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Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Reviews. Show all posts

THE BOOKWORM, ME! AND MY TOP TEN BOOKS LIST!


A list of your 10 favourite books with reasons as to why they made it to your list. Let us try to complete a circle and compile a list of books we are yet to pick. #loveofreading ( This post is part of Indispire )


( left ) Video of my mini Books Library! Books that I reviewed ( right )
I'm a voracious reader, right from my school days. But let me confess here, I love more the lighter books than those thick literary ones ( yeah, those with unpronounceable words & complex phrases ). As a teenager, I had a huge collection of Mill & Boon, Silhouette Romances, Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Famous Five, Archie comics etc ( see my mini library video above ), but as I grew older other books came my way. And since I started reviewing books, I'm reading almost all genre ( though I prefer fiction more than non-fiction ). Now, with so many books to choose from, its hard to pick a few ( not that I enjoyed reading all either ). Anyway, without any further delay, here's my top 10 pick. Go ahead and buy them, if you haven't yet ;-)

1. Love Story : by Eric Segal. I think everyone ( and their khandaan ) has read this book at one point of their lives or watched the movies that were made, based on it. My sister had first brought the book, and I remember hounding her for days to let me read it. She charged me Rs.5/- bribe money for it - yeah, I was that desperate to read! At first, I didn't like the sad end, but then I guess that's the USP of the book.

2. Lady Chatterley's Lover : by D.H Lawrence. Another of those books I had to pay bribe to my sister for. For a teenager, this story had my eye-balls popping out.

3. Pride and Prejudice : by Jane Austen. What I loved about this book was the glimpses I got into an English household, with an english mum worried about her grown-up daughter's marriages. So like our own Indian society, ain't it. This book wiped off the snobbish myths I had, of the West, particularly England. Heya, they are like us too, I realized. I used to watch the hindi serial 'Trishna', made on this story, with lot of curiosity and anticipation ( so as to check ~ if they acted according to the book or not, haha ).

4. Jane Eyre : by Charlotte Bronte. I must've read this book hundreds of times. I think I had a crush on Mr.Rochester. And the suspense part of the book was something I absolutely loved those days.

5. The Devotion Of Suspect X : by Keigo Higashino. This is a more recent book I read. Absolute nail-biting thriller it is. Loved the way it took me around Japan and its culture, nitty-gritties et al. There's another book by the same author ~ Salvation of a Saint, which is as thrilling. A perfect combo to own.

6. Pigs in the Parlour : by Frank D. Hammond, Mae Ida. My curiosity in the paranormal led me to this non-fiction book. It has interesting information about the 'evil' in details, how it is very 'real' and how to cleanse it.

7. Hell's Gate : by Douglas Hensley. This book is based on a real-life narration by a man possessed of demons ( who later died ) at a world famous haunted location. Its really a mindboggling read. What makes this book interesting is, I had seen an exorcism video of that same man who had under-gone that ordeal earlier, in a TV.Show. And many people who visits that location, claim about something unusual going on ~ which leads me to believe that the man was not faking those instances when he was alive. The book has some typos etc, but since its a real-time narration, those can be over-looked.

8. The Bad Touch : by Payal Shah Karwa. This book actually had me repulsed by its contents. It gave me a crude glimpse into things we generally can't even imagine ~ yet, it happens almost everywhere. Dealing in 'child abuse' its an eye-opener and has lots of information on how to deal with it/whom to contact etc. I've put it in my list, just to spread awareness more than anything.

9. Shantaram : by Gregory D.Roberts. This is a very thick book. It took me ages to complete. It takes you places and how. No, its not a travel book ~ its more a thriller. Best part is, I got it as a prize. Getting a book as a prize for a book-lover is like WHOAH!!

10. Unhappily Married : by Me. Well, this is my very first short E-book that I wrote for Amazon Kindle. It got pretty good response, though its quite short in length ( I intend to add a sequeal to it at some point ). I tried dealing with a different subject; one that is often undergone by many but hardly spoken about. Its close to me because it is my first ( of the 10 odd ones that I wrote ).

So, that's about it. Which are the ones you've read, enjoyed and which are the ones you're planning to?


❤❀❤

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NEVER MIND YAAR - BOOK REVIEW


NEVER MIND YAAR

Title : NEVER MIND YAAR
Language : English
Author : K. Mathur
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Southpac Publishers Ltd (2012)
Powered by : Pothi.com
ISBN-13 : 9780437174804
ISBN-10 : 0473174790
Binding : Paperback
Edition : 2nd
Price : Rs. 350 ( for Rs.333/- ( 4% Off )
Pages : 228

The Book Summary : The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems, circumvent them rather than meet them head on and console ourselves with a “never mind”. Yaar, a common term used in India, simply means “friend”.
When longtime friends Binaifer and Louella meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, Gyan for knowledge and Shakti for strength, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu.
The novel’s main plotline surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini’s tradition bound family, the couple’s youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraught with communal tension.




~~~o~~~

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TOWER OF SILENCE - BOOK REVIEW


tower of silence

Title : THE TOWER OF SILENCE
Language : English
Author :Phiroshaw Jamsetjee Chevalier
Editor : Gyan Prakash
Genre : Fiction/Mystery
Publisher : HarperCollins ( 2013 )
ISBN-13 : 9789350296370
ISBN-10 : 9350296373
Binding : Binding Paperback
Price : Rs. 299 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.275/- ( 8% Off )
Pages : 240

The Book Summary : A long-lost Sexton Blake mystery, 1920s detective fiction at its best
Historian Gyan Prakash of Princeton University stumbled upon part of the unpublished manuscript of Tower of Silence by Phiroshaw Jamsetjee Chevalier (or Chaiwala, as he called himself) in the British Library. After scouring several Mumbai libraries, he found the missing pages. It is a thrilling tale that begins on a blistering April afternoon in Poona with the click of a camera shutter. An aerial photograph is taken from a small aircraft flying directly over the Tower of Silence. The Zorastrian community is thrown into turmoil and horrified grief at this heinous act.
Beram, a suave wealthy man who drives around in a Rolls Royce but is a devout Parsi, decides to exact revenge. Thus begins a sensational cat-and-mouse game between Beram and Sexton Blake, Englands most famous detective.




~~~o~~~

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TOKE - BOOK REVIEW


toke

Title : TOKE
Language : English
Author : Jugal Mody
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : HarperCollins ( 2012 )
ISBN-13 : 9789350293409
ISBN-10 : 9350293404
Binding : Binding Paperback
Price : Rs. 160 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs. 112/- ( 30% Off )
Pages : 224

The Book Summary : So Lord Vishnu showed up one morning when I was really stoned and asked me to save the world from turning undead. How did I save the world? I didnt. We did. And while saving the world, I got to forcefully kiss the girl of my dreams. Many times. My best friends got to smoke a lot of good shit. A lot more than they would have otherwise smoked in that much time. They also got to crash an airplane into a slum outside Santacruz airport. But dont worry, there were only zombies around when that happened. We were joined in our quest by two Japanese girls who can kill people with their pinkies, one of whom forcefully kissed Danny. Yes, there was a lot of non-consensual kissing in this adventure. With tongue. Hi. Im Nikhil. This is my story. And I swear I have a T-shirt to prove it.


~~~o~~~

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SHOES OF THE DEAD - BOOK REVIEW


SHOES OF THE DEAD

Title : SHOES OF THE DEAD
Language : English
Author : Kota Neelima
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Rupa Publications (2013)
Edition : 1st Edition
ISBN-13 : 9788129123961
ISBN-10 : 8184953054
Binding : Hardcover
Price : Rs. 495 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.426/- ( 13% Off )
Pages : 288

The Book Summary : Crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, Sudhakar Bhadra kills himself. The powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow. Gangiri, his brother, makes it his life&rsquos mission to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar farmer suicides. Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party&mdashfirst-time member of Parliament from Mityala, and son of Vaishnav Kashinath, the party&rsquos general secretary&mdashis the heir to his father&rsquos power in Delhi politics. He faces his first crisis every suicide in his constituency certified by the committee as debt-related is a blot on the party&rsquos image, and his competence. The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about &lsquoinherited&rsquo democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.


~~~o~~~

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ONCE UPON THE TRACKS OF MUMBAI - BOOK REVIEW


ONCE UPON THE TRACKS OF MUMBAI

Title : ONCE UPON THE TRACKS OF MUMBAI
Language : English
Author : Rishi Vohra
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Jaico Publishing House ( 2012 )
Edition : 1st Edition
ISBN-13 : 9788184953053
ISBN-10 : 8184953054
Binding : Paperback
Price : Rs.175 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.116 ( 34% Off)
Pages : 272

The Book Summary : Autistic. Schizophrenic. Psychotic...
They use these words to describe Babloo the doctors, his family, his teachers everyone except Vandana. She treats him the way he wants the world to see him.
Mumbai the city that defines his ultimate desires. Will it allow him the love and normalcy he so craves?
Vandana yearns for a soul mate to rescue her from the confines of the Railway Colony they all live in. Is she looking in the right place?
Rail Man a fearless, real-life hero who succeeds in doing all that Babloo secretly wishes to do is Babloo his inspiration or is it the other way around?
A random twist of fate on Mumbais endless, serpent-like, jangling local train tracks ties all these characters together in a complex weave of love, heartbreak, and courage.
Babloo draws the reader into his fascinating, heart-rending journey through the twisted, choked lanes of Mumbai, into an open space where he can finally exhale, be born again.



~~~o~~~

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SALVATION OF A SAINT - BOOK REVIEW


SALVATION OF A SAINT

Title : SALVATION OF A SAINT
Language : English
Author : Keigo Higashino ( Translated by Alexander O. Smith )
Genre : Fiction, Thriller
Publisher : Little, Brown Book Group ( October 2, 2012 )
Imprint : ABACUS
ISBN-13 : 9780349139340
ISBN-10 : 0349139342
Binding : Paperback
Price : Rs.350 ( Buy from Flipkart.com )
Pages : 384

The Book Summary : From the author of the internationally bestselling, award-winning The Devotion of Suspect X comes the latest novel featuring “Detective Galileo”
In 2011, The Devotion of Suspect X was a hit with critics and readers alike. The first major English language publication from the most popular bestselling writer in Japan, it was acclaimed as “stunning,” “brilliant,” and “ingenious.” Now physics professor Manabu Yukawa—Detective Galileo—returns in a new case of impossible murder, where instincts clash with facts and theory with reality.

Yoshitaka, who was about to leave his marriage and his wife, is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee and dies. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect—except that she was hundreds of miles away when he was murdered. The lead detective, Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi, is immediately smitten with her and refuses to believe that she could have had anything to do with the crime. His assistant, Kaoru Utsumi, however, is convinced Ayane is guilty. While Utsumi’s instincts tell her one thing, the facts of the case are another matter. So she does what her boss has done for years when stymied—she calls upon Professor Manabu Yukawa. But even the brilliant mind of Dr. Yukawa has trouble with this one, and he must somehow find a way to solve an impossible murder and capture a very real, very deadly murderer.
Salvation of a Saint is Keigo Higashino at his mind-bending best, pitting emotion against fact in a beautifully plotted crime novel filled with twists and reverses that will astonish and surprise even the most attentive and jaded of readers.



~~~o~~~

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TANTRA BY ADI - BOOK REVIEW


TANTRA BY ADI

Title : TANTRA BY ADI
Language : English
Author : Adi
Genre : Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher : Apeejay Stya Publishing ( 2013 )
ISBN-13 : 9788190863629
ISBN-10 : 8190863622
Binding : Binding Paperback
Price : Rs.195 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.154/- ( 21% Off! )
Pages : 344

The Book Summary : Anu is a leather wearing, no-nonsense professional guardian with a reputation for killing the most dangerous vampires in New York City. But when her enemies murder the one person she truly cared about, all she wants is vengeance. The only clue points to New Delhi, so Anu puts in for a job transfer.
In India, she finds more than she expected. For one thing, her fellow operatives have made a truce with the vampires. For another, it’s way too hot to wear leather.
At first, it seems Anu’s biggest challenge will be evading the nice boys her aunt wants her to marry. But when children start disappearing, she discovers forces older and darker than anything she’s faced before. All of Delhi is in danger, especially the sexy stranger who sets Anu’s pulse racing.
To prepare for the coming battle, Anu must overcome her personal demons and put aside years of training. This time, her most powerful weapon will come from her mind, not her weapons belt.



~~~o~~~

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BEHIND THE SILICON MASK - BOOK REVIEW


BEHIND THE SILICON MASK

Title : BEHIND THE SILICON MASK
Language : English
Author : Eshwar Sundaresan
Genre : Fiction, Thriller
Publisher : Westland & Tranquebar Press ( 2013 )
ISBN-13 : 9789382618393
ISBN-10 : 9382618392
Binding : Binding Paperback
Price : Rs. 250 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.215- ( 14% Off )
Pages : 312

The Book Summary : A thriller set in an Indian IT company in the US.
A techie community of around two hundred Indians stationed in Milwaukee suddenly finds itself under a siege. On a fateful Friday, a cyclonic snowstorm Super Susan is breaking winter records outside their windows. And beyond, somewhere in the inky darkness, a serial killer who targets immigrants is on the loose. An indiscreet TV journalist has already informed him that almost the entire community resides within a three- block radius in downtown Milwaukee.
Two young techies belonging to the community Partho Sen and Varun Belthangady are particularly under threat. Unaware of this fact, they carry on as usual. Varun must deliver a crucial software application for his Fortune-500 client before the weekend ends. Meanwhile, Partho must confront his inner demons to save the most important relationships in his life.
They must deal with these urgent needs, even as they deal with their rapacious corporate employer, an overambitious boss, unpredictable events unfolding in the living rooms and bedrooms of their colleagues and the effects of the most potent cocktail in the world.
There is one man who can save them yet from the serial killer Detective Farley of the Milwaukee Police Department. But will the serial killer prove too clever even for him? aware that his life is in danger. There is one man who can save them yet Detective Farley of the Milwaukee Police Department. But will the serial killer prove too clever for him?


~~~o~~~

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F?@K KNOWS - BOOK REVIEW


F?@K KNOWS

Title : F?@K KNOWS
Language : English
Author : Shailendra Singh
Genre : Non-Fiction / Reference / Self-Help Book
Publisher : Rupa Publications ( 2013 )
ISBN-13 : 9788129123886
ISBN-10 : 8129123886
Binding : Paperback
Price : Rs. 195 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs. 117/- ( 40% Off )
Pages : 256

The Book Summary : What do you want from life? Are you on the right track? Are you truly happy?
If your answer to these questions is F?@k knows!, then this book is for you.
Funny and candid, yet rich in insights on how to really live life on your own terms, this unconventional self-help manual is unlike any book around.
Find the answers to lifes most important questions with the help of uber-successful entrepreneur, Shailendra Singh, co-founder of Percept and inceptor of Sunburn. Told with sparkling, flavourful and in-your-face humour, this book will advise you on how to:

Find yourself (Because youre probably lost. Admit it.)
Follow your heart (Because if you dont then youll die unhappy, you stupid f?@ker.)
Achieve your goals (You know you want to.)
Live life like you give a f?@k (Because...why not?)
Candid and thoughtful, F?@k Knows will show you how to really live life on your own terms, to do what you want to do and not what you have to do just because your father said so!


~~~o~~~

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CHANAKYA'S NEW MANIFESTO - BOOK REVIEW


CHANAKYA'S NEW MANIFESTO

Title : CHANAKYA'S NEW MANIFESTO
Language : English
Author : Pavan K Varma
Genre : Non-Fiction
Publisher : Aleph Book Company ( 2013 )
ISBN-13 : 9789382277095
ISBN-10 : 9382277099
Binding : Paperback
Price : Rs. 295 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.99/- ( 66% Off )
Pages : 248

Book Summary : Chanakya (c. 270-380 BCE) was classical India's greatest thinker and teacher. Through his unparalleled ability to devise result-oriented military, political, and administrative strategy, he overthrew one king, crowned another and paved the way for the establishment of India's first great empire. His seminal work, the Arthashashtra, arguably the world's first comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, was written approximately two thousand years before Machiavelli's The Prince.
What would Chanakya do if confronted with the various crises that beset contemporary India? Using this question as the starting point for his new book, celebrated writer and thinker Pavan K. Varma has drawn up a practical and detailed plan, modelled on the Arthashashtra, to bring about reform and change in five key areas that require urgent attention governance, democracy, corruption, security, and the building of an inclusive society. Whether it is laying the foundation for an independent and effective Lokpal, or decriminalizing politics and successfully weeding out the corrupt, the solutions he proposes are substantive, well within the constitutional framework, and can make all the difference between intent and action.
Chanakya's New Manifesto is both a call to action as well as a deeply insightful account of the challenges facing the country today. It is a book that should be attentively read by everybody with a stake in India's future.




~~~o~~~

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RIP - BOOK REVIEW


rip mukul deva

Title : RIP
Language : English
Author : Mukul Deva
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Westland Ltd (2012)
ISBN : 9789382618195
Binding : Paperback
Price : Rs. 200 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.164/- ( 18% Off )
Pages : 286

Book Summary : Indias literary storm trooper, Mukul Deva delivers yet another pulse-pounding, crackerjack of a thriller. Tethered on the edge of reality, RIP will keep you turning pages late into the night.
R.I.P. The Resurgent Indian Patriots. Self- appointed guardians of a nation seething with anger at the endless scams and scandals rocking its very foundation. Vigilantes who vow to stop corrupt politicians and colluding civil servants. Even if it means killing them.
Colonel Krishna Athawale and his team of Special Forces officers rally to protect the country from the enemy within. They call themselves the K-Team. And no one is safe from their deadly intent.
Hellbent on stopping them is Raghav Bhagat, rogue para commando, gun for hire and Krishnas bete noir. Caught in the crossfire is Vinod Bedi, Special Director CBI. Reena Bhagat, a glamorous news anchor, embittered by her husbands betrayal. And two young boys, Sachin and Azaan, torn apart by the loss of a parent. It doesnt get bigger.


~~~o~~~

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WINTER EVENINGS - BOOK REVIEW


WINTER EVENINGS

Title : WINTER EVENINGS
Language : English
Author : Navtej Sarna
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Rupa Publications (2012)
Binding : Hardcover
Price : Rs. 350 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs.322/- ( 8% Off )
Pages : 133 ( excluding the preface, acknowledgement and miscellaneous )

Book Summary : Two men stuck in a small mountain town develop an unspoken friendship; a punctilious bureaucrat becomes briefly reckless at the end of his career; high-class prostitute on vacation reads ‘The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ to a man recovering from the end of a long affair; the ghosts of partition return in 1984 to destroy the equilibrium of a tough Sikh matriarch; an ageing widow finds freedom and peace in poetry. In clean, understated prose, Navtej Sarna’s stories take us through the landscapes of Geneva, Shimla, Paris, Moscow, Delhi and Bombay, where everyday people find or lose their way in life quietly, almost by accident.
Marked by rare sensitivity and compassion, this collection by the acclaimed author of The Exile and We Weren’t Lovers Like That is a poignant ode to the human spirit.



~~~o~~~

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