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Book Review: Caravans by Scott C Levi

2015-09-27T14:02:00.001+05:30

Upon arriving in Central Asia, the Multanis would take up residence in one of several locations.

Caravans tells the fascinating story of tens of thousands of intrepid Multani and Shikarpuri merchants who risked everything to travel great distances and spend years of their lives pursuing their fortunes in foreign lands. From the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, these merchants lived as guests in cities and villages across Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran and Russia. Setting aside the belief that caravan traders were simple peddlers, Scott S Levi examines the sophisticated techniques these merchants used to convert a modest amount of merchandise into vast portfolios of trade and money lending ventures. Caravans also challenges the notion that the rising tide of European trade in the Indian Ocean usurped the overland 'Silk Road' trade and pushed Central Asia into economic isolation. In fact, as Levi shows, it was at precisely the same historical moment that thousands of Multanis began making their way to Central Asia, linking the early modern Indian and Central Asian economies closer together than ever before.

Caravans is part of the The Story of Indian Business series edited by Gurucharan Das. Written in simple narrative style this book is an presents an essay on the traders and the practice. Although the book essentially touches the history of the business in foreign lands, there were further scopes to fulfill the needs of inquisitive readers looking for more exhaustive knowledge on the subject. This is a good book and would definitely appeal to the interested reader as a primer.

Book Information

Author:	Scott C. Levi
ISBN:	9780670087303
Binding:	Hardcover
Publisher:	Penguin Books India
Year of Publication:	2015
Number of Pages:	Approx 200 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: God's Traitors

2015-06-14T10:43:00.000+05:30

Throughout the four-day search for him, Gerald hid in an Owen-built priest-hole beneath the chapel fireplace.

A woman awakes in a prison cell. She has been on the run, changing her lodging every few days but the authorities have tracked her down and taken her to the Tower of London. She is placed in solitary confinement and interrogated about the Gunpowder Plot. The woman is Anne Vaux - one of several ardent, extraordinary, brave and at times, utterly exasperating members of the Vaux family. The year is 1606.

God's Traitor is an interesting and gripping account that explores the Catholic predicament in Elizabethan England through the eyes of the aristocratic Vauxes of Harrowden Hall. It presents with a historian's detachments how Catholicism was criminalized in England of Queen Elizabeth I. Ordered by the Pope to resist the Queen and by the Queen to renounce the Pope, the time period in history had to face an agonizing conflict of loyalty. In an age of assassination and Armada, Catholics who chose faith were increasingly seen as the enemy within. Written in simple yet engaging narrative style this book presents a tale of raids and escapes, homes and torture chambers, secrets and lies, acts and consequences. This book is highly recommended if you are interested to read about this time period in general and the subject in particular.

Book Information

Author:	Jessie Childs
ISBN:	9781847921567
Binding:	Hardcover
Publisher:	The Bodley Head
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 450 with cover

A collector's edition. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Death & Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi

2015-05-10T21:16:00.000+05:30

We have seen how in executing the Father of the Nation Nathuram did what, in a sense no Hindu had dared to before him.

The Death & Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi is an explosive and original analysis of the assassination of the 'Father of the Nation'. Who is responsible for the Mahatma's death? Just one determined zealot, the larger ideology that supported him, the Congress-led Government that failed to protect him, or a vast majority of Indians and their descendants who considered Gandhi irrelevant, and endorsed violence instead?

In this meticulous study, the author has presented an account which can be considered more meditative than mere factual presentation of a national tragedy that haunts till today. Linking death of the Father of the Nation to different socio-political events, philosophical interpretation of the tragedy - the author establishes many lines of inquiry and studies in this book. In addition, he explores consequences and impacts of the tragedy that had shaped the time then and afterwards. A brilliant book and a remarkable work of research and analysis.

Book Information

Author:	Makarand R. Paranjape
ISBN:	9788184006803
Binding:	Hardcover
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2014,2015
Number of Pages:	Approx 350 with cover

Book Review: Empire of the Moghul - Raiders from the North

2015-03-28T10:16:00.001+05:30

Each night when, exhausted from long hours in the saddle, they made camp, Babur found it hard to sleep.

The first book in the gripping and brilliant Empire of the Moghul series; chronicling the rise and fall of the Moghul rulers of India, beginning with Babur who swept in from Central Asia to found one of the most powerful dynasties in history.

1494, and the new ruler of Ferghana, twelve year old Babur, faces a seemingly impossible challenge. Babur is determined to equal his great ancestor, Tamburlaine, whose conquests stretched from Delhi to the Mediterranean, from wealthy Persia to the wild Volga. But he is dangerously young to inherit a crown and treasonous plots, tribal rivalries, rampaging armies and ruthlessly ambitious enemies will threaten his destiny, his kingdom, even his survival.

In this first book of the Empire of the Moghul series, the author sets the expectation from the series. The story is centered on Babur - the founder of the Moghul dynasty. Solid and fully etched out characters from the pages of history, fascinating and gripping narrative style that keeps the reader glued to the book, brilliant portrayal of setting and action characterizes this book. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is one of the definite picks.

Book Information

Author:	Alex Rutherford
ISBN:	9780755356546
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Headline Review
Date of Publication:	2009
Number of Pages:	Approx 500 with cover

Raiders from the North is a page turner. I had received the copy from MySmartPrice. Thank you MySmartPrice for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Lethal Spice

2015-03-15T21:40:00.000+05:30

But the dhaba owner was a lazy, worthless lout, lacking in both culinary skill and business acumen.

It is October in Shimla. The air is crisp, the mist is rising and the stakes are sky-high as the finalists of India's No. 1 reality cooking show, Hot Chef, are pitted against each other in a live shoot at the historic Gaiety Theatre. The spices are ground, the fires are lit, the knives have been sharpened...Then things start to go horribly wrong. As she picks her way through a maze of testimonies and hidden motives, Shimla's Superintendent of Police, Niki Marwah, is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery - a mystery that this time around is dangerously close to her heart.

With essence of food running as the backbone of this story, Lethal Spice is a murder mystery solved by the Superintendent of Police, the investigator of the case. The characters are etched out full and round. The plot is gripping and entertaining. With ingredients that provide enough opportunities for the readers to get involved in the mind game this book is a good read and definitely readable.

Book Information

Author:	Swati Kaushal
ISBN:	9789350097694
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 330 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Lowland

2015-02-21T12:54:00.001+05:30

In the room where her grandmother slept Bela ate her lunch.

Born just fifteen months apart, Subhash and Udayan are inseparable brothers, one often mistaken for the other in the Calcutta neighborhood where they grow up. But they are also opposites, with gravely different futures ahead. It is the 1960s, and Udayan - charismatic and impulsive - finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement: he will risk all for what he believes. Subhash, the dutiful son, does not share his brother's political passion; he leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in a quiet, coastal corner of America. But when Subhash learns what happened to his brother in the lowland outside their family's home, he comes back to India, hoping to pick up the pieces of a shattered family, and to heal the wounds Udayan left behind - including those seared in the heart of his brother's wife.

In this strikingly masterful novel, the author weaves a tale of two places and one tormented family in an intimate narrative style. The characters are fully shaped, with whom readers can very easily sympathize. An easy and smooth tale of fate and will, exile and return. Unlike Jhumpa Lahiri's other fictions that I have read, which explores emotional challenges of Indian immigrants, The Lowland opens in 1950's Calcutta. Ambitious and full of thoughtful imagery, the novel is appealing and deserves to be picked up.

Book Information

Author:	Jhumpa Lahiri
ISBN:	9788184005752
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2013
Number of Pages:	Approx 420 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Empire of the Moghul - The Serpent's Tooth

2015-02-07T18:39:00.000+05:30

Shah Jahan frowned. His third son was a greater puzzle, even if no one could accuse him of frivolity.

The vast Moghul Empire still reigns a quarter of the world's population and has wealth beyond imagining: it is the greatest, most bloodthirsty dynasty ever known. But, as a new century advances, the Empire's position becomes increasingly perilous.

Now is the time for its leader, Shah Jahan, to secure his position as ruler, but instead he becomes obsessed with building the Taj Mahal - a final, epic monument to his dead wife. He is too distracted to notice that his sons, like generations of Moghul princes before them are planning to seize his throne by any means, however violent.

In this fifth novel of the Empire of the Moghul series, the author presents yet another researched and fascinating tale centered on Emperor Shah Jahan. Solid and human characters, vivid setting, and engrossing story line of this novel succeed in keeping the reader glued from the very beginning. This action packed thriller is written in an absorbing narrative style and the historical figures and legends become alive with magnificent ease.

Book Information

Author:	Alex Rutherford
ISBN:	9781472217073
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Headline Review
Date of Publication:	2013
Number of Pages:	Approx 430 with cover

The Serpent's Tooth is fascinating, an absolute read. I had received the copy from MySmartPrice. Thank you MySmartPrice for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Einstein Pursuit

2015-01-18T10:26:00.001+05:30

As it turned out, Dial was more impressed than insulted.

An explosion in Stockholm claims the lives of an elite collection of scientists. Evidence suggests the blast was designed to eliminate all traces of their research. It's up to Interpol director Nick Dial to uncover the truth about the lab and the attack. When Dr. Mattias Sahlberg learns of the incident, he knows his life is at risk. He turns to the only men he can trust: ex-Special Forces operatives Jonathan Payne and David Jones. Together, they must save Sahlberg from the unknown forces that want him dead. As Dial's case intertwines with Sahlberg's past, Payne and Jones uncover hidden truths and secret agendas involving the world's greatest minds. But there are some who are desperate to keep such radical advances in the dark and will stop at nothing to have their way.

Written in the unique signature style of Chris Kuzneski that mingles history,and technology, fact and fiction, action and mystery - The Einstein Pursuit is a successful action packed tale that can keep the reader glued to the story line. With full and well developed characters, fast and gripping narrative style, powerful and vibrant action packed story line - the book would definitely appeal to all readers of this genre.

Book Information

Author:	Chris Kuzneski
ISBN:	9781472208651
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Headline Publishing
Year of Publication:	2013
Number of Pages:	Approx 470 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Sita's Curse

2014-12-30T19:53:00.000+05:30

It was a private joke.

Somewhere, behind closed doors, in her solitary world; Somewhere under the sheets with an inefficient lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied...Trapped for fifteen years in the stranglehold of a dead marriage and soulless household domesticity, the beautiful, full-bodied and passionate Meera Patel depends on her memories and her flights of fancy to soothe the aches that wrack her body; to quieten an unquenchable need. Until one cataclysmic day in Mumbai, when she finally breaks free...

Sita's curse is a bold, brazen and defiant tale of a middle-class Indian housewife's urgent need for love, respect, acceptance - and sexual fulfillment. In a series of incidents and coincidences the author has presented a tale that can be unanimously classified as Erotica. The backbone story line does not require even half of the length of this book that the often overused graphic descriptions has occupied. Although Sita's Curse has the language of Desire, the too vivid erotic elements is often repelling and at times the reader may be compelled to flip the pages to find and flow with the real story. Unfortunately, not for readers sharing my taste of reading.

Book Information

Author:	Sreemoyee Piu Kundu
ISBN:	9789350097809
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 340 with cover

Bold and Sensual. Recommended only for those readers who are absolutely fond of this genre. I had received the review copy from PriceRaja. Thank you PriceRaja for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind

2014-12-13T16:13:00.000+05:30

Understanding Human History in the millennia following the Agricultural Revolution boils down to a single question: how did humans organize themselves in mass-cooperation networks, when they lacked the biological instincts necessary to sustain such networks? The short answer is that humans created imagined orders and devised scripts. These two inventions filled the gaps left by our biological inheritance.

Fire gave us power. Gossip helped us cooperate. Agriculture made us hungry for more. Mythology maintained law and order. Money gave us something we can really trust. Contradictions created culture. Science made us deadly.

In this book running over four hundred pages, the author outlines the history of humankind as a species. Starting with the unremarkable faltering journey of ancestors of the sapiens species, the author moves on along the series of revolutions that shaped the humankind as we are. Written in easy English and fast narrative style, the book is interesting, eloquent and gripping. The title being a Brief History of Humankind is a misnomer though! Essentially, Sapiens is a informative summary of our journey as a species that has brought us here.

Book Information

Author:	Yuval Noah Harari
ISBN:	9781846558245
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 450 with cover

Interesting and resourceful. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Edge of Power

2014-11-30T16:02:00.002+05:30

The other key player in Ravi's master plan was the liquor baron, Vicky Bhalla.

The heinous rape of Nirbhaya has jolted the Indian nation out of its apathy. But rape and violence against women are only symptomatic of a deeper malaise that ails the nation - the total collapse of governance under the weak and vacillating prime minister, Devender Singh, and his Indian Democratic Party. Ironically, aiding the ruling party to cling to power is a casual and largely indifferent Opposition, led by the venal Ravi Nehra. So when activist Daivik Verma and the Bollywood's leading lady Catherine Khan decide to challenge the existing system by floating a new political party, it is seen as a ray of hope. But lack of funds and cadre-support thwart their efforts; their only recourse now is to approach the enigmatic and reclusive Shruti Ranjan, who had sworn off politics three years ago. Will Nirbhaya's gruesome rape and subsequent death bring a disillusioned Shruti Ranjan back into the political fray? Will the land of great leaders like Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka and Akbar finally get the dynamic prime minister she so badly needs?

In an attempt to unfold the country's current political vices and dilemma, the author includes everything in this political fiction - corruption, defamation, money laundering that haunts the nation. Characters are full and round but the close similarity between the fictional characters and real life personalities are so evident that the book tends to sound more as a political documentary. Fast and easy read with typical Bollywood flavor the book is readable though.

Book Information

Author:	Tuhin A. Sinha
ISBN:	9789350097045
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2013
Number of Pages:	Approx 310 with cover

Fast and easy read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Poirot - The French Collection

2014-11-16T10:32:00.000+05:30

'I looked at nothing. I read nothing. I burnt the envelope without undoing the seal.'

It seems Hercule Poirot can never escape murder. Crimes, motives and killers followed him across the Orient and now they have found him again - but this time much closer to home...From seat number 9 Hercule Poirot is ideally placed to observe and enjoy the antics of his fellow air passengers. What he fails to observe, however, was the dead woman slumped in the seat behind him. When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again - for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he never arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stubbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course. As Poirot struggles to match the pieces of the puzzle, a second, identically murdered corpse is found.

The book is a collection of three brilliant novels of the Queen of Crime- The Murder on the Links, The Mystery of the Blue Train and Death in the Clouds. Running over five hundred pages, this omnibus is certainly hefty but again, the overall presentation of the content does not compromise with the readability. Flawless plotting, gripping story line, and amazing novels characterize this collection very well.

Book Information

Author:	Agatha Christie
ISBN:	9780007171132
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Harper Collins
Date of Publication:	2003
Number of Pages:	Approx 550 with cover

A collector's volume. I had received the copy from MySmartPrice. Thank you MySmartPrice for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Sad Demise of Manpreet Singh

2014-11-02T12:08:00.000+05:30

It was late - too late to call - but Dom knew what he had to do.

Dominic 'Biscuit' McLeod is an expert in making the best of a bad situation. As a visa fraud investigator at the Australian High Commission, New Delhi. Biscuit is legendary for his prowess in drinking beer, playing cricket, and swearing like a Dilliwalah, until the tragic death of a junior colleague forces him to become something else - a conspiracy theorist who can't let go. Armed with only a hangover, a loathing for authority, and an inability to believe the lies that he is being told, Biscuit stumbles from crisis to catastrophe in a shambolic search for the truth. From the villages of Punjab to the cricket fields of Delhi, and the walled compounds of Gurgaon and Chanakyapuri, with dodgy visa agents, crooked cops, Aussie journalists, Afghani pimps and American spies for company, it looks like Biscuit will never solve the case, or leave the party early.

With an ambitious plot and an easy narrative style, The Sad Demise of Manpreet Singh is a novel about the things people will do to leave the places they don't want to be - and the lengths others will go to try and stop them. With fast and gripping story line, and well developed characters - the book is interesting and will definitely appeal to readers of the genre.

Book Information

Author:	Patrick Bryson
ISBN:	9789350097403
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 320 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Mongol Empire

2014-10-11T13:03:00.000+05:30

In Chinese eyes, Genghis and Kublai and all their conquests were actually Chinese, And so therefore is Tibet.

The Mongol Empire changed the course of history and transformed the map of the world. Driven by an inspiring vision for peaceful world rule, Genghis Khan - mass murdering barbarian to his victims, genius and demi-god to his people - united warring clans and forged an empire that spanned Asia, bringing people, cultures and religions together and opening intercontinental trade. Under his grandson, Kublai Khan, the vision evolved into a more complex ideology, justifying further expansion. Fuelled by the belief that Heaven had given the whole world to the Mongols, Kublai doubled the empire's size until, in the late thirteenth century, he and his family controlled one-sixth of the world's land area. Along the way, he conquered China, made Beijing his capital and gave the nation the borders it has today, establishing the roots of the twenty-first century superpower.

In very lucid prose John Man presents an authoritative account of the rise and fall of Genghis's Golden Family. With vivid descriptions of the era, the author succeeds in conjuring up the essential flavors of the volatile time period. The Mongol Empire by John Man is a fast, gripping and resourceful book and is an essential read if you are interested in this particular time period of history in general and the personality in particular.

Book Information

Author:	John Man
ISBN:	9780593071250
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 400 with cover

Fast, gripping and resourceful. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Bombay Stories

2014-09-20T12:36:00.000+05:30

I noticed tears in Chaddah's eyes. They floated there like corpses on water.

Freshly arrived in 1930s Bombay, Manto saw a city like no other - an exhilarating hub of license and liberty, and a city bursting with both creative energy and helpless despondency. It was to be Manto's favourite city, and he was among the first to write the Bombay characters we are now familiar with from countless stories and films - prostitutes, pimps, lowlifes, writers, intellectuals, aspiring film actors, thugs and crooks. His hard-edged, moving stories remain, a hundred years after his birth, startling and provocative. In searching out those forgotten by humanity, Manto wrote about what it means to be human.

Originally written in Urdu and translated into English by Matt Reeck and Aftab Ahmad, this collection of fourteen stories flows with a definite fluidity presenting vibrant emotions and colours of life – love and detachment, mirth and the melancholy. In simple and lucid narrative style Manto introduces the characters, who breathe and live life like their real counterparts belonging to a different time and place. Definitely readable in style and form, Bombay Stories presents a collection that tells tales of dirt and innocence constructed in a city build out of the author’s acceptable imagination.

Book Information

Author:	Saadat Hasan Manto
ISBN:	9788184006414
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 280 with cover

Definitely readable. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Complete Battles of Hastings - II

2014-09-13T19:08:00.000+05:30

We had a curious walk home.

Captain Arthur Hastings OBE, veteran of the First World War and former private secretary to a Member of Parliament, became well-known as Hercule Poirot's trusty sidekick and confidante, the perfect foil for the great detective and his 'little grey cells'. Yet although Agatha Christie wrote 33 novels about her famous Belgian detective, only eight of them actually feature Captain Hastings. Considered to be some of the very best Christie stories, the distinctive Hastings novels are distinguished by being recounted in the first person, just as Dr Watson's were for Holmes. This omnibus brings together the last four Poirot and Hastings novels, including Lord Edgware Dies, The ABC Murders, Dumb Witness and, returning to the scene of his very first novel, Curtain: Poirot's Last Case.

It is an audacity to try reviewing plot, structure, characterizations and languages of time tested novels included in this collection. Instead, here I would try to focus more on the presentation and readability of the collection as a whole to help interested readers. Running over seven hundred and fifty pages, this book is definitely huge in terms of size. However, the font and spacing does not compromise with the legibility, and is absolutely readable. The book has definitely maintained agreeable standards as far as presentation and aesthetics is concerned.

Book Information

Author:	Agatha Christie
ISBN:	9780007171187
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Harper Collins
Date of Publication:	2004
Number of Pages:	Approx 770 with cover

A collector's volume. I had received the copy from MySmartPrice. Thank you MySmartPrice for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Fraudster

2014-09-08T22:01:00.000+05:30

If Ramesh was in Delhi the day Subbu died, did he kill Subbu?

There are people who will do anything to silence those who come in their way, who stop at nothing, including murder. A young banker is found dead a day after she deposes before a commission investigating large-scale financial fraud... A doyen of corporate India falls to his death from his south Bombay flat...A high security server room of a multinational accounting firm is hacked, and the hackers aren't just looking for company secrets...Illicit finance, high-stake crimes and vicious manipulation come together in this story of corruption, greed and treachery among corporate India's black sheep.

In this fast-paced book, the author clubs together elements of greed, corruption, illicit and murders - and thus presents a perfect recipe of a successful mystery and thriller. With gripping and a straight forward narrative style, and with hints and red herrings for the mystery fans - Fraudster is a powerful book in this genre. Characters are round and fully fleshed without redundancies. With its straight yet gripping plot and crisp language, the book is definitely going to appeal to readers fond of this genre.

Book Information

Author:	R V Raman
ISBN:	9789350098004
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 300 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Last King In India

2014-08-03T10:56:00.000+05:30

Although it is gratifying to note the independence of the judiciary, the problem of the king's creditors remained.

The Last King in India is the story of an extraordinary man whose memory still divides opinion sharply today. Somewhere between the two extreme polarized opinions lies a complex character, a man who married over 350 women, who directed theatrical events lasting a month and who built a fairy tale palace in Lucknow. Wajid Ai Shah was written out of the history books after his kingdom was annexed to the Empire in 1856. Some even thought he had been killed during the uprising the following year. But he lived on in Calcutta where he spent the last years of his life trying to recreate his lost paradise.

This book is a powerful retracing of the story of his life based on original documents from Indian and British archives and meetings with his descendants. While most well researched biographies tend towards the more dense and scholarly format, this book did surpass the limitation and is highly readable biography of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Written in a strong and vivid narrative style, this is a fascinating and insightful portrait of the character and deserves to be present in the library of every individual who is interested in the life of the Nawab.

Book Information

Author:	Rosie Llewellyn-Jones
ISBN:	9788184005493
Binding:	Hardcover
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 350 with cover

Insightful and absolutely readable. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: In Custody

2014-07-19T15:25:00.001+05:30

But the poet's attention had already wandered - there were so many others to attract it, more loud and brazen than Deven could be even in his most heated dreams.

Deven, a Hindi lecturer in small-town Mirpore, lives a humdrum existence. A chance to interview Nur - India's greatest living Urdu poet - offers him an escape from his dreary life. But the Nur he meets is an enfeebled man, surrounded by clashing wives and preying sycophants. Deven's decision to be the custodian of Nur's verse gives birth to an unusual alliance between the two.

In Custody is a thought-provoking tale that laments the corrosion of culture and tradition in the face of modernity. With a startling array of characters Anita Desai beautifully weaves emotions and presents a wonderful portrayal of human lives and the complexity of relationships. The reader is glued to the narrative from the very beginning of this powerful tale. Recommended for readers looking for literary fiction with the definite Indian flavour in writing.

Book Information

Author:	Anita Desai
ISBN:	978184000139
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Random House India
Year of Publication:	2007, 2013
Number of Pages:	Approx 240 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Random House India. Thank you Random House India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: A History of The Sikhs - Volume II

2014-07-05T09:58:00.001+05:30

The rise and expansion of the Arya Samaj in the Punjab had a decisive bearing on the course of Hindu-Sikh relations and on the pattern of anti-British political movements in the province.

A History of the Sikhs provides a lucid and comprehensive account of the Sikhs from the fifteenth century to the present. The current volume (Volume II) of this two volume collection covers the diverse aspects of Sikh identity and politics in colonial and recent times. It begins with the sad note following death and funeral of Ranjit Singh. The power struggle, repeated mutinies, the Anglo-Sikh works, traitors and the braves from history, and history itself provides the backbone of this book. The book follows the course of history and change in politics as the British took over the kingdom. World Wars, Partition and further political developments are covered in details.

A History of the Sikhs (Volume II) is vivid, graphical and interesting. It is an excellent read if you are interested in the subject. The author maintains a distance and presents the historical facts with supplements of information that were previously unknown. However, this book should not be considered as a piece of historical fiction built upon fact and drama. A History of The Sikhs is an interesting piece of non fiction reading on the subject.

Book Information

Author:	Khushwant Singh
ISBN:	9780195673098
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date of Publication:	1999
Number of Pages:	Approx 550 with cover

A Collector's edition. I had received the copy from MySmartPrice. Thank you MySmartPrice for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Prisoner Jailor Prime Minister

2014-06-22T16:50:00.000+05:30

Killing was a razor-edged reflex. They were Han Chinese. Assassins of the Red Army.

India is on edge as a subversive internal revolt against the Constitution, and the threat of jehadi terror of an unthinkable level, are looming on the horizon. Ringing Shiva's damaru in and out of Parliament, a sudden turn of karma catapults outsider Siddhartha Tagore - a conflicted genius, music maestro and prodigal son, with forceful views on China and Pakistan - into national prominence as the head of the Opposition Alliance and finally as the newly elected Prime Minister of a disturbed nation. But buried secrets are being resurrected and threaten to expose the past. Twisted within the double helix of menacing politics and hidden lust, Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister is a scorching account of Siddhartha Tagore's fascinating journey from Harvard to 7 Race Course Road.

Written in fast paced yet abrupt narrative style, and with interesting twists in story line the book thrills. Unputdownable once the reader is accustomed to the flow. The characters are etched out properly. Dealing with politics and dark secrets, Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister is an engaging book having a truly attractive cover design. If you like reading political thrillers, go for it.

Book Information

Author:	Tabrik C
ISBN:	9789350096703
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 320 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Gone With The Vindaloo

2014-05-31T12:15:00.000+05:30

"It was in Lucknow that I perfected the art of roasting khara masalas." said Mateen.

Kalaam, by caste a spinner of yarns, discovers by delicious accident that he has a God-given flair for concocting the most delectable recipes, a gift that he passes through his son Param to his grandson Pakwaan, the true inheritor of his passion and talent. It is Pakwaan's signature Vindaloo, tempered to mouth-watering perfection that catches the fancy of everyone who tastes it, including Svetlana, a nirvana-seeking Russo-American who is convinced that the dish (and its very exotic creator) is the answer to the Western world's craving of all things exotic. But what adventures await the starry eyed Pakwaan is America, the promised land of possibilities.

Moving in time, Gone with the Vindaloo is a tale with multiple intertwined stories that unfurl as the narrative progresses. With a historical context, this book is entertaining and presents fully developed characters. With its simple yet warm narrative style that is rich with bright images, Gone with the Vindaloo is a lively and humorous account of food and life. Definitely readable.

Book Information

Author:	Vikram Nair
ISBN:	9789350095898
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Hachette India
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 310 with cover

Good Read. I had received the review copy from Hachette India. Thank you Hachette India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Losing My Religion

2014-05-10T20:41:00.000+05:30

It was time to create history.

When gamer and entrepreneur Rishi Rai sets out to revolutionize the gaming industry, something somewhere goes terribly wrong and, like dominoes, the blocks of his life fall down one after the other. An unexpected meeting with Alex, an unpredictable, crazy American hippie, changes his life forever, as he decides to quit everything and join him on an unplanned, uncharted journey across India. From getting irrepressibly high in the mysterious Malana Valley in the Himalayas to starting a shack on the bewitching Om Beach on the West Coast, they do it all. But their adrenaline-charged adventure takes a turn when Rishi meets Kyra, a beautiful and enigmatic gamer. As passions surge and sparks fly, Rishi gets drawn to Kyra...unaware who she is and where she comes from. What follows next is something nobody could ever dreamed of ...

With fully formed characters and a gripping plot, Losing my Religion is an interesting novel. The author succeeds in keeping the reader glued to the story with an amazing narrative style. Ingredients of dream, ambition, romance, and rivalry provides a full round story to the reader. With plot twists and unpredictable story line, Losing my Religion is addictive and the characters remain alive even after the story ends.

Book Information

Author:	Vishwas Mudagal
ISBN:	9788172344931
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Fingerprint Publishing
Date of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 360 with cover

An interesting novel. I had received the review copy from Fingerprint Publishing. Thank you Fingerprint for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: The Way It Was Once

2014-04-27T15:16:00.000+05:30

Reading these lines today, one can see how far ahead of his time Faiz was.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was and continues to be one of the most popular and iconic Urdu poets of the Indian subcontinent. Since his death in 1984, the interest in his ideas and work has only grown, and the ideals that underlined his poetry - love, freedom, justice and hope - continue to inspire people all over the world. In this book, with a biography of Faiz's grandson Ali Madeeh Hashmi and translations of fifty-two of his poems by noted Pakistani writer Shoaib Hashmi, Faiz's life and verse come alive. While the biography, incisive as well as affectionate, captures the key moments of Faiz's life, the translations capture the spirit and flavour of Faiz's poems.

With rare photographs from family albums and letters written by the poet, this biography is one of the few biographies of the poet, and the first to be written by a family member. Written in simple narrative style and in an affectionate voice, the biography is interesting to read and effectively glimpses into selected moments of the life. Divided into two parts - biography and translations of selected poems, this book is a visual treat and a collector's delight.

Book Information

Author:	Ali Madeeh Hashmi and Shoaib Hashmi
ISBN:	9789350291481
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Harper Collins
Date of Publication:	2012
Number of Pages:	Approx 250 with cover

The book will definitely appeal to readers who are interested in the life of the poet. I had received the copy from MySmartPrice. Thank you MySmartPrice for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at flipkart in case you live in India.

Book Review: Cell by Robin Cook

2014-04-13T22:11:00.001+05:30

Paula and George's faces reflected their horror.

George Wilson, M.D., a radiology resident in Los Angeles, is about to enter a profession on the brink of an enormous paradigm shift, foreshadowing a vastly different role for doctors everywhere. A new smartphone app is being developed that is far more than a mere reference tool; rather it is a fully customization personal physician capable of diagnosing and treating patients more efficiently that the real thing. It is called iDoc. George's initial collision with this incredible innovation is devastating. He awakens one morning to find his fiancée dead in bed beside him, not long after she participated in an iDoc test. Then several of his patients die after undergoing imaging procedures. All of them had been part of the same beta test. Is it possible that iDoc is being subverted by hackers - and that the US government is involved in a cover-up? Despite threats to both his career and his freedom, George relentlessly seeks the truth, knowing that if he's right, the consequences could be lethal.

Robin Cook devises a brilliant story in a credible plot line in a thrilling perspective of a probable fiction like reality of a time to come. Although for some readers the book may sound to be heavy with clichés, the story is gripping enough and with action packed stirring climaxes the author succeeded in turning a tending to be average book into an interesting and top-notch fusion of groundbreaking medical science and edge-of-your seat suspense.

Book Information

Author:	Robin Cook
ISBN:	9780230769397
Binding:	Paperback
Publisher:	Pan Macmillan
Year of Publication:	2014
Number of Pages:	Approx 410 with cover

Deserves to be in the reading list of thriller lovers. I had received the review copy from Pan Macmillan India. Thank you Pan Macmillan India for giving me this opportunity. You can buy this book at Flipkart in case you live in India.