Klishmaklaver

Book Title:   A Halo for Red Betsy Author: Aki Liao & Al McDermid Publisher: Kindle Edition My Rating: **** About the Authors: Aki Liao was born in Paris, France, but is a graduate of Yale University (1989) . He received his M.A. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (1993). Al McDermid was born in Michigan, where he spent most of his life until joining the U.S. Navy upon graduating high school. Remaining in Hawaii when his tour ended, he attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, receiving his B.A. (1990) and M.A. (1997) in History. There's a story in how they wrote their debut novel too which is worth reading: Aki Liao and Al McDermid met as graduate students of the History Department of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in 1990. They met again in New Jersey in 1998, at which time they decided to write A Halo for Red Betsy. What an amalgamation of their individual strengths! If I could, I'd give another +1 ...

Book Title: Untitled Author : Atul Deepak Tawade Publisher:   Humming Publications LLP My rating: *** About the author: Calls himself a scribbler forever. Hoping to know more about the author (presently unavailable info') This is his first book. I love sepia toned pictures. It immediately gives me poignant nostalgia. The book cover did just that to me and will have the same effect on most readers I believe. And the silhouettes of three couples instantly told me that this book had a lot of tangled tales to tell.  Only recently at one of the writer's forums on a social media platform, there was a major topic of discussion that saw contributors answering ten to one. They were arguing over using a simple language over bombastic words while writing. And I can see our author here clearly belongs to the first group of writers. 'Untitled' is an absolutely easy read, using the simplest of English and well-seasoned with Indian-isms that gives it mass appeal. ...

If you have lived half your life like a Tomboy, this should be second nature to you! I grew up as one, with a mop of golliwog hair and scarred knees but did that tune out my passion for fashion? No ways! I find 'sporty chic' a more freestyle expression of your sense of fashion. It gives an equal, if not greater scope for making a style statement. And must I say, I find it extremely sexy when the girls get it right? 'Namaste!' from the land that follows a sport like a religion and can speak of many 'Gods' in this pantheon. Cricket- almost like a country cousin to baseball, was my most favourite sport, right until I entered my teens. I actively played the game with the boys with as much singular focus and intent to master the art of wielding the bat.  At high school,my first introduction to the idea of sporty chic fashion came in the form of Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge in Archie Comics. It was like a paradigm shift for me. Baseball or no Bas...

This post has been published by me as a part of Blog-a-Ton 55 ; the fifty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. In association with ​Rashmi Kumar , the author of Hooked, Lined and Single and Jyoti Arora , the author of Lemon Girl .   'THE CITY OF BUNARUS. Surveyed by James Aubert- 1822.', said the lithograph adorning the central wall of the small foyer. He stood there patiently studying the map, for there was nothing else to keep him occupied or entertained while he waited to be ushered into Colonel Henry White's office. Though the entire Crawford Market building was lit up by electricity, the waiting room was a dimly lit space with only a single dome-shaped light bulb that came on, at sun-down. There was nothing English about it; furnished with frugal wooden chairs along the western wall as seating arrangements, a small wooden table and another chair arranged against the central wall. Ideally, an office clerk sho...

The Evil Eye and The Charm Author: Neil D'Silva Publisher: Amazon Kindle E-book My  Rating: ***1/2 About the author: Neil D'Silva has recently debuted as a novelist with the publishing of his  book on horror- Maya's New Husband. A winner of Literary Awards 2015 (India) in The Entertainer category, and of NaNoWriMo 2014, the novel is also the top 100 listed book in the horror category on Amazon Kindle India.  The Evil Eye and The Charm is a collection of three short stories based on a centuries old Indian tradition of using the 'nimboo-mirchi (lemon-chili) charm' to ward of evil spirits.Though these stories are based on a very common superstition, what will take the reader by surprise is the spook- quotient! The author starts each story by building up a scene that one can easily relate with. It may seem like a very commonplace scenario that might as well be taking place in your own home or in your  neighbor hood, as you read. What happens as...

That intoxicating red of wine, the earthy shade with a seductive personality of its own has a name and is now recognised as 'Marsala'. To me, Marsala sounds like a sultry, yet sophisticated lady with a beautiful story to tell. Is that you?  Marsala was declared the Pantone Colour of the year 2015.   This heady mix of the brick red and mud brown had a lots of tongues wagging and Pantone's choice received brickbats from critics. I was however surprised to see how the cloud of dust had settled as soon as it had risen and the ladies began appreciating the strength this colour wields.Its already been half way through the year trying to work this colour into our daily wardrobe. I am not the one to lap up a fashion trend blindly but I'm definitely a person who strongly believes in personal style. And I was so right that Marsala would take our style quotients to a new high this year.  Though many fashionistas have already created magic with this shade, I though...