Aman Mittal's Blog, page 7

BOOK REVIEW: Voice of the Rain Season by Subrata Dasgupta

Voice of the Rain Season by Subrata Dasgupta
Published by Fingerprint! Publishing on 03/2018
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

In past two years, I feel Indian fiction is on a rise. Not only the authors are trying to do the lonely job of writing elegantly, publishers have started acknowledging it. Such a book I came across, Voice of the Rain Season written by Subrata Dasgupta. A tale full of warmth.

The plot is based on the intertwining lives of two individuals, Martin Shawncross and Joya Bose, both in their twenties one American student and the other a Bengali teacher who teaches Indian Literature in the United States. The plot dives deeper into the lives these two characters as Joya learns about Martin’s Bengali background and is intrigued by the fact stated. She is attracted to the friendliness but also to the mystery that Martin’s family’s long-forgotten secret.

The storyline clearly surpasses the geographical boundaries in order to entertain the reader and at the same time answer to the question that it possesses. What I liked about the development of the storyline is that steadily progresses with giving enough time for a reader to be intrigued by it.

It uses in third person narrative voice as a medium to unfold in front of its reader. It is rich in human emotions and a lot of emphasis goes that way. There were never any hints of twists from the start but as the story moves, an unexpected surprise element is used by the author that defines the outcome of the book. I was much thrilled by it since the book does end on a mediocre romance fiction note. The characterization as to my expectations did not develop much after a point but the plot was enough to drive me further until I reached the last page.

I recommend you if you are looking to read a book written by modern-day Indian origin or a writer with Bengali background. It is enjoyable, a bit time consuming and rich of literary forms that go back to Rabindranath Tagore.

The post BOOK REVIEW: Voice of the Rain Season by Subrata Dasgupta appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

A Blogger’s Manifesto is on Sale!

After previous month reviews and positive feedback on my ebook: A Blogger’s Manifesto, I have decided to reduce the prices to $0.99 worldwide on Amazon since I want my message to reach the maximum number of bloggers whether they are newbies or have already dipped their toes but are struggling to find some answers.

All I want is to help you to produce content both in terms of quantity and quality but enjoy the process of doing so. If you are a book blogger, I want you to get started in your niche amd learn from my mistakes. You will have your share of mistakes when it comes to creating a book blog brand in terms of blogging, but there are some that can be avoided for the better.

Believe me, when I say this, the value you put in the blogosphere, is your time.

Here is the blurb of the book, just in case, if you are visiting my blog for the first time:

A Blogger’s Manifesto is a short ebook about blogging written by a blogger. It covers the story of my book blog Confessions of a Readaholic and other essentials for an individual who is getting started with blogging or is a new blogger.

The book in detail covers:

– Starting a blog with zero followers

– Writing a compelling blog post

– Why Comments are essential part in blogging community

– How to reach your milestones with your blog

– Social Media and money making tips

For book bloggers:

– Writing a Book review

– Blog Tours

– Getting an ARC

– Interviewing

… and many more!

Confessions of a Readaholic is a book blog and is running for almost five years. The writer of this ebook has been nominated as #2 (2015) and #1 (2017) book blogger in India.

If you have already read the book, do leave your comments on Goodreads or Amazon and let me know what you think about it.

Thank You

#WhatsOnMyKindle? What am I reading this month.

I went shopping.

A task I try to avoid until its books.

Only to make myself calm and to satisfy the lust of buying ebooks, I bought most of the books written by Colin Wright from Amazon. For those who do not know, Colin is many things. He is a traveller, a minimalist, author of many books both in genres of fiction and non-fiction. He also runs a podcast Let’s Know Things and is a co-founder of Asymmetrical Press.

I am not advertising anything about Colin in this post. All words are truly mine. Nor Colin is paying me to write this post. I am just excited to read his work. The reason I am excited is that I feel Colin being a 33 year old, it seems he has worked his way to earn a lifestyle that many want but are scared or pull themselves back to take even the first step. I want to know his secrets.

It is not the end of the world after all.

Apart from his digial nomad lifestyle, I am more insterested in Colin’s work because he has touched topics that most in their twenties and thirties are not talking about. We certainly need more young writers.

I will try to cover his books in form of book reviews soon.

What are you reading this weekend/coming week/month? What’s on your kindle?

You can let me know about your next/current read either in the comment below or on Twitter. Use hashtag #WhatsOnMyKindle

The post #WhatsOnMyKindle? What am I reading this month. appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: My Mute Girlfriend by Himanshu Rai

My Mute Girlfriend Published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors on 10/02/2018
Genres: Romance, Fiction
Pages: 218
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

Himanshu Rai’s latest book, My Mute Girlfriend is a typical romance fiction. I generally do not adore reading novels in this genre but this one caught my eye because of the title and blurb of the book.

The plot revolves around the boy, Rohan, the protagonist in this story and lives with his family. He has a teenage crush on a girl in his school and decides to propose her. Soon an incident in his life turns around his plans and he finds himself sitting for admit counseling after getting a good result in an entrance exam and fulfill his family’s dreams. This where we meet our second protagonist of the story. The female lead, Vaidehi. She and Rohan soon become friends after being in the same class. She has a reputation for being an egotist but with Rohan, she is a different personality. They love each other until a day when Vaidehi’s behavior towards Rohan changes completely and she stops talking to him. The question this incident arouses is why is she behaving in that manner?

The plot is organized well from to the end of the novel. It does follow the same standard as other romantic novel but the twist and turns do beg it to differ when both the characters have their fate turned around. I cannot talk about the climax as it is the authentic reason that makes the plot a bit different in its own genre. The theme tries to unveil in the end is genuine and beautiful. The use of subplots is done essentially well and above my expectation. They never felt like a dragging element to me.

The characterization in this novel is transparent but for me, it did lack in-depth development. At the start, it did feel good that the author is exploring the protagonist teenage days. But as the plot advances, I was not able to predict or guess their motives even though I’d love to be wrong in that matter. The narrative voice does help sometimes to turn the pages.

The length of the book compliments the plot to develop. I recommend this book if you are looking forward to reading something authentic that might touch your heart in the end, in the romantic fiction world.

3 out of 5

The post BOOK REVIEW: My Mute Girlfriend by Himanshu Rai appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

How to be a Productive Blogger: Getting Things Done

Simple Steps to Get Things Done

Having a to-do list is no harm done. It is actually good, a productive step to increase your own productivity. It is a methodology that tends to change the way you work. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and stressed, one can perform their tasks in an organized manner.

Having a to-do list helps to bring a structure to your routine. As a blogger, I do get overwhelmed by the amount of research I have to do in order to complete the task of writing an article. It took me a lot of time to get into the habit of having and maintaining a list. At times, I still struggle to maintain one and achieve the targets I set in a day.

I believe in getting the habit of maintaining a system for oneself. Keeping up with a list and to have all checks at the end of the day is not possible every day. However, it does help me de-clutter my mind. I do not have to spend every moment for getting a task done if I write it down in the list. Not only, I get most things done on most days, the sense of excitement for all things I do is a bliss.

The key concepts I have found that works for me in developing and maintaining this habit are listed below.

Having a List

Write it down in a notebook. Write it in a smartphone application. Or in your email, Whatever works for you. Do make sure, that the material or the application you use must be accessible to you almost all times.

Adding the tasks

All tasks whether, personal or professional, big or small, projects, must dos could be the items on your list. Have a system around them, a concrete format. Such that you do not have to think about changing and modifying the system every day. Add those tasks to your list that capture your attention.

Organization

It can get a bit overwhelming if you add all your tasks without an identifier, whether personal or professional. Divide your tasks appropriately such that you can focus on them and have a clear idea of what you should do next and what can be done later. Do not get into the habit of multitasking, you are only going to exhaust yourself.

Reflect

Take time in a day or twice, to reflect how far you have come and how far you have to go. If your list is organized, you won’t be spending much time reflecting. The frequent reassessment will help you prioritizing your tasks and avoiding the dead end.

Do It

Do it. Write that post. Devoting a fixed amount of time to do the research. In that time, try avoiding getting distracted by new tweets or Facebook notifications. The system does not work in your favor if you do not work on the task you are required to.

By keeping up with your system, you will feel accomplishment and that is a good feeling. You have to feel worthwhile every day to continue putting the hard work. Try this method for few days and if it is not working, reflect and modify it to your needs. Remember. Reflect, and repeat. If you’d like to get in-depth into your working habits and how to maintain them, I recommend a copy of David Allen’s Getting Things Done and Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist.

Read my review on Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist | Five Things I Learnt from Steal Like an Artist

~ Find me on ~

GOODREADS |  TWITTER | FACEBOOK | MEDIUM

The post How to be a Productive Blogger: Getting Things Done appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: The Longest Ride on the Kincham Express by Divya Johry

The Longest Ride on the Kincham Express Published by Leadstart Publishing on 11/12/2017
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 240
Format: eBook
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Divya Johry’s latest book The Longest Ride on the Kincham Express is a contemporary fiction about five travelers. It is a tale that summarises different human aspects in one journey that seems long enough. Thus, making the plot of the book intriguing.

The plot includes five characters: Amaaya, Sujoy, Neil, Mihir and Trisha who are chosen by their organization to embark on a journey with a task of accomplishing by travel back along with a criminal baba. The plot is interesting from the start when a reader is being introduced to these different personalities without much knowledge of what they were chosen to do. Each personality shows different traits throughout the book by not agreeing as unibody on the matters that seem to have an adverse effect on their lives later on.

Their journey gets more complicated when they encounter a mysterious group of strangers that bring out their worst fears. The emotions that flow with them backed by each character’s history or background as if to justify why are they behaving in the present timeline in a distinct manner.

The use of subplot by introducing a mysterious group of people could have been a plot in itself but I had trouble understanding the scope of it. Because it does not match with the main plot and does diverse a reader’s attention from the locus of the book. The secrets these personalities possess could have taken a different route to expose in front of others and to the reader, a much shorter one. But that is just my point of view.

From page one, I was hooked by the writing style of the author. She does choose her words carefully but it did occur to me the words are in such a flow that makes the writing pleasurable to read. From a reader’s perspective, I think her writing style is excellent. A great sign to keep an eye on her future books. The narrative style is the third person and it does fit both the writing style of the author and the plot overall.

If you decide to read this book, I would say go for it but do enjoy the highly appreciable writing style of the author and her way to bring life through words.

The post BOOK REVIEW: The Longest Ride on the Kincham Express by Divya Johry appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: Bend Your Knees and Do Your Best by Kalyani

Bend Your Knees and Do Your Best by Kalyani
Published by Leadstart Publishing on 2018
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 540
Goodreads

Debut work of author Kalyani, Bend Your Kneed and Do Your Best is based up on real-life drama of person who has devoted their whole life to one thing. To get happiness in the corporate world. On reading I deciphered its theme, as one grows old, feeling of losing faith and uncertainty strikes harder than one can imagine.

The plot starts with the introduction of our protagonist’s life who is as a senior professional in an IT organization. Her traits include her focus on the task at hand and her nature of not following the risky path that few do in this type of work. From a very young age, our protagonist has a strong belief that the God acts on the random basis and does not believe in Karma. Soon Kalyani is faced with a task by her superiors to lay off people from her organization. Hell tries to break loose as Kalyani starts coping with her new responsibilities. She has an asura king as her imaginary friend along the journey and I think the author has done a great job to bring the comical element in literature to life through this medium.

The author does a good job in deciphering the life in the IT world, especially of modern-day India despite the fact that there are clear signs of unwanted complexity in it. It brings every individual’s insecurities in the spotlight to feed on. Such is its process and is theme covered in this novel.

The writing style is dominated by the first person narrative. It is elegantly smooth and helps the whole novel to be a light read, despite its length. The characterization I feel in this novel is not the strongest. The subplot included in my opinion is not the best course for the storyline to move ahead. The word dazzling is not a strong word to describe them here. The overall theme covered in this book is certainly to some point a real-life experience that author shares with us and it is good to see that the modern day Indian writers are willing to take the initiative and blend more in realistic fiction or tell us those stories that are based on reality.

The theme of the novel is something to be appreciated and will stay with me for a long time as a reader.

3 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Bend Your Knees and Do Your Best by Kalyani appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

BOOK REVIEW: Before You Start Up by Pankaj Goyal

Before You Start Up: How to Prepare to Make Your Startup Dream a Reality by Pankaj Goyal
Published by Fingerprint! Publishing on 24/11/2017
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 200
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

The debut novel of Pankaj Goyal, Before You Start Up is about preparing for the life of an entrepreneur. This book offers insight on more than having an idea, evaluating it, the financial hurdle, and other pragmatic steps of launching your own product or a service company. It is a business book that I recommend especially to someone who might have doubts in their mind about the journey.

Doubts are not at all like holes in the brain cells. They are an essential part of a critical thinking process. But they often lead to low creativity levels. I urge not to dwell in them much. Instead, read this book. The first 50 pages of this book are highly critical. The author/entrepreneur himself starts by telling his own journey, a brief period of three years of his own product. All over the book, he has used quotes and cites text from the book that is already bestsellers and popular in the business world as well as with readers. He refers to the to his story in between the chapters. But that is not the reason I want you to read this book.

This book offers a lot of pragmatic advice that is important to observe if not implement all of it. I suggest you take his advice and his personal experience as his own point of view but at the same time you will find things useful. The world is full of them. You have your own and that is very necessary. No one has succeeded in their life by walking the track already exists. It is not a linear track for anyone.

The topics this book puts emphasis on are the generation of an idea, evaluating it, finding a co-founder, but most important one I found is understanding your “why”. It is all about your “why”. Everything starts and end at the “why” part. Best chapter of the book I would say.

Rest, as I said, his opinions are his own, I do not agree with his three-year breakup analogy of running a startup. You cannot judge a company or a product with that. What if it fails in the fourth year? He sounds too harsh in first pages of the book which in my opinion could have been anatomizing over the book instead of appearing all at once with more reasoning and understanding of the reader, especially, the first time readers. Here, at this point, the author assumes, the reader is already familiar with the sense of a topic. What if he is not?

3.5 out of 5

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BOOK REVIEW: She Walks, She Leads by Gunjan Jain

She Walks, She Leads by Gunjan Jain
Published by Penguin on 27/07/2016
Genres: Nonfiction
Pages: 584
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads

She Walks, She Leads is the latest work of Gunjan Jain, an effort that closely and in-depth explores individual lives of twenty-six Indian Women, and their journey to success. The book covers these real-life personages of various fields such as business, art, entertainment etc. Notable modern day icons such as Nita Ambani, Sania Mirza, Parmeshwar Godrej, Indra Nooyi, etc.

Each chapter in that covers the biography of every individual will leave an impression on the reader. Each chapter explores how these icons started their journey and continue to rise. By the end of every chapter, there is questionnaire round. The author interviews a close family member, friend or spouse to get more insight out of their lives. These real-life tales are inspiring and motivating. The author covers every woman in this story from almost every angle.

The length of the book more than 550 pages and I’d recommend it that there is no need to read it in one go. The writing style is smooth, and expressive, and has a flow that will indulge any reader in the conversation. I compliment the author for her research work on every icon. This book is a modern day necessity and a delight to read.

4 out of 5

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Guest Post – The Girl with Golden Highlights by Harsha Sheelam

I’m sure you would agree that this story has a happy ending.

She was hardly any older than 6 years when her parents, living in a small town of rural India physically abused her, kept her devoid of education and made her do household chores. Now, when I say they belonged to ‘India’, I can hear judgments and pictures of slums thrown at me. No, India’s literacy rate is at 74.04% and also boasts of a few largest companies in the world.

Now, let’s go back in 2012 when I came across a little girl. I still don’t know her name, but let’s call her Meera.  Meera was born in Haryana, she lived there with her parents. Today, she doesn’t live there anymore; neither does she live with her parents.

Being dissatisfied with a girl child, the father bet Meera every day, while the mother never revolted. Meera suffered at her hands of her birth-givers. She stayed chained at home doing household chores.

The disappointment of the ‘man of the house’ didn’t last long because his wife was expecting a baby. Bringing new life into this world is a blessing to everyone, but someone else’s life away is a curse.

What Meera was going through wasn’t anything but a curse to be born to such parents who didn’t love her and left only bruises as memories. She wished that her sibling would comfort her, but hardly did she know what would happen next.

Nine months of wait for the parents to find out the gender, and nine months of cruelty faced by Meera by the alcoholic who called himself a man, and a woman who called herself a mother.

“It’s a boy!” he screamed and jumped and distributed sweets to family and friends. While Meera is still locked at her home, not allowed to participate in the happiness.

Hardly a few months from the arrival of a baby boy, then Meera’s parents decide to do away with her. They buy three tickets to the metropolitan city of Hyderabad, India. One for Meera, and two for the parents. But, they buy only two tickets back to Haryana, India.

Meera is abandoned on the railway station, parents immediately board the next train back home.

On finding her lost, crying, and worried, the railway authorities call the cops. She is taken to the police station and was enquired about her family. On asking the name of the father she is terrified, she trembles with fear and doesn’t utter a word. It seemed like she wanted to stay lost, and didn’t want to go home.

The cops had no choice but to let her stay at the city orphanage. The sisters tried their best to find out about her parents. But she never said a word. They only knew she hailed from Haryana.

She wore a simple ghaghra and had yellow highlights in her hair when I first saw her. It was the first time I saw a 6-year-old with highlights.The Sister at the orphanage told that she applied those highlights herself when she was in Haryana, and loved to dress up.

While she was dancing on stage she adjusts her duppatta. A little girl, fair, with rosy cheeks, curly brown hair with golden highlights, who doesn’t waste a grain of rice on her plate.

She loves to study along with her friends at the orphanage, dress up, and help others. The Sisters said she is the naughtiest of the rest.

Initially, after a month of her stay at the orphanage, the Sisters asked her if she wanted to go home.

She said, “This is my home.”

She finally had the love she always wanted. And, wherever she is today, she’d be happy.

Based on a true story. 

Author Bio

Harsha Sheelam always had the passion for writing. In the year 2016, she practiced writing more extensively. This led to her recognition in newspapers, magazines, blogs, and digital content. She possesses versatility in writing stories, debatable topics, politics, social, fashion, entertainment, reviews, fashion and lifestyle. Today she is a children’ book author, she debuted in 2017 with the book ‘Beautiful Inside and Out’ which is a collection of short stories. She launched it with the aim of empowering young girls and boys. She has the dedication to her craft which makes the children believe that they are beautiful inside and out. Same year her juvenile fiction novel, ‘Good Exists in all that Exists’ released. As the title suggests, the book is based around the theme of ‘good overpowering the bad’.  There is a hidden meaning  for every action. The book does not fail to enhance the enchanted experience of the reader.

Beginning of a new year, in 2018 ‘The House of Terry Atterberry’ made it to book-selling portals. Terry’s tales champion hard work, perseverance, honesty and compassion. The riches that kids gain through this book are overcoming fear, not undermining people, understanding no one is perfect, knowing your true friends, and more. The book is a collection of 15 inspiring fables from the life of a fictional character.

Today, 3 books old, and anticipating more, this is Harsha Sheelam for you. You can find her at:

www.facebook.com/harshasheelamm/

www.instagram.com/harshasheelam

www.sheelamharsha.com

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