World of Books and Travel

Recently another constructive review is out about my book The Second Choice , on museindia.com as stated in their Jan-Feb issue. I am posting some excerpts from the review post for the convenience of my readers - "There are some books that one reads, finishes reading and remembers in snippets. Then, some books make one laugh and cry; and are then tucked safely in a forgotten corner of their bookshelf. Few books; however, live on to you; right from the time one reads the first page; and make one pick them from time to time from corners of the bookshelf. This is what Lakshmi Menon’s first English novel in offering does; its poignancy wants you to take pleasure in it at regular intervals." Another part - "The complexities of Indu’s refusal to accept her ‘new mother’ and the depression of Anu; Pavithra's daughter are very well expressed in the middle of the novel. The book starts on a promising note, with a strong image of Anu resting in Pavithra’s lap and her r...

When starting a novel, I always worry about the first line. So much time is spent on the first line. Here I mention about the first lines of some of my favorite novels. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859) Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami. - Khaled Hosseini in - A Thousand Splendid Suns On a sticky August evening two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen of a Central Square apatment, combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in a bowl. - Jumpa Lahiri in The Namesake In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. - Ernes...

A Happy New Year to you all. It is a problem for every writer to remain creative. Every one will have their own methods to stay creative. These are my top methods to remain creative. 1. When I'm tired or bored I just get away from my computer for a while and take a walk inside the house or sometimes outside. After I come back I feel refreshed and creative again. 2. Sometimes I switch on the television and spend about 15 to 30 minutes with my favorite channel. If I am writing a fiction I'd watch a serial. If I'm in the midst of a travel article I'd be interested to watch a travel channel, which will soon bring me back to my writing mood. I also write children's stories. If I'm stuck up with the story, watching a channel for the kids would be all that I need to get back to my mood. 3. Drinking a cup of tea or a glass of juice is another way of recharging my mind. sometimes I'd also munch something in between. 4. If I'm completely exhausted and re...