Sunday, 12 June 2016

Book Review : An Autograph for Anjali by Sundari Venkatraman

Book- An Autograph for Anjali

Author- Sundari Venkatraman

Genre- Fiction (Romance/Thriller)

Publisher- Self Published

 

Blurb-

Anjali and Jayant are married for very long, still void reside between them. Arjun tries his best to bridge the gap but he is more concerned about the feelings of his parents.

Parth is a bestselling writer. But he lacks inspiration in his life. The new change arrives which alters things beyond normalcy for him.

What will happen when sanity becomes the call of past? How will the leads tackle the pressure? Will things mend for all? Or will things fall from their hands?

 

Title-

Title was ok. It wasn’t literary and it didn’t create an everlasting impression. There could have been alternatives.

 

Cover-

The cover is really gripping because it has all the elements which are an essential part of the book. The “PB” initials, the coffee mugs, the red and grey tint, the bullets. It is a very thoughtful and creative cover.

 

Characters-

Major and minor leads cross one’s eyes from time to time. There is a perfect blend of negativity and positivity residing in the characters. There thought process is very wide and didn’t repeat. It seems they open up another dimension to let the readers know the mind-set of: a housewife, a millionaire husband, a caring son, the upper class society and what not.

If I pick my favourite characters then I would surely mention, Anjali, Parth, Jayant and Arjun. It has been the first time that I have loved all the leads. Also, from the minor characters I loved, Rana, Seema and Nalini.

All these characters were mind-blowing.

 

Narration-

Third person narration was really well suited. Short sentences, normal vocabulary makes the novel an easy read. Short and sweet chapters were another important factor of the book. The narrator doesn’t just say the story but also the feelings were well shown which allows the book to climb one step above the normal books.

 

Reviews-

Sundari Venkatraman is well known for her romance novels. “An autograph for Anjali” is like a properly rehearsed scene by the author. Every corner was decorated well because the author seems at complete ease when dealing with romance. I started this book with a pre-notion in mind that a pure romance will be placed on my table. But I was wrong.

92 chapters long novel had more elements than one can think. It had mystery, grief, love, affection, longing, feminism, women empowerment and lot more. I was in complete awe while experiencing so many things in just one book.

The story starts with a bang on but sadly this phase of the novel is cut short. I was enjoying all the murder mystery but then I knew that it was meant to change the line. The drama crafted in the initial chapters was noteworthy. I highly enjoyed the mind set of different people and how people were reacting according to their traits. It was human nature described vastly I must say.

I loved the balance between the characters which was maintained from the very start. I don’t fall for books in which there are only good people. The world is not spicy enough without the antagonists and Sundari Venkatraman was thinking alike. I was crowded by characters and I loved what they had to say, through their way of reacting.

Further, the story took turns in a jiffy and the flashback hit my spine like a hammer. I was so involved to know what happens further. I want to bow down in front of the author for keeping such clean and short chapters. One cannot stop themselves to know what the next chapter has in store for them. It needs proper vision towards the story which one is about to pen to do this.

Anjali represented a woman who was held in the middle. Not knowing much yet wanting to know more. I loved her attitude towards things. The phase of Greece was fantastic. It opened many new faces of people like that of Parth, Anjali and of course Jayant. I loved Jayant from the bottom of my heart. Thanks author for penning such minute details about such group of men who were represented by Jayant.

Not even once I felt that some chapters were added just for the sake of moving things. Every chapter had some necessary movement and information that helped in the long run. I felt the emotions that people showed were more powerful than the story and I haven’t experienced the same thing while reading in a very long time. The book has opened a very new section of writing in front of me. Highly impressive.

Summing up- The book succeeded in attaining a perfect equilibrium. There were equal proportions of everything in the book. Nothing left behind and nothing won the race, no one was over powered and no one was forgotten, nothing was exaggerated and nothing was pressed beyond its need.

 

Eye-catchers-

· “An author by profession, he was good at observing people.”

· “Acquiring fresh knowledge kept a mind healthy and young.”

 

Turn-on’s-

The fluidic quality in the book was the biggest turn on. One cannot stop before reading 20 to 30 chapters in a go. Everything about the book is a big turn on.

 

Turn-off’s-

Wow factors were missing from the book. I didn’t miss a heart beat much often. Also, the mystery is stopped in between and doesn’t appear for a long time. It was like a long break before knowing what happened.

 

Recommendation-

Romance lovers can pick it without thinking much. It is a great book, will surely entertain you.

 

About the author-

An autograph for Anjali is the sixth book authored by Sundari Venkatraman. This book is a romantic suspense. Other published novels by the author are The Malhotra Bride, Meghna, The Runaway Bridegroom and the madras affair- all romances. She also has a collection of romantic short stories called Matches made in heaven.

 

Connect with the author-

· Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Sundari-Venkatraman/e/B00IBEUJV2

· Website- www.sundarivenkatraman.com

· Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSundariVenkatraman

Book Review : DNA: Dad's Not Adopted by Shikha Kaul

Book- DNA: Dad’s not adopted

Author- Shikha Kaul

Genre- Fiction (Thriller/Mystery)

Publisher- Gargi Publishers

 

Blurb-

Rishabh Shenoy is living a peaceful life. But in a milli-second his life went upside down. Nisa Yuen is a girl from Thailand who is on a mission after her mother’s death. Everyone tries to solve the codes of a hidden mystery.

Ghazal and Pranab are keen to know the truth. But what lays in front of them?

In the middle of this chaos and running scenario, will the truth come in front? Or things would remain entangled in the web of conspiracy? What more difficulties would pop in front of people who are trying to chase the truth?

 

Title-

The title of the book is fine but doesn’t have the capability to leave a great impact. It does have relevance, great relevance but there is no literary impression which it can leave on one.

 

Cover-

It is pretty, yes, very pretty but the elements shown in the cover doesn’t depict much of the novel. But the good part is the back cover. The image of a person, a darkened persona and the city shining bright is really tantalising.

 

Characters-

Characters are the breath of book. If there power is increased then things can go wrong. The book has an enormous amount of characters, antagonists and protagonists both. The major and minor characters are well described, equally.

Mentioning the best ones- amongst the major characters I loved, Ghazal and Pranab. And amongst the minor ones I loved, Nattakit and Nisa.

 

Narration-

Third person narration worked well for this thriller. Everything was well penned, from love to mystery and revelations, everything was well handled. The chapters were divided well and even the flashbacks were handled at ease.

 

Reviews-

Shikha Kaul has penned the story in her book “DNA” with utmost care and precision. Trying her hand for the first time in thriller she has done wonders. The plot was complicated yet had relatable facts and figures, making it easy to involve completely in the tale. The book has four parts and every part contains some important things which make the whole book from start to the end very influencing and gripping. It never felt that things were added just for the sake of adding them. Everything was making sense.

The story revolves around Rishabh Shenoy and how his life is affected by just one incident which he is not even aware of.

Part 1- The murder:
It was a mind blowing move by the author to keep the most important fact in front. The story was very clear from the very start and that made the curiosity level touch the sky. I loved how the chapters were planned in this part. The confession and the reality were helpful in avoiding any sort of confusion that might have occurred. The story has layers and that is the key step in succeeding when one is writing a thriller.

The main leads were put in front without any delay. I loved the fact that author didn’t exaggerate the power of Rishabh. It would have then become another daily soap. The concentration was on story and not on characters, mind-blowing fact.

Part 2- Thailand:
It was my favourite part from the whole novel because it had unthinkable facts and the highest suspense is created due to this part only. Another important factor about the book is that the main leads switch and this creates a new phase with lot of freshness. The movement of the investigation is triggered smoothly.

The smoky lifestyle of the place and the situations are well described. It has the power to make you stand with the two leads, Ghazal and Pranab while they move ahead to find the clues, it’s that much gripping. Well done author.

This part is a great combo of violence, love and attraction with a little curiosity on the top.

Part 3 & 4- The Past and The Trial:
All that is to be known reside in these parts. The way new characters arrive in the scene to let the readers know more about the story is an interesting fact. If the links were kept straightaway in front then things wouldn’t have appeared the way they were now.

Summing up- A thriller can only success when it makes you lose your heart beat at least once. DNA can do that multiple times. As the story progress one starts doubting even a minor character and that is where the sole motive of a thriller is achieved. It needs to connect much-much more than the normal fiction stories. I loved the fact that minute details were thought of and a straight path was followed by the author. Love, hatred and want was supporting the mystery but were not over-powering it. And that is when I fell in love with the book.

Kudos to the author for being successful with her first thriller novel.

 

Eye-catchers-

· “There must be something planned about this unplanned situation.”

· “There’s a difference between leading a life and living a life but the good part is... the choice is yours.”

· “Every unspoken word of his was smoothly landing on to her ears.”

· “You drink water to quench your thirst, not to fill your bladder, but they go together, don’t they?”

· “Everyone loves to hate rains here (Mumbai) and everyone hates to love them too.”

· “There’s always a first time to do and there’s always a second time to rectify.”

 

Turn-on’s-

Everything about the book is a big turn on. The story, the mystery, the characters, places, situations, the ending, everything has the capability to hold any reader.

 

Turn-off’s-

Nothing I found which distracted or hindered my reading experience.

 

Recommendation-

Mystery and thriller lovers can give it a try without any doubts. There are many layers to keep the fun intact.

 

About the author-

Winner of the author of the year award by Salis Online magazine for her debut novel “Hidden Husband”, which is a romantic contemporary fiction, author Shikha Khanduja Kaul has experimented with a thriller and a murder mystery with her second bok. Alongside her career in the staffng industry, she managed to pursue her passion for writing.

 

Connect with the author-

· www.facebook.com/shikhakaulauthor

· Twitter handle- @shikhakaul10

· shikha.kaul.author@gmail.com

Friday, 10 June 2016

Book Blitz : Tales of Sunshine by Sundari Venkatraman




BOOK BLITZ

TALES OF SUNSHINE
(A collection of short stories)
by
Sundari Venkatraman



Blurb

TALES OF SUNSHINE is a collection of ten short stories that bring hope.
“A Ray of Sunshine” is about young Raj who’s terribly upset when many people in his team lose their jobs. But is he able to do anything about it?
“A Promise Given” is about Sachin, the poor, rich, young man; and the pregnant Aparna.
“Life Goes out of Control” is the story where Preeti, an only child, is a bone of contention between her parents.
Rakesh Nath has slogged throughout his life to become rich, to suffer a massive heart attack at 57. Read “Rakesh Nath’s Recovery” to find out more...
“Exam Fever” is about Renu and her anxious mother, Maya. Renu wants to play truant from studies while Maya is terribly worried about her daughter’s exams.
“Until Death us do Part” is the story of Rekha, the 35-year-old COO of an MNC. She finds love or does she?
Ansh adores his grandfather. But his mother Anu is scared of her son spending time with the Alzheimer patient in “Is Grandpa Home?”
The “Daydreaming Mercenary” is Reema. She blows up her sister Rita’s hard-earned money. But are things what they actually seem?
“Breaking Free from the Mould” is the most difficult thing as a human. With so much pressure from his Grandma, will Aarush pursue his calling?

“The Elephant in the Room” is in the first person where the poor Nandita talks about her friendship (?) with the rich Shruti.

 
Grab your copy @


About the author


Tales of Sunshine is the seventh book authored by Sundari Venkatraman. This book is an anthology of human interest stories. Other published novels by the author are The Malhotra Bride, Meghna, The Runaway Bridegroom, The Madras Affair and An Autograph for Anjali—all romances. She also has a collection of romantic short stories called Matches Made in Heaven. All of Sundari Venkatraman’s books have been on Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers in India, USA, UK & Australia many times over.

 
Stalk her @




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Saturday, 4 June 2016

Book Review : My India "Musings of a Patriot" by Vivek Gumaste

Book- My India “Musings of a Patriot”

Author- Vivek Gumaste

Genre- Non-fiction (Articles)

 

Blurb-

The book is a summation of various articles published on different platforms. Topics vary from one area to other but have one common strand “INDIA”.

 

Title-

After reading the book I was really sure about the appropriateness of the title of the book. It was well suited.

 

Cover-

The cover depicts the ‘Stone Chariot’ of the Vittala Temple complex in Hampi, Karnataka which was once the capital of the great Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara. The ‘Stone Chariot’ was built in the 16th century, during the reign of Krishnadevaraya, one of the greatest kings of the Vijayanagara Empire. (As mentioned by the author)
I thought it's better to share the information with the readers. The cover was a very thoughtful account. Kudos author.

 

Reviews-

The whole book had topics which can make you move with ease. I was in awe after completing the book because it had transferred a lot of information which were never known to me about my own country. At the end of my read I was satisfied.

There were some topics which I found the best; my review would be majorly covering those topics.

Part 2- BJP ; Chapter 15- Why the RSS and BJP are true champions of our democracy
It talks about how things paces after independence in our country. It is needed that we know about how things worked. The heroes and villains must be known. This article is really effective because of its efficiency to draw in front the realities.

Part 3- The Congress Party; Chapter 17- Mr. PM you too can raise to the occasion comparison between Manmohan Singh and Lal Bahadur Shastri
An eye opener was this article. We sometimes forget the people who had done a lot in the most crucial times. It gave me Goosebumps to know what all Mr. Shastri did to fight wars, droughts etc. The information can make one believe that India is a sacred place because it is the home of people like these.

Part 4- Kashmir; Chapter 22- Kashmir: Pakistan is the problem not the solution
The problem of Kashmir is not unknown to anyone. The article was a nice summation of what we are heading to and what we are actually suppose to do and follow. I haven’t read the reality in such naked form which can make one stop and think for a while.

Part 9- Terrorism ; Chapter 47- Be like the French
This topic must be read by all the Indians because we need to know that it’s just in India that things are delayed. Other people are so adamant to move ahead and get things done.

Other mind-blowing topics are-

*Have we been unfair to Narendra Modi?
*Are Nepal Maoists a threat to India?
*Forget Pak, let’s first strengthen our internal security
*The rape controversy: why we need to move beyond protest

The topics in the book are short and not exaggerated much. It made the reading experience quite subtle and easy. The topics are meant to teach and show things which we neglect or might have forgotten to even notice. The book was a great read, something really refreshing.

 

Eye-catchers-

· “His moderation, unimpeachable integrity and honesty made him an ideal compromise candidate.”

· “Bad behaviour cannot be rewarded.”

 

Turn-on’s-

The way the book was divided in various parts and the different topics which were presented in each of them was making things appropriate in one sense or the other. The author’s vast knowledge can easily be seen through each and every topic that was discussed. It was well balanced book.

 

Recommendation-

Readers who are into reading political writings can give it a try for sure. The book is not for fiction readers because it requires a lot of patience and attention.

 

About the author-

Vivek Gumaste is an academic and political commentator based in the United States. Passionate about India, he is an avid writer and has written several op-eds and columns for mainstream Indian newspapers like the new Indian express, the Hindustan times, the Sunday guardian and the Pioneer. In addition he is a regular columnist for the popular news portal, Rediff and blogs on Huffington post (India).

Book Review : False Ceilings by Amit Sharma

Book- False Ceilings

Author- Amit Sharma

Genre- Fiction (Saga)

Publisher- Lifi Publications

 

Blurb-

A girl from Dalhousie is stuck in the suffocating environment of Delhi. The series starts from her and moves on to her great-grandson. There is a secret which passes down from the top of the family tree to the very end.

The people are fighting from their inner self more than the people which are near them. It is like a web which never ends.

How people will tackle the secret at various levels? Will things remain grounded or there will be a time when things would seem sorted? What effect the different generations will have on each other?

 

Title-

The title is well suited because it is an important part of the tale. But there could have been various other options which could complement the story in more literal terms.

 

Cover-

Various images which cover have like the radio, the almirah and the mountains, are the synonyms of the story, partially. The colour scheme of the cover is kept in the vintage style. The brownish shade is working perfectly to fit in.

 

Characters-

The best part of the book is its characters. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. All of them had something going on in their lives which they didn’t spoke about and that is the reason (apart from they being from one family) that kept them together till the very last.

Major characters like Shakuntala and Meena always had a lead in things. They were very moving and both of them had the same background still they couldn’t mix well. That was the biggest irony of their lives and it was portrayed wonderfully.

To pick the best characters then Shakuntala, Meena and Aaryan would be my pick. These characters had the widest scope in the story. The minor characters were also very radiant for example, Kanshi Ram, Kulbhushan, Shakuntala’s mother and her grandmother. They were mind blowing.

Narration-

Narration of the story was smooth. The editing was super fine and thus there were no breaks anywhere. The one liners used by the author in the narrative part helped to enhance the story very well.

 

Reviews-

The story is hidden beneath a veil which isn’t removed till the very last. False ceilings by Amit Sharma is a story hidden in various shells. Every layer embarks something new and after the initial pages I was voracious to inspect the hidden aspects. The story starts on a very weird note of an If-else statement. I was very amused to see it because I never hoped to see this name in a fiction novel. I quickly realized how and why the writer has added this factor in the book with so much emphasis.

The novel has so many important nation-wide movements which come in front, page after page. The Independence of the country, the 1984 massacre, etc. The story touches such a vast number of years that it becomes so complicated to notice the same in a jiffy. It needs sheer patience and understanding. In my case I made a family tree to make myself sorted all the time. Such was the level of the book, kudos author.

Shakuntala is the major protagonist of the story whose life leads to the complete tale. I was really moved to read all that was happening in her life. From the roads of Dalhousie to a house in Khanna and then to Delhi, her journey was really moving. The vivid imageries which author created with his knowledge about the cities were really worth noting. The serenity of hills was fully shown. Also the meek voices trampled under the noises in the city didn’t remain unnoticed.

The chapters were not incidents but they were people. It created a very strong impact and it might have taken a lot of hard work to remember all the small details from every individual’s life by the author. From time to time things cross your vision one after the other and the author has preserved every person in the reader’s memory through these cautionary visits.

Manohar, Vinod and Aaryan were the analogy of each other. They were subjected to something which always took them under their spell. The three generations were complimenting each other well and thus they leave a very nice hint in my mind. I don’t know how I will remember them, as a protagonist, as an antagonist or as a meagre connecting link between the ladies who ruled the whole book and the essence createdby them. But I will surely remember them.

The best chapters in the whole book were “Shakuntala”, “Meena” and “Lipi”. The three vastly gaped generations who always had their individuality dealt by others in one way or the other.

I found Meena to be standing somewhere in the middle, always oscillating either between her thoughts and her present life or her individuality and the course she has chosen. I started to adore Meena a lot but then chapters moved and I reached the place where I was told by the author how and when the characters reached the place they were in presently and I was again shifted back to caressing Shakuntala. Her bond with her dad, her connection with Dalhousie, her ill-treatment to her husband, to her children and to Meena all starts making sense.

The story moves but the agonies of the people remain deep rooted in the reader because they were strong and they instigate the sense of remorse and grief.

The decline of Manohar’s structure depicted the loss of hope and says a lot in few words.

The dying aspirations of a lady are well spoken without even mentioning about them much.

The quick attractions and infatuations come across from time to time. The fading love and people moving inwards is shown beautifully.

Lipi’s part of the story is the most vast and influential because it is the one which sum up everything and I was relaxed after reading that. All the questions were well answered till then. But the problem arrives when the secret was to be revealed. I felt that it was highlighted a lot but wasn’t handled in the same way. I felt betrayed because I was waiting for a massive heart ache but the blandness was too much to handle.

So, False Ceiling was a great book showing human relations and inhibitions. The drifting relations and the long family connected with some old memories.

 

Eye-catchers-

· “She wondered how many times she will have to let go of this feeling of stability.”

· “...nonchalantly the soul passed to the other side, quietly closing the door behind.”

· “We just waited for things to fall back in place instead of moving them ourselves.”

· “It was like history repeating itself and no lessons learnt.”

· “We replaced everything with the other things flashier, except for our rusting thought process.”

Turn-on’s-

As the story advances new characters comes in front but they are somehow related to the old characters only. Thus the author don’t allow any character to be the talk of past.
The hard times in emergencies and violent movements are shown with ease and vigour by the author as if he has inspected them in front of his eyes. His sense of depicting them is great and that has added some extra beauty in the book.

Turn-off’s-

What happened to the if-else statement? Didn’t it have anything in particular?
Also the way the climax was handled was degrading the level of the story.

 

Recommendation-

Need a complex story book in your shelf? False ceiling can be your choice for sure.

 

About the author-

Having studied M.Tech in Computer Science from Kurukshtera University, Amit Sharma is currently working as a software engineer in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for last ten years.

Connect with the author-

· http://amit-sharma.co.in

· https://www.facebook.com/AmitSharmaAuthor

· https://twitter.com/Author_Amit

Only If

If I ever get a chance I would love to fall in love with someone who has never been in love. It would be so easy to make him see things thr...