Lethal White, a mystery novel written under the pseudonym Robert Gabraith. It is a Pen name for J. K. Rowling, best-selling author of the Harry Potter series, The Casual Vacancy, and others.
Robin’s marriage with Mathew is in trouble with the latter hating her work as a detective, given that it involves a lot of danger.
Strike’s relationship with Lorelei, after smooth innings of almost 10 months, ended on a bad note. His only serious relationship was with Charlotte, with whom he was engaged for some time. She has moved on and married someone else, leaving Strike with serious commitment issues.
The agency run by Strike and Robin is doing extremely well, with multiple cases under their umbrella to resolve. They have made good progress so far professionally. Mr. Chiswell is blackmailed by Jimmy Knight and Mr. Winn for his wrongdoing. He takes the help of Mr. Strike and Robin Ellacott.
Billy, a mentally troubled man visits Mr. Strike’s office asking him to intervene and investigate the murder of a child he witnessed as a young kid. Before questioning him further on the same, Billy bolts off from the office. This incident unsettles Strike and he pursues his investigation on the same.
Robin over the course investigation, fond out some lead and information on Winn, a much-needed crack on the case. When Robin and Strike decide to meet Mr. Chiswell on the same and discuss the future course.
Mr. Chiswell is found dead in his home, in a suspicious way, given the stature in the world of politics. Robin and Strike work relentlessly on the case to find out those responsible behind his death.
Personally, the second half of the book put you on the edge and made you curious about what’s next. If you prefer the story to keep on the edge from the start, then you might give up reading this book
Yet it has certain elements that I look forward too in thriller/mystery books. Unpredictability, suspense, Keeness of the detectives, looking for the unexpected in the expected are few things that I love in thrillers and mystery. The Lethal White did definitely have them with an unpredictable and twisted ending.
The Silent Patient by @alex.michaelides, a #PsychologicalThriller keeps you hooked to the book.
For me personally, it was a quick read and loved the twist towards the end of the story.
I loved the minimal characters who take the centre stage in the story. The author has given the emphasis on staying true to the storyline.
Alicia Berenson, artist by profession is married to a reputed photographer, both living based out of London. She had a traumatic childhood, with her mother death in an accident, followed by her father’s suicide. Although she has taken due treatment, still can be edgy and moody. She is accused of murdering her husband and has been admitted to The Grove for psychological treatment. Despite the therapist best efforts she keeps to herself and is very silent.
Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, recently joined The Grove, takes an interest in Alicia’s case and is the only one who can make her talk…..
Apart from the story, importance has been given on how lack of mental support since an early age and traumatic experiences can impact and shape a person mindset. Here are two people Theo and Alicia, both with a traumatic childhood, yet on the opposite sides of the story
Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James @penguinrandomhouse @penguinindia
My experience with this book is mixed. Set in the backdrop of Ancient Africa, the story has elements of witchcraft, mythology, adventure, enchantments and many more. From Shape-shifting leopards, Hyenas to 300-year-old which, Tracker who is known for his nose and other such unique characters make for the central characters in the book.
A mismatched gang, each dangerous over the other and yet known for their uniqueness are in search for a boy. Each weaving their own story surrounding the mysterious boy they are in search off.
The language that the author has used in certain portions in the book is a bit raw. Emotions expressed in the story are different and unpolished. The author expressed everything explicitly in black and white through the voice of his characters.
I won’t deny that storyline was definitely a good one, written in a narrative style, the reading was a bit dry in certain parts, especially the beginning and towards the fag end of the book.
I took me some time to finish reading this book due to reading slump. Hope I come back to my normal speed
I have been meticulous this year with my goal to go out of my comfort zone and explore new authors and genre. The Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh is one such book which out of my comfort both author and genre wise. Although Ibis trilogy is one of his famous works that I personally (also the most recommended to read too) I choose to go with The Gun Island to start with.
Here’s is the review of the book………
Set in the backdrop of Sundarbans, New York and Venice, the story revolves around Kolkata born, New York based rare book dealer Dinnanath, is asked to visit a temple associated with the legend Manasa Devi and The Gun Merchant. Although he hesitant to visit the temple at first place, but gets entangled with the story after his encounter with the King Cobra in the temple, mysterious behavior of Tipu after bitten by snakes, and mysterious encounters henceforth.
Dinanath who has lost faith in both love and in world, seems to be restored with the faith by two independent and strong women, makes for a good part of a story. I loved the story-line and mystery surrounding the Legend, yet I felt the book missed a certain element that I was looking for, and I am not able to pinpoint what that is. I am still going to Ibis Trilogy which is a must read and recommended and matches the hype.
Everybody has at some point in school has learnt that when white light hits a prism, travels through to it to come out as a rainbow of colours. This rainbow of colours is what we have abbreviated as VIBGYOR.
(or)
We have enjoyed the colours of the rainbow which comes out after rains sometimes. We surely have enjoyed watching the beauty of it
But have even heard or used it in coherence with 7 unique and amazing layers of human engineering which defines us. Well they did that in this book for our easy understanding
He also covered various aspects involved in ABCD. A – Awareness, B – Breathing, C – Choices and D- Discipline.
To understand deeply, about these 7 layers and how to change the way of life, it is necessary to the book. They have explained these concepts through the eyes of James and guruji who helps and guides him through the process
The Tata Group – From Torchbearers to trailblazers brings to life the heritage of the 150 plus old Group which has 100 companies under its wings. The Tata group is part of Indian heritage and has impact generations of so many Indian lives
Jamsetji, the founder of the Tata group is referred to as “Father of Indian Industry” and has a great respect and unrivalled position in the history of Indian business. He was a pioneer, always ahead in his thinking, understood what India and its people would need to grow to post-independence.
Tata group is a firm, established in Indian soil with Indian blood and with the hard-earned money of Indians. He laid down a strong foundation for the group and based on values that are relevant even today. When India was fighting for freedom from British rule and colonization, he envisioned what the nation would require to run post-Independence. As a group, they believed in standing for what they believed in, never believed in bribing to get any approvals from the government even when their competitors were doing so. A certain amount of profits from Individual companies under the Tata Umbrella goes to Tata Trusts and are used for funding various NGO companies.
The Tata group believed in having a human touch with its shareholders. He preferred to have a relationship with stakeholders on normative, moral commitments rather than as those who are responsible for profit.
The book help understand how they have survived 150 years, stood test of time, overcome cyclical changes in business, liberalization, mastermind behind the global explanation
The Moonstone – Wilkie Collins
The yellow moonstone has been a part of Indian legacy for centuries and safeguarded by three Brahmins in India. Until one day, colonel Herncastle takes the precious and highly protected stone back to England.
His niece Rachel, daughter of Lady Verinder receives the moonstone on her eighteenth birthday, only to lose the precious stone the very next day. On the other side of the story, the three Brahmins who have been given the responsibility to guard the stone have reached England to get hold of it and take the stone back to its place where it belongs.
The mystery of the entire story revolves around finding back the diamond from the culprit. Each character plays an equally important and significant role in retrieving the diamond.
Becoming – Michelle Obama
The book is about journey of amazing women whose first choice wasn’t to be the first lady, yet she took in her stride and made an effort to bring about as much change and the impact she could make on young girls, education among others.
Michelle Obama talks about finding your voice and how this powerful tool can be used efficiently. She used her voice to raise opinions on various issues and advocated appropriate actions to resolve and have had amazing influence of people she interacted with
She mainly worked in areas of improving health, reducing obesity, inculcating healthy eating habits and improving the lives of families of the army who have lost their loved ones.
I do what I do – Raghuram Rajan
The book is a collection of speeches, majorly given by him when he served as governor. He is a person who speaks his mind with clarity and clear intent. He has a practical approach towards issues.
The book also gives the readers brief insight on how he and RBI worked on the issues during his tenure. He gave importance to communication and made sure to put across his opinions to the press. It also gave insight on how various issues that were looked into by various committees and unique solutions to resolve them. The decisions taken were backed by sound reasoning, which helped to bring the issues under control and help the growth of the country.
Wolf Hall – Hillary Mantel
Dame Hilary Mary Mantel is an English writer whose work includes personal memoirs, short stories, and historical fiction. The novel is set in the period of 1500- 1535, the story is about the rise of Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.
Thomas Cromwell was in a born working-class family to Walter Cromwell. Walter was a blacksmith and brewer. As he grew, he became a lawyer and was right man of the cardinal Thomas Wolsey. He witnessed the fall of the cardinal from his position of grace till his death.
On the other hand, the king who is married to Katherine and has a daughter with her. He is in love with Anne Boleyn and wants to annul his marriage with his wife.
Despite the fall of cardinal, Thomas has managed to be in good books with the king. Cromwell is a smart and shrewd person who knows his way and has not only managed to gain trust and become one of the closest aid to the king but also managed to do so with Anne His keenness towards things, smartness and his ability to turn any situation to his advantage have helped him grow to a position of power and become a close aid to the king and Anne. He used her sometimes put in a good word to the king to implement changes in any policies or to appoint someone in any position. He has been a fatherly figure to many and saviour to others
He is also loyal to those who are loyal to go him or be of any help to him. He does make to get things the way that the king wants. He was doer and loyal him to the king and those who are to him
The story is not just about Thomas Cromwell rise in the kingdom of England, but also his role in being a witness in bringing a change in the history of country and role of the king and others which are part of the twist and turn of the story
Afsaane by @authorameya is a collection of 11 short stories.
The stories talk about memories, distance, jealousy, love, longing, divorce, loss and various other aspects that are important for people to talk and understand. Relationships are very complex but also involves a lot of hard work. The concept of each story is very relatable and relevant to the current generation.
The story that stood out was – ‘Blinkers On’. The theme of the story was about adoption and issues surrounding that. It talked about the stress the couple does through, difficulty in getting the extended family onboard. I consider the family to be courageous to take the step and adopt a child. The story clearly outlines the issues the couple faces in the process. Change is difficult to handle, but if that change is for good it is important to accept and adapt.
Adoption is something that people do not consider or talk about. I am glad that the author has taken an amazing effort to write a short story on it. I am looking forward to a day, adoption becomes a regular norm and people start considering adoption as one of the option to have kids
Personally, adoption is close to my heart and support anyone who takes a step in that direction. One day, I hope to adopt a child of my own.
I also liked few others such as Dreams, Healthy home and Trapped. The theme of these were also equally important. These stores talked about following your dreams, healthcare workers, health policies, gaps jn implementing those policies and lastly drug addiction.
In short, the stories were to the point and gives emphasis to important issues.
People are born for a reason and purpose, sometimes they tend to lose it over the course of life. It takes effort for people to take a step back and get back to understand the purpose. The author Camilla, is herself a protagonist in the story. Camilla is a psychic who knows her past and the different life experiences she has had.
She takes us back to the Mughal era in India, about Arjunamand who a princess during the time. She was far more progressive and matured in her thoughts. She leads a fulfilling and cherished life and finds true love when she marries her husband. She became a queen and played an equal role in shaping up the country and playing an integral role in the lives of people around her. It is said that she took 650 births and having lived for 350 years to be born as Camilla in the present times.
What exactly happened to Arjunamand? How is it she had an impact on the shaping of her country? What was her destiny and purpose in her life? How did she stay true to the purpose of life? How did she find her true love when it is the most precious and difficult thing to have? What defined her as a person?
The answers to these questions make the rest of the storyline. In life, we don’t get the answers to what we are seeking very quickly. Searching for answers to the most important questions in our life and understanding them makes our lives worthwhile. In doing so, we tend to lose a sense of direction and purpose, being patient, and understanding what such process entails also makes it easier.
The Tata Group – From Torchbearers to trailblazers brings to life the heritage of the 150 plus old Group which has 100 companies under its wings. The Tata group is part of Indian heritage and has impact generations of so many Indian lives
Jamsetji, the founder of Tata group is referred to as “Father of Indian Industry” and seems to great respect and unrivaled position in history of Indian business.Starting from setting up of empress mill in 1869, to setting of core Industries such as tata steel at times when people did not venture. He was pioneer, always ahead in his thinking, understood what India, and its people would need to grow post the independence.
Tata group is a firm that was established in Indian soil with Indian blood and with the hard earned money of Indian. He laid down strong foundation for the group and based on values which are relevant even today. When Indian and India as country was fighting for freedom from British rule and colonization, he envisioned what the nation would require to run post Independence.
We all know that Air India was nationalized by the government after the Independence, but New India Insurance which was also started by the Tata group to was nationalized. I didn’t know that New India Insurance was initially started by Tatas.
As a group, they believed in standing for what they believed in , never believed in bribing to get any approvals from the government even when their competitors were doing so. There have been several occasions, under both the Nehru and Indira Gandhi rule, they has to wait to few years to get permission despite their reputation, trust and contribution to the India and its growth.
Another fun fact, they did divest few firms which I didn’t know was once under their umbrella. To names them, few of them were Lakme to HUL, ACC(cement) to Gujarat Ambuja Cement, Merind(Pharma) to Wockhardt, and Goodlass Nerolac(Paints) to Kansai Paint Company.
Certain amount of profits from Individual companies under the Tata Umbrella, goes to Tata Trusts and they are used for funding various NGO companies. Infact a good portion of the money goes to giving back to community. Instead of being profit oriented, or personal profit, the Tata believed in giving back to the community. Given their global presence, they collaborate with the various organisation in India and other countries, to do something for the betterment of people and for various social causes. If they have been profit oriented and adding money to their own pockets, they would be richest group.
At the same time, giving back something to the society that has impact on million of lives, help gain trust and thus earn them economic values. They even work for the communities surrounding their factory or tea plantation and those working for them. The employees were taken care, from both the financial aspects and They were given various employee benefit even before the government mandated few policies for the employees.
The first thing we look at is what is right for the nation and larger economy, the we look at what is right for the group, and what is right for the company and business. That is how the entire thought-process works in the Tata group and that is how this group has been for over a century – Veeramani Shankar
The Tata group believed in having human touch with their shareholders. JRD was referred to known as “Benign Baron” and preferred to have relationship with stakeholders on normative, moral commitments rather than as those who are responsible for profit. He liked to have human touch in his relationship with stakeholders rather than seeing them only in terms of profit and business. This approach did earn them reputation and trust, thus providing the firm the required economic benefits. The group gave immense importance to ethics and values
There were many instances and incidences in the book which played an integral part in the growth of various companies under the Tata group. They help understand how they have survived 150 years, stood test of time, overcome cyclical changes in business, liberalization, mastermind behind the global expansion.
This is a book worth reading and must-read to understand the essence and the heritage of The Tata group
Brief about the story: Dunbar boys loved, fought and lived life as brothers would do. Bridge of Clay is the story of Clay, third brother and narrated from the perspective of Mathew of the elder brother of the Dunbar boys….. Their mother Penelope died out of cancer and father Michael Dunbar left them after her death to fend for themselves. Michael comes back to just ask for their help to build a bridge. What happens next? Why has he come back now? What is Clay offering to help build the bridge? What is it that is worrying Clay?
My opinion: Makes for a good emotional read. There were characters did touch you so deeply. Penelope and Carey are two characters who had an impact on me. Clay was different from the five brothers and loved by parents. He was a unique character and stood out in any crowd. Although very silent, he cared deeply for people around me. This Clay was a man of few words but had a great impact on people around him
The book also talked a great deal about relationships between siblings and especially among brothers. Given that I am a single child, I enjoyed the camaraderie shared among them. Although they fought, pulled each other’s leg but at the end of the day they were there for each, should solidarity and great love for each other.
A book that talks about relationships and their impact on the lives of the people around them. The kind of relationship they shared amongst each other. The genuineness and trust shared in the relationship between the brothers, between Penelope and Michael or Clay and Carey is something that is missing these days.
The story gives emphasis on living life without killing ourselves. Life can get complicated, and it is complex anyway. Making sure to live an outstanding what we want from life is equally important as well. Carey fought for what she wanted to do, that is horse riding when parents thought it isn’t for her and that should be taken as a profession by her brothers. Clay took up the responsibility to build the bridge when no one could understand why he was doing it especially for person who left them when in need.
