“Humans are so diverse in their thinking; how can they expect every other person to reciprocate their feelings. Everything we face has a reason, and the best we can do is accept things that we can’t change and trust heaven for a greater good.”
BOOK – Is It All In The Stars? AUTHOR – Vandita Mishra GENRE – Fiction PAGES – 90 FORMAT – ebook REVIEW – Do you believe in sun signs? Do you think we behave according to our zodiac signs? Well, I don’t know about you but the protagonist of this novella surely believes in this. Mansi from the beginning has a firm belief that people acted in a certain way because of the characteristics of their zodiac sign. In her life journey, she got a chance to meet all twelve zodiac signs and for one reason or other, the author through Mansi shared the different qualities of all the twelve zodiac signs.
I am not that much into astrology but I am always curious to know about my zodiac sign and this is why I picked up this book. But the first page itself piqued my interest and hardly after a few pages I find myself totally engrossed in the book. I am not an expert here so I don’t have too much knowledge about all the signs but being a leo myself, I can say that traits of a leo mentioned in the book are quite accurate.
The author has used layman’s language to clarify the different traits of all the signs and I like how she beautifully weaved the story of Mansi around the zodiac signs.
If you do not believe in zodiac signs then I genuinely recommend this book to you. This book is a must-read for all. The author’s writing will surely make you believe in such.
A Pharmacologist by profession, Ankita Sanghi has always been into some form of writing. After pursuing her master’s in Pharmacy, she worked as a Research Scientist and a Medical Writer for a Healthcare company. She then explored herself as a Creative writer in different sectors. Owing to some emotional upheavals in her life, she started penning down her experiences and that made her a proud Mom Blogger. It was the love and enthusiasm poured by the readers which motivated her to take up writing earnestly and publish her first book. She has been honored with a Gold medal in Pharmacology and is the recipient of the Rashtrapati Guide Award in her academic life. She is a Storyteller by nature and an eloquent Speaker by interest. She loves to observe, express, experiment, and learn. She believes in putting the feelings rather than just describing the situations, and that is invariably reflected in her stories. You can reach out to her, share your opinions and ideas by mailing at ankitasanghi.g@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @author_ankita.sanghi.
What ‘I am a Big Girl Now’ is about?
This book is a collection of short stories that are inspired by true incidents that had either occurred with me or my loved ones. Although the names of the characters have been changed for the protection of their privacy, the emotions weaved in the stories are absolutely genuine. And that’s why you will be able to connect yourself with the stories with a message at the end that will remain with you even after you finish reading this book.
How did you develop an interest in writing, is this something you always wanted todo?
Well, I have always been into writing professionally. But I always wanted to write stories, fiction, and put my imagination into words. However, I wasn’t that confident because of the preconceived notion that to be a writer you need to be highly skilled and proficient in the English language. One day I received the book ‘Three thousand stitches’ by honorable Sudha Murthy. She mentioned one sentence in her acknowledgment that changed my life. ‘A language is but a vehicle. It’s the person inside who is weaving the story who is more important. You are a storyteller. So just go on with your story and the language will fall into place.’ And that’s it, the next morning I wrote my first blog and there was never looking back.
Other authors and their work that inspires you?
I believe that every author, every book has something to inspire. Each book gives us valuable learning at the end. However, the authors and their works that I cherish the most are Sudha Murty and Preeti Shenoy. They teach us the best lessons of life in the most pleasant way.
Are you working on any other book right now?
I am into a Fiction novel currently. The story of love, trust, fear, and fate.
How much time did you take to complete this book?
About 7-8 months. And then another 3 months more for the publishing process.
What makes your book different, why do you think a person should read it?
Have you ever tried to listen to people’s stories? I love listening to people and that’s when I realized every happening has deep meaning lying within it. Every experience, whether it’s happy or sad, has learning behind it. This book is a result of such heart-warming realizations. You will find yourself resonating with the characters and sail through divergent emotions, love, pain, loss, win, happiness, misery, childhood, innocent adolescence, and much more.
What was the role and reaction of your family when you started writing?
When I was a child, my parents always appreciated my little writing efforts. N now when I write, my husband is my biggest support and my biggest critic as well! When this book came out, they were the happiest and most proud people on earth.
A fun fact about you that no one knows.
When I am stressed or going through a low phase, I dance my heart out on some crazy music tracks.
Say something from your side for your readers.
I would say don’t shy out from voicing your thoughts and perspectives. Read more and more books every day to open the door to a new unseen world. Don’t confine your reading to a single genre. Keep exploring, keep growing.
BOOK – Lies Look Like Love AUTHOR – Bijaya Kumar Mishra GENRE – Fiction (Romance Thriller) REVIEW – It’s not often what it seems, that’s how I would like to summarise ‘Lies Look Like Love’. Lies Look Like Love is a story of Lies, Dream, Money and Love where both the protagonists are willing to go beyond their limit to safeguard certain hidden truths, which if discovered can ruin their plan. And as I said before it’s not often what it seems, things are more gruesome than you think. People are ready to fake love just to fulfil their motives.
What I like about the story is the way it’s written, the moment you think that you solved the case, you will be proved wrong as you turn the page. The book will keep you engaged from the first page and at the climax, it will become hard for you to leave the book even for a second. The author has worked hard on all the characters and the suspense built around them help you to enjoy the story. This romance thriller is perfect for those who want to read a soft romantic book with unimaginable twists and turns.
BOOK – Nautanki Saala And Other Short Stories AUTHOR – Mohua Chinappa PUBLISHER – Cursive GENRE – Short Stories PAGES – 130 REVIEW – We all know the situation of Indian women, it doesn’t matter whether they are rich or poor, crime against women are committed from time immemorial to date, even the crime rate against women is touching the sky in the 21st century. Women in all spheres are suppressed, oppressed and asked to follow society’s baseless norms.
‘Nautanki Saala And Other Stories’ is one such book that pierced through your heart and touch your soul. In her debut novel, the author shares her encounter with women from every walk of life and through her protagonists, she shows the vulnerable condition of women in India.
Her book is a collection of 15 short stories where the theme ranges from acid attack, loneliness, rape to suicide.
In short stories, generally, the characters are not properly developed which sometimes become a turn off for those who like to read the vivid description of characters but in this book, with minimum words, the author succeeded in creating some impactful characters.
Some of my favourite stories from this book were The Other Girl where a girl was married off to a man who already has another woman in his life and Teen Choto Chaumuch where a displaced Bangladeshi woman meets a stranger who accepts her unconditionally.
The author with her beautiful narration has done magic in her book. This book is full of emotions, you will feel sad for Manju, Seema, Ranjana and at the same time your face will brighten up while reading Sobha’s story.
Overall, Nautanki Saala and Other Short Stories is a great book to read over a weekend.
BOOK – The World’s Most Frustrated Man AUTHOR – Abhaidev GENRE – Non-fiction PAGES – 66 FORMAT – Kindle REVIEW – In India, mental health is not taken seriously. Most Indians don’t consider it as a medical issue, rather they call it, ‘ sab mann ka veham hai’ (it’s all in your mind). And if a man talks about mental health, he becomes a laughingstock. Mental health? Are you kidding ? It doesn’t matter who you are, doesn’t matter how old you are, you can have mental issues. ‘The World’s Most Frustrated Man’ is a story of a 43 years old man who through this book shares his journey from a happy kid to a depressed adult. In this book, he openly talks about his mental health issues and how he is trying to lead a normal life after all the adversities. From a teammate who was asked to do all dirty shit at the office to a person who got 99 percentile in MBA entrance exams, he dealt with everything alone but in his journey, he always had the constant support of his parents and no matter what anyone says but he is a lucky guy (from my perspective) to have such parents who understand or at least try to understand his condition. Abhaidev just like his last two books used extravagant vocabulary. He came back to not share someone else’s but a story of every Indian men who is trying to be a man by neglecting his mental needs It takes courage to share one’s story more when they have to talk about failures more than success, given the chances that people may not like the story. What I really like about this book is how the protagonist accepted himself and tried to work time and again on himself, I truly like his spirit.
His feelings are true and this book directly come from his heart but when another person read it they may or may not resonate with the author and some may even find his language and story a little bit hard to digest.
I don’t recommend this book to anyone who is below 18.
BOOK – Wheels Under Our Feet AUTHOR – Archan Thakar PUBLISHER – Damick Publications GENRE – Fiction PAGES – 193 REVIEW – Some boys try to be cool, do everything to fall in the category of bad guys, but whatever they do, their nature doesn’t let them fall into the trap and the universe don’t accept them as bad boys and that’s how I will define the protagonist of “Wheels Under Our Feet”. Ishant, a 20-year-old happy-go-merry guy was jumping from one girlfriend to another just like any other college going youngster but fumbles upon the college nerd, Sana after his recent break up with Anvita. Ishaan took the duty on his shoulders to make Sana more confident in life, meanwhile, Sana too accepted these helping hands with open arms.
But was Ishaan really helping Sana or was it other way round? Is Wheel Under Our Feet another love story or does it have much more to offer its readers?
This is one such book which could be enjoyed not only by college going youths but adults too as this book will surely remind them of their glorious years.
To give this book a touch of reality the author has introduced a lot of characters which can become too much to handle for a reader but the author has done a great job on every character that you won’t get a second to think about who was who.
The narration is to the point and I truly like how the story unfolded but there were certain words that I find out of order and the author could use better vocab for those words.
Overall, it took me only two days to finish this book and there was not a single dull moment in the story.
BOOK – Your Last Step To Fast Financial Freedom AUTHOR – Aryan Chaudhary PUBLISHER – Fingerprint Publishing GENRE – Non-fiction (Finance) PAGES – 231 REVIEW – Financial Freedom, a dream for many and reality for few. Who in the world doesn’t want to live freely, without having a fear of getting bankrupt anytime. But is reaching this stage that easy? Well, many of us have a tendency of spending our hard-earned money even before it reaches our bank accounts and then we cry that becoming financially stable is kind of impossible.
‘Your Last Step To Fast Financial Freedom’ is a perfect guidebook for a beginner who wants to learn how to manage funds.
Youngsters, these days have hundreds of ideas to earn money and yet they end up exhausting their funds quickly, reason? They don’t know how to utilise the money efficiently and wisely. Aryan Chaudhary in his latest book bring solutions for these people. He not only shared how you can invest your money but also how to earn it and how not to waste it.
What I really like about this book is the easy language used by the author to make his points clear and self-applied methods which make this book more realistic.
The author has divided his book into three sections, viz
1. Fuel Your Engine – Where he helps the reader to identify their sources of generating income, having a mindset
2. Start Your Journey – Where he talks about how you can make money.
3. Reach Your Destination – In the final section, he focuses on savings, investments and using money efficiently.
This was my first book on finance and to be honest with you there were a few things which I was already practising but there were certain lessons too which were new for me and learnt from this book.
If you are someone who wants a book to understand finance in an easy language and hold your money for a little longer then do give this book a read.
“for some, the pain and sufferings start with big mishaps. For others, it is spaced out in multiple smaller episodes of suffering, not any lesser than one big sudden jolt. A person cannot evade this during their lifetime. We cannot see other people’s misery and assume we are the only ones in the dark place. No man’s suffering is less than another’s. The important thing is to move on.”
BOOK – Harsha: The Fearless Warrior of Thaneshar AUTHOR – Rajat Pillai PUBLISHER – Jaico GENRE – Fiction (Historical) REVIEW – The abrupt demise of King Prabhakarvardhan and Queen Yasomati of Thanesar, left the Vardhan brothers in shock, and as if this blow was not enough for them, destiny played a cruel game with them in the form of abduction of their sister Rajyashri. To save their sister from their biggest foe Devgupta, Rajyavardhan the crown Prince initiated the War against Malva and became the victim of treachery by his own Father-in-law.
Harshavardhan, the youngest Prince of Thanesar was thurst with the responsibility of his kingdom after losing his family but things were not easy as they look, his sister was still captive of Malvas and his army chief in his absence took advantage of the situation and crowned himself as the new King of Thanesar.
Read the story of an unsung hero of the past and find out yourself how he changed his destiny.
The first half of the book mostly talks about the Vardhan family and focus less on Harsha, the protagonist of this story, so there was this constant nagging at the back of my mind that why the title is Harsha when the story is all about his family. But the next half left me perplexed as the table turns, the prince who was full of self-doubt became the saviour of his motherland.
I like how the author has described each character, the vivid description of the characters helped me to picturise them.
Not only this, the author has presented the facts as is it. Without hindering the actual history of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, the author has impeccably shared the tale of King Harsha in his own words.
But what I truly like about this book is the narration, the gripping narration kept me engaged throughout the book.
This is the fourth book by the author, I got a chance to read his earlier works also and I am happy to see the changes in his writing style, the author has come a long way, from using descriptive narration to focusing on dialogues, I can see the growth in author’s work.
I highly recommend this book to all Indian historical fiction lovers.
#qotd – Your favourite read from January? BOOK – A Quest of Twists AUTHOR – Pranav Nair GENRE – Fiction (Adventure) REVIEW – A Quest for Twist by Pranav Nair, is an adventurous tale of two middle-grade kids, Xavier and Eric who one day find themselves in the world of Oppowo, a different planet. For the people of Oppowo, they were their hero and were supposed to save their land from the evil Savilatta but the problem was that the people of Oppowo doesn’t speak English and the language they used to communicate themselves was not easy for Xavier and Eric to decipher. However, there was a boy of their age named Jacque who could speak and understand both the language. Jacque told Eric and Xavier everything about the Oppowo land and their expectations from Eric and Xavier.
Hop on this adventurous ride to find out how Eric and Xavier saved Oppowo and its people.
Before I began with my review, let me tell you all that this book comes from a 12-year boy and after reading this book it was hard for me to believe this as both the writing style and the plot looks like as if written by an adult.
I finished this short story in a single sitting and was awestruck with Pranav’s imagination. And it will be a big lie if I say that I don’t like the story a bit.
The title goes hand in hand with the story but the cover in no sense do justice with the plot.
Overall, A Quest of Twist can be read by young readers and also this is a perfect journey read for adults.
BOOK – Miles Apart AUTHOR – Pratichi Sanaye PUBLISHERS – Notion Press GENRE – Fiction PAGES – 318 REVIEW – Friends are an integral part of our life. There are secrets which we don’t share with our parents but hide nothing from our friends. It’s our best of friends who know us in and out. And blessed are those who have friends who care like parents, protect like siblings and love you like a lover. But sometimes misunderstandings can make two best friends choose separate paths. Well, that’s what happened with our Protagonist Shruti and her best friend Simran.
Shruti and Simran were not only BFFs but sisters who would be seen together all the time. However, things turned out nasty between the two friends when Simran caught Shruti cheating on her with her boyfriend Samar. After the incident, Simran left the city without informing anyone.
But this was not the end of the story the book begins here, Shruti along with her college gang set on the quest to find her long lost best friend and in this quest she met Ayush who made her realise that she was with the wrong guy.
Spread out in 318 pages, Miles Apart is not only a tale of two best friends but also of finding true love. By using simple and easy to understand language the author was able to grasp my attention from the beginning, however, at some point, I found the story a little bit stretched out.
I know the pain of losing a friend who once meant everything to you and somewhere was able to connect with Shruti. The author has remarkably crafted the emotional havoc in the lives of Shruti and Simran.
I like the concept of the story however, I would have enjoyed every part of it only if all the erotic scenes were narrated in a more sophisticated manner, even some such scenes were not necessary and the book would look better without them.
The cover and the title are catchy and enough for anyone to pick this book.
I in no case recommend this book to anyone below 16.
The Book Critiques 