“Read to benefit yourself, and Write to benefit others.” Why is IQ so important? Is that the only way to judge someone’s intelligence? If not, why else? IQ: Myth or Truth? by Zeeshan Zafar is here to answer all your questions. Backed with scientific evidence, he tackles the IQ debate head-on. This topic hits closer to home than I would like it to. For one, I had heard someone remark to another that a child’s IQ is based on their parents’ IQ. This was at a time when the latter’s child had scored less in school. To date, the second person remembers it and often blames herself for the tiniest ..read more

“Maybe the pain becomes a part of your new normal and that is the normal that you want.” What Keeps Her Awake At Night by Dr. Shilpa Singh Dayal is an insight into a woman’s mind, a small glimpse into what worries her, troubles her and how she can deal with it. Women have faced many ordeals throughout their life – be it as a kid, stopped from playing outdoors, or an adult, pressured to get married or have a kid. Is it time to find liberty for women? Regardless to say, a lot of the things that keep a woman up at night are the gift of society. Why she isn’t married at the “right” time, why do ..read more

“We’re all dying. That’s what life is. I just captured you at the precise moment of your death. Perhaps your most beautiful moment when all is lost. At that moment, you’re at your most rare, almost extinct.” Rafaa Dalvi, through his collection of flash fiction in his book Chasing Nirvana, has a total of 52 stories that range from funny to emotional to utterly dark tales. Through his words, he explores strange far-off lands, supernatural occurrences, the human mind’s dark instincts, and the mindlessness in romance. Earlier, I had the pleasure of reading the author’s previous collection of sh ..read more

“You don’t have to go looking for adventure. Sometimes, just once in a while, adventure finds you.” Penned by Kumar L., the mystery novel The Mystery of the Yellow Lake is the first installment of the Junior Detectives series. When Aman is sent away from home to spend his summer holiday in the sleepy village of Kensar, he is up for some sleepy time. However, after he discovers the yellow lake, he along with his two new friends must solve the mystery. Can they? I have always been a huge fan of the Famous Five, Nancy Drew, Secret Seven series, and their likes. Accordingly, this book pulled me ..read more

Plants experience stress due to environmental changes, either in biotic or abiotic form, during their life cycle. Non-heritable modifications in morphological, physiological, or biochemical characteristics tend to reduce or decrease growth and productivity, and sometimes lead to death. This book presents an exhaustive overview of the specific effects and modifications that could occur in this regard and will serve to consolidate the ideas to promote standardization of plant adaptation to these changes in the environment. This book returns to the facts of both biotic and abiotic stress, detail ..read more

“The belief of continuity of the ‘kul’ was so powerful that any atrocity on the women was rationalized on that logic.” Basant Kumar in his short story collection Only If trailed tales related to architecture and construction, each connected by this profession with its collection of vices and virtues. I absolutely adore short stories and there is rarely any short story book that disappoints me. Thankfully this book was one such book. I loved the way the author attached his central idea to every story – the plight of the workers, the greed, corruption, and moral conscience came alive with his ..read more

“You came in when I had given up on hope and hope had given up on me.” Through his soul-crunching venture into corporate life, Aashish Gupta has produced this autobiographical depiction – Anecdotes of a White-Collared Slave. When Aashish receives an offer from a KPO firm after years of staying jobless, he is quick to grab it with both hands. However, the sparkly exterior displayed by the beauties of HR might be the reality inside. With a job as soul-sucking, can he retain his personal life, let alone his mental peace? As I found myself entering the corporate world, I needed some heavenly vo ..read more

“I know you want to give it all up, but how do you think you will feel when the world burns knowing you could have done something to stop it from happening?” Through her beautiful writing, Meera J Pillai brings her fantasy creation Maya and the Sword of Gringak, a tale of a 16-year-old girl, Maya. The young teenager will soon turn 17. However, with it comes several surprises – a whole new life. From being excited about her first date with her long-time crush, she is dropped into a spot where her destiny is to serve the earth. Can she find the will to fit into her role? Or will self-doubt de ..read more

“Did they dislike her because she held up a mirror to them and they did not like their own reflections?” The Dead Don’t Talk by Sumit Ghosal takes us to the premise of a locked room murder mystery where a member of the Ganguly household is found murdered. With the husband suspected to be the prime accuse, the brother of the accused brings in Rudradeep Ray and his author aide, Sujit, to investigate the matter. While the initial investigation points at the prime accuse, things are much complicated. With each member of the family having their motives to kill the woman, can the acclaimed detect ..read more

“Beauty is being real, being yourself, being courageous to stand up for yourself and to be who you are.” Author Rida Rizqin Hussain, through her book PANCHI, places forth a heart-touching story about a girl, Panchi, whose life is supposedly perfect. A straight-A student, a great friend, a budding love story, and a bright future. However, when an unforeseen event occurs, things change for the worse. From being accepted, she goes to be shamed and pushed away by society. Can she get back to her old self again? When I started the book, I didn’t particularly appreciate where it was going. The wr ..read more