Book Review- My Blind Father by Anuj

BOOK DETAILS-
Book Name- My Blind Father
Author- Anuj
Genre- Child Psychology/Fiction
Publisher- Kalamos Literary Services
Pages- 149
Price- ₹175

BLURB- “My Blind Father…” it is a story of Om, who is thanking god for the blindness of his father. It is story which if left untold then every child will wish their fathers could be blind. Om is writing this story when his father is on death bed. He is telling his life story and how his father helped him to live completely, live to the fullest of life, how to drink every drop from the glass of life.

Children were suppressed from the beginning of the civilizations. Women were suppressed by men. And they both together suppressed the child. Osho said ‘there will be liberation of child after the liberation of woman.’ Now this is the time. ‘My Blind Father’ is the beginning of child liberation in India.

This story will take you into the depths of child psychology to understand the child, to help the child, to provide them an environment where then can grow to their best potentials. From the beginning of civilization we are growing by ignoring child. Because it is very easy to ignore a child, you can tell them to shut up. You can force them to sit silently, so we forget how to understand a child. Your world is perfectly well without understanding a child. But now you can see the results. Ignoring a child, disrespecting the freedom of a child is producing criminals in the society. Now we need to understand a child to make our society crimeless. This book is to help everyone to understand the child. To make our civilization more civilized.

REVIEW- 'My Blind Father' is Child Psychological book  where we meet OM, main protagonist of the book and his blind father. This book tells us about OM's Childhood, School life and Adulthood and how his father supported him lead a successful life.

Book Title and Cover- Book Title is surely interesting and creates curiosity about the book. Cover is eye pleasing and suitable with the content. Blurb is short and up to the mark. Overall First Impression of the book draws attention of readers.

Language and Narration- Language of the book is simple and easy to comprehend. Narration is lucid and is done in first person.
Author has done commendable job to make this book interactive.

Characterization- OM is the main protagonist of this book. He's nine years old and quite mature for his age. He has some great views about life which are strongly shaped and supported by his father, who is blind.
I loved the father-son duo relationships. Author breaks stereotypes while writing this beautiful father-son relation.

Merits-
1. The Father-Son Relationship.

2. This story asks you to think about various topics

3. Important lessons and Messages in the story

Demerits-
1. Few editing errors and misspelled words.

RATINGS-
Book Title and Cover- 3/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline- 3/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Book Review- The Kissing Circles by Nitin Tewari

Book Details-
Book Name- The Kissing Circles
Author- Nitin Tewari
Publisher- Invincible Publications
Pages- 315
Price- ₹195

BLURB-
"A boat race. Sounds fun" "Not for me. Oh, but I can be a cheerleader." No doubt a Toddy effect. "Yeah dude. So Pandey is going to design the next aircraft carrier ship." "And Bansal, you're going to brand this into the first Water Olympics." "And I shall win the race and marry Kala in the most lavish wedding Mevalloor has ever seen" Yeah, welcome to the world of Ordinaries!
In 2007, at the height of the Global IT boom, Manoj Bansal and Rajesh Pandey, two newly-releasedprisoners of Engineering with mediocre grades and a looming IT future, set out for Trivandrum for their Corporate Learning Programme (CLP). Torn between their past miscues and topical aspirations, they hope to find their true calling.Whilst in a confused, depression ridden transitory phase, they soon run into their fellow trainee, Adish Matthew - a Malayali Computer engineer, and a village simpleton Mutthur Sankunni - the no-hope skipper of MaruthiVallam, gearing up for the annual Vallamkali. Bound by a common thread of mediocrity, they shun the modern world's great expectations and take off on a spree to discover the tranquility of the God's own country. Until one day...when a Tsunami of mishaps rocks their life, impelling them to join hands and transfigure into the four kissing circles, fighting the most irrelevant battle of our times:
To be or not to be, extraordinary.

REVIEW- The Kissing Circles is debut novel by Nitin Tewari and serves one of the most realistic, entertaining yet inspiring novel. This book is rich in vocabulary and amazing Narrating style of the author keeps you hooked.

Book Title and Cover- Book Title is catchy and appropriate with the content. Cover is apt with the title. Both, Book Title and Cover catches attention of readers.
Blurb is rather simple and could have been improved.

Language and Narration- Nitin has amazing narrative skills. The Multi Point Of View Narration is what makes this book very realistic and readers can feel the characters closely.
Though it was confusing for the first few chapters but as the chapters continue, the magic of book starts binding its readers.
As I said earlier, this book is rich in vocabulary and with amazing Narrative skills, author binds his readers with the book.

Characterization- All the three characters Manoj Bansal, Rajesh Pandey and Adish Matthew are portrayed really closely and thus readers can relate to them on very instances.

Theme- The book covers Friendship, Love and few Morales along with fun and entertainment.

Storyline and plot- The book can be very confusing till few chapters however after story building readers can enjoy and relate to the story.
You can complete this book in a day given the fast paced story, well knitted plot and beautiful description of Kerala and the set up of the book

RATING-
Book Title and Cover- 3/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 4/5
Storyline and Plot- 4/5

Final Rating- 4/5

All in all, The Kissing Circles is an interesting read and I would recommend this book to all the book lovers.

Book Review- Blemishing The Odds by Harish Penumarthi

Book Details-
Book name: Blemishing the Odds
Author: Harish Penumarthi
Publisher-: Half Baked Beans Publishing
Genre: Fiction, Young-Adult Romance
Pages- 165
Price- ₹275

BLURB- Say hello to Raghav, an immature, insensitive person who is apathetic about everyone else except himself. His life revolves around his parents and his friends. He is among the bad books of all his Teachers. Until one day, when Trisha, a new entrant; mesmerizes him at the very first glance. He finds a friend, savior, nurturer and an inamorata in her. Just when he thinks that everything has been set out in a picture perfect manner, life throws a series of ghastly surprises at him. Will he change for good or stick to his immature stand of “My Life, my rules” and screw it all up? This tale journeys across all the ups and downs a student could possibly encounter. The transformations that a student may endure, the courage and guts one needs to have in order to dodge all predicaments and eventually sketch the perfect end to all his agonies.

REVIEW-  Blemishing The Odds is Young-Adult Fiction novel and as the title suggests, it's a story about a guy who faces the pre planned obstacles life throws towards him and how he blemishes them all to be successful.

I received free copy from the publisher in exchange of an honest and unbiased review.

Book Title and Cover- Book Title is appropriate and discloses what is inside the book. Cover is eye pleasing and suitable with the YA- Teenage Love theme.
Blurb is straight and further discloses about the book. It could be improved in the next edition of the book.
Overall, First Impression of the book, attracts the readers.

Language and Narration- Language of the book is lucid. Narrative style of author is amazing and binds the readers with the book. Dialogs are short, crisp and appropriate, as the story covers the teenagers.

Characterization- Raghav is the main protagonist of the book and is a spoilt brat who later changes himself to become a responsible guy.
Trisha is Raghav's love interest. She's a typical girlfriend and an amazing lover.

I loved the character development of Raghav. Harish artistically develops his characters as the story continues. The transformation of Raghav from a spoilt brat to a responsible guy was amazing.

All other sub characters are handed properly with the plot. The family scenes were relatable.

Storyline and plot- Blemishing The Odds is one of the beautiful YA fiction novels, which not only serves an entertaining tale but also inspires us to face and win against our odds.

Story is filled with humor and readers will relate with the character Raghav. It was fun to read about the mischievous deeds Raghav did with his friends and his pure romance with Trisha.

RATING-
Book Title and Cover- 3.5/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Overall Blemishing The Odds is simple yet interesting YA fiction. Read this book to cherish School Days and Nostalgia.

Book Review- The Aravalli Princess by Arti Rai

Book Details-
Book Name- The Aravalli Princess
Author- Arti Rai
Genre- Multi Genre
Publication- Blue Hill Publications
Pages- 210

Blurb-
Troubled by her father's stubbornness and conservative temperament, the spirited young woman Sukanya desperately wants to run away from her dad's villa. To find a way out she enrols in a postgraduate course in travel and tourism. With her all weather friend Ailsa Smith, she meets an American writer and businessman, Eric, at Jaipur Literature Festival in a comedy of errors. Eric recognises her talent and inspires her to write a novel as a means to be famous and thus earn freedom from her dad's castle. The Aravalli Princess is a saga of a budding writer , adventure , ambition and friendship.

Review- The Aravalli Princess tells about Sukanya and how she follows her dreams by defying her dominating father and how she does it.

Book Title and Cover- Book Title is appropriate with the content. However, Cover could be made more attractive.

Blurb is crisp and fine.

Language and Writing Style- Language used in the book is lucid and easy to comprehend. Writing style of author is simple and easy to follow.

Storyline and Plot- Talking about Storyline and Plot i must say that this book is unputdownable. All the scenes are described with utmost care that makes this story feel real. Story flows smoothly with enough pace to hold attention of the readers. Plot is strong with twists and turns and character building is one of the strong hold of this book. All the characters are described well.

Author has amazing skill to describe all sort of emotions in few words. Also this story not only entertain you but also teaches few important life lesson.

Rating-
Book Cover and Title- 3/5
Language and Writing Style- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3.5/5

Final Rating- 3.5/5

Book Review- Secrets, Sins & Struggles by Kamini Kusum

BOOK DETAILS-
Book Name- Secrets, Sins & Struggles: The Journey of Five Women
Author- Kamini Kusum
Genre- Anthology/ Fiction
Publisher- Zobra Books
Pages- 210
Price- ₹199

BLURB- : A collection of five tales,Secrets,Sins & Struggles is about the lives and loves of five women, tracing their long, eventful journeys that are anything but linear.

Meet Pooja, a teenager forced into the flesh trade but determined to escape and get justice. Shrawani who dreams of becoming a bureaucrat despite all the trials life throws her way.

Avni who is torn between her childhood friend and her brand-new boyfriend.

Harsha who is trapped in a loveless arranged marriage while still being haunted by thoughts of her forsaken lover.

Geshna who falls head over heels for a high school sweetheart only to find her own life shrinking to accommodate his.

These stories are about the odds stacked against women in their path to love and success.

They are also about hope that the next turn will lead to the happiness and success they all long for.

REVIEW-  Secrets, Sins & Struggle is collection of Five stories which focuses on journey and ups and downs in the life of 5 female protagonists in each story. This book touches your heart with a rather simple writing and powerful plot.

I received this book from Kalamos Literary Services in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Title and Cover-
Book title is catchy and apt with the content. Cover is appropriate but could be improved in next edition. Blurb is short and discloses the content.

Language and Narration-
Language of the book is simple with smooth narration , you can read the book in one sitting in 2-3 hours.

Characterization-
Though all the stories are of 50 or something pages, Kamini artistically portrays her characters. I liked that the  author kept character development upto main protagonists only as the stories revolves only around them.

Storyline and Plot-
All the five stories are different from each other but follow the same theme that is all the protagonists fight with averse conditions to change their lives.
All five stories are fast paced. I liked the powerful storytelling skills which binds all the readers with the book.

Drawbacks-
1. Stories were little predictable.
2. Author could have made stories emotionally strong for a more gripping read.

RATINGS-
Book Title and Cover- 3/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 4/5
Storyline and Plot- 3.5/5

Final Rating- 4/5

Over all, Secrets, Sins & Struggles is one of the few novels which revolves around female characters only. With fast paced and gripping stories, it inspires you to fight for yourself. 

Book Review- Colourful Notions by Mohit Goyal

Book Details-
Book Name- Colourful Notions The Roadtrippers 1.0
Author- Mohit Goyal
Genre-Fiction
Publisher-Srishti Publications
Pages-194
Price- ₹175

BLURB- Would you give up your high-paying job and comfortable personal life to drive ten thousand kilometers across India? Just for fun!

Three twenty-somethings dare to do just that! While the two guys take turns to drive, the girl gives voice-over as they record their entire journey on a handycam.

Ab, Sasha and Unnati are ordinary youngsters, rendered special by the feat they accomplish. As they recount their adventures, I crave to live their journey all the more. They look at each other with a glint in their eyes, as if refurbishing those memories, as they narrate their spooky time at Bhangarh Fort, strange escapades at Wagah Border and Sundarbans, car breakdowns, wild animals, near-death experiences and highway robbers! It's nothing less than crazy.

I doubted if I'd ever have the gumption to create such experiences. So I did the next best thing - I penned a book about them, and their roadtrip.

Colorful Notions is a journey of three young hearts on the Indian terrain and into the inner recesses of their souls, giving a new perspective to relationships, love and life.

REVIEW- Colorful Notions is a travelogue which not only covers the places given in the book but also covers the changes in characters as the road trip continues, which makes this book even more relatable and interesting.

Book Title and Cover- The book's title is interesting. The word Roadrippers alone was enough for me to pick this book up. The cover is appropriate with the content and suits the title. The blurb is short and up to the mark.

Language and Narration- The language used in the book is simple. Its narration is decent and the overall storytelling skills of the author kept me hooked on the book. All the places are well described, which leaves the readers visualizing all the places the characters were going. I also liked the short yet intriguing chapter names, which increased the curiosity about the next place.

Characterization- Abhay, Sashank and Unnati are the three main characters of the book. Abhay is the director, producer and cameraman of their short story. Sashank is Abhay's best friend and a hardcore foodie. Unnati is the voice cover of the short film. She is Sashank's girlfriend.

I liked the way the author described the transformations within the characters as the road trip continued. It was interesting to read Abhay's past and Sashank-Unnati's mushy romance which added flavors to the story.

Theme- Though the main theme of story is Travel and Adventure, it also includes Friendship and Romance.

Storyline and Plot- The story starts with the characters seeking permission for the road trip from their family, with the help of each other. It was fun to read and relatable. The story continues with the adventures and few troubles on the road trip. In 75 days, Abhay, Sashank and Unnati travel almost all over India. It was fun to read the picturesque details of all the places. I loved the interaction the trippers had with locals.

RATINGS-
Book Title and Cover- 3.5/5
Language and Narration- 4/5
Characterization- 3.5/5
Storyline and Plot-3.5/5

Overall Colourful Notions is interesting book to read if you're bored reading simple romantic tales.

Book Review- Thank You Love by Ayush Gupta

BOOK DETAILS-
Book Name- Thank You Love...
'Taking love beyond words'
Author- Ayush Gupta
Genre- Fiction/ Romance Fiction
Publisher- Half Baked Beans
Pages- 120
Price- ₹175

BLURB- “Thank You Love” “…yes, I said, everything in life is uncertain, and it speaks the same.”

All human energy comes from that one thought. All the pain that we bear and the joys that we celebrate are the results of our thoughts at any moment. Strange isn’t it?

When Akshita was making her choices, Rayan made his. He refused to get over her and chose to own her absence in his heart and mind.

Thank You Love describes how sitting on the floor in silence changed the world of “Rayan”. He realized that love is not something that happens between two people; instead it’s an enduring quality within people. He realized that love is not something that you do, but is the way you are.

He re-moulds one of the most important event of his life into a spark, re-channelizes it and heads towards something that would later change the course of his life.

REVIEW- Thank You Love is a debut novel by Ayush Gupta where author not only talks about Romance between Rayan and Akshita (protagonists) but author also covers the Post break up pain and how to fight with it. I received this book from Arudha in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Title and Cover-  Book Title is interesting and instantly captivates readers' attention.
Cover is rather satisfying to look at, however it could be improved in the next edition. Blurb is interesting and discloses what the content is.

Language and Narration- Language used is rather simple and easy to comprehend. Narration skills of author are amazing. Pace of the book is moderate.

Characterization- All the characters are well crafted. The character development and their changing priorities are handled artistically.

Theme- This book covers Teenage Love, Break Up, Pain and Self Healing.

Storyline and  plot- Story starts with intriguing prologue where Rayan narrates his story to a stranger.
After Prologue I started losing interest in the book due to exaggeration and over- sensitivity of Rayan. However, story starts to get impressive after the mid section.

I loved the chapter where author details about the chakras.
It was enlightening to read about how to help ourselves after break up. Story ends with appropriate climax.

RATING-
Book Title and Cover- 2.5/5
Language and Narration- 3.5/5
Characterization- 2.5/5
Storyline and Plot- 3/5
Overall Rating- 3/5

All in all, Thank You Love is teenage love and break up tale which also covers few life lessons. Pick this book it you're into teenage love books.