Shadow of Life

Family. One word, but too many emotions. When you think of family, A lot of scenarios and emotions, come to your mind. Not everyone has the same experiences, so where one can see the happiness, you might see hatred or sadness for different reasons. It is a bond connected by blood where you do not get the choice. So, you got to have what it already serves on the plate. It can contain your favourite dishes along with things you are not so fond of, but you can’t discard anything and, that’s how you can imagine our relation. We can love them or hate them, yet we to stay together. You tend to save your clan when the time comes because it is yours. This book will take you through phases where it becomes unbelievable to accept the scene going on. Why I’m using the word ‘scene’ because it is a combination of brief moments when compared to your own life, you might go into flashbacks. I could say this because I could relate to many things when I read it. Especially the scene where the protagon...

I always believe whenever you read a book there is something you are looking for in it. You might not know it at that moment, but once you have finished it everything starts making sense. Sometimes you find it exactly how you like it, and later it automatically goes into the category of your favourite book. Then there comes a book which makes you go round and round behind a single thing by keeping you in dark. It plays everything behind a shadow to hide things from you because when they come into the light, the meaning of everything changes. After Dark is one such story that will not make sense but will tell you a lot about a stranger and your acquaintances. You might want to reach the middle ground after knowing the details, but it will leave no stone unturned to keep things apart. It’s a story about two sisters, who are stark apart and don’t connect well, yet you find them longing for each other in a way you crave for someone’s approval when you have been denied for something that is...

T here are certain books where you know you will like them even when you have read just 10 pages. There can be reasons behind it though, perhaps you have read the author before, or have found the narrative interesting, maybe the first para hooked you since the beginning or your instinct made you feel so. All these factors sum up what I feel for this story. It was too much to see Rumi long for the alter ego, meanwhile taking part in the worldly things where he used to judge and help people but from a distance. And as Shams entered his life, things changed drastically overnight. Meanwhile, there is a parallel story going about Ella and Aziz Zahara. These two stories intermingle in such a way where you can’t stop comparing one character to another. This book is all about love in different forms, it doesn’t restrict itself to romance but love between father and children, between two friends, between husband and wife, between a teacher and his disciples and between two strangers. There are ...

It is the sequel to Sleeping Together. In the previous book, the story was more focused on Vanessa and Altan. Here you get to see more of Pete. Things take a different turn every now and then, and you always pray for your favourite character to win. The best part I found about this book is how every character is flawed, but there is more to them. You will judge them based on what they do but when you are having your weak moments. One can grant you some exceptions, as not everyone can be graceful. Yes, terrible mistakes can be made, but later how you look at it is most important. You don’t have to hate a person just because they did you wrong, at the same time you can’t like them either. You land somewhere between where you accept the fact and move on without being bitter about it. I liked and disliked many things about these characters, and they represent someone you know in real life. So, it isn’t hard to get to them. It’s a book about love and to what extent you can go for the peop...

Sometimes you are reading something, and it doesn't make sense. You get snippets of things every now and then that relates to the story, but you remember them individually as if they have been separately stored in your mind. Later you pull facts out of your box which feels coherent with the given situation just how you do things in life. This book feels like a treasure of little tales which involves around the loss people felt at the time of partition, pain revolving around the loss of parents in one's life, struggles faced in the cultural and art sector and the cost one has to pay to fight for their rights. This is the story of Nanaki, who lives with her grandparents in a Punjabi neighbourhood. Her life totally contradicts with other people, but her views stand higher than the society at large. The book gives us a glimpse of societal values which are traditional but with a pinch of a modern approach. One gets to see not just the romance between the younger ones but the age-old...

It is contemporary fiction. I loved the premise of the book as I found it different and entertaining. While reading the book, you might end up wondering if that is for real or such things really happen where fantasy and reality collide. Though there were a few problematic scenes, it refreshed me and got me back to reading. So, it was easy to say goodbye to my reading slump. There are two-person, Vanessa and Altan, who works in a pharmaceutical company and are working on a project where they have medical trials before the medicine comes out to the market. Here, they are working on a medicine called Morpheum, which is a sleeping pill. Vanessa finds out that Altan is stealing it and she becomes his accomplice in the scheme as she wants to have some rest from her nightmares too. Now, how they work on it and what all it includes is interesting. I'm not going to give you a spoiler but, it is a fun read. It also discusses how few secrets in our life can become the cause of some big proble...

This is a feel-good book where you read and remember your joyful times. If not those, it will motivate you to get back up and feel the positive vibes inside and around you. Or so matters will take place despite how you attempt to redeem yourself or manipulate your actions as not everything works based on only your inputs other factors also play a major part. It isn’t easy to get on with life just yet but take baby steps and try “not to be too harsh on yourself” (I always emphasize on this because we judge ourselves more and don’t let go things easily; I tend to do this often and gradually trying to let go of this habit or tendency). The book consists of contemporary poetry and one-liner quotes with beautiful pictures throughout, which makes it very appealing. It covers many topics like magic, youth, love, daydreaming, bookworms, old age, heartbreak, loss of a loved one, etc. This is one of those books which I want to read when I’m feeling low or just want to read something good and h...

I started it thinking it will be a light read, but it was dark and creepy. I’m not saying I didn’t like it, rather was in a different zone after reading it at night around 1:30. As the title of the story suggests the book is all about the yellow wallpaper but in a different context. There is nothing directly given in the story, but when you read you get what is happening in simple terms. What made me wonder is the ending, I could not get through it, especially the last paragraph. So, then I started the story in reverse. The book talks about how women were treated in the Victorian era. You can easily see the glimpse of it now and then. The protagonist is suffering from mental illness, which as per her husband and brother isn’t something major. So, they treat her like that. They move to a new house and the protagonist doesn’t like the surrounding, and especially her room and that yellow wallpaper. Despite that, her husband keeps avoiding the thing by saying it’s just in her mind. So, s...

“How do you lose a word? Does it vanish into your memory, like an old toy in a cupboard, and lie hidden in the cobwebs and dust, waiting to be cleaned out or rediscovered?” If you would ask me to describe this book in one word, it would be descriptive. There are so many details that your mind will explode. It will be like you are getting to know the geography of a region without being present in that location. The tales of the past adds spice to the story. Prima facie the book revolves around the coastal area of India and Bangladesh, Sunderbans and dolphins, but there is more to it. It talks about human interactions, the people you meet in your line of work and how they make you feel, what you have to go through to follow your dreams, how some people feel themselves superior that they forget to treat people in the right manner and what environmentalists and social servants do might not be in the best interest of everyone every time. The story took off well, but I lost interest afte...

When I first started reading, I didn’t know much about genres and used to have a hard time understanding one. So, as I read more over the years, they started making sense to me. Though, there are sub-genres to genres which tread on a fine line (we will talk about them later) as it becomes difficult to categorise them. Classics fell in the same category and it used to confuse me a lot. I did google about its basic definition which goes like, “A classic is a book  accepted as being exemplary or noteworthy, for example through an imprimatur  such as being listed in a list of great books , or through a reader's personal opinion.” Well, it made sense to me when I first read it because any book can be exemplary as per the reader’s opinion. So, what makes it different? Then I planned to read one classic every month, last year, to not burden up my reading schedule but stay connected to classics. Now, picking a classic book is a task, because usually, your first book in any genre shoul...

I was so excited to read this book especially after seeing a huge positive response from the bookstagram, since then I was waiting for the day to get my hand on it. So, one day during a random conversation with my husband I told him how I wished to read this one and wanted to buy the limited-edition cover of this work. I’m not fond of buying limited edition, but for this book, I wanted only that. Later, I forgot about this book as something new was happening in my life back then. But he didn’t forget and gifted this book on my birthday. The story revolves around Kaz Brekker and his crew members, who accompany him in a heist. The book takes off well, becomes little slow in the middle (or perhaps it was only me who slowed down while reading) and then picks pace by the end. I liked all the characters as each one has their own story to tell and reason to be a part of the heist, but it was fun knowing how they come together by keeping their differences aside for the given task....

Memories and conversations go hand in hand because we tend to relate one with the other and, later think about both. One can be picky with memories but not with conversations. What one has spoken remains intact as it cannot be changed and impacts a lot to the other party involved. Funny thing is, this is the only way you get to know a person prima-facie and also, how they make you feel. Don’t you think our conversations have become banal over some time? We are always beating around the bush but not saying what’s on one’s mind. We fear if we speak the truth then things might go wrong, but we are ready to deal with ourselves feeling bad. It is supposed to be wrong, but the majority of people will disagree with this. We tend to say things that we are not looking forward to doing, but end up doing exactly the same. This usually happens when we are not comfortable enough to share our inner thoughts and then we come to those conversations which happen overnight without letting yourself kno...

Many a time in our life we happen to face some situations where we start questioning about our existence. We are working round the clock but at someone else’s discretion as if what we want from our life doesn’t matter. It does matter to us, but not to them. Howsoever they want us to believe it is good for us but we all know we are not enjoying it. Also, I agree not everything is supposed to be for our enjoyment but when you do something which feels like a task or a burden, in the long run, you tend to make plans to run away from it. It doesn’t happen overnight. It starts building up as and when we feel we are getting near the breaking point. We start seeing the patterns which earlier wasn’t visible to our line of vision. Then we become anxious. Now when you know the patterns and want to break the chain, it won’t leave you no matter how much you want to be left alone. It’s a cycle. You know it. You sense it. You feel it. You struggle. You struggle really bad. It gets to the poin...

“As time goes on, you’ll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn’t, doesn’t. Time solves most things. And what time can’t solve, you have to solve yourself. – Haruki Murakami” We all have been given this luxury right now to utilise the time at hand as per our needs, but are we able to do it? It seems so easy when we think about it but it isn’t; because if it would have been, we would not have been sitting in our living room wondering about either what to do next or how to get things done without being lazy. This lockdown has solved as well as created many problems for us. Where once we used to crave about the much-needed free time; now, we don’t know what to make of it. On top it, the added pressure of doing something productive is wreaking havoc in our mind. We all want to do something, learn something and some just want to chill (because that is the ultimate goal of their life). I wish I had that luxury too. Yes, I always end up using this statement because after every few ...

What would you like to tell me today? Happy, Sad or Clueless! It's not difficult to decide the course of action But you need to know the cause right! Burdened with all these emotions It takes a toll on you Yet you stand tall Smiling all the way What is it that you want to hide That you don't feel comfortable sharing Is it me again? Giving you trouble! Or that thought hasn't left your mind Reveal what is hidden inside Take charge of what is yours And blossom in this beautiful light

Who am I to you? Nobody yet someone who cares It isn't easy to keep up With your energy Yet I choose to stay active Even when it is tiring I walk up to you for a smile And all I get is A pinky finger touch from far It is enough As long as you are content I can see that joy behind this poker face I will come again tomorrow For you For us For this wonderful feeling that is growing beneath the surface If you feel like Come and say Hi!

More than for myself I write for you To keep you close To erase the distance When things go dirty I can bind you with this invisible veil You tend to play around Don't follow me Let me plan a surprise tonight As I have learnt to live And die every moment With the pain You carry all-day