Book Review: Singlehood by Wilson Awasu

About the book:

Being Single Can Feel Frustrating... Try a Change of Perspective! There can be many complex emotions tied up in the idea of being single. Societal pressures, self-esteem, loneliness, a sense of where you fit in the world...it can seem overwhelming or even depressing. Singlehood is a refreshing look at what it means to be single. Follow Lisa as she learns valuable lessons about herself, and challenges long-held misconceptions that hold many people back. Do you look for a potential partner with a laundry list of must-haves, ignoring your own dysfunctions? Are you more focused on what someone can give to you, rather than on what you will bring to a partnership? Are you locked into the idea that people who don't have children aren't fulfilling their calling in life? And do you believe that as a single person, you aren't who you are supposed to be. Properly benefiting from singlehood can be the most powerful tool in transitioning to a successful marriage. Let Singlehood open your eyes to a new way of thinking, and learn along with Lisa how to enjoy being single, and how to learn the skills that will let you take charge of the experience of singlehood, turning it into a time for growth and blossoming, rather than bitterness and frustration.

About the Author:

Wilson Awasu (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) has been given the opportunity to observe people’s relational patterns during decades of teaching and interacting with college students, missionaries, and hundreds of people both within and outside the church. This book shares his tremendous insights, taken from experience with eligible singles, never-married singles, married couples both with and without children, widows, widowers, and divorcées. Dr. Awasu is the author of Kim’s Confessions, Kathy’s Good News, and Family Likeness. He and his wife Anna live in Lakeville, Minnesota.

My Review:

The theme of the book is naturally intriguing in a society which views the matters of marriage and single-hood very seriously and where marital status is both a measure of happiness and sorrow. Well, to begin with, the book does touch up on subjects of everyone's concerns: simple things like how we have an irrational tendency to grow our self-esteem based upon how we perform at relationships, or how we tend to overrate the act of being in a relationship. everything leads to one fact: the frustration that we feel on being single is unnatural, it is something the societal constructs force us to feel.

So, we first need to fall in love with ourselves, before being able to commit the time and energy that any relationship requires.
The book reads in the form of a workshop and seeks to address all queries.
Now, although the theme is universal, the approach is not. It is a christian book, which means that the way it chooses might not appeal to everyone. But then, the universality of the theme makes it possible for any reader to relate to it. It even talks about forgiveness and healing, things which play a major role in determining relationship success, but many people know not of.

 My Judgement:

 If you are game for a Christian self-help, get reading!

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Book Review: Love, that shit! by Chandru Bhojwani

About the book:

Like a rollercoaster, relationships have their nauseating ups, downs, twists and turns... Sure, like a rollercoaster, relationships are also fun and exciting but what happens when the ride isn’t as smooth as you thought it would be? What do you do when you want to get off the ride but disengaging the safety harness is a lot harder than you thought? Or simply, what if you’re finding it difficult to get on a ride in the first place, especially when there isn’t a height restriction? 

...Unfortunately, relationships don’t come with perforated edges and Love, That Shit! (LTS) hopes to help you through the process of getting into, dealing with and even the aftermath of relationships. What sets LTS apart is its contemporary approach, aimed at enlightening while simultaneously, entertaining. 

Challenging norms and common thinking at times, LTS hopes to keep you chuckling, or at least smiling, as you embark on the journey and absorb its message.

Book Cover:

About the Author:

Born in Africa, Chandru was raised between Nigeria, India and England where he obtained a MA in International Business and Management. After working in New York for three years, Chandru moved back to Nigeria in 2002 and joined the family business. During that time he was offered a full-time columnist position at the South Asian publication, Beyond Sindh. He went on to publish his first book, The Journey of Om in 2010 and is set to release a new book in 2013/14.

In 2013, Chandru played Dr. Vikram Randhawa in the Brit-Asian feature film, Born to be King and a sinister boss in the short, Inescapable. An avid fan of movies, cricket and basketball, Chandru now resides in London, UK with his wife and son.

My Review:

The first thing that deserves a thumbs-up is the quirky and zany title of the book. It lends it a sense of humor, wisdom and an offbeat characteristic which is ominous of the book to follow.

It gives you a delightful treat of teachings like,  'One must kiss many frogs before finding the prince/princess.' and to see that it justifies all the things said and discussed. The book, as you may have surmised, talks at length about relationships and love and soulmates and partners and families and marriage and kinds of marriages and mother-in-laws and father-in-laws and all such stuff that our lives are made of. Those who are married can seek solace in the fact that they are not alone, and those who are yet to initiate the escapade shall find some really precious pearls of wisdom.

The language is also easy to understand, embellished by the beads of sarcasm and hilarity every once in a while.

The book also kept me on toes with the smell of misogynist-ism in one chapter followed by sheer feminism in another. This means balance, and that is another trademark of the book.
Plus it also has witty humor, which applies universally, consider this: "Who is this 'they' we constantly refer to in everyday life? "They say its the thought that counts" .... Is it an individual or a collective? How did he/she/they come by such knowledge, wisdom and insight? Do they have qualifications or do they just jabber on while high on ganja and we, like sheep, follow their every word as gospel?"

At times, the book has a serious overtone, when explaining the perils of love and arranged marriages respectively. It brings to the fore the apprehensions people, as a part of the society face.
On the whole, the book is a light read and treats you well as a travel companion.
Also, look out for the various varieties of in-laws, its the cherry on the cake.

Best Lines: 

Bottom line, when shit happens.....flush it.

My Judgement:

The best way to read this book is one chapter a day, so as to keep yourself entertained for 23 days as well as for the better reason of not making it sound like another of those marriage guides, love tips or plain self-help.

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Book Review: The Secret Letters By Robin Sharma

About the book:

Genre: Self-Help

From one of the most widely read authors in the world comes a story of breathtaking power and dazzling suspense about what it means to be fully alive.

Jonathan Landry is a man in trouble. After a bizarre encounter with his lost cousin Julian Mantle—a former high-powered courtroom lawyer who suddenly vanished into the Himalayas—Jonathan is compelled to travel across the planet to collect the life-saving letters that carry the extraordinary secrets that Julian discovered.

On a remarkable journey that includes visits to the sensual tango halls of Buenos Aires, the haunting catacombs of Paris, the gleaming towers of Shanghai and the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal in India, The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari reveals astounding insights on reclaiming your personal power, being true to yourself and fearlessly living your dreams

About the author:

Robin Sharma is the globally celebrated author of 15 international bestselling books on leadership including The Leader Who Had No Title, the phenomenal #1 blockbuster that is inspiring a movement around the idea that “Now, anyone - in any organization - can show Leadership”. His work has been published in over 62 countries and in nearly 75 languages, making him one of the most widely read authors in the world. He shot to fame with The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, which has topped international bestseller lists and sold over 4,000,000 copies. Robin is the founder of Sharma Leadership International Inc., a training firm with only one focus: helping people in organizations Lead Without a Title. Clients comprise of many of the FORTUNE 500 including Microsoft, GE, NIKE, FedEx and IBM. Organizations such as NASA, IMD Business School, Yale University and The Young President's Organization are also SLI clients. Robin is a former litigation lawyer who holds two law degrees including a Masters of Law (Dalhousie Law School).

Book Trailer:

You might also like to see the author talk about this sequel to The Monk Who Sold His ferrari

My Review:

For someone who is already a Robin Sharma follower, it is a refreshingly different story narrative that the author presents. For those of us who have read The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, and other sequels and prequels to his chef d oeuvre, we certainly expected to have something different if we are to read more of him, and to our exultation, the author treats us to the most creative, fresh and stimulating read. Right from the beginning, it has a rebellious tangent to it which was never seen before in his books.Here the protagonist is resistant to undertake the journey of self-exploration, unlike his other protagonists who were rather keen, and till the end he doesn't realize that he is on a life-altering journey.

I personally read the book at a time when I was dealing with multiple sources of stress and disappointments. So, I would say this was precisely what I had needed. The book emphasizes more on the journey rather than the sermon. As you may have surmised already, the secret letters are pearls of wisdom, and that is all I can say without giving away too much.

For the uninitiated, this is what I have to say: While reading The Monk who sold his Ferrari is a fierce recommendation from yours truly, you SHOULD read this one, because it is a rare book that teaches you pearls of wisdom and life lessons, and an even rarer fable that can do this without sounding didactic.

And a common message to all: there comes a time when discovering your self worth takes precedence over building your net worth, this book is precisely for those moments, to guide you through that period of revelation and challenging discoveries.

The protagonists character sketch is such that at times you will feel like you completely relate to him, and then it will be a pleasant transformation that you will undergo along with him, by the time you reach the end of the book.

If you don't believe me, consider this:

"I didn't know what was worse- taking weeks out of my life to travel around the world collecting someone elses stuff, or having to write about it. Self-reflection has never been my forte."
The book has beautifully interwoven the threads of travel and self-reflection and discovery, and the result is awe-inspiring. 

My Judgement: 

Even if you are not a big self-help fan, this one is customized to cater to your whims. If you liked Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert, go grab (or download) a copy now, 

Best lines:

And it seemed to me that all the excuses I used to make were nothing more than lies that my fears had been trying to sell me.

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Book review: The Conspiracy Kid by E.P. Rose

About the book:

A cast of charmingly eccentric characters is brought together through their accidental membership of The Conspiracy Kid Fan Club, resulting in a glorious series of adventures involving hamburgers, poetry, blues, mental breakdowns, art, death and golf, as it propels the reader from Hendon to Biloxi, and from Piccadilly to Pring.

The friendship between Edwin Mars, a shambolic and underfunded poet, and Joe Claude, a plodding and bereaved billionaire, lies at the heart of the book – a friendship kindled by Edwin’s sonnet, “The Conspiracy Kid Fan Club”.

But what is the Fan Club? Who is the Conspiracy Kid? And what effect does reading the sonnet have on all those who come into contact with it?

This is the story of the earliest unwitting Conspiracy Kid Fan Club members: Edwin Mars (poet), Joe Claude (billionaire), Walter Cornelius (‘werewolf’), Muriel Cohen (chef) – to name but a few. It tells of their loves and losses, their tragedies and triumphs, all tied together in a tangle of conspiracy, coincidence and string.

E. P. Rose’s stylish and humorous prose, combined with an intricately woven plot, draws the reader into a heady vortex of colliding worlds, resulting in unexpected and often hilarious consequences.

 
Or, as Edwin Mars, being a poet, puts it:

This is the story of Joe Claude and me,
And of my son and the sisters he loved,
And of their father, how he came to be
In a graveyard - naked and uni-gloved;
Hamburgers, hurricanes, murder and string,
Werewolves and waiters and barmen and cooks,
From Maine to Biloxi, Mayfair to Pring,
Furniture, ketamine, golfing and books;
Marriages made and broken and mended
Under the shadow of loved ones who died.
See how the grieving billionaire endedUp in that prison where laughter’s proscribed.
Will he be rescued then? Read and find out
What The Conspiracy Kid’s all about.

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpuf

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpuf

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction. - See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpuf

About the Author:

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.
Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.
As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted"

My Review

You don't have to be kiddish, but it helps.

When I ventured initially into the book, I had little idea of what to expect from it, since classifying it under a particular genre seems a daunting task, just like reading through the events that ensue.

It is almost ludicrous that something apparently as innocuous as a sonnet can be the crux of this all, and thankfully it isn't, the name is just figurative.

You are enrolled into the conspiracy kid fan club as soon as you read the sonnet. It is irreversible and metaphorical. There’s little relevance of the fan club apart from it being a bunch of people around whom the story revolves. so to say, the characters are both the positive and the negative aspect of the novel. Positive, in their presentation and stories, and negative in their multitude and execution. The dialogues seem interesting but then the whole plot is bogged down by unnecessary attention to interest factual details which have little consequence for the plot. As a result reading through the entire novel becomes a daunting task.

the ending however has been done quite subtly, however that does not make up for the  lack of coherence in the plot especially in the latter half if second part till the first half of third part. The plot has potential, but the timing and manner of certain revelations is what pulls the ratings down.the best part has to be the sonnets composed by Edwin. They are truly something to look forward to, reread and savor.  The first part is the best which eases the reader’s transition into the world of the conspiracy kid fan club. And the humor is all-pervasive throughout the novel.

The most endearing characters are Iris, Muriel, Joe Claude.

Judgement:

Reading becomes delightful if you can avoid the unnecessary information and concentrate on two things: one the restaurant and the people behind it second Joe Claude and his family. How Cynthia reviews the restaurant is really thrilling, though.

Best lines: 

I don’t think it’s really an area of competition, do you? Grief ? Grief is grief. I don’t think there’s any point in measuring it, yours against mine, mine against anybody’s.

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted.”

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpuf

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted.”

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpuf

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted.”

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpu

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted.”

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpuf

E.P.ROSE is the nom de plume of a previous restaurateur,who has retreated from restaurants in order to concentrate on writing remarkable fiction.

Table Thirteen Books is committed to assisting him in this endeavour.

As he himself says: “I need all the help I can get. I seem to be so easily distracted.”

- See more at: http://www.tablethirteenbooks.com/authors/e-p-rose/#sthash.zvYAn2XX.dpu

Book Review: English Bites by Manish Gupta

About the book:

English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is the story of a man who goes from being tongue-tied in school to becoming a smooth talking banker. Through a series of hilarious personal adventures and misadventures, Manish Gupta provides easy solutions to problems faced by language learners. So, whether you're a vernacular speaker, a GRE/ GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!

• Add over 1000 new words to your vocabulary and figure out easy and effective ways to expand your word bank.
• Combine etymology, mnemonics, jokes and anecdotes to better your understanding of the English language.
• Differentiate between similar sounding words and learn to use them right.
• Improve your general knowledge with trivia that spans brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.

About the author:

Manish Gupta is a banking professional. When not crunching numbers he is busy engaging with and examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language. He also likes trivia, travelling, adventure sports, delving into human psychology, and giving professorial discourses to colleagues, family and friends, and practically anyone who can give him a patient hearing. An engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.

 My Review:

When the book claims to make the reader love the English language a little more, it is certainly proclaiming an incontrovertible truth.

The book is just as interesting as it's title suggests. It is profusely brimming with trivia, vocabulary words, mnemonics, anecdotes, all of which are designed to make the reader fall in love with English.

The authors brings all the nuances, idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the English language to the fore. And he brings them to such a vantage that commands an impeccable view of the struggle one might have in his attempt to get a command over this highly coveted language.

So, this is basically what the book is about: the author's journey from a time when he used to envy convent educated boys for their fluency, to a time when he himself is a proficient orator of the English language. Tracing his journey from a time when he felt handicapped while conversing in English, he narrates his thrills and travails with so much vigor.

what is even more mesmerizing is that the book also throws light on the other aspects of a student's life, for instance, the escapades called interviews. This is what makes it an ideal companion for every student!

The best part has to be the etymology of words: learning about the derivation and hoistory of words has never been more fun, followed by mnemonics which are devised by the narrator as a part of his english-learning strategy!

The icing on the already delicious cake is the revelations to the confounding secrets and idiosyncrasies of the language. As if that could not satiate our appetite enough, the book treats us with a smorgasbord of phrases and witty remarks that come in handy in various social gatherings and other such life-and-death situations. And in an interestingly amusing way, not just listing them out but embellishing them with bone-tickling anecdotes.

The author certainly has read the minds of the reader, by virtue of having been at this position once himself and he enumerates words which leave us nonplussed in conversations, and explains trivia which usually may leave us flummoxed.

No exaggeration intended, he has crafted a masterpiece, a gem for all students of English language out there.

The detriment, if any suffered by the book, is that it might get exhausting to go through exhaustive trivia all at once, especially for someone who is not a very avid reader or voracious language nut. Also, it can become a challenging task for one to read through extensive factual information about other disciplines than her, but then the narrator has something for everyone!

No doubt, this is indeed, a chef d'oeuvre in the language world which surprisingly comes from an Indian author.

Having read the book thoroughly once, the reader is apprised of the treasure and life-savior that it is. In a market monopolized by Wren and Martin Workbooks which make it look even more academic and uninteresting to learn English, This book is surely to make a mark, following in the steps of the success of Word Power made easy. What concocts to make this book extremely readable and a must-have for anyone who is even an iota bit concerned with good communication skills, is the general knowledge and vocabulary that it contains, and the effortlessness with which these have been included.

Judgement:

The book not only furnishes vocabulary or communication skills or verbal ability or command over the language, it also helps hone one's personality, sometimes by the depiction of a real incident and at others, through hilarious anecdotes.

Best lines:

The carefree abandon of youth, dreams of numerous romantic conquests, and brilliant ideas to become millionaires overnight did not, sadly, leave any time to pursue knowledge enhancement, especially if it meant expansion beyond the boundaries of curriculum and job description.

  
I thank the author for providing me with a copy for review!