Saturday, 27 April 2019

#Spotlight ; Beyond Scars by Alka Dimri Saklani


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Beyond Scars 
by 
Alka Dimri Saklani



BLURB

Hi, I am Avinash, but this is not my story. This is the story of Avni, my sister. I know the smell of cement and bricks still pulls her to the incident seven years ago where she made a daring yet ruthless decision. I know she is drifting away. I know she has begun to find comfort in Vivaan. But I don’t know if I like it. 

Hi, I am Avni, but this is not my story. This is the story of Vivaan, the stunning, vivacious painter. There is something sad about the paintings he has locked away from the world in his storeroom. But he never talks about it. But then there are a lot of things he doesn’t talks about, like how deeply he loves me. 

And what about Dev and Kangana? Isn’t this their story too? It wouldn’t have been if only we did one single thing differently on that ill-fated night, the night that changed the course of our destiny. And hey, I am Vivaan. 

And what about me? Why does nobody talk about me? Or talk to me? Because I am a little girl or because…Well, this is my story too. You will ask who I am? The answer lies somewhere in the pages of BEYOND SCARS.

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About the author


"Alka Dimri Saklani writes contemporary fiction. Her books are labeled as ‘intense’ by most of her readers. Her debut novel ""45 Days in a Cancer Hospital"" was longlisted for Crossword Books Award 2013. Writing is her first love, the love that seized her when she was just 8.

She holds MBA degree in HR and worked with a leading MNC before turning to a full-time writer.

Born and brought up in Vadodara, a city in Gujarat, her roots hail from “Dev Bhumi” Uttarakhand. Apart from writing, she loves music, reading, traveling, and spending time with her two naughty kids.
"



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Saturday, 20 April 2019

#BookReview ; Jahangir by Parvati Sharma



Jahangir was the fourth of the six Great Mughals - great grandson of Babur and grandfather of Aurangzeb - and the least known among them. His father, Akbar, transformed the Mughal kingdom into an empire, and his reign is often considered an epoch in itself. Jahangir's son Shahjahan built the tomb that Tagore famously described as a 'teardrop on the cheek of time', and was sometimes upheld as Akbar's true heir. Jahangir, on the other hand, has the reputation of a weak man, at best: an alcoholic with an eye for art and greed for pleasure, controlled by a powerful wife. But far from being a disinterested prince and insignificant ruler, Jahangir showed tremendous ambition and strength throughout his life. When his succession was threatened, Jahangir set up a rebel court in the face of the mighty Akbar himself. While he made no conquests to match his father's, Jahangir was the first Mughal to win the allegiance of the fearsome Ranas of Mewar. And, for all his reputed frivolity, Jahangir was the emperor who won his dynasty its glorious association with things of beauty and splendour - and who wrote one of the most perceptive and entertaining imperial memoirs of all time. The man who is most often defined by his relationships is here presented holistically as a canny ruler and conscientious administrator, an astute observer of human society and a connoisseur with wide-ranging interests. In this marvellous work of popular history, Parvati Sharma tells a compelling story of one of the most fascinating and undervalued rulers of India.


Jahangir is a non-fiction historical novel written by Parvati Sharma. Parvati Sharma's debut, The Dead Camel and Other Stories of Love, earned her a cult following for its depictions of love and sexuality in urban India. Her novella, Close to Home, was acclaimed as 'tender, acute and pulsing with real Indian life'. She has also written a book for children, The Story of Babur. Sharma has worked as a travel writer, editor and journalist.

The Mughal period has been taught since a long time but the focus has been mostly on Akbar, Babar or even Shahjahan but Jahangir is probably the most ignored Mughal ruler. This book explores the life of the ruler who ruled India for a span of 22 years, his interests like that of writing or in art & the state of affairs he dealt with. We also come to know about an interesting person from his life, his wife Nur Jahan & how she used her wit to influence the ruler to take some decisions as per her will. Do get this book here,
Non-fiction historical novels are a bit tricky to write about since there is a huge chance that it might get boring or lose its pace but as I started to read this book, I can assure you that you won’t face this problem atleast. The book is divided into 7 chapters starting with his accession to the throne to the rest of his life. As we read further, we get to know about the kind of ruler he was & what kind of legacy he left, this gives us an insider view than that of what we just hear. Another fascinating thing to read about was the kind of amicable relationship he had with his wife Nur Jahan. All these stories will keep you engrossed with this book till the end. The language used is extremely simple & the cover is simply beautiful. Surely a must read.


Wednesday, 17 April 2019

#BookReview ; The Moving Shadow by Arunava Sinha



Disappearing corpses. Scientists who are spies.
Maniacal murderers. Brooding, remorseless detectives. Love triangles and murders. A robot that falls in love. Secrets of the dead and the departed. Sex, romance and betrayal. All these and more are to be found in these eight novellas and stories featuring spies, criminals, ghosts, black-magic practitioners and, of course, femmes fatales. These are the finest examples of a long tradition of pulp fiction that has always lurked in dark corners within the hallowed precincts of Bengali literature.
Written by brilliant mainstream as well as pulp fiction writers from India and Bangladesh, including Premendra Mitra, Satyajit Ray, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Gobindolal Bandyopadhyay and the redoubtable Swapan Kumar, the stories in The Moving Shadow: Electrifying Bengali Pulp Fiction give the reader a dazzling introduction to noir from the land of the bhodrolok.

The Moving Shadow is collection of stories written by a range of extraordinary Bengali writers from India as well as Bangladesh, it has been translated into English by Arunava Sinha. Arunava Sinha translates classic, modern and contemporary Bengali fiction and nonfiction into English. Besides India, his translations have been published in the UK and the US in English and in several European and Asian countries through further translation.

As the tagline of the book says, “Electrifying Bengali Pulp Fiction” this book consists of verity of stories which will keep you hooked till you finish them. Stories covered in the crime genre make a thrilling aura as you read them, several mysteries are interlocked & as you think you have figured them all out, there’s a twist that will knock your socks off. The stories in horror genre will indeed scare you but at the same time intrigue you to the core. Get the book here,
I haven’t read any Bengali pulp fiction before & there couldn’t have been a better introduction to this world. The stories are selected with great care as they’re so engaging that they will not let you leave the book alone until you have finished all of it. The translation is brilliant as usual, the cover is beautiful & the title is apt. Dive into this book & I can promise you won’t regret it.


Monday, 8 April 2019

#BookBlitz ; Scepters of Empyrea by Vignesh Ravichandran

~Book Blitz~
 Scepters of Empyrea
A Journey to the Andromeda Galaxy
by Vignesh Ravichandran 

About the Book:
Empyrea, an island in the Andromeda galaxy belonging to planet Vathura is serene. Everywhere your eyes turn, you will feast on the lovely birds singing their heart out in the lush green vegetation. Osiris Mysterio ruled the regions of Empyrea with his brother Tyrant Seth and with their children Pitheceus Babi, Kraity Wadjet, and Horus Mysterio.



5000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians were the only humans to receive the invitation to enter Empyrea. They gladly on-boarded into a Pegasus chariot and took their journey to Empyrea. Their journey is indescribable. Empyrea by itself was like a fairy-tale garden, an ocean of flowers and exotic trees.

As the Egyptians went further inside Empyrea, they saw its netherworld. They had mixed feelings when they saw the triangle shaped tombs and the bizarre headhunting people. Empyrea also had the blood-curdling creatures like the deadly dinosaurs, gigantic snakes, furious apes, ruthless rhino’s, massive mastodons and many other creepy creatures. This showed the power of the Empyrean Army and that no other army could survive their wrath.

The Emperor Osiris and the kings ruled Empyrea with powerful Scepters. With those powers, they were not only considered as kings but also worshipped as Lords. The Lords with the help of their scepter had the crucial power to transform themselves into giant creatures.

Egyptians while departing from Empyrea was gifted with a shortcut portal to earth and also with some people and creatures of Empyrea to build the Empramids in Egypt. Overwhelmed with happiness they took the shortcut door and returned to Egypt.

However, the happiness was short-lived in Empyrea. The Empire of Empyrea was betrayed for ruling earth avariciously. Somehow the Emperor of Empyrea locked the shortcut portal and asked the Egyptians to safeguard it. The Egyptians, on the other hand, failed to safeguard the portal. And some gangsters accidentally opened the shortcut door in 2017 A.D, entered Empyrea, and inadvertently got access to the Lord scepters.

So, now the Earthians were left with no choice but to battle against the merciless predators and headhunting people in their heroic journey. Their ultimate fate lied in an empire beyond imagination. They would take their stand against the powerful lords, who brutally led their people to war against planet Earth.

Did the gangsters protect the earth from danger, or left the other world to accomplish their tyrant rule on Earth? Explore the world of Empyrea to unravel the truth behind this mystery.

Book Links:

Book Trailer:

Meet Ekmali:

Ekmali with harder effects climbed the edge and ran all over the terrace for finding kalishka, but she couldn't see any foot prints of it.

At last, she saw a blood filled mammoth tusk with a shell ornament on it. She picks it and closes her eyes, and a lovely visual comes into her mind,  a naughty little girl playing alongside in the seashore and picking the shells from the sand, sudden water showers on her, but it's not the rain, it came from the trunk of a kid mammoth with lush brown colored hair. The girl ran towards the kid mammoth and tying the shell ornament.

Ekmali opened her eyes, and the tears automatically poured out of her eyes, she noticed kalishka's bones rolling down on the floor with its blood. She wiped the tears from her face, took the shell ornament and wore it like a bracelet and lifted the tusks of the mammoth, tied at her two hands from her elbow.

The sharp tusks are scratching down in the ground and leaving fire sparks in her fierce footsteps. She was ready to take on the foe army with the extra long tusks of her kid, she lunged like a saber and nailed the sharp tusks into the bodies of Dinomens and quetzals in a humongous force.  .


About the Author:


Vignesh Ravichandran is the author of the book Scepters Of Empyrea: A Journey to the Andromeda Galaxy. He  did his Masters in Business Administration from a leading Business School and  presently working as a Human Resource professional in a leading software organization in Chennai. He wrote this debut novel with the story line which he experienced in his nightmare 7 years ago.




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Friday, 5 April 2019

#Spotlight ; We Women Wonder by Inderpreet Uppal


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WE WOMEN WONDER: Dreams, Desires, Struggles & Triumphs
by 
Inderpreet Uppal



BLURB

"When a woman becomes her own best friend, life is easier." 
– Diane Von Furstenberg. 
Thoughts, quotes and determination can make a woman stronger, a survivor but she is a winner regardless. 
This book is the story of every woman, you might find your reflection too. 
A journey into what keeps us women ticking. 
What annoys the hell out of us? 
What are we women really about? 
How does the world see us? 
Is the world changing for us or are we just dreaming? 
What is our success and what it means to a woman? 
We Women Wonder, I often do, don’t you?

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About the author


" Inderpreet writes for her love of writing, edits manuscripts and reads endlessly. 

A sprinkling of fiction, a dash of books, and a bit of opinion add to the eclectic mix that is Eloquent Articulation, her blog.

Books, editing, writing, and blogging keep her busy whenever she gets a breather from mothering her ‘too tricky to handle son’. 

An Army brat, she now joins her adorable Army hubby across the country. "


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Saturday, 23 March 2019

#BookReview ; The Legends of a Startup Guy by Prachi Garg



Ganesha is Jovial, intelligent and the youngest in the family. A foodie by heart and laid back by nature, he always looked for ways to make life easier. Despite being born to the all-powerful Shiva and Parvati, with uncle Vishnu and aunts Lakshmi and Saraswati to back him at every point in life, he has to battle through many ups and downs to establish his individual identity, just like his accomplished brother, Skanda. Under layers of perfection, benevolence and Jovial extravaganza was a young boy battling to be found for who he really was. The legends of a start-up guy is a tale of someone who was born with a silver spoon and yet, decided to write his own destiny, on his own terms and to bring meaning to his existence out of the shadows of his lineage. It is the story of how an entrepreneur is born, the story of his challenges, and his actions to sail through them, carefully interwoven with stories from the Hindu mythology, to bring to the table the wisdom of the gods. 

The Legends of a Startup Guy is a fiction with a twist of mythology written by Prachi Garg & published by Srishti Publications. The author is a motivational speaker & an entrepreneur. This is her fourth book from Srishti publication after Superwomen, Super Couples & Super Siblings.

The story is basically about a guy who is born in an affluent environment but decided to take the path less traveled & follow his dreams. As he starts his journey to become an entrepreneur we get to know about the different difficulties he faces in the process & how he deals with them. Interestingly the story is merged with Hindu mythology & several stories from it are used to represent the different situations. Get the book here,
The book basically is aimed at people who want a glimpse of the challenges & the lives of entrepreneurs but it has happened far too many times that whenever someone has written a book like this it turns out to be boring for the masses hence the author decided to give it a twist & mix Hindu mythology in it. The plot is simple & goes on steadily, since the language used is simple its quite a breezy read. The narration could’ve been better especially the details could’ve been conveyed through some more detailed mythological stories. The cover unfortunately is nothing special. An interesting take on the journey of being an entrepreneur, shouldn’t be missed.


Thursday, 21 March 2019

#Spotlight ; From An-Other Land by Tanushree Ghosh


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From An-Other Land
by 
Tanushree Ghosh



BLURB

Never has been the conversation on immigration more pertinent than now, post 2016 US elections. From cancellation of refugee protection and zero tolerance to undercurrent crackdown on H visas, the resurgence of nationalism is hitting the globalized population head-on. 

But what is immigration today? A question of life or death - fleeing of persecution? A compulsion? Or a mere pursuance of privilege? 
And what is the US today? A land of opportunities? Or a quagmire impossible to comprehend, inherently racist and selfish?

From An-Other Land dives deep into immigration today for the Indian diaspora and its many facets with characters who seek to define themselves in an intercultural setting that is less and less sure of itself. A reality check and a guide for anyone who wants to understand the modern-day US.

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About the author


Tanushree Ghosh works in the technology sector in the USA and is also a social activist and a writer. She has a Doctorate in Chemistry from Cornell University and has worked at the Brookhaven National Laboratories and is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Presidency College Calcutta.

Her blog posts, op-eds, poems, and stories are efforts to provoke thoughts, especially towards issues concerning women, social justice, and immigration - which is the topic of her first solo-author work From An-Other Land published by Readomania publishing. 

As a contributor to the Huffington Post US, she has published several posts on topics that affect the under-represented and the lesser privileged, whether that's a population, a nation, or an individual. Her first article for the Huffington Post went viral and was picked up by the Yahoo news. She has since written on the Syria war and its children, open borders, the unfair coverage in the Western media of the Brazil Olympics, societal differences in outlook on issues like gun control in the US, and off-course - women. She has written on postpartum depression, acid attack and its state globally, #MeToo and a myriad of related topics and was interviewed for Reddit and the Indian Express. She is a regular contributor to several popular publications (incl. The Tribune (Sunday Diaspora segment), Thrive Global, The Logical Indian, Youth Ki Awaaz, Café Dissensus, and The Women's Web). Her literary resume also includes poems and stories featured in national and international magazines, including Words Pauses and Noises, UK; TUCK, Glimmer Train honorable mention, and inclusion in seven anthologies (through winning national and international contests), including Defiant Dreams (Oprah 2016 reading list placeholder) and The Best Asian Short Stories 2017 (published out of Singapore by Kitaab). She has served in coordinator and chapter head roles of ASHA and AID India and has affiliations with several women's organizations and non-profits. She is also the founder and director of Her Rights (www.herrights.website), a 501(3) c non-profit committed to furthering the cause of gender equality and supporting victims of gender violence.


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