Shadow of Life

  It is a Covid lockdown story which revolves around a father-son duo. The book depicts several stages of their relationship, from their initial lack of communication to their eventual warming up to each other. It is a simple story that touches my heart and gives me mixed emotions of happiness and grief. We all had such moments during lockdown where we found our lost love towards our family and loved ones. For some, it has been a nightmare. Yet, for some, it represented a glimmer of optimism that transformed their life. This story gives confidence that everything is attainable with equal efforts from all sides. Here, the father unveils a few secrets about his life that he has not shared with anybody, not even his wife. And this secret reconciles the bond between them. Sometimes, someone who fears judgement holds so much inside that they worsen the situation. When expressing their fears is all they need to do to release themselves. It is a lovely book that encourages you to be more ...

This book is about two teenage girls, Serena and Poppy, who are interconnected with each other by a person who acts as their lover but is a paedophile. It was a little tricky to read this book at first because of the graphic narrative of things, but I think it is necessary to understand the gravity of the situation. When things are not good, what one believes to be true love might turn into a nightmare. But what do young children understand about how the world functions and the types of people they will encounter as they get older? The story starts with the current life of both Serena and Poppy. One is living a regular life, and one is in prison. Nobody knows what actually happened, but overnight they became the culprit rather than victims. As the story progresses, they talk about these incidents interchangeably with their present life, which gives you a glimpse of what happened to them. When one is in love while the other person is using that love to feed their carnivorous impulses,...

It is a sequel to PS I Love You.  If you have loved that one, then you will also enjoy this. In contrast to the first book, which was about Holly receiving letters from her late husband and completing the task assigned, this one describes what happens after those letters. It gives you a reality check of things. Despite everything, how difficult it is for people to move on once their loved one has passed away. Some people might not show it much, but their pain is still acute. In this book, you are able to comprehend both the letter's writer's and the recipient's points of view. After Holly gives an interview on how she handled her husband's death, strangers pursue her to get more information. It was tough to reopen those wounds again years later, but they also gave hope to certain people. Holly, however, experiences it as a terrible nightmare. She nevertheless battles her demons once more. It's natural to assume that someone's intentions while writing a letter ar...

This book offers guidance on how to extend your perspective while evaluating yourself and those around you, which I found to be quite engaging and beneficial. The book describes two types of mindset - fixed and growth and; how it affects our future or decisions. There can be many things that you believe people are doing incorrectly, but when you examine yourself, you see that you are just as guilty. It assists you in determining what we might do correctly to adopt a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. It has chapters based on the viewpoints of entrepreneurs, students, athletes, parents, teachers, and couples. So this book is for everyone. Also, it focuses on praising the work than talent. Moreover, it emphasises the value of labour rather than skill. The book awakens you to the fact that self-development can only happen when you consciously work to become a better version of yourself and break harmful habits. You need to become conscious of your actions, and this book precisely...

This is a larger-than-life kind of book. Where you trade between one character to another or one story to another seamlessly. You don't even feel the need to go back to the other end. You enjoy what is presented to you. Well! At times you despise it too. As per my understanding, the story revolves around three main themes - Relationships, Abuse/Trauma, and Depression. You can find some ideas or opinions interchangeably in these. Character names - Jude, Willem, JB, Malcom, Andy, Harold, Julia and Richard Depression If you have ever read anything Depression, then you just know the tip of the iceberg. This book takes you down on a deeper level and shows you what is underneath the iceberg. Now, you might not be ready for it but it has been shoved at your face. You have to have it despite its uneasiness. I took a break from time to time to grasp the story in a much better way. A person can excel in his career but the ghosts of the past won't let you live in peace. Some incidents are...

It is a compilation of poems with four key themes: being, nature, universe and love. Each theme is further explored from a number of perspectives. The writing style is simple and catchy. One doesn't have to struggle much with the underlying meaning. Some poems will boost your morale, and some will tell you to enjoy the moment in the present. It's up to you how you want to proceed with this journey. There were many favourite poems, yet some didn't work for me. The poetry with Being and Nature as their topics spoke to me more. The author has written so beautifully that you want to finish it in one sitting. Yet, just like with coffee, each drink should be consumed slowly. To fully understand the feelings behind each theme, I thus advise reading each section separately. It is a good book for people who like reading poetry now and then. Rating - 3.5/5 Genre - Poetry