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Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Date Published: January 20, 2015
Publisher: Gargi Publisher
Pages: 160
Source: Review copy provided by Sandeep Sharma
Format: Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis
From childhood, the world in which we live,
teaches us to bury our ‘bad’ past somewhere deep inside us, so deep, that even
we can’t dig it back and after that just move on.
What happens when a 10 year old child, who claims to be your future son, comes toyou to help you find a perfect match for his
mother? What happens when eventually you start to doubt on his intentions? What
happens when a girl starts to turn your dreams into nightmares? What happens
when your ‘Future son’ starts to haunt you? What happens when your FUTURE
starts to bleed in your PRESENT through your PAST?
‘Hey Dad! Meet My Mom!!!’ is nothing less than a roller coaster ride of comedy, fear, love and don't forget to expect the unexpected!
What happens when a 10 year old child, who claims to be your future son, comes to
‘Hey Dad! Meet My Mom!!!’ is nothing less than a roller coaster ride of comedy, fear, love and don't forget to expect the unexpected!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23911468-hey-dad-meet-my-mom?from_search=true
My Review
A
couple of days ago, I found out about this amazing book called, Hey Dad! Meet
My Mom… Written by Sandeep Sharma and Leepi
If
you ask me, the USP of Hey Dad! Meet My Mom is the story. This story is
probably the most fascinating stories I have ever read. The story of HDM3
starts with a prologue, giving us the slightest hint of what is coming our way,
but leaves us completely guessing at every turn and in utter shock throughout
the book. The incidents taking place in the story are so unpredictable that you
will never be able to guess what’s going to happen next. The story of HDM3 is
like a dream; like a dream, it takes over our mind slowly and steadily with
light humor and lollipop and later turns our imagination upside down leaving us
baffled and confused at what’s going to happen next.
The
most fascinating feature of this book is the dreams. The protagonist sees dreams
or nightmares to be precise, in his sleep, which leaves him baffled and in fear
and the way these dreams or nightmares have been incorporated in the book was
my personal favorite part of the book. The dreams have a meaning, they say. In
HDM3, dreams play a vital role. Without dreams, story of HDM3 would have felt
like a body without soul. The manner in which authors have written the dreams
or nightmares have seriously left me speechless.
Another
fascinating feature of this book is original poems which go along with the
story and the theme of the book. I really enjoyed the poem with which the novel
ends. Every chapter comes with a few original verses which were very unique and
interesting. For a poetry lover, this was a bonus! The authors have done seriously
great job with original poems. Kudos to them!
But,
one thing I didn’t really like about the book was the staleness of the language
and the metaphors. Both the writers are still young and they have written a
really good story. But, somewhere, the language and the metaphors failed to do
justice, to the story. I kept wishing for paragraphs or sentences which I could
mark as the noteworthy, but, I came empty handed. All I can say is that,
there’s still scope for improvement in the language of both the authors.
I
would rate this wonderful book 3 out of 5 for the unpredictable story and the
original poems written by the author. This book is recommended for all the book
lovers who enjoy a light read during travelling or for those who love reading
on a weekend night tucked in bed. This book is recommended to everyone who
loves a good story with humor, romance, and mystery. And last but not the
least, this is a book recommended to all the boys whose mothers are probably
looking for a bride.
Huge
thanks to Sandeep Sharma for the review copy!
~RP
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Date Published: November, 2014
Pages: 262
Source: Review copy provided by Jyoti Arora
Format: Kindle Edition
Goodreads Synopsis
'It's all your fault.'
Mere
In a society that finds it easier to mark sins of a victim than the culprit, Nirvi is a young girl punishing herself for the faults she did not do and avenging her hurts by defeating her own truth.
"When it's time for you to fall in love, even a
But can love survive, when even the self love dies
First 12 chapters of the book are now available as free download at:
http://
http://
My Review
"A young, pretty, confident and gracious girl with a dream in her
eyes and last but not the least, a story behind her smile"
Although I wrote these words almost a year ago, I still
remember them as if I just came across them. The reason why I’m bringing the
caption up again from the past is these words: 'Story behind her smile'. While I
read ‘Lemon Girl’ by Jyoti Arora, I was gripped with curiosity, like darkness
grips the night and, the question reverberated in my body and soul was what the
story behind Nirvi’s smile is? Lips which purse just too perfectly to bring out
the most perfect smile must surely be a lie and, deep down, under the bottom of
the ocean, the truth awaits to be discovered. As I read on, I found out there’s
indeed a great story behind that smile.
‘Lemon Girl’ by Jyoti Arora is a great Indian story of a
great Indian woman, Nirvi, the lead character of the book. The dance of sorrow
in Nirvi's eyes and the emptiness of her smile ignited the curiosity of not
only Arsh, the lead male character of the book, but also me. What happened to
Lemon Girl, I wondered. This is where Jyoti Arora didn't disappoint me. Jyoti
Arora weaves a mystery around this very question and takes just the perfect
time to reveal the truth. Just as a cocoon takes just the perfect time to turn
into a beautiful butterfly, Jyoti Arora reveals the mystery of Nirvi rora's story unfolds like a night ;
it falls slowly calming our souls and then, takes us through the darkest and
scariest nights of our lives and, in the end, as the dawn appears, leaves us
with tears in eyes and hopes in our hearts.
One of the most fascinating features of the novel is the
narration of the story. Jyoti Arora, with her two weapons, a Post Graduate in
English Literature and Applied Psychology, narrates the story shifting between
two lead characters Nirvi perfectly, especially to Nirvi, a girl with a troubled past . I really enjoyed the
parts where Nirvi
Not only the novel but also a fantastic first page
Dedication
Jyoti Arora, a feminist, I assume, couldn’t have chosen
better words than this to dedicate the book to Indian women when she says,
“In earlier times, Indian women suffered in the name of culture. Now it’s
being done in the name of loss of culture.”
Hardly had I read this very first line of her dedication,
when I knew I had the ‘best book of the year’ in my hands.
Well, I have a dedication myself to all the ladies who fell
victims to the cruel hands of lust; to all the ladies who are brave and
determined to live a respectable life in this unfair world; to all those who
are broken, crawling in the dust, helpless and suffering; and last but not the
least, to the ‘Lemon Girl’ and the ‘Caption Girl’. I borrow words from Maya
Angelou’s poetry, ‘I Rise’, and let her words be my dedication:
“You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
.
I rise
I rise
I rise.”
Will Nirvi ever rise from the dirt? Will Nirvi’s smile ever
be back? Will Nirvi earn respect in this unfair world? Will she ever fulfill her
dreams?
Read ‘Lemon Girl’ by
Jyoti Arora to find out…
Lemon Girl by Jyoti Arora deserves a rating of 5 out of 5!
She showed me the mirror of an imperfect world and the beauty of love in the same
book and for that she deserves full marks! I recommend this book to every
Indian men and women, to every parent, children, grandparents, in fact, to
every Indian. This is a book recommended to all feminists and victims of cruel
hands of lust. I assure you, you will have a great time reading this book.
~RP
Saturday, 14 March 2015
Date Published: February 4, 2015
Publisher: Jaico
Pages: 404
Source: Review copy provided by Blogadda
Format: Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis
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
My Review
Ramayana and Mahabharata are the epic
mythological tales known to many and have been told and re-told many a times.
But, even if we are aware of these epic tales, have we really understood them
completely? Have we really gone through the details of each and every incident
that takes place and took lessons from them? Have we really discovered the hidden
psychological gems from the epic tales? Have we ever walked into, not only
shoes but also skin of , each one of the Ramayana’s characters and understood
why they did what they did?
No? Well, don’t worry! Shubha Vilas,
a spiritual seeker and motivational speaker, has done it for us.
‘Shattered Dreams’, written by Shubha
Vilas, is the sequel to the national bestseller, ‘Rise of the Sun Prince’ and
is a part of series, ‘Ramayana - The Game of Life.’ To be honest, I was a
little skeptical about the book but, Shubha Vilas’s book has come to me as a
huge surprise and left a lifelong impression on me. And here’s why:
Shubha Vilas has dived in deeper in
the vast ocean of knowledge from the Ramayana and has touched every stone which
was left unturned for all these years. He has presented it to us in his book in
simple and lucid language and has left us bewildered at the knowledge, the
perspectives, and the management skills that can be learnt from the epic tale
of Ramayana. These lessons and skills are also useful in day-to-day life, especially for managers and can be applied to personal relationships. Shubha
Vilas has done what most Ramayana versions probably failed to do all these
years and has left me, someone who never read mythology genre books, completely
hooked to the book. I found myself in utter disbelief that I too enjoyed a
mythology genre book.
Shubha Vilas has done a great job in
carefully arranging chapters and each chapter has innumerable footnotes giving
us the depth missing from the epic tale all these years. If you ask me, footnotes
presented in the book are probably the most prominent feature of this book.
The best part about Shubha Vilas’s book
is the language. His language flows smoothly throughout the book and his words
flow like a river flows through the mountain ranges but only to meet the vast
ocean in the end as if to give a complete sense of satisfaction to his readers.
His words and sentences not only tell an epic tale of Ramayana but also send
his readers in trance!
This book is recommended to all the
readers who want to swim in the vast ocean of psychological depth Shubha Vilas
has explored in the epic tale of Ramayana in very simple and unique language.
In fact, I would recommend readers to get a copy of book one and two and the
entire upcoming series as this is the knowledge and the depth we all have been
waiting for inside the epic tale of Ramayana.
Having said all that, it is just a
formality now to rate this wonderful book by Shubha Vilas. I rate this wonderful
book 4 out of 5 for surprising me with its wonderful insights and giving me a
complete sense of satisfaction by the end of this book.
Huge Thanks to Blogadda for Review copy!
This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.
Participate now to get free books!
~RP
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
The Unbreakable You
It is a story of a young girl who faces the toughest test of time and goes through a series of events which shatter her world. She goes through the loss of someone dear and when this wasn't enough she becomes a victim of lust and betrayal by someone she never imagined even in her wildest dreams.
But the story isn't just stating a series of events, the girl goes through, but goes one step further into the mind of the girl who has lost all hopes of ever becoming whole again. This story not only gives you insights into the broken hearted girl, but also questions, to my surprise, 'true meaning of life'.
'Her Diary', a story of a young and vibrant girl, Miss Ruchi Rai, gripped me like darkness grips the night and in that infinite darkness, her protagonist still looks for a ray of hope.
Can she pick up the pieces of her broken heart and become whole again? Can she find her 'ray of hope' in the midst of infinite darkness which surrounds her? Can she ever find happiness in an unfair world? Well, read 'Her Diary' by Miss Ruchi Rai to find out more.
You can buy 'The Unbreakable You' by Write India Publishers from Amazon at surprisingly low prices.
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.in/dp/9384180343
Let me begin by saying that I had underestimated the power
of books written by Paulo Coelho for some unknown reason. This specific book
changed my pre-conceptions (miss-conceptions, so to speak) about the author and
his work and that's exactly why I'm writing this review. Veronica Decides to
Die is a book by Paulo Coelho which has been in my to-read list since last 3-4
years. For some reason, the subject of this book fascinated me.
It's a story of a young girl, Veronica, who decides to die.
At first, author deals with veronica's reasons behind committing suicide which
he does in excruciating details. He delves deeper inside mind and soul of
veronica and makes you wonder whether life is worth living.
But, her suicide attempt fails and she lands up in a mental
hospital. There, she meets a few inmates and every one of them has a different
but interesting story to be there. In the mental hospital, just when veronica
is planning another attempt at her life, to her surprise and readers', she
comes to know that she has only a week to live.
And that's when the author starts to weave a web of words
around the life in mental hospital, patients and their extra-ordinary stories
and amazes you with his incredible power to hold your attention up to a level
where even your partners won't be able to seduce you into putting the book
down.
Author tells us incredible and extra-ordinary stories of
patients and makes you question the phenomenon commonly known as: Insanity. One
by one, he introduces more patients and their stories and forces you to wonder
whether there's anything wrong in being 'insane'.
The most important theme Paulo dealt with in this book is
'what it means to be insane'. He deals with the subject of insanity, being
different and normal in excruciating details and forces you through an
exhausting journey in a desert and leaves thirsty for more answers but in the
end does offer some.
To my surprise, this book's central theme is entirely
author's own earlier life experiences in mental hospital. This is a book which
takes you through the darkness of the night and then the sun sets in with a
promise of a distant land with a ray of hope, love and happiness.
This powerful book is a must read for everyone who wants to
delve deeper inside the psyche of normal, different and insane people. It is a
book recommended for all those who have had to face depression, anxiety,
suicidal thoughts etc at least once in their life. This book will make you
question the dogmatic society and give you a ray of hope in an 'insane world'.
Finally, I rate this book 4 out of 5 mainly for surprising
me with the incredible insights into the mind and soul of the subject
'insanity' and forcing me to re-think about true meaning of my life.
~RP
Love is blind, they say. But, ironically, no relationship
works without blind trust on one's partner. What happens when this blind trust
works against the very 'foundation' of love?
'The Notebook of Romance: Moonlit Matinee 3', which will be
released on 14th February 2015, has 25 heart-touching tales written by authors
from all across the country. But, one of the most fast paced yet gripping tales
is written by a young author from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Kedar Vitekar.
Kedar's story, 'Love Is Blind', is probably the most
outstanding stories in the anthology which questions the very foundation of
love - blind trust. It's easier to fall in love but harder to trust someone
blindly. Trusting someone blindly over internet becomes the hardest job in the world
yet, the protagonist in Kedar's story does so perfectly. Kedar's story deals with blind trust and the dangers of it so beautifully that you might want to
re-read it over and over again.
One of the highlights of Kedar's story is the relationship
between a father and a son. A father gives everything to his son - love and
care. But what happens when this love and care turns into hatred or fear of
society? This story forces you to re-think about societal evils and how these
evils turn a loving and caring man into something, well, evil.
Kedar's story, a beautifully written story, is like killing
two birds with one stone.
This story, 'Love is blind', is a must read for all lovers
out there as well as for those enemies of love.
You can buy Kedar's book, 'The Notebook of Romance: Moonlit
Matinee 3' at surprisingly low prices from Flipkart or Amazon.
Flipkart:
Amazon India:
~RP
'The Notebook Of Romance: Moonlit Matinee 3' Published by
Gargi Publishers is out in the market now for you all to grab! This is a
collection of 25 most beautiful love stories written by 25 most talented
writers of our generation. But, Akash Rumade, a 21 year old from a small town
Roha in Maharashtra, is not only talented but gifted writers of our time. His
story, 'The Pristine Love', is a must read for all the Romeos out there. And
here's why:
Akash's story starts from a small gift shop in Alibaug and
takes us so much deeper inside the heart and soul of the city that there's no
turning back. Laxman aka Lucky, the protagonist of the story, is probably the
most fascinating character I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Akash
beautifully captures Laxman's thoughts, emotions and various activities and
leaves us guessing at what Laxman will do next.
Akash's beautiful story also captures the recently renovated
apartment in which protagonist spends most of his time during the story. And
that's when the Akash lits the 'candles' (probably number 1 and 9) of our brain
and takes us into the flashback.
In flashback mode of the story, Akash takes us down the
memory lane and leaves us with teary eyes on a beach under a starry night in
Alibaug. Akash, it really is the hardest to stop tears when you are alone. He
left no emotions untouched for us to point out.
He is definitely a 'mind reader' who loves keeping himself
busy with the 'glimmering beauty' of the night. His story is nothing but a
'Birthday Gift' for the girl of his dreams. Access protagonist, Laxman,
celebrates the birthday of the girl of Laxman's dreams, in the apartment and
when he does, ironically, an inexplicable sadness and pain grips your boat of
emotions and takes the boat to an an unknown island far away from the mainland
only to leave it shattered and broken. Akash, your true power lies not in the language,
setting of your story, but in the vast ocean of emotions. I would suggest
Laxman, the protagonist, not to wait until 35 to become an author.
Coming to the best part and my personal favorite part of the
story is set again in the apartment where Akash left his protagonist Laxman
before taking us through the flashback. Access story's highlight is the last
two paragraphs where he explains in depth, but to my surprise in fewer words,
philosophy of 'first love', the Pristinity (if there is any such word) of first
love and loving selflessly. This is where Akash leaves his readers completely
numb, speechless and in tears.
Akash Rumade's story, 'The Pristine Love', is a fabulous
story filled with emotions, love, beautiful beaches of Alibaug and is a must read
for every pristine soul out there. And if your soul ain't pristine, I bet your
soul will have transformed into one by the time you finish his story.
Akash's story can be read in the book, 'The Notebook of
Romance: Moonlit Matinee 3' Published by Gargi Publishers and can be ordered at
surprisingly low prices.
Amazon:
Flipkart:
~RP
'The Notebook of Romance: Moonlit Matinee 3' Published by
Gargi Publishers is out in the market for everyone to grab copies! This is an
anthology of 25 heart touching stories written by 25 most talented writers of
our time. But, for all those, who have already bought the copy of this book, or
wish to do so soon, which story to start reading from must be a difficult task.
This is where I can definitely help you out.
Shraddha Sahi, an ophthalmologist from Pune, Maharashtra,
has written the most beautiful romantic, realistic and humoristic story,
'Letters From Ladakh', in the most unique format I have ever seen. Her story is
actually a series of letters written from the heart and soul of Leh-Ladakh by
her female protagonist to her mother and her best friend while the couple is
out on honeymoon.
Who in god's name goes for a honeymoon in Leh-Ladakh?
Shraddha's protagonist asks the same question to her best friend furiously.
Shraddha's protagonist hates the fact that she has to spend her honeymoon in
freezing cold in Leh-Ladakh, when she was expecting sandy beaches of Goa and
sunbath. Her happily ever after dreams stink!
Shraddha's story, 'Letters From Ladakh', is the most
realistic account of arranged married couple on honeymoon and their cute
romantic love moments. Shraddha finds herself attracted to stories about women
- strong ones, kickass ones and funny one, she says in her author's bio.
Shraddha rightly justifies her female protagonist as kickass , strong and funny.
This is the story of every woman, she says. And, I agree. Her female
protagonist is funny and interesting and Shraddha will make you laugh even at
her embarrassing moments. This is where Shraddha's true power lies - she can
make you laugh with almost any moment - embarrassing or otherwise. Her
exceptional humor is evident in the story. Her exceptionally beautiful,
romantic story will make you laugh as hard and as loud as Mr. Navjyot Singh
Siddhu's. You'll probably end up at a comedy show as a paid audience some day if
you read Shraddha's story at least once. Your laugh will be unstoppable!
By the way, have you ever been to Leh-Ladakh? No? Well,
Shraddha will take you to heaven on earth in freezing cold and will make you
fall in love with the place by the time you finish reading her story. She will
make you live inside a tent at Pangong Lake, scare the hell out of you with
sounds of wind at night and…wait a minute! Is there…is there someone hiding
inside my tent? She will make you snuggle each other for warmth in freezing
cold and if you're with a bunch of guys then, well, have a great gay-honeymoon guys!
Does Shraddha's female kickass and funny protagonist love a
honeymoon in Leh-Ladakh? Does she fall in love with her husband, Gaurav, in
Leh-Ladakh? Or does she end up divorcing him?
Read Shraddha's story, ‘Letters From Ladakh’, to find out
more.
You can read Shraddha's story, 'Letter's From Ladakh', in
'Notebook of Romance: Moonlit Matinee 3' Published by Gargi Publishers by
ordering the book at surprisingly low prices.
Amazon:
~RP
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