Title: My Wife and Other Problems, My Husband the Only Problem
Author: Johnnie and Barbara Alves
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Better Yourself Books (2011)
Genre: Autobiography (short stories)
Read: Paperback
Stars: ****/5
Buy On: Printasia
Summary: (Goodreads)
Here the writer-couple is poking fun at each other, making mundane matters laughable and painful confusion bearable.

My Review:

In school every year we would have a book sale organised and run by Christian Nuns and all proceeds would go towards a charitable cause. I used to save money through the year to be able to buy a couple of books. They were Indian prints, not great quality and fairly expensive, not by today’s standards but back then in the 90’s, thirty rupees was a lot of money. I remember reading Heidi, The Little Princess and a few others thanks to the Nuns. Heidi became one of my all time favourites, read so many times that I have lost count and I still have that old copy from childhood. 🙂

Last month I had a another sinus attack and off I went to St. John’s Hospital to get it checked before it got really bad like two years ago. The Nun’s had a stall up at the entry and the sight of those books filled me with nostalgia. Feeling all warm and fuzzy I decided the Doctor could wait, I needed to browse. As I skimmed the titles, one book jumped out at me, it would to any married woman 😀

“My Wife and Other Problems, My Husband the Only Problem”

At 100 bucks it wasn’t a big risk and my money would anyway go to charity so I didn’t think much and just picked it up. And it paid off, the book was a laugh riot, well mostly.

Three fourth of the book is written by Johnnie Alves and the rest is finished by Barbara Alves. We women always have the last word don’t we 😀

The Alves’s live in Bombay and the city shines through in Johnnie’s writing. The people and Anglo-culture brought many a smile to my face as I remembered friends and people I know.

Johnnie’s writing is like a breath of fresh air, simple with no fancy words, he tells stories that make you laugh. However he does seem to be giving a sermon in a few stories. Barbara on the other hand; I expected a lot more of her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s good. But after Johnnie’s introduction to her, I had pictured a more potent Barbara.

The book is a collection of short stories in which Johnnie and Barbara recount stories from their married life, the high’s and low’s and up’s and down’s, that any husband or wife will immediately relate too. Of course both of them may interpret it differently and that’s right there in the title – The husband would see sarcasm but a wife sees truth in the title “My Wife and Other Problems, My Husband the Only Problem”.

This is a fun must read for anyone who’s married or been married 😀

Title: The Krishna Key
Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Paperback: 475 pages
Publisher: Westland (August 24th 2012)
Genre: Historical Fiction/Thriller
Read: Paperback
Stars: ****/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)
Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age—the Kaliyug.

In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar.
Only, he is a serial killer.

In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret—Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind.

Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna’s most prized possession. From the sand-washed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice.

My Review:

Cover: Eye-Catchy!

Paper and font: Ebony and Ivory that’s Smell-Worthy!

Readability, language: An easy and fun read.

Why did I choose this book: After reading Chanakya’s Chant that was good and The Rozabal Line that was BAD, I had to read The Krishna Key to see if he gets better. He does.

The story involves a historian Ravi Mohan Saini getting sucked into a web of intrigue when his close friend is killed and he is accused. Prof. Ravi evades the police and is on the run while the assassin who believes he is Vishu’s 8th avatar is killing people and stealing valuable artefacts. The pieces being stolen are supposed to belong to Krishna’s time and when put together unlock a valuable secret.

The title is appropriate and the book has a nice cover that shows a padlocked door that is slightly open so a sliver of light shows, though the embossed book title in gold print wears off as you read and by the end, the book title is unreadable. Almost as if the book wants to hide it self 😀

Sanghi lays out a very intriguing plot through the story, constantly keeping me on my toes. It’s clear he has researched really well (the citations confirm it) for the book as he weaves a web that all ties up in the end. Sometimes it was difficult to believe the same guy who wrote Rozabal Line wrote this book. The Krishna Key is as good as Rozabal Line is bad.

Sanghi starts each chapter with a snippet of Krishna’s history from five thousand years ago and then comes back to today’s day and age as Prof. Saini rushes from Dwaraka to Somnath then Mount Kailash and other places trying to solve the Krishna puzzle. Saini describes the places well so I found it easy to imagine it all and to help he also has a lot of illustrations through the book.

Saini has quite a few characters in the book but they are memorable. He has given them all personality and depth. There’s Inspector Radhika Singh who makes you feel warm and proud even though she is quite a cold woman. Then there’s Priya Ratnani who is the eager student who wants to learn for learning sake and Prof. Ravi Mohan Saini who is intelligent and wise and yet gets swayed by love when it comes to Priya. That’s the first bone of contention I have with Sanghi. Did he really need to build in a love story to sell this book? Even without it the story is tight; the love mish-mash makes it wishy-washy.

The Krishna Key is a well written story in all aspects but one. The story is tight with a good pace, there are no lose ends, the characters are well sketched, the places well described with a good climax and anti-climax. My only complaint is the RSS propaganda. Just as in Rozabal Line, The Krishna Key is also filled with data about how it all started with Hinduism, only here its packaged better.

Of all the three books I have read by Ashwin Sanghi, The Krishna Key is the best. I may have trashed Rozabal Line but with each book Sanghi is getting better. I’m looking forward to his next book, it definitely looks like it’s going to be even better but I’m hoping it won’t be a Hinduism promotion again. You don’t need to be a mythology or folklore buff to enjoy this book, but if you are, you just might enjoy it a wee bit more 🙂

About the Author:
Ashwin Sanghi is an entrepreneur by day, novelist by night and has all the usual qualifications of an Indian businessman. ‘The Rozabal Line’ was originally self-published in 2007 under his anagram-pseudonym—Shawn Haigins. In 2008 Westland published the book in India under his own name. Ashwin lives in Mumbai with his wife, Anushika, and his eight-year old son, Raghuvir. His website is www.ashwinsanghi.com.

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Title: The Legend of Amrapali
Author: Anurag Anand
Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: Srishti Publishers (January 2012)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)
Amrapali – the Nagarvadhu of Vaishali!

The Legend of Amrapali is the story of mayhem and turmoil brought about by the obstinate desires of one man – a man blinded by the intoxication of power. It is a story of sinister plots and political wizardry, of chaste love and unbridled passion, of naked ambitions and dogged loyalties that lead to the transformation of an innocent young girl into one of the most revered, even worshipped, and occasionally feared personalities of her times.

My Review:

Note: Thanks to the guys at MySmartPrice for offering me “The Legend of Amrapali” to review 🙂

Cover: Garish, could have been more subtle.

Paper and font: Paper and font is good but I would have preferred a smaller book size.

Readability, language: Reads well with simple language.

Why did I choose this book: Amrapali is one of those women of legend, how could I miss it.

Amrapali is one those women from Indian Legend that stand out because they stood up to men. They were the first women to fight for equality and Amrapali has fascinated me since childhood. I remember reading about her in Amar Chitra Katha as a child and admiring the spunk.

I’ve had The Legend of Amrapali on my reading list for a while now and I’m glad I got down to it. This is the story of Amrapali, the events of her childhood and youth that shape her life, and how she learns to accept life and destiny on her own terms.

The cover is beautiful in choice of colour but the gold leaf around the cover kills it. I could have done with out so much gold. The blurb though is enticing, it kept the book on my to-read list all this time. 🙂 The title set me up to expect a full story but at the end somehow I felt a little short-changed.

This the story of a baby found in a mango orchard, and brought up by a farmer couple. Amrapali grows up to be not only beautiful but also accomplished at all she does. She has a strength of moral character that is to be admired. Life throws a lot her way, the death of her mother, the killing of her fiancé and the lust of one man who is trying to ruin her world. Her spunk in facing it all head-on leaves you smiling in encouragement.

Set in Vaishali around 500 BC, Anand has done a good job of describing the city, the people, the politics and the life in those times.

This is Amrapali’s story and she takes centre stage but Anand also has a host of other characters that you associate with as you read. I found myself smiling at little Amrapali as she asked direct and baffling questions. As a young girl she broke my heart with the strength she showed. I felt sorry for her father Somdutt when he was helplessness. Anand has done a good job with introducing us to Amrapali – her childhood, her youth and her revenge.

Anand gives us a brief glimpse of Amrapali’s youth before the story starts of her as a baby. We watch her grow, lose the love of her life and then get nominated and voted Nagarvadhu. Finally coming full circle at a good pace back to the start; but here is where Anand disappointed me. I had expected to hear the whole story of Amrapali, not just of how she became Nagarvadhu. I was hoping to know more about her life as a Nagarvadhu. The end of the ‘Legend of Amrapali’ left me feeling incomplete.

At one point Anand introduces an unnamed man into the story who fascinates Amrapali and sparks an interesting her. But at the end Anand just drops that thread, and I was left wondering if Amrapali does find love? Hmm, maybe that’s book two.

The book is well written and has a good pace that keeps you constantly glued to the book. It’s a quick read and great of a rainy evening. If you love Indian Mythology and Folklore this book is definitely worth at least one read.

About the Author:
Anurag is a banker who wrote his first book ‘Pillars of Success’ at the age of 25. He currently has six published titles. See his other books on his website – www.anuraganand.in.

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Title: The Twentieth Wife
Author: Indu Sundaresan
Paperback: 380 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 18th 2003, first published 2002)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Read: Paperback
Stars: ****/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)
An enchanting historical epic of grand passion and adventure, this debut novel tells the captivating story of one of India’s most controversial empresses — a woman whose brilliance and determination trumped myriad obstacles, and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire. Skillfully blending the textures of historical reality with the rich and sensual imaginings of a timeless fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps readers up in Mehrunnisa’s embattled love with Prince Salim, and in the bedazzling destiny of a woman — a legend in her own time — who was all but lost to history until now.

My Review:

Note: Thanks to the guys at MySmartPrice for offering me “The Twentieth Wife” to review 🙂

Cover: Lovely!

Paper and font: Ebony and Ivory! Smell-Worthy!

Readability, language: An easy read that transports you back in time to the days of the Mughals.

Why did I choose this book: Indian History has always enthralled me and fiction based on fact so much better than our school text books.

I first learned of Nur Jahan in school when we studied Mughal history. I remember there was a photo of her in the text books too. As Jahangir’s favourite wife she had played an important role in Mughal history. This is her story, all that wasn’t said in the text book. Mehrunissa’s life, and her journey to becoming Jahangir’s Nur Jahan.

The Twentieth Wife is an apt title for the story of Jahangir’s twentieth and last wife. There seem to be a lot covers circulating and all seem nice but the one I got, has a photo of Mughal architecture that I quite liked. The blurb is well written, explaining the importance of Nur Jahan, a bit about her background and what to expect. The book doesn’t let the blurb down.

The book is based on historical fact and Indu has used those facts to weave a rich story of Mogul India, the durbar of Akbar, his relationships with his wives and children, Salim’s desire for the throne, his becoming the Emperor Jahangir and between all this is Mehrunissa, slowing making her way towards the title of Nur Jahan.

The story starts in the time of the Mughals when Akbar reigned over India from Fatehpur Sikri. A time when Merunissa along with her family arrive as refugees from Persia. There on Indu takes us on a journey with the imperial court though India as it was then, from Lahore to Bengal. I could almost see all those places in my minds eye. I have always felt the Mughal courts had a lot of romantique and Indu’s book brought it alive for me. After Mughal-E-Azam, this is the next best piece of Mughal work I’ve ever come across.

The Twentieth Wife is brimming with characters, it’s too long a list but the characters stick with you. Somehow through the book I remembered them; some fondly and some with anger. There were a lot of times when Mehrunissa tested my patience, Salim vexed me, Ali Quli had me raging, I felt sad for Abkar and I laughed out loud at Ruqayya’s games. Indu has drawn out and described each character richly; it almost feels as if you know them.

The Twentieth Wife is beautifully structured, it was like a little historical soap opera running in my mind’s eye as I read the book. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Mughal soap on TV, Ekta Kapoor do you hear me? This book holds lots of promise both in richness and length 😀 Wonder who’d play Mehrunissa?

I love stories of pre-independence India where Kings ruled and life was filled with intrigue. But I don’t often come across a book that is written so well that it transports me back in time. The last book I remember to do that was ‘Far Pavilions’ by M.M.Kaye and now ‘The Twentieth Wife’. I’m so looking forward to the next two books in the series – The Feast of Roses and Shadow Princess.

If you like me love stories of Kings and Queens, Rajas and Maharajas, The Twentieth Wife is a must read. It promises and delivers evenings filled with imperial grandeur and intrigue.

About the Author:
Indu Sundaresan like most authors today has a Masters degree from the US. Indu’s father was a fighter pilot and an avid storyteller, just like his father and Indu says that where it all started for her. Seems Indu currently lives in the US but there’s nothing about her current life on her website www.indusundaresan.com.

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Title: The Great Indian Love Story
Author: Ira Trivedi
Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Penguin Global (May 26th 2010, first published 2009)
Genre: Chick-lit
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)
The Great Indian Love Story is set in a world where appearances mean everything and nothing is as it seems. Ira Trivedi weaves together sex, revenge, glitz, friendship and a chilling murder to create a potent cocktail in this gripping novel on the perfidious nature of love and power.

My Review:

Cover: Simple but eye catchy.

Paper and font: Easy on the eyes!

Readability, language: Makes for fast reading.

Why did I choose this book: The cover and blurb caught my eye…

A disappointed Riya comes back to India after failing to get a job in America and finds herself in a changed Delhi. While she is trying to make sense of it all she meets Serena, a wild party animal who lives life one night at a time. Serena introduces her to the night life of Delhi, filled with parties, ecstasy, cocaine and sex. And then there is Parmeet, Serena’s mother who just wants to be loved but her simple want leads to an illicit affair that breaks her family.

‘The Great Indian Love Story’ is a story of love in modern Delhi where there are dark undertones and complications galore to the simple emotion called love. If you are expecting a warm fuzzy love story, this isn’t it. This is love and life on Page 3.

The plot involves two families with quite a few sub-plots. Ira tells the story of three women – Riya, Serena, and Parmeet, who are just trying to find happiness, each in their own way.

Set in present day Delhi, Ira takes us into the party scene where the page 3 crowd live their lives. They may have all the money but they crave the rest, and drown themselves in cocaine, alcohol and sex.

Ira has a fair number of characters in her book. There’s Riya who is trying to make peace with being in India; she isn’t happy about coming back from America. Serena who’s mother has married again but Serena doesn’t fit into the new family. She craves love and finds it in Amar who is a rich married serial adulterer and cocaine addict. Then there is Parmeet, Serena’s Mother who craves romance. When it fizzles out in her marriage she has an affair that leads to violence, murder and a new marriage and baby for her.

‘The Great Indian Love Story’ is a story that has you shaking your head and wondering how life can become so convoluted and complicated for some people. The rich have it all yet their lives are so empty and incomplete.

The story is told by Riya, Serena and Parmeet with bits from Parmeet’s first husband S.P. Sharma to tie it all together. We get to hear from the protagonists about just what’s running in their minds as life unfolds for them.

The book is a fast read that leaves you thinking and contemplating the lives of the page 3 crowd. Worth reading once if you want an insight into the pseudo lives of Page 3 people.

About the Author:
Ira’s wrote her first book when she was 19 years old. Apart for being an author, Ira is also a yoga teacher and teaches at Sivananda yoga centers across the country. She holds a MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Economics from Wellesley College, USA. She can be found at iratrivedi.in.

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Title: The Rozabal Line
Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Paperback: 346 pages
Publisher: Westland Limited (2010, first published October 1st 2007)
Genre: Historical Fiction / Thriller
Read: Paperback
Stars: */5
Buy On: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)
A cardboard box is found on a shelf of a London library where a copy of Mahabharata should have been. When the mystified librarian opens it, she screams before she falls unconscious to the floor. An elite group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Talatashar has scattered around the globe, the fate of its members curiously resembling that of Christ and his Apostles. Their agenda is Armageddon. In the labyrinthine recesses of the Vatican, a beautiful assassin swears she will eliminate all who do not believe in her twisted credo. In Tibet, Buddhist monks search for a reincarnation while in strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to an ancient riddle. Father Vincent Sinclair, has disturbing visions of himself and of people familiar to him, except that they seem located in other ages. He goes to India to piece together the violent images burnt onto his mind. Shadowing his every move is a clandestine society, which would rather wipe out creation than allow an ancient secret to be disclosed.

My Review:

Cover: Dark and not really compelling.

Paper and font: Easy on the eyes!

Readability, language: Simple language but a taxing book to read.

Why did I choose this book: After reading Chanakya’s chant, I wanted to read Sanghi’s other books.

Jesus lived to old age and didn’t die on the crucifix. That’s the core of Sanghi’s story as he takes us across the world and across time as he tries to rewrite another ‘Da Vinci Code’.

The blurb mentions London, the Vatican, Afghanistan, India, Tibet, and America. It sounds interesting and action packed but the number of cities mentioned should have tipped me off on the complexity of the book.

The book is definitely inspired by the Da Vinci Code but doesn’t come close to it at all in quality. There are plots and subplots and sub-subplots in the book that leaves you all screwed up in your head. Sanghi has so many religious groups, characters, cities and times that you start to lose track of it all almost as soon as you start the book. If I wasn’t such a stickler for finishing books I would have dropped this one like a hot potato 50 pages into the book.

Where is the book set? This question is just too stressful to answer. Sanghi shuttles between Jerusalem, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Pakistan, America, Tibet, and almost every other country in the world. And it doesn’t end here because he also shuttles through time going back and forth between BC and AD so often that sometimes you are no sure where you are.

As for characters, well he has so many that I’m not sure which ones to talk about. There is Vincent Sinclair a priest who is exploring beyond Christianity. Martha his aunt who knows yoga, Reki, hypnosis and many other things; can one human know and do so much. Then there’s Alissa the American president who also heads the Illuminati, Galib who heads Lashkar-e-Talatashar, the Sheikh and his master Osama who lead the Al-Qaeda, Dawood Omar an important member of Jamaat Islami, Valerio who heads Crux Decussata Permuta, Swakilki a Japanese assassin, among many more characters. Just keeping track of all the characters is tiring.

As a story I think its a good concept but it feels like a thesis written by the RSS trying to prove Hinduism is the beginning and end of all religions in the world. If there was a structure to the book, I didn’t see it. Sanghi starts off and then just keeping going all over trying to connect the dots and bring it all together.

The Rozabal Line is Sanghi’s first book self-published by him and that is the only reason I could find to forgive this piece of work. I can relate with every publisher/editor who rejected his work; I would too.

Gawd, I don’t want to write any more about The Rozabal Line. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book. You’re better off re-reading the Da Vinci Code.

About the Author:
Ashwin Sanghi is an entrepreneur by day, novelist by night and has all the usual qualifications of an Indian businessman. ‘The Rozabal Line’ was originally self-published in 2007 under his anagram-pseudonym—Shawn Haigins. In 2008 Westland published the book in India under his own name. Ashwin lives in Mumbai with his wife, Anushika, and his eight-year old son, Raghuvir. His website is www.ashwinsanghi.com.

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