Manali Manan Desai's Blog, page 50

Petit à Petit: Little by Little by Ambica Uppal

Book blurb:

Petit à Petit is a collection of simple and inspiring poetry that motivates one to dream and change the narrative of their lives. It assures you that tomorrow will be a better day and encourages you to realise your potential and achieve your aspirations. Petit à Petit is centred on themes like self-love, self-confidence and taking life into your own hands.
No matter how far-away and impossible your dreams seem, don’t be afraid to reach for them.

Genre: Fiction/Poetry

Pages: 116

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 79 INR/$3.99Paperback: 140 INR/$10.99

My Ratings: 4/5

Life may sometimes be difficult and it’s not always possible to keep the belief in self up. For such times, this book is a perfect answer and anecdote with its meaningful and deeply insightful poems.

Teachings on how to become an optimistic person, little by little.

What I liked about the book:
–>All the poems were sneak peeks into many self realizations and reminded me to look upon something to look upon in myself.
–>Readers can easily search for and find their inner ‘strengths’ in the best way possible, while reading and after completing the book.
–> How each poem/line motivates us to ponder about the beauty of life and our belief in the self.
–> The beautiful illustrations/pictures alongside the poems.
–> A perfect anecdote for anyone going through tough times.
–> My favorite titles include HAPPINESS IS WHAT YOU HAVE, KNOW ME BEYOND MY SURFACE, APPRECIATE WHAT MAKES THEM WHO THEY ARE, DON’T REDUCE YOUR WORTH.

What I did not like about the book:
–> I wish there were more themes explored because after a while the poems seemed repetitive and a tad boring.

Quotable quotes:
—> I tell you those stories need a re-write.
From where all that girls are meant to be is pretty
To those where they know how to wear their
Capes and fight. Fight for all things ethical and, primarily, for
Being treated right.
—> The thing about life
Is that it will throw many things at you.
Even, those for which you
Have no reason or clue.
—> Don’t grow thorns
Just because you couldn’t grow flowers.
Don’t freeze
Just because you couldn’t melt.
—> And in the end
All that really matters is
Did we live?
And what meaning
To our life
Did we give?
—> To let our yesterday dictate
Our present days
Is like silencing ourselves
To the echoes of what life says
—> Let me dance to the rhythm I choose,
Let me write my own lyrics to the tune.
Give me the gift of freedom as I give it to you,
Let my spirit be fragrant of my own perfume!
—> If you have lost
Before you have gained,
Know there will be sunshine
Once it’s rained.
—> we all know that the magic
Actually lies within ourselves,
Closeted and breathing in ‘self-doubt shelves’!
—> You’ve got mountains within you
And oceans so still.
How on earth can you ever imagine
A tiny spec of doubt
To scatter the strength of your own will?
—> There’s something magical
In believing in yourself.
—> Don’t go searching outside
For the magic
That you so preciously hold.
—> The sneers wouldn’t steer
Her path of mounted dreams so high.
She would just bring out her shield
And let it glean in every negator’s eye.
—> In shackles, here I lie,
Experiencing mere longing,
The coldness of emotions that lack a sense of belonging,
Yearning to feel the light of democracy.
Away, far away from any hint of autocracy!
—> I yearn to be in alleys
Where I have never been before.
To meet strangers, be a part of their stories and
Become someone they come to adore.
—> Don’t be sad
With the mountain of earth
That buries your dreams today.
Know that today’s earth
Is tomorrows dust
That shall scatter with the sun’s ray,
Bringing with it bright light
And a brand-new day.
—> I hold the depth of the ocean,
The calm of the lake,
The twinkling of stars
And the vulnerability for it all to break
Within me.
—> For to every sunset, there’s
A sunrise
That even the darkest shadow belies.
—> There are some nights
That we may never be able to forget,
Like the one where we
Chased the orange sunset.
—> Don’t let anyone tell you
That your story is too small
And that it should remain hidden
Behind your inner wall.
—> To seek light is a journey
And not the end.
It’s going to be worthwhile,
I promise.
Even if it takes a lifetime
To comprehend.
—> To use all the things I possess,
To measure my worth,
Is being oblivious to the truth.
My hands will be empty
When I leave this Earth!
—> That’s when I hear the voice of my own dreams.
An uproar straight from the heart.
It tells me to not seek outside
For something that lays within me and forms an integral part.
—> To define yourself
With your present conquests and defeats
Is like deafening your ears
To the universe’s heartbeats.
—> The story of the milieu you emerge through should be bared!
—>No one but you sees you like you do,
Every minute, every second, through and through.
Believe in the power that you behold.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media links:

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In Conversation With Sameer Saxena

Ayn Rand said,

“I can accept anything, except what seems to be the easiest for most people: the half-way, the almost, the just-about, the in-between.”

Love without adjustments and compromises is no love at all. Books and stories which talk about a romance which survived through turbulent times, always interest and inspire me. Therefore, when I came to know about Sunset by The River, a book which tells a tale about one such romance, I wanted to read it right away.

The book turned out to be full of revelations and I was left in awe of the author.

When I reached to Sameer Saxena, the banker cum writer and the author this book, and asked to come to the Author Collaborative as a guest, he very graciously and excitedly agreed.

Before the session though, he too gave a read to my latest book The Art of Being Grateful and Other Stories

We had our fun chat session today sometime back.

Here’s what we enthusiastic readers asked each other.

After these long form questions, we even did a quirky rapid fire round, which was my favorite bit.

You can check out our answers to the above questions here:

You can check out our books (discussed in the live session) through below links:

Sunset by The River on Amazon IndiaSunset by The River on Amazon.comThe Art of Being Grateful and Other Stories on Amazon IndiaThe Art of Being Grateful and Other Stories on Amazon.com

As I Thinketh : Musings on Life by Pratima Shah

Book Blurb:

Ever wondered why humans behave the way they behave? Have you ever tried to know your mind and its weird reactions? How much do you love yourself? Don’t you want to live a meaningful life? These and many more questions that deal with human minds and behavior will find their answers in this inspiring, encouraging and heartwarming book.

Genre: Nonfiction/Self Help

Pages: 304

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 150 INR/$4.50Paperback: 300 INR/$13.00

My Ratings: 3.5/5

A self-help book covering various bookish as well as practical lessons and learnings, this would make a great read for young adults and especially teenagers.

What I liked about the book:
–> That it is a mix bag of poems, prose and essays, covering a myriad of topics.
–>Apart from talking about practical stuff, the book also talks about academics and very general topics (which we usually tend to take for granted) like hate, discipline, respect, etc
–> The author talks out of her own personal as well as professional experience, which makes the content easily believable.
–> The language and text is full of positive thoughts and lines which has the potential to lift up the readers’ spirits and motivate them when they are down; even fall in love with themselves.
–> Each chapter deals with a human emotion in great depth and at most times the reader will feel that they have gone through the same things at one point or another in their lives too.

What I did not like about the book:
–> The content and topics, though varied, lack a uniformity, which can feel like reading a journal or blog at most of the times.
–> The jump between the topics can make the reader lose interest quite easily.

Quotable quotes:
–>It is said that ‘Silence is Golden’, but many a times we face such situations when we are shattered and slammed by silence. Due to this many of us are afraid of silence.
–> Silence is irritating and at the same time sometimes silence speaks volumes.
–>Silence between the best of friend-speaks of their understanding for each other without saying anything.
–>Silence has its own meaning for every individual. It could be a bliss, a boon, rejuvenator also, as well as a curse, a shatter for someone.
–>The amount of silence at the right time speaks volumes about your personality.
–>Silence builds relations and also destroys them. Silence is music in its own way.
–>Even today the norms of womanhood and beauty are defined by the patriarchal society.
–>Beauty is skin deep; physical beauty does not define your character but your overall disposition and character defines your personality.
–> The enemy of woman is another woman even though there are exceptions to this too. But the bunch of those women overshadow the good ones and any woman who is genuine, true, loving and a simpleton is also suspected to be having ulterior motives.
–> Every woman today needs to enlighten her life by education and by being self-independent.
–> Being isolated from her own family & friends is what shatters her. So respect every woman in your life and shower her with the best things she deserves in her life-be it your mother, daughter, sister or wife. She deserves the genuine & selfless love which she showers on her family without ever getting retired from her family chores.
–> The more you share, the more you learn.
–>Settling for something worthwhile is all about embracing what is best for you.
–> When you settle for the average, you accept less than what you deserve and less than what you are capable of becoming.
–>The only way to truly embrace your greatness is to stop settling for something mediocre and to aim high.
–>You can never know what you can accomplish till you try. In the process if you fail, you are closer to something that is worth living for.
–>No one has the power to demean you unless and until you give them the power.
–>Please and thank you’s aren’t just for kids. Remembering to call or write notes of gratitude to people for their efforts are “treasured deposits”.
–>Nothing will smash your credibility faster than failing to tell the reality. Telling the truth, preserving promises and showing integrity are the cornerstones of any relation.
–> Personality is the sum total of what we carry in the inside and radiate on the outside. Without a positive and smarter inside, an attractive outer appearance would just look like pricey paintwork on a rugged wall, just there to hide the flaws inside.
–>Communication plays a major role in depicting how well we think and act in the presence of others.
–> A good conversation is only possible when patient listening is a key ingredient.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media links:

Facebook

Sand & Sea : Footprints in the Sand by Ann Meryem Baycan

Book blurb:

People don’t believe in the unseen, anymore,
Only in things they can see for sure.
They say love and soulmates exist no more,
Yet they breathe an unseen air to live for sure.

Not every story begins in the here and now. Some transit through time never ending. If time were to cease, then some things would live forever…
It began in the garden beneath which rivers flow, the place where the Sand and the Sea were born before creation ¬– the first soulmates, the two halves of one whole, the two parts of the eternity sign.
A part Koli, East Indian Catholic, Hannah lives in Mumbai where the Sea always watches over her. Yet her dreams are haunted by a voice that calls to her through the breeze… True love walks beside her in another life, yet she is unable to find a way back in time.
Riddled with disappointment and distressing heartbreak, she is hopelessly drawn to the path the Universe has laid before her feet. Drawn to Istanbul, she finds part of the puzzle in the Ezan of the Blue Mosque.
Could the man from her dreams be real?
What could an Indian woman and a Turkish Imam have in common?
Will Hannah find what she searches for?
Only those who believe will pass the test.
Everyone has their own journey; some get on to the path and to some, the path comes calling.
This is the tale of the Sand and the Sea,
Hanging on the edge of wait, watch and let’s see.

Genre: Nonfiction/Contemporary Romance

Pages: 251

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 88 INR/$3.99Paperback: 300 INR/$17.00

My Ratings 3.8/5

A love story like few others, this one is a must read for those who are tired of chick-lit romances and would appreciate a layered and analogical read.

An analogical and contemporary romance.

What I liked about the book:
–> The beautiful and thoughtful cover picture which becomes more meaningful when the story is read.
–>The analogy of the sea as the woman protagonist and the sand as the male protagonist, and their journey through the generations.
–> The combination of prose and poetry.
–>A superb attempt to move away from the regular chic-lit romance to a matured and unique storyline.
–> Over and above the romantic and philosophical elements in the story, we also get to read a lot about the history, culture, little tidbits about the places mentioned in the story, etc.
–> Being a wanderlust, I loved how Hannah (the protagonist) is made to travel and how well these parts have been written.
–> The reading between the lines, and beautiful analogies, the layers and layers of writing, which were a balm to a pro reader like me.

What I did not like about the book:
–> The plotline and narrative is highly confusing (this would be a huge turn off for beginner readers)
–>The narration is great in the initial chapters, but becomes dull later on.
–> The book should have started with Hannah’s story a little early because the long initial chapters around concepts about nature and how humans are destroying it, the concept of sand and sea as a metaphor, caused me to lose interest.

Quotable quotes:
—> Not every story begins in the here and now; some just transit through time never ending.
—> Everyone has their own journey; some get on to the path, and to some, the path comes calling.
—> Who decides to be where or with whom is a matter of choice.
—> The probability of failure is higher than success because we are dealing with the unseen.
—> The challenges of every day are both overwhelming and exhausting; to add to one’s misery, one has to wait for the unseen to happen.
—> Love, after all, was not for the faint-hearted but for lion hearts willing to wager everything for a glimpse of the face that haunts their dreams.
—> Being with people doesn’t mean one is not alone. In a room filled with people, the heart can still be alone. On the other hand, despite the emptiness of nothing, the heart can stay connected and still be content.
—> We are alone when the heart is separated from love. The greatest suffering is to be alone… to be in separation.
Nature talks to those who are listening…
Are you listening?
—> Flowing through time without much care,
Tired of the routine of every day.
Yearning to rest,
Yet postponing it for another day.
A bonded slave, the tumult you have made,
The price of silence has been paid.
Kisses of raindrops make you remember,
As they beat down the wall of time, like ember.
—> Time cannot measure your content,
Thus they coronate you as potent.
—> The desire for more comes from a dark place where gratitude does not live;
—> Man suffers and then learns.
—> Sand needs the moisture of the Sea to be potent. He needs her to be whole, and she needs him to be held.
—> Never is there a lack of hope for those who believe.
—> Parched of love by these wasted victories,
He builds cities and towns that bark ego’s stories.
Brick by brick for vanity and pride,
Eventually as ruins they are left behind.
—> Mankind is a creature of forgetfulness, which is why memories are given to all. So that the stories of importance, the stories of connection, the stories of loss, the stories of love can be recalled, can be returned fresh and moist, when we dig a bit deeper into our souls.
—> Memories have a disturbing or unsettling effect on people. They reach deep into places we seldom go. They remind us that we are more than the reduced lives we choose to live and they always unsettle routine.
—> Each of us is a footprint in the Sand. We leave trails behind with each step, each moment, each day, each month and each year. These trails are memories that get washed away, and one day, when we are gone, we will live as memories in the minds of those who knew us. Each one will remember us depending on how we made them feel. Our words will be forgotten, but the experiences will live on.
—> People were not materialistic in the 80s and 90s, and that was the most comforting reflection when Hannah looked back. Nobody cared which car one’s father owned or which brand of clothing one’s friend wore.
—> If the blind can’t see the rainbow, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Just because one doesn’t see magic, that doesn’t mean it does not exist.
—> Bombay or Mumbai whatever the name, the magic of this city is indescribable. It is a city of opportunity.
—> It will always be a mystery how Mumbai functions despite all the challenges; it’s the resilience of her spirit that endures all difficulties. Mumbai is a prized jewel in the crown of India, being a financial, commercial and entertainment capital.
—> Mumbai is a strange yet magical place; it has a heart that makes room for everyone and all those who come to Mumbai end up belonging to her. The city on one side is overwhelmed by population, traffic, pollution and struggles to survive. On the other hand, it shapes one into a warrior, a survivor and throws open opportunities. Whoever has the spirit to fight for it, they can claim the crown and become a master. The rejects, outcasts and the fallen have become lords and masters in this city.
—> There is no place for the weak to live in Mumbai, you have to be a brave heart. Here everyone is a story of courage and survival.
—> The patient are always rewarded. Try waiting for something to unfold, and you will be devastated by the fact of what it can reveal. The truth when revealed doesn’t come with any guarantees that what it reveals won’t hurt.
—> Everyone seems to be going through some kind of hell these days; so many seem trapped in fluff with no soul. What a sad observation! Everywhere it is the same story – people cheating, short-lived relationships and sex over love. The try and test times, the tasting culture, all talk and no actions. If these are the times, we live in then where is the hope? To have hope we have to believe, but when it’s difficult to believe in what we see, then how will we ever believe in the unseen? Materialism is more convenient than spirituality. In the midst of noise, silence is lost.
—> It is in trying times that we need hope; we need stories of reassurance that hope still exists. When everything is losing its essence and meaning around us, we need someone to guide us back home.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media accounts:

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Elephant in the Storeroom by Dr. Anu Teotia

Book Blurb:

Elephant in the Storeroom is a metaphorical expression for forgiveness being a difficult choice for people. Even when people are aware that forgiveness is fundamental to have fulfilling relationships and a thriving life, it still seems out of reach. Storeroom stands for our unconscious mind, where we carry all the traumatic experiences. This book is a self-healing manual for everyone who believes in self-growth and wants to acknowledge and embrace their imperfectly perfect magnificent existence as a human being. Based on the psychotherapeutic underpinnings, this book is an attempt to provide therapeutic support through various forgiveness-based activities and meditations to all who might be looking for it.

When you encounter the elephant in the storeroom, you’re able to:

–    have healthy relationships in your life.

–    feel respected, valued and loved.

–    have a blissful life.

–    feel safe, protected and have peace and much more…

Genre: Nonfiction/ Personal Development & Self-Help

Pages: 118

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 79 INR/$5.99Paperback: 179 INR/$10.99

My Ratings: 4/5

The burden of guilt can be wearisome. This book explains how to let go of such incidents and why it is important to do so. The implementations and exercises on how to follow the practice of forgiveness is the major USP of this book.

A guide on how and why to follow forgiveness ritual.

What I liked about the book:
–> Begins by busting the myths around the concept of forgiveness.
–> Can be read in a single sitting, but sticking to a 21 day reading schedule would be most practical and optimum, which is a great option/choice to have as a reader.
–> All the activities are very practical and simple to follow/implement.
–> It is a self-healing manual for those who believe in self-growth and are willing to acknowledge and embrace their imperfections.
–> Can be reread to enjoy and implement the lessons/activities therein.

What I did not like about the book:
–>One tends to skip the activities at times (especially someone like me who doesn’t read many self-help or nonfiction books)

Quotable quotes:

—> It is always impossible for the unwilling.
—> There is no Saint without a Past, no Sinner without a Future.
—> Events don’t define people, their choices do.
—> Forgiveness does not mean going back to the perpetrator, it means going back to oneself. It means accepting and acknowledging that external things don’t control your life, you do.
—> Forgiveness is not the gift you offer to your perpetrator, but it’s a present for your better present and future.
—> Forgiveness is a choice and it is a difficult choice to make.
—> There comes a point in life when forgiving someone feels like you are not valuing yourself enough, as if you are going against your own self–dignity or not taking a strong stand for yourself.
—> You forgive to heal yourself. It has nothing to do with other person.
—> Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It is not denial. You don’t deny the existence of the event. In fact, you acknowledge the existence of the event more clearly as it was in the past and your present does not have traces of it, not even in your mind, thoughts and perception.
—> Forgiveness does not mean announcing it to the Victimizer. Your perpetrator does not need to know that you have forgiven him or her. It means that salient voice inside you which says you as a person are much more than that particular event. You need not to carry the baggage of unfinished emotional business.
—> When you forgive, you don’t really need to revive the relationship or to go back to the perpetrator, until or unless you choose to. Forgiveness may also result in relinquishing the relationship altogether.
—> Forgiveness connects you to the present. It wakes you up to the beauty of life, your own beautiful life.
—> When you are not able to forgive, you keep living in the past, which keeps you away from the pleasure and joy of day today life. It dissociates you from the reality, your present.
—> Your mind is like a vessel, till the moment it is full of negative emotions, there will be no space left for positivity. Emptying it out of negativity of the past will only connect you to joy and pleasures of the present.
—> To be able to forgive one needs to feel safe.
—> How can you expect yourself to be valued, respected or being loved, when you believe that people aren’t good, they do terrible things to others? If you believe that this world is not a safe place, how can you carry a wish to feel safe and protected? How can you be thinking of a peaceful, blissful future, when you carry the belief that this world could turn out to be unpredictably terrible?
—> Healthy relationships are fundamentally based on the existence of individuals who are good human beings with healthy intentions.
—> Human mind is programmed towards certainty, rather than uncertainty, no matter how painful it is.
—> The reason that people continue with a painful abusive relationship at times rather than breaking it off. Because that relationship has certainty, even if it is actually the certainty of negativity or abuse. Certainty creates comfort zone for human mind, because it gives the structure to the things. Anything unknown is equivalent to pain and anything known is equivalent to pleasure.
—> You need to leave ‘the past’ in the past to embrace the present completely.
—> You live only for once, how do you want to live? By holding grudges, while cursing people, situation and oneself. If you feel that you have gone through a loss, which can never be compensated, let me be very clear there is no compensation ever available in this world, which can lessen down the misery of the event, people go through. Event once occurred anywhere in this world at any point of time, can never be erased. It will keep existing in that time-line forever. Rather than looking forward to the compensation, which never ever exist for any kind of human pain and suffering, look back to get your powers back.
—> Life is a onetime offer, use it well.
—> You might have lost your world,
but you can always have your
Universe of positive possibilities.
—> Negative experiences are like phoenix, they come back to life.
—> You can run away from the entire world, but not from yourself.
—> With every battle, you come out stronger. Surviving through that experience is like winning a battle, but that is not enough.
—> Constant reminders are required to keep you going till the moment it changes from faith to possibility and possibility to reality.
—> The more discouraged you feel, the more you need to be persistent. And what if you keep coming to a roadblock and keep hitting the same wall, change your strategy but not the goal.
—> The present is more significant than the past.
—> Saying something is always much easier than exactly putting it into practice.
—> Move on, you’re not a tree.
—> If you are not happy with what you are, believe that you still can become your ideal self by having faith in yourself. It all starts within.
—> Because to build yourself up is more important than tear someone down.
—> Just counting your blessing is not enough, but to count yourself up is also equally significant. It is the very first step towards self-awareness. The more you try to find out, what are the good traits you carry as a person, the more self –aware you become.
—> With self-growth, you start having faith in your capabilities even more. The more you believe in yourself, the more you grow as a person. And not just you become better, but the world around you becomes beautiful.
—> An apology without a behavioural change is like a body without a soul.
—> When you have done Surviving, you need to start Thriving.
—> Nobody is perfect in this world. There is always a scope for improvement.
—> Keep emptying yourself out of the negative behavioural patterns. This is how life should be visualized, where you’re always open to look within and outside to understand and modify your ways, your strategies, your reactions, as per the need of time. Stop being a garbage bag. Negativity you carry inside is like the garbage. Stop throwing that garbage on other people. This is how you grow as a person, by emptying out the garbage bag, where garbage is anything (behaviour, thinking or feeling) which is not serving a purpose in your life.
—> Emotional foolishness has no gender. There is no gender-bias in emotional errors.
—> The more you practice a skill, better you become on that.
—> Riding a dragon is an idiom here, which stands for venturing into the unknown, I think I should clarify, before you start thinking of me as being obsessed with Games of Thrones.
—> It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time.
—> Being Emotional is Being Human.
—> The feeling of forgiveness exists on a continuum. It is a process, not a product.
—>Forgiveness is not forgetting. It is not Dementia in which you go through some memory loss.
—> Life is a real epiphany. Releasing the pain and suffering from your mind and body is the real healing. For that you don’t always need to fix or mend, what is broken, but what you need is to redefine the experience.
—> Brokenness is uniqueness not ugliness. Embrace your broken pieces and heal what do you feel. Carry an essence of oneness and wholeness within you, which gives you an experience of thriving in life.
—> Life is always predictably unpredictable. You can never change the events happened in the past, but you can always choose your response to it.
—> Forgiveness is letting go of the weight of emotional pain without reconciliation with the perpetrator. Fly higher with your own wings of forgiveness and gratitude towards life.
—> Forgiveness is not a one-time act; it is rather a way of life.
—> Strangely enough people feel the need to clean their house daily, but not their minds.
—> It’s ok not to be okay at times, because sometimes things shine more when they are broken.
—> Falling in love with others is easier than falling in love with ourselves.
—> Intrapersonal relationship holds as much value as any Interpersonal relationship. Self–love is not arrogance.
—> Fall in love with yourself so madly that you never want to come out it.
—> Paint your own life with the beautiful colours of your emotions, with time, few colours may fade, and others may come alive even more, making this picture of life even more spectacular, so that you just look at it completely spellbound. You owe that to yourself.
—> Forgiveness and Self-healing are like best buddies; one comes with the other automatically. Self–healing can’t be completed without forgiveness and forgiveness brings self-healing as a by-product of it.
—> Negative experiences are like fire, which burns inside us. It is up to you what you decide to do with that fire. You can either allow it to consume you completely, or you can utilize it to burn the obstacles in your way to self-healing.
—> You can always convert your life to a horror show by simply allowing the ghosts of past traumas keep haunting you as long as you allow them to. You also have the power to convert your mind, the most wonderful organ in your body into a tape-recorder repeating horrible things to you, about you, about the people in the surrounding and the entire world. As it said any lie repeated good enough times, sounds like a truth, soon you start believing and manifesting that even more.
—> Trauma is your past, it’s existence in the past is inevitable as you can’t ever remove it from your life but to keep the pain alive in the present is a choice.
—> You were never responsible for trauma, but you’re always responsible for your healing.
—> Write your own life-story of unending success and happiness. Love yourself. Embrace yourself completely. You are an Imperfectly Perfect Masterpiece. Fall in love with yourself daily. Choose your passion and live for it. And Never –ever stop working for yourself. Be unstoppable. Write your own life-story of unending success and happiness. Love yourself. Embrace yourself completely. You are an Imperfectly Perfect Masterpiece. Fall in love with yourself daily. Choose your passion and live for it. And Never –ever stop working for yourself. Be unstoppable.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Author’s social media accounts:

LinkedIn

My Girlfriend’s Journal: Lies of Truth by Ashvin Raj

Book Blurb:

‘Lies of Truth’ is a realistic fiction series surrounding the lives of two people who fell in love. In this – the first book – the girl writes in her personal journal about her life with God. Through this we are introduced to the characters, and this book lays the framework for the future books in the series.

Genre: Fiction/Religious & Inspirational

Pages: 111

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 99 INR/$5.19Paperback: 250 INR/$5.38

My Ratings: 3.2/5

This book is a compilation of journal entries by the protagonist Neha who writes about her experiences in her diary/journal. These entries consist of how her days go by and how she slowly begins to believe in God and how this faith becomes stronger everyday.

What I liked about the book:
–>A good read for someone who wants to reinstate their belief in God.
–>It lays down a good framework for the future books in the series.
–>Leaves the book at a cliffhanger ending which is a great way to make the readers excited and curious about the next book in the series.
–> Going through the journal entries makes us feel the raw emotions of Neha, the existence of an omnipresent force and how grateful we should be to this life.

What I did not like about the book:
–> Many chapters are journal entries where the content is only bible verses which made me feel like, “Okay, if I wanted to read bible verses I might as well just read the bible.”
–>We read many names across the pages but we do not learn anything major about any of these names and characters.
–> There are ample grammatically wrong sentences, typos, and awkward sentence structures which do not allow for smooth reading.

Quotable quotes:
—> But you know what they say about nosers, they never find what they like.
—>Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of the people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
—> I don’t know, yes the key to utmost knowledge is through knowing God who is knowledge and wisdom himself. Why is it so hard to get?
—> People are yearning to achieve their goals… a degree in this, a masters on that… what is the point? Of all the knowledge you gain from these textbooks, from the various inventions of man and from knowing how deep the scientific world has gone into… yet only a few of those people who has dedicated their lives to all that studying manage to invent something on their own and that too only to add to the existing pile of nonsense. Yes it is an achievement to invent a machine that would make the life of common man less strenuous, less difficult.. but how it is helping one’s spirit? How is a machine gonna make someone a better person? Teach him some humanity? Some kindness? Give him love? No, you don’t gain anything from studies, except maybe a rank, a high paying job, a luxurious house, a dog and a few respect!! There is no point!
—> What life has to offer is what we call life and that is what life is! it is not the knowledge that comes with studies, it is the hard work that you put into it that counts. No, it is not all about making a person’s life better to live but by simply creating a new machine, you’re forcing yourself into doing what no one else has ever attempted or thought of before, you’re disciplining yourself focusing your mind.
—> Studying does have a point. You need to study in order to prove to yourself that you can live! You need to study so that you can teach yourself that no matter what problems you may encounter, you will automatically have a plan in your head devised especially to tackle that one problem. And therefore studying is essential for life and life is this!
—> Looking good does wonders to your self-esteem! It just shoots up sky high!!
—> Every girl should be confident if she needs to stand up for herself, if she needs to talk smart and be smart and for that she has to look her best. So I don’t think there is anything wrong with hitting the gym every day or going to the parlour every weekend or wanting new clothes..! Hmmmm… but… yes, there is a ‘but’! The problem arises when you become too much into your looks. Oh yes, such people are just consumed by vanity and they become so self-centered… unbelievable!
—> God does not care about a B tech degree from me. He does not care if I’m a topper or not. How I live my life that is what matters.
—> Feelings can be brutal, feelings can be bad and some feelings you think are real but always end up to be fake.
—> He might tend to sin, like every human does, but even when he does, he does it in public not in private… and there’s a difference. In public, there will be people around to correct him.
—> Being hurt for sometime might either help me or the other person to realize something, to learn something… and that is all that matters.
—> He has often praised my looks which makes me even more conscious. Every time I see him I’ll be wondering how I looked… Oh! I so wish this ‘looks’ factor didn’t matter. But in this world it’s all that matter.
—> Everyday can be blessed and pleasant if you want it to be pleasant.
—> I was totally immersed in Facebook… which in itself was a sin. I was spending time on something that wasn’t even godly but its exact opposite.
—> I remember having wished today to live in a world where looks were not at all an issue – whether your hair was too curly or your glasses too thick or you were too fat or you don’t own pretty dresses… these worries should never exist in that world-A world where there’s only peace and holiness, where there are no perverts or crooked people. Where there is no financial troubles or worries, unhappiness or doubts or poverty or death or sin of any kind. I want to live in such a world.
—> They say that every new born is God’s way of saying that life must go on….
—> She cried and I let her. It was better to get it all out than to keep it all in.
—> In the end, you are all by yourself.
—> Whoever promises you today might not even last tomorrow and yet you believe the person with all you are.
—> I thought the 14 years old boy who is very much young had a crush on me, which is not an impossible thing because kids are influenced a lot by movies and songs and what not.
—> Deceiving ourselves! How? By thinking we are wise…! So how do we actually become wise? By thinking we are fools… as easy as that! We do not need to boast about anything in this world..
—> Make peace with your adversary, every chance you get, otherwise you will be stuck there until you have paid for every last mile.
—> There is no sinner and worse sinner and there is definitely no greater sin and lesser sin- a sin is a sin.

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A Weekful of Poetry ~ 7, 25 Word Poems

1. Fool



Who would you say is the fool?
One who trusted,
And lost a cheater
Or the one who broke the trust,
And lost a keeper.



Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash



2. Adulting

To my questions they said, “You’ll understand when you grow up’

I grew up and understood,

Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash

It was all a sham,

Because nobody really understands.

3. Blue



Photo by Jonathan Daniels on Unsplash

A feeling on a day
You’re feeling dull,
The colour of the sky
On a day which is bright
Blue is both wrong and right.

4. Library



Photo by Heber Galindo on Unsplash

My happy place
Is not real
It is somewhere between some pages
But the home of those pieces of paper,
Is my heaven and haven.

5. Balm



Photo by Pharma Hemp Complex on Unsplash

There’s one to nourish the chapped lips,

There’s one for the sore nose to heal,

Is there one to soothe and restore the soul too?

6. Never Gone

“Here lays the sole of a writer
Yes, she’s never resting in peace now.”
Repercussions of being an intolerant grammar Nazi
Borne on a tombstone.

Photo by Rhodi Lopez on Unsplash



7. The Ferris Wheel



Photo by Gerson Repreza on Unsplash

A different view for every cabin,
A different sight with each movement,
That ride taught me,
To keep moving,
For presence, progress, and perspective.

Note: Originally posted on ILLUMINATION

Red Nose Uncle

Photo by Richard Burlton on Unsplash

I closed my eyes and made a wish,

As I blew on the candles lit on my birthday cake,

I saw a happy me sitting on the lap of the person

Who made me laugh so much that evening.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

I opened my eyes to see

that person smiling and winking at me,

And I reached out to offer the mouth

Beneath the ‘Red Nose’, the first piece of cake.

Photo by Edit 404 on Unsplash

My parents are clicking away photos happily,

Pretending not to be hurt by my gesture.

And everyone else is busy too

Trying to get a piece of the delicious cake.

Photo by Morgan Lane on Unsplash

The ‘Red Nose’ brushes my cheeks,

A hand holds mine tightly,

And a pair of lips close to my ears say,

“Let us have some more fun”

Photo by Rangarajan Ragunathan on Unsplash

Excited about more games and laughter,

I let the ‘Red nose’ take me away,

Away from everyone at the party,

away into the dark.

Photo by Hailey Kean on Unsplash

We came to a room with many masks,

All of them had a ‘Red nose’,

Like the one that had brushed my cheeks.

And the one whose hands, now kept brushed against my thighs.

Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash

There was laughter,

Though I did not find this funny anymore.

I tried to get away and even cried out,

There was more laughter, and then just darkness.

Photo by Tim Hüfner on Unsplash

The ‘Red Nose’ is here today too,

As I close my eyes to blow the candles on my 21st birthday,

Because it refuses to leave

the place behind my closed eyes.

Note: Originally published on Illumination

Malhaar : When it pours, soak yourself in poetry by Ambica Uppal

Book blurb:

Beneath every cloud
There is a story.
A story waiting to burst,
A story of love,
A story of grief,
A story to inspire,
Let it pour!
Malhaar

Genre: Fiction/Poetry

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Pages: 120 pages

Price:

Kindle eBook: 69 INR/$0.99Paperback: 199 INR/$14.99

My Ratings: 4/5

The book is a collection of simple, short, relatable and charming poems which can be enjoyed on a rainy or foggy evening, over a cup of hot beverage.

What I liked about the book:
—> The heartfelt intro note by the author at the beginning of the book.
—> All the poems are very relatable.
—> The book is a quick read of hardly an hour.
—> The poems are based on the author’s own experiences making the book a compassionate read.
—> The division of the book into various sections which are so thoughtful.
—> The beautiful cover and all the other little illustrations inside the book which accompany the poems, adding more charm to the the written words.
—> The titles of the poems which are not only extremely thoughtful but have been provided at the end of each poem instead of at the beginning/top (this was the first time I came across such a concept).

What I did not like about the book:
—> Some poems would have made a better impact if they were a bit more longer.
—> Not all poems connected to me as a reader.

Quotable quotes:
—> Don’t fear the flight
That you take With every new gust of wind.
Some winds truly Will propel you
Not all blow to resist…
—> All you need is
One candle
To create a flame
That can last
Forever
—> Don’t go chasing and collecting water
From the same clouds that burst on you
Wait For the sunshine
Let it soak up all the pain
That has rained on you
—> The ring of a guest called laughter should not fade away the
Sound of those spoken words of comfort when laughter knew not
Your ear to echo in.
—> You were like the clouds
That made it difficult
For the stars in me to shine
And
To shine again I had to let you go
—> Something about the way
That you dip into the sea
Like taking away all the secrets
Shared between you and me
—> It’s not the darkness
That I fear,
But the fading light.
It’s not the night
That I fear,
But the dipping moonlight.
—> Let yourself
Tread a path filled with hope!
And you will never be alone…
—> For darling
If you blanket yourself
In your dreams
You will never be cold!
—> And In my naivety,
With my broken half,
I seek the comfort of a
FULL.
—> If anything in this world
Should be wild
It’s got to be
LOVE!
—> With you
I want to be one
Like the sky and the sun
They burn together and glow
Dripping with warmth
Even when the coldest of winds blow
—> Just when you rub your eyes
And see stars
Should be enough
To make you believe in the
Magic you hold
The magic that lies within
You
—> Not all use words,
Some use silence
To cut through
The uproars of pain!
—> In silence
I heard a thousand echoes
Those that rose from my soul
Each of it
Resonating the truth of my heart
The very truth
That I have been trying so hard
To dim down amidst
Loud voices
—> Burn for those
Who burn for you
Fervently and completely
To every bit
—> D R E A M
And
Hold your dreams close to you
Let them not blow away
In the wind of pessimism
Of this world
—> Sometimes in a world
That blinds you
With their fake gold shimmer
It can be beautiful to be
Made of earth
—> It’s never too late
To shed old leaves
And grow some new
Those that burst with green
And dance to the rhythm
Of the falling dew
—> Haze of the past,
Blocks my rear view;
Clouds of the future,
Fogs the new.
So,
There’s nowhere else to look
But at the NOW!
—> I wanted to be your medicine
Bitter like the truth
But Curing you
Of all your ailments
—> We sit in the desert
And Hope for the rain,
Dissing the sunshine
All in vain.
—> Don’t diss the night
Because it lacks the
Sheen of daylight. Instead,
Love it for how
Forgiving it is,
To hide all our flaws
In its darkness.

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Twisted Mind Games : Fourteen Hundred and Sixty Days by Yukti Bellani

Book blurb:

Do u have toxic people , person draining your energy and efforts ? Life’s greatest challenge is to deal with such people. We often can’t identify these people but when we do realize then it’s Indeed great loss of energy.

Toxic people don’t just make you miserable—they’re really hard on your brain.Here’s a real life experience to understand about this topic.

Genre: Self Help/Mind & Body Philosophy

Pages: 44 pages

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 49 INR/$0.99Paperback: $5.00

My Ratings: 2/5

This is the story of a medical student who survives a toxic relationship and how she manages to get out of it. Read to know about Tina, an intelligent girl who loses her identity due to being with the wrong person and ends up suffering from mental breakdown.

Nothing good ever comes from a toxic relationship.

What I liked about the book:
—> Talks about the much needed taboo topic of toxicity and mental health.
—> There are ample warning signals all throughput, but the protagonist ignores them for the sake of ‘love’ which is exactly the problem with us a society that we tend to normalise such behaviour instead of either raising our voice against us or cutting off such people out of our lives for good.
—> The Harry Potter analogy used to compare toxic people to dementors.

What I did not like about the book:
—> The PoVs change randomly which makes the reading complex.
—> There is no proper grammar or punctuation and the language seems like it is written by someone with very basic knowledge of English. I had to literally push myself to finish reading the book.
—> The protagonist’s ‘Hey, look at me, I’m such a damsel in distress’ attitude was very annoying.

Quotable quotes:
—> She’s the type of woman most pray for but get intimidated by because she knows exactly what she wants.
—> You’re not late. You’re not early. You’re on time. Everyone has their own journey and own obstacles. Everyone learns from their journey and not from others journey. We can just get inspired and try to avoid certain things but ultimately we have to face everything written in our journey. Indeed we can overcome the obstacles in our life, and challenge our life goals just by hard work and focus.
—> We should be committed to truth and justice, whether it is success or failure or it is a public affair or personal affair; commitment towards these two aspects of life will always give better results.
—> Sometimes relationships are casual, but other times they can grow rotten. You end up keeping someone in your life who is jealous or has a totally different set of ethics and that is when they become toxic.
—> People generally think about themselves first, they don’t consider other person’a emotions. A human tank is always right, it doesn’t take anyone else’s feelings or ideas into account, and constantly puts themselves first.
—> In relationship, human tanks are incredibly arrogant and see their personal opinions as facts. This is because they often think they are the smartest person in the room. So, they see every conversation and person as a challenge that must be won over. They rarely see others as equal and this can be challenging when trying to form a loving connection. If you feel anytime that your personal ideology is being suppressed or not considered, then hello it is a warning sign and stay alert instead of getting crushed or hit by the tank.
—> Never ever trust solely on one side of conversation, always try to listen to both sides.
—> Present life is not result of past life Karmas, but present life situations or activities do affect the future life.
—> It’s all about choosing our favorite people in life, when they are with us life seems so perfect, it’s not about success stories or number of achievements.
—> Love can’t be degraded in few days and on few words.
—> People who care about you won’t let you go on felling rubbish without attempting to sort it out. That doesn’t mean you’ll sort it out but at least you’ll and they’ll try. Take it as a sign of their investment in the relationship if they leave you “out there” for lengthy sessions.  
—> Some people want to be right more than they want to be happy
—> The more you fear you will get suppressed in life, the more people and situations will crush you,. So instead of fearing, face it with confidence and deal with it because that way one day every problem will vanish.
—> Call on the universe and ask things you want; it will give it to you at the right time and right phase of life.
—> He who has no attachments can really Love others, for his love is pure and divine.
—>Do everything you have to do, but not with greed, not with ego, not with lust, not with envy but with Love, compassion, humility and devotion.
—> You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

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