i loved these lines by ANA MONNAR

Indeed I still struggle Swimming upstream with might Never giving up on what I care for Because a strong woman, I am You might use your jagged tongue To tear me down for what I do You are so cruel and judgmental Is it my strength that bothers you? I wept from your harsh words That took me by surprise In front of other guests Embarrassed I sure was Instead of wheeling and dealing, Writing poems and stories, too You think I should stop it all Does my independence bother you? I work full time at school and in my home Devoting ample time to my kids every day Cheering at their sports events, celebrations, Plus, all the pain and glory that presents each day Glance at the mirror Take a good look at your soul If what you see is perfection Then gently stroke your sharp tongue I am a strong woman I will continue to work hard My accomplishments and failures Are what make me who I am If I ever do it differently It will be because I will change For God, my children, and me Not because I am stepped and crushed I am who I am, not just anyone to fit in I refuse to fit the mold and take the easy route Tenacity and endurance is what I hold Because a strong woman, I am Ana Monnar

Shivani- a legend... Gaura Pant

I remember those days when i started reading books... the one writer i could never miss reading was SHIVANI... even today i love to read, re-read, and so on... किसी ने मुझसे कहा... कभी किसी author को देखा है book reviews लिखते ?

मेरा जवाब क्या होना चाहिए?

भाई ठीक है आज मैं एक author हूँ... पर क्या इसके पीछे वोह सारी  किताबें नहीं जिन्हें पढ़ने के बाद मैं इस तरफ आई...? 

बचपन से ही पढ़ने का शौक था... हिंदी, English , Bangla बहुत पढ़ा है... तोह क्यूँ न लिखूं उन किताबों के बारे में जो मुझे अच्छी लगी?

शिवानी जी की शायद ही कोई किताब है जो मैंने नहीं पढ़ी अब एक एक करके  सबके बारे में शायद ही कभी बैठ कर लिख पाऊं पर उन पुरानी diaries  में जो scribble किया था वोह ज़रूर शेयर करुँगी...

कैंजा - मेरी पहली read हिंदी में... एक माँ की कहानी - अगर एक दूसरी माँ सच में इतनी अच्छी हो सकती है तोह क्यूँ न माँ शब्द के सामने से ये adjectives अलग कर दिए जाएँ ... माँ तो माँ ही है न...।

चौदह फेरे- विवाह बंधन का एक अलग ही स्वरुप... एक स्त्री के जीवन की कुछ ऐसी घटनाएँ... जो शायद और कोई शब्दों में बयां नहीं कर पाता।

कृष्णकली- मेरे लाइफ की all time favourite एक लड़की की कहानी, जोसुख दुःख सभी देखती है जीवन में... उसका जन्म और उसकी जीवनशैली के उतर चढाव के बाद एक मर्मस्पर्शी अंत.. किसी के जीवन  के तार कैसे जुड़े होते हैं अपने जन्म दाता से.... एक अद्भुत कथाशैली. कालो शे जोतोयी कालो होक देखेची तार कालो होरीण चोख ।

उप्रेती - एक माँ जिसने मौत के बाद बच्चे को जन्म दिया... एक बेटा जो समाज के नियमों से जूझता रहा, और एक रुढ़िवादी समाज जिसमे हम रहते है... एक छोटी सी घटना का हृदयस्पर्शी चित्रण ।

कृष्ण वेणी - एक दक्षिण भारतीय युवती की कथा, एक घटना जिसमे लाइफ के सारे phases दर्शा दिए हैं, शान्तिनिकेतन के परिवेश में कला साधकों की साधना का जिवंत चित्रण ।

बाकि बुक्स जो मैंने पढ़ी है उनकी - चरेइवेती, अतिथि, पूतोंवाली, चल  खुसरो  घर  आपने, वातायन, एक  थी  रामरती, झालक, आमादेर शान्तिनिकेतन , मानिक, श्मशान  चंपा , सुरंगमा,  मायापुरी, भैरवी, स्वयं  सिद्धा, करिए छिमा, चिर स्वयंवरा, विष कन्या, अपराधिनी, रति विलाप, सुनहु  तात यह  अकथ  कहानी, हे  दत्तात्रेय। 

सभी कि खासियत है कि यह किस्से , घटनाएं हैं,  उनकी सारी कहानियां कुमाओं के गाँव की सौंधी महक को पढ़ने वालों के मन में उकेरती हैं... शायद उनकी किताबें ही एक वजह है कि मैं खुद उन पहाड़ों के बीच जाना चाहती हूँ.. सच में उस nature के magic का एक्सपेरिएंस करना चाहती हूँ... कभी न कभी मौका तो ज़रूर मिलेगा...

I will definitely recommend all her books to people who love reading...

Reality Bites- Anurag Anand

About the book: A sneek peak into life within the boundaries of a co-ed bostel; a compelling search for love-driven not by the callings of the heart but the anxiety of peer pressure; a passionate scandal; a hair-raising brush with certain doom and a plethora of unforgettable incidents weave together the fangs of reality – a bite that can alter lives.

In pursuit of ambitions thrust upon him by his zealous father, Atul finds himself transported to a world very different from the one he had known – the Delhi High School hostel. Amid the cacophony of curious characters, bizarre rituals and peculiar circumstances he decides to pursue an interest of his own – Ayesha, the quintessential femme fatale.

What happens next?

Does Atul succeed in his pursuit for love?

Who is 'She' the mystery girl?

What becomes of him and Bengali and Senti when they step out into yet another unknown world – the one beyond the confines of the hostel walls?





I picked this up a few days back... a must read with a coffee-mug, pouring rains... and good music... my types... The story is about Atul’s hostel life and all that he faces and learns there, well etched charachters, a beautiful word picture of an engineering college and hostel life,family expectations, all very finely carved.
ALok, swati, bengali and of course Senti keeps the pace ... finished it in one sitting,  for some hours i went back to my college-days...with a smile on my face... the bits of humour and wise thought makes it all in all a good read.. willl recommend this for sure... 4.4/5

In Course of True Love! ...I am left with nothing! by SANJEEV RANJAN !!!

All love stories are same. Or is it?

A Boy and a girl meet and fall in love. Stroy ends, Is it?

If so, then what about its journey. Its meaning, its feelings?

What could love mean to anyone?

Just a time pass or a reason to live?

What if he who remained untouched from love so far in his life, will love be a time pass for him?

What if he loves someone truly and deeply, who completes him, will he be able to see other side of love?

In Course Of True Love! Destined to be a true yet unusual emotional love saga of Aarush, a reticent boy, falls in love amid unfavorable situations, crunch moments, will make reader to think and leave them pondering Does love happen at an age of sweet sixteen? Or is it mere a passing infatuation?

Sanjeev Ranjan's debut novel stirs to unfold the reality of puppy love, and plumbs its depth, its warmth, and its meaning.

About the Author
Sanjeev Ranjan (21 years) is a final year Engineering student at Sastra University. He had spent most of his life in a small town of Bihar, Siwan. He did his schooling from DAV Public School but quest for quality education took him to Bokaro where he completed his 12th education from Chinmaya Vidyalaya.

A Non conformist and voracious reader of novels, He spends the rest of his time in either thinking news ideas or listening music. 

I picked this book a couple of days back, and finished it in one sitting, interesting, being a debut from a 21 years old, the story comes clean.... though a couple of questions are mind blogging when u start reading but by the time you finish the book, u are left thinking, certainly a good attempt. the story holds the reader from the beginning to end, a must read contemporary fiction. I will rate this 4/5

Autumn In My Heart by Saptarshi Basu !!!

Book Summary of Autumn In My Heart

Does love really end when you have a break-up? Does love always mean you have to be with the opposite sex? Can online friendships of today's generation lead to a lifelong relationship?

Ayantika longs to become independent by becoming a bank officer whereas her mother wants her to settle down in an arranged marriage. She meets Deb online and friendship blossoms into love.

In Autumn In My Heart, the author explores these areas and tries to find answers to some questions. The characters of Deb, Ayantika, Saurav, Tina, Vinod and Sagarika are finely etched and their changing relationships keep the reader spellbound.

About The Author
A Gold Medallist in Mechanical Engineering, Saptarshi Basu has worked with top IT MNCs in india. He has subsequently lived in London, Toronto, Dubai and san Francisco before moving back to his native place, Kolkata. A prolific blogger and an avid traveller, he has been into written for long, having published his poems and stories in different magazines of his earlier organizations.

I picked this book after reading the synopsis for sure, but the story can not be termed great, it is just another description of phases in life, the writer for sure has a lot of potential, and the characters are well etched, but too many twists made the story quiet complicated than necessary, at few places the descriptions are really great, the catchy title, and a good way of narration makes the story worth reading, can be read at one go... all in all recommended, i rate it 4/5.

Why Did I Fall In Love? by Vinod Pardhi

Revolves around the enigma that reasons with the necessity for love. The question grows into prominence only when love goes unrequited, unnoticed and misjudged by situations. A fateful query that few can answer perhaps. The question is powerful, drawing you to the deepest corners of a maze, where the walls look alike and where surviving is suffocating, escaping is never an option - perhaps cutting of the link with Divine providence is the last resort. Yet alas, destiny has other plans. Unless Life finds a new meaning, the magic wand continues to play havoc with your stars and provides you with a living angelic apparition - an object of adoration. Living through triumphs and failures, making promises under the mistletoe - all the rosy dreams of togetherness, stumbles over the final word of authority.

The story narrates a love saga, he begins with the essential meeting, the growing of likeliness, the vows being whispered as the years roll and the bond strengthens. No matter, how the years treat them, love makes them stronger in finding their aspirations. The union of hearts and the connection of mind are possible- but fail to survive the tirades of society. It is the differentiation in the glaring social eyes that creates the issuing troubles in relationship. And therefore Shewta and Vinod could never claim their own realms.




 I finished the book in one sitting, though there are grammatical errors and the story contains not so necessary discriptions, the story is catchy, a must read for the youth who think about ending  their life if they fail in love. there are some points at which a reader may think why has this happened... all in all a good read, as the writer has been able to communicate to the world what he needs to... unlike contemporary sex obsessed fiction, definitely a good attempt.  i will rate the book 4/5.

That Thing Called Love by Tuhin A Sinha

Mayank thus lives in disillusionment, aspiring, with diminishing hope, to fall in love in all Utopian earnestness and with his 'perfect woman'. The irony eventually arises when he identifies the image of his 'perfect woman' in an older happily married woman. The dreamer in him sets aside ground realities to flow with natural impulses, leading to a dangerously complicated relationship between the woman and him. That Mayank's relationship with Revathi unfolds during the course of one Mumbai monsoon, the first that an anticipating Mayank, experiences of the city, only makes this Utopia an even more surreal experience.








Not just one story but a mix, showcasing almost all aspects of a life in a metro, well etched characters and incidences, while Rewathi is strong, Mayank a dreamer, and rest of them revolving around spun well in words... i personally did not like the particular comments about the dusky girls, the gay part is somewhat unrealistic for the small town genre, but the story brings out the realms of the psychology... a book to keep the reader involved from start to end... the vocabulary coulkd have been easy... all in all a good read, i rate it 3.5/5