Yet Another Dream by Dharmendra Tolani: It's different (Book Review)

About the book:

Title: Yet another Dream

Published by: 

Published on: April 24th, 2015

Pages: 115

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 2.5/5

Blurb: He is from Sindh, sort of.
She is from Tibet, almost.

He is clueless.
She is determined.

He can't cry.
She can't stay put.

They meet.
She disappears - leaving behind a mess of contraceptives and lingerie.

Who will clean it up?

Welcome to Yet Another Dream. A story about a serial dreamer Kataaksh, who would sell anything to succeed. Be it condoms or voting machines. Along the way he meets Lhakpa. Is she a dream too? Or a nightmare? Find out in this labyrinth of dreams.

About the author

Dharmendra Tolani has spent 11 years in the wilderness called real
world after graduating from IIT Bombay in 2004. He counts the experience of
selling condoms online for a year as his best ever. He has also taught
in slums and engineering colleges. During this time he has also been
able to dupe MNCs and startups alike in hiring him as a programmer.

Social media:

            

My Review:

It is difficult to say right away if the book is a thriller, historical fiction, or suspense. It is in fragments all of these. It begins as the story of Kataaksh leaving his job for an uncertain future. He approaches his friend Varun and they try their hands on selling voting machines.
Thereafter he meets Lhakpa, and the story, as depicted in the blurb begins.

Lhakpa and Kataaksh make a good team, and the reader figures this out in no time. The story idea and plot is unique. It has never been discussed from this angle before, which is what makes this book important. Apart from lending a sense of significance to the plot, this also makes it an intelligent informed read. Lhakpa and Kataaksh are trying to figure out the logistics of selling condoms and related stuff online.
Their conversations are almost enlightened. The talk about everything taboo, but this only goes to explain how we are depriving ourselves of some choices just because of artificial societal constructs. Well, there are many thinking points in the book, too.
The book also contemplates the crooked histories of some communities, and their helplessness in the same.

The book could have been made more interesting though- there is scope of giving details, and more witty conversations- I can sense potential there.
The ending is reached after few twists, and that makes the whole reading worthy. The suspense and mystery crops up suddenly and the urgency that rises in the reader is matched by the pace of the story.

The reader is more aware after reading the book that he was before.

Links to the book:

Source of the review copy: Author himself

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Author Interview and spotlight: Tania Joyce

Tania has penned Propositions. It is an erotic romance, and she is so happy and cheerful about what she writes, it rubs off on the reader. Probably, this is why her first book has received positive response in abundance. She has more surprises for her readers in the same genre. And it only gets HOTTER!

Interview:

     Kritika:  Congratulations on getting published. Tell us about the beginning of the beginning! When did you decide to write the book? when was the idea conceived? Was this the only idea on your mind, or did you have to choose?

Tania: It was never a lifelong dream of mine to become a writer. I only had the urge to start after I gave birth to my second son.  I started writing my first manuscript in August 2011.  Since then, my mind is constantly being bombarded with ideas for stories. I just can’t write fast enough.

The idea for Propositions has been a combination of events – dreams, attending high school and college reunions and travel.

 Kritika:  How long did it take you to write the novel?

Tania: For Propositions - from first word to being published took two years.  Writing the first draft actually only took about 3 months, but then it’s all the rework, edits, submissions and working with the publisher before it’s released.

 I am still on a very big learning curve, so it is taking me a while to turn around a completed manuscript.  Propositions was actually my second manuscript.  My first, Distractions, is in the final stages of editing. I am working on the sequel to Propositions (I should be writing it now!)

     Kritika:  How distracted are you when you're writing? Do you have certain rules? 

Tania: It varies day to day. The majority of the time though, when I get the chance to sit and write, a bomb would have to go off to pull me away from the computer.

I do not have certain rules about writing. I am not one to set word counts or time limits.  I have a young family and they will always come first. I also have a part-time job as a marketing consultant. When I have the time, I write, which is about 2-3 days a week.

     Kritika:   Was writing always the plan? If so, was this how you has envisaged it?

Tania: No, writing was not always part of the plan.  Up until a few years ago, I was very career focused and have quite a successful career in corporate marketing. But now I have unleashed this creativity in me, I don’t want to stop. All I want to do it write.  I have learned so much about the industry, guidelines, editing, and how to develop a strong well-structured story with strong characters. It’s amazing. But it is a tough business. You have to be committed and prepared to work hard.

     Kritika: Usually, some genres like YA or Sci-fi have fandoms and proponents- it makes their promotion so much easier- do you think it is challenging to make a mark as an author in the erotica/adult romance category?

Tania: The world of electronic media and digital marketing has certainly changed the way authors promote their books to the world.  I think you can find fandom etc in all genres.  Romance is the largest genre on the planet, it’s just an effort to make sure you stand out among the crowd!

If you have a good story, word of mouth will help it succeed.

    Kritika: Will you write in the same genre or would you like to experiment?

Tania: Yes – I like to write steamy sex scenes! They’re fun. So I’ll be sticking to the erotic romance genre.  However, my book, Distractions, is a college romance so will probably be listed under the New Adult genre – purely based on the age group, but it’s still HOT!

     Kritika: What do you have in the pipeline for the readers?

Tania: I have quite a few things in the pipeline.

Distractions – my New Adult college romance is due out towards the end of this year.

Acquisitions (working title) – is the sequel to Propositions and is due out early next year.

Then, I have three other works-in-progress already plotted out and ready to write.

There’s a lot in the pipeline.

     Kritika: Do you think adult romance gets repetitive? Is it hard to find a fresh plot which is original, despite the theme being "no-strings-attached"?

Tania: No – you read Romance for a happy ending. You read Crime to solve a mystery. You read Sci-Fi /Fantasy to go on a quest and save the world.

There is actually only a limited number of plot lines that stories are categorized into. It’s just your matter of interpretation and making your own story around them.

Romance is never boring and repetitive in my opinion – and I read a lot of romance!

     Kritika: How real or fictional are the characters that you wrote? 

      Tania: It’s all fiction.  Often I may reflect on something that happened in my life, overheard, witnessed or experienced to help convey the emotions into my characters.  I have a lot of vivid dreams as well, so I piece these together to come up with my storylines. It’s a lot of fun.

Kritika: Anything you read recently and enjoyed?

Tania: Hot Rock and Roll Romance - Kylie Scott’s – Stage Dive Series – Lick, Play, Lead and Deep.

            Romantic Suspense - Kendall Talbot’s – Treasured Secrets

            Contemporary Romance - Noelle Clark’s – Honor’s Debt

Read my review of propositions here.

You can connect with the author here:

          

I thank Tania Joyce for being such a wonderful writer, and letting me interview her.

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To get your book reviewed, read my review policy here. And then contact me here.

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Book Review: Kaleidoscope by Rachna Gupta

About the Book/Book blurb:

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Authorspress (2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8172739648
• ISBN-13: 978-8172739645

"Every beating heart will confess that once, at least once in their lifetime they were in love."


The collection of poems in this book talks about an emotion so strong that it has the potential to create and destroy! Love in all its capacity has that aura around it; it needs to be felt and when it resides in your soul you find it giving rise to feelings never experienced before. There is passion and tenderness when being together, estrangement and pain when two souls are apart and then there is joy and relief when bound together again. The 37 poems in this book talk about this amazing feeling as seen through my eyes and felt in my heart!

About the Author:

In an interview on the blog of Patridge India (the publisher), she describes herself as under, "I am Rachna Gupta, a small-town girl who moved to Pune 12 years ago. An educationist by profession, writing is something that has always interested me. While teaching English, I always encouraged the children to be creative and express their feelings through different mediums like writing, art and drama. There is nothing more magical than using words to create something new!"

My Review:

This book of poetry has pieces on the theme of love. It is indeed a special book. There are themes hovering around love: the endearment, the affection, the betrayal, the passion, joy, relief. For those of you who have been in love or even had a remote crush, this book might echo some relatable parts. 

I especially liked, "On my mind"

So I present an excerpt

"And evoke inspirational images

That speak to me

While you watch me

Turn them into words

That people will read!"

Just like any pieces of poetry the poems are open to interpretation and I interpret it as also encompassing selflove, the highest form of love there is. It also talks about heartbreak and finding happiness in darkness. The good thing is that it talks about all the changing colors of love and that sets it apart. It doesn't paint an entirely gloomy picture nor does it make it look absolutely rosy. It lays the emotional live in its unaltered and bare form, as it is.
I think if flipping through the pages of a poetry book and skimming through the pieces can make you feel relieved then the book has passed the litmus test. This one surely did.

Links:

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I thank the author for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review. 

Smelly to smiley: How I spray it away

So it struck me when I was sitting in a cafe, where, given a chance, I'd spend my life. Reason? The ambiance! It is so fresh, full of energy and enervating always. By my third visit, I realized it was because of the pervasive smells and sights.
It was a book cafe. Now I am a bibliophile, and my life revolves around my bookshelf. No kidding, My room has closed shelves and open books, and it is adjacent to kitchen.
I realized soon enough that the infrastructure cannot be redone, and I have to make do with this.
However what I couldn't put up with was the variety of odours haunting the room. T
That was when i got the Ambi pur room freshener. Now prior to this experience I wasn't a fan of bringing some new odor to the room, but the freshness that ambi pur left was totally worth the challenge to my pre-conceived notions.

I have my quirks: I hate the strong spices that are so typical to Indian kitchens: anything from a clover to a cinnamon is enough to put me off. Whenever I sit down to read, and mom is in the kitchen, I used to be perennially troubled with the smells and flavors emanating from there. Using the exhaust fans sometimes backfires, because other kitchens emanate the same smell. then there's another ingredient: garlic, which I love, but which degrades the atmosphere like nothing else can. I never bring my friends home when the cooking is going on- it's plain embarrassing to be coughing all around them.
And then there is this clandestine variety of unbearable smells: their source remains unknown forever but the level of discomfort they cause is beyond compare.
The time when I used the room freshener spray must have been the most confident time: the moment I smell something foul, I spray it away. Almost like a superhero movie. Ask my hostel friends, and they'll tell you how this indeed IS superhero-ish.

Now, Just a spray and my reading continues in the same favourite reading nook- uninterrupted.
Otherwise the skirmishes with mom whenever she cooks were bad, really bad.
Similar things happen in the car
Just imagine, Lavendar spa or vanilla bouquet..... the fragrance is so enticing, so much a treat to our senses!

Here's how I also used the feature of ambi-pur fragrance to increase the fragrance when required.

I am blogging for #SmellyToSmiley activity atBlogAdda.com in association with Ambi Pur

Book Review: DeadAlive by Sandip Khade

About the book:

Title: DeadAlive

Published by: DreamHouse

Published on: May 12th, 2015

Pages: 176

Genre: Mystery 

Rating: 2.5/5
Blurb: When we read a novel, all the characters in it are suppose to be fictitious; and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, must be entirely coincidental, right? But what if one day you find a Novel and when you start reading it, you feel that you know the characters in it? You feel that you are familiar with the incidences in it. Will it be just a coincidence...?

About the author

Sandip has pursued Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Information Technology and currently working for IT firm in Mumbai.

He was born on October 30 1990, in Mumbai. His interest in writing reached to its peak during his engineering college days.

Apart from reading and writing, his interests are music, science fiction movies and he loves hanging out with friends.

He has keen interest in mystery /fiction genre. Though he is not a voracious reader, he is addicted to writing and cant spend a day without it.

Sandip can be contacted at sandpkhade@gmail.com

My Review:

The concept of the plot is unparalleled, and the blurb makes it clear: it is intriguing to see how the characters can be reproduced in real life, or to find out if it as actually the reverse.
So, with much interest I picked up the book, which is why in the first place I had agreed to review it. And the pace at which it begins really boasts of a potential in the whole plot. It eventually turns out to be a love story, a story about mental illness and other themes. the themes have been well-touched-upon, more could be done to bring an element of empathy with these. It was a great plot, even mysterious, lying on the border of horror even.

Only, the book could have been better at many places, grammar being the first of those issues. The general level of vocabulary and grammatical rules was less than decent, leaving a gargantuan scope for proof-reading. Second issue was that by the time we reached the second half of the novel, it lost a thread and the intrigue it held initially. Again, proof-reading would help synchronize the plot put together in a series of events, unfolding in a way that makes more sense to a reader.

Links to the book:

Source of the review copy: Author himself

To get your book reviewed, read my review policy here. And then contact me here.

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