Category: superbloggerchallenge

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Review of Pyjamas are forgiving #instacuppa #superbloggerchallenge

BLURB:

There sitting on that porch, that light-eyed man, a pitta like me, was my ex-husband and that woman whose inner element I was unaware of, unless bitch is accepted as an undiscovered fourth dosha, was his young wife. In the serene sanctuary of Kerala’s Shanthamaaya spa where food is rationed, sex forbidden and emotions centred, Anshu meets someone familiar and deeply unsettling – her ex-husband. Bittersweet, funny and wise, Pyjamas Are Forgiving confirms Twinkle Khanna as one of our great storytellers.

MY REVIEW:

When Twinkle Khanna made announcements for releasing her third book, it piqued quite a lot of eagerness and interests in her fans and minds of other readers. Since the second book did not do seemingly well, the timing that the release came in, it set the minds of the readers who were expecting a comeback.

The plot begins with the protagonist, Anshu ; a 40 year old divorcee who seeks rejuvenation and is a regular at the Shanthamaaya sthalam, Kerala. No it is not a spa when I meant she sought rejuvenation, it is an Ayurveda Ashram by Dr. Menon where people come in seek of freedom from the doshas that plague them.

Anshu seeks peace from her fast paced life in Mumbai and comes to Kerala seeking peace and tranquility. She signs up for the 28-day rejuvenation program, which holds her a lot of surprises. Among those who signed up, Anshu’s ex-husband Jay and his new wife Shalini are also included. Anshu is in for a roller-coaster ride of innumerable emotions at having to come to terms with her ex’s presence in such close vicinity.

Shalini can be described as everything in opposite to what Anshu is. She is young, flexible, beautiful and thin. It no longer is surprising that Jay fell for her when Anshu was still starting to get used to marriage and its many bizarreness. Anshu’s heart still skips a beat seeing Jay; even though they have been separated for over a decade. After all its her first love so she cannot get over so soon.

All the characters we are introduced in the book are realistic and serve a purpose of their presence.

The writing style as always is filled with wit and humor and it cannot go wrong if I say it is generously present throughout the book. But even then it did not make a strong impact.

The book is a short read but loses the engaging or the intriguing factor somewhere in the middle as it becomes monotonous. At some instances Anshu’s encounters with Jay and the instances handled seemed to lack luster and was becoming repetitive.

The cover of the book is designed so well; in fact, it was one of the factors that pushed me to read the book. But we also know that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Paperback:256 pages
  • Publisher:Juggernaut (7 September 2018)
  • Language:English
  • ISBN-10:9386228971
  • ISBN-13:978-9386228970

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 3.5/5

Writing and Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Twinkle Khanna is one of India’s top-selling writers and the author of two national bestsellers, Mrs Funnybones (winner of a Crossword Book Award 2016) and The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. She is one of Times of India’s most read columnists and has won numerous awards, including India Today Woman Writer of the Year, Outlook Award for Most Inspiring Woman of the Year and Vogue Opinion Maker of the Year. She is the founder of Mrs Funnybones Movies and in 2018 produced the highly acclaimed film Pad Man. Khanna lives in Mumbai with her family.

This article is written as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com , Allaboutthewoman.com and powered by Instacuppa and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge is not responsible for any infringement caused.”

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Being a selfless mother #superbloggerchallenge #instacuppa

The clear-cut definition of a mother is selfless service to another. In return for her abundance, she receives no lack of admiration.

Mom or mother as she is known lovingly is always really good at putting the needs of others before her own. She is so very good that there is never a single syllable ‘no’ from her; I often wonder has she forgotten the word. The ‘me time’ factor that is doing all rounds now for the modern moms like us was never taken up by her or her ancestors I hear of.

She has always tended to the needs of me and my sister before herself. The way she takes care of her in laws or her parents you can never draw a line of difference. The innumerable sacrifices she has made such as looking after us when we were small, catering to a job 8-3 and then getting back to us when we come back from school has made her very busy. She continues to help even now. Taking care of my daughter as a child of her own is something I really I am elated about.

We do live in a culture that women in particular the mothers must be selfless, caring and emotionally available. The society waits for a chance to pounce if in a way the women is distant, intolerant and selfish.

The exhaustion, the bitterness in silence, emotional labor that they go through constantly is the end results of the selfless moms who give themselves tirelessly. Not all women or mothers find themselves in this burdensome cycle, but those who do seem to live in a reality dictated by everyone else’s needs.

We have known a proverb that could not have said better “God could not be everywhere, and therefore He made mothers.” We also know that “The mother is a school; if she is well reared, you are sure to build a nation.”

So let us make sure we do ask them if they are in need of something, devote some time to look after them, take them out and make them enjoy life much as we do nowadays.

This article is written as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com , Allaboutthewoman.com and powered by Instacuppa and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge is not responsible for any infringement caused.”

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Review of Something I never told you #superbloggerchallenge #instacuppa

BLURB:

When in love, you tend to take each other for granted, and sometimes, that can cost you a lifetime of togetherness . . . Ronnie knew that his first crush was way out of his league, and yet he pursued and wooed Adira. Shyly and from a distance in the beginning, and more persuasively later. He couldn’t believe it when the beautiful Adira actually began to reciprocate, falling in love with him for his simplicity and honesty.

Slowly, as they get close and comfortable with each other, life takes on another hue. From truly magical it becomes routine. There are fights and then making-up sessions-a clash of egos and doubts.

Things begin to change for the worst.

It is too late. Ronnie and Adira will probably never find their forever after . . .

MY REVIEW:

This book is yet another love story with the usual struggles. Raunak or Ronnie as he prefers to be called falls in love with Adira. Both are from middle class background. The story goes back and forth between the past and present.

Raunak is late for his first day at office and looks to have lost his metro card somewhere in the commotion with the auto wala regarding the fare. On searching around he notices that it is under the dupatta of a beautiful girl who is seated on the staircase talking on her mobile. I know that sounds cliched. On looking at her he realizes that she is not an unknown face but someone he knows very well.

This girl is Adira. Raunka’s maternal grandma has a PG at home, one of whom was Adira. Raunak immediately fell in love, the first day when she came into the place. Raunak hangs out with his cousins or more aptly the only friends he has during weekends, who help Granny with managing things for the house. A few formal hellos were the conversation exchanged between Raunak and Adira. Basically he is very shy to express his liking for her. This is evident in few instances where he buys a silver charm bracelet for her birthday and places a note on it without writing his name, consequence of which some random guy unknown to him in the party claims he was the one who presented it.

Bamm!! Our hero loses his chance. Yet again when Adira falls sick, he gets medicine and makes someone else hand them over to her and she thinks it was Rohit, Raunak’s cousin who took the pain of getting her medicines. Here we go again. At the same timeline, his cousin Piyush falls in love with Tamannah, Adira’s friend, proposes and they are all set for marriage.

Upon the metro train journey Raunak loses track of Adira and ends up late in office; halfway through an important meeting with the clients and his team. But a sign of relief is that through the window he catches a glimpse of Adira is happy that she works for the same company too.

Like a God given chance, Raunak and ADira are on the same team who travel to Melbourne for a client project. That is when they start talking casually. Raunak’s lead helps him understand that he is delaying a decision to go up to and confess his love to Adira.

Raunak decides and proposes, Adira replies saying she needs time to think but he is definitely more than a friend. IN between we have the usual opposition from Adira’s mom refraining her from any male company, she absconds, they meet again at Piyush’s marriage.

What happens to them? Do they reunite is the rest of the story.

The story started off in a good pace and somewhere in the middle that seemed lost. It again regained the pace during the climax. Part of the narration seems to be dragged and things are explained way more in details in the middle which kind of is not engaging.

The vocabulary was good; the narration is clear. Over all is a one-time read and a usual love story. The cover design is too good that makes you want to pick this up. Kudos for that.

BOOK DETAILS:

  • Paperback:256 pages
  • Publisher:Penguin (14 February 2019)
  • Language:English
  • ISBN-10:0143445901
  • ISBN-13:978-0143445906

MY RATINGS:

Cover: 4/5

Title: 4/5

plot: 3.5/5

Writing and Presentation: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shravya loves to find hidden stories around her and write novels about them. Formerly a corporate employee, she managed to flee the madness after a few years of boredom to become a full-time writer. She is a sucker for romance and strives to pen down exciting stories. When she is not reading and writing, she is out enjoying nature, playing with her dogs or cooking for her family.

She lives in Melbourne with her family, in a house with a barren backyard and a lifetime’s collection of books.

This article is written as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com , Allaboutthewoman.com and powered by Instacuppa and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge is not responsible for any infringement caused.”

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Books to read to your child #superbloggingchallenge #instacuppa

Reading out to your baby can begin as early as when the baby is in the womb. The baby has the ability to listen and this would make it even more easier once the baby is born. You can read out or even sing to them so that they get used to it. Listening to your voice has so many positive effects once the baby is out.

As early as two months’ baby can identify black and white so books with images in those colours can make them respond. When they are three months and older who can hold them close and start reading out aloud. Trust me this is a wonderful shared activity and something that can continue for many more years; someday or the other they are thankful to you for cultivating this habit.

Reading out to them is an important form of stimulation and helps them explore. Your child is exposed to words, which makes communication easier. Children who have knowledge of more words at a young age, imitate words from surrounding person have a rich vocabulary, identifying words from pictures makes them a good conversationalist. So let me jot down some of what I’ve read to mine and I hope it helps you too. Raising a little reader can begin any time after you conceive.

TO READ TO YOUR BABY IN WOMB:

The complete tales of Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne, illustrated by E H Shepard

This book is first on my list, mainly cause of the language used by the author. Milne is known for writing great stories for young audience, supportive of illustrations by Shepard. The book is even now handed over to next generations.

The Cazuela that the farm maiden stirred by Samantha R Vamos illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Let me tell you, I love learning and I would really want my child also to explore the world of learning. Especially many languages. This book introduces English and Spanish. The pronunciation guide at the back is a plus. The story is about farm workers and animals bringing in ingredients to make a pudding. The recipe at the back can be tried out to feed your baby when they are old enough. This is such a wonderful gifting option if you know someone who loves reading and is a pregnant or has a baby.

Dr.Seuss’s books

How can you forget Dr. Seuss’s book when you are reading out? The rhyme and tongue twisters give you a whole new experience. Green Eggs and ham is a favourite.

Llama llama red pajama By Anna Dewdney

This is a wonderful bed time story that any kid would love to listen to. How I love those illustrations.

BOOKS TO READ TO YOUR TODDLER:

I will just list them out and you can read them out to your child.

  1. Brown bear brown bear what do you see by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle
  2. The Pout pout fish by Debora Diesen
  3. Guess how much I love by Sam McBratney
  4. Giraffes can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
  5. Bellybutton book by Sandra Boynton
  6. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  7. If you give a mouse a cookie by Laura Numeroff
  8. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  9. A bear called Paddington
  10. The giving tree
  11. The rainbow fish
  12. The day the crayons quit by Drew Daywalt
  13. The smartest giant in town
  14. One mole digging a hole

These are my favourites and my daughter’s too. I hope you enjoy them too.

This article as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge2019 conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com, Allaboutthewoman.com and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge2019 is not responsible for any kind of infringement caused.