Manali Manan Desai's Blog, page 55

A Lonely World and Other Poems by Himanshu Goel

Book blurb:

A lonely world is a poetry collection by Himanshu Goel, author of Tulsi and 52 laws of love. “Read these poems in the times you feel lonely, when the warm blanket is unable to provide you the comfort that you are used to. Read these poems when you feel anxious, when even little thoughts feel like the weight of the world is upon you. Read these poems in the times you feel most vulnerable. Read these poems and know that you are not alone in your loneliness.”

Genre: Fiction/Poetry

Pages: 57

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 99 INR/$2.99Paperback: 150 INR/ $7.49

My ratings 4.2/5

A quick and insightful read. If you enjoy minimal poetry with maximum impact, this is your go-to. As the intro says ‘read these poems when you feel lonely, anxious or vulnerable’ the poems in this book provide just that warm fuzzy comfort that you might be looking for during such times.

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What I liked about the book:
–> Can be finished in half an hour or 45 minutes max.
–> Almost all the poems are extremely relatable.
–> Some of favorite titles were ‘Inspiration’, ‘Sanity’, ‘The loneliest place in the world’, ‘grin’ and ‘Whole’

What I did not like about the book:
–> It ended too soon.
–> Some poems felt out of place in this collection full of positivity

Quotable quotes:
–>I’m hurt
and the pathway
to heal is a staircase
that never seems to end
–>thousands of
thoughts
swirl around
in the galaxy
of her mind but
she struggles
she struggles to
share even a
single one
–> I know how to read
but not how to understand
–>she woke up one morning
wishing she didn’t have to choose
how to live her life
for the sake of everyone else.
–>Look at us all
pretending to be
not broken
not knowing
we hold
the parts
to fix each other
–>I’m bitter
like coffee
and need
just a little
bit of you
like sugar
to make me
better but not
too much
that I lose
my bitterness
–>how could I
ever be lonely
when the memories
of you are always by my side
–>I don’t know
if it’s a
blessing or a curse
to find inspiration
from tragedies
–> Sometimes it feels
like there’s an
ocean between
where am I
and where
I want to be
–> some villains are scary
because how close they are to
being just like us

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

I will Love once again.. by Krishna Verma

Book blurb:

Would you fall in love again???? How would you react if someone you love suddenly calls you to convey message for her engagement and moves out of your life? Even the last thread of hope tears up and they are apart. Priety is gone and HE remains a mere spectator watching the tide of the time rising high against and shattering all his dreams. Will he be able to fight out this hard situation?? Will he opt for self destruction, making his life hell????

Or

Will he ever take a chance of searching for love again??????? An exquisite beauty slowly and steadily moves into his life and there begins emotional battle between present and beautiful past. Will he be able to replace Past with desired Present????
What if the same thing happens again???? Read and get to know how HE narrates ‘I Will Love Once Again ‘.

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Pages: 208

Format: Paperback/Kindle eBook/Audiobook/MP3 CD

Price:

Kindle eBookPaperback:

My Ratings: 3/5

To giving love another chance. Read this one to reminiscence the moments and memories around your first love. Though they remain irreplaceable, the story in this book teaches us how to move on.



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What I liked about the book:
–> It tells a story of hope and healing.
–> Tells us that past continues to haunt us if we never move on.

What I didn’t like about the book:
–> The entire book seems to be written in a haphazard manner with paragraphs and sentences jumbled together, which becomes very confusing as well as annoying.
–> The views of the protagonist, and even some of his male friends, towards women seem extremely biased, misogynistic and objectionable.
–> The story line is more or less predictable making the book seem a little exaggerated.
–> The narration is in the first person but the writing is such that it feels like reading from someone’s personal diary.

Quotable quotes:
–> Sometime you get close to some people very soon and sometimes it takes ages.
–> I don’t know why all bosses and managers are given the right to peep into their junior’s personal life.
–>It is tough to get rid of the past sometimes no matter how many promises you make to yourself.
–>Unpredictability is certain but worrying is optional.
–>Pain is certain but suffering is optional.
–>A diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through difficult situations, but don’t suffer. With that experience their life becomes better not bitter.
–>A good friend is one who would support his friend at any cost no matter how stupid his thoughts are.
–> When you know you are doing something fishy you always think that everyone is watching you.
–>Life is like a keyboard so always have an escape button to run out.
–> Sometime new relationships create a barrier between the older ones. 

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Sunset by the River by Sameer Saxena

Book blurb:

Love isn’t always simple. It sometimes has some of the most unexpected and inexplicable twists and turns as it unravels in one’s life. And more often than not, it also holds the power to break even the strongest of us. And who knows that better than Ayaan?
Ayaan Vaidya, a young, ambitious, successful techie working for the corporate world has it all going perfectly fine, until one routine afternoon, when, in the middle of a conference, his phone buzzes to life with a call from an unknown number. The caller, however, is well known. He ignores it, initially, but the caller is persistent. It isn’t until he gives in and attends to it that an unexpected Pandora’s Box gets unlocked that’ll set him down a road that’s absent of any U–turns. Will he reach his destination in time, or will it be too late by the time of his arrival?

Genre: Fiction/Romantic thriller

Pages: 173

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Kindle eBook: 49 INR/$2.99Paperback: 199 INR (available only in India)

My ratings: 3.5/5

A love story with a twist. Ayaan and Tripti meet via a common friend and fall in love gradually. However, Tripti only considers Ayaan a close friend. But, Ayaan knows she’s holding back because of some reasons beyond his understanding. What are these reasons? That’s what this book is all about.

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What I liked about the book :
—> Tells us a story about a much needed-to-be addressed issue, especially in India.
—> Does not portraysTripti’s father as a villain and draws home the point that he did what he did with the best intentions at heart.
—> Dedicates an entire chapter to Tripti’s PoV which helps us understand her turmoil better.
—> The friendship between Ayaan and Monisha which helps break the myth of ‘ek ladka ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte’
—> Does not belittle religious beliefs and spirituality and brings out the difference between science and faith quite well.

What I did not like about the book:
—> The first few chapters keep you hooked, however the narrative loses grip after Ayaan reaches India.
—> Tripti’s turmoil when she explains it to Ayaan could have been more crisp.

Quotable quotes:
—> “It’s complicated bro.”
“You’re an engineer, man. You folks are literally trained to solve complicated problems!”
—> It requires only the most uneducated and unaware mind so that it can just go on with the flow.
—> In friendship—real friendship—they say you can share everything, unless you don’t trust your friend. It is either a friendship or not. You just can’t make a deal that you will only disclose so and so clauses about yourself, and we will continue to stay in the contract.
—> Buts and ifs are for strangers, friends share butts and tits!
—> You can share your deepest, darkest concerns with such a friend and feel like you’ve outgrown those fears that had been suffocating you from the inside.
—> Projects and promotions and experiences, they’re all out there for you to grab any time, okay? LIFE, though; you only get one shot at that.
—> You can only make a change when you have the power to do so.
—> It’s always good to have someone by your side… someone who can listen to you in your darkest times. And, someone whom you can call and rely upon in the days when you cannot handle your own doubts.
—> The only thing that distracts us from our misery is the utter realness of the nature. It does not deceive us. It just presents itself as it is. No artificial behavior, no false expectations. It just conveys one message, be in the present and never expect anything in return.
—> There’s much more to life than a heartbreak, okay? And, friends are far more than just for helping each other. They are life.
—> I did what I would usually do in such a time. I took a deep breath, grabbed my blanket from the floor, fell back in my bed, and pulled it over, with the false hope that a long, deep sleep would undo everything that had gone wrong that day.
—> There’s hardly anything that’s not possible in this little world.
—> Why does some of the worst shit always only happen to good people?
—> Our most trusted ally and our dangerous enemy are both the same—our own imagination. Just imagine what you want, and you’re halfway there, that’s your ally; and then imagine what it would feel like, never finding what you are looking for, that’s your enemy.
—> Love is more powerful than anything in this world. It can move mountains.
—> One should not take any steps without considering the consequences at stake.
—> Whatever your heart feels might not always be true, but it does have a connection with what you can possibly become.
—> A journey without the phone is a real spiritual journey.
—> Love and support can heal us in ways medication can’t.
—> For reasons unknown to all, the word ‘disease’, in our society, has always been associated with just body, but not the mind.
—> It really takes a hugely personal loss to see things from a new perspective.
—> There is nothing wrong in being religious or spiritual; it actually helps your mind to stay calm and stress-free. The problems arise when people mix spirituality with superstitions.
—> Spirituality involves the belief in a divine energy which empowers your soul; whereas believing in it blindly for miracles and expecting things to just happen, to fall into place magically, that is superstition. The problem is people tend to go to these holy places—places that are actually meant for worship—expecting some miracles and magic, not to gain the actual spiritual energy that can be felt there.
—> It’s the deeds that make someone a true human, and the deeds fulfilled with ethics are what can make someone a God.
—> If spirituality is an art, then the science compliments it. But, if we start expecting art to make discoveries and inventions that actually science has taught us, then we are becoming superstitious.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Yellow: The verses of hurting and healing by Urja Joshi

Book blurb:

“yellow is a poetry collection, divided into two phases: Mohi & Kabir. Mohi symbolises “”the hurting”” and Kabir is all about “”the healing”” that comes after it. a book written and illustrated by author,which is for everyone. for those who believe in love and compassion and for those who don’t. those who have healed and those who are still in process. those who aren’t able to move on and those who have successfully done it. it is for feminists, the activists, the believers, the gender norm shatterers.
it is a gift, a book on its journey to make difference in it’s reader’s life. 

Genre: Fiction/Poetry

Pages: 200

Format: Paperback/Kindle eBook

Price:

Kindle eBook: 100 INR/$1.99Paperback: 250 INR/$9.00Hardcover: 350 INR (available only in India)

My Ratings: 4.3/5

Self love , healing and growth in abundance in this poetic collection? Did you ever face a heartbreak or rejection? Do you ever doubt yourself and feel you are not good enough? Read this one for some healing and acceptance of the self.

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What I liked about the book:
—> Abundance of motivating and healing words.
—> Almost every piece was relatable.
—> A perfect companion on a day when you’re feeling low or unmotivated.
—> Can be finished over a morning or evening cup of tea/coffee ( after all, a good book + a favourite beverage is the ideal combo for any reader)
—> All the little doodles/illustrations added a charm of their own. loved them all.
-> My favourite titles from the book are ‘Sometimes I write about you with my eyes closed’, ‘The thin line, we cross every time’, ‘They can not be the illness and the medicine both’, ‘For Women who don’t have a partner’ ‘It’s okay’ and ‘Do it for yourself’
—> The letters written to self (The letter of apology, The letter of hope and The letter of love) at the end were my favourite part of the book.

What I did not like about the book:
—> The poems in ‘Mohi’ section seemed to focus on heartbreak around love a lot and some of them felt repetitive and dull (heartbreak could be resulted from other things too I believe)
—> The poems in ‘Kabir’ felt a little preachy.

Quotable quotes:
—> To the heart.
you call it broken,
yet it is still beating
inside your chest.
—> What sort of love is that?
Which can only be spoken of
And not showed?
What sort of love is that?
Which exists only in your words
And not in your actions.
—> Do not talk about faith to me
I grew up believing
That I am not pretty
But the day he told me,
He thinks I am beautiful
I believed it
—> I was so yours
that I was never mine.
—> your heart beats for you more
Than it beats for anyone else.
—> And if you’ve to impress me
Do not compliment my skin deep beauty
Say that it’s my brain
and the way I see the world
which moves you.
—> Love is a feeling
And undoing it is not an option.
—> What is not okay
Is to not Love my own self.
To end all of it
Thinking that Tomorrow will never change.
It is not okay
To not give your life a chance
To show her good days
To you.
—> the moon
has the stars
But the sun is lonely.
If you shine Bright enough
You don’t really
Need anyone by your side.
Your love Makes enough light
For you
And the world.
—> What kind of Audacity I have.
I have never been there for me
And yet I expect the world
To be there
When I need help
When I need love.
—> Good or bad
It is not here
For long.
—> I need to know
that
If I feel empty
Only i can make
Myself full again.
—> And
if the future generations
Ever ask you
Who are women?
Tell them that
Women are everything
That men think they are not
—> We don’t need
The mouths
Who ask you,
“how are you?”
we need
Ears,
Who listen to
Us genuinely
When we answer
The above question.
—> I grew up
Looking at the
Sunsets
and
The sunrises
How can I not believe
In beautiful endings
And hopeful Beginnings.
—> The biggest mistake
Is to promise them
That you will make them happy
When you haven’t
Made yourself happy
Since years.
The biggest mistake
Is to call everyone
Out there beautiful
And failing
To recognize
Your own beauty.
—> I am in a guilt. A guilt of loving everyone on this earth but myself.
—> You spend a lot of time thinking why aren’t you gorgeous like others or the other person why aren’t your hair thicker, skin fairer, voice sweeter, eyebrows more visible, breasts perkier, legs taller. I am here to tell you that you are the most beautiful human I have ever laid my eyes on and you are not gorgeous like them, because you are gorgeous like you. Some day you are not the world’s definition of beautiful then it is not a big deal. You are your own type and that is enough.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

A Dead Man’s Trials by Jagadesh Sampath

Book blurb:

Mr. December was a man born on a high horse. All his life, he tried to be righteous, to be a paragon of human virtues. Through a complicated set of events triggered from an unexpected source, Mr. December is forced to rethink his beliefs. Through his journey, the book explores the complexities of human nature, moral ambiguities, value of perspectives and importantly, the darkness that resides within us all.
The book is a collection 5 short stories, all linked together through the trials of the protagonist. Each of the stories have an element of thrill and psychological complexity inherent in them; all the while provoking the readers to think and start on a journey to discover the answers within themselves.

Genre: Fiction/ Thriller/Drama

Pages: 58

Format: Kindle eBook

Price: 49 INR/ $2.99

My Ratings: 5/5

A lifetime of insights and thought provoking questions/answers in a mere few pages. Do you have the habit of judging people and their actions+choices? Read this one to understand that nothing is simply right or wrong, or black and white, there’s a perspective or way of looking at things which is brought out by each incident narrated in this book.



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What I liked about the book:
—> There is no name given to any characters and yet they all felt so real.
—> All the trials were written in such a raw and haunting manner, that I could easily visualise it all. Somebody please turn them into a series or a movie!!!
—> For the incidents of the last trial, there was no place mentioned, and yet we know right away where it is all happening. That’s the mark of great writing right there.

What I did not like about the book:
—> Absolutely nothing (no wonder it gets a 5/5 from me then, right?)

Quotable quotes:
—> When a man is drowning, a floating piece of wood, barely larger than his hands, is all that is needed to give him hope.
—> To a person shouldering the hopes and responsibilities of the entire world, spending time on trivialities is the ultimate affront; their time after all, is meant for greater things.
—> When we look at anything complex, be it a crowded canvas, a logical problem, even a large number of people or things, what gets noticed first is tied intrinsically to the nature of the viewer.
—> Humans always find things to worry about; no matter how good or peaceful their life is, they never fail to dig out a new problem. They go to great depths and endure extreme pain through their mental self-flagellation to assimilate new predicaments. However, in spite of this endless worrying, they almost always miss the obvious. Especially when the obvious is entombed in years of complacent inactivity, inducing a false sense of security. These potential problems that we all ignore as a result of constant conditioning are the ones capable of ripping us right out of our cozy, secluded lives and land us in the middle of a blinding blizzard, one very well capable of shredding us to pieces.
—> Once we set our mind on a path of self-placation and denial, the mind completely takes over; it changes perceptions, creates justifications, finds places and people to shift the guilt.
—> Who should bear the cost of an action? How could we assign blame solely to the one affected by these actions? Even an inadvertent act of kindness can cause harm and when it does, where does the blame lie? How do you decide one is to blame and the other is not?
—> People don’t always react rationally when faced with absolute truths. Most of them were hostile and the few that actually listened to him, ended up making things worse for themselves.
—> Beliefs, the ever present shield to hide the perversities of human nature.
—> Is inaction really a crime? If we consider that every time someone fails to do the right thing, they are sinning by virtue of their inaction, then where does it end?What is the boundary of one’s morality? Does it end with what we owe to our self? To everything one sees and hears about? Does it end at the society? Or is it the entire humankind? If you expect someone to act on a crime they see, should we not expect them to act on a crime they read or hear about? Is prevention the only action that matters? What about seeking justice? By this logic, every human is guilty of inaction one way or another.
—> To someone born with the natural ability to comprehend and analyze things faster than the fellow humans, mediocrity is always a bane.
—> Human nature cannot accept rational explanations for the superiority of their fellow humans, so it invents rationale and in most cases resentment is the obvious by product of the process.
—> Once you take that first step down a heavy slope without any support, you lose all control of what happens next; whether you fall in a crumbling heap or manage a stumbling walk depends not only on the skills you have; it is what surrounds you on the slope that decides your fate.
—> Despite everything, they were both happy; they had the only thing they ever wanted in their life, each other.
—> It’s always a means to an end; that’s how it starts all the time. The human mind when desperate enough can be a multiple times better than the most conniving of all sentient beings.
—> It finds out reasons, so obstinate and so credible that it ends up deluding even the most skeptical of souls.
—> Deep and true love, willingness to sacrifice your life for the one that you love, fierce sense of protection for those in need; do these values not represent the best of humanity? Shouldn’t they account for something in the final reckoning? If not, what then is the use of having them at all?
—> A journey’s end is never the destination. It is always the realization. Some realizations lead you on to your next journey while the others just take you back to where you started. We all make plans, some grand in design, some just held together by a string of failing memories. We all have dreams, of the past, of the future; some full of pain, others end in joy. All our plans and our dreams give us hope. But hope alone is never enough, what fails and what succeeds depend on a lot of things, some in our control, some not.
—> People’s lives are an interconnected mess of actions and reactions rather than a sequence of moral decisions and a lot of it is not in anyone’s control.
—> When you look deep enough, look from different perspectives or just argue with the right motivations, everyone appeared morally ambiguous.
—> Practice leads to perfection, practice becomes a habit and habits turn in to obsessions.
—> Not surprisingly, no one listens when you tell them what’s good for them.
—> There is no space for morality in the mind of a warrior trying to save the lives of innocents and secure their country’s safety.
—> Even a revolution needs marketing.
—> How can they choose not to support the revolution,
one intended for their very liberation?
What is the death of a few, even if some are children,
when compared to the glorious future that awaits all when the revolution succeeds?
—> The success of a revolution is a hard thing to measure; attempting the cost of success is even harder. Lives lost, families torn, rapes and violence, children, who are anything but, in the end, it’s all just relative. They both are now part of history, one a victor and the other an abominable monster. Needless to say, identifying which is which will have to wait, till the end of the revolution or the crushing of insurrection.
—> Nothing is as simple or as black and white as we believe them to be. Beliefs are never meant to be broken, they are meant to evolve.
—> Morality is inherently ambiguous, subject to a wide variety of interpretations, influenced by conflicting perspectives. Human nature is complicated, it can never be adequately defined, let alone understood; each one of us is unique in thought and action. And in the end, I see that Human life is not something to be judged, not by anyone.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Lockdown Tragedy by Manoj Sharma

Book blurb:

It is a short romantic story between Shirley and Tarun. As the title suggests, the story takes place during the testing times of the pandemic. The story is written in first person point of view and the language used is fairly easy making it a breezy read for beginners. If you are looking for a short and well written piece of Literature, you can go for this
one.

Genre: Fiction/Drama

Pages: 21

Format: Kindle eBook

My Ratings: 3/5

A quick read about a lockdown love story that could have been. How has the lockdown of 2020 been for you? Read this one for some relatable thoughts and moments around how the pandemic affected most of us, especially Indians.



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What I liked about the book:
–> Limited characters which avoids any confusion and complexity .
–> Can be finished in half an hour max

What I did not like about the book:
–> The story seems very rushed and without any clear message or outcome.
–> Though its fictional, it seemed the two lead characters faced and survived a lot of ‘accidents’ in just a short span.

Quotable quotes:
–> It depends on us how we deal with relationships and react to challenging situations. Love is rare, engaging and beautiful. It is like the positive and negative type of terminology of an electric circuit.
–> Many writers and authors write poetries on love and affection; still, nobody described it aptly.
–>Aggressiveness is better to be used in a positive manner to do any task which was missed by others. Try to do it in a disciplined manner, you will do for what you never expected to compile.

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

Life Version 2 by Suhas Inamdar

Book blurb:

“Do millions of blurry notions about the ever-mystic subject of astrology intrigue you? Do you want to steer clear of all ambiguity that surrounds the mysterious phenomenon of life and death? Welcome to Life Version 2, a book that will surely unravel some of life’s biggest and the most intriguing questions. God gives us endless opportunities to script our Life Version 2! Go, grab one……Abhijeet, 60, is a successful entrepreneur who leads a contented life. Cricket, music and astrology are his deep obsessions. His life is running smooth until an appalling prediction is made that he is going to die within the next six months! This turns his life upside down. He prepares to die and exhibits unprecedented boldness by trying to complete all his pending tasks before he departs from this world. In a strange twist of fate, he does not die as predicted. When he goes in search of the person responsible for making the spectacularly wrong prediction, he unearths a sinister plot. Who is behind this intriguing conspiracy? How does he look at life after his close brush with death? Can he ever live the same life again? Step aboard Life Version 2 and get set to experience the unknown, the very essence of life! “

Genre: Fiction/Drama

Pages: 258

Format: Kindle eBook/Paperback

Price:

Paperback: 227 INR/$2.99Kindle eBook:181.31 INR/$11.99

My Ratings: 4/5

Our time on this earth is limited but what we do in that time is limitless. A successful business tycoon who leads an exemplary life and a well-balanced work-life equation, with a happy family, suddenly faces a challenge in the form of an astrological prediction which says he would die in the next six months. Read this book, to know what happens next.



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What I liked about the book:
–> The protagonist, Mr. Deshmukh, is a complete package. He has an interest in, and ample knowledge about all fields like mythology, philosophy, religion, history, and many more.
–> Abhijeet Deshmukh’s ability to not only talk on various subjects, but also how he is reasonable and logical in explaining his viewpoints.
–> If read with an open-mind, it actually becomes a non-fiction self-help book on a myriad of things, right from philosophy to business.

What I did not like about the book:
–> It tends to provide context on each dialogue which becomes boring at times.
–> Lacks character development.

Quotable quotes:
–> Children learn a lot more by observing their parents than they learn in universities and colleges.
–>Senior citizens are entitled to love, admiration and honour. They have performed their duties with utmost sincerity, dedication and efficiency. They are vast oceans, rich in knowledge and experience. They can and they do contribute in a variety of ways. They look forward to spending their next phase of life happily. It is the foremost duty of the next generation to make it happen for them.
–>When we look at death through a philosophical lens, the fear of death is likely to dilute.
–> One should not dream small dreams. After all, dreams are free so why not let the sky be our dreams’ limit! Moreover, if dreams were small, achievements were bound to be small too.
–> Never try to imitate anyone in your life. You are a unique person. No one is like you in this whole world. Develop your unique entity to become bigger, instead of copying someone else to become big. Such achievement and success is sustainable, realistic and much better as well.
–> Integrity and fair play are the cornerstones of a prosperous business.
–> It takes years to build a reputation but it takes only one incident to tarnish it.
–> In business, we need to keep growing exponentially otherwise we face the risk of stagnation.
–> Any business which does not grow at a healthy percentage year after year, is a failure.
–> A ship is very safe in the harbour, but that is not what it is built for.
–> Good health and a well-toned body are never achieved by accident. One has to strive hard to achieve and maintain that.
–> Don’t worry too much and try to keep yourself always happy. Happiness is a state of mind and anyone can be happy at anytime. It is purely one’s choice whether to feel happy or not.
–>Failure is acceptable but low aim is a crime. 

Buying details:

Amazon IndiaAmazon.com

My Friend Genie : Knowing the Future Could Sometimes Be Dangerous by Suhas Inamdar

Book blurb:

What happens if one fine day you accidentally stumble upon a super power, which grants all your wishes, and even tells you about your future? Would your life turn out easier or get complicated and challenging? Experience the adventures and an array of emotions with Arun Deshpande, a middle-aged, middle-class person, as he unexpectedly gets a hold of a magical ring, which invokes a genie whenever he wears and rubs it. He is thrilled and starts enjoying the super power at his command. However, the real problem starts when others get to know about his secret powers and the mayhem breaks loose. His life turns upside down when the underworld and the intelligence agencies hound him vigorously to obtain the magical ring at any cost. Can he succeed in evading their onslaught and retain the ring with him? What is his outlook towards life after experiencing the supernatural powers of the genie? Is it always a boon to know the future? Enjoy the suspenseful joyride with My Friend Genie, a fantasy thriller.

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy thriller

Pages: 240

Format: Paperback/Kindle eBook

Price:

Kindle: 99 INR/$2.99Paperback: 230 INR/$11.99

My Ratings: 4.3/5

A fictional story with a factual learning. What would you do if you could have everything you ever wanted? Though that sounds like an ideal life, the story in this book tells us that it comes at a cost and is not so ideal after all. If you like fiction that teaches important life lessons, and leaves you motivated and inspired, this should be your next read.

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What I liked about the book:
—> The simplicity of Arun’s character and routine life, with a typical Indian middle class setting, which makes the story believable.
—> The conversations between Arun and the Genie.
—> The foundation of the perfect setting for the conclusion of what happens with the Genie.
—> The tragic incidents used in the story are actually inspired from real life tragedies and accidents.
—> How it effectively delivers the message of ‘We are our own Genie’

What I did not like about the book:
—> The initial scenes with the first few appearances of the Genie were predictable and dragged.
—> Some bits and parts were quite predictable.

Quotable quotes :
—> The real super power lies within oneself, in the form of self-confidence. Everyone has a genie – one has to learn to utilize his powers for achieving success and contentment in life.
—> The neighborhood in the true middle class is to some extent envious of one another, but hardly ever jealous of other’s blessings and accomplishments.
—> Heart goes by emotions, while mind believes in logic.
—> It is such a difficult exercise to know about something, and still pretend to be ignorant. Whenever faced with such situations, one has to be extremely careful in spelling out each word while discussing about the subject, as he may have to justify how he knew about something that he was not supposed to know, leading to a slippery trap where he has to cleverly continue speaking handful of lies to cover up his act. Further, these lies need to be remembered forever, because according to the listeners, that is what actually happened. It results in a vicious circle.
—> People tend to believe you more, when they do not understand your words and language correctly. The more incomprehensible you are, the chances of you being considered a Genius increase exponentially!
—> “How do you define something as right or wrong?”
“It is very simple. Anything, which is bad for people is wrong, and anything which is good for people, is right.”
“How do you define something as good or bad?”
“What do you mean? Is it so difficult to differentiate between good and bad?”
“Yes. Pardon me for contradicting your opinion on this subject, but good and bad are relative terms. They are highly subjective. Many times, it is your reference point, which makes you to interpret something as good or bad.”
—> The human mind is very weird. When a small bug of worry enters the thought process, the person fails to appreciate and enjoy the surroundings.
—> That is probably the reason why God does not reveal the future to mankind. People would not be able to maintain their composure if they get to know in advance about their good and bad moments from the future. Not everyone is emotionally strong. Their present would be absolutely ruined, thinking about those unpleasant moments from the future. They would stop enjoying their present completely.
—> The personality of a person is defined by his visual appearance.
—> Finally, what else does a person want from his life? Good health, adequate money to survive and peace of mind. Anything you earn more than this is extra and does not add significant value to the quality of life.
—> Learning is a lifelong process. One should stop learning only in his grave.
—> Excellence in any field has no finishing line.
—> Get independence from one more thing, which actually limits your growth. It is your ‘Lack of or limited Self-confidence’. Many dreams in this world are not fulfilled because people do not have enough self-confidence to pursue their dreams.
—> All of us have a Genie within us. That Genie is our self-confidence. Remember, no one can help a person, who does not know how to help himself. When you draw water from a well, do you fill a full bucket or a half-bucket? Would you accept your vehicle to give you half the fuel efficiency than what it is designed for? Would you accept half a salary ever? Would you accept half the items from a grocery store, by paying for the full list? The answer to all the above questions is a clear and unambiguous NO. Then why do you realize only half of your true potential in life?
—> Gain independence from your negative qualities such as self-doubt, procrastination, indecisiveness etc. and start believing in your capabilities. Unleash the real Genie in your life and watch the wonders happen. You deserve a better life than what you are living now. 

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Seasons by Priyam Acharya

Book blurb:

“Seasons” is an eclectic blend of works that would engage the seeker, the thinker, the die-hard romantic, the wanderer, the dreamer, the optimist, the sceptic, the artist, the closet philosopher and of course the poetry lover – there’s something for each of these! ‘The Silk Sari’ is about self-discovery, ‘Glass Shields Glass’ talks about a beautiful yet complicated relationship, ‘Barcelona’ poignantly describes the magnificence of the incomplete Basilica with a deeper view how often the imperfection is sweeter than perfection, ‘The Doodle’ reminisces a love from the past, ‘Varanasi’ is a reflective piece on spirituality. Sit back and embark upon a soul-searching journey, with your copy of ‘Seasons’.

Genre: Poetry/Fiction

Format: Paperback/Kindle eBook

Pages: 178

Price:

Paperback: 199 INR/$10.00Kindle: 105 INR/$2.99

My Ratings : 4.5/5

It’s very rare that I pick up a poetry book. A stickler to fiction and novels, this one surprisingly appealed to me because of it’s catchy cover design (nature lover that I am!) and I was sold completely thanks to the author bio plus the blurb on the backside of the book. The poet (or rather poetess) is a lawyer by qualification but she gave up that well established profession of hers, for the love of writing! And I at least feel thankful that she because how would poetry lovers like me have gotten Seasons. Seasons is a compilation of 162 poems and honestly that’s a lot to take in even for a bibliophile like me, which is why it took me over a month to get through the book. But that’s about the only complain I have with the book because even though the poems are a lot in quantity, their quality hasn’t been affected.



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Some of the poems are a longer read than the others, and honestly I did find the shorter ones (the 5-6 liners) more interesting and thought provoking than the long ones, but that doesn’t make any of the poems any less worthy of a read or appreciation. For those who love the romance genre in poetry, this will be a heart stealer for sure as the love poems are quite a few and all quite well written.

All in all, a great read! As I read the last poem, even though I had read 162 poems already, I turned the page expecting and wanting to read more! I’d recommend poetry as well as non-poetry lovers to give it a try.

Quotable quotes:

–> I’m a prisoner of our memories.
But do I call this a prison?
I knew not
That a prison could also be a refuge.

–> Sometimes love enters your life
Like a drop of the ink in water.
Water may not take the colour
Of the ink in its entirety,
But the colour of water,
Will never be the same

–> You are like the unfinished sentence from the book I kept aside –
too heavy for me to read.
But those words from that unfinished sentence
revisit me every time I think of that book
intriguing me, mystifying me, captivating me…
Maybe I should have held on a little longer.
Maybe I should have allowed the book some time to grow on me.
Perhaps I put that book aside just too soon.

–> Sometimes love enters your life like a drop of the ink in the water. Water may not take the colour of the ink in its entirety, but the colour of water will never be the same.
–>I tried to shed away your thoughts like the tree sheds leaves every autumn. But your thoughts grow back on me faster than the leaves return to the tree every spring.
–>No matter how much it may rain, the ocean will never turn into freshwater. There may be so many people around you who may never acknowledge what you do for them. Be like the rain. Don’t change your element just due to those who are like salty ocean.

Buying details:

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Pebbles on Paper by Swati khatri

Book blurb:

This book is a collection of emotions which we all go through at different stages of life. I have tried to express some of these emotions in the form of poetry. Hope you find solace in my words.

Genre: Poetry/Fiction

Format: KIndle eBook/Paperback

Pages: 45

Price:

Kindle eBook: 80 INR/$1.07Paperback: 100 INR/$3.60

My Ratings: 4.2/5

A nice poetic experience about life and its many teachings + learnings. If you enjoy poetry which teaches you life lessons, motivates you and leaves you with many positive after thoughts, this book is for you.



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What I liked about the book:
—> Touches almost every human emotional aspect.
—> Its 100% relatability.
—> The language is crisp and fluid.
—> My favourite ones out of this tiny collection were ‘Art has an appeal’, ‘Accept me again’, ‘Shed the load’ and ‘Anxiety-that’s how it feels like’.

What I did not like about the book:
—> The middle section of the book felt more like blogs or tiny write ups rather than poems.
—> The strict rhyming scheme in all the poems might have helped add a little more variety to the kind of poems.

Quotable quotes:
—> What are we if not some stories?
Those stories which create desire,
Stories which burn like fire.
—> The good and the bad has to blend,
It’s all about the yin and yang at the end.
—> Now I know why art has this appeal,
Because it lets the layers of pain freely peel.
Art makes it look like a strength,
No matter the artist confesses at what length.
—> Even if you won’t be able to mend the wrong,
Remember, there is victory in being strong.
—> Taking my decision is my right,
Even if they don’t turn out right.
It’s ok if I make a mistake.
As at times, things require a different take.
—> How are you supposed to know what is in middle of the story right from the first chapter?
—> You are the protagonist of your life.
—> I am old school,
For me the 90s music is still so cool.
I believe in the simplicity of holding hands,
To be with each other as we make life’s plans.

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