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.

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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.

Book Review – Sins of the Father – by Sunanda J.Chatterjee

This is the first book in the Wellington Estates series by the author and it’s a romantic story blended with a little mystery..This story revolves around relationship between main protagonists  Harrison McNamara and Laura Carson..

Harrison, a police officer, meets Laura, a psychologist, while investigating a suicide case..Both are mutually attracted towards each other..But they have dark secrets in their life which involves their childhood days..Their troubled past life becomes a deciding factor in their relationship..Whether they are able to overcome those hurdles and live happily makes this story interesting to read…

Author had described the pain experienced by both Laura and Harrison while growing up, due to mysterious past which involves their fathers..Laura’s friendship with Juhi is beautifully depicted by the Author..The importance of trust, love and forgiveness in relationships is explained well in this story..

Overall, I feel that this book is interesting and a light read!!!

My rating for this book is 3.5/5

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

Book Review – Fear is the Key – by Juggi Bhasin

 

To start with, this book’s cover intrigued me a lot…When I started reading, I guessed about the flow of the story.. But all my predictions were wrong.. Kudos to the Author for his brilliant writing..This book is fast pacing, thrilling with unexpected twists and turns..

Rahul Abhyankar, an IIT graduate, runs Yummimages, a digital infotainment site, along with his business partner and close friend Suhel Bagga..Rahul is in relationship with Simone who works in his company..Suhel and Simone fight with each other due to some problems in office..Rahul plans a party at his house to set things right between his close friend and lover..But Simone mysteriously disappears from the party..Rahul is totally worried as police is not able to trace her..He starts investigating and suspects that Fredo (a pizza delivery boy), Usman (swimming instructor) and Dubey (a taxi driver) may be connected with Simone’s disappearance..He finally finds out the truth which is totally unbelievable and unpredictable..

So, if you think that this book is all about revenge, then you are wrong..This story is not as simple as it seems to be!!! I loved the complexity a lot..I don’t wish to reveal more but you can definitely expect the unexpected…

Author talks about Fear in this book… We all do something in our life that we don’t like mainly due to fear..We have to confront our fears and if we fail to do so, it will  surely take us down..I feel understanding a person is not an easy task..We get fooled by a person’s behavior and have wrong perceptions about him/her..At times, Truth is stranger than fiction!!!

Overall, I feel that this book is very good, interesting, mind-blowing and unputdownable..I enjoyed reading this book..If you like reading fiction thrillers, then you should definitely read this!!!

My rating for this book is 4.5/5.

Book Review – Carthick’s Unfairy Tales – by T.F.Carthick

Many of us would have listened to fairy tales during our childhood days..While growing up, I loved to listen and also read many stories which took me to another world..I adored and believed those stories when I was young..

In this book, the Author talks about such fairy tales, but with a twist..He makes us think from a completely different angle..He explains about the complexities involved in a simple story and how people perceive things..It is not just a simple fairy tale, but definitely more than that, if we concentrate deeply on these stories..I loved the way in which he uses satire – It made me to laugh and think…

There are totally seven stories in this book..I enjoyed reading all the stories but my favorite ones are “Of Mice and Horses” (This story is  different version of Cindrella) ,“The frog who would be King” (talks about a princess who refuses to marry a prince), “The beans of Avarice”( a story about boy, magic beans and magician)  “A tale of one city” (about the piper) and “What the hobglobin did” (a very little man who helps a girl).

Overall, I feel that this book is interesting and refreshing with a different point of view to read..Kudos to author for thinking out of the box!!!

My rating for this book is 3.5/5

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

Book Review – Brahmahatya – by Rajiv Mittal

“Brahmahatya” ( a sanskrit word meaning “the act of killing of a brahmin”) is a story of emotions, relationships, suspense, guilt, revenge and forgiveness..

In this book, protagonist Ravi Narasimhan, who works in Dubai, returns home due to sudden illness of his father..He tries to get his father admitted in GMR Old age home as he couldn’t stay in India due to work…Dr.Chari, one of the trustees in GMR Old age home, refuses admission for his father citing medical reasons..So he admits his father in another old age home which is not good when compared to GMR..After some days, his father dies and Ravi holds Dr.Chari responsible for his father’s death…What he does to punish Chari and whether he succeeds in his mission makes this story entertaining and thrilling to read..

All the characters are penned well by the author especially Ravi’s father and Bhavna, who works in the old age home..Author refers to many hindu slokas and mythology..

When I started reading this book, I was wondering what would happen next and even guessed about the climax part…But I was wrong and the climax part was dramatic, unexpected, thrilling and I loved it..

I liked the way the story was told by author..This book is interesting and engaging to read..

My rating is 4/5.

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