Smriti's World

My Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:55:00 +0000

Frederik Backman became my favorite author after I read "A man called Ove" and a few others since then. His books always have a sense of humor that I love! It's not slapstick. It's witty, dry and gentle. It could be the character's flaws or the irony of the situation. He delivers the hard truths with his humor, making even a sad situation light!

My friends is another wonderful story! It alternates between the past and the present. The past is about three close childhood friends and how they stuck together, inspite of the hardships at home. Each has a childhood that is atypical. Physical abuse, terminal sickness, alcoholic parents - a mix of everything. It is their time together that brings joy and happiness to their lives.

The present is that one of them accidentally dies, only to have a homeless girl inherit his most expensive painting and who decides to tag along with the other friend of his. The girl is - as they say - one of their own. From the story it seemed to me that meant, neurodivergent. The story of the girl and the friend - their own story and their story together - is hilarious, emotional, sad and happy.

I highly recommend this book!

Twenty years later

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:22:00 +0000

Author: Charlie Donlea

The story opens up with the scene of 9/11. Victoria, who's meeting her lawyer in that building for a gruesome crime, is a victim of this disaster.

It then transitions to Avery Mason. Avery has had tremendous success with her investigative series of true events on the TV. As she's trying to negotiate a multi-million dollar deal with her TV network, she's looking for another investigation opportunity which will help her capture her audience's attention and prove her worth. Along comes Emma, Victoria's sister, who wants Avery to prove her sister's innocence. On her last phone call with Emma, Victoria pleads her innocence to her sister. Researchers who have been digging through the remains of 9/11 find some new evidence. All this combined, makes this a compelling case to Avery.

Little does she realize that there's more to it than meets the eye. Not to mention her very own past that some high profile people are interested in.

An extremely gripping story with quite some twists and turns! You will love reading it!

Be Ready When Luck Happens: A memoir

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:01:00 +0000

I enjoyed reading this book! It is Ina Garten's story right from childhood to where she is today and it was very interesting. There was a lot to learn. It showed that she is where she is today not just because of her skills but more because of the immense hard work she's put into her career. It tells you that owning a business is not easy. That spending all your time and energy on your business and career comes at the cost of personal time and relationships. Probably all these things are widely known but reading a true story makes it more real. Oh and the other big thing that you learn is - great success doesn't come without taking big risks. She left her job at the White House to run a bakery!

Recounting her trip to Europe with a budget of $5 per day is entertaining and inspiring. So are all her business ventures. Her love story is so sweet, truly amazing!

I was surprised that one could remember so many details.

All in all, I would recommend reading this book.

Born a crime: Trevor Noah

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 19 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000

A memoir by Trevor Noah. While it is full of hardships that Trevor encountered as he was growing up, Trevor manages to convey it in a fashion that is entertaining and humorous. He grew up in South Africa and had a Swiss father and a South African mother. Due to their races, their relationship was considered a crime. Hence the title of the book.

Trevor was raised by his mother. His mother was a force to reckon with and for many things an inspiration to women around the world. Living in those times in a place like South Africa, as black woman, she was an independent soul. She worked and earned her own living. It was not easy but she did it. She married a guy who was not the right father for Trevor. This impacted Trevor a lot. At one point, he was asked to leave the house and live on his own. From his very childhood, he was always getting into trouble. Living on his own meant he was getting into way bigger troubles. One way or another he managed to come out of them.

I would highly recommend this book. It was very interesting, had humor, and helped learn about the hardships that people face around the world. One might think they had a hard childhood and then when you read something like this you understand what does a rough childhood really mean. It also inspiring to see that somebody like that could rise up the economic ladder and be where they are today.

Kaju Paneer Masala (vegan)

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 12 May 2025 13:25:00 +0000

I recently made this and it was delicious beyond words! Lip smacking delicious! My family and friends simply loved it! It has a rich, creamy, silky, flavorful curry. The recipe is adapted from Kaju Paneer Masala by Pankaj Bhadouria. It does take a little bit of time but so worth it! You could also make the curry in a big batch and freeze some of it (without the tofu).

Ingredients

Whole spices:

2 cinnamon sticks
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves

Shred or make a paste

2" ginger
2 tbsp minced garlic (if you have fresh garlic use that)
1 serrano pepper

1 Onion, finely chopped
Powdered spices:

1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp paprika (or kashmiri mirch)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp garam masala

1 can diced tomatoes, pureed
~2 cups Cashew
1 block Firm tofu, drained for 2-3 hours
1/2 cup heavy cream (vegan), I used the one from Trader Joes but any brand should work
2 tbsp kasuri Mekhi
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

Soak the cashews in water.
Heat 5 tsp oil in a pan on medium heat.
Sauté the whole spices till fragrant.
Add the onions and sauté. Sprinkle a little bit (~1/4 tsp) salt so that the onions cook faster. Sauté till they are pink and translucent. It will take around 10-12 minutes
In the mean time, preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Cut the tofu into cubes. Add 2 tsp oil and coat them. Air fry for 10 minutes on 400 F.

If you don't have an air fryer, you can shallow fry the tofu in a pan as well. Or use it just like that.

Add the ginger, garlic and green chili paste. Sauté till the raw smell of garlic goes away. The onions should be pinkish brown.
Take the powdered spices in a small bowl and add 1/4 cup water to make a slurry/paste. Then add to the pan. Sauté till the oil comes on top.
Blend the cashews with some water to a fine paste.
Add the pureed tomatoes and sauté till the oil comes on top.
Add the cashew paste and 1/2 cup water. Mix well.
Add the tofu and cream.
Add salt according to taste.
Simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
Crush the kauri methi between your palms and add.
Mix well!

Holige or Puran Poli (vegan): Flatbread with sweet filling

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 05 May 2025 13:30:00 +0000

Holige/Puran poli

Holige is a sweet dish from Karnataka, India. It is also called Puran poli in some other states of India. This is a favorite of my husband and my kids have started liking it too! This was not something I've grown up seeing my mom make so it a few tries before it became relatively easy and I was successful at making it. So if you're in the same boat as me, step in knowing that your first try may not be easy and you may not be successful. However you'll get there :)

Even after making it so many times, there are moments of frustration since you are dealing with a sticky dough.

I use the recipe from Food and Re medy and it turns out very well. If you're new to making this, do watch her video on how to make it before you start the process.

Ingredients

For making dough:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
little less than ½ cup water

For making sweet filling:

3/4 cup chana dal
1 1/2 cup jaggery
1/4 cup frozen coconut (thawed)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

Some coconut oil

Method

Pressure cook the chana dal with twice the amount of water (1 1/2 cup).
Mix the dough with all ingredients except oil. You are not really kneading it. The dough will be very sticky. Top it with oil all over so that the surface doesn't dry. Let it rest for 2 hours or so.
Once the dal is cooked, drain the water. Cook it with jaggery and coconut on medium slow flame. Till it is slightly thick. Let the mixture cool.
After 2 hours, mix the oil with the dough.
Form lemon sized balls of the dal dough.
Heat a cast iron griddle on medium heat. If you don't have cast iron, use any other that you use for flatbreads.
Coat your palms with oil, take a small piece of dough and stretch it on your palm. Place the ball in the middle. Wrap the dough around. Using good amount of all purpose flour, roll it out into a thin circle. I use the counter top for rolling since that is much easier. The rolled out flatbread will be very delicate at all stages. So handle it carefully.
Roast on the griddle.
Take it off the flame and top it with coconut oil.
Do the same with rest.

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Chocolate caramel bars (vegan)

I got this recipe from Nourishing Amy; made just a few slight modifications based on the taste preferences of my family. Like skipping the tahini and salt on the top chocolate layer and a few others. Everybody just loved it! It is also very simple to make. So if you are looking for a simple dessert recipe this is the one! Due to the refrigeration time, it does take time though.

There are 3 layers as you can see.

Ingredients:

Base layer

100g oats
100g cashew nuts
40g dark chocolate chips
45g runny, smooth tahini - I stirred my refrigerated tahini to make it smooth.
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Caramel layer

100g runny, smooth tahini
100ml maple syrup
65g melted coconut oil
~~1 tbsp Golden Milk powder~~ (I substituted it with ginger, cinnamon and turmeric powder as suggested by the original recipe)
A pinch of salt

Chocolate layer

100g dark chocolate, chopped small
1 tbsp coconut oil
~~20g runny, smooth tahini~~
~~½ tsp Golden Milk powder (or cinnamon)~~
~~Flaky salt~~

Method:

1. Base layer:

Process oats, cashews and chocolate chips in a food processor till very fine. Yes, I processed chocolate chips too since I didn't want big chunks in the base layer. You can leave them as it is if you want. Or even skip them.
Add coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix with spoon or hand. It should all come together.
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Press the mixture into the pan. Keep in the fridge.

2. Caramel layer

Whisk all the ingredients together. I used a hand whisk.
Pour it on top of the base layer.
Refrigerate for an hour.

3. Chocolate layer

Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. If not yet done, microwave for another 30 seconds and stir well.
Pour on top of caramel layer.
Refrigerate for an hour.

That's it! Simple and delicious!

Killers of the Flower Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 14:10:00 +0000

Author: David Grann

I had always seen this book on the Top N list but somehow the title and the cover of the book didn't entice me enough to get started on it. Then recently, I was sick for a few days and had loads of time to read but not enough material. I decided to pick this one up. As I started reading it, I got so engaged that I couldn't keep it down till I had finished it. After reading "Walk in the park", I had increased interest in learning about the American Indian tribes as well.

The book starts with the life of Mollie, her sisters and her mother; and interspersed are details of the life of the Osage Tribe in general. The unfair laws that they were governed with - they were not allowed complete autonomy over their own wealth, of course how they were robbed of their land, how the little children were forced into attending schools away from their families and so on. Weaved into this story are the murders as they happen, in and around Mollie's family. Sometimes investigations are made into the murders, sometimes not. Even if investigations are done, they are dropped for some reason or another. Sometimes the investigator themselves are murdered. Osage Indians continue to bring the attention of the government to these murders and eventually, J. Edgar Hoover establishes Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into these murders. Led by Tom White. They encounter many obstacles like lack of evidence, lack of witnesses, etc. As they're collecting evidence and bring in suspects, they realize they need some database to store the fingerprints of suspects so that they can match them later to future evidence. This is when the fingerprint database was established. After much running around, they have the suspects lined up and the case goes to court. This is when they (FBI) learn that the hardest part isn't over yet.

I loved reading this book! Learning about the lives of the Osage Indians, the treatment they were meted out, how FBI came into being and so on. So many things to learn.

Carrie Soto is back

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 13:15:00 +0000

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

I'd read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo from the same author some time back and had loved it! So when somebody recommended this one I was all on board.

Reid has written four books following the same pattern where there is a female protagonist who's highly successful in her career. In "Carrie Soto is back", Carrie is the best ever tennis player. After she retires, she's at the risk of losing her record to another player Nicki Chan. This is not acceptable to her and she decides to come back from her retirement to take back her record. In a nutshell that's the outline of the book. Her father is her coach who she had removed from that position before she had retired, in her quest to win. Her goal in life was always to win and couldn't accept a loss. That was what propelled her, motivated her. For her return though, she wanted her father to be her coach once again. Further to add some romanic angle, one of the men's tennis player who she used to date back in the day, became the one whom she practiced with.

After having read her other book, this was less entertaining. It's not bad but it's not great either! Initially it feels very energizing but slowly it becomes more of same old, same old.

Before we were yours

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 01 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Lisa Wingate

The story is engrossing, engaging and heart wrenching! What makes it more so is that it is loosely based on a true story/scandal.

The story alternates between past and present. The past is a family living happily on a boat on the Mississippi - father, mother and 5 kids. The eldest of them being Rill Foss. Then the fateful day arrives when their mother has to deliver a baby and due to complications she has to be taken to the hospital - away from home. While the mother and father are in the hospital, the kids are "taken away" by so called authorities and given to an orphanage run by Georgian Tann. As Rill keeps on trying of ways to go back to their home along with all her siblings, she can see her siblings being adopted one by one. Then one of her sisters is killed in the orphanage because she wouldn't listen. Rill herself faces sexual assault. Then she too is adopted by one of the families along with her sister.

The present day is a setting around a Senator's family. Avery is the daughter of the Senator who has cancer. She was a lawyer and came back home to be groomed into the position her father has if need arises. While doing one of the events for her father she runs into a woman who holds onto her hand and is not willing to leave her. The nurses had to take her away. She also took away her bracelet and claimed that was hers. This intrigues Avery much and she wants to find out the why behind it. She starts digging. The more she digs, the more questions she has. Along the way she meets people looking at whom makes her question her choices for her life.

Chole bhature

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:42:00 +0000

Bhature

This is my mom's recipe and it is truly the best! I've tried so many recipes but none has come out as good and as reliably as this! Everyone in my family, including the kids, simply love it!

Ingredients:

2.5 cups maida (all purpose flour)
0.5 cups sooji (semolina)
pinch of sugar
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp eno
Salt to taste
Water as needed

Method:

Prepare the dough

Mix all the ingredients except water.
Knead using water into a soft dough.
Keep aside for 2-4 hours.

Make the bhaturas

Heat oil in a deep pan (kadai) at medium high heat.
Make small balls of the dough.
Roll each ball into circles (roughly 1/4 inch thick).
Fry each circle into a bhatura.
Note: the oil should be hot enough that when you put the circle into the oil it should puff up in a few seconds.

Chole

We tried Amritsari Chole and have been in love with them since! I use the recipe from here with some tweaks. These tweaks are to save time and to reduce the spiciness for the kids.

Ingredients

2 cups Chickpeas (soaked in water overnight)
Whole spices:

2 tea bags
3-4 bay leaves
3 inch cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves

Ground spices (if you need exact quantities refer to the recipe, I use quantity per the spiciness I need)

Chilli powder
Turmeric powder
Coriander powder
Garam Masala
Amchur
Cumin powder
Kala Namak
Hing
Kasuri Methi

1 Onion, pureed (I've used chopped when I don't have time to puree it)
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 tsp garlic, minced or finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
4 tsp oil
To add extra heat

Sliced chillies
Garam masala
Chilli powder

Method

Boil the chickpeas with 3-4 cups of water in a pressure cooker with the tea bags and the whole spices. When in a hurry, I skip the tea bags and the whole spices.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add ginger and garlic. Continue sautéing till the raw smell of onion and garlic goes away.
Now add tomato paste. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add chickpeas.

To make true Amritsar style, drain and reserve the water from the chickpeas. However when in a hurry I just add all of it.

Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
If you did not add water then add water now depending on the consistency you need.
To make it spicier:

Heat oil, add sliced chilies. Fry them.
Then add garam masala and red chili powder.
Pour this over the whole before serving.

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Taylor Jenkin Reid

This is a very engrossing and entertaining book! It was also eye opening for me with respect to so many topics - Hollywood and how women were treated back in the day.

As the title suggests, it is about Evelyn Hugo an award winning movie star. She was not always "Evelyn". Her beginnings were very humble when she aspired to get out of the "Hell's Kitchen" some day. She was so determined to do that, that she was willing to do whatever it took to get out of there. From a very young age, she was so beautiful - in face and body - that heads turned wherever she went. This she used to her advantage and one day landed in Hollywood. Soon she was acting in a movie and another and another. They didn't come easily - she had to appease people to get her roles. She was also very smart - she soon figured out how to get publicity, where are the right places to be in, who are the right people to be with so that she could keep climbing up the ladder. And that she did with all her smarts and beauty! She was like the Midas touch and people went to watch movies because she starred in them.

After she has aged and her career has come to an end (but not her stature), she decides she wants her biography written. For that she asks for Monique Grant from the magazine Vivant. Everybody, including Monique, is surprised on the choice of author. Monique is always curious why Evelyn chose her and often asks her directly. She is told that she will soon find out. As Evelyn unfolds her untold story, Monique learns some about life. How one needs to ask for they want and appear strong. She is actually able to use that for her benefit. And then the day comes where she finds out why she was chosen and some other saddening truths.

As you read through the chapters, you're always wondering what'll happen next.

Maid

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:11:00 +0000

The Maid

Author: Nita Prose

This book was quite a change from the genre I'd been reading and for good I must say. It's very interesting and will keep you engaged throughout!

Molly is neurodivergent (while her actual condition is not called out, she's probably on the autism spectrum) and a maid at a fancy hotel. She'd always wanted to be a maid and it was her dream come true when she got a job at her current hotel. Her colleagues either didn't like her much or made fun of her due to her neurodivergence. She was very good at her work - hardworking, honest and thorough. As a result, her boss liked her and understood her. He would give her pieces of wisdom. One day she went to clean the room of one of her regular clients, the wealthy Charles Black. Only to find him dead on his bed. She was the key witness in the case, she was more than a cleaner to Mr. Black's wife and her not-so-normal behavior/conversation with the police, make her an easy suspect. Plus her attraction towards one of the hotel employees who is involved in some drug handling makes the matters worse and takes her deeper into the pit than she would like. It is hard for her to manage all that is happening and is very troubling. She is arrested by the police. The hotel doorman had always been a friend to her and had warned her where she was going wrong. Now that she was in deep trouble, he is the only one to help her. She finds out while she might have lost her grandmother, her only family and friend, she has found a new set of friends who are like family.

People we meet on vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:11:00 +0000

Author: Emily Henry

After Book Lovers, my assessment of Emily Henry just kept going down hill. If Beach Read was passable, then this book was not even worth picking up.

It started well, with the main characters Poppy and Alex on a vacation. From long since, they had decided to take a summer vacation to new places together. Then Poppy got a job at one of the travel magazines and that just made it easier to do this every year. They were like best friends, loved spending together and had known each other a long time. On one of their vacations, a rift happened between the two and they did not talk for 2 years. Then suddenly one day, Poppy decided to text Alex and I felt like almost instantly things were back to normal. They decided to go on a vacation together again. There they did what they had done before, what had caused the rift; and once again it caused problems to them.

It totally beats me how can 2 people not talk to each other, intentionally, for 2 years and then suddenly be talking again and going on a vacation. What I did like about the book was how it was written - past and present interleaved. If you're expecting a new plot line here, you will be disappointed.

With this book, I put a stop to reading any more by this author (are there more?).

Lessons in Chemistry

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 14:30:00 +0000

Author: Bonnie Garmus

Absolutely loved reading this book! First off, it has humor which just wins me over every single time. Secondly, it is about a woman in science back in the day. Lastly, it is about a woman who survived a man's world. Yes some parts are fantasy like and I was willing to ride along since it was so much to read!

Elizabeth is a chemist even though it's very hard to be one in world that she's living in. She was never able to get her degree even though she completed all her work because she complained about the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her advisor. Yes that's the kind of world she was living in. She did manage to get a job at a research institute and needless to say even though people around her know how capable and knowledgeable she is, nobody is willing to give her that respect because they know they don' need to. In that time, women were only secretaries, not scientists. Except one well respected scientist Calvin. And guess what they fall in love. Theirs is as perfect a relationship as possible, built on mutual respect. When something is too good to be true, I turns out it is. Calvin dies in an accident and Elizabeth is left alone and pregnant. She's sacked from her workplace so she decides to build lab inside her home. She guts out the kitchen and builds a lab which serves as her kitchen and a lab. She starts working there and also provides consulting to her employees back at the research institute. They in turn steal her work. Tired and exhausted from this world, when she's offered a job as the host of a cooking show that will pay well she decides to take that up even though she doesn't want to. In all this, she finds a friend in her neighbor who also helps take care of her daughter when needed. She is also teaching her dog English because there's no text that says that dogs can' learn a language! And her daughter is a prodigy who knows the periodic table and understands religion at the age of 5! All these aspects add to the fun part of the story. Read on to find out what happens to Elizabeth.

As I was writing this review, I remembered there were quite a few parts of the story that seemed out of this world and then you would come across the grim realities of the world. I enjoyed that especially because they were adding to the positive side of the story.

Beach Read

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Author: Emily Henry

Yes this book is by the same author as "Book Lovers". Since I enjoyed reading Book Lovers so much I thought why not read the others as well.

It's an ok, run-of-the-mill book. It was getting almost close to the category of books I-regret-spending-my-time-reading-it. More so because I had the previous book. This seemed a re-hash of it. Take the same template, change the surroundings and change the characters a little bit. Something that I think now, you can ask chatgpt to do.

How do you react when the heroine tells the hero "Don't fall in love with me"?? OH-My-GOODNESS what was the author even thinking when writing that. The cheesiest dialogue ever! Or the heroine feels that the hero has always avoided her while the hero says he was so obsessed with her that he was always around her? Are we talking about adults or 6 year olds who do not know how to read feelings! While I do agree that when reading a romance novel you do need to have your intellectual brain take a back seat but there's a limit to that I think.

As for the story, it actually starts off well and gives you hope. January just moved into a beach house left to her by her father. She's in agony because her perfect world just go shattered. She had a breakup, her father died and that was not the worst - it was then that she found out he was cheating on her mom and her mom had known for a long time. After moving into the beach house she finds out that her next door neighbor is Augustus. They used to be in college together and she always got the feeling he didn't approve of her work. Thought too highly of his own. He is a well known author of literary fiction and she of ramose novels. Given that they are neighbors, they're bound to interact and bump into each other. One things leads to another and they enter a contract whereby she would write a book on literary fiction and he would write a romance novel. To familiarize the other of their own domain, they decide to take the other on field trips. We all know how the rest will follow.

Book Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 14:30:00 +0000

Author: Emily Henry

I was looking was what book to read next on goodreads.com. Then I saw that Book Lovers was rated the best in romantic fiction so decided to check it out. I must say I loved loved loved reading the book! It starts off with humor, which makes me love the book even before I'm halfway through it.

Nora is a book author and a city girl. She believes she's not the kind of heroine that a hero meets in a small town and falls in love because of the small town vibes. She's ambitious, loves her work, loves being in the city - everything a small town girl would not want. When her sister Libby insists that they take some time off and spend time together in a small town for the summer, she's quite stressed. She's not sure that it's a great idea. However she still agrees because she's never said no to her sister.

She is still getting used to the small town ways of Sunshine Falls but the thorn in the rose is Charlie. She met him once in New York and concluded that he was too much into himself and his work. It irked her that she kept running into him in this small place. The more she ran into him, the more she learnt about him. The story keeps you engaged at all times!

It ends with us

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 14:30:00 +0000

Author: Colleen Hoover

"It ends with us" is on the bestseller list and is hugely popular! After reading it, I must say deservingly so.

It starts with Lily's childhood. Lily lives with her parents in a small town. Her mother is physically abused by her father and that causes her much distress. She is unable to understand why her mother does no leave her father. One day she finds out that there's a homeless boy, Atlas, living in the vacant house behind theirs. She feels sorry for him and starts helping him with food, clothing, etc. They soon develop a bond which starts as a friendship and grows into something much deeper. Atlas, saves Lily from potentially murdering her father one day. Then the day comes when he needs to leave. He has an uncle in Boston who he can live with.

When Lily grows up she decides to move out from the small town, go away from her father. She moves to Boston. There she has a chance meeting with a guy when she's sitting on the roof of a building, a few days after her father died, which changes her course of action in life. She decides to follow her dreams. She decides to have her own business. Her business flourishes, she meets a new friend and then again runs into that same guy Ryle. They fall in love, get married and live happily till they don't. She finds out that she has landed into an abusive relationship! And now she see the story play out from the perspective of her mother.

What made the story more meaningful to me was that story is inspired from he author's own life.

Loved reading the book! Somewhere in the middle, it started seeming a little frivolous delving too much into physical attraction and relationship, but it is later that you realize why there was so much emphasis on it.

Anxious People

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Author: Feredrick Bachman

I'm sort of a fan of Frederick Bachman. Love his humor - think "A man called Ove". And he didn't disappoint with "Anxious People" either! Love every bit about this book!

The story is set at an open house which is hijacked by a bank robber, who is robbing a bank for the first time. In fact they are robbing anything for the first time. Everybody who's at the open house is a hostage and every one is a hostage for the first time. There';s a wide variety of people who are at the open house - an old woman, a lesbian couple, an old couple and so on. Each has a story of their own. As they spend time together being hostages, stories start unravelling. There is a lot each has to share with the others and there's a lot of practical advice they get from other's life and experience. While listening to other's stories and offering advice, many realize what's going on in their lives. A very engrossing story with wit, humor and compassion.

Bottomline: Definitely read this book!

(Vegan) gulab jamun

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 04:04:00 +0000

Gulab jamuns are a favorite at our house across all ages! When we became vegan we were all sad to say goodbye to these delicious little balls dipped in sugar syrup. Somehow I felt any veganized version would not even come close and avoided trying any vegan recipe for it. I couldn't resist for long and finally gave this recipe a try. They came pretty close to the original! I do want to try a few other variations as well. That said, I would say this is a simple recipe and good enough. Good ROI :)

Ingredients:

For the Jamuns:-

2.5 cups white bread (I used as simple a white bread as possible - from a bakery rather than the commercial ones because they have too many ingredients. If you're confused just go with an organic option)
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup water
Oil for deep frying

For the sugar syrup:-

1.5 cup water
1.5 cup sugar

Method:

Heat the sugar and water together till the sugar has dissolved. Continue heating till the mixture forms a one string consistency (I do not do the string test, just ball park. The syrup should have changed the color a little and not become too sticky).
Break apart the bread into fine crumbs.
Blend the cashews with water in a grinder to make a smooth cream. Couple of options here:

If you've a powerful blender like Vitamix you don't need to soak the cashews
If you don't have one then soak the cashews in the water (from the recipe) for 4 hours or so. Or heat the water a little and then soak the cashews for an hour or so

Mix the cashew cream with the bread and knead into a soft dough.
Heat the oil to medium-low heat.
Take a small portion of the dough and roll into a ball in your hand. If the dough is sticky, put some oil on your hands.
Once you've formed balls for all the dough, start frying the balls 3-4 at a time.
After frying a batch, put it on a plate to absorb all the oil. Try to poke a few hole using a needle (for better absorption of the sugar syrup).
Then put them in the sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be warm.
Let them soak for a few hours (they will get a little bigger in size as compared to what they were after frying).

(Vegan, Gluten-free) Peanut and sesame laddoo

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 14:00:00 +0000

I got this recipe from a friend. Not only are these laddoos delicious, they are healthy and easy to make with minimal ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 cup, dry roasted peanuts
1 cup, dry roasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup Almond flour
1 tbsp Cashew flour (you can make your own or even substitute with almond flour)
Pinch of cardamom powder
3/4 cup brown sugar (you can also use jaggery powder)

Method:

Process peanuts and sesame seeds in food processor so that they leave enough oil to clump together.
In a bowl add the peanut sesame mixture and the rest of the ingredients.
Mix well with your hand.
Take a handful in your hand and press it together to form round balls.

A gentleman in Moscow

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Amor Towles

Love love love this book! It has so many elements in it that it would be hard to list them all. What I loved the most about the book is the expression of the author. Had me laughing half the time. The book does get serious after sometime and at that point you're so invested in the story that you anyway want to read it. The vivid description by the author makes you feel as if you are right there.

The story is about a Count Alexander Rostov who, as his title suggests was a count and hence used to all the luxuries, is now sentenced to house arrest in a hotel. When a Count, he would stay in a suite in the same hotel and now he must live in a 1-room attic. Count is a man of wit and humor; and not one to self-pity. While you feel sad that he is relegated to such a state, his attitude towards it inspires you. He believes in "when life gives you lemon, make lemonade". It is so heartening to see how he lives his life from there on. He comes to a meet a little girl and they become good friends. There is much he learns from this girl. The story also wraps around the events that were happening in Russia around that time (1922).

As I said there are so many aspects to love about the book! I would highly recommend reading it especially if you like to read humor.

In Five Years

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 28 May 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Rebecca Serle

The saddest part of this book was that within the first few pages itself I found out that this book is not up my alley! It is based on a premonition - just not something I believe in :(

Dannie Kohan always has a plan for the next 5 years. She knows exactly where she will be, what she will be doing. She has the job that she was aiming for, she is engaged about to be married, they know after marriage where they want to live, how many kids they will have and so on. One day she has a dream where she's intimate with a different man. After she wakes up from the dream, she is unable to shake off the picture of the man. She has fallen in love with man in her dreams. That one dream will change the rest of her life.

Normal People

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 21 May 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Sally Rooney

It was anything but a normal story! I can't believe the high ratings this book had on Amazon and GoodReads! It reminded of hundreds of Bollywood movies that are based on exactly the same skeleton - boy meets girl, they are "only friends" but somehow can never find any partner they can live happily with, they are their true selves only with each other, they do coming back to each other but can never decide to stay together for the rest of their life.

That pretty much sums it up.

Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

noreply@blogger.com (Smriti) — Fri, 14 May 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Author: Daniel H Pink

Loved reading this book! Very well written and really liked the content!

As the name suggests, the book is about what motivates most people. The author talks about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic true to it's name, comes from within and end of the day, it is what leads to the best work! Extrinsic is when we are motivated by external rewards; also called if-then rewards by the author. In such a case, the doer already knows that "if" they do this, "then" they will get that. The focus in such a case is on finishing the job and not so much on how the job is done. As a result, the doer will try to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal - trying unethical means, lower quality work and so on. Extrinsic motivation can work for routine jobs.

On the other hand, creative work requires intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes when an individual has autonomy be it over the task, the time, the technique and/or the team, they can see the purpose for what they're doing and can hope to achieve mastery.

Towards the end of the book, there are specific suggestions for individuals in various roles as well as organizations.