March 28, 2018

Book Review: Making a Poem by Vihang A. Naik

Making a Poem
Author: Vihang A. Naik
Genre: Poetry collection
Publisher: Author Press

Vihang Naik’s “Making a Poem” is a collection of several poems written in a skilful manner. The best part of this poetry book is that the poems are not restricted to one particular topic. A protracted process, composing a poem is not an easy task. The poet has presented the various segments that become a part of the process of writing a poem. A colossal amount of thinking and a superfluous flow of words are not enough to express ideas on paper. Categorized into different stages like ‘Are you looking for the poet?’, ‘A poet as a young man’, ‘Making a poem’, ‘A poet comes alive’ and ‘A poet’- this book explores the surfeit of emotions.

The cover of the book is apt and nice. However, I could not ignore the awkward spaces between lines and the missing capitalization in many poems. For me, that is a grammatical error (but in case that was done on purpose, I would love to know more about it).

The verses or stanzas are easy to understand and have been framed beautifully. The poems have an exclusive depth and reach out to a wider horizon. The poet has been successful in putting forward his perspective. Perhaps the poet has gone over all the topics with a fine-tooth comb and eventually has gotten down to a fine art.

Most of the poems do not follow any particular rhyme scheme. The free verse doesn’t fail to impress. I wished, however, that the book’s title were more interesting.

Overall, a good read with an enjoyable collection of poems!

Book available at:



March 27, 2018

Book Review: Ujjain by Steffen Horstmann

Ujjain
Poet: Steffen Horstmann
Publisher: Patridge Publishing India

Poetry is an art and the poet is a possessor of uncommon vision. With the success of the first book- Jalsaghar, that not only catered to the minds of the contemporary readers of Ghazals but also impressed the conventional audience, Steffen Hortsmann has now come up with yet another successful anthology of Ghazals- Ujjain. There are certain concepts and views of our society that cannot be expressed by mere words. However, Ghazals is one source where words idealize the reality and represent the things accordingly, thereby igniting the mind and enlightening it.


Like I mentioned in my review of ‘Jalsaghar’, ‘Ujjain’, too, is comprised of couplets that majorly possess a rhyme and a refrain. The beautiful amalgamation of Eastern and Western realities and the poet’s prowess to extract the clandestine miracles from the prosaic life are worth appreciation.

Read the complete review here.

Buy this book from Amazon

March 22, 2018

Book Review: Stepping Stones by Lubhna Dongre

Stepping Stones
Author: Lubhna Dongre
Publisher: Notionpress.com
Rating: 3/5

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.’
~Tony Robbins

In the cut-throat competition, it is vital for everyone to realize his/her true potential and strive for success right from the very young age. The authoress, Lubna Dongre, draws from her experience and shares her ideas and views on the journey from scratch to success. ‘Stepping Stones’ is an autobiographical account that narrates how the authoress was inspired by many and guided by her skill to ace the test and bear the fruit of her actions.

Being a teenager, the authoress sets an example of how hard work pays off well if the intention is sincere and the effort is palpable. The writing is a confluence of personal experience and motivational speech. Life, as we know it, often offers us walking tickets, but it is our willpower and belief in self that helps us sail through the toughest storm.

Read the complete review here.

Buy this book from Amazon.




Book Review: Final Illumination by Farrah Begum

Final Illumination
Author: Farrah Begum
Publisher: Half Baked Beans Publishers
Rating: 3.5/5

“The monster I run from is in me.” Isn’t this true? We all are victims of human foibles that might be a result of our character flaw or any weakness. But with time, doesn’t this minor weakness start taking a toll on us? Zubeida displays the same in this story. Her life is near perfect when she is young; finding a flaw is equivalent to finding a needle in the haystack. But as the time takes leaps, the internal demons that were missing in action throw her off balance.

Brought up by a single parent (mother), Zubeida’s character is comfortable being around the people of the same gender. Not only is she repulsive towards men but also fears that her inability to express and take a stand might become prominent before them. The cotton-padded world that she was living in, crumbles into tiny pieces when her best friend’s boyfriend physically abuses the latter and opens the doorway to hell for Zubeida. Guided by her foibles, she succumbs to depression.

‘Final Illumination’ focuses on many vital subjects like the healing power of love, specious belief that all men are bad, objectification of women and the hard-bitten reality of being a single parent. There is a lot to learn and decipher from Zubeida’s story. Written with a superfluous flow of genuine emotions, this story strikes the right chord and has the potential to make the readers yearn for more.

However, there are typing errors and the cover is not appealing at all. Both these aspects could have been better.
‘Final Illumination’ is all about the strength and the courage that is required to fight the internal demons.

Your dragons are frightened parts of your personality, and you alone can experience and heal them’.
The plot is gripping and the lucid narration acts like a cherry on the cake. The creativity in crafting the characters can pull one inside the whirlpool of emotions.

Overall, ‘Final Illumination’ is a strong, emotional and intelligent piece of fiction which will definitely touch your heart.

Buy this book from Amazon.


March 09, 2018

Book Review: For a Girl in a Star by Ratna Chandu


For a Girl in a Star
Author: Ratna Chandu
Publisher: Srishti Publishers
Rating: 2.5/5

Life is unpredictable. It takes a lot of effort and will-power to muster courage and fight all odds and survive. Known for throwing storms at the most unexpected moments, life is that game in which it is mandatory for us to participate but winning is optional. ‘For a Girl in a Star’ is an exaggerated version of ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge’. A clichéd plot, humdrum twists and turns, overemotional characters and bountiful grammatical errors are what define this novella.

The plot revolves around Avinash, who is a braggart and blunt, and Sahas, who is diligent yet a wallflower. They are tied together by a strong string of friendship that can overcome any storm. But things change when Aarti enters their life. Based on a love triangle that affects the friendship, this story lacks originality. Though the characters complement each other, yet they appear as mere caricatures as I found them lacking depth.

Editing and proofreading remain a glitch in this book and the book fails to leave a positive impression. It is only the plot that helps the readers to hold on to the book. But for the ones who are looking forward to reading something new, this book is not the right choice.

The title of the book could have been different, for ‘For a Girl in a Star’ is not even remotely close to the plot. There are typos and syntactical errors which can be spotted time and again. The story is slow-paced. I wished if there were more characters and some unpredictability in the story.
Best wishes to the authoress!

Buy this book from: Amazon