The Book Critiques

BOOK – Teen Sey Chhey
AUTHOR – Bobby Ghatak
PUBLISHERS – Become Shakespeare
GENRE – Non-fiction
PAGES – 445
REVIEW – We all watching movies, sometimes romantic sometimes movies jam-packed with actions and not only this we too want to know the insight into a star’s life, what they do, how do they become an actor, we want to know everything, don’t we?
If you are someone who likes to do the above-mentioned stuff then my dear friend Teen Sey Chhey is surely written for you.
This book is written for all Bollywood lovers, this book is for you if you like to know everything about Bollywood.
Teen sey they provide an in-depth insight into Bollywood, the book brings the real side of the silver screen stars.
This book majorly provides reviews of the movies from the era of Prithviraj Kapoor to Karan Johar. But this does not only have the reviews or overviews of Bollywood movies but also share the journey of actors and film producers and oh yes how don’t mention the songs and their making, while reading chapters you will easily find yourself humming the songs.

The author has magnificently given the introduction of each film and its actor, how the story came into life, which movie made an actor a superstar, which movie ends someone’s career, this book has everything.
This book shows the intense research done by the author, this book is proof of his hard work done for years. It gives a feeling that you are watching the entire Bollywood from the point of view of a fan and a critic.

I am not a big fan of Bollywood and movies produced by it, watch one movie a month but at the same time, I am not someone who has zero knowledge of movies. But this book and its juicy language asked me time and again to watch movies.
This book has more than 400 pages and as I am not a movie enthusiast hence it took me more than usual to finish it and in my opinion, this book should be written in two or more parts instead of one.

The cover of the book is attractive and goes with the content. Also, I found the headings of each chapter catchy and unique but at the same time relevant.
So, if you are someone who’s a Bollywood die-hard fan then do pick this book.

BOOK – The Emperor
AUTHOR – Ram Joshi
PUBLISHERS – Notion Press
GENRE – Fiction
PAGES – 135
REVIEW – “The Emperor” is the story of a penguin that lost his parents at the very early stage of life and learned everything from his own. Em, as called by his friends, has a dream, a dream to fly, a dream to climb the mountain and see the world from the top of the mountain but being a penguin who have wings but couldn’t fly it was next to impossible for him to make his dream a reality and so Em dropped the idea but this dream of him was not letting him live at peace.
Em shared about his dreams with his friends and elders of his pack, after listening to him everyone made fun of him, the elders tried to reason with him that being a penguin it is an impossible task.
All the negative talk settled in his mind and hence once again he backed off but a moment came in Em’s life when it became possible for him to keep himself away from the thoughts of climbing the mountain, so he decided against all odds and readied himself for the journey.
Read this inspirational novel to find out what happened with Em, the penguin.

What a masterpiece this book is. From the story of a penguin Ram Joshi has shared very important message. It takes courage to walk on a path which was never used by anyone. And the journey become more difficult when you get no support and others only try to pull you down but if you’re determined to achieve something and have a strong willpower, even god help you.
This book left me with so much to think about, I was able to relate with Em and his story so much and this little penguin succeeded in teaching me such a valuable lesson of life.
The writing style is flawless and the language used is beginner friendly. The Emperor reminded me of two books: Who moved my cheese and The Ultimate Gift and trust me guys this book is no less than the other two books.

I recommend this book to each and every one of you, go buy your copy and learn the lessons taught by Emperor.

I learned so much from Em, he is an inspiration, he taught me how to fight with my fears and how important it is to celebrate your smallest accomplishment.

RATING – 5⭐

BOOK – No Matter What

AUTHOR – Rohit Dawesar

PUBLISHER – Fingerprint!

GENRE Fiction (Romance Thriller)

PAGES – 310

REVIEW – It was like a dream come true for Rishi, after all, he was getting engaged to the love of his life, Mishika. But but but on the morning of the engagement, Mishika went missing leaving no clue behind.
The news devasted Rishi completely, still, he didn’t lose hope and started a journey, a journey to bring back his love, a journey the destination of which was even unknown to him.
And from there began the story of Rishi & Mishika, their first meeting, their fun, their fights, their breakup and patch up.

But when everything was fine and perfect in their life why did Mishika left Rishi that too on their engagement day or was she abducted by someone?
Ops, sorry can’t spill the beans. You have to read the book to find out.

No matter what by Rohit Dewasar, a book written in simple language holds a story that will take you on a ride to Manali where you too will search and pray for Mishika.
The story is being narrated from the point of view of Rishi & Mishika and switches from past to present which gives you an insight into the characters and help you understand them and their actions better.
The story is executed so well, it became difficult for me to put this book down and I finished the book In hardly two days.
And not to forget the powerful speech given by Rishi at Pyara’s wedding, that speech touched my heart and made me ponder that as a society how below we have fallen, we don’t support the rape victims/warrior instead we show fake sympathy and talk behind their back.
Overall, I loved reading this book and recommend it to everyone.

Rating – 5⭐

BOOK – Daredevil Dreams

AUTHOR – Karthick Hemabhushanam

PUBLISHER – Leadstart Publishing

GENRE – Fiction(Suspense/ Horror)

PAGES – 207

REVIEW – Dreams are a vital part of our lives. A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
Why did I start my review with dreams? Because the book we will be discussing here is about 10 years old Arjun and his dreams.

Arjun was a studious champ but one day when he was at his friend’s house he encountered with a ghost who mysteriously emerged from a computer game and that ghost didn’t leave Arjun even after returning to his home.
Now, this ghost or gaunt as mentioned in the book took Arjun to several parts of the city to witness egregious crimes. His parents have no idea about these incidents but soon Arjun started having panic attacks and because of which his parents consulted a doctor and from there Arjun’s life takes a 360-degree turn as he becomes a hero by assisting police in solving those cases.
Everyone was clueless about the ghost and whether Arjun was seeing him in his dreams or in real.

The author tried his best to create the aura of horror and fear but he failed miserably, instead of being anxious I was confused.
Although the beginning made sense to me and I was enjoying the story but as the story proceeded I had no idea what was going on.
The characters are not illustrated suitably and not only this the story has unnecessary violence that too against women and children. I mean who beat his child’s friend that too a 10-year-old? Also, I find the language used by 10-year-olds inappropriate.

The cover of the book is catchy even the blurb looks optimistic but the story is not executed properly.
If there were minimum violence and no abusive language used by kids and the climax was explained appropriately this book could have done wonder.

Last thing and an important one, keeping in mind the language and violence this book is surely not for kids and I believe that some sort of warning should be included in the blurb stating that this book is not for kids.

Overall, I didn’t find this book entertaining and I rate this book a 2.5 ⭐

BOOK – Adulting

AUTHOR – Neharika Gupta

PUBLISHER – Harper Collins

GENRE – Fiction (Romance)

REVIEW – Adulting is the story of three adults and the way they deal with their lives. To put in simple words this is a love triangle where Ruhi is an ambitious editor of Literacy Publishing and feels highly underappreciated by editor in chief who happens to be her mother.
While working for the publishing house she signed an author Tejas and the obvious happened – they fall in love. But not a single soul has any idea about their relationship except Aisha.
Aisha, appointed by Ruhi was a social media manager and a popular blogger. But the issue with her was that she takes her outer beauty way too seriously, for her outer appearance was far too crucial than her health. And her this mindset ended her up at the doorstep of a dietitian who instructed her to gain some weight.
Now, this little advise created havoc in Aisha’s perfect life.
And on the other hand, Tejas who was deeply in love with Ruhi fall out of it and realise that he has feelings for Aisha.

Read this tale to know how these three adults fight their demons.

I wish I could say that I liked the story or the story is out of the box. The story is narrated from the point of view of the three protagonists which creates confusion in the start but as the story moves ahead you get used to it.

I saw this book all over the bookstagram, read positive reviews, even the title and the cover seems promising to me but the story – it was a complete disappointment for me.

There is no doubt the writing style is good and Neharika has created some amazing characters which do exist in our world but yet again it fell from the target and somewhere makes no sense to me.

Overall, this book didn’t turn out as expected for me but if you like reading romance fiction then you can give this book a read.

I rate this book a 3.5 ⭐

BOOK – Excess Baggage
AUTHOR – Richa S. Mukherjee
PUBLISHER – Harper Collins
GENRE – Fiction
PAGES – 312
REVIEW – The second divorce was taking a toll on Anviksha Punjabi’s mental health which have an adverse impact on her personal as well as professional life and to give her mind and heart some peace she decided to take a solo trip to Europe but her plan was hijacked by her larger than life mother Smita Punjabi.
Smita forced herself on Anviksha to take her along on the trip, Anviksha left with no other options obliged.
The mother-daughter duo embarks on a journey complete with nudists, am an unwelcome blast from the past, a British dog named Bhindi and several eligible bachelors. Slowly, what was supposed to be a soul searching journey for one turns into a life-altering experience for two.

I just love the character of Smita Punjabi and the way she dealt with her life. Even at the age of 67, she was full of life and of course become easily the favourite of everyone.

Excess Baggage is full of fun, humour, drama, emotions. Use of rights words at the right place made this book more impactful. The author has exemplarily crafted all the characters which seem real.

Overall, this book made me laugh, cry and think about my life and I enjoyed it to the fullest.
If you are looking for a light book, you can pick this one up.

BOOK:- Daughters of Char Chinar AUTHOR:- Almas Hussain

PAGES :- 352

BLURB – In a land where beauty is a curse, Nafisa and Meher, identical twins of spellbinding beauty, are hidden away from the gaze of men by their slain mother’s relatives. Their powerful father Kazi had abandoned them at birth. Poor and unguarded, the sisters build a secret world of their own, educating themselves and even finding like-minded suitors in a land where love is forbidden…

But when the need arises, their father returns to reclaim them. He has killed a man. The Jirga Council demands a virgin to atone for his crime. Kazi abducts Nafisa and gives her to the wronged tribe as compensation. Their leader wrenches off her burqa, loosening a torrent of red-gold hair. How unusual! His followers are aroused beyond bearing. Nafisa quakes with terror. They can hardly wait for her ritual ‘punishment’ to commence…

Will Nafisa succumb to their brutal attack? Or will she live on to fight alongside her sister Meher, for the upliftment of the daughters of Char Chinar?

Daughters of Char Chinar is a bitter-sweet tale of redemption based on the harrowing justice systems that still prevail in parts of South Asia. Here, rape is a punishment and not a crime.

MY TAKE – Oh My God! These were my exact word when I first saw the book cover, it’s so gorgeous! And the story this book holds is more captivating and intriguing. All the characters are so well developed and I like the way how the author has woven the entire story and has put the required emphasis on some scenes. This is a must-read book.

BOOK – The Grainy Days in Madras

AUTHOR – Janani Vasudevan

PUBLISHER – Bluerose Publishers

GENRE – Fiction

PAGES – 153

REVIEW – Childhood, the most crucial period of a person’s life. Our entire life depends on that period if we have a single bad experience as a child it surely can ruin our life. The Grainy Days in Madras is a story of Yara, the only child of Dr Yathradev and Nadirah.

Yara was a bright student in her childhood but one summer at her grandfather’s hometown something dreadful happened with her, something which no child in the world should face, something which turned her life upside down.

For so many years Yara suffered alone, there was no one to listen to her. And if this was not enough her parents decided to separate and custody of teenage Yara was given to her mother. All this made her a smoker and a drug addict which tarnished her and her dear one’s life.

MY TAKE – This book needs some serious editing and because of so many grammatical errors and typos the story lost its essence and didn’t have the desired impact on me.

I didn’t find anything new here, it’s all same, there is a protagonist who got abused in his/her childhood become a drug addict have a messed up family got only one friend and lost that person too.

There is no doubt the characters are well built and the title and cover are relatable, even the message Janani wants to share is too strong but this book could have done better only if it was presented well.

Overall, it was a one time read for me. I rate this book a 2.5 ⭐

BOOK – Gangster On The Run: The True Story Of A Reformed Gangster
AUTHOR – Puja Changoiwala
PUBLISHER – HarperCollins
GENRE – Non-Fiction(Biography)
PAGES – 279

REVIEW – Life stories of other people always attract me, there is so much to learn from them.And one such inspiring story is narrated by Puja Changoiwala in her novel Gangster On The Run.
Gangster On The Run is the biography of Rahul Jadhav, born on the then outskirts of Mumbai and grew up with a resolution to achieve whatever he desired, Rahul was a big fan of Bollywood, he even changed his name to Bhiku after the protagonist of the movie Satya. His life was proof of his love for the Bollywood.
In the year 2007, the police were successful in arresting Rahul, but then what happened that made him an inspiration.
Read this book and find out yourself.

This is not an ordinary story of a gangster but a motivational tale of a person who becomes an ultra-marathoner from a gangster.

I like the intense research done by the author which makes this book captivating.
Written in easy to grasp language, this book will surely hold your attention. Even the cover and title do justice with the story of Rahul Jadhav.
I have read a few biographies which were written to improve the effete image of the person but this is not the case here, here the author has presented Rahul the way he was.

If you love reading non-fiction and biographies then this book is surely for you.

I rate this book a 4.5 ⭐

BOOK – Magical Mythology
AUTHOR – Stuti Gupta
PUBLISHER – Sristi Publication
GENRE – Fiction(Mythology)
PAGES – 132
REVIEW – What’s the best way to tell kids about gods, history culture etc? I think we all agree that stories are one of the ways. And if kids are asked to read about these things from a colourful book they will surely learn the stuff easily and that too with keen interest.

‘Magical Mythology’ is one such book which contains more than twenty fascinating and unheard stories from the rich Hindu mythology.
The book is divided into 8 chapters each sharing the intriguing stories of Ganesha, Krishna, Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Draupadi, Ravana and Pandavas.
Not only this, the book has very beautiful illustrations which will surely lure any kid and adults too to read the book, even the cover is enchanting.
Apart from the stories, the book has word games, puzzles, creative activities and at the end of each chapter a moral learnt from the chapter is also given.

Written in an easy language this is a must-have book for kids.
The thing which I like most about this book is that the author has not only narrated the widely known stories but has also shared the less talked stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana.