Book Review – The Revolutionary : Ram Prasad Bismil

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Book Name – The Revolutionary : Ram Prasad Bismil’s Auto Biography from the Death Row

Author – Saket Suryesh

Pages – 118

Let me start from my favourite couplet from the book

“Voh Phool Chadhate hain, turbat bhi dabi jaati,

Maashooq ke thode se bhi, ahsaan bahut hai”

This book is not a work of fiction; it is a pure valley of knowledge and nationalism. You get a chance to live, understand and feel the journey and struggle of Saheed Ram Prasad Bismil. We can feel the emotions with the most appropriate words chosen by the author which keep you engaged till the end. It also portrays how Bismil and other freedom fighters want us to make our India better and great. It makes you question yourself if we have really made it great as he has clearly mentioned the after effect of entering politics in modern India.

Kakori train Robbery was very expressive and the hindi couplet within the chapters at some places are beautifully written and positioned.

If you are planning to get a copy of book which can tell them about our freedom fighters then this is the one.

You can grab the copy from Amazon at Click here  

Cheers!

Subrat Saurabh

Would you like to know what I prefer to buy check link

https://www.amazon.in/shop/chickenbiryanii

Book Review – Murder in Paharganj

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Title: Murder In Paharganj
Author: Kulpreet Yadav
Length: 278 pages

This is my first murder mystery by an Indian author. “Murder in Paharganj” by Kulpreet Yadav sent a chill down my spine.

It is about a murder investigation of women who was murdered in a Hotel in Paharganj. Vicks Menon, a man who has lost his job recently, reaches the crime scene before the police and starts his own investigation. The search for the murderer took him to Udaipur then to Bangkok and finally to Sikkim. 

I liked and thoroughly enjoyed the way how Author Mr. Kulpreet Yadav included various international affairs. Such as the clash of Israel and Iran.

Although it is a crime thriller, it didn’t fail to express and value emotions. The pain of a father of not meeting his daughter, the guilt of not delivering the letter at right time, the impatience while your love is at the hands of death – the author succeeded in injecting emotions into words.

It is a fast paced and suspense filled book. The language of the book is equally catchy and lucid. The book is a good murder mystery with numerous numbers of surprise and definitely a page turner but with not so eye-boggling sequences.  

What I like:


1. The narration of the story is brilliant
2. The presence of mind of protagonist’s while solving the mystery

Over all, I enjoyed the book and it was worth reading.

Keep writing and best wishes to author.

My Over all Rating – 4.5/5

Book Review – The art of being grateful and other stories.

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Book Name – The art of being grateful and other stories

Length – 64 Pages

Author – Manali Desai

This book is a collection of short stories and a quick read which has 8 beautiful short stories along with a bonus reading where language is lucid enough for any reader to understand. Let me first tell you that this book is for the readers of all age group.

Cover page and other photos in this book is very creative and beautiful. I would like to mention and appreciate the effort of Khushi Chauhan for this. It is very creative, amazing and thoughtful.

Apart from those 8 short stories, there is something called “bonus reading” which I have throughly enjoyed reading. It was like an icing on the cake. Very thoughtful and a brilliant idea. It shows the different creativity of author.

Out of those 8 short stories, which is based on different story line, background, characters etc, I personally liked “Unlike the the movies” because it was totally a different and a fresh idea, “self- happiness above all” as this is much relatable story in the society and reader can easily connect to them, and “No Witness” because I was speechless the way this was narrated or written. It shows the strong will power of author to develop such a powerful character. Amazing. Simply brilliant!

I liked this line from the book “We’re all so result-oriented and hesitant to take blames.”

It was a great and quick read. Best wishes to author for next book.

Please note that this book is currently available on Kindle Only.

I give 4 🌟/5🌟 to this book.

Cheers!

Subrat Saurabh

Book Review – A Friend Like Karna

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Title: A Friend Like Karna

Author: Madhav Thapar

Pages: 182

Published in :2017

Publisher: Notion Press

Inspired by the heroic and legendary Karna, this book is a contemporary dramatic novel set against the backdrop of modern Corporate India. Thrills, suspense and a tender underlying love story ensure that the book moves at a very fast pace and keeps the reader engaged right until the unpredictable end.

The characterization is sharp and vivid with each actor playing a significant role in the evolution of the story. You will recognize many of the locales, names and references to the glamour word, and on the dark side, the Mafia, which ensures that the reader establishes an immediate connect with the plot. An important aspect is that even though it is an action filled book with a strong alpha male at the center of the plot, the female characters emerge as equally strong and admirable and are extremely important to the story.

The narrative itself is in a unique mix of first person and third person story-telling and shifts effortlessly across locations and time lines. Each sub plot of significance is brought to a logical conclusion and is cleverly inter weaved to be a part of the main story line.

Some of my favorite lines from the book which create enough curiosity and suspense are:

“Two wise men, one common problem, different conclusions. As the two stalwarts procrastinate, the wheels of fate continue to spin on relentlessly….”

“Crime only pauses, it never ceases”

“A few hours later a call is placed to Karachi on a burner phone. The recipient: one of the most wanted men in the world, but also someone who does not officially exist in the country he lives in.”

It is a book best read in one sitting and indeed it is hard to put down. As it progresses from scene to scene, frame by frame, there is always the burning question in the readers mind:  “So, what will happen next?”

The Prologue and Epilogue are the two bookends of the entire narration, with the conclusion of the theme coming in the very last lines.

You can grab a copy of “A Friend Like Karna” at Amazon Click here and at Flipkart at Click here

Book Review – Quest for Paradise

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Title: Quest for Paradise

Author: Shuchi

Pages: 114

Published in :2017

Publisher: Notion Press

The name of first chapter ‘Of Dragons and Avatars’, itself got me hooked, and when I continued to read, the story felt even more interesting. From tattooing Avatar movie’s flying dragons, to hustling in Mumbai’s packed local trains, Ishana is your girl-next-door trying to achieve something extraordinary in ordinary circumstances. But as we all know, challenges are bound to creep up. Her parents are against her dream on the pretext of societal norms, as she is ‘meant’ to be married off. On the other hand, she finds that Vaishakh, her customer just wants to tattoo a mere ‘dot’ on himself. Strange? Well, I didn’t expect the plot to become still stranger as it thickened. With each subsequent chapter, I found myself more and more hooked, curious as to what would happen next! Then there comes a twist, which no reader would even think of happening.

The story is hugely gripping, narration is smooth, and the characters have been developed pretty well. Some parts of the story felt a little long, and a couple of scenes felt dragged up, but they don’t wither your drive much to continue reading on and on.

“This is what we are; we are all insignificant, no matter how important we feel to others around us. Why do we keep wasting our life on things, which don’t give significance to our insignificant lives? This giant universe will go on, with or without you, an insignificant speck in it. It’s up to you to decide how you live the life that you’ve been given, and how to make it more significant.” With this enthralling quote by Vaishakh in the book, I highly recommend all of you fiction readers out there, and book a roller coaster joy ride for yourselves, spotted with tidbits which would make you question the person you see in the mirror.

Quest for Paradise is for anyone, and everyone who is young by age, and young by heart, and who wants to explore beyond, and go the extra mile, as it is rightly said ‘it’s never crowded.’

You can grab a copy of “Quest for Paradise” at Amazon: Click here and at Flipkart at Click here

Book Review – Phases of Moon

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Title: Phases of Moon
Poet: Neha Jindal
Pages: 54
Published in: 2017
Publisher: Notion Press

Phases of Moon- A poetic journey of a girl, is a debut book of the author, Neha Jindal. The book is a collection of twenty poems that beautifully describes the journey of a girl. It is a short yet engaging work by the author. The poems are written in a rhythmic pattern giving an emotional flow.

Author has been able to cover divergent phases of a girl’s life, starting from teenage to womanhood. She has been able to clearly bring out the essence of the title of the book, “Phases of Moon”. As the moon changes and grows through distinct phases, in the same way a girl’s life goes through different transitions.

The book is divided into three sections:

  • Teenage Shower – It will make you dive into your teens filled with silly infatuations and seasons of love.
  • Tied the Knot – This section shares beautiful poems about the marital phase of a girl’s life.
  • Emotions Unleashed – I found poetry in this section interesting as it covers some symbolic poems and other avenues of life.

I would like to share excerpts from some of the poems that appealed to me a lot.

From one of my favourite poem, Teenage, that felt like my emotions were re-written,

“We want someone, with whom we can chat for a while,
If not so, at least a person with whom we can exchange a smile.
At night the cosy bed has began to create fears,
As we need someone to smile for and in his love to shed tears.”

Another poem that touched my heart is Small saint, which is a symbolic poetry and portrays heart as a small saint. I loved how the poetess beautifully describes the attributes of a heart. Sharing some lines from the same:

“This little saint is calm and serene,
But when it goes mean, it creates an awful scene.
The hut destroyed and the garden ruined,
Both by the destiny are twined.
All the servants who used to bow, lose their worth,
Ready to be buried, in the earth.”

 

I would recommend this book to all the poetry lovers. The best part of this book is its written in simple English and is very relatable to our life. If you are looking for a refreshing poetical read do check it out at Amazon at the link given below.

Amazon – Click here

Book Review – Lantern

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Title: Lantern
Poet: Sprith Shrivastava & Shashikant Singh
Pages: 126
Publishedin: 2017
Publisher: Notion Press

Lantern is accumulation of poetries with some short stories. It contains 44 poems and 5 stories. The book can be read altogether in about two to three hours! The book is simple and crisp. The stories are of fictional nature, with twist and turns here and there. ‘The Mind Traveller’ is story of a scientist with an ironical ending. ‘Aurum’ on the other hand is a story of pirates and their dilemmas. The authors have really pulled out the story quite well especially with respect to the accent and dialect of the pirates. The story is engaging and well narrated. On the other hand, ‘The Master of Time’, a science fiction story, of how a boy turns a boring day into an adventure by eliminating a probable terrorist attack. There is also a spine-chilling horror story to keeps the reader engaged till the end!

Apart from the stories, the authors have put up a great content of thoughtful yet amazing poetries.

The poems are centered on myriad subjects such rains, street lights, love, thoughts etc. For e.g. in the poem, ‘The Shepherd’ the authors have beautifully compared one’s thoughts and one’s self to the sheep and the shepherd. In the poem, ‘Fallen Leaves of Autumn’, the authors share one side of love and have put it out with beautiful rhythms. ‘The Sweet Family and Me the Culprit’ portrays the life of mother hen and its tragic story. It very carefully sheds light on the very tragic and sorry life story of chickens and their death one by one; and how we as humans are culprit in it. Truly an amazing creation. We all do sins and we know it. ‘The Werewolf’ captures the same and shows how one fights and tries to keep himself away and yet cannot restrain himself and gives up before his sins.

Apart from the above, the book has many good write-ups to offer. It is worth a one-time read and a book to keep and refer to.

The book is engaging and has refreshing content. Some of my best excerpts from the book:

“… we don’t pillage! We trade with principles and rules … good man, ye be… All of you… British merchants trading in India … Ye be quite rich and well to do…”
“… if destiny has other plans and I don’t return … Then perchance this letter would be my last…”
“… some are silent
some are weak
some are tender
some are sleek…”
“… standing around the mountains,
I look down on the sunny days,
I couldn’t find you, amongst the crowd…
Against the sun, to find me, do you look up and gaze?”
“…I yelled on my fate…
For what I had this date…
I found myself as the culprit…
For I had seen the whole lovely, innocent family Converted in to spirit…”
“… the agony is unbearable,
And he tries to break the shackles…
For every second seems an eternity,
The affliction that needs to be tackled…”

The book is a must read. Won’t take much time and will be a worthwhile. A recommend. Kudos to the writers… Job well done!

Amazon Link –  Click here

Book Review – The Lonely Drummer and other poems

Posted on by chickenbiryanii

Title: The Lonely Drummer and Other Poems
Poet: Abhishek Goswami
Pages: 74
Published in: 2017
Publisher: Notion Press

There are 35 poems in this debut book by poet Abhishek Goswami who has decided not to make it a monotonous affair by writing poems on vivid themes and issues. Poems in his book is on life, happiness, sorrows, joy, pleasure, pain and other abstract ideas including some of the verse-tales, as critics have called it.

The very first poem in the book, which follows the signature title as well, begins with a note of gloom and we get to know that the lonely drummer has been ‘left alone’. During my reading session, when I read it further I realized that many interesting poems which were not only interesting in the terms of content but also quite relative to our day to day life and nature. At the end of the book, you will see a very long poem divided in parts – “The Blue Book” which is a very interesting story told in verse and I liked it. You will surely love this concept.

My personal experience with the book has been great because I got a meaningful collection of English poems to read. The collection of poems in the book varies from pessimism to optimism – the bright and the dark – the good and the bad and this journey was wonderful.

“When happy while doing something,
That’s the mantra which success bring.
Marching ahead with vigor new,
Joys surround us, sadness bid adieu.”

With this book, one thing that readers will like in his collection of poetry is that he keeps it simple and hence, it helps to connect the readers easily you can relate.

The journey that Abhishek has talked about in his book or he has started with his debut book will see him going a good distance. His poems are worthy to be praised and reflect the modern dilemmas and inquisitiveness in the mind of people.

These poems by the debut poet Abhishek Goswami have been wonderful to read and interesting to be enjoyed. He meets the expectations that you might have from a debut book in poetry! You can get his collection from the below Amazon India link and see which poems connect with you and in what manners… This book is also available in Kindle version.

Amazon Link – Click here