Deep Ties

  The cover image is that of a pair of scales, with a ladle and a whisk, maybe hinting at how vital correct measurements are to the perfect rendering of a dish. Shail Thosani is a lawyer by profession, but she confesses that cooking is her passion, and her greatest stressbuster. She further goes on to say that her recipes in this book are varied, each of a different taste and style, and can be made using simple, homemade ingredients, always an attractive option for both the culinary-minded and the novice chefs. A cookbook is as appealing as its photographs. The author has used her own photographs, each of which look vibrant and appetising. The dishes are in alphabetical order, beginning with Bread Vada. A short description of the dish is followed by its recipe and the method of preparation in simple words. Broccoli has always been looked upon as an exotic vegetable, used mainly in Continental cuisine. The next two dishes are Broccoli Masala and Broccoli Parathas, both of which are

  Harshita Nanda’s 100-word stories have been highly popular on social media, the reason being her prowess in creating tiny stories that leave an impact on the readers’ minds. Her debut novella ‘Xanadu’ also found warm acceptance from many, and maybe spurred her on to write ‘A Potpourri of Drabble – A Collection of 100 Word Stories’. At first glance, the cover entices with its simplicity – blue blossoms on a white background. The 100 100-word stories were created and written for the Momspresso platform. It was for the first time that I had heard the word ‘Drabble’ for 100-word stories. The eBook is a veritable montage of themes, each story making the reader ponder. It is no easy task to contain an idea within a 100 words and Harshita Nanda is a past master at the art. Her stories soar from the sublime – love, happiness, achievement and empowerment, and swoop down to the abyss that shelters themes like envy, betrayal and violence. The stories begin with the lament of a housewife i

The profile of a beautiful young woman against a background of blue and orange, almost akin to the changing colours of the sky – this is the cover image of Prasanna Raghavan’s book titled ‘Aching Hearts – a Woman’s Story’. With just four simple chapters, the book traverses the lives of two women and two men. The book is short, twenty-four pages and four chapters, but it tells a story that is truly relatable. Malu, the protagonist, is a young girl who lives with her parents and her brother. She forays into Facebook where she sees the link of a gruesome car accident which unsettles her. The story revolves around the dynamics of a dysfunctional family, where the men rule the roost and deprive the womenfolk of all privileges and freedom. The relationship between Malu and her mother is also rocky. All the latter wants is to get her daughter married. The mother is like “a caged bird fearing an approaching danger” and she is terrified of her husband, a teacher with no compassion towards h

  The blurb says it all… the protagonists have nothing in common except a tragedy that leads to a happy ending. Suchita Agarwal writes about five people who went through their own hell and found the light at the end of the tunnel. The story titles are the same as the names of their main protagonists.   Sameera, a cancer patient, and a fan of Grey’s Anatomy is grateful at having a doctor like Dr. Punit Khera who was “smart, funny and competent but most importantly, does not hide from telling her what her next three months potentially looked like”. Her parents are her “rocks in chaos”. For Sameera, the survivor, looks at her ordeal with different eyes. This is a story told with great positivity by a gifted writer. Mayank has his own demons within, as he is stuck in a rut even as his friends move on in life. His frustrations over his job, the lack of love, and even the décor in his apartment with its red sofa and stark white walls drive him almost to the point of suicide. The irony is

  The cover image leaps out in all its vibrancy, even as the reader tries to decipher the meaning of the unusual title – Humpty Dumpty’s Ten Hats. The dedication by the author, Tomichan Matheikal, evinces a smile. “Dedicated to All the politicians in today’s India who convince me every day that fiction is truer than facts.” The ten stories that follow are intriguing for different reasons. The first story ‘A Ride with a Ghost’ ends with the interesting remark by one of the characters named Varghese. “Your mind can create ghosts and gods and anything.” The same idea is carried on in ‘Death Road to Sounds of Eternity’ when the author decides to visit Kurseong, the most haunted hill station in India, and traverse the beautiful yet eerie Dow Hill, where “day or night, paranormal activities never cease here”. The story ends with a shiver down the spine. Beyond that, my lips are sealed. The author’s penchant for satire comes out in ‘The Ghost of a Banyan Tree’ when he talks ab

  The cover image is vibrant, showing different aspects of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, from its delicacies to festivals and places of interest. S. Anuradha’s eBook titled ‘Culinary and Culture of Tamil Nadu’ reveals the most popular dishes associated with festivals in Tamil Nadu. The author’s note points out why food is so intrinsic to the celebration of any festival. “Any festival or celebration is void without food. The food served on such occasion make a relishing impact on the taste buds and they last for ever. Festivals are celebrated to bring in togetherness among people and the habit of sharing with others is introduced in our lives through festivals. Every festival strengthens the bondage and brings in hope.” What is heart-warming is the manner in which the author has paired each festival with the apt dish that goes with it. Every chapter begins with the lore or story behind the dish, the reason why it is so significant and in certain cases, the rituals associated w

  Dev Bhowmik is a born musician, the boy with a guitar, who gets an offer in life that he cannot refuse. The dreams he had when he began life have dissipated, leaving him with disillusion. Until he meets Clownessa who leaves him with a warm feeling in his heart, and a strangeness that somehow seems familiar! “She reminded me of the simple joys of life. She melted the ice round my heart.” Rituparna Ghosh is an ace romance writer, but she does create a sense of intrigue as her characters have secrets too deep to be divulged. Why does Emani, Roomani’s sister, shy away from celebrating her own birthday? Why do Roomani and her fiancé, Nirman, have a strained relationship? Can Dev, the drifter, outrun his past if he strode ahead fast enough? What is the huge secret that hounds him, tethering him to a past that threatens to catch up with him at any moment? This novella, which is part of the ‘Readomania singles’ can be read in a single sitting. Not once does the interest flag, as the ch