Pick me. Choose me. Read me.

A couple of books I had the pleasure of reading and falling in love with. If you want a lasting relationship with words, I insist you read these.




  The Villa: Nora Roberts.
This book revolves around the Giambelli family and their winery across the Napa valley. Sophia Giambelli, grand daughter of the matriarch of the family, Tereza, has inherited her hunger for power and the staunch will to never back down, alongside a sprawling palatial home and the family fortune. The story begins to unfold twists and turns as hot as ever Tyler Macmillan enters Sophia's life like a tornado and makes her feel like nobody has ever before: insecure, and hungry for love.
A marriage of mystery and romance, this book is a must read. I tend to re-read this often when I'm in solitude. 

The Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Hussain Zaidi

Hussain Zaidi is by far one of my favorite Indian authors. The lucidity of his language and the raw approach he implements is awe inspiring. Mafia didn't interest me till I read his trilogy on the Mumbai mafia (Dongri to Dubai, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Byculla to Bangkok). Zaidi is a man that presents reality as it is. Not only has he used the name and references of every feared gangster in Mumbai, he has also made it a point to reveal the death threats he received as a result of penning it all down.

Mafia Queens of Mumbai speaks of the women that took over the under world and dominated it like they would do their kitchens. The stories are supported by pictures of the lady dons and their sidekicks. It's a pleasant change from the fiction based novels I normally indulge in. A plunge into the 'No-Entry' arena, Mafia Queens of Mumbai is a must read.

Message In A Bottle.

Father of romantic novels, Nicholas Sparks has redefined the power of love in this novel. How often do we dream of finding a note inside a bottle washed ashore while on a quite walk alongside a beach? And how often does it really happen? And if it were to happen, what would you do? Would you ever go that extra mile to track the one who would rather be anonymous? Distraught and divorced, Theresa Osborne takes the chance and goes that extra mile. But what has fate in mind? A book that takes you on a joyride and washes it away with a tide of sorrow, it's a must read for anyone who loves a blend of emotions.

 

The Zoya Factor: Anuja Chauhan

If there's an Indian author I'd read over and over and stand in a queue outside a bookstore at the launch of a new novel, it's Anuja Chauhan. Hands down. Her pakki Hindi language gives it the Indian feel that most Indian novels lack.

Her story is thoroughly uncomplicated, yet unpredictable.

The story revolves around a Rajput girl, Zoya Singh Solanki and her role in the deciding of the fate of the Indian cricket team, and the captain: Nikhil Khoda's discomfort at being robbed of the credit for the team's victory and the potential romance that blooms between the two.

It's hilarious. It's romantic. It's cocky. And seems almost real.

If there's anything called an alternate reality, it's this.

  The Fault in Our Stars: John Green

"I fell in love with the way you fall asleep, slowly and then all at once." If that doesn't move you, I don't know what can. I was a turmoil of emotions as I went through this book. It redefines love in every way possible. There couldn't have been a better way to frame a tragic romance and make it look like it isn't tragic at all, but a bloom of romance and romance only. This book is pure indulgence. 

I'm a believer in words. There is nothing in the world that can move you any more than a good book possibly can. In this ever-disappointing world, it's necessary to have an alternate reality to escape into when all isn't well. And nothing says revival of the soul like a good book does.