Welcome to My Blog - The Reality Checks and Reviews

  For the Love of Apricots written by Madhulika Liddle. I got this book recommended from 'The Blogchatter Book List of 2025'. While it came as a recommendation, I was also genuinely intrigued by the blurb and the mesmerizing cover image. The story begins with Nandini Mathur, a woman in her early 40s who has been divorced since her 20s. She now lives in Mukteshwar with her father, a bird lover who tends to drift into his own world. Despite living in a rural setting, Nandini’s strong will drives her to start a women’s cooperative for homegrown pickle-making. Now comes Vikas Joshi to Mukteshwar, who is a widower and new to this village life, and although he bought an apricot orchard, he doesn’t have much knowledge about it. Then slowly, they meet each other and the story brews on its own with the soft-paced narration. I am a big fan of the romance genre and enjoy reading all kinds of romantic stories. This book stood out as one of a kind which is slow, steady, and centered around...

 The Last Knot written by Shabir Ahmad Mir.   Again, another recommendation from  'The Blogchatter Book List of 2025'. The story is set in 19th-century Srinagar, where a young carpet-maker lives and works under strict rules set in the town and controlled by its rulers. The people living there have very little freedom and everything about their lives is controlled by the rulers. The weaver is tired of his hard life and wants to escape. He hears about a magical blue carpet. To chase his dream, he pretends to be a madman and finds shelter with a dyer, where he also meets Heemal. Is the flying carpet real or not? Does he succeed in weaving it? These are the questions that make readers curious to keep turning the pages. This fictional folktale-style book is drenched in classical storytelling. While reading it truly feels like you are transported to the 19th century. The book has dreams, struggles, love, tragedy, and many deep emotions woven into it. I especially loved how the ...

S ome books make us cry, some stay with us long after we’ve finished reading and some leave our hearts feeling heavy. The Wildflower of Assam does all of that and even more. This book speaks to the pain and inner world of women in a way that’s vivid and deeply moving. Let’s begin with the cover image, which suits the story well and sets the right vibe for the reading experience. The title feels like a match made in heaven too. The story unfolds across two timelines, the 1950s and the 1980s. What makes this narrative truly remarkable is how these timelines seamlessly intertwine as you read. The book focuses on three characters: Shabana, Mahesh, and Agha. But mainly it shares about Shabana's journey, who came from East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) to India aka Bharath, as an illegal immigrant. Her life in Assam and the challenges, pain, and political pressure she faces as an immigrant, along with her inner questions and mindset, come together to create this beautiful story. If it speaks...