Neelam Mungekar

The Travel in Between by Chloe Stevenson is a book that revolves around Claire Baxter a 26 year old lady who likes travelling and dreams of travelling around the world. She finally gets back home after a long time but there's something which has made her restless and just doesn't know how to feel about it. Claire soon receives a Kombi Van I.e. Frank which once belonged to her grandfather is passed on to her by her grandmother. She soon makes up her mind to restore Frank. To know more read 'The Travel in Between'. My Thoughts: The plot is engaging. I must say that it is a perfect blend of romance, humour, adventure. Characters are well developed and I liked how Claire is a very determined person but at the same time is a caring and funny person. Language is simple and lucid. The pace of the story is also good. The narration is nicely done. The book cover is beautiful and apt to the plot of the book. The title of the book is also apt to the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would surely recommend it to all. Neelam Mungekar

'Blood Law' by Blaise Ramsay is a story that revolves around Alastair Maddox who is a former ADA for Chicago. Lately there have been a lot of murders going on in the area and Alastair is investigating on the matter. He has his suspicion on a mysterious lady named Alexandra DeLane and he takes her into custody for an interrogation. Somehow, Alexandra escapes from the custody with lot of dead body all around. Alastair is determined to get solve these mysterious murders and put Alexandra behind the bar. But Alexandra always makes sure that she is being caught by Alastair. Will Alastair be successful in getting these mysterious murders solved? Who is Alexandra DeLane? To know read 'Blood Law' My Thoughts: The plot is really mysterious and the author has nicely maintained the suspense throughout the book. Each page has a plot twist wherein we get to see how Alastair really wants to get to the details of these murders and wants them to stop before it gets too bad. I must say that the readers will be curious to know what is going to happen next with all the action that is going on. The characters are well developed and interesting. We get to see varied characters such as gangsters, vampires and all the tension that is going on during the time. The author has nicely inculcated all these together especially the murders and how Alastair is in the middle of all this trying to know the details. Language is simple and lucid. The narration is nicely and the pace of the story is also perfect making the story interesting. The book cover and the title of the book are apt to the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would surely recommend it to all. Neelam Mungekar

'The Snowman of Nalanda' by Roshan Singh revolves around a man named Bidyasagar and about his life journey from being a dacoit to become a hermit . So, once Bidyasagar gets some information due to which he kills an innocent monk thinking of him as a rich merchant disguised as a monk. But when he searches the bag in expectation of finding some gold coins only to find some books and pages of verses. On reading these books he is really inspired by the teaching of Siddhartha and also wants to get admission in Nalanda a highly estimeed centre of learning during the time. But due to ome reasons he couldn't get the admission. But that doesn't stop him he and decides to come back after he has learnt more. Will he be successful in getting admission in Nalanda? To know read 'The Snowman of Nalanda'. My Thoughts: The plot is well developed and I liked how the author has shown us the journey of a person who is highly motivated to achieve things which were once impossible for him. The book will surely inspire the readers to become a better person and always strive to learn something new in life. The characters are well developed especially Bidyasagar's character is very inspiring. His journey from being a docit to a hermit and also to join Nalanda monastery was awesome. There's a lot to learn thorugh this story especially how we human can destroy nature and have devastating efffect on the nature. Language is simple and lucid. The narration is done beautifully. The book cover and the title of the book is apt to the plot. Overall, it was a very inspiring read and I would surely recommend it to all. - Neelam Mungekar

'Daredevil Dreams' by Karthick Hemabhushanam is a book that revolves around a ten year old boy named Arjun. One day Arjun visits his friend Disha's house and was playing a computer game when he notices a ghost speaking to him. Arjun is quite surprised to experience it when the ghost pulls him into the computer screen showing him the real world and what is actually happening. Arjun is taken to a place where he gets to witness a brutual murder which takes place in front of his eyes. Arjun wanted to help but felt helpless as he couldn't do anything at that moment. Soon, this ghost starts controlling Arjun's mind which affects his health a lot. His parents are worried about his health and even doctors are surprised to seem to have no clue about his condition. Why is Arjun made to watch these brutual murders? Who is this ghost and what does he want from Arjun? Will Arjun be back to his normal life? To know read 'Daredevil Dreams'. My Thoughts: The plot is engaging and throughout the book author has successfully built mystery which will surely make the readers curious to know what is going to happen next. I liked how the author has showed us how all these things affects Arjun psychologically. The characters are well developed and the readers can actually feel the emotions that the character feels with what is experiencing. Language is simple and lucid. The narration is done beautifully especially the concept of a ghost talking to our protagonist and taking him through the screen is nicely shown. The book cover and the title of the book is also apt to the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I am sure people who like reading sci-fi and fantasy novels will surely enjoy reading this book. - Neelam Mungekar

'The Diary of My Love' by Deesha Sangani is a book that revolves around Anushkaa and Ayush. Anushkaa is a passionate girl who wants to achieve great things in her life and she is dedicated to her. Ayush is a really sweet guy for whom it was love at first sight when he saw Anushkaa. But, Ayush always used to think too much about everything and Anushkaa too was in a relationship with Sahil and hence they could never really share what they felt about each other. Soon, Ayush gets married to Riya and Anushkaa moves back to Pune after a while. Things were going on for Anushkaa until one day she gets in touch with Ayush when she learns a lot has happened in this period and changed in their life. Soon they start talking with each other but will Anushkaa and Ayush be able to express their feelings for each other? Are they destined to be together or will destiny take over its decision for them? To know read 'The Diary of My Love'. My Thoughts: The plot is well written and after reading this book that one thing will surely click to the readers and that is that we sometimes overthink about what others will think. Sometimes it is very important to think and talk over things so that we get a clear picture of what we actually want and what the others person thinks. This has been nicely put forward by the author. The characters are well developed and relatable. I liked the friendship between Karan and Anushkaa they are always there for each other and even during difficult times they made sure that the other one is doing fine. I also loved how strong Anushkaa is even when there were rumours going around about Ayush she never judged him and lateron too she was a great support to him. Language is simple and lucid. The narration is done beautifully. I liked how the author has inculcated glimpses of the diary which makes the story even more relatable and feels as if we know the character for a long time. The book cover is beautiful and apt to the plot. The title of the book is also apt to the plot. Overall, it was a beautiful read at times it was emotional too. Rating: 5/5 Neelam Mungekar

Julia, an attention seeking girl met Alex, a mysterious guy in a cafe. Due to their physical attraction, they started talking to each other. Soon, Julia found herself falling for Alex. But Julia was unaware of the dark secrets of Alex. They both were in the same law program at the University. Will Julia get to know about the real intentions of Alex before something wrong happens with her? The thriller part of the story started a bit late but when it started, it gripped my attention fully. Julia has a personality that can easily attract any men but when she met Alex, he wasn't that much easily attracted by her. This made Julia got curious about him and she found him attractive. Along with thriller, story has romantic touch too at few points. The cover page and the title of the book looks so nice that it has the power to catch anyone's attention. If you love reading romance thriller, then I suggest you to go ahead with this one without thinking twice. Neelam Mungekar

Heirs Apparent Author: Thomas J. Thorson Pages: 198 ‘Heirs Apparent’ by Thomas J. Thorson is a story which takes place in Chicago where we follow the story of Malcom Winters who wants to start his life all over again and enters Chicago with this sole motive only but will his past let him live and start a new life?. But one day he finds his girlfriend killed and there is some message written over her body. Malcom is all determined to find the person behind this and in this quest one of his colleagues is also helping him to reveal this secret message. What is it in the past of Malcom which is still disturbing him? What is the motive behind these killings? What is the secret behind this message written over a dead body? Will Malcom be able to unravel the truth behind all this? To know all this read ‘Heirs Apparent’. My Thoughts: The plot is really interesting and engaging especially when Malcom decides the find the culprit. The author has beautifully built suspense throughout the book and is definitely a page turner. The characters are well developed but there were a few characters who had little play in the story but they too were vividly described. Malcom and his colleague actually take the risk of getting on this hunt to get to the killer and find out the mystery behind all the events. Language is simple and lucid and the narration is well done. The book cover and the title of the book are apt to the plot. Overall, it was a interesting read and I would definitely say that this was a nice blend of suspense, mystery and thriller. Rating: 4/5 Neelam Mungekar

The Lighthouse Keeper: A Story of Mind Mastery Author: David Richards ‘The Lighthouse Keeper: A Story of Mind Mastery’ is a book that revolves around Sam. Sam is mostly helping his father in farming but his mind is constantly into something else. Soon, Sam is sent to work as an apprentice at a lighthouse where he meets Armand. He gets to learn many new things in this job such as the importance of focus, how differently and efficiently work can be done. During this time at the lighthouse Sam is given different tasks which he has to fulfil in the process developing his skills and experiencing the adventures that life has put forward to him. To know more read ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’. The plot is well written and through Sam we actually get to see what is to follow ones dreams and achieving it in reality. Also we to learn a lot of positive lessons through this book. Characters are well developed and I liked Armand a lot who really helps Sam to know what it is to dream and to chase them. He really instils in Sam various values which helps Sam throughout this journey of his. Language is simple and lucid and the narration is nicely done. The cover page is beautiful and apt to the plot. The title of the book is also apt to the plot. Overall, it was a beautiful and inspiring read with a lot of lessons for the readers to learn. Neelam Mungekar

‘Jazzy and Kettle’ is a book that revolves around two kids Jazzy and Kettle. One fine morning Jazzy and Kettle come out when their parents were sleeping. They soon start talking to each other and find that they both are new to the neighborhood. They both decide to take a stroll and discover what is there in the woods. As, they enter they discover various types of flowers, meet a deer and many other things. To know more this adventurous journey to the woods and to know about Jazzy and Kettle and the mystery behind their names read ‘Jazzy and Kettle’ My Thoughts: The story shows us how children are curious to know about things and also try to do new things. It also tells us that we should let our children try new things due to which they can overcome their fears and achieves great things in life. I liked the characters a lot. One thing that comes to our mind after reading the story is that children quickly mix with each other and also learn a lot from each other. Language is simple and lucid. The narration is done beautifully. I loved the illustrations a lot and must say that they are very beautiful. The characters are excellently depicted via illustrations which make it a lot more fun for the children. The cover page is beautiful with bright colours and totally depicts the story line. The title of the cover is simple and totally apt to the story. Overall, I must say that I really enjoyed the book as well as the illustrations and would surely recommend it to all. Neelam Mungekar

Sukanya Roy has gone through a life that has made her strong. Her book is an endeavor to motivate others to live life at it full.