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Showing posts from 2017

Review: River Rule

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River Rule by Ameeta Davis My rating: 2 of 5 stars Paranormal romance is the new normal. The Twilight series threw up many followers. This book is one of those. There is a girl named Una who comes to India with her father they go to a spooky place called Khamosh Valley. There all kinds of weird things happen. On the way she has premonition that her driver died and they somehow escaped. When they reach their grandfather doesn’t open the gates and they have to climb over the boundary wall. There she meets Avi. There is some mumbo jumbo about tribals and their land rights. Then humans become beast and then I lost rack. The book is very contorted and confused. I could not make out head or tail of it. There is zero character development and no clear motives of anyone. Dev and Major are most confused characters. Una and Avi are irritating. Totally disappointing. 2/ 5 stars. View all my reviews
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~ Cover Reveal ~ The Vengeance of Indra  (Vikramaditya Veergatha #3) by Shatrujeet Nath VENGEANCE IS A CAGE FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM In their greed to possess the deadly Halahala, the devas and the asuras have employed every dirty trick against Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine. But the humans are still standing, bloodied but unbowed. When the wily Shukracharya discovers the secret to breaking the Council’s strength and unity, he forges an unlikely alliance with his arch-enemy, Indra, to set a deceitful plan in motion. As cracks emerge between the councilors and their king, ghosts from the past threaten to ruin Vikramaditya and Kalidasa’s friendship, signaling the beginning of an eclipse that will cast a long shadow over all that Vikramaditya holds dear. And into this shadow steps Indra, bearing an old grudge — and a devastating new weapon. How much longer before the Guardians of the Halahala finally fall apart? Other Books in the Series:   (Clic

Review: Pinto Has An Idea

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Pinto Has An Idea by Rajeev Saxena My rating: 3 of 5 stars A scientist can be a jack of all trade. Rajat is one of them. Is science answer to all our questions? Rajat Srivastava aka Pinto (Short of Pintoo) is a scientist, politician, social worker, husband and father. He is brilliant from birth and despite studying in small towns like Orai he has keen knowledge of science. He goes to USA and then come back. Why? To serve the motherland. He does inventions for business and social service both. Then he is appalled by the corruption and starts a party. His wife doesn’t like it. What happens next? The book is written in plain and simple English. This reads like a series of disjointed incidents. It has some good insights like “Education is good but also make you coward”. “Make point system for VVIPs. Reward and punishment should be proportionate.” (It has a wrong assumption that all VVIPs will be tried for crimes in future.) It was a plain story and had j

Review: Come Back to Leave Me... Again

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Come Back to Leave Me... Again by Sohil Ashvin Shah My rating: 3 of 5 stars What is the meaning of love for today’s generation? It is WhatsApp chat and FB likes. This book is like a long chat. Siddhant (read Sohil or whatever you like) is working in Dubai. He is from Ahmedabad, Gujarat and has fantasies about love. He meets Ritisha with a H and falls for her head over heels. Hey start chatting and come close. Then he meets many girls for marriage. Then Ritisha grow apart. And it goes on…. This book is for teenagers. Language is kind of free for all. It’s a mix of Hindi, English and Gujarati. It is very confused about notion of love answers to question at back cover are flimsy. View all my reviews

Review: Different Beads of the Same String : A collection of Short Stories

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Different Beads of the Same String : A collection of Short Stories by Sujay Malik My rating: 4 of 5 stars Anthology has an advantage of covering a lot of ground in one book. This book is a mixed bag like most anthologies. Anahita found her mentor in an old professor. As sometimes happens she feels attraction but he has his own past. Swini, a Hindu loves a Muslim boy and the cant marry. Michelle finds that Indian kids are as pathetic in taking care of their parents as Americans. Feelijus is one good lesson about justice delayed is justice denied. The stories are shorts, sweet and relatable though the themes and plots are old. 4/5 stars. View all my reviews

Review: Where's the good in a goodbye

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Where's the good in a goodbye by Ravi Shirurkar My rating: 3 of 5 stars When two lovers meet their lives change. Change may be positive or negative. Jesper and Sara had positive influence on each other whereas Arjun and Eva had mixed results. The book is just average and had so many pop psycology quotes in italics. It breaks the flow and is irritating. Sometimes it is just plain regressive and sexist. See this passage (Arjun telling Eva that kissing her boyfriend is cheap): Your friends know that I proposed you but they don’t know you kissed me in the middle of the street – 4 blocks away from your home. How cheap does this sound? Money is overrated and this book reinforces this notion, see the passage below: So how do people like Virat and Elon become so irresistible all of a sudden? The answer is M-word! The M-word is not some Magic but it’s MONEY! One should just take care of his M-word, and M-word takes care of the rest of the things. 2.5/ 5 s

Review: Kartikeya: The Destroyer's Son

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Kartikeya: The Destroyer's Son by Anuja Chandramouli My rating: 5 of 5 stars “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster . . . when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you” ― Friedrich Nietzsche The eternal fight of good and evil is not all black and white. This is my second book of Anuja. First one was “Shakti, The Divine feminine”. I see some common themes in her two books though I am writing about “Kartikeya” here. The story of Kartikeya is not very well known in north India from where I belong. Ganesh is more popular elder son of Shiva in these quarters. Though in south India Kartikeya (aka Murugan in Tamil Nadu) is worshipped with fervour. This books says that Karti is elder. Indra is petrified to death due to rising power of Soora and his brothers Simha and Taraka. The rotten manipulator as he is, he approaches Vishnu for help. This is what he always does. It is foretold that S

Interview of Anuja Chamdramouli (Author of "Kartikeya: The Destroyer's Son”)

I had recently read the phenomenal book “ Kartikeya: The Destroyer's Son” . I asked some questions to extremely talented Ms Anuja Chandramouli. She graciously and kindly granted me her valuable time from extremely busy schedule. This may throw some light on her thinking process for those who are keen to know. Brief bio as taken from Goodreads.com Anuja Chandramouli is a bestselling Indian author and New Age Indian Classicist. Her highly acclaimed debut novel, Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, was named by Amazon India as one of the top 5 books in the Indian Writing category for the year 2013. Kamadeva: The God of Desire and Shakti: The Divine Feminine are her other bestsellers. Currently all three books are being translated into Hindi, Marathi, Gujarathi and Bengali, a real achievement for one so young. Her epic fantasies called Yama’s Lieutenant and its sequel has received an overwhelming response. Her newest books are on Kartikeya, Padmavati and Prithviraj Chau

Review: Zero Debt: Break the Debt Cycle and Reclaim Your Life

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Zero Debt: Break the Debt Cycle and Reclaim Your Life by Neeraj Deginal My rating: 3 of 5 stars Indian kids don’t understand finance till they marry. Till the time they are in college they are provided money by their parents and they don’t know how to manage it. Even after getting ot of college they do not handle and the parents usually do this for them. So naturally we are not very wise in making decisions regarding money management. The same thing happened with our author Sh Neeraj Denigal. He married and incurred a lot of debt. He had three credit cards, 3 housing loans and one car loan. This became so stressful that he had a nervous breakdown. Then he managed his finances better and became debt free and stress free. The book give tips about managing finances, time, health, work life balance and nost importantly valuing the things which matter. However the way author paid his loan after taking interest free loans from his elder brother is not a pa

Review: A Girl Called Renee

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A Girl Called Renee by Ruth Uzrad My rating: 3 of 5 stars The persecution of Jews was a sad incident. It ruined many lives. One such girl was Ruth Uzrad who escaped from there to Belgium. Just imagine the horror of two young girls in a train with no identification papers. She is put in an orphanage by a kind woman. Then she goes to France and take a pseudonym Renee. Finally she settles in Israel. It is a book by Ruth Uzrad herself and a moving portrait of trials and tribulations of hers when she runs for her and her sister’s life. View all my reviews

Review: You Are Meant To Sing!: 10 Steps to Unlock Your Inner Voice

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You Are Meant To Sing!: 10 Steps to Unlock Your Inner Voice by Helane Marie Anderson My rating: 3 of 5 stars The book is of a fighter who suffered from multiple problem in the past. She came over all these and found her voice. She suffered from anxiety, depression, PTSD etc and was afraid to show her talent. Her mother also dissuaded her to follow her dreams and advised to take the safe path. But she found the voice within her overpowering and then broke her shackles. Ultimately music is the cure for all her problems. It has to come from your soul and you have to follow your dreams. That is the message. View all my reviews

Review: Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar Of Vishnu

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Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar Of Vishnu by Kevin Missal My rating: 4 of 5 stars Lord Vishnu is the operator of universes. He comes to earth in human form when there is extreme evil to finish it off. There are four Yugs. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Ram in Treata Yug and Krishna in Dwapar. It is prophesied that he will be born as Kalki in Kaliyuga i.e. the present age. This is story of eternal battle between good and evil represented by Kalki and Kali respectively. Kalki is son of Vishnuyath and younger brother of Arjan. He is a simple village boy having amazing strength. Kali along with his sister Drukuti wants to establish an empire. Only hurdle in his path is Kalki. The author has given a note in the beginning itself that this is a fantasy and not a modern retelling of Kalki Purana (I didn’t know there was a book like that Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalki_P... ). The influences are many from GOT, star wars, LOTR and Bahubali. He wanted

Review: The Way of The Cat: Surviving Metastasized Cancer

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The Way of The Cat: Surviving Metastasized Cancer by Itzhak Be'er My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is about fight with Prostate cancer. It is s deadly disease and afflicted person loses all hope and descends into depression. Itzhak Be'er is a fighter who came out triumphant. He is optimistic, active, assertive and adaptable. A new chemotherapy protocol named Logothetis is used. It drains you but worked. This is Book of hope of survival. View all my reviews

Review: Touches of Grace: Philanthropy and Social Involvement in Israel

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Touches of Grace: Philanthropy and Social Involvement in Israel by Haim Dahan My rating: 3 of 5 stars Haim Dahan is an entrepreneur. This book gives detailed background and details of philanthropy in Israel. As per him Israel wealth distribution is highly unequal. Though government has social service programs these are not adequate. Then voluntary donation comes into picture. Philanthropy is imperative for a just fair and equitable society. Though book becomes boring at places due to dull nature of subject and many charts and tables, the underlying message is excellent. View all my reviews

Review: Listen to Your Soul and Heal Your Body of Chronic Disease

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Listen to Your Soul and Heal Your Body of Chronic Disease by Meirav Harel My rating: 4 of 5 stars HUMAN BODY IS a complex machine. No one can understand the full working of it. Even the so called expert doctors know only a fraction of its mysteries. Disease is our soul telling us there is something wrong. We have to learn to listen. First key is that only we can cure us from disease. This is a good helpful book and have practical application. View all my reviews

Review: When Opposites Meet

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When Opposites Meet by Sachin Garg My rating: 3 of 5 stars Love is a strange thing. It can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter who that person is. Love knows no logic. It can happen with someone who is like you or totally unlike you. The book is about love of polar opposites. There are three love stories in the book featuring polar opposites in each. 1. Main story is of Ritwika and Chetan Jadhav. They both suffer from a rare genetic disease. Ritwika is differently abled and wheel chair bound. She is studious, creative and intelligent but very weak and frail physically. Chetan is a wrestler who is accused of using drugs. He is very strong physically but not so bright mentally. They are different like chalk and cheese. 2. Indu Dua is Ritwika’s mother who is very bindass with her. Indu and Ritwika are more like friends than mother daughter. He meets her professor Lokesh who is brilliant scientifically but awkward socially. They also fall for each other.

Review: The Last Chai: Bringing the Nation to a Halt

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The Last Chai: Bringing the Nation to a Halt by Varun T. My rating: 4 of 5 stars With evolving technology and counter terrorism methods, even the terrorists has benefited. They also become more tech savvy and use deadlier weapons to kill and spread terror. And the network is global and their motives are many. With a nationalistic PM they want to thwart the progress of India at any cost. Ajay Kamate is under a lot of stress and is sent on leave by Doshi, The PM. But he is paranoid for his safety and come back before end of leave. Now the terrorist are using cyanide as their favourite weapon. He has nabbed a young boy who killed Bhardwaj his partner too. They try to get information from him but in vain. Now with Bhardwaj gone Ajay is under double pressure. Poorvi is a left leaning journalist who breaks the story of that young terrorist. When Doshi goes to Pakistan for SAARC summit Ajay goes with him. Somehow Doshi is poisoned and he goes in to coma. Aj

Review: Voyagers into the Unknown

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Voyagers into the Unknown by Ruchira Khanna My rating: 4 of 5 stars A trip to Tajmahal is all that it takes to unload your mental and emotional baggage. Taj is one of the seven wonders of world and symbol of love. Raj is an emphatic tour guide who has a gift to heal others. Meera is his ideal companion. Raj is a tour guide who does no promotion or publicity. His business run on word of mouth publicity. He has a knack of feeling emotional traumas of others and heal them. He is in a way a therapist though not having a professional degree. His method is also unconventional. He makes the person feel and work through his/ her pain. There are five main tourist on this trip. 1. Ira is a beautiful woman who is deceived by her lover Peter. She became depressed and suicidal. But her well-wisher send her to Raj tours. 2. Darci and Lennard is a couple who went through a rough patch due to recession. This put financial strain on them and Darci does the unthinkabl

Review: Destined

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Destined by Rubina Ramesh My rating: 3 of 5 stars Which is better marriage: love or arranged? Nobody knows for sure. Common sense says that love marriage is better. Two people fall in love, have a courtship period and know each other. Then they decide to take it one level up. That is marriage. But what happens to arranged marriage couples. Do they suffer a loveless marriage forever? Is it inflicted on the hapless couples? What is marriage? Is it a holy bond or just a legal contract between two parties? Religion says this is a bond till death do them apart. Law says this is just a contract between two consenting adults. This book tries to answer these questions. What is the answer? For that you have to buy the book and read it for yourself. Here is the amazon link: https://www.amazon.in/Destined-Rubina... https://www.amazon.com/Destined-Rubin... Esha is desperate because she has to arrange money for treatment of her father. She has lost her mother to

Destined by Rubina Ramesh

Which is better marriage: love or arranged? Nobody knows for sure. Common sense says that love marriage is better. Two people fall in love, have a courtship period and know each other. Then they decide to take it one level up. That is marriage. But what happens to arranged marriage couples. Do they suffer a loveless marriage forever? Is it inflicted on the hapless couples? What is marriage? Is it a holy bond or just a legal contract between two parties? Religion says this is a bond till death do them apart. Law says this is just a contract between two consenting adults. This book tries to answer these questions. What is the answer? For that you have to buy the book and read it for yourself. Here is the amazon link: https://www.amazon.in/Destined-Rubina-Ramesh-ebook/dp/B075ZS2MZH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510153667&sr=8-1&keywords=destined https://www.amazon.com/Destined-Rubina-Ramesh-ebook/dp/B075ZS2MZH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510153667&sr=8-1&ke

Review: Undelivered Letters

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Undelivered Letters by J. Alchem My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is my second book of J Alchem. First one read is “The Highway Man”. Review can be read here:- https://www.amazon.in/gp/customer-rev... Letters have become like dinosaurs now a days. We have e-mail, Facebook, Whatsapp and twitter. This is the age of instant messages. All these IM apps can’t hold candle to a real letter. Letter has emotions of the writer as it is handwritten. The recipient also feels a connection as the person took out time and effort of writing and posting it. The book about letters which are undelivered for 20 years. Some of the person died or separated. Aron is a postman who forgot to deliver 9 letters. He finds them after 20 years and decide to deliver them on the advice of his wife. What happens? The book is written in a concise language. This has some real emotions. But I find this book unsatisfactory. First the stories seems rushed. Second the reactions after getting

Review: The Guardian

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The Guardian by Anna del Mar My rating: 3 of 5 stars Africa is rich in flora and fauna. Now many species are on the verge of extinction. But there is someone who is fighting the poachers. Jade Romo, a journalist comes to Africa to uncover some secrets. Game warden Matthias Hawking is ex navy seal and fighting against the poachers. He admits here reluctantly knowing full well she means trouble. But he is attracted to her as well. He saves her from deadly thugs and then what happens? Book has both erotic and thrill elements. The pace is good and story keeps interest going. It is a good one time read for sake of thrill and romance. 3/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

Review: The Falcon's Revenge

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The Falcon's Revenge by J.E. Holling My rating: 3 of 5 stars Warrior brotherhood is a deadly secret organisation. Revenge is powerful motivator. They hatch a plan to assassinate president. Eric Tyson and Ex FBI agent will have to step in to thwart their plans. Will he be successful? This is a ok thriller. 3/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

Review: Becoming Hero

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Becoming Hero by Jen Finelli My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is innovative, this is kind of a graphic novel. It has two versions 1. A text only version. 2. Text plus comic version. This is story of Skye who is a superhero. It has lots of action and good illustrations. Good for lovers of novels and comics both. 3/ 5 View all my reviews

Review: Touch of Fire

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Touch of Fire by Jasmine B. Waters My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a paranormal book which is a rage these days. Mari Elwood family is peacekeeper. She has gift of empathy. Then her dreams become almost real and takes over her life. How will she deal with it. The book has an interesting premise and entertains. 3/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

Avishi by Saiswaroopa Iyer

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Avishi by Saiswaroopa Iyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars India has a rich heritage. The civilization is almost 5000 years old and started with Rig Veda. Most Indians are not aware of this rich heritage. We have rudimentary knowledge of Ramayana and Mahabharata and not beyond this. This book is a commendable effort by Saiswaroopa Iyer to bring to forth that legacy. There is mutiny against the General Ugra and Sukratu, his loyal bodyguard is killed. Avishi, his daughter is saved by a transgender and taken to another kingdom. What destiny has in store for her? Language of book is rich and concise. Avishi is brave, intelligent and loyal. This is god book to be read but not in hurry. One has to spend time with it. View all my reviews

Soul Warrior (The Age of Kali #1) by Falguni Kothari

“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don’t deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don’t surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover’s skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don’t. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you live as though you won’t. In the Great Stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn’t. And yet you want to know again. That is their mystery and their magic.”  ― Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things I am tempted to open the review with these words. Mahabharata is a great book. It inspired countless authors to retell it in myriad ways. Everyone has their own interpretation. Karna is a character from the epic which deserves our sympathy. Same is done by Falguni in he

The Five Shields :The Lost Souls by Ilan Dvir, Joseph Fackenhiem (Translator)

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The Five Shields :The Lost Souls by Ilan Dvir My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fantasy as a genre has enthralled us since time immemorial. This is liked by children and adults alike. Fight between light and dark forces is also eternal. Jess, May, Johnny, Rose and Kiyoshi have a secret. On their 13th birthday they come to know that they possess shields with gems in them. They are the soldiers of light forces against the darkness. They are set on a journey to find a scroll and set free the persons of light. It is a thrilling ride. The book kept me hooked and I liked the fantastic elements. Though the story is same as told countless times it is still enjoyable. I liked the chemistry between the five. This is book one and I hope Ilan Dvir writes next instalment and the book ended with a hint of further books. View all my reviews

Devil's Bride by K. G. Isaac

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Devil's Bride by K. G. Isaac My rating: 2 of 5 stars Devil is real or just a figment of our imagination. If there is a god there must be a devil. Because plus and minus are opposite side of the same coin. The opening of book reads “This book is dedicated to those who believe devil exists, but do not know where to find him. If you believe in devil and feel your search will end after reading it, you will be disappointed big time. I failed to understand whether Rabbi Mendel Schul is mentally disturbed or does devil possessed him. He searches a wife for devil like a fanatic and in the process destroys lives of two women. This is sick, confused and very long book. Very boring and idiotic to say the least. View all my reviews

A Universal Storm by Gershon Shevach

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A Universal Storm by Gershon Shevach My rating: 2 of 5 stars If we can have one nation for all religions, races and skin colour life will be great. But it requires a revolution and that means blood have to be spilled. A reporter finds there is no power. Then he meets a person with no name but just “Engineer”. Leila is a Muslim girl from Pakistan who is rescued by Engineer from a building rubble. She is taken to Israel for treatment and she hates it. Eyal is an idealistic young man from Israel. He is not impressed by Zionism. Eyal and Leila meets in picturesque Manali, Himalayan foothills of India. They plan for something g drastic. The book has some interesting idea. But it read more like a disjointed stories which have no plot. It was more of a non- fiction feel. The characters are flat and you don’t feel anything for them. There is no purpose either and it ended as abruptly as it started. View all my reviews

Just A Few Lies by Sandeep Sharma

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Just A Few Lies by Sandeep Sharma My rating: 3 of 5 stars Mind is complicated machine. It can lead us to believe things which may or may not be there. Love, guilt, crime of passion and stealing away someone’s love may lead to losing one’s mind. Anant is a popular writer and his friend Raman is his publisher. He feels his beautiful wife Kavya has an affair with Raman. Then enters Sagarika and Raman asks him to mentor her. Then it becomes like a love quadrilateral or a maze. Psychological thrillers are a new hot trend. This book also has a mysterious character Alka Thakur who may be imaginary. This is many insights like about the second woman. There is always guilt and the second one gets less love. Lies are good or bad for relationship? There are some issues also. The book is jumbled and motivations of Raman and Kavya are not clear. Sagarika is also confused it seems. Anant condition it seems affected all. As this book is told in third person but mainly from Anant point of view the

My Evolution: An Amazing Journey from Zero to Hero by Gili Weintraub

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My Evolution: An Amazing Journey from Zero to Hero by Gili Weintraub My rating: 4 of 5 stars Life is a riddle to be solved by us or by philosophers. It is a complex and finding meaning is tough. What is the point of life? What is success? How to live life on our own terms? The book answers these question with help of animals; rabbit, zebra, lion, salmon, crow etc. Gili answers the life biggest question in a very funny and light way. You feel that the answers were in front of you all along but you filed to see them. Say for example Zebra. Horses are trained and subjugated. Zebra is from same family but he is never tamed. He teaches us to be free and independent; how to take our own path. Success is not material things. It is growth within. I liked the book very much and learned few things. View all my reviews

Playing with Fire (FIRE Trilogy, #1) by Devika Fernando

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Playing with Fire by Devika Fernando My rating: 3 of 5 stars Paranormal romance is a new rage. This adds another dimension and tension to stories. Otherwise love stories tend be pretty boring. Boy meets girl, they fall in love and marry. Or don’t. The story opens with a burning house. She is fire and can’t burn. But Joshua doesn’t know this and tries to save her. Then they meet again in the library where she works. Sparks fly and attraction she feels is electric. The story has potential and as this is book 1 story is developing. Characterization is good so is descriptions. Language is impressive. I liked the book though I don’t read paranormal. Let’s see what book 2 has in store. View all my reviews

Two Princes and a Queen by Shmuel David

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Two Princes and a Queen by Shmuel David My rating: 3 of 5 stars The world has only heard about atrocities committed by Nazis on Jews. This is history lesson and we read this in terms of numbers and dates. So the real horror of situation doesn’t come out in terms of human tragedy. But through a book or movie we can see the human tragedy that the holocaust was. Hanne is living in Yugoslavia with his family. They have to flee from there when it becomes to much a life and death struggle. They go to pre Israel in a make shift boat. What happens next? The book is good and gives the perspective of persons who has to face this persecution first hand. I gather that this is translated from Hebrew in English and translation is good but sometimes becomes jerks. But that is understandable. You should read it if you want a human angle of those events. View all my reviews

Breathing Two Worlds by Ruchira Khanna

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Breathing Two Worlds by Ruchira Khanna My rating: 3 of 5 stars Is it easy to settle in a foreign land? There is so much craze to go to USA or Canada or Europe to earn and settle. Indians (especially Punjabis) are crazy to go abroad and to be called NRIs. But is it all hunky dory? Neena a Delhi girl goes abroad and meets Adan. They hit it off and when she comes back to India, she feels trapped between two cultures. The language is lucid and crisp. This book has a message that we have to take the best of two cultures. Clash of east and west is old and both civilizations have good and bad traits. It is up to us to choose. 3.5/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

Second Chance by Sandeep Jatwa

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Second Chance by Sandeep Jatwa My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received a review copy from Vinfluencers in exchange of honest review. Life gives us many chances. But this book is about second chance. Life is a continuum. It never stops for evil as well as good persons. Do people change? Maybe. Shekhar is a businessman whose father is paralytic. He is a selfish, nasty and ruthless person. He is totally indifferent to feelings of others. He does not believe in marriage. He needs new woman daily and does not want to be tied to one. He has a new manager Manish whose only capability is that he acts as a pimp for Shekhar. He arranges girls for him for sex. Kailash is old manager from his father’s time and he demoted him. He insults him all the time. Unnati is a nice girl in his office but he does not promote her. Hrishita is new girl in the office who is ready to sleep with him. He takes hostile over company of another businessman. Then he start receiving warnings from mysterious “City of Jus

Flying Without Wings by Rishabh Puri

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Flying Without Wings by Rishabh Puri My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is my second book by the author. First one was “Inside the Heart of Hope”. The hero has some kind of disease. Live is hard to find both for rich and for poor. Rich can never be sure whether the lover loves his money or him. And who loves a poor person? Mili work at Chandigarh airport shop. Her brother Karan was an army man. She lives with her mother in a despondent atmosphere. Karan Singhania is a rich businessman. He has many girlfriends but no lover. Then they connect through a dating app and hit it off. What happens next? I find this book much, much better than the first one. The editing and language is better and so is the narration. Character development of Karan and Mili is good. Their love develops steadily and it is heartening to see. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to romance readers View all my reviews

Craziotic by Anika Vedh

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Craziotic by Anika Vedh My rating: 3 of 5 stars Heart break or heart attack. Which is bigger killer? Earlier it used to be attack but mow heart break is a real threat. It leads to depression and suicide. The girl in the book meets Chris at her work place. They are poles apart in personality. They fall in and then out of love. And our heroine heart breaks and she is extremely sad. There is a mystery caller also who warns her from time to time. The book is an out and out romance. It is told in first person from point of view of the heroine. She lives in a dream world and then in a hell. This is part one of the series and many questions remain unanswered. A better editing would have been good. View all my reviews

Army Girl Steals Civilian's Heart by Oswald Pereira

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Army Girl Steals Civilian's Heart by Oswald Pereira My rating: 4 of 5 stars Love in the time of communal tension and ghar vapsi. Its like fighting a herculean battle. Though the book is printed in 2017 period seems old. But the issue is evergreen. Inter religion marriages are always tricky. Amrita Datta and Oscar Pereira are as different as chalk and cheese. She is an army officer daughter having loads of money. He is also from an erstwhile landowner family; but they were ruined due to drinking. She is an intern in the newspaper where he is a seasoned reporter. She is a hindu and he is Christian. He has a heavy drinking problem? But after he falls for her, she ask him to choose between her or booze. What do you think he chose? The way Oscar family integrates her is commendable. She goes to church and gifts the priest “Bhagwad Gita as it is” after he gifts her a Bible. He also respects her decision and is very open. 4/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

Until Sweet Death Arrives by Amnon Binyamini

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Until Sweet Death Arrives by Amnon Binyamini My rating: 4 of 5 stars Mental illness is much more devastating than physical illness. The reason is simple. Brain controls the whole body and if brain goes kaput. Whole body stops functioning. Alzheimer’s disease is especially cruel. Nahum Patterson, happily married to Edna, is a talented journalist. He is not afraid to take on powerful people and exposes the wrong doings. He is highly regarded in the professional circles. But his life becomes pathetic due to his disease. He starts forgetting things but his enemies don’t forget. The book is fast paced and keeps the interest going. The pace is good and the conditions of Nahum evokes sympathy. 4/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

One Last Time by Anubhav Shrivastava

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One Last Time by Anubhav Shrivastava My rating: 3 of 5 stars Teenage is a crucial age. You are at the cusp of childhood and young age. Your body and mind are changing. It is also important from the career perspective. Nakul is an upper middle class spoilt brat. He goes with his grandma to Bardoli and meets Prakash. There is no modern amenity there and Prakash lives in poverty. He is unlike Nakul and Nakul learns a few things from him and in turn teaches him English. Akansha is a beautiful young achiever. She is good in studies and dance. All the boys are in awe of her and thus don’t approach her. Nakul and Akanksha become friends. This is a story of bonding. The friendship of Nakul with these two is special. They teach him few things and in the process they also grow. The pace is slow and plot is missing. It is a simple straight line story with no turns. The climax is also predictable. I give the book 3/ 5 stars. View all my reviews

Lean In To Relationships

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About the Book: Doubt has pivoted many a relationship across the centuries. Whether it is Othello suspicious of Desdemona or through the rise of paranoia as a trope in twentieth century writings. While paranoia naturally suggests the vulnerability of individual mind to social rhetoric, it is also the space for deep interrogation of the individual that renders him/her to paranoia. This novel presents that doubt has the potential to be a space of liberation. Madeeha works in Jordan to rehabilitate Syrian refugees. Zehen, a political analyst from India, meets her in the US during their social impact program. He is intrigued and charmed by her, and falls deeply in love. But the world political climate, with its accompanying cultural narratives about terror and pain, infects Zehen’s mind. Zehen begins to suspect Madeeha as a possible mujahid. Will he find his truth? Fear doesn’t devastate; it stirs the inner pot. It is a tender love story that triumphs heartbreaks and sets