The Sane Dreamer

photo credit: Shethepeople Blurb In a world where a left swipe means you could be alone and sexless forever and taking a chance could mean you find ‘The One’, the question we often find ourselves asking is, what is love? When romance writer Aastha Atray Banan found herself getting asked questions about the daily struggles of love she decided to start a podcast, Love Aaj Kal, that dealt with everything about love and relationships. The L-Word is about modern love: from ghosting, polyamory, love in the times of social media to more every-day problems like dealing with heartbreak, infidelity and getting out of toxic relationships. Love can be many things – sometimes intimidating, frustrating, and often exhilarating – this book tells you how to make sense of it. My Take On The Book The L Word- Love, Lust, and Everything In-Between , I guess the title is self-explanatory of what the book is about. This is the first book I read by the romance writer Aastha Atray Banan who found her...

About the Book Narasimha, once a brave soldier, has left the war and lies low as a physician in a village. But a familiar face from his past seeks his help to stop the tyranny of the blind usurper Andhaka. If Narasimha refuses, the world might just end. What will he do? And why did he leave the war in the first place? Prahlad, the interim king of Kashyapuri, is torn between the ideals of his unrighteous father and his love for Lord Vishnu. Whom will he choose? Hiranyakashyap, the ruler of the Asura Empire, wants to avenge the death of his wife. To do that, he must go through the Trials and get the ultimate weapon - the Brahmastra. But the Trials have sent so many others to their death. Can Hiranyakashyap survive? My Take on the Book Narasimha - The Mahaavatar Trilogy Book 1, the latest book by Kevin Missal  is a pure page turner and a real treat for every mythology lover. The book is filled with rich mythological insights and brief narration of notable Hindu mythological c...

“This is a novel told from the perspective of its male protagonist. It is about being in love with someone who is struggling with depression, and how that affects the person taking on the role of a caretaker in a relationship. The story further explores how mental health issues still have this societal stigma attached, and how their symptoms tend to get overlooked or even dismissed.” – Nikita Singh About the Book Siddhant meets Akriti during their medical residency in Delhi. Their connection is instant, blossoming from the many similarities between them. So, when Akriti faces a devastating loss, she leans on Siddhant for support. In the heat of an emotional moment, the two decide that this must be love. But as Akriti's depression begins to take a stronger hold over her, she spirals out of control, sinking deeper into an abyss of fear, insecurity, and rage. And while Siddhant struggles to help her, it seems like everything he does is only making things worse. Meanwhile, Si...

About the Book The Ramayana, one of the world’s greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita’s version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity, and honor, it is also about women’s struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, ‘Enough!’ My Take on the Book “In my kingdom, every man will have a voice, no matter how humble he is,” Sita wa...

“Life is essentially an endless series of problems. The solution to one problem is merely the creation of another.”  - Mark Manson  2018 has already blessed us with enough F**k to give. From Dua Lipa ’s IDGAF song becoming everyone’s favourite on the playlist to Mark Manson famously acclaimed book “ The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**K   making in the  #1 International Bestseller  list. Strange enough, both seemed to have found a place in my favourite 'F' list. I fell in love with this book, even before reading it. I felt it was rather an unusual self-help book with an F-word written on the cover. And somewhere I had the feeling that the book might not teach me about how to live life, but more about how life should be lived without giving a damn F**K. There is a lot of cursing in the book and a lot of F-bomb dropped, so maybe you may want to skip if you are not used to saying/reading the swear lingo. About the Book Going by the book's title, man...

Blurb: Time is a prison. She is the key. Packed with danger, temptation and desire - a perfect read for fans of The Red Queen.In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything - even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries; the poor bleed themselves dry. Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family. There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths Jules must uncover will change her life for ever ... and possibly the future of time itself. OMG!! When will Book #2 release? That was the first sentence that came out of my mouth right after I finished reading Everless by...

Blurb “It feels like I'm on autopilot; I have no control over anything. The pain of losing you is so crippling that I can barely hold pieces of myself together. The slightest nudge could break me. But somehow, my possessed brain knows what I need. It's telling me to stick to my choice, to stay away from you, to open a Word document and bleed on paper, try to throw up all my jumbled thoughts in form of words, collect all disconnected facts, try to make sense of it all.' From the bestselling author of Like a Love Song and Every Time It Rains, a story of heartbreak and things left unsaid...” Tis the season of Love… yes, Valentine’s Day is over, but the spirit of love stills lingers on… Agree? Not to sound too cliché, but going with the mood of love this month, I decided to read some good romance novels in order to be on par with the spirit of love. Incidentally, this book ‘Letters to My Ex’ by Nikita Singh with its beautiful cover happened to draw my attention.  Rel...

  “Had I not Seen Hell and Paradise with my own eyes, I had have taken his answers to be mere metaphors at best and a big joke at worst.”                                                            Blurb 2050, New York. In the aftermath of a gruelling spiritual cleansing quest, Ismael, a Pakistani-American student, enters into an alliance with spiritual beings who send him on a perilous journey of self-discovery. A non-believer,   Ismael  must return to Pakistan, now in the grip of a brutal fundamentalist government, and gain the trust of his estranged father, a prominent extremist in the Caliphate. To accomplish this, he must pose as a true believer. Will he survive long enough to infiltrate his father's inner sanctum and complete his mission? Hell! No Saints in Paradise is both biting satire and allegory...