Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 54

Cover Reveal: LEMON GIRL by Jyoti Arora

Cover Reveal: Lemon Girl by Jyoti Arora 
The She....


The He...

The Author


Jyoti Arora

Jyoti Arora is a Post Graduate in English Literature and Applied Psychology. Her writing achievements include two novels, three blogs, several wins in national level blog competitions, over five years of freelance writing experience, developing books for kids and abridging 24 famous English novels like Jane Eyre, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn etc. 

Jyoti's first novel, Dream's Sake, was published in 2011 by V&S Publishers. It received great reviews and much appreciation from readers.Books have always been Jyoti’s best friends. In fact, books so fascinated her from early childhood that she learnt reading, by herself, even before she started going to school. And she considers herself most fortunate that she is able to pursue her dream of being a novelist and work at what she loves best.

However, if books are Jyoti’s first love, and she’s still very devoted to them, the thrilling and steadily advancing world of technology also fascinates her. As a result, one of Jyoti’s blog is a technological blog called Techn0Treats. In 2011, a post in this blog won her the title of Samsung Mobile when Samsung made her a part of the team of the twenty bloggers chosen from all over India through a blogging competition. In this team of twenty bloggers, she was the only woman and perhaps the only one who had studied literature instead of science. As a Samsung Mobiler, Jyoti acted as the promoter and ambassador of Samsung.

Jyoti is a patient of Thalassemia Major which forced her to stop going to school after class seventh. After that, she continued her studies on her own through correspondence courses. Her zest to overcome her medical problems and made her an inspiration for many.

www.jyotiarora.com

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Film Review: BANG BANG

You can watch Bang Bang for the mind-blowing action 

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Jimmy Shergill, Jaaved Jaffrey, Danny Denzongpa, Pawan Malhotra
Director: Siddharth Anand

Even though Bang Bang didn’t receive raving reviews, Venkat and I were keen to see it and went to Cinemax for the Sunday evening show. How could we miss the Hrithik-Katrina starrer! We did not regret it.

THE STORY

Viren Nanda (Jimmy Shergill) is an army officer who goes to London to get terrorist Omar Zafar (Danny Denzongpa) extradited to India. Omar’s associate Hamid Gul (Jaaved Jaffrey) storms the London prison to help the former escape. Omar kills Viren on the spot. Omar and Hamid decide to terrorise India by getting someone to steal the Kohinoor Diamond from London. Enter Rajveer (Hrithik Roshan) who manages to do the impossible by stealing the diamond. But he refuses to hand it over to Omar’s goons as they act tough. On the run, he meets Harleen (Katrina Kaif) in Shimla. Harleen doesn’t have a boyfriend and likes Rajveer when she meets him, unaware that he is a jewel thief. Rajveer drugs her and takes her along with him as he runs around the globe, away from both the police and Omar’s men. Why would he want the Kohinoor Diamond if not to sell it to Omar? Is he what he appears to be? Will Harleen be able to get together with Rajveer? You need to watch the film to find out.

MY PERCEPTION

The film is a copy of Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz starrer Knight and Day and is an out and out masala flick. Leave your brain back at home and just enjoy it for the fun and frolic along with intense action. 

Hrithik Roshan looks handsome with fantastic eight-pack abs. But he does look old and tired. That could be the result of his surgery and intense working out. Felt quite sorry for the guy actually.

Katrina Kaif as Harleen is pure eye-candy with not much scope for acting. She’s sailed through the film. 

Danny Dengzongpa, Jimmy Shergill, Pawan Malhotra and the others have good roles and have all performed well. 

Jaaved Jaafrey looks awesome with a tattoo on his throat and makes an excellent villain as Hamid Gul. Kudos!

I am still not able to wrap my head around the story that says Rajveer drugs Harleen and takes her around the world right from the spot where he meets her. Isn’t there something called the ‘Passport’ and then the ‘Visa’ for someone to travel out of the country? This is why I told you to leave your brain at home. No one warned me and I had taken mine along to the film. 

VERDICT: You can watch Bang Bang for the mind-blowing action 



*Silly
**Shaky
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*****Super

Blog Tour: THE RUNAWAY BRIDEGROOM by Sundari Venkatraman by The Book Club

THE RUNAWAY BRIDEGROOMbySundari Venkatraman




Blurb
Chanda Maheshwari’s family is shaken when her thirteen-year-old bridegroom Veerendra runs away immediately after the wedding. The eight-year-old child doesn’t even understand the impact on her life. Unable to face their neighbours and friends, the Maheshwaris move from their village to Jaipur and begin a new life in the city.
Fourteen years later, Chanda is studying in a Delhi College. She takes up a temporary job at RS Software Pvt. Ltd. and falls head-over-heels for the boss of the operation. But what about  Ranveer Singh? Is he interested in her?
Ranveer’s secretary Shikha is desperate to make him fall for her. All she wants is life-long security with a rich man. But it’s nerd Abhimanyu who keeps getting in the way. Abhi is Ranveer’s second-in-command and Shikha isn’t keen on him as she’s eyeing the main chance. 
When Ranveer appears to show interest in Chanda, she’s faced with a new problem. Astrologer Vidyasagar insists that she would get back with her husband Veerendra. Does anyone want to know what she wants? 
Chanda feels torn between the man she has fallen for and the family values that have been instilled in her. Will she ever find happiness? 
Buy @
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Meet the Author

Sundari Venkatraman has authored four ebooks so far, The Runaway Bridegroom being the latest. Three of her books, namely, The Malhotra Bride; Meghna and The Runaway Bridegroom have all been self-published on Amazon under the banner of Flaming Sun. All three books are regularly seen on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestsellers’ Contemporary Romances list. 
A great fan of Mills & Boon romances over the past four decades, Sundari has always believed in ‘Happily Ever Afters’ and all her books promise happy endings. 
The Runaway Bridegroom talks about ‘Child Marriage’, an evil perpetrated even in the 21st century in a country like India. While a large number of the country’s population live in the cities and lead modern lives, there are many who follow old customs unaware of the negative impact on the lives of the younger generation. 
The book is a work of fiction and of course does not preach. The author has but made an attempt to bring this ancient custom to the eyes of the modern public around the world while bringing a simple solution to the protagonists, the victims of child marriage. 
“I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I loved writing it,” says Sundari Venkatraman. 
You can stalk her @                              
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Blog Tour: LUCIFER'S LUNGI by Nitin Sawant

Lucifer's Lungiby Nitin Sawant



The Blurb
An atheist city-slicker unleashed on a medieval holy village...
A simpleton village priest's boy who blindly worships and guards a pantheon of Gods and Their traditions...

Strange things happen when their worlds collide!

This is a tale of that turmoil on a lonely night in a jungle, when the ghosts you never knew till a few hours ago are let loose on the ghosts that you always carried within, unknowingly.

Welcome to the unholy clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods and demons. A clash that will test your convictions. A clash that will rabidly claw and unmask your subconscious, leaving you naked and paralyzed in front of your demons - in a climax that is as ambiguous as it is certain...


Buy @
Amazon.com | Amazon.in | FlipKart | 
Watch It 




Meet the Publisher 


Fablery Publications is a contemporary publishing start-up based in Bangalore. "At Fablery, our focus is on bringing out books that are more in tune with the current reading habits. Our present portfolio includes a psycho-thriller novella “Lucifer’s Lungi”, two graphic novels “Subbu’s Code” and “Ka Kaa” to be launched at Bangalore Comic Con, along with a book adaptation of a National Award winning movie “Ri” and an anthology of historical fiction “Once Upon A Time”."



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Sharing: THE JOY OF GIVING WEEK 2014

Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s 145th birthday. Gandhiji said, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver”. The Joy of Giving Week was introduced in memory of the Father Of Our Nation from the year 2009.
Wikipedia says : 
The Joy of Giving Week (JGW) or Daan Utsav is a "festival of philanthropy" that aims to become a part of the Indian ethos, with the Week being celebrated every year covering Gandhi Jayanthi by engaging people through "acts of giving" - money, time, resources and skills - spanning the corporate, NGO and government sectors, schools, colleges and the general public.
I bring to you this mission brought together by the BMC to eradicate TB in Mumbai. I am proud to say that all my family members including me are donors under this scheme.
Mission for TB Control
I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you that Mumbai Mission for TB Control under the banner of BMC has launched a campaign for the Joy of Giving Week – 2nd to 8th October. The campaign entails adoption of TB patients for nutrition on a sustainable basis. They are trying to engage as many donors as possible who will support this program during the Joy of Giving Week.
There are 2500+ Drug Resistant TB patients that take medication from the TB treatment centres (DOTS) in Mumbai. The need of the hour is to improve the immunity of these patients by ensuring that they have access to daily nutrition. They have a support program in place that involves provision of nutrition to the patients.
The mission is looking at the following support from individual donors. The objective is to gather donors who can provide basic nutrition to the patients in the form of food essentials, on a prolonged monthly basis. This is called the ‘Patient Family Outreach Pack’.Patient Family Outreach Pack:1.       Dal (2 kg) @ Rs. 90 per kg2.       Rice (5 kg) @ Rs. 40 per kg3.       Edible Oil (1 lt) @ Rs. 110 per lt4.       Peanuts (1 kg) @ Rs. 140 per kg5.       Jaggery (1/2 kg) @ Rs. 30 per half kg6.       Salt (1 kg) @ Rs. 17 per kgThe above costs are approximate and for your reference only. The donor can purchase the pack from a wholesale vendor where the food essentials can be procured at a cheaper rate. The donor will be connected to a centre closest to their place of residence for convenience. One pack is given to one patient every month to take care of monthly nutrition needs. Donors are required to support this on a sustainable and long-term basis. This is a major need among the patients and is quite easy to implement.
Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is the Brand Ambassador for the TB Awareness Campaign. You can check out @SrBachchan’s tweet on the same. 
Any queries may be addressed to Vinitha Venkatraman at venkatvinitha@gmail.com  with "Mumbai Mission for TB Control" in the subject line.

Recipe: THATTAI

While I love fried snacks, I am not very good at making them. I keep learning recipes, try them and when the result is not too successful, I just lose interest. It was a lucky day for me when my sister Jayashree who had come here to Mumbai, went to meet her friend Vinaya living in the same city. Vinaya had made melt-in-the-mouth ‘thattais’ and had send a box full along with Jayu for us to taste. I fell in love with them and Jayu called her to get the recipe. So, it is thanks to Jayu and Vinaya that this recipe got tried and tested at my home and is being put up on my blog.


INGREDIENTS

Idli Rice – 1 cup (soaked for about 4 hours or longer)
Chutney Dal – ½ cup 
Urad Dal – ¼ cup 
Channa Dal – 2 tsp
Black Til – 1 tsp
Green Chillies – 3-4 
Curry leaves – 10 (torn to small pieces)
Asafoetida powder – 1 large pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying



METHOD

1. Soak channa dal and black til together in a cup of water.
2. Roast Urad dal till golden brown and allow it to cool down.
3. Grind Chutney Dal & Urad dal together to a smooth powder.
4. Wet grind the soaked rice along with green chillies and salt to a smooth paste – at least as smooth as possible.
5. Pour the ground rice paste in a vessel and add the dal powder to it. Add curry leaves; asafoetida and the soaked channa dal and black til. Mix well to make a tight dough. Make balls of the dough, the size of small lemons. 
6. Heat oil in a saucepan and keep the flame on medium once the oil it hot.
7. Flatten the dough balls into small thattais and fry them till golden brown. 

You can store the thattais in an air-tight container and they remain fresh for at least a week. They taste simply yummy, I promise you. They also make for a healthy snack with so many dals and black til too. 

*Don’t fry thattais in very hot oil as they turn limp after a few hours. They don’t remain crisp if you do it in a rush. 
**Chutney dal is different from Channa dal.

More recipes you will find useful this festive season

Click Here to find out how to make Karanji...

Click Here to learn how to make Sweet Appam...

Click Here to learn how to make Thengaai Boli (Puran Poli Tamil Nadu style)...

Click Here to find out how to make Gajar Halwa...

Click Here to learn how to make Rava Ladoo...

Click Here to find out how to make Ribbon Pakoda...

Click Here to learn how to make Godhumai Halwa (Wheat Halwa)...

Film Review: KHOOBSURAT (2014)

Sonam Kapoor suffers from OTT Syndrome 

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kirron Kher, Aamir Raza Hussain, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ashok Banthia, Cyrus Sahukar
Director: Shashanka Ghosh

I liked the promos and realising that it’s a romance, so wanted to see the film. No one in my family was keen and my friend Pooja was too busy. That’s when I decided to catch the 4.45 pm show yesterday all by myself at Cinemax Sion.

THE STORY

It’s loosely based on Rekha’s Khoobsurat in that it’s about a lively chatterbox landing amidst a serious family. The resemblance ends there.

Dr. Mrinalini aka Mili (Sonam Kapoor) is a physiotherapist for the IPL team. She comes highly recommended and is employed by Rani Nirmala Devi Rathore (Ratna Pathak Shah) to help her husband Raja Shekhar Singh Rathore (Aamir Raza Hussain) who’s been tied to his wheelchair for the last ten years. 

While the Raja’s household is stiff with formality, Mili is as informal as they come. She’s from a fun-loving household of a Punjabi mother Manju (Kirron Kher) and a Bengali father. From the second she steps into the royal palace, it’s like an elephant let into a China shop, literally. 

Prince Vikram Singh Rathore (Fawad Khan) is engaged to Kiara (Aditi Rao Hydari) in an arranged match. Then there is young Princess Divya (Simran Jehani) who wants to become a Bollywood actress. 

While doing her utmost to persuade the depressed Raja to walk, Mili falls in love with Vikram. It’s a hopeless scenario as he is as stiff-necked as his mother and wouldn’t dream of breaking his engagement despite being attracted to Mili. Will Mili ever find happiness?

MY PERCEPTION

The film is an out and out romance. Set in the heart of Rajasthan, the palaces shown in the film are Amber Palace and the Queens’ Winter Palace at Jaipur - places that I had recently visited. I was quite excited with the setting, although this has no reflection on the star rating that I have given the film. 

Newcomer Fawad Khan from Pakistan looks handsome and can act too. He has expressive eyes and fits the part of the stiff-necked Prince perfectly. He has done a very good job of changing slowly into a man in love. One of the scenes I liked best was when he goes to meet his father. Both have moved too far apart and have never had a normal father-son conversation. He’s so stiff and formal with his father and utters a few words in the sense of duty. Superbly done! The smooching scene between Fawad Khan and Sonam Kapoor is super-hot and fits well into the film. Applause!

Ratna Pathak Shah as Rani Nirmala Devi is royalty personified. But then, the role is not much different from her role in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. She has, of course, performed very well. 

Aamir Raza Hussain as Raja Shekhar Singh has also done a good job in his role as the bitter king who has let go of everything since his elder son’s death by accident. Aditi Rao Hydari appears in just two scenes and simply looks gorgeous. 

Kirron Kher as Punjabi mother Manju has come in similar roles. She fits the role perfectly and is very good.

Now for the heroine! Sonam Kapoor is young, tall, slim and good-looking. She can act too. Then what is it that puts one off while watching her films? My son and daughter refused to come with me to the film because she was starring in it. I felt quite bad. But then, after watching the movie and recalling a few other films that I have seen of hers, I could understand their point of view.

I have seen Sonam Kapoor paying a lot of attention (way too much) to her clothes and accessories in her films, many-a-time to the point of idiocy. There are films in which she is an ordinary working woman wearing high-end brands. Quite difficult to swallow! Well, in this film, she has gone to the other extreme or maybe I don’t know much about fashion. She has fallen over backwards to appear modern or informal or what the hell I don’t quite know. What I could see was that she looked like a buffoon. For crying out loud, she’s a doctor in the film. I am not suggesting that a doctor should be formal. But there is a certain kind of dress sense one expects from a woman who must be at least in her late 20s. Sonam dresses like a girl in her teens. Some of those clothes were such that many youngsters I know wouldn’t want to be seen dead in. Why? 

My dear Sonam Kapoor,

With a little bit of sensitivity and commitment, you surely can get over the Over The Top (OTT) Syndrome that you have been portraying in your films. That will go a long way in making you and your films a greater success. 

All the best!

Yours truly. 

VERDICT: It’s a fun romance in a colourful setting. Yes, Sonam Kapoor is at her OTT best, but the others are very good. Watch at your own risk!



*Silly
**Shaky
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*****Super

Film Review: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

Hiccup riding on Toothless in How To Train Your DragonThe best animated film that I have seen!

Genre: Animation
Voices: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller, Kristen Wiig
Director: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Viggy and I have watched this animated film many times on TV and it has always left me completely happy. I was super-thrilled when Viggy downloaded How To Train Your Dragon on our PC and that too an awesome print. We watched it yet again last week. 

THE STORY

All the people from the many Viking villages have left for good unable to put up with the dragon menace. But the tenacious Vikings of Berk Island refuse to leave. They decide to fight the dragons and eke out a tough living. Young Hiccup is the village Chieftain’s son. While kids from other families train to slay dragons at a very young age, Hiccup is too timid to face the fire-breathers. 

It is quite by chance Hiccup brings down the Night Fury, one of the fiercest dragons, breaking a part of its tail wing. This heart-warming tale goes on to show how Hiccup and Night Fury, named Toothless, become the best of friends as Hiccup learns to conquer his fear and goes on to become a hero. 

MY PERCEPTION

This is the most awesome animated film that I have ever seen. Hiccup is very endearing and Toothless more so. While the fierce Vikings fight their way through life, Hiccup teaches them how to befriend dragons and make use of them to help in their lives. 

The scenes are presented beautifully – at the chief’s home; the blacksmith’s workshop; the ships at sea; the youngsters learning to fight different types of dragons; Hiccup bungling his way through the training sessions but turning up Aces every time – you name it and the scene touches your heart. 

The finale is quite nail-biting and keeps one screaming for more. 

VERDICT: I loved this one. If you like animation and stories of love and valour, then this one is definitely for you. 


*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
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*****Super

Blog Tour: “MEGHNA” REVIEWS from The Book Club members

This "THANK YOU" blog has been long overdue. I would like to thank each and every person who has come forward to read and review my novel Meghna on their blogs. 
ONE
Sumeetha ManikandanI met Sumeetha through Indireads, the publishers of both our novels. Sumeetha is also a member of The Book Club and is a regular reader of my novels. Thank you Sumeetha for the wonderful review of my book Meghna!

About Sumeetha Manikandan:

"Sumeetha Manikandan, a freelance content writer is an English literature graduate with a journalism and mass communication diploma. She lives in Chennai with her husband and daughter. After a decade long career in dotcom industry, she started working as a content writer from home. She wrote her debut novel, ‘The Perfect Groom’ as a script for a serial, which she converted into a novella for Indireads."

Sumeetha reviews Meghna:

Sundari Venkatraman is an anomaly among today’s self publishing authors. In my experience, most of the self-published books are badly edited with a shoddy plot line and not to mention bad language but Sundari’s books stand out brilliant amidst huge slush pile of bad books. Meghna is a hot romance and as the author herself mentioned, it is meant for complete entertainment. Needless to say, it delivers its promise.

Click Here to read the complete review...

TWO
Meghan DuceIt was a lucky day when I contacted Meghan Duce and requested her to review Meghna. What struck the lady was the name of my book as it sounded so similar to her own. Not very fond of romances, Meghan still showed a lot of enthusiasm for reading and reviewing my book. Thank you so much Meghan Duce for that awesome and detailed review! 

About Meghan Duce in her own words:

“I am a woman of many passions and goals! I am a mother and I am a survivor! I have been through a lot in my life, and my goal is to give what I have learned to other women who have walked the same path. I pray that we all be free from suffering, and if I can ease it for anyone, then it’s a job well done.”

Meghan’s review of Meghna:

I liked the suspense and drama between Meghna and Rahul because you never quite know till the end whether they are gonna make it or not.  Plus their love is so innocent and naive, because in life they both only wanted each other...never anyone else. They also make some pretty hilarious comments towards each other!!

Click Here to read the complete review...

THREE
Ahana MukherjeeI met Ahana Mukherjee through The Book Club. I felt very happy when she showed interest in reading and reviewing my book. Thank you Ahana for thE positive and encouraging review!

About Ahana Mukherjee in her own words:

“An avid reader, can read whatever I lay my hands on but I think as I am growing old I am gravitating towards lighter reading. I also like travelling. I have been to a few places but the the world is so huge and with so many many beautiful places to visit and new things to see and experience, this life time will be not be enough to explore all. And last but not the least I am a movie fanatic. I am not just interested in movies made in Bollywood and Hollywood but everywhere around the world and in any language. After watching so many of them I do think Hollywood movies are over rated, there are so many other world movies to catch up with.”

Ahana’s review of Meghna:

Meghna is an out and out entertaining book. A Bollywood style rom com with a cute, innocent heroine; suave and wealthy hero; a scheming mother; lusty colleague and a sexy trying hard to be wife, vamp. Sundari Venkatraman has cooked up a masala story with a flavor for all palates with her latest book Meghna.

Click Here to read the complete review...

FOUR
Aditi SahaAditi Saha won my book The Malhotra Bride during the Tornado Giveaway conducted by The Book Club and gave it an awesome review. That’s when I requested this #1 Goodreads Indian reviewer to read and review Meghna too. I was thrilled when she agreed immediately. Thank you so much Aditi for the awesome review of Meghna!

About Aditi Saha in her own words:

“I am a software-engineer by profession and a book-lover by passion! Why I love fiction? In a recent interview, Ruskin Bond, my favorite author, has been asked the same question, he replied: "It makes one understand life better, be philosophical about it. Take the ups and downs of life more easily because if you are reading good books—I am talking about fiction—you learn so much about human nature and the difficulties that people might encounter. It helps you to be more sensitive to others." I'm a reader..end of story!!..I read as much as possible and review as much as I like. All credit goes to Good reads for turning my passion for books into an obsession. I'm an online shopaholic, animal-lover, in-love with the weekends, and sucker for all kinds of stupid TV Series. In short, living my life as much as possible.”

Aditi’s review of Meghna:

MEGHNA by Sundari Venkatraman, is another coming-age Bollywood-style love-story, which will leave you happy, amused and totally full-on "ENTERTAINED"!

Click Here to read the complete review...

FIVE
Pooja AbhayI met Pooja Abhay through The Book Club and was quite thrilled when she showed interest in reading and reviewing Meghna. Thank you so much Pooja for the lovely review of my book! 

About Pooja Abhay:

“I am Pooja. I was born in Sirsi (a small yet beautiful town in the Western Ghat region in Karnataka) and was brought up in Bangalore. Currently, I reside in Oceanside, California with my husband, Abhay.

Back in Bangalore, having completed my masters in Biochemistry, I worked as a Scientific Analyst in an Insilico Discovery based company. Currently, I am a full time blogger.

“Thoughtless Ramifications…” was started around 4 years ago as a personal blog on blogspot. However, I decided to take it a notch higher and bought my own domain “poojaabhay.com”. Most of the posts that are published here are my own life’s anecdotes. However, I also do book reviews on a regular basis. You can also find that I have pages called “Pooja’s Café” and “Being Silly”, one being my food blog and the other being a cartoon page that I have on Facebook, where I make husband-wife cartoons using Bitstrips.”

Pooja reviews Meghna:

There comes a time when nostalgia knocks on the door and sometimes, it knocks very hard. Well, this is what happened when I finished reading Sundari’s book Meghna. It took me back to my school and college days where I was a sucker for “happily ever-afters”. The equation hasn’t changed much, but now that I read more and more genres, this book was like a flash back into the good old times.

Click Here to read the complete review...

SIX
Ruchira KhannaI met Ruchira Khanna via The Book Club and was very happy when she came forward to read and review my book. Thank you so much for the lovely review Ruchira!

About Ruchira Khanna:

Ruchira says, “Just another soul trying to make a difference in this lifetime by juggling between my passion and responsibilities.”

A Biochemist turned Writer who draws inspiration from various sources and tries to pen them down to create awareness within her and the society. Recently published a novel, which peeps into every one's daily life named, "Choices" She is working on a children's book, which should be out this year.

A Reiki Master in her spare time where she passes out information about channelling universal energy and conducts sessions.

Ruchira reviews Meghna:

The author does a good job in delivering the characters’ deep sentiments with regards to their thoughts, reflections, and understanding from what they each want from a relationship.

Click Here to read the complete review...

SEVEN
Shilpa GargI met Shilpa Garg via Write Tribe when she offered to read and review Double Jeopardy. I am glad that she showed interest in reading and reviewing Meghna too. Thank you Shilpa for the awesome review!

About Shilpa Garg:

"Shilpa Garg is a blogger from the Pink City of India who is passionate about the written words, sweets and beautiful conversations that happen over a mug of tea. She loves writing micro fiction, book reviews and general observations of life, things and circumstances on her blog, A rose is a rose is a rose! Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Google+."

Shilpa reviews Meghna: 

The overall story is good, the sizzle is nicely done and the climax is delightful. A vivid, rich, descriptive style with not a single dull moment in the story, the author manages to keeps you engrossed in either sweet romance or high emotional drama.

Click Here to read the complete review...

EIGHT
Nilima MohiteI have known Nilima Kadam Mohite for a few years now since I met her at Web18 where we both worked together. Thank you so much Nilima for taking the time out from your extra busy schedule to read and review my book. 

About Nilima Mohite:

Nilima is a software engineer who was holding a full time job with www.rediff.com when she reviewed Meghna. As on today, she’s taking a break. Nilima is married and lives in a joint family and is mother to little Pranav. 

Nilima reviews Meghna: 

Rahul is the fast, nimble minded young member of the board for a bank. He is quick, intelligent, has a knack for making people agree to his ideas, generous, caring, gentleman-types, added to this, he is drool worthy, an eligible bachelor, millionaire... but still single.
Reason: Meghna, the grey-lightning eyed sister of his best friend Sanjay whose mother embraced Rahul as her own son.

Click Here to read the complete review...

NINE
Jaibala RaoI got introduced to Jaibala Rao via The Book Club. Thank you Jaibala for taking the time to read and review my book!

About Jaibala Rao in her own words:

"Although new to professional writing and reviewing, Jaibala has lived in a world of books ever since she could read. Outside that Utopia of books, she is academically a Microbiologist and professionally has been an Event Manger and Content Writer. Just like her colourful professional background her interest in books is also spread across various genres. “There is something good in every book,” is a belief she carries while reading."

Jaibala’s review of Meghna:

True to its genre, and full of all possible problems that the lovers have to face before realizing their love for each other and it ends in a happily ever after. True to her word, the language of the story is simple and perfect and the book is well edited and proof read.

Click Here to read the complete review...

TEN
Yamini VijendranI met Yamini Vijendran via Indireads as we both published our debut novellas through the publisher. Thank you Yamini for your constructive review of Meghna!

About Yamini Vijendran:

"Yamini Vijendran is the author of ‘Full Circle’, a romance novella published by Indireads. After being a Software Professional for 7 years, Yamini has been freelancing from home for the past 3 years. She loves to dabble in fiction and romance and drama are her favorite genres. Her short stories have been published in ‘Love Stories That Touched My Heart’, an Anthology published by Penguin India, New Asian Writing and Six Sentences. Yamini also likes to pen poems when inspiration strikes, and her poetry has been published in The Indian Review, Contemporary Literary Review of India and ‘A World Rediscovered’ a poetry Anthology by Cyberwit Publications. Yamini draws material for her stories and poems from the world around her. When she is not converting her experiences to stories or poems, Yamini reads, plays with her toddler, and fools around her laboratory, that is, the kitchen."

Yamini reviews Meghna:

Sundari is one of the most talented writers I have had the privilege of interacting with through my writers’ network. I read her Double Jeopardy, published by Indireads, and enjoyed it. What stands out in her writing in the crackling style. There is never a dull moment, and the words bring out rich flavors and vibrant hues of romance and drama. It is, to let the foodie in me get the better of me, like an authentic spicy Hyderabadi Biryani, which makes your eyes water but you just can’t stop eating. Meghna is no different. Right from the first page till the last, the book is packed with all the flavors of romance. Sizzling – if I were to describe it in one word. 

Click Here for the complete review...

ELEVEN
Archana KBArchana offered to read and review my book on behalf of The Book Club. Thank you so much Archana for the lovely review of Meghna!

About Archana KB in her own words:

“My name is Archana K B residing in Bangalore with husband, RK and daughter Nayana. I did work in Software Testing in Chennai before resigning after marriage. At present, I am on the path of rediscovering my identity and career through photography, writing and other interests and dreams of being popular, creative, productive superwoman one day…”

Archana reviews Meghna:

The dialogues, full of tongue-in-cheek comebacks were quite different from the romantic clichéd ones. The writing style of the author is somewhat old-fashioned and laced with heavy influence of the Bollywood movies, but that’s what I loved in the book!

Click Here to read the complete review...

Blog Tour: HELPLINE By Uday Mane

Helpline
by Uday Mane
My Review
The story is about Samir, the son of a rich politician father. Samir learns his values from his Nana and appears to have a lovely life until he turns fifteen and Nana passes away. But his luck continues to hold till his meeting with Neha at college. She’s a wonderful friend who stands by him through rain or shine. And then there is lovely Riya and her brother Siddartha, who suffers from Down’s Syndrome. One can say Samir is lucky to be surrounded by lovely people, but then the carpet is pulled from under his feet and he turns suicidal. How much ever Neha tries to help him, Samir refuses to help himself. Read the story to find out what happens to Samir when he contacts a suicide Helpline.
The story has its heart in the right place. It talks of a young man who is forced to study Engineering while he hates it. He wants to become a writer but that’s completely unacceptable to his father. But Nana had told him he could be anything he wanted to. Torn in different directions, Samir has a tough time until Riya comes back into his life only to tell him after a few months that she’s going abroad for a couple of years. Samir is shattered. 
I liked the two short stories that Samir writes - The Joker & The Prince of Aramadia. Surprisingly, both these stories are perfectly written and make complete sense. They portray the talent of a budding writer perfectly. 
Siddartha’s character with Down’s Syndrome has been sketched extremely well and the scenes surrounding the home for disabled children run by Nana has been presented with great care. 
This is Uday Mane’s first book and I realise that the author probably wanted to say a lot. A strong editing hand would have put paid to one-third of the pages in the book and made the plot much tighter and a way more interesting read. 
Then there are the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that have not been taken care of. I suppose one can’t blame the author for the same and it’s up to the publishing house to ensure that the book is perfectly presented. 
I was impressed by the following paragraph in the book:
“I wish for a house by the sea,” she answered almost immediately. “Far away from the city honks and horns; where the only sound is that of curtains dancing to the tunes of a strong breeze; where I can stroll on the beach after a delightful meal, not worrying about returning to unworldly demands; where I can walk bare feet, feel the sand grains between my fingers and the cold water kiss my feet, where there is wind, water and the sound of it for miles to come. I wish to be in that moment.” 
Helpline by Uday Mane is a story that touches your heart. 
Disclaimer: I received a hard copy (paperback) of Helpline from the author in return for my honest review as part of the Blog Tour conducted by The Book Club 



The Blurb
Samir is suicidal. Rachael works for a suicide helpline. Fate connects them through a phone call. And so begins Samir’s story of love, longing, errors, regret and a girl who changed his life. As his story reaches its conclusion, Rachael will know the true reason behind his suicidal tendencies. But this suicide helpline is not any ordinary service. There is more to the mysterious and yet so convincing voice of Rachael. As this new mystery begins to unfold, Samir is going to discover three things: 

What is The Helpline? 
Who is Rachael? 
What is Samir’s own identity? 

Every year, several teenagers in India attempt suicide because of failing relationships, dwindling careers, parental pressure or the competitive world. This story is about one such teenager, his early problems and the hurdles to cope with them. This story is about finding hope in the struggle. This story is about fighting for what you believe in and discovering your true identity. This is not a story about falling in love. This is a story of rising from a failed love story.
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Meet the Author

Uday Mane was born in Pune and raised in Mumbai. He works as a marketing professional during the day and a storyteller during the night. He is an avid reader, and loves to collect classic books. 
The Helpline is his debut novel that was launched in March 2014 at the hands of Padma Shri Paresh Rawal




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