It's All About Books!!!: February 2014

Friday, 28 February 2014

Just Kidding... YOURS, DESTINY by Anirban Das (Book Review-3.5*/5)!!!

I always love those books that I complete in one-sitting without getting more than 50% bored. :-) And it's amazing when I read such books by bunking college. I have just completed a 190-pages book named "Just Kidding... YOURS, DESTINY". It's published by Notion Press which is doing quite well and remarkable these days. The kind of books that its publishing these days catches my eye often. I loved the cover page. It has the same essence as that of Anything for you ma'am by Tushar Raheja. The bluish effect and the protagonist running away from his boss is a nice take. Book is written by a debutante writer- Anirban Das, who I think have written very well in his first attempt itself. A perfect book for taking with you while you are journeying somewhere.

ABOUT THE BOOK:-

Anirban Das is making his book debut with Just Kidding Yours, Destiny. The implied essence of the story is about making choices, their consequences and the role of destiny. The plot is a simple story, revolving around the complicated life of Kunal Roy. Ambitious Kunal is living the great Indian dream, having purchased a house in Mumbai, driving an expensive car and striving to earn pots of money. Having slogged for donkeys years in the same company, Kunal believes that he is a star employee in his company. He is determined to reach the top with a simple mantra - hard work and dedication. Kunal's seemingly planned life and ambitions turn awry with the sudden acquisition of his company and an abrasive new boss who puts Kunal to the sword. Kunal's life is further turned upside down with the entry of a company rookie, Shristi, compelling him to change his world view and his life's priorities. Is Shristi for real or is she an illusion? And who is the real Kunal? Undergoing upheavals in both professional and personal life, Kunal looks to jettison his ambitions by embarking on a journey of self discovery in an attempt to regain his lost identity and a semblance of control. This book aspires to strike a chord with the readers, engage and entertain them. It has been written from the heart, in a manner, which is characteristic of the authors writing style. The story has been set in a typical Indian urban backdrop but the emotions enunciated, would transcend country barriers.

Anirban Das has a wonderful easy-going way of writing and telling a story to his audience that the readers get attached to his book until they do not complete it in one go. I ended up reading this book in just 4 hours. Not because it's just of 190 pages but because I was so interested in his writing style that I wanted to experience it without interruption and distraction. Not even a single word in the book for which you'll run for dictionary and still a story fully explained is what I loved the author's debut work for. There are some occasions when his book reaches on its high but there are few pages where the story starts going in a direction where there's no laughter, no emotions and no story at all. This is something I didn't appreciate. He should have re-edited his book by eliminating those boring parts and adding up another interesting sequence as there are many in his book.

I loved the first chapter of the book itself which is a Prologue-kind-of-thing. I liked the Flashback of protagonist's meet with first girl for his marriage. It is entertaining but ends up being a great story in itself. That's something which I liked the most in the book. Then his second story where he gets married and how it ends bitterly is also narrated very well in the book. I also loved the fact how author has described Mumbai, Panvel and Karjat specifically and truthfully without over-exaggerating or faking any details. Very rare is the case these days when an author struggles to keep the book as accurate as Wikipedia. :-) Also, I liked the second half of Kunal and Shrishti's tale when they got really closer. Towards anti-climax, when the protagonist and his college friend plays prank on his office's seniors, I find it quite amusing and funny. In the end, some twists and tales were good.

Coming to the drawbacks:- As I have already said, some parts does not match to other wonderful bits of the book hence you find quite highs and lows in the story. I didn't enjoy a bit of the long narration of the Flashback to college days as there was nothing interesting about the whole Goa thing. I didn't enjoy the extra detailing of some Hindi words and trying-hard-to-be-funny notes in small fonts at the end of few pages which author has already warned about in the Introduction. It could have been written in short within a bracket wherever it was needed or a Glossary at the end of the book is better preferred. I didn't like how even Abhilasha is shown getting closer to Kunal in the end. That was almost the 4th girl in the book that was been discussed with Kunal and it started getting boring by then. Well. In all, I must say an entertaining and fun book. Do read it if you are interested in reading something light. Author has closed the book with a chance of it having a sequel. Let's see. I give the book 3.5/5. :-)

Thanks a lot.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Almost Intrepid by Anjaly Thomas (Book Review-3.5*/5)!!!

I have not read much of traveling or adventurous books hence whenever I get one, I look forward to it. I have always lived in confinements hence as it is said that through a book a person gets to live many characters and visit many places, I always feel excited when I get a book related to traveling and exploring in my hands. I remember how lovingly I read Bear Grylls and Raghu Ram's autobiography because their book had enough of exploration that I can ever find in my life. One more book of the same kind that I am just done reading is "Almost Intrepid" written by Anjaly Thomas. It's about her evolution from a journalist into a traveler just because she was bored of journalism over the years. Reading her book was excitement because it's about how a lone Indian lady travels different country of world without worrying what the world thinks of her. Great! Respect!

SYNOPSIS:-

Witty, humorous, self-deprecating, and sometimes bumbling and incoherent, Almost Intrepid takes you on a ride through the mind of a first-time female traveler with a dream, a backpack, and very little else and whose only reason to start was to beat a ‘quarter life crisis’. But, what begins as an awkward attempt to flee the mundane life of a journalist turns into a globe-trotting mission-from climbing mountains in Tanzania, jungle treks in Papua New Guinea, Komodo chasing in Indonesia, to ill-fated sea rides in Cambodia with episodes of shoe-flinging at determined touts in the bazaars of Egypt and nearly getting hitched with a tattooed African man. The lawyer-turned journalist turned writer befriends every stranger she meets, finds joy in cheap B&BS, and shares in toxicants (of all kinds) with strangers and dreams of scaling the Everest someday.

About the Author:-

Anjaly Thomas qualified as a lawyer, but picked up the journalistic pen as her mythical sword soon after. When that failed to inspire, she exchanged journalistic monotony for the beauty of open spaces.

Today, she manages to balance what she calls the “Business of Passion”—writing and travelling. She lives in the UAE, is also a Lonely Planet writer, and writes for various newspapers and magazines, apart from holding a regular day job for that extra something to help aid her impulsive travels. Almost Intrepid is her first book in which she chronicles her life’s journeys, reminisces on lessons learnt and accepts the wisdom of prejudices shed along the (oft) un-travelled path! She doesn’t claim to be an expert on traditions, cultures, history or geography of the places she travels to, and hates being asked the best thing about them, because the way she sees it, every little experience makes her journeys special.

Because Anjaly Thomas is a debutante and its her first travel book, she didn't manage to write it as best as other traveling books are but still, the way she has conveyed her message and philosophy through her words is encouraging and something that you can not ignore one started. Her writing style is easy-going with not so explosive words in spite that the title of her book has a word "intrepid" which is not so common. Haha! It is also guts that she has her own picture sitting on the globe on the front cover page which gives an outlook that the book is about her and her experiences on the planet. :-) I will call this book special because it's not always that you get an Indian woman writing about her traveling experiences and that too the ones she has done it all alone.

I loved the way book started with insight in Anjaly's previous life before turning into a traveler. The way the word and object "backpack" is given so much focus is excellent. You will start using it whenever you would be talking about traveling with your friends after reading this book. Such is the effect. :-) Her humorous takes on several proceedings makes it a wonderful reading experience. The way she states important points in bullets after every short and long while is what was very needful in this book to keep it specific and not a direction-less autobiography. I enjoyed reading her experiences with men- starting from Mike to the one who asks her for marriage and several others in the journey. I love the frank display of events by Anjaly without thinking that she needs to be conventional while writing a book. She has written all- her experience of kiss, sex, drinking, being bra-less etc during her journeys.

Coming to some drawbacks- I was expecting a lot when she comes to telling us about her experience of climbing mountain for the first time. She started it well but she finished it within few pages itself. I wanted that to be something extravagant and over-expressed but.. Actually, the whole book seems to be going in a hurry without describing anything descriptively. Author asks us to enter a room and as soon as we reach the lobby, she asks us to return back and move to some other room. Next time when the author writes, I want her to state her focus on one thing at a time without thinking that her audience will get bored of reading about only a place or event. No! We won't because all that you have experienced, we can never hence the only thing that can bring us close to it is your book. :-) In all, I would give this book- 3.5 out of 5. It's recommended to all the Indian girls who think that its impossible to achieve something that's not meant for girls.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Thursday, 20 February 2014

The Exiled Prince by Ravi (Book Review-3.9*/5)!!!

I am done reading another book under the epic fantasy or mythological fiction genre. Reading such books take you eon years back and you witness a truly different world in your imagination reading such books. Sitting in a local train and reading such book can surely take away all the stress of being in a crowded train or between intoxicating smell of people sweat all around. :-) Reading love stories and campus tales of 3 friends, I thought that Indian writers can not think any thing except these stories but from last one month, the kind of book that I am reading under this genre makes me happy that authors are exploring a genre which will make the readers feel interested in myths and religious books that will encourage young generation to read Ramayana and Mahabharata. I am just done reading "The Exiled Prince" by Ravi V. A fine 250-pages book that is written so specifically that you can complete it in one sitting.

SYNOPSIS:-

Legend has it that there exists a supreme Crystal of Creation, with part of the souls of Lord Shiva and Narayana suspended within it. This single most powerful weapon with the power to construct, annihilate and recreate the universe, remained hidden somewhere deep within the Himalayan ranges for millennia until now. And now it has gone missing.

Rama, the hero of the ages, must embark upon a perilous journey to find the Crystal of Creation before someone else, someone with an insatiable lust for power, discovers it and the reign of the entire cosmos falls into his hands. And thus begins an epic adventure that will take Rama beyond the kingdom of Ayodhya into lands where he will have to battle the fiercest of demons that have colonized the earth and in the course, change the destiny of human lives forever. This tale will also seek to answer a question that has never been asked: Who was Rama really? What was his real purpose? Is he the real immortal? As powers greater than the universe itself come together only to erupt into chaos and intrigue, discover a tale set in a time before time, where the immortal Rama will come to life and reveal his mysterious world through his eyes as he begins his true purpose the quest for the Crystal of Creation.

About the Author:-

Ravi V is an entrepreneur and innovator in the IT sector in the USA where he has been living since the late 1990s. Though trained as an engineer, Ravi has a keen interest in ancient Indian history and mythology and his first literary venture, The Crystal Guardian Series, is a testimony to this deep abiding passion. Apart from his academic and literary pursuits, Ravi also loves exploring such varied topics as futuristic science, human evolution and cosmology. A globetrotter in the truest sense, he enjoys hiking and snorkelling in different corners of the world and uses these experiences to connect better with the natural world. Of the firm belief that our myths are linked to our evolution as a species, Ravi took about three years to do extensive research on the legends and myths that surround the figure of Rama in order to write this book where he seeks to create a larger than life image of this ancient Indian superhero. This book is a testament to his faith and his life. He takes inspiration from J. K. Rowling, Sidney Sheldon and Dan Brown. Ravi is also a fan of Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku and Carl Sagan.

Coming to the author, I must say that a wonderful job has been done in writing a tale as easily and clearly as possible. It's very hard to make a story look straight when there's lot of complications involved as the twists and tales of a plot. If an author manages to make his readers understand the story even when readers aren't a serious intriguing one, the author tends to have the loyalty of that particular reader. :-) Ravi V is surely going to be make his mark in this genre with his The Crystal Guardian Series of which this book was the first part. Right from the cover page to the first chapter till the climax and that italic chapter in the end, this book makes the reader look forward to next chapter and in the end, towards the next book in the series.

I loved the way author describes the birth of Rama and his brothers descriptively in the beginning. I also liked the first chapter when it rains and the Englishman fears of the village getting drowned due to the rain and storm but... :-) After that, on the whole, I loved the way story is described from Lord Rama's point of view. Rama's doubt of him being a human with eternal power is quite valid as he does not feel any specialty in his body and living. Kaikeyi's role is wonderfully described as a warrior in the beginning and then a doubtful character in the end. Vishwamitra's narration of his story- his obsession towards a cow, his tryst with Menaka and how he gets betrayed is very well written. According to me, that's the BEST PART in this book. I also liked how Lord Rama stops seeing into the past as soon as he sees Kaikeyi demanding something from his father which he feels inappropriate to see at the moment. I loved the philosophy that's showered upon us when Rama and Lakshman goes with Vishwamitra for lesson and killing demons.

There are many such parts in the book which excited me as a reader which are not easy to mention in a review but there are few drawbacks too. Let's come to them. I didn't like extensive description of each fight in the book. It became irritating after a while. Though characters are well defined in the book, I felt that Lakshman is quite ignored some times when it was necessary to state even his mind. If the book is written with the intention of describing Ramayana as it is with little changes, then it's fine. I also feel that the book is little slow because of which I feel that Part 1 has very short story. I would love author to accelerate the speed of the story in the future parts. In all, I would say a very good attempt and everyone who wants to know about Ramayana and mythology, please pick up this book. I would give The Exiled Prince 3.9 out of 5. Waiting for the second part.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Saturday, 15 February 2014

Rearview My Roadies Journey by Raghu Ram (Book Review-3.9*/5)!!!

Roadies is one show in India that people criticize a lot and still wait for its second season. I have found my parents scolding me for watching Roadies because of abuses and fighting but in the end, even they used to sit besides me and watch the auditions where a contestant was fiercely grilled by this bald, energetic, vibrant, abusive, rude and cool man called RAGHU. Everyone wants to know why is he abusive and aggressive. What was he before Roadies? What was he doing in one of the auditions of Indian Idol? What was his childhood with Rajiv, his twin brother, was? Who have been his favorite contestants from Roadies? Why does he prefer to stay bald than go for hair implantation? Why suddenly, in season 6, did he introduce Rajiv? What makes Rannvijay so special to him and Roadies? How did Roadies actually start? What was that political attack on him was? There are many such questions which you had in your minds but now it's time to get the answers to all of them in a book written by RAGHU himself- REARVIEW MY ROADIES JOURNEY.

SYNOPSIS:-

What is going on in the contestants mind? Does he admire me, respect me and hate me? Fear me? May be all of the above. I don't understand it. I don't understand the Roadies form that has F-k you Raghu, written all over it, I don't understand the poster that was held up this year during the Chandigarh auditions that read, Baap toh baap hota hai. Raghu Rox, I see equal parts respect, equal parts loathing. Equal parts Raghu, equal parts the bully. There is a man tall, bald, muscular, intimidating who manages to induce terror and awe in all those who dare walk into his interrogation room. There was once a boy scrawny, weak, easily intimidated, voice unbroken at fifteen, who was bullied consistently through his childhood. This is the story of how that boy became the man he is today: part-time singer, song-writer and jammer, full-time producer, camera man and editor. Sherlock Holmes and Batman worshipper, staunch atheist with an innate fear of water and heights. This is the autobiography of the rudest man on Indian television. Raghu Ram, the original Roadie, split wide open.

I have loved reading biographies and autobiographies. But did I ever think that I would get to read Raghu's life in such detailed manner? No. I didn't. Since I met him at Non Fiction Fest and had an amazing 10 minutes car ride with him, all my acquaintances keep asking me about how was his interaction with me. All want to know if he abused me or not. Haha! It was hard telling my friend that it was a Professional meet which was quite decent and straight. Well, that's how interesting his personality is. I loved the way he starts the book with Prologue- by telling his experience at Pune before audition on 31st October, 2012. After reading the whole book, I understood why he chose to start the book something that had to do with the city, Pune. Then he begins right from his and Rajiv's birth and tells how close the brothers were and still are. Later on, he shares how he is emotionally connected with Rannvijay and declares him his brother wholeheartedly.

He discusses his school life as well as college's when he was been physically abused and beaten by his seniors. He tells how his self-esteem got down to zero then. But what he learnt from those situations is what his life is all about. The amazing part about the book is when he starts describing his initial hard work and continuous efforts in the world of TV when he began just as a trainee. I loved reading how he was the one who used to do everything. It amused me how he used to stay awake and hungry for 7 days and 7 nights at stretch just to make sure that anything that he touched doesn't look any less than perfect. His growth right from the first season of Roadies till the end is also described wonderfully. I loved the part when he leaves Rohit on his face and frees himself from his clutches. Why he turned atheist and also his fury towards Indian education system is properly explained. His reaction towards the accident of Rannvijay, suicide attempt of Rajiv and then another accident of Rajiv tells how emotional he really is.

The moment when he left MTV and felt alone made me cry. Also his pain when he used to realize how the contestants hated him in spite of him being very protective of them was quite sympathizing. He doesn't hide in the book how he got opportunity because of being favorite of boss. He also discusses his differences with his boss, with the channel MTV, few arguments with Rajiv and others openly in the book. He tells how much he loves and likes Ayushmann, Bani, Mohit, Suchit, Rohit Batra and of course, Rannvijay. He also tells how much he hates Ashutosh and Avatar. He tells how it was a prank on the judges of Indian Idol that he did along with a friend of his but all it turned out was into him being over smart in front of the judges for the thing that he himself does. He discusses how he kind of forcibly made Sugandha marry him. Haha! The best part of reading this book has been his initial struggles, his love for Rannvijay and the journey of Roadies 8. After reading this book, you will realize how every season is the last one for him. You never know which is the last season of Roadies on television hence I would insist, watch Roadies XI with all your heart. :-)

Coming to the drawbacks- I always believed that Producers are those rich guys who have enough money to invest in crores on a movie or a television show. Raghu becomes producer of the show yet he says that he didn't have enough money. Quite confusing! Later on, in the book, he completely stops discussing about Rajiv, which I felt was unfair. When his story started with him, he should have told us about Rajiv's progress simultaneously. He doesn't discuss quite much about his parents too. Also, what we see on television is a tough guy with open mentality and good command of language. In the book, he doesn't discuss much about his working out sessions, how he turned out into someone who had an open-minded attitude and also doesn't tell how even after not completing his college, he speaks wonderfully and is presentable. There's lot of "I" thing in the book but then, that's Raghu Ram and only if you love him or Roadies, go for the book otherwise you will end up hating the man more than before. Haha! Also the cover page isn't impressive. I would give book- 3.9/5. I hope I would be interviewing him very soon and sharing it with all of you here.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Thursday, 13 February 2014

The Temple of Avinasi by Ayush Pathak (Book Review- 3.75*/5)!!!

Today, I am going to talk about two things in spite of one, unlike the way I start writing my review by talking only about one i.e. Publisher. :-) Let's talk about it first. Leadstart Publication or say, Frog Books are one of those publishers who deliver sleeping hits. Yes! I have read many novels by then and almost 90% of them satisfied me with their content. The other 10% that I didn't like is because of my taste. :-) Their publishing quality, promotional strategies and range of books that they publish shows that they are one publication house that we should keep an eye on. Well, the second thing that I was going to talk about is- The genre- Epic Fantasy. Since Amish Tripathi came up with his Trilogy and the kind of success it saw, I am seeing many young writers attempting the same trilogy-thing and telling a story based in the times of Ramayana or Mahabharata. All the writers claim that they were working on their stories before the trilogy but its hard to believe, at least for me. After Chetan Bhagat's success, we saw many chick-lit and rom-com novels in market. The same is happening now after Amish's success. The problem with this genre is that it interests you only in the first 100 pages after that, all the book turns out to be the same. A variety in these story is needed. Right now, I am just done reading a novel- The Temple of Avinasi which has the tagline of "The Legend of the Kalki". It's written by another debutante- Ayush Pathak.

SYNOPSIS:-

From the ashes of Epic Wars shall the great Lord of Dark rise,

So terrible his wrath, every protestor shall demise…

Ripped apart would be the Shield and the protecting forces,

A whole world shall fall, mortal or otherwise…

A heroic tale timed in modern age -- a battle of existence between evil and the good, bred on the ashes of the four thousand year old legendary Epic Wars. The ‘Immortal Protectors’ of the Temple are finding it hard to maintain control over a new rising evil power, far greater in magnitude than the previous war.

The Shield that protects Earth from external attacks had stopped the invading Dark Seekers, also called Nishachars -- a fled group from some distant dying planet -- for long. Until four thousand years ago … when the shield was ruptured, and the entire mortal world turned on the edge of demolition. It was then the immortal protectors, the Light Seekers, more commonly known as Devs, along with the remaining army of mortals fought and drove back the combined army of Nishachars and Asurs, and restored the shield -- but at a great price. The Nishachars retreated, and since then they have grown and redoubled their army several times, waiting for their prophesied Dark Lord to rise. The Devs, on the other hand, knowing that they won’t be able to stop the Great Dark Lord, if risen -- formed a secret brotherhood named ‘The Temple of Avinasi’ and scattered themselves throughout the world. Their only feeble hope lies in an ancient legend named ‘Kalki’, the last prophesied Avatar of Vishnu… And unaware of all this, two fourteen year old boys are presently spending their time merrily together in the mortal world, innocently oblivious to the fact, that how much changed their destinies are from what it seems, and how much the world’s fate is dependent on them…

About The Author:-

Ayush Pathak is an engineer-cum-writer with the gift of writing genes handed down as a family tradition from his poet grandfather to his writer father and then to him. Penning down his first creative work in the form of a poem at an innocent age of five, he starts writing seriously at the age of fourteen. He is presently a final year Electrical Engineering student at B.I.E.T., Jhansi and is currently working on his dream project of the Indian mythology-based fantasy novel series titled, ‘The Temple of Avinasi’. His theory about life is: A life which begins with a dream ends with success...

Coming to the writing style of Ayush Pathak, I can say that if you want to read Epic fantasy or mythology fiction, then start with Ayush Pathak's The Temple of Avinasi as its written in a very simple manner unlike other books of the same genre. After reading Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Aroon Raman etc, I found Ayush Pathak's narration and language the easiest and most comfortable. He hasn't confused the timeline of the story by speaking about some factors in the initial pages itself to make us remember it till the end of the book and if we don't, then the climax is out of the hands. He hasn't used great vocabulary to show that only with great vocabulary can the great story be told. Being young and writing such kind of a story is in itself a great challenge which he has surpassed easily. He says that this is his 1st book in the series of 6 i.e. It's Trilogy multiply by 2. I will only suggest the author to keep the story limited till the 3rd book as a series as long as Harry Potter won't excite the Indian readers. :|

Coming to the story, I liked how it started with Shri and eventually, making us realize that it's about Angel's greatness than Shri's. I liked how Yeti is been introduced and the initial conversations between him and Angel was a great phase in the book. The initial frictions between Ana and Angel is also delighting to read. The way Shri takes Angel through a painting into a different world excited me to know what's ahead. When Angel is been told about him being an Avatar and his importance in the Dev world, the proceedings that takes place after that reminded me of The Immortals of Meluha when Shiva is been told about him being a God. :-) I also loved the moment where Angel comes on the special horse with Sudarshan Chakra and the fight between the two army stops. The training that he gets along with Sam and Alisha is a wonderful read. I loved the parts whenever he is been told about the history of Devs, Nasachars and Nishachars. After a while, when he starts behaving like a real Avatar, I loved his confidence and the dialogue that he used to make. Finally, the scenes at the Dark Fort are the most exciting one. I also loved the moment when he comes to know the reality about his mother's death and Brihaspati's hidden secret. The role of Agni, the way tubes take them to a place, how the truth is unfolded in front of Angel etc. gives the book a perfect climax. Even the last chapter where the author has just given a synopsis on the 2nd book is wonderfully done that it does not look like an incomplete story but a complete book.

Coming to some drawbacks now- I wanted more of Ana and Angel's love story. It was quite incomplete, I would say. Philosophy and messages in every incident is what makes an epic fantasy special. In this book, I found author only concentrating on the story without adding any philosophy or great messages through it. He did quote Lord Krishna's sayings for 2 to 3 times but that's not enough. It's good that author has kept the story sound realistic but still, I was expecting a great action scene where Angel would have been an ultimate hero. Also, the conflict between Shri and Indra haven't been given the kind of plot it needed. I would have been wonderful to read the clashes between their decisions regarding Angel but there's no such scene. In all, books is a wonderful attempt and I must say, I am waiting for its sequels. I give it 3.75/5.

Thanks a lot.

ABHILASH RUHELA- VEERU!!!

Monday, 10 February 2014

Interview with Debutante authoress- Anuradha Prasad!!!

I am very glad to share this interview of the debut authoress, Anuradha Prasad, who have recently come out with her book,"Two Winters and 365 Days".

1. What are your feelings after being an author ? What’s your perspective about life after achieving a rare flagship like this in life?

ANS---First and foremost let me thank you for this interview. Coming to your question I am experiencing an amalgam of feelings.Now I figured I needed to enjoy the moment and nothing else. I actually had not expected anything at all.

2. When you saw your first novel for sale on E-commerce websites and placed at a bookstore for the first time, what kind of thoughts dominated your mind?

ANS-As I said first I was overwhelmed,wanted to double check, I pinched myself several times but finally I am set. I am enjoying the moment.

3. Before we head discussing your book, we would like to know in spite of being an author, what do you exactly do? And do you wish to continue with the job or come into full-time writing?

ANS- I write , I write , I write. I am a Feature Writer. Presently, I write on invitation. I blog regularly or when time permits. I had worked with a few publications as an editor and wrote for Times West Side Plus Mumbai . West Side had carried a story on me, for their second anniversary issue a few years back. I teach journalism whenever I get an opportunity and give pep talks to youngsters on intrinsic personality development . Apart from this I keep a beautiful home and love lazing around with my family in front of the idiot box. I am a fitness freak . I experiment with diet and do Yoga every alternate day . Love and observe nature during my travels and long frequent walks in the neighbourhood. Yes, I am Planning to make writing books as my future career option.

4-What is your latest book all about? And from where did this idea occur to you?

ANS-A lot of people have misconceptions that women cannot make it big in the fields like journalism and fast paced Media professions....So I took it up as my subject and wrote an inspirational story. Before starting to write this book I wanted to write on a realistic topic too .So I worked on a story frame and a few characters that appealed to me and the rest just happened. Of course some of the chapters reflect my own experiences in the field of Journalism.

5. How long did you take to write this book from the moment you started developing the story to start writing it till completing it finally with editing and all?

ANS-I took approximately- One Year and three months.

6. What are the Promotional strategies that you and your publisher have applied to promote/market your book?

ANS-I don't know since this is my first book I am still in the process of learning. The publishers chased me for four to five months with a good proposal till I said yes. They had googled about me and they really , really wanted me to publish with them. As I said I am going through mixed bag of emotions right now . I will wait and watch for sometime . Luckily for me I am getting a tremendous positive response . But to answer your question , what I honestly feel is if a book is good it promotes itself. It reaches where it has to on its own without you working on.I think Two Winters and 365 Days is already doing it .

7--What exactly is your target from your Books- 1. Getting most copies sold out, 2. Getting the love of readers or 3. You just wrote it because you wanted to write a book once in your life, hence you have no targets?

ANS- Right now my target would be to be recognized as a good Indian Author in the international markets. I also wanted to prove to the world that Indians can also write beautiful English I want my book to reach a wide variety of audiences across the globe and should be a best seller.

8 -By when are you coming up with your next novel? And if possible, do give us an idea about what it would be.

ANS-I am still recovering from my experience of releasing my first book. Right now I cannot say but I am already working on an idea and a plot. It should be ready early next year.

9- In the end, tell us in 5-7 lines, what speech will you give if you win a Major Award for the Best Indian Author for your books?

ANS- Oh God! What will be my speech as the best Indian author?Umm...Umm Let me think? Major Award in itself will make me speechless!

“Thank you God for giving me this wonderful gift of writing...for making me the way I am...thank you parents, thank you family...Thank you critics ....Last but not the least thank you people for reading my books and making them best sellers and a me a best selling author.”

Friday, 7 February 2014

Gisela Haussmann's eBook- NAKED DETERMINATION!!!

Gisela Haussmann's new ebook- Naked Determination is a wonderful collection of stories that are based on her life and the respective experience that she had. Being a foreign author, she has assured that her book gets understood by the Indian authors too. After reading the book I was surprised to read that the authoress have implemented many perspective in her short stories. The tagline of the book says "Forty-one spirited tales for fearless, motivated underdogs". And the moment you will start reading the book, you will realize that an energy starts developing within you with the help of the words that authoress have arranged in such a delightful manner.

Even if you talk about the cover page, it is so vividly made that it excites you to purchase and start reading. The concept of scribbling her own experiences is something that amazed me because not every author has this guts. Gisela Haussmann is a wonderful author to look forward to in the ebook-generation authors as she assures that she not only writes stories but also motivate those who feel that they are underdogs and under-achievers. I expect her to release more editions to this Short stories collection so that her fans can look forward to her next attempts. For now, I would ask all of you to purchase her book through Amazon where its available and doing very well.

Wednesday, 5 February 2014

Love @ Air Force by Gaurav Sharma (Book Review-3.9*/5)!!!

I laid my hands for the first time on a book by Blackbuck Publication but the impression that they have created in my first attempt itself speaks a lot about them. The pricing, quality of publishing and selection is wonderful. Only if they can improve their distribution, they can match up to other leading publishers of India. I am done reading the debut novel of Gaurav Sharma- "Love @ Air Force" which also has the tag line- "A heart is a more sophisticated device than a Sukhoi". The 287-pages thick novel deserves a read because it has a story which you and me would love to read. Everyone writes a love story these days but the one who writes it differently gets the applaud by the readers as well as critics. I, as a reader, would say that this is what I search these days in the love stories written by Indian authors. The debutante has not let anything go wrong with his first attempt. Kudos to him.

SYNOPSIS:-

The violent romance of the Fighter planes with the clouds in sky… the pulchritudinous Officers walking around arrogantly… the runway with the logo constituted by the concentric tricolored circles in the background… is the spectacle meets our eyes at the feeble mention of the Air Force but there is more about the Air Force besides these…

Coming to the author's writing style, he is master in writing crisp and short sentences. He does not let the story stay at one single moment for a long time. He also assures that you laugh after every 2 pages to keep the interest developed in you. His humor-sense is terrific. Most of his humor has come in describing the expressions of the protagonists and other characters. He knows when to add up the twist in the simple tale. Author has made it sure that people reading the book does not feel that he wasn't from the Air Force background as every detail that he has put about the institution looks so valid and accurate. Generally, author gives all the wonderfulness to the main protagonist of the story, but here, Gaurav Sharma, has given equal parts to every character and no one looks ignored and isolated in the story. I loved the way rank obsession and categorization in the Air Force academy is discussed in the book. Quite frankly.

Book flies off really well right from the first page when Sushil's equation with his wife, Divya, is reflected through their conversations. The way Sushil's life is dramatically introduced makes it a fun start. His surprise meeting with a long-lost friend, Shabd is also well-plotted. I also liked how Sushil's past life is described in one chapter. It gives almost all the detailing about the character. Later on, I loved the way Sushil retorts Ojha when he tries to humiliate him after the promotion. Also what Shabd speaks to Sushil's peer at his home in clarification of Sushil's promotion is a wonderful part. Better than all the scenes, I loved the one where philosophy is embedded deeply when Sushil goes to the pan stall for smoking. The lecture that he gets on how to develop himself and his personality at that moment is the HIGH POINT of the book. The way, post-climax(Yes, I would call it this :-)) is written shows the X-factor that Gaurav Sharma has in his story-telling style.

What I didn't like was the meeting with Soumya of Sushil and Shabd. I was expecting something out of the world there. Yes, I agree that author has tried to keep it realistic but still, like a typical Indian audience, I expect something bombastic. Haha! Also, I didn't like the repetition of same conversation regarding Soumya between Sushil and Shabd every now and then. I also felt that more humor could have been added by utilizing the characters of children in the book but alas, author haven't made children one of the main characters of the main plot. Rest, I would say this book is a sibling of movies like Jaanemann and Dhadkan. :-) Yes! I would give this a well-deserving 3.9/5. You can surely read it for once, you'll enjoy it.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Two Winters and 365 days by Anuradha Prasad (Book Review- 3.75*/5)!!!

Partridge publication is not known to many of us but I would like to inform you that it's a Penguin Random House Company, the one that the two major publishing house have collaborated and created for the authors who want to publish themselves. It's a self-publishing firm for the authors who believe in getting their book published immediately without going through the whole process of checking and evaluating. Whenever I have picked up a book by Partridge, I have never been disappointed and today, my 3rd experience with them also ends up with a smile. I am just done reading "Two Winters and 365 days" by the debutant- Anuradha Prasad. The only problem that I find with the publishers are:- 1. Cover page is quite hard. 2. The publishing style of book makes it look like a school's textbook. 3. Font isn't attractive. Now let's move forward towards author's work. :-)

SYNOPSIS:-

When Ananya's life fell apart and crumpled at a young age she was helpless with the sole intention of supporting her family. she takes up editing an equally crumbling lifestyle magazine After tea not knowing what lay ahead thus Ananyas journey into the mad mad world of the media begins. Though her journey as a professional is replete with adventure, thrill and risks she starts enjoying it, as fate could not steal away her innate talent and an eye for perfection. But as they say in the beautiful Bollywood city of Mumbai anything is possible! A die hard professional and a construction magnate Vicky Arora falls hopelessly in love with simple Ananya. Though Vicky feels most happy and himself with her does she feel the same? Was she ready to look at love again in the eye? Or was life playing a double game with her? Will she fall this time never to get up? It is a thrilling story of a journey replete with adventure, hope, romance and of self discovery.

About the Author:-

Anuradha Prasad has a doctorate in English Literature from Mumbai University. She is an artist, a feature writer, and a journalist. She writes on invitation regularly. She loves blogging, counselling, observing nature, traveling, music, movies, Bollywood and spending time with her family and friends. She lives in Mumbai with her family.

Coming to the writing style of the authoress, she has an amazing skill that touches chord with the readers. She uses easy sentences to convey her story to the audience. The way she has made us understand the emotions of a woman represents the talent she possesses. Considering her biography in the book, I thought that she may have written something very extra-ordinary in terms of language but I got little disappointed here. She has written like any other author available in every nooks and corners of India these days. I was expecting little more. Story wise, she has a maturity in story-making and telling. Whenever I read a book written by female writer, I expect to understand women a little better after finishing the book and with Two Winters and 365 Days, I have. :-)

Coming to the story, right from the first page, authoress have made it sure that story doesn't gets stagnant at any point of time. It's moving with every sentence, page and chapter. Book is divided into different seasons and each has its own property. Read the book to know how each season consists its own specialty in terms of story. :-) Book is very fast-pace. I loved the character of Amanda initially when she asks Ananya to come for interviews. The lack of confidence that is been mentioned of Ananya's makes you excited to read further whether she makes it or not. Later on, during the interview, as soon as she becomes furious while speaking, I jumped off my bed because the sudden change in her characterization excited and astonished me. The chapter where for the first time its mentioned hoe she makes big in the field is also an exciting read. The mother-daughter relationship is wonderfully described in the book which makes it an emotional read too. Vicky's character is charming enough to entertain you throughout.

Coming to the drawbacks, as I have already mentioned that I was expecting more from the authoress in terms of language reading her bio-data. I didn't like the speech and the whole award ceremony details that is been given in the pre-climax up to the climax. It wasn't as good as it could have been. I felt that the flashback of Ananya's life with Rahul was missing in the story because if it could have been included, book could have reached 1 or 2 level higher from where it already is. Authoress have just cut the past life of hers and only mentioned the story right from the day the book has started with. In all, I would say that a fine book which can be surely read. An emotional, lovely, serene and soft book. I will give it 3.75/5. Surely readable.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Sunday, 2 February 2014

The Justified Sin by Harpreet Makkar (Book Review)!!!

Author's Empire is publishing lots of book these days which is compelling readers to pick it up because it gives an impression of one of the major publishing house in the commercial fiction genre. Though their books are average according to my taste, I still pick their new books because the way they represent it through cover pages, synopsis and online promotions. It gives you a confidence of an amazing read. I havent found any epic book still by them but I am positive that I will, very soon. I just finished reading The Justified Sin by another debutant, Harpreet Makkar. The title name is amazing which attracted me towards the book. Once again, the quality of publishing is retained by the publisher.

SYNOPSIS:-

What do you call it when three beautiful women come in your life, but you are still single? What if they all, at some point, tried to entice you but you feel like committing suicide because of loneliness? What do you call it when you made no mistake but still, you feel guilty as sin? Jay had a common life until Saloni, Prachi and Vineeta came in his life and changed everything. At times, he avoided the love that knocked at his door and when he actually needed it, the same love kicked him. He betrayed, He got betrayed, He rejected, He got rejected. From being shot in the back by Prachis father to getting intimate with Vineeta under the influence of alcohol, his life was as spicy as those masala Bollywood movies. He was getting used to his life, until one night, he decides to jump off a building and end everything.

Coming to the author, I would say that he has good writing skill which makes it easy for readers to understand whatever he is trying to convey. I am also happy that he didn't compromise over editing the story which has given an accurate direction to the flow of it. He have not done anything to pretend himself as an intellectual or vocabulary master. He has kept it straight that he's just telling a story which does not need complex sentences and terrific usage of words. I didn't like the story as such because it has been a long time since people are writing books which tells how the protagonist keeps falling in love yet again and again. The three small affairs that are mentioned in 158 pages novel makes it harder to create any impact and impression on the reader's mind for any of the affairs. I would still rate the first affair with Saloni as the best described but the way other two love affairs are cut short irritated me. It would have been no problem if the book would have extended to another 100 pages or so but not letting the story speak openly kills the excitement that the reader can experience.

I would like to compare The Justified Sin with Three Times Loser by Akash Verma as both are written on the same lines. But Three Times Loser was brilliantly written giving importance to each of the three girls who came in the protagonist's life. Here, the central theme itself loses its purpose as nothing is well defined once the first story ends. There's no problem in writing a love story but if there is no philosophy or message attached to it or say, amazing lines/quotes that stay with you for a long time, then there's no meaning because a love story is everyone's own life's story; no one will spend 3-6 hours in reading the same thing. I would only suggest the author to try something differently the next time he decides to script a book. For now, just 1.5 stars that I can give to this very book.
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Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!