Thank U to Readers @ http://srutis.blogspot.in/

This will be a personal note, Folks… I was supposed to write a blog for my usual review today. I’m afraid it has got postponed to the day after, because I just wanted to publicise myself, shamelessly. :D  

 

I just wanted to share with my readers, who could be my friends, family, acquaintances and generally, a lot of people. But, basically, Readers!! I would never have reached this mark without most of you reading my blog.

I write the reviews, do the interviews and finally write in my own views. I notice on my super day, :D that most of the readers have hit on Devdutt Pattanik’s ‘Sita, An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana’, My Review: bit.ly/1qYUvBf . It has the most readers on the book review front, followed by the ‘Editor Interviews’ with Penguin Random House’s Editor, Pallavi Narayan at My Interview: http://bit.ly/1tBNd5Q and finally ‘My Views’ at http://bit.ly/1tBNd5Q Yaay!! I could go on and on about my own views, but hey… shut it, Sruti!!

The top 3 include Devdutt Pattanaik’s ‘Sita, An Illustrated Re-Telling of the Ramayana’ It rarely shows signs of stopping, Anand Neelakantan’s ‘Ajaya, Epic of the Kaurava Clan, Roll of the Dice’ and the Editor Interview with Pallavi Narayan. 

I’ve got to thank Google and Facebook for these readers… And also, not just Indian readers, who are coming back, but also close are the American readers followed by Germany, Russia and the UK. And everyone else too!

Anand Neelakantan

They are all making reading and writing worthwhile. They like my interviews and my own views, as well, which totally makes my day. I personally love the interviews myself, because it means so much more and love the authors, who have reverted and said that they like my questions! I am close to hitting the 200 posts, as well, at 194 right now!

I think all this really makes it all quite meaningful and has me feeling extra good. I should also mention an author, here for being literally the first one, to read my mails, FB messages and reply (You know who you are). I should also thank the publicists at Leadstart, Hachette, Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury and Self-Publishers, as well. I thank the publicists for all the interviews; I have bugged you all to get for me and the Authors and Editors, for replying to my mails and general bugging. I'm sorry if I am forgetting anyone, but thanks to you too.

Also,  I must tell you to please tell me your views and also what else you would like to see on Sruti'sBookBlog. Please do tell me, I would not mind making a few bucks to go along too. :)

Don't I sound as if I'm blowing my own trumpet? So, I'm going to stop now. And I should say Huge Thank You to all you folks, who have listened to my statement, 'Read up, Folks... ' And please see that I hit 50,000 real soon! :)

Ruskin Bond... An Adventurer in his Own Right!

I had no idea what love was. I still do not have an idea, but if Ruskin Bond’s books are anything to go by, then I can say that I have been in love, with the idea of it, at least. I’m not talking of a guy.

It could by my grandfather or my grandmother. It could be my mother or my father and even my uncles, aunts and random people. Or places, especially, hill stations. But the thing is whenever, I pick up a book by the great writer, I usually have a smile on my face until I put it down.

A smile, which began the first time I picked up his book, the time when I received a book autographed by him, the first time I wrote a letter to him, and the first time I reviewed his book, wondering if I could. The first time, I laid my eyes on him. There he was all white and pink, with a smile playing on his lips, ready to break into laughter.

I cannot forget that he had come to Hyderabad and was seated about a store space away from the place I was standing, all those years back in 2005. I could not go, because I had children blocking me. Not just one or two but a whole lot. But then I was glad, just to see him.

Now there is a talk of talking to him, I hope it works. 

I am always reminded of him every time we are at a hill station. Or on a holiday. The trees, the flowers, the birds, the zoo, the elephants on nature hikes, the elephants across the river. Every time, I read a book of his or just about any book, I think of writing a book, with the only idea of meeting him.

I wrote a short story, the first thing I thought of was him. Every time, I write one, I think of him. Not to be compared, obviously not, but still. I keep wishing for a time when I can meet him or at least talk to him… Well, I could go on and on!! :)

Author Interview Part II: Raghu Srinivasan, author of 'The Avatari'

This is the second part of the Raghu Srinivasan Interview. Here, he explains to us how he got the whole story together. He also talks of his favourite authors and the book he is reading right now...

 

You can read the first part here and can read the Review right here, and You can also Buy the Book, right here. So read on, Folks…

How did you manage to blend it with the whole thing in the book?

I think most authors do that, when writing a story – drape their fictional story over a framework of fact – unless you are writing about a boy wizard.

For me, I had the basic story in my head and then had to research to find time and places, where the events I needed to describe would sound plausible.

What is the most fulfilling part of writing a book?

From as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a story teller. I started off early by the age of eight; telling my younger brother intricate, fantastic fairy tales, which would never end, a la ‘The Arabian Nights’.

In high school, I was the editor of the school rag, and as is wont in such cases, wrote almost all of the articles – some under a pseudonym. This ‘occasional’ writing continued in the form of short, humorous articles contributed to Army magazines and journals.

I first tried my hand at writing a short story in 1992 when I was twenty seven; I remember it being very dark and cryptic. The few people who read it were kind enough to say that ‘it had had promise’ while in the same breath wondering aloud what it was all about.

That was also a time when I read everything that ‘Papa’ Hemingway had written; and I later realized that your first attempt at writing should not imitate the minimalist ‘Men Without Women’.

I was posted to the Indian Military Advisory Team for two years. I was then thirty nine and since it was a teaching assignment, I had time to indulge myself in reading everything their library had to offer and dabble in writing again.

I wrote three short stories, which received much acclaim from my wife and mother. My aim was to write at least fifteen, so that I could publish a book of my short stories. I began ‘The Avatari’ as my fourth short story in 2005; it was a story which was metamorphose into a rather long novel, evolve from a spiritual journey to an action-adventure theme and occupy my thoughts for the next eight years.  To round off this rambling monologue – publication of the book is fulfilling a dream !

What book is coming from you, next? When do you see it released?

It’s too early to say. I am presently working on a book set in China. I am a slow writer – but I hope I can write something faster than ‘The Avatari’, which took seven years!

Who was it that told you that you could become the author, you are today?

My mother always believed that I would – and egged me on to keep at it.

Any advice to writers that would like to be published today? How tough is it to be published in India?

I think getting published by a first time writer in India is a huge achievement – and a combination of competence and luck in equal measure. 

I am not really that well established to be doling out advice !

Who are your favourite authors and why?

There are a lot of them, and all of them are ‘mainstream’ fiction, I should think. The main one’s that come to mind are; Hemingway for his ability to make you ‘feel’ beyond the story, Frederick Forsyth for his taut plots, Jeffrey Archer for sheer narrative skill and James A Michener for his research.

Which book are you currently reading?

I am reading ‘The Great Game’ by Peter Hopkirk, which I hope will help set the background for my next story.

What else do you like to do on a daily basis?

Like most officers in the Army, I love physical activity and try to jog at least five kilometers every day.

Book Review : ‘The Final Report' by Monabi Mitra

I seem to be reading a little too much of the police books. Have you ever noticed how that happens? When one begins a book, one is inevitably stuck with them. Anyways, coming back to this book. 

Monabi Mitra’s latest ‘The Final Report’ is the final book of the DSP Bikram Chatterjee series. It could easily have been a Salman Khan or even an Ajay Devgan’s movie, but it isn’t. Though, when I saw the cover that is what I thought.

This book is a true whodunit. The scene opens with six policemen, staring up seven floors, from where a human crashes on the ground before them. It is quickly found that the girl who fell off the Mission Row Police Housing Complex was called Radha Paul. A fact, reported by her roommate who comes into the police station, looking for her.

That does not seem to be all this time for the police. Elsewhere, there are two criminals who seem to have a new plan every few days. And then, we have a bit of wildlife poaching and the theft of antiques. Are these random crimes across the city connected? If so, how? 

Managing three different cases are Bikram Chatterjee and his associates, a few senior and mostly junior ones. If one wants to get a glimpse of how harrowing and busy police work can get, one should definitely give this book a read.

Also, Bikram has his own personal life to deal with. Shona is a film star who seems to be at the scene of the crime, because her boyfriend, Bikram lives there. And we look like we are dealing with the mystery and murder turning into a movie.

How the book reaches its end, how Bikram finds out what happened to all the crimes 

and how he meets strangers and people related to the crimes are all part of this absorbing read. Monabi Mitra’s book, ‘The Final Report’ has all the parts. If one gets bored, read on, because the end makes it all worth the while.

Author: Monabi Mitra

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Penguin MetroReads

ISBN: 978-0-143-41762-0

Price: Rs 199/-