One Enduring Lesson - Book Review

One Enduring Lesson
By Jamal Merchant
Review By Ila Garg

‘One Enduring Lesson’, a novel by Jamal Merchant is published by Rupa Publications. The cover at once makes it look like a book on positivity or life lessons. With a couple letting go a dupatta in air which forms a heart shape, the novel does hint on being a love story too.

The Talion Tale - Book Review

The Talion Tale
By Rahul Apte
Review By Ila Garg

‘The Talion Tale’, a novel by Rahul Apte, is published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. The cover at once makes it look like a book on terrorism or Jihaad or something on those lines. With a man looking like a terrorist in a gun radar, the book has a very apt cover.

A Life to Die For - Book Review

A Life to Die For
By Nilay Shah
Review By Ila Garg

A Life to Die For, a novel by Nilay Shah, is published by Zorba Books. The cover totally grabbed my attention. The amazing use of shades from red to orange to yellow is amazingly spectacular. Somehow the book seems a thriller; red symbolising death.

Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After - Book Review

Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After
By Urvashi Pahwa
Review By Ila Garg

Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After is a series of short stories by Urvashi Pahwa, published in a kindle format. The cover has a nice gold font for the title and combined with black, it looks really rich and exotic just like love is. There’s a heart shaped pendant reflecting love and of course the sutra—love ties. Overall, the cover has a royal feel to it. It looks impressive to me.

Singapore Under Attack - Book Review

Singapore Under Attack
By Uzi Ellam
Review By Ila Garg

Singapore Under Attack, a novel by Uzi Ellam, is published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. The cover is so apt. The men with guns represent some shooters and can be the attackers. Backdrop shows the city of Singapore. With such an interesting cover, I was sure it would not disappoint me.

Razor-Sharp - Book Review

Razor-Sharp: 13 Short Stories
By Abhinav Kumar
Review By Ila Garg

Razor-Sharp is a collection of 13 short stories by Abhinav Kumar. The author himself has published it as a kindle version. The cover has a very simple feel to it. With the yellow backdrop and just the title and author’s name on it, not much can be inferred about the stories from the cover. But I like how the colour is bright and the cover is minimalist.

You Never Know - Book Review

You Never Know
By Akash Verma
Review By Ila Garg

You Never Know, a novel by Akash Verma, is published by Penguin Random House India. The cover is so apt; you will realise this after reading the book. With a backdrop of red—which is a colour of love, rage, fury, blood and hell. It’s tagline—sometimes love can drag you through hell—says a lot about the plot. With such an interesting cover, I was sure it would not disappoint me.

The Colours of Passion - Book Review

The Colours of Passion
By Sourabh Mukherjee
Review By Ila Garg

The Colours of Passion, a novel by Sourabh Mukherjee, is published by Readomania. The cover totally grabbed my attention. The amazing use of shades from red to orange to yellow is amazingly spectacular. The knife and blood drops further make it a captivating cover. The sub-title—Unveiling Dark Secrets behind the Limelight—further adds to the mysterious outlook of the plot.

In Love with Shah Rukh Khan - Book Review

In Love with Shah Rukh Khan
By Ajitabha Bose
Review By Ila Garg

In Love with Shah Rukh Khan, a novel by Ajitabha Bose, is published by Author’s Ink Publications. The size of the book is so miniscule that I felt I was almost holding a baby book in my hands. So obviously, I was extra careful while turning over its tiny pages and the feel was ‘wow’. Cover design has an illustration by Noriko Kasai which beautifully brings out the star’s personality.

Ajitabha Bose is an author, filmmaker, designer and an entrepreneur. He is a world record holder for publishing the smallest love story book in India. Currently based at Delhi, he was born and brought up in Jamshedpur. He introduced the first pocket love story book in India. He is the co-founder of BDL Studios, a renowned production house based in Delhi/NCR. He has worked in 135+ videos and made 1600+ designs till date. Ajitabha is a graduate from Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad.

Along with that, he has written numerous short stories and edited an anthology, The Untold Love Stories. He has published 5 books – It’s A Love Story (2013), Love: A Sweet Poison (2014), Zindagi: The Story of Life (2014), The Untold Love Stories (2014), and The Pocket Love Story (2014). The Pocket Love Story was featured in India book of records and incredible book of records.

The blurb reads as, “Everyone has a dream. It’s just that some dreams get fulfilled and others remain confined in hearts.
Aanya was a small town girl and Vivaan was a flirt. Life takes a different turn when love brought them together.
She had a dream of meeting Shah Rukh Khan. He promised to fulfill it.
What lies ahead?
Where will destiny lead them?
Read this heart-warming tale of love, dreams and emotions.”

At first glance, I thought it would be a fan telling the world about his/her love for King Khan, but it wasn’t exactly that. It tells the tale of Aanya, who like millions of other girls of her age loves SRK and dreams to meet him someday. Vivaan who is a flirt is the protagonist of the story and he promises Aanya to fulfil her dream.

The story takes a turn when both of them fall in love with each other. The author has sketched both the characters—Aanya and Vivaan—beautifully. The language is simple and easy to comprehend. I found it quite engaging. It’s so small that one can easily manage to read it in 20 minutes!

How Aanya and Vivaan met, how they fell in love, where will the destiny take them, will Vivaan be able to fulfill Aanya’s dream, will Shah Rukh Khan meet Aanya, how tough will it be for Vivaan to get to SRK are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in In Love with Shah Rukh Khan.

Further, this 50-page book is a must read for all SRK fans as it makes you cry and laugh at the same time, bringing you a step closer to the man himself. I also loved the author’s philosophy behind such light pocket books “to meet with the demands of busy generation”.

Ratings:
4.5/5 (Read it immediately!) 

Buying Links: Amazon | Pustakmandi | Ebook

Also read review by Kanika Sharma at TGC - In Love with SRK

Khel the writings - Book Review

Khel – the writings
By Vishal Goswami
Review By Ila Garg

Khel – the writings, a novel by Vishal Goswami, is published by Frog Books in association with Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd. I found the cover very dull and too gaudy. It clearly didn’t click with me as I was left totally unimpressed.

Vishal Goswami is a MBA-Finance graduate from Boston, U.S.A and is passionate about reading and writing in all its forms, whether fiction or non-fiction and also all other genres. He is active on Twitter as @WritetoFite tweeting about more contemporary topics.

The blurb reads as, “The abandoned Haveli in Brahmdev, a hill station near Mumbai, is known amongst the local population to be haunted. People keep away from it. A group of youngsters decide to explore it and what follows is a horrifying reality they do not live to relate. Sanya Sharma is an investigative journalist, with a shattered life and a grieving past. Having lost her husband and little daughter within a span of six months, her once perfect life is a distant dream. Depressed, unable to concentrate on work and barely paying attention to her ten-year-old son, she takes help in alcohol and regular visits to her psychiatrist. Her last chance at redemption in a case of mysterious deaths on small hill station. What follows is a series of mysterious, eerie and horrifying events that Sanya cannot understand and finally with the help of a local police inspector turned friend, it draws upon her that the Haunted Haveli is not just small town hocus-pocus but a reality that had turned on her. The evil that she encounters slowly affects everything around her and she knows that it will finally consume her. But why? What were the deep, dark secrets of the Haveli's past? What was the Nawab family's past? Who is the old woman haunting her? What are the cards and what is the card game? How is such a horrifying situation merely a game and how is she to play it? Why do the writings on the cards come true and people die? She has to find a way to save herself and her son from the evil and the game of cards that makes everything come true. People around her are dying one by one making her wonder why she is spared. Will she play the final KHEL - The Writings - or will it be the evil that will end the game?”

After reading the blurb, I was instantly intrigued. Opening scene introduces the reader to a group of four youngsters who want to make a documentary. They reach an abandoned Haveli seeking an adventurous story for the same. This Haveli was situated in Brahmdev which is a hill station near Mumbai. As the youngsters begin to explore the Haveli, some unexpected events occur which eventually lead to their deaths one by one.

News of their deaths spread like wild fire the next day. Yeah, almost like a film script! I will give this to the author that he has built up an amazing plot. Writing a horror story isn’t as easy as often thought of!

So soon this news catches the attention of an investigative journalist, Sanya Sharma, whose job is at stake. She sees these mysterious deaths as her only hope to save her job, and jumps into the case. She was already shattered and on the verge of depression as she had lost her husband and young daughter in a very short span of time. This case thus is the best she could have think about to free herself from the thoughts of her lost family.

The story afterwards moves at a slow pace, but manages to send to scare the readers every now and then. The language is simple and easy to comprehend; thus newbie readers would find it readable. Nowhere will a reader feel any disconnect as the author has maintained a smooth flow.
However, I did find some grammatical errors in the book which marred the effect of the plot and made reading this story a bumpy ride for me, especially the misspelt names of the characters. The plot wasn’t too extraordinary as well.

How the youngsters reach the Haveli and decide to explore it, how they die one by one, the unraveled mystery behind the haunted Haveli, the card game and its significance, how Sanya dealt with the case, was she successful in saving her job, was the Haveli actually haunted are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in Khel – the writings.

Further, this 140-page book is good enough to keep you hooked till the end. The author could have got it edited in a better way. Rest was good. Best wishes to the author for his future writings!

Ratings: 3/5

Buying Links: Infibeam | Flipkart | Amazon

A Broken Man - Book Review

A Broken Man
By Akash Verma
Review By Ila Garg

A Broken Man, a novel by Akash Verma, is published by Srishti Publishers. The cover shows a psychedelic man who seem depressed as his head lies low. The cover has a very simple feel to it which makes it highly attractive as it is clutter-free.

Akash Verma is a management graduate and the co-founder of an Advertising Venture. He has worked across the leading companies in the FMCG and media sector. He has a deep interest in music, history and travel. His work has taken him across the country and he finds this experience very relevant while giving shape to his stories. He has published two bestsellers till now, namely It Happened That Night and Three Times Loser. Akash is currently based out of Gurgaon, India. He is fascinated by Cinema, Literature, History and Travel.

A Broken Man is his third book.

The blurb reads as, “Take a deep breath before you are born here, my child!
You take birth in a land where I struggled; gave it my sweat and blood. A land that I thought belonged to me… unbridled, uncompromising.
Krishna is a Dalit boy from Bihar who struggles to overthrow the chains that hold him back. Chhavi is a high caste Brahman girl fighting for the rights of others, propagating equality in a politically charged Lucknow University campus. After Krishna saves Chhavi from getting torched during a protest against reservation, love slowly blossoms, only to be ruthlessly crushed by a society that thrives on divisions of caste and religion. From student politics in Lucknow to the interiors of Bihar, from the corridors of power to the glitz of media and the film industry in Mumbai.
A Broken Man is the quest of a deprived Krishna to redeem hope from despair, love from separation and success out of repeated failures. From the bestselling author of It Happened That Night and Three Times Loser, this is a story that reinforces our faith in what love can accomplish as it pushes us to achieve the impossible, making us tap our true inner potential.”

A story is about a Dalit boy, Krishna and fairly exposes the challenges faced by him in the course of his life. Krishna, the protagonist of the story falls in love with a Brahmin girl, Chhavi. She is an activist in college and daughter of a local politician. Thus, trouble brews up as anticipated.

The story moves smoothly and deals with matters of love and faith. Because of his low caste, Krishna often gets insulted and lives under undue pressure of getting selected for a government job. It could have helped him and his family come out of the poverty.

The author has sketched both the characters—Krishna and Chhavi—beautifully. The poems in the book seem quite realistic and successfully portray deep and intricate emotions. The language is simple and easy to comprehend. Nowhere will a reader feel any disconnect. It’s so well-written that once you pick up, you cannot keep it down without finishing it off. I found it quite engaging. The subject is tackled beautifully by the skillful author.

How Krishna tackled with the problems of poverty and how he bore the innumerable insults, how He met Chhavi and fell in love with her, will he be able to get the reciprocation of his love for her, will Krishna and Chhavi be able to have a ‘together forever’ are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in A Broken Man.

Further, this 240 page book is good enough to expose the double standards of society we live in, the caste differences that still continue to exist in our mind sets. It’s a light read and overall a compelling book.

Ratings: 4/5

Buying Links: Amazon | Infibeam | Shimply | Flipkart

Tamanna - Book Review

Tamanna
By Tejeshwar Singh
Review By Ila Garg

Tamanna, a novel by Tejeshwar Singh, is published by FingerPrint Publication. The cover shows a girl who seems to have an independent streak. It speaks volumes about the plot of the book and manages to attract the readers. The sub-title ‘a true story of forbidden love’ does raise several questions in the mind of a prospective reader.

Tejeshwar Singh is a multi talented person, who runs a software consultancy firm in the heart throb of the country - Delhi. A little late in acknowledging his yearning for creative writing, he confidently pursues his passion now. He has had a keen interest in the mysteries and the truths about relationships and the human emotions associated with them. Tamanna is his attempt to portray what lay in his sub conscious mind. It is not just a book but an emotional journey of a man who fell in love twice!

Tamanna is the second book by Tejeshwar Singh, the first being I’ve had enough… God, which was published by Rupa in 2009.

The blurb reads as, “True love is like a permanent state of madness, one that makes us end up doing things we always thought ourselves incapable of.
The same happened with Delhi-based Arjun Singh. As a teenager, he made fun of romantic movies and love songs. Even when he got married, he only gradually fell in love with his wife—their love was mature and pure and had none of the madness that love stories are made of.
But his story only begins here . . .
One day at a party, he meets Tamanna, who looks breath-taking beside her overweight and pompous husband. Her arrival turns Arjun’s life around. He does everything love-struck teenagers are known to do—from writing poetry and letters to checking his phone every few minutes. He pines, he sings, he cries, he obsesses, he hyperventilates, he regrets, he scolds himself, he broods, he dreams, and he loves—truly and helplessly.
And as time passes, the gradual revelation of Tamanna’s maturity, her thoughtfulness, and her witty personality leave Arjun completely awestruck. But his is not a usual love story, for he is married, and so is she.
Heart-breaking and inspired by the author’s life story, Tamanna is a journey through a man’s heart, exploring, as it does, how it is possible to love more than one person at the same time, and how love heeds no reason and no boundaries.”

So what exactly happens when a married man comes face to face with a wonderful woman in all respects? Well, Tamanna is a story reflecting this side of encounter – a forbidden arena – a love that is a taboo in our society!

A married man and a doting father, Arjun meets this crazy, fun to be with, amazing woman, Tamanna at a dinner party and instantly falls for her. The author has given real details of this forbidden love and how Arjun dealt with these emotions and turmoil, how he curbed them. Tamanna too is a married woman with a child. Dinners between both the families and some friends become a regular affair soon. His friends persuade him that it’s only lust but gradually Arjun realises that it’s pure love. It’s almost like a confession!

The story moves in a flow and nowhere will a reader feel any disconnect. It’s so well-written that once you pick up, you cannot keep it down without finishing it off. I found it quite engaging. The subject is tackled beautifully by the skillful author. It seems a real account, in fact. The language is easy to comprehend. However, some parts seem repetitive marring the reader-interest.

How Arjun met Tamanna, how he discovered his true feelings for her, how he tried confessing his love for her, was he able to tell her about his feelings, did his wife find out about this forbidden love, will Tamanna understand if Arjun comes out clean in front of her are some of the many reasons why you will keep turning the pages to find out what happens in Tamanna. Another reason that would keep you glued to this book would be the fact that the blurb states the book is inspired by author’s life.

Further, this 240 page book is good enough to expose the different set of emotions that a married man goes through when tangled in a situation like this. What makes it stands out is the realistic approach that the author took in narrating the entire episode. However, the characterization could have been better; it looks very stagnant. It’s a light read and overall a compelling book.

Ratings: 3.5/5

Buying Links: Flipkart | Infibeam