The Devil’s Gate – An Impossible Journey by Deepak Kripal – A Book Review

Quoted from the blurb

"Sidelined By Man, Animals Turned To Demons.

 Plundered by humans of their habitats, animals take a drastic step when they decide to send a team of a cat named as Katy and a dog named as Dug, to an invisible island known, as the Island of ‘Five Hundred Graves’. The island becomes visible only for a short time on the night of the full moon.

Legend has it that the island is inhabited by the demons. Katy and Dug are supposed to negotiate a deal with the demons, convincing them to allow the animals inhabit the island. Majority of the animal community believe that tinkering with the other world could bring their wrath to the animals. The team is sent to the island nevertheless.

But can a deal with the dead be materialized?

Are there really demons on the island? Is there any conspiracy involved?

Will Katy and Dug be able to negotiate, or will survival remain their only question in the deadly island?"

This is perhaps one of the very unusual books that I have read in recent times. I was quite curious when I read the blurb – c’mon it is not often that one comes across a book that has animals like cat and dog as the protagonists. It did take some time to get into the book, but once I got the hang of the story there was no looking back. The first time I saw this book, I was not impressed with the cover – a grotesque looking creature rising out of a door was not exactly inviting. But, the story in the book more than made up for it.

As a debut author, the author has done a great job in coming up with a book with such an innovative story line. There is so happening here – there is the mysterious island, the unusual characters of Katy and Dug, demons, monsters, the sophisticated designed Devil’s Gate, the palace of Vanora, Vanora’s curse, the evil Penacus and more. The style of writing is simple and lucid. The suspense builds up gradually and keeps the readers engaged. However, I do think that there were some snags at the editing end as there were quite a number of typos that could have been done away with.

There is an underlying message in the books that speaks of the plight of animals – how humans are constantly destroying their habitats making it difficult for them to live peacefully. I was thinking that it might be horror book, but it really wasn’t. The book is laced with light humor that makes it suitable for readers of all age. In fact, all the time I was reading the book; I could imagine each and every scene in an animated version inside my mind. I can very well imagine it being made into an animated film! I feel it can be great hit among kids.

The end of the book was quite a surprise and it is likely that the author has a sequel in mind. In that case, I will definitely look forward to read it. If you like reading fantasy novels, this can catch your fancy too.

I received a free review copy from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

The Great Indian Democracy by Manivannan K – A Book Review

Twenty-something Vikram rebels against his father and the mediocre life his engineering background has ordained for him by travelling to Delhi to become a stand-up comedian. Only, he is forced to see the serious side of his jokes when circumstances compel him to accept the position of a journalist at The Great Indian Democracy, an upcoming political magazine.

Life drifts along through plagiarized articles and pub-hopping until one day he finds out why he was hired in the first place. And meets Advaita, the annoyingly beautiful intern with whom he falls in love.

I received this book from ‘Pirates’ for an honest and unbiased review of the same.

The first thing I noticed about the book is the cover page – it looked inviting and promising. As Indians, the citizens of the biggest democracy of the world – we are quite aware of what entails a democracy – its plus points, its loop holes and everything else that is associated with it. With the Lok Sabha elections happening in the country, this title seemed quite apt to me to pick up. The blurb had quite raised my expectations and I was hoping that the book will offer me a new way to look at the state of democratic affairs in the country with a good lot of satire and humor.

The book started well, but didn’t quite live up to my expectations in the end. I was hoping that there would be something more substantial on the ‘stand-up comedy’ thing, but it seemed like that it was lost amidst all the other things that were happening in the book. The story line of the book is quite predictable. A lot of unnecessary things fill the pages at times – I couldn’t fathom how the weird description on the categories of girls contributes to the story in any way. Rather, I found it distracting. The writing style is simple which makes reading the book quite effortless. But, doesn’t the story make an impact on it readers? Let us find out.

The character of ‘Vikram’ failed to make an impact on me. Also, I didn’t find the character of Advaita all that interesting. To give the book a political flavour, issues that plagues our democracy are discussed throughout the book – there is nothing new or innovative about them and they are not even written with a new perspective. The only saving grace for the book are the various supporting characters like Ramesh Anna, Sus Cheta, Baldy – Vikram’s Boss, etc. They do lighten the read sometimes and somewhere add to the fun quotient; but, not as much as one would expect. Marketing this book as a comical satire on Indian democracy doesn’t work as the humor promised in the book is pretty much non-existent. If you are picking up this book for the humor it is promising, you are going to be disappointed.

I feel the book could have done better had the title been different and it was marketed differently. It is an easy read and you could pick up if you want a light read in between serious reads. If you don't expect the things the book promises, you might even like it.

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The Crossover - Open Heart Verses by Sunil Sandeep

The Crossover – Open Heart Verses by Sunil Sandeep is a book of poems. It is the first time I am going to write about such a book. I love poems but, I seldom read poetry books. But, when I got a review request from BecomeShakespeare.com I obliged.

I took quite a while to read the book and even after I finished it, it took me quite a while to jot down my views about the book. Poetry is a beautiful form of expression. Every poet has his own way and the beauty of poems is that one can interpret it in different ways. As I flipped the pages of the book, I sensed a feeling of melancholy and sadness. Reading through the author’s bio I came to know that the author has seen a lot of ups and downs in his life and that truly reflects in his work. I particularly loved the cover of the book; it is so poetic in its own way and perfectly syncs with the content of the book.

The poems are divided into 3 sections – Dreams, Reality and the Path. The sequence is exactly how we live our lives. We dream, we face the reality and finally we tread on the path to find our inner selves.

Through the different verses, the poet dwells on the listless and void life people live these days, how people hanker after riches, how we ignore the beauty of nature around us, how we choose to ignore the social problems and how we are not doing the things we ought to do. Through his verses, the poet has tried to persuade people to rise above the materialistic pleasures and move towards inner peace and divinity.

I can’t say that I understood each and every poem in the book. Some were quite beyond me to interpret. Nor could I make anything of the pictures that accompanied each poem. There were some poems that touched my heart, were thought provoking and there were others as well whose meaning I couldn’t fathom. But, I believe that is my shortcoming and not the poet’s. If you enjoy good poetry, then you can pick this book up.

To end the review, I quote two of my favorite verses from the book.

‘The path so light

Has to be walked alone

There are no shortcuts

And there are no maps’

‘Light cannot contain darkness

But darkness can contain light

If we are open to destroy all our beliefs

Only then we can reach a greater height’

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Love Me For Me by Jenny Hale – A Book Review

I had read this book quite some time back but, due to some unforeseeable turn of events, I was not able to post the review on this space. As the saying goes – ‘better late than never’ – here I am with the review of Jenny Hale latest book – Love me For Me. I would like to thank Kim from Bookouture for sending this review copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

To give you an idea of the plot in the novel, I am quoting the blurb from the back cover.

“Sometimes you find perfect where you least expect it...

Libby Potter has just lost the perfect job, the perfect apartment and the perfect boyfriend. Moving back to the same home town that she couldn’t wait to escape when she was younger was definitely not on her to-do list. Especially as it means running into the man whose heart she broke when she left.

Pete Bennett can still make Libby’s world stop with just the sound of his voice – even ten years on. Only now, she is the last person in the world that he wants to see.

As everyone else welcomes Libby home with open arms, she realizes she’s missed that special closeness that comes from lifelong friendship. And, as Libby tries to make amends with Pete, she begins to wonder whether she made the right choice in leaving all those years ago.

When an amazing career opportunity gives her the chance to leave again, Libby will have to decide what her version of perfect is… and where she really belongs.”

It was an easy, somewhat emotional and quite enjoyable read. The author knows how to get the readers involved in the story. There are many incidences and characters in the novel that I could relate to. At first, I felt pity for Libby – her great life in New York is suddenly torn to pieces. She is so unsure about what she wants in life that, at times I did feel like shaking her up. Then slowly things change and she begins to doubts her own thoughts, desires and dreams and starts seeing things in a new perspective. If I had to tell about the story in one line, I would say it is the story of the self-discovery of Libby Potter. And this Libby could be any one of us!

Very often we live our life the way others want us too and in the process, we often forget what we truly desire. Many a times we think that if we have certain things or if we meet certain goals, we will be happy. But, that is not true. Our perspectives, our dreams, our needs often change and if we can understand and accept that, our lives can be so much simpler and enjoyable.

There were times when I could not understand why Libby acted the way she did. Of course, her thoughts seemed quite influenced by her mother, who had her own demons to fight. Then there is Pete, who tries hard to be nonchalant all the time and I hated him for that at times. But, then he also had his reasons. All the characters in the novel gel quite well in the overall story and that makes it a satisfying read.

This book gives you an important lesson in life. All that glitters is not always gold and that grass on the other side is not always greener as it seems. Sometimes, we do have to take a step back to evaluate things and make important decisions of life. 

I loved the way the author ended the story – there could not have been a more fitting way.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

South Indies, Shivaji Nagar ~ A Restaurant Review

Last weekend, we had been to South Indies Restaurant in Shivaji Nagar, Pune for dinner; I was invited by Pallavi from PRaxis Media for a complimentary lunch/dinner to sample the revamped menu at the restaurant.

South Indies, the chain of Billionsmiles Hospitality Pvt. Ltd is re-launching its restaurant in Pune with the all new theme and cuisines for the lavish taste. I tagged my hubby along. He being a hard core North Indian food lover, it took a little bit of pestering to make him to come along with me to try authentic south Indian cuisine. But, at the end he did like his experience at South Indies.

This restaurant is situated in the heart of the city and is easily accessible. When we reached there we were greeted by the manager who look us to our designated seats and explained us the concept of the menu. South Indies doesn't do Ala-carte menu. For dinner they have a huge set menu for dinner that we enjoyed that evening.

To start with we were served with 'rasam puri', which is a close cousin of the famous 'Golgappas' we all know. But, here it comes with an innovative South Indian twist. Puffed up puris were served with 4 types of rasam and 3 chutneys.  I loved the pudina rasam and pepper rasam. All the chutneys were great. However, I did feel that the puris were not crunchy enough. Overall, it was a great way to start our meal. 

Next on the starter list was 'Appe'. This was one dish I was familiar with. I have a few friends from down South and hence, I have had the opportunity to taste them before. The appe served to us at the restaurant were nice and warm - aptly spiced and we devoured them all with coconut chutney. A thumbs up for this one.

This was followed by a plate full of 6 types of starters - their name I can't possibly pronounce perfectly. The best thing to do would be to refer to the menu picture above. The manager explained us what the name means and we were good to go ahead and sample them.

We has masala spiced mini idlis which were awesome, curry leaves flavored paneer which was also great. I also liked the veggie uttapam. The arbi tikki was also good. I didn't like the sago wada and the other mushroom starter, mostly because I don't like either mushrooms and sago.

The variety they serve here is mind boggling. I has already started to feel full, so I decided to watch out for the portion size of the dishes.

After starters, we were served with cardamom flavored yogurt sorbet - which I simply loved. It was nicely flavored with cardamom, the sweetness was just right and it was quite soothing.

Apart from this, we had also ordered two mocktails which were not a part of the set menu namely - Lava Flow and Cool Blue. Both of them were nicely chilled and met our expectations.

After a refreshing yogurt sorbet, the main course was served. 

First was 'Neer dosa; that came with a spicy tomato gravy. Another was 'appam' that came with a coconut. curry. Of the two gravies, I liked the coconut one more as it was mildly spiced. The appam was nice and soft.

It was followed by curries and parathas. There were 2 types of parathas and three types of curries. The curries were specially good, all tasted good - they were rightly spiced. A thumbs up for it.

Before we move on the the desserts, a little about the decor and ambiance of the restaurant. The settings of the restaurant is nice.  I particularly like those round designs on the wall. It is well lit - not too bright and just right to give a cosy feeling. However, the restaurant can get a bit noisy when most tables are occupied. And my husband complained to me that he could not quite feel the AC in the restaurant. I think that is one area where they can still improve.

I also had curd rice before heading for desserts. It was okay - it was the first time I had it. It came with a wide variety of pickles. I quite liked the sweet mango pickle and helped myself with a generous serving of it.

The desserts menu was quite extensive. So much so that we were actually spoilt for choices. All the dishes from starts, drinks to main course was served to us on the table. But, for desserts we had to go over the desserts counter and take out pick. There were brownies, shahi tukda, gulab jamun, phirni, and two types of payasam. They also had some freshly cut fruits and an ice-cream counter. The ice-cream was served with a variety of toppings. I didn't try it as I was already so full.

I did feel that the desserts had quite a North Indian influence. I tasted each of them - they were quite nicely done. I quite liked the brownies and payasams and my husband loved the gulab jamoons. I quote him here - he said, 'they are out of the world.'

There can be no better way to finish a South Indian meal than having a cup of authentic filter 'kapi' aka coffee. I am not really a coffee person. I occasionally indulge in cold-coffees and lattes once in a blue moon. But, I loved the coffee here - it was simply 'amazing'.

Overall we had quite a nice experience at South Indies.  I will definitely recommend it to any one looking to have some authentic South Indian food. For me South Indian food have always meant the popular dishes like the Dosa, Upma, Idli, Vada, Uttapam, etc. But, you can't find these things on the menu here. The menu is quite innovative and that's what makes this place very different.