InklingsInsight

Book Name: My Jeans Fit Well & The Ice-Cream Didn’t Melt Author: Manali Desai Publisher: Ukiyoto Genre: Humour (Non-fiction) My Jeans Fit Well & The Ice-Cream Didn’t Melt by Manali Desai is a humorous treat to her life’s raw and unfiltered moments.   Review The book is a collection of 150+ moments and gestures from the author's life, reflecting glimpses of joy, happiness, the mundanity of her life, and little junctures that are often overlooked in the race of life. Each anecdote comes with a whimsical illustration depicting a real-life moment from the author's routine. Two things make this book stand out: the first is that readers can relate to many anecdotes, and the second is the simplicity with which each anecdote is written and portrayed with illustrations, featuring a communication bubble between the characters in the illustration and sometimes it’s just the author thinking out loud in those bubbles. However, there is one thing that can divert readers from the ...

Book Name: Six Days In Bombay Author: Alka Joshi Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: Contemporary & Century Historical Fiction Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi is a compelling historical fiction that transports readers to a world set in 1937.   Review Have you read a book that looked like a mystery but ended with an exploration and the protagonist's journey of self-discovery? This book comes with the same experience. The story follows the life of Sona Falstaff, a half-Indian, half-British nurse living in Bombay with her mother in a small house. During her stay in Bombay, she grew exponentially in various aspects of life, from living a shadowed life under her mother's influence to emerging and exploring foreign lands on her own. The title of the book has a significance in the plotline, which I will leave for readers to discover as they read the book. In May 1937, Sona met a patient, Mira, in the hospital, who was full of life and became the reason for Sona's growth, leav...

Book Name: Behind Closed Doors Author: Jemimah Jonah Publisher: Paper Towns Genre: Crime Thriller Behind Closed Doors, the first book in Maya Alexander Series by Jemimah Jonah is a suspenseful, and compelling novel. Review The story begins with a scream from the neighbourhood while Arjun was partying with his brother. Both were drunk and did not acknowledge the scream until there was a knock at their door. They found the elder son of their neighbour, his eyes bloodshot and his face fear-stricken. Arjun let him in, asking if everything was alright. What followed was a mystery waiting to unfold, three murders that led to chaos and the reopening of old case files. Lady detective Maya was assigned to the case along with sub-inspector Allen, and their investigation led them to a ten-year-old case file that brought up significant facts and previously unsolved cases. The character development is smooth and detailed. Readers will fall in love with Maya for her determination, fierceness, an...

Book Name: The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles Author: Hemangini Dutt Majumder Publisher: Olive Turtle (An imprint of Niyogi) Genre: Mystery  The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles by Hemangini Dutt Majumder is a humorous delight, mystery novel that blends Bengali tradition with a touch of Gothic literature. Review The story starts with the introduction of the protagonist, Ollie, where the author reveals how she got her name, Olympia Ghoshal Chatterjee. To begin with the life of Ollie, there is chaos, drama, an eerie atmosphere, ghostly appearances (not in real though), and the essence of the smelling sense that made her unique. Often, she landed in trouble because of her strong sense of smell, but in the end, it helped solve a series of murder mysteries by catching the culprit who was creating terror and fear in their ancestral mansion, Neelbari, in Chandannagar, and it even prevented two murders. The characters are relatable and feel so real that readers will enjoy their worlds and st...

Ram Pratap Sharma woke up early in the morning, seeing a long day ahead. He got ready in his uniform to board a convoy jeep that would transfer him from Tawang to Tezpur. Early morning travel was a bliss for him, with pleasing weather and quiet roads. After all, the roads were covered with fog and chilling winds. The patriotic songs played in the background as Ram looked outside, resting on the window, feeling the serenity of the mountains. He was leaving for home after joining the armed forces for the holidays. His life changed completely. In that 12-15 hours journey, he lived several lives from being a son, to being an army officer, he felt gratitude, and his smile showed satisfaction. His mate. Dheeraj, in the driver's seat, noticed him and asked playfully, "Aur Ram, kaisa lagra hai? Pehli baar ghar jaare ho na yaha aane ke baad?" (So, Ram, how are you feeling? You are going home for the first time since you came here, right?) Coming out of his trance, Ram looked at hi...

Book Name: A House Without Windows Author: Nadia Hashimi Publisher: William Morrow (An Imprint of HarperCollins) Genre: Thriller and Suspense A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi is a heart-wrenching and compelling thriller novel that transports readers to the lifestyle of Afghanistan, exploring themes such as justice, resilience, womanhood, and turmoil. Review The story follows the life of Zeba, a wife and mother of four children, who ended up in Chil Mahtab, a jail for women in Kabul, when she was found with blood on her hands and her husband lay with a hatchet stuck in his skull. Accused of a crime which she might or might not have committed, without throwing any tantrums, she followed the police. She waited for her trial in jail amongst other women who were spending their time in Chil Mahtab for petty crimes like running away with a lover, carrying a baby out of wedlock, and so on. Such was the life of women in patriarchal Afghanistan. The storytelling takes readers on the ...