Two Wonderfully Emotive Novels That Touch Topics So Frequently Hidden in Indian Society <3 |ARC Review: Inheritance & Sugarbread by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Today, I would like to talk about two absolutely wonderful novels based on Indian Diaspora settled in Singapore – two novels written simply, yet evoke such empathetic response within their readers. 

If you have been looking to give Indian Fiction a try; I would definitely recommend picking up these beauties’ – they would definitely have you hooked right from the start ❤

ARC Review: The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.

Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.

ARC Review: Austenistan by Laaleen Sukhera

Heiress Kamila Mughal is humiliated when her brother’s best friend snubs her to marry a social climbing nobody from Islamabad. Roya discovers her fiancé has been cheating on her and ends up on a blind date on her wedding day. Beautiful young widow Begum Saira Qadir has mourned her husband, but is she finally ready to start following her own desires?

Inspired by Jane Austen and set in contemporary Pakistan, Austenistan is a collection of seven stories; romantic, uplifting, witty, and heartbreaking by turn, which pay homage to the queen of romance who lives on among us.

ARC Review: Baaz by Anuja Chauhan

1971. The USSR-backed India-Mukti Bahini alliance is on the brink of war against the America-aided Pakistani forces. As the Cold War threatens to turn red hot, handsome, laughing Ishaan Faujdaar, a farm boy from Chakkahera, Haryana, is elated to be in the IAF, flying the Gnat, a tiny fighter plane nicknamed ‘Sabre Slayer’ for the devastation it has wrecked in the ranks of Pakistan’s F-86 Sabre Squadrons.

Flanked by his buddies Raks, a MiG-21 Fighter, Maddy, a transport pilot who flies a Caribou and fellow Gnatties Jana, Gana and Mana, Shaanu has nothing on his mind but glory and adventure – until he encounters Tehmina Dadyseth, famed bathing beauty and sister of a dead fauji, who makes him question the very concept of nationalism and whose eyes fill with disillusioned scorn whenever people wax eloquent about patriotism and war…

Pulsating with love, laughter and courage, Baaz is Anuja Chauhan’s tribute to our men in uniform.

ARC Review: The Tree With A Thousand Apples by Sanchit Gupta

If the criminal was once a saint and the saint was once a criminal, then who is a criminal and who is a saint?

Inspired by true events, this riveting narrative traces the lives of Safeena Malik, Deewan Bhat and Bilal Ahanagar, three childhood friends who grow up in an atmosphere of peace and amity in Srinagar, Kashmir, until the night of 20 January 1990 changes it all.

While Deewan is forced to flee from his home, Safeena’s mother becomes ‘collateral damage’ and Bilal has to embrace a wretched life of poverty and fear. The place they called paradise becomes a battleground and their friendship struggles when fate forces them to choose sides against their will.

Twenty years later destiny brings them to a crossroads again, when they no longer know what is right and what is wrong. While both compassion and injustice have the power to transform lives, will the three friends now choose to become sinful criminals or pacifist saints?The Tree with a Thousand Apples is a universal story of cultures, belongingness, revenge and atonement. The stylized layered format, fast-paced narration and suspenseful storytelling makes for a powerful, gripping read.

It is Never a Goodbye….

This wasn’t an easy decision to make – honestly, it has been the most debated decision of my life. 

If you follow me on Instagram, then you would know that this weekend I had gone to meet my would be in-laws (the meeting went fine and they loved me; at least I think so 😛), but it also gave me time to reflect – I spent my time reading to get my mind of this stressful and that’s when I realized that through all the wonderful new experiences I was gaining as a Blogger, there was one experience I was slowly losing on – reading purely for pleasure.

It took me this weekend to realise that my reading has become a part of the deadlines; where before I used to be able to pick up books according to my mood; and now I pick them up, depending on when the review is due. I love re-reading my favorites, and it’s been months since I have been able to do so, for having a blog, a full time job and a love life doesn’t really leave much time for me!

And that’s exactly what is happening – falling in love with a man, my man has been the most wonderful experience of my life; having this blog and sharing my love for books is another beautiful part of my life – but both these parts, though rarely intersecting, became my whole life – but that never left a part for just me – the part, the time where I spent with my books – my refuge.

But that’s not all that happened this weekend – I am getting married in the next three months – those three months are going to be the most frustratingly wonderful experience of my life. And I am so looking forward to sharing those frustrations and amazing moments with my guy.

But that means that I will not be able to do my wedding preparations, my full time job and be able to do justice to this baby that I have created and nurtured.

This weekend has led me to make a decision that is breaking my heart – but it is one that I know that I really need to make – I am taking a break from blogging at least until March 2017! 

It wasn’t an easy decision to make – but for the upcoming 3-4 months, I NEED reading to be my refuge, my safe place so I don’t turn into a Bridezilla 😉

I will still be active on Instagram, Goodreads and hopefully on Facebook – I won’t ever leave the beautiful world that we readers have created for ourselves – and I hope that you won’t let go either ❤