Aman Mittal's Blog, page 12
February 5, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Murderous Greed by Arun Nair
Pages: 203
Published: 2017 by Notionpress
Cover Rating: 4/5
Crime Fiction is one of my favourites genre to read. I can read books falling under this genre in no time. In my reading years, after reading both classics and contemporary crime fiction novels, I have concluded that a good crime fiction is written with variant in its narrative pace. Not only it keeps the reader driving forward, continue the guess work, but it eliminates the possibility of having dragging components in between. Murderous Greed by Arun K is an excellent example of that.
The plot is set in town of Avadi, Tamil Nadu where two tragic occasions have happened on one morning. In the first one a woman falls victim to chain snatching and gives away her life in the process. In the second case, a young business man falls short of his life and his shot at least twice, reported by the witness. A police officer is on the roll and has a deadline to match to complete these cases. But more over he suspects are these two cases interwind somehow? Follow Satyajit, the contemporary detective inspector, as he attempts to uncover these dubious questions.
The storyline has an average start as it takes time to build up the whole situation and the life around the characters involved. I always, when introducing a detective, or protagonist in mystery or crime fiction novels, a writer should spend some amount of time in the process of building up the surreal reality. It is always a good sign, or a good start in my opinion and is an essential step in crime fiction genre. The author of this book does that. The narrative voice uses third person element gracefully.
The characterisation of this novel is interesting because these characters play bigger role. The character of protagonist gets the reader’s attention from the start and does take enough time to develop and it feels his character might fall flat in the first half of the novel. Believe me, things get a lot more interesting in the second half, as soon as your half way through this novel. The pace of this book is smooth at times but picks speed when it has too. This novel does not classify as a complete thriller until the climax but in my opinion it does not have too. There are strong vibes from the start that mystery included is going to be larger than life kind of thing.
As a reader, to fulfil the challenge of solving the mystery is a bit difficult int this novel. I am sure, many might do but I could not. The reason being the well use of red-herring element by the author. A master display of that. I am surprised by the conclusion and found it a delight at the same time.
Pick this one up if you have taste for crime fiction or mystery. There is a sequel coming this year.
4 out of 5
Check out my NEW Book for Bloggers and Book Bloggers
February 3, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: The Shadow of Darkness by Priyanka Baranwal
Pages: 390, Paperback
Published: December 2017
Cover Rating: 5/5
Not all nightmares arouse questions, some give away answers too.
The Shadow of Darkness is the second book in the series of “It’s Never Too Late”, picks the journey of a mother and a daughter from the first book. Written by Priyanka Baranwal, an Indian author who has a very detailing writing style, this novel revolves around the theme of childhood trauma.
The blurb of the book is so well written with the ease of simplicity, that I am going to share with you since I cannot express it with more clarity.
When Maya fought two criminals one night and saved herself and her five-year-old daughter, Sejal, she thought the worst was over. But was it really? Or, there could be something worse than the worst? The childhood trauma that little Sejal did not deserve resulted in nightmares, trust issues, and bizarre habits. Even after thirteen long years, the night continues to haunt and debilitate her senses with its magnificence, and as if it wasn’t enough, an encounter with the remains of past slips her deep into a treacherous darkness.
Sejal has a loving family, a comfortable life yet disappointment is the only thing now echoing inside her. Will its shadow ever leave her side? Then we see a shining light in the dark brooding sky – Kartik. Is he the answer to her quest for peace? Will Sejal be able to find love, strong enough to fight all odds and bring her out from the darkness? Will the light of hope win over its foes? The Shadow of Darkness holds the answer to every question.
The plot starts with a nightmare and end with one. As I mentioned the quote from the book, not all nightmares end in a tragedy. It revolves around the Sejal, the protagonist of the novel, who after surviving a tragic event in her childhood, is suffering from a childhood trauma. One thing that trauma causes her is nightmares. These nightmares, she soon starts to believe is a form of a reflection. These nightmares clearly represent the “shadows” of darkness.
It is a journey for a reader to take along with the protagonist in the darkest corners of a character’s mind. It is a journey that represents the organized imaginative effort the writer has put it. The main theme of childhood trauma it tends to cover is the lesson we all should learn from, whether some of us have been a victim ourselves or others who are around. Healing takes time and is a struggling process, but by putting any amount of effort is worth or it seems worth as the message of this book is.
The characterization is good but I think the most appreciable character is the protagonist in this book since it is her journey. However, other characters are well formed. These characters cope with the plot well. Written using third person narrative voice this book has a calm pace and given the length of the book, it will take some time for a reader to go through. However, I think this justifies how important the storyline is to the writer. She makes no hurry and covers every aspect of both writing and theme she want to address in her words.
I’d recommend you to read this book if you want to read a unique way of how fiction can be written, and a bit of warmness for your soul in this cold weather.
4 out of 5
BLOG | GOODREADS | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | MEDIUM
Check out my NEW Book for Bloggers and Book Bloggers
February 2, 2018
Ebook Available for Orders
Today, my first ebook, A Blogger’s Manifesto is available for direct orders to be read on Kindle device or application from Amazon. I am excited about it. 
February 1, 2018
Ebook Available for Orders
[image error]
Today, my first ebook, A Blogger’s Manifesto is available for direct orders to be read on Kindle device or application from Amazon. I am excited about it. 
January 30, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: Men and Dreams In the Dhauladhar by Kochery Shibu
Pages: 284, Paperback
Published: 2015 by Niyogi Books
Cover Rating: 5/5
Kochery Shibu’s debut novel Men and Dreams In the Dhauladhar is a mesmerising tale. Set in the lesser Himalayan Ranges around the peaks in Dhauladhar, this book is a perfect companion on a wintry night to get cozy.
The plot majorly revolves around the lives of three individuals who in return somehow get intertwine with each their. It starts at a hydro power project in Himalayas where an engineer running from his past, after losing almost all of his family. Another individual, a Kashmiri boy displaced in his youth from his family, gets involve in terrorism and some how lands working as a labour at the Dam construction site. Lastly, a doctor with passion for classical dancing arrives at the construction site through the medium of love. Each of their story involves drama, passion, skeletons in their closet and extraordinary hardships and struggles of their lives. Like an eternal spectator, the Dhauladhar peaks watches as these beings risk their lives to full fill their dreams.
The storyline is somewhat different, unique in its own wa and in terms of contemporary fiction. It is smooth, using the element of third person narrative. There is flip of narration as it changes almost every chapter but in the end, the author does combine to drive the forward story. As a reader, I realise how important the role of this multiple narrative format in not only driving the plot forward, but keeping things interesting for the reader as well as development of characters. It touches various themes such as love, tragedy, and monologue of multiple protagonists. Use of local and regional dialects makes the dialogue formation more interesting and a proper translation is given for the reader to understand the context better.
The characterisation contains multiple characters. Most of them are like satellites that revolve around our main protagonists. The characterisation is well organised as the characters are developed through out the story with a steady pace. As a reader, I did enjoy this part very much. Rare to be seen such an element used by modern day Indian writers. Another impressing thing is the fragments of scenic places and in-depth knowledge of a dam construction site are taken by the author from his own experience. Though some readers might argue that there too much in-depth context provided and I agree with that but I also understand that the author likes to put touches from his own reality. The writing style is mature, carried with grace and engaging. There are traces of thrill in between the subplots, another enjoyable moment for a reader. The climax is good, a bit too late in my opinion.
If you like to read a contemporary Indian novel, this one is for you.
4 out of 5!
~ Find me on ~
BLOG | GOODREADS | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | MEDIUM
I am writing an ebook for Bloggers
January 29, 2018
Ebook available for Preorders
[image error]
So I recently published my first ebook through KDP (Kinde Direct Publishing) and it feels great! 
January 27, 2018
Cover is decided for the upcoming Ebook
Once again, thank you so much. In the second last post, I asked you to help me choose a cover for my upcoming ebook. You did very well. I have to go with the audience choice. It was a busy week and the cover of my ebook, A Blogger’s Manifesto is decided.
[image error]
The voting lines are closed now. You have done a great job by helping me
January 26, 2018
Book Spotlight: The Shadow of Darkness
Congratulations! On your book, The Shadow of Darkness. I hope you won’t mind answering a few questions for my book blog and the lovely readers who are awaiting your book.
Not at all! I am glad to answer your questions and hope (the) readers enjoy reading them.
Q. What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?
When it comes to gifting ideas for adults, it’s hard to pick books because you don’t know their reading preferences and also the fact whether they like reading makes books a challenging choice. But if I know the receiver likes to read, I’d certainly pick one of my favorites.
With kids, there is a palette of colorful choices. Age of the receiver is also a must to take into account. The book gift should be such that the kid can sit down and read immediately, and that he should not have to wait for another or two years.
I used to run a book club for kids in India named as Pick’A Book Club (For Kids) where we would do many activities after book reading sessions. I’d also plan competitions and questionnaire where I’d gift away books as gifts. Children loved them!
A few of my favorite books are:
Shivani and Premchand: They are my favorite Hindi authors and are perfect to gift someone you love.
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult – I recently finished this. The book is based on true incidents and is largely about the magnitude of racism in US. I learned many things about the issue and also got a new eye for it.
Books by Paulo Coelho: He is my favorite. His writing is very relatable, and inspirational, of course.
Q. In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
Last five years have been very radical for me. Some big changes have happened and they have led me to being grateful everyday for living a life where I can dream and work on them.
The biggest shift I have felt is, that life is beautiful. Even if it looks deceiving at times, it still is beautiful. Challenges and tough phases will always be there but one should never stop breathing and fighting hard to survive through them.
Q. In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped? Any other tips?
Wow! That’s a cool question but let’s paraphrase it. Let’s find out things that I have become better at saying Yes to, shall we?
Positive attitude, 2. Fewer friends, 3. Being grateful everyday, 4. Working harder, 5. Writing more often, 6. Reading more books, 7. Staying optimistic, 8. Staying strong, 9. Being better at Guitar, and 10. Giving good interviews.
So there! You have 10 nods from my side.
And when you ask about the approaches I used, I’ll say what else option did I have? 
Q. When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)
As usual and per norms, I try to find my lost focus and if I can’t, I do other things to distract myself. Thankfully, I have my guitar, blog and books, enough companions for a lifetime to spend time with. Basically, I wait for the phase to be over.
I believe that every difficult phase takes you down so that you can discover the hidden strength at its core. Not everyone can do it but those who can, they certainly emerge out.
Q. How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?
Every dark phase has its limits and its strength in equal measures. The kind of tough phases I have seen, I could very well have collapsed and probably died but with the help of my family, I am still surviving and in fact, trying to make a meaningful life out of it.
Hey! Is it not exactly the theme of my book – The Shadow of Darkness? That with love and hope, anything is possible? My book has all the core ingredients that I have found in the wonderful journey called Life.
Favorite failure? Hmm. Failures are the best teachers and best teachers can be the strictest ones so I don’t think I have any preference for a particular teacher. I take them all in as lessons and experiences but not as failure. Remember, an experience is not a failure until you call it so.
Book Blurb
When Maya fought two criminals one night and saved herself and her five year old daughter, Sejal, she thought the worst was over. But was it really? Or, there could be something worse than the worst? The childhood trauma that little Sejal did not deserve resulted in nightmares, trust issues and bizarre habits. Even after thirteen long years, the night continues to haunt and debilitate her senses with its magnificence, and as if it wasn’t enough, an encounter with the remains of past slips her deep into a treacherous darkness.
Sejal has a loving family, a comfortable life yet disappointment is the only thing now echoing inside her. Will its shadow ever leave her side? Then we see a shining light in the dark brooding sky – Kartik. Is he the answer to her quest of peace? Will Sejal be able to find love, strong enough to fight all odds and bring her out from the darkness? Will the light of hope win over its foes?
The Shadow of Darkness holds answer to every question.
January 25, 2018
I need your help with my upcoming Ebook
In my last post, I publicly announced that I am writing an ebook for bloggers and will be covering topics for book bloggers as my own niche. Those of you do not know me, I have been blogging for 5 years and I have learned a lot. This ebook is going to be a token of appreciation and my experiences I want to share with the people who are getting started in the blogosphere or are already a part of one.
Update on Ebook Writing
I am almost done with it. Going through a final draft and proofreading activities. I haven’t come up with a tentative date since I am new in the world of Self Publishing and I think it is a bit of a learning curve. More updates, in future posts or signup my Ebook Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dh-c29
This time I need your help to choose me an ebook cover. I have spent last 8 days deciding which one and what colors and I have come up with four final options. Since this ebook I am writing is for you, the community, I thought why not let you decide which cover is the most suitable one.
These are four the options. Whichever cover gets the most vote will be cover of my next ebook. You are going to see this cover image on your Ereader, laptop, iBooks, smartphone, Amazon, etc. So vote wisely. To vote, go to the extreme below.
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D
Before you vote, please note that these are final designs and only metadata such as a subtitle or author info will be added to the final cover.
Here is the poll, again, vote wisely.
Will update with Results on 28 Jan 12:00 PM.
You have Saturday, 27 Jan 11:59 PM to vote.
Thank you.
January 24, 2018
BOOK REVIEW: The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
Pages: 315, Kindle Edition
Published: September, 2017 by Profile Books
Cover Rating: 5/5
I have always loved books about books or booksellers. I find booksellers are one heck of an interesting personalities and more, they get observe equally interesting ones. Interesting personality, a bookseller? Why? ‘Cause they read books that no one else reads or majority of people do not and sometimes they write about their observations of customers/bibliophiles in their shops. The whole concept is a bit funny too.
Another joyful book is Shaun Bythell’s The Diary of a Bookseller. Released in September, 2017, Shaun owns The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland and is the largest second-hand bookshop in the country. It contains more than 100,000 books covering over a mile of shelves. It indeed is a book lover’s paradise. If I ever visited The Bookshop, I do not think I’ll like to come out of the shop on my own will. Written somewhat in a hilarious manner, Shaun provides an insight through daily summaries for an year with trials and tribulations of life in book trade including the his own staff, and eccentric customers. He takes us, readers, through his routine in his shop with occasional visits on buying trips to old estates, and auction houses. In this memoir, he introduces us to a different type of livelihood and makes us understand the the thrill it possess of unexpected findings, new book discoveries, and the charms of a small town life.
Terry Pratchett, John Buchan, P.G. Wodehouse and E.F. Benson books are also perennial best sellers.
When I first say the book cover, it knew I had to read this one. His daily life is described with enough detail in his summaries inclduing the statistics on the day’s takings and olnie orders. The writing style of the book is rich and smooth. Some readers might find it tedious to go through these daily summaries but I think there are interesting points. One of the most fascinating and hilarious point in the book is that he gets angry at some point and decides to visit his parents house, take his Kindle, and shoot at it many times.
December is by far the quietest month. (“The few people who give second-hand books as gifts for Christmas are usually eccentric” – count me as one of them!)
A perfect read for winter and bibliophiles and someone who wants to good laugh or two over this weekend.
4 out of 5!
~ Find me on ~
