Book-o-philic

This book has been unputdownable. Right from the cover, the outside of the book, as well as the inside, is audacious, vulnerable, unconventional, and free-spirited.                                                      A turbulent narrative: a troubled, complicated mother-daughter relationship, controversial politics, and an unapologetic attitude, this memoir, or rather Ms. Roy's life, has been quirky and atypical. The author writes effortlessly about her life without being bogged down due to her ups and downs. Her tyrant mother, and almost orphaned adulthood, she is not sorry for either. Writing a memoir is a true personal account, and the author has done justice by being honest and unapologetic. A lesson taken here is - we all commit mistakes, and we must not judge/curse ourselves. It is a part of growing and exploring. While reading about Arundhati in ...

 I am back with my 2026 resolution: writing book reviews! The elegant portrait of Ms. Mira Kulkarni, the founder of Forest Essentials, is enough to compel you to choose this book. Of all the books scheduled for this year, I decided to make this my first read of 2026. My reading list is dominated by books of, for and by women. Returning to the book, what I liked is the short and crisp chapters, not much melancholy, and straight to the point. This also reflects on who Ms. Mira is. And her straight-to-the-point approach helped her build a luxurious brand.  Her life, like everyone's, is full of ups and downs, happy and unhappy events, fortunate and unfortunate incidents. From my understanding, she had a rich father, a flamboyant lifestyle, a luxurious childhood, and a perfect life like a bollywood movie. This was all transient. It collapsed. But she collected herself and the fallen pieces and built a magnanimous palace.  The book does not glorify her misfortune. There is no m...