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Friday 11 December 2015

Book Review: When Our Worlds Collide by Aneisha Brahma

About the Book:


Akriti has led a pretty much sheltered life.
Zayn has been shuttled from city to city when he was growing up.
She is comfortable watching her life from the sidelines.
He wants to feel rooted to a place he can call ‘home’.
They meet each other quite by chance.
And both seize the chance to be someone they both need in their lives:
For Zayn, it’s a 'Partner-In-Crime'.
For Akriti, someone who just knows how to be there for her…
When their worlds collide,
It is not what either of them expected it to be.
Zayn has a steady girlfriend. And Akriti has a crush on him.
What happens when these two become friends?
The biggest adventure of their lives? Or the road to heartbreak?
What happens when two completely different people collide?
Do they become friends? Or, is their friendship doomed from the start?
'When Our Worlds Collide' is the story of two twenty-three-year olds, Who are finally growing up and finding their feet in the world.
A tale of friendship and love, crushes and betrayals, messes and second chances, Marriage and divorce… and the elusive happily ever after!



Book Links:
Goodreads I Amazon

About the Author:

 Aniesha Brahma knew she wanted to be a writer since she was six years old. She was schooled in Dolna Day School and went on to pursue B.A., M.A., and M.Phil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur Univeristy. She currently lives in Kolkata, with her family and five pet cats. The Secret Proposal was her debut novel, followed by The Guitar Girl. She was a contributing author with her story The Difference, in the anthology: Voices, Old & New. When Our Worlds Collide is her third work of fiction, and first novella.


Stalk Links:
Facebook Page * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Website * GoodReads

My Review:




When our Worlds collide is the kind of book you'd think is that same beaten. cliched story of Boy-meets-girl. only, it isn't. This book, this story is like a rebel.

This movie is to books what Queen was to Bollywood. Happy endings, but not the cliched, damsel-in-distress-rescued-by-prince charming ones.

Sure, we do have a damsel, and she sure as hell is in distress. But the story is a quick-read and worth a read.

The characters battle dysfunctional families and broken homes, and the trauma that comes with it and the protagonist- Akriti, steals the show. I can't even explain when she endeared herself, but the magnitude is definitely huge.
those parts in the book have been written very intensely where Akriti fights family.
Rest is all about life falling into place.

This book will leave you with hope and loads of relief.

Giveaway Details:

Prize 1: One really Lucky Indian Resident can win a Handmade Book Jacket made by Diptee Raut of DIP & DIY
Prize 2: One really Lucky Indian Resident can win a Surprise gift from the Author 


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Thursday 3 December 2015

Book Review: Shimmering Chimes by Maaya Dev

About the book:

Title: Shimmering Chimes
Published by: AuthorsPress
Published on: 2015
Pages: 93 pages
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 4/5
Blurb:
Shimmering Chimes is an outcome of dreams that we all dream solemnly and each poem is pebbles collected from the shore of imaginations, experiences, feelings, spirituality, love and almost what all encompasses life. The book is seeking, soothing, symbolizing, synthesising, singing, shining, shivering, surviving, and synapse between shimmering and chimes.
26803631

About the author

Maaya Dev is an Indian based poetess and an economics graduate from Calicut University, Kerala. She is a word smith wearing multi feathered cap. Her poems have found place in several national and international anthologies and journals like Episteme, Criterion, Anthesis, Eternal, Wings, Forever, Change , The Significant Anthology, Aquillerlle 2015. She is a contributor at many sites like Muse India, Boloji, Learning & Creativity, Cafe Dinssensus, Rate My Literature, Saliz Magazine. She handles a monthly poetry column ‘Tossed Pebbles’ at Bkhush. Her debut anthology Shimmering Chimes got published by Authorspress Delhi in Sept 2015. She blogs at maayas-musing.blogspot.in. 


My Review:

For once, the title of a poetry book perfectly encapsulates the essence of the verses contained in its pages. Two pages into the book, you come across this piece entitled "Beacon of enlightenment" which ends as here under:
"And I was feeling the warmth
of a thousand splendid suns
as beacon of enlightenment"

This is an example of the contemporary influences and references throughout.
The richness of vocabulary in any piece is beyond words, and yet it does not come across as intimidating- rather, it becomes the purveyor of power to words.
The words are beautifully sewn together, like nectar.
It is indeed refreshing to read poetry of such finesse in times like ours.

You might need to refer the dictionary first time, but once the meaning falls into place, it is a pure heartfelt joy to read through, read aloud and read to oneself!

I especially liked the poem "Birth of a poem". It is always so heart-warming to read about the making of an artistic masterpiece and this poem was a perfect example, what with the accurate description of words and expressions.
"In that moment of oblivion
an artistry real sketched rainbows
onto an invisible surface
I remained invincible for a while."

Another favorite is "Fireflies of time"
"Filaments of passing time
wafting in evanescence
to get folded in the memory"

How the lines capture the momentary feelings so well, and makes us feel every moment in the process.
Suffice it to say, if Dev reads out her poetry at a session, I am definitely going!

Verdict:
If you're looking for some soulful contemporary poetry, this collection might be the answer!

Links to the book:




Quotes from the book:




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Source of the review copy: I thank the author for providing me with a review copy.





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Saturday 7 November 2015

Book Review: #IAM16ICanRape by Kirtida Gautam

About the book:

Title:  #IAm16ICanRape
Published by
Paperback, 1 edition, 593 pages
Published August 22nd 2015 by Read Out Loud Publishing LLP 
Rating:  3.5/5
Blurb:
26156207
To destroy great EVIL, GOOD has to shed tears of blood. 

Rudransh Kashyap is a self-made billionaire and man of high moral fiber. His life is shattered when he returns home one day to find that his prodigy, his 16-year-old grandson, Aarush, has been arrested and accused of a brutal gang rape. It is easy to say, “Kill the Rapist” but what if the accused is your child? 

This case takes an unprecedented turn when Aarush’s identity is made public on social media. Rudransh finds himself living a nightmare as he fights against tremendous odds to get justice for Aarush, to save him and to bring him back home… But what if the unthinkable is true? Can Rudransh save his grandson, or will he end up fighting a different battle altogether?

About the author

Kirtida GautamKirtida is a clinical psychologist turned screenplay writer who completed her education from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, India. Her passion for psychology and writing inspired her into writing psychological thrillers. While the readers are reading this introduction, the next thriller is in the making...


Find the author here: 



Social media:

     
My Review:

First off, one cannot just read this book and not commend the author for the stand that she has taken.
She has not just discussed and deliberated the issue on the surface, but through her carefully etched plot and characters, she has managed to bring an entire gamut of secondary and primary issues related to the crime into the big picture. I really cannot commend her enough.

It is a long book, but a simple one, and with the resonance of December 16 in its plot, it creeps the goosebumps out of you. Reading the book, you realise it is your moral responsibility to give a little more thought to all of this than you do now, to make this world a better place.
The story follows many themes and explores a lot of relationships, between a teenager and his domestic help, between him and his estranged parents, etc. And it makes you think that maybe we should care more about how dysfunctional and broken  families have larger consequences than we ever thought.
It shows that a lot of effort has gone into the alternate narration given to multiple characters. Keeping up a plot of this intensity, and twists is really an arduous task well done in this case.


And, it also emphasis a point that has me in complete agreement: that we can never fully understand a human mind, and questioning should become a habit. Individualism is the truth and we cannot really make conclusions about a family based on one person.

I do feel that the book could have benefited a lot from a little more editing that could've made it seamless and racy, but the effort that has gone into it shows.

Links to the book:





Source of the review copy: Author


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If I ever buy antiques, they'd be books!

I was contacted by Invaluable.com recently, an online auction site with a huge collection of valuable books. They asked me if I felt like putting together my dream literary collection from antique books they have to offer and I thought why not.


I'm a college student and I'm usually broke. That's stating the obvious. But, like most enthused students I too harbor desires and hopes, and one of them is to be filthy rich enough to own an envious collection of antique books.

I dream about my most prized possession (read: books) actually becoming my most prized possession. Rusty pages, the raw form of the manuscript, the vulnerability of the first draft: all of this is reason enough for spending the big bucks on antique books. The intoxication of first editions hardcovers is irresistible and overpowering to me.

Here's my ideal literary collection, I might  must keep adding to it.


  • The Great Gatsby 
The story may have sounded extravagant to people, but to me it is one of the most beautiful I have read. Of all the classics, this one HAS to be my favorite. The one available at Invaluable.com is described as "publisher's dark green cloth, front cover blind-stamped, spine gilt-lettered, cocked, bottom corners bumped with light exposure, spine tips slightly rubbed with tiny split at head; supplied with facsimile dust jacket; dime-sized stain to rear endpapers". What would I not give to have it in my hands?

  • Classics, and then some
Other classics on my list are: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Diary of Anne Frank.

Uncle Scrooge is my childhood villain, and the hope that everyone learns and corrects his/her wrongdoings. 
It is the holiday season! Dickens is what drew me to reading voraciously. I remember poring over each word of A Tale of Two Cities because I liked his style of writing so much. The intrigue it held then is still there, and I'd love to have this in my dream literary collection.


The book is about a vampire, it has a tan clothing on it and is fingersoiled. I cannot wait to open it and smell it already! 

I remember when I was 11 year old and was bowled over by Portia's sagacity. I still am in love with that character. 


Wednesday 30 September 2015

Book Review: Made In India By Biddu

About the book:

As a child, Biddu dreamt of going west and making it big as a composer. At the age of sixteen, he formed a band and started playing in a cafe in Bangalore, his home town, At eighteen, he was part of a popular act at Trinca's, a nightclub in Calcutta devoted to food, wine and music, At nineteen, he had college students in Bombay dancing to his music. 

In his early twenties, he left the country and ended up hitchhiking across the Middle East before arriving in London with only the clothes on his back and his trusty guitar. What followed were years of hardship and struggle but also great music and gathering fame. From the nine million selling "Kung Fu Fighting" to the iconic youth anthem of "Made in India" and the numerous hits in between. Biddu's music made him a household name in India and elsewhere. 

In this first public account of all that came his way: the people, the events,the music tours and companies Biddu writes with a gripping sense of humor about his remarkable journey with its fairy tale ending. Charming, witty, and entirely likable, Biddu is a man you are going to enjoy getting to know.

My Review:

 I usually resist reading autobiographies or memoirs, not so much because I'm a fan of fiction as because I fear the person might not be able to express his words right. This one is the best exception to this case I've ever had. I've no issues using the superlative because Biddu's thoughts have been so organized, his precision of information so endearing that one wonders if they remember things this well.

So it is by and by the usual storyline with many points of heart-warming melodies, and the book is just as much a  treat to eyes and brain as is his music to the ears.
The language though succinct and on-point, also leaves scope for descriptions and explanations.

This book is a good read as far as recommending it is concerned. A welcome change for me, from all the sci-fi I had been reading off late.

 

Saturday 19 September 2015

Book Review + Giveaway: The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

About the book:


Title: The Girl in the Spider's web
Published on: September 1st, 2015
Pages: 432 pages
Genre: Thriller/Crime fiction
Rating: 4/5
Blurb:
This fall, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist return in the highly anticipated follow-up to Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

In this adrenaline-charged thriller, genius-hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist face a dangerous new threat and must again join forces.

Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a trusted source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female super hacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering.

Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Lisbeth for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. In The Girl in the Spider's Web, the duo who thrilled 80 million readers in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest meet again in an extraordinary and uniquely of-the-moment thriller.

About the author

Lagercrantz studied philosophy and religion at university and subsequently graduated from the Gothenburg journalism school. His first journalist job was at the in-house magazine of carmaker Volvo. He later moved to the daily tabloid newspaper Expressen and worked until 1993 as a crime reporter, covering some of the major criminal cases of the late 80s and early 90s in Sweden, notably the Åmsele murders. His first book was released in 1997, a biography of the Swedish adventurer and mountaineer Göran Kropp (1966 - 2002).

Find the author here: 
   

My Review:
Thrill and intrigue are two key elements of any book in the millenium series, or so I hear. Will David Lagercrantz be able to keep up the thunder that Steig Larsson's style entailed? Will the fourth book keep up the sanctity of the series?

Rest assured, it sure does. This books goes on to prove that after all, posthumous continuity isn't such a bad thing after all. Lagercrantz keeps the book as close to Larsson's creations, and one might even forget if this was written by someone else.

To me personally, the book held its charm from the word go. Balder and Blomkvist- as soon as I read the first two chapters, I knew a great story is awaiting my reading it.

It is the kind of crime fiction that involves the most mainstream elements- artificial intelligence, cyber gansters. journalism in peril and the like.

Having read some fairly fast-paced cyber thrillers, this book had a different intrigue. It didn't disappoint, although the pace could've been set even higher without hindering comprehension of the events. And then I'd say it is a decent read- no dark violence, no sullen sadism, no gory details.

Read it for its worth it, read it because there's always a charm in reading how one carries a legacy.

And I loved Lagercrantz's writing style so so much, that I might just read his other books as well.

Links to the book:






Quotes from the book:

Money talks, bullshit walks- The girl in the spider's web by David Lagercrantz(Reading the book as a part of blog tour by Hachette India)#readthegirl
Posted by So many books, So little time. on Saturday, September 19, 2015


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Source of the review copy: Hachette India Blog tour

Participate in the Giveaway:


The giveaway prizes will be provided by Hachette India, subject to availability.
Hachette India is not responsible for prizes that are lost in the mail.
The giveaway will be in India ONLY.
Any disputes arising from this contest are subject to jurisdiction in Delhi.
Winners will be determined by the management of Hachette India. The decision of the management will be final and no queries will be entertained in this regard.
The entries may be screened for defamatory content/language .Hachette India reserves the right for last minute cancellation and change in terms and conditions.
Participants should be Indian residents.
The contest will start on 17th September, 2015 at midnight and end on 16th October, 2015 at midnight. No late entries will be accepted.
Spam entries or entries that are not valid will be immediately disqualified
There will be seven (7) winners. Each winner will win a copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest , The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl in the Spider's Web and one book from the titles listed below:
1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
4. Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
5. The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy
6. An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy
7. Rescue by Nicolas Sparks
8. Under the Dome by Stephen King
9. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell
10. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
11. The Elephant Catchers: Key Lessons for Breakthrough Growth by Subroto Bagchi
12. In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce
13. Living History by Hillary Clinton
14. To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell
15. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
16. Theodore Boone,Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
17. One Day by David Nicholls
18. The Devotion Of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
19. Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer and Yvonne Gilbert
20. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R.Carey
Each winner will get a total of five books, subject to availability.
All entries that are only entered in the Rafflecopter widget will be valid.
Number of entries for each task has been provided in the Rafflecopter widget. Every person who enters the giveaway needs to do at least one task that is listed above for their entry to be valid.
Winner has 48 hrs to respond to intimation by Hachette India before another winner is chosen.
Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway.
Blog Tour hosts cannot enter the giveaway.
The same giveaway is being hosted on all blogs. There is no separate giveaway on all blogs.

Find the rafflecopter here
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/105f6d761/






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