Aman Mittal's Blog, page 3

BOOK REVIEW: Pennies to Power by Tom Graneau

Pennies to Power by Tom Graneau
on 30/04/18
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 340
Format: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

Netgalley is a good platform to browse for upcoming books. If you get lucky, you will get the chance to read an ARC of a book you wish too. I also think it is one of the biggest platforms to search for indie authors. Recently, I got my hands on Tom Graneau’s new book, Pennies to Power: How to use your 20’s to Gain Financial Independence for Life.

For those of you who do not know, Tom is an advocate for working independently. At least to generate an income for your own efforts instead of working for others and fulfilling their dreams. In this book, he tries to provide pragmatic patterns and suggestions. He intakes 7 cultural barriers that are adhering most people from earn money outside their monthly paycheck life. There is no harm in that, but doing what you love and earning for yourself instead of paying to the banks to clear of your loans, is the motivation behind this book. Pennies to power gives the example of the American financial situation. It is full of researched anecdotes and diagrams. The author shows how temptations lead debt that looms for the rest of their lives. This forces one to think and live in a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.

Pennies to Power tries to educate young ones about what financial situations they might lead into if there are no proper steps taken early in their lives. Tom believes that an individual’s 20s are the best time to start. Even though this book is targeted at people of a certain age group. The author claims that it can be useful for someone in their late twenties, I feel otherwise. I think the right audience for this book is for the age group of 18 to 22. They might feel more empowered and find it useful.

The writing style is not an attractive one. Even though it is a work of non-fiction, I felt it could have been better. The language is easy to understand and the book justifies the theme it revolves around: money.

3 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Pennies to Power by Tom Graneau appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

How to Analyze the Profile of a #BookReviewer?

Do you write book reviews? Do you post them on Goodreads.com apart from your own book blog or Amazon account? If yes, then you must read this article.

Goodreads.com is such an amazing IMDB + Social Media for books. I have been using it for 7 years now. The interface might not be the most dynamic and user-friendly but I think it is a great platform to meet with like-minded people who read books. Finding new books through reviews and connecting with authors are other perks of using it.

Recently, a platform for authors and readers alike called BookSirens.com launched an amazing tool that analyzes your reviewer’s profile on Goodreads.com. They did mine, and the results are more interesting than I expected.

A bit about Booksirens.com?

There are many platforms out there I have seen for Book bloggers where they can get free ebooks. In return, they have to provide a review of the book assigned or interested. Many such platforms run an emailing list that you can subscribe too and then your inbox will get full of it book review requests. Then there are platforms such as Netgalley.com where you have to browse for books and send in a request you like to read.

BookSirens tries to follow the model of the first one however they would not spam your inbox. Its working is different and supports many bestseller and indie authors at the same time. They have a directory of book bloggers around the world in different genres and interests. Their listing of Book bloggers is public and free to use for the authors and do have paid option for connecting with hundreds of readers.

Analyzing a Book Reviewer’s Profile: The Right Way

BookSirens is not a typical marketing tool where authors pay to lure reviewers. It is similar to Netgalley in terms of getting only the interested readers for a specific book. They recently launched a tool where it reviews each and every data from your Goodreads.com profile and displays it in a more statistical and detailed manner. The type of data they are using already made public by Goodreads so do not worry about being snooped.

They invited me to try their tool and first I thought Goodreads already provide stats for every book read in my profile. What are they trying to do differently? What is their goal? With these questions, I politely gave in. The result was amazing.

It analyses these results on the basis of what you have read so far. I am Top 20% in Reading Diversity. 

Not only that, it checks your reading taste and what you prefer most to read. This is classified in two sections, Primary and Secondary.

Looks like I should read more Fiction!

BOOK REVIEW Super Me by Jessica Dazzo

Super Me by Jessica Dazzo
on 20/07/2018
Genres: Fiction, YA, Supernatural/Paranormal
Pages: 327
Format: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

I hardly read young adult novels these days for two reasons: I am out of touch from the world of young adults in terms of getting information about new books in this particular genre. The second being I do not get enough recommendations these days, so I am on my own. However, recently I got the chance to read Super Me by Jessica Dazzo which is categorized in this genre and is the first book in a series that may constitute more.

Faye is not an ordinary teenager. She has a mom who likes her to be called by her first name even from her own daughter. On Faye’s seventeenth birthday, her life becomes more extraordinary when she begins to feel and hear things. She thinks her mind is going crazy and is making up the stuff in order to complete her own prophecy. She buys an old car for which she has saved every penny for a long time and drives it to her school but she meets an accident on the first day. She is unhurt, not even a single scratch or a wound on her body but there is blood. How? This is how extraordinary she is.

Humiliated by her crazy stuff and now her mother making her life more miserable, Faye goes through emotional ups and downs in the life of a regular teenager. Then she meets Lucan, who is like her, a bit not so ordinary teenage boy. The series of events unfold in a supernatural manner as Faye and Lucan try to come together. The climax is amazing and it will answer all yours and Faye’s answers that exist form page one.

This book is written in first person narrative with a writing style that deserves a high appreciation from any reader. The element of the confusing reader or put them off track which is bluntly popularised by Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins novels is also used in this book. The theme of the supernatural is clear but is not revealed until the end. The suspense makes this book a page turner and it is what kept me going.

This characterization is fully developed, I could not find any underdeveloped character in this novel. Each character has their own persona which makes it enjoyable. The plot is well organized and if you are into the genres of young adult or supernatural/paranormal, this book is for you. You will complete it in no time. I will be eagerly looking for the sequel in this series.

4 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW Super Me by Jessica Dazzo appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
Published by William Morrow on 05/06/2018
Genres: Fiction, Dystopia
Pages: 492
Format: eBook
Goodreads

When I came across Peng Shepherd’s debut work, I was foremost attracted by the mysteriousness of the cover of her book. There is no drug that can give you that much high than a book’s beautifully designed cover on which you set your skeptical eyes.

Imagine if you lose your shadow today, somehow. How will you respond to that? What will be your reaction? Will you overreact? Will you have thought that you have lost something close to you? The storyline of this dystopian novel toys with the idea of human beings losing shadow due to some vibe. This doesn’t sound creepy and weird at all, does it?

After losing the shadow, an individual’s memory starts to fade. For some, it takes weeks to be completely reborn in their mind for some, it happens overnight. I found this concept fascinating and dark enough if you think about it. The storyline revolves around multiple characters majorly Max and Ory, a wife and her husband who are trying to escape the Forgetting disease. Yes, they have the name for it. Heights of creativity! This Forgetting disease is spreading out like the plague and wiping the memory of all those who are affected. Until one day, Max’s shadow disappears.

Knowing that she will forget everything, Max runs away Ory refuses to give up on her and tries everything in his possession to find her before her memory completely disappears. The adventure starts and a series of events unfold. The history of the disease Forgetting is told to us, about its origin, whom it affected first and how it is related to elephants. Ory’s attempt to find Max is another adventure in itself that runs parallel to the background of the theme.

There’s a difference between when the mind forgets and the heart does. #BookReview The Book of M (Peng Shepherd
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Written from multiple POVs the book shows feelings and emotions of a being so intense that it gave me goosebumps in between. The overall theme of the book makes it interesting to dwell but the characterization is the core of this book. Everything revolves around them. The start, the ending and even the MAJOR climax in the book.

The writing style is mesmerizing and surreal. The genre of dystopia is well displayed here. The organization of the novel along with ever-changing narration is perfect. Various perceptions make it more thrilling and chilling at the same time. There are twists and turns that caught me off the guard and I am sure, on reading it, you will experience them too.

I read this book in two sittings in one day. I could not keep my hands off it. It is gripping, surreal and a delight for fantasy/urban fantasy/dystopian audience. The reason I am giving it 4 stars is that it could have been more mysterious. Sounded like Mad Max in the end.

4 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: The Book of M by Peng Shepherd appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: Anon by Bhavani Iyer

Anon by Bhavani Iyer
Published by Fingerprint! Publishing on 31/05/2018
Genres: Fiction, Historical, Literary
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

Bhavani Iyer is a screenwriter for many Hindi films and television shows, so when I received this book, I knew I would not be disappointed. Anon is her debut work published earlier this year. The storyline is based in Calcutta of 1960s-70s where Jazz clubs are still lively.

The storyline revolves around two personalities, who are different by a vast amount of surroundings between them yet, they found each other become friends. One is a son of a wealthy landowner and another is born into a fisherman’s family. One is a genius vagabond, another is an ambitious dreamer. However, both of them share a common passion. They both are aspiring writers and have their own share of struggles.

Their friendship is however not only based on the common passion they share. It is actually the different personalities, like two opposing forces attracting each other. It is their story, where one gets the chance to live and other to die.

The narrative style third person and is used very well. The charm of this book is in its characterization. Apart from the two main protagonists of our novel, the characters are lively and cope well with their own roles or the amount of time they are given to appear. The development of the two protagonists can be observed throughout the novel. The writing style is excellent and engrossing. It is because of the manner it is written that as a reader I could observe the emotions that change with time inside a human mind. Crushing memories from past, nostalgic ones from the childhood, this book is full of them.

4 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Anon by Bhavani Iyer appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: Infin-Eight by Prajeet Budhale

Infin-Eight: Eight Principles for Infinite Professional Success by Prajeet Budhale
Published by Fingerprint! Publishing on 01/05/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship, Self Help
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Goodreads








In a particular field if you want to be successful you have to show the ability to be a professional. Whether you are an entrepreneur or digital nomad or like to work in a cubicle, there are certain key elements that drive your career forward. Prajeet Budhale’s Infin-Eight talks about eight “must-know” principles for infinite professional success.


 


This book does not categorize as of who should read it, or who should not. The whole book is based on these eight principles:


 


– I, as I am


– Natural field of Excellence


– Future Goal


– Independent Ability


– Not to knot Relationships


– Interdependent Partnerships


– Tracker for Progress


– Emotional Equilibrium


 


The above principles described in this book are pragmatic enough. Author himself has 22 years of experience in his field and he constantly shares his own virtues and the lesson he learned along the journey.


 


I have read other books in this genre and I can say this book does have a different perception than the most. Every chapter also has some questions and exercises included that makes this book a typical workbook too. I was surprised by this concept as it is mentioned neither on the cover nor in the blurb.


 


The two of the most interesting chapters in this book are Natural Field of Excellence and Emotional Equilibrium. These two topics as self-explanatory. Why are they interesting? Because many professionals hardly talk about these topics in India. Especially, the modern workforce in India does struggle when it comes to finding what they do best and how to cope emotionally with surrounding pressure once you are living paycheck to paycheck.


 


The writing style of the book is smooth and easy to apprehend. It is to the point, however, the workbook thing did put me off for a bit.


 


3.5 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Infin-Eight by Prajeet Budhale appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Mini Book Haul Wednesday

It is only the start of the month and I received a gift from Bloomsbury India. So excited to read this and review it.

Blurb

Pyjama Profit is a guide for millennials to get started with a self-sustained online freelance practice, while developing their skills needed to succeed. The book talks about in-demand online skills and the different paths one can take to become an expert in these fields. A stable income from freelancing in college was the bedrock that had allowed the authors to explore their ambitions further and get to where they are today. In the process, they’ve worked with many of their own batch mates, colleagues and friends to help them set up highly successful freelance careers.

The author duo decided to detail their story of what worked for them and how anyone in the country could thrive without being tied down to a full-time job. The authors feel the timing of the book is perfect because of the growing freelance economy and growing aspirations among millennials to find a job they love and not just something that pays their bills.

You can check more information about the book on Amazon.in.

Are you on Instagram?

It has been close to 6 months and I am getting hang of Instagram and use it as a bookstagram

BOOK REVIEW: World War Z by Max Brooks

Pages: 352, Kindle Edition

Cover Rating: 4/5

Max Brooks’ World War Z is terrifying. Not the book but rather the concept of ZOMBIES. Subtitled as an Oral history of the Zombie War, I had expectations from this book. I thought it would be more than just science fiction scenery of sane beings surrounded by the lifeless and apathetic creatures.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

There is not much into the plot. It’s just a matter of survival. Loose series of events build up the genesis of storyline. The story narrates in the form of interviews with different survivors from different regions and countries. These narrations are short and unfold an important event that lead to the next expedition. This narrative concept is clever and I applaud the author for using it. This whole idea makes things interesting and let’s a reader reach the end of the novel and thus, can be classified as a page turner.

Another important aspect of Brooks’ writing is the in-depth strategies for fighting against the zombies and how most of the known techniques he discusses are useless. He shows another perspective of the human psychology and the society collapses immediately. His urge to create real and authentic events in a reader’s imagination through his words works splendidly. There isn’t much into the characterisation.

I could not feel the same pressure, terror and stress from the plot and the lack of characterisation even though I eagerly consumed this different manner of narration.

This book is a bliss for zombie fans, post-apocalyptic lovers and science fiction seekers.

3 out of 5!

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The post BOOK REVIEW: World War Z by Max Brooks appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: Keeping Up with Kaneda by Gaurav Kumar

Keeping Up with Kaneda by Gaurav Kumar
Published by Sristhi on 01/11/2017
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 136
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

Keeping up with Kaneda is Gaurav Sharma’s debut in the world of fiction. It is a short novella, the published work being only 130 pages long.

The plot is about the author’s experience in Canada where he went as a student. Living in a different country that is not your native land can be an amazing experience but it does come with some hardships. These hardships are not speaking the native language, finding work, expenses and money, food, etc. To overcome these hardships, the narrator of the story picks on a few  part-time jobs in the process of residing there. Thus, the story tries to explore a deeper meaning in all these, a theme that few writers try to do in Indian literature.

The theme of the book comes with occasional humor. It is written in first person narrative style and uses a simple, curt language. I did not like the occasional “Hinglish”, not why it is there, but the context it has been put in. The reason I mentioned curtly is the in between the author shifts from narrating the story to a dialogue formation between two or three characters. This is rare to be seen in present-day fiction.

Speaking of characters, I think they are all well-formed. There is not much into that I can tell you without spoiling the rest of the novel. After reading it, I did realize that there are different layers to this novella, and if only it could have been written from a bit different perspective.

Recommended only for those who are looking for short fiction, novellas, or humor.

3 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Keeping Up with Kaneda by Gaurav Kumar appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: Flaming Forties by Giri Sharma

Flaming Forties by Giri Sharma
Published by Notionpress on 16/10/2017
Genres: Fiction, Travel
Pages: 80
Format: eBook
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Giri Sharma’s latest novella Flaming Forties: A Journey Which Changed Their Lives has a lively theme with all the modern elements one can think of. The book is based in Mumbai, India, where four childhood friends dwell together on a journey. The story of these four friends is an interesting reflection of life.

The plot starts with the journey to Manali and Shimla from Mumbai. All of the friends are in their forties and happily married or recently widowed. They are meeting after a long time and haven’t been in contact for 28 years. The plot covers two themes simultaneously and succeeds in doing so. These two themes, friendship, and marriage are rarely seen together in one book. The storyline is eventful with some twists in between.

The characterization in the novel is above par and I think since the length of the novella is only 80 pages, there isn’t enough time given for the characters to mature to the highest possible extent. Third person narrative voice is used in this novella to describe the events. It is written with simplicity. A better editing or a little expansion of the plot could have done better though. This book did feel too short to read. The themes, the thing I most adore about this book could have then been reflected more in depth but that might not be the intention of the author.

Nonetheless, if you are looking to read something short and crisp, something that you can read in one sitting, this is for you. I will be looking forward to more and a bigger (in length) work from Giri Sharma, the author.

3 out of 5!

The book is available on various platforms:





Amazon.in (print edition) :



https://goo.gl/oTmRLC

FLIPCART ( print edition) : https://goo.gl/ppPxrh

Kindle (e-book) : https://goo.gl/ekBYt2

Google play (e-book) :https://goo.gl/XAqFBf

Apple i-Books- ( e book ) : https://goo.gl/NZMhEv

USA- Amazon Kindle: https://goo.gl/mXb3w

UK- Amazon Kindle: https://goo.gl/Mqdhda

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