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jainandsdiary's Reviews (310)
Years of Being You by Megha Raina is a collection of poems where the poet takes the readers on a journey of love, pain and life.
In the first part 'Love', Raina keeps her heart on her sleeve and pours down every thought a lover goes through in the process of love—the desire, the longing, the fluttering of heart, the unexpressed emotions and the unspoken words, there is everything that one feels when they are in love.
In 'Pain', Raina not only talks about heartbreak but elevates the rawness of it when she shares poems on the exodus of Kashmiris and domestic violence as well. While in the first part, Raina takes the readers to the high of love, she then grounds them with the lows of pain of separation and heartbreak in the second. And at the end, in the third part 'Life', she creates a balance between the highs and lows of love and pain and tries to show the joy and reality of life.
This collection consists of a range of poems, from long-form poems to one-liners, where Raina keeps the readers on the edge from start to end, exposing them to the emotions they go through in more raw, rich, organic and simpler versions. It will allow you to be vulnerable and honest with your feelings.
Overall, it's a highly relatable poetry collection where every word connects and makes you feel like it is written for you. A recent addition to my favourite poetry collections and a highly recommended book to everyone.
In the first part 'Love', Raina keeps her heart on her sleeve and pours down every thought a lover goes through in the process of love—the desire, the longing, the fluttering of heart, the unexpressed emotions and the unspoken words, there is everything that one feels when they are in love.
In 'Pain', Raina not only talks about heartbreak but elevates the rawness of it when she shares poems on the exodus of Kashmiris and domestic violence as well. While in the first part, Raina takes the readers to the high of love, she then grounds them with the lows of pain of separation and heartbreak in the second. And at the end, in the third part 'Life', she creates a balance between the highs and lows of love and pain and tries to show the joy and reality of life.
This collection consists of a range of poems, from long-form poems to one-liners, where Raina keeps the readers on the edge from start to end, exposing them to the emotions they go through in more raw, rich, organic and simpler versions. It will allow you to be vulnerable and honest with your feelings.
Overall, it's a highly relatable poetry collection where every word connects and makes you feel like it is written for you. A recent addition to my favourite poetry collections and a highly recommended book to everyone.
Rooh by Manav Kaul, Translated from Hindi to English by Pooja Priyamvada is a novel, which looks like a confluence of genres, it's mentioned as a novel in the description of the book, it is a travel account, and while reading, it almost feels like autobiographical! This is the protagonist's story of his visit to Kashmir, at two different times, with two different companions, one who makes him decide to visit there and be an active part in it and one who makes his visit active by being a part of it- Roohi and Roohani! ROOH!
While the first half of the book felt like there was a knot somewhere, it felt like opening up, giving liberty, in the second half.
The people that he met on his journey hold a special place. The poetry in between was something that will stay long with me. And I never thought it was possible. There is so much more to say about the book, but I know I will never be able to tell what this book means to me no matter how much I say, so I'll just say that READ it. And it needs to be read. I loved Rooh with the core of my heart, it breaks and heals it at the same time.
The translation by Pooja Priyamvada was as surprising as it could be. And I feel disheartening to not see her name, neither on the book cover or on the front page of the book.
Detailed review on Blog. Link
While the first half of the book felt like there was a knot somewhere, it felt like opening up, giving liberty, in the second half.
The people that he met on his journey hold a special place. The poetry in between was something that will stay long with me. And I never thought it was possible. There is so much more to say about the book, but I know I will never be able to tell what this book means to me no matter how much I say, so I'll just say that READ it. And it needs to be read. I loved Rooh with the core of my heart, it breaks and heals it at the same time.
The translation by Pooja Priyamvada was as surprising as it could be. And I feel disheartening to not see her name, neither on the book cover or on the front page of the book.
Detailed review on Blog. Link
Book: One Galaxy Old
Author: Rashmi Raghunath
Genre: Children's Book
Publisher: Notion Press
Pages: 78
One Galaxy Old by Rashmi Raghunath is a collection of poems and photographs that show the readers the heartstrings and the heartbreak of love and relationships, the inner feelings, longings, and emotions attached to them.
The poems in the collection find their place in the hearts of the readers, and some lines can make one think about incidents from their own life and experiences, and that's the beauty and the power that this collection holds. Though I might not be the best person to comment on photographs, I felt that many poems and photographs did not align with each other. But as both the mediums tell different stories to different people, I believe that it might tell you a story that I wasn't able to hear.
Overall, this is a collection that I loved and cherished, and every poem felt connected. It's a highly recommended book from my side and if you are looking forward to reading some poems around love, relationships, heartbreak, solitude and emotional attachments, this is a perfect match.
Author: Rashmi Raghunath
Genre: Children's Book
Publisher: Notion Press
Pages: 78
One Galaxy Old by Rashmi Raghunath is a collection of poems and photographs that show the readers the heartstrings and the heartbreak of love and relationships, the inner feelings, longings, and emotions attached to them.
The poems in the collection find their place in the hearts of the readers, and some lines can make one think about incidents from their own life and experiences, and that's the beauty and the power that this collection holds. Though I might not be the best person to comment on photographs, I felt that many poems and photographs did not align with each other. But as both the mediums tell different stories to different people, I believe that it might tell you a story that I wasn't able to hear.
Overall, this is a collection that I loved and cherished, and every poem felt connected. It's a highly recommended book from my side and if you are looking forward to reading some poems around love, relationships, heartbreak, solitude and emotional attachments, this is a perfect match.
What happens when you have written a romance novel and published it anonymously with a pseudo name because you are surrounded by a family who are the best people working in the literary fiction genre and look down upon steamy romance? Chaos right? Lots and lots of chaos, especially if you have to share the secret with a person you would never want and if that's not enough, you have to share a room with him now! Sounds interesting, it's just the beginning!
Love Story by Lindsey Kelk is contemporary romance fiction where Sophie Taylor who is hiding her identity under the name of Este Cox is the author of the mysterious bestseller author of Butterflies—which has brought a storm in the publishing world—needs the help of devilish handsome and incredibly hot Joe Walsh, the senior creative director in the publishing house she has published her book with. What would happen when her secret identity comes under threat of being no longer a secret and they have to spend time with their family and find themselves sharing a cottage? Read the book to find out.
In this enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, small-town romance, Lindsey Kelk shines with every character. The relationship between Sophie and Joe comes with all the fireworks, drama, misunderstandings, emotional depth, and swoon-worthy moments. Sophie and Joe are going to stay with me for a long time!
The relationship of Sophie with her siblings William and Charlotte and her parents is a beautiful representation of the gap between siblings and how it shapes their relationship with each other and with their parents. The friendship of Sophie with Sarah was another highlight for me and it is always heartwarming to see such beautiful friendships!
Kelk shines in the moments where she has provided the depth and layers of the importance of the romance genre and its preconceived notions as fantasy, escapism, and how it gives women unrealistic expectations. Oh, what a wonder to witness a romance author talking and debating on the importance and literary merit of romance as a genre in romance fiction! Kelk also phenomenally showed the close-knit nature of the publishing houses and the contrast between the lifestyle in the city and the countryside.
For the lovers of romance, this book is a delight to read. If you are in search of a romance (in fiction
Love Story by Lindsey Kelk is contemporary romance fiction where Sophie Taylor who is hiding her identity under the name of Este Cox is the author of the mysterious bestseller author of Butterflies—which has brought a storm in the publishing world—needs the help of devilish handsome and incredibly hot Joe Walsh, the senior creative director in the publishing house she has published her book with. What would happen when her secret identity comes under threat of being no longer a secret and they have to spend time with their family and find themselves sharing a cottage? Read the book to find out.
In this enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, small-town romance, Lindsey Kelk shines with every character. The relationship between Sophie and Joe comes with all the fireworks, drama, misunderstandings, emotional depth, and swoon-worthy moments. Sophie and Joe are going to stay with me for a long time!
The relationship of Sophie with her siblings William and Charlotte and her parents is a beautiful representation of the gap between siblings and how it shapes their relationship with each other and with their parents. The friendship of Sophie with Sarah was another highlight for me and it is always heartwarming to see such beautiful friendships!
Kelk shines in the moments where she has provided the depth and layers of the importance of the romance genre and its preconceived notions as fantasy, escapism, and how it gives women unrealistic expectations. Oh, what a wonder to witness a romance author talking and debating on the importance and literary merit of romance as a genre in romance fiction! Kelk also phenomenally showed the close-knit nature of the publishing houses and the contrast between the lifestyle in the city and the countryside.
For the lovers of romance, this book is a delight to read. If you are in search of a romance (in fiction
Sanskrit was the subject that I was supposed to study from 6th standard and to be honest, I was very scared of it because all I have heard about it was that I needed to muggle up everything and have to write exactly what was written in the books. But fate had some different things planned for me, and I need not study Sanskrit then! But when I look back at it now, I think it would have been an enlightening experience (maybe scary as well, but enlightening) and there is a part of me that still thinks about learning it. And thus comes Sanskrit Stories to the rescue.
Sanskrit Stories संस्कृतकथाः by Suchitra Hegde is an illustrated picture book that introduces readers to basic Sanskrit learning through 10 stories, each consisting of only 2-3 sentences. Each story is first written in English and then in Sanskrit, and afterwards, each of the words is individually translated into Sanskrit for better understanding and knowledge.
Each story offers a moral lesson in it, making it more suitable and engaging for young learners. The illustrations by Purva Bhalodkar beautifully capture the essence of the stories and supplement them.
If you are looking forward to a storybook to introduce young brains to a new language or looking for yourself, this one is for you.
Sanskrit Stories संस्कृतकथाः by Suchitra Hegde is an illustrated picture book that introduces readers to basic Sanskrit learning through 10 stories, each consisting of only 2-3 sentences. Each story is first written in English and then in Sanskrit, and afterwards, each of the words is individually translated into Sanskrit for better understanding and knowledge.
Each story offers a moral lesson in it, making it more suitable and engaging for young learners. The illustrations by Purva Bhalodkar beautifully capture the essence of the stories and supplement them.
If you are looking forward to a storybook to introduce young brains to a new language or looking for yourself, this one is for you.
This is a short story revolving around two main characters - Vinay and Pinky. Vinay is a professor and Pinky is a journalist. Pinky had done her graduation from Vinay's college, where he was a professor. They fall in love with each other and married having a difference of 8 to 10 years but they have no problem with it. Then their life takes twist and turns when Afreen and Prabhat takes entry in their life.
In this story the author of touched many burning issues mainly Love Jihad, sectarianism, fake journalism with other issues like age difference in marriage, adoption of children on the basis of religion, mental and physical harassment on workplace, Babri masjid demolition and its effects, inter caste marriage and of course poor politics.
The plot of the story is Bhopal and the period of story is from Babri masjid demolition to 2018.
The other main characters of the story are are Vasudha, Hussain, Shahid, Raghav, Nilofer, Fatima, Reshma and others.
The story starts with the introduction of the lifestyle of Pinky and Vinay. They both adapted Fatima and Nilofer from an orphanage. Pinky was a journalist for "Just news" whose editor was Raghav Singh who can cross any limit to gain any news which can increase his channels TRP. Vinay works as a professor where uh all of his students are a die heart fan ask him due to his charming personality.
In between the story revolves around the Hindu Muslim riots in today's life as well as of the period of Babri masjid demolition. Pinky used to remember her past when she meets certain incidents happening in present by which she can relate to her past. There life was normal until the Valentine's Day come. On this day Prabhat and Afreen enters in their life and then the story takes a turn.
To see what happens next read the story and feel its emotions.
As my personal opinion, I feel that the ending of the story was not as affective as the story was in starting and in middle. The ending could be much better.
I would recommend it to all the short story lovers who want to grab a serious content in short time. It is a one time read for me.
Rating: 3/5
In this story the author of touched many burning issues mainly Love Jihad, sectarianism, fake journalism with other issues like age difference in marriage, adoption of children on the basis of religion, mental and physical harassment on workplace, Babri masjid demolition and its effects, inter caste marriage and of course poor politics.
The plot of the story is Bhopal and the period of story is from Babri masjid demolition to 2018.
The other main characters of the story are are Vasudha, Hussain, Shahid, Raghav, Nilofer, Fatima, Reshma and others.
The story starts with the introduction of the lifestyle of Pinky and Vinay. They both adapted Fatima and Nilofer from an orphanage. Pinky was a journalist for "Just news" whose editor was Raghav Singh who can cross any limit to gain any news which can increase his channels TRP. Vinay works as a professor where uh all of his students are a die heart fan ask him due to his charming personality.
In between the story revolves around the Hindu Muslim riots in today's life as well as of the period of Babri masjid demolition. Pinky used to remember her past when she meets certain incidents happening in present by which she can relate to her past. There life was normal until the Valentine's Day come. On this day Prabhat and Afreen enters in their life and then the story takes a turn.
To see what happens next read the story and feel its emotions.
As my personal opinion, I feel that the ending of the story was not as affective as the story was in starting and in middle. The ending could be much better.
I would recommend it to all the short story lovers who want to grab a serious content in short time. It is a one time read for me.
Rating: 3/5
Book: Go to Sleep Little Peep
Author: Brendilynn Mantey-Annor
"Bunched up together and resting in the nest,
A quiet bedtime is truly the best."
This book is blessed with so many rhymes like this.
This mesmerizing illustrating book for nursery kids is very well penned down and the rhyming scheme of this is like the cherry on the cake. It gives it the sound and music like effect and is very well written to give the wings of imagination to the kids.
The poem shows the curious nature and behaviour of kids with the help of bluebirds. There are four child bluebirds and their mother. Three of them are fast asleep but the fourth one doesn't want to sleep and id in the ride of his imagination. He is curious about each and everything around him and this poem has power to take back even the adults to their childhood.
This book reminds me of the poems which we have learnt in our childhood like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Johny Johny Yes Papa and many more. It gives me pleasure when I read it and reached my childhood memories amd find the happiness in it.
For children it is easy to read and understand as the visualisation of the poem is strongly supported by the visually blessed pictures and illustrations which is highly attractive.
This book is highly recommended.
Author: Brendilynn Mantey-Annor
"Bunched up together and resting in the nest,
A quiet bedtime is truly the best."
This book is blessed with so many rhymes like this.
This mesmerizing illustrating book for nursery kids is very well penned down and the rhyming scheme of this is like the cherry on the cake. It gives it the sound and music like effect and is very well written to give the wings of imagination to the kids.
The poem shows the curious nature and behaviour of kids with the help of bluebirds. There are four child bluebirds and their mother. Three of them are fast asleep but the fourth one doesn't want to sleep and id in the ride of his imagination. He is curious about each and everything around him and this poem has power to take back even the adults to their childhood.
This book reminds me of the poems which we have learnt in our childhood like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Johny Johny Yes Papa and many more. It gives me pleasure when I read it and reached my childhood memories amd find the happiness in it.
For children it is easy to read and understand as the visualisation of the poem is strongly supported by the visually blessed pictures and illustrations which is highly attractive.
This book is highly recommended.
Flirting with life by Rohit Raj is a collection of fifty poems and ten short stories. The specialty of the poems in this collection is the rhyming scheme. The author has done an amazing job with it. When reading rhyming scheme poems is rare, this is a collection with amazing rhyme poetry. The stories in this collection were something which we can say is the cherry on the cake.
The poems are divided into six parts.
The first part was "Love, life and heartbreaks" which consists of thirteen poems. The poems will make you roam through the time of the ’90s to the current scenario. While some poems connect deeply and touch the heart, some were admirable.
The second part was “Social norms and stigmas” consists of eight poems. The poems are highly inspired by the current situations, events, and happenings from our surroundings, they are impactful and will make you think about society and humanity.
The third part was “Sarcastic” which consists of seven poems. This part has a mixed feeling for me. While some of the poems were stunning, some didn’t work for me.
The fourth part was “Motivational” having ten poems in it. This was the part which I enjoyed a lot. This part has something to offer each one of us. There were many lines with which I connected very easily and I am sure that they will resonate with you too. Some lines will hit you hard. This part has literally the power to motivate you.
The fifth part was “Psychological flicks (metaphysical)” with seven poems. The topics covered in this part were commendable and unique and should be appreciated but this was the only part where I feel like that rhyming scheme could be avoided. While the rhyming scheme is my most favorite thing in this collection, this was the part where I feel like if it was not there, the author could connect with the readers more easily. Some lines completely resonated with me and I loved them, but some lines do not work for me.
The sixth part and my most favorite part was “Family and friends” which has five poems. This was the most beautiful part of this book. Every poem of this part has the ability to touch the reader’s heart. Every word of this part can make you feel what the author wanted to tell. This was the part where it seems like the rhyming scheme came naturally in the poems. The only thing about this part is that it was the shortest part of the book and I loved this part so much that I wanted more of this part.
The final part of this book was Prose or Short stories. There were ten short stories and as I said above, it was the cherry on the cake part. The writing style of the author was phenomenal and the stories were astonishing. Obviously, as I loved these stories, I want more of them. And so, if the author will write a short stories collection in future, I will not miss it. The stories were taken up from our surroundings itself and so it connects easily.
There was only none thing that I found odd in this collection was a poem named “Ab tum mat aana”. It was my favorite poem from this collection. It was so beautiful and so warm; every word of this poem seems like coming out of the paper in front of my eyes. But the odd thing about this was that it was in Hinglish, which means the poem was in Hindi but written with English letters. The thing is that for the readers who do not understand Hindi, this poem is meaningless. So, it would be better if a rough translation of this poem in English could have been given along with the original one.
I will recommend this book to the ones who are looking to read poems with the rhyming scheme and want bonuses as short stories. This is very beginner-friendly and if you are a beginner, you should definitely check it out.
The poems are divided into six parts.
The first part was "Love, life and heartbreaks" which consists of thirteen poems. The poems will make you roam through the time of the ’90s to the current scenario. While some poems connect deeply and touch the heart, some were admirable.
The second part was “Social norms and stigmas” consists of eight poems. The poems are highly inspired by the current situations, events, and happenings from our surroundings, they are impactful and will make you think about society and humanity.
The third part was “Sarcastic” which consists of seven poems. This part has a mixed feeling for me. While some of the poems were stunning, some didn’t work for me.
The fourth part was “Motivational” having ten poems in it. This was the part which I enjoyed a lot. This part has something to offer each one of us. There were many lines with which I connected very easily and I am sure that they will resonate with you too. Some lines will hit you hard. This part has literally the power to motivate you.
The fifth part was “Psychological flicks (metaphysical)” with seven poems. The topics covered in this part were commendable and unique and should be appreciated but this was the only part where I feel like that rhyming scheme could be avoided. While the rhyming scheme is my most favorite thing in this collection, this was the part where I feel like if it was not there, the author could connect with the readers more easily. Some lines completely resonated with me and I loved them, but some lines do not work for me.
The sixth part and my most favorite part was “Family and friends” which has five poems. This was the most beautiful part of this book. Every poem of this part has the ability to touch the reader’s heart. Every word of this part can make you feel what the author wanted to tell. This was the part where it seems like the rhyming scheme came naturally in the poems. The only thing about this part is that it was the shortest part of the book and I loved this part so much that I wanted more of this part.
The final part of this book was Prose or Short stories. There were ten short stories and as I said above, it was the cherry on the cake part. The writing style of the author was phenomenal and the stories were astonishing. Obviously, as I loved these stories, I want more of them. And so, if the author will write a short stories collection in future, I will not miss it. The stories were taken up from our surroundings itself and so it connects easily.
There was only none thing that I found odd in this collection was a poem named “Ab tum mat aana”. It was my favorite poem from this collection. It was so beautiful and so warm; every word of this poem seems like coming out of the paper in front of my eyes. But the odd thing about this was that it was in Hinglish, which means the poem was in Hindi but written with English letters. The thing is that for the readers who do not understand Hindi, this poem is meaningless. So, it would be better if a rough translation of this poem in English could have been given along with the original one.
I will recommend this book to the ones who are looking to read poems with the rhyming scheme and want bonuses as short stories. This is very beginner-friendly and if you are a beginner, you should definitely check it out.
Book: Musings
Author: Arjun Thapa
Genre: Short stories and poems
Pages: 49
Rating: 2.75
Musings is a short book of 49 pages by author Arjun Thapa and is a collection of short stories and poems.
The dedication of the book was the first thing that catch my attention and the thing I liked the most about the book:
"For
Those who continue to love unbound,
Even though it has been called a terror."
There were 6 short stories in the story section covering topics around politics, love, and betrayal, passion, and meditation having some philosophical elements in it. There were some amazing quotes in between the story which I highlighted and they need a little more attention, which I liked.
In the poetry section, there were nine poems again covering various areas like misery, change in behavior, childhood, and so on. In this section, there were again some lines that touched my heart and make me observe my surroundings a little more.
But honestly saying, there were only a few stories and poems through which I feel connected. The story which I liked the most is “So Does Everybody” and apart from this, there was only one other story which caught my attention. The same thing goes with poetry too. The poetry is written in free verse and there too, there were only a few lines and poems which I liked.
As goes with the title, the stories and poems were like musings only. The only thing I want to tell is that it is not necessary that if I don't like or feel connected with the stories and poems, it will happen with you too. Maybe you can like and love them.
Author: Arjun Thapa
Genre: Short stories and poems
Pages: 49
Rating: 2.75
Musings is a short book of 49 pages by author Arjun Thapa and is a collection of short stories and poems.
The dedication of the book was the first thing that catch my attention and the thing I liked the most about the book:
"For
Those who continue to love unbound,
Even though it has been called a terror."
There were 6 short stories in the story section covering topics around politics, love, and betrayal, passion, and meditation having some philosophical elements in it. There were some amazing quotes in between the story which I highlighted and they need a little more attention, which I liked.
In the poetry section, there were nine poems again covering various areas like misery, change in behavior, childhood, and so on. In this section, there were again some lines that touched my heart and make me observe my surroundings a little more.
But honestly saying, there were only a few stories and poems through which I feel connected. The story which I liked the most is “So Does Everybody” and apart from this, there was only one other story which caught my attention. The same thing goes with poetry too. The poetry is written in free verse and there too, there were only a few lines and poems which I liked.
As goes with the title, the stories and poems were like musings only. The only thing I want to tell is that it is not necessary that if I don't like or feel connected with the stories and poems, it will happen with you too. Maybe you can like and love them.