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Showing posts from May, 2026

Book Review - The Secret of Elephants Book by Vasundra Tailor

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  “Everything is going to be fine. Just keep thinking that and keep looking forward.” A tale of family, 3 generations, one decision and a secret - this latest book was a perfect quick read. Thanks to Amazon Kindle for this suggestion! The author of the book, Vasundra Tailor, was born in India and raised in Zimbabwe, then called Rhodesia. She is a qualified pharmacist, and this is her first book. The Secret of Elephants is about a family torn apart by a shocking and secret event that occurs in 1950s India, and the uncovering of that secret in modern-day Zimbabwe. Penniless and trapped in a loveless marriage, a young mother, Nirmala from Navsari, India, discovers a mysterious letter addressed to her long-dead father from Zimbabwe, opening a door to a past Nirmala never knew existed and a future she never imagined possible. “You know what bullies are like. The minute you show your fear, they bully you some more. Don’t ever let them smell your fear.” With themes of family, class, trag...

Book Review- The River That Remembers by Mona Verma

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  “Yes, my dear Noora, and then, as you say, God is a river! All religions are like rivers, and they flow to the same sea.” The River That Remembers is yet another gem from amazing writer Mona Verma. This is my third read from the writer after Daivya Sutras and Lost and Found in Banaras . The book binds the lives of Yashveer, Mahua, Devika, Amy, Emma, and Noor against the backdrop of India’s struggle for freedom from the British Raj, culminating in the Partition of India in 1947. The story tactfully yet emotionally shows how history enters ordinary homes and changes everything. It is a novel about love, faith, family, loss, and the memories that remain long after violence has passed. At the heart of the novel is Mahua from Ghakkar Mandi, now eighty years old, frail, and drifting between past and present. Through her fading memories, the story slowly unfolds, revealing the emotional lives of those around her.  What stands out most for me after reading novel is - The painful t...

Book Review- After Dark by Haruki Murakami

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  This is my first Murakami read of 2026. And true to his usual writing style, this book also carries his signature sense of the odd, the unexplained, and the unresolved. So, this book is a one-night saga on what happened in Tokyo after the sun had set! Nineteen-year-old Mari Asai was sitting alone in a corner of a famous cafĂ© when a stranger—well, not entirely a stranger—approached her and struck up a conversation. The stranger, Takahashi Tetsuya, insists that he knows her older sister, Eri, thus setting Mari on an odyssey through the sleeping city. At first, Mari ignored him, just as she was oblivious to everyone who passed by her. But her icy reception didn’t daunt Takahashi’s adamantine resolve, and eventually Mari began answering his questions. What began as an awkward conversation between two seemingly unrelated strangers turned into a wonderful night of adventure, music, and revelations. “After Dark” is generally a light read. It delves into a person’s thoughts and emotion...