Book Review - What I Didn’t Expect When I Was Expecting

First Impressions

Being a new mom, I found familiarity in the title of the book. From the moment the little one has arrived, our life is nothing short of a roller coaster ride! When one kid is driving us crazy, imagine how happening would be a house with three kids, having their own set of demands and tantrums! The parents having a roller coaster ride then, makes for the apt cover. Looking at the cute little kids enjoying their play with the controls made me all smiles! After all, as parents our moves are directed by the whims and fancies of our little angels!

My Review

Motherhood is one of the best aspects in a woman’s life. The sheer joy those two pink lines announcing the good news bring is incomparable with any other accomplishment. The moment the parents to be realise the stork is coming, they involuntarily go into the dreaming mode – of holding their baby in their arms, singing songs, playtime and lots of cuddles! Nine months seem a long duration and eagerness to hold the little one in our arms steps up, as each week passes.

But, with motherhood comes an overdose of changes. Battling the morning sickness, weight gain and mood swings, when the mother finally clears the D day finishing line, she is welcomed by sleepless nights, cranky baby and many changes that nobody seems to understand. She wonders if this what she actually signed up for.

What I Didn’t Expect When I Was Expecting is such a heartfelt account of Tina’s sweet and sour experiences with motherhood. Tina beautifully captures the major milestones in a mother’s life step by step, which makes it easy for the readers to go with the flow. Right from discovering the good news, to the challenges of each trimester; from the anxieties and excitement during a scan, to the preparation for the baby’s arrival; from the day you first hold your baby, to handling a toddler, the book has it all. Reading about Tina’s experiences as a new mom, I ...Continue reading

Book Review - You Raise Me Up

Author – Arjun Hemmady

Publisher – Leadstart

Genre – Fiction

Pages – 363

Price - Rs. 325

Sneak Preview from the cover

Aalok Sharma, a 27-year old chartered accountant, meets the vivacious and beautiful Priyanka Mehra, on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. They are instantly attracted to each other, though completely opposition nature. However, something is holding Aalok back. Will this thing throw a spanner in their love story? Or will he be able to overcome his demons

First Impressions

A confused guy lost in the thoughts of a girl on the cover gets the readers guessing. Is he smitten by this girl? Is she the cause of the troubled expression? Even the title couldn't provide any direction. With mixed thoughts (I avoid reading the summary on the back cover, for its fun trying to make wild guesses by merely looking at the book cover), I knew the only option was to get reading.

My view

When the author of a romantic fiction mentions he has never been any relationship, or worse still; has never ever read a romantic novel, the reader gets skeptical. It's like writing a book on medicine without having any knowledge of the trade! I wondered why was the author risking his debut with an absolutely unknown genre. Either he put this disclaimer to reassure his parents, or was weaving a story based on his perceptions (sounds too risky); for it is tough to write about relationships without having experienced even one! 

But, sometimes writing without pre conceived notions help provide a fresh outlook to an otherwise predictable story.

When the story begins with a shy and simple Aalok meeting a confident and extrovert Priyanka on a flight, I could instantly make out that the author was not lying in his introduction. The way Priyanka started the conversation with Aalok was a bit hard to chew.  Right at beginning of the story itself, I got a favour of Delhi v/s Mumbai (Aalok was from Mumbai while Priyanka from Delhi). 

Also, I didn't know one could identify a CA, if a person is silent and carries Economic Times in his bag! Oh! I love reading debuts and the fearless experimentations and expressions! 

Aalok's character is well shaped up throughout the book. Intelligent, sincere, sensitive, caring, loving, he has all the qualities a girl looks for in her ideal man. When it comes to giving freedom in his relationships, Aalok goes a bit too far; which is why one finds him dominated by women throughout the story. However, it is Priyanka who often surprises the readers with her unexpected moves. On one hand, while on the flight, she made a bold first move at Aalok, in the scene that immediately follows, she tries to portray herself as the conservative and reserved girl from another city.

But, this is just the trailer. There are many surprises from Priyanka's end for the readers. 

When Priyanka discovers there is no reservation for her in the hotel, she offered to spend a night at Aalok's house. I mean, weren't there any other hotels in the town? And one remembers that just 2 pages back, madam expressed her concern about travelling alone with a stranger.

But some people are in fact like that - unpredictable, spontaneous and straight forward. As one moves forward, Priyanka's actions continue to surprise. She gallops her way into Aalok's life and often, the reader suspects her actions as calculated moved towards something dangerous. As Aalok's sister once mentions, Priyanka surely is a drama queen!

Aalok though, almost reminded me of the Shahid Kapur of "Jab We Met"

Just when one starts enjoying the funny incidents in Aalok and Priyanka's cute love story comes a twist in the tale. Aalok has a past which holds him back to take things forward with Priyanka, who by now is head over heels with him. Worse, Aalok conceals from Priyanka the fact that he was once married. And thus begins the long flashback of Aalok's past, Tanvi his first love, their triumphs and failures.

It is here that the story falls prey to drags. What seems like a small flashback just refuses to get over. By the time one is through reading about Aalok's bitter experiences with his first marriage, the tired mind says "Priyanka who? What was she doing when we read about her last?" Finally, when the readers get a hang of what's going on, one finds Aalok stuck between his first love Tanvi, and Priyanka who gave Aalok a fresh lease of life when his life had lost its meaning.

But life still goes on. And when one reads the last page, there is a smile of appreciation both for Aalok and the author - Aalok, for being level headed and sticking to his strong value system even in times of strong emotional dilemma; the author for giving an ending that is uninfluenced by what usually sells. 

Another character that is shaped up beautifully is Aalok's sister Isha. She is the kid sister every brother would love to have - loving, caring, protective, intelligent. In her the naive Aalok finds the perfect friend, philosopher and guide. 

The author with his straight forwardness has a lot of potential and perhaps with a bit more reading of the romance genre, the next book will surely rock! If you are good with skimming, you will find the book a quick and enjoyable read. I would recommend the book for it's fresh outlook towards relationships.

My rating - 2.25/5

What I loved 

• The narrative is funny and characters well shaped up, especially Aalok and Isha. Isha the mischievous yet sensible kid sister beautifully compliments the honest, sincere and straight forward Aalok.

• The story strikes a chord with the youth with the excitement and challenges of love usually faced in relationships.

• The book gives a very strong message against alcoholism and how badly it can corrode one's life.

What could have been better

• The narrative about Aalok's past drags badly and the reader is forced to skim through to know what finally happens in his present. A little scissor work on the elaborate dialogues would have helped.

• When you are writing your debut, typos and grammatical errors can be such a spoilsport. Pg 154 (Do you what they'll start thinking?; Pg 204 (Hey about we have a cup of coffee); pg 220 (Do you What? This guy is so good)

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

C:Comic- A to Z Challenge

The reason why I got a lot of scolding from mom during exams was surprisingly not studies. It was comics. Yes, I was addicted to comics like a dopier is to dope. My addiction would be at its best during exams, for the colorful pages and happy faces transported me to a different world, free of exam stress, fears and failures. Every comic tells a happy story. However, being a concerned parent, mom used to be worried for my career, so she often made me swear not to touch comics till the exams were over! I used to be tempted to hide the comic in my textbooks and finish the story, but the guilt of breaking a swear and the fear of ranking low in class successfully kept me away from comics.

However, as soon as the last exam would be over, comics and I would embrace each other like long lost lovers and we would spend nights happily in each other's company.

Comics also taught me the art of networking & negotiating very early in life!

A boy in our neighborhood had a enviable collection of comics and used to organize a paid library during summer holidays. Paying for so many comics was totally our of question. But, then I found a weak link. This guy liked my hulla hoop and his mom never got him one, considering it to be a very girlie thing. So I negotiated the perfect barter. I would let him play with my hulla hoop and he let me read comics for free.

And that was not all...

There was a magazine stand next to the flour mill in the local market. Once, while waiting with my brother for the flour to be done, I picked up a comic, thinking I will pretend to check it out and the shopkeeper would think I will buy, but I will quickly switch to another one. However, once I opened the comic, I got so immersed in it that I lost track of time. Thankfully, the shopkeeper was a nice guy and a comic lover himself. "Why don't you grab a chair and read?"he said and offered me a chair. 

I was all smiles, thinking "Goodness still prevails"

Here are some of my favorite comics.

What are your comic memories & which are your favorite comics?

This post is written for #atozchallenge.

Book review – Raakshas – India’s No.1 Serial Killer

Author – Piyush Jha

Publisher – Westland

Genre – Fiction

Pages – 391

Price – Rs. 295

Sneak from the cover

This thrilling narrative of a serial killer’s life and the unusual and challenging investigation to catch him, uncovers a chilling trail of unspeakable torment and cruelty – the tale of Raakshas.

The Cover

Raakshas himself welcomes readers with his bloodshot eyes and his weapon of destruction. Look into his eyes and you will definitely think twice about reading the book, especially if you are beginning to read at night!

My View

Raakshas is a touching story of an innocent boy who is forced by circumstances to become a psychopath killer. One doesn’t get to know his real name, so I will call him R. Labelled a killer at birth and blamed for his mother’s death merely marked the beginning of his life’s atrocities. There was still a lot more to come. A harrowing time with his father followed next. Brahmanand, who saw his son as a mere distraction to his ongoing research, was the major culprit in spoiling his son’s life. After all, it is the parents’ responsibility to provide an environment conducive to the child’s holistic development. The first few pages brought tears into my eyes. “How can a father be so cruel to his own son?” I kept wondering. But then, haven’t we heard stories of scientists who lost it in pursuit of their impossible inventions? The little boy’s perseverance however, impresses us throughout. Gifted with an amazingly sharp brain, the boy had it all in him to become a genius.

But, destiny had different plan for him. After months of inhuman treatment by his father, destiny gave R a chance to escape his father’s den and be united with the only mother figure to him in the big, bad world – his maternal aunt Latika. Little did he realise that the journey to his aunt’s place would instead take him to the path of being a serial killer.

On his way to his aunt’s place, little R got kidnapped by a baba, a serial killer himself. It was the years of captivity, being baba’s assistant in his heinous crimes that transformed the boy into a serial killer. Throughout the years of captivity, R just dreamt of escaping Baba’s clutches and being reunited with his aunt. Sadly, by the time this happened, his soul had already become a personification of evil.

What followed next was a story that could shake the reader to the core. One after another, the tales of his heinous crimes gave me goose bumps.

The story has a very strong message - A serial killer is not born but is made.

Almost parallel runs the story of a girl, as intelligent as R but much favored by her destiny. An event in her adolescence which could have spoiled her life forever instead became her biggest strength. The girl went on to become a super cop, which brings us our second message – We are what we choose to become, not what circumstances want us to be.

The book also highlights the side effects of a practice rampant these days – of media highlighting and exaggerating every little piece of information. Had the media not come up with a silly idea of “ranking of serial killers”, many lives could have been saved.

Grab the book, for Raakshas isn’t a book about nabbing yet another serial killer on a killing spree. It goes a step beyond and portrays all that goes around in the minds of serial killers, their fears, triggers, emotions and motivations – the face of devil inside. The parallel tracks of the lady cop and R give the story an interesting “Yin and Yang” touch.

What I loved about the book

Everything, for the story has the power to leave an impact on its readers. Being my first crime thriller I was quite hesitant but the book kept my hooked on until I didn’t finish the last page. As I was glued to the book, the courier boy and a plumber who visited my house were welcomed with my suspicious eyes. Need I say more?

What could have been better?

Many aspects of the lady cop seemed too good to be true and exaggerated to give her a heroic stature.

My rating

4/5

About the Author

Piyush Jha is an acclaimed film director, ad filmmaker and author of bestselling crime fiction novels. His films Chalo America, King Of Bollywood and Sikandar are noted for their unconventional subject matter. Currently working on a crime based TV show, Piyush’s earlier novels are Mumbaistan, Compass Box Killer and Anti Social Network.

This review is for Writers Melon 

Books I read in 2015

If there’s someone who’s company can never put you off, it is undoubtedly books. Awesome weather, a cup of ginger tea and a lovely book in hand make for a perfect afternoon date with self that I often pamper myself to. 2015 was a very different year though. I spent half of the year being pregnant. In between mood swings, morning sickness, office deadlines and housework, as energy levels dipped, reading too didn’t get the due time it should have got. I used to always think of the books I would read when I would be expecting, and had even made few reading wish lists. But what a boring life if everything goes as planned! I discovered parenting blogs and apps which they gave me access to a wide variety of information in much lesser time.

Time check – 2 hours to go for IndiSpire topic to close! I just can't afford to miss writing about the books I so very enjoyed reading and sneaked out time for. Focus!

So, without wasting time, here are the few books I read in 2015. The best part though about 2015 has been that I have been able to review ALL the books I read.

1.   He Fixed the Match, She fixed Him –

2015 began with romance. This is Shikha’s debut and she did a pretty good job at that. A Cinderella love story and a fairytale wedding that transforms into a nightmare, as quickly as it had blossomed! But then, how can a love story end on a revengeful note! Grab the book if you love RomComs and savor every page as if you are reading a story. 

Read the complete review here – Book review – HeFixed the match, She fixed Him.

2.   My Clingy Girlfriend –

Relationships are like butterflies, hold them tight and they suffocate to death; but give them space and see the beauty of their colors. That’s the very essence of this hilarious book that brings laughter, sympathy, humor, anger all at the same time. My Clingy girlfriend is a funny sad tale of a Bengali boy who is stuck between an over possessive girlfriend, office politics, useless friends and umpteen desires. At one point, it seems like a no escape situation for Obro. Grab the book to know whether he finally manages to get rid of the problems in his life and also, to read some very funny How To’s. A very interesting book penned by a woman, narrated from a man’s perspective.

Read the complete review here – Book Review – My ClingyGirlfriend 

3.  Mandate : Will of The People –

Does politics interest you, but not the biased approach of most authors and media persons? If so, The Mandate is the book I would recommend. Mandate is simply a tale of Indian politics from 1970s to the early 2000s, sans views, opinions or unnecessary gyaan about its impact. And that’s the very beauty of this book. It’s a ready key to knowing the people, events and forces that contributed to the creation of the country we live in today. Since the book isn’t verbose or boring, it’s served best when enjoyed at a leisurely pace. As one progresses chapter by chapter, one comes across some very surprising facts about Indian politics that most of our generation wouldn’t have much idea about. A must read.
  

Read the complete review here – Book Review –The Mandate : Will of The People

4.   There’s Something About You –

This is not your typical boy-meets-girl book. Okay, they do meet, but there are some complications. That’s the essence of this romantic comedy by Yashodhara Lal. The book sails through on Yash’s ability to create characters and situations readers can totally relate to. Grab the book for a rather unusual account of the Boy-meet-girl story. TSAU will make you laugh, cry and think a lot about the uncertain thing called life and relationships.    

Read the complete review here – Book review – There’s something about you.

5.   Bhima – The Man In The Shadows –

We all know Pandavas as the perfect humans, Bhima being the perfect, sincere son, husband, father and brother. But he was after all a human! Having best of men as brothers and conflicting love interest can prove to be a tough situation even for toughest of men. And so, our macho hero too, felt like a man in shadows. The book tries to capture an aspect of Mahabharat that no one has attempted to touch upon before – Mahabharat from Bhima’s perspective. It is a herculean task to capture all the important aspects of a story like Mahabharat, but the author’s attempt is commendable.

Read the complete review here – Book Review– Bhima - The Man in the Shadows

6.   The Bestseller She Wrote –

The year ended on this awesome book that kept me hooked on! Ravi Subramanian’s books have always been treat reads. I had thoroughly enjoyed reviewing his last book, God is a Gamer. So, when I came to know he is foraying into the genre of romance, it was a pleasant surprise!  When it comes to romance, Indian writers usually fall prey to predictable storylines and I wondered how different Ravi’s book would be. However, having read the book, I can confidently say that not only has he successfully penned a bestseller, but has integrated his signature style of thrill and suspense into romance!

Read the complete review here – Book Review – The Bestseller She Wrote.

2015 has been a year of fiction. Hope to read a lot more of that and dive into many more genres in 2016! Happy New Year!

This post is written for Indispire – Books You read in 2015

Book review – There’s Something About You

Author – Yashodhara Lal

Publisher – Harper Collins

Genre – Fiction

Pages – 254

Price – Rs.175

Sneak from the cover

This is not your typical boy-meets-girl book. Okay, they do meet, but there are some complications.

The Cover

The cover is enough to evoke readers’ interest. Sea, sand and she…lost in her own thoughts, as he approaches her. The cover says, “She was in enough trouble till he came along.” For a moment one wonders who is he – the one who is to solve her problems or the one who created them.

My View

I had heard praises of Yash’s first two books – Just Married, Please Excuse and Sorting Out Sid however, I hadn’t yet been able to get my hands on any of these. So when I was offered to review There’s something about you (TSAU), I was all excited to find out what is it about her books that makes them bestselling.

After reading the book, I feel the mantra is Yash’s ability to create characters and situations that readers can totally relate to. TSAU is the story of Trish. 28, single, overweight, disturbed pretty much describes her. Many of us surely would have met a Trish or two in our lives and page by page, one can’t help getting attached to the protagonist.

Trish isn’t the boring 28 something desperate to lose weight and get married. She lives life at her own terms, even though the terms are plagued by a destiny that oscillates between floating and sinking. Every time her heavy self gets sinking, the fighter in her struggles against all odds to keep afloat – be it pushing against people to fit her heavy frame in a crowded lift, maintaining her Bandstand pad at the brink of bankruptcy or managing her schizophrenic father and a depressed mother.

Despite the odds, Trish is a fighter, even if it means endangering her life to save a depressed soul from committing suicide. After a bitter separation from her employer, financial troubles force her to accept an agony aunt column with the same publishing. However, she does that too at her own terns and the readers are bowled over by her characteristic sarcasm of her responses and the column soon becomes a hit!

Just when unemployment, financial and personal crisis hits Trish the most, Sahil enters her life like a gush of fresh air. His own 35 year old self hasn’t been doing too well however, whenever Trish and Sahil meet, sparks fly, literally, as Trish claims…(lol!). Every meeting of theirs is fun to read and you look forward to the next one. One wonders if together, they will be able to untangle each other’s lives. But then, many parallel plots make their way which somewhat dilute the essence of the story – Trish’s over friendly neighbour and the death in her house; Trish’s schizophrenic father and the shocking family revelation. Towards the end, one keeps on looking for more relevance and hidden messages in the additional plots and the twists.

Grab the book for a rather unusual account of the Boy-meet-girl story. TSAU will make you laugh, cry and think a lot about the uncertain thing called life and relationships.

What I loved about the book

·         Readers’ questions and Trish’s responses are real fun to read, for we really don’t get to read such stuff in our regular publications

·         The writing style is drag free and one enjoys to read how the relationship blossoms between Trish and Sahil

What could have been better

·         The sub plots towards the end could have been managed better to give a clear meaning to the readers.

·         The reader expects more from what happens to Trish and Sahil’s relationship at the end.

My rating

2.5/5

About the Author

Yashodhara Lal is a marketing professional and a mother of three children, apart from being a bestselling author. Her first book, Just Married, Please Excuse  is a hilarious account of marriage. Her second novel, Sorting Out Sid is the story of a man having an early midlife crisis and, consequently, a divorce. Yashodhara blogs at yashodharalal.com

This is review for Indiblogger. The views expressed are my own and under no influence.

Book review – Mandate: Will Of The People

Author – Vir Sanghvi

Publisher – Westland Ltd

Genre – Non Fiction/Politics

Pages – 137

Price – Rs.195

Sneak from the cover

This is the first easy to read book about recent Indian political history. Pegged on the general elections that shaped today’s India, Mandate: Will Of The People tells the story of Indian politics in a gripping, page turning style.

The Cover

Simple, non nonsense cover shows a serious Vir in an expression that is synonymous with the title – The Will Of people. Having seen his umpteen discussions on TV, one wonders what Vir has to offer in a book that is beyond the panel discussions and shows we are so used to.

My View

I am a carefree reader who generally avoids books on politics; the primary reason being the biased approach most authors reflect. Every time a political/non political person writes about politics, it reflects his opinionated views on the topic rather than the true picture. The same goes for many news channels. Facts are often manoeuvred and tweaked. Hence, when I was offered to review a book which claims to be an easy read about the story of recent Indian history, I was kinda intrigued; how could someone claim to capture the saga of Indian politics from the 70s to millennium in just 137 pages? Since the mere 137 pages was a motivation enough to satiate my curiosity, I immediately got my reading glasses on the moment the book was delivered. When I read Vir talking about his irritation towards easy panel journalism, I got my first positive sign that this book is for me!

Often, things which we least expect from give us unexpectedly good returns. The same holds true for this book. What started off as a mere curiosity killing activity turned out to be an eye opener for me. During my formative years in the 90s, I had heard of many events that shaped the Indian political framework. However, as a kid back then, I could hardly understand their relevance. As the events unfolded year by year in the book, I could relate to the discussions I overheard as a kid between the elders back then. Am sure many of us who were under 30 in the 90s would echo the same sentiments once they read this book.

Mandate is simply a tale of Indian politics from 1970s to the early 2000s, sans views, opinions or unnecessary gyaan about its impact. And that’s the very beauty of this book. It’s a ready key to knowing the people, events and forces that contributed to the creation of the country we live in today.

Since the book isn’t verbose or boring, it’s served best when enjoyed at a leisurely pace. As one progresses chapter by chapter, one comes across some very surprising facts about Indian politics that most of our generation wouldn’t have much idea about. Be it the advent of Indira Gandhi into politics; the similarity between the sweeping victory of Indira Gandhi and the 2014 win of Arvind Kejriwal; how the emergency that we have heard so much from our parents toppled the then government; the 1984 chapter of Punjab, the bloody memory of which is still afresh in many Sikh families; the tussle between Wadias & Ambani; the saga of the cruel Mandal commission that saw many students sacrificing themselves to ashes; how VP Singh made things from bad to worse; the Vajpayee tenure that showed a new ray of hope to the citizens looking for a wave of change – the book captures it all.

A must read, for you wouldn’t find another crispier way to know about the people and events that painted the canvas of Indian politics, as we know it today!

What I loved about the book

·         Unbiased facts and just the facts

·         The events have been carefully worded chronologically, divided into chapters that make it easier to understand the story of Indian politics

·         Vir has often given references to his interviews with people which make the book an interesting read

·         I am honestly impressed how Vir has beautifully and effortlessly put together all the relevant instances in just 137 pages

What could have been better

·    Call it an editing error or some confusion, I was zapped when I reached page 87 which spoke about Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. The page read, “The Rajiv Gandhi who toured India tirelessly during that campaign bore little resemblance to the haughty and embattled Prime Minister of 1998-99. This Rajiv was relaxed, unfussy, willing to mingle with crowds….” Now, we all know what happened that unfateful day in 1991 to Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur. Then who was being referred to in the reference to 1998-99?

My rating

4/5

About the Author

Vir Sanghvi is probably the best known Indian journalist of his generation. He became editor of Bombay magazine at 22, making him the youngest editor in the history of Indian journalism. His television career has included several award winning shows on Star TV network, NDTV and other channels. He has a parallel career as India’s leading food and travel writer and TV presenter. 

This is review for Writers Melon. The views expressed are my own and under no influence.