The Last Frontier waits to be explored!

The road to paradise- En-route Denali from Anchorage, Alaska

When in Alaska, be an Athabaskan! Experience nature's tapestry woven at its intricate best, like the Inuits. The Last Frontier indeed - surrounded by the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Canada, this largest state of the United States of America does not share any land border with the country. So a road trip to Alaska has to be through Canada. Purchased from Russia in the year 1867, this state is home to the majestic Denali, the highest peak of North America! Come, explore the inviting lands of the Grizzlies where nature plays out at its serene best.

View of a bald glacier from the Resurrection Bay, Seward Alaska

The cruises offer the most inviting sights, be it wildlife or glaciers. The excitement of witnessing humpback whales nosediving into the Arctic waters and playfully exploring their summer home is sheer magical. These whales travel from the Hawaiian waters to the Resurrection Bay during the summer months. Enjoy the beautiful sights of the Alpine waters, the jagged cliffs and the thriving marine wildlife, on-board this cruise. 

Denali Mountains stand tall

The highest peak in North America, Mount Denali, has always been a paradise for hikers and nature enthusiast. Home to the grizzlies, elks and moose, Denali brings to you the promise of an intimate rendezvous with nature. You can either take the awe-inspiring trains of the Alaskan Railroad to reach Denali from Anchorage. These trains have a dome shaped observatory, which promises breathtaking views of the Last Frontier and holds the answer to this nomenclature of the state. You will surely know why the state is called 'The Last Frontier' once you visit it!

Review of Knitted Tales: A Collection of Emotions by Rubina Ramesh

Star Ratings: 5

Feast for the soul!

Like the irresistible chocolate mousse, which is meant to be savored bit by bit, ‘Knitted Tales’ was a compelling read where I wanted to savor every word and line, feel the emotions of the protagonists, get into their skin and live their lives before the stories come to their ‘The End’. But mind you, this is not just a collection of all sweet tales. This is an anthology comprising 11 short stories with a heady mix of suspense, thrill, love, passion, rage and all human emotions in its pure raw form.

Aptly titled ‘Knitted Tales: A collection of emotions’, the author effortlessly guides you through a roller coaster ride of emotions as you are left craving for more. The protagonists of each of the stories are as real as they can get, and you cannot help but find yourself in their shoes.​

The KISS factor

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We as journalists always abide by the tenets of the KISS (Keep it Short and Simple) factor, so any written piece adhering to this always touches our heart. And in ‘Knitted Tales’, the author has done just that. She has kept it short and simple, succinct and crisp indeed! For us that is the most effective form of communication and the author has successfully communicated by making her readers not only feel for her protagonists, but also try and get into their skin. I found myself anticipating how a frustrated mother’s response can be towards her child, sometimes I found myself reminiscing my childhood days with my grandfather in our ancestral house and there were times I felt so fortunate that my parents just let me be ‘me’. Yes, that is also love! Each of the stories have a message, it might be something that we all know, but we all conveniently forget often. A thought-provoking way of reminding us about what makes us all humans! "I threw myself on the bed and sobbed my heart out. Not because I was failing. But grieving about my lost childhood, where Dad promised to love me unconditionally. He had never said that his love was dependent on my mark sheet."

Elements of the bouquet

Each of the stories are unique and they deal with the rawest of the raw forms of human emotions, but my favourite remains the opener titled ‘A Secret in Their Closet’. The story is about a family, but I love the way the author has gradually catapulted it from the realm of the normal to the esoteric. With an uncanny tinge of eeriness, this story had some real goose flesh moments, which kept me thinking about it way into the night. There are others which narrate sensitive tales expressing the feelings of an immigrant housewife, that of a just became older sibling, a wife desiring to be her husband’s first love, that are bound to make you think and re-think about life and its queer ways!

Reason for ratings. . .

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The author’s keen sense of observation! You really have to be a ‘people’s’ person to capture these raw emotions and narrate it so well, and the author has done it without leaving any scope for improvement. And her style of writing deserves appreciation too. Wittily composed these lines are bound to make you read between the lines to infer the real essence of the story.
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Would I recommend this book?

Yes, definitely! If you love humans, you cannot miss this book ;-)
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The line that stayed with me. . .

Do put a good word for me to Him, when you finally meet Him. Just tell him, Everest freed you.

Review of Dangle by Sutapa Basu

A
DARING
​'DANGLE'

Star Rating: 5

Girl meets boy, sparks fly and then they see, or do not see each other? Yes, that’s the ‘Dangle’! To meet or not to meet, to love or not to love, to seek or not to seek- the story leaves you with many such dangling moments, creating an impact that is bound to stay in the crevices of your heart and mind forever. 

When the mind treads beyond the realm of existence, it leaves you dangling, somewhere between the real and unreal, the natural and super natural and the credible and incredible. So tighten your seat belts and enjoy the free fall!

The 4Ps confluence perfectly

Powerful, picturesque, pragmatic and panache are the key elements that make ‘Dangle’ a must read. Be it the breathtaking skyline of Chicago, the ethereal beauty of the hidden jewel, Manipur, the exquisite majesty of nature in Batam, an Indonesian island or the charming azure seas visible from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the author with her effective description ensures that you transcend the realm of reality and dive deep into the beauty of all these places. It’s powerful to the extent that it takes you off your reading couch and across the world to several destinations where the protagonist, a travel chat show host, explores not just places but people who compel her to look within herself and discover the undiscovered that was lurking somewhere playing games with her psyche.

The best part about the narrative is that the story unfolds level by level, each in a picturesque location. So while on one hand you are enjoying the picturesque locales, unknowingly you would also be grasping some important revelations about the protagonist. Storytelling comes effortlessly to the author and she has proved that with every chapter.
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The window drew her like a charm opening a wondrous sight painted outdoors. In the far distance, hills wore veils of misty clouds shimmering with sparkles. Awestruck she kept gazing at it as the mist shifted. A golden orb rose between delicate shoulders. One by one, the rays beamed their message to the sleeping world, ‘Awake! Arise! Affirm’.

Her descriptions are so vivid that I actually googled ‘Loktak Lake’, one of the beauties of Manipur that she has described in detail and is a crucial site in the story. This was Nature’s offering; a vision of a lifetime; no way she could miss even a second of it. She would edit later. After two kilometers, the red carpet gave way to creamy whites with orange hearts. Then a stretch of water hyacinth choked the canal. But Ipshita’s lens remained on alert. She was rewarded by blue and purple cups set in jade...lotuses looking like jewels with the sun’s light glancing off them. Ipshita clicked away, frantically.What I liked best about the story was that all the characters were very realistic. You could identify with each of them. They could be you yourself or people next door to you, your friends, your aunts or uncles, each of the characters were identifiable. Each of them very human and very realistic. None of them were too good to be true or too villainous to be true. That’s why I say it’s pragmatic and for panache, well you gave to read it yourself to know why I say that.

The Story

​Ipshita, a smart, stunning, svelte travel chat show host globetrots beautiful locations to identify unique places for her show and present them to her audiences. While she does that she meets three different men in three different locations, and each of them arouse in her desires that she cannot fathom. She is perplexed, her mind plays games with her. She wants to talk it out. But with whom? She has doting parents, but they might get worried, she has a best buddy in Adi, but she is concerned about what he might think of her, she has a loving elder sister too but she is out of bounds for reasons best known to her. So how would Ipshita understand the games her mind is playing with her? Would the snakes coiling within her wriggle out? Will they wreak havoc in the process or will they iron out unsettled scores? There are ‘dangles’ at various levels here. An interesting story that will make you sit up and think where is it taking you from here. He turned his head towards her. ‘You know, Life is always a dangle! Between now or never; between this and that; between being and not being; Life is how you see it, do it, take it.’ And then he was quiet.
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Would I recommend this book?
Of course! If you do not want to miss a good book.
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