Smörgåsbord of Musings- Book Review

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Book Title: Smörgåsbord of Musings

Author: Rathnakumar Raghunath

Publishers: Goya Publishing

My Rating: ****

About the Author: Rathnakumar Raghunath was born in 1988, in Chennai, India. While he was more inclined towards music as a child, as he grew older, he developed a passion for languages. In school, he wrote a couple of short stories and won the Camlin Young Author award for his work, 'It Happened One Night'


Smörgåsbord of Musings- the book with the typographical cover in pretty colors is a classic example of how simplicity can be extremely beautiful and unforgettable. The title is so intriguing! I was longing to read the author's musings ever since the day I heard another book reviewer read from the book.

Smörgåsbord typically means a Scandinavian celebratory meal served in the buffet style. Here the author has indeed served us a sumptuous fare of the widest variety of thoughts, poems, anecdotes and all expressed from the points of view of different people - men, women, non-binary persons, kids, teenagers, adults who are going through different experiences in life. More than 200 such pieces written in a contemporary voice, which has a distinct sincerity and honesty in it. 

Each musing is like a glimpse into a life's experience that one has experienced or seen someone around us go through, and yet there's a freshness to the thought expressed about it. One can easily read through the book in no time but its all about whether you want to relish each morsel and savor it or just gulp down your meal and finish with it.  Smörgåsbord of Musings should be experienced not just 'read'.

Every musing has a French title which has been aptly selected. Though I don't understand French, I love to learn new languages so I did Google translate the titles for better understanding. And I was enamored by how the author has tied in the emotion of the piece like a gift with the red ribbon of a silken French heading. take for eg. Prendre Froid on pg. 85 (which is also a beautiful homage to his idol, the French-Canadian singer Celine Dion) One must read the short contemporary verse on how 'Love can catch a cold'.

Among some sweet highlights of the book is a handwritten letter from the author, a poem he'd penned as a 10 year old that is accompanied by a small hand-done sketch, and a fantastic photograph included on pg. 217 called 'Squirrels in Love' by Srikaanth Srinivasan.

I totally agree with Rathnakumar Raghunath when he says, " The ones who believe life is better with a bit of whimsy, this book, hopefully, has a little something that resonates with everybody. lets the reader find the silver lining when needed and discover the joie de vivre even when times are hard'.

To sum it up, I enjoyed reading every word dear Rathna. This is definitely a work of art that every book lover must have, and read! Thankyou for sending me this beautiful gift.

I wish to assure my readers that this is not an author solicited book review. I have expressed my unbiased opinions here. 



  

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