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.