It's All About Books!!!: February 2015

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Bad Romance by Harshita Srivastava (Book Review-3.75*/5)!!!

After reading few mediocre-quality books, the latest book of Harshita Srivastava named "Bad Romance" came like a breathe of fresh air. The tagline of the book says "Love, Lies and Betrayals". The cover page of the book is very soothing. Though the title seems to be cliche but after reading the book, you will understand why it is named so and how it is better than other romantic stories being published by Indian authors. I am stunned by the quality of the story written by Harshita at this age. Reading this book has been a wonderful experience and it is one of the most special books I have read recently. I found a touch of Durjoy Datta and Preeti Shenoy's writing in Harshita's Bad Romance. I haven't read her first book but after this, I am looking forward to her future works.

A very simple character based story tells about different emotions a girl goes through in a relationship where she isn't treated like a princess as every girl dreams. But for the sake of love, she is quiet and keeps suffering all the tortures. Suddenly, she starts getting attracted towards her best friend and finds herself sharing some wonderful quality moments with him. Both of them decides to come together but yet again she finds challenges coming in this new relationship. She is still together with her first boyfriend and this makes the whole thing more complicated for her. And then comes a twist which changes every thing in her life and she takes a step that not every girl in India would possibly take.

Such a beautiful and complex character-based story is written in a very easy and good language. You will find each and every word placed at the right spot which makes your reading journey more special. The command that the authoress have on the language is commendable. She makes you feel the journey of the protagonist as if it is your own tale. At different moments, even you want to meet her boyfriend and beat the hell out of him. You feel bad when she starts failing in her new relationship too. The best part about the book is that author have kept conversations as less as possible and narration as much as possible. The climax makes you weep strongly and I wanted Harshita to write more to make us know what happened later in the story. After turning the last page, "Waah!" came out of my mouth unknowingly and that speaks a lot about the kind of book this is. I feel like personally meeting the author and telling her how beautiful her writing is. It is that kind of a work. I give the book 3.75* out of 5. Recommended!

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Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Thursday, 19 February 2015

hey Dad! meet my Mom by Sandeep Sharma/Leepi Agrawal (Book Review-2.5*/5)!!!

A book with title like "hey Dad! Meet my mom" is surely going to develop an interest in you. Considering the same, I picked up this book written by Sandeep Sharma and Leepi Agarwal. I have been knowing Sandeep from a long time through his book reviews and videos that he used to release once upon a time. I always believe that the bloggers who are reviewing books are mediocre writers and therefore when they find a book with unimaginable creativity and in better language than their own, they rate it highly and the one they feel are poorer than what they can themselves attempt, they rate it badly. I believe that even if I'll try very hard my book won't be better than 2.5 stars considering the concept of mediocrity with which I associate every book reviewer with. :-) And I found the same about Sandeep while reading Hey Dad Meet My Mom.

The language of the authors is very simple and anyone who have just started reading novels will like reading this book. I liked that authors kept the book of 155 pages only because nothing new could have been done with the story if it had been thicker by 100 more pages. Initially, the arrival of Rishi does create an interest and I am happy that he is taken off from the story at the right moment as it starts irritating after a time. The flashback of Puneet's life came as a surprise and it develops an interest to read what exactly happened that's causing the traumatic experience in the protagonist's present life. Though I wish if it could have been written from a third person's voice. It would have suited the plot more. I felt in the climax that the concept which the authors are asking us to believe is a mere stupidity but when I searched on Internet about the few references that they have mentioned, I tried to accept the story. Though I am not completely satisfied but still I am not fully dejected by it.

I liked the way authors have tried to introduce a twist periodically to keep the readers intrigued and therefore I rate this book as average. A little mistake could have brought this book in a very bad light. It is surely a page turner as you want to know what exactly is about to get unfolded in the end. I just felt that the limitation of vocabulary and command in English language didn't let the authors express the emotions of each character as they wanted to. Similarly, I didn't find any conversation in sync just because of the same reason- the sentences' formation used to construct the emotions. Rest, I would say an average attempt. It is for the ones who believe in love blindly. I give it 2.5*.

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Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Via Delhi by Sabi Shaikh (Book Preview)!!!

The country that is proud of its "Unity in Diversity" is just a myth. Is love a deal between two religions or a pure relationship between two individuals? Saifuddin Khan was a Sunni Muslim boy who was pursuing his MBA and resided in the city of Nawabs, Hyderabad where as Mridu Bhattacharya was a Bengali Brahmin girl who was preparing for her BBA entrance exams and hailed from the beautiful city of Dehradun. Destiny strikes and they meet in the early morning hours one day in a very unusual manner and they become each others moral support in no time.
Will their love story survive this ride or will it break down?Will this twisted Love story actually prove to be greater than any religion or will the Char log kya kahenge factor murder their love story?Who will be victorious in this Romantic, Bizarre, Rollercoaster Journey?

Thanks. And Sorry as the review had to be taken down due to some serious reason.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Monday, 16 February 2015

Bizarre Emotions by Piyush Naik (Book Review-3.75*/5)!!!

Being a reviewer is one of the toughest jobs as you have to work with the same people still you go on scrutinizing their works and criticizing them. Frankly speaking, I hate it because sometimes I have to be very rude to make the author know what went wrong. I remember I gave very rude review to Abhishek Agrawal for his debut book and I was surprised to see the transformation in his 2nd book. The history has repeated itself but this time with Piyush Naik. I gave his first book that he wrote at the age of 18 just 1 star, unfortunately. I am just done reading his 2nd book named "Bizarre Emotions" and .... Well, read my review to know how bizarre my emotions are at the moment...

Let's start with the cover page. One of the best cover pages I have seen in the recent times. Let people quote it as many times but a book is picked only if its cover page is interesting otherwise there's no other way a book can be judged without reading it. Isn't it? Then, the synopsis even when it states that the three protagonists are 18 and 19 years old; still creates an urge to read about them without assuming that the story would be the same- love, break-up, patch-up thing. Somewhere, the author has managed to tell you that this is different and better. So, Piyush managed to keep the trailer as best as possible that will surely ensure more readers than he already had.

The book is romantic thriller and I totally enjoyed my experience of reading it. I have completed it in one sitting. Piyush's command in the language has improved marginally. The lucidity in every sentence impresses you and makes your reading pace faster. That's the sign of a mature writing when the language and narration does not irritate you. The way story starts at an event and the way Piyush takes us back into the lives of each character separately is wonderfully executed. Even the romantic scenes and the way twists and turns happen in everyone's life is justifying and different. After that, the way story proceeds forward creates an urge in you to know how these teen boys and girl will take revenge against their school principal who had ruined their life for his self-benefit, lust and greediness. The last scene when many secrets are revealed shocks and surprises you and that's when you want to put your hats off for this 20 years old author for writing something as incredible as this.

Coming to the few drawbacks:- I found the prologue and epilogue quite an imitation of Chetan Bhagat's way of writing. Be yourself, Piyush. You have immense talent in you. The spelling mistakes and grammatical errors became a distraction after a point of time. I am disappointed as to why repeated proof-reading wasn't done. The anti-climax when the 3 characters plan their revenge against the principal could have been much better. But it's still satisfying. The biggest thing that wasn't digestible and justifiable to me was the riding of BMW and SUV cars by the teenage boys. This is India and you just can't identify yourself with such NRI-type characters. And the last one- Rasika should have been brought back in the story at least once. That character is just thrown away after an event that changes the mindset of the 3 protagonists.

Summarily, I would say a powerful attempt by a 20 years old boy when compared to some really matured Indian writers who are still unable to write a book with the same passion and plot. I can easily say that this book of Piyush Naik reminded me of Sudeep Nagarkar and Novoneel Chakraborty's books somewhere. And that's a big compliment. It's one of the best books read by me in the recent times and I wish Piyush Naik continues writing such terrific stories built out of passion, plot, love, friendship, tragedy, romance, revenge, vengeance, action, death and twists-and-turns. I give him 3.75*. It could have been 4 easily if the grammatical/spelling mistakes could have been avoided and anti-climax would have been written with little more action and suspense. Rest, I am impressed.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Friday, 13 February 2015

Decoding Life by Vikas Singal (Book Review-2.5*/5)!!!

This is the second work of Vikas Singal that I have just completed reading. 3 months back, I had read the e-book released by him which comprised of 3 small love tales. I had a complain that his stories were too short to communicate anything and I'm bit happy with the progress he made in this anthology named "Decoding Life". It comprises of 10 short stories which are based on different topics and it's surely better than his first attempt. Generally, with anthologies, you find that they aren't edited well but I congratulate Singal's publisher- Gargi who have assured that the book isn't badly formatted and grammatically incorrect.

The first story, Taxi Driver, shows how out of fear a girl runs away from a taxi driver when he halts for a few minutes. Later, author shows how all men are not the same. For me, the best story is "A Rain Kissed Tuesday". The emotions that this story carries is almost similar to what many Indian authors are doing with their 225-pages book. Author managed to do it in few pages itself. K N Laxman is another good story in the book which shows how people think everyone is selfish even if few people are genuinely good and caring. Glad That We Met is another story which will make you smile at few scenes. The Mistake serves its conclusion well. Two States is the worst attempt according to me. Author could not link the two situations together perfectly. I was expecting little masala from The Train but it ended being too sweet. Book ends with That Mystery Girl which is quite similar to Taxi Driver where author tries to tell how every girl isn't flirty and date-friendly.

The attempt by Vikas Singal is honest and you can find the same in every story. To release a book with 10 short stories by a single author is a wonderful idea but then it should be taken care of how many stories are par excellent. I found almost 70% of the stories mediocre. I was expecting little more length from the stories even this time. Author had a conclusion in his mind and he wanted to reach to it in as less words as possible. He should attempt long version of short stories now. But I genuinely liked 2-3 stories and they shall remain in my mind for days. My favorite is A Rain Kissed Tuesday, The Train and The Mistake. I give the book 2.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (Book Review-3.75*/5)!!!

I have read many articles in Hindustan Times written by Khushwant Singh along with few of his works that keeps getting circulated online. This is the first time when I have read any book of his. "Train to Pakistan" was gifted to me by a very special person and I can not thank her enough for taking me to a journey which has made me understand the state through which few people survived when partition took place while Independence. Though the book is fictional but the scenes it narrates makes you remember few incidents which has happened for real and have been read by us in History books for years. The way Khushwant Singh has written the book being unbiased and truthful makes it more special. There are many books written on the same topic but I am sure no one else would have written it as beautifully as he has.

Though the book can be called as a fictional work based in the times of partition but along with it, the author has also tried to give us some characters that can be well related with many people we see around us. The characterization is done so wonderfully that you can almost imagine what kind of a person each one of them are. It is shown how a person who is considered to be educated and expected to bring revolution could not do anything in the times of hardship. Similarly, another person who is treated badly throughout by government, policemen, girlfriend, villagers turns out to be the one who saves 1000s of life by putting his life at risk. Khushwant Singh has been successful in portraying how a true character of a person is showcased only when he is put into tough conditions and challenging situations.

"Train to Pakistan" is very beautifully written where Khushwant Singh has frankly talked about every small aspect of how the mentality affected the nation badly during partition. The whole village which was very soft and loving suddenly becomes violent and aggressive against a religion is a hard-hitting scene. The way government used to twist facts and take decisions according to their convenience is also openly discussed. There are many scenes where you will find yourself in it. That's how amazingly the author has scribbled this book and narrated each scene. I give the book 3.75 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Friday, 6 February 2015

It Happens for a Reason by Preeti Shenoy (Book Review- 4.25*/5)!!!

If there's one writer who have always impressed me with his/her writing each time he/she had released his/her work- It's Preeti Shenoy apart from Ravi Subramanian. Not even once did I rate any of her book below 4 stars. In fact, her last book "The One You Cannot Have" got 4.9* rating from me. That's almost perfect. This time, it took me long enough to read her latest book because of internship and college issues. But I finished reading "It Happens For A Reason" few hours ago and since then I am only thinking about its characters and emotional journey through which the book took me. I had plans of sleeping around 12 AM last night but her book made me wake till 4.30 AM. That's the power of Preeti Shenoy's writing and her stories. You just keep getting deep into it and find yourself in a meditative state after a point of time where you are concentrating only on the words written by the writer. With every breathe, you feel the emotion and feelings of protagonist and every other character attached with him/her.

IHFAR is a story about a girl who ends up getting pregnant before marriage while her modelling career is at zenith. She takes the decision of giving birth to her child while the boy, Ankush rejects her decision and even her parents decide to send her away from Mumbai. She is fine with all the rejection as the only thing that she wants is her baby. She names him Aryan. From here on wards, Preeti tells us about how she takes care of a 15 year old boy and how she struggles to earn whatever little bit she does. Also her past is been discussed as the emotional turmoil that disturbs Vipasha every day. Suchi is always there with her as moral support since childhood. What happens when one day Ankush returns back in her life? What happens when her parents who dejected her also contacts her? What happens when Aryan comes to know about his father? To find this answer, you will have to experience this roller-coaster ride yourself.

Preeti Shenoy once again writes in very fluid English which is surely going to impress the class that thinks Indian authors are only ruining the language and literature. From the point the book starts, the emotions that the protagonist Vipasha expresses makes you feel for her. There are few great scenes in the book which I don't think any other writer could have written it so well. The incident that takes place with the dogs, the love-making scene between Vipasha and Ankush, the final hospital moment when she gives birth to Aryan, the hug scene between the father and son and many more... I loved the equation between Vipasha and Suchi the most. I also liked how the author connects the story with a real incident where 24 children drowned in water in Himachal Pradesh. The last 20-30 pages are so emotional that I found myself controlling my tears every minute.

I give this book 4.25*. I want to give it 4.5* or more but because I feel Preeti Shenoy has just repeated herself again and not done something very new. I have already read a story from her where a mother is a single parent to her child and struggles to earn for him. I have already read in another book how a married lady gets back to her teen love/husband. I wished if a new base could have been used for this one but I'm still more than impressed. This book is a soul in itself. And if you haven't read Preeti Shenoy still, you will rate this book no less than 4.75*. Just do read this book. I felt so much love and respect for my mother after reading it. All thanks to Preeti mam for making me get into the shoes of all the women in my life and think about how they think of life. Only you can do this. EACH AND EVERY TIME. RESPECT!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck by Ashwin Sanghi (Book Review-4.5*/5)!!!

What happens when you a lot of efforts into something and still could not find yourself near success? The situation gets even more impatient when you find someone else with less seriousness and dedication winning it over you. The first thing that we do is blame our luck and abuse our God. Right? If you believe that luck plays its part in your success and failure and it isn't in your control but something that God has already written it for you, please go to a bookstore and pick up Ashwin Sanghi's first non-fictional attempt named "13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck". I have read only the last two books of Ashwin Sanghi and the kind of thrillers that he write, I was never expecting such kind of a non-fiction work by him. I had a conversation with him when he told me that he's writing a non-fiction and I thought it might become another wanna-be like Chetan Bhagat's What Young India Wants. But surprisingly, I am mind-blown and this book is surely going to change my life for sure.

After reading Robin Sharma's motivational books, I generally do not find another self-help books as interesting as his but I can definitely list this one in the list undoubtedly. I liked the topic that Ashwin Sanghi has chosen for writing in a genre that he never tried before. His language has been so friendly and amicably good that it will help even a 10th std child to read this book and take out something from it. Right from the first page, the pace that the author has picked up is adventurous and it does not end until the last word isn't scribbled. A reader will find it not only hard but impossible to keep this book unfinished. I completed it in one sitting though I want to read it once again part by part on daily basis.

This book surely has the potential of changing one's life and approach. The 13 steps that Ashwin has discussed as easy to implement and therefore this book is going to work with the masses. The examples that he has given on almost every page are so inspirational that you'll want to cut each of them and paste in on every wall of your home. From Facebook, Google, Flipkart, Whatsapp to Walmart, Ratan Tata, Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal to Amish Tripathi, Chetan Bhagat to Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan- Ashwin Sanghi has given every type of example to prove his point and make you believe that it's possible even for you. I also liked how he ended the book by discussing EQ and introducing LQ. The 14th step added in the end is also a wonderful post-climax.

The best part is that Sanghi kept the book short and didn't make it 500-pages thick as mostly motivational books are sidelined because of their over-description and case-studies. Also, at Rs. 100, this book is GOD. Yes! And Amazon is giving it for Rs. 50. If you even once cursed luck for your failure, do read this book as you will know how luck is in your own hands. And mind you, don't think that the point has been over-exaggerated in a theoretical manner. It's not. It's as genuine as our casual talks. Get the book. I rate it 4.5 out of 5. GO FOR IT!!!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Monday, 2 February 2015

How Sachin Destroyed My Life by Vikram Sathaye (Book Review- 4*/5)!!!

Frankly speaking, I didn't know even the name of Vikram Sathaye before reading this book. I do not know if I have been so clueless, lost, ignorant, naive or dumb but I seriously didn't know about his stand-up acts, commentary and comic timing before experiencing this awesome journey of 208 pages. "How Sachin Destroyed My Life" is the book I am talking about. It entered the Bestseller list at No. 7 in its first week of release itself. That's how interesting the title, introduction and face value of this book is! You know it's not just another book written on Sachin as it has foreword written by the Master Blaster himself. And the back cover-page has comments by Rahul Dravid and Harsha Bhogle. That's enough to pick this book up.

Starting with the review, I must say I totally agree with what Rahul Dravid has said for it. The book is funny and entertaining but it's also insightful and enlightening. I liked the starting of the book when in an autobiographical manner, Vikram starts telling about his early life and how his parents started giving examples of Sachin Tendulkar to show how irresponsible he behaves at the age of 16. Later on, even when he scores good runs, it gets compared with what Sachin scored on the same day. Somehow he understands that Cricket is not his cup of tea and goes on graduating and doing MBA like several kids do. He gets his first job and he happily announces his package at home. It again gets compared with the million dollar deal that Sachin agreed upon with a brand. The initial chapters makes you chuckle, giggle, smile and laugh out loud. The one-liners are amazing and every expression depicted and comparison made are excellent. Some of this even continues throughout the book at regular intervals.

I liked how the book is not only about its title but more about the facts related to Cricket and players that we do not know about. These are the things that are not even discussed in interviews or media reports. There are many unsaid stars behind making these players the legend in their own way. Vikram talks about people like Ramesh Mane who is popularly known as Mane kaka. He serves players with massage, acupuncture and various other activities that helps in helping their body recover from injuries and aches. Vikram also talks about what goes behind IPL and how junior cricketers can easily get influenced by money and sexy actresses around them. That segment surprised me a lot as I never expected this might be a reason behind indulging in match-fixings.

There are several chapters dedicated to the cricketers such as Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. Sathaye also explores the life of commentators, ex-cricketers, fans, statisticians like Mohandas Menon etc. In all, I would say this is a very good attempt and I doubt if any Cricket fan will dislike it. Recently, I read a book by Shamya Dasgupta that helped me get little more closer to what happens in Cricket that I could have ever known and after reading this book, I have equally liked Vikram Sathaye's attempt. The power and USP of this book is its potential in making you laugh and still informing you with substances that you will never hear from any Cricket Legend or IPL's new rising star. If you are a Cricket fan, this definitely deserves to be in your hand and if you are not, do read this as it might make you start following Cricket. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!