Ugly to Start With: Book Review

Ugly to Start With is a series of interconnected short stories documenting the growing years of Jason Stevens. Penned by award winning author John Michael Cummings, Ugly to Start With is full of promises and nostalgia.

The reader is made to take the literary journey with Jason Stevens as the narrator. The setting of the stories is 1970s in Harper's Ferry that come alive with each passing chapter. The stories themselves are very visual and one can relate to them while going through the growing pains and experiences of Jason.

Each of the stories depict a particular emotional turbulence and are so well connected that the whole picture is nothing short of stunning. The various nuances of human nature; be it flaws or goodness come forth vividly through the vignettes.

John Michael Cummings has done an amazing job of bringing back memories of a life we no longer remember or care about. I don't know if it was intended or not but the stories follow a curve with the pace picking up from a dull start. My only complaint would be a missing strong last chapter. I would have really liked John to finish off the book with an upper cut and closing off on things. But that’s the way life is; isn't it. We all are looking for closures and that's what keeps us going.

The layout and quality of the stories are something that any author would envy (including me) and I have no hesitation in saying that this is a book all must read. If you want to see your life flash by, Ugly to Start With is a book you cannot afford to miss.

 Disclosure: The author provided me with a review copy.

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Catch Me If You Know How: Book Review

Show me a person who has not heard of the Internet and I will stop writing this book review right now. I normally don't accept e-books for reviews as I just love the feel of a physical book (I know it sounds corny). When Travis Morgan approached me to review his book, Catch Me If You Know How, I obviously requested him to ship me a bound copy of the book. It turned out that the shipping cost would have been more than the cost of the book itself. Since the book was interesting going by various reviews, I agreed to review the book in its e-book avatar. I was not disappointed at all.

Travis Morgan's inspiration to write Catch Me If You Know How comes from his intent to help parents keep track of what their children are doing while online. The book doesn't profess snooping but is only meant for parents to keep their children out of harm's way while they use the Internet.

The Internet is full of illicit material, stalkers, pornography etc and it is everyone's nightmare to keep an eye on someone who is not supposed to fall prey to them. The book is very helpful for someone with workable knowledge of computers, browsers and the Internet. For an out and out IT guy, this book is of little or no help. What is in the book is something that a hardcore techie would already know about. If someone has to bypass the system, Catch Me If You Know How or any other book for that matter would be of no help. I'd rather place this book under the "IT Forensics for Dummies" category. Given the fact that Travis Morgan started working on this book a few years back, some of the information seems pretty outdated. Children have become a lot smarter since then.

But all said and done, I would not discount the intent of Travis Morgan as someone who is out there to spread the knowledge and make the online world a little safer. So if you are a parent or someone who has little knowledge of computers and would like to know what you can or can't do over the Internet, then this book is just for you.


Disclosure: The author provided me with a review copy in e-book format.

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Shine in Kashmir: Book Review

It's always a pleasure reading about India and its cultural diversity. One book or one author is not enough to capture the various shades of culture that is India. So when I came across Shine in Kashmir, I was obviously thrilled to review it. More so, because it has been written by D. Chris Castanga, who has traveled the world tasting various cultures.

Shine in Kashmir follows Justin Conrad, a 24 year old American through his journey in search of meaningful company, spirituality and the meaning of life. The book is one of the most amazing account of India that I have read in a long while. If you want to know the esoteric aspect of India, its people and culture seen through the eyes of a foreigner, this book is just for you.

All that Chris Castanga has done through Justin Conrad is soak-in the various cultures (and idiosyncrasies) of India and present them in the most vivid manner. In fact the descriptions are so visual, they made me cringe at some sections. Chris has portrayed India in such a realistic manner that it would make most Indians take offense...but that's the beauty of the narrative. It's so real that it's difficult to believe that it has been written by a non-Indian.

Justin Conrad's character is amiable but reserved, gentleman but flirtatious and is entirely believable. He is someone who travels the world absorbing the essence of cultures while appreciating the conflicts that exist within.

When it comes to narration, the flow of the book is smooth and never falters. The descriptions of lovemaking and Tantra are so beautifully captured that they are nothing but amazingly sensual. The characters get etched on to the mind of the readers long after they have finished the story and placed it on the shelf. This book will satisfy ones' curiosity for eastern culture and religious philosophies.

It’s a nice read but there are a few places where Chris infers that Hinduism is all about spirituality and yoga. It's not the case Mr. Castanga but you surely have redeemed yourself by describing India in its full glory. Bless you for that!

Disclosure: The author provided me with a review copy.

Copyright (c) Pigtale 2005-2012. Images copyright respective holders.

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The Guys’ Guy’s Guide To Love: Book Review

Ok, this has been long due. I received a review copy of Robert Manni's weirdly (but aptly) titled book called The Guys’ Guy’s Guide To Love (GGGLove) a couple of months back but was unable to read it due to piles of other books in the pipeline. Finally I got to read it and found it be as fast moving as the story's setting in NYC.

The story GGGLove is set in New York where the city never sleeps in Madison Avenue. In fact the story is so believable that it could have taken place anywhere in the world.

The book is all about the dating scene where the womanizing Roger and Max sweat it out. The stakes are high and the people are unforgiving in a world of love, sex and power.

GGGLove turns contemporary dating logic on its head by referring that women prefer the traditional type of men than the new-age stud. Now that's some food for thought, isn't it?

And I have no reason to disbelieve the author, given the fact that he speaks from experience. I understand that the young professional women of today may not relate to the struggles their male counterparts face, but they understand their frustration and unhappiness. And this is the reason; they are looking out for the old-fashioned, low risk taking man.

GGGLove presents the story from both the men and women perspectives and provides an insight into the mind of the contemporary women and what they really want.

Robert Manni has done an amazing job with this role reversal fun read. Go read it as it comes from a master.

 
Disclosure: The author provided me with a review copy.


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The Spirit Whisperer: Harbart (Book Review)

Literary translations are always tricky as it is more of a creative act than just converting one language to another. More than just translation, it is the cultural knowledge that matters. A case in point would be to see "The Mask" with Hindi subtitles. Jim Carrey in one of the scenes says "Smoke Head" and you can't but laugh at what appears in the subtitles..."Dhumrapaan". The translator clearly did not understand the word and it's cultural meaning. And this is where many translators falter and display their weaknesses.

Having said that, it's never easy to translate a book without losing any of its original meaning. Some books can merely be translated but others like Harbart need something more like transliteration. When I started reading Harbart, I didn’t know what to review; the story or the translation (I haven't read the original Bengali version of the book). Maybe, I'll do both.

First about the story. At the heart of Nabarun Bhattacharya's Harbart is Herbert Sarkar or Harbart; an orphan who made a living by pretending to be a spirit whisperer. Little did anyone know that it was the ghosts of his own memories that haunted him.

The story opens with Harbart's death or rather suicide. The description of his death is sprinkled with grotesque details and serves as a diving board for the mystery ahead. The rest of the book gives us the back-story leading up to the suicide and the rather "explosive" climax.

The original book was first published in 1993 and using Harbart's character, Nabarun Bhattacharya throws the readers into an environment where almost everything was wrong with Kolkata at that time. In spite of the stench, decay and general apathy of Kolkata, Harbart rises with subtle aspiration of becoming an entity who is far cry from the city that he was a part of.

It was Harbart's first hand experiences with naxalism, death and humiliation that cajoles him to choose a profession that makes him famous. How the nonchalance of his surroundings finally brings about his downfall is something that I'd rather leave the readers of the book to find out. Nabarun Bhattacharya’s style of writing brought a whiff of freshness. The various nuances of imagery, sarcasm and dark humor makes Harbart a delight to read.

Now a word on the translation. Arunava Sinha does an amazing work in bringing forth the dark humor that Harbart is all about. However, he could have done a little more justice. Arunava, I'm sure culturally understood the story but unfortunately, he didn't belong to Harbart's era. The word to word translations of the poems absolutely did not convey their significance.

It's imperative that a translator should reproduce the original author's style but this is not possible all the time. It wouldn’t and cannot be an absolute translation but the approximate should be aimed for. I am a Bengali who cannot read or write his mother tongue and this embarrassed soul says a Big Thank You to Arunava. I need to hand it to Arunava for making non-Bengali readers get access to an amazingly textured story like Harbart.  Readers should not miss this unusual piece of Bengali Literature.



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Copyright (c) Pigtale 2005-2012. Images copyright respective holders.

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