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

Thursday, 20 March 2014

An Interview with Vijay Mane, author of "All I Need is, Just You!"!!!

I had an opportunity to interview Vijay Mane, author of "All I Need is, Just You!". Do read the interview:-

1. Hello Mr. Vijay, what is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

Vijay : Well, it feels great when we achieve something new, which we thought impossible or out of our reach. I am of the opinion that we should always be engaged in the progress of ourselves without considering the circumstances. They always test us and tempt us to leave the task, especially when you suffer from the toil and nothing goes right. However, no matter how difficult it is, we should give ourselves into our passion, only then we can achieve anything we want.

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?

Vijay : I was excited to see my novel on amazon. I cannot express that feeling. Even the shiver of anxiety cannot be captured in words. And speaking about the hardcopy, I have not seen it in any bookstores as these would be available with very few bookstores like Oxford and Odyssey. I would like to see the photos of my novel from my readers.

3. Before we head towards 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?

Vijay : I am a deputy manager in one of the biggest companies of

India

. And I am proud of my organization. Apart from our financial goals, we are engaged in many social and environmental activities. I am always among the bunch of top performers and I enjoy working with loads of work. When you are in such a position where you have the power to get the work done, it always feels good, even if you are under a lot of pressure. Honestly. I enjoy it. It keeps me moving.

This is my first novel in English. And speaking the truth at this moment, I would prefer to continue with my job.

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

Vijay : This is the true love story of one of my friends. When I thought of writing a novel, this very story came in front of my eyes. It was one of the reasons, I have seen him changed. It was very tough for him to accept reality but he took it as a challenge. When I asked his permission to pen down the story, initially he was a bit hesitant but finally he agreed to the idea and opened up quite frankly.

5. How much long did it 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?

Vijay : It took me around three months to write the details and then a month for editing it.

6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

Vijay : After editing the manuscript and all, I had sent it to a few publishers. However, as it happens with most freshers entering this field, I too got refusals. The publishers are also correct from their point of view. Why would they risk on some new entrant’s manuscript? Then I decided to try my luck and self published the book.

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

Vijay : I have made the video trailer of the book and it is on youtube, the facebook page is already there. There are exciting updates being uploaded regularly on it. Few giveaways for readers. The book is made available on major online retailers like amazon, flipkart, infibeam etc. We are working on few more strategies for the book to reach maximum readers.

8. 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?

Vijay : I am already a writer in Marathi with two books to my credit. One of it had won the prestigious literary award for best comedy book of the year 2008. However, due to limited readership, I decided to switch to English.

If you ask me about target, there is the combination of both. I want my book to appear in the bestsellers list and of course, who wouldn’t want a lot of love from his readers?

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

Vijay : I am busy promoting this book. The exact details about the next novel would be difficult as of now but it would definitely be the second part of Sameer’s life. That’s for sure!

10. 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?

Vijay : Dream wild. When your dream becomes your obsession, everything comes to you, to fulfill your dream. There is a big problem while dreaming big – we enormously limit ourselves. However, you will be surprised with the results when self-limits are thrown away. Nobody can stop you from reaching the summit of success, if you work honestly. The process could be slow, but you will definitely get there. And more importantly, when it comes to success, there are no shortcuts.

…

Monday, 17 March 2014

Acting Smart by Tisca Chopra (Book Review: 3*/5)!!!

It's me with Tisca Chopra handing her book to me.

Reading a Non-fiction book always gives you some or the other knowledge even if its related to you or not. Except Biography, I can never imagine an actor/actress writing any kind of Non-fictional piece for almost 200 pages. Tisca Chopra does this rarity with her recent novel,"Acting Smart" which also has the tagline of "Your Ticket to Showbiz". This 202-pages novel is published by HarperCollins, one of the leading publications in India. The cover page of the book has Tisca Chopra laden with beautiful green dress smiling back. :-) The back cover page has comments of people like Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Raju Hirani, Imtiaz Ali, Farah Khan and Manish Malhotra on her book. You can not ignore this book even if you have nothing to do with acting and Bollywood. It has some kind of a feel that you'll surely pick it up. Though Rs. 350, the cost of the book, is too high for anyone to pick. It should have been around Rs. 150 or so.

SYNOPSIS:-

Thousands of young people arrive every day at the Mecca of entertainment, Mumbai, to become an actor. Most of them come with hope in the heart and starry dreams in their eyes. In the absence of proper guidance, it does not take long for most of these dreams to turn to dust, in what is essentially a dog-eat-dog world of cut-throat competition. Tisca Chopra provides great advice on how to build a career as an actor. How do you go about preparing an impressive portfolio and showreel, what does it take to audition well,what are the avenues for training, and how does one avoid the casting couch? Written in an informal, conversational tone, and brimming with insightful insights gleaned from the author’s vantage point of being a true-blue insider, this is an essential handbook for every aspirant in the crazy world of showbiz.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:-

One of Hindi cinema’s most beautiful and stylish actresses, Tisca Chopra has trained with theatre greats like Naseeruddin Shah and Ferozi Abbas Khan. She got her big break with Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par for which she won several national and international awards. Apart from being a regular on stage, she is also a favourite with advertisers, endorsing brands like Tanishq,Titan Eyewear, Olay, Horlicks and Kellogg’s. She is currently starring in the Indian franchise of the hit American series 24,being produced by Anil Kapoor. She is also developing a number of film scripts with her pilot-author husband, Sanjay Chopra.

After reading the whole book, I came to the conclusion that if you are an aspiring actor, you could not believe that there's a book full of mantras for you. It's not about what you'll do after becoming an actor, it's all about what you have to be while you are on your way to search for that small role to make into the thing called Bollywood. For those who do not have anything to do with this field can read it and know the amount of hard work every face that you see daily on television and theaters does to get there. A wonderful eye-opener written chapter-by-chapter by Tisca Chopra making one realize that it's only easy if you have decided to be of stone with no emotions and only work.

Before reading the book, I presumed that Tisca would have talked about her own journey in Bollywood and hence I was skeptic that who would like to read her story because she's not one of those starring in Big budget movies as a single lead actress. But after reading it, I am in awe the way she has carried the whole book talking less about others and more about them who matters and she herself idolizes. She gives example initially on how to be in Mumbai on your own rather than being with someone's support. The example she gave of a girl having no accomodation hence she made a railway pass of Mumbai-Nashik train, used to sleep in it and get ready for next auditions in train itself is quite motivational and moving.

I liked all the guidance she gave in the end of each chapter as a summary and something to write it in your diary, repeat it daily to remember your right way. Again she says that as an actor you just couldn't stop training. Because even if you have toned yourself as an actor and dancer, you never know when you might have to become an Olympic athlete like Farhan Akhtar. Another amazing piece. In her book launch, she specifically talked about The Casting Couch and hence I was waiting for this chapter to come. Finally it came. It is the best chapter of the book. Clearly and respectfully, she states how Casting couch works and how one can save him/herself from it. She also gave some examples on how she saved herself from a director once. Its my recommendation to everyone to at least read this chapter if not the whole book.

I also liked her take on money. How money is important in this industry is what she speaks about. Later on, she also tells that its our back ground that shall always be lucky and supportive when everyone else shall leave. She tells how people start changing themselves after coming to Mumbai but the ones who keep their originality gets work for the character they are themselves in real life. She tells how Ratan Rajput didn't lose her originality and bagged the leading role in a serial on Zee TV. She tells why Nawazuddin Siddique keeps getting work and such roles because he's the same that he always was. I liked how she also gave importance to TV actors in one of her chapters. An incident when she tells how she got to see a yesteryear's great actor in a queue of junior artist to get work shocked her. There are many such shocking elements in the book that I loved reading.

Coming to the drawbacks now: I felt as if Tisca Chopra didn't cover many other aspects required for coming in Bollywood. She should also have suggested few names that one should try to contact once in Mumbai who are genuine and love to work with debutante. Tisca keeps giving examples and statements by few selective people as Imtiaz Ali, Boman Irani, Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap etc. It would have been better if she would have brought comments by many more actors in her book. Most of the times, Tisca have given example by not writing names of the directors, actors and casting teams. I know its purposely done to avoid controversies but it would have been wonderful if she would have named few of them. I needed some masala actually. Haha! In all, I would say a fine attempt for all the struggling and aspiring actors. I give the book 3 out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Friday, 14 March 2014

Planet B 2 by M C Raj (Book Review- 4*/5)!!!

If you ask me, what books make me read them in a go and what make me read them 50 pages/day, I would say a book that's wonderful but written in a slow pace is read by me part by part. I did the same with this amazing book called "Planet B2". It also has the tagline "Human War against Nature". It's written by M. C. Raj, an experienced personality and a prominent writer. This 433-pages novel is published by Partridge publishers, a Penguin Random House company. I am amazed at the quality of books Partridge are publishing these days. Though they are available for big prices at Flipkart and other websites but still they are worth it. Every book that I am reading by them, I am looking forward for more books. Planet B2 is again one more name that I will add in the awesome books list of Partridge Publishers.

INTRODUCTION:-

M C Raj creates a new planet with life. No wonder that Americans want to occupy it. The hitch is that the beings in PlanetB2 are cosmic formed out of the entropy of life giving waves. Not only they but also many human beings oppose the over ambitious project of Rustler, the US President who decides to destroy the planet if his plans failed. All the missions of Rustler's to PlanetB2 fail and in total frustration he turns his ire towards all those who oppose him on earth. He forms Earth Alliance. Those who oppose him under the leadership of the German Chancellor form the Cosmic Alliance. Plumbel, the close friend of Rustler's is the kingpin of the formation of Cosmic Alliance. Another world war becomes inevitable. Humanity is destroyed in the NBC (Nuclear, Biological & Chemical) war that ensues. What happens to Rustler, what happens to the cosmic beings, what happens to world leaders and Plumbel etc. are brought out in many plots by weaving by the author. War strategies, information galore, creation of a new planet and a new way of life for peace and non-violence are bound to enthrall the readers and compel them to extricate the many plots. A festive time is ahead

M. C. Raj has attempted a Sci-fi book which is very rarely attempted by authors of India and even if they do it, the book doesn't get better responses. But the way Raj has written with great insights, I felt as if I was watching a Hollywood flick throughout the duration of 10 days for which I read this book part by part because it had too many pages to consume all in a go. :-) Raj hasn't used great technical languages, usually which the authors use in such kind of books. He has kept the book straight and less confusing which makes it easy for you to remember the incidents and chapters even when you pick book again after reading half of it. I only felt that the book was written quite in slow pace but still, it manages to hold you back because you want to know what happened at the last in the fight of human vs alien and human vs human.

Book tells it clearly how America, the superpower, wants to conquer not only the world but universe too. The state of mind of its President is shown bluntly and truthfully without hiding any fact. You will feel that you are reading a true tale of USA because that's what we have kept hearing and seeing in all these years. The character of Rustler is wonderfully described and maintained throughout the book. His bad attitude pays off and that's what I was waiting to read. The book really starts when Carolina is introduced to the new planet and its logic about cosmic. The whole Science described is an amazing read. The launch of Big Belly4 is stated anxiously and I liked reading the emotions of Rustler, Plumbel and other people engaged with the project. Later on, I loved the short-time chemistry between Plumbel and Marissa. The Native America's description by the author through the character Marissa is described passionately which makes you love the place and its people.

The second part of the book becomes a thriller-kind-of-a-thing when all countries starts protesting against Rustler's theory. I also liked the concept of World War been brought up in the story. It was much needed. I loved the way Carolina and Marissa's transformations happen in another planet. It is very exciting to read the changes in their life because of being in another planet among another people. I loved the concept that the aliens aren't shown as villains but genuine beings. The anti-climax and climax will just take you off your seat. I recommend this book to all the Hollywood movie lovers especially the one which has fight between aliens and humans involved. I give this novel- 4 out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Burning Sapphires by Suresh K Goswami (Book Review: 4.75*/5)!!!

There are few books which makes me passionate for them. But don't presume that these are only the books whom I rate 4 or more. Some times there are books which I rate 2.5 but still they keep me attracted for a day or two. Today, the book I have finished was started by me last evening. I read 1/3rd part of it. I specially woke up early to read it at 5 AM today and then went to college. I returned back home early than usual and read it till now. This is what a good writer does to his readers- Makes them love his writing passionately. "Burning Sapphires" is the novel I am talking about today. It's written by Suresh K Goswami. The 259 pages novel is published by Partridge- A Penguin Company, a publisher whom I am reading a lot these days. If you'll ask me to express this book in the shortest way possible, my reply would be- SALUTE! Yes, this book deserves respect.

Subject / Content

The “Burning Sapphires “, though a fiction, is a story which drives you through the reality of infestation of terrorism, violence and atrocities that resulted in Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their Home Land on one hand and the other hand continued turmoil which never paused in the valley disrupting and destroying the life of each common man, The Kashmiri.

Part of Innocent Kashmiris who fled from the valley have been struggling to survive for the last 24 years in refugee camps around Jammu, Nagrota, Udhampur in J& K State, and some other locations across India.

And the others who were left behind are continuously humiliated, their esteems destructed, their women raped, and their young ones murdered leaving countless homes devoid of life . . .

. . . for what purpose?

The purpose may be ANY but the fact remains that The Paradise, its people and their stories are getting lost as they go through a merciless genocide.

About the Author:-

During my long standing career as a professional Chief Executive and Managing Director of many multinationals in Africa and Middle East I had this passionate urge to write, especially about my experiences highlighting sensitive social issues that are manifested in the lives of millions of fellow human beings. But it took me to cross 60 years of my life to listen my inner self and it was at this point that I left whatever I was doing and took to creative writing. I wrote a couple of scripts and two years back I made my first independent film, converting one of my favorite scripts into an award winning feature film “Ziyarat” that earned ample awards and recognition across the globe. I made another award winning documentary “My Heroes” andI continued to write few other stories but concentrated on my book Burning Sapphires which was completed recently and published by Partridge, a Penguin company. In my mind I look forward to pen down many stories from the terror ridden Valley of Kashmir-a paradise lost, which happens to be my mother land.

Suresh Goswami has a wonderful writing style which makes you sit down at one place, imagine beautiful locations, terrifying moments, beautiful girl and many other scenarios and get up only after you are done reading the last word of his story. There are very few writers who can really write a perfect page-turner and my first experience of this writer has made him enter in my Good Books. I am a die-hard fan now. Very few writers manage to make their protagonist part of our lives and Suresh Goswami does the same with Ghulab's impact on us. Every character that he portrays in his book except the last few who comes to help Ghulab are beautiful, well-described and revolutionary- either in positive or negative way according to their personalities. :-) Even when I have closed the book an hour ago, I am into the story and thinking about each and every character. That's the power of this book.

Coming to the story, I liked how it started describing all about Udana, her 2 husbands and 2 daughters. Suddenly, the description and introduction of Ghulab gives light to the book. The best part about the book has been its skill to make us feel that we are in Kashmir; a wonderful description of the state and its beautiful area makes the first half an exploring read. I just wanted to visit the heaven after reading few beautiful lines. Ali Murtaza's inclination towards Ghulab and being a saviour to her gives story a twist that makes this book a wonderful thriller for a time being. The scene when his men attacks Ghulab's school and kills her stepfather are two terrific chapters in the book that frightened me but still, it made me feel happy reading it. :-) Khalid's view in the story is also perfectly driven time to time which makes us believe in his spirit too.

Later on, the final turning point of the story when Ghulab decides to take an action against these men is wonderfully written. The great thing about the whole book has been its realistic plot even when a girl is shown as a victim and then turning into a revolutionist. If you'll ask me, I would say that for the whole time I kept presuming Ghulab's character based on Malala Yousafzai. I would love to know by the author if he wrote the character keeping her in mind. The whole take on the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims is shared in a very easy and interesting way. After reading this book, I feel like knowing more about the politics of Kashmir and the sufferings of this particular class. The entry of Dolores brings charm in the story again during the anti-climax phase. The magic that she does in a very short period of time makes her as much favorite as Ghulab.

In short, I would say a perfect read and if you miss it, you are really missing out something. Suresh K Goswami should be applauded as much as possible for this great novel that he has brought at a very perfect time when we need to understand the situation of Kashmir. There are few drawbacks too: The biggest is the worst cover page for a terrific book like Burning Sapphires. I would seriously ask author to change the cover page with the next edition itself. Then, writing after each chapter that it has ended isn't a good thing to do in a novel. It's perfect only up to the drafting and editing phase. And a very special drawback in the end:- He should have written it little more. I was loving it, man. :-) Haha! I give it 4.75* out of 5 undoubtedly.

Thanks a lot.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

An Interview with author, Satyendra Dhariwal!!!

I got a wonderful opportunity to interview a first time author, Satyendra Dhariwal who is coming out with his book- An Immortal Story in April, 2014. Do read the interview and enjoy.

1. Hello Mr. Satyendra, what is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

Ans. It’s awesome. I am too much excited and nervous too. Excited because seeing your book in print first time is like seeing your new born baby. And worried because the book is yet to be released. Like everyone, I also want my baby to be praised.

As far as perspective about life is concerned it’s been changed to a large extent since I finished writing this story to until now. I have completed this story almost 1 ½ years ago. Now I want to establish myself as a full-time writer.

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. Since ‘An Immortal Story’ has not been released yet but it’s available for pre-ordering on E-commerce website(s). So yeah, it’s something beyond words when people comment that they are pre-ordering my book.

3. Before we head towards 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. Nothing, seriously. I want to become a full-time writer.

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

Ans. You can read all about the book here  http://authorsatyendra.com/Store.aspx . The Idea of the story came to my mind while travelling to Nainital with my wife Vanita. I wanted to write a novel and we are discussing everything about life. The plot of this story was created in a bus, from Delhi to Haldwaani.

5. How much long did it 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. It took me five months. But 60% of it was finished in the last 25 days. Because in those five months there were days when I wrote nothing or just a single line or half of the page. Many times I thought that I could never finish it. But after completing it 40% I suddenly got momentum. After that I started sending this to publishers and in between whenever I felt, I edited.

6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

Ans. Yes, it is very hard to deal with. It took me almost 13 months to find a publisher. I was rejected by more than 20 publishers and literary agents/agencies and even waiting for a few to reply, till now. One thing I want to say is that it would be more beneficial to authors if there should be more literary agents/agencies in India. Initially I thought that it is good that here we can send our manuscripts directly to the publishers but that is not good enough. Almost every agent/agency replied me but not all publishers.

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

Ans. Several, including both online and offline. Like, Facebook, videos, free samples etc.

You can download first three chapters from here  http://authorsatyendra.com/index.html

Ans. Everything, but of course every other thing like money etc. is meaningless without the love of readers. This is what an author aspires most.

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

Ans. May be at the end of this year or maybe next year. I can’t tell exactly when but it is sure that I will write another and then another and so on . At the moment I have few plots in my mind like a historical fiction based on invasion(s) on India. Other one is a story of six friends based on corruption and terrorism, one is a humorous story and a few other ideas are also there. But I am not sure which one would be picked up by my mind.

10. 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. If ever that happens, I will definitely become speechless. And what one could say after winning an award like this other than thanking the people who supported him/her, the readers who loved him/her and the jury who selected him.

Monday, 10 March 2014

1st Anniversary Issue of BRANWYN Lit-Mag by Sneha Gupta!!!

BRANWYN is a famous Indian literature magazine founded and edited by author, Sneha Gupta. The magazine claims to have almost 10,00,000 readers till date which is very high as it is published only on Online medium. This month, the magazine completes its first year and proudly publishes its Anniversary edition with lots of accolades from Shailesh Kumar, Dr. Meera Singh (Principal) and others. The Anniversary edition starts with sharing of all the Cover Pages of BRANWYN till date. It was an amazing nostalgic moment to revive the memories of each and every issue of the magazine. My hearty Congratulations goes to Miss Sneha Gupta for building such a nice platform for Indian authors and budding writers. It is one of the rare magazines which has come this far because in my personal knowledge, no other magazine has been read so widely and covering so much of talents in its single issue itself.

The three questions' interview with Faraaz Kazi is wonderfully done. Faraaz has made no point left in just 2-3 liners answers by him. Rajeshwari Chauhan's new book- Daniel's Diary is widely featured in the book describing it the way I have never ever seen any other magazine/newspaper describing any novel. Colonel Mahip Chadha, author of "Grit Gut and Gallantry" is also featured in a page giving insights into his latest work. Lavkesh Singh writes a wonderful piece in the times of Ramayana. Nitin Singh also writes a contemporary tale which is quite emotional and realistic. Another amazing write-up, one of my favorites from this issue is written by Kaushik Gangopadhyay on his Golden Moments.

Another authors like Moeedul Hussain, Siddhartha Yadav, Udita Pal are also introduced. 100 Happy Lives is a sweet short post written by Mr. YouKnowMe. In the end, there are many poems published by the amateur authors. It's good to read short poems by them defining their emotions and observations. I wish all the success to Sneha Gupta for completing one year with this venture of her. I hope it continues for years and builds a great platform for budding writers. You can read the issue here-

http://www.scribd.com/doc/209833255/Branwyn-Feb-2014-Anniversary-Edition

http://issuu.com/snehabranwyn/docs/branwyn_feb_2014

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Saturday, 8 March 2014

All I need is, just you! by Vijay Mane (Book Review- 2.5*/5)!!!

I am done reading a short love story named "All I Need is, Just You!" written by the debutante Vijay Mane. It's a self-published stuff where the author himself has designed the cover page. It took me just 1.5 hours to complete 148-pages book. Author has tried to balance the book with the corporate life of Sameer as well as his love tale with Nidhi. This novel could have been a big blunder if author would not have discussed the corporate life as he did because reading a pure love story is out of fashion these days and readers get bored easily. As there are already challengers in this very genre among the writing industry, a writer should be very specific and creative when he attempts to write a love story pulp fiction for youth.

SYNOPSIS:-

Sameer and Nidhi, both engineering graduates bump into each other while working for Elaviacorp, Mumbai. Though Sameer’s heart skips a beat when he sees Nidhi, he couldn’t express his feelings for her. However, he gets a single chance to talk to her. The conversation starts with a birthday email to her and turns into late night messages. As the love blossoms, eventually, two hearts become one.

However, something goes wrong. The incidents happening around them change individual perceptions. Misunderstandings creep in the relationship. Patience turns into frustration. As they both are on the threshold of adolescence, the level of understanding causes them to part from each other. The relationship goes into a breakup.

Will they make up and come together? Can a single call from a stranger change everything?

Vijay Mane has good stories to tell which is quite evident from his first book. His wit of writing just 148 pages book when he knew that his story is simple is something I would appreciate him for. Right from the first page till the end, even when there's not much happening with the story, he has that little power of engaging his readers. He just needs to add lots of emotions in the story to engage his readers and make them laugh and cry with him. This is something that didn't happen with me. I just kept it reading and reading and reading without feeling any emotion within me. That's the issue.

The best thing about the book is how Banerjee at the office is discussed. :-) I also liked that one incident where the supplier is paid 7 times more than the usual amount which builds some tension in the book. The initial surface in the love story is also entertaining. I loved few of those diary parts that's revealed during anti-climax moments. The problem that I had with the author was not adding charms to the character of Nidhi. He didn't let his readers fall in love with the character as Chetan Bhagat makes us fall in love with all his characters like Neha and Ananya. Even in climax, when he gets to know a very bad news, I expected lots of narrative of emotions that could have made me feel weaker on my knees but Alas! If ever I will recommend this book to anyone, it would be for all the corporate things that are discussed. I give the book 2.5 out of 5 and wish author all the best for his next novel.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

An Immortal Story by Satyendra Dhariwal (Book Review)!!!

This is the 3rd time when I am talking about a book that has yet not officially released. It's always fun in reviewing a book of which you are one of the first readers. This time I am talking about "An Immortal Story". The tag line of the book says "A Tale of Tolerance Beyond Limit". As a reader, even I felt the same while reading the book. It's written by the debutante author, Satyendra Dhariwal, under the publisher "Ayush Books". It's my first experience of both and frankly speaking, I didn't enjoy it much. I felt that a book which could have been easily completed in 125-150 pages was dragged for as long as 335 pages. The same story keeps on going for every 120-130 pages and then comes a minute twist and the story is back to the same thing for next hundred pages. For many a times, I felt like skipping some pages but expecting something new to happen, I continued, but Alas!

Overview - An Immortal Story : A Tale Of Tolerance Beyond Limit

Do you have a permanent dream? I know the answer of the majority will be yes. Vinayak(the lead character) had one too. But what if your dream will scatter like a pack of cards and it becomes certain that you can never achieve your goal.

What if you lose someone dear, your studies left in between, unwillingly get married at an early age, have to bear most of the responsibilities and internal strife of your joint family (that too at an early age), hated by your wife and in-laws, lose your health andnatural-you and finally find yourself doing an unwanted 3rd grade clerical job.

Is it possible to see another dream now(while pain for the first one still lingers), is it possible to focus when you are struggling for almost everything? The answer is yes. This is a story of a boy who lost precious years of his early twenties just to find out what could be his second dream since from childhood he wanted to do something ‘big.’ He had to fight almost everything to achieve his dream. An Immortal Story is the story of struggle with own, struggle for love, struggle with life, with society and for career. This is the story of tolerance beyond limit. If you are down in any field of life this story will hold your hand, let you up and give the courage to follow your positive side of heart. Welcome to ‘An Immortal Story’–A life-giving tale.

About The Author

Satyendra Dhariwal is a 24 years old guy living in dhandhar; a small village in jhunjhunu (Rajasthan). He lost his interest in studies after 10+2 and never stepped on the sill of college. His mind wandered in uncertainty for along time until his wife (Vanita) discovered an author in him. He also loves to write poetry.

Coming to the author's writing style, I would say its fine but not something that's different and unique. If he could have created a story himself and given it a shape through his imaginations, it would have looked beautiful on papers but writing a normal story by adding few twists has made it very boring. He could have added elements into the story to make it look more interesting but he chose to keep it more real than fictitious where the main problem lies. With more reading and writing, I am sure he will turn out to be a good story teller in his second venture.

I liked the way book started with a Prologue. It was damn interesting and I looked forward towards the main story. Even the initial chapters is wonderful when Vinayak is been introduced and his love for Cricket is written about. Author has defined a very different message of how one can achieve success even with carrying negative thoughts and attitude. The two poems that come in between is specific and related to the story. I liked those poems. I liked the part when his marriage comes in between and he has to agree citing some reasons. Until the marriage, book goes in a wonderful direction but suddenly, author becomes steady and keeps on writing only conversations that happens between the protagonists. I felt like talking to some girl on phone than reading these chats pages after pages.

It seemed as if there's no story at all except showing how loser the man in the story is who didn't like doing job and sat at home. Later on, when the protagonist finds a secret about his wife, book becomes interesting again but loses the plot again. The anti-climax is again readable. Author has himself rated his story as amazing through Vipul's words, what can I say anymore over this? But I liked the philosophical contents in the book that author keeps on speaking about time after time. If you are about to buy this book, buy it for those words than for the story.

P.S.: You can download first three chapters for free from here -- http://authorsatyendra.com/index.html.

Thanks a lot.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Monday, 3 March 2014

Sorry You're Not My Type by Sudeep Nagarkar (Book Review-4.5*/5)!!!

The famous authors in India make their own genre and keeps on writing about it all their career. This gives them a basic reader base that remains loyal as that's the only genre they read. Its very hard for a new author to make his way into one of these genres that already has a King ruling the Jungle. Kudos to Sudeep Nagarkar that he made his place in the Romance section even when Chetan Bhagat and likes of Ravinder Singh were ruling it. Today, Sudeep N is the most read and sold novelist from Random House Publication, the 2nd biggest Publisher in India. Chetan Bhagat's last novel came almost 3 years back. Sudeep Nagarkar utilized this period in making his own benchmark by publishing each of his novel at the gap of 8 months. Today, his readers wait for his next novel desperately. Interestingly, he is improving with every book of his. He is already 4 novels old.

ABOUT THE NOVEL:-

A story of one of the reputed Delhi based college music band!! Vikrant, Anamika and Yuvi will make you believe 'When your passion and purpose is greater than your fears, you find a way to overcome them. A story of Aditya will highlight the true aspects of life as in every boy’s life, there is a girl he’ll never forget and in every girl’s life, there is a boy she’ll never forget!!

All relationships should come with a precautionary warning: HANDLE WITH CARE

The final audition for Rajhans College’s prestigious music band brings together three contrasting personalities. Vikrant, a perfectionist, who believes there is only one perfect someone for you. Anamika, a free spirit, who stands up for what she believes is right. And Yuvi, a die-hard music lover, who can strum the guitar all night long and still wake up the next morning to drop off his girlfriend.

The three become close friends and start hanging out regularly. So how does Aditya, a stranger, become familiar to their lives? And what happens next?

"Sorry You’re Not My Type" is a true story that will redefine friendship, affection, and infatuation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:-

His all books are inspired from real life incidents and continue to top the bestseller charts. He was listed in ‘Celebrity Author of 2013’ by one of the biggest online portal Amazon. He was also awarded with ‘Youth Achievers award’ in 2013.

There are some average authors with whom I have a wonderful connect that I end up reading every book released by them and keep giving 3 or 3.5 out of 5 in my ratings. Confessedly, Sudeep Nagarkar, though a Bestseller since his first book, was considered an average writer to me, but not any more after reading his latest flick "Sorry You're Not my Type". I am finally proud of him the way he has scaled up with this book. What a performance! Incredible! It seemed as if I was reading one of those writers who build a story around characters and make their book look everyone's story and not of just one protagonist. This is what Sudeep unlocked with this one. Now, I would say it will become a pressure for himself to keep the expectations fulfilled of his readers in future.

When I started reading this book, I thought it would be same stuff of 3 friends in a rock band struggling to make their mark and splitting come later on and again collaborating together in the end and rocking the stage. But suddenly the book changes into something as divine as a love story, character of each person, association of everyone with each other, decisions, mistakes, correction, motivation and survival. Each and every word written to describe each and every scene is out of the box. I often accuse writers of downgrading themselves by highlighting few of their paragraphs and disappointing by not writing it as effective as needed. But every italic paragraph in this book leaves a mark in your brain. It clearly tells you how controlled you should be when you get emotional and possessive about someone.

Book covers just 2 years of life of these 3 friends and covers so much of philosophy and content in it that it feels you have read a book about how to value people through out your life. How a small trip changes every thing for these 3 friends and other 2 included is an astonishing experience. In the anti-climax and climax, with each sentence, Sudeep Nagarkar kept on raising his bar of standard and as I ended reading the last sentence, I wanted to call him and ask to write another book for me within an hour and send me as I wanted more of him. Even the way he described intimate moments between his characters is ravishing. A rape scene that is described as a theme at one moment is also explained as it contains whole life of a girl and unbelievably, that's the only piece I have read till date written to make me stand up and clap for the author's imagination, purity and excellence.

His first book got 3 from me, second got 2.5, third got 3.5 and now, his 4th book gets 4.5/5. YES! You hear it right. But Sudeep, be aware from now. I have high expectations from you in future.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Sunday, 2 March 2014

Interview with Anjaly Thomas, author of Almost Intrepid!!!

I got a wonderful opportunity to interview Anjaly Thomas. Do read it. You will enjoy.

1. How was it, Anjaly, writing a travel book, a concept which is not much popular in India? And that too, by a woman, it’s not even thought of.

I absolutely loved writing Almost Intrepid, for me it was like going on those journeys all over again. Travel is getting popular in India, although backpacking is a rather new concept. When writing write my experiences, I realized just how little information there was about backpacking in general – forget backpacking for a single Indian woman. I thought it best to lead by example.

2. Some of your descriptions are so wonderful that I wish I can go for traveling to some place with you. Am I allowed? If its yes, what would be your tips to me?

As you read in the book, it is about (me) a solo Indian woman backpacking around the world, climbing mountains and trekking in jungles – but the one essential component is that (she) is always alone. So, I guess, joining me on a journey is a bit off the mark – plus you might end up hating the way I travel.

3. What is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

Being an author is always a great feeling because you have breathed life into every word in the book. I have written other books before, like Lonely Planet guides etc, but this is special because it is my own experience – and I created each of those experiences.

It is true there are very few female travel writers, but let’s hope someone who has read Almost Intrepid will one day be inspired to write and travel as well.

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

When I sat down to write, it took me about 6 months from start to finish. It was like cramming years of travel in 220 pages but I had as much fun writing it. Each page I wrote brought back smiles.

5. How did you develop the confidence of publishing your photographs in almost every chapter? Was it to attract male readers like me? (just kidding)

I think the credit goes to my publishers (Konark, New Delhi) for taking a bold new step with this book. There is only so much you can stretch your imagination when it comes to reading a travel book – but have one pic, you will see how it changes everything. So that’s what we did. I think it was a brilliant idea. Having a picture also shows the author just as any other normal person. You don’t need to imagine what it is to be like eating a tarantula – you just see it, smile and perhaps give it a try.

6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

I guess patience pays! I am not sure about how hard it is, but I can this for sure – if you have a good story, people are willing to read 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?

Getting the love of readers, of course – I really would love to see more people backpacking, living it up and not sticking to an established method of traveling out of a suitcase.

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

Soon. I can’t tell you all that will be in it just yet – but it is definitely as interesting as the first. I’d say wait for it. Let me not kill your surprise for you.

The One You Cannot Have by Preeti Shenoy (Book Review- 4.9*/5)!!!

There are few authors whom I pick without thinking twice. As soon as I come to know that they are out with their new book, I pre-order even if the book is not in my budget. Preeti Shenoy is one of those authors undoubtedly. Since her first book, I am in touch with all the 4 books that she has written till date. And seriously speaking, all the books are so perfectly written that I wish I could write even a bit of what she writes. I still don't understand why Preeti Shenoy's last 3 books didn't do better than "Life is what you make it" even when they were at par with the first successful novel by her. Well, talking about her latest 270-pages novel- "The One You Cannot Have", I must say that if ever there would be an IPL-auction-kind-of-a-thing, I will surely have Preeti Shenoy in my team even if I'll have to sell all my valuable assets. :-) If you will ask me to define this book, I would say, I started reading it with enthusiasm, then the book made me fall in love with it. As soon as I ended reading the last word of the book, I thought that's the zenith up to which I can love it but when I closed it and read the TITLE of the book again, it was then that love jumped levels high and I understood how the whole book rotated around the sole purpose of "The One You Cannot Have" and there's no limit up to which I love this book.

SYNOPSIS:-

How long does it take to heal a broken heart? Can you ever forget that one perfect relationship you had? Anjali knows who she wants, she wants Aman. Aman too knows who he wants, he wants Shruti. Shruti and Aman were once inseparable. Theirs was a love that would last forever and more. Then, out of the blue, Shruti left Aman. A devastated Aman moved abroad in the hope of forgetting Shruti and to heal. Shruti married Rishabh. Now Aman is back in India and looking for a fresh start. But he is still haunted by memories of his love. Can he ever break free from it? His head tells him to move on, to find love with Anjali, but his heart wont listen. No matter what he does, Shrutis shadow looms large. Can there be a happily-ever-after for any of them? A straight-from-the-heart modern-day romance of unrequited love, of complicated relationships and about moving on when you realise that there will always be the one you cannot have

About the Author:-

Preeti Shenoy, is among the best-selling authors in India (Source Nielsen scan) weaves magic with her words and pictures. An extremely talented and versatile individual, her Twitter bio reads: “Best-selling Author, Artist specializing in pencil portraits, Poet, Yoga-Buff, Ex-basketball player, Blogger, Dobe-owner, Nature lover, Ted X speaker and a Mother."

Coming to Preeti Shenoy, she has maintained the resistance that her writing style has. Right from the first sentence, you get a feeling that you are reading one of her best works. Every story of the authoress has characters that does bad with some or the other person but still, you can not point one among them and put all the blame on him/her. And that's the most interesting part about all the stories that she has written till date. She has given a totally new meaning to the "Love Story" book shelves in India. She has become a standard in the genre she writes in so much that any female author's book I read, I judge her on the scale of Preeti Shenoy and then, give the ratings. Hope the golden touch in her writings and imaginations stay.

I love the concept of making every character speak in first person as it gives various dimensions to the story. Book starts with the introduction of all the characters and their current state of life. The great thing is that the same state continues till the anti-climax of the book(almost) but still it does not bore readers even for a second. I was shocked when Rishab suddenly asks Shruti about Aman. Deepika trying to woo Aman is so sensuously written that the writers who describe sex minutely in their book will be ashamed to know that there's a way of saying it all in an innocent yet horny way. I loved the 3-4 articles written by Anjali in her magazine. They are so catchy that it reminded me about the authoress being one of the regular bloggers among the writers herself. :-) I loved Shruti's character the most. The real fun in Anjali's story begins once when she is been ignored by Aman. Later on, I loved the whole scenario of Shruti and Aman's meeting which was kept so real and classy. I loved that in the climax no one gets ditched or isolated.

The view about men that the female characters of Preeti Shenoy states lets male know what all they should change in themselves. I appreciated the paragraph where it is mentioned that the problem with men is that they don't express themselves initially and later on, move on without even explaining the reason or trying once again for relationship to work. This is extremely right but largely unnoticed. Preeti's open take in the book about not forgetting the first love made me look in to my own life and relationship which scared me like hell. But the way she has given moral to this whole thing in the end is why this book will remain in my RECOMMENDING LIST for a long time. The only drawback I found was the first part of Anjali's story. Her character only gets alive in the book after 2nd part. Rest, everything is perfect. I give this book an undisputed 4.9/5.

Thanks a lot.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!