Manali Manan Desai's Blog, page 29

The Camphor Of Night by Samir Satam

Blurb (as on Amazon)

This day, today, when looked at from the window of future; wouldn’t it seem Golden? But today It feels like just another day. Why does all this preciousness have to pass to be seen? Why can’t it get its due while it lives? Unfortunately that’s the way it has always been. The future seems to hold a certain value for the past. But the present seems to be like an unfinished Coin. It’s still incomplete to derive any worth. The poems in this collection ‘the camphor of night’ Are little things stolen from life which found their way to a treasury box in which they lay locked for years until these little things developed a life of their own and hence they need to be set free, because now is their time to breathe.

Genre: Fiction/ Poetry

Pages: 122

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 49 INR/$1.21Paperback (available only in India) : 200 INR

My Ratings: 4.7/5

Divided into 10 sections (Blues, The Language of Love, Drifting Souls, Waiting Room, Individualism, Harsh Realities, Cityscape, Unaccustomed, Music, and Nomads) the 155 poems in this book touch a raw nerve. Each poem is a story in itself and tugs the string of heart.

Book cover taken from Amazon

What I liked about this book:

-> All the Poems are very finely decorated & they are well segmented with individual themes like love, women, harsh realities, the way our society functions, and so on.
-> Each and every poem is meaningful, making us ponder with their deep lines
-> The poetry is strong yet they are not very long. None of the poems go on beyond a page or two and some are just couplets, and somehow the words still leave a lasting impact.
-> The poems are easy flowing and thought-provoking. You can finish the whole book in less than an hour but after every poem, you will pause and reflect and that’s the beauty of it.
-> The poems are on topics that most people will relate to. The poet did not generalize the poems a lot for everybody to connect with and some of the poems had individual experiences as well.
-> I really admired and enjoyed the poems in the section ‘Harsh Realities’ and ‘Cityscape’. The section dedicated to pieces based on politics & current affairs has poems that are direct as well as indirect and even though that section was short-lived I really appreciated it since I know it takes courage to voice your opinions on the same. Cityscape has poems that were filled with depth forcing us to take note of and ponder upon the realities of city life.

Quotable quotes:

-> In my wallet full of dreams,
Currencies are homeless refugees,
I agree, your reality is real,
So are the blues of my dreams…
-> Death, I wouldn’t mind
If love is promised
On the other side
-> Because,
Home is never about roof and walls!
-> If we keep looking away from dead bodies
With dreamy eyes towards clean,
sparkling roads,
Then we too have blood on our hands…
-> Little electric bulbs that look like candles,
Lack the bittersweet taste of a short life…
-> I smile to make it easier to hate me
-> Think of those rivers of tears,
In which we enter to bathe,
To walk out a little grown up
And a little bit dead
->Each experience that gives us a bit,
Takes a little of us with it
-> When you can finally be what you truly are…
Free…
Then you know,
You have arrived…
->As long as it’s the…
…same…
…old…
…me…
… a fresh start is but an illusion…
-> I won’t ask any questions,
I am afraid, you may lie,
I am afraid, you won’t

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media links:

InstagramFacebookLinkedIn

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Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988

Flora Fondness

Photo by Niklas Ohlrogge on Unsplash

You gave me a bouquet of love,

Wanting to win over my heart.

You added a splash of colors,

Vibrant and pleasing.

They held so much promise,

But I only saw hope lost.

It wasn’t your fault of course,

How would you know that

Though we shared a fondness for florals,

I preferred them in the wild,

Growing in parks, gardens, and just about anywhere,

But in this dying form,

in my hands.

****

Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988

Feeling The Monday Blues?

FEELING THE MONDAY BLUES?

Source: The Work Perk

Here’s a little secret. I never feel them.

Wanna know how?

I focus on these three things every Monday morning before I begin work.

1. Letting go and moving on

The past week might have brought some bad experiences, challenges and struggles. So I remind myself ‘Let bygones be bygones’ because its way past gone now. A week old event doesn’t need my time and energy anymore. Phew! Isn’t it wonderful to be done and dusted with these, finally?

2. New week, new work

As the new work week begins, I remind myself that it’ll bring in new and exciting things to work on. My biggest motivation here is that I’ll probably get to know new sides to my own personality.

3. I can do this

Another week of my life has gone by and I made it through. Sure, it might have been challenging, but look at the bright side. I MADE IT!

Yep, surviving through whatever life threw at me is an achievement for me and should be so for anyone. If I made it through the past week, I can make it through one more for sure.

****

Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988@@manali2006

An Open Letter To All Humans

Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash

Dear people,

Do you know me?

If you do,

I’m sorry if we haven’t talked in a while.

If you don’t,

Here’s a hello from me to you.

Do you know what I like about us?

That we can talk and walk?

That we can see and hear?

That we can feel and express?

Yes, of course, all of that.

But, more than anything,

It’s the fact that,

Some of us don’t judge.

We have a broad-minded perspective,

On almost everything.

We try to be kind,

We try to be as helpful as possible,

And we listen to someone before jumping to conclusions.

Such people are my favorites.

As they help us retain faith in humanity.

Despite most of us engaging in heinous activities,

Breaching trusts, spewing dislike and hatred,

Being narrow-minded and unwilling to change

Or not wanting to accept things that,

Don’t fall under their limited worldview.

There are those out there,

who make the world better,

and worthy of living.

So, here’s a thank you to those,

Stay the way you are,

And know that you’re appreciated.

Love,

A believer in humanity

****

N ote: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988@@manali2006

Everyday People: Tales of people you know by Salini Vineeth

Blurb (as on Amazon)

‘Everyday People’ is a collection of eight short stories featuring familiar strangers. These are stories of ordinary people whom you have met – at work, during the daily commute, in your friend circles, or on social media. However, the stories have a twist or an element of thrill to them. They rip open the sheath of mundane lives and present you with raw, poignant, and profound vignettes of urban life. These stories attempt to capture the dramatic flipside of the banal existence of everyday people.
As the editor defines them…
The stories are the perfect mix of sensationalism out of the mundane, exhibitionism of what has been undercover, and the simple refinement of human thought perspectives. The words sway and dance, tantalizingly just out of reach, trying to entice the reader into that false lull of security until a twist comes that makes them wonder, ‘What did I just read?’

Pages: 39

Genre: Fiction/Short stories

Format: Kindle eBook

Price: 49 INR/$3.56

My ratings: 4.3/5

With Bangalore city as a backdrop, each of the eight stories in this collection touches on the different facets of urban life in a busy and happening city.

Book cover taken from Amazon

What I liked about the book:
-> Each story is simple and narrated to the point with minimum characters. What I really liked is that they all have a different theme.
-> The stories highlight how life is different for people living in the same city, right from a married woman, to someone living alone in a rented apartment. Each character’s life, choices, and setting of the story is based on their profession, family background, and many other things.
-> The stories send out much-needed messages about how and what needs to change in our lives, especially in an urban setting.
-> My personal favorites are The Blue Light and The Ugly Indian for their unpredictable yet compelling twists.

What I did not like about the book:
-> A few of the stories could not give me a reading satisfaction probably because I expected more from them.

Quotable quotes:
-> We are Gujaratis. No one understands and respects business better than us.
-> You might become millionaires. But the regressive patriarchy around you might never change.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media links:

WebsiteInstagramTwitterLinkedIn

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Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Beauty

Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

They say naturally beautiful

or natural beauty

But, why does beauty need exemplification?

Be it natural or otherwise,

Isn’t beauty a perception,

A relative term,

Varying from person to person,

Not confined by a single definition.

What’s beauty if not of the mind,

and if not through the mind,

Rather than by appearance or

Through the eyes?

****

Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988@@manali2006

Linger, When You’re Gone by Chitra Padmana

Blurb (as on Amazon):

If I were wired to sense just one thing in this entire world, it would be the smell of you. Not flowers, not petrichor. Not liquid ink or pages of a new book. You. Just You. Filling all the spaces of my being.”

For Miris, her keen sense of smell has always been a blessing and a bane. For years, she has wrapped herself in seclusion to escape the dark memories of her past. When the mysterious death of her best friend sends her world crashing down, she finds herself in a dangerous quagmire of nostalgia and temptation as terrifying secrets emerge.

Then one day… she’s suddenly engulfed by his essence.

Roy, who she’d promised to love forever.

Roy, who was never supposed to come back.

Plunged into cyclic nightmares, Miris will have to navigate the haunted realms of hallucination and reality as help and deception arrive in unexpected forms.

Will Sam and Saira, her friendly neighbors become twin rays of the sunshine she craves or will they be consumed by her darkness?

Is this insanity? Or a sinister presence?

What do you do when you cannot trust yourself?

‘Linger, When You’re Gone’, a unique psychological thriller packed with romance and suspense, will quicken your pulse and keep it racing!

Perfect for fans of gripping thrillers from the likes of Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn. Enough of romantic suspense to keep readers of Nora Roberts hooked!

Genre: Fiction/Thriller

Pages: 180

Format: Kindle eBook

Price: 99 INR/$2.99

My Ratings: 4.7/5

Miris, Veenu, and Haseena were roommates and BFFs. Their lives go astray when Roy, Miris’s boyfriend does something that ruins all their lives, forever. The three have a fallout but destiny brings Miris and Haseena together again when Veenu dies under mysterious circumstances. Miris’s hyperosmia lands her in the middle of the investigation and what she smells at the crime scene cannot be true! Miris thought Roy was out of their lives but is he really gone?

Book cover taken from Amazon

What I liked about the book:
-> This thriller has all the elements of fear and curiosity that keep us wondering about whodunit till the very end.
-> Though it’s an out-and-out thriller it also involves emotions and elements like love, insecurity, vulnerability, and heartbreak with a matured sense of self-actualization.
-> The plot is wonderful, unique, and well-researched. Not to mention, it is beautifully penned by the author. It has enough of everything to keep one glued to the story till the last page and finish reading the book in one go because it also has a romantic tinge that will keep you engrossed till the end.
-> The story touches upon several issues, right from childhood trauma to mental wellness and also conditions like hyperosmia and phantosmia, which many readers might not be aware of.
-> The use of lines from poems in the chapter titles was brilliant and so appropriate. These made the story more real and also built up curiosity as to what will be happening in the coming chapter.
-> The transition between the present and the past is extremely well-positioned and smooth.

What I did not like about the book:
-> The story leaves one wondering about a few things that remain unanswered.
(Who was Soham and what happened to him? What did Roy do to Saira? and quite a few such things)

Quotable quotes:
-> Some stories are destined to be written by the author who can do the best justice to it. Some stories choose the writer instead of the writer choosing them.
-> Questions needed to be asked on time. When people were still around you to answer them.
->It would be wrong to blame an entire city for the ugliness in one’s life. If the soul was tainted from the very beginning, could there ever be hope for complete absolution?
-> Biscuits are always a go-to food. Anyone could survive anything on biscuits.
-> Checking e-mails the first thing in the morning is a terrible idea. As is social media.
-> Flames burn their brightest before flickering out.
-> The fundamental problem with self-centered people is that they do not fear. Of repercussions of a broken bond. Of not loving back the people who care for them, who need them.
-> Old nightmares have a tendency to come true. The one thing you’d ask the Almighty to never happen to you again is always thrown at you to deal with again and again till your memories drip your bone of strength.
-> We all have encountered people who prefer ignorance to the truth.
-> Why are promises broken? Why are they so easily given, without thought, without intent? Why do we banish logic, throw away caution and fail to see through vices that make these promises inevitably redundant, the instant they are uttered? Why do we believe in promises?
–> Age, profession, character traits, family backgrounds, apparently nothing matters when one’s mind starts leaning towards crime. It’s more like developing a taste and then getting addicted to it.
-> Stuff happens and there’s no other option but to face it, deal with it, and move on. Sometimes we can’t do it alone and we need help. And when you ask for help, you’re choosing to live and fight.
-> I finally understood. It was like I’d been blindfolded all the time and it was just now that they’d been taken off and I realized that I was at the precipice of a dark cliff.
-> As I felt his fingers and mouth exploring me all over, a sense of calm enveloped me like this was meant to be. Like the restless sea had found its shore. Like, I had come home.
-> Listen to your heart, but never ignore your instincts.
->You cannot run from some things, especially those that mess with your head.
-> Stop feeling sorry for yourself and jumping to conclusions about people around you. Shit happens. Life doesn’t stop. You need to move on. You need to take stock of what is happening to you.
->Protective is not being possessive. Getting rid of creeps is a good thing.
-> Infinity has so many meanings. It is an unreachable place of whispers and shadows, a vanishing time zone, a forbidden aroma dissipated in the recesses of the mind.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media handles:

InstagramTwitterFacebook

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Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Dear Curtains

Photo by Christopher Martyn on Unsplash

Dear Curtains,

When I want to avoid the neighbours from peeping into my house,

I pull you in.

When I need to stop the light from outside blocking my TV,

I pull you in.

When I wish to have a peaceful sleep in the middle of the day,

I pull you in.

When I don’t want anyone to know whether I’m at home or not,

I pull you in.

Just one tug at your strings and my world becomes more comfortable.

Just a slide of you and I have more privacy.

You match my mood,

And allow me to choose your position as I deem fit.

You match the room you’re put in,

You even blend in or go contrast with everything around you,

As demanded of you.

Thank you dear curtains,

For blocking the light and eyes of the world outside,

To allow my heart to be light,

And for me to get some shut-eye.

Love,

A person who values and understands privacy.

****

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988@gmail.com

Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Forget Me Not

Photo by Kasturi Roy on Unsplash

Monday is the most dreaded of all, 

By kids and adults alike, 

Because it means getting back to office and school, 

And continuing with the hustle of work and studies. 

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are everyone’s favorite days.

Because they indicate relaxing, lazying around,

No meeting deadlines and engaging in activities that bring happiness. 

Thursday is a segway transitioning from the not-so-good towards the great part of the week.  

Acting as the anchor where the dread falls out and the excitement begins. 

The remaining two are the almost ignored and forgotten ones, 

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are like a neglected lot of the family or friend circle,

Nobody dislikes them, but hardly anyone loves them either. 

When, in fact, they’re likely to be our most productive days. 

They’re the days that never claim out loud ‘Forget me not’

But silently almost remind us ‘I am here too’

Not unlike those people in our lives, who make it matter

Just by being there, without judgment or expectations. 

They probably don’t give us our best moments, 

But the most important thing is, 

They probably never give us bad moments either. 

So, this one is for those days and people,

Thank you for being the fillers in our life

We should be grateful to you for being the pillars, 

That we never knew we needed. 

****

Thank you for reading.

How to contact me:Connect with me on LinkedIn.Subscribe to my YouTube channel.Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Send me an email: arusticmind@gmail.com/manali1988@gmail.com

Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon

Rainbow Rose by Rabia Sethi

Blurb (as on Amazon)

A young couple decides to sell their house and uproot their lives under mysterious circumstances.

A casual lunch date between two friends becomes a revelation about their lives.

A woman discovers a photograph by chance but it ends up wrecking her near-perfect life.

Two former lovers, one eventful night. What will it lead to?

A woman’s marriage is slipping away and so is her sanity.

Twelve rich and absorbing stories that are heartfelt, amusing, dramatic and always surprising.

Tapping into complex human relations and emotions, the collection is a wonderful mixed bag of goodies.

Genre: Fiction/Short Stories

Pages: 125

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 99 INR/$2.99Paperback: 150 INR/$7.00

My ratings: 4.4/5

The book comprises twelve short stories that beautifully capture the complexities of human relationships. From second chances to having the courage of choosing yourself, from being the voice of people to the challenges one faces while coming out to the world, Rainbow Rose has it all.

Book cover taken from Amazon

What I liked about the book:
-> The stories are woven around the lives of common people around us.
-> The stories manage to do a wonderful job of spreading awareness on various topics that are not openly discussed in our society but are really important to lead a healthy life.
-> The characters are so realistic that it feels more like a truth disguised as fiction.
-> Each story begins with a sketch/ photograph depicting the theme of that story.
-> The book has something for everyone. It is great for beginner readers and a breather in between long-read for seasoned readers because it can easily be finished within a few hours.

What I did not like about the book:
-> Not all the stories are able to leave an impact which makes the overall, reading a little underwhelming.

Quotable quotes:
-> It is amazing how foolish we can be when we are in love.
-> You can never know, what will end up suiting you. We humans can surprise ourselves.
-> She was so caught up in her head that she missed out on all the good things that were right in front of her.
-> She was so caught up in her head that she missed out on all the good things that were right in front of her.
-> “I’m afraid to be alone but then marriage in our society entails a great deal of sacrifice on a woman’s part. I have put blood and sweat into my career, I cannot let it suffer.”
-> It is not easy for married women, especially moms to have a career.
-> “It might make me less desirable as a life partner, so be it. I cannot make everyone happy but at least I should be able to live with my choices.”
-> Putting everyone’s needs ahead of yours, does not necessarily count as love. You have to start paying attention to your needs and well-being too.
-> “Friends disagree all the time, as you grow older you will realize that even the people you love, don’t look at things the way you do and it is completely normal.”
“Well if we keep on disagreeing, how will we remain best friends?”
“You both will have to agree to disagree then.”
-> There are some defining moments in our lives, they change the course of of our lives forever and we are no longer the same.
-> One of the perks of being a baby is that you can get away with wearing almost anything or nothing at all.
-> Each parent thinks their child would be better off adopting their value system rather than their partner’s. Such is our ego that we can see other’s faults more quickly in comparison to our own.
-> Whenever we look at the old photographs, instead of focusing on the clothes, we tend to focus on the people around us. Our mother’s smile, our father’s laugh, our old mates whom we had lost touch with, some family members who were no longer with us.
-> That is the problem with our society. Being a rich man, he didn’t feel the need to explain his actions. Rich people are at the liberty to do heinous things to the poor and get away with it. The poor are accustomed to suffering at their hands. This mind-set is so deeply baked into the cake of society that we fail to acknowledge how problematic it is.
-> The more you keep something that’s bothering you, inside, the more it will get to you. It can be a big life change or not something you wished for, so it’s okay to be upset.
-> Every family has its share of troubles, it’s just how well you play the hand you are dealt with.
-> Some things tend to change with time while some things remain the same.
-> When I was young, I didn’t know what words like ‘Spark’ or ‘Click’ meant, does a spark happen? And do you hear the clicking sound? Whenever my friends said they felt a spark with someone, I wondered how they knew. Or precisely feel?
-> “Some people can turn their passion into their vocation but everyone is not passionate about something.”
‘We are all passionate about something at some point in our lives. Something that makes us whole. It’s just that some people dare to take it forward while some don’t.”
-> The fact that someone listens to you and understands you well is so comforting.
-> We get to live only once, might as well spend it with someone who makes us happy. Your life should not be a settlement.
-> It was not going to be easy, but then I remembered that nothing worth having ever is.
-> Irrespective of whether you are close-knit or not, it’s natural to feel some guilt about leaving your folks behind.
-> Once you leave home; for whatever purpose, it was almost impossible to move back.
-> Wearing expensive clothes and dining at fine restaurants has nothing to do with your mentality.
-> That is the misery. Everyone is fine with it, as long as it doesn’t affect their home.
-> In Mumbai, Gossip travels faster than light, people don’t take it seriously.
-> Everyone has their challenges to conquer, their fears to face. Comparing your life to someone else is futile and wrong. Sometimes the choice we make, require us to display exceptional courage but that is the price we pay for living life on our terms.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media links:

Instagram

Note: This blog is a part of Blogchatters #halfmarathon