
• Dog's incident at Joy's in-law
• Dog's incident when Joy's in-law visited him
• Joy's trekking with Susheela & her friends

Read the book to know more. Ratings

1. Cover - 4.5/5
2. Concept - 3.75/5
3. Characters - 4/5
4. Concent - 4/5 (I need part 2 as well)
5. Overall - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book on Fictional work of a Publishing House trying to bring - Bestseller

It is true that if you keep seeing something every day, you will get attached to it or at least your opinion of the same will change over time. The same thing happened to us, though we liked the cover & blurb of the book, we didn't choose it in the first go, due to heavy workload. But as we started seeing this book in our bookish social timeline, we started regrating the decision. It was WrittersMelon who gave us the second chance to read this book & we would like to thank them for providing us the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Blurb

Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher.

Akshay finds himself in a job where he has to do the impossible. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which the business would be wound up.

He has to find a way of making a success out of books he would never publish or would never even read. To complicate things further, he has to contend with motley crew of has-beens and misfits working for the publishing house as well as wannabe writers, dealing with their follies and derisive tactics, and battle his own affections for Zorah Kalim, the impulsive daughter of his former boss.

Will he succeed in bringing out that one ‘bestseller’ from his publishing house? And what about his own life and love in office? Find out in this riveting read.

"Bestseller" is a story of bringing best selling books by a dying publishing house. The protagonist of our story is Akshay, who was working in a UK based publishing house. His life changed when he was fired by his company, he had to come to India and join Kalim Publishing house. He was given the task of bringing at least 5 best selling title within a year. He was assigned small team of odd natured people for this task. Fired from the previous organization, Akshay wanted to prove himself, so he found the challenging task attractive. But finding best selling title needed a good script, which was somewhat overlooked by the company in past. So Akshay had to clear that image of publishing house as well. Also, many authors were trying to capture Akshay's attention to get their work to publish among 5 best selling titles. See whether Akshay would be able to solve the problem of his employer with his personal happiness as well.

Coming to writing style, the overall tone of the book is humorous & slightly satirical. Though I have worked with good-publishing houses in the the capacity of a book reviewer. I was not fully aware of the life of people working with publishers. The author has nicely portrayed issues that arises in publishing industry. Light language & use of funfilled events make reading expereince interesting. The book has potential to finish in 1-2 sittings. I finished it in 3 sittings though. Though book is short in size, the author has done justice to all major characters. Finally a short book that you can take on your trip or book date. :)

Ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Concept - 4/5
3. Characters - 3.5/5
4. Overall - 3.75/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

We would like to thank WritersMelon for providing us the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review - Pyjamas are Forgiving by Twinkle Khanna

Though as a couple we are hardcore bookworms, my husband has made a strict rule about book acquisition because of our impulse book buying. The is the reason "Mrs. Funnybones" & "The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad" I had to read from borrowed copies. So this time I was all set to buy a copy of "Pyjamas are Forgiving". But thanks to our star & our consistent blogging we got our own copy of the book during Mega giveaway of Juggernaut.

Book Blurb

There sitting on that porch, that light-eyed man, a pitta like me, was my ex-husband and that woman whose inner element I was unaware of, unless bitch is accepted as an undiscovered fourth dosha, was his young wife.In the serene sanctuary of Kerala’s Shanthamaaya spa where food is rationed, sex forbidden and emotions centred, Anshu meets someone familiar and deeply unsettling – her ex-husband. Bittersweet, funny and wise, Pyjamas Are Forgiving confirms Twinkle Khanna as one of our great storytellers

Unlike first two books by Twinkle Khanna, this book is focused on a single story or I would say a proper novel. The story revolves around a divorced lady (Anshu) in her forties reached to her 28 days of stay at Ayurvedic ashram. She met her ex-husband along with his wife. Determined to stay in Aashram, Aashu decided to fight her emotions. Then followed the emotional turmoil of Anshu whether she would fall for the same guy again or she would forgive & forget him.

Good points about the book

• Simple & straight narration style
• Witty storytelling of author which is her USP
• Light in content & deep in context
• Ideal gift for light readers as well as serious readers

We hope to have many more books from Twinkle Khanna. Once again, Thank you so much Juggernaut for providing us review copy in exchange of an honest review. I cannot give less than 5 stars to my favorite English author.

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Humorous Story of Medical Students - Dissected by Naveen Kakkar

One word title, a funny looking guy with a skeleton & blue background, that was all I got while windowshopping Dissected by Naveen Kakkar. Later on, reader-universe gave me positive vibes through their positive reviews. So I went back to book page & checked available reviews. And "Tada" I knew I have to read it. So here we are discussing or dissecting the book & its likable parts with our readers.

Book Blurb

Medicine brings forth images of dour, grave looking faces with heads buried in thick books. Naah....not at Dale. Set in an era much before hyper-connectivity made us social recluses, this is a hilarious take on the lives of fifty teenagers. Walk with them as they face the challenges of a treacherous first term at a medical school in Damsar, through the landmines of the anatomy hall, the eccentric physiological concepts and the endless biochemistry cycles that most did not give a damn for; well nearly most. This is a saga of how the class survived the adventure of a bus trip with a sloshed driver, the dressing down by teachers, the quirks of their own characters and still found time to shake a leg or two. Find out if Podgy and Palak will be together right till the end? Will Lego find his balance and Joy his joy? Will Tazo survive his class? Will people keep falling off the South Pole? Rohan needs this answer, desperately!

Don't worry the book is not nonfiction. The story is a humorous fiction picturized around medical college & its first-year entrants. The story goes like as good & humourous like any of our college life. A geeky guy, an introvert guy, a couple (yet to be) and few more characters. The difference is the environment, mine was engineering, here it was medical college. So the life of our protagonist was more miserable. I don't want to share their adventure. Read the book to know more.

No matter in which stream or college you have studied, you would be able to relate it with the book. Because apart from medical student life, characters also belong to young college going, crowd. So life at that stage is always memorable.

Good points about the book

• Simple language usage 
• Straight to the point narration style
• Witty, humorous dialogs. Specially Tazo inner voice
• Relatable to life
• Nice illustration & title of each chapter
• Short in content. Can be finished in 1-2 sittings

In short, fun-filled witty companion for a train or plane journey. Ratings

1. Cover - 2/5
2. Content - 3.5/5
3. Characters - 4/5 (Tazo & Podgy)
4. Overall - 3.5/5

The book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Reviews from other readers can be found at GoodReads

We would like to thank WritersMelon for providing us the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review IQ 84 - Mike Dickenson

I had received IQ 84 by Mike Dickenson in February 2017 but the book was shelved in my Kindle app for next 14 months. Two months back I was checking my Kindle shelf and found this angry guy giving me scary looks. Fun apart, I really would like to apologize Mike for delaying this book.

Book Blurb

Apocalypse got you down? Whatever you do, don't think about it! "Hilarious would be an understatement to describe this book and I found myself lost for words." - Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

An unknown terrorist has released a biological weapon onto the American public. Anyone with an IQ over 84 is in danger - people's heads are exploding - the country is on lockdown. Everything is about to change forever.

Luckily, some people are still alive. Like the President of the United States. And Congress. And millions of idiots determined to figure out why their heads aren't blowing up.

Which brings us to David Dingle. He's the not-too-bright guy whom this whole story revolves around. A lot of people revolve around David Dingle. Some of them include a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, an ineffective jihadist, a Grand Dragon of the KKK, a creationist and his very extended family, a pill-popping doctor, a drop-dead sexy clepto-nympho-suicidal-maniac, and a rogue Illuminati mastermind to name just a few.

Now David Dingle doesn't know much about these people, but frankly, he doesn't know much about much. He's just a simple American with a government job and a fantastic phone who one day finds himself at the epicenter of the biggest biological terrorist attack perpetrated on American soil. And now everyone's after him. Not cool. All the while, the President of the United States has to keep voters’ heads from blowing up before re-elections - things couldn’t get worse.

A timely satire that dives into the darkest corners of American Culture, IQ84 examines some of the most controversial issues in America today. It’s a book about freedom.

Talking about the story, the protagonist of our story is a dumb but a good-hearted guy, David Dingle. He was doing the same job for the last 10 years when he started feeling bored about his job an unexpected thing happened. A disease spread out it in the country, and on top of it, David was framed guilty of the pandemic.  Within a few days, most of the intelligent population was already dead. The virus was claiming the lives of millions of people even animals above the IQ of 84. You can think how chaotic world would become if all intelligent guys die and the world would be at mercy of idiots or dumb people.

Well, the author has a good sense of dark humor, which can be seen throughout the book. The sarcasm and the humor-filled story made me laugh in public innumerable times. Those who read serious stuff stay away from the book. This is a book you should read keeping your brain aside otherwise you would not enjoy it.

The only thing that I didn’t like was the way the movie climax was presented, otherwise, it was an enjoyable treat.

Talking about ratings

1. Cover - 3.5/5
2. Concept - 4/5
3. Content - 3/5
4. Overall - 4/5
5. Characters - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Check Book Review of Mango People in Banana Republic

The thing that took my attention was the uniqueness of the title “Mango People in Banana Republic”. I was really attracted to the book. I did all possible research for the book, I checked reviews on Goodreads & Amazon. Mixed reviews Especially one talking about satirical black comedy style writing made me go for this book.

Book Blurb

Ravi Bhalerao is a top of the rung business strategy consultant struggling with two disquiets in life – a festering career disillusionment and a festering wound in his posterior. Stung by an unfair performance appraisal, he pulls off an outrageous stunt at his workplace, drops off the urban map and reaches his ancestral land, a village in drought-prone Vidarbha. There he encounters India in its elemental form. Convinced that his destiny is somehow entwined with that of his country, he sets off on a truth-seeking mission. On that mission, he finds love, revolution and most importantly, a redemption for the disquiet in his rear.

Anand is a former physicist on a spiritual quest through esoteric India. He realizes that the path to realization is beset on all sides by gurus, their cults and their boundless quirks. As he hops from one ashram to the other, he grows convinced that liberation does not come with a user manual in a neat little box.

Wrapped in light-hearted, almost tongue-in-cheek prose, 'Mango People In Banana Republic' is a tale of an Indian’s search for personal identity, against the backdrop of a country divided along fault lines of countless social identities. Teeming with a cast of characters and ideas that encapsulate modern India, the tale ascends from the gross to the sublime, much like the Kundalini powers some aspire to acquire. With a steady pace, and gentle mocking humour, this book is an absorbing read and a laugh.

I have received this book 10 days back, and I would like to thank author and WritersMelon for arranging this review copy for us.  I would like to share my experiences of first few pages of the book. The book has seven chapters, each chapter names with one of the seven chakras of the human body.  The index page gave me feeling that I am going to read” some mental/spiritual / enlightenment based fictional book Contrary to the index, the satirical first chapter reminded me of “Coinman” book. That time I thought the book is going be corporate satire or black comedy. But the feeling was changed as I progressed towards other chapters.

Coming to the story, protagonists of our story are Anand and Ravi. Anand was a physicist by profession but lack of mental peace was bothering him. He tried looking for the solution in various babas and ashrams. He went to various places but was not able to find solace. In the end, he took the help of self-meditation and went to the bank of the river for some lone time to meditate. On another hand, Ravi was a living life of a corporate employee. His life was full of issues that any ordinary corporate guy would face. But he did something that normal people didn’t at his workplace, this landed him in jail. After jail, he went to his village in Vidarbha where drought is a normal issue. There he met with the burning issues of our country India face to face. Somewhere in his mind he was feeling that he was destined for a bigger role and to know his identity he set on a journey. He also ended up on the same river bank where Anand had taken refugee.

So overall it is a different story. It will take you to some of the grass root issues of Rural India. It will show you differences in ideologies and lifestyle. A recommended read for serious readers. Talking about ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Character - 3.5/5
3. Content - 3/5
4. Overall - 3.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon and Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

We would like to thank WritersMelon for providing us the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

BookReview - 65 Colours of Rainbow by Smit Kapila

"65 Colours of Rainbow" by Smit Kapila is a collection of 65 stories of some crazy and weird workplace.

Book Blurb

There is a wonderful saying: “The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect." In this highly competitive world, life of corporate work-force is full of all kinds of strain and stress. There is no way we can escape from our jobs and its work pressure, but we can certainly counter it by enriching the fun and laughter quotient at work.

65 Colours of Rainbow is a collection of sixty-five short stories and caricatures based on real life, work-related incidents. This pleasingly warm collection writes with terrifying compassion about the things that matter most. The distinctive narrative caricatures demonstrate how extraordinary the ordinary can be!!

If you want to read light and humorous read than this book is just perfect. These stories are short and funny so it's really enjoyable. As I am a student there were some of the things that I didn't understand about workplace-related problems but I still enjoyed this book. If you're in a corporate job than you can relate more to the stories. Some of the stories are sarcastic, some are humorous, some are weird but fun.

So all and all if you want a light read along the main novel that this book is awesome. Also if you're fishing for humor and laughter than also this book works wonders.

Talking about ratings

1. Cover : - 3/5
2. Content : - 3.5/5
3. Concept : - 3.5/5
4. Overall : - 3.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Mrs Funnybones: She's just like You and a lot like Me By Twinkle Khanna

I have read this book in one sitting and let me just tell you that I loved it beyond apprehension.

Once, I randomly saw an episode of "A Coffee with Karan" where Akshay Kumar and the author of this book Twinkle Khanna were invited as guests. I am not a Bollywood person so I didn't know her at that time. But I loved her fierce and nonchalant humor. At the end of that episode, she mentioned Mrs. Funnybones and I wanted to read this book since then. I have read this book finally and it has not disappointed me.

Book Blurb

Full of wit and delicious observations, Mrs Funnybones captures the life of the modern Indian woman a woman who organizes dinner each evening after having been at work all day, who runs her own life but has to listen to her mummyji, who worries about her weight and the state of the country. Based on Twinkle Khanna’s super-hit column, Mrs Funnybones marks the debut of one of our funniest, most original voices.

When I was purchasing the book I read the tagline on it "She's just like you and a lot like me" and my thoughts were how can she be a lot like me?  she is middle-aged, celebrity, married and mother of two, but after reading this book I really can relate to her.

This book is about her really clever and peculiar view of life. In this book, her husband is referred as the man of the house, her son as the prodigal son, her little daughter as the baby, which I find amusing and different. This book also has her opinion about feminism, patriarchy, our culture and many other things with a great humor. Her opinions about this things are really similar to mine so I can relate to this book.

All and all if you're looking for a book with good humor, and a book that can make you laugh till you cry then I recommend Mrs. Funnybones.

Ratings

1. Cover : - 4.5/5
2. Content : - 5/5
3. Character : - 4.5/5
4. Concept : - 5/5
5. Overall : - 5/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Incredibly Incorrect Impression by Aarthi Srinivasan

It was hard to guess from the cover what lies inside this book. But I took the chance and ventured into the world of "Incredibly Incorrect Impression" It is a love story, but not a hardcore and intense one.

Book Blurb

Aishwarya Narayan, with her sarcastic and unintentionally humorous disposition, has got the typical life with her Always-ready-with-a-short-joke friends and her annoyingly accomplished family. Successful, stoic, stubborn, and sardonic, Dhruv Singhania was kind of the person her parents would generally give a good look at and then say 'Learn' When the two stumble upon each other, it gives rise to a series of awkward humour, intense sarcasm, usage of 'fandoms' as leverage, and a whole lot of acute weirdness. With her dream of making it as a writer on its way to become a reality, the 19 year old girl has to deal with the usual effects of ambition, fear of failure and everything else that occupies the mind of a girl who is determined to do well. Doubts arise, conversations are misinterpreted, feelings are confessed and then taken back, all in the backdrop of one thing a person always wants to do; live up to expectations while creating kick ass history.

Talking about the story, our main protagonist is Aishwarya Narayan. Aishwarya is a sarcastic and humorous personality. She is a writer and YouTuber. She fell in love with Dhruv Singhania who is successful, amazingly good looking and sardonic. There is not much to the story but the way this book has written is just spellbound. All that sarcasm and sassiness could just cheer your mood up and the bond that she shares with her best friend Krish literally reminds me of my best friend.

If you're having a bad day and you are someone who enjoys humor and sarcasm than this book can lighten your mood. The author Aarthi Sreenivasan has done a good job in this book.

This book is a casual and enjoyable read that can be taken by any age group. Talking about ratings

1. Cover : - 3.5/5
2. Content : - 4/5
3. Character : - 4.5/5
4. Concept : - 4/5
5. Overall : - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

We would like to thank Leadstart Publishers (Frog Books) for providing this opportunity to review book. Readers can check their wonderful collection of books by going through this link - Leadstart Books

Dvarca - Enter into the world of Dystopia - A Book by Madhav Mathur

I added Dvarca to my wishlist considering it as mythological fiction, but when I interviewed (link to interview post) Madhav Mathur two months back on our blog I read few reviews and blurb. To my surprise, Dvarca was a dystopian book. I consider myself lucky that I got a copy of the book from the author in exchange for honest review. It was my first read in the dystopian genre, yes you heard me right I haven't read 1984 yet and I call myself an avid reader / bookworm. :)

Book blurb

ONE NATION | ONE RELIGION | ONE WAY OF LIFE Welcome to a land called Dvarca. At the turn of the 22nd century, the world is a mess of warring factions (surprise!). The powers-that-be have fought insanity with an equal and opposite insanity. India has been remodelled under a new bicolour flag, and a State religion called Navmarg. Anyone who does not belong, is a threat. Madhav Mathur's Dvarca is a dark and humorous satire that follows the life of an ordinary family, struggling to get by, in this totalitarian regime. Gandharva, is a patriotic and pious low-level bureaucrat at the Ministry of Finance and Salvation, working hard on his status and overdue promotion. His dutiful and curious wife, Jyoti, works at Dvarca Mills and witnesses a ghastly act of terror, leading to perilous flirtations with dissent. Their two little children, Nakul and Mira, are model students in their predestined streams, indoctrinated and well on their way to becoming faithful and productive citizens. The State religion and cutting-edge science combine to create new ways to make citizens safe, and to hound and hunt those who do not conform. Everything is 'perfect' in this controlled and policed system, until one fateful night, a man happens to break routine.

The 22nd century of Dvarca is 1970th USSR communism with 1400th-century Christianity. It is a country in the digital age where every citizen is a forced believer of state defined gods. The only freedom he gets in his life is the early death. Otherwise starting from his name (one from 10-20 selected Hindu names), his last name (block code), school, profession, life partner (I repeat life partner), kids (you are not allowed to have sex, govt send doctors to your wife for IMP) everything will be decided by government. With added help of digital aids, government controls everything starting from at what time you should wake up to what time to sleep. Sensors are placed in bedroom, hall, kitchen and bathroom. It is actually a black satire for those who want to support only one belief. The family of Gandharva was stuck in this state with each family member with different issues at hand. Their initial struggle was portrayed in this first part. I am eagerly waiting for the sequel.

If you check back cover of the book you will find the comment of Shovon Chowdhury "1984 meets the Meluha series. If you like either, you'll love this." My point is if you have read Meluha series or the first part of Ramchandra Series you would be able to relate this story with muscularity of religious or kingdom's dominion. When we try to bring "zero entropy" system, we ourselves add multiple problems. It feels so perfect when you read how people should be governed. At the macro level, things look wonderful, but at the micro level, things were so frustrating that people are forced to do almost everything. I can start a GD or Debate on the book, but writing about it is quite difficult. I have less space and many things are coming in mind to write about. Let me keep some points for next part as well. :)

The only thing I disliked about the book is the paper quality of pages. It has hampered my overall reading experience. Otherwise, a must read. Talking about rating:

1. Cover Page : 4 / 5
2. Concept : 4.5 / 5
3. Characters : 4 / 5
4. Storyline : 4.5 / 5
5. Overall : 4.5 / 5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Reviews from other readers can be found at Goodreads

Everything is Normal: Life and Times of a Soviet Kid

Growing up in a country where things are in abundance; scarcity means a short-term problem. But when you grow up in country where everything is controlled and monitored things look scary. "Everything is Normal: Life and Times of a Soviet Kid" by Sergey Grechishkin is a memoir of author's childhood from soviet times. One may read many literature to find out what Soviet Russia / USSR did during 74 years of communism, but how people lived in that era is completely different experience.

Book blurb

This book is both a memoir and a social history. On one hand, it is a light-hearted worm’s-eye-view of the USSR through one middle-class Soviet childhood in the 1970s - 1980s. On the other hand, it is a reflection on the mundane deprivations and existential terrors of day-to-day life in Leningrad in the decades preceding the collapse of the USSR.

The author occupies a peculiar place in the Soviet world. He is the son of a dissident father and also the step-son of a politically favoured Leningrad University professor and Party member. He also occupies a peculiar place in the literal geographic sense- both his home and school are only a few blocks away from the city’s KGB headquarters, where a yet-unknown officer called Vladimir Putin is learning his trade.

His world is a world without flavor. Food is unseasoned. Bananas are a once a year treat. A pack of instant coffee is precious enough to be more useful as a bribe to a Party official than a consumable. Parents on business trips thousands of miles away from home schlep precious and scarce bottles of soda across the Soviet empire for their kids. Everything is bland: TV, radio, books, music, politics - life itself. The author staves away boredom the best he can, with a little help from his friends. They play in the streets of their beautiful city, still resplendent with pre-Revolutionary glory; make their own toys and gadgets; and, when they get older, pass around forbidden novels and books of poetry.

But occasionally, an infinitely more exciting world makes itself briefly known. A piece of foreign bubble gum with a Disney wrapper. A short Yugoslavian cartoon. A smuggled cassette tape with mind-blowing music by someone named Michael Jackson. And these hints of a completely different life introduce small cracks into the author’s all-pervading late-Soviet boredom - cracks that widen and widen, until reality itself shatters, and a brand new world rushes in.

When someone says in a country you don't have to pay taxes; you don't have to pay for schooling or healthcare; you don't have to pay rent; along with there many others things are free or subsidised. But when it comes to things as simple as basic food (rice, potatoes, pastas), cloth there is quota. Standardisation is so strict that throughout country you will find same products, no brands only one version of each product. Choice is limited to whether you want it or not. Country creates things which are necessity, luxury was limited to find a thing in store which others have not seen yet or waiting in queue for a food item and you get it at the end of an hour.

List is endless, Sergey has wonderfully put all his experience in words with touch of sarcasm. Never in this book you find him complaining about rules, and I think that justifies the title "Everything is Normal." Well it was not just about Sergey, but millions of kids in those 74 years been through the same. I sugget don't create an impression that this is a story of miserable child. You feel it bad for them, if compare it with complete freedom you get in your country. Otherwise, author and many of his companions were happy from bottom of their heart. They were as patriotic as any American or other western country man were.

Initial 40 years of India was under socialism influence. India was democratic semi-social country till 1991. India has adopted many things from Russia, including metric measurements units, rationing, public ownership of important sectors. So I was able to relate few things with my or my dad's experiences. The best part was the jokes given in the beginning of each chapter, which author called as Anekdot. Overall it was a really good and informative read.

Talking about ratings.

1. Pace of the book - Between slow and medium
2. Cover - 3.5 / 5
3. Language - 4 / 5 (For any age group)
4. Content - 4 / 5
5. Overall - 4 / 5

Book can be found at - InkShare
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

The Jeera Packer - A Political Thriller

Magnificent characterisation, unique plot and terrific dialogs... I never felt that I am reading authors debut work.

While reading 'The Jeera Packer' of Prashant Yadav, I got feeling of watching Anurag Kashyap's or Vishal Bharadhwaj's movie.

Book Blurb

I once changed the history of Uttar Pradesh state with a gun and a finger. One shot, one man. Right man, wrong man. But that was thirty years ago. I shot people through their heads then. I pack jeera in a basement now. This is me and here is my story.

He was the best sharpshooter in the state. A true bullet artist. But he gave it all up to lead a happy, normal, stable life... with his loving wife and dear son. And that proved to be his undoing.

Resonant and deeply affecting, The Jeera Packer is the gripping tale of a man who after three decades of playing the happy family man returns to his profession of old for one final work—to shoot the chief minister.Convinced that this is his raison d'etre, will he manage to pull off this one last act, as his concluding hat tip to the man he could have been? Will he be able to brush away the jeera dust and rediscover himself? Or has the middle-aged family man already throttled the sharpshooter in him?

Story starts with an ex-gangster, who was infamous sharpshooter of his time. He has left violence 27 years back and is living peaceful like with his wife and son. He is running a grocery store in Noida with help of his wife. He packs spices specially jeera in small packets everyday. But 27 years of peaceful life has not given him satisfaction. His old time friend Abdul has made him realised that to get satisfaction he has to work on his life's job. And he has self-assumed job of assassinate Chief Minister of UP.

Apart from the main protagonist's part, story has another parallel in CM's political life. Antagonist CM known as Dada (through out story) wants to become Prime Minister of India. He is sole decision maker of the strongest party in UP. His cunning leadership has made sure that no one took over him in last 3 decades. His ascend to PM and plan to replace his drug addict son to CM, has started creating opposition in his close group. Apart from Jeera-Packer there are many characters in story who want to kill Dada. As story ascends carpet revealed various aspects in different color.

Jeera-Packer's part of story was written in first person, while other person's part was written in second or third person. Thing that I like the most is sarcastic descriptions of various incidents and characters. From my point of view it is strictly for 16+ age group. Talking about ratings.

1. Cover - 4 / 5
2. Language - 4 / 5
3. Characters - 4.5 / 5
4. Concept - 4.5 / 5
5. Overall - 4.25 / 5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Do you Know Any Good Boys? A Woman's Guide to the Arranged Marriage

"Do you Know Any Good Boys?: A Woman's Guide to the Arranged Marriage" - I won this book two months back and received it last month. Author Meeti Shroff-Shah has recollected experience of her husband seeking years. 

Just like my wife as Meeti was a hardcore Mills & Boon's stories' fan; and always wanted to have love marriage. But like many other Gujarati Jain family girl, she didn't find a character of her dreams. She gave this responsibility to her parents. Her parents like any other Indian parent accepted this new job profile and from there the journey of Meeti v/s Mr Perfect for Meeti started.

During these 2 years Meeti been through almost all means of arranged marriage that Indian use to find proper partner. Be it mouth-to-mouth publicity, news advertisement, marriage bureau, matrimonial sites they tried all means in short span of 2 years. She met her Mr. Perfect on her 41st coffee date. During which she rejected many candidates while many had rejected her. She went through depressing phase at many points. But her parents had kept her hopes high. She had mentioned incidents happened with her or her friends in witty tone and presented in sarcastic words. 

Though book was written with serious subject in core, Meeti has tried her best to keep it as lighter and funny to stick her readers to the last. A good book for any age group. Talking about rating:

1. Cover - 4 / 5
2. Language - 4 / 5 
3. Story Line - 3 / 5 (Smooth no major ups and downs)
4. Overall - 3.5 / 5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at - GoodReads

Bhadrambhadra by Ramanbhai Neelkanth - Sarcasm Till Last Word

If we name top 10 best book available in Gujarati literature, I think Bhadrambhadra (ભદ્રંભદ્ર) by Ramanbhai Neelkanth will make it in the list for sure. And if we talk about one of the best book in humor / black humor / sarcasm genre, I don't think anyone can beat Bhadrambhadra.

The book was first published in 1900. I still remember we had a small chapter of book in our curriculum years back in our schooldays, I always wanted to read this book. It was one of my first Gujarati book-buy. I read it twice in last three years, and I will always try to re-read it once in 2 years.

Story was written about 1890 era of India, where Britishers & few social activist were trying to remove some centuries old orthodox traditions. Author had created a wonderful character 'Bhadrambhadra', who considered himself as self-proclaimed savior of society against activist. Bhadrambhadra had a follower named Ambaram, who trust Bhadrambhara and his logic unquestionably. 

Bhadrambhadra along with Ambaram started his journey from Ahmedabad. They went all the way to Mumbai to attend public gathering against social activist. Incident and people they met during their journey to Mumbai make segment very comic. Their experience in Mumbai, starting from station to 'Chawl' as their initial stay to gathering, lecture in gathering, meeting with same thug who cheated them in train and got fooled again, meeting with Prasannmansankar and helping them to complete his book/literature. Each and every character and incident give enough laughter and interest to make book a sure-shot-page-turner.

Using laughter as medium, author had wonderfully tried to throw lights on issues like caste system, touchable-untouchable, use of mixed language, resistance against change in social traditions, etc. Book seems humors in current days when many of them became talk of past, but writing something in age where these issue can make or break you, it would require hell lot of courage to publish such work.

A must read for all Gujarati. Rating :

1. Cover - 4.5 / 5
2. Concept - 5 / 5 
3. Language - 5 / 5 (Very very pure, at times Gujarati mixed with Sanskrit, need 2-3 reading at some point to understand crux)
4. Story Line - 4.5 / 5 
5. Characters - 4.75 / 5 
6. Overall - 5 / 5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart
Review from other readers can be found at - GoodReads