A Mother’s GoodbyeAuthor: Kasturi PatraPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 4/5 Sexism has been perpetuated in our society since time immemorial. Owing to the narrow-mindedness of the people and the unwillingness to accept change, the discrimination between genders has still not stopped. Whether it is the stereotype that men cannot cry or that women should devote their life to the well-being of their children and husband, each stereotype plays an important role in presenting a misconstrued reality before everyone. A Mother’s Goodbye subtly questions the actions of Deepa, a single mother who mysteriously disappears from her children’s life for reasons best known to her. Tracing the journey of three siblings who falter…

Long Short StoriesAuthor: Chetan SoniPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 3/5 Short stories are my all-time favourites because of the brilliant writing and concise plotting. It is like a cherry on the cake when writers are able to tap the mental schema of the readers with fewer words. Long Short Stories is an anthology of five stories that evoke a confluence of emotions in your heart as you come across the characters that are laced with varied shades and unexpected endings. However, the charm and the skill to make the readers do a double-take are missing in this book. These five short stories revolve around the lives of several troubled characters who…

StonedAuthor: Gautam MayekarPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 3/5 Stoned is a creative work of fiction that utilizes elements from what’s happening around us. The author deftly uses the current situation at hand to use names that might just hit the target right. The story is about a young engineer who is considered to be talking/ communicating from the future and trying to make an attempt at establishing contact and saving the city. He is ostensibly stuck within a time machine while his sidekick, Mohit, tries to provide him aid. The story is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that offers too much to digest. It has too many knots to be tied and…

A Halfway Celebrity Actor Without a HomePoet: Naren WeissPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 3/5 Collating his experiences and stories, Naren Weiss puts together a poignant collection of poems in A Halfway Celebrity Actor Without a Home. Weaving words with the help of literary devices, he brings forth the pain and the apprehension that life often brings along. Touching upon the decisions that often take an unprecedented turn, the poet mentions how a single event can transform the way one thinks and understands things. Most of the poems are free verses and they do not fail to leave a mark. Short yet impactful, the poems have an allegorical approach to situations that…

The Unsolved Case of an Indian WomanAuthor: Puneeth JHPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 3/5 “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”― William Faulkner Often doing things greater than oneself involve a lot of risks. Giving back to society is not an easy task, for one needs to take a leap of faith at the cost of one’s life or maybe more. ‘An Unsolved Case of an Indian Woman’ is a multifaceted story that deals with a variety of issues that are prevalent in society. Right from lack of affection to physical and mental abuse during childhood, the story highlights the impact the…

Wildcard 3Author: Asfiya RahmanPublisher: Hal Baked BeansRating: 3.5/5 Reading this book reminded me of an old saying- ‘If we were meant to stay in one place, we would have roots instead of legs’. Unlike other species, man has the gift of will that serves as a driving force and helps the man to keep going even when there are adversities. Wildcard series is based on this will to go on. Each part of this series has a protagonist who knows how to snatch success from the jaws of death. Now that the third part is out, it wouldn’t take rocket science to figure out that that the story will be…

Micro Fiction Anthology (Horror) by Multiple AuthorsPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 3.5/5 Even though I do not like watching horror, I have taken a liking towards reading horror. I like the descriptions that are capable of scaring the daylights out of me. Coupled with moments of light humour and dark horror, HBB’s Micro Fiction Anthology is one such book that I liked reading. Right from the very first story ‘Bittersweet’, every story is different from another and that adds to the overall impact of this book. The concept of ghosts always elicits a debate because some people believe in them and some don’t. What people fail to understand is the fact…

Deepak and Raj: Two Indian PlaysAuthor: Naren WeissPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 3/5 There is something about the plays that lures me into reading them. The dialogues bring characters to life. In spite of the missing description, the words speak volumes. Such are the plays in the book Deepak and Raj. Tracing the life of two individuals who are examples of yin and yang, this book is so interesting that it will resonate with your mind quite well. The first play, ‘Dramatic Failure’ is a pun in the title itself! It revolves around Deepak, a resolute and patient man, who is a theatre enthusiast and wants to pursue this art in…

Dance to My TunesAuthor: Tanvi SinhaPublisher: Half Baked BeansRating: 2.5/5 Dance to My Tunes is a women-centric anthology of 18 short stories that touch upon various issues that undermine the capability of women and foster inferiority complex in their mind. Taut narrative and simple language make this book a breezy read. Therefore, it is a good bet if you have less time to spend with your kindle. Dance to My Tunes, as the title says, shows us the light at the end of the dark tunnel. Most of the stories end in a happy happenstance and thus, that doesn’t quite seem palatable. It is contrary to what really happens in…