Category: indian author

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Review of Magic square

BLURB:

Amudha is a Ph.D. scholar, practically living in her research lab, leading an uneventful life. Amudha’s life takes an adventurous turn, when she finds a puzzle in an old Mathematics book. Surprisingly, the puzzle has nothing to do with Mathematics. Amudha embarks on a journey to solve the enigma. Every twist and turn in her journey is filled with suspense and surprises. The journey challenges and threatens Amudha. Whenever Amudha solves a part of the puzzle, a new one presents itself. Will Amudha solve the puzzle? How far does the rabbit hole go? What awaits her at the end of it? Will Amudha be the same person if she comes out of it? Read on Magic Square for answers.

MY REVIEW:

Well, if you are looking for a short read with an intriguing mystery to be unveiled, you can definitely give this a try. Magic square is a debut Novella by Salini, but stands out good with very minimal characters. As the name sounds, it isn’t deep into mathematical knowledge or concepts but mathematics does play a role.

Amudha the protagonist is a PH.D scholar. After being rejected by umpteen interview panels. She finally decides that Ph.D is the destiny for her. And she also made it to the list of candidates chosen by Prof. Murthy. She practically starts living in the lab, since she feels ignored at home between an elder sister and a younger brother who take away all the attention from here. Dheeraj is also one of the research candidates, but has practically been longer in Murthy’s lab than Amudha.

Amudha had gotten used to being with Dheeraj that she is confused if she is in love or it was just like how she was attached to every table and chair. Dheeraj hopes on every submission that he would be called by the professor to intimate that he would graduate the next year, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. One fine day hes given a list of problems to be solved. HE together with Amudha search google in all possible ways but couldn’t find even those questions online.

That’s when Amudha decides to take Dheeraj to her favorite place next to lab, an old library. The place is not organized with books lying around on all corners. She tells Dheeraj to help himself to find the solutions to the problems and not to divert himself to other areas.

Dheeraj while going through random piles of books uncovers a discrete mathematics textbook from the year 1965. It belonged to L V Sreenivasan. The book had solutions to all the problems he was puzzled with. HE began to worship this unknown person. Amudha also takes time to see the book where she notices a tamil poem of few lines written to a person named Harini.

While Dheeraj goes to spend his Christmas vacation in north India, Amudha decides to go in search of L V Sreenivasan. Thanks to the name of the college written on the book, she first calls the reception, then to the records department; only to know that she has to go in person to Chennai; to meet the registrar to gather that information.

Does Amudha find the unknown L V Sreenivasan immediately or what are the situations she is put through, does Dheeraj help her is the rest of the story.

A wonderful gripping read, I finished the book at one go. The writing style is simple. Characterizations are given very much importance. With just few characters each doing a critical part does give the plot a heads up. I found few editing mistakes at places. For a debut novel the choice of plot and writing style is appreciable.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Format:Kindle Edition
  • File Size:4432 KB
  • Print Length:62 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage:Unlimited
  • Sold by:Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
  • Language:English
  • ASIN:B07KSHCVQL

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 4.5/5

Writing and Presentation: 3.5/5

Overall: 3.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Author an Indian-English writer who lives in Bangalore, India. This is her debut English fiction novella. She is an engineer by profession but she enjoys writing stories and travelogues. She has recently quit her job to start full time writing. She can be reached at sasidharan.salini@gmail.com

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Review of City of nine gates

BLURB:

An atheistic millionaire is forced to find and help his long lost friend achieve self-realization in a mystical City of Nine Gates known only to the Gods and the wisest sages of the Advait and the Sankhya. Assisted by other friends in the City, he leads the City on an inward enlightening journey, only to realize at the end who his friend is, what actually the City of Nine Gates is and who is that beyond all regions knowing which one never comes back … “When the Gods descend to devastate, When Kalyuga meets Apocalypse, Out of a Billion, Only one strives, Of those who strive, Only one achieves, What those sages realized, and you still haven’t, knowing which, one never comes back. Rise O’ Cities! It’s time to liberate, It’s time, to realize…”

MY REVIEW:
The city of nine gates takes you on a spiritual journey. The book is filled with verses in Sanskrit then and there which at times makes you forget that you are reading a novel.
The story is about protagonist Gyan who is a multi-millionaire but also an atheist. But his real interest is archeology. One fine day Gyan and his friend discover a structure carved from a single stone resembling that of a fort. The fort underneath a hidden city. Not just that he realizes that there is something more than just the fort and the city. And what does he discover? A temple.
The city is cursed and who will help the city come of out of it, none other than Gyan. He is helped by the magic fabric which helps him note the various information he gathers.
Gyan notices inimitable features Leading him to way into a temple from the pillars of fort. But the combination of five elements of nature is the only way to have the pillar open and lead way to the temple. The temple is protected by 12 priests in deep penance which is disturbed due to alien presence. Thus realizing his importance to unlock the secret and uplift the curse and release the souls, Gyan sets into action.
The book is enriched with truths of self-realization and the almighty, anon to mankind.
The book takes you on a spiritual journey no don’t get me wrong this is interesting to even young readers.
Gyan’s journey set amidst spiritual elements, archeology, mythology makes this a wonderful read. The background research done for the novel is very evident when you complete it.
The glossary at the back is indeed of great help to make you understand the terms in Sanskrit used by the author. For someone who is well versed in Sanskrit or already very good with spiritual or religious terms the reading of this book is a cakewalk.
I loved reading the book, since it was a new genre for me to review. The experience was just wonderful just taking your own time to get all the details absorbed, jumping to the glossary and the story back and forth to understand the terms. This made me wonder the effort that the author would have put in to research the plot and the vedic verses to support the plot.
It was a challenging mission that Gyan set out on with Parth to lift the curse on supernatural city. During the course of the quest he comes to know how the human mind comes into captivity, how the imbalance of feelings, mind, actions can create disruption to human soul.
Gyan’s charcter was thought out perfectly and in no place you see exaggeration, or him jumping to conclusions of what he finds out.
On the whole the book is a wonderful read, when you have all the time to sit in peace and read.

BOOK DETAILS:
Paperback:300 pages
Publisher:Notion Press; 1 edition (11 July 2014)
Language:English
ISBN-10:9384049646
ISBN-13:978-9384049645

MY RATINGS:
Cover: 4/5
Title: 4/5
plot: 4/5
Writing and Presentation: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours. For details check: http://www.thereaderscosmos.com/

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Review of Shillong times

BLURB:
A delightful novel about growing up in Shillong in the 1980s by the bestselling author of Bali and the Ocean of Milk and The Case of the Secretive SisterWhen fourteen-year-old Debojit Dutta meets the slightly older Clint Eastwood Lyngdoh in his maths tuition classes, he is wary of his cigarette-smoking, whisky-swilling ways. Besides, Debu has only recently escaped a bunch of local ruffians who wanted him to ‘go back home to Bangladesh’.But Debu is unable to resist being friends with Clint. For, in return for doing his maths homework, Clint introduces him to a completely new life: the heady charms of Kalsang, the Chinese restaurant forbidden by Debu’s mother; the revolutionary sounds of Pink Floyd; and most importantly, the coolest, prettiest girl in town—Audrey Pariat. Audrey loves maths and detective stories, just like Debu, and does not make him feel awkward or exotic. Together, the three of them look set to embark on many adventures. But when tensions between the Khasi and Bengali communities boil over, Shillong becomes a battlefield—old neighbours become outsiders and the limits of friendship are challenged.With crackling energy, Nilanjan P. Choudhury immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Debu, his friends and his family, and their attempts to find love and belonging. Written with uncommon warmth, humour and a delightful evocation of place, Shillong Times is an exhilarating coming-of-age story—showing us how friendship can eclipse the hardened enmities of adulthood.

MY REVIEW:
Shillong times is a book that brings you nostalgic moments of life in 80s. The story is set in Shillong, yes that’s where it gets the name. Debojit is a Bengali teenager who along with his parents lives in Shillong.
The story starts with Debojit returning home from school on a lonely path where he encounters few guys from local tribe, khasis. This tribe is against any foreign community living in their area and there are few harsh exchanges between them and Debu. He manages to escape from them. He narrates the entire episode to his parents which is when his father lectures him about the ancestors and why they settled in Shillong.
Debu’s mother started advising him to study well and look for a great career outside Shillong and get away from there. She wants him to pursue IAS and wants him to take up necessary competitive exams inorder to achieve the same. She decides to make him join tutions taken by Professor Bose who is deemed to be extremely strict.
Debu gets to know Clint in one of Bose’s tution sessions. He takes Debu to the forbidden Chinese restaurant Kalsang , introduces him to Pink Floyd music and most important of all makes him meet Audrey Pariat. Clint says shes exactly like him – likes detective stories and maths. Debu takes an instant liking on her during their first meet.
Debu’s mom gets to know about his acquaintance with Clint and warns him of dangers since he’s a Khasi himself. She utters stories from past which sends shivers inside Debu. But inspite of all that he still wishes to continue being friends with Clint. Clint also saves Debu from punishments at school from a teacher. The teacher later reveals to Debu that Clint is not good company and its better he stays away from him. Though now the number of people who are against Clint is two, Debu still is not convinced to sacrifice his friendship.
As the story progresses the tension between Bengalis and Khasis boils over, which makes Shillong a battlefield.
The language is simple and lucid. The author has brought out the beauty of Shillong also known as Scotland of the east so well in narration.
The characterization is perfect. Debu’s mom is of the typical Indian parent who wants the child to concentrate on studies and take up competitive exams. She is very strict and at the same time concerned about him, very much indeed. The pace is just the right amount for the elements for friendship, love and tension.

BOOK DETAILS:
Paperback:248 pages
Publisher:Speaking Tiger Publishing Private Limited (10 September 2018)
Language:English
ISBN-10:938807047X
ISBN-13:978-9388070478

MY RATINGS:
Cover: 4/5
Title: 4/5
plot: 3.8/5
Writing and Presentation: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nilanjan P. Choudhury’s debut novel, a mythological thriller titled Bali and the Ocean of Milk, was a (very) brief bestseller. His subsequent writings include The Case of the Secretive Sister, a detective caper set in Bangalore, and The Square Root of a Sonnet, a pioneering play on the history and science of black holes; both of which received wide critical acclaim. He confesses to having studied at IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kanpur, and hopes that this will not be held against him. He grew up in Shillong and now lives in Bangalore with his family. He can be reached at http://www.nilanjan.net.
This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours. For details check:

http://www.thereaderscosmos.com

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Review of The closure : Journey to my true self

BLURB:

Aarti slid back and started staring outside the window. It was not the first time she was getting married, but this time she was making the decision after a long haul of struggle.

Sahil: “I have no intention of being physical with you again, but this can be an accord of providing for each other as companions so that you can realize the aspects of your life that you deserve.”

Rishabh: “Maybe I needed her to go away from me before I could realize her importance. God! I miss her.”

Ansh: “You’re evil and the worst person, I’ve ever met. I’d like to think that you’re probably dead now A.. A..Ar… Aarti…”

It’s not a midlife, neither is it an existential, nor an identity crisis, but just a need, an urge deep-found in human wishes: an appeal for closure. That’s what the journey of Aarti is all about, from being a happily invested mother-cum-housewife to a fulfilled, self-aware human being.

MY REVIEW:

The book revolves around the plot where the main protagonist Aarti, is married to Rishabh and is mom to 15-year-old Ansh. She soon loses interest in marital life. She fails in her business collaboration with a friend and there goes a big lot of money into pothole. She decides to shift her focus and learn guitar.

There comes the entry of Sahil, a young guitar teacher at an institute. Aarti falls in love with him. Will she separate from Rishabh, what will happen to ansh? Is the remaining part of the story.

The current generation relationship issues such as carefree attitude, no empathy and too much importance for career than relation is conveyed very well in the book. The book also shows how the children get affected due to restrained relationship between parents and what effect it has to people around them.

The book depicts complete drama and can be adapted onto big screen since it has all the required elements.

The writing style is simple and crisp but I would mention that there were more grammatical errors which at items give you a letdown to continue with the book. If not for that the book can be termed a good read. Though the plot is usual, its slow paced and at places a bit dragging.

The characters are brought out well and unique from one another.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Paperback:178 pages
  • Publisher:Notion Press, Inc.; 1 edition (6 September 2018)
  • Language:English
  • ISBN-10:9781643248691
  • ISBN-13:978-1643248691
  • ASIN:1643248693

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 3.8/5

Writing and Presentation: 3/5

Overall: 3.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sometimes writers are born from common walks of life. Sweta Sureka is a 1985 born, Economics Graduate from St. Xaviers, Kolkata, a certified transformational life coach and an inspirational writer.

The Closure is her first venture as a writer and she aspires to write more on issues which she finds are reflections of the society on her and others alike. Her notion of writing is guided by one simple thought that books should be comprehensible first and then awe-inspiring later. Sweta aims to bring back the quaint era when writers used to mirror the life around.

Sweta lives in Kolkata with her husband and two children.

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Review of Daredreamers : A startup of superheroes

BLURB:

India’s first start-up of superheroes with a mission of saving lives is here to kick ass.

Rasiq is riding the highs of life thanks to his successes as an investment banker. But his arrogance soon gets the better of him and he ends up losing everything he holds dear. Managing to salvage only his grit from the wreckage, Rasiq reboots his life and teams up with five uniquely talented superheroes to start a rescue venture

– DareDreamers.

These superheroes Nick: a crazy inventor; Halka: an inhumanly strong man; Arjun: a champion shooter; Natasha: a Bollywood stunt-double; Dr. Vyom, a medical Sherlock Holmes; and, of course, Rasiq: the mastermind combine their unique talents to deliver spectacular rescue operations. Their skyrocketing success, however, comes at a price an enemy hell bent on tearing down their fame and reputation.

Will DareDreamers defeat its wily adversary? Or will it become yet another failed start-up?

Treachery, action and adventure come alive to make DareDreamers a page-turner.

MY REVIEW:

What are the odds of five people from different professions coming together to launch a start up? Well, that is the outline of this book.

It is like a trigger or an experience that gives you the drive to make you think out of the box. It makes you want to be independent. Gives you the boost or confidence to come up with something new.

Rasiq, a graduate from IIT and IIM gets placed in an investment banking firm. What initially gave him the feel of the only student to be recruited to the firm, that gave him a sense of pride, took a complete detour and made him realize perhaps those who weren’t chosen for the position were luckier.

The work pressure was immense, adding to it was the rage among the peers to allot him work. Though he did make quite a lot of money, it did not give him the feeling of happiness. His love life became a mess since he was unable to devote time to his girlfriend Ruchika.

Rasiq learns to spend and enjoy from his superior. Over a point of time, he quits and gets back home. The immense pressure from his father builds up and one day he met up with an accident which is where he gets the spark to launch a startup.

And his team of five are: Halka, a strong bodybuilder. Natasha, an acclaimed stuntwoman in Bollywood. MD Vyom, a medical practitioner. Arjun, a sharp shooter. Nick, the crazy inventor.

So, they get their first assignment which was successful, and they keep getting a few more down the lane. This is when their competitor comes into the picture, and plays a spoilsport. How they come out of it is the remaining plot.

The narration was simple and intriguing. A lot of emotions were brought into the plot- romance, friendship, action, sympathy, suspense.

The vocabulary used was simple and does not require any lookup. The pace was well-maintained throughout the book.

The pro, in the beginning, is a notable mention. The editing was perfect.

The cover design gives you a snapshot of what’s the book about and not to mention the efforts that went into the title. All this put together has given a great output. Kudos to the father-son duo.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Paperback: 296 pages
  • Publisher: Rupa Publications India (14 August 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10:9353040876
  • ISBN-13:978-9353040871

The book is available on Amazon.

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4.5/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 4/5

Writing and Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4.5/5

ABOUT AUTHOR:

Kartik Sharma is a graduate from IIT and IIM-A who is passionate about writing.

Ravi Nirmal Sharma was an investment banker who quit his career to involve himself more into writing.

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Review of high heels and haywires by Shama Farheen and Suraj Dey

BLURB:

Cover of high heels and haywires
Cover of high heels and haywires

When the roller-coaster of mixed emotions hit Sameera. She finally decides it’s high time and she needs a break from the life she has been living all these years in the small town of Himachal. That when she decides to run away one night, in search of a perfect life she had always longed for, only to find herself getting deeper into the clutches of what she has been running from. In the new city she befriends Shikha and Akanksha who are haywired in their own war of destiny much like her but with very much opposite characters.High Heels and Haywires is all about them, their friendship, love and heartaches. Something most of you could relate to in one way or the other.

MY REVIEW:

The story revolves around three female characters as mentioned in blurb- Sameera, Shikha and Akanksha. Sameera is new to city and bumps into Shikha like in a Bollywood movie. AN instant connect between them and she immediately moves in with Shikha. Shikha on the other hand is carefree.

Sameera meets Akanksha in office and comes to know she’s on the lookout for accommodation. She decides to bring her into the picture with Shikha.

The three girls have loads of fun staying together. There are few other characters such as Vineet and Abir- Sameera’s colleagues, Kartik & Sonia who are Sameera’s childhood friend, Pooja Abir’s ex-girlfriend.

The romantic portions are very well portrayed with not an iota of over exaggeration.

The plot moves in a pace that seems to be engaging and unputdownable.

The narration was simple and crisp. There was no drag or over exaggeration anywhere.

The female emotions were portrayed absolutely well. Sameera’s thoughts were so clear and she was just characterized as a girl we meet up every day. Abir seems very reserved but the portions of him and Sameera brought out a smile every time.

I finished the book in a day, since it’s a light read.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Format:Kindle Edition
  • File Size:1020 KB
  • Print Length:167 pages
  • Publisher:INDEPENDENT (5 September 2018)
  • Sold by:Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
  • Language:English
  • ASIN:B07H4ZG6NC

The book is available on amazon. https://amzn.to/2CWFxYV

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 3.5/5

Writing and Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

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Review of From ashes to dreams by Rashmi Trivedi

BLURB:

Sometimes life brings you at a crossroad, where you have no choice but to live every day as if it was your last one. Naina was at such a crossroad! An orphan, she did not have much to look forward to in life, until she fell in love. Love gave her wings and she started to fly, only to come crashing down as the wind beneath her wings turned into a storm. She tries putting an end to her now wretched existence, but fate has some other plans for her. She comes to know that she has limited time to live and decides to start living everyday instead of merely surviving. She lives every moment without worrying about the future she does not have or the past that could not be undone. She falls in love once again, this time with life! Will fate respect her fortitude?

MY REVIEW:

The story involves a lot of characters but to be termed as the main protagonist is Naina. She along with Kusum and Raghav were left in the orphanage by their parents on the same day in an orphanage run by Shanti Amma. Shanti Amma is portrayed as a loving motherly figure who treats every kid in the orphanage as her own, but has a liking inclined towards Naina since she resembles her daughter. Naina, Raghav and Kusum are of the same age and share all teeny tiny private secrets to each other.

The plot revolves around the lives of the three musketeers and their lives post the death of Shanthi Amma who succumbs to cancer.At one point the protagonist is left all alone and how she leads life as days pass unfolds in the rest of the story. The story is a mixture of all emotions such as happiness, struggles,friendship,love,pain.

Coming to the writing style its crisp and clear maintaining the pace of the story. The interesting factor being the book has an end at the start and the beginning when it comes to an end. Loved the way how the author’s language command never made me feel to continue the book at a later point.

The characterization has been done complete justice with each character not being clichéd and being natural in the flow. Naina as the protagonist has shown a lot of potential, she gives hope coming up from the struggles and hardships that come pelting to her. Kusum on the other hand, is someone we can relate to everyone in real life.

The plot is gripping and the story line is intriguing makes you want to finish it at one go. The author has done complete justice to the narration keeping it in a steady pace.

The cover has been designed in such a way that there are two images merged. Makes you want to pick it up immediately.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Paperback
  • Publisher:Blue Rose Publishers; 1st edition (17 August 2018)
  • Language:English
  • ASIN:B07GKRNLY5

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4.5/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 4/5

Writing and Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rashmi Trivedi works in a middle management level in a leading public sector company. She was very passionate about reading and was never too busy for a book right form childhood. It was when she moved to Bhopal on a transfer away from family she started venturing into writing. She put in her experiences into writing which paved way for this book. Other than reading she loves travelling and also has a bucket list of places to visit.

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Review of what will people think ? By Rashi Dubey

BLURB:

Do you want to fulfill your dreams? If yes, then the next question should be ‘how-to-move-ahead’, but is it really the next question you ask yourself? What about the numerous fears that precede this valid question like ‘What-will-they-think?’, ‘Should I?’, ‘Is it okay?’, ‘What about my image?’, ‘How will it look to other people?’ And at last, you crush your own dreams. That’s the choice most of us make. Isn’t it? This is a tale about one such middle-class family, the Guptas. In spite of being a member of such family, Riya chooses to follow her dreams. During her unconventional journey, her family disowns her. Will she be able to fulfill her dreams? Will the Guptas ever realize how one shouldn’t be afraid to do something just because of the fear of what will people say? Will the family reunite? Along with Riya, find out the answers to your most dreaded fear and experience the freedom to live inside out!

MY REVIEW:

Peer pressure to dump decisions on people or the fear of what people might think pushing you to do certain actions though you aren’t completely determined to do is pretty common in middle class society. Though we do say we live in modern age and we are practical there is still some practices, superstitions or decisions like whatever we wish to name them thumped on to us.

Due to above mentioned realities in this MODERN ERA as we call more often we are pushed into circumstances where we ought to let go of our dreams, passion and join the thousands of others following the same dream.

When you want to follow your passion and your parents thrash your dreams and want you to pursue their dream course, you feel so crippled. This was the state of Riya when she was asked to pursue medicine after grade 12.

Riya is the main protagonist who live with her family of four- mom, dad and brother. Though she wanted to take up arts being her passion her parents were against it.

They never thought that Riya was so serious about it to pursue it as a career rather than just a hobby. She decides to go against them and pursue a degree in arts and also is successful in bagging a job in one of the biggest firms in Delhi. Here again her parents don’t want her to move alone. Reason? Pretty simple. “What will people think?” So she again revolts and moves out. If she ever meets her parents again? Do they forgive her? What happens next? Do check out the book.

I finished reading it at a stretch, such a page turner it was. Right from the page one the author keeps you glued through her writing style. The story is from the perspective of a middle class girl who wants to pursue her passion and pave a career. Her parents on the other hand have a diverse mentality and want her to do what society expects. The portrayal of how Riya overcomes the denial and revolts to continue with her passion is commendable by the author’s narration.

The cover design is simple of a girl with her arms wide open, seeming like she’s free to choose and carry out what she wants.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • File Size:1072 KB
  • Print Length:103 pages
  • Publication Date:October 24, 2017
  • Sold by:Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language:English
  • ASIN:B076LVJKT8

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 4/5

Writing and Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (in her own words):

I’m a self-taught person and I believe that there’s nothing more exciting than learning and gaining knowledge! I’m a passionate reader and always keep myself busy with reading something. I am a foodie as well. I love eating food anytime, anywhere! I’m a Software Engineer by qualification, but I enjoy writing and have presumed this hobby as my career. I love to write about life, food, travel, relationship, humor, health, home décor, movies, and games. And love to read about anything that can be useful in any form on this earth! I believe, “Aim for the moon. You may not get it but you will surely get a star!” You can reach me at rashi.dubey811@gmail.com

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Review of on the open road by Stuti Changle. #myfriendalexa

On the open road

BLURB:

Myra wishes to break free of her cubicle. Kabir wonders what life would be to build on his own. Sandy drops out of college to work on the next big startup idea. Ramy inspires millions of his generation on his travel blog – on the open road.

on the open road – THREE LIVES, FIVE CITIES, ONE STARTUP, revolves around the lives of these restless and dreamy 20-somethings as they battle their inner demons and the societal taboos to live life on their terms. It is an emotional journey of following one’s heart. The journey entails undying friendship, love and loss, happiness and depression, fear and conquest, dreaming and achieving.

Will they be able to embark on the hard yet empowering journey to their true selves? Or succumb to the hardships on their road to freedom?

MY REVIEW:

The story revolves around three people- Myra, Kabir and Sandy. We have the struggle part described for all three of them. Myra is fed up of her 9-5 cubicle life but longs to startup a business with friends. Kabir is a rich gyu who has his family business, but he wants to have a business of his own. Then we have Sandy who is Kabir’s friend, who’s a college dropout and has his own startup creating apps but is not very successful.

We have another Character Ramy(Myra’s friend) to whom people look up to. He is a traveler and a blogger. Kabir and Sandy draw inspiration.

The plot is something that every single person in the corporate rat race can relate to. It has elements of love, friendship, dream, travel and success. The writing is simple and crisp. I completed the book at one go. The book is mentioned as unputdownable on the cover, since its fast-paced. But seriously, it did not let down my expectation and has lived up to it.

Stuti, coming from the corporate background herself has brought out the experiences just as it is in reality.

The one liners and the quotes will inspire anyone with ambitions but has inhibitions to proceed with it. I have listed out some of the one-liners I liked.

I loved the cover and how the title aptly suits the plot. I loved reading the second half especially. The characterization was done brilliantly with no sugar-coating. They were genuine in their portrayal.

Anyone who has a dream of owning a startup should give this book a read. I felt people from other walks of life could find it a little difficult to relate to the experiences noted by Stuti. Though the book is a light read, the amount of experience and self-motivation we gain is a lot. The book makes you self-introspect to think ahead of career and make decisions.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Book name: On the open Road
  • Author: Stuti Changle
  • Paperback:188 pages
  • Publisher:Invincible Publishers & Marketers (2 March 2018)
  • Language:English
  • ISBN-10:9387328465
  • ISBN-13:978-9387328464

The book is available on Amazon https://amzn.to/2zqBsZY

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4.5/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 5/5

Writing and Presentation: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

ACCOLADES:

Winner of ‘Notable Mentions’ in Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish competition

‘Unputdownable, lively and fast-paced, it promises to inspire the youth to pursue their dreams.’- Ashish Kashyap, founder – Goibibo & redBus

‘The book reflects you and me. A great group of characters who bring life into a great story. It’s a must-read.’- Neha Hinge, Actress & Miss India 2010

Quotes from on the open road:

“Somewhere between the right and the wrong, the past and the future, there lies a now. Don’t let it go. For ‘now’ often leads to a new road!”

“Life proves to be one hell of a ride. All you’ve got to believe is that the things that do not work out lead to the ones that do! As the journey goes on, there’s a lot more to learn.”

” Citylights seem glorious at night, the high rises stand in splendor, in my mind I have a fight,what do I want in life? I wonder! ““Whenever you have a problem, try to enlarge your perspective, look at the sky and the stars.”

“If you feel that the cubicle isn’t for you, build some for others!”

“We belong to a generation full of broken hearts and wandering souls, just blank from the inside, in a constant search for ourselves, looking for something we don’t know yet, in the empty spaces of life. It is not that we can’t do great things, but we’re raised to believe – we can’t!”

“When you work on what you love; it acts like meditation. If each one of us does what we love and pour our heart and soul into it, we would not have to meditate elsewhere at any point in time.”

About the Author (in her own words)

A minimalist at heart, with every passing day, I find myself moving farther from the never-ending quest of owning material possessions and a step closer to owning a vast ocean of experiences. In 2016, at twenty-three, I packed a rucksack and left Mumbai, in search of my true self. I met people with extraordinary stories – the travelers, the entrepreneurs, the artists, the visionaries and the saints, who inspired me to the core and gave a new direction to my life. on the open road draws inspiration from my real-life experiences and I wish to inspire my readers to follow their dreams.

Share your thoughts about the book using the hashtag #OTOR

She interacts with the readers’ community through Instagram Live and Facebook Live. @stutichangle

About the Author

A post-graduate in management from the prestigious B-school IMI, New Delhi and a graduate in Computer Science and Technology.Winner of Notable Mentions in Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish Competition.

I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter .

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Review of Hungry Gods by Richa Lakhera

BLURB:

Beaten and brutally raped, her body is never found. However, the killers make one mistake. They leave a witness, a witness who has nothing to live for except revenge. And when he crosses the boundaries of time to make the guilty pay, a whole lot of dark characters come to light. There is Valentine, the superstar brand ambassador who sells anything for a price; there is Medici, a pharmaceutical company fraudulently manufacturing banned drugs; there is the perverted and sinister minded Dr Ranga and there is Este, the prostitute whose dark secret will blow up a daughter’s sanity. So, is there another murder waiting to happen? Will Police Inspector Dorab Silva be able to connect the clues to prevent another crime? Will these gods of greed be exposed? And yes, you will be surprised by who you will find there, finally. Deeply unsettling, Hungry Gods takes a hard look at greed for wealth and power.

MY REVIEW:

The first thing that struck me when I was asked if I can review this book was what made the author choose this name. I initially thought that it was something of mythological sorts but when I googled and saw the cover my opinion was completely proved wrong. The cover design conveys a lot. In fact that’s one of the stand out features of this book. I went through the blurb and which made me even more anxious that was eagerly waiting that the book would get delivered to me sooner.

The book is based on the tagline Drugs, Sex Cults, a horrific crime and an unthinkable revenge. The revenge here is by a son who witnesses him mom being abused and killed by a group. Bu the way in which the narration is taken is what which makes the book stand out among similar books of this genre.

It is very difficult to keep track of all characters since there are a lot of them, a LOT I say. The writing style of the author is on par with that of international authors. Its crisp, subtle and brilliant. She has a good command over the language and an extensive vocabulary.

The narration is from first and third person perspective which is confusing a times to relate the consecutive events. A clearer description of the place and time could have made it better.

Writing was very intriguing and intense but applauds to the author, the surprise element was kept up till the end. The nail biting sequences of pre climax and climax was outstanding.

Overall, Hungry Gods was a bold representation of the present sadistic world we live in and can very well be made into a movie.

But I would like to leave a disclaimer that the book is not for light hearted ones.

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4.5/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 5/5

Writing and Presentation: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Book Name: Hungry Gods
  • Author: Richa Lakhera
  • Genre: Fiction/ thriller
  • Paperback: 204 pages
  • Publisher: Rupa Publications India (20 July 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9353040795
  • ISBN-13: 978-9353040796

The book is available on amazon https://amzn.to/2x1jHy5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hungry Gods is Richa Lakhera’s third novel, she has previously written Item Girl, a crime novel and Garbage Beat, a satire on the Indian entertainment industry. A libertarian addicted to absurdism, she works as Deputy Editor at NDTV. She has a Master’s in Organic Chemistry and Bio-technology and is the recipient of the Indian Council for UN Relations (ICUNR) Award for Excellence in Journalism. Richa divides her time between New Delhi and Mumbai and is currently working on her next crime fiction novel.

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