Journey Through India's Heritage

Journey Through India's Heritage 

Author : Ruchi Pritam

Publisher : ICT Academy Publication

Pages: 266

Price : 595/- INR

Format:  Paperback 

Buy : Amazon India

Rating : 5/5 Stars

Blurb :

This book offers a detailed illustrative account of the most significant monuments of Bihar, Tamilnadu and Odisha States of India. It showcases the rich heritage of India spanning from prehistoric era to the medieval era. It starts with the description of the rich legacy of powerful kingdoms in Rajgir and the ruins of one of the greatest ancient international university in Nalanda, travels through the magnificent stone art of the mighty pallava dynasty in Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram and reaches its culmination in the splendid temples of Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark. The author’s approach has been to visit the concerned locations to get the feel of the place. The details have been collected onsite and from other authentic sources. The unique aspect of this book is that it covers the legends, history, art and architecture of these places which are interspersed with striking photographs of the important features of the monuments. The whole effect is of walking through the history and architecture of these sites. The delicate balance of pictorial journey ensures that this book will be a great souvenir and a great guide for any visitors to these magnificent places.

Review:

A very well researched book.

The best thing about the book is that it is based on the facts and evidences and not on emotional responses. In ancient times n numbers of gigantic and beautiful temples and heritages with splendid architectural construction were built and some were unfortunately demolished by the foreign invaders.For those who love to have their mind wonder about the golden era of Indian history where little is known about the heritages/ temples of India. This is very interesting book to read. Book is a detailed illustrative account some of the significant heritages monuments of India. 

Bihar :             Rajgir

                        Nalanda 

Tamil Nadu : Mahabalipuram 

                        Mahabalipuram 2

                        Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple

                        Vaikunta Perusal Temple 

                        Varadaraja Perusal Temple

Odisha  :         Udayagiri - khandagiri caves

                         Bhubaneswar 

                         Shree JaganNath Temple

                         Konark Sun Temple.

                      

I find the very readable and interesting.

266 pages sheer delight 

Overall, Highly recommended for those who are interested in exploring India's Heritage. 

  

2050

2050

Author : Deepak Kaul

Publisher : Self Published 

Price : 147/- INR

Format : Kindle Version 

Pages : 85

Buy : Amazon India

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb : 

And I think to myself - what a wonderful world!

Review:

What a delightful and unique book.

I feel this will be a book, you will either love or hate with little to no middle ground. There is plenty of action throughout and dramatic events around every corner. The book begins with central character memory of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. The book has four chapters. The book has all the major events unfold from 2005 to 2020 to future (distopian world) 2050. This book is not without its flaws, but it is so lovely that i forgive all that immediately. The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. Cover page of the book is beautiful. A must read book. Highly recommended. 

Loves Lost

Loves Lost

Author : Sourabh Mukherjee

Publisher : Self

Format : Kindle

Pages : 57

Price : 49/- INR

Buy : Amazon India

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb :

'Mukherjee has explored the materialistic urban life, its turmoils and fragility of relationships.' – Times of India

A teenager in a quaint Kolkata neighbourhood falls in love with a girl who gets off her school bus every afternoon near his house and nurtures his love as the years pass by. A young entrepreneur turns to work and alcohol to get over the pain of losing the love of his life till she unexpectedly walks back into his arms in a party. A billboard advertisement reveals a shocking truth to a man who has lost his wife and his memory in an accident. An insecure boy fears losing an attractive girl forever when she breaks all contacts with him after they have made love. As a girl nurses her broken heart, she meets a stranger on the Internet.

"Loves Lost" is a collection of five heart-warming stories with surprise endings about love lost, found or left unprofessed in the deepest recesses of the heart.

Review :

Loves lost is a collection of five short stories that all feature theme of love, lost, betrayal and second chances. Riya she is by far my favourite character of the book. As with any collection of short stories, I enjoyed some more than others and I'm sure that other readers might enjoy some more than I did. And other will enjoy some less. I found all the stories interesting and worth reading and I found the author's style and view point were creative, refreshing and unique. This is very fast read and as such, don't expect same level of characters development and story as with a full length novel. The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. The cover of the book is apt. Overall, enjoyable fast read. 

Go for it. 

Gangster On The Run

Gangster On The Run

Author : Puja Changoiwala

Publisher: Harper Collins India

Pages : 283

Price : 399/- INR

Format : Paperback

Genre: Non-Fiction/Biography 

Buy : Harpercollins.co.in

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb: 

He ran from a life of drugs and bullets.

Now, he runs to shatter records.

Rahul Jadhav took the name 'Bhiku' after a character from the 1998 cult classic Satya - a gangster who was everything Rahul once wanted to be. Capturing his don's attention as a tech-literate criminal, running his extortion ring over Skype, Rahul found himself shouting threats down the barrel of his gun and became one of the most wanted gangsters of his time.

After his arrest in 2007, the extortionist and hitman was left a shadow of his former self, ravaged by alcoholism and drug abuse - which twisted his mind into a near schizophrenic state. That was only part of his journey.

Today, the gunrunner is an ultra-marathoner who has covered nearly 10,000 kilometres - including a 2019 run from Gateway of India to India Gate - and aims to shatter the national stadium run record.

Written by award-winning journalist Puja Changoiwala, this is the extraordinary story of a hitman who became a de-addiction counselor and outran his demons, leaving them far behind in the murky shadows of gangland.

Review:

This book is great, tight, interesting overall paint a great picture. When I finished reading this book. I was left wanting more, which is always a sign of a good book. A fascinating and almost unbelievable story about a remarkable gangster. The book is a story of Rahul Ramakant Jadhav. Who idolised underworld don and want to become a BHAI. Book has everything love, break up, drug, emotion,passion. Te language of the book is simple and easy to understand. The cover of the book is apt to the story. This is very good bookand I will definitely read it several more times. A must read. 

Insomnia

Insomnia

Author : Ravi Subramanian

              Jigs Ashar

Publisher: Westland Books

Pages : 157

Price : 250/- INR

Buy : Amazon India

Format : Paperback 

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb :

Please help me … my wife is trying to kill me. ’

When police officers Meera Dixit and Aditya Sachdev investigate a panicked midnight phone call, they are drawn into the unhappy story of a couple—a woman slowly losing her grip on sanity and her husband living in constant fear of death.

As they delve deeper, the officers realise that this case is more knotted than anything they’ve dealt with before. Is Tanvi Acharya really sick? What caused Rohit’s insomnia?

Do deeper secrets lie below the surface?

As they try to make sense of the sinister goings-on in the house, Dixit and Sachdev hurtle towards a shocking revelation that they are not prepared for.

Review:

This book literally blew my mind! It kept me guessing throughout the pages. The twists and the turns are really unexpected and makes you want to read the book in one go. The book revolves around Police officers Aditya and Meera. With few characters the book is well written high octane thriller. The language  of the book is simple. The cover of the book is apt. Overall, a fast pace, excellent book. Highly recommend.

The Cowherd Prince

The Cowherd Prince 

Author : Krishna Udayasankar 

Publisher: Penguin India 

Pages : 337

Price : 399/- INR

Format : Paperback 

Buy : Amazon/Flipkart 

Rating : 5/5 Stars

Blurb :

Govinda, son of Nanda-one of the many cowherds in the verdant kingdom of Surasena, in Aryavarta-was content with his tough but wonderful life. That was until the king's men came looking for him and his brother, Balabadra, spewing death and destruction in their wake.

Forced to leave behind those they love in order to save them, the brothers are now on the run-all the while being hunted by the tyrant king, Kans, and his bloodthirsty adviser, Chanuran, who will stop at nothing to kill them.

Even as their journey reveals Govinda's true identity as a prince and the rightful heir to the Surasena crown, it pulls them deeper into the murky secrets surrounding the throne-and its bloody legacy.

What will it take for an ordinary cowherd boy to grow into a master strategist who will always have a plan?

Review:

Spell bounding Book !!

I never thought it would be such a great novel, finished it in one day. The author Krishna Udayasankar has written the book brilliantly and each character is beyond perfect and you would get drowned in their world. There are very few authors who can create an image of the characters in front of your eye and tell a story like you are watching a movie.  Portrayal of all the characters are effortlessly brilliant. The language  of the book is simple and easy to understand. The cover of the book is apt to the story of the book. Simply unputdownable.

Highly recommended!!

Random Access Memories

Random Access Memories 

Author : Deepak Kaul

Publisher : Self Published

Pages : 105

Version : Kindle

Price : 150/-

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Buy : Amazon India

Blurb :

A collection of short stories

Review :

This is Deepak Kaul at his best,pointed,witty, captivating a complex world in few pages. This book is a mixture of genre suspense, fantasy, comedy, sci-fi,  crime etc. The book give me all the feels. Each story is so much meaning packed as densely as possible into every bit of text. The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. I highly suggest this compilation for everyone. 

The Assassinations

The Assassinations 

A Novel Of 1984

Author : Vikram Kapur

Publisher : Speaking Tiger

Pages : 211

Price : 299/- INR

Format : Paperback 

Buy: Amazon India

Rating : 5/5 stars

Blurb : 

To Deepa, Prem gave no hint of the churning inside him. In front of her he affected a cheery demeanour, indulging her in her plans for their honeymoon, which she kept revising. It was a welcome escape from the mayhem surrounding him. There were occasions where the pretence got to him and a voice rose inside, urging him to tell her everything. He silenced it. Deepa was a Hindu and would never understand.

Until then, he had never thought of her as different.

Prem Kohli, the handsome, ambitious son of a Sikh refugee, has the world at his feet. A glittering career lies ahead, and he has just got engaged to his college girlfriend, Deepa, overcoming her parents' reservations about Hindus and Sikhs intermarrying. But, while Deepa remains occupied with their marriage plans, the Indian Army enters the Golden Temple. Prem cannot contain his rising anger at the desecration of the shrine and at the people around him who shrug it off as 'teaching a lesson' to the Sikhs. He begins growing out his hair and beard, and visiting the gurudwara regularly, where he learns about the militancy in Punjab. Matters come to a head a few months later, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated and anti-Sikh riots break out all over Delhi, as Prem is caught up in a vortex of violence and hate that threatens to engulf all of their lives.

In The Assassinations, Vikram Kapur writes with sensitivity about a topic that still holds painful memories, skilfully telling the story of how ordinary lives are distorted by the forces of history. At the same time, he masterfully evokes the New Delhi of the 1980s, with its wide, leafy roads masking the precariousness of its Punjabi middle class. This memorable book captures the turbulence of those times, while chronicling the ways in which continuing to live means coming to terms with many kinds of deaths.

Review : 

This is very well researched and well written book concerning  the days following the Indira Gandhi Assassination. Merely just 211 pages, this book has the power to move its reader. I could not stop thinking about the book. Evoked strong emotions in me. The book revolves around Prem and Deepa, the two people in love and planning their life together. Prem is a Sikh boy whereas deepa is a Hindu. Their life plunge after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi by Sikh body guard.  The language of the book is simple. Cover of the book compel you to pick it up. Excellent  book about a very significant  time in history. Highly recommended.

Mohini

Mohini

the Enchantress 

Author : Anuja Chandramouli

Publisher : Rupa Publications 

Pages : 226

Price : 295 INR

Format : Paperback 

Buy : Amazon/Flipkart 

Rating : 5/5 Stars

Blurb : 

Elusive as a fragment of a beloved dream, she slipped in and out of the consciousness of the fortunate ones who had been either arbitrarily chosen or were part of the intricate cosmic design. These willingly allowed themselves to be bedevilled, consumed by a passion that would not be denied, existing only to serve her will, content to be moulded to suit the purposes of the most enchanting creature in all of creation – Mohini.

Distilled from the essence of Vishnu, Mohini, the Enchantress is a part of him and yet she revels in the autonomy and extraordinary powers of beauty, magic and enchantment that are hers to wield. Vivid and ephemeral, she is beloved and desired by all in existence. But she is elusive as the fragment of a forgotten dream, a tantalizing temptress, traipsing her way across the topsy – turvy realms of fable and myth. Her meandering path will see her in the thick of things as the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean of milk to get their hands on the nectar of immortality, blunder into a love triangle that will spark a bloody war, fulfil the last wish of a dead hero, melt into the arms of Mahadeva, the only one capable of enchanting the enchantress and become the mother of Shastha, who will serve as a beacon of hope for all who are considered oddities by a spiteful society that recognizes only two genders amongst the vast multitudes... 

Set against the tumult and intrigue of a celestial quest for immortality, Anuja Chandramouli brings the extraordinary saga of Mohini to vivid life. Balancing delicately on the tightrope between mythology and reality, she takes the reader on a dizzying ride through the shifting sands of time, gender, love, and desire, deftly intertwining the threads of the past and the present, blurring the lines between fact and fiction while spinning a deliciously entertaining yarn for the ages.

Review :

Fast paced, gripping and wonderfully written, this novel makes a great read. The author Anuja Chandramouli has maintained the flow, the amount of excitement, drama, action and most importantly the story line. Fantastically written and wonderfully woven with facts and myths. The description  of few places and sequences are beyond any readers imagination.  The language  of the book is simple and easy to understand.  The cover of the book is very beautiful  and apt to the content of the book. Finally, I want to say that this book is very satisfying  and contended.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Veikk A30 V2 Graphic Tablet

Veikk A30 V2 GraphicTablet

Incredible !! Value for money

Well ! What to tell about this excellent drawing tablet. A must for every home and office. 

A good device, hard to find at this price range. Work on almost all platform i.e windows , android and iOS . Performance is good. The stylus(Pen)  work smoothly, great advantage of stylus is that it does not need battery. Pen is battery free. Drawing was generally  very easy on this tablet. Tablet surface is adequate. Tablet driver is easily available  online. Tablet can be use across multiple devices and that too without hiccups. An excellent device for novice and well as professional  digital art maker. 

TABLET IS SIMPLY FLAWLESS

For seamless experience go for VEIKK A30 V2 GRAPHICTABLET

Madhuleena

Madhuleena

Author : Dr.Govind Sharma

Publisher : Notion Press

Pages : 144

Price : 160 INR

Format : Paperback

Buy : Amazon India

Rating :5/5

Blurb : 

Set in the fictional town of Rajapur, this is a unique unputdownable read.

The more desperate the situation in life, the more one wants an escape into fantasy. Call it a desire of the moth for the star, or the longing of a tormented soul for the drop of honey. Aakash, a bank theft accused, is so smitten by the ravishing beauty of Madhuleena that he forgets that he has to run away from the law. Meanwhile, the police officials get over-worked investigating the complaints that some rich and influential persons are honey-trapped by young and ambitious girls.

Review :

What an unexpected  GEM this story turned out to be. Absolutely loved the plot of this story. This book was so well written, it was easy to read and flowed from start to finish. I will be reading everything by this author ( Dr. Govind Sharma). It is completely different to anything  else I have read. I was totally captivated by all the  characters. Aakash Lal is a wonderful character, really well developed with real issues and emotions. The book cover is apt to the story. The story was not deviated  at any point of time. A wonderful book with a great plot and fair share of twists and turn.

Brilliant!! Recommended

Second Chance

Second Chance

Author : Kavita Bhatnagar

Publisher: Sterling Publishers 

Pages : 175

Price : 300/- INR

Format : Paperback

Buy : Amazon India

Rating : 5/5

Blurb : 

She was only 26, pretty, intelligent, earning well and – divorced. Ragini had been on cloud nine once her marriage was fixed and certain that she was going to get all the love she had dreamed of – her marriage would be perfect and she would really live happily ever after.But soon the marriage turned abusive and Ragini walked out of the bitter, hurtful existence – shaken, but determined to create a new life for herself. This is the story of Ragini’s quest for love and companionship. Her efforts make her interact with different suitors and take her on a roller coaster emotional ride. Ragini’s travails to marry again show myriad hues where deceit and pretence come face-to-face with hope and aspiration. Will life give her a second chance?
Dr. Kavita Bhatnagar, an Indian Revenue Service officer, belongs to Ajmer. She holds a doctorate in Political Economy and has worked for over two decades in various positions in the department and has represented the country both at the World Customs Organization and the World Trade Organization. An avid observer of life and her interest in reading and writing led her to pen 'Second Chance''.

Review : 

This was a heartwarming,  sentimental second chance story that will surely tug all your heartstrings 

I have always held a soft spot for second chance romance. There is just something so sweet, so sentimental  about them that I can't help but root for these kind of romance to happen. Of course our central character or you can say heroine has to get through a world full of pain first. The author Kavita Bhatnagar has done a great job here. The story flowed well and characters were believable. Overall, this book was a sweet, delightful read about facing your past, moving forward with life and finding a second chance at love. I enjoyed this and totally recommend  it if you are looking for a quick contemporary read.

Firekeepers Of Jwalapuram

Firekeepers Of Jwalapuram

( The Kishkindha Chronicles- 2)

Author : Vamsee Juluri

Publishers : Westland books

Pages : 315

Price : 450 INR

Format : Hardcopy

Buy : Amazon India

Rating : 4/5 Stars

Blurb :

Ancient Kishkindha. A few years have passed since Hanuman and his people defeated the savage race of beings that threatened to invade their country. But there is no calm in the land—volcanic ash and toxic rain are causing havoc everywhere. So, Hanuman, Princess Vaishnavi and the rishis set out to lead Kishkindhans to the safety of the cave-temples.

Meanwhile, in Kishkindha, empress Riksharaja, Hanuman’s aunt, torments her son Sugreeva, blaming him for abandoning his brother Vali to usurp the throne. There’s also a refugee crisis looming, with thousands of villagers streaming into the rock city every day as plants and trees die across the kingdom. It is a situation that Riksharaja decides to exploit for her own devious ends.

With their land under siege from within and without, and their way of life threatened again, how will Kishkindha survive?

A compelling sequel to Saraswati’s Intelligence, Vamsee Juluri’s reimagined prehistorical world holds up a mirror to modern society, pressing upon us questions that are startlingly relevant today.

Review :

The book start wonderfully with captivating  narrative. This book is exceptional! Author Vamsi Juluri created a masterpiece. The characters are all real.The characters are beautifully woven. The central characters go through many hardship and face emotional  turnmoil but their outlook towards life is something  to learn from.The book was well in pace with the first book of the series. An upgrade from the last book. It is one of the those books that you want to finish in one read because it is impossible to putdown. The book is well presented  and researched book. Overall a great book through and through!

Happy reading.