My heart-felt thanks to all the authors and publishers who reached out to me for reviewing this year. Every time I receive a book for review, I admire the perseverance and efforts that the authors must have poured in for their work to get published. When I connect with some authors about their writing experiences, it's fascinating to realize how modest many were in re-telling their mighty tales.
Here's a quick look into Nandhini's Book Reviews in 2015:
Book Genres of 2015
Mythological fiction has been creating a revolution among book genres in India, in the last few years. Though it demands time, I love getting deeply involved in a different period of time. I reviewed three from this genre in 2015:The Curse of Brahma by Jagmohan BhanverThe Rigveda Code by Rashmi ChendvankarThe Guardians of the Halahala by Shatrujeet Nath
I am grateful to these authors because many of us could get enlightened about a rich and fascinating past. The Curse of Brahma was a well-written and captivating fiction about the happenings before Lord Krishna's birth. The Rigveda Code was a fast-paced and interesting read about what happens years after Lord Krishna's demise. The Guardians of the Halahala surpassed all of the books I've read in this genre.
Apart from Santosh Avvanavar books, other reviewed books that were based on societal themes and social causes were: The Bride of Amman by Fadi Zaghmout, translated from Arabic by Ruth Ahmedzai KempThe Silent Scream by Siddhartha Garg
Both were touchingly written and true eye openers. The Bride of Amman was a realistic fiction of how women and homosexuals are treated in the orthodox society of Jordan. The Silent Scream had my heart sink with a child sex abuse tale that keeps happening all around us but hardly gets a rescue.
The women-centric books reviewed in 2015 were:There's Something About You by Yashodhara LalThe Other End of the Corridor by Sujata RajpalUnravelling Anjali by Nim GholkarFinding Ecstasy by Rebecca Pillsbury
There's Something About You is not exactly women-centric but of a bold girls's story. The Other End of the Corridor is a story of an ordinary housewife who faces domestic abuse by her husband but finally manages to prove her self-worth. Unravelling Anjali is an interesting fiction of a new NRI bride, of she adapts to an unloving married life in Australia. Finding Ecstasy is discussed below under Memoirs.
A new genre I tried in 2015 was poetry collection. I wasn't a great fan of poetry earlier but Night Sky Between The Stars by Usha Kishore impressed me enough to become one. It speaks of Indian womanhood and how masculine supremacy has written the fate of Indian society. The Inscrutable Mulla Nasrudin Episodes by Jyothirllata Girija was another I reviewed in the same genre. It was a nice and witty poetry collection.
Another sort of new genre was text collection. I was in awe for Our Heritage Revisited by Anju Saha for her brief compilation of huge volumes of ancient Hindu texts.
Memoirs was yet another new genre in 2015.Finding Ecstasy by Rebecca Pillsbury was about a woman who grows up with guilt and fear of sexuality and gradually wins her negativity and emotions.Grey & White Day Scholar by Raj Sekarwas a good memoir of a middle-age man who goes back to his school to reconnect with his childhood friends. The Prism of Life by Ansh Daswas the only self-help/Spirituality book I reviewed in 2015. It was worth spending time in this short and quick read.
Favourite Book and Author of 2015
My favorite book of 2015 was Blame it on Destiny by Soorina Desai and of course, author Soorina Desai becomes my favorite author as well, not only for her stunning narrating style but also for her personal touch in connecting with a reviewer of her book. Blame it on Destiny was a breath-taking fiction with an intricately-woven plot. It shall forever stand out apart in my book shelf!
Most-reviewed Author of 2015
I need to make a special mention of author Santosh Avvanavar for I reviewed 8 of his books in 2015:Title is Untitled by Santosh Avvannavar, Kundan Srivastava & Raghunath Babu AreSHE: Ekla Cholo Re by Dr. Shayan Haq & Santosh AvvannavarSecond Heart by Dr. Sandeep Huilgol & Santosh AvvannavarUmbilical Cord by Meena R Chandawarkar and Santosh AvvannavarGod's Table by Santosh Avvannavar, Jyothi Byahati & Dr. Sandeep HuilgolThe Departing Point by Santosh Avvannavar, Jyothi Byahati & Raghunath Babu AreSurrogate Author by santosh Avvannavar and Shilpa PatilBlack, Grey & White by Santosh Avvannavar and Santosh I.Birdar
Most were simple short stories that addressed a social problem in the country. Though light and quick reads, I respect the meaning and depth of the subjects in all his books.
What was unique about book reviewing in 2015?
I am not much of a book tour participant. For the first time, I signed up with b00k r3vi3w Tours and Indi Book Reviews in 2015. I am glad that my review of Night Sky Between The Stars by Usha Kishore could make to the December 2015 edition of Tajmahal Book Review Journal.
And book editing opportunities from two publishers were memorable of 2015!
