Truth is stranger than fiction

" All endings are also beginnings, we just don't know it at that time. " A quote from one of my favorite books 'The Five People you meet in heaven' by Mitch Albom.  Its just a day left before we bid goodbye to 2019. As I look back at this year, its had its usual share of ups and downs.  On the positive side, there has been a lot of learning, a few unexpected surprises and some new ventures. On the downside, there were issues with health, lot of confusion and self doubts coupled with the inevitable stress.  January: After toying with ideas for a year, I finally decided on the book that I wanted to write. It was about my journey to Ironman 70.3. This gave me a sense of purpose and direction as to where I was headed with regards to my writing. The creative writing classes at Stanford helped me immensely and I received some constructive feedback about my chapters in my manuscript.  Started my year with a magical half marathon at Disney world in Or...

Title : Best friends forever Author : Dawn Goodwin Genre: Thriller Stumbled upon this on kindle. Best friends forever is the story of Anna and Vicky who have been inseparable since their school days. Anna was the devious, conniving and the narcissist one while Vicky dwelled in Anna’s shadow vying to be like her.  When Anna dies in an accident, she leaves behind her grieving husband David and 2 children. Vicky steps in to lend a helping hand to Anna’s family. As the story progresses, one begins to question the real motive of why Vicky tries to fill in Anna’s shoes. Twisty and complex, the story goes back and forth in time. It takes us back to certain instances in Anna and Vicky’s rather toxic friendship and uncovers the a baggage of manipulation, lies and secrets. Dark yet compelling, Best friends forever portrays the resentment accompanied with jealousy that often finds its way even in the closest of relationships.  None of the characters were like-able exc...

Title: White Christmas wedding Author: Celeste Winters Genre: Fiction As the spirit of Christmas still lingers on, decided to pick up a book that depicts the same. A change from the heavy reading that I have been indulging in lately. White Christmas wedding is the story about Beth who plans to get married to her uppity  New Yorker boyfriend Tom. The wedding venue turns out to be her family’s barn in Michigan as it’s the only way her ailing grandmother can attend. However when Tom’s mother compels her to sign a pre nuptial agreement, Beth is appalled. Meanwhile Beth’s best friend Jen is in charge of the wedding arrangements. Its the perfect start to fulfill her dreams of becoming a wedding planner. However when the area is submerged under a snowstorm, everyone sets aside their differences and lends a helping hand. This book showcases the rigmarole associated with wedding arrangements. The author depicts the differences that exist between the city bred and the c...

This is a story that I read every Christmas. It’s sort of a tradition. An endearing story about a couple namely Jim and Della who sacrifice their most prized possessions to buy a Christmas gift for each other.  It turns out to be an irony as their presents cannot be used at the moment. They put it away to enjoy their Christmas dinner instead with one another. This story denotes love and sacrifice. The descriptions of the settings especially of the cold dreary winter morning matches Della’s frame of mind to perfection. Every time I read this story, I take away something new from it. It emphasizes the importance of counting your blessings. It doesn’t matter if you sell your hair or watch. What ultimately matters is the mere presence of loved ones with whom you can enjoy a simple meal. Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄

Book review Title: One Part Woman Author: Perumal Murugan Genre: Fiction/Translation Regional literature has some stories that entices the readers  into another world with strange beliefs and rituals. It manages to raise eyebrows and evoke certain emotions. The author of ‘Poonachi’ has authored one such book that explores a bold theme. Set in a village in Southern India during the British Colonization period, One part woman is the story of a married couple who are unable to conceive. Kali and Ponna are married for 12 years and are still childless. They have tried all methods including drinking bitter potions made out of neem leaves and performing several rituals to appease their local deity.  Things take a turn for the worse when both their mothers push Ponna to go to the annual  chariot festival. This is a celebration of Maadhorubaagan ( half male and half female God). On the 18th night of the festival, it is believed that all men are considered Gods and...

Waking up to your period is not exactly a great start to a Saturday morning. This is especially when you have a running event to go to. Nevertheless, I did go and had decided to take the run easy. It was a distance of 15 km.  15 km on a trail : The run was scheduled at Baylands, Palo Alto. Since it had rained the previous day, the roads were damp and some parts were covered with puddles. It’s always a treat to run on an unexplored terrain. The beauty part of running is that it enables you to explore some new routes and trails. Being a nature lover, it was blissful to run on dirt roads surrounded by water on both sides. Watching the ducks swim deftly, I too found my strides going smooth. The run turned out to be better than I had expected despite the fact I was fighting menstrual cramps. It was a strong 15 km. I’ve had stronger runs before but today wasn’t a day to complain. I was training for a full marathon and I had to get my muscles to endure longer runni...

Title: Vichchoda Author: Harinder Sikka Genre: Fiction The author of 'Calling Sehmat' returns with a book that has another powerful woman protagonist. In 1947 the barbaric riots wreck humanity. Amidst this is a Sikh woman who has been rescued from the jaws of death. After losing her family, Bibi Amrit Kaur begins a new chapter in her life in a new country where she gets married and has 2 sons. An unforeseen horrific incident breaks her life apart and she is transported across the border-far from her family. Bibi thrives in pain but clings on to the hope that she might reunite with her sons again.Will she eventually do so? Vichhoda is apparently based on a true story that describes some heart wrenching incidents. The book captures the horrors of post partition era where homes were burnt down, woman were preyed upon to quench the lustful desire of certain men and heinous crimes committed due to intolerance. The author takes us through the 1965 Indo-Pak war and showcases the re...

  Title: The Songwriter Author: Pushpak Sarkar Title: Literary Fiction Its always interesting to read books written by new authors. The songwriter is a journey of a musician and his struggle for acceptance and success. Ratul is the only child of wealthy parents who grows up in a town situated in the Himalayas. Being reticent by nature, Ratul finds it hard to gain acceptance amongst his peers. He finds solace in art and music. His talent leads him to form a band with a few school mates and later goes abroad to pursue a career in art. The story goes on to showcase his tumultuous journey of heartbreaks, struggles, success and finding his roots. The songwriter is an interesting blend of music and coming of age story. It showcases how music often provides solace to lonely souls. The author brings out aspects like introversion, self esteem and how choosing an offbeat career is still frowned upon in our society. Particularly liked the vivid portrayal of the Himalayan...

Books have always played a large role in my life. Being the only child, they were my constant source of companions. I spent my childhood visiting enchanting lands with exquisite features on top of a magical tree, solving mysteries and spending  time with interesting characters at boarding schools.  After which I migrated to more serious reading- classics that explored some complex human emotions and relationships. Probably that’s what piqued my interest in psychology during my adolescent years.  Unfortunately due to academic pressures and inability to cope up, books and I had a temporary break until college. This friendship took its own time to renew.  However little did I realize that books would play a vital role in my professional life as well.  As a journalist who interviews authors, it’s such a pleasure to delve deep into these literary gems. Right from fiction, non fiction, mythology, sports, sports,thrillers, memoirs to business, I have ...

Book review  Title: The Silent patient Author: Alex Michaelides Genre: Thriller A lady shoots her husband 5 times on the face and goes silent. A psychotherapist is intrigued by her case.  Alice Berenson is a famous painter married to Gabriel- a dashing fashion photographer. She seems to lead the perfect life. However one evening when Gabriel returns home, she shoots him on the face 5 times and goes silent.  Her refusal to speak a word piques the interest of Theo- a psychotherapist. Determined to break her silence, Theo sits down to unravel this rather peculiar mystery. All those several therapy sessions with Alicia spirals into several turns and a chilling twist in the end.  Narrated from the perspective of Theo, this thriller hooks the readers right from the start. It’s fast paced with some interesting revelations. There is an interesting blend of psychotherapy with art and a dash of Greek mythology.   The Silent patient showcase...

Title: An Extreme love of coffee  Author: Harish Bhat Genre: Fiction/Fantasy  'An extreme love of coffee' is about Rahul Kamath-a man from the advertising world and an ardent coffee lover who embarks on an unexpected coffee adventure with his girlfriend Neha.  Rahul and Neha end up drinking a cup of 'magic coffee'. This leads them to a treasure hunt quest. With strange clues and accompanied by a  friendly coffee ghost, Rahul and Neha rush from coffee plantations in Coorg to Japanese graveyards and Denmark. Pursued by Japanese assailants, the story goes on to describe Rahul and Neha’s relentless hunt for the treasure. After penning 2 non fiction books, Brand Custodian of Tata Sons Private Limited , Harish Bhatt returns with a fantasy fiction. In his compelling writing style, he creates an interesting blend of the coffee, adventure and mysticism. The descriptions of the coffee plantations and different locations are so vivid that readers are ...

Book review Title: When we believed in mermaids Author: Barbara O’ Neal Genre: Fiction 2 sisters, an ocean and buried secrets. For 15 years, Kit had always believed that her elder sister Josie had died in a train during a terrorist attack. One day she sees an image of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to her on television. It’s during live coverage news from a nightclub in Auckland. Kit is determined to to find the truth and embarks on a journey to get to the bottom of things. Her trip to New Zealand results in some shocking discoveries as she unfolds the memories of her past. The story is narrated in first person with alternating perspectives from Kit and Mari (Josie). Set partly in California and in New Zealand, readers are taken through the beautiful locales of mountains, oceans and sunsets. The sport of surfing plays a vital role in the book. The pace is a little slow in some parts but overall an engaging read. When we believed in mermaids emphasizes on th...

Title: Finding Chika Author: Mitch Albom Genre: Memoir/Non fiction Families are made not necessarily by birth but by unexpected circumstances. ‘Finding Chika’ emphasizes this fact and much more. After Tuesdays with Morrie, author Mitch Albom returns with yet another memoir that tugs the strings of your heart. Chika is a young orphan who was born 3 days before the Haiti earthquake in 2010. After losing her mother to death, Chika is admitted to Have Faith Haiti orphanage, which Mitch Albom operates in Port-au-Prince.  Mitch and his wife Janine have no children of their own so they treat the children in their orphanage as their family. When Chika arrives, she wins hearts quickly with her confidence and curiosity. At the age of five, she is diagonosed with a tumour. She is brought to America for better medical care and slowly becomes a vital part of Mitch’s family. The book goes on to describe the 2 year ordeal of trying to find a cure for Chika’s rare condition. Throug...

Title: Arranged: For a reason or prison Author: Sonu Gohil Genre: Fiction Good to always read a book by one of the author members on this forum called Did you read today.  Marriages are made in heaven. Are they?  Sitara is single and a successful interior designer who harbors  romantic aspirations of meeting Mr Right. She finally settles in for an arranged cum love marriage with Aditya.  Sitara quits her job post marriage and shifts to another city. She soon immerses herself in domestic chores and is content playing the role of a homemaker. The story goes on to explore the usual rigmarole that is accompanied with married life. Does Sitara give in to the mundane routine life or does she resume her career?  'Arranged' explores the nuances of married life that comes with a package including the diaspora of relatives and the pressure to play multiple roles. The author in her simple and straightforward style of writing mirrors the...

Written this based on a word prompt on a forum called Did you write today. The route was flat and fast as the organizers had described on their website. She was running strong and her legs felt as through they had grown wings. It felt good to overtake a few strong looking athletes while she was making her way to the fi nish line. She glanced at her watch that displayed the distance, pace and time. She was on a course to crack a personal best.  Just at the turning She watched an old man trip and fall. He clutched his ankle and his face winced in pain. She looked at him in concern and then all around to see if she could spot a volunteer. There was no one around. Her strides had slowed down. Gone was the competitive edge that she had felt a few minutes back. It was instantly replaced by a wave of humanity.   The dilemma that had clouded her mind for a fleeting second had dissipated. She knew   that it was the right thing to do. She stopped and asked if he was ok....

Book Review Title: Black Rock Bay Author: Brianna Labuskes Genre: Thriller  Stumbled upon this new release on kindle.  A dead journalist. An desolated island. A detective confronting the ghosts of her past.  Detective Mia Hart grew up on the island. One summer night, she lost 2 of her closest friends and was the lone survivor of a suicide pack. She never thought she'd return again until she is summoned for an investigation of a dead journalist.  Was it suicide or murder?  As she and her partner Izzy begin to investigate, Mia finds the ghosts of her pasts catching up with her. Somehow the current murder is linked to the past events. An interesting game begins as she tries to unravel the missing pieces of this complicated jigsaw puzzle.  Set in an island off the coast of Maine, the story initially starts off at a slow pace. It gains momentum midway after which it hooks the readers till the end.  Narrated from alternate...

Title: Gather my bones  Author: Rahul Vishnoi Genre: Short story  It was good to read a short story authored by one of the author members on a forum called Did you read today on Facebook.  Gather my bones is a short story written in first person. The narrator is depicted as a hostage who is asked to guess the reason behind the murder of 3 bodies placed in front of her. Who is the narrator and does she ultimately make the right guess?  This short story is gripping and engaging right from the start. It’s piques your curiosity and compels you to keep reading right till the end.  Particularly liked the descriptions of the deceased people and the settings by the author. It keeps the readers hooked throughout.  A short story that is impactful and powerful.

It was on a Saturday morning when I stumbled upon the Morgan hill Veteran’s day run event. I was casually browsing for running events in the bay area and found this one. Morgan hill was just about 30 minutes from my place. I had done a duathlon event here in March 2018. I recollected how beautiful it was. Besides it gave me an opportunity to meet war veterans and thank them for their services. Incidentally it was just a day before Veterans’ day (November 11).   The online registrations had already closed so I mailed the organizers asking if I could come on race morning and register for the run. They replied in affirmative.  Race morning : It was a cold and a foggy morning when I ventured out to Morgan hill on Sunday.  I reached Depot street at 7:45 am. After registering and collecting my bib, I stood there watching the organizers set up the venue. There were a couple of stalls where postcards of veterans were placed. I looked at them curiously and...