31 August 2022

#BookReview The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

About The Book

The white tiger of this novel is Balram Halwai, a poor Indian villager whose great ambition leads him to the zenith of Indian business culture, the world of the Bangalore entrepreneur.

On the occasion of the president of China’s impending trip to Bangalore, Balram writes a letter to him describing his transformation and his experience as a driver and servant to a wealthy Indian family, which he thinks exemplifies the contradictions and complications of Indian society.

My Thoughts

I have read this book long back. Initially, I liked the book. However, when I read this recently, I didn’t like it. Overall the book seems really pretentious.

As the main characters are a concern, they are written without any depth. Balram was annoying to the point where I felt like stop reading. He is disengaged and pretentious. It seems like his activities are being justified on a constant basis. Overall the book feels like a strange depiction of half-baked characters.

To be very honest I really don’t like people trying to exploit poor India, portraying it as the real India.

Overall, it is an ok read.

Book Links

Amazon India | Amazon USA

About the Author

Aravind Adiga was born in 1974 in Madras and grew up in Mangalore. He was educated at Columbia University in New York and Magdalen College, University of Oxford. 

His articles have appeared in publications such as the New Yorker, the Sunday Times, Financial Times, and The Times of India. His first novel, The White Tiger, won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. His second novel, Last Man in Tower, was published in 2011.

Author on the Web

Website |  Facebook | Twitter



24 August 2022

#BookReview Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat

About The Book

Once upon a time, in small-town India, there lived two intelligent boys.

One wanted to use his intelligence to make money.

One wanted to use his intelligence to start a revolution.

The problem was, they both loved the same girl.

Welcome to Revolution 2020, a story about childhood friends Gopal and Raghav, who struggle to find success and love in Varanasi. While Gopal gives in to the system, Raghav tries to fight it—but who will win?

My Thoughts

Sometime back there was a rumor that this book is also going to turn into a feature film. Thanks to God, this didn’t happen.

The story is average at best.

As per the characters are concerns, Raghav character is less developed. There are times I felt, he is just there to give a contrast to Gopal’s character.

The author gave his best to Gopal and tries to make him a believable character. Chetan Bhagat signature style is to make everything filmy and Gopal’s character is also a victim of the same trope.

Overall, this book is better than Half Girlfriend and a one-time read.

Book Links

Amazon India | Amazon USA

About the Author

Chetan Bhagat is the author of five blockbuster novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of life (2008), 2 States (2009), and Revolution 2020 (2011). 

The New York Times called Chetan the biggest selling English language novelist in India's history. Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

He lives in Mumbai with his wife Anusha, an ex-classmate from IIMA, and his twin boys Shyam and Ishaan.

Author on the Web

Website | Email | InstagramFacebook | Twitter  



17 August 2022

#BookReview Operation Turquoise by Rani Ramakrishnan #TheMavericks1 @author_rani

About The Book

One is a brave soldier, the other a deadly terrorist. A camera will decide which man survives.

The Major is a seasoned field agent, and neutralizing a target is routine for him. But everything about Operation Turquoise, from the target to the weapon, is disturbingly unconventional. 

The Poet has a way with words—and warfare. His voice echoes in thousands of homes worldwide, yet few have ever seen him. Endowed with a sharp mind and evil intent, the Poet has orchestrated many spectacular terror attacks in Asia and Africa. 

Ridden with risks, Operation Turquoise will bring the two men head to head—and only one will survive.

My Thoughts

I am a thriller junkie when it comes to movies and TV shows. I love those plots where the hero is saving the world by killing terrorists. One of my favourite all-time guilty pleasures is ‘White House Down”.

However, when it comes to thriller books, I have my reservations due to the lack of visual effect (obviously it is different in books from tv & movies where everything depends on the author’s narrative style that helps the readers to create the images in their minds while reading).

Also, usually plots like these depend more on the action rather than the storyline, hence they become very predictable.

Operation Turquoise overcomes both issues with ease. The writing is to the point, crisp, and able to stimulate my “Neocortex and thalamus” to visualize.

Now the best part of the book is that there is a solid story, which is so rare nowadays in most books, shows and movies. At one point, I thought the story is predictable; however, the author had something different in mind.

As it is a very short read, we don’t get to know much about any of the characters, however, they are so well introduced that I am eager to know more about them. 

I hope author Rani Ramakrishnan writes a prequel for this book because I am just dying to know more about “Poet”.

Overall, this book is a blast start to a brilliant series (at least I hope there will be a series, or else I am disappointed). I would definitely like to read more books by Rani Ramakrishnan.

Book Links

Amazon India | Amazon USA

About the Author

Rani Ramakrishnan is from Coimbatore, a beautiful city in Tamil Nadu, India. She speaks four languages, can read two and writes in one. Her interests range from current affairs to fitness and she can be counted on to have an opinion about everything. She loves spending time with her family, including a pet dog and two cats.

Books have been her companion since the fifth grade but she began writing fiction years later. She prefers to read fast-paced suspense novels and all kinds of non-fiction. She pens thrillers that disrupt the status quo. Her first novel is titled Twice Blessed (A Spirited Thriller about a Scandalous Truth).

Author On the Web

WebsiteInstagram| Facebook | Twitter 


10 August 2022

#BookLove The Story of My Life by Helen Keller


About The Book

Helen Keller's autobiography takes us through the childhood and early life of a woman who was to become one of the United States' most celebrated activists and lecturers.

The Story of My Life demonstrates that no person need to be left behind. Helen Keller's parents are praised in the book for their steely determination to secure their daughter a life to be proud of; through sheer grit and persistence.

Detailing her experiences from childhood till the age of twenty-one and the beautiful relationship she shared with Anne Sullivan, her governess, and companion. The Story of My Life is an engaging account of Helen Keller’s growing-up years.

A timeless chronicle, it continues to inspire its readers for more than a century.

My Thoughts

#WomensEqualityDay "Men are never so absurd as when they urge the inferiority of women." -Helen Keller.

I am literally nobody to review this book. Hence all I am going to do is show my love for it and tell you how this book makes me feel.

The struggle Helen Keller can be compared with nothing. She is fighting from the moment she was born. She learned around 60 signals to communicate with her love once.

Alexander Graham Bell suggested hiring a trainer for Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan was sent. Anne Sullivan became the new hope for Helen Keller. Anne was also visually challenged and started training Helen Keller. And this was the time Helen got to know about a world she was unaware of, language and everything has a name associated with it.

Later Helen Keller became the first visually and auditory challenged woman to clear B.A. exam in America.

The only word to describe this book is “INSPIRATION”.

Please do read this book.

Book Links

Amazon India | Amazon USA

About the Author

Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.  Her birthplace in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, is now a museum[1] and sponsors an annual "Helen Keller Day". 

Her June 27 birthday is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in Pennsylvania and, in the centenary year of her birth, was recognized by a presidential proclamation from Jimmy Carter. She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971 and was one of twelve inaugural inductees to the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame on June 8, 2015.

Author on the Web

Wikipedia



04 August 2022

Once Upon a Scandal by Shilpa Suraj --- @ShilpaAuthor @BookReviewTours

 

 


A moment of passion, a devastating scandal and a marriage between sworn enemies...



Aakash Thakkar knows his path. Family, duty, responsibility, tradition. His path does not lead to madness, chaos, wild passionate steamy nights, and her. Or so he tells himself.
Kanak Shourie lives for the present. Friends, fun, work, life. Her present does not include the weight of other people's judgement, stuffy societal mores, discovering desire with uptight businessmen, and him. She refuses to believe otherwise.
What happens when the one you hate is the only one you want? What happens when you try to right a wrong but end up in something that feels more right than anything ever has?
Can Aakash and Kanak bury a lifetime of distrust and forge a life together? Or will the reasons that had them battling each other for years bury their tentative new beginning?




Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com

Read an Excerpt from Once Upon a Scandal


She blinked at him. 

A sharp pang of amusement sliced through him at the sight of her stunned expression. It wasn’t often that Kanak was rendered speechless, and he meant to enjoy the moment for as long as it lasted. 

“Are you insane?” 

Five seconds. Well, it was five priceless seconds. He grinned. 

“What are you smiling about, you lunatic?” Kanak gaped at him. 

Her auburn hair glinted in the evening sunlight filtering through the window behind her. It made her look sophisticated, chic and poised. Strangely, he missed the purple and blue punk rocker look she usually sported. 

“Can we sit down?” he asked, gesturing to the lumpy sofa in the corner. It looked well worn, well loved, and rather well manhandled. 

Kanak didn’t move. She just continued to gawk at him like he’d grown a pair of horns. So, Aakash walked past her and sat down, hoping she’d follow. Something sharp and hard jabbed him in the butt. He sprang up again, pulling a metal back scratcher out of the depths of the brown monstrosity. 

“Oh,” Kanak mumbled. “That’s where that was.” 

“Of course,” Aakash replied, drily. “That’s where everyone stores their sharp objects. Under the cushions of their sofa.” 

Kanak just stared blankly at the back scratcher he handed her. And then…

“I need some wine,” she said, abruptly. 

“It’s only six in the evening.” 

Kanak stopped midstride and looked at him over her shoulder. “You just asked me to marry you.” 

Aakash considered that. “Bring two glasses.”

“I’m bringing the whole fucking bottle,” she informed him before marching over to the fridge. 


About the Author:


Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.


Contact the Author:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Newsletter



03 August 2022

#BookLove Maitreya Jatak by Bani Basu

About The Book

The book describes a complex story of passion, intellect, love, religion, and politics in the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha 600 BCE – 413 BCE during the time of King Bimbisara.

The storyline opens with a prince with immense power and intellect who was about to change mankind with the help of Bimbisara. His name is Gautama Buddha.

The book depicts a remarkable time of history in the Indian subcontinent. The culture, wealth, power, and administration of Magadha were probably among the best in the world.

The Indian Magadha confederacy is one of the world’s oldest democracies. The King was powerful but the council was even more! And begins a historical power struggle.

My Thoughts

This book is my love affair with literature and history (I never liked history and the book made me fall in love with the time period when the book was written).

God, I can’t express my love for this, book, its narration, its pace, its language, its character development, and everything.

This book is the perfect example of the hidden gems written in regional language. This book is a painting.

If this book was in English – it could have easily won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction and many more.

Book Links

Amazon India 

About the Author

Bani Basu (born 11 March 193 is a prolific Bengali Indian author, essayist, critic, poet, translator, and professor.

She received her formal education from the well-known Lady Brabourne College, Scottish Church College and at the University of Calcutta where she received M.A. in English.

She was awarded the Tarashankar Award for Antarghāt (Treason), and the Ananda Purashkar for Maitreya Jātak. She is also the recipient of the Sushila Devi Birla Award and the Sahitya Setu Puraskar. In 2010 she was awarded Sahitya Academy for her contributions to Bengali literature.

Author on the Web

Wikipedia