Posts in Category: Reviews
All we hold dear……. Nick Nichols
Jack Adams is a lawyer, struggling to return to his practice after his six-month suspension. His friend Mike Mason, who is also a lawyer offers Jack a probate case defending the estate of deceased Beth Thomson. Will Thomson, Beth’s husband of thirty years, had shot her and her 24 year old daughter who was engaged to be married. After which Will had burned down their house and shot himself as well.
All Jack had to prove was that Beth was not involved in causing the entire incident and make a wrongful death claim, so the estate could be passed on to her father Stan Knight who gets everything. Will Thomson’s side of the family was also filing a probate, but Jack had all the cards in his favor. Jack desperately needed the case so he could get back to being a lawyer again. He was very mindful of mistakes committed in his last case which had led to his suspension.
The reason for the murder/ suicide was not on the agenda. It was a simple probate case, but things turned and suddenly it didn’t seem simple anymore. Everyone around the Thomson’s seemed to have secrets and were not telling the whole truth. The reasons for the murders suddenly became the most important aspect of the case and Jack had no option but to delve into the why’s of the murder/suicide.
This legal thriller had me totally captivated. It was fast paced, and I was able to finish the book in two sittings. Jack’s character was totally devoid of drama and seemed very real. The characters in the story were very logical. The story had me interested till the end. Thank you #netgalley for the book. I enjoyed it immensely. I would rate it a cool 4 out of 5.
The Last text you sent…….. Elise Fender
Avery Walker is a happy go lucky seventeen year old whose life is centered around her brother Whit Walker, A football star who is adored by her parents, family, school and everyone around. Her life is turns topsy turvy when Whit has a head injury on the field and passes away. What follows was Avery coping with the loss of her brother. Avery is looking for closure and begins rediscovering her brother through his texts and finding a whole new facet of his personality and his life which is unknown to her and her parents. She meets Jack Crawley, a musician who helps her in this discovery and together they meet the challenges of achievements and disappointments life holds for them. Whit’s secret love life, his passion for poetry are facets which Avery discovers with the help of Jack. She delves into the field of sports medicine to understand what happened to her brother and it gives an entirely new direction to her life.
This is a wonderful book in the NA genre. It flowed beautifully and is a very easy read. Avery’s trials in finding her brothers secrets had me hooked to the story and it ends very organically. Avery’s grief of losing a sibling who she loved so much and the relationship between the sibling and cousin Margot is really beautiful. The twists and turns in the mystery where Jack and Avery look for clues while living their teenage life full of dreams has me hooked. I like the lack of drama of the climax. I root for Jack and Avery and was able to get involved with the characters in the book. I was able to read the book in two sittings and it was a really good experience. Highly recommended…… I would give it a cool 4.5 out of 5. Thank you new galley and Borough publishing house for the book,
Josh and Gemma make a baby
This is my first book by author Sarah Ready…. and boy am I ready for more of her books or what 😊 Gemma Jacobs is a quirky clumsy positive person who finds the silver lining in all that happens around her. Her new year resolution is to have a baby but the twist in the story is that Gemma is single and is suffering from endometriosis which makes IVF her only chance at fulfilling her dream. She is looking for a sperm donor who is not faceless or nameless…. enter Josh Lewenthal Gemma’s childhood crush and her brother’s best friend. Gemma describes Josh as the house plant who is always there around but never ever given any importance to.
Gemma has been badly hurt in her past relationship and her divorce with Jeremy left her damaged. She wants a clear and defined relationship with the father of her child and wants to avoid any kind of emotional baggage. She thinks she is mature and professional enough to pull through with her plans.
I listened to the whole book in just one sitting. It’s a typical Mills and Boon Romcom. The book is funny witty and really hits the spot. Having gone through IVF myself I totally understood where this was coming from…… the mood swings, the anger, the jabs, the pain, the loss, the miscarriages. But the hilarious take on IVF was something I personally think every person undergoing it needs. The easter egg hunt had me laughing like a mad woman. I wish I could read the book ten years back when I was going through the same. I wish my doc was as cool as Dr Ingraham. 😉 The book was read by Erin Mallon….. I loved her!!!! Currently I am looking for Lime Jello…. I just must have it.
I want to thank Netgalley and Swift and Lewis Publication for the free ALC of the book. Also a big thanks to Sarah Ready and Erin Mallon for the wonderful read. I would rate the book a 5/5.
Wayward Son
Wayward son is the second in the Ed Runyon series by author Steve Goble. Ed Runyon is a Former NYPD Police officer who subsequently settles in the Ohio country, where he was born. He is haunted by his past cases where he was witness to a lot of cruelty especially towards children. After his yet another unsuccessful stint, he finally decides to start his own PI agency specializing in finding children. His first case in that direction is the case of finding 15-year-old Jimmy Zachman. Jimmy belongs to a very religious family. His parents are homophobic and extremely averse to atheists. What follows is the pursuit of chess wizard Jimmy, with Ed pursuing any clues that he can find along the way.
The book is based with the backdrop of social issues of color, choice of sexuality, cybercrimes and of course the deadly virus. The author deals with all these issues very beautifully without losing the reader or the main plot. I loved that the book is an easy read, and I was able to finish the book in a couple of sittings. I particularly liked the Rajnikant kind of action in the book 😊. (What can I say, I am a fan of Thalaiva) The book has the potential to keep the reader engaged. I wouldn’t have dropped the book halfway.
Do give it a try, the book is releasing in August this year. I would rate it a cool 4 out of 5.
#waywardson #netgalley
Jasmine builds on shifting sands
Jasmine is an ambitious talented college going girl who gets a lucky break into the fashion industry. What follows is Jasmine’s trials, challenges and her methods to cope with her changing circumstances. She meets interesting people in her journey who help bring about changes not only to her professional life but also into aspects of her spiritual journey towards maintaining a balance in her life and excelling in her professional life as well, thereby contributing to her coming into being a wholesome person.
The book is self help book by first time author Sanjay Desai who tries to give a formula of manifestation to the universe, using a metaphor of Jasmine and her trials in the fashion industry. The metaphor is intricately woven to make the reader understand the delicate nuances of the spiritual journey which otherwise would come across as a lot of “GYAN”. This easily taps into the reader’s modern mindset.
The Characters of Jasmine, Prasad, Bala. Shaheen, Anjolie, etc are well woven keeping the book light and not bowed down by the heavy spiritual theories which is sometimes gets difficult to read.
I particularly like the prologue. The conversations between Ma Krishnamayi and Sanjay in the beautiful backdrop of Kedar was very enticing. The picture that was painted was very beautiful peaceful and serene. The rules of mindfulness as I know it being explained by Ma Krishnamayi was quite profound. Past is the dream power, memory of an impression we carry, also the default state and the creation power where we can actually make changes and probably bring any changes in the world we are living, a state where we can exercise our power to manifest.
The world that was given to us has not been created by us. It is there by default within which we have to survive. Hence depending upon our creation power is all that we can do to make any changes to our shifting circumstances. A quote I liked from the book which will stay with me was :
“To see with the Inner Eye is to believe
To believe with unwavering Faith is to Manifest “
Another takeaway from the manifestation formula was the focus and alignment factors which lead to the achievement of our goals:Focus on the goals and Alignment to the circumstances.
All in all an easy and quick read which no fancy trimmings. Only my wish is that the editing team paid more attention to grammar and spellings. I found that a huge pitfall. Looking forward to reading more interesting reads from the author.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Amidst all the confusion of life and the pandemic I happened to read a crazy masterpiece. There are few psycho thrillers which you read that you already have an opinion about when you start off and you are so sure that this is how it is going to turn out and then when you read it, it not only stops you in your tracks but for some time you go comatose. Verity is a book just like that. It is simply brain shattering. I read it amidst cooking and all my chores and almost started a fire in my kitchen.
There are always two sides of a coin, in life we all have our preconceived notions of good bad evil. What is good from one person’s perception is completely different from another person’s view of life. Our definition of things in life are very different and the same thing can have different meaning for another person. This book questions all such perceptions takes you to the edge and pushes you off. The book questions the most basic thing and the beginning of every life, mother. We all have definitions of motherhood but this one is scary terrifying….. I’m scared to put in an epithet here.
The main antagonist and probably protagonist of the book is Verity, a successful best selling author who writes thrillers but with a twist. She writes books from the murderer’s point of view. Her books are evil and twisted and that makes her books, bestsellers
Verity meets with an accident which puts her in a vegetated state. She and her family have had a bad year, where within a span of a few months her twin daughters died in separate mysterious circumstances and then her own accident. Lowen Ashleigh is a lesser known author who writes thrillers like Verity. She is called on by the publishing house to complete the series that Verity was working on. She has troubles of her own, personal and financial. So its given to say that she needs the job badly. The story starts with her moving in to Verity’s home to help acquaint herself with the research, writings and drafts if any made by Verity for the series so that she can restart writing from where Verity had left off.
Once she moves in she finds a manuscript of an autobiography written by Verity just before her accident. The autobiography is dark and twisted and questions everything that has happened, everything that appears is probably not as it seems, there are two stories for everything that has happened or maybe not. The happy go lucky beautiful family consisting of Verity her husband her twin daughters and her little son may not really have been so happy and beautiful after all, or is fiction afterall just fiction.
For me the character of Verity is so prominent it wipes out all other characters. They seem to fade into oblivion. Her husband her son Lowen they all seem totally forgettable. I like the way the author has handled the character. It is dark, keeps you on the edge and wipes out any preconceived stereotypical ideas you may have.
For me I had to hug my daughter to sleep. Even as I say this it is a given that you have to read it.
God is a Gamer……. a review
Ravi Subramanian is the author for best-selling thrillers and he has not disappointed his fans. God is a gamer is an absolute page turner guaranteed to keep you engrossed and on your toes all through till the end. It has a whole range of everything…… terrorist attacks, murders, suicides, hit-and-runs, espionage, ATM heist, cyber crimes, online phishing, money laundering, illegal sites, online crimes, politician and underworld nexus etc. This is my second Ravi Subramanian book so when I started the book I knew what to expect and I was not disappointed. I read the book cover to cover non-stop in 7 hours……
The book takes you to the fascinating world of Bitcoins for use as alternative currency for online transactions. What follows is an interwoven series of events spanning across New York, Washington DC, Mumbai, Goa etc. The book starts with the assassination of US senator and close aide to the US President, Gillian Tan in Washington DC, on his way to a meeting with the US President for the use of Bitcoins as a legal form of currency. A phishing scandal in New York International Bank in Mumbai has disturbed the peace of the banking world and has put the job of Swami, head of retail banking on line. Meanwhile Josh Connelly in New York is preparing for a major ATM heist using the TOR browser and making online transactions on “Cotton Trail”, a website for all illegal activities like narcotics, prostitution, banned substance even paedophillia which is accessible only through TOR and making payments for all of these via Bitcoins.
The book is about Aditya and Sundeep…… mentor and close friends of Swami who are floundering with their gaming business. The death of a top banker and aspirant for the post of RBI governor Malvika puts the whole plot in a frenzy with the CBI and FBI joining hands to solve the various interconnected crimes. The job of solving all this falls on the FBI officer Adrian, Tony and Dan and CBI officer Kabir.
The story also revolves around Varun and Tanya. Their love and romance puts the story in a lighter note. While Varun helps his father Aditya’s floundering gaming business to get back into track, Tanya tries to come to terms with the mystery surrounding the death of her mother Malvika and suspects the finance minister’s hand in her death.
The book is beautifully interwoven with lots of twists and turns in the plot. I was very fascinated with the whole bitcoin theory….. the first I heard of it….. also using the concept of downloading Bot malware while updating the gaming programs into the plot was a genius. Gillian Tan’s wife Nikki, daughter Gloria and White house head of staff Mike Hendricks keep the plot twisted and confused. The thriller ends with the hooker’s blog connecting all the dots to complete the picture. I kept wondering about the tag line “Is revenge a crime”…….. I understood it only after I finished the epilogue.
What I liked about the book was the pace in which it moved. It kept me glued to the book asking for more. The chapters are very small so for a person with a short attention span this is god-send. I was totally flummoxed reading the epilogue. It turned the story round totally and gave the whole book a totally different angle. The book is very informative….. I had no idea of the .onion pseudo domain host sites that can be accessed only through TOR browsers. Using hotel key cards for an ATM heist and hacking into the bank servers to increase the withdrawal limits made me realise we are totally not safe at all times and that cyber crimes have reached our door steps….. we better wake up and take note. All in all I was transported to a whole new online world of cyber crimes which I had no idea about. It was an absolute revelation. My knowledge barely covered phishing and hacking….. The events took the concept of cyber crimes to a whole new level.
The cover of the book has the white house in the background and the Bitcoin logo. The pictorial depiction of the black clouds moving towards the White House in view of a whole new kind of sophisticated criminal genre in the form of Bitcoins being used to finance crime is a new challenge for the whole world and therefore very apt for the theme of the book.
What I didn’t like about the book were the number of characters in the book that kept increasing with every chapter and often I lost track of them…… some of them were totally unnecessary. The book moved too fast from Washington DC to New York to Mumbai to Goa and back so I wasn’t really able to connect to the characters or empathise with them. The prologue was absolutely unnecessary and was not part or in any way connected to the main plot. Some of the events in the book were totally not necessary. The dramatic end where the FBI and CBI are revealing the killer reminded me of CID’s ACP Pradyuman and Salunkhe and I kept waiting for Daya or Abhijeet (Shome) to do some door breaking 😀 (LOL ).
The book is a gripping thriller and absolute value for money. Must read for all!!!
Thank you Blogadda for the autographed copy of the book it was an excellent read.
This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!
Daddy….. the birth of a Father……. a review
Tuhin A. Sinha’s latest book Daddy….. The birth of a Father came to me via PR Pundit. This is the first time I am reading a Tuhin Sinha. The book is a non-fiction book for childcare written by a hands on dad. This is the first book that I have read that is a comprehensive and pragmatic account of childcare and parenting from the father’s viewpoint. The book covers the dos and don’ts of child care from the time the parents know of the pregnancy, the ultrasounds, what to expect when pregnant, all of it from the fathers perspective to the birth of the child to the challenges of a hands on father with a newborn upto the age of 2 years when the child leaves for pre-school.
In today’s urban life of nuclear families with little or no support system we often find ourselves at a juncture of balancing the home and workplace. In the past this has been a job which has been exclusive to the woman. She gives up her career or has to balance both. In the process even though she tries hard it becomes impossible to justify both and she ends up feeling guilty. Sharing of responsibilities is so essential in the modern day fast life. Today we see more and more women returning back to work soon after the maternity leave, and more and more fathers opting for a flexible job timings so that they can be with the kids and take an active part in their initial days. This is a joy that was not an option for fathers in the past because it was “a woman’s job“.
Daddy is Tuhin Sinha’s personal journey of becoming a father and all the challenges that he and his wife have gone through in this process. The book depicts this role reversal and the challenges that the couple have faced. The book also takes into account the experiences of many other fathers with similar predicament and the result is a beautiful compilation of childcare from the father’s point of view.
The book also has write ups by a child psychologist and pediatricians simplifying some otherwise scary aspects in the life of a newborn. Tuhin Sinha has simplified childcare and has shown that you can be loving and doting parent without being overly obsessed about it. I have come across many parents whose obsession with children take childcare to a whole new platform…… which is absolutely not healthy. Tuhin balanced his utter total love for his baby without being obsessed about it. The “helicopter parent syndrome” was dealt with very nicely. Especially considering the fact that parents hate being told that they are so.
The balance of extended family with grandparents and parents taking an active part in the child’s upbringing was dealt with very beautifully without stepping onto each others foot. The happy and secured upbringing for the child is an essential factor and including the grandparents and using their experience to give an all round development to the child was highlighted.
What I loved about the book is the simple language. The chapters were not too long and the anecdotes kept you glued to the writing. He simplified the mammoth task of child rearing and got you to enjoy it. He has amply justified the nuances of stay at home fathers and removed any stigma that has been associated with it. I found this fact refreshing. The pictorial references for swaddling a child, massage, bathing the child, burping the child are really a nice addition. The pragmatic approach to things that will happen and the practical way of handling them is something nobody else will tell you. The chapter on nannies in the Indian context was very informative.
Relationship of new parents post birth of a baby was a unique addition which I liked. The fact that life does not only have to be about the baby was endearing. The inclusion of a list of illnesses and a table of what to do when it happens was a good addition. The chapters come with a short summary at the end of it which lists the content of the chapter which in turn could serve as a to-do list for most fathers. The references from other fathers has helped give the book a well rounded approach and made the book sort of a handbook for fathers to-be. The dreamy and emotional letter in the end was a fabulous end to the book.
The cover pic of the two hands was beautiful. As a photographer I loved it. It clearly showed the love between the father and the child with the child grasping the finger of the father….. The personal pics in the inside covers makes Neev Tanish very real to the reader and also makes it a pictorial depiction of Tuhin’s personal journey.
What I didn’t think necessary was the lengthy prologue. The book is complete by itself….. the Bollywood connection to justify it was not required…… it was trying to validate the book. The effort was obvious…….The experiences of the common hands-on-dads made it more approachable because the book by itself is a beautiful rendition of the relation of father and son and love comes through to me as a reader. All in all a good read and full value for money. A must buy for fathers starting a family and must gift for would-be mothers to gift their clueless husbands.
Tuhin’s sensitivity of the whole what to expect when you’re expecting and later bringing up the child was so beautiful that I personally think all would-be mothers should be shoving the book down their hubby’s throats…. I know I would…….. “Kuch seekho”!!!
Thank you PR Pundit for the excellent read.
Private India…… a review
I received this book as part of the BlogAdda Book review program. This book is a culmination of two great minds. Our very own Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson of the Private series fame. It’s an absolute page turner thriller and promises to have you glued asking for more. The collaboration has the protagonists of both the authors coming together to solve this absolute interesting maze of events.
A series of serial killing rocks the city of Mumbai. The women murdered are strangulated with a yellow scarf. The murdered victims are the movers and shakers of Mumbai. They belong to different walks of life ranging from a doctor, to a journalist, to a singer, a politician, a principal, a judge, an actress……. with nothing in common among them on the face of it. The only common factors are the yellow scarf used for killing the victims and a series of trinkets placed around them. What ensues is a chase with a body found at every corner. The story is also of the troubled head of Private India, Santosh Wagh who lost his family in an accident. He is entrusted with the investigation of the serial murders. He and his team of investigators Nisha, Mubeen and Hari Padhi look for clues only to reach a dead-end at every corner. The entry of Jack Morgan fastens the pace of the investigation with all fingers pointing to the Attorney General who is embroiled in the killings at every stage.
Sanghi’s penchant for mythology comes through with the interesting trivia about the thuggee cult and the navratri festival, making Goddess Durga an important part of the story. Mumbai is the central theme where the book is based. So the author takes you everywhere from Malabar hill to cuffe parade to Mira Road. The book has a little of everything criminal in Mumbai…….. the nexus between the police officer Rupesh and the underworld don Munna and Godman Nimboo baba, the corruption between the politicians and the judiciary, the betting racket angle, the bollywood angle, the maimed child beggar angle, child abuse, prostitution and political nexus and of course the terrorism angle……. just about everything criminal in Mumbai.
The cover of the book has this lovely picture of the gateway and the Taj hotel together in one frame, taken in magic hour. I particularly loved that shot also the pic of the bandra sea link at night is beautiful and it does show the Indian connection to the Private series…… very apt.
What I loved about the book was the small chapters. It kept me glued without letting me lose focus of the plot. Also the pace at which the book moved was fast enough to not let me lose the plot. Mumbai being one of my favorite cities and having lived there for a decade, I identified with the plot and the investigators. The trivia about the thuggee cult was totally new to me. Also the trivia about the various sects in India who were listed by the British as the killers was something I had never heard of. Being a Bengali, Durga and navratri are my favorite festivals so the significance of the nine avatars of Durga used in the book in this manner was well imbibed and a revelation. This is the first time that i have read Hindu mythology being used in a thriller in this way.
What I didn’t think necessary in the book was the terrorism angle…….. the Indian Mujahideen angle and the Pakistan and ISI angle could have been avoided as it did not contribute to the main plot in any way. The Nimboo Baba character was also unnecessary. The book was long winding and some of the details regarding the Mumbai serial bomb blasts was totally unnecessary though I must say that it is the first time that the serial blasts in the Mumbai locals has been highlighted. Usually it is only the Taj attack that people talk about.
All in all the book is a great read and value for money.
I want to thank BlogAdda for the excellent read…… it was wonderful!!!
This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!
Queen….. the Rani who finds her wings !!!!
I saw Queen yesterday. The movie where Kangana Ranaut plays Rani, the main protagonist. The story is of a simple and “GOOD” girl who gets dumped at the altar by her bf of many years….. only to embark on a journey to her pre arranged honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam all by herself, meeting people who are totally different from her, beating thugs in paris, selling golgappas in amsterdam and finding herself in the process.
The character of rani is so beautifully balanced. Though she comes from an orthodox indian background….. where at every juncture in life she is told what to do by her parents or her fiancee or her friends……. she totally accepts the other people she meets on her journey without wanting to change them. Yes she is scandalised on more than one occasion. Be it when she finds her new friend sleeping with lots of men or when she meets the stripper at amsterdam or when she has to share a room with three other men at a hostel. But her journey to discovering independence for herself is beautiful.
Her non judgemental attitude stands out. Be it the waitress who has a child out of wedlock or the stripper in amsterdam who is waiting for a package from her mother from home or her mother in law who thinks she shd join the kitty party. She takes people at face value. People are the same world wide. People from all parts of the world whoever they are….. are scared of lizards….. i think tht is what we need to realise. Color language sex dont really matter. The humor in the movie is totally not lost on the audience infact it is superbly timed and keeps the audience glued….. asking more. The total lack of melodrama and the punju crass makes it more appealing to me. The simplicity of the main protagonist is outstanding….. it makes her more endearing to u.
For me the movie is about finding wings…… every girl needs to find her wings and shd know to fly….. every guy needs it too but girls need it more than them. Because at every juncture in life they are forced to prove themselves and at tht time it helps to know your true potential. Nothing can beat the independence of soaring high and feeling you can do everything and achieve everything.
The movie was also about finding goodness in the seemingly worst situations. The best part of the movie was not making a love equation between the main protagonist and the guys she meets on her journey. She lets them be for what they were. Friends on a journey who share moments of time together and help each other close traumatic chapters of their life and discover themselves….. and then move on with a promise to keep in touch…… you really dont need to marry everybody u come in contact with u no. It was a fresh breath of breather from the other bollywood movies where getting hooked up is soooo necessary.
I personally think every woman shd take a trip like this one atleast once in her life….. without the cocoon of protection from family and relatives. I loved the last scene where she hands back the ring to her fiancee and thanks him. I had a smile for all the 15 kms ride back home. I think i am inspired enuf to go to a trip like that one.
I would give the movie a 10 out of 10…… full paisa wasool.
