Menaka S

About Menaka S

Menaka is a computational linguist by education, an optimist by attitude and a dreamer by how she spends her time. Being left-brained, she runs PlusMinus'n'More to indulge her right brain interests.

Sringeri Srinivas Learns To Laugh - Rohini Nilekani — I have a pile of books published by Pratham books that I am trying on my son. Of the lot, Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson seems to be his favourite. Sringeri Srinivas Learns to Laugh is also a frequently read one. The plot line is simple, to say the least. At […]

Sringeri Srinivas Learns to Laugh – Rohini Nilekani

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai — The last time I tried reading Kiran Desai was when I made multiple attempts at her first book Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and failed due to boredom. So, it was with apprehension that I picked up The Inheritance of Loss, though the Man Booker did egg me on. It is […]

Inheritance of Loss – Kiran Desai

Worth a read Literary fiction by Menaka S

Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson - Sanjiv Jaiswal 'Sanjay' — I have done a few reviews of Pratham books (The Elephant Bird, The Cat in the Ghat and Chuskit goes to school to name a few) and it is always a joy to do them. Pratham Books is a not-for-profit children’s book publisher with the mission to see ‘a book in […]

Pehelwaanji Learns a Slippery Lesson – Sanjiv Jaiswal ‘Sanjay’

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Before We Visit the Goddess - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni — Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Before We Visit the Goddess is the first of her books that I picked up, though her Palace of Illusions is more popular. Lately, I prefer books that open a window to a specific period or a culture, so I chose this book to quench my thirst for […]

Before We Visit the Goddess – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Must-Read Literary fiction by Menaka S

The Heat and Dust Project - Devapriya Roy & Saurav Jha — Devapriya Roy and Saurav Jha’s The Heat and Dust Project – the broke couple’s guide to भारत sounded an interesting project, and the mission that the authors had set out for themselves appealed to me, so I decided to give it a try. A young couple, quit their corporate jobs […]

The Heat and Dust Project – Devapriya Roy & Saurav ...

Worth a read Non fiction Travelogue by Menaka S

Going home in the rain & other stories - Monideepa Sahu — Going home in the rain & other stories, a collection of short stories written by Monideepa Sahu is a thin book that did not look inviting. A collection of fourteen stories each showing a slice of life that we may have experienced at some point. + + + – – […]

Going Home in the Rain & other stories – Monideepa ...

Must-Read Short Stories by Menaka S

How Weird is that? - Ranjit Lal — Ranjit Lal’s latest book on offer is How Weird is that? from TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) Press. Being a naturalist and a writer, he is best equipped to bring out a work on some weird aspects of certain animals. It is a book on animal facts wrapped up […]

How Weird is that? – Ranjit Lal

Worth a read Children Nature by Menaka S

Squiggle Gets Stuck - Natasha Sharma — Natasha Sharma’s Squiggle Takes a Walk was well-received and appreciated as a fun book to explain punctuation. So, when I received its sequel Squiggle Gets Stuck, I knew what to expect. When Squiggle is happily seated on the cover of her book, a gigantic book from the lopsided piles of […]

Squiggle Gets Stuck – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children Education Humour by Menaka S

A Mauryan Adventure - Subhadra Sen Gupta — After reading and enjoying A Chola Adventure by Anu Kumar in the Girls of India series of Puffin, I promptly bought the other two books in the series – A Mauryan Adventure by Subhadra Sen Gupta and A Harappan Adventure by Sunila Gupte. A reader’s block (yes, I had one) […]

A Mauryan Adventure – Subhadra Sen Gupta

Worth a read Children Historical Fiction by Menaka S

The Unicycle And Other Stories - Gita V Reddy — Gita V Reddy’s collection of six short stories titled, The Unicycle and Other Stories is a middle grade book. With no expectation from it, I started reading it. GVR’s books The Vigil and Other Stories and Daksha the Medicine Girl have been reviewed on this site earlier. The Clever Princess, as […]

The Unicycle And Other Stories – Gita V Reddy

Worth a read Anthology Middle Grade Short Stories by Menaka S

Monster Garden - Jerry Pinto — Jerry Pinto’s Monster Garden is a difficult to classify book, being a mix of Nonsense verses and a D(raw)IY Picture Book. Starting with a physical description of who Jerry Pinto is, in the same nonsensical verse, the book heads into a garden which monsters inhabit. Monsters, did I say? Well […]

Monster Garden – Jerry Pinto

Must-Read DIY book Picture Book by Menaka S

Half the Field is Mine - Swati Sengupta — With a blurb talking about a friendship between two girls — one of whom is the daughter of the domestic help of the other — based on football, this book Half the Field is Mine by Swati Sengupta was irresistible for me. Thirteen-year old Oli has been initiated into football […]

Half the Field is Mine – Swati Sengupta

Must-Read Children Middle Grade Sports by Menaka S

The Shy Supergirl - Shabnam Minwalla — Can a nine-year old girl be a super hero? Yes, says Shabnam Minwalla in her chapter book The Shy Supergirl by showing us one. Nina, all of 9 years, is very small, shy and barely noticeable. But she has a superpower in that she can see into people’s hearts. She […]

The Shy Supergirl – Shabnam Minwalla

Worth a read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Our Nana was a nutcase - Ranjit Lal — A health break seems to have its benefits. One tends to look at things with a new perspective and that is what happened to me with this book. It was only because it is my favourite author Ranjit Lal’s book that I picked it. He did not disappoint me. Our […]

Our Nana Was a Nutcase – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read General Fiction Young Adult by Menaka S

Drawing the Line - (ed.) Priya Kuriyan, Larissa Bertonasco & Ludmilla Bartscht — In the aftermath of the Nirbhaya incident, somewhere amidst the uproar created by victim-blaming politicians and sensational news that was served aplenty in all channels and media, there was a mutation in the DNA of the country – a mutation, that triggered a spirit of fighting back, in the attitude […]

Drawing the Line – (ed.) Priya Kuriyan, Larissa Bertonasco & ...

Must-Read Feminism Graphic fiction Social commentary Visual art by Menaka S

Jobless Clueless Reckless – Revathi Suresh — Jobless Clueless Reckless by Revathi Suresh is a first person narration of Kavya, about the mess her life is in. A young adult story set in Bangalore, where the protagonist is a teenager living in troubled family circumstances, trying to come to terms with her life. Kavya comes across as […]

Jobless Clueless Reckless – Revathi Suresh

Readable Relationships Young Adult by Menaka S

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal — Caravan to Tibet by Deepa Agarwal is an adventure story based on the annual journeys of Indian traders in the Himalayan hills to Tibet. Fourteen-year-old Debu lives with his mother and his younger brother Hayat in Milam, a small village in the Himalayan hills of Kumaon, India. During the trip […]

Caravan to Tibet – Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Adventure Children by Menaka S

Daksha the Medicine Girl - Gita V Reddy — Daksha is a little girl who lives in a hamlet high up in the Himalayas. She was orphaned by one of the flash floods that hit the village, but she was adopted by the village, as is the norm in villages. She started assisting Panditji, the medicine-man, and thus cultivated […]

Daksha the Medicine Girl – Gita V Reddy

Worth a read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Tania has an idea - Kanika G — I literally stumbled upon this book as I was browsing my flipkart eBooks App. Tania Has An Idea is a free ebook written and published by Kanika G. It is available on the Smashwords link at the bottom of this page. This is the fifth book in a series of […]

Tania Has An Idea – Kanika G

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

The One You Cannot Have – Preeti Shenoy — After having read Preeti Shenoy’s “Life is What You Make It“, “Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake“, “The Secret Wishlist“, and now The One You Cannot Have, I feel that relationships have become very complex. Free will and the right to exercise it enables people to make decisions, […]

The One You Cannot Have – Preeti Shenoy

Readable Contemporary Fiction Romance by Menaka S

Woofus 'Don't want to learn' - Reena I Puri — To wind up the Woofus series of Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, A Home for Woofus, Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ and Woofus ‘I am hungry’, we picked the only remaining one Woofus ‘Don’t Want to Learn’. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas have gently touched upon the need to learn and how everyone learns. Woofus is bored and wants to […]

Woofus ‘Don’t Want to Learn’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Spinning Yarns - (ed.) Deepa Agarwal — Spinning Yarns – The Best Children’s Stories from India edited by Deepa Agarwal attracted me with its interesting title and attractive cover. Short stories being my favourite genre, I suddenly realized that it has been long since I read any. As I read, I found myself enthralled by the genre once […]

Spinning Yarns – (ed.) Deepa Agarwal

Must-Read Anthology Children by Menaka S

Woofus 'I am hungry' - Reena I Puri — As we are lapping up the books of the Woofus series — Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, A Home for Woofus and Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ — I decided to try one more of the series. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas have come together to offer the story of another quest by Woofus, the puppy. Rrrumble […]

Woofus ‘I am hungry’ – Reena I Puri

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

There’s Something About You – Yashodhara Lal — There’s something about There’s Something About You by Yashodhara Lal. Something that makes it interesting. Something that sets it apart from the usual romances. That something is that the protagonist Trish(na) is a loser. Trish is twenty-eight, overweight, single, is not into any relationship, and is having troubled relationships with her […]

There’s Something About You – Yashodhara Lal

Worth a read General Fiction Relationships by Menaka S

Moin and the Monster – Anushka Ravishankar — Being unwell has its own advantages. One can curl up with a book and relish every word of it, without the pressure of the next thing on the to-do list. If the book in your hands is delectable, then it is even better. So it was that I curled up […]

Moin and the Monster – Anushka Ravishankar

Must-Read Chapter book Children Humour by Menaka S

Woofus 'My mom's the best' - Reena I Puri — It was with no expectation that I read Woofus ‘Everybody Works’ and A home for Woofus. As we enjoyed them a lot, I decided to try another one in the series, Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’. Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas did not disappoint us. What does Woofus puppy do at bedtime? Well, mom gives him a […]

Woofus ‘My Mom’s the Best’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Akbar and the Tricky Traitor - Natasha Sharma — Finally, I laid my hands on the first in the History Mystery series written by Natasha Sharma. After reviewing Raja Raja and the Swapped Sacks, Ashoka and the Muddled Messages and Razia and the Pesky Presents in the series, I was curious to read the first one as well, so as to have the satisfaction […]

Akbar and the Tricky Traitor – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children History Humour Mystery by Menaka S

A Home for Woofus – Reena I Puri — After having a blast of an experience with Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, I was only too eager to catch up with the other books in the series. A Home for Woofus by the same duo of Reena Puri and Savio Mascarenhas is the story of another quest undertaken by Woofus, this time to […]

A Home for Woofus – Reena I Puri

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Woofus Everybody works – Reena I Puri — Woofus ‘Everybody Works’, from Think Big Books, written by Reena I. Puri caught my attention, while I was looking at the F-Page of its illustrator Savio Mascarenhas. So, I decided to try it out for my little son. Woofus is a puppy, who lives with his mother dog in her kennel. One […]

Woofus ‘Everybody works’ – Reena I Puri

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

A Chola Adventure - Anu Kumar — A Chola Adventure by Anu Kumar is the first book I bought in the Girls of India series of historical adventures by Puffin. It is Hemant Kumar’s cover illustration that caught my attention. The protagonist is twelve-year old Raji, whose mother, the famed dancer Menaka, is in exile. Hazy versions […]

A Chola Adventure – Anu Kumar

Must-Read Children Historical Fiction by Menaka S

Facebook Phantom - Suzanne Sangi — The title Facebook Phantom drew me to this book; I thought it might be a book on Facebook addiction and how to overcome it. Though my guess was close, the story was slightly different. Written by the author when she was fifteen years old, the story revolves around Sonali Machado, the protagonist, […]

Facebook Phantom – Suzanne Sangi

Readable Horror Paranormal Romance Young Adult by Menaka S

The Elephant Bird - Arefa Tehsin — I think I have developed a craving for Pratham books. Every few days, I want to check out what their latest offering is. Everytime I do so, I chide myself for indulging in books for very young children. But I continue to get tempted. Here is the result of my recent […]

The Elephant Bird – Arefa Tehsin

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

The Simians of South Block and the Yumyum Piglets - Ranjit Lal — When I discovered Ranjit Lal a few months back, I decided to explore further and bought this book, based on the title and the blurb. But I procrastinated the reading for too long, being entangled in other priorities. Storyline A certain industrialist and a certain minister in Delhi’s South Block […]

The Simians of South Block and the Yumyum Piglets – ...

Must-Read Children Contemporary Fiction Humour Politics by Menaka S

Ramu's Ride - Karishma — Ramu’s Ride written by Karishma and illustrated by Suzzanne is a lyrical picture book meant for ages two years and above. It is part of the Little Book Lovers’ series of Ms Moochie publishers. Ramu wants to ride a bike. But Pa says he is just four. One day, Sara […]

Ramu’s Ride – Karishma

Worth a read Children General Fiction Picture Book by Menaka S

The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog - Himanjali Sankar — Having read Himanjali Sankar’s Talking of Muskaan, a book meant for young adults dealing with a serious topic, I was only too eager to read this book to see the author’s attempt at humour. Rousseau, named after the eighteenth century (do make a note of the exact time period, lest Rousseau’s humans, […]

The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog – Himanjali Sankar

Must-Read Chapter book Children Humour by Menaka S

The Dugong and the Barracudas - Ranjit Lal — Everytime I read a book of Ranjit Lal, one of my favourite authors, there is one thing guaranteed – I am richer by a few words. His latest, and yet to be launched, The Dugong and the Barracudas, does not disappoint me in this regard, right from the title. Now that […]

The Dugong and the Barracudas – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read Children General Fiction by Menaka S

The Adventures of Stoob – Testing Times – Samit Basu — Samit Basu’s The Adventures of Stoob has been on my to-do list ever since it was nominated for the Crossword book award and finally I picked the first one in the series – Testing Times. Subroto Bandhopadhyay, named so by his grandfather, is better known to his friends as Stoob. Stoob, is […]

The Adventures of Stoob – Testing Times – Samit Basu

Worth a read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Kallu's World 1: In Big Trouble Again - Subhadra Sen Gupta — I have been keeping track of the #PBSummerReads of Pratham books – starting with The Auto That Flew, I followed it up with Chuskit Goes to School and then The Cat in the Ghat. Now it’s Kallu’s World 1: In Big Trouble Again. Kallan or Kallu is never punctual to school. Known […]

Kallu’s World 1: In Big Trouble Again – Subhadra Sen ...

Worth a read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Ambushed – Nayanika Mahtani — Tara Tripathi’s adventure in the heart of a jungle, while her father is on a tiger trail experimenting with his photography, is the crux of Ambushed, a story written by Nayanika Mahtani. This one is not for the weak-hearted, I dare warn you. Tara, a 10-year old gadget geek, living […]

Ambushed – Nayanika Mahtani

Must-Read Adventure Children General Fiction Information by Menaka S

Daddy Come Lately – Rupa Gulab — Imagine a family where there is a single mom and a daughter, living happily with the support of grandparents and friends. What-if the Dad makes an appearance out of nowhere? What-if the daughter doesn’t want this “Dad the Bad” to intrude into her life, but this Dad decides to become […]

Daddy Come Lately – Rupa Gulab

Must-Read Young Adult by Menaka S

Ananya – Shilpa Gupta — Ananya: a bittersweet journey by debutant author Shilpa Gupta had me thinking about a lateral question that has been on my mind since a long time, even before I started with the book. The author is a chemical engineer from IIT, with a post graduate management degree from the IIM and […]

Ananya – Shilpa Gupta

Worth a read General Fiction Romance Young Adult by Menaka S

Razia and the Pesky Presents – Natasha Sharma — The latest in the History Mystery series of Duckbill books written by Natasha Sharma is Razia and the Pesky Presents. After reviewing Raja Raja and the Swapped Sacks and Ashoka and the Muddled Messages by the same author, I was only too eager to read another in the series. (N.B. […]

Razia and the Pesky Presents – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children History Humour Mystery by Menaka S

Magnificent Makhna - Aravind Krish Bala — With the Word Environment Day falling on Friday, I am thrilled to review Magnificent Makhna by Aravind Krish Bala from the house of Tulika, because it talks about another environmental issue. Makhnas are tuskless elephants that are usually aggressive, says the author. The story of a particular makhna, Moorthy, which lives […]

Magnificent Makhna – Aravind Krish Bala

Must-Read Children Environment Picture Book by Menaka S

Oops the Mighty Gurgle - Ram G Vallath — Oops, I almost missed reading Oops the Mighty Gurgle by RamG Vallath, though this book had been lying on my desk for long. I have never been a fan of science fiction, and I had put this book off to the point of forgetting about it. With that kind of reluctance, I […]

Oops the Mighty Gurgle – RamG Vallath

Must-Read Children Fantasy Humour Science Fiction by Menaka S

The Cat in the Ghat – Ambika Rao — If you know what is Pogeyan and who is Nasikabatrachus, then The Cat in the Ghat by Ambika Rao is not for you. Well, but I am pretty much sure that you don’t know and so please pick up this interesting book offered by Pratham books. With their #PBSummerReads, Pratham […]

The Cat in the Ghat – Ambika Rao

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Chuskit Goes to School - Sujatha Padmanabhan — Chuskit Goes to School by Sujatha Padmanabhan is another of the gems published and made openly available for all on Scribd by Pratham books. Earlier, I had reviewed The Auto that flew by the same publishers. Similar to Wings to Fly by Sowmya Rajendran, this book also has a wheel-chair bound protagonist. Set in […]

Chuskit Goes to School – Sujatha Padmanabhan

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

When I had almost started doubting my ability to appreciate books meant for very young readers, I got a chance to read “Big Bully and M-me” by Arti Sonthalia, published by Duckbill, one of my favourite publishers. This book is the latest one in the hole books, the other ones […]

Big Bully and M-me – Arti Sonthalia

Must-Read Chapter book Children by Menaka S

The Auto That Flew – Ken Spillman — The Auto that flew by Ken Spillman is the story of Arjun, who had three wheels, one headlight and a coat of green and yellow. I stumbled upon this book when I saw Pratham books’ tweet about their release of books on Scribd under Creative Commons Licence. Returning to the story, […]

The Auto That Flew – Ken Spillman

Worth a read Children Fantasy Picture Book by Menaka S