Truth is stranger than fiction

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...

Book review  Title: Where the crawdads sing Author: Delia Owens Genre: Literary fiction  'Where the Crawdads sing' is a story centered around the trials and tribulations of a marsh girl's life.   Set in coast town of  NorthCarolina, there are many alleged rumors about the Marsh girl namely Kya. Kya,however, is just a lonely child abandoned by her family. She treats the marsh  as her mother and finds solace in the sea gulls and herons around the area.  She doesn’t know to read or write but can read nature and tides to perfection.   As Kya comes of age, she has a couple of affairs- one particularly with Chase Andrews- a popular athlete in town. When Chase Andrews is found murdered, all blame falls on Kya, ultimately leading to a heated debate and drama inside the courtroom.   This is a book that is a coming of age story as well as a murder mystery, which makes it quite an engaging read. The debut author in her luci...

                                                Runners are known to be a crazy lot! What with waking up at an unearthly hour to clock those humongous distances, run on grueling terrains and battle tough weather conditions.   Yes, no normal person would do that. I guess it’s this ‘abnormality’ that sets us apart from the rest.   A fact that was reiterated when runners decided to celebrate Halloween in their fashion-wearing crazy costumes and running on the roads. My community back in Mumbai was celebrating their monthly Halloween run and I was incidentally doing the same thing here in California.  It’s a mad world : The characters in Alice adventures in wonderland had always caught my fancy. They were eccentric and as crazy as they could get. Probably that’s what emphasizes the phrase by the Cheshire cat “ We are all mad in...

Title: I’m Down Author: Mishna Wolff  Genre: Memoir This is a sort of a coming of age story of American writer-Mishna Wolff.  As a little girl , Mishna Wolff grows up in a predominantly poor black neighborhood with her single father and sister.  She fails to fit in with the neighborhood kids as she was considered too ‘white’ for them.  Later when she is sent to a rich school for white kids, she finds it tough to fit in with her classmates as she is considered too ‘black’.  Amidst these trials and tribulations, Mishna deals with her parents divorce, the several women in her father’s life, an overbearing step mom, conflict in cultures and the extremities in life.  As Mishna grows older, she begins to understand that there are all kinds of problems other than poverty in the world.   Written in an engaging and compelling manner, the author takes the readers  on her tumultuous journey. There are instances that makes your...

Book Review Title: The Forest of Enchantments Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Genre: Mythology The Forest of Enchantments is the retelling of The Ramayana from Sita's perspective. It captures the human story of Sita right from her birth, upbringing, her marriage to Ram, her abduction and her sad fate. During this tumultuous journey, Sita talks about love, endurance, sacrifices and betrayal. This book also showcases an interesting side to other women characters like Mandodari, Surpanakha and Kaikeyi. While the book is based on the old age epic, it also exhibits certain similarities to the present day world. The author in her imitable style of writing takes us into the nuances of relationships and a woman's fight against certain customs and traditions. It also explores the reason behind of birth and death, making you realize that every occurrence is a result of a certain cosmic puzzle. The Forest of enchantments is a compelling read. It makes you empathize with Sita ...

Title: Horror in the woods Author: Lee Mountford Genre: Horror Keeping in mind the spirit of Halloween, picked up this one. Horror in the woods is about 4 friends who go on a weekend hike and how it changes their lives. Ashley and her friends venture into the woods to get away from the hustle bustle of city life. There is an urban legend about a certain Webb family in these woods who are known for their grotesque practices. Is the urban legend true? What was initially supposed to be a fun trip ends up as a nightmare as they embark on a horrifying adventure. Written in a gripping and compelling manner, the author manages to give a good chunk of gory details. Most instances in this book are violent and makes you cringe in horror. Themes of family, friendship, betrayal and existence are dealt with here. Horror in the woods is certainly not meant for the faint hearted. Its a fast paced read and bound to be appreciated by those who have a penchant for horror. Read this at your own...

The triathlon season in California is officially over. To overcome those withdrawal symptoms, I decided to switch over to running until March-April next year.  Mermaid series had a 10 miler run event where participants could get to run on the Golden gate bridge. Since I loved running in San Francisco city, I decided to sign up for this one. I was blessed with good weather thanks to the onset of the fall season. The trees exhibited resplendent shades of red and yellow, making it a glorious sight altogether.  It was dark and a chilly Sunday morning. When I reached Crissy field at SFO, I could see the lights twinkling on the bridge. It was a pretty sight and gave it an overall fairy tale like appearance.  I stood there shivering despite wearing a double layered full sleeved attire. The volunteers were setting up the timing mats. Participants slowly streamed in, flashing lights from their phones. Getting into a conversation with a few of them, ...

Book Review Title: Waiting Author: Ha Jin Genre: Fiction Waiting is a love story between 2 individuals that transcends barriers and the complexities involving certain customs. Lin Kong is a doctor in the Chinese army who is in love with Manna Wu, the nurse in the same hospital. He is trapped in a loveless marriage with his wife Shuyu who is in the village with his daughter Hua. Every time Lin returns to the village to seek a divorce from his wife, the latter refuses in the last minute. And each time, Lin is forced to postpone his engagement to Manna. He has been waiting for eighteen years and this time he is determined to change things. Will Lin divorce his wife and marry manna?  Waiting is a book that showcases the protagonist being caught between a cultural conflict where adultery ruins reputations and lives. The writing style of the author is particularly eloquent and flows like poetry. While the story is simple, it captures the comple...

Book Review Title: Before we were yours Author: Lisa Wingate Genre: Literary Fiction 'Before we were yours' is a story set around the Great Depression era. It's inspired by true horrific incidents revolving around the Tennessee Children's Home society.  Children were kidnapped from poor families, tortured and later sold to rich families.  This book captures the story of Rill Foss and her siblings who were born to river gypsies. One day their father leaves them alone as he has to take their mother for a medical emergency. During that intermediate period, these children are kidnapped by some men and thrown into the orphanage. Rill tries to protect her siblings fiercely but loses some of them over time to unprecedented circumstances.  The story unfolds to the life of Avery Stafford in the present day scenario. Avery has it all-born in a reputed family, a promising career as a senator following her father's footsteps and a handsome fiancee. Her c...