Rakhi Jayashankar's Blog, page 70

Book Spotlight and Giveaway- Let's hug: 15 hugs for beginners

Book Description for Let’s Hug: 15 Hugs for Beginners:


There must be over a millions ways to say "I love you" or "I care about you", but with a single hug, even without words, you can simply feel it. This book is for toddlers, and encourages children and adults alike to try out all possible types of hugs. It's everyone's gain.
It took seconds for the sweet testers who accompanied the writing of this book to adopt these 15 ways of showing love, to give and receive it. And our testers are not alone. Recent studies reveal that Oxitocin, the most fun hormone available, also known as the Love Hormone, is released into our bodies when we hug.
Hugs are proven to have a generally positive healing and relaxing effect, since they increase calm and happiness, reinforce our self esteem, and support our sense of connection to those who are close to us. If you'd like to validate these studies, go ahead and hug.
This book was beautifully illustrated by Yuval Israeli, and it's the second creative collaboration between Yuval Israeli and Efrat Shoham.
Buy the Book: Amazon
Book Description for The Unusualasaurases:
Ages and ages ago, many different kinds of dinosaurs roamed our planet. Some were as large as whales, while others were the size of small dogs. Some were plant-eaters, while some ate other animals. Some had very long necks and tails, while others were tiny. Some had horns. Some had wings and could fly.
Despite all of these many variations, they were all part of the dinosaur family. And, as is often the case with family, they shared many common features.
No one has ever never whatsoever seen a live dinosaur or spoken to one of them. So, what if dinosaurs could really talk, or smile, cry, dream, dance, play and joke?
To answer all of these questions, all you have to do is become an Imaginesaurus, and meet the Unusualasauruses.
This book is aimed at children aged 4 to 120. It introduces the readers to different types of personalities, characters, and skills and thus helps us to spot them at a glance.
This book was beautifully illustrated by Lilach Ramati.
Buy the Book:  Amazon
About the Author:
Efrat Shoham is an Israeli writer and independent publisher (The Pink Camel).
Shoham grew up in a small agricultural village in Israel. Her father was a farmer and her mother – a teacher and librarian. She lives with her family in Tel Aviv, on a small street lined with eucalyptus, mulberry and loquat trees, where 3 rabbits from the nearby kindergarten run wild.
She thinks and believes that curiosity, imagination, humor, green fields, fresh mango or avocado and pink camels are some of the keys to a good and happy life.
Connect with the author:  Website  ~ Facebook

About the Illustrator of Let's Hug

Yuval Israeli 
"I grew up in a kibbutz in the north of Israel and for years I live in Tel Aviv with Roy and our cat "tsimuki". I studied design and illustration at "Vital" the school of visual arts, which reunited later with "Shenkar".

I also learned classical painting in the "station studio".

I always paint pop icons and characters which affected me, and I also always paint portraits of friends. Besides, I always enjoyed painting all kinds of creatures from my imagination". 
About the Illustrator of The Unusualasauruses

Lilach Ramati

"I majored in visual communication in Holon Institute of Technology. I studied Interactive, but eventually my final project was an illustrated book. Today I work as a designer in games company".


Giveaway:​
Win one of two copies of Let’s Hug or one of two copies of The Unusualasaurases (4 winners, open internationally)Ends Jan 28

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A walk in the rain by Uday Yadla- Review

Book Name         - A walk in the rainAuthor                  - Uday YadlaPublisher              - Kyron Publication Number of Pages -240 Publishing Year   -2016Edition                  -Paperback Price                     -199
Buy books from Amazon,  Flipkart
Rating : 3.0

My Review

A walk in a rain can be described in one sentence as a simple cute story. There are a lot of sub plots along with the main plot. The book is like a collection of short stories of Sunny,Sandy,Saloni,Pooja and Imran, which gets interconnected in the end to a nailbiting murder mystery. The one liner of the story is interesting. Author has adopted a simple narration, comprehensible to even the first time readers, which suits this YA romance.

Over all the narration is simple. The characters are developed well, so are the back stories of the characters.  Nevertheless, in most of the areas, professionalism was missing. For a YA romance, hard-core professionalism cannot be expected, nevertheless, a little more hard work ought to be invested to make the book worth the price. 

The relation of Sunny with Sandy, Imran and Saloni dvelves in different layers of psyche. Love, friendship, enmity,vendetta- Sunny's character is an emotionally multilayered creation.

The book cover is in sink with the narration and overall storyline, so is the title. An aggression felt for the downtrodden mass of people was evident in the narration but  thorough homework was required. Lack of editing was evident in the book.

This review is in return of a free book from the publisher  

This was a man by Jeffrey Archer -Review

Book Name         - This was a manAuthor                  - Jeffrey ArcherPublisher              - Pan MacmillanNumber of Pages -400Publishing Year   - 2016Edition                  - Paperback Price                     - 599
Buy books from Amazon,  Flipkart
Rating : 4.0

My Review

While reading the book I wanted to see if the author has reserved the best to the last. Unfortunately I had two opinions of the same. Is the book bad?? No. It is an entertainer slithering the plot through cliffhangers. Is it a bang on perfect book to end the Clifton chronicles? I don't think so. Author himself has set the benchmark so high that readers expect nothing less than perfect. 

Like the prequels, the book is divided into several parts, each dedicated to characters, Harry-Emma, Sebastian Clifton, Lady Virginia Fenwick, Giles Barrington. A new addition is Jessica Clifton. With a plot containing a cascade of events happening in two families with huge pedigree, and too many characters, author has been excelling in his task in all the volumes.

The final volume of Cliftons Chronicles kickstarts with a gun shot. Karin is shot but survives. A presidential election wherein Emma supports the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher while her brother Giles stands for Labour party. It's interesting to see the siblings fighting for different candidates while sharing an amazing chemistry. The part led by Virginia is the spiciest as expected form the vile duchess. Nevertheless the games with the paintings seems like old wine in New bottle. The most exciting part of the book is led by Sebastian Clifton. His poignance in problem solving is the most entertaining part of the book. Jessica Cliftons's story seems to be a put off. The part didn't contribute much to the story line other than making the book unduly long. Climax is a silent soothing end to the tale. 

 Karin running marathon, Giles playing cricket and Harry commencing his masterpiece is a clear indication that age is not a barrier, which is an impressive attitude. Last chapter did not contain any nail biting sequences but Giles' rhetoric is an excellent end to the saga. In short Jeffrey Archer did what Harry Clifton was planning to do with William Warwick.


This review is in return of a free book from the publisher  
About the author
Jeffrey Archer, whose novels and short stories include Kane and Abel, A Prisoner of Birth and Cat O' Nine Tales, has topped the bestseller lists around the world, with sales of over 275 million copies. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction, short stories and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). The author is married to Dame Mary Archer and they have two sons and two grandsons.

Disruption by Chuck Barrett- Review

Book Name         - Disruption Author                  - Chuck BarretPublisher              - Switchback PressNumber of Pages - 1497KBPublishing Year   - 2016Edition                  -KindlePrice                     -$3.97
Buy books from Amazon,  Flipkart
Rating : 4.0

My Review

Disruption is the name of the  software when installed, creates total disruption. The title itself is multidimensionally complementing the storyline. The plot evolves in a scenario where cyber-terrorism prevails and an organization of Common wealth consultants  headed by egmore Wiley with his associates Jake, Frascesca and Fontaine head out on a mission to prevent the cyber terrorist, Boris, who is about to control the cyber world by compromising sensitive information . The story begins with bits and pieces of happenings in different  places. Common wealth consultant office where Jake with his colleagues and boss holds a conversation with Fracesca and another important lady, which is a suspense till then, is followed by situation where in a captive named Daniel Luzato is attached to a barbed collar which emit electric current. The events slowly reaches a linear chart when Common wealth consultants team up with External intelligence and security agency in Rome, Italy.Further a cascade of events unfold and a seamlessly interwoven tale divulges before the readers.

The brisk pace of the narration is the highlight of the book. Readers wouldn't get a chance to think of anything else but the story. The instances come on9e after the other without any lag. Author has tried to portray a geo political scenario but subtly. The book is full of contrasts  which begins with the extremes of security level. One one hand the security uses thumb impressions and even heart beat., on the other hand it can be opened with a lock pick.


Many of the the events or names depicted in the book has similarity with real events.Tarh Andishan,for instance is an Iranian Hacking agency. Another interesting fact,  though not much connected with the plot, is the featuring of Venice as a perfect romantic location in books and movies wherein the reality is different. Author has precisely depicted the contrast in the untidiness one can witness there.  In an attempt to sustain the suspense, author somehow assorted clinchéd methods. Climax doesn't hold much surprises but author has decently ended the plot
This review is in return of a free book from the publisher  
About the author

Cover Reveal-A way back into love by Veronica Thatcher

~ Cover Reveal ~A Way Back Into Love by Veronica Thatcher5th January, 2017


About the Book:

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes, uncertain. People, irrational. But love… Well, that makes complicates everything complicated. When you are caught in a tangled web of secrets, lies, and complex affairs, someone is bound to get burned.
Emily Stevens is a spunky, spirited college girl whose life is turned upside-down when she realizes she's in love with her best friend of fifteen years, Derek Thorpe. As Emily prepares to confess her feelings to Derek, something happens one night which changes her life forever. Five years later, Emily finds herself in Boston, alone and heartbroken. Will she ever be able to forget the past? And what will she find when she returns home... to the man she left behind?




About the Author:
Veronica Thatcher is an exciting new contemporary romance author. Ever since she was very young, she’s dreamed of becoming a doctor when she grew up. While still forging ahead with that, majoring in pre-med in college, she unwittingly stumbled upon a new dream—becoming a published author. Some may call her an introvert or a wallflower, but she has always found she could express herself better in written, rather than spoken, words. However, never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned she would pursue writing as a prospective career, not just a hobby. Her love for writing goes hand-in-hand with her love for a good romance novel—whether it be a feel-good, sweet romance or a dark, suspenseful one. When she’s not studying, reading, or writing, she is usually found blasting her favourite songs, sometimes singing and dancing along to them.  She dabbles in a number of activities, including painting, karate, singing and dancing. She is a huge chocoholic – probably the biggest – and she is an ice-cream junkie too. She considers herself technologically handicapped forever and has no shame in admitting that. She also deems chocolates her boyfriend, Patrick Dempsey the love of her life, and Friends her life!
Her first book, A Way Back Into Love, is slated for release in February 2017, and she hopes readers will enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it. You can reach Veronica through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad and Gmail.

Contact the Author:
FB Page * FB Profile * Twitter * Wattpad




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Joanna Patterson gets candid

Hi everyone 

You guys missed me? I have been slow with the reviews and hence the lag in the posts. Nevertheless I have been trying to update the blog as much as possible. Today I am not here with my post. Another person with enlight you with her guest post. Who is that? Surprise 
Do read further to get to know it. HERE WE GO.......



My two books of short stories, “The Old Turk and Other Tales” and “Through the Mirror”, examine that tricky balance between experience and the spiritual world that anyone—and the author—would encounter or like to encounter. There are realms which take us beyond ourselves—and I like to explore them. Short stories should stimulate thinking—they are always potentially true. So many of them lose themselves in the usual earthbound stories about romance and the twists and turns of people in love, but I tried to go beyond those confines to involve spiritual worlds. The short stories I wrote are phantastic in the sense that they treat the unseen as a vital encounter, but engage with it, also, if you think of it that way,  as a possible extension of the Self. 

The stories don’t tell you what to do. They are meetings with vibrant beings, ways of seeing. Some are fun, like the story about hats in the Old Turk collection. I also call to mind the ancient goddesses and what they represent—this in Through the Mirror. You can visualise  this as about memory and about the sea and the land. I have been to these places myself—but they are transformed and show themselves in a new way.
I explore Europe and ancient places in Ohio, U.S.A., and what they represent, the unusual, the dialogue with them that can create connections, letting go the mundane, the things you are used to. I hope there is pleasure in these extensions of the mind’s adventures.
What I liked most are the stories of transformation in “Through the Mirror”. The metamorphosis does not have to be into human lives, but can be a bird such as in “Jenny Wren”. Or it can have a message as in “The Owls of Scarba”. And then there are some places that simply evoke the moon and thinking in different ways of where you are, such as in an eighteenth century tower in Dessau, Germany,  or in a long forgotten village in Austria.
“The Shaman Birches of Argyll” and “The Travelling Moon”, my poetry books, on the other hand, are grounded in experience and often on watching the sea while sailing on the West Coast of Scotland. They are an exploration of nature and lochs and birds, indigenous or otherwise, especially the seabirds that visit. These show closeness with nature that can only be vitally expressed in poetry. I think about the natural world and try to find it again in words. I was born in the land-locked—except for the cross European river Danube—city of Vienna. So this is an encounter with a different and exciting world.

My books of poetry probe the new countryside in the Highlands where water is everywhere—the mysterious sea, the lochs and the burns. The rising moon, the trees and ferns that grow wild on hillsides are also featured. The essence of the poetry is both myth and place. Nature has different dimensions and I want to bring them close to the reader. Poetry gives feelings and vision in versions that other genres cannot.

I do not believe that even adult books should be without images. So I have given all my books illustrations. I hope you like the way words and pictures go together!
My books are all available from Amazon as Kindle or print-on-demand editions under the name Joanna Paterson.


Joanna Paterson, aka Joanna Geyer-Kordesch (professor emerita)

Shadow Fighter by Suprita Das-Review

Book Name         - Shadow FighterAuthor                  - Suprita DasPublisher              - Harper CollinsNumber of Pages -192Publishing Year   - 2016Edition                  - Paperback Price                     - 299
Buy books from Amazon,  Flipkart
Rating : 3.0

My Review
While watching the controversial incident in the 2014 Asian Games, how many of us thought about he emotional turmoil inside Sarita Devi's mind? How many of us take the pain to understand the effort put forth by Indian Athletes?


Shadow fighter- Sarita Devi and her extraordinary journey is one book that enlightens the readers about the unseen journey of a female boxer. We all know Sarita Devi after she refused to accept the bronze medal during the 2014 Asian Games and subsequent ban. It is sad that common citizens in India are not able to think beyond Cricket and football. No thought was spared about he boxers till Vijender Singh bagged bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics. As a female boxer, the only name we knew was of Mary Kom, that too only after she bagged her bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics. It is not known to many that Sarita Devi and Mary Kom were friends and heroines of boxing. While Mary basked in the glory of her bronze medal, Sarita remained u known till 2014.

It's shocking to see how she was a victim of favouritism, discrimination and poor decision-making again and again. She was denied the deserved chances not once but thrice. To make it this fat was not easy for her but for a soft hearted Sarita to attain whatever she did in a ferocious sport like boxing is commendable.

The book unveils the undercurrent of internal politicking and back biting prevalent in boxing and any sport form in general. We can see how boxing slowly became popular under the guidance and efforts of Ibomcha, Anoop Kumar, Chandralal and the likes. How they toiled for years to make this sport from acceptable without any support from the authorities. The names of K.C. Lekha and Jenny were brought to light even though mentioned briefly.

The injustices and indifference towards athletes were not solely for boxing. The repercussions of speaking out their mind and taking a stand were not good with athletes like Dhanraj Pillay, Deepika Pallikal etc. The experiences authoress procured as a journalist has come handy while writing the book. The folly of the political lobby and their lack of planning is exposed in the book. The shameful ban of IABF itself proves the fact.

What didn't appear appealing to me was the unilateral accusations about Mary Kom. It is mentioned in the book that Sarita was proven to be psychologically weak in the tests and that Mary was the other way around, which helped her win the bouts. If she was psychologically strong and aggressive, it should be considered as her quality,  not sheer luck. She too had to face bad decisions and put in a lot of hard work.Their personal equation could have been kept at bay in the book. If not for the over the top complaints about Mary making it big I would have given the book a five star rating. But yes, refusing to take the right stand for a fellow player who was a friend is appalling.

My Verdict : Amazing and well researched book, but slightly unilateral.

This review is in return of a free book from the publisher  
About the author
Suprita Das is a journalist with NDTV, where she has been reporting and writing on sport for over a decade. She has covered two editions of the 'Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games' so far, apart from several other national and international tournaments. She won the 'RedInk Award' for 'Excellence in Journalism' in 2015. Shadow Fighter is her first book.

Interview with Chuck Barrett author of Disruption

Hai everyone, Today we have the author of Disruption, Chuck Barrett

Hi Chuck thank you for being a part of my virtual tete a teteSo,What genre do you write and why?
When I started reading as an adult, I was fascinated with Tom Clancy's first works, specifically Red Storm Rising. At that point I was hooked on thrillers. I read all of Clancy's stuff and then moved on to other authors who wrote thrillers. It seemed only natural when the desire to write took over, that I write what I loved to read.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
Oddly enough, most of the story ideas come from small news snippets. I will piece together several that I find intriguing and try to create a storyline nexus. Once that is in place, and I've created a premise for the book, I just let the story tell itself…as long as it stays within the original premise. Sometimes it wanders slightly off course, but so far that has only enhanced the story. I start writing with only the beginning, the end, and the premise in mind.
How long have you been writing and is this your full time job?
I started writing in 1998 while I was working full-time as an air traffic controller in Florida. My first two books, The Savannah Project & The Toymaker, were written while I was still employed. Now, I currently am a full-time author…thanks to a mandatory retirement age with the FAA, which has actually made that transition much easier.
Do you write every day and what is your writing schedule?
I don't write every day, but when I do write, I write a lot every day. Once the full story has developed in my mind, I write every day (almost) until the first draft is completed. Then I take a couple of weeks off before I pick it up and start the first round of self-edits. That's when the work starts!
Do you ever get writer's block?
Not writer's block, per se. I do have days, sometimes several days in a row, when the words just don't flow like I want them to. The sentences feel stilted and rough and my creativity seems lacking. Or my motivation wanes. I have found a remedy that works and works well…I read. I pick up another author's work…not necessarily a thriller, but usually, and I just sit down away from my office and read. Within a few hours, I feel recharged and ready to write again.
What is your next project?
My current work-in-progress is the second in the Gregg Kaplan series. As a matter of fact, the next two, at least, will be in the Gregg Kaplan series. I had such a tremendous success with BLOWN, that I feel I owe it to my readers to give them what they want. And what they seem to want now is more rough and tumble action with Gregg Kaplan.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Writing, and writing well, takes practice. To work on the craft of writing involves focusing on the fundamentals until they become habit and then progressing to the finer nuances of the craft. Discouragements comes in many forms—frustration over plot, writer's block, critiques from writers' groups, and from many other sources. If you want to be a writer, then don't quit writing. It's easy to find excuses NOT to write, what you should focus on is writing and writing often.

Interview with Chuck Barrelm author of Disruption

Hai everyone, Today we have the author of Disruption, Chuck Barrel.Hi Chuck thank you for being a part of my virtual tete a teteSo,What genre do you write and why?
When I started reading as an adult, I was fascinated with Tom Clancy's first works, specifically Red Storm Rising. At that point I was hooked on thrillers. I read all of Clancy's stuff and then moved on to other authors who wrote thrillers. It seemed only natural when the desire to write took over, that I write what I loved to read.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
Oddly enough, most of the story ideas come from small news snippets. I will piece together several that I find intriguing and try to create a storyline nexus. Once that is in place, and I've created a premise for the book, I just let the story tell itself…as long as it stays within the original premise. Sometimes it wanders slightly off course, but so far that has only enhanced the story. I start writing with only the beginning, the end, and the premise in mind.
How long have you been writing and is this your full time job?
I started writing in 1998 while I was working full-time as an air traffic controller in Florida. My first two books, The Savannah Project & The Toymaker, were written while I was still employed. Now, I currently am a full-time author…thanks to a mandatory retirement age with the FAA, which has actually made that transition much easier.
Do you write every day and what is your writing schedule?
I don't write every day, but when I do write, I write a lot every day. Once the full story has developed in my mind, I write every day (almost) until the first draft is completed. Then I take a couple of weeks off before I pick it up and start the first round of self-edits. That's when the work starts!
Do you ever get writer's block?
Not writer's block, per se. I do have days, sometimes several days in a row, when the words just don't flow like I want them to. The sentences feel stilted and rough and my creativity seems lacking. Or my motivation wanes. I have found a remedy that works and works well…I read. I pick up another author's work…not necessarily a thriller, but usually, and I just sit down away from my office and read. Within a few hours, I feel recharged and ready to write again.
What is your next project?
My current work-in-progress is the second in the Gregg Kaplan series. As a matter of fact, the next two, at least, will be in the Gregg Kaplan series. I had such a tremendous success with BLOWN, that I feel I owe it to my readers to give them what they want. And what they seem to want now is more rough and tumble action with Gregg Kaplan.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Writing, and writing well, takes practice. To work on the craft of writing involves focusing on the fundamentals until they become habit and then progressing to the finer nuances of the craft. Discouragements comes in many forms—frustration over plot, writer's block, critiques from writers' groups, and from many other sources. If you want to be a writer, then don't quit writing. It's easy to find excuses NOT to write, what you should focus on is writing and writing often.

My Father is a hero by Nishant Kaushik- Review

Book Name         - My Father is a heroAuthor                  - Nishant KaushikPublisher              - Srishti PublicationsNumber of Pages - 195Publishing Year   - 2016Edition                  - Paperback Price                     - 195
Buy books from Amazon,  Flipkart
Rating : 3.5

My Review

For the ease of reviewing a book can be divided into three sections- Beginning , plot and climax. For this book it is impossible to give a general review since the three sections of the book have three graphs. The beginning of the book is like a 90s movie concentrating more on the relations, and the toiling of common man. The father- daughter relation is celebrated well. The character Vaibhav Kulkarni is developed stage by stage. His affection towards his daughter, his separation with his wife and his inability to cope up with official politics have been portrayed effectively. 

As the plot develops the reality and terror of kid's pressure, and depression elaborates the storyline. Vaibhav's daughter Nisha, who is the Apple of everyone's eyes, plunges into the pit of depression, making his world topsy turvy. Unable to comprehend the sudden change in his daughter, Vaibhav decides to take his daughter to meet Rihanna, Nisha's idol. Further what happens need to be read.

Language of the book is simple yet enchanting. A sincere attempt to bring the readers close to earth. The basic storyline seems normal and repeated but the events are connected well. The concentration of the whole storyline falls on the father-daughter duo and the rest of the characters take a complete backseat. The climax of the story disappointed me though it was expected. 

If you are expecting a book which is close to reality, this is the best. There are no unexpected twists or thrilling cliffhangers but there are some moments which remind you of your life with your father.

This review is in return of a free book from the publisher  
About the author

Nishant Kaushik is the author of four bestselling novels. He lives in Australia with his wife and son.