Book Review: The Secret Wishlist by Preeti Shenoy

Is it true that true love really still exist or is it just a cliche? Can a single kiss really change your life? 

The book unfolds the hidden secrets of Diksha, when she was at sixteen. Like any other girl of her age, Disha, finds her life revolving around school, boys and endless hours of fun with her best friend. However, all this changed one day, which put her to misery for the major part of her life.The novel starts with the present-day Diksha, who is 34 years old, the protagonist of the story. The book revolves around the character and with flashbacks she starts to tell her tale when she was around sixteen.

It starts with an innocent crush explodes into something far beyond her control. And, now after eighteen year, she finds herself at the crossroads of life. Urged by a twist of events, she makes a wish list. But, do you think this wishlist can help her getting her life back? Will she fall into the place to commit illegitimate things for the sake of her wish list? Or will she be thrown into the life of misery forever? Find out the answers by reading the novel by Preeti Shenoy, who has once again brought out an extraordinary story that tugs at the heartstrings, with insight and astuteness, as she explores the frail and fragile matters of the heart.The Secret Wish List is an enchanting, interesting, a racy tale about following your heart, hounding your dreams and the valuing the friendship in your life. 

My Take:

I personally like Preeti’s work for the fact that she is a great storyteller. She has a potential to create a magical story out of a mediocre plot and to some extent she has proved it. The plot itself is not much to talk about; as it is another emotionally inclined story of an abused housewife whose married life takes a toll on her and finally one fine day she stands up for herself and break the shackles that tied her, which breaks her free from stifling marriage. The first half of the novel seems to be repetitive and looks like it is just another emotional story like other books.

However, the second half of the novel that picks up broken pieces of the plot and delivers a collision. Preeti’s easy and straightforward narration along with her consideration to little details create a graphic representation. The characters are well-etched out and again and has delivered minute details about the behavior of the character, which has been carefully thought of. For example: In the initial pages of the book when Diksha joins a Bharatanatyam class, even though she wants to learn Bollywood dancing, yields to her mother’s decision. The character of Diksha has been shown as subservient and submissive. This detailed attention to the characters is the signature of Preeti’s writing style.

The novel is written in a flowing manner with simple and easy language, except for a few editing glitches that does mar the book otherwise.

A warm, heart-touching anecdote about a woman who tries to break free from her abusive husband and find her own calling. The novel is an enjoyable read! The book is available at lelobooks, an online bookstore in India.

Read this book? Now, what are you waiting for? Go and write down your wish list, you never know, how it can change your life.

Book Review- The Emperor’s Riddle By Satyarth Nayak

The Indian Fiction has struggled for over the years in the process of taking its position in the society and this substantial literature, incorporated with the genres like a thriller and mystery, which in turn has finally given a ray of hope to the Indian literature.

After devouring  the author Satyarth Nayak’s debut novel, you will get to imagine and realize how bright does the future lies for our young author and the Indian readers. As soon as you will open the book, you will be provided with the recommendations from Amish Tripathi, which will raise your expectations from the book. And, my dear friends, the book will not be a disappointment at all!

The novel by Satyarth Nayak, The Emperor’s Riddle has an intricately woven plot, which keeps shambling between uncovering a mystery with its roots buried somewhere in the past and the forgotten corridor of history of Buddhist epoch. The books like this often run the risk of being just another having one of those western plots, which is a revision work for the Indian audience. This is the point where Satyarth manages to catch the unawares completely. The book has all in it like history, mystery, sci-fi and philosophy, which is seamlessly intertwined into a plot, this is one book you will find hard to put down until you reach its climax.

The plot of the novel with its commencement will start tingling your imagination tingling. When in the story, the historian Ram Mathur is murdered under stimulating circumstances, his daughter Priya joins forces with the renowned mysterious author Om Patnaik to ravel the evidences in the form of riddles that Ram Mathur has dotted over different eras of history. Together, they set on the course of history with the dark forces together with shattering at their heels. They find the circumstances more complicated than they anticipated, Priya and Om are up against a historic wing that has taken a perpetual oath to look after the secret, no matter what it takes.

Start Nayak is a Delhi based writer, scriptwriter & journalist and has been honored in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. His debut novel clearly reflects his interest and understanding in mystery. With much success and applause, which his first novel has already earned for him, I personally can hardly wait for more from our very own Indian Dan Brown.

The book is available at Lelobooks, an online bookstore in India. So, in order to get this literary gem by our very own Dan Brown, order now and get your book at your doorstep.

For more updates, stay tuned with Lelobooks, an authentic online bookstore in Gurgaon.

Book Review: Right Here Right Now by Nikita Singh

Right Here Right Now, penned by Nikita Singh is a tale of a seventeen year old girl, Kalindi, suffering from memory loss after a dreadful accident. The novel begins with a story of the protagonist, Kalindi, where in the scene, she wakes up and finds herself in the hospital. She turned completely in a state of shock, but to add to her shock, she found that she even has forgotten her name. As you will turn the pages, you will find her adjusting with the present and preparing herself for the future.

Will she be able to recall her past? We she be adjusted in her present? Will she be able to know about the cause of her accident? Will she be able to lead a normal life? Read the book and find all your answers.

“Reinventing yourself is harder when you don’t remember who you were. Kalindi doesn’t know what happened to her and—worse—she doesn’t know who she is. She enters her own life as if for the first time. Feeling like an invader, she meets her parents, friends and boyfriend. Everybody says her life was perfect, but she’s having a hard time accepting who she was, and the kind of person she wanted to be. She’s also got boards to pass—but she doesn’t remember anything she learned! And the recurrent nightmares don’t make it any easier.”

The good

The author, Nikita Singh has been in the profession, for many years now and has penned many books previously. However, the challenge with the book is its theme as the author has only written fictional romances in the past and this book, there is a change for the readers, which is however interesting with its name itself, let alone the story and its theme. She has very cautiously portrayed the protagonist, showing her dedication towards the work, which is really a commendable as the story rests on the shoulders of Kalindi. The story reveals the helplessness and misery with such a strength as will touch your heart. The book revolves around the main characters, yet the other characters have been well defined in the novel, giving them their own space.

 The book is indeed a page turner and the language used in it is quite smooth and will grip you till the end of its suspense. The dialogues in the book are relatable and humorous.

The bad

The theme of the book is undoubtedly very interesting but as you will turn the pages, you will start losing your zest to read as it all about a teenage drama. The book has been covered with more of the love life of the protagonist rather than her routine life and background. There was so much scope to explore the life of the protagonist, which the author missed in her writing. Then, there are some editing mistakes, which grabbed my eyes as it interrupted flow of reading.

The book is definitely a good weekend read, but will not linger in your mind for too long. If you are feeling like reading something light and breezy, then go for it, it will serve you well.

The book is available at lelobooks, an online bookstore inIndia, so just grab this weekend read and have a delightful holiday. You can indulge in online book shopping, which will give you a favor of getting your book delivered at your doorstep. Hurry now and place your order.

Book Review: Sita’s Curse- The Language of Desire by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu

Somewhere, behind closed doors, in her solitary world; Somewhere, under the sheets with an indifferent lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied…

The author, Sreemoyee Piu Kundu has very well entwined two major events of recent era, i.e. scandalous of Sadhu and heavy rainfall in Mumbai. The author has also highlighted the harsh reality of Bollywood and has been portrayed   very well.

The author narrates the story in the context of Yosuf Ismaile, who is a resident of Pune, Maharashtra and comes to the city of dreams, Mumbai to become an actor. However, for him destiny has other choice which falls him to be in a profession which is a shame and immorality for all of us, let alone the victims of the profession of  a male prostitute.

It is a power pack-book, which showcases various amalgamations of events like actuality of Sadhus, the life of a Mumbai Chawl, sex in joint family where there are no enough space for a husband and wife, a tragedy of a woman suffering from the ends of her father and as well as husband. This book is all about envy, infidelity, acceptance, sexual fulfillment, soulless domesticity, forceful marriage, helplessness, sadness.   

The author has divided the book into two segments, where the first part deals when Meera reaches her puberty while the second half is about more maturity and struggle. Meera is a twin sister of his twin brother Kartik, after three miscarriages to her mother. Kartik, his brother is shown as her best friend of both good and bad times. When Meera reaches her puberty and started to know more about her body and its desires, Kartik is sent away for work from home to his uncle’s factory, where one particular day Kartik found dead. 

Then Meera gets married to Businessman in Mumbai, Mohan Patel, who is a decade older than Meera. There starts the second part of the book where Meera’s life takes many twists and turns. This is it, now I stop telling you more about the books and spoiling the climax of the story. So just grab this book and I assure you that you will not regret after reading it. A must read book for the Indian society.

The review:

the novel is an erotic one when is released and exposed to our conservative and orthodox Indian society. It is truly an eye-opener for the society like ours, as in this 21st century, we still holds the grounds the traditions. As we all live in 21st century and experiences the equal status of all males and females, but when it comes to sex, the definition of equality changes for women as we, the women in the society are looked upon and has been imposed with many restrictions on sexuality. Through the book, the author has brought out the reality of the Indian society, especially when talking about the typical Indian middle class family, woman’s desire for appreciation, affection, approval and sexual fulfillment. The author comprehensively gathers by following the Gujarati family; there are many typical Gujarati vocabulary used in the book. 

My Take:

The author has selected the title of every chapter very wisely like “Bhukhi Atma”, “Sukha Karela”. Also the conversation of Meera with her mother after the demises of her father is eye opening.   

Intriguing lines:

1. Outside it was flooded. Inside, I bled. – Page no. 23

2. Having a pretty face isn’t enough, you need strong ones. A woman’s body must be hardened to take what comes, be it pleasure or pain. – Page no. 74

3. Time to fly away, to a faraway place, somewhere beyond your own cage... there is a world out there you know... beyond the boundaries of your narrow Byculla lane. – Page no. 267      

  

The extol:

“Somewhere, behind closed doors, in her solitary world; Somewhere, under the sheets with an indifferent lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied…”

“Trapped for fifteen years in the stranglehold of a dead marriage and soulless household domesticity, the beautiful, full-bodied and passionate Meera Patel depends on her memories and her flights of fancy to soothe the aches that wrack her body; to quieten an unquenchable need. Until one cataclysmic day in Mumbai, when she finally breaks free…”

“Bold, brazen and defiant, Sita’s Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle-class Indian housewife’s urgent need for love, respect, acceptance – and sexual fulfillment.”

Truly a highly recommended novel by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu which has highlighted the reality of Indian society. Grab this book from lelobooks, a leading online bookstore in India. Hurry now!

Book Review: "The Vijay Mallya story" by K. Giriprakash

K. Giriprakash, the author of this great novel, which is no less than an epic sis the Chief of Bureau of The Hindu Business Line. He has been tracing Kingfisher for long fifteen years and has come out with his chronicle over Mallyas.

The book ‘The Vijay Mallya Story’ is an extraordinarily comprehensive and a vivacious chronicle of the life of one of most prominent and celebrated businessmen, The Vijay Mallya. The book has veiled the life span of this prominent personality along with that it showcases his amazing career spans three decades and is spread across multiple industries.The book covers childhood of Vijya Mallya’s childhood, his relationship with his father and his innate deal making capabilities. It tracks his spectacular rise with Kingfisher and how the airline led to his downfall.

 

K. Giriprakash has closely observed the career of Vijay Mallya over the last two decades, which has provided him with a unique advantage to draw an extraordinary portrayal of a this great personality who has fascinated every other man in the country.

Vijay Mallya, an industrialist, owner of I-League Team: East Bengal and Mohun Bagan A.C. and owner of IPL Team: Royal Challengers Banglore,  a member of India’s parliament.  He has many successful ventures in his hat. The book narrated by K. Giriprakash accounts an interesting and captivating phase of life of this King of Good Times. The author has well researched about his subject, which is no less than a business tycoon. The author has also described in detail the consequences which led Mallya’s company to failure as he bought bought Air Deccan with his eyes closed. His team never went through the books of the loss making Air Deccan before Mallya agreed to buy it for a total consideration of Rs 1000 crore in 2007. At least that is what the book, called "The Vijay Mallya story" suggests.

The book further states that Kingfisher was a gift to son Siddharth Mallya on his eighteenth birthday on May 7, 2005. And no one - not even the lenders, who were dubious, not other airline veterans nor close associates - would persuade against Mallya senior from taking the thrust.The book also has some hilarious illustrations, some of which expose appalling woolgathering and negligence to details. There is also the incorporation of the reasons which show why Vijay Mallya was never going to succeed in the airline business. In this book Giriprakash tries to sketch the man called Mallya. Mallya's most daring and also the most blunder-some venture has been Kingfisher Airlines, which stopped flying in 2012, with huge debts to banks, months of outstanding salary to employees and scarce hope of the airline ever bracing. Now, even the there was a time when Kingfisher Airlines reminded the toast of wealthy Indians who found never-before quality of service and class with the airline. Now, it only reminds one of unpaid employees, some of the largest Indian banks clueless about how to recover their moolah and an airline which has become redundant.

Was Mallya the only one who did blunder and took Kingfisher Airlines down? Or was the aviation business, with its huge overheads, thin margins and heavy Government taxation anyway a recipe for disaster? Did his buying action dilapidated Deccan Aviation prove to be the last nail in the Kingfisher coffin? Giriprakash has narrated many illustrations of how the airline was actually started on a whim, why and how it began to falter along the way, even as its service levels remained high and why it finally had to shut down.

Before reading this book have a look at memorable snippets from the book:

** Air hostesses delayed meals, not all passengers on a flight got to eat!

By 2010, apart from other problems, caterers were unwilling to supply meals on some flights because of non-payment by Kingfisher. "They supplied fewer food packets, which meant that not all passengers got meals, especially during late evening flights. On such occasions, the passengers had demanded that the pilot gives them an explanation in person. The air hostesses were trying their best to manage the situation. On some occasions, they would deliberately delay serving the meals so that not all passengers got them".

** Mallya did not check Air Deccan's books before buying!

"Gopinath told a reporter later that what impressed him about Mallya was how badly he wanted the airline and how swiftly he had moved to bag the deal. When some reporter asked him whether that meant the deal had been made without any due diligence or checking the balance sheet, Captain Gopinath replied that it was true that during the negotiations, neither Mallya nor his officials ever asked to examine the books. They took Captain Gopinath's assurances at face value because they were eager to go through with the deal".

** Not just Mallya, even SBI did no due diligence before lending!

"In order to meet huge expenses which the airline incurred for paying high salaries and building swanky offices, Mallya had started borrowing from several banks (including the government owned State Bank of India), some of which extended the loan without adequate collateral. It looked as if some of the banks had extended loan to the airline based on Mallya's popularity and charisma rather than the real worth of the airline. When the airline started defaulting on repayment, some of the banks had very little as collateral to fall back upon".

To conclude, Giriprakash points out the obvious reasons about Mallya had everyone rooting for him when he began Kingfisher, ultimately squandered away this immense goodwill. The author says:

1) Mallya should have had a professional CEO running the airline instead of taking all decisions himself (CEO was first appointed only in late 2010)

2) What further alienated him from his friends in the corporate sector as well as political circles was a display of wealth when hundreds of Kingfisher employees had not been paid salaries for months Both these criticisms seem justified.

Get this book and unravel the life story of this prominent personality who, after gathering much goodwill, has squandered away all due to his negligence and blunders he made in his career span that led to his venture’s downfall. Avaliable at lelobooks, leading online bookstore in India and also avail attractive discounts. Buy books online and get them at your doorstep. 

Book Review: How Not To Make Money by Raj Kundra

Rajasthan Royals' co-owner and controversial British-Indian businessman Raj Kundra, who is also famed as the husband of the Bollywood personality Shilpa Shetty.  The author was heard being surrounded by the IPL 6 spot-fixing controversy has set up his literary debut with How Not To Make Money in 2013. Published in October 2013by Random House India, How Not To Make Money is a gripping thriller based on true events tracing the story of three childhood friends - Jai, Mike and Aziz. These three leading characters are three childhood friends who grew up in London together. The two of them, Jai and Mike are smugglers and the third, Aziz is a corporate lawyer, who attempts to help his friends and devise a foolproof scheme to get rich in the shortest possible time.

The book covers the story and scheme and has mentioned an undetectable, fool proof scam, for the boys to become rich. With the laid plans by the third leading character of the novel who is a lawyer, the boys had not counted on a few bumps along the way in the form of the intrepid fraud investigator who picks up on their trail, and Pam, the femme fatale whose sari blouses leave less to the imagination than bikinis, who has her eye set firmly on Jai. Knowing you have to risk it big to make it big, the boys put everything on the line in this high-speed thrill ride of a novel. But will they come out laughing or are they walking into a trap?

Kundra Stated about the book that it is based on his research on the Missing Trader Fraud that deprived governments in the UK and Europe of billions of euros in the early 2000s. The book also involves the main feature of taking advantage of the complex norms by which value-added tax (VAT) is levied and claimed by traders in European countries.

"How Not to Make Money will release only in India now, and Random House will see how it does before releasing it in other countries," said Kundra, who is being represented by New York and London-based literary agency Regal Literary.

My Take

Raj Kundra has done an impressive job with his literary debut. I wouldn’t say that the book is excellent or a trend-setter in Indian literature, but is undoubtedly strong enough for people to read it out and notice him as an author.  The genre – thriller chosen by him is lacking finesse, which need to be improved as to render it a fascinating end product and to quite an extent he has managed to do that. I did not like the usage of cuss words for I believe they are a huge turn off for a like me. The story is undoubtedly a page turner and edge of the seat thriller. The narration is too bumpy at few points, but it altogether makes it an enjoyable and funny read. Surely a one time read! Available at lelobooks, an online bookstore so just grab your book by purchasing online books and get your favorite books at your doorstep.