Tag - Book Review

Art & Culture

A warm glow of reminiscence in Sonnet Mondal’s An Afternoon in My Mind

March 12, 2022

Copper Coin Publishing has come out with Sonnet Mondal’s seventh book of poems, An Afternoon in My Mind. Seventy-five poems with a strong feeling of location, particularly ‘home,’ are included in the collection. A warm glow of reminiscence surrounds you at all times. Readers are immersed into a fascinating, sombre, and evocative muck of feelings and reflections that appear transient but linger like a stimulating and sweet aftertaste long after each poem has finished.
Each poem in the book like a story speak of the poet’s unsettled trip into his inner self and of a period that seems to have slipped between the ignored pages of ordinary and vacuous routines of contemporary existence, which he pulls out effortlessly and breathes life into with a timeless beautiful romance.
‘An Afternoon in My Mind’, transports readers back to their childhood memories, mental battles to combat futuristic concepts, healing crevices of darkness, and fighting till the finish with a continual focus on seeing life as a joyful experience. Memories that are redundant, unwanted, or annoying are erased in his poems. They condense into an after-storm breeze, enveloping us in times of tumult and allowing us to walk alone in times of reflection.
In Ranjit Hoskote’s words, “Every road in Sonnet Mondal’s new collection, An Afternoon in My Mind, moves forward to the past. I use this turn of phrase advisedly, for the past is never concluded in Mondal’s poignant and haunting poems, never fully left behind. It suffuses the present as the remembered scent of first rains and muddy streams. It infiltrates the future in the voice of a vanished grandfather and the resonance of a ferry horn.”

Art & Culture

Vijay Sokhi’s Peoplonomics is the perfect book to boost your career

May 30, 2021

Peoplonomics tries to break the myth that people are designations. It takes the complex organisational structure and breaks it down into just four characters. When you do this, you can see with absolute clarity with whom are you working and how working with them has a significant co-relation to the position that you are currently occupying. It will also reflect on how the future of your career will shape up.
The book, published by Locksley Hall Publishing, pitched by The Book Bakers, builds up on the concept of the four kind of people. As you start turning the pages it becomes more and more personal. Slowly, it starts gripping you and does not leave, until it compels you to re-align your career moves. It brings you to a moment of realization and then coerces you to take the leap of faith. It does not give up on anyone and believes that every working individual is a ‘Hero’.
Peoplonomics makes you people ready. It must be understood that people with who you work can either make or break your career. Simple to say but full of intricacies. But with ease, Vijay Sokhi, takes this difficult subject and navigates the reader to a self-discovery path. When you know who you actually are, you will know why what is happening in your life has a pattern to it. Not only this, he also vehemently drives the attention of the reader to the fact that the corporate circle to which the reader belongs has a strong influence on the stage at which his career is currently standing. If the goal that a person has decided for himself does not match with his current position, then he starts to get the understanding that it’s not just performance but also the people with who he is sharing the corporate space responsible for it. With this comes the urge of changing the circle, but is changing circles an easy task? To become the part of the higher circle that you have decided, the first pre-requisite is to be at par with their level, else very soon you will have to take an exit. This again raises another important question, isn’t it also important to know what one’s potential is and then strategize accordingly? Therefore, it is wiser to work to one’s potential and be the best in the segment rather than changing it. Periodically, the book keeps on asking such types of questions, which brings the reader closer to reality.
The four characters that the book brings to life have their own importance. The growth trajectory of an organisation completely depends on the type of people they have. While they can function with one or two types; they will only excel when a blend of the four is there.
The book is a recommended read for any working individual. The finesse with which, Vijay Sokhi, has bought to light this new perspective of human behavior and the way in which he has related it to the place of work is highly commendable. He has talked in detail about what one should look for to build their career, besides external structure such as infrastructure and compensation. This book will find relevance not only today, but for times to come.

Art & Culture • Main News

Open Ended Conversations

April 14, 2021

Thawailnwall was born and raised in Pittsburgh PA. She currently at the time of this original printing resides in Dallas Texas. After many years of enduring homelessness, she has fashioned herself as a writer, spoken word artist, visual artist, homeless advocate/activist and street resource coordinator.
Her release of this manuscript comes after her first published book Thawailnwall Presents ” Mind Juice” Hydration for the mind available on Kindle Amazon. This first compilation was drafted during various stages of her homeless experience.
She writes from the heart in her own tongue. Her shoot from the hip approach is both humorous and cleansing. She writes to create an atmosphere of freedom and peace. Her perspective of events comes from her own personal view of happenings and it impacts on her life.

Book : Fat Black and A Women
Author : Insha Caldwell Thawailnwall
Number of pages : 73

The idea of publishing began with her first book “Thawailnwall presents Mind Juice,  Hydration for the brain “. This compilation was birthed during a homeless period and bitter breakup from a romantic relationship. The journey forged to the most recent release “Fat, Black and A Woman “ the biography chronicling her life’s experiences from early childhood abuses and neglect, through her divorce and homeless period right up to today and her Hope’s for the future. She knew her story had to be told.
The absolutely beautiful title comes from something her mother once told her: “If I wanted to become anything in this world I would have to overcome being fat, black and a woman…”. The title itself signifies the values of the book.
This is a book that is sure to get you on a path of positivity. This book helps you in getting your life together
Thawailnwall’s book “Fat, black and a woman” is a fascinating book for those who are struggling in their daily lives…The story helps the readers to overcome the deep fears and challenges that are abiding them from pursuing their life goals. Author has done a commendable job by sharing her story with the common people. Through her book Thawailnwall teaches us the values of Awareness and action!
This book is a wake up call to the dead, blind and mute. It’s a loud cry in the wilderness for those suffering in silence.  Those who are too afraid to speak up. Those who aren’t able to speak up.  And even more so for those who don’t speak up. This book is a point of encouragement for those who read it, will to absorb the message…
When asked about the biggest challenge in the process of book writing, Thawailnwall said, “overcoming the scars related to my story. So much pain is involved with the telling of it that I cried a lot as I wrote it out. Having to relive the events on my mind was difficult. Very difficult indeed.”
She describes her book in minimal 3 words as “Open-ended conversations”.
When asked What did she want the readers to take away from the book? she said, “Strength in the midst of a storm. I want them to know they too are strong and can overcome their struggles and not be enslaved by them.”
Thawailnwall has two upcoming projects in the near future One is a compilation of short stories and the other is a kind of self-help book. No drop dates are available at this time.

Art & Culture • Main News

THE RAPE TRIAL BY BIDISHA GHOSAL

July 28, 2020

“Rape is a heinous crime”. What do you do when the rapist is someone you know?
One night while Rhea, Hitashi, and Amruta were spending some quality time together, they came across a clip in a television channel which displayed the sting operation of Rahul Satyabaghi where he was bragging about how he raped Avni Rambha, bested her in court and gone on to become a men’s right activist. Looking at this clip, the rage within Rhea and her friends ignited as Avni was their childhood friend. Witnessing this whole incident Rhea goes in the flashback to the darkest part of her childhood which turned her heart pound faster.
Furthermore, DC Virendra Dixit was among those who’d believe that Rambha rape case has been a false ‘false allegation’ but now, the sting tape brings him to a case that promises to be a turning point in his career. Rhea along with her friends decides to carve out a path to change the fate of the victims. What will they do? Will their path cross with DC Dixit? What will happen to the rapist?
Now, I will love to share a few lines from the book which I loved the most:
It’s her fault, so she should never
Ask for justice.
It’s her fault, so she should never Speak up
It’s her fault, so should no longer
Live.
You, who teaches the daughter it’s feminine to cover up,
Cover her knees, Her shoulders, Her armpits.
That it’s feminine to be modest, lower eyes, lower voice,
Stretch the lips and smile, smile Be nice!
That boys will always Be boys.
Enough of women who let a man decide. We decree that he can no longer
Lech us Catcall us Follow us
Touch us.
Shout abuse to us.
Shout what he insists are compliments to us. Assault us.
Rape us Enough.
Now talking about the book, this book portrays a very unique and intriguing plot that is capable enough to put a question mark on the judicial system of our Country. Not only this, it also displays what happens when women takes justice in their own hand.
First thing first, the storyline is truly enthralling, thought provoking and heart stirring. The narration was blindingly well polished. The reader can actually feel the scene played with the characters around them. The characterization was well developed.
The title of this book is absolutely apt to the storyline. The cover of the book looks beautiful. The language was easily understandable.
I would like to appreciate the author for picking up this topic and crafting the plot brilliantly with lots of twists and turns which will definitely keep the readers glued to the book.
What I find unique about this book is that this book not only inscribes a gruesome crime but it also shows the true picture of our judiciary system where the rapist can easily get acquitted using his power while the victim either remains silent or gets tired of running around on the court trial for justice.
If ever I get a chance to recommend any crime thriller that can be adapted as a movie/web series then, I will definitely recommend “The rape trial”.
If you are a crime thriller hunter alike me then, just grab this book from Notion Press website. Here is the link:
 
My rating: 4.5/5

Art & Culture

Book Review: Marrying Happiness

December 15, 2019

Author : Arun Malik Genre : Motivational Quotes My Rating: ???? Available on : Amazon Pages : 153 My Take: The first thing which will attract you to this book...

Art & Culture

Book Review : Abyss

November 14, 2019

Book Title: Abyss
Author: Sabarna Roy
Format: Paperback
Pages: 120
Review by: Swapna Peri

Life always beckons with reality and truth however it is seen through the tinted glasses. Every day becomes a challenge in finding the real meaning of life. From his first book, the author has presented all the human-related things and emotions in his five books very intrinsically. In a perfect mixture of fiction and facts, feelings and emotions the concept of life presented by the author seem so true even though some are fictitious.
In the book Abyss, the author pragmatically used a format of storytelling in the form of plays. Abyss is a full-length play in two acts with an interval. It is a crime suspense thriller. The author has presented the characters in a very pleasing manner and holds the grip of the reader’s mind.
Book Title:
The title of the book ‘Abyss’ is interesting
What I like:
The interlacing of the scenes and the narration is done in an excellent way.
The way the author has presented about life and various emotions will move the readers.
Characters:
Every character in the story is plotted very well with interesting narration and characterizations.
Narration:
The narration of the story is engaging and interesting.
Language & Grammar:
Flawless language and good grammar are found in the story.

My Final Verdict:
A thought-provoking book with facts of life that move the reader’s mind and leave them with a great experience. The book is apt for all ages and all groups of readers.

Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Narration: 3/5
Language & Grammar: 3/5
Final Rating: 4/5
 

Art & Culture • Main News

Book Review: “Femonomic: Women Invite Crime”

November 5, 2019

The book’s title “Femonomic: Women Invite Crime” is a shot at society’s constant victim blaming as women are expected to resist or enjoy crime against them. No matter what happens, women are always either instructed or blamed for one or the other thing.

Book : Femonomic: Women Invite Crime
Publisher: Think Tank Books (1 September 2019)
Author : Lovey Chaudhary
Price : 125 INR
Format: Paperback & Kindle
Review by Swapna Peri     

Book Cover
The cover of the book is an image of a young woman looking straight at you with courage and helplessness.
About the book
The book is a collection of poems that are like distinct fragrances of a flower, a perfect mixture of different emotions, boldness, and innocence.
Aesthetics, observation, and emotional balance are very important while penning a poetry-based book, and the author has excelled brilliantly in it. The poems appear to be inspired by real-life events, encounters, and most frowned upon subjects around the world. It seems as if most of them were personally experienced by the author.
Many poems in the book empower women to create a positive space in life and encourage society to do so as well. In a way, the book is a good medium for communicating the strong message the author planned to convey through her poems to the world.
The poetry talks about everything from body image to homosexuality, from the birth of a girl child to rape of that girl child, from anxiety to suicide, from love to sex, and from chocolate to French fries.
In the present scenario of the world, the violence and the increasing crimes against women are witnessed by everyone across the world in some or the other manner. It indicates the enormity and pensiveness of the monstrosity perpetrated against women in recent years. Most of the times the parents or the relatives of the woman suffering mask out the crime against her because they fear society. It is a myth that such atrocities happen only in the communities of less-educated people. It is most prevalent with the middle class and upper-middle class, in India or America. The changes in the living standards, lifestyle, imbalance in the economic growth, changes in social life are some of the reasons that contribute to a vicious outlook towards women due to which there is multiplication in crimes against women.
Some of the poems like To Love, Tumble, I don’t know what to name it, Who am I, The tragedy of self-love & Prostitution are really very well thought and incredibly written. Kudos to the author for picking up such themes.
Thus the author has taken the emotional turbulence as well as women’s issues that she might have witnessed directly or indirectly as the muse for each of her poems and presented them to the readers in the most unadulterated, authentic and powerful way. There are many poems that are written so intelligently that they will prick the bug in one’s mind.
What I like

A perfect blend of raw human emotions towards subjects that everybody is aware of but no one talks about.
Realism, perception and imagination are beautifully interwined.
Poetry about contrasting topics in a unique way makes for a good read.
The sense of thought provoking and probing poems is admirable.
Reality of today’s world is described coherently and effectively.
The mindset of today’s society towards women is seamlessly illustrated in words.

My Final Verdict: A unique, thoughtful and exceptional read.

Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover: 4/5
About the book: 4/5
Language & Grammar: 4/5
Final Rating: 4/5

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