It's All About Books!!!

Sunday, 1 May 2016

Marry Me, Stranger by Novoneel Chakraborty (Book Review- 4*/5) !!!

Novoneel Chakraborty is a brilliant writer and I am glad that I have been able to read each of his books. He is one of the few Indian pulp-fiction writers who has great command on the language which makes his novel a great reading experience. You can easily complete any of his books in a single sitting itself. This time I picked his most-talked about book- The Book 1 in "The Stranger Trilogy" which is named "Marry Me, Stranger". Though I had this book with me for last 1.5 years but I didn't read it as I have the habit of reading trilogies only after it's last part is released. I am an impatient personality, after all. Haha! After completing this book, I can only say that Novoneel is one of the few authors like Ravi Subramanian who keeps improving with his every book. And this one is clearly another feather in his cap.

The language and narration that Novoneel uses to tell his story is very simple yet so authentic and beautiful that you find it very literary. And even though his book deals with love story as a foundation of the premises, he doesn't restrict the story to the tale of two lovers only. He always add that punch in his books which makes them special and talking about this book specifically, author has just mind-blown with each page. The suspense that he keeps almost till the last page skews a reader in you as initially you die to know why a "stranger" is troubling the protagonist and later on, you almost kill yourself while reading as fast as you can to know who actually the stranger is. And the way anti-climax and climax is written, you almost get surprised with an unexpected twist looking into your face. And the book ends at a very great moment that will not let you sleep until and unless you do not start reading the second book in the trilogy. Philosophical lines in between are the icing on the cake.

In his 5th book, Novoneel has given great description of each character which makes it easy for you to understand psyche of each one of them. It helped this thriller wonderfully as you know which characters are going to support the protagonist up to what level. And that makes it more interesting for a reader to keep guessing who the stranger is. Though at a point of time, you start feeling that it's kind of ghost who's behind the protagonist but still you want to know why exactly is it behind the protagonist. Right from the first page to the last, Novoneel keeps this book powerful enough to make the reader read it without a blink of an eye. For me, this is one of the best work of Novoneel till now. I am rating it 4 stars out of 5. All of his last 4 books have received 3.75* each from me. Finally, for me, Novoneel has taken his writing to the next level with this book. I am going to start reading The Book 2 in the Stranger trilogy from tomorrow.

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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

jangshersingh.com by Vishal Bhatia (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

When you pick up a book to read on a weekend, it needs to be special. Hence, I always pick a Bestseller to make sure that my weekend is not wasted. This time, I picked up an Indian debutante, Vishal Bhatia's first book, named "jangshersingh.com". The title is unique but I was very skeptic about the plot and writing style of the author initially. But as I progressed reading it, I found that author has surely invested a lot of time in making this book as perfect as possible. I am glad to find a book without any grammatical and spelling mistake by an Indian debutante after a very long time. The book has been edited well. And even though the book is almost 350 pages, it keeps you excited till the end.

jangshersingh.com is a sports fiction novel and any book that's based on sports need a very well paced description of the minute details happening during the play. Vishal has been able to capture those moments very well in this book which makes the second half of this book something which you will never ever forget if you are a reader looking out for segments which makes you jump in excitement. The masterstroke in the game of lawn tennis happens in a blink of eye and writing those sequences could have been a challenge even for an experienced writer and a debutante managing it so well is impressing. The best USP of this book has been the characterization of the legend players against whom Jangsher plays in the Grand Slam. You can actually imagine the backdrop and personality of each player. Kudos!

The first half is little boring when the whole story revolves around how two boys are trying to get their car back from a brutish thief. It becomes unexciting after a point of time. But initially the way Jangsher's character has been developed and how he adapts a furious personality in the court is also done perfectly. The emotional scenes are also heart-touching and you can feel for the protagonist each time he goes through a tragedy.

Coming to the drawback of the book, I found the language very difficult to adapt initially because it's written more in western style than Indian. Also, writer has chosen to write big sentences sometimes which makes it hard for the reader to read in flow. I would suggest him to keep sentences short and crisp. Rest, if second half is 100 then on that scale I would rate first half of the book only 50. There shouldn't be such fluctuation in quality of narrating scenes. Rest, this book is amazing. You will surely start following tennis in case you have not been following in all these years after reading this book. And I am very keen to check out what this author is going to try in his second book as he surely possesses some great writing skills. I give this book 3.75* out of 5.

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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

The Sialkot Saga by Ashwin Sanghi (Book Review: 4.75*/5) !!!

There are only few sensible fiction authors in India whom you can name whenever people are ridiculing you over the fact that you do not read foreign authors. The first three names that can save you from humiliation are Amish Tripathi, Ravi Subramanian and Ashwin Sanghi. The eager wait for each of their book cannot be described in words. I am just done reading Ashwin Sanghi’s latest release, “The Sialkot Saga” which is almost 600 pages and I am glad that it has turned out to be the book worth waiting for. As obvious, right from the first page, this book attracts you towards itself and doesn’t let you think about anything else until and unless you are done with its last page. Unfortunately, I have not been able to complete this book in a single sitting but I would like to say even when I took break while reading this book, I didn’t forget name of a single character. That’s how much interesting every character in this book are even when they have a small role to play.

Once again, Ashwin Sanghi have chosen to tell two stories- one based in history and another one between the year ranges of 1947-2010. This time, he has chosen to go Jeffrey Archer way than Dan Brown and he seems to have succeeded in it undoubtedly. Though, there’s nothing like suspense for which you’ll keep on turning the pages but the narration of the story is done so splendidly that you will find it hard to keep the book aside. The real incidents are used to build up the premises which is the USP of this book. Even the real characters like Atal Bihari Vajpayee are used to make the story look more significant. The book consists of all the dramas- business, competition, politics, wars, partition, Bollywood, sports, underworld, family, science, history, crime, etc. Like the Bollywood movie “Mausam”, author have set many of his sub-plots with some real tragic incidents such as Godhra incident, 9/11, 26/11 etc. Thankfully, he manages to handle it with his wit and creative writing skills.

The kind of research and study that Ashwin Sanghi must have gone for writing this book can be easily deciphered in every 10 pages. The last few pages reflects how he challenges himself to write something that people won’t even expect from him. And this acts as an added value for the reader. Coming to few drawbacks, I feel that the title of the book didn’t do much justice as Sialkot have very less to do with the story. Similarly, I feel that few pages could have been edited as they didn’t provide much boost to the story. Again, the usage of real-life characters aren’t used but kept as cameos in book. They should have been used somewhere in an important junction of the story which could have added more power to it. Anyways, this is a book which shall always stay in my Recommended List as it has everything which a reader dreams from a new book. I give this book undisputed 4.75* out of 5.

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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Sunday, 13 March 2016

The Prince of Patliputra by Shreyas Bhave (Book Review- 4*/5) !!!

Reading historical fictions have become a new habit for me considering the number of books releasing in this genre these days. Greatest fact to know is that almost all the writers in this genre are of younger generation who are either in college or just passed out of it. Shreyas Bhave is the newest one to release his book in this genre with his first book in the Asoka Trilogy named "The Prince of Patliputra". He is just 21 years old and studying in an Engineering college. The book is almost 400 pages thick and this young debutante should be applauded for his work. Not even once did I feel that an experienced hand was needed to write this book. He has given his 100% which is quite reflective in each and every chapter that you'll read in this thrilling story based on the history of Asoka.

Shreyas Bhave's command on the language is great which makes the reader in you very happy about it. Trilogy is the new cool in Indian publishing market since the emergence of Amish Tripathi. But not all authors are doing justice to it. I am glad to find Shreyas understanding the concept and choosing a perfect plot for each of his book. The sequence at which the first part has ended gives you enough impatience to read the next one. Not many trilogies are making you feel like that. The way the author have carved each of the characters tells you how creative he is. Though the history has been read by us during school time, yet you do not feel it boring when you read it through Shreyas's eyes.

Coming to the book, the initial chapters are little confusing and you find yourself trapped in it. You want to finish the book earliest so that you can move out of the jail. But as the purpose of the book starts becoming clear about 50-70 pages or so, you start getting addicted to it. The political strategies, wars, military experiences, battles and everything that is discussed adds charm to the story. The way Chandragupta Maurya and Asoka's story runs parallel makes it easy for you to understand why Asoka is considered to be the perfect successor to his grandfather. Also Chanakya's character win you over with its own charm and wit. Radhagupta's character is also well-justified. The mention of Alexander in the flashbacks also comes like a fresh air to us. Overall, the book is a clear winner except few spelling errors. I give it 4 stars out of 5. Hats off, Shreyas.

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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Monday, 1 February 2016

The Ribbon Trap by Shine Syamaladevi (Book Review: 2.75*/5) !!!

I am just done reading the 7th book of the year in the first month itself and I am quite happy with the speed I am about to complete my year's target of 60 books. I hope I achieve it without any further hurdles in this odyssey of reading. This time I picked up the debutante Shine Syamaladevi's The Ribbon Trap publishing by LiFi publication. The book is 271 pages thick but the disappointment is its price tag which is Rs. 295/-. In the country where even famous pulp authors like Chetan Bhagat and Durjoy Datta sell their book at Rs. 130, publication should think it 10 times before sticking such a price tag to a debutante work. It affects the author's career.

Well moving ahead, The Ribbon Trap begins with a sweet journey showing the two protagonists in a great relationship of love where the male is keeping care of the female as she is going through some problem related to depression and trauma. The sweetness gets interrupted when the author takes us in to the flashback because of which the girl, Smita, have reached this situation in a hospital where she in unable to remember her past properly. The flashback isn't any interesting until the 100th page or so when the real story begins on which the whole book has set its premises upon. The interest level continues until some 200th page or so and then the narration becomes very weak and the pre-climax isn't as interesting as a reader expects after reading some 100 pages of great page-turner value.

Shine has a fine command over the language which makes his narration pretty simple. The characterization of Smita is done wonderfully but I feel that he lacked when it came to giving importance to other character in the story. But I liked the author's effort in taking a risk of writing such a complex story in his first attempt itself rather than doubting his caliber. The twist that he suddenly brings in the flashback and the way he continued it by taking the story further from the present was interesting.

Coming to the drawbacks of this book I would say that because author isn't very great in the language, sometimes he is at loss of words in describing or narrating a scenario. Also there are many grammatical mistakes which are unavoidable. I can only advise the debutante author to read more books, understand how sentences are formed, generally the ones which are part of a conversation between characters. And read as many thriller books as possible because he has an inclination towards it. It would be great to read a thriller again from the author with better sentence formations, twists, turns and pre-climax where I found him a little lacking this time. I give this attempt 2.75* out of 5.

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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

Saturday, 30 January 2016

Sheeja Jose: "I worked almost 20 hours every day without any holiday"!!! (Interview)

Sheeja Jose is one of the rarest authors who work hard on their books and writing skills which has led two of her books getting released within the time frame of an year. Not many author opens up in interview as Sheeja has done and I really appreciate the way she have answered each and every question. And yes, let me add, she is one of the beautiful authoress out there. Now you can go ahead towards reading this interview. Haha!

1. Sheeja Jose, how has been your journey from last year to this year as a writer and publishing two novels in such a short time?

In one word – tough! In detail, it was a great journey. I worked almost 20 hours every day without any holiday. Goodbye Girl and Gone with the Bullet were tough ones. Writing the first draft was always enjoyable. It’s such a pure joy of the journey. But real work happens after the first draft. I could have taken it bit slow but I wanted both the books in the same year. I have to admit, I have learned so much more in the last year than I have in my previous ten years in this industry. Uncovering the world of crime and unravelling layers of shocking and sad details has made me a better human. I met some wonderful people in this journey. They are still part of my life and writing like S. Hussain Zaidi, Merlin Joseph and Mohan Nadar.... I would have never met them if it wasn’t for my book. Hussain Zaidi made a huge impact in my life and my approach to writing. I cherish every pearl of wisdom I have learnt from him. My friends Shridhar Raghavan and Arijit Biswas stood behind me like rocks. Merlin sacrificed her holidays for reading and re-reading Gone with the Bullet. Friends like Ketan Sadani and Navneet Choujar were there being in two different time zone. They showed me the value of friendship. I have many more names who contributed in a different way to this books and my writing journey. Yes, I earned every one of these experiences and for that, for them, I am eternally grateful.

2. We have found a basic trend in both of your novels that it had something to do with a female protagonist but still didn't have much of feminine touch to it. Tell us something about this.

My protagonists are teenagers in both the books. Well, they were like any other girl growing up, they were protected and loved by their families and were falling in love with boys and figuring out the sexual curiosity they face at that age. Then something happens; life changes, their dreams shatter, their survival becomes their priority. This world is not for pacifists. I wish I could say otherwise. Let me tell you a small example. If anyone grew up in a joint family or for those who have siblings you know the smartest one always gets whatever he/she wants. In schools, the soft spoken boys and girls always face the bullying. As they grow competition is tough, only the aggressors or the go getters march ahead. This is not something new. We all know ‘Survival of the fittest’. Our concept of evolution is based on this. Only 1 in 14 million ejaculated sperm reaches the fallopian tube and fuses with the egg and becomes a life. Now you know what I mean. My protagonists eventually shed their vulnerable feminine approach and tears. They chose a grimy path and stick with it. They are intelligent, smart and better than the rest. However we can see that they still have emotion, longing for love and affection. They miss their family. They still dream to be protected by a man, sleeping next to him holding, him tight. But that’s not where their priorities lie.

3. Your first book was almost 400 pages while your 2nd novel is also above 300 pages. How do you manage to write long stories in such a short period of time?

I worked every single day. I haven’t travel out of Maharashtra in a year and a half. I didn’t have any festivals or bank holidays. I hardly met my friends during this time. I couldn’t devote time for the movie script assignment I was signed for. I returned my signing amount and, luckily, another one got delayed. I left my handsomely paid Creative Director job. All I did was writing and publishing.

4. Tell us something about what inspired you to write "Gone with the bullet"?

My first book Goodbye Girl was an unusual revenge drama. I explored the psyche of the victims and criminals alike. It opened a very brutal world where we are scared to acknowledge facts that are as real as you and me. It spooked many. Then when I wanted to write the second book, I wanted to look at crime in a less dense way. At the same time, I wanted the book to be a psychological analysis of looking at crime through a different angle. I was challenging my own ability to write one of those kinds. It was a risky approach, not usual for Indian writing and probably even for international writing.

5. How did you associate with Whitewall Publishers? And how has been your collaboration with them till now?

Until the Gone with the Bullet book launch very few of my friends knew that Whitewall Publishers was started by me. Becoming a publisher was never in my to-do list. It all happened during one of my meetings with a top publishing team in India. Goodbye Girl was submitted to Penguin for publishing though I had the slightest hope they would pick something up from an aspiring author. To our surprise, that’s what happened. In the first week of reading it, they asked to meet me in Mumbai. I was on cloud nine. My friends celebrated, and we were anxious about the next step. Then their chief editor suggested some changes. They wanted the girl’s journey without a family back ground. They were excited about the intelligent plotting in the manuscript. But I wanted her to be one like a next door girl who grown up in a perfect family as a perfect child. Then I told them “Sorry, I don’t want to change.” It shocked them. My friends all proclaimed how stupid I was. I was stupid. But I had a great feeling about Goodbye Girl and I wanted to keep her alive as the way I gave birth to her. My ignorance of the complication of getting a book out helped me too. Once I got into it did I realised the amount of work and money I needed to start a publishing house. But I enjoyed the process. I learned a thousand things. I met wonderful people who influenced me in my life and writing. In short, when I look back, though still it was a stupid decision, I am happy. I am glad that I can help other new authors in a small way. Two books in a year from new authors is my next target.

6. When are you coming up with your 3rd novel and if possible, can you please give us some insight about it.

In 2016 for sure. It’s a romantic story. I have a beautiful title of the book  I will start writing next month. I need a break now, desperately.

7. How was the launch of "Gone with the Bullet"? How are you associated with renowned journalist, S Hussain Zaidi and critically-acclaimed movie maker, Sriram Raghavan?

I can’t be more grateful. I had the best names associated with crime next to me, though it still gives me butterflies. I was really nervous about being on the stage with them. These are the people I look up to and adore. So imagine my situation! And everyone who came for the launch made my day. It was a huge turn out beyond my imagination. Though we had the launch at the Oberoi mall, we couldn’t accommodate them and they stood through the whole event. That was so kind of them and very encouraging for a new author. Then the shock of my life came in the form of Chief Guest S. Hussain Zaidi. I have no idea what my chief guest and special guest were going to say. Everyone knows Zaidi is a veteran crime journalist and the bestselling author of many crime books and many movies under his belt and above all a proud Penguin Publisher. I met Mr. Zaidi and his team when Penguin picked up Goodbye Girl to publish. It was he who gave me the insight of the book world. I was completely new in this industry. I was so glad to see my favourite author as publisher too. Then the changes suggestion came from the chief editor in Delhi and I decided to go ahead with as the way it is. However, I was so blessed he still encouraged my writing. When I got stuck with the publishing and writing, I had Mr. Zaidi to look up to. He was generous in parting his wisdom and encouraged me to write better. When he explained this in his speech, I was overwhelmed. It showed us just how great a human being he was. He appreciated my determination then, and that is why he was there at the launch. I can never thank him enough.

I have known the Raghavan brothers and their family for over a decade now. As I don’t have my family here, I can say, they have really made up for it. They are all well read, motivated to do wonderful things in life and have a loving and adorable mother who reads my books as well as helps me with my writing. Shridhar Raghavan, Shivam Nair, Arijit Biswas, are those three people I send anything I write to first and then Merlyn Joseph. I narrate the stories in details to Mr. Zaidi in between his busy schedule. I valued their suggestions. I think I am blessed to have great people in my life. Still one has to find her/his own way. They can’t write for you. They all can just guide you.

8. You looked very hot and beautiful and looked no less than any Bollywood actress at your launch. What do you do to remain fit and maintain an ideal figure?

I am blushing now. Thank you, that’s a bonus compliment anyone would like to hear. I eat without worrying about my figure. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs. And I of course I inherited it too. So thanks to my parents.

9. What are your dreams as a writer and where do you see yourself after 10 years?

Nothing can give me as much happiness writing has given me. I loved the journey with my characters. I see writing more books without worrying about genres; though crime is my favourite. And I see myself directing the movies written by me. After ten years, I see myself travelling more, developing the habit of reading, writing books, making movies, and supporting aspiring writers and movie makers. I tell Mr. Zaidi, his approaches to new authors and the support he showers on them gives me a reason to give back the same to others and be a better person.

10. Any words for your fans who are the reason behind your books' success.

Thanking would be just taking away my gratitude I have in my heart for them. Without them, me or any authors would never be inspired to write because it is a long and lonely journey. Only you can keep us going ahead. Pick up the email id, write to them even if love their book or hate it. You have no idea how much it will help us. It helped me immensely. It gave me a reason to write better, and to write more. Only love and hugs.

https://twitter.com/sheejasthoughts ( though i have hardly any here :)

https://www.facebook.com/sheeja.jose.96

sheejajose.com

whitewallpublishers.com

Sunday, 24 January 2016

Gone With The Bullet by Sheeja Jose (Book Review: 3.75*/5) !!!

I am just done reading 6th novel of the new year and what can be the better way to celebrate your weekend than sitting with a book for hours. Isn't it? This time I picked up Sheeja Jose's 2nd book "Gone with the Bullet" which is published by the Whitewall Publisher. This 318 pages thick book is a crime thriller about how a girl falls in love with the man who might be her father's killer. It's always wonderful to read a thriller written by a female author because there's already many men in this genre releasing book one after another. Last time, Aarti Venkatraman surprised me with her "Kingdom Come" and I can surely say that Sheeja Jose is another competitive author in our Indian market.

The writing style of the authoress is wonderful and she narrates her story very well. The best that I found in this book has been the way the past life of each character is intertwined perfectly and the way it has its reflection in their present behaviour in the social circle. Even though the book stays on its main plot but still the characters are built with each chapter and you can understand what's going in mind of each one of them. Also the curiosity of what shall happen in the end stays with you as a reader which makes this book a great page-turner. Author have researched well therefore the technical terms that she have used for explaining the backdrop of shooters, terrorists and police force is worth-reading.

Initially, it is hard to get into the flow of the story because the way the first chapter begins isn't reader-friendly but once 60-70 pages are done, we start getting used to the author's unique way of narration and start enjoying the story of two couples simultaneously. Also, Mark begins to get over you and becomes the favorite character by the middle of the book. And the final section when the task has to be executed is also well-written and you are surprised by the turn of events. Though it had become predictable at one point of time that who among the protagonists would ultimately do that final task in the climax but still the whole scenario is worth reading and experiencing.

Coming to the drawback: I felt that the author stretched the story for almost 40-50 pages. Even after the climax when the suspense starts getting unfolded to us, it takes almost 50-70 pages and you are made to read the same scenes again with a different angle which is interesting in the beginning but starts irritating after a while and you want to skip the pages even when you want to know how exactly the real player ended up ruining everyone's plan. Also, as I have said it above, the initial chapters aren't reader-friendly which could have been written little better. Author have failed in narrating the first 50 pages and the last 50 pages of the book. Rest, it is a wonderful book which should be read if you are into thrillers. Just for this I am cutting 0.25 stars from my rating which is 3.75* out of 5. But Sheeja Jose is one of the better Indian authors away from the mediocrity that we are finding in bookshelves daily.

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ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!