Spicy Bites of Biryani by Ashwina Garg – Book Review
Studied hard? Got the perfect job? Found the perfect mate? And Still Screwed up your life? Is it possible to do everything right in your life and still not be happy? Meet Sanjay, Aditi, Mayank and Jayshree.
Sanjay is a US-returned software millionaire determined to have an arranged marriage after selling his company and breaking up with his two-timing girlfriends.
Aditi is a commitment-phobic writer who cant figure out what her next book is about but has perfected the art of break-ups. Manyank and Jayshree are the perfect couple. If only they weren’t dealing with rude relatives, killing deadlines, procreation pressures and those ultimate romance-killers… monotony and boredom!
This light-hearted story traces the lives of these four successful, thirty-something friends who all come to the same conclusion…
The hardest thing about having the perfect life is keeping it that way!
And that is the synopsis of debutant author Ashwina Garg’s novel, Spicy Bites of Biryani..Because Life needs a Little Masala. The book is a short, light and breezy read about the complexities of love, relationships and marriage in today’s day and age. Even though this is the author’s first book, it’s written quite well and she has managed to capture the attention of the reader throughout.
The characters are well etched out and can be related to easily. Out of the four, my favorite has to be Aditi. I totally relate to her immature, fun-loving , marriage phobic character and the romantic angle with Sanjay is very sweet. Quite a few ‘awww’ moments between them specially the marriage proposal. And I also loved the climax. Unpredictable and added the right amount of ‘masala’.
I will not say that the book is without any flaw. The sub-plots have not been paid much attention to and they are actually quite boring. On the other hand, too much attention has been paid to the number of Aditi’s ex-boyfriends to bring out her whimsical and marriage phobic character. The author could have done without mentioning that repeatedly throughout the book. Care should also have been taken to fix grammatical errors and typos. However, despite these flaws, the book is a nice read mainly because of the easy pace and straightforward language, interesting characters, witty one liners and conversations and good narration. You will like it even more if you are from Hyderabad. The author’s love for the city is evident in her passionate description of it and as a reader, I loved reading about it.
Price – Rs 150
About the Author :
Ashwina Garg studied accountancy and lives in Hyderabad. She enjoys following the stock market and giving classes in Continental cooking. She has worked as a German translator and a technical writer.
P.S – Book sent for review.
Book Review – Arranged Love by Parul Mittal
If you are an Indian and specially if you are a girl, then there is one question on which you must have had countless debates on or pondered over many times. And that question is Arranged or Love Marriage? Which one is the best? The book Arranged Love centers around this question.
The plot revolves around Suhaani, an Indian born, America educated girl who is forced to return to India once she loses her job due to recession. Suhaani grudgingly leaves behind an independent life and a hunk of a boyfriend, Jay in America and moves to her parent’s house in India. Her father meanwhile has already selected a boy for her from his guitar class. Suhaani doesn’t know how to tell her Internet savvy dad and Farmville addict mom that she’s not interested in an arranged match, especially to an IITian. She decides to dislike the ‘arranged’ guy. Except that he’s not too thrilled either and has not accepted her friendship invite on Facebook! Even when they end up working together, Suhaani decides she is not falling for this guy! But before she can turn him down, he rejects her! Whether Suhaani has finally found her ‘match’ and whether the IITian is ‘the guy’ is what Arranged Love deals with. The supporting cast of the book include among others, the ditzy best friend Neha and the smart, single and successful elder cousin, Tanu.
The book is from the Chicklit genre, meant to be a light read and targeted towards the younger female generation. Not sure if men will like it very much but I really enjoyed the book because the plot even though very simple, has been executed very well. I loved Parul’s style of writing, the banter and innuendo. Suhaani’s dillemma is one that can be identified with easily and the characters are all very real. Even though the end is quite predictable, the means to get to the end has been very well penned down and that’s what makes it such an entertaining and enjoyable read. Will make for a good watch too on the silver screen…..good script alert KJO!
Read it if you are looking for a fun, racy, romantic, not cheesy and a light and breezy read. Highly Recommended!
About the Author
Book Review – Wrong Means Right End by Varsha Dixit
Book Review : The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian
About the Author :
Ravi Subramanian is the award winning author of four bestselling books :
When Karan Panjabi, press reporter and ex-banker, digs deeper, he realizes that he has stumbled upon a global conspiracy with far reaching ramifications—a secret that could not only destroy the bank but also cast a shadow on the entire nation. With only thirty-six hours at his disposal, he must fight the clock and trust no one if he is to stay alive and uncover the truth.
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