Truth is stranger than fiction

Title: The Haunting of Hill House Author: Shirley Jackson Genre: Horror Having a fascination for horror and the supernatural phenomenon, I wonder why I delayed in reading this book. Nevertheless better late than never.  The Haunting of Hill house is the story of four individuals who come to Hill house to study and examine certain supernatural occurrences. Dr Montague is a scholar searching for evidence of certain phenomena. Theodora is his lively and effervescent assistant. Eleanor is a sheltered young woman with a past and Luke is the future heir of Hill House. The four experience spooky instances that are beyond their realm of understanding. Hill House stands tall and proud in a desolated place. It remains to be seen if the house manages to entice them into its grasp.  Some of the eerie occurrences send a chill down the spine. The author's descriptive style of writing has a wry tone to it. She manages to bring Hill House alive and ...

Title: Crawl of Fame Author: Julie Moss/Robert Yehling Genre: Memoir/Sports/Triathlon She thought it was the end when she crawled to the finish line at the Kona Ironman race in 1982. She was just 15 feet away from the finish line while Kathleen who was just behind her, overtook her. That crawl sought her fame amidst the triathlon circuit. It was the beginning of Julie's career as a triathlete. Every sportsperson's life comprises of its ups and downs. Julie Moss's was no exception.  In this honest memoir, Julie describes the inception of her triathlon journey. As a part of her thesis for her College project, Julie decided to take part in the Ironman race. It comprised of 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  Her unlikely lead and crawl made her an icon of endurance sports. She narrates about her training regimes, her breakups, meeting the legendary Mark Allen(Of Iron war fame), marrying him and doing ...

Read a book and life will never be the same again. Books are not only your great companions but also transport you to a different world altogether.  During this quarantine period especially, some of the above titles kept me company. Sitting on my armchair, I have managed to solve mysteries, meet interesting characters, travel to Thula Thula amidst the African Wilderness and run virtual marathons and revisit some stories.  Thanks to my profession as a journalist where I interview authors, I get to read a wide range of genres. My creative writing courses have also propelled me to explore different titles and authors. Hardly a day goes by when I don't read. There are days when I am buried inside book for hours together, forgetting folks around me.  "You read so much. How come?" asked someone the other day.  Partly because of my profession and my courses, I say. Of course it goes much deeper than that. Having been an only child, books have always man...

'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams'.  This quote was the first thing that came to my mind when I watched the Irrfan Khan starrer Angrezi Medium on Friday night.  What a beautiful film!  It's the story of Champak-a humble sweet shop owner and how he goes lengths to fulfill his daughter Tarika's dream of wanting to study abroad.  During this journey, a series of misadventures occur. Right from being barred from entering UK, to gaining entry through a false identity, a run into a stern cop (played by Kareena Kapoor) to fundraising for Tarika's admission.  It also exhibits a young girl's ambition to break the shackles of her cocooned life in Rajasthan and lead an independent life. As she categorically tells her father "I don't want to be a frog in a well."The instances that showcase her eagerness to fit into the society is typical of a 20 twenty person striving to yearn acceptance amongst the peer se...

Title: A Temporary Matter Author: Jhumpa Lahiri Genre: Short Story This short story is a part of 'The Interpreter of Maladies'- a book that I read many years ago.  It was nice to revisit this particular story as it happened to be a part of my course curriculum. Interesting how you perceive the story with a different lens and delve deep into its analysis.  A Temporary Matter is the story about a married couple who confess some truths to one another during a power outage.  Shoba and Shukumar receive a notice which says that there would be a power cut for an hour every night for five consecutive days. The story goes on to showcase the couple's strained relations due to Shoba's miscarriage. It unearths their several complexes that they are battling with.  It is interesting to note how the author has used darkness as a metaphor to describe the same in the couple's lives. She certainly has a knack for details, bringing the reader'...

Review Title: The Handsomest drowned man in the world Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Genre: Short Story This is a part of my creative writing course curriculum. The Handsomest drowned man in the world is a story about how a group of children in a fishing village find a drowned man washed ashore. This raises an alarm amongst the village folk. The men head to the neighboring villages to enquire if the drowned man belongs to them.  The women in the meanwhile prepare the body for the funeral. The man happens to be big and strong which leaves the women contemplating about his identity and draw their own conclusions. While the men fail to understand the fuss made. There lies an element of magical realism in the story similar to some of the other works by the author. In his inimitable style, he manages to portray a village that is desolate and devoid of happiness. Its interesting how several themes and metaphors are subtly brought out in the story. Change being a primary one ...

Book Review Title: The Yellow Bird Sings Author: Jennifer Rosner Genre: Historical Fiction Stories set around the time of World war 2 always manage to leave an imprint in your mind. The Yellow Bird Sings is one such story of a mother and her five year old daughter. When the Jews are attacked by the Nazi soldiers in Poland, Roza and her five year old daughter Shira flee from their home. They take refuge in a neighbor's barn. For months together, Roza urges her daughter to keep still and stay silent. Their only solace is the make believe world that Roza creates for Shira. A world where a little girl lives in an enchanted garden. The girl has to stay silent so that she can hear the yellow bird sing. Roza discovers that Shira has a gift for music. When the situation worsens, Roza is forced to give up Shira to a convent to ensure the latter’s safety. With a heavy heart, the mother and daughter separate. Rosa vows to come back for Shira. The Yellow Bird Sings ...

Title: Quarantined: Love in the time of Corona Author: Mahul Brahma Genre: Short Stories Quarantined is a collection of six short stories set around the time of corona and the unexpected lockdown.  The first story is about an the affair between two office colleagues, the second explores the story of struggling model who indulges in multiple affairs. The third is about two people hooking up in an airport while the fourth is a narrative about a couple-both who indulge in an illicit affair. The fifth showcases a doctor's paternal love to a girl who reminds him of his daughter while the last explores the complexity of the relationship between three people. Each of the story has an interesting twist and  revelation. The author manages to explore the dark side of love in most of the stories. It showcases the complexity of both love as an emotion and the human mind.  Written in an unabashed and honest style, the stories also portray the fear of...

Title: The Wagner Matinee Author: Willa Cather Genre: Short story The Wagner Matinee is a short story belonging to the author’s collection of short stories titled ‘The Troll Garden’.  It’s the story of a young Bostonian named Clark, his Aunt Georgina and her reunion with music.  Clark receives a letter saying that his Aunt Georgina is visiting Boston from Nebraska. She had been a music teacher at the Boston Conservatory during her younger days. Until she eloped with Howard Carpenter who was ten years her junior. She settles for a tough life up the mountains. During her visit, Clark takes her to a symphony concert and the music moves her to tears.  The author in her vivid style showcases a myriad of emotions. Honesty, wistfulness, shame, being judgemental and regret.  The irony of the choice made by Aunt Georgina tends to strike a chord with the readers. The story explores the complexity of choices one has to make in life and the regret acc...

Watching movies about the escapades of the Indian army always instills a sense of pride. It is also accompanied with a myriad of other emotions. I happened to stumble upon this movie on Amazon Prime.  The Great Indian escape is the true story of three Indian Air Force Officers who become POWs (Prisoners of war) and how they plan their escape from Pakistan. Under the lead of LT Dilip Parulkar, they meticulously plan for almost a year  in order to escape their hellish life in Pakistan Jail.  The film is a wonderful ode to their heroic feat. The display of their positivity, grit and valor even during times when they were flirting with death, is just amazing. One can learn from their ability to see light at the end of the tunnel. Irrespective of how dark and long the tunnel is. It teaches one to learn to thrive on hope. Something that is relevant today, given the current situation.  There are no frills or fancies or any earth shattering dialogues in...

It has almost been a month since the lockdown in California. While its tiresome not to venture outdoors and lead that 'normal' life, this lockdown has enabled me to try out something new.  I had no choice but to see how I could make the best out of this new 'normal'.   Fitness being a priority, I found a way to resort to some indoor workouts. It included biking on my trainer. Fortunately I had invested in a Wahoo kicker trainer back in 2017 when I had just gotten into the sport called triathlon. My coach Viv from Mad Menon Academy suggested that it would come in handy especially if I couldn't take my bike out for a ride. The trainer is a device to which you can attach your bike and simulate a road ride experience. Of course its a lot harder and requires immense  amount of motivation to keep going.  Besides, indoor biking, I have resorted to aerobics, cross-fit thanks to the Orange Theory online sessions, running indoors after shifting the f...

Title: Bhumika Author: Aditya Iyengar Genre: Mythology What if? A question that haunts many of us as we tend to ruminate about certain events in our life. What if we had taken a different path in life? What if we had made a different choice?  Would we have been happier?  Bhumika is a book that attempts to answer an interesting question. What if Sita had not married Rama?  Sita is seen spending her twilight years in the forest. During these days, several thoughts swirl in her mind.  What if she hadn't married Rama? What if she hadn't accompanied him on the exile? What if she hadn't returned to Ayodhya? Nursing such thoughts and bitter feelings of being banished, she confides in Sage Vishwamitra. The sage shows her that she might have been Bhumika-the feisty Queen of Mithila who defied traditional norms.  Written from the first person narrative of Sita, the story cruises through the life of Bhumika and how she reigns Mithila. The a...

This movie was recommended to me by a friend along with some other titles. The lockdown mode was a good opportunity to catch up on some of these flicks along with my usual routine of reading and writing.  Pa Paandi is the story of Power Paandi- an ex stuntman in the Tamil Film Industry. Having retired from his profession, Paandi lives with his son, daughter in law and two grandchildren. Feeling restless with nothing to do, Paandi tries to get involved in certain issues around his society which lands him into trouble. This causes embarrassment for his son which leads to some arguments. Tired of feeling like a burden to his son, Paandi decides to seek freedom and embarks on a journey on his old Bullet. This journey enables him to meet his first love, gain closure and also iron out differences with his son who realizes his folly. A well directed film with some wonderful performances. The movie touches upon several themes. It showcases the perils of retired life and the...

Title: An Elephant in my Kitchen Author: Francois Malby-Anthony Genre: Memoir Its amazing how humans imbibe some vital lessons about life from the animal kingdom. Francois-Malby-Anthony, the wife of late wildlife conservationist articulates such learnings in her memoir- 'An Elephant in my kitchen'.  After Lawrence's unexpected death in 2012, Francois is left all alone to manage the wildlife conservatory of Thula Thula. This includes the herd of elephants with a troubled past that Lawrence had taken under his wing-an experience that he pens down in his memoir- The Elephant Whisperer. Francois describes her journey as a daunting task-one that came with its set of challenges. This includes the horrors of poaching, the breached security system, almost falling into a trap of an illegal deal and the herd's new matriarch's dislike towards her. In her lucid style, she transcripts her extraordinary tales from the wild that changed her life. This invol...

Review Title: Why don’t you dance Author: Raymond Carver Genre: Short story This story was a part of my creative writing course reading material. This particular short story is a part of Raymond Carver’s collection of Short Stories titled ‘what we talk about when we talk about love’. It’s a plot which involves three characters - a middle aged man and a young couple. The middle aged man seems to be at the brink of a divorce and clearing out his belongings. The young couple are eager to procure a few things from the man at a discounted price. And the transaction occurs with some dialogues and subtle tension. What was appealing about this story was the ability of the author to convey a lot without actually saying much. The subtlety in his writing enables the reader to infer something and come to a certain conclusion.  He tries to explore the themes of endings and beginnings to an extent. An interesting story that will compel readers to read between the lines and think a...