Book Review: Promise Me a Million Times

Author: Keshav Aneel
Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors
Published: 2016
Pages: 154
Price: Rs. 175/-
My Ratings: ☆☆☆☆▪5

The debut author Keshav Aneel has started his journey by this mind blowing book. The country in which every month millions of books are published, this manages to gain the *spotlight*. The plot of the book is so beautiful that I feel like escaping from the real world and getting inside this pure fictitious world. The author has been purely successful in writing a "pure fiction". The places which he has created are fictitious. The story is well crafted!

"SPOILER AHEAD!!!"
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The story is about two friends: Edwin and Charlie who leave their village of Lugaar and go to the city of Etiole to find better opportunities. The struggle they face in the big city is explained in the initial pages of the book. Edwin and Charlie are childhood friends. The fact that both of them are orphans make one read the book with a more open insight. For Charlie and Edwin; friendship is the only relationship that they've celebrated so far in their lives. Edwin comes to Etiole with a strong desire to become a successful actor. Charlie accompanies his friend. They find a decent place to live in the big city. Charlie finds a reasonable job and Edward moves forward to catch the butterfly of his dreams.

The twist-in-the-tale comes when Charlie meets Aster, a medical intern that helps him improve at his job as a sales person. A chance meeting with Aster make Charlie's life fall a place until he gets to know about Aster's brutal past. He feels more connected towards her and promises to give every possible kind of love & affection. The story moves on smoothly with Charlie and Aster discovering their newly found love with one another. Further in the story, Charlie reveals his love for writing. Aster encourages him to write and Charlie leaves behind everything to write a book dedicated to the love of his life. He is only few steps away from his dream that his laptop gets stolen (in which his complete manuscript is). His heart dies and his soul gets shattered. Aster consoles him and takes him out from the dead hole of depression.

The story moves ahead blissfully until one of Aster's old classmate make Charlie feel inferior. He tortures Charlie with his rude remarks & tells him that he does not deserve Aster as he can never give her all the luxuries. After a long introspection, Charlie decides to part ways with Aster for her benefit. He starts to believe that he isn't really the right one for Aster. He leaves her with an untold story. Later, in the book Charlie realizes his mistake and decides to move back to Aster. He commits to work very hard to fulfil all her desires. This time he writes a book once again and ultimately reaches the success point.

He moves around finding Aster to embrace her once again. He gets to know that she has gone to Lugaar, his very own village. He runs to be with her & share the joy of his book. Both die in a terrorist attack.

The book is easy to read and solely deserve everyone's favouritism. I will surely recommend this book. It will cast a very good future for  the author. I wish him luck!

Pick this book & take it on a vacation. It will not fail to charm you at all.

Till then, keep reading & breathe in books!

Toodles! (:

THE BOOK THIEF: Movie vs. The Book!

Inner consciousness *screaming* :

"No way a movie can be better than a book."

Well, I started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak during my semester exams. It was a chunky book and it took me good huge 20 days to complete it (since I also had exams to prepare for). Books that I've read so far had never left me surprised, this was the first book that left me awestruck. I kept on reading the last page over and over again. Yes, I was THAT MUCH SMITTEN. It is the best book I've read so far. The best book of my lifetime. Yes! You read that: LIFETIME.

 

The book been set up during Nazi Germany is a very simple story. It is about a girl and her foster parents. A very interesting thing about the book is that it is narrated by death, the grim reaper itself. When a person who would pick up this book to read would first ask himself the question:  How is this possible?

But the author does that. It is remarkable! 

So the story is simple. It is about a girl named Liesel who loves to read and is a thief. Not an ordinary thief. She is the book thief. The way the story intertwines with the book thievery is extremely of utmost interest. 

Stopping here, let me remind you about the heading of this blog post *drum rolls*

It is the comparision of the book with its movie. You can certainly read its synopsis from anywhere since I am not going to summarize it here. For now, let's dunk into finding why the book is better that the movie.

The book was adapted into a motion picture by 20th Century Fox in 2013. The movie pictures the Nazi Germany and the ones being oppressed at that time. It starts in the simlar way as the book does from the narration by death. Of course, the 2 hour movie could not add every scene from the book but leaving that, the movie even failed to show some right things. It had a lot of variations from the original movie that had disjointed me. 

One of the best part in the book was the explanation of the thief battalion. Liesel joins a thief battalion with her best friend Rudy. They roam about the streets of Nazi Germany stealing apples and other food materials. It wasn't depicted in the movie and it somehow saddened me. 

Other intricate mistake was that that in the movie Liesel's first book was the Gravedigger's Manual. She says that it belonged to her brother but in the book it did not. There was also no depiction of the nightmares that Liesel usually had.

The major turn over in the movie was that Max offers Liesel with two handwritten story books. However, in the movie Max does not give her any (except for an empty journal for her to write on) 

Other little turn overs were:

- Liesel, in the movie, did not carry her books during the black out but in the book it is mentioned that she carried it with her. The movie failed to depict the attachment of Liesel and her books.

- The part where Rudy is asked to go for the army training is neither illustrated well in the movie.

I am not stating that the movie was a complete disappointment. It was good. The actors acted well, according to the book characters. The setting and sites were also well chosen. But while weighing the movie and the book, the book surely wins the championship. The movie could be made better. It surely would have disappointed many book fanatics.

"Books and movies are

different art forms with different rules.

And because of that,

they never translate exactly"

- Tom Claney

    

 

Book Review: Like A Love Song

Author: Nikita Singh
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Published: 2016
Pages: 270
Price: Rs. 175/-
My ratings: ☆☆☆☆

Nikita Singh has always been my favorite. She has been my lady love for a long time now. Known for writing books at a fast pace, she writes yet very effluent. Her plots never fail to charm me and her books reflect her personality. "Like a Love Song," is my second favorite book by Nikita Singh (first one being Right Here Right Now). It had been long enough that I did not pick any good book & finally I'm satisfied. The ride from the beginning to the end of the book had been amazing altogether. The book is written in five parts and the story is fast enough. There was no point in the book where I got bored.

"SPOILER AHEAD !!!"
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The story revolves around a girl named Maahi who is basically clueless about herself. She is smitten by her boyfriend Kishan who really does not treat her well. She ultimately part her way with him and comes back to her hometown where she meets a very charming and a young lady Laila. Laila and Maahi ends up being good friends while working in a coffee shop. Still trying to hide from her past demons she finds peace in baking and working at a coffee shop. Later in the story, she manages to find a little sprinkle of romance and falls in love with Siddhant who often visits her at the coffee shop. The story hits a mountain when Maahi's past knocks at her door. Kishan tries getting back with her. He indulges Maahi into the web of his words & she ends up committing a mistake. She kisses him (oops!) Siddhant decides to move away after getting acknowledged about her mistake.

The tortures from the past & heart- break comes to the present rushing. After all this time, Maahi tries getting back to her senses and swears on being a strong woman. A woman that does not need a man to keep her happy. She follows her dream and opens a bakery with Laila which meets an ultimate success. She finally peruse what she always wanted, something that would keep her happy for life.

The title of the book "Like A Love Song" is very interesting in itself. The protagonist's love never uses different names to call her. He everytime takes her name with a different intensity and emotion that it hears like a love song to her.

The Good:

The story is inspiring. It revolves around a type of girl that would inspire every other girl. It's way above a normal love story. The title is a 100 on 100 thing. It has a deep meaning. The plot of the book is prolific.

Concept of culinary arts (baking) in the book makes it much more interesting.

The-not-so-good:

Why did Maahi & Siddhant had to part their ways? *sobs*

I found the ending bit unsatisfying.
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At the end, my friend, I will surely recommend this book. It is hilarious, it is warming, it is gratifying & it is easy to read. Take it on a ride, enjoy!

(GOSH, LAILA WAS MY FAVORITESTESTEST CHARACTER)

Hope the review helps. Till then, keep reading & breathe in books!

Toodles! (:

Book Review: Our Impossible Love

Author: Durjoy Datta
Publisher: Penguin India
Published: 2016
Pages: 289
Price: Rs. 175
My ratings: ☆☆☆

Being a Durjoy Datta fan I was really anticipated about the release of this book. Durjoy Datta is one of the young Indian authors & has already written and published 12 books. "Our Impossible Love" being the latest. In his every book, Durjoy has portray a different kind of love story. Every reader in India is really smitten by this dimpled author. He has a charm in his writing to sway the readers.

In his latest book he has beautifully explained the problems of a seventeen year old 'Aisha Paul'. With Aisha, the story covers other characters such as Sarthak Paul (her brother) and Danish Roy (her counseller at school). The twist in the tail comes when the reader realizes that Sarthak is a gay. Aisha, in the whole story is finding a way to be her own kind of a woman. She faces certain problems at school and even in her love life when her own boyfriend sexually assaults her on her birthday night. During this, her school counseller Danish Roy helps her overcome these fears and helps her to fight the demons of her past. Within this course of time, Danish falls in love with Aisha. Later, Aisha too realizes her love for Danish and the story ends on a happy note.

However, personally, I did not find the book extraordinary. It is average when compared to other Durjoy Datta books. The book was sexualized which according to me wasn't necessary. But on the whole, it was a happy ride. If you are looking for a light read, I'd surely recommend you to pick it up.

The book cover feels awesome!

Let me know if the book review has helped you and if you would like to read it. For anymore questions, comment below.

Till then, keep reading & breathe in books.

Toodles! (:

2016 Reading Challenge

New year brings new books!
What can be more lovelier than compiling up your old books, adoring your bookshelves and making up more space to add more books you are planning to buy the following year. I was intrigued to look upon how much fun it could be to indulge in a reading challenge. It's reading with fun, isn't it? Reading challenges can really be gratifying when followed obediently. I've never participated in any kind of reading challenges before but this year I'm planning up to follow it. Let's see what the reading challenges are!

JANUARY- a book that was made into a movie

For January, I'm planning to pick "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. The book was originally published in 2005 and then later in 2013 was adapted into a movie directed by Brian Percival. It's one such book about books! I'm really tempted & also planning to watch the movie after I finish the book.

FEBRUARY- a book recommended by a friend

For February, I'll be reading "The Guardian Angles" by Rohit Gore. A friend of mine recommended me this book long back, almost a year ago. I guess now it's the time I adore her recommendation.

MARCH- a book at the bottom of your 'to-read' pile

March will be hectic because I've decided to read a chunky book. I'll be reading "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. It had been resting on my book shelf for quite a long time now & had always been at the bottom of my 'to-read' pile. Now finally it is the time I flutter its pages.

APRIL- a book written by a local author

I couldn't really find any good local authors and their books. So I've dropped the plan of reading work born from my city (it's a little city tho). Instead, I've decided to read a book by the author of my country. "The One You Cannot Have" by Preeti Shenoy will be the one I'll read this April.

MAY- a book based on a true story

For the month of May I've decided to read "The Story Of My Life" by Helen Keller. It's a non fiction and is an autobiography of Helen Keller.

JUNE- a book by a new author

I've to search on it before I plan up to read any book by a debut author. If you know any good debut authors you may please mention it below in the comments.

JULY- a book in a genre you haven't read before

I've never read book of the horror genre. It sounds really interesting to indulge yourself into the words of dark fantasy. However, not able to decide particularly which to read I've lined up three books in a row:

- Carrie by Stephen King

- Dracula by Bram Stokes

- Coraline by Neil Gaiman

    

AUGUST- a classic

Well, don't judge me on this: I've never read a classic. I feel so, so, so ashamed of it right now. But now it's the right time, the great 2016 that would give me a chance to read "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. Hope I read it this year. Fingers crossed!

SEPTEMBER- a current ny times bestseller

I've read few NY Times bestsellers before, books by John Green being my favorite. Let's see which the current NY Times bestseller be when the September arrives.

October- a book you pick based on the cover

The cover of "The Secret Wish List" by Preeti Shenoy looks so much interesting. So based on the cover, I've lined this up as the October read.

NOVEMBER- a Pulitzer Prize winning book

"The Old Man And The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway was a Pulitzer Prize winning book in 1953. It's a little book of few pages. I've read few of its pages when I was staying back there at my Grandfather's home (My Grandfather has an enchanting book shelf full of old books).

DECEMBER- a book published in 2016

Ha ha, I'll be completing the December challenge in January itself. Durjoy Datta's new book "Our Impossible Love" is coming home in no time (January 15). However, I'll also read a 2016 release in December. Will decide it later. A lot of time to go, no worries!

I'm geared up for 2016. Such a brilliant reading year it would be. I'll also be reviewing some of these books. What have you decided to read this year? 

Till then, keep reading and breathe in books.

Toodles! (: 

Reading Schedule During Exams

This is a very untypical kind of blog post as I'm not gonna share a book haul, tbr list or wrap ups. I'm about to tell you the reading agenda that I'll be following this month of exams. My semester exams are coming up in no time (8 days to go) and I'm lagging behind in my reading schedule. For me, reading is a very essential activity. And if it's also for you, then you must continue reading this blog post. In my last post I mentioned doing November reading challenges but unfortunately I could not make up for it. I'm kind of depressed and suffering from a reading slump. I'd been stuck on one single book from last one month (The Secret Of The Nagas) however, I completed it 2 days back (finally!). So, even if there are exams coming up, I'm bucking myself for a light reading routine in between troublesome exam preparations.
Remarkably, I decided up to pick anthologies for this month. For those who do not know what an anthology is: it's a collection of short stories. I love reading an anthology especially when I'm occupied or really busy to read a chunky novel. And I guess, it's a right time to read anthologies. There are few anthologies on my book shelf that I'm gonna make headway for this month of examination.

1. SHE WRITES

The first book that I have on my list is "She Writes." It's a pretty attractive book and has a collection of short stories written only by women writers. It has an introduction by one of my favorite Indian author "Preeti Shenoy." Take a sneak-peek into its contents:

1. OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES- Anisha Bhaduri
2. THE TOURIST- Jyotsna Jha
3. REVELATION- Aprameya Manthena
4. A TALE OF DESTINY- Amrita Saikia
5. YOKEMATES- Sheela Jaywant
6. WINDS OF INDIFFERENCE- Shreya Manjunath
7. MANTRAS OF LOVE- Yishey Doma
8. SPACES- Prarthana Rao
9. WHITE CHILLY- Dr. Geeta Sundar
10. MIRAGE- Santana Pathak
11. CONUNDRUM- Chitralekha
12. A BOSTON BRAHMIN- Belinder Dhanoa

2. 25 STROKES OF KINDNESS

I love reading Grapevine books (because they are very relate-able and easy to read) and it's an anthology compiled and edited by grapevine authors: Nikita Singh and Orvana Ghai. It has 25 short stories that reflects an act of kindness in each. the 25 strokes of the book are:

1. OUROBOROS- Nanya Srivastva
2. IS IT KINDER TO GIVE OR RECEIVE? - Asfiya Rahman
3. A PACK OF PARLE- G - Himanshu Chabbra
4. A TEN DOLLAR WEDDING - Arashitta Sehrawat
5. PLEASE HUG ME - Preeti Shenoy
6. PENTIMENTO - Rafaa Dalvi
7. FIFTEEN MINUTES - Nikita Singh
8. SAVINGS OF LIFE AND LOVE - Parul Tyagi
9. CROSSROADS - Renuka Vishwanathan
10. COURT SENTENCE - Naman Kapur
11. A PIECE OF CONTAGIOUS KINDNESS - Sakshi Budhia
12. THE LOST GIRL - Arushi Pathak
13. LETTERS TO KARKA - Pernasi Malhotra
14. THE HELPING HAND - Ruchika Thukral
15. THE PHOTOGRAPH - Nikhil Khasnabish
16. THE COLLATERAL EMOTION - Shomprakash Sinha Roy
17. THE LAST ONE - Ishita Das
18. LESSONS OF A FATHER TO HIS DAUGHTER - Paromita Bardoloi & Ricardo Vaz
19. COLOURS OF GRATITUDE - Kalyani Manonjna
20. REALITY CHECK - Anjali Kirpalani
21. A RARE SIGHT - Namrata
22. SIX RUPEES - Husna Advani
23. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR - Prity S
24. AN ACT OF KINDNESS - Sachin Garg
25. SANTA FOR CHRISTMAS - Drishti Dasgupta

3. SELECTED STORIES BY LEO TOLSTOY

I'm not a classic book reader and have never picked any classics. However, this time under the influence of my Mom I've included an anthology by Leo Tolstoy. It has some selected stories compiled together in one little book (Let's get to know how classics feel like). The following asre the stories included into it:

1. A CANDLE
2. AFTER THE DANCE
3. ALBERT
4. ALYOSHA THE POT
5. AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE
6. DOES A MAN NEED MUCH LAND?
7. A SPARK NEGLECTED BURNS THE HOUSE
8. LUCERNE
9. THERE ARE NO GUILTY PEOPLE
10. GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS

In a nutshell, this is my tbr list until I finish up with my exams. I hope to read at least 2-3 stories each day. And if you're also suffering from reading slump and have exams coming up, start with an anthology.

Till then, keep reading and breathe in books.

Toodles! (:

~"It made me think that a collection of short stories is a treat, like a box of assorted chocolates for if you do not like one, there is always another one you can help yourself with."~

-Preeti shenoy

September Book Haul!

September's starting had been great for me because I bought favorite books of mine! Couldn't just dunk into much books few months back as I'd been very pre- occupied by college stuff. So, lets get into the beautiful books that I got to mark the beginning of this month.

The first book that I got is THE OATH OF VAYUPUTRAS. It is the third and and the final book in the Shiva Trilogy. I've been fanatically obsessed by Shiva Trilogy and it's the last book that I need to bask in. It's a pretty thick book and I guess, I need to plan a read-a-thon for it. Oh Gosh! I love this (It feels too good to have it in my hands. The smell, ah; wonderful).

Second book I got is THE GUARDIAN ANGELS by ROHIT GORE. It had been a long time that I've not picked up a Grapevine book (Indian publishing venture started up by Durjoy Datta and Sachin Garg). A friend of mine have been yelling at me from last one year for not reading such an amazing book. Now that I have it in my hands, I'll be reading it soon. 

THE COMPLETE BACKBENCHERS SERIES 

So here it is! I finally managed to buy the complete backbenchers series. What could be more heavenly than reading a complete series of books written by your favorite authors together (yes!). The series is written by Durjoy Datta and Nikita Singh under the pen name of Sidharth Oberoi. Already had had read the first two books in the series (2 more to go!). 

I'll soon be coming up with November's reading challenges. If you want me to review any of the above book leave a comment below. 

Till then, keep reading and breathe in books.

Toodles! (: