Book Review: Super Women by Prachi Garg

About the Book:

This book brings forth the stories of twenty women entrepreneurs who have struck a perfect personal-professional harmony, and a chord with their immediate consumers. Their innovative ventures encompass a varied range of services – from supporting victims of acid attacks, to providing free skin care solutions; from online retail of lingerie, handmade bags and fashion accessories, to eco-friendly products of everyday utility; from pet care products, to quirky merchandise; from empowering folk artists, to providing clinical assistance to those going through tough times; from image consulting to house hunting; from arty solutions, to innovative marketing and corporate communication; from creating happy readers to making religious ceremonies simpler – these entrepreneurs have opened avenues formerly unexplored. Superwomen is an interesting journey of how they played all their roles to perfection, aligning their families with their ambitions, showing the world their true mettle
Paperback, 168 pages
Published February 10th 2016 by Srishti Publishers & Distributors

About The Author:

Prachi Garg is a true blue Mirandian, who is an entrepreneur herself. She co-founded Ghoomophiro.com and Anmoluphar.com. An alumna of Great Lakes Institute of Management, she is passionate about writing and travelling.


My Review:

The best part about such books that enlist a cluster of entrepreneurs is the dose of inspiration and optimism in every story.
Rashmi Bansal's Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish started this trend and it caught up on fast, with Anuradha Goyal's The Mouse Charmers chronicling the contemporary, technology-driven enterprises.
Super Women comes under the same genre as a breath of fresh air, enlisting very fresh and recent ideas start-ups/businesses/enterprises.
What helps the cause of this book is the fact that the author herself falls in the category she writes at length about, and yet the enterprises and enterprising women she has  chosen are all so varied and vivid, one cannot help but be awed by each story.

The substance is like the books I mentioned above, it is a summary account of everything encompassing the journey- the ideas, the hopes, the struggles, the process, the risks, and the eventual success and learning.

The author writes about the initial ventures in a very simplistic manner, with the factual details gaining precedence over the journey, it is when I reach the sixth or seventh account that the writing is infused with the emotion and descriptions it deserves. Thereon, the journeys have been defined precisely, picking the right details, aligning it with the readers' expectations from the book.

It apprises one of many different, uncanny and quirky ventures functioning out there, while at the same time imparts crucial lessons in business acumen, management, establishing credibility, etc.
Some of these enterprises functioning in a niche segment include make Love not Scars, Heads Up for Tails, ShubhPuja etc
The book is definitely worth a read for the upcoming entrepreneurs.

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Source of the review copy: Author

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Book Review: My Last Love Story by Falguni Kothari

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

My Review:

It is not often that you come across a book whose plot gyrates to touch every human foible possible. This is a story of three people from India, while the setting is abroad. Initially, as you delve into the book, it might seem just another story about Indian immigrants abroad and their struggles of fitting in, while battling conflicts with their culture. This book has so many levels, you could be on the last page and still be peeling through more dimensions added to the plot. This, is partly why the end is what it is, although I do yearn for a little more solidity in the conclusions. Yet, it was in measured exactness real and raw: no cliche, no fantastical unblemished happily-ever-after.

My Last Love Story delivers what it promises: an exploration of the protagonist's love story, as seen from her own eyes, and to contemplate and decide whether it'd be the last. There's so much about this story that is unconventional, that sets it apart, a review wouldn't suffice to enlist it all. The friendship and the trials and tribulations that accompany the friendship of our main characters is so unusual, its conception is a brilliant work of the author's mind. 

Above everything, the story is also a narrative of the difficult decisions one is forced to make in life. There is a tragedy, and then there's you dealing with the tragedy. There's a problem, and then it's your call on how you'll deal with it. To mess it up a notch, add love to the equation. 
The characters face some real tragedies. And the expression has been so real and raw, you almost relate to it. At one point, it is, "I wished that my anxiety could be stripped off as easily as the raincoat."  At another, it is "In my mind, I perpetuated the fantasy we’d once imagined for us because to think about the truth of our situation, about the inoperable metastatic tumor inside my husband’s brain, was anathema to me."

The reading experience has been enriching and productive too, with a rich and steady stream of vocabulary and rich phrases and witticisms. 

No mention could probably end without that inevitable, inexplicable comparison to JoJo Moyes' Me Before You. Here's my verdict: the richness of content in this story, due to its Indian roots far surpasses that of MBY, while I'd yearn for an ending like the one Moyes gave, with a conclusion to the character portrayed ill.

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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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