Digi's Blog

  I have always liked reading novels and watching movies based on wars, especially the second world war. As a child, I remember being fascinated by Readers Digest when they had an entire collection published about secret stories of the second world war. As I grew up, I realized that I missed these war stories. Debutante writer Prateek Singh chooses to focus on the recent war, an area that has been relatively less explored as far as novels have been concerned. And so, it was only delightful and commendable to see the amount of efforts he has put in to write this novel. PLOT The plot revolves less around individual characters, but more around how the US – Iraq war affects people physically and mentally. And so we have a character who fights with his inner demons because he knows he has killed innocent people in a moment of anger. Then there is another character who is being hunted by terrorist as well as secret agencies of the world because of classified information she suppo...

  When it comes to business management and stuff, I shy away, because I believe I am simply not someone made for doing business. However, when it comes to movies, I believe I am someone who was born to be a movie lover. So when I came upon this book which proclaimed to provide "Movies & management lessons for dreamers", more than anything I was curious to see what this book offered. Also, the description of the author Lakshmi Narayana read – "Business leader plus movie enthusiast". And so I decided to give this book a try. THE PLOT  First things first – this is a non-fiction book. Broadly, it is a book containing lessons regarding business management, pitching, how to be a successful enterpreneur, etc. However instead of taking the conventional preachy route, author Lakshmi Narayana takes up a rather interesting route of explaining things with numerous references of movies.   It is a novel concept, and I really loved it. This is a method to increase th...

  Achala Moulik's novel "Rogues Among the Ruins" is not a fictional novel, in case the synopsis gave you such an idea. It is essentially a pure non-fictional tale in the guise of a fictional novel.   PLOT There isn't one single plot. It is basically an amalgamation of a few incidences from our country's history, beginning from pre-independence era to post-independence era. The focus here is on how corruption invades all forms of professions and all strata of the society. The novel begins with an archeologist named "Elangovan" describing in first person his experiences during the British rule. Later on, Elangovan's son Raman carries forward the account in first person how he experienced the various events during his tenure and experiences of his colleague. There are a lot of familiar names during this phase – Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Arun Jaitley & Ram Jethmalani (Towards the end), and you really enjoy watching the proceedings throug...

  A general question to everyone who reads a lot of books – what is the first thing you look whenever you read a book from a new author? There are going to be a lot of answers – plot outline, genre, etc etc.   For me, it always was and it will always be the author's command over language. And that is why I loved Nachi's debut novel "Death of a District Magistrate".   PLOT It is a murder mystery just as the synopsis promises. There has been the death of a renowned district magistrate and it most likely appears to be a suicide. Or is it? As the story unfolds, we realize that things are murkier than what they appear. Watch how the protagonist "DSP Arjun Iyer" solves the case.   WRITING STYLE Narasimhan Eswar chooses to use the pseudonym "Nachi". I still remember that time when this author known as Chetan Bhagat made his debut. And everyone was gaga over the fact that he wrote a book so relatable, he was an investment banker who quit ...

I have been following Mayank Shekhar since the last many years. I have always liked his writing and his bollywood film reviews. He is one of the few Indian film critics I like primarily because he reviews the "product" and not the "people" associated with the "product". (Unlike many so called reviewers and film critics who vomit out their personal hatred towards a particular actor/director in the review.)   And so when I came to know about this book written by him, I was only happy to read it. Major chunk of the book focuses on bollywood, so I had hardly any reason to complain,   being a hardcore bollywood fan myself.   The title of the novel itself evokes nostalgia – "Name, Place, Animal, Thing". The kids of today's generation who are perennially glued to their mobile and laptop screens would hardly understand the sheer joy of playing this game called "Name, place, animal, thing" during a free period in school on the last p...

Writing a psychological thriller is a tricky genre. There are hundred different things you have to take care of to make sure you serve the right mix of elements to the readers. Juggi Bhasin’s latest novel “FEAR IS THE KEY” claims to be one such novel. But does it succeed in keeping the readers hooked till the end? Well, almost… PLOT “Yummimages” is a digital platform run by three people – Rahul, Suhel and Simone. Rahul and Suhel are thick friends since college days and their friendship is one of those unbreakable ones. Then comes Simone who instantly entices Rahul but on the other hand, develops a slow but sure enmity with Suhel. To sort out things between the two, Rahul hosts a party at his house during which Simone mysteriously disappears. Even after the police thoroughly investigate, they are unable to solve the mysterious disappearance of Simone. Finally, Rahul decides to solve the mystery himself. As he goes further, he realizes he has to battle his inner demons ...

Novels involving courtroom sequences need to be taut and gripping to create an impact. That is precisely why very few authors have succeeded in writing tense thrillers involving the court. That is precisely why John Grisham is so popular and that is also precisely why Vish Dhamija’s author note calls him the John Grisham of India. After reading his latest novel “Unlawful Justice”, I can only say that calling him that isn’t a mistake. PLOT Vansh Diwan is a successful top notch lawyer who has a lovely family in the form of his lawyer wife who gave up her career for him, and their daughter. Things take a drastic turn when Baby, the teenage minor daughter of Diwans’ household maid gets brutally raped and assaulted. As the mother of Baby and the ladies of the Diwan family vow revenge and justice respectively, Vansh finds himself sandwiched between a powerful client and justice for Baby. However, just when things were beginning to settle down, this case gets converted int...

Writing a story about college life and romance has become too commonplace in India since Chetan Bhagat became famous. Every other guy thinks he is a good author and dishes out mediocre or even disgusting stuff which is even gladly published by upcoming publishing houses. This author prefers to write under the pseudonym “Toffee” (Cringes!) but thankfully, what he serves is definitely sweet and delicious. As the title suggests, “Finding Juliet” is a coming-of-age story of Arjun, a guy who tastes the bitter taste of heartbreak not once or twice but thrice. Almost dejected and lost, he then meets Krish, who changes his life forever. Along with Krish and his childhood friend Anjali, he becomes a totally changed man. What happens next forms the crux of the book. LANGUAGE & CONTENT Toffee’s command over language is impressive. He is frank, to the point and conveys to readers whatever he intends to. It is indeed a pleasure to read a book written by someone whose E...