Blemishing the Odds Author: Harish Penumarthi Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 3/5 How we wish to narrate the indelible moments of our life to our children! How we wish our parents and grandparents narrate their life instances to us! Isn’t this the reason why ‘How I met your mother’ became a hit amongst the youngsters? ‘Blemishing the Odds’ is based on the same concept in which the father narrates his story to his children. The book is a delightful read as it is not only relatable but substantial. Read the complete review here.

Wildcard Author: Asfiya Rahman Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 4/5 Sports has always been my passion; anything about it excites me a lot. The good thing about HBB is that they encourage different genres (other than romantic fiction). It does not matter which sport is involved but the adrenaline rush is what matters the most. ‘Wildcard’ comes as a delightful read because of the chronological approach used by the author to reach the climax. It is a pot-boiler that has a blend of drama, regret, helplessness, love, determination, a hankering for the lost title and the bond between a daughter and the father. The story does remind you of ‘Reel…

The Soul Charmer Poet: Richa Saxena Genre: Poetry collection Publisher: Half Baked Beans ‘The soul charmer’ is a lyrical journey of love, life, and nature. With this poetry collection, the poetess has thrown light on various aspects of love, the sublime nature of love and how the feeling changes at different levels of life. This is a collection of 32 poems. With simple and easy-to-understand language, the poetess has successfully reached out to the hearts of the readers and I can say this with absolute confidence because a non-lover of poetry that I am, I felt good while reading this book. Love is profound! And so is the feeling conveyed…

Thank You Love Author: Ayush Gupta Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 2.5/5 You ask what is in these days; I say this is the era of people who follow the crowd blindly. And this is quite evident in the field of Indian Literature. 80% of the new books reek of teenage romance. Not that it is not interesting but the excess of everything is monotonous. ‘Thank You Love’ is a debut novella by Ayush Gupta. With a subtle yet simple cover, the book offers a fresh perspective on college/ teen romance. How meditation can restore the peace of mind and help the one who is down in the dumps after…

The Fence Author: Multiple authors Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 4/5 Life is unpredictable, yet it is possible to connect the threads together and form an opinion. ‘The Fence’ offers a blend of different instances that can leave a lasting impression on one’s heart and soul. With just eight short stories, the authors have proved their potential in writing skills. ‘Illustrado’s eulogy’ is one story that appealed to me a lot. I liked the style of writing and the vocabulary used by the author. With a subtle beginning, the narration acts like a cherry on the cake. ‘The Smartphone’ is another piece with good narration. The story highlights the irony…

Scarlet Nights Author: Mayur Patel Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 3.5/5 Summary ‘Scarlet nights’ is a psycho-thriller that exposes young Malvika to bitter truths about her life. Having achieved the desired success, Malvika is a happy camper and lives a comfortable life only to realize one day that there is someone else, who has a bitter role to play in her mushy life movie. The entry of Margrita marks the beginning of a new struggle. Things turn dirty when the two women come face to face with each other. Where on one hand Malvika is jolly and ebullient, Margrita is fearless, spiteful and loves to live at extreme ends. But…

Emancipation Author: Suddhabrata Deb Roy Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 3/5 Summary “Sometimes it takes heartbreak to shake us awake & help us see we are worth so much more than we’re settling for.” ― Mandy Hale “Emancipation, as the name says, is a tale of freedom and liberation. The story revolves around Bankim, who belongs to a humble yet a small town. He has dreams; dreams that are not impossible or unachievable. But his wings have been clipped by his family and the clichéd tradition of following the herd blindly and opting for Engineering. Read the complete review here.

Guy On The Sidewalk Author: Bharath Krishna Publisher: CinnamonTeal Publishing Rating: 3/5 Summary Einstein said- If your head tells you one thing and your head tells you another before you do anything, decide whether you have a better head or a better heart. ‘Guy on a sidewalk’ is a novel that takes you through a dilemma of deciding where to stay. Be it America or India, both have their own positives and negatives, but how does one feel when one decides to part ways with the country one was born in? This is a compelling read, for it highlights the emotional turmoil that Jay goes through. It is a story…

No Time To Pause Author: Pavithra Ramesh Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 3/5 Summary “I made decisions that I regret, and I took them as learning experiences… I’m human, not perfect, like anybody else.” – Queen Latifah ‘’No Time to Pause’ is a narrative that describes the emotions, problems and other events that form a major part of the adolescent life. It is these events that start as being the bane of one’s life but eventually, help in transforming one into a confident and experiences individual. Read this book to know more. My opinion “No Time to Pause” is a perfect narration of experiences that a young and enthusiastic girl…

Yama Author: Kevin Missal Publisher: Half Baked Beans Rating: 3/5 Summary The change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek- Barack Obama ‘Yama’ is a tale about a strong-willed man, who disguises himself and works for the benefit of the society. But what is that he does? Why do his actions offend the people? Why is everyone after his life? There are none who appreciate his efforts. Welcome to the dark and gloomy world of a hero, who is an anti-hero for some too. With the blend of…