Namita Das's Blog, page 90

Franky and The Cotton Suit (Animal Kingdom Book 3) by Charvi Kunal, Kunal Das

It’s a story of a frog named Franky who wants to wear clothes like humans. Despite his parents explaining to him the reason why frogs don’t wear clothes, he goes and buys a cotton suit for himself.

After wearing that cotton suit, Franky faces troubles in his daily activities and realizes that copying humans is not the best way to live like a frog.

I love the story as it teaches kids to be happy in their skin and stay natural.

It is available on Amazon Kindle.

Franky and the Club Sandwich (Animal Kingdom Book 2) by Charvi Kunal, Vedika Agrawal

It’s a cute story of a frog who is bored with his daily home food and wants to try something new. Incidentally, he found a club sandwich recipe and has decided to prepare it.

I loved the way the story progresses where the frog is finding ingredients for the sandwich and in return offering to share the final ready sandwich with everyone who helped him collect the ingredients.

A good story for kids to teach sharing as well as experimenting with their curiosity.

It is available on Amazon Kindle.

The Newtonian Prophecy by Aditya Ram

First of all, a big applaud to the author. It must have required an extensive amount of research to write this book and the diligence is very well visible in the work. Also, the end credits and the links prove the same.

This book is a fabulous piece of fiction involving some real-life renowned personalities. It revolves around the creations of Newton but the way inventions of Alfred Nobel are compounded in the story, I call it a fine attempt. Many interesting subjects churn in the book starting from history to science kneaded with religion. It includes a lot of suspense and thrill elements and they unfold at the right time leaving the reader enthralled.

There were a few places where the conversations and plot description were so lengthy that it gilded the lily. It took my focus away from the story, particularly in the last 20% of the book. Despite that, this book is highly recommendable. All being well, we might be having a budding Dan Brown.

It is available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.

Around The World Through My Lens by Jyoti Jha

One book with four different locations India, USA, Europe, Japan.

I loved the way the travel experiences have been penned down in the book. It’s not a travelogue but an exploration journal that can be referred to when one wants to visit the mentioned places. My favorite part of the book was the explanation given for Greenwich and Meridian and the story of the peeing boy statue.

The only minus point but not a downside, I felt was the collages. Instead of pic collages if there were single pics that would have added essence to the sight descriptions.

This book is a definite must-have on your shelf. It can come in handy when you are planning a trip, especially to Europe.

It is available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.

80 Days Since February 3 by Mehak Aggarwal

When I was 15 years old, I used to write a diary, penning down my emotions regularly in form of prose or poems and even amateur Shayari. This book reminded me of my little diary.

This book is a collection of emotions and feelings starting from Feb 4 – Apr 23. One chapter each in varied forms of prose, quotes, and freestyle poem. I loved all of them, they are straight from the heart and touch the heart.
The chapters from March 4 and 9 were the most relatable to me. They were like the words from my younger self inscribed by the author in her book. The prose from March 23, reminded me of my study table drawer, which also had all sorts of things that I had collected. However, damaged or broken they were I was unable to let them go. I don’t know where those things are now but I can just clearly remember them.

One fantastic read.

It is available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.

Winner Winner, Fishy Dinner!

Four friends were on a camping trip near a lake. They walked deep inside the forest with the help of a paper map. Thanks to the weak network, Google maps did not work.

“I had asked you to download the offline maps.” Nayana was agitated. She was a perfectionist but this time she was forced to give in to her friends’ arrangements. It was an impromptu camping decision. Despite having only two days, she did manage to hoard on necessities, food, raw as well as cooked for all four of them, barbeque essentials, first aid kit, etc.

“Girl, just chill! We have this compass. See.” Ayush held out a compass that was a rusted piece of metal with a bent needle. “We will reach there soon.” He said nonchalantly. Ayush was a laid-back guy and liked to relax on outings. He would always prefer to take leisure trips but once Nayana mocked him for being just a lazy bum. So, he decided to plan a camping trip and not disclose many details to her.

 “Hope, we reach the lake soon.” Anandita sighed, she loved going on trips with her friends, be it anywhere but right now she was tired of the interminable walk.

Saransh walked behind in the line following the lead. He was as excited as Anandita for the camping but the long walk was draining him out as well. The four of them kept walking for the next two hours and eventually reached the lake but there was no camping site or tents setup.

“Where are others? Or are we at the wrong site?” Nayana questioned as Saransh pulled out the pamphlet from his bag that Ayush had stuffed in at the start of the trip. She snatched it from his hands and screamed. “It was yesterday.”

Everyone looked at Ayush tempestuously, who was busy tying a hammock between two trees. He glanced at the trio from the corner of his eye in between, also trying to escape their glares. After a few seconds, he spoke out, “Chill, you guys! I know. I know. I messed up the dates. The camp was indeed yesterday. But it is O.K. Look around it’s so beautiful. We all can have our private camping.”

“Ayush, dude, do you understand. We don’t have a guide. There is no network. What are we going to do in case of an emergency?” Nayana yelled again.

“Come on. It’s a matter of one night. Don’t be such a brat and spoil the mood. Let’s start our camping. Yoo-hoo.”

“Yeah, Nayana. Now that we are here let’s enjoy ourselves. I also got my fishing rod. I will go fishing.” Saransh skipped in exhilaration.

“After, the tent is set up.” Nayana glared.

Ayush and Saransh started setting up the tents and beds while Nayana and Anandita unpacked food items. Once everything was set, all four of them sat down for snacks which were a combination of potato dumplings in bread buns, tiny doughnuts, juices, and soda.

They had a fun time munching and chitchatting. They decided to keep the camping experience as authentic as possible, since Nayana wanted to update the experience on her travel blog, once home. Anandita and Nayana decided to set up a barbeque and cook dinner with the home brought potatoes and onions with the side of ready cheese dips and leftover bread.

Saransh jumped. “Ok then, we still have an hour to start for dinner, so I am going fishing.”

Suddenly Anandita enraptured, “Yeah, and we can roast the caught fish too. Wow! This will be a lifetime experience. Winner Winner Fishy Dinner.”

Nayana scrunched her nose while Ayush blabbered. “Do whatever, just wake me up when dinner is ready.”

Ayush hopped on the hammock for a nap. Nayana decided to read the downloaded book on her kindle and Anandita joined Saransh in fishing.

Anandita and Saransh assembled the fishing rod and stuck a worm on the fishing hook. They waited patiently eyeing the string and praying for a fish to come by.

“I have heard there are lots of fishes here,” Saransh claimed passing the fishing rod handle from his right hand to his left and flexed his right palm.

“Is it? Then it would be a full-fledged fish dinner.” Nayana clapped in excitement.

“Shush. Don’t make a noise.” Saransh adjured Nayana to calm down.

After ten minutes they saw some movement on the fishing rod string. Saransh gripped the handle tight and rolled the reel adjust back. They looked excitedly at the hook but there was no fish stuck to it and the worm was gone.

They tried again and the same thing repeated. Tried again the third time and the result was the same.

“It seems the fishes here are smart.” Anandita tapped her right temple. “They eat the worms tactfully without getting caught.”

“The worms are about to end. Doesn’t seem like we would have any fish dinner.” Saransh groaned.

It went on for about one hour now. Nayana came to see the number of catches and pulled up the bucket lid. It was empty. She raised her eyebrows with a puckered smile. Anandita and Saransh looked at her with long faces.

“Poor you two, let me try.” Nayana gestured to Saransh to handover the rod. He stuck another worm on the hook and passed the fishing rod handle to Nayana.

Within three minutes, the string moved and Nayana dragged the reel back hysterically. There it was, a tiny Tilapia fluttering, its gills stuck in the hook.

Anandita and Saransh’s faces lit up with glee and Nayana looked at them in triumph. “See, this is how you catch fish.”

“Yeah, Nayana you are a hero.” Saransh unhooked the fish and put it inside the bucket.

“It’s so cute and beautiful and tiny.” Nayana looked at the fish whirling in the small bucket.

“Yeah!” Anandita scooched down to watch the fish swim.

“It’s tiny but we can get a few more for dinner. Come on Nayana. Go for it.” Saransh said.

“No Saransh, throw it back in the water.” Nayana pled.

“What?” Anandita and Saransh shrieked so loud that Ayush woke up with a start and fell down the hammock.

Ayush stabilized himself and came near the trio rubbing his eyes. “What happened guys?”

“What about fish dinner?” Anandita cried.

Nayana pursed her lips and looked at Anandita. “It’s such a tiny being, why do you want to eat it. There are so many other things for you. Why do you want to chew on this little life?” She pressed her index finger to the thumb demonstrating the tiny size.

“But…” Anandita didn’t know what to say.

“It’s ok. Fishes are edible and we can eat them. They are tasty.” Saransh made a slurpy noise licking his lips.

“Even wild animals feel the same about humans, would you like to serve yourself as dinner to one of them?” Nayana retorted.

Saransh looked around the forest and shook his head frantically in a no. He was speechless for the moment. He robotically picked up the bucket and threw the fish with water, back into the lake.

Anandita and Ayush tried to stop but it was gone. Nayana looked at Saransh with pride. They gathered the fishing set up and headed back towards the tent.

“Don’t be sad, Guys. I have something even more delicious for you all. A big portion of scrumptious guacamole with bread.” Nayana pacified the group.

“Yeah, whatever. Winner Winner, No Fish for dinner.” Anandita sighed.

Nayana opened her food box and pulled out the guacamole container. She spread out the slices of bread on the plates and organized small bowls filling them with guacamole and cheesy dips. Once everything was set up, she called out. “Guys, come. Dinner ready.”

Ayush as usual walked lazily towards the dinner plate. “I knew this was going to happen. So…” He slid his hand inside his back-pack and pulled out a large box. All the other three looked at it with curiosity eagerly waiting for Ayush to open it.

Ayush placed his finger on the lid to open it and looked up at Nayana. “So! Nayana! Winner Winner No Fish for Dinner.”

Nayana raised her right eyebrow. Ayush looked at the other two. “Guys, Winner Winner, It’s Chicken Dinner.” He opened the box dramatically and it was filled with KFC chicken fries. Anandita and Saransh quickly pulled out chicken wings from the box.

“I knew Nayana, would again serve us this guacamole for dinner.” Ayush made a pukey expression, “So, I packed chicken fries on the way.”

Nayana angrily looked at Ayush and fake fisted him. Everyone broke into peals of laughter and discussed the story for Nayana’s blog.

**

Next day on the blog – Deep inside the forest, there is a beautiful lake with a variety of fishes but popularly known for Tilapia. We had an exceptional fishing experience where we caught a lot of fresh Tilapias. The highlight of the camp was barbequing the fresh catch of fish. Wow! It was a splendid exploration. ‘Winner Winner Fishy Dinner.’

Post Pandemic 2021: Means and Ways for a new normal by Aishwarya Kiruba K R S Bharathi Kiruba

It’s a quick read about life post-pandemic. Many aspects of human life are covered in the book starting from personal growth, health, positive thinking, financial management, etc.

The language is simple and easy to comprehend, can be a useful handy guide for readers of all ages. I loved the chapters related to parenting. It is not preachy and does not talk about ideal parenting but suggests smart parenting. I also liked the chapter on financial management, there are numerous pointers mentioned that lead to clever financial planning.

I felt the chapters on travel were a bit deviating from the topic. It only showed how travel is an essential part of life but did not have anything to offer on post-pandemic travel. The downside of the book was editing. There are many guest contributors to the book and their stories were fantastic but the consistency in formatting of the stories was lacking.

Overall a good read.

It is available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.

Invincible: 1 by Suman Rao

It’s a love story of Vikram and Mansi who have genetically inherited special powers. Agni, the master of the Invincible Army, wants their powers to conquer the country.

I loved the story and the plot with Indian characters. It was a bit slow at the start but later it catches pace. Many secrets unfold with each new chapter and you will be wonderstruck how the story evolves. The only downside I felt was it was more of a romantic story and there were limited sci-fi facets. But the author has done a good job in narrating the events and the setting. You can feel the emotions of the characters as well get into the imaginary world of superpowers and artificial intelligence.

In a few places, I felt there were gaps and the story ends abruptly. Since it’s part 1 of the book series, I am eagerly waiting for the next part to get the way out to my open questions.

It is available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.

One Night on the Moon

‘Finally, here I am! How I wish my best friend would have been with me, too. Anyway, let’s take a Moon landing selfie, but the lighting is so dim. Never mind, I will update the brightness later. I know the perfect filter to fix it.’

Click! Click! Click! I captured some pictures of the landing point and decided to take a walk; eager to see some cool spots on the Moon.

Oh My God! I realized; I was not walking but Moonwalking. It was so difficult to get that step correct on the dance floor, but it seemed like a cakewalk now. I mean, Moonwalk.

It was a long journey and I was feeling dehydrated. I kept walking in search of a restaurant where I could get water or some juice. Far away, I could spot flashing lights and rainfall. Wow! I wished for juice and God gave me a downpour. Was it raining on the Moon? Is it the Moon’s rainy season? Then I remembered, it was Karvachauth on the Earth and that was the water offered to Moon by the lovely Indian ladies.

I continued walking. After strolling for a few meters, I heard a familiar piece of music. That was a Jennifer Lopez soundtrack. It was astounding, these songs were famous on Moon as well. The music came from a small niterie named ‘Lunar Club’. I entered the club and was greeted by a tiny alien standing behind the reception counter.

“Hey. Welcome to Lunar Club.” He extended a bottle of sanitizer gesturing me to sanitize my hands.

“Hi. I am on a Moon trip and was looking for some good place to hang out. I have come from Earth.” I said rubbing the sanitizer on my palms.

“It seems you are in the right place then. I am Mooney, the owner of this club.”

“Nice to meet you.” I extended my hand for a handshake.

“We have strict protocols on social distancing,” Mooney glared at my hand and pointed a gun towards me. I was horrified at the sight of the gun but before I could stammer out any words, he moved the gun towards my wrist and smiled. “Temperature is normal.”

I breathed a sigh of relief; it was just an infrared thermometer.

“You are our special guest for today, as you have come from Earth. Hop inside.”

Mooney pointed towards a door. I went in and was astonished to see many of them, like and unlike me.

In one section there was a big screen featuring a football match between teams from Saturn and Uranus. The players’ uniforms were coloured yellow for Saturn and bluish-green for Uranus, symbolising the colours of their planets. Also, they were wearing rings around their heads instead of standard helmets. Near the bar, there was men from Mars were trying to woo women from Venus.

The club was filled with party people from all the other planets, but the highlighted discussion topic was about Mars Orbiter Mission. One of the Mars residents claimed that they have to be careful on the planet now that Earth has access to capture any of their moments and their privacy was at stake. There were also a few others who were excited about the Chandrayaan 3.

I heard some loud hoots and laughs coming from a distant table. To my surprise that was my late Grandpa. He was on a vacation to Moon with his friends from heaven. I was delighted to see him after so long, he looked so happy and fun. I went to him and he recognized me but before I could greet him, he started entreating not to tell Grandma about his after-death wow-its-so-happening life. He wanted to enjoy his bachelor time until she arrives in heaven. I obliged and left him with his friends.

There were also a few other souls of known late personalities, who were hanging out at the Lunar club. I joined them all and we had a whale of a time at the party. I was grooving to the music and felt someone tugging my hand. It was my best friend.

“Hey! You came. I missed you. You know, it’s so much fun here.” I said with exuberant energy.

“What are you doing? Come let’s go. We have to see the Moon”.

“Yeah, we will see it tomorrow. Mooney promised me a Moon tour. For now, let’s rock the party.”

“What are you blabbering? Are you dizzy with hunger?” She started shaking me vigorously holding me by my shoulders. “Wake up.” She yelled so loud that my eardrums vibrated and I woke up.

I was knackered from the Karvachauth fast and it drifted me into slumber. I reached the Moon while waiting for it. I must admit, the jaunt was amazeballs!

The Nameless Relationship by Preeti Shenoy

It ends abruptly but the reader is left with many thoughts.
Short read but a good one. You will ponder over it for hours thinking about what could have been done and what should be done.

It is available on Amazon Kindle and Audible Audiobook.