Solitude and Books

Reading Durga in Nigeria felt like stepping into someone’s private world, where pain, faith, and healing sit quietly beside each other. From the very first chapter, I felt pulled into Saani’s emotions,her loneliness, her confusion, and the strange strength that slowly grows inside her. The story moves between Pune and Lagos, and the writer shows both places with a calm, steady touch that made me feel close to the characters. What I liked most about the book comes down to four things: 1. Saani’s emotional journey, it feels honest, slow, and very human. 2. The mix of modern life and old beliefs, shown in a way that feels natural, not forced. 3. Anant’s guilt, which is written with quiet tension instead of drama. 4. The mother-like, ancient presence Saani meets, which adds a beautiful layer of mystery. The story never rushes, and that worked well for me. Saani’s rebuilding process is gentle, and the silence around her pain feels very real. Anant’s return to India with his heavy secret sho...

Who else loves reading thrillers? Winters are official season to indulge in good thrillers and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.  I just finished Shadows Over Ayodhya, and honestly, it surprised me in the best possible way.  I picked it up expecting a regular crime thriller, but it turned into such an intense and engaging read that I didn’t realise how quickly the chapters flew by. What I loved most is how the book blends fiction with reality. The forged contracts, missing funds, shady companies, and the rising tension under Ayodhya’s surface all make the story feel painfully relevant.  SP Naveen Shukla’s calm strength and Nikhat Sherwani’s determination make a strong pairing, and their journey feels both thrilling and emotional.  The twist near the end genuinely caught me off guard. • The characters feel real, imperfect, emotional, and believable. •The Ayodhya backdrop is almost like a character in the story, rich, tense, and full of history. It ...

The Second First felt like sitting down with a warm cup of chai and listening to someone tell their life story with full honesty.  From the very first chapter, I connected with Kavana Prakash—her confusion, her ambition, her heartbreak, and that quiet desire to start over without really knowing how. The Bengaluru start-up backdrop adds a lively charm, and the writing feels soft, simple, and emotional in the best way. I loved how the story does not rush. It lets you breathe with the characters and understand their fears and hopes. By the time I finished the book, I felt like Kavana had become a friend whose journey made me think about my own choices and second chances. Here’s what stood out to me the most: • The characters feel real—flawed, emotional, and easy to relate to. • The writing is simple but surprisingly deep, and many lines stay with you long after. • The bond between Kavana, Rohit, and Veer grows so naturally; nothing feels forced. • The theme of ...

Quite an intriguing title right?  THE 23/π DIALOGUES: Consciousness at the Ratio of Transformation!  This is not my first time reading Amar Singh’s books. I’ve read his best selling  works, and his thought-provoking ideas, especially in his philosophical and spiritual writings, have stayed with me since 2019.  His way of telling a story in poetic verses was a fresh literary experience for me. This year I also read his second installment on learnings from his daughter Enya, and finally I got my hands on this book too. So, coming back to the book, it talks about how our species is changing as technology grows, and it looks at this shift from a wide, human point of view. It’s practical yet deeply reflective. The title felt mysterious, and I was curious to understand its meaning. The author shares his thoughts around 23 and Pi. Though the idea of dividing those concepts was a bit hard for me at first, the chapters were intriguing and m...

This story may begin with one girl, but it speaks for countless women who endure pain, exploitation, and trauma at the hands of family members, lovers, and society itself.  It exposes the silent suffering that begins at a young age , both mental and sexual abuse that leaves invisible scars shaping a woman’s entire life. The narrative brings out the harsh realities of what women face in the name of love, promises of marriage, or even while seeking safety from their own relatives and police. Its like women are only body and not soul. Only used for bodily pleasures.  The bus assault scene is chilling, evoking memories of the Nirbhaya case and reminding us that such horrors are far from over. The glimpse into the lives of beggars adds another layer of empathy and social awareness. This story again has LGBTQ plot. Sometimes the characters speak using slang to their loved ones, which I didnot find appealing. Thus I leave that part to ...

Many a times strangers we meet by chance can completely change our lives. The story line is fresh, narrative or storytelling has ability to keep you engaged, and again the language used is quite lucid, everybody can read it! More over its a quick finish short book, which keeps everything super engaging.  So, Bangalore to Kochi is a tightly packed thriller set on an overnight bus journey.  Five passengers, from different baclgrounds, and the special thing is- each one hiding something, unknowingly become part of a dangerous game.  What starts as a quiet trip turns into a tense night filled with suspicion, fear, and shocking truths. Totally loved each characters contrasting personality and their role in this story.  I always love fast paced stories and this one became my favourite. The story moves fast, building tension with every mile covered between the two cities. I figured out that the story gripped me for all these reasons. Fi...

QOTD: If your village carried the curse of its dead, would you still call it home or run before the ashes caught up with you? 🪔 The Burnt Smell of Fresh Ash is not just another horror collection, it’s the darkest turn in the Bhoota Gappa saga. Its the third installment in the Bhoota Gappa Series! The familiar haunted land of Shikaar-Nagar returns, but this time everything feels scorched and grieving. The ghosts are no longer just spirits, they are memories clawing for justice.  Azagka walks deeper into her doomed ancestral village, where every silence whispers of loss. Through thirteen terrifying stories stitched together by pain, revenge, and remembrance, the book explores how some stories never die , they burn. Bhoota Gappa, meaning “ghost stories” in Odiya, part 1 offered seven chilling tales rooted in Odisha’s culture. Blending family memories, black magic, and folklore, it feels hauntingly real. Then the part 2 brings back that thrill. Set...