Tales of Wizardencil

Book Review No. 20-
Book Name - Tales of wizardencil
Author - Sreeparna Sen
Publication- Swipe Pages
Pages - 103

Blurb:

Stories are portable magic, they say. Such magical words about the beautiful world around us has been collected and complied from the nib of wizardencil. Tales of Wizardencil is such a assortment of different kind of microfiction, flash fiction and short stories. A read for all age groups.

My Reading-

The Book is divided into 3 segments.
1) Ten Tiny Droplets-
This segment consists of Miny Tales. It consist of 10 Mini Tales.
My Personal Favourite were -
A) The Return
B) A Walk to Remember
C) The Lost History.

2) Fictions in a Flash-
It also consists of 10 fictions.
My Personal Favourite were -
A) A Date over Coffee
B) Truth or Dare.
C) Thankless Job.

3) Collection of Short Stories-
My Personal Favourite were -
A) Love, Heartbreak and Life.
B) The Soul Survivor.
C) The Space Soccer

As a Debutant, she has given her heart out and has done a commendable job. This Book is a read for all age groups.
Some stories were really good that i could even visvualise scenes in front of my eyes.

Ratings-
Book - 4/5
Book Cover- 4/5

#The book is easily available on Amazon, Swipe Pages.

Know Your Author-

Sreeparna Sen is a Banker by profession and Computer Engineer by education. Writing is her passion. Apart from that, she is a voracious reader. When she is not dealing with the loan documents, you can mostly find her nose in a book or facebook. She frequently writes in her blog Wizardencil by Sreeparna Sen in Wordpress and also manages a facebook page with the same name, where you can find stories written both in English and Bengali.
Currently living in the "City of Joy" Kolkata, she aspires to bond with people through her stories.

Ballad Of A Belle

Book Review No. 19 -
Book Name - Ballad of a Belle
Author- Rahul Tushar
Publication House - Adhyyan Books
Pages - 294
Main Characters - Aarti, Dilip, Arun, Sanjive, Priya

First of all I would Like to thanks Rahul Tushar for giving me the book to review.

Blurb -
Smitten completely, love was all that Aarti desired as she stepped out of Panditpora, Sapore, a small town in Kashmir, with dreams of a glorious tomorrow in her eyes. She was ready to merge with varied colors that life had painted for her, surreal most of the time. With sprinkles of love and care from priya, her leading light, the game changing journeys across various cities of the world strengthened her resolve to fight back every time fate besmirched her. Although, Priya helped Aarti Wriggle out of decaying associations that had become possessive, self-centered and oppressive, could she teach Aarti all about life in a world full of envy, jealousy, greed and treachery?

"For those viewers who have just joined us, we are tracking the unfortunate incident of the alleged drug overdose of Ms. Aarti Mehra ,wife of the CMD of Beyond Horizon Group, Arun Mehra. Aarti was found unconscious in her bedroom of their mansion, Elysium, at 10 Tansen Road, New Delhi, today at 9 PM by chief Housekeeping Matron, Dorothy Raju. Unfortunately Few Hours before the incident , Mr. Arun Mehra had left for Newark, USA on an important business trip. He has been informed about the mishapback home throught the ATC network at Istanbul. The Lufthansa Airlines flight, on which the oil moghul was travelling, has made an unscheduled landing at Istanbul from where a chartered plane will fly him back to delhi.
Aarti was rushed to Maxwell Hospital in Saket after Mr. Dorothy Raju found her in a critical state. Our special correspondent, Mark D'Costa, at Maxwell Hospital, has reported that at the time when aarti was brought to the hospital, her body had turned blue and she was profusely frothing in the mouth. The Preliminary investigations as per the medical bulletin released by Maxwell Hospital have indicated the probable cause of Aarti's condition as an overdose of Nefazodone, a serotonin antagonist drug she had been taking for the last six months for dysthymia which is characterised by a persistent depressive mood. Ms. Aarti Mehra, as per the latest medical update, has slid into a coma and is now in a rather critical condition.
In a seemingly associated incident, an unidentified man in his mid-thirties was shot dead in his car by two motorcycle borne assailants barely a kilometer from 10 Tansen Marg. Earlier in the afternoon, the white Hyundai Elantra driven by the deceased was seen parked for a while near Elysium. However, the security staff at Elysium denies having seen this car parked anywhere close to the high security mansion of the Mehra's. Interestingly, the Commissioner of Police has shown remarkable urgency to dub the motive of this sensational murder as personal vendetta before conclusively establishing the identity of the victim.
Is there a link betwwen the 2 shocking incidents ? Is police trying to shove the unprecedented sequence of events around Elysium under the carpet?

My Take:
I was hooked by the "Prelude" so much that i read it twice and what if I tell you that I was Just reading an masterpiece by a debutant author.
The Story opens with Aarti who hails from the city of scenic beauty - Kashmir (sapore). It was in her graduation days when she felt in love with a boy named Sanjive. How she experiences the love and the cruel side of sanjive is the journey. Journey from marriage to Divorced within a year.
The Second Phase where she goes to Singapore and Australia, meeting different people, culture and heart wrenching events which turns Aarti's life upside down.

This book can be termed as Thriller, Suspense Novel.
Many Emotions has been depicted like Love, Struggle, Betrayal, Hostile, Astrology, Psychology, International culture, Pain, Drugs etc.
# Author has also put few 'Alarming Topics' in the sequence, such as Kashmir Militancy In 90's , Status of Women, Drug Overdose, Teenage Love, Running away from home etc.
# Writing is simple and easy to understand. Even a first timer would easily understand the story. The story is meant for all age groups.
# I Could even visualise scenes running in front of my eyes, like a movie going on.
# Rahul has actually written a Screenplay rather than a novel, and i strongly believe filmmaker like Kabir Khan, Ali Abbas Zafar should read his book.

My Rating for the Book is 4.8/5
The BooK Cover is amazing, the quality is superb - 5/5
Plot and Narration- 4.5/5
Characterisation - 4.5/5

Know Your Author-

Born to a family of broadcasters, Rahul secretly desired growing up in the corridors of National School of Drama at Mandi House. However, with Chakras in his feet and Marshis ruling planet, destiny had already charted a different course of life for him. Travelling across the entire length and breadth of the country, he was destined to fall in love with the concept of india. His wanderings turned him into a die heart patriot and a moderate nationalist.He scribbled whatever touched his heart, till one day when he decided he must write. Since then, he has been in overdrive. Besides 'Ballad of a Belle' his debut novel, Rahul is simultaneously working on his second book of fiction "The Sinful Oracle".
Life in this maddening city drives him to the wilderness of the mountains every now and then. Till the time he adopts some hill top as his abode, he continues to reside in Delhi with his loving life.

Chalta Hai India

 Book Review No. 18-
 Book Name - Chalta Hai India
Author - Alpesh Patel
Publisher - Bloomsbury
Pages- 283

Blurb-

India once commanded a massive 30 percent share of the global GDP and led the world in most fields, but today the country sadly is a developing nation. People Often attribute India's sluggish progress to the malaise called the 'Chalta hai' (it's okay,let it be) attitude, but not everyone agrees with that presupposition. Debates on the subject are often inconclusive and discomfiting questions remain unanswered. Are we really a Chalta Hai Nation? Is Chalta hai ingrained in our DNA or is it just a bad habit which can be easily exterminated? Will this attitude stop India from becoming a global power?

My Take:

How often we have used the word "Chalta Hai", "Theek Hai", "Sab Jugaad Ho Jayga" in our life. Even if we are not satisfied with something, we tend to say " Sab Chalta Hai Yaar".
Alpesh Patel brings out the book that charts out suggestions on how to get rid of the Chalta hai attitude and take India closer to becoming a developed nation.
A well researched book that is imperative for India.

The Book has been divided into 4 parts-
1) Part 1 - Exploring the 'Its Okay' life.
2) Part 2 - Measuring the 'Let It Be' Menace.
3) Part 3 - Why this 'Take It Easy' Policy?
4) Part 4 - The Root causes and Revolution of Chalta hai.

#Personally hats off to the author that he devoted 5 years of his life to write this knowledgeable book. On spending time in various R&D Work. Various case studies and facts have been mentioned in the book.
The Book Revisits our cultural, ideological and political history over three millennia to trace the roots of Chalta Hai attitude of Indians. Many Interesting facts have been mentioned which provokes the reader to know the truth about Chalta hai.
#The Author wants to spread the message of say "No to Chalta hai".
#The Book has covered almost every topic such as Road Transport, Films & Music, Sports, Education etc. Some of the facts mentioned are really mind blowing.
.
# Alpesh Patel delves into this quirky Indian approach and answers these questions by examining the country's pace of progress in different fields.
A BIG MESSAGE WHICH I AND THE AUTHOR WANTS TO SPREAD IS "SAY NO TO CHALTA HAI, SAY SAB BADAL SAKTA HAI".

#A highly recommended book.
# My Rating for this masterpiece is 5/5.

About The Author-

Alpesh Patel is a Published author, a consultant , an entrepreneur and a mentor to start-ups with over 20 years of corporate experience. Alpesh worked as a management consultant with the BIG 4S for 15 years and advised corporates and governments on business strategy, technology, change management, mergers and reforms. His consulting career groomed him as a specialist in banking, insurance, micro-finance and power sectors and took him to India's hinterland as much as to big cities. He had thrilling opportunities of working on many green-field ventures, including India's first payments bank, the country's first integrated steel plant and a tele-medicine start-up that brought medical consultations to rural patients.
Alpesh is an engineer from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela and a management graduate from SPIJMR, Mumbai. He currently lives in Mumbai and manages a venture that focuses on leading technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Automation.

From Ashes To Dreams

Book Review No. 17-

Book Name - From Ashes to Dreams
Author - Rashmi Trivedi 
Publication - Blue Rose 
Main Characters - Naina, Raghav, Kusum.
Pages - 194

🔛
First of all I would like to thanks @rashmitrivedi21 for giving the book to review.

❤️Sometimes in life, we all search for our happiness in someone else or from someone else, but in reality, happiness always comes from our within.

❤️Sometimes life brings you at a crossroad, where you have no choice but to live every day as if it was the last one.

♎Naina was at such crossroad! As an orphan, she did not have much to look forward to in life, until she fell in love. Love gave her wings and she started to fly, only to come crashing down as the wind beneath her wings turned into a storm. She tries putting an end to her wretched existence, but fate has some other plans for her. She comes to know that she has limited time to live and decides to start living each day instead of merely surviving.

♎She starts living every moment without worrying about the future that she does not have or the past which cannot be undone. She falls in love once again, but this time with life.

🍒Rashmi has explained the story of orphans so beautifully. From the instances of childhood, to love and to suicide.

🍒Also the relationship which Naina shares with the nurse and doctor, which gave her hope to dream again.

🔛How does she rise from the ashes? Who all helps her? What's the end? To know all this, please read the book.

❤️The Book is sometimes a Emotional read and sometimes inspiring.

👒The Uniqueness of the book I found was that it begins with "The END" and ends with "THE BEGINNING". isn't it The "Rise of the Phoenix life"?

👒Overall the book Is an emotional read, where some pages brings tears to the eyes and some pages brings inspiration to live the life to its fullest.

My Rating for this one is 4/5.
Book Cover is dark and deep resembles a girl getting up from ashes-4/5.

#Gograbyourcopiesnow
Available in Amazon, flipkart and Blue Rose Publishers.
.
Know Your Author-

Rashmi Trivedi is working at a middle management level in a leading Public Sector Undertaking and has worked in various departments which includes operations, sales and training.

Since the childhood days, she was passionate about reading. Unlike many who read when they find the time, she always took out time for reading. At all stages of her life, she was never too busy for a book.

In 2013 she was transferred to Bhopal where she stayed for three years whereas the family stayed back in Delhi. It was during this period that she started writing poems and articles and sharing them with family and friends. She then started writing for her own page and blog. The experience at Bhopal taught her that it is only the self-imposed limitations we create in our minds that stop us from reaching our true potential. She wanted to share her experience with others and so this book happened.

Other than reading, she is also passionate about travelling. There are a number of places on her bucket list which she has to explore before she calls it a day. To her, every journey is like a wrapped gift which she loves opening.

Like any other female, she loves to talk and make friends. She also is a foodie and loves to binge.

She stays at Delhi with her family.

Her Instagram Handle is - rashmitrivedi21

Beyond Secrets

Book Review No. 16 -

Book Name - Beyond Secrets
Author - Alka Dimri Saklani
Publisher - Blue Rose Publishers
Pages - 220

The Story Unfolds :

Main Characters -
1) Noel
2) Nidhi
3) Appu

Blurb:
Noel is a counselor who risks his career for volunteering in an orphanage. Nidhi is an engineering student on the surface, but deep down a broken girl in search of some unanswered questions. Appu is a sweet little orphan, unaware of the cruelties of the world. Despite being miles apart their stories interweave in Aashiyana- the orphanage. Their little journey together changes their lives in a way they never imagined.
One recurring nightmare, one expected phone call, one stolen diary, many lies and secrets, and the calling from the past are just the highlights. And when they depart, they are not the same anymore. They didn't hurt each other, it was a game of destiny. Will they ever be able to rediscover themselves and more importantly, will their paths ever cross again?
"Beyond Secrets" is a novel with layers of suspense and different nuances of relationships and one question that can't have just one answer: how long does it take for a scar to heal?

This book is a story of love, life, patience, faith, hope, sadness, feelings, emotions and truth. One thing is for sure that lie cannot sail smoothly forever, it has to come down in front of the boat name "truth". Secrets can be hidden, but when it gets revealed, it creates a tsunami of emotions and sadness. Reading this book, i can feel the pain, hurt, love between noel and nidhi.

Things i liked the most-

1) The Nature of lead characters i.e Noel and Nidhi. Noel has a very helping nature and also was a emotional person. He could not see any person sad and tries to bring smile in his/her face.
Nidhi has a very large heart. She does orphanage work, as it is her own home still after knowing nothing about the orphanage.
2) Clear and crisp writing.
3) Emotional connect with the readers.
4) How a 'diary' can become a bridge for someone to cross the hurdle.
5) Good suspense build up.
6) Plot is interesting, language is simple.

My rating for the book is 3.8/5
Book cover reveals some secret- 4/5

#gograbyourcopiesnow
Available in Amazon, Flipkart, E-books and Blue Rose Publisher.


Know Your Author-

Alka Dimri Saklani is the author of "45 days in a cancer hospital" and " A Promise that changed everything". Her debut novel "45 days in a cancer hospital" was longlisted for crossword Books Award 2015. 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.

Love Inc.

Book Review No. 15-

Book Name - Love Inc.
Author - Shuchi Kapoor
Publisher - Srishti Publishers
Pages - 200

The Story Unfolds -

Main Characters - Gayatri, Aaryan, Nakul

Blurb:

Aaryan is a true cynic, trying to establish his identity, independent of his father. He has no time for love or its trappings.
She is the brightest spark in Nakul's ambitious yet pragmatic existence. She owns his heart, now and forever.
Gayatri has found the love of her life. He is what she needs - a sharp sense of humour and a heart of gold. She cant wait to spend her life with him !
But is he the one ?
In a world where love is confusing and friendship, treacherous, Gayatri has to face her own imperfections head-on. Her pre-conceived notions mock in her quest for happiness.
Love Inc is Gayatri's story as she discovers that it's easier living with a bruished heart then to risk giving it to someone who may trample all over it with his arrogance and indifference.

Gayatri and Nakul are in relationship, Gayatri works in Noida and Nakul works in Mumbai. Gayatri comes over to mumbai in search of new job so that they could get more time to spend together.
Meanwhile, Nakul had to shift to singapore for some business purpose, which gets gayatri pissed.
 Gayatri gets attracted to her boss Aryan kapoor (AK). Some intimate moments gets exchanged between them. but ? what's next ? Read the whole book to unfold the further plot.

What I liked -

1) Plot is interesting.
2) Characters are well written, I could visualize all 3 characters.
3) Narration is good. Crisp writing.
4) The Dillema of Gayatri choosing between Nakul and Aryan is beautifully penned.
5) Good twists and turns.
6) Good Bollywood style masala.

As a Debutant author, Shuchi has done a commendable effort.

My Rating for the book is 3.5/5
Book cover is good as real life models are used- 4/5
Plot - 3.5/5
Characterization - 3.5/5

#gograbyourcopiesnow

Available in Amazon. Flipkart, Srishti Publishers.

Know your Author -

Shuchi is a dreamer who has been spinning epilogues for her favourite books since childhood. Married to her own version of a superhero, she transcended from an ardent reader to a fervent writer unexpectedly.
She journeyed through a B.COM(H) from SRCC, Delhi and Post Graduation from XLRI, Jamshedpur, before settling into Mumbai's fast-paced and unpretentious vibe. Her life has been shaped by the presence of resilient, effervescent women in it. She is a cricket aficionado and loves to explore different cultures.

Reach her out at-

Facebook- Shuchi-kapoor
Instagram - @shuchikapoor

A Glance At The Unknown

Book review No. 14 -

Book Name - A Glance At The Unknown : Sometimes answers to life come from unusual sources
Author - Sangeeta Shankaran Sumesh
Publication - Notion Press
Pages - 169
Genre - Spiritual Fiction

The Story Unfolds :

Main Characters - Sid, Shiva, Shilpa

Blurb:

A Glance at the Unknown is an intriguing suspense thriller involving murder, rape, extra-marital affairs, treachery and tragedy. Each short story eventually converges into main story.
Sid needs to find answers to his father's untimely and unfortunate death. He goes in search of the infamous goons, veerargals, to avenge his father's death.
Soon he realizes that he's not the only one marching toward the unknown and seeking answers to the mystery of life. Now, in a group of five, sid and his acquaintances-turned-friends, want to unearth the enigma in their life.
They want revenge, do they find it? will they be spared? what was the invisible truth? Were they able to unravel it? Read this captivating story to discover more.

Do you all believe in karma? Ever heard Karma haunts you or Karma is a bitch?
This book is a Perfect example of all karma believers -  ' What you sow, so you reap in this birth and your next birth". Karma has been defined as a boomerang, the farther you throw, the faster it will come back to you. Well I am a big Karma believer.

The book starts with the life's of Shilpa, Shiva, Sid and Sid's Father. Initial chapters was like trailer of a film. There are 4 different stories going on, but slowly and eventually each story converges into the main story. As its a suspense thriller, so revealing much would work as a spoiler.
As it is very well said by the author that 'Why do certain things in life happens the way they happen?
At times, there is no obvious answer. And sometimes it is baseless, meaningless and defies logic."

What I Liked : 

1) It is a nicely written story. I could not keep the book down and finished it in one sitting. (Perks of being a CA CS Student)
2) The book has everything from life lessons of karma to knowledge, spiritualism, relationship and many more.
3) Crisp and clear writings.
4) Ability to narrate the story with twists and turns and keeping the suspense element alive.
5) Initial chapters have some violence but gradually it picks up the pace.
6) I could even visualize some scenes, its like a film's screenplay narration.
7) A Message giving book, which can turn your tables back to realize what you do today will have its effect on you tomorrow.

Just wanted to say Beware, Be aware of your thoughts, words and actions as they contribute to shaping your life.

My Ratings -
Book- 4/5
Cover - 4/5
Characterization - 4/5
Storyline and Plot - 4/5

Being a debut novel, its a commendable effort and i m looking forward for her next book.

#gograbyourcopiesnow

Available in Amazon, Flipkart, E-Book and Notion Press.

Know Your Author -

Sangeeta is a Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant by Profession and is the Executive Director and CFO in a multinational. Sangeeta is fascinated by spirituality and is into oneness and Art of living. She is a seeker and explorer of life who is open to learning. She is also an enthusiast traveler, passionate artist and is an Olympic distance triathlete.

You can reach her on-
Facebook - Sangeeta.S.Sumesh
Instagram - SangShanSum