Book review: Teenage Chronicles by Saania Saxena
Book review of Teenage Chronicles by Saania Saxena. We at Booxoul, highly recommend this book for parents as well as teenagers.
The smart balance | A Book Review
The smart balance By Ankita Aurora I guess this is the book I was waiting for. A perfect read to start the year with. In todays so called wireless world we are badly entangled to social media & glued to our gadgets. People have started travelling just for the sake of uploading pictures & using the most trending hashtags. Girls use tons of make-up to reach #nomakeup look & kids using #wanderlust #travelislife don’t even appreciate the culture/ nature around. The Author however uses interesting # in her book, making us actually #think. She addresses the most important issue (i.e. work life balance or actual vs virtual life,) that we are facing today in detail & tell us methods to overcome it. The new age disorders & syndromes are well explained too. The content of her book shows how well researched her writing is and how well read the author is. She mentions recent researches & facts every now and then in the book, making it really informative. I also loved the suggestive read/ talks she gave at the end of the book She also uses diagrams & tables to explain her point well. The real-life examples & #todo activities are also useful & doable. This book looks a bulky read but was worth reading every page. The topics are well divided into chapters and creates a good flow. Language is really easy & font size soothing for your eyes. Overall, I will give this book 5/5 for the topic she chose to write and the efforts she put it into. This book is definitely going into my must-read list of 2020
It’s up to you by Anju Dhawan
It’s up to you Whether you focus on the roses or thorns, It’s up to you. Whether you focus on the falling leaves or the new buds, it’s up to you. When I got this book for review, by the look of the book I really thought it’s another rom com book. The synopsis revealed something else and the book came out to be of self-help genre. To start with, I disagree with author’s view that this is a unique book on this topic. I have personally read or seen at least 10-20 books on this topic myself in many bookstores. The methods or activities might be new but the essence of the book is same. Law of attraction. What you think you become or so. Though I was really disappointed to get yet another book on this topic, but I really liked the way she made this topic easy to understand & implement in day to day life for our young generation. Her activities & techniques are good and doable. “Be at cause” is a technique that I think will really stay with the readers for a long time. She also gives case studies, revision points that makes it really easy for anyone to understand what she is trying to explain & helps in retaining the lessons. Her language is simple & fonts of the book goes easy on your eyes. She also touched upon few fears/issues that are very much relevant today. Like FOMO (fear of missing out) and cyber addiction. Its really a good idea to include it in this book. I really appreciate all the work Author Anju Dhawan is doing in the field of education & social work & wish her luck with her book.
Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Chauhan
Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer Publication: Roli Books Page Count: 208 Review: Crime Where do I begin with? And what do I say about this book? Tihar Jail, Asia’s largest prison has been a muse of my fascination forever. And I always wonder, what is the life like behind those prison walls? Were they tortured, left to rot in dark prison cells, forever lonely. And whatever I heard on the Television felt like the garbled version of half-truths, half-lies that left me scared and bewildered most of the times. But when I read this book ‘Black Warrant’, all the notions I had were unravelled each layer at a time and torn into millions of pieces. Sunil Gupta was an officer at Tihar Jail for more than thirty years. He recounted tales of such horrifying magnitude that I literally keeled over in overwhelming emotions. From the first man he met as soon as he joined, the notorious criminal Charles Shobhraj. To his first prison hanging to the formation of Janata party in 1977 behind walls of the jail and to his last hanging of Afzal Guru, he poured his out in a no holds barred confession in stark and honest words, which were then penned by Sunetra Chaudhary. Sunetra with her pen turned the words into swords. Each blow cut me through my heart. I felt a prisoner of her words. I was riveted, shackled and petrified. I must say that to tell such imagery stories are no mean feat and I applaud both the authors for allowing us a glimpse of a different world altogether. Where rich and mighty are the kings and poor were the slave, where loneliness is scarier than death itself and where laws are the means of convenience. Black Warrant is a book that needs to be read in one’s leisure time so that one could soak up the emotions of each story and grasp the magnitude of life it holds. I highly recommend this book and implore you to read it at least once. I give Black Warrant 5 on 5 stars . . . . . Let us know what you think about Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer in the comments! No spoilers on this page, please! Love reading Fantasy Fiction? Then, do let us know your favorite fantasy fiction reads in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to read : Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer, if you love courtroom dramas
Finding Our She-compass by Helen & Jo Owens
15 Life Lessons for Women Voyaging Toward Restoration, Reconstruction, and Renewal I am a fictional novel reader who avoids motivational, self-help books all the time. In fact, this is my first self-help book reading experience and reason is my own hair. After my pregnancy, my hair texture got changed from wavy to frizzy curls. Though it seems a petty issue it still bothers me. Most of the time I am in the same bun hairstyle. So, while my visit to the trichology center, I saw someone who was literally half bald. I didn’t talk to her but I wondered if with only texture change, I am so conscious then how she must be feeling and that is how I started reading the famous book “Finding Our She-Compass: 15 Life Lessons For Women Voyaging toward Restoration, Reconstruction, and Renewal”. Love is the compass of life As per my understanding, this is a motivational story cum self-help book. It’s about Author Helen Owens who is a hair-restoration professional who helps people who had lost their hair in special circumstances. Helen is giving us insight into her own life and career experiences which includes a few of her client’s stories. These stories reflect all-important relationships of our life like family, love and friends and all issues with these relationships like heartbreak, over self-analysis and trust. ‘I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship’ – Louisa May Alcott While reading this book many times, I have recognized that there is some part of me in those troubled women’s life or another way around. Helen teaches us many lessons like embracing self-power, self-priority; ignoring own negativity; avoiding toxic relationships and many more. This book is worthy of all your time and energy as stories are not only relatable and inspiring but also interesting. As a reader, you don’t get bored or feel bloated with over motivation lessons. Subtly this book changes somethings within us. I can confidently recommend this book to all age groups from 16 to 60. Also, this book is not only for women; anyone can read as there is plenty of takeaways. I would like to rate this inspiring book 4 out of 5. . . . . . Love reading self-help? Then, don’t miss this: Finding your G-spot in Life Also, do let us know in the comments, what’s your favorite self-help book? Happy Reading 🙂
Book Reviews
The Mind Game By Devika Das
Publication: Blue Rose Publishers Page Count: 203 Review: Another Non-fiction book by this Author. Which I really enjoyed reading, because of its fast pace, non-repetitive and to the point writing style. Devika’s The Mind Game is a fairly straightforward Self-Help book on mastering emotions to achieve success. It is divided into 6 main sections that deal with the following: Emotions and their Management Understanding Behavior of People Recommends Simple Living Staying Happy despite the Circumstances Anger Management Promotes a Good Work Environment Do I recommend ‘The Mind Game’? I’m absolutely not a fan of Self-Help books. In fact, I tend to gravitate towards Fiction rather than Non-fiction. Ergo, I had my doubts about this book too… as I have for countless self-help books. Needless to say, against my better judgement I started with this book. In the beginning, my mind kept wandering every now and then while reading, but after like 30 pages in, I kind of started enjoying the book. To be frank, I did not discover any great epiphany or find any major information that would transform my life, but then again, I guess it’s nice to be reminded of the small ways in which you can get back on track in case you need a reassuring hand. Probably those looking for a simply written book that gives basic insights might find this one useful. I loved the simplistic way of writing of the author. It was what kept me hooked to the book. Also, the points in the book were relayed in a simple manner. Overall, it is a good read. Readers who like to read Self-Help will surely love this book. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars . . . . . About the Author Devika Das is simply described as a Passionate Writer, Theatre Artist, and Poet. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and on her website. . . . . . Also, read: Finding your G-Spot in Life Do you guys love self-help? If yes, then do let us know your favorite self-help book in the comments below!
Book Reviews
N for Nourish by Pooja Makhija
N for Nourish The moment I picked this book up, I was certain that life would not be the same after reading this book and oh boy! Was I wrong? It was amazing to know how so much of the wealth of information can be contained in such a tiny book. If you think Pooja’s ‘N for Nourish’ is a children’s book, then you are mistaken. It is a hands-on encyclopedia for our daily nourishment. It manages the rudiments or rather it gets to the fundamentals of nourishment and our dietary habits. Also, read: You won’t ever ask for the salad after reading this! ‘N for Nourish‘ is not what you call a ground-breaking book. No, It isn’t. However, it does make you realize, what you are eating or rather not eating. Moreover how you are abusing your body and mind with your eating habits. This book is full of fun facts and amazing pictures. Each brief chapter tells you about Nutrition, food to eat and when to eat, Activities, etc., with a short explanation. It takes a gander at the fundamental parts of eating – the amount to eat, and when to eat. This book is a reminder to healthy, which we may have forgotten in our fast lifestyle. And that is why we need a book like this to keep reminding us from time to time, about what we should eat and how. A must-read for people who want to know more about food and its implications and how it changes lives. The writing style of the author is simple yet the effect it has on you incredible. Since reading this book, I have brought about many minor and major changes in my otherwise toxic lifestyle. This book ‘N for Nourish’ is a must-read for everyone, regardless of their age. It has earned a 5 out 5 stars for everything this book contains. . . . . . I hope you liked this review of ‘N for Nourish‘ by Pooka Makhija and I hope you’ve already shared it on your social media feeds or on WhatsApp. So, just to let you know, we are on Instagram too and by following us, you can get bookish posts directly on your feed. If interested, visit our Instagram profile at @booxoul. Happy Reading! Also, try reading 5 insane (but true) things about Chole Bhature.
Book Reviews
What Won’t Get You Your Dream Job: Story of a Job Hunt – Roopesh Tiwari
If you are a fresher, freshly graduated from a college & seeking a job desperately, this is the book for you!!! Roopesh Tiwari in this book reveals all the secrets that you need to know to crack an interview in his new book. I wish What won’t get you your dream job was published before I faced my campus interviews. Apart from giving the insight on “How to crack an interview?”, this book also tells us a story that everyone will relate to. The author has managed the balance well between the story & the technical content. You will never feel lost in the storyline or get bored with the know how’s of an interview. Questions about the education & employment system of our country are well answered here. Rather than just cribbing around this well-known problem, he accepts & acknowledges it. He admits, how the sole motive behind acquiring any degree in our country is to find a decent job. He has highlighted many important aspects of hiring that we often miss while preparing for an interview. Nobody tells us about these small little things, that make an average candidate stand out from the crowd. For example, by just observing the type of interviewer you are facing, you can work wonders. In day to day life, everyone likes to be around easygoing people (people who are easy to handle). We know it very well & practice it every day. But we never realized that this criterion is relevant in the corporate world too. Roopesh has mentioned so many tips like this in the book. The one take away line from this book for me is “When in doubt, do what is bold, and you will never lose in the long run.” I really loved it. His tips are so good that I was forced to make notes like college days. He also mentions many researchers & surveys in the field of recruitment & human resource. This shows how well-read & researched he is. Overall the book is a good read, with very good font size & page quality. It’s not very long but it’s lengthy enough to cover the points Roopesh is trying to make here. I would give 5 out of 5 stars to this book & would definitely recommend it to all my juniors. . . . . . Help us in making our content even better by telling us the flaws in the comments below. Also, you can get our bookish updates straight on your Instagram feed. All you’ve to do is give us a follow: Follow @booxoul And if you’ve any special demand for books to be reviewed or recommended or anything, then just DM us or let us know in the comments and we’ll soon come up with something. Happy Reading 🙂 Also, read: School vs. College
Zero Not Out: Every journey has to end, for a new beginning by Vamshi Krishna
While “Chhichhore” movie entertains us in the theatres, this novel won’t disappoint the sports lover readers among us. Both the stories revolve around the parental support today’s generation craves rather need in this cut-throat era of competition. Also, these stories have our prestige institutes and sports in it. Making it, a complete package of entertainment. Maybe, it’s just a coincidence that I read & watched these stories in the same week. But I must say I liked them equally. The language of the book is really easy and you need not refer to a dictionary every now and then. Though there are few grammatical and spelling mistakes, you will still enjoy the plot thoroughly. It is a gripping and catchy story that made me smile and feel emotional at the same time. Its length is just perfect for a story like this. Everyone who has lived a hostel life will be able to relate to it at some point in time. It also shows the role of a father in his son’s life at different stages of life. I don’t want to share more spoilers but, I would definitely salute Vamshi’s effort to address this critical issue our young population is facing nowadays. Since he is an IITian himself, he understands the pain better. The depression and pressure that follows are known to everyone but are addressed by none. After studying so hard for the entrance exams and clearing the tedious years of college, when the kids fail to secure the job they deserve, they take steps like suicide. Vamshi has not only addressed this issue beautifully but he has also shown how technology can be used to fight it. His efforts will definitely benefit our young generation and to some extent curb youth suicides. In Zero Not Out, author Vamshi Krishna has done justice to the subject and gave readers a perspective on the issue and its probable solution. His creativity in terms of plots is commendable and the way he deals with emotions is remarkable. Though the initial story looks similar to many bestselling novels, gradually it stands out. I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars for its amazing plot & author’s courage to address a critical issue. Withholding one star for the old storyline & average editing. Happy reading fellas. 🙂
