Fascinating Quest

There are good memories, and there are bad ones. And then there are those which feel like mishap averted.

It is something to smile over now, when I look at my engagement pics. But back then it had caused quite a bit of tension... There is a small black mole / black dot, or more delicately put, a beauty spot on my cheek. A fake one. It was actually a pimple camouflaged.

I have oily skin, and pimples come and go. My way of dealing with them is to simply use face wash and face cream meant for my oil-soaked dermis.

Usually it keeps the pimples in check. An odd one does pop up once in a while, and I don't let it matter.

With my own engagement celebrations coming up though, this one lone eruption became a major issue. My beautician tried a few treatments in her effort to make it disappear. She claimed that it her expertise that made the pimple rather inconspicuous. Inconspicuous, yes. But it would still be there one my face on the day, when I'd be the centre of attention and tons (…

Title : Thar Express
Author: Nagendra Murti
Genre: Mystery / Thriller








A man is found in the aftermath of a landslide in Kashmir. He has no memory of either who he is, or how he got there.
Thar Express, the book by Nagendra Murti, is the story of this man. The story of is struggle to find ‘himself’, despite being suspected by Indian authorities. The fact that he's caught in Kashmir, close to LoC (Line of Control between Indian and Pakistan) leads to serious questions about his nationality and intentions.
Thar Express, the train connects Karachi, Pakistan to Jodhpur, India.
Thar Express, the book weaves an intricate tale that takes the reader from Kashmir to various cities and states of India, and across the border too, in search of truth and identity of this man.
As he leaves Kashmir, and moves from one place to another, his actions send mixed signals, which keep the authorities on their toes trying to figure out who he really is.
Thar Express, by Nagendra Murti, opens with serene monsoo…

Hopebreaker (The Great Iron War - Book One) by 'Dean F. Wilson' is an engaging book.

And here are some of the reasons why I am waiting for the second one -







(Warning - Spoilers ahead)
Call me a Hopeless Romantic if you will. I have just finished reading a Science-Fiction Fantasy, which I enjoyed. And yet, one of the main reasons I look forward to reading the second part of the series is because I want to know where Jacob's and Taberah's relationship lead. Their bantering, their chemistry, and their future.Whistler is a 'good kid', who chooses to the path of trust, despite the negativity of the world he's living in. I want to see him grow and mature but not be a cynic.Rommond's presence made me uneasy when he was introduced in the story. It no longer does. But I want to see his 'human' side. I want to know what made him the way he is.What is Brooklyn... a mystery!'...some have greatness thrust upon them'. As the story progresses, Jacob'…

Title : Hopebreaker (The Great Iron War - Book One)
Author: Dean F. Wilson
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy










Altadas is a world where human race is facing extinction. Demons - who look like humans, which makes fighting them more difficult - are taking over. A world where 'light is dangerous and Hope is an enemy'.
The Regime of Demons is being opposed by the rebel Resistance.

Jacob is a rebel at heart, who consciously chooses not to take sides. But life has other things in store for him.
He continues to hold on to his his sense of humour and rebellion against authority of any sort even in most difficult of situations. This adds a light touch to even the on-the-edge situations.

'Sometimes there were little victories to be had in the smallest acts of rebellion... There were greater victories when those small acts of rebellion were noticed by the tyrants.'

Jacob's repartees are fun to read, and give a lighter touch in this story set in a world which is struggling to survive.

…

Book: If God Was a Banker Author: Ravi Subramanian Genre: Fiction (Thriller) Published by: Rupa Publications No. of pages: 260 Cover Price: Rs. 199

Sundeep and Swami are star students from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), one from Bangalore, the other from Ahmedabad.  It is 1986. New York International Bank (NYB) is about to change how banking is done in India. The two young geniuses join the bank and set on, what initially seems to be, a similar path. At NYB, the two meet the third of the 'trio', Aditya. 
This is the second book by Ravi Subramanian that I have read. The first was God is a Gamer (2014). If God Was a Banker was first published in 2007, Subramanian's first book.
I say 'trio', because the same three characters are there in God is a Gamer too. I am going about reading the books in reverse sequence. Well, it seems to be reading a flashback in a story. God is a Gamer worked very well, without having read the previous works. But having read about the characters b…