Handbook Of Life Skills: Your Personal Life Coach by Neerja Bhatnagar

 

As a longtime fan of self-help and motivational books, I was super happy to dive into A Handbook of Life Skills by Neerja Bhatnagar. With 23 well-structured chapters, this book serves as a motivational guide and enhance various aspects of our lives. Each chapter deals with a specific topic, and starts with a relatable real-life examples that draw our attention and highlights the skills discussed.

Excerpt from A Handbook of Life Skills by Neerja Bhatnagar

If any of the topics covered above interest you, I highly recommend this book for you. It will be an excellent guide to personal growth and improvement!

One of the book's strengths is its practical approach. After introducing each topic, the author outlines steps for improvement, making it easy for readers to follow and implement the lessons in their daily lives. 

One of my favorite chapater is Goal Setting & Planning, and this chapter really hit me. It starts with the inspiring story of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, a man known for his vision, leadership, and unwavering dedication to his goals. 

From a young age, Dr. Kalam had a burning desire to learn and succeed. He had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve and worked tirelessly to turn his dreams into reality.

 

As a child, Dr. Kalam aspired to become a pilot. Unfortunately, his poor eyesight made that dream impossible. But instead of giving up, he re-evaluated his situation and shifted his focus toward science and technology, ultimately resetting his goal to become a scientist. This adaptability and resilience are truly inspiring.

Reading this chapter was a wake-up call for me. It reminded me that, as children, we often have different dreams that we might not pursue. The chapter also outlines several steps for setting effective goals and highlights the advantages of doing so.

Why wait until 2025 to start working on your dreams? With just a few months left in the year, now is the perfect time to read this book and set your goals for the future. Let’s make the most of the time we have and take that first step toward achieving our dreams!

I made a point to take time with each chapter, jotting down notes and reflecting on how I could incorporate these insights into my own life. However, it’s important to remember that change doesn’t happen overnight. The insights presented in the book "A Hand Book Of Life Skills" require consistent effort, re-reading and practise to get the results.

Overall Take Away:

I really enjoyed the writing style of the author, and the language used is simple, making it easy to connect with the insights. The inspiring stories presented in each chapter serve as powerful examples that many readers can relate to.

The author not only shares inspiring stories but also provides clear, actionable steps. The format is beautifully organized, which keeps readers engaged throughout. Each point is easy to follow, making it a practical guide for anyone looking to pursue their dreams.

Overall, this book is both motivating and informative. If you are ready to set your goals and start planning for the future, this book is an excellent resource to help you on your journey!

I encourage all my readers to take your time with each chapter. Reflect on the steps and think about how you can incorporate these lessons into your everyday routine. With dedication, you will start to notice positive shifts in your own mindset.

More About the Author

For those interested in diving deeper into the world of Neerja Bhatnagar, check out her engaging content across various platforms:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PoemsByNeerja
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MOTIVATIONALMATA
• Instagram: instagram.com/motivationalmata/
• Blog : https://www.theneerjabhatnagar.com/ 

Jasmine Build On Shifting Sand by Sanjay Desai

Jasmine Build On Shifting Sand by Sanjay Desai.

Jasmine Build On Shifting Sand is a story about chasing the dream of modelling. These days many people dream about modelling industry or the creative fields. But due to their limitations in the mind they give up easily. Those who have any burning purpose and passion, please grab this book and read on. 

Yes, JASMINE BUILD ON SHIFTING SAND is a self-half fiction novel and it shares about the experience of Jasmine who fights through the obstacles to shine in the world of fashion industry.

The Acknowledgement section starts with the Author’s journey in practice of meditation and how his guru’s like Ramanna Maharshi, Osha and J Krishnamurty has influenced in writing the book.

The Prologue was extremely difficult it makes us lose interest in the book. The author has shared his adventure experience through the Himalayas. Though I am a hard-core trekker and Keder trek was in my bucket list, for some reason I could not get cooked with the narrative style. 

But the second half of the book is really a must read during this period. I.e. after the unpredictable corona and the lockdown life. I know many of us have been depressed being at home, handling all the things facing lots of ups and downs, But this second half,  motivate us and gives us a guidance on practical things and teachings. The teaching in the second half will help us to get an enriching journey in our life and I am sure I am going to carry out them.

Personally, I felt first half was little boring, but as you push yourself to read more, you will get an enchanting experience.

This is the first book that I am reading that has an experience of micro-learning multimedia tool kit. i.e one can enjoy the E-microlearning experience.

Writing style of the author:

Sanjay Desai's writing style has the ability to inspire readers and his book "Jasmine Journey" is a prime example of this. The use of precise vocabulary makes for an easy and enjoyable read, with the underlying message being clear and impactful.

Self-help books have always been an effective tool for personal growth, and this book is no exception. It has the power to shift our mindset and encourage us to pursue our dreams with a renewed sense of purpose.

Final Take away:

Thanks to Sanjay for sharing his ideas on spiritual aspects on life and his career. Everyone wish to pursue our dreams, be it small or big. if you are one among them, please do read this book and explore the authors teachings. You will get a hope of positivity.

About the Book:

• Publisher: Conscious Leap Insights Private Limited 
• Number of Pages : 160 pages
• Buy From Amazon

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Book Review : Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari

Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari 

About the Book:
In the Book “Irrationally Passionate: My Turnaround from Rebel to Entrepreneur”, Janson shares his success story and the lessons he learned in his life.

The book starts with his difficult childhood Journey of how he has been bouncing from countries to countries. He says those frequent cultural and language changes was challenging.

During his life as a student, he gets addicted to alcohol. After the addiction, in 2000 he moves to a new place Pennysylvania to start fresh.

This book can be a Bible for the entrepreneur and a must read for people who aspire to be entrepreneurs. Each page has at-least one inspiring statements like “Every Person has a vast reservoir of untapped potential.”  This book gives us a hope that any one can become successful, if they are determined.

When his goal was to get the physical body in shape, he learnt a new exercise each day and strives to do more repetitions than the previous day. Similarly, When he was not good at basketball and his classmates blamed him for his performance, instead of getting frustrated he gets a determination to improve and goes on winning many tournaments.

Writing style of the author:
Jason has the power to motivate people through his writing and Its a good Entertaining read. 11 life lessons are shared along with the author’s real-life journey. The author usage of vocabulary is appropriate. Unlike other authors who willingly choose difficult language just to show off, he use precise language to communicate his message.

Autobiography of Business People are always a good teacher and this book will definitely change our thought process for the good.

Target Audience:
If your choice for reading is for entertainment, knowledge, or for inspiration this book is a right choice.

My Top Three Take away:

1. Mistakes in our life teach us a valuable lesson and those are at times needed to bring us back on the right track.
2. If you are good at evil, you good be equally good at good things as well. 
3. Our Parents might be strict and sometimes hard on us, but it could be their way of conditioning and toughening us.

For Jason, 3 questions have been a turning point in his life.

• Where are you now?
• What do you want to do?
• How are you going to get there from today?

These 3 simple questions gave him a clarity and the direction of what he needed in the future.
Dear Readers, Ask yourself the above 3 questions and get a clarity of what you need in your life.

About the Book:
Publisher: HarperBusiness
Number of Pages : 264

Silver Hair Sins by Saumick Pal

Book Review : Silver Hair Sins by Saumick Pal.

With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, robotics and medical advancement, it’s no wonder that the humans might be under the hands of Homo sapiens in the future. Many times, I have imagined what would happen if the world is taken control by AI and the human become slaves to AI? This book throws some visual towards my question.

Silver Hair Sins Book

If you are a big fan of thriller and fiction stories, then you will enjoy the book "Silver Hair Sins"

On the first look, I was impressed with 2 facts:

1. Its visual narration (Yes, the story is narrated by cinematic photographs.) This is one of India’s first visual-fiction book.
2. The appealing easy-to-read font.

About the Book:

Silver Hair Sins is one of India’s first visual-fiction, with more than half of the thriller narrated by cinematic photographs.

It is set in the future, at a time when religio-politico divide reaches its tipping point, and technology steps in to save humanity. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) merges All Religions to create One God AI.

Read more about the book at Amazon 

Review:

"I want my own silver circle....." When I read the first line of the book I realized that there should be something unique in this book and it never failed till the end.

When you read the first page of the book, 3 facts are revealed. The story takes place in the year 2088, Akbar is a single parent for Meera and she suffers from leukemia. These 3 facts make us to read further and get hooked to the story. 

While reading the book, you are tempted to see a world that is free from religious conflicts and political influence.

There are numerous books printed on thriller and Artificial Intelligence, but this book stands out because of the fast-paced read, lovely picturization. 

Recommended?

Yes. It's an easy read with innovative twist and a great food for your imagination. Its also recommended when you are bored of reading love stories and want to try a different flavor.

More about the book:

Book Title- Silver Hair Sins

Author - Saumick Pal

Publisher - The Write Place

Book - Paperback

No Of Pages - 166

Genre - Thriller

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Book Review : Letters to My Ex by Nikita Singh

Letters to My Ex

Open a word document and type whatever comes to your mind until it reaches 134 pages.  Now you are all set to publish a Novel. Yes, that’s what Nikita Singh has done in her Novel Letters to My Ex

Thank you, Nikita, for being honest. In her Author’s note Nikita indicates that this book was not planned at all and she had no idea what’s going to happen to the story. She herself admitted that she started writing this book without a plan and it was a new kind of challenge to her.

Believe me, it was challenging to read the novel as well. 134 pages? Hah, must be a easy-read and I will complete it in 2 hours. That's the main reason I chose this book. But it took 2 weeks to complete.

Letters to My Ex, From the title you can guess that it’s a book consisting of letters. Either the female or the male protagonist would be writing letters to his/her Ex.

Open Communication is a must to any relationship. Nidhi, an immature girl (That’s what I felt while reading the story) falls in love for no reason. Instead of communicating her concerns, she runs away from the engagement. We get to read her side of the “reasons”(which seems so childish) from her these letters.

I really wonder how Harper Collins agreed to publish the manuscript. Even if I imagine the protagonists are in their early 20’s, the reasons and the thought process of Nidhi and the story plot doesn’t not seem to be convincing.

Do you remember our school days? When we don’t know the answer to a question we just fill the answer sheet randomly.

What is Quantum gravity?
Quantum gravity is Quantum gravity. Quantum gravity is also called as Quantum gravity. Quantum gravity will be always Quantum gravity. Gravity is Gravity when it joins with Quantum it becomes Quantum gravity. But the question is Quantum gravity, hence Quantum joins with gravity and becomes Quantum gravity.

The novel is ditto the same. Just to fill the pages the author scribbles something meaningless throughout with no emotion and no logic.

I liked the idea of letters but it’s not impressive though. Believe me, read first few pages and directly come to last page and you won’t skip a bit of story line. The letters are cribbing and repetitive as well as the story gets dragged a lot.

Recommended? 

If you want a simple and quick read, then go for it.

More about the book:
Book Title- Letters To My Ex
Author - Nikita Singh
Publisher - Harper Collins
Book - Paperback
No Of Pages - 138
Genre - Romance

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Book Review : The Promise by Nikita Singh

“To Everyone who has gone through something they never thought they would survive but emerged out of it stronger” 

The book starts with this beautiful quote at the beginning of the dedication page.

The protagonist Shambhavi is just twenty-three and she have all the time in the world to try everything her heart desires. She just enjoys today without a worry about tomorrow. She believes work is not everything.

Whereas our hero Arjun is kind of reserved. When he was seventeen his mother and sister die in an accident. He could not save his father, due to insufficient money for treatment. So Arjun decides to becomes a businessman and making money is only his only motive. He fears to have an emotional attachment with anyone, since he has been betrayed by his lover.

But when Arjun meets Shambhavi, he falls in love instantly. Initially Arjun hold back and tries not to get close to her. But eventually he fails. Typical love story. They fall in love, break up only to fall in love again at the climax.

This book has total 5 chapters.
Part One  : She 
Part Two  : He 
Part Three  : She 
Part Four  : He 
Part Five  : They 
So, from the Part Five title "They" it’s very much evident that Shambhavi and the Arjun will reunite at the climax. No twists and turns. A plain love story.

Shambhavi character was handled with extreme maturity. She is not a typical person who blames fate or a person for the hurdles she is facing. In fact, When Arjun pulls off the relationship, Sambhavi is mature enough to understand his reasons and tries to work on what needs to be done next. She is ready to fight her tough time and prepares for it.

The best thing about this book is that each chapter starts with a unique quote.

“The world seems a better place with that one person by our side”

"Sometimes we get so blinded by our grief that we do not see the pain others are going through. Sometimes, we get so blinded by the grief of others are feeling that we do not see our own pain.

The latter is something only someone who loves truly and completely is capable of. That is the purest form of love."

At times I felt the story is dragging. Even if you skip 10 pages, the story line does not change or nothing new happens. Like the typical Serials, where you don't watch it for a month, you'll be still able to grasp the story. 

Recommend?
If you are at the initial stage of reading book or if you need a light reading and like romantic novels then go for it.

More about the book:

Book Title: The Promise
Author: Nikita Singh
Total Number of Pages: 226
Publisher: Penguin India
Language: English
Genre: Fiction / Romance

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Book Review - The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian

The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian

Seems like it’s a book review week for me. I have completed 3 novels this week. :)

"The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian: A Thrilling Departure to the Romance Genre!"

Looking for a thrilling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat? Look no further than Ravi Subramanian's latest novel, "The Bestseller She Wrote." Known for his gripping thrillers set in the banking industry, Subramanian takes a bold step into the world of love and romance, and the results are captivating.

In this unexpected journey, Subramanian proves that he is not confined to a single genre. He introduces readers to a different side of his writing prowess, delving into the complexities of relationships and the power of redemption. The author's ability to create suspense and intrigue remains unmatched, even in the realm of romance.

"The Bestseller She Wrote" revolves around the tale of Aditya, a successful author and professional, who seemingly has it all—family, friends, and an adoring fan base. However, as we all know, life's journey is never without its bumps. Enter Shreya, a determined individual from a small town, looking to prove herself in the literary world. Sparks fly, egos clash, and an unlikely relationship blossoms.

Subramanian expertly weaves a story filled with passion and ambition, as Aditya and Shreya embark on a journey to create a bestselling novel together. The chemistry between Aditya and Sanjay, his trusted friend, adds depth and complexity to the narrative, keeping readers hooked until the unexpected climax.

While the first half of the book may seem slow-paced and familiar, the real magic lies in the second half, where Subramanian's storytelling skills shine through. With unexpected twists and turns, the author takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster, leaving them breathless and eager for more.

It's worth noting that "The Bestseller She Wrote" was a labor of love for Subramanian, taking him a longer-than-usual nine months to complete. Although some may find themselves slightly disappointed with the story's overall impact, there is no denying that the author's dedication and talent shine through in every page.

If you're seeking a change of pace from Subramanian's usual thrillers, "The Bestseller She Wrote" offers a tantalizing escape into the world of love, betrayal, and redemption. Pick up this book and discover a side of Ravi Subramanian you never knew existed.

Who will enjoy reading this book?
All the bloggers and the writers aspiring to publish a novel will enjoy reading the book.

What is good in this book and why should one read the book?

• Few dialog or the writing are impressive 
• For the beautiful friendship between Aditya and Sanjay (I meant the first half of the novel)
• To get inspiration from Aditya’s character. It inspires to be ambitious in both the fields. Either being a successful professional banking career or the writing career. His role is impressive. 

Book Details
Paperback: 392 pages
Publisher: Westland (19 October 2015)
Links:

• GoodReads 
• Amazon 
• Flipkart 

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Book Review - Voice Mates by Anamika Mishra

Book Review - Voice Mates by Anamika Mishra

Just completed the novel “Voice Mates” by Anamika Mishra and straight away writing the review. Because I am extremely impressed with the novel and could not restrict myself from writing a review about the novel. In one word, It’s an excellent read.

If you love the singing reality shows, this book is a wonderful read. Even if you don’t love singing or music, still you will love this novel. Because it has an excellent, cute love story.

These days Bloggers are highly talented. I personally feel, a novel written by bloggers have more creative and interesting stuffs then the novels written by the top selling authors. The Bloggers cum authors write only want is needed. They don’t write for the sake of extending a normal story to 300 pages or more. The novel Voice mates is an excellent example to it.

Voice mates is really an easy and must read book. It has just 200 pages with extremely simple English. Even a person with little knowledge on English can easily understand.

The novel starts with the protagonist Tulip enthusiastically waiting to know the winners of a top reality show “Voice mates season 4”. Her anticipation, despair and tension for the results makes us to feel her love toward the contest not as a viewer but a passionate person who wants to participate in the show and win the contest. Then comes her parents, who hates the reality shows and yells at Tulip when she overreacts for the contest results. Her parents wants her to be an academic topper. Her parents are often rude and hardly speaks to her. How she overcomes her parents and achieves her dreams is the plot.

One will love this novel for Sam, the hero of the story. He is matured, easy-going, confident and professional. A guy whom a girl would look for. His characterization is making us to fall in love with him and long for a soul-mate like him.

Since it’s a singing contest, there are lot of songs mentioned in the novel. To be frank, I never heard the songs mentioned in the novel. But, the songs chosen at each round and the lyrics of the songs are beautiful. It made me to google the song, download and listen to it. While listening, it made me to imagine Sam and Tulip singing on the stage. That’s the success of the author.

The conversation that happen when Tulip feels that Sam might have realized her feelings for him was absolutely fantastic. One will really love that conversation that happens at the backyard garden.

I have not read Anamika’s first novel “Too hard to Handle”. But definitely after reading this novel, I am eager to read her first novel. Usually, I don't read a novel second time, but this book is tempting to read second time.

Haaaah, I forgot, the book cover is awesome!? Isn't? Soul-mate, college mate, school mate, coffee mate, cab mate sounds good. And now, the Voice mate also sounds good and amazing.
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Book Review: "Waves in the Sky" by Rakhi Jayashankar

There is an unparalleled sense of excitement in being granted the opportunity to witness a movie's premiere or delve into the pages of a novel before its official release. Just last week, I found myself holding a novel in my hands, savoring the unique privilege of experiencing its story before it was unveiled to the world.

Hooray…☻ ☻ 

Book Review: "Waves in the Sky" by Rakhi Jayashankar

"Waves in the Sky" by Rakhi Jayashankar is a captivating novel that introduces us to the blossoming talent of a writer, blogger, and critic. Rakhi's imaginative storytelling dances gracefully through the pages, leaving a fresh and unique impression on readers.

Debut authors often bring a certain freshness and surprise to their stories, and this novel is no exception. With the added advantage of the author's background as a blogger, the book promises to be a worthwhile read.

The success of a book often hinges on how effectively the author hooks the reader from the beginning, and Rakhi's accomplishes this. From the Author's note onwards, she maintains a captivating tone, ensuring that the narrative remains engaging throughout.

Initially planning to read the book over the weekend due to weekday commitments, I was drawn in from the prologue itself. Once I started reading, I found it difficult to put the novel down. Reading this kind of book comes with its disadvantages—you forget about meals, restroom breaks, and even sleep. Sometimes, a book needs to have a few boring moments to provide a natural pause or opportunity to rest. However, "Waves in the Sky" doesn't offer such moments, keeping readers completely engrossed.

Now, let's discuss the plot. Spoiler alert! The novel begins with a sense of anguish, but with each line, the anger begins to take on a purpose. By the end of the first paragraph, readers will find themselves admiring the confidence of the character Swathy. The prologue sets the stage for further exploration. Charu's character is well-portrayed, showcasing her compassion towards friends and her emotional struggles with her busy parents. The canaries in the story hold an interesting reason behind their names, an aspect worth discovering while reading. Each canary is unique and effectively portrayed. Avantika, who strategically chooses her friends based on their appearance to divert boys' attention, adds another layer of complexity. The story weaves through the lives of six canaries: Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika, Raihana, and Yami, connecting the dots in a satisfying manner.

Reflecting on the Author's note, where Jayashankar shares, "I started this book as a simple contemporary fiction. After writing the first two chapters, someone held my hands and made me write more and more," it becomes clear how the author's readers played a significant role in shaping the novel. This transformation from an article to a full-fledged novel is reminiscent of the author's previous work, "Touch of Mist," where reader motivation led to its expansion.

Now, let's explore the pros and cons of "Waves in the Sky" from my perspective.

Pros:

1. The novel is less than 200 pages, making it an easy and quick read.

2. The language is simple yet well-crafted, with effective use of vocabulary.

Cons:

1. At times, certain scenes feel slightly reminiscent of Bollywood films. For example, Neha winning first prize in multiple music competitions (light music, Carnatic music, Western music, group song, patriotic group song, and national anthem) may stretch the bounds of plausibility. While the novel transports readers back to school days and immerses them in the characters' experiences, these exaggerated incidents can feel jarring.

However, it's important to note that such filmy scenes are acceptable in a work of fiction, adding to the overall interest and entertainment value of the story.

In conclusion, "Waves in the Sky" is a good read filled with twists and intriguing scenes. With its engaging narrative, this novel showcases Rakhi Jayashankar's talent

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From Where I see by Dr. Ajay Yadav ~ Book Review

From Where I see by Dr. Ajay Yadav ~ Book Review 

When I observed the cover page of the book, “From Where I see” I was not impressed by the picture. As I went through the description of the book, again my prejudice was it must be something a story about a girl who suffers from a new disease that does not exist in any universe and is exclusively created for completing the novel. But I was absolutely wrong. This book has romance, suspense, childhood friendship, and above all many valuable lessons for life.
Dear Friends and readers, this book must be read at least once in our life. As the author says, it’s not a book. It’s a path to a revolution. This book will definitely attack all the youth, who keep asking scientific reason for each and everything they do. I will not say, this book will reveal all the scientific facts about an incident, but you will get a chance to explore the other side of an incident.

The story starts with a police investigation with the Protagonist. The first 2 pages of the novel makes us little annoyed, but as you get through the novel, you will love most of the pages and arguments.

I bet, you will start a discussion with your friends about the points or opinion that the author has mentioned throughout the novel. Of course, if you are a narrow-minded person, who will not be able to accept and take up the facts that the author provided. But, if you are an open-minded person, you will enjoy reading the book.

There are many rational sentences then and there. For example, “The police could even make a dead speak.” “Every thief when caught claims that it’s his first time” “He must be a painter and definitely not an artist. An artist cannot have such myopic view” 

To be frank, I am little stubborn in my thoughts and views. But after reading the above line, my attitude changed. I decided to listen patiently to other views. Every coin has two side. If I choose head, it does not mean that, tail does not exist. A great attitude is listening to others valuable points too.

A good book is one that should disturb your sleep, make you to think, bring a change in your attitude, should change the way you think and should make you to take and discuss about the book with your friends.

No wonder, this book made me to discuss with my parents. When my parents were discussing about an issue, I said, "Mom, as per this book, the author says..." and explained the point. That’s the hit of the book

After reading this book, definitely your mind-set will be traveled to a new utopian world. Friends, we learn good things from our experience, from our friends and from other’s life. I am sure, you can explore a lot from this book. “From Where I see” is not to be read once. It’s to be read every week. If possible, take out a print out of those good points and keep at your desk and look once. Its a seed that will make us to think rational and logical thinker

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!
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Ramayana: The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams by Subha Vilas Book review

Ramayana: The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams by Subha Vilas Book review

OMG!! It has been years I read a good novel like “Ramayana: The Game of Life - Book 2 (Shattered Dreams)”. That was the first thought flashed in my mind after completing the novel.

Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two words that would make me to dodge. Though it’s a great epic of Indian history and people say a person’s education is incomplete without reading these two epics, I was always hesitant to read them. Neither had patience to watch movies or listen it from my grandparents. I had an aversion because I felt it’s a maze of stories, traits and character.  Remebering those manifold personalities names like Shatrughna, Sugriva, Surpanakha,Vibhishana and tenaciously following throughout the circuitous story was a tiring one. But Hats off to Subha Vilas for penning a wonderful novel with easy narration. It is definitely a must read novel of all age group. I loved the way the author has written. Simple language with so many positive and valuable lessons for life.

When I glanced the Author Subha Vilas profile and understood that he is a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, I was not impressed much. With blank mind, I started reading the novel and was so impressed by the teachings he mentioned in the book. I always carried a pen and kept underlying the sentence that are very useful and up-lifting. I suggest all the modern youth should read this novel. It was such a valuable lessons for our life. If one follows the lines mentioned in the novel, I am sure, the journey of life will be crystal clear with peace and joy. It’s an excellent novel for these modern times.

PROS:

1. Language style - Simple and keeps you glued the story. Even a 6-year-old kid can read and grasp the story.
2. Motivational words and teachings that was used through the book.
3. Even if you don’t know anything about Ramanaya you will easily grasp the story.
4. Tempts and Plants a seed to read the Ramayana: The Game of Life Part One - Rise of the Sun Prince

CONS:

1. Felt capitalization issues at many places. Not sure, whether it was intentional. But it was annoying at places.

One liner about the book - Thank you Subha Vilas for such a useful novel.

About the Book:
Shattered Dreams is the sequel to the national bestseller, Rise of the Sun Prince, in the new spiritual and motivational series Ramayana - The Game of Life. Twelve joyful years have passed in Ayodhya since the wedding of Rama and Sita at the end of Book 1.

Now, in Shattered Dreams, Shubha Vilas narrates the riveting drama of Rama’s exile. Through tales of Rama’s unwavering and enigmatic persona, the book teaches us how to handle reversals positively; through Bharata’s actions, it teaches us to handle temptation; and through Sita’s courage, to explore beyond our comfort zone. This complicated family drama provides deep insights on how human relationships work and how they fail.

With Valmiki’s Ramayana as its guiding light, Shattered Dreams deftly entwines poetic beauty from the Kamba Ramayana and Ramacharitramanas, as well as folk philosophy from the Loka Pramana tales, to demonstrate how the ancient epic holds immediate relevance to modern life. Experience the ancient saga of the Ramayana like never before.

Title:  Shattered Dreams, Book 2
Series: Ramayana: The Game of Life
Author: Shubha Vilas
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
Publication Year: 2014
ISBN 13: 9788184955316
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 387
Price: Rs 350

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KURUKSHETRA | Krishna Udayasankar | Book Review

 KURUKSHETRA | Krishna Udayasankar | Book Review

KURUKSHETRA - the third and the last series of the The Aryavrata Chronicles Trilogy. The first two books in this trilogy are Govinda and Kaurava
It really took lot of willpower to get invovled initially wiht the story and the writer's style. The book revolves around the war. The good part about the book is all the characters shown in the movie are projected in a Gray styled. Meaning, None of the characters told in the story are either projected in a negative or positive way. Even, Shikhandin who has feminine qualities is considered as great warrior.
To be frank, I am highly disappointed with the book, since its the same Mahabharata told in the different way so called creativity

If you are a die-hearted fan of Mahabharata, I am sure you won’t love this book. Its just the edited version of Mahabharata,
If you are not familiar with Mahabharata, you will be wondering whether you landed in the world of Latin and Greek. and my kind advice don't ever think of reading the book, if you have not read the previous two books.


Cons:
1. Complexity of the language.
2. The epic names has been changed.


Title: The Aryavrata Chronicles, Book 3 - Kurukshetra
Author: Krishna Udayasankar
Publisher: Hachette India
ISBN: 978-93-5009-718-2
Number of Pages: 427
Price: 350 [INR]
Genre: Mythofiction

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The Archers Revenge by Destination Infinity

The Archers Revenge by Destination Infinity 

The story starts with Arya's Mission to kill the minister who was visiting the mountainous Temple town of Tirupati. When I scrutinized the Book title "Archers Revenge" and the sample chapters that was available on Amazon, my mind concluded that it must be a story of a guy Aryan who must be passionate to get a Olympic gold medal for Archery. The Minister must have played politics in his passion and hence he is trying to take revenge. (Tamil movies spoiled me a lot)

The first time when I received the book, I was double excited since it has only 136 pages. I was really taken back by the recent gift of A Passionate Gospel of True Love which has more than 500 pages. I started reading it immediately and finished the book in just 2 hours. It’s a very easy read and it keeps you glue to the story. The story just revolves around 3 characters. Arya, Divya and Guru. Since the story is about taking revenge, it’s understood that whatever plan they implement to kill the Minister would fail till the climax. But the way the author handled the story and failures are good. There were little fun elements between Arya and Divya which makes us to smile at few places.

The story starts with Chapter 0 (Prologue) and then Chapter 9,8...1 and then Chapter 1, 2 which was an excellent way to tell the past and present.
Like the Tirupathi hairpin bends there are lots of twists in between the story too and many motivating sentence as well.

Pros:
1. Very Easy Read
2. Language used is Lucid
3. Nice twist at the climax.

Logic Loop Holes:
1. Guru loses his Minister Post and become a normal person. But during his Anniversary visit to Tirupati he comes in the same Ambassador emitting a siren noise. I believe the siren noise is used only for the people in post.
3. Divya was projected such a way that she was given full freedom to choose her path. If that is the case, will her parents force her in Bride seeing ceremony?
4. If the CBI officers are able to track his moves through GPS location, even the police officers should have found his whereabouts long back.

Overall, It’s a very good story from Debut novel!!!

Rating - 3.25/5  (3 For the Story and Twist, 0.25 for a nice plot from debutant author)

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GOD IS A GAMER BY RAVI SUBRAMANIAN - BOOK REVIEW By Deepika Muthusamy

GOD IS A GAMER BY RAVI SUBRAMANIAN - BOOK REVIEW 

Ever since the novel, "If God Was a Banker" was published and went viral I always had the curiosity to read Ravi Subramanian novels. I heard a lot about his hits and first-class reviews about “Bankerupt” and "The Bankster" novel, but unfortunately, I never got a chance to read his novels till date. And as the famous Paul’ saying goes, “If when you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."  And yes, it was accurate in my case. Ravi Subramanian's latest book "God is a Gamer” has been bestowed upon me with 2 surprises.

1. It was a winning copy from Blog Adda which was part of the biggest  Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.
2. Hooray – The Book was a personally signed by the award winning author Ravi Subramanian (how lucky I am :)

     The novel beings with Phishing attack, sudden death of Gillian Tan, romance of Tanya, fight between two gangs over territorial rights for drug trading, death of Nigerain citizen, murder of Malavika, ATM attack and. . . much more twist. My advice to the readers - don’t read this novel during bed time, because you may end up staying awake, reading whole night without sleeping. The novel will sure hypnotize and make sure you end up reading one chapter and just one chapter and keep reading next chapter till you reach the climax.

You will learn a lot about new things, Information about bit-coins, face-book and its gaming application, marketing strategy behind gaming apps. The Chemistry between Aditya Rao and his son Varun was nice, but definitely 2 questions arises in mind. “How did Aditya all of a sudden turn up for Varun, help him in coming out of Nigerain death and trusting/listening to Varun for his business ideas rather than trusting his very good friend Sundeep." 
"Was really technology that bad to hack credit cards of just 20 customers and withdraw a huge million in a day?!? Phishing attack also seems illogical!!! When they got the first compliant, they must have taken a step to stop it/shut down immediately
Starts with Washington, then New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa...and its keep switching between places making readers to lose the interest and focus in the initial few pages but the novel takes a turn after 100 pages it goes in jet speed with many twits and guess.

Overall an must read, entertaining novel. 

3 Things I love the most:

1. Too many twists make us keep guessing. 
2. Title font and its display in the book cover. The letter "O" engrossed in the word "GOD" was simply creative. 
3. Simple and appropriate usage of language. 

CONS:

1.  Romance between Varun and Tanya. Felt, it was added just as it has to be. 
2. Very short chapters. Many places, felt the current chapter could have been clubbed with the previous one 
3. Adrian Scott's way of findings was amateurish. Since he is an Federal Bureau of Investigation head, his approach could have been very creative and out of the box. 

My Rating - 3/5
Book Details:

• Title: God is a Gamer
• Book Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruba41fF1Ag
• Author: Ravi Subramanian
• Publisher : Penguin Books India

• Genre : Thriller
• ISBN/ASIN: 9780143421399

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.

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"Between Shades Of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys Book Review

"Between Shades Of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray begins when the young Lina’s family together with other Lithuanian families was taken away by the NKVD officials on the order of Joseph Stalin who had recently annexed these tiny nations with Soviet Union. The suspected families of anti-soviet activists, higher ranked officers, professionals and even librarians had been arrested by the NKVDs. These people had been separated by men as a group and women, children and physically unfit people as other group. Then they were loaded in the cattle car and transported to Russia to be sold as slaves or forced to work on the beet and potato fields confiscated from the peasants. Separated from her father, Lina together with her mother and younger brother was sent to the fields and forced to work with other people who were already brought up from the same circumstances. There people were starved and struggled a lot for their daily bread. After few years of struggling in the fields, Lina’s family had been moved to a gruesome frozen work camp to build barracks. The only relief to Lina was her art, she drew the places they were moved, happiness and struggles among the people and the pictures she had seen every day and hoped one day that would be the key to the world to know those hidden history. 

Reading historical novels had always been enjoyable to me until I completed reading the last page of the novel Between Shades of Gray. It was a heart wrenching hidden story of the helpless people of tiny nations Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia who had been forced to give up their nation and had been held against their will. This is a wonderful book which holds the history which had been hidden for several decades from rest of the world. This novel documents the devastating moments of the Lithuanian’s lives and a cruellest face of Soviet regime lead by Joeph Stalin. Narrated by a young Lithuanian girl named Lina who posses an excellent art skills and dreams on her exciting future, the story travels along with the happiest moments of the Lithuanians and their unknown destiny once after they had been trapped to Siberia as slaves and workers to the beet forms. The pitch of the story telling was superb and really makes the reader to involve themselves in to the story. It was impossible to me to get out of the book until I finished reading the last page. It is the perfect outburst of the Lithuanian descendent author, which brings out the hideous things still live in the deepest portion of the Lithuanian’s withered hearts. Meanwhile it is very sad to know this hidden history of the most unfortunate people from these small nations. This book is highly recommended for the ones who love to read the history and historical novels. If one want to know how the human life was worth in the near past history, I suggest to read this book. The human life, relationships, emotions, feelings, rights and destiny everything was considered to be worthless than a hundred gram bread and some times a single cigarette in a frozen fields. No matter where you were in the society or how good were you in financial aspects, everything could be turned upside down in a minute and you would be starving in the streets without money if evil had decided to enter into your life. But how would you know if evil chose you and certainly how would you react when it started to ruin your life.. Do read this wonderful book and refresh your historical knowledge. Final if you liked to read The diary of an young girl by Anne Frank and liked the movie Schindler's list, definitely this book is for you and you would be trapped into the novel.

This is a guest post from ThangaPrakash 

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Touch of Mist Book Review

Read Sample Chapters of Touch of Mist

Read more review of Touch of Mist here 

Reena was distraught. It seemed unbelievable that she too had succumbed to this rat race of life. The consequences had been dire: a marriage that had broken even before the profundity of those three magical words, “I Love You” could sink in.

“Touch of Mist” is a glitzy, modern-day love story of two young, sophisticated, IT professionals, Gautham and Reena, who meet by chance, sparks ignite and they fall head over heels in love with each other.

They tie the knot and start a new life. But no sooner do they do that that fights erupt and egos clash. The first casualty is love, which plummets and marriage turns miserable; break-up beckons and the relationship dies.

Aftermath. Does Reena commit suicide or fall in love with another person? Does she reconcile with her first love Gautham?

This story meanders through different emotions that touch the lives of the protagonists such as love, friendship, marriage, heartbreak, grief, anticipation, humour, disgust, joy, fear and ends with a heart-warming credo that “Life is to Live”.

Touch of Mist Book Trailer 

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Can Love Happen Twice? by Ravinder Singh Book Review

"Can Love Happen Twice?" is the sequel to "I Too Had a Love Story" by the same author. While the book delivers a poignant message about the modern generation's approach to love, which often involves quick breakups and moving on, it lacks the emotional depth and authenticity of the first book.

The story follows Ravin and his girlfriend, but their relationship lacks chemistry and fails to engage the reader. However, the book does have its strengths, including its language and an unexpected twist at the end. Additionally, it sheds light on the challenges faced by modern-day relationships and offers an eye-opening message to readers.

One hundred percent true to life, the problems that arise between Ravin and his girlfriend are relatable and authentic. However, one minor inconsistency is the unexplained disappearance of the three feathers gifted in the story.

Overall, "Can Love Happen Twice?" is not an impressive love story, but it has its merits and is worth a read for its thought-provoking message and realistic portrayal of modern relationships.

PROS:

• Language decency,
• Unexpected twist at the end
• Eye-Opener message for today’s world
• The problem which comes between them - 100% True one

Crons:

• What happened to the 3 feather she gifted?
• Not an impressive Love story

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