Night in Shining Armour by Manali Desai- Book Review

Name Of The Book: Night in Shining Armour 

Author Of The Book: Manali Desai

Genre: Poetry

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Manali is a full-time freelance writer and editor cum blogger. Currently, apart from her ad hoc writing and editing assignments, Manali runs a blog and is also a partner with Pachyderm Tales. In her authoring journey, Manali has written and published seven solo books, been a part of a few co-authored books, and has helped new and aspiring writers
publish their books as well. She has been a multiple-times bestselling author on Amazon with all her books ranking in the top ten in many categories. Her short story, The Walls Have Ears, helped her bag the Best Short Story Award in 2019 at Stories From India organized by Ukiyoto Publishing. She has also won the Best Author: Fiction Award at Cherry Book Awards, and the Book of The Year title in 2021 by BeTales Magazine, for her debut novel, Love (Try) Angle. Her short story titled, The (Un)Blind Date, which is a part of her Christmas special anthology, Under the Mistletoe & Other Stories, won the best story prize in an online contest.

BLURB

This little book brings forth a collection of poems, each centered on and around the theme of nightly experiences and encounters. Right from dinner dates to bonfires and stargazing, almost every activity that happens after sundown is covered herein, in poetic verse. Divided into two sections- Facets and Pursuits; the poems in Facets are a night lover's ode to the elements of the dark, and those in Pursuits, talk about nighttime occurrences and indulgences. Striking a chord with nocturnal (human) beings and selenophiles, the lines herein are assured to evoke emotions of longing. No human, irrespective of their age is deprived of the pleasures (or pains) that the dark hour brings in. The poems, describing moments of what happens after sundown will make the readers romanticize the darkness or have bittersweet moments flash through their minds, helping them relive and reminisce long forgotten or buried memories.

ABOUT THE BOOK

This is the first time that I am reviewing a poetry book and must say I have been enlightened to know the different forms of poetry that exists. As you all know poetry has been around longer than the written words, using rhyme schemes and rhythms makes it easier for a reader to remember. Different types of poetry will have different auditory moods and rhythms, which contributes to the overall emotional effect. And in this book by using different forms be it Haik, Abstract, Tanka, Nonet, Gogyohka, has not just added variety but has also established mood. image and meaning to the text. Manali has done a brilliant job by evoking varied emotions. While reading you will realize that the poet is challenging herself to use words in new and exciting ways. The book is divided into two parts Facets and Pursuits. As mentioned by the poet in Facets, the poems are more lyrical in nature that describes facet of darkness while in Pursuits, the poems are all about night time affairs. The poets is trying to make readers feel nostalgic and adore the beauty that night holds.

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

A good poem is something you might remember, but a great poem can make you feel the emotions it wants to share and that exactly what Manali's writing has done. It has not only evoked the emotions but also made it relatable by using metaphors and similes. I am personally found of poem that has rhythm to it and some of her poem felt as if I am singing a song and that made it captivating.

BOOK DETAILS

Format: Kindle edition INR 0 Kindle unlimited or INR 99 to buy

Pages: 84

Publisher

Reading Age: 12-18 years

Availability: Amazon

This Book is part of Blogchatter's #Book Review Program #TBR Challenge #BookChatter

The Yoga Sutras For Children by Roopa Pai - Book Review

Name of the book: The Yoga Sutras For Children 

Author of the book: Roopa Pai

Genre: Self-Help

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Roopa Pai, a Bengaluru-based writer, columnist and speaker, is one of India’s best-known children’s authors. Many of her books are bestsellers, enjoyed as much by adults as by children. Among them is the award-winning, much-translated The Gita for Children, listed by Amazon India as one of ‘100 Indian books to read in a lifetime’. Her TEDx talk 'Decoding the Gita: India's Book of Answers' has received over 2 million views to date. When she isn't writing, Roopa leads heritage walks around het city with BangaloreWalks, a company she co-founded.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Sayan Mukherjee is a multidisciplinary illustrator and passionate storyteller from Kolkata. His work includes paintings, book covers, animated frames and children's picture books drawn using various mediums. Sayan is also a muralist and has created expensive feature-scapes across India. 

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• ABOUT THE BOOK

• 'Train up a child in the way he should go- but be sure you go that way yourself'.- Charles Spurgeon

Parents today are very concerned about raising a child with good values, kids who will be forces for good in the world. There are various ways to teach children to respect others and do good. But one of the most effective yet simple way is through books. In the book The Yoga Sutras the author stresses on the importance of yoga for children as it helps in developing skills that will help them through adolescence and later in life. Yoga can help kids learn how to manage stress or anxiety, in addition to general emotional regulation. Author's aim is to connect yoga practice with the day today life of children allowing them to use the power of their mind to tap their true potential.

The Yoga Sutras shares 10 secret of enlightenment by offering us guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life. The secret of being in present, the secret of being successful, how to be more calmer and clearer when it comes to our life and many more secrets that can make our life worth living for. The goal is , how to practice detachment. Author has come up with beautiful conversation between Maharishi P and a common man describing the importance of yoga and how yoga helps in waken and harness the explosive power of our minds, through our action, our attitude and our awareness.

When you think about Yoga, the first thing that comes to our mind is asanas, but to your surprise this book is not about that. The author has unwind the secret of Patanjali's 2000 year old text in a simple and engageable way, that will hold your attention till the end.

Just knowing what to do won't help, what helps is how to do. Therefore the author has come up with 9 powerful practices that will show us the way to enlightenment. Make a plan, stick to it, have patience, no excuses, know you goal , all these are explained well with  practical examples. 

The author has brought comparison between different religions and faith and by mentioning the similarities that they have , has made this book more  comprehensive and acceptable.

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

I believe in fun with learning and this book exactly does the same. Author has shared abundance of knowledge with a bit of humor which kept the pace of the book moving. The pronunciation guide at the end of the book has made the reading more effective. The best part of the book are the illustrations, as they offer contextual cues and will help the readers in this case children, to read between the lines that will makes them interested even if the content is little heavy on them. The reckoner towards the end of the book will allow the reader in better understanding of the concept.

I enjoyed reading and will recommend this for all the age group not just the children. 

BOOK DETAILS

Book format: Paperback/Kindle edition

Price: INR 292/ INR  260.19

Pages:296

Publisher: Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt Ltd

Availability: Amazon

This Book is part of Blogchatter's #Book Review Program #TBR Challenge #BookChatter

Flawed- A grumpy sunshine age gap romance by Shilpa Suraj (In Disgrace Book 1) - Book Review

 

Name of the Book: Flawed- A grumpy sunshine age gap romance

Author of the Book: Shilpa Suraj

Genre: Romance

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A published author with Harlequin India- Mills &Boon India collection and juggernaut, Shilpa Suraj's books have hit both the Hot New Releases and Bestseller lists on Amazon. Her next novel, tentatively 'Wrong' has been contracted by Rupa publications and will release later this year. She is also part of the Flipped Anthology by HarperCollins and had an audiobook book Insta Reddy release with Storytel. She is, amongst other things, currently working on 'Fazzled and Fabulous', a humorous, true-to-life parenting story that is part memoir and part nonfiction. An avid reader with a passion for creative writing and storytelling saw her participating in writing competitions at school and dabbling in copy writing for an ad agency as a teenager. Twenty years in a corporate space, including a stint in Corporate Communications for Google, India, and a spell at entrepreneurship all hold her in good stead for her multiple current roles of author, mother and head of Human resources & Publications at an architecture and interiors design firm.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Love doesn't need to be perfect; it just needs to be true. Nice thought, isn't it? Stephen Hawking rightly said that one of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect, perfection simply doesn't exist, without imperfection neither you nor I would exist. 

This is a story about two people who are bound to be together as we say opposite attracts. In the book Flawed, the author has described her male protagonist Aditya as someone who is supposedly perfect, a dutiful son, ambitious and go-getter employee, trustworthy friend and an ideal husband material. On the other hand female protagonist Vaani is called as flawed who is a narcissistic, unattached when it come to her family, confused and over ambitious. 

Aditya Khamankar was a chartered accountant works with Vaani's father as a partner. All he wanted was a simple and uncomplicated life but life has its own plans. There comes the entry of flamboyant reality television villain and tabloid fodder, Vaani Jaishankar who left her family to live for the arc lights. But due to certain circumstances she returns to her family and there meets the eye. Both of them have their own struggles and problems to solve. Their witty banter and sweet and steamy romance making this book an extremely engaging one. 

It is for you to see how their path meets and where their destiny takes.

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The angst made my heart hurt, the problems and struggles added the emotional heft I wanted and the romance made my heart warm. It made me feel varied emotions as all the characters seemed quite real. I mean, who doesn't love an uptight hero who has to unbend for a chaotic heroine? The age gap between them made it even more interesting. It made me feel as if I am reading an adult version of Mills and Boon. I can't wait to read her all the work. Consider me a fan.

BOOK DETAILS

Book Format: Kindle edition

Price: INR 199

Pages:257

Availability: Amazon

This Book is part of Blogchatter's #Book Review Program #TBR Challenge #BookChatter

 

All Those Who Wander by Kiran Manral - Book Review

NAME OF THE BOOK: All Those Who Wander 

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK: Kiran Manral 

GENRE: Science fiction / Time travel

BLURB

What if the past, present and future exist at once? What if you could rewrite your past? What if you could go back and change it around? What if you could protect the child you were from the trauma you know she will have to live through? What if you were living infinite versions of the same life simultaneously? This is the story of Ana, who is at a different age each time we meet her. But who is Ana—is she really who she says she is? A tangled tale of looped time and non-sequential lives, of guilt and repercussions, ‘All Those Who Wander’ turns the classic time-travel genre into a spine-tingling gorgeousness of who, what, when, where. Wouldn’t you take that one chance to heal your inner child?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kiran Manral has published multiple books across genres in fiction and nonfiction. She has been awarded the International Women’s Day Award 2018 by the Indian Council for UN Relations supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, Government of India, for excellence in the field of writing. She was listed as one of the Womennovator 1000 Women of Asia 2021. In 2022, she was named amongst the 75 Iconic Indian women in STEAM by Red Dot Foundation and Beyond Black, in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and British High Commission, New Delhi. She lives in Mumbai with her family and can be reached on twitter @KiranManral.

ABOUT THE BOOK

One of the wonderful things about reading is finding that next great author that you love. You read one of their books and instantly spend next few days hunting down their back catalogue. Experience has taught me not to read too many of these in a row as you start to see parallels in the books. But some times you come across an author who refuses to pigeonholed and Kiran Manral is one such author who has variety of books in her kitty.

Personally I am not one look back on my life, preferring to live and enjoy what I have in the present, but when I do it, it is about my time in school and university, that person I could have treated better or would have made extra effort to be a better at things. But what if you would have traumatic childhood and that had affected and changed your life drastically then, I am sure you would like to turn around the time for good.

All those who wander is the story about Ana who is also Nayna had a traumatic and painful childhood, she is time travelling by looking at her reflection in a mirror. Ana could travel through time and multiverses, pulling her one version from one universe and placing in another, hoping for a better world not realizing that this could entangle her life. The narrative goes back and forth between the past and the future leaving reader perplexed however this will make the reader more and more curious too.

There is a paragraph in a book which make things clear as to what's happening with Nayna or should I say Ana. The paragraph goes like this:

"Few of us have the ability to shift ourselves. Your time calls them time travelers. Some books and movies have already caught on to these, but your time can't explain how it is done. Neither can we. All we know is that a few humans can shift between dimensions. You are born with it, no one can teach you how to do it, no one can control it for you. You can move between times."

Though the story demands to be boxed in science fiction genre but has scores of emotions in it, be it love, thriller, fear or faith. 

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

This book gave me goosebumps. Never tried this genre but now I can happily say that, I would love to read more of this.  Science fiction with time travel as a theme is not an easy read or write for that matter, as it takes time to connect, but ones you get the hang of it then there is no looking back.  Every character is so well defined that despite shifting from one time to another didn't seems difficult to understand, as there was a smooth transition.  

I would say, everyone should try reading this genre and if you are doing it for the first time than start with this book for sure. 

BOOK DETAILS

Book format: Paperback/ Kindle edition

Price: INR 282/INR 235.20 

Pages: 280

Publisher: Amaryllis 

Availability: Amazon

This Book is part of Blogchatter's #Book Review Program #TBR Challenge #BookChatter

The Naani Diaries by Riva Razdan- Book Review

Name Of The Book: The Naani Diaries

Author Of The Book: Riva Razdan

Genre: Romantic Fiction

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Riva Razdan is an author based in Mumbai. Her work has been featured in The Hindu Business Line, Grazia India and The Telegraph. Her debut novel, Arzu, was published by Hachette India in February 2021.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Naani Diaries is a painfully heart breaking, emotionally charged and beautifully crafted story of love, loss and healing. There is a romance that you feel with all your heart and soul. This book celebrates women who are independent, ambitious and brave. A well-conceived story about relationships be it mother-daughter, man-woman, friends and so on. It convinces us to believe in ourselves. A mere showcase of woman power. The protagonists in this book are mother (Mangala) -daughter (Radhika) and grandmother (Gayatri)who fought against all the odds particularly patriarchal society and conservative mindset. Radhika is an ambitious and a go getter and despite doing great in her professional life she was a disappointment when it comes to her love life. Heartbroken she decides to move to India and stay with her grandmother who was empathic and loving. As the name of the book suggests, "The Naani diaries" , Radhika get hold of her Naani's diary and was completely captivated with the love story , little she knew about the tragic ending which has not just changed her perspective but the life of her Naani too. Despite of all twist and turns, ups and downs and deep confusion, we can say "All's well that ends well".

There was this delicious push-pull tension between them that keeps you hooked and makes it an interesting read. The story is told in a mixture of flashbacks and present-day story lines which makes it very engrossing.

There is a subtle message which is hard hitting but something which needs to be told. You will witness different shades of women's personality and I am sure you can relate to at least one for sure. 

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

The writing was flawless and just so raw and honest, with perfect pacing and a beautiful flow to it that fully conveyed every emotion that each character in the story went through.  I loved the writing as it captured the emotional intensity of the  love while balancing it out with touch of humor and other scenes that had me sitting there fanning myself from the hotness. It was the perfect balance!!

 There are no wasted words, no extra fluff. And despite the fact that it jumped back and forth in time, the segments were arranged in such a way that I was never once unsure of what was going on and the pacing and flow of the story was such that I there were no interruptions in my connection to the characters. You could just feel it in every scene that a great amount of thought, time and research had gone into the creation of this book.

This book leaves you in a good place, but also makes you desperate for more.

BOOK DEATILS

Book Format: Paper back/ Kindle edition

Price: INR 339/ INR 335.30

Pages: 564

Publisher: HarperCollins India

Availability: Amazon

This Post is part of the Blogchatter's  Book Review Program #TBRChallenge  #BookAChatter

OF Marriages and Madness by Sacheth - Book Review

 

Name of the book: OF Marriages and Madness

Author of the book: Sacheth

Genre: Fiction

ABOUT THE BOOK

Let's be very frank , if there is one steadfast truth that most married people can agree is that marriage isn't always easy. The book "OF Marriages and Madness" by Sacheth is a compilation of 8 stories that revolves around marriage and the different perspective surrounds the same. 

Each story has been woven beautifully by the author. They are thought provoking and relatable too. While reading you might connect to some and might reject some but you cannot ignore them. Author has left some stories with open end,  that might be frustrating for some but it helps you to be more imaginative and can bring up your creativity. Most of the stories are unpredictable and that's what makes it an interesting read. Do not expect happy endings as even in real life there is nothing called  black and white,  there is more of greys and probably that makes life challenging and fascinating at the same time.