More Unfairy Tales by TF Carthick- Book Review

Who doesn’t love fairy tales? The popularity of these age-old tales is evident in the numerous retellings that are being read, appreciated, and bashed all over the world. From high fantasy to erotica to horror, writers retold the tales in various genres.

More Unfairy Tales is no different. Yet, it is super fun and interesting. Five of the famous fairy tales have been turned into ‘unfairy’ tales. Now, it doesn’t mean there are no fairies. The title has been selected with a deeper meaning. These tales show how life can be unfair, and we can do nothing much about it. Or, maybe we can do something. But the course of action we decide finalizes our fate and others.

Don’t jump to conclusions and call this a serious book. I did say it was fun, didn’t I? The stories happen to have an underlying hint of how a single thought and action can cause a huge impact. The writing suits the genre and with subtle humor and mild satire that highlights particular traits of the characters. This adds multiple layers to the unidimensional original witches, fairies, and princesses.

While we see the Point of View of the dwarfs about Snow White, we also see how humans can be stupid, vain, and dangerous.

Have you ever thought why the witch turned the Prince into a Beast? Did you wonder what would have happened if the Beauty said no to the Beast? Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore.

What if Little Red Riding Hood found out that grandma was indeed a wolf? What if the villagers actually hated her because of her red hair?

Did anybody bother to see the evil witch from her perspective in Rapunzel? Why can’t a witch be a good mother? Maybe, she can. Maybe, she is.

Was there a single thing the elves did that did not create a mess? Nope, we know. It’s the same thing all over again. They never seem to learn, do they? To be (un) fair, if they did learn, we wouldn’t have these stories to read.

Overall, more Unfairy Tales is a clean, engaging, and humorous read. Kids, teens, and adults can read and enjoy the book.

I received the book as a gift for winning 'Not a Fairy Tale' contest hosted by Beyond the Box. 

Death at Midnight by Manoj Paprikar- Book Review

Death At Midnight by Manoj Paprikar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*4.5 stars*

Death at Midnight is a small, yet packed thriller that deals with the psychology of people. It's not a psychopath thriller. I'm done with those for a while. This book is about the people around us. The kind we know, see on the telly, or gossip about. I'm going to try and avoid spoilers, so the review will be a bit vague.

One theme that stands out is the pressure on doctors to save a life and the repercussions they face when things go out of their hands. We've seen many instances in the news about families destroying hospitals because their dear ones weren't saved. People are always ready to destroy things that don't belong to them.

Many times, as audiences, we wonder and pass judgment on either party with little or no information. But do we really know what had happened? Do we know what each of them, on either side goes through? No.

This book deals with how one decision, one incident, and one action change the lives of the people connected to it. The writing is neat, clean, and straightforward. You won't find any drama, and that makes this book a hit in my view. When the reader is left to feel the pain of the characters in a simple and no-nonsense manner, it creates more impact.

Visualizing the characters is easy. I could see each one of them talk, move, cry, and think as I read page after page. The first few chapters deal with introducing the characters and establishing their traits. By the time the story is at a high point, we know how they'll react. The author doesn't plan any surprises to throw us off balance. Another plus.

So is there anything I wanted more from the book? Yes. One character I thought would play a prominent role wasn't utilized to her full potential. I wished she was more involved during the later stages of the story. It doesn't take anything away from the story, though.

The ending is positive, assertive, hopeful, and leaves you feeling satisfied. Exactly, the kind of books I like to read. Considering that the author is a doctor himself, it's not surprising that he handled the theme with ease. I finished the book in less than 2 hours.

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If you are looking for a quick weekend read that'll make you think, Death at Midnight by Manoj Paprikar is your book.

Grab your copy here: https://artoonsinn.com/product/death-at-midnight/

Nothing Has Changed

Source: Pixabay. 

She sat, limbs frozen in the serene snow

Words broke her once and for all

Nothing changed, life stood still.

Regret & Respect

Source: Pixabay.

The sun hid under the waves long ago
Head bowed he stood motionless
The dead rested at last.



The poetry style is called Kimo. 

Ghachar Ghochar Review

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm wary of translations as these tend to filter out the essence of the original. But this book looked like it did retain the tone, feel, and flavor of the original.
The narrator is dispassionate and is not sure if he is even suffering from an identity crisis or if he cares enough about it. He makes you want to hate (detest) a lot of people in his family, except for his wife Anita. Or, it would be the other way round, and you'll end up feeling sorry for him and his family (less likely).
The ending left me disappointed because I wanted to know more and see the narrator change. It doesn't happen. I guess the story is more real than reality in that way. It doesn't take away anything from the story, rather emphasizes that some people can live their entire lives feeling passionate about things but don't bother to act on it as it takes too much effort.

Two friends of mine suggested this book and one of them sent me a copy to read. I'm happy to have read it. Gave me pointers to handle subdued and less worthy narrators in a story.


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Temple Classroom and Other Stories by Puja Roy- A Review

Some stories make us laugh, some make us cry. While some stories fill us with love, others empty us of every emotion. For me, it's not every day that I read stories so close to real life, that the lines blur in more ways than one.

I'm a fiction lover. I prefer happy ever after and tales of crime, adventure, and romance.
This book is not any of those. Yet, it managed to make me want to read more. Set in rural, suburban, and urban India, the stories are so real, that one wouldn't be surprised if someone told you it was their life's experience.

Most of the characters are not perfect. They have flaws, insecurities, complexes, and doubts. They also have smiles, tears, fears, and hope. In short, they are human and relatable. A myriad of emotions will cloud your senses as you read the stories.

If Temple Classroom inspires you to do something and achieve your goals, Homebaker will have you rooting for Sushila; not just Sushila in the book but the Sushila in you, buried deep within for whatsoever reason.

Phulo, Silver Anklets, and Platform No. 7 talk about people we prefer not to notice. Who cares for beggars and hawkers when their own life is so full of questions? Yet, they lead a life parallel to ours, only to intersect at the most unexpected circumstances.
Many facets of life and society are meticulously observed and tactfully presented to us. From the heartbroken bride in The Last Promise to a Broken Nest echoing with unbearable silences, from the quest for The Root of her existence to unspoken words of routine in The Tea Story, we see what life does to men and women.

Questions, taunts, silences, turmoil, anguish, hatred, and hopelessness- we live them each day and somehow find solace in the very pain that hurts us. Oh, there are moments of smiles and laughter. Still, it's a bittersweet tinge of loss in various forms that lingers long after we close the book.

Be it Ballu's love for cinema or Muralidhar's gratitude for the retired principal; be it Sakina's neverending faith in God, or the premonition of love between a couple, we read, feel, and experience emotions in their purest and original form.

You might be wondering why I'm not going into detail about the stories. It's because I want you to experience and be a part of the journey of each character as I did.

Writing in the present tense is quite tricky. I was pleasantly surprised to see the ease with which Puja Roy handed it. Most of the time, it doesn't even strike us that the stories are past continuous and present tenses because we are so engrossed in their lives that nothing else matters.
There is no denying that the stories we hope to have a happy ending leave us feeling disappointed. But isn't that how life is? We learn to accept reality and move on. Here, we try to imagine what would happen next and continue the story in the way we want. Yes, Puja Roy has ensured that, as readers, we can take cab take the stories forward in the way we want. Pick any story, and you'll be able to weave another extended ending of your own.

Temple Classroom and Other Stories is a book you should read if you want to meet characters who make a lasting impression.

Link to the book: https://www.amazon.in/Temple-Classroom-Puja-Roy/dp/B07Y2XFXWZ/