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'When Breath Becomes Air'- A memoir of Paul Kalanithi

What Makes Life Worth Living In The Face of Death?  There are just a lot of emotions flowing as I write this. So compelling a read, it is a shattering and intimate book. When Breath Becomes Air is a sorrowful tale of doctor Paul Kalinithi. All his life, he pursued neuroscience as a deep passion. And after decades of striving and hard work in residency, when he was just months away from realizing his dream, he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. In an instant, his life upturned as a neurosurgeon-scientist, a doctor, to that of a cancer patient. He did not even know whether he had some months or years left. All his life, he wondered how to lead a meaningful life. Or what makes a life worth living. Despite being a surgeon witnessing death on a near-daily basis, he found his answer by facing his own death. These questions about life and death make this book a universal read.  He wrote this story just months before his death. Yet, he wrote a story so intimate and compelling. H...
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Book Review: 'All The Light We Cannot See' by Anthony Doerr

"Open your eyes and see what you can do with them before they close forever." War Stories have a different place in my heart. All the suffering and pain, I wonder whether it is worth it. Everybody loses the war in the end. All The Light We Cannot See is one such story. Not a great one, but a good one indeed. Set in the time of World War 2, the story is the coming together of two worlds. It shuffles between the world of Marie-Laure, a young girl in Paris, and Werner, a German boy, at a time when both the countries are at war. Marie-Laure, who became blind early in her childhood, lives with her father in Paris. He works for the National Museum of History in charge of its numerous locks. The other world belongs to Werner, a German boy and an orphan. Enthused by science since childhood, he is very skilled at repairing radios and was appointed to the brutal Hitler Army to detect and destroy the enemy's broadcasting messages.  With Germany's invasion of Paris, Marie-Laure a...

My Reading Journey

Happy World Book Day! I started reading on the advice of some great friends that I have. Since childhood, the only books I read were 'Three Men In A Boat' and 'The Invisible Man'( Both were in my course, lol). The first book that I whole-heartedly read was The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi. And I was hooked to it till I finished it. I read it in the metro, classroom, washroom, everywhere. Maybe it was because, for the first time, I did not do it for anybody or anything else, but for myself, my fulfilment. Since then and today, reading has become an indispensable part of my life. I love to read about the new places that I haven't visited yet, about the worst times that I wish nobody ever experiences again (The partition of India, The Nazi War). And all the fantasy stories which take me away from reality and show how beautiful life is. I like to give people spoilers but try hard not to give you one. All the new facts that I gather make me super happy (did you know t...

'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie

It is a great mystery novel that keeps you on your toes. Ten people, random strangers, are summoned to a remote island by its mysterious millionaire owner for a lavish party. None of them knows the owner personally except his name, Mr U.N Owen. The expectation of a good vacation turns into their worst nightmares when a gramophone message charges all of them with murder. Among them, a Doctor operated while drunk and a super-rich star ran over his car on a pedestrian and never got caught, all of the people have committed a murder for which the law could not punish them( I hope you people don't have such a secret. If yes, please surrender).  You can't lie in the face of death. Terror mounts when one by one, they start getting killed according to a weird rhyme painted in their rooms. Here is the fact, there are only ten people on the island, and all of them were murdered by a human. Then who is the killer? Only the dead bodies can tell. One thing is for sure. By the weekend, there ...

'The White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga

If the saying 'Never judge a book by its cover' had an exception, this would be the book for it. It has a very catchy cover which gives the sense of mystery that lies inside. The White Tiger is a splendid novel set in India, portraying one of the darkest, most suspenseful and yet magical tales that transport you to another world. It also won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It is the story of the ambitions of millions of poor Indians to break social barriers( from Darkness) and become successful( to Light). It dwells upon numerous aspects of Indian society like casteism, corruption and equality in the ushering era of globalisation and entrepreneurship. Our hero, a philosopher, and a magical narrator, Balram takes us on his journey from being a servant in a tea stall to becoming a successful businessman in Bangalore. His metaphoric, witty style and observations about society feel very realistic and kept me glued to the novel. However, this is not an inspiring tale and goes through ...

PS: I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

How deeply have you felt the loss of some loved one in life? The world for once feels shattered and every moment just brings back the memories. The only question we ask is why me. I am not a fan of romantic love stories, but this book is so compelling and satisfying that I went on turning the pages with watery eyes.  She needed to talk, she needed to cry, she needed to vent all her frustrations and disappointments. The world falls apart for Holly with the death of her husband, Gerry, because of a brain tumour. However, even in his death, he knew how much grief and suffering will it cause to his wife, who could not imagine her life without him. So he leaves a series of beautiful letters for her, ending with PS, I love you. Each month with a new letter, Gerry makes her take some new adventures to let go of the past and move on with her life, without him. Things like taking a job, going on with a vacation, etc, till she starts enjoying her life again. Of the most, it is a beautiful ta...

Indian movies that are actually based on books

For book lovers, the idea of their favourite books turning movies is so fascinating. Intriguing storylines combined with amazing cinematography make some very fine movies. Here are some awesome Indian films that are based on books! The White Tiger A rich Indian family's ambitious driver uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and rise to the top as an entrepreneur. This is an awesome movie starring Priyanka Chopra, Rajkumar Rao and Adarsh Gaurav. Three Idiots Compete or Die! This came as a pleasant surprise to me. The movie broke all the Box Office records and became the highest grossing Bollywood movie of all time worldwide. Lead stars of the movie are Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani. Kai Po Che! Kai Po Che! is based on Chetan Bhagat’s Novel The Three Mistakes Of My life, directed by Abhishek Kapoor. The main leads of the movie- are Sushant Singh, Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Amrita Puri. The film did quite well at the box office. Sl...