Book Review – A Time To Burnish – by Radhika Nathan

Are we fully aware of the history of the place that we live in?? We might live in any Country and each one has its own culture weaved beautifully..At times, we take things for granted and most of us never fully understand the significance of our own past glory…In this book, the Author talks about archaeological  and historical beauty of our Country in interesting way and it’s not boring!!!

Tom Winslow, who works in a museum is deeply interested in culture and history of India..He receives a Nataraja idol and is intrigued by its connection to Chola period..As he is confined to a wheel chair, he asks his brother Josh Winslow to explore the idol’s origin..Josh doesn’t care much about old idol and reluctantly visits India to help his brother..Tom also asks Vidya Thyagarajan, his friend from Chennai to help Josh..Whether Josh and Vidya find out the true origin of the idol or not, makes this story an interesting read!!

Author has explained the feelings of Josh in a beautiful manner…The way he feels when he first lands in Chennai and the experiences which transform his beliefs in the end are penned clearly by the Author..Further, the characterization of Vidya, is also good and her relationship with her father is interesting..Josh’s love for his brother in spite of many differences is refreshing to read..Romance between Josh and Vidya has been depicted well by the author..

This book is a mixture of love and mystery in background of art and history..It is interesting and engaging to read!!!

My rating for this book is 4/5.

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Book Review – If You Only Knew Me – by Divyata Rajaram

Do we really and fully know about a person who is close to us?? That person might be anybody – Our family, friends or co-workers, neighbors, etc..In this book, Author explains about how difficult it is to fully understand a person in our life..

We, human beings, are full of surprises and we may have our own dark secrets which we don’t easily  reveal to others..It is difficult to trust a person completely as appearances may be deceptive..

Rupali, Anjali, Dipika, Sakina and Monica are five NRI women who are close friends living in Dubai..Their lives are exciting with a rich lifestyle and they love spending time with each other..All of them have some problems and they think that they can depend on each other during uncertain times..

But fate plays a cruel role and a grave tragedy happens to one of them..Others are totally  shocked and worried a lot..An investigation to this  tragedy by police opens up a bag of ugly secrets which makes their life totally miserable..Trust is completely broken and they are confused as they can’t believe each other..They realize that they have been cheated totally..What happens next  and whether they overcome their problems or not makes this story worth reading..Author had explained the individual lives and relationship of these five friends in detail..Further, many details about various places in Dubai is also interesting to read..

Overall, this book is a good and an interesting read.. A small  suspense and thrilling factor engages the reader a lot…I enjoyed reading this book…

My rating is 4/5.

Book Review – Mango People in Banana Republic – by Vishak Shakti

Before I started reading this book, I was intrigued by it’s title and also cover.. When I finished reading, I felt that Author’s narration of story and characterization has made this book a very interesting and a good read!!!

Ravi Bhalerao works as a Strategy Consultant in one of the bigger firms and  he feels that his life is purposeless and boring..He realizes that he misses something vital in life and he also suffers from severe physical pain due to anal fistula..His physical pain and office politics makes him fully depressed and he quits his job..He travels to new places seeking answers to numerous questions..He is worried on seeing the poor status of farmers in his village and he tries hard to help them..This leads him to cross paths with activists, political parties, maoists, communists and spiritualists..Whether he finally gets answers and the way he gets transformed in the end makes this book an engaging read..

Anand Reddy, a former NASA scientist, comes to India on a spiritual quest..He visits various ashrams in search of true realization and liberation..He finally realizes that everything is within an individual and it requires greater sacrifice to achieve his wishes.. Author had told this story through  Ravi and Anand..The way both these characters meet is interesting..

Author explains about various problems faced by farmers and also politics in our country..Many politicians, activists have their own understanding of core issues and they believe that only they can provide solutions!!!! But in the end, problems are not solved and it becomes complicated..

This story revolves around lives of Ravi, Anand and Author talks about important issues in our country with humour, sattire and  also about role of spirituality and self realization in life..

Overall, I feel that this book is a good, interesting and an engaging read and  I enjoyed reading it!!!

My rating for this book is 4/5.

Book Review – The Game Of Secrets – by Saurish Hegde

In this book, Author talks about the life of a young oncologist Nishanth shetty…Nishanth’s father Dr.Vittal, famous oncologist, manages a chain of hospitals in Mangalore and also in other cities..Nishanth loves his profession and he wants to help needy people a lot..So, he joins Politics along with his friend Kashyap and decides to form a new political party..He supports Kashyap in his political activities and faces problems from Adishakthi and Dhanush, who belong to another rival political party..

Further, he meets  Navya at first time in a party and is madly in love with her..He is very serious about their relationship, but a call from Dr.Ramdas,a scientist, changes everything in his life..Nishanth respects Dr.Ramdas a lot for his knowledge in the field of science..Dr.Ramdas asks Nishanth’s help in a research which is very vital for mankind..Nishanth accepts the offer and he starts helping him in his research..

Ramdas and Nishanth are  happy due to positive outcome of their research..But, Nishanth suddenly  gets a phone call from a stranger who asks him about research and warns him of serious consequences if he didn’t share details about his research..Both Ramdas and Nishanth are shocked and confused and they also face problems from Adishakthi…They don’t know about their enemy and are worried and they couldn’t believe anyone..What happens next makes this story interesting to read..

I liked reading this story but I personally feel that this book could have been edited and proofreaded better…Author’s narration of the story was good, but I feel that some characters could have been portrayed better..

My rating for this book is 3.5/5.

Book Review – Small is Big: A collection of 100 micro tales – by Rafaa Dalvi

This book is a collection of 100 micro tales of different genres..I  feel that it’s difficult for an Author to write a story within 140 characters (It’s my personal opinion)..So, when I started reading this book, I was amazed at how the Author had written all these stories..There is so much said and also not said at the same time and as a reader, I liked imagining about the flow of these stories..

Author had written about diverse topics – Love, relationships, thriller, humor,horror mystery and loss.. I liked all stories but my personal favorites are  – Always, Barren,Busy, Birthday special, Compliment, Confiscate,Contest,Cry, Gift, Grasp, Last, Liberated,Manage,Management,Missing,Murder,Saw, Tell, The Memorial,Trapped and Trust.

This book is a quick, interesting and a  good read..

My rating is 4/5.

Book Review – When the Chief fell in Love – by Tuhin A Sinha

This story starts with a terrorist attack at an army camp in Kashmir during 2016 in which eighteen people are killed..Vihaan Shastri, Defence minister, takes steps to counter the terrorist attack..During this tense situation, he is surprised when fate brings back Zaira Bhat, his lover, back in his life again after many years..

Author explains about how Vihaan meets Zaira for the first time during 1990’s..It was love at first sight for Vihaan and he was strangely attracted towards her..Zaira was deeply hurt due to some incidents in her past and  not ready to reciprocate his feelings..Vihaan tries hard to win her heart and he succeeds finally..But, Zaira breaks up with him and their lives change a lot..After some years, Vihaan marries Ritu and he loves their daughter Tia deeply..He is a journalist and is interested in joining active politics..He realizes that Ritu is not trustworthy and their marriage is just a marriage of convenience..Zaira also has problems with her husband Aziz..Both Vihaan and Zaira meet again during 2003..But fate plays in their life again..

Vihaan meets Zaira again in 2016 during her book launch when he is Defence Minister of India…Zaira’s father Bilal Mohammad Bhat, a business man in Kashmir, becomes a supporter to Pakistan and this complicates Vihaan’s political career and his personal life a lot..What happens next makes this story interesting to read..

Author talks about the way Vihaan tries to change the situation in Kashmir..To be honest, I don’t know more about the unrest situation, politics and history of Kashmir..Though the solution to problems in Kashmir is fictional in this story, I  hope that it becomes true soon in future..I liked both Vihaan and Zaira’s characters in this story..Author had explained their feelings in detail..

Overall, I feel that this book is good, interesting, fast paced and engaging to read..This is a romantic story weaved along with politics..

My rating for this book is 4/5.

Book Review – The Big Switch: It’s never too late – by John Thomas

Many of us are busy in life with our own professional and personal commitments…At times, some like me, have this question – “What am I doing in this life?? This is not what I wished for”..But, after some time, reality kicks in and I accept that I have to continue doing the same irrespective of I like it or not..This is mainly because of fear – I fear about my future and uncertainties I have to encounter if I start pursuing what I truly wish for in my life..

In this book, the Author talks about this fear that protagonist Keith faces in his life and how he finally overcomes the same after many problems..Kudos to the Author for not being so preachy – I can relate to the dilemmas faced by Keith and I loved the way Author stresses the importance of saying “NO” to others whenever it’s needed..

Keith works in  an IT company and has troubles balancing his professional and personal life..He is a hard worker, but his boss takes him for granted as he never says “NO” to him..He is dejected when he gets a bad appraisal irrespective of his hard work..Further, his girlfriend Maya also breaks up with him..He is sent to his company’s Bangalore office on deputation for a project..There he meets Ramesh, a team leader who makes him think about life in a very different perspective..Keith realizes that it’s never too late to chase dreams in his life..He understands the fact that it is important to at-least try before accepting any defeat..This change within him transforms both his professional and personal life.. What happens next makes this story interesting to read!!!

Keith’s character has been portrayed well by the author..His fear, failures, hard work and determination to win is inspiring ..Author also has stressed the importance of patience in life when we pursue towards our goals..

Overall, I feel that this book is good, interesting  to read and this story is relatable…

My rating is 4/5.

Book Review – The Woman Who Saw The Future – by Amit Sharma

Sapna Vaid, the protagonist, is one of the very few people who are gifted with very special powers of premonitions and it makes her predictions about others’ future come true..As the story unfolds, the Author explains how these premonitions are both boon and curse to Sapna..

Sapna belongs to a middle class family and lives happily with her parents and elder brother..Her life changes completely when her elder bother dies suddenly..She and her parents are overwhelmed with grief and couldn’t cope up with the loss..Sapna starts getting many dreams about death of some people in various incidents..She is shocked when all her dreams come true..She dreams about something bad happening to her neighbour and she saves her..Her parents start believing her and her boyfriend Saahil is her emotional support and loves her very deeply..

Sapna saves Kabir, a businessman who owns a news and other entertainment channels, from a bomb blast..Kabir convinces Sapna to appear in a new show named “Lucky People” – Through this show, Sapna tells about her dreams and saves many people from death..She becomes famous and is even considered as powerful Goddess on Earth..But her life changes due to her unique power and she tries hard to live in peace..What happens next makes this story interesting to read..

I liked the way the Author chose to tell his story through the perceptions of all characters involved in this book..It makes the reader to understand the effect of Sapna’s unique powers on her parents and her friends..Author explains the way in which Sapna transforms from an ordinary college girl to most powerful person and what power does to her..Sapna’s love for her brother and her relationship with Saahil and Kabir is depicted well by the Author..

To be honest, I sympathize with Sapna’s character..She is portrayed as a  girl who faces severe pain in her life and she couldn’t handle her unique power..A single mistake made by her changes her life totally..

Overall, I feel that this book is good, interesting and thrilling to read..

My rating for this book is 4/5.

Disclaimer: I received this book  in return for my honest review..I didn’t receive any monetary compensation for the same.

Book Review – 8 Hours – by Upendra Namburi

Aratrika Reddy, CEO of Arya Holdings Ltd, has only eight hours to save her company from bankruptcy and a hostile takeover.. In this book, Author talks about the hurdles  faced by her to save her company from disaster in a very limited time..This fight by Aratrika makes this story an interesting and a thrilling read..

Aratrika had a very difficult childhood and she despises her father liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, founder of Arya Holdings…She couldn’t forget  her traumatic past and the way her father had badly treated her mother and her brothers..She starts working at ARYA due to some unavoidable circumstances..She expands her father’s business and is happy when good results started showing up due to her hard work..But all of a sudden, things start to fell apart and the company faces many hurdles..Her father’s rival Harshavardhan Rathore and his son Rajyavardhan starts destroying her company to settle their own old scores..Further Aratrika also has to handle her estranged husband Siddhartha who also tries to take over the company..

Author had described the events that happen in a timeline in this book…Aratrika finds out that some persons who she had believed fully, also had cheated her..She tries hard to cope up with mental stress and tries hard to achieve her dream..Her childhood pains and dark secrets makes the reader to sympathize with her..Her innocence is killed due to her past and she is forced to do many things that she doesn’t really wish to do…She is portrayed as a person who tries hard to fight against uncertainties..

Though the story revolves around Aratrika, the author depicts the other characters’ also in a very detailed manner..Her relationship with her mother, brothers, her uncle Jagannath and her old friend Peter is explained well by the Author..

Overall, I feel that this book is good, thrilling, fast-paced, interesting and engaging to read!!!

My rating for this book is 4/5.

Book Review – Prem Purana: Mythological Love Stories – by Usha Narayanan

I grew up listening to stories about Gods Rama, Krishna, Pillaiyar and Murugan from my Grandma..These folk lores were my bedtime stories and I still remember the way my grandma explained them..So, when I started reading this book, it was like reliving my childhood days..

I liked reading about the mythological characters and also a different point of view  by the Author makes this book  interesting to read..In this book, Author talks about the love stories of Lord Ganesha, Mandodari (Ravana’s wife) and love between Nala and Damayanthi..

When I was young, I thought that God Ganesha is a bachelor …After many years, I heard that Ganesha is married..I liked reading the story about his love with  three sisters Riddhi, Buddhi and Siddhi..Author had explained in detail about how Ganesha tried hard to please these sisters to make them love and marry him finally..It was refreshing to read about various incidents in Ganesha’s life and Author has beautifully weaved these stories without any loose ends..I liked the characterisation of Buddhi and Siddhi a lot..

The love story between Mandodari and Ravana have been depicted well by the Author..Mandodari is wife of Ravana and I haven’t heard or read more about her so far..I liked the way she loved Ravana and how she stayed with Ravana in all his good and bad times…Ravana was deeply in love with her and it was interesting to read about this quality in him..Mandodari was deeply devoted towards him and sacrificed everything for his well being…Kudos to the Author for portraying Mandodari as Strong, loving, and intelligent woman who always voices her opinion whenever her husband was wrong..Further Author talks about the relationship between Mandodari and Sita which is interesting to read..

The last story in this book is about love and relationship between Nala and Damayanti..Author had narrated how they fell in love with each other and how they got married after overcoming many hurdles..After marriage, they have to face many problems and Nala even left Damayanthi alone in a forest…Author talks about how they both loved each other irrespective of various issues and how finally they both were reunited..

I liked all the three stories but Mandodari’s story is my  favorite one…Author had researched a lot about these mythological characters and it definitely shows in the way she had written these stories..

Overall, I loved reading this book which is good and also interesting to read!!! If you like reading mythological stories,then you would enjoy reading this!!!

My rating for this book is 4/5.

Disclaimer: I received this book  in return for my honest review..I didn’t receive any monetary compensation for the same.