It's All About Books!!!

Monday, 4 September 2017

Immortal India by Amish Tripathi (Book Review- 4*/5) !!!

Taking just the name “Amish Tripathi” is itself self-explanatory and makes you appreciate the revolution and surprise that he brought in the Indian publishing market with his Shiva Trilogy which is still talked as if it got released last week. After publishing 5 fictional mythology books, Amish Tripathi has come out with his first non-fiction work named “Immortal India” which is a short read of less than 200 pages that can be read in a single sitting of less than 6 hours itself. I have been reading Amish Tripathi’s articles as published since his arrival in Indian book industry hence I know his non-fiction writing capabilities and the book wasn’t much a surprise to me. But for the folks who have read only his fiction books will enjoy reading this book by him and appreciate it as much as his fiction books.

Amish Tripathi has shared his newspaper articles, magazine pieces and several speeches that he delivered at best conclaves, debates and public appearances. The best part about all these articles is his straight-forwardness about the issues. Amish Tripathi does not shy away from speaking his mind irrespective of what religion he follows, which political party he endorses and whatever ideologies he believes in.

The book starts with the section- Religion & Mythology in which my favorite articles are about why the author adores Lord Shiva among all the Gods, The Purpose of God, Recasting mythology and the alternate ending of the Shiva trilogy. The next section is about the social issues our country is facing as of now where author has very rightly narrated about how LGBT issue is never said to be criminal in any of our scriptures. Another impactful chapter is about how religious conversion is negative and never churns anything productive out of it. Almost every chapter in this section is unbeatable and the choice of putting them in the book is commendable. The data shared regarding the difference between our country and others tell us about how great we really are and how wrongly we are projected in newspapers.

The section about history is something for which I would like to personally thank Amish Tripathi. He discusses those topics that people aren’t aware about even a bit. The best information for me has been the chapter State vs Centre where author discusses how the decentralized powers are better than a centralized arrangement. And the last section- Musings is the best closure to this non-fictional attempt which brings the readers closer to their favorite author. Overall, this is a wonderful attempt and I would wish to read many more non-fictional works from the author. Amish have stamped his mark even in this genre too. I give this book 4* out of 5. I am not giving it more because the articles are already on the public forum and hence something distinct was also expected from the book. Recommended!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Thursday, 31 August 2017

Forever Is A Lie by Novoneel Chakraborty (Book Review- 3.5*/5) !!!

Though Novoneel is one of my favorite Indian pulp-fiction writer, I, still, end up reading his books months after its release. This is the first time that it has happened that I have read the book in the same month of its publishing. I have just ended up reading another thriller by him named “Forever is a lie”. If any one of the Indian authors who has really enhanced his skills and showed vast improvement since his/her 1^st book, its none other than Novoneel. His books leave such an impact that even after you are done with it, you keep thinking about it. Same has been the case after reading FIAL. I am more impatient after reading it because the last three words of the book are “To be continued”. This is what I had not assumed that the book must be having a sequel otherwise I had waited for the whole part to release like I did at the time of Stranger trilogy.

Novoneel’s narration is perfect which makes the timeline understandable to the reader in spite of it being little messy in the beginning. The “Mean Monster” thing sounds quite cheesy and unrealistic but the way author handles it immediately before it pisses off the reader is great. The revelation of the real personality behind this name is what starts making this book magical. The chemistry between him and Prisha Srivastav, the protagonist of the book, is nicely portrayed in the movie and it all sounds genuine irrespective of the childishness of Prisha and maturity of the Mean Monster. The philosophical quotes shared in between of the story in voice of any of the characters are again why I love Novoneel’s books.

The suspense part that has still not revealed in this book is the only drawback of the book. A reader feels cheated when he is not told that the book is 1^st part of the many to come in future or the main revelation of this part of the story is also left for the 2^nd part of it. I felt the same in the climax when I didn’t get to know anything about a character that is kept hidden from the readers. Though I know that the 2^nd part will amaze me a lot, I had expected at least some conclusion with this book. Anyways, talking about the anti-climax and climax, it has been beautifully summed up with some fast-paced events which excite you. It is like an orgasm for the readers. Haha! I felt the first goose bump the moment a paragraph tells about something happening at Mean Monster’s home which is not done by him. That itself thrilled me. Rest of the book has just been plus after that. I give this book 3.5* out of 5 as of now because it didn’t deliver the conclusion. Looking out desperately for the 2^nd part of this book.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

7 Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik (Book review- 4*/5) !!!

Reading Devdutt Pattanaik’s books are such an eye-opener even for Hindus who believe that they know everything about their God and customs. I am just done reading the 2nd book of the Hindu Trinity Series which is named “7 Secrets of Vishnu”. The book is again written in the same format with each page consisting of a diagram/image and the opposite page consisting of texts related to the God in discussion. This book tries to decode the Lord Vishnu and the explanation behind many of his avatars and the thought process behind each of them. The importance of each of the avatars in the Hindu mythology has been discussed.

Devdutt Pattanaik has used a very simple language and assures that after the reader finishes the book, he remembers most of the articles and pieces discussed. After reading the book on Shiva, this book sounds more simplistic and easy to understand. The following entities associated with Vishnu are described in the following 7 chapters: Mohini’s Secret, Matsya’s Secret, Kurma’s Secret, Trivikrama’s Secret, Ram’s Secret, Krishna’s Secret and Kalki’s Secret. I, particularly, liked the last three chapters where Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and Kalki are discussed in brief about what is their prominence in our modern society.

Many incidents from Mahabharata have been discussed which clears lots of myth and lets us know about the small incidents that lead to the bigger events. The way author stays democratic in his views and discusses both the good and bad points about the Lord and his differences against Lord Shiva is worth-appreciating. This book is must for everyone who wants to know Lord Vishnu’s philosophies and the perspective of each of his avatars. I rate this book 4 star out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Monday, 21 August 2017

Despite Stolen Dreams by Anita Krishan (Book Review- 4.5*/5) !!!

I am just done reading 48^th book of this year and what an incredible stuff this book is- “Despite Stolen Dreams”. The book is written by Anita Krishan and published by Fingerprint! publication. While reading the bio of the authoress, I got to know that she has already published two novels. After reading this one, I am sure to pick them very soon though I don’t believe that she can ever match the magic she has woven in the book. Whenever any story is based upon Kashmir or India-Pakistan border or terrorism, it gets boring after a while because of the depressive state of characters that is spoken right from the first page to the last. Even the climax is always sad and predictable which makes almost all the books based on this topic sound like one.

I had the same expectation from this book too after reading the synopsis but that’s what made me excited about the book when I completed the first 30% of it. The book talks less about the depressive stories of the characters who have been victim of brutality but talks more about how they have forgotten about the tragic circumstances of their life and moved on. The book tries to spread positivity and the author’s efforts are clearly visible in these sections. The initial pages of the book makes you chill reading about how a family is been held captive just because the team of terrorist want the daughter of the house to marry one of their members. The author’s hold on the language and narrative can be easily judged from these initial pages itself.

Later on, the chemistry between Wali and Kashmira Singh is the USP of this book for which I shall always remember it even after suffering memory loss. That’s the impact the conversation between these two characters do to you. Also the other characters discussed in their colony and how they help them speaks a lot about the author’s motive behind writing this novel. The social issues described through the stories of different characters are very nicely handled without being too preachy or cliché. The anti-climax of the book is another great part of the book where Shakeel’s story is narrated separately. It brings the much needed change in the plot of the story. Talking about the climax, I liked how with all the tense moments etc. the book ends on a happy note. Overall, this is a book that you will always want to keep in your shelf. I give the book 4.5 star out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

7 Secrets Of Shiva by Devdutt Pattanaik (Book Review- 3.75*/5) !!!

Reading two books in queue from the Indian mythology master: Devdutt Pattanaik surely made an impact upon me. I am just done reading another book from the Hindu Trinity Series named “7 Secrets of Shiva”. Any book that is written with good research and experimentation surely spreads some great knowledge. Indian mythology always had lots of version which always made it very confusing for the devotees and readers. The good thing about this book is that author tries to explain us every theory behind the existence of Shiva and the thought process that Lord believes in.

Devdutt Pattanaik discusses about the seven different versions of Shiva and his participation in those respective avatars. The seven different aspects of Shiva that are discussed in the book are: Lingeshwara, Bhairava, Shankara, Bholenath, Ganesha, Murugan and Nataraja. It is astonishing to know about the differences in all the perspective of these aspects yet a common thread that binds all of them with the Lord Shiva. The visual representation on every page helps the reader understand the incidents and spirituality behind the scene clearly.

There are few logics which are not described nicely in the book because of which they bounce over the head. It is very difficult for a common man to understand what exactly author is trying to convey. Only if in those few narrations, author could have handled it in easy language the book would have become perfect. The way Shiva’s linga is described and briefed in first chapter is the best start to the book which describes Shiva in the best way possible. My favorite chapter is the one in which Bholenath and Ganesha are discussed. It is joyful reading about Shiva as Bholenath who is very innocent totally contradictory to his regular image. Rest of all the chapters is also okay. I give this book 3.75* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Wednesday, 16 August 2017

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik (Book Review- 3.5*/5) !!!

We are lucky to have someone like Devdutt Pattanaik as one of the most popular authors in India who also manages to publish as many books as possible for him to do. This makes us read some very amazing facts about our mythology, religion and faith. I have just ended up reading one of his recently published books by Westland Publication named “7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art”. The book speaks about the images that we see since childhood in our home and others but never get to know the meaning and story behind these paintings. Pattanaik has tried to decode the meaning behind the images for the readers and believers of Hinduism.

This is one of the quick-read types of book by Devdutt Pattanaik which can be completed in a single sitting and is best when you are travelling. I completed this book in a day sitting in the Mumbai local while traveling for office. The book shares many images which I had seen in my home, temples and everywhere and also got to see the ones from different regions of India which I would have never been able to explore. The concepts behind the images let us know that even if the images portray God in different forms, ultimately, they are one and the same. Devdutt Pattanaik discusses this very intelligently and wisely about how a single God is been modified in different forms for different purposes and messages.

Devdutt also does not shy from telling the mistakes and confusion been created in few of the creative images but also tries to reason why it must have been portrayed in that form. The only problem with reading this book is that sometimes the image is not on the same page hence you have to turn the image every time to refer. The labeling over the image is also appropriately done. The book is nicely researched while some segments are mentioned just by the basic knowledge Pattanaik already had about mythology. The best part of the book is that the author does not try to insult any of the portrayals. This book is a one-time read for sure. I give it 3.5* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

5 Break-Free Truths by Vijaya & Amol (Book Review- 3*/5) !!!

No one can separate a reader from reading non-fiction books in queue if he has picked up the first one from the genre. Something similar has happened with me. These days I am enjoying non-fiction books than any other books. I am just done reading “5 Break-Free Truths” which also comes with a tagline “Discover your potential and achieve extraordinary success”. The book is written by the duo- Vijaya Suvarna and Amol Muley and published by my favorite non-fiction publication house- Jaico. This 230 pages book tells us a lot about the preconceived notions in our mind that we have created about something. It tells how we have blocked our mind from thinking anything beyond the confinements that we have created around it. This book is an eye-opener for everyone who wishes to achieve something but keeps on blaming someone else for its incompletion.

The book is nicely divided into chapters and a similar format under each chapter which makes it easy for the reader to understand the basic problem that has been identified in the chapter and then reading further comes to know what exactly the Truth behind our version of distorted truth is. The way author asks us to analyze our problems by also giving multiple statements of similar section of problem is quite helpful to understand exactly what kind of problems can be solved by following the suggestions provided in the particular chapter. The examples given in the chapter are nice. The only problem is that some of them are so descriptive and long that it becomes boring after a point of time as we already know what problem the protagonist in that part of the story must be facing. Such chapters could have been discussed just in a page or two.

The 5 break free truth that are discussed are worthy enough to be written in a book format to let the people recognize the ultimate truth behind all the confinements they have created in their life for not achieving something. Yes, I believe that the book is not super-motivating but few tips provided in it will surely bring effect in the life of the reader as people will stop blaming and start working. The case-studies in the end is a nice ending to the book. Overall, the book is an okay effort in this genre and I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA!!!