Author Interview: Falguni Kothari As A Part of b00k r3vi3w tours

Author Falguni Kothari Joins us to talk about her latest book, My Last Love Story!

About the Book:

Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes’s, Me Before You, My Last Love Story is a heartbreakingly romantic tale about the complexities of trauma and whether love can right a wrong.

I, Simeen Desai, am tired of making lemonade with the lemons life has handed me.

Love is meant to heal wounds.

Love was meant to make my world sparkle and spin.

Love has ripped my life apart and shattered my soul. 

I love my husband, and he loves me.

But Nirvaan is dying.

I love my husband. I want to make him happy.

But he is asking for the impossible. 

I don’t want a baby.

I don’t want to make nice with Zayaan.

I don’t want another chance at another love story. 

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon US * Amazon IN

Interview

1. What made you write this book? What was the trigger?

There were several triggers over the years. A book I’d read about three people in a relationship together but the end was horrible and I couldn’t stomach that. I knew several cancer victims and know even more survivors, and their spirit in the face of such trauma humbles me. This book is dedicated to them. I know what families experience while taking care of a sick loved one. And lastly, Simeen. The minute I started writing her down, she blossomed.

2. Has the idea of an "Impossible Forever" been inspired from Me before You (the book by JoJo Moyes)?

No. I finished My Last Love Story much before I read Me Before You. Though, MLLS is inspired in part by Megan Hart’s Tempted. I was so outraged by the ending in Tempted that I ranted for days to my book clubs and decided that if I ever wrote such a book, I’d have a better ending for the threesome. I don’t know if I have a better end in MLLS, but I certainly think so.

3. You've touched upon poignant details of human lives, what does this mean for the readers?

I hope it will mean that the readers can identify with some of the events in the book. Every household deals with some amount of sickness and stress and bad mojo in this world. It’s how we deal with it, how we keep our wits about us that make us who we are. It’s what defines us and I hope the readers will find some definition in this book—and a positive one.

4. At its core, what message would you like to give to the readers?

Love is the only thing that matters.

5. A quick one, in one sentence- Why should someone read My Last Love Story?

Because this book is an intimate portrayal of what it is to be human.

About the Author:

Falguni Kothari is an internationally bestselling hybrid author and an amateur Latin and Ballroom dance silver medalist with a background in Indian Classical dance. She writes in a variety of genres sewn together by the colorful threads of her South Asian heritage and expat experiences. When not writing or dancing, she fools around on all manner of social media, and loves to connect with her readers. My Last Love Story is her fourth novel.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads

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Book review: Coalescence by M John

About the book:

Title:  Coalescence

Published by: notionpress.com

Paperback, 320 pages

Genre: Crime, thriller

Rating:  4/5

Blurb: The 'MV Nordic Sydney' - a Handy max bulk carrier carrying a cargo of diesel from Saudi Arabia to South Africa - is hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast. The 'HAMAS', which has links with the pirates, wants to get hold of the Captain - an American citizen and a former Israeli Naval Officer - to put pressure on both America and Israel. India joins forces with America and Israel because eight of the fifteen members of the crew are Indians and their rescue is critical for the forthcoming national elections. The three stakeholders plan a rescue mission, but there is a 'leak' in one of the agencies. Can the mission succeed?

My Review:

The book comes as a sequel to The First Coffin, and the author's professional expertise and repository of knowledge in the field of flying and military come in really handy for the plot.
The setting of the plot is really intricate this time around, and it takes a while for the reader to ingest all that the background information has to offer, The first part of the book is majorly that.
In the second part the real action begins. The intentions start becoming clearer.

One thing that'd have made this book more memorable is more personality and identity in the characters. For quite long into the book, I couldn't differentiate between a few characters because they all seemed driven by the same sentiments- vengeance, hurt, loyalty.

The best, most racy parts in the novel are when the forces join hands with America and Israel. The tact and caution practiced is immense and it never fails to intrigue.

What earned this book brownie points was the portrayal of tender relationships. Nothing was exaggerated, and everything was apt.
This is, all in all, a very meaured, meticullously written book.

Links to the book:   | Amazon India | Goodreads | 

Source of the review copy: Author

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Book Review: Lost Wisdom of the Swastika

About the book:

Title: Lost wisdom of the Swastika, Turiya Tales
Published by: Times Group Books

Pages: 210

Rating: 3.5/5

Blurb: Zian is a seemingly happy and successful investment banker. Following an enormous personal tragedy, he sets out on an introspective journey to the Himalayas. He is questioning the purpose of life when he comes across a mysterious 110-years old man. Thereby starts a journey of learning, unlearning and un raveling the secrets of ancient Indian wisdom that teach you how to live a blessed life. Among them, is the quest to find the inner swastika -one that holds the truth of the physical, the metaphysical and beyond. WRITTEN AS A WORK OF FICTION BUT BASED ON A TRUE ACCOUNT, THIS IS AN ENGAGING STORY OF A MAN TRYING TO FIND HIMSELF

About the author

Honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum,Ajay Chaturvedi established HarVa (Harnessing Value of rural India) in the year 2010. HarVa is a start-up that creates value in rural areas by providing opportunities to rural women, youth and farmers.Ajay's journey, from a management consultant and a banker in the United States to a social entrepreneur in India, is an interesting one. Having found the purpose of his life in the Himalayas, he came back to set up farms in his hometown Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and in Sohna, Haryana. Thus came HarVa.Ajay has been lauded for his work both nationally and internationally. An alumnus of BITS Pilani, SEAS and The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania, Ajay likes to spend time in the Himalayas, when not working.

My Review:

Lost wisdom of the Swastika is that quientessential read that you talk about when you talk about spiritual books. Faintly reminiscent of the time I read The Monk who Sold His Ferrari, I delved into this book, not really knowing what to expect. While The Monk... was a very real sermon, with corporate set-up as the background, this one competely detaches you from the material pursuits. I found it a little difficult to keep going through the book initially because the conversations were simple and devoid of the dramatic. The plot took a long time to pick up pace and when it did, it just didn't pause for a breath. Word after word contained more wisdom than before, and it was quite impossible to stay away from the effect that the wisdom was bound to create on us. A few pages more into the book and there's a treasure-trove of information. The parts that comforted me talk about how you can be at the highest level of awareness and yet be in the material world. Otherwise, every time we are just told to choose between a materialistic realm and a spiritual domain. This was a refreshing break from the routine wisdom. Another part I loved was how the book addresses the issue of consumerism- saying that East and West are only directions. All in all, I'd recommend the book to whoever wants answers in life. This is a focused, intelligent read.

Find the book here: Flipkart

Source of the review copy: Author

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Book Review: The Readers of the broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

About the book:
Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen...
Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love.

My Review:

Isn't it always a pleasure to read books about reading?
Isn't it always a pleasure to read about characters that unfold as the plot proceeds?
Isn't it always a sheer delight when a feel-good book becomes your companion for a while?

Well, this is precisely the kind of book I described above.
An ode to books and readers, the book plays its part well. Broken wheel is a strange town, granted, and Sara has set new definitions of friendship with her pen pal. Beautiful gestures come together, like Sara opening a bookstore in the memory of her friend. And although I could've read through it again and again, at times the prose was verbose enough for me to flip through or skim through pages.

But then again, I wouldn't mind that if the story is about reading and books.
Every reader, whether casual or ardent, should read it at least once.

Every now and then, we got to show some love for our favourite bookstores, don't we?

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Anyone can nominate their favorite bookstore at http://books.sourcebooks.com/readers-recommend-your-bookstore-sweepstakes/. Sourcebooks will award the winning bookstore with a $3,000 prize; two additional bookstores will each receive a $637 prize (the population of Bivald’s fictional Broken Wheel, Iowa). In addition to bookstores receiving prizes, weekly giveaways for those who nominate will be held throughout the campaign. Voting began January 4, and runs until February 19, when the winning bookstores will be announced.


Source of the book: Netgalley

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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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.

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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