Classic Tales from Mystic India by Kamla K. Kapur

Foretold:

It has been quite some time since we have received this book for reviewing from Jaico Publishers.

Like all the other books from Jaico Publishers, this also was sent by Marina. Thank you, Marina.

To browse the various other books sent by Jaico Publishers, click here: BR with Jaico

Note: This was originally named 'Ganesha Goes to Lunch', which was later renamed as 'Classic Tales from Mystic India'.

Blurb (from the jacket):

King Kubera was the greediest man in the world. Hated and feared by many, he schemed to win the love of the beautiful goddess Parvati . . . but learned an important lesson when he invited her elephant-headed son Ganesha over for lunch one day . . .

Thus goes one of the many delightful tales in this decidedly grown-up book of traditional Indian stories, retold for the modern reader. Author Kamla Kapur is well known in her native India as a poet and playwright, and her connection to these age-old stories is the reverent yet individualistic one we might expect from someone whose introduction tells of her hometown, where naked, dreadlocked holy men speed about on motorbikes.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Foreword:

I use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because it helps me find glitches in the prose and is way better than many other copy-cat applications.

It is this new-found tang for Graphic Novels that brought this book to me. Also, it is Srinivas - the other author of this blog - that introduced this book to me.

He kept ranting about this book for so long and at the end, I was adamant to read this. What started as a fleeting glance into the book carried to over 75 pages and I took a few more leaps to complete reading the novel.

I am still skeptical about how many stars to give this book. Maybe, I will decide before I reach the end of this review.

Blurb (from the jacket):

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Performance Anomalies by Victor Robert Lee

Foreword:

This is one of those very few books I have received through GoodReads First Reads Program. You know how difficult it is. There are thousands of members participating in each giveaway and there are very few copies to win. Almost all the times, I was one who was most likely to win. Well, I guess it is the same with you, too, if you have participated in any of those GoodReads giveaways.

However, I won this book, which was exclusively for Indians and I remember that there were as many copies as there were participants. Otherwise, how in the name of God did I even win this!

In that, a hard-cover! Big deal!

Blurb (from GoodReads):

Victor Robert Lee’s provocative debut spy thriller PERFORMANCE ANOMALIES introduces a protagonist to rival the most memorable espionage heroes. Cono is a startling young man of mixed and haunting heritage who has been gifted – or cursed – with an accelerated nervous system. An orphan from the streets of Brazil, he acts as a freelance spy, happy to use his strange talents in the service of dubious organizations and governments – until, in Kazakhstan, on a personal mission to rescue a former lover, he is sucked into a deadly maelstrom of betrayal that forces him to question all notions of friendship and allegiance. 

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Foreword:

This is one of those books which we haven't received for reviewing. Of course, we are just too small-time, to receive an Ayn Rand's book for reviewing. In fact, I don't see any need why her books would need ratings, reviews or publicity. People who are familiar with Ayn Rand's writing will read them anyway and others will read them, too, for the mere brilliance of her work!

Basically, this is my first exposure to Ayn Rand's work, her philosophy, objectivism, her followership. Never in my wildest dream did I think that Ayn Rand was such massive figure in the field of literature and philosophy. In fact, it was a shocker to know the various organizations named after her and built on the basic foundation of her philosophy - objectivism.

The very basic reason I picked up this book is by its slender thickness. It is seldom 105 pages, which includes 16 pages of 'Introduction'. Perhaps, I believe, this book is the thinnest book written by Ayn Rand. Well, I was being satiric, about her other humongous books - Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

The other reason behind picking up this book is its Dystopian plot. Every since I read, Fahrenheit 451, I developed this strange tang to read more of Dystopian novels. In fact, there were many similarities that are clearly shared between these two novels, apart from their slenderness.

Horseshoe Garage by Hitesha Deshpande

Foreword:

Lately, Leadstart Publishers have been in a full-swing. The market is like flooded with a ton of their books. Especially from their self-publishing imprint, Frog Books.

However, this book is printed under the imprint, Jufic Books, which primarily concentrates on Thrillers and Urban Fictions. To know more about Leadstart Publishers, click here...

The present book in discussion is one of the four book sent by Parag Mayekar. The other three are:

• Arjuna by Anuja Chandramouli
• Marry Go Round by Sadiqa Peerbhoy
• A Salesman's Lessons by C.R. Jena

After reading all the four books and weighing them, I think Arjuna is the best, so far.

Blurb (from the jacket):

Though he has gotten used to his salary and his job at Grant Motors, Sarvesh still finds himself waking up in the middle of the night, his heart pounding with the excitement of a Neo-Racing dream. The technologically advanced cars and the smell of the burnt rubber of the tyres haunt him all the time.