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.

The Bee Master - Lata Mani — Lata Mani’s “The Bee Master”, from the house of one of my favourite publishers, Tulika books, took me by surprise or should I say shock? On the balcony of little Gowri’s house, there is a bee hive. I can’t imagine living in a house where there’s a bee-hive in my […]

The Bee Master – Lata Mani

Worth a read Children Information Picture Book by Menaka S

The Deadly Royal Recipe – Ranjit Lal — The Deadly Royal Recipe by Ranjit Lal attracts a casual observer with its attractive cover – where a “recipe” is presented as a comic strip. When the book came in, my 11-year old picked it up (before I could) and finished it in a single sitting. I could see the […]

The Deadly Royal Recipe – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read Adventure Children Mystery by Menaka S

The Secret Wishlist – Preeti Shenoy — After having read Preeti Shenoy’s “Life is What You Make It” and “Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake“, I was impressed with her writing style and narration, so I decided give “the Secret Wishlist” a try on a bored afternoon. Did I say that it spruced up my […]

The Secret Wishlist – Preeti Shenoy

Readable Contemporary Fiction Romance by Menaka S

The Case of the Candy Bandit – Archit Taneja — Archit Taneja’s “The Case of the Candy Bandit” is the story of the Bandit who steals the Candies or other small treats. Rachita and Aarti are the founding members of Superlative Sleuths; they have decreed that any crime committed shall be solved. While the logical thinking Rachita relishes the idea […]

The Case of the Candy Bandit – Archit Taneja

Worth a read Children Humour Mystery by Menaka S

The Secret of Falcon Heights – Ranjit Lal — The Secret of Falcon Heights by Ranjit Lal is an adventure story of two brothers, a kid sister and their dog, when they go to stay with their great aunt Mita Masi, in the remote hill station of Pahadpur. Seventeen year old Sandeep, thirteen year old Manish and seven year […]

The Secret of Falcon Heights – Ranjit Lal

Must-Read Adventure Mystery Young Adult by Menaka S

Bookasura - Arundhati Venkatesh — Arundhati Venkatesh’s latest offering “Bookasura: The Adventures of Bala and the Book-eating Monster” has a catchy title that makes one want to try it and that is what I did. Bala, the bibliophile, is sent to his grandparents’ place in Melagam so that his parents can attend to his infant […]

Bookasura – Arundhati Venkatesh

Worth a read Children Fantasy by Menaka S

Flat-Track Bullies – Balaji Venkataramanan — Balaji Venkataramanan’s “Flat-Track Bullies” is yet another diary in the growing list of diary books that are coming out. Having read diaries of girls, including Anne Frank, Mayil 1, Mayil 2, the Princess diaries and even the journal blog of Nina, it was a welcome change to read the diary […]

Flat-Track Bullies – Balaji Venkataramanan

Must-Read Children Diary Humour Middle Grade Tween by Menaka S

Timmi in Tangles – Shals Mahajan — Shals Mahajan’s “Timmi in Tangles” is a series of events in the life of a little girl called Timmi with a wild imagination – a wildness that is the outcome of an author with a wild imagination. This is another book from the hole series of Duckbill books, meant for […]

Timmi in Tangles – Shals Mahajan

Readable Chapter book Children by Menaka S

The Monster Hunters – Parinita Shetty — The Monster Hunters by Parinita Shetty is another book in the “hole books” series. We have already seen Petu Pumpkin books of the same series. Abhay and his best friend Nitya decide to go monster hunting as part of their English project. Since monsters lived only in children’s bedrooms, they set […]

The Monster Hunters – Parinita Shetty

Worth a read Adventure Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Playing it my way – Sachin Tendulkar — “Playing it my way” is the autobiography of India’s great cricketer Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar. Biographies of successful people show the side of him/her that the world does not know of, but has been instrumental in achieving that success. In that sense, I always love to read biographies and pick […]

Playing it my way – Sachin Tendulkar

Worth a read Biography Sports by Menaka S

The Wordkeepers – Jash Sen — The Wordkeepers by Jash Sen is the first book of the wordkeepers trilogy, a fantasy story set in the year 2028. Anya, a fourteen year old who leads a carefree and mundane life in Bangalore, suddenly find herself thrown into the midst of a quest. Her mother is abducted and […]

The Wordkeepers – Jash Sen

Worth a read Fantasy Mythology Young Adult by Menaka S

Manan – Mohit Parikh — Manan by Mohit Parikh is the story of a 15 year old boy – a late bloomer in the literal sense. Yet to mature physically and physiologically. Smaller in size than his peers, he is treated like a kid by his friends, teachers and family. An introspective novel, where the […]

Manan – Mohit Parikh

Worth a read Young Adult by Menaka S

Ashoka and the Muddled Messages – Natasha Sharma — Ashoka and the Muddled Messages by Natasha Sharma is another book in the History Mystery series. After reviewing Raja Raja and the swapped sacks by the same author, I was only curious to read another in the same series. Emperor Ashoka (304-232 BCE) was the third king of the Maurya […]

Ashoka and the Muddled Messages – Natasha Sharma

Must-Read Children History Humour Mystery by Menaka S

Squiggle takes a walk – Natasha Sharma — “Squiggle Takes a Walk” by Natasha Sharma is a book meant to help beginner-writers understand punctuations and their use. Squiggle feels alone and lost. She wants to find out who she is. So, she goes on a quest to find her identity. She meets the Question Mark, the Exclamation Mark, […]

Squiggle takes a walk – Natasha Sharma

Worth a read Children Education Humour by Menaka S

God is a Gamer – Ravi Subramanian — “God is a Gamer” by Ravi Subramanian was much touted for being the first fiction based on bitcoins and it definitely caught the eye of many including me because of this. Aditya Rao is the head of two companies – eTIOS to which New York International Bank (NYIB) outsources its […]

God is a Gamer – Ravi Subramanian

Worth a read Popular Fiction Thriller by Menaka S

How Google Works – Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg — If any of you pick this book “How Google Works” by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg thinking of understanding how the Google search engine works, be well warned that this book is not about the search algorithm, but something much beyond that and much more important than that. The book […]

How Google Works – Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg

Must-Read Business Non fiction by Menaka S

Vanamala and the Cephalopod - Shalini Srinivasan — Shalini Srinivasan’s “Vanamala and the Cephalopod” is a book that associates with a reader in many ways. Firstly, it kindled my curiosity with its title and thus started a fun class in marine biology. Vanamala, a regular customer of Kanti stores of Basavakere, run by Thambi, puts up her sister […]

Vanamala and the Cephalopod – Shalini Srinivasan

Must-Read Adventure Children Fantasy by Menaka S

As I close the book Mathorupagan by Perumal Murugan, and struggle to gather my thoughts on this book, particularly in the backdrop of the furore its translation (One Part Woman by Aniruddh Vasudevan) has created and the resultant decision of the author, I realize that this is one of those […]

Mathorupagan – Perumal Murugan

Must-Read Literary fiction Social commentary Subregional literature by Menaka S

Equilibrium - Paras Joshi — Equilibrium by Paras Joshi is the first of the Avaasya trilogy series, a fantasty story of a small-time robber getting caught in a tussle between Light and Dark forces that may upset the Equilibrium of the world. The story may be interpreted to be set in the future or in […]

Equilibrium – Paras Joshi

Readable Fantasy by Menaka S

Raja Raja And The Swapped Sacks - Natasha Sharma — Natasha Sharma’s “Raja Raja And The Swapped Sacks” is an imaginary story in the historical setting of the mighty Chola Empire. We have read in our history books that King Raja Raja Chola had trade relations with several other empires across oceans. Have we heard fictional tales of this period? […]

Raja Raja And The Swapped Sacks – Natasha Sharma

Worth a read Chapter book Children Historical Fiction Humour by Menaka S

Tea For Two And A Piece Of Cake - Preeti Shenoy — I bought “Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake” by Preeti Shenoy based on my experience with the earlier reading of her book “Life is what you make it”. I was definitely not disappointed in that it was an easy read and I finished it in a few hours […]

Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake – Preeti ...

Readable Chicklit Romance by Menaka S

How To Stop Your Grownup From Making Bad Decisions - Judy Balan — When “How to Stop Your Grownup From Making Bad Decisions” by Judy Balan was thrust on me by a friend, I was very reluctant to read it because humour is a risky business. It appeals to some but annoys others. So, I am very choosy about this genre and I […]

How To Stop Your Grownup From Making Bad Decisions – ...

Worth a read Philosophy Young Adult by Menaka S

13 steps to bloody good luck - Ashwin Sanghi — Ashwin Sanghi, the best selling author of “Chanakya’s Chant”, “The Krishna Key” and “The Rozabal Line” has forayed into non-fiction with this book “13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck”. à la Malcolm Gladwell, he explores the reasons behind the good luck that gives certain people success while eluding others. He […]

13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck – Ashwin Sanghi

Worth a read Non fiction Self-Help by Menaka S

Letters from an Indian Summer - Siddharth Dasgupta — “Letters from an Indian Summer” by debutant novelist Siddharth Dasgupta is the love story of two nomadic beings – Arjun Bedi, a photographer of Indian origin and Genevieve Casta, an artist of French origin. Arjun and Genevieve are nomads at heart and refuse to be tied down, travelling on a […]

Letters from an Indian Summer – Siddharth Dasgupta

Worth a read Literary fiction Romance by Menaka S

When Amma Went Away - Devika Rangachari — After reading the exciting and enthralling “Queen of Ice” by Devika Rangachari, I thought that the author’s name rang a bell. Then I dug out this book “When Amma went away” written by her about a decade back, proving her mettle as a writer even then. Nalini, a 14-year old […]

When Amma went away – Devika Rangachari

Worth a read Children Young Adult by Menaka S

Petu Pumpkin Tiffin Thief - Arundhati Venkatesh — The Petu Pumpkin series by Arundhati Venkatesh has two books, in which figure Pushkin Ramadoss aka “Petu Pumpkin” and his friends Jatin, Kiran, Nitin and Sachin. 1. Petu Pumpkin Tooth Troubles The latest tale of Pushkin and his friends is centered around Pushkin’s tooth. Pushkin is a student of class […]

Petu Pumpkin – Arundhati Venkatesh

Readable Chapter book Children by Menaka S

Queen of Ice - Devika Rangachari — “Queen of Ice” by Devika Rangachari is the story of the beautiful and intelligent princess Didda of Lohara. Despised by her father because she is lame, she survives because the astrologers predict a great destiny for her. Growing with her jealous cousin and apparent heir, Vigraharaja, she gets bullied till […]

Queen of Ice – Devika Rangachari

Must-Read Historical Fiction Young Adult by Menaka S

Burma Ramani - Azha Valliappa — After reading Vidya’s review of her favourite childhood novel “Neela Mala“, I was tempted to revisit some of the classics of the past. In this quest, I discovered “Burma Ramani“, another interesting full-length children’s fiction written by the Tamil poet Azha. Valliappa. The protagonist of the story is a 13-year […]

Burma Ramani – Azha. Valliappa

Worth a read Children by Menaka S

Friday Fun 3: Find the hidden books — Friday ahoy! Fun ahoy! Eager to know the next game? This time, we have come up with a hunt. Books hunt. Hunt the book titles. What do you have to do? Given below is a short story. Some book titles are hidden within the story. Try to find the hidden […]

Friday Fun 3: Find the hidden books

This entry was posted by Menaka S

Wisha Wozzariter - Payal Kapadia — Wisha Wozzariter by Payal Kapadia is two books in one. The first is the story of Wisha Wozzariter (Wish-I-was-a-writer), a ten-year old girl who wishes to become a writer. She hates good books more than a bad book because they make her sigh and feel that she could have written […]

Wisha Wozzariter – Payal Kapadia

Must-Read Children Fantasy by Menaka S

Daddy-long-legs - Jean Webster — When I was gifted Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, I thought that I might not be very entertained by a children’s book written over a century ago. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book makes an interesting read and makes one smile at regular intervals. The book is […]

Daddy-Long-Legs – Jean Webster

Must-Read Children Young Adult by Menaka S

Friday Fun 2: Book title Hangman — Today is Friday and it is time for Friday Fun. We all know the Hangman game. Here we have hangman with a twist. Play Hangman with book titles. There are 50 classic titles. Try to find all. Check your knowledge of the classics. Have fun. Though we all know to […]

Friday Fun 2: Book title Hangman

This entry was posted by Menaka S

Talking of Muskaan - Himanjali Sankar — “Talking of Muskaan” by Himanjali Sankar explores the life and pains of Muskaan, a fifteen year old girl, who realizes that she is lesbian and hence does not fit in with her friends. On a december morning, Muskaan’s friends, summoned by the principal, are shocked to know that Muskaan had […]

Talking of Muskaan – Himanjali Sankar

Must-Read LGBT Young Adult by Menaka S

Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg — When I picked “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, I did not know what I was in for. I thought that an American, especially COO of Facebook, may not talk about those things that matter to me. As I read through the book, I was in for shock […]

Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg

Must-Read Non fiction Self-Help by Menaka S

Thinking with data - Max Shron — After doing a course in data science from Coursera, I was excited at the prospect of reading this book “Thinking with Data” by Max Shron, published by O’Reilly Media. The book does start promisingly. The author argues the importance of considering the “why” before the “how” in projects involving data. […]

Thinking with Data – Max Shron

Read if you must Data science Information Technology Non fiction by Menaka S

Friday Fun 1 — Alliteration can be fun, if it’s not overdone. (Ah! it rhymes.) But I tend to overdo it. Well, so we have a new series called “Friday Fun“. On those Fridays when we do not have an F-page to post, we shall have FF – Friday Fun or should it be […]

Friday Fun 1: Find the Authors

This entry was posted by Menaka S

The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein — Shel Silverstein, known to most of us as a children’s writer, through his most popular book, “The Giving Tree”, was a very versatile creator – a poet, a singer, a songwriter, a cartoonist and a screenwriter. In the recent past, I have been getting addicted to his writing. I want […]

Discover Shel Silverstein

Must-Read Worth a read Chapter book Children Philosphy Picture Book Satire Verse by Menaka S

Lost in Pattaya - Kishore Modak — Palash Mitra, the protagonist of “Lost in Pattaya” by Kishore Modak, gives a first person narrative of his life after he lost his daughter. When holidaying with his wife, Fang Wei in Pattaya, he loses his pre-teen daughter, Li Ya, in the crowded streets. Loss turns to grief turns to […]

Lost in Pattaya – Kishore Modak

Readable Thriller by Menaka S

Life is what you make it - Preeti Shenoy — I tend to avoid certain authors because of my first impressions. The title of Preeti Shenoy’s “34 bubblegums and candies” had induced certain prejudices in me that I avoided reading her for a long time. By a certain turn of events, I decided to give her book “Life is what […]

Life is what you make it – Preeti Shenoy

Worth a read Romance by Menaka S

Gajapati Kulapati - Ashok Rajagopalan — With a 2-year old child around, one tends to take a fresh look at children’s books, and lately I have been doing just that. Here are a list of books that my son and I enjoyed in the last one year, all from Tulika books. Tulika has also published translated […]

Lovely children’s books from Tulika

Must-Read Worth a read Bilingual book Children Picture Book by Menaka S

Back in Time - Andaleeb Wajid — Back in Time by Andaleeb Wajid is the second of the Tamanna Trilogy for Young Adults. The first of the trilogy is No Time for Goodbyes. Tamanna travels back in time by 30 years to 1982, where her present mother is younger to her. In this setting, she is received […]

Back in Time – Andaleeb Wajid

Worth a read Romance Young Adult by Menaka S

Learn to program with Scratch - Majed Marji — The first time I heard of Scratch was in the summer of 2012, when Google announced a “Google summer of code” program for children on Scratch programming. Then, I tried to persuade some neighbourhood children to go for it because my daughter was too young for it. So, when I […]

Learn to Program with Scratch – Majed Marji

Worth a read Children Programming Technology by Menaka S

Happily Murdered by Rasleen Syal is a murder mystery set in the cool locales of Ratnagiri in the Himalayan foothills. A self-confessed disciple of Agatha Christie, the author has followed the AC template in creating a murder mystery, adapting it masterfully to Indian settings. Gulab Sarin is found dead on […]

Happily Murdered – Rasleen Syal

Worth a read Crime Fiction by Menaka S

More than just Biryani – Andaleeb Wajid — Three women, three different journeys, three connected lives in three different places tied by a single thread of Muslim cuisine. This is the gist of the heart-warming story painted by Andaleeb Wajid in “More Than Just Biryani”. Life in a muslim household may not be familiar to most of us. […]

More than just Biryani – Andaleeb Wajid

Must-Read Contemporary Fiction Foodoir by Menaka S

Mostly Madly Mayil - Niveditha Subramaniam & Sowmya Rajendran — “Mostly Madly Mayil” is the sequel to “Mayil will not be quiet” by Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran. Mayilwriter is back with her delightful observations and recordings in her second diary. Mayil, her friends Ki and Jyothy, and their ‘growing-up’ experiences are captured in a funny and insightful way in […]

Mostly Madly Mayil – Niveditha Subramaniam & Sowmya Rajendran

Must-Read Diary Tween by Menaka S

Meditation - Eknath Easwaran — ‘Meditation: Commonsense Directions for an Uncommon Life’ by Eknath Easwaran, is one of the top books in my handy reference list. The effect of this book on me started about seven to eight years back. On one of those days when I was in my most vulnerable state, I happened […]

Meditation – Eknath Easwaran

Must-Read Philosophy Spirituality by Menaka S

Tiddler - Julia Donaldson — When I look into my bookshelf for books that have enriched me or entertained me so as to present them here, I realize that this is one book which has given endless hours of entertainment to my family: first when my daughter was growing up (it continues to do so […]

Tiddler – Julia Donaldson

Must-Read Children Picture Book by Menaka S

You are your own gym - Mark Lauren — I have to confess that I hate the gym. I prefer my yoga routine and brisk walks to keeping pace with the treadmill while staring into a wall. So, when I saw this title, I picked it out of curiosity. Coming from Mark Lauren, a certified Military Physical Training Specialist, […]

You are your own gym – Mark Lauren

Must-Read Fitness by Menaka S