Book Reviews

Book Reviews

This book is going to sweep you off your feet!

A Man from Mandu by Manoj V Jain “So be careful in what you choose, in what you commit, and in your relationships with your studies, your work, your parents, your lovers, and friends. Commitment and responsibility come with freedom, ropes are binding us all, and you have to know which ones to untie and which ones to keep.” This is simply the Era where Spiritual Guru advances as Brands. What’s more, there is no deficiency in profound messages flooding our internet based life. Keeping this as the topic of the book A Man from Mandu’s author Manoj Jain gives his readers a fascinating story of Avishkar Baba, AKA #SadhuOfStories’ in his most recent novel. I have heard quite good praises for Manoj V Jain’s books, yet this is the first occasion when I read one of his books, and I should state, I was really dazzled with his varied way to deal with a storyline. He is one of the rare sorts of people who know how to interest and enchant his readers. What’s more, I was captivated by the minute I began reading the book. From the absolute first page, this book is going to give you a lot to contemplate over. The story is told through the perspective of Tarini, who is almost 40 years old and clueless about her career and life. A bet with her closest friend gives her what she looking for. A challenge. All she has to do is use her marketing skills to create a Brand Guru Avishkar Baba. Avishkar Baba, a new age guru who is gradually gaining popularity. Slowly, his band of devotees duplicates. And he meets them twice a month and keeps them mesmerized with his abstract stories. But the question is who precisely is Avishkar Baba, and what is his game? Is it safe to say that he is a conman, a storyteller or is he the real Guru? I was aghast after reading about how a Guru is rebranded and marketed. And how these Social Media help them grow. What I really liked about the book was its narration. It had a ‘magical realism’ quality. I was captivated by the story throughout. And the language used in the book is crisp, clear and easy to understand. The concept and the storyline of the book are quite unique. It has quite a few backstories, which are weaved smoothly into one story. This fast-paced book is going to sweep you off your feet. A must recommend for every fiction lover. For me, it’s a 4 out of 5 stars read. You can buy this book on Amazon or Flipkart.

Book Reviews

An Unbelievable Story that you would Love to Believe

Your Destination Has Arrived by Barry Cheema When I started reading this book, I thought this is yet another book where a young author is trying to sell his book in the name of spirituality. But I am glad to accept that, I was wrong. This book touches all the topics relevant to our generation. From depression to terrorism, ragging to racism, spirituality to love, philosophy to everything. He touches base with everything & does it with simplicity, without making this book a heavy read for us readers. Congratulations Barry, who has succeeded in writing a wonderful novel. Basically, this book is what “Kal Ho Na Ho” is, to Bollywood lovers. It has dramatic events (a grand Indian wedding, a terrorist attack), a strong life lesson (you need to finish the book to know it) and like the author says “an unbelievable story that you would love to believe” (& also, a dog). The characters are beautiful & fit so well with the storyline that you wish you also have people like them in your life. A master likes Pinky Ji, a friend like Kumar & a lover like Sachi. This book also describes the wrong preaching of yoga that is happening across the globe and how people are fooled in the name of faith & religion by so many Godmen. It shows us a path to avoid these so-called spiritual masters & gurus. I really liked the way he has explained topics like catharsis and emotional intelligence while narrating the story of Bruno. If you really want to enjoy a spiritual read but not able to take the heavy content available on the internet, you should read this book. It introduces you to spirituality/meditation in a language that you will easily understand & will definitely connect to. Though the book looks quite lengthy (376 pages), but it’s so gripping that there is no turning back, I mean no way you are putting it down. The small chapters make it easy to read and help the reader to connect the dot better. Language is easy and you need not refer to a dictionary every now & then. I am giving this book 5 out of 5 for its amazing blend of characters, storyline, spirituality & everything good. You can buy your copy of ‘Your Destination Has Arrived‘ on Amazon or Flipkart. Happy reading fellas! 🙂

Sidereal Destiny by Vaishnavi Sanoj
Book Reviews

Sidereal Destiny | A Book Review

Sidereal Destiny by Vaishnavi Sanoj What if every move of your life is being governed by the distant stars and moon? A destiny governed by each word of an astrologer. Blurb Two couples, Arpitha – Aarush and Anand – Rashmi has no bounds. The only thing dividing getting them together is a thin boundary of caste, religion, social status, and Arpitha and Anand’s mother. A mother, who does not take a step without consulting star’s chart. Chaos reigns in these two couples’ life. But will they escape their fate drawn their chart? or they will fight their destiny against all odds? Review A true storyteller knows how to keep its readers hooked and in this case, Vaishnavi is a master in storytelling. Author Vaishnavi has given utmost importance to the plot. The twists and turns never fail to shake its readers from the very edge of the seat. The concept of the story is taken out of our everyday lives yet the way the story is told is simply astounding. Though the beginning of the story is slow but as you near the third chapter, the story takes the pace and hooks you to each word. I really enjoyed the narrative. It is so smooth, it enthralls you to keep reading till late at night. It is a very light read and yet potent. The author gives us something to think about throughout the story. A lot of thought is given to the characterization. Each character has a distinct personality. And some characters leave their imprints on you. However, there is a good balance of everything: characters, their emotions and the emotions in between. Do I recommend this book? Vaishnavi’s Sidereal Destiny is a perfect light read. Fast-paced and very enthralling. The written simplicity bowls over its readers and earns a 5 out of 5 stars. You can get your copy of ‘Sidereal Destiny‘ on Amazon. Also, read: The Patriots Legacy

Challenges of the Gods by C. Hofsetz - A nerve wrenching sci-fi
Sci-Fi, Book Reviews

Challenges of the Gods by C. Hofsetz – A nerve wrenching sci-fi

Like me, do you wonder sometimes that the world we see around us is not real? Maybe it’s just our perception that makes this world what it is. Or maybe it’s our mind which is playing games with us? Or wait is it something else!! Like a superpower, sitting somewhere and making us do things which we are doing right now!! God!! Yes, maybe he is the one pulling the strings & makes us all dance to his tune. If you also had similar questions and Deja vu of an alternate life, this is the book for you. Opening Lines: The first thing that comes to mind is that the afterlife is overrated. Page Count: 374 pages Publisher: Wild Rose Press Publication Date: January 7th, 2019 In Challenges of the Gods, Author C Hofsetz may not answer all the questions we have, but definitely gives us a glimpse of the world/concept that we claim to have dreamt of many times. He also gives us a new perspective about the almighty God. What if God is not meant to do the right thing always!! What if he is a bad guy? What if he also makes mistakes and then tries to correct it like us humans?? Mike, the lead character, assigned randomly by the god to correct their mistake, is a perfectly funny and equally sarcastic guy all girls dream for. Whenever he makes an entry, he lit up the pages of the novel and cracks me up. When his love betrays him in the story, I am sure every girl reading this book will wish if only once she could be part of the story to meet him. But the entry of Jane will surely crash all their hopes. Mike & Jane’s compatibility is just perfect. Other characters also play their role well and never leaves you wondering why the hell they are in the story. Mike’s journey to complete his mission i.e.to destroy the alternate world is described so well by the author that you are compelled to turn the pages one after another. The language and flow of the story are smooth too. However, Mike’s soliloquy sometimes becomes quite lengthy & hence boring. Though the plot of this sci-fi is really good, it could have been short. Who doesn’t like a short gripping read after all? So, with an overall rating of 4/5 stars, I will suggest you grab a copy of this nerve wrenching sci-fi and start your new year by taking a step close to the future. Happy new year guys!! C Hofsetz Born: Brazil Website: https://hofsetz.com/ After working for several years as a professor in Brazil, C. Hofsetz moved to the United States and changed careers. Currently, he is a Software Engineer by day and a writer by night. Software engineering and computers have been his passion since he was a teenager, but he’s been reading novels for longer than writing code. One day, he couldn’t help it anymore. He wrote the first chapter of a book. How bad could it be? But things escalated quickly. The next thing he knew, he was writing yet another chapter, and then the next. He tried to hide it, but his family knew he was up to something. When they figured out what he was doing, it was too late—he accidentally had written a whole book. The result of this journey is the Challenges of The Gods, a story about a fantastic world of gods meddling with humans. .   .   .   .   . Love reading Sci-Fi? Recommend some books in the comments below and HAPPY READING 🙂

Book Reviews

The Ultimate Guide to Smart Shopping by V. Rajesh

Can a consumer be a smart shopper? Do Women Really Shop More than Men? What is the right price? The Ultimate Guide to Smart Shopping by V. Rajesh answers all the above questions and many other questions like this in a very simply-written yet elaborated manner. V. Rajesh has talked about those topics that you might never have thought of. Let me be honest with you about when I first received this book from Rupa Publications, I thought that this read is going to be a tussle for the review but instead, Rajesh’s funny yet logical writing expedite my read and I read it in one go! I thought that this book is just going to be a book full of WhatsApp jokes, some quotes, and some shopping related stuff. But I was wrong, this book has explained the psychology of a consumer and a shopper very well. From ‘Why Men sucks at shopping?‘ to ‘Why we buy the things we buy?‘, he has explained to them all. The first chapter is ‘Do Women Really Shop More than Men?‘ and it’s my favorite. Favorite because we all know that women love shopping and Men kind of hate it but we never knew why! Well, the first chapter in a very well manner reveals this WHY. Also, it explains why Men usually forget to buy some of the things they were supposed to purchase and trust me it really does makes sense when you read it! Few things I’ve learned after reading this book are (From the Key Takeaways): The behavior of shopping varies based on gender, age and the category of product being purchased. There is no universally correct, right price. Shopper prefers self-service stores as they enable the ‘Touch, Feel and See’ experience. This is one of the key factors that drive, impulse buying. The most attractive and also the simplest promotion is always a straightforward discount. Online shopping is here to stay. However, physical stores are also not going anywhere. And a lot like these… The best thing about the book according to me is that the author has provided a ‘Key Takeaways’ and ‘Smart Shopping Habits’ column after every chapter so that readers can narrow down the things that each chapter is trying to tell. I would recommend this book to every person who loves to sell and shop stuff as it will tell you ‘The Science behind Shopping‘ and help you to alter the way you sell or shop for better. My Rating: 3/5 stars .   .   .   .   . Who doesn’t likes to shop especially if we’re talking about books, so to just let you know, you can save that money and get a chance to win free books every month by following us on Instagram at @booxoul and participating in the giveaways we host. Happy reading 🙂