Book Review: The New Rules of Business

Book Name - The New Rules of Business

Author - Rajesh Srivastava

Publication year - 2019

Pages - 326

This book is penned by Rajesh Srivastava who is an IIT and IIM alumnus. The bio of the author is indeed impressive, he has a lot of feathers on his cap. All the knowledge and experience that he has put into the book is amazing. He is an accomplished manager and brand creator.

The book has a very rich content, with each chapter being a different and a new rule of being successful in your business. Each chapter has a guideline presented interestingly, along with real examples and stories. It's not just one story but multiple stories together. Though I am not from a business background, and have received no formal education in business, this book caught my interest. I could think from a consumer perspective and relate to the stories of the businesses. I stand at the other end of the business-consumer flow, but found it all to be captivating. As a customer I never knew how much research and efforts were put in the background to sell a product to me. Moreover, the newer ways of winning customers written in this book are worth knowing and relatable to me now.

The sixteen rules of business are apt and interesting. It helped me dive deeply into what the businesses we admire did to reach where they are. The world is evolving, the customers are changing and hence, to grow a business stale rules may not work. This book gives us a wonderful insight into those rules and ideas.

I am not sure what they teach in MBA programmes worldwide, but definitely can bet that this book sums up such courses practically. This was the first book of its kind that I ever read, but definitely looking forward read more from the author.

I rate this book 4 on 5 and recommend for those who are serious about building and growing their business, and are willing to adapt fresher ways to build it well.

Thanks to Shweta from Glad U Came for sending this book for review. 

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com

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Book Review: How to Be a Likeable Bigot

Book Name - How to Be a Likeable Bigot

Author - Naomi Datta

Publication year - 2019

Pages - 216

Genre - Sarcasm

The book is a collection of essays on vivid topics like workplace, parenthood, technology etc. The satire and humor in the book is exemplary. The essays are highly relatable, neither too lengthy nor too small. The author presents a very witty and bold outlook to something we are or that we come across on a daily basis. What occurs to almost all of us, and is a part and parcel of our existence, generally goes unnoticed. This has been beautifully thought over and captured by the author. This book brings the extra ordinary out of the ordinary!

It is very evident how the amount of patience and iterations on the content eventually got bundled up in the pages of this book. Naomi seems like well read and well referenced author. Lot of knowledge and exposure can only result in such quality content. At the same time, the reader also has to have knowledge to understand the content.

Unlike usual indian authors, Naomi came up with a distinct thought process. She has used good verbiage and vocabulary. The sketches before every chapter are creative and self sufficient to convey the crux of the what you are about to read.

For someone who cannot focus and read through a thick book containing a single story, this book is a right option with separate essays. Each of them are independent of one another and can be read in any order.

The genre is very much relatable to me, not only because each of the chapters is close to my existence, but also because I too write a lot of satirical blog posts on the contemporary world. I also closely observe the regular phenomena and draw my inferences into such satirical write ups. I was actually reading the lines loudly in my mind, with all the pauses and expressions, which made me enjoy this even more!

The content is crisp. You would never be bored of it. Overall it is a refreshing read.

I rate this book 3.5 on 5. I recommend this for those who appreciate and understand satire. Not everyone enjoys being made fun of. This book is not meant for those who read only fiction or philosophy. Consider this as a series of blog posts compiled carefully and presented in a light hearted way.

Thanks to Blogadda for approaching me to review the book.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com

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Book Review: City of Nine Gates

Book Title: City Of Nine Gates

Author:  Pankaj Rajput

Edition Language: English

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 308

Firstly, a big thanks to Blogadda for sending across the book to me for review.

To begin with, the first thing I loved about the book is the quality of pages and the appealing bright cover.

This book written by Pankaj Rajput is a work of fiction which efficiently merges mythology with philosophy and modernism with spirituality. It is a perfect treat for the mind and a great source of motivation for the conscience. Its a spiritual tale taking you to a dream world.

With meticulous usage of language, following the contemporary style of verbiage and simple dialogues, this book gets a plus. I specially adore the names of the characters like Gyan, Niyati, Vishwas, Buddhi, Manas etc. Unlike commonly used names in other Indian fictions like Raj, Rahul, these names suit well to the intent of the book.

The book takes you to another universe while you are reading it. It keeps you holding throughout. It is like a fairy tale, plotted well. The sequence of events is nice. It feels like the reader is watching a movie!

The protagonist of the book is a millionaire named Gyan, who is an atheist. He is a a naive and young man who after a journey through city of nine gates transforms into a man who is aware of his potential, and above all of himself.

Gyan is an archaeology enthusiast, joins his friend and team in the excavation of a hidden city. On a secret trip to the ruins, Gyan finds the wisest sages at the city entrance and the history of this discovered city from the sages. While he was being awarded the entrepreneur of the year, he ended up reaching to the city of nine gates, following an explosion on the stage itself. I don't want to be a spoiler, so leaving the rest for the reader to experience!

The content of the book clearly depicts that the author has done extensive research and iterations of the content to create the ultimate piece of work that he has done. The Sanskrit glossary at the end is also a helpful reference.

Although I like most of the aspects of this book, but I would have had a better reading experience if the spelling mistakes at certain pages could have been proofread and rectified. I hope this will be fixed in subsequent editions.

I rate this book 4 on 5 and recommend it for all the youngsters who are looking for spiritual and motivational treat for their mind.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: My Feathered Friends & the Book of Poems-Part 1

Book Title: My Feathered Friends & the Book of Poems-Part 1

Author:  Sunil Bhatia 

Publication Date: January 2017

Edition Language: English

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 230

Firstly, a big thanks to the author for sending across the book to me for review.

To begin with, the first thing I loved about the book is the quality of pages, the appealing bright cover and the textbook kind of feel that brought in nostalgia with it.

This book has majorly two halves, you may call it two-in-one. The first part is a narration of author's experiences, clubbed with his imagination and his love for nature. The second part comprises of poems.

The first part gives life to birds, and makes them the characters of the respective stories. Each of them leaves a positive impression on you, some thoughts that linger for long. They are like self-help lessons. Above all, they are not just usual do's and don'ts or speech kind of self help chapters, but interactive and story-like. The protagonist, who is a city dweller, converses with various species of birds. They are actually like his friends. A variety of birds, pigeons, peacocks, owls, parrots, doves and many others were his characters. The book is aptly titled "My Feathered Friends..."

Initially, not everyone may be able to digest the idea of the book. During first few pages, you may not be able to cope up with the frequency and the overall motive. But gradually, you start living in the book and believe in the world the author is showcasing- fiction, fantasy, self-help and poetry.

It shows the love of the author for birds and also, a different perspective altogether. Imagining birds to speak, narrate and give you life lessons is exemplary.

The second part has a poetic delight, well thought over, nicely composed poems. The poems are simple, easy read and convey messages individually. The poems belong to various categories, and each of them is for someone. They highlight the problems in the world, in very simple yet creative manner.

The author's way is very innovative, assuming the birds are conversing and being a part of his day-to-day life. I liked the first half of the book more than the poems. This is simply because, this style of narration and imagination is clearly distinct and rare.

After reading the first part, I am awaiting part two of this book!

I would recommend the book for all nature and poetry lovers. I rate it 3.5 on 5.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: A Cage of Desires

Book Title: A Cage of Desires

Author: Shuchi Singh Kalra

Publication Date: May 2018

Edition Language: English

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 175

Firstly thanks to the author for sending across the book for review. This book is a fiction based on a woman's life as evident from the amazing cover of the book. The cover of the book summarized pictorially exactly what the book is about. The title is also apt. I generally don't read erotica, so at first I was apprehensive if I must go with it or not. But the cover was enough to attract me towards it.

I am fond of woman centric stories, and hence opted to read it. The book is of ~200 pages and hence, a breezy read. The flow of the story is straightforward, no confusions at all. Though, during initial few chapters I was suspecting it to be inspired from Indian movies. Gradually I realized it is much more than that. The plot is penned so bravely, boldly and intensely. This is highly uncommon for Indian authors. Being a woman author in India, and keeping the society and culture into consideration, it is in itself a bold step to write a book like this.

The book revolves around the protagonist Renu, a simple home maker, who takes care of her kids and a nagging father-in-law single-handedly while her husband works in another town and is least bothered about the family. She, like other Indian women is bound in the web of her duties but deprived of her rights. She longs for love and affection, the desire of loving and being loved back. Her husband never realizes her worth. She doesn't get back from him what every married women needs. But bound under the rules of Indian society, she isn't allowed to look for alternates to fulfill her desires and to keep bearing her misfortune. The book is an encounter of her with other men in her life, and the fulfillment of her desires with them. The multiple facets of an Indian woman is indeed well depicted. Through the course of the story she finds love, hatred, betrayal and keeps bouncing between all these, angry and unsatisfied. (I won't give any spoilers here :) ). The story progresses on how she combats the destiny and emerges victorious. She chooses the unconventional, something that must be a motivation for other women too.

This book is also a satire on the Indian society where people are fond of reading and watching erotica behind closed doors. But at the same time, are ashamed to know their women being involved in it. (Resisting spoiler again). Maya is a writer who writes erotica under pen name and is loved and appreciated by all, but it becomes a cause of shame if men find their women in Maya's place. 

The scenes are well narrated. Love making is quite descriptive. At times, you can actually imagine what is happening, and that is the quality of a well written fiction. The usage of words and sentences for the portrayal of emotions is appropriate. It is indeed a well revised and wisely edited work.

However, at certain points you may feel that there is exaggeration of emotions, or redundancy of the same thoughts over and over.

Overall the book is a well thought over, emotional roller coaster ride.

I would recommend the book for all those who are fond of women centric Indian fiction books. I rate it 3.5 on 5.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: The Myth of Hastinapur

Book Title: The Myth of Hastinapur

Author: Rahul Rai

Publication Date: May 2018

Edition Language: English

Genre: Indian Mythology

Pages: 229

Firstly I thank the author for sending across a copy of the book for review. This is a debut novel from author Rahul Rai. It is based on Mahabharata. I am a fan of Indian Mythology and esp. Mahabharata. Mahabharata is a kind of epic which you can read and re-read numerous times. Still you won't feel satiated with the knowledge pearls showered on you. I am always curious to know more about it. I have read various versions of this epic from the perspective of various characters. Also, I've read a lot of online material about facts and myths of the epic. I have watched a dozen of TV shows on this greatest epic of our history. Whenever a story is told and retold, it eventually gets modified based on the perspective of the story teller. This makes it even more interesting. Mahabharata is one such story.

The feat of the great war of its time, was it justified? The whole clan gets ruined by the end of it, except for a handful of people who very lucky to survive.

How is this book different from other versions of Mahabharata?

• Unlike other versions, the author simplifies and segregates the epic is multiple chapters.
• The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are very good.
• At various points it is more of an analysis of the epic, the conclusions drawn out of various events and what could have happened instead.
• One great thing is that it has various narrations or conversations of such characters which were never even thought of having existed. Like, conversations between soldiers fighting from separate parties but friends in personal life, maids working at Hastinapur palace, etc. 
• You also find Bhishma and Ved Vyas pondering over their mistakes. You see Duryodhana talking about dharma.
• I always knew about Ashwatthama but never knew about him in such detailed manner as depicted in this book.
• Drona and Drupad's enemity is known to all those who know Mahabharata, but very few know about their friendship and how it transformed them into blood mongers for each other.
• People know Pandavas as one entity, or know the famous ones- Yudhishitir, Bheema and Arjuna. Hardly anyone talks about Nakul and Sahadev and their story. We never talk or read about their qualities, their relationship with their step brothers and the insecurities that their maternal uncle had for them. This book talks about their testimonies too.
• The injustice that happened with Hidimba and her clan for no fault if theirs. The sacrifice they made by being mere pawns in the war between the Hastinapur family.
• The story of Krishna's son Samba and the doom of Yadava's kingdom was less heard of.

Remember, each character in a story has his own story too. This books succeeds in narrating stories of a lot of such characters who have been sidelined in the history.

Although, like I mentioned there are various versions of Mahabharata and that, each version narrates events in its way. Hence, the facts are often intentionally or unintentionally tampered when they reach us. They are affected by the knowledge, perspective or research of the story teller. Same is the case with this book. Since I have read various versions, I find certain deviations here, but that is what I call story telling. That is why they call it "myth" or "mythology"!

To read and understand this book, you must be having some prior knowledge of Mahabharata. This is because, the style of narration is not sequential in terms of the order of the events, which may confuse someone who does not know about it. However, the chapters are segregated in interesting and logical manner. Such way of narration also shows up the hard work that the author has put in and this does not let you put down the book throughout. 

The language is pretty good, usage of words and grammar are very well.

Overall, I like the book and would make sure I read it once more. I recommend it for all those who have interest in Indian mythology and want to dive into various aspects and perspectives of it. I rate it 4 on 5.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: And So Can You

"And So Can You" is authored by Dr. Roopleen and this is her debut novel. Being a doctor, writing in itself is unusual. She is a rare combination of being a doctor, writer, prolific reader and a motivational speaker.

I am sure the doctor hadn't "written" but typed the book :) Otherwise, the handwriting would have been a challenge! Jokes apart, this book is a collection of 17 inspirational stories of doctors, their struggles and how they emerged victorious.

Since its an accumulation of various stories, it always keeps you holding. The difficult profession of being a doctor and surviving through day to day struggles is something which we who belong to other professions can never understand. Like the author wrote in the introduction, if you want to read a book which is never written, write it yourself. You rarely get to read "stories" about medical profession. This book is not only for doctors but for everyone to get inspired from. The book is not for a one time read but one that we can go back again and again to draw motivation, stories which remind how very ordinary people can reach great heights of success with focus, hard work, and determination.

I liked the writing skills of the author, meticulous narrations and apt choice of words.

The cover of the book says- "A book every doctor and medical student must read". But after reading this book I believe that everyone must read this book. The reason being not only the amount of motivation it brings, but also depicts the hardships of medicos. They study for a decade to become doctors and they start earning very late in life. Moreover, the life they choose does not comprise of too much comfort. They have to leave behind their pleasures and much of their social life to be in the nobel profession.

All the stories are different from the others, unique in every sense. The best thing is that after every story their are takeaways and advice, like a crux or "moral of the story". This mode of writing is very interesting.

I strongly recommend this book for all the short story lovers, self help book lovers, and those who are ambitious to go via the road seldom taken by others. This book alters the general opinion of people and media about the doctors, that they live a lavish life and charge high fees. Their income brings along a lot of hardships too.

I rate this book 4 on 5. The writing skills and content are highly appreciable.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Our New Youtube Channel: MPKooktales

Hello fellas. They say "Happiness is to be able to eat what you please."

We, Piyush and Mansi have started our Youtube channel, featuring our cooking experiments. We love to eat, and eventually love to cook. Our newly found passion for cooking had to be captured in camera and hence, to be shared with all. This led to the idea behind starting this channel. With this channel we bring to you mouth watering food as easy recipes, with taste of MP and of course, India. Hope you like our cooking tales at MPKooktales :)

On this channel, we have featured variety of food recipes, particularly Indian food. The variety includes Indian curries, milkshakes, tea time snacks, breakfast recipes, desserts, healthy food and a lot more.

I've received so much of appreciation for my writing by far. Hoping to receive the same for our new youtube channel- MPKooktales. Please subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon to receive notifications of any new videos being posted. Don't forget to like the videos, share them with friends and family. Your feedback is precious to us, do add in your comments to the videos. We'd love to hear from you!

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Book Review: Age of Azmoq

This is a book from the debut author, Rajamayyoor Sharma. Thank you Blogadda for dispatching the book to me for review.

This book belongs to the fantasy genre, which is new for me. Beginning from the impressive cover to the concise but engrossing excerpt, the mesmerizing title, the introduction of the book in the first few pages, and the content from the beginning to the end is something that keeps one holding throughout. The title itself makes you curious to know what lies inside the book. It feels like you will be taken into a world from a different age.

The author is an Engineer and an MBA. There are very less Indian authors who choose genres other than chicklit and teenage romance. The author has self published his book. The book published in Jan 2018, spans approximately 500 pages. 

I have observed that even big writers use tricks of unnecessary blank pages between the chapters and bigger fonts plus extra margins to make their book look thicker. But this particular book is all about honest content from a fresh mind. Writing fantasy needs a lot of wit and imagination.

The un-put-down-able, enticing fiction is indeed heart winning. On the first glance, it reminds you of GoT. 

While you read you dive into the world the author has created, and start living the characters and the locations. This being a refreshing read, is scientific too. You end up entering into the world of Valantia while reading it. The characterization is witty and mysterious. Dialogues are simple yet realistic. To read such books you do not need to be logical, but imaginative. The more you imagine, the more you enjoy. Use of one liners frequently, makes it even more interesting.

Description and story telling is worth reading. The characters are relatable, inspirational and uncomplicated. They tell you about the characters exactly as much as it is needed. The world that is designed in the story is in no manner inspired from the real world. The plot unfolds gracefully, first forming a basis in the readers mind and then weaving the rest of it gradually. The methodology of writing footnotes is one of its kind. The war scenes are well written. Description of weapons is well written. The writer has given maps and illustrations which have been interesting at times. Words are chosen meticulously. However, I feel that some scenes could have been cut short.

I am looking forward to reading the subsequent versions as well. In fact, being a movie buff, I wish if they make a movie inspired by this novel.

I recommend it for all the fantasy lovers who want to refresh their minds and hook themselves to the fantasy world. This book is meant only for those who are far away from the cheesy romance Indian books, and are up for some international standard intelligent plot. I rate it 4 on 5 and wish the author best luck for the success of his hard work.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess

The Undomestic Goddess is a book by Sophie Kinsella published in 2006. I found this book on Goodreads and got it after seeing high ratings and great reviews. Its a 400+ pages fiction.

The story revolves around a lady called Samantha, who is a successful lawyer working with a top firm in London. She's a workaholic, works for 14-16 hours day, including weekends and is awaiting a partnership at Carter Spink, her organization. She makes a mistake, and comes to know about it after the deadline has crossed. She is fired from the organization, and ends up reaching someone's place where is mistaken for a housekeeper. She doesn't know how to cook, how to use an iron, how to operate a washing machine or to clean loos. The story is about her struggle to learn the domestic work, and her realization of what she had been missing in life. She realizes that there is more to life than just office work, that is, relationships, weekend offs, going to pubs, and a lot more. She consequently makes life changing decisions.

The story is narrated in first person, is comic from time to time, leaves a smile on your face. Its difficult to put down the book and you feel like reading a few more pages before closing it. It gives me a feel of Hindi movies. One can also relate it to Govinda's famous Bollywood movie Hero No. 1, where Govinda belongs to a rich family but works as a housekeeper in the house of his beloved, to pursue everyone in the house.

However, I felt that the end is too slow, and redundant. It could have been shorter. The last few pages could be reduced to lesser number.

Overall, I rate this book as 3.5 on 5, and recommend it for those who enjoy light-hearted humor and women's fiction.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: Faqeera Chal Chala Chal

"Faqeera Chal Chala Chal" is a book by debut author Sunil Sapra. I thank the author for sending across his book in exchange of an honest review.

This book is a collection of 84 poems in Hindi. It is a quick read. Upon reading, one can relate to some or the other poem. It is written in simple language, but at many junctures plants an urge to read certain poems over and over. There are some poems which let you meet yourself. They make you think twice about you and your life. The writer aptly says in the foreword, every person has a faqeera hidden within them. Discovering that faqeera is all you have to do.

I was not able to relate to each of the poems, but I won't comment by saying that I disliked them. It is just that the mood of those poems don't match my frequency. There are however, some poems which are worth reading. I especially bookmarked them to read and re-read in future.

The poems are set in various moods, or various aspects of one's life. For instance, हसरते, meaning desires. In this section, I specially loved चाहते and पंछी. These poems depict the desires of a human mind, and how each individual has different desires and expectations from life. And even after getting everything, how one remains dissatisfied at times.

I liked some lines from a poem -

चुप रहने वाले को,
दुनिया है भूल जाती,
अरे, रोये बिना तो,
माँ भी बच्चे को दुध नही पिलाती |

To me, these lines mean a lot. I have practically experienced such situations in life where it is not always about being good and pretending that everything is well, or waiting for situations to turn in your favor. Sometimes it is you who has to stand for thyself and express your will. It works!

I have read all the poems in the section मैं many times. Simply speaking, all that is penned in the poems is known and obvious, but the words in these poems are perfectly woven to reiterate the existence of these emotions in you.

If I mention further, it would be a spoiler for other readers :)

I give this book 4 on 5 and recommend it for those who have a different perspective on their life, the surroundings, their present, past, their family and often get nostalgic. I also recommend it for those who are fond of writing poetries. This bunch of poems is a motivator for writing.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: Train to Pakistan

Train to Pakistan is a bestseller by well known author Khushwant Singh. It was written back in 1956.

This book is a fiction based on the time when India got independence along with the curse of partition. 

Even though its a fiction, it is very much inspired by reality. For a reader like me who has shallow knowledge of what had happened at that time, this book is informative too. The crude truths were never detailed out in our textbooks and we had no clue of the after effects of this political game. This book led me to think upon the unknown sacrifices that had been given willingly or unwillingly on the both the sides, before present day India and Pakistan stabilized. And how the innocent had to lose their lives in the process.

The story revolves around one of the villages called Mano Majra, near the border of India and Pakistan, and the surrounding areas. Mano Majra is a fictional village located in Punjab. Sikhs and Muslims lived peacefully and with brotherhood in the village irrespective of the ongoing riots between the two religions. This novel depicts the daily activities of the people in the said rural area.

It shows how after partition, Hindus and Muslims both faced atrocities while travelling in trains to the land they were supposed, to as per their religion. How both the sides were killed, all the passengers of trains massacred, raped, tortured. Revenge took over humanity and Kalyug had started in literal sense. But also showcases how humanity still exists, and how a robber Jugga saves the train sacrificing his own life. He does it for the sake of his lover Nooran who is on a train going to Pakistan. Humanity prevailed when morals and love inside Jugga took over his bad character and hatred for the other religion. Iqbal, who had been against the killings throughout, did not take part in stopping it when he actually should, all because of his overthinking

Overall, it is a depressing story. You may hardly find any entertainment or cheerfulness throughout. 

The characterization is perfect, the story telling is such that it feels like a movie is being played in front of you, the narration is descriptive yet concise. The dialogues are flawless. It is free of biasness towards religion (Hindu and Sikh or Muslim) and country (Hindustan or Pakistan, as they say)

There is a movie from year 1998 based on the book. I watched the movie soon after finishing the book, and again the reader in me justified being a reader! The movie misses out a lot that can be read in the book.

I rate it 3.5 on 5 and recommend it for those of my age who are untouched of the partition time tales, and are interested in fiction.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: Kuch Wo Pal

Kuch Wo Pal is a collection of Hindi poems by the debut author Subrat Saurabh. The author is an Engineer and works with an MNC in Bangalore. I can very much relate to him being an Engineer working in Bangalore. He is very popular on twitter and facebook.

Thanks to Blogadda for sending across a review copy of this book.

This is a 75 page book which can be finished in one go. However, reading a collection of poems is unlike reading fiction. When you read fiction, once you finish it, you have no fixation to read it again. This book, demands reading it over and over to understand the essence of it. Every time you browse through the pages of this book, you get to dive deep into the ecstatic world of words woven so beautifully. It is like a web from which you would deny to escape.

The poems are mostly about the author's experiences of staying away from home and working in a distant city and some exhibiting a broken heart's pain. All of these are penned in contemporary style of writing. One good part is that none of these seem to be inspired by any other poet's work, they are all afresh. The poems are all composed in different writing styles. I especially liked the ones that are based on nostalgia, the ones that depict the pain of being away from home and family, the remembrance of childhood and the fragrance of memories of one's native place.

One thing that I expected from this book is something more than a lover's pain and sadness. The poems could have been set in vivid moods. Although, every poet has a genre, a way of writing and thinking. However, I am anticipating all this in the subsequent books from the author.

I underlined a few lines from many poems, which I liked very much and read again and again. I was willing to add them to this post but that would have been a spoiler :) Hence, I refrained from doing that! The shayari at the end is like cherry on the cake, quite mesmerizing.

I myself am fond of reading and writing poems, and hence, can sense the immense efforts put on to write what is apparently a thin book. In the world where you have easy access to poems and prose online, it is a endearing experience to hold one such book. These days, when you can easily type in your thoughts on the web, it is hard to find one such collection as a book. You cannot replace the feel of holding a book over any other digital media.

Overall its a quick read, recommended for those who understand and admire poetry rather than SMS and Whatsapp jokes. Those who are into writing poems can also get a lot of inspiration from this collection. I rate this book 3.5 on 5.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None, a murder mystery by Agatha Christie. I had been going through reader's block since long and the review I am writing is breaking my writer's block.

First things first. Agatha Christie who is dead long back, as Wikipedia says. I have started admiring her writing skills after reading this book. The kind of reader I am, I generally despise all that is archaic, written long back and has pale pages. But this one has changed my perspective to some extent. I am going to get another Agatha Christie book now.

About the book, its a murder mystery. Ten people are invited by the murderer on an abandoned island for a house party and are murdered one after another. The only clue for every consecutive murder is a childhood prose. As and as the plot unfolds, reader's curiosity to know the murderer grows. The end is unexpected. The mystery unfolds itself unpredictably. The end will amaze you.

If I write any further, it would be a spoiler!

I rate this book 4 on 5 and recommend it to those who want a shift of genre from fiction to mystery. This is my first mystery novel but not the last one for sure.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: Arranged Marriage

I picked up this book as my third one from the author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I was fantasized by the feeling of reading all her books since the time I finished these exemplary ones- The Mistress of Spices and The Palace of Illusions (which I have reviewed here). But this one broke my heart and shattered my dream of sinking in another supposed great work of hers.

This book is a collection of short stories on arranged marriages. But let me first tell you, it is not solely about  "arranged" marriages, but marriages, and not even marriages, sometimes complicated relationships. It highlights the vices like live-in, infidelity, affairs,suffering, pain, injustice to women, distress  etc. I was expecting it to be a collection of sweet and sour stories of arranged marriages in India, of which some might be successful and some unfortunate. But this is entirely different, not even a single story created aura of positivity- all ridden of happiness. Moreover, most of them are not narratives of India but mostly of the US- Indians, mostly Bengalis in the US.

However, if asked to choose some stories which I liked a bit are- The Maid Servant and Meeting Mrinal, which are little lengthy but captivating. After every installment of reading the book, I felt dull and gloomy, and upset for no reason! It gives off a negative vibe. Strangely, people have given so good reviews to this on the web that I was hopeful that at least the subsequent story would be different, but disappointed later.

The way marriages are portrayed here let you feel as if arranged marriages are the worst that can happen to women in India, with a demanding spouse, atrocious in-laws and the patriarchal mindset of Indian culture. It almost did not focus on the other side of it, which is progressive and fairer to women.

I give it 2 on 5 stars and do not recommend this book to anyone.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns- another marvel from THE Khaled Hosseini. He has inked the inhumane realities of Afghanistan in such a heart warming manner.

Before this I have read and reviewed The Kite Runner from the same author, which was so compelling that I bought this one too. And now, I am treasuring his third book, And The Mountains Ecoed as well.

The story is a narrative of the struggle of two female protagonists, Mariam and Laila going through the situations where even basic human rights are forbidden. This is the story of the time when Soviet were ruling Afghanistan and later arrived Taliban. The periodic political shift affected the lives and "deaths" of the citizens of the country.

This fiction is a nice portrayal of the grim conditions in Afghanistan which were not known to most of us otherwise. The main characters Mariam and Laila had to struggle through their lives bearing the sin of being born and that too, as women in that society.

To me, this book gives one message, and that is, we often tend to mourn over what we haven't got but forget about what we have. We must appreciate and thank god for giving us this wonderful life, giving us birth at the place where we are, and above all FREEDOM which is the foremost requisite of human existence and unfortunately not available to many.

I rate this book with 4.5 stars on 5, and recommend to all fiction lovers with a disclaimer that this book will give you a gloomy feeling throughout, and is not a happy-go-lucky account! You may sleep with a sad mood at times. It may leave you thinking for long. I personally got attached to Mariam and Laila so much that I used to repent on what was happening in their lives, as if they were some live people around me. Such is the magical spell of Khaled Hosseini's un-put-down-able writing.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: Mrs. Funnybones

This book is written by renowned actress Twinkle Khanna. After digging her luck in diverse fields, she began writing. I am a fan of her newspaper column that comes every Sunday in Times of India, and also her scintillating tweets.

I would always admire her for her unconventional sense of humor, presence of mind and stark comments. Also, having traveled many roads of life including acting, interior design and, of course, writing, she carries a distinct identity and charm of her own.

This book is about her day-to-day life experiences in a funny manner.

Although, I was expecting a lot more from her debut novel. It seems more like a collection of her newspaper articles. When you spend some money to buy a book, you do not expect it to contain the stuff that a corner of a 5 bucks newspaper has! You are investing time as well as money not to know her autobiography, and that to, not actual autobiography but certain regular events from here and there from which one derives no conclusion.

With 235 pages including a lot of blank pages, text size 12 and 1.5 size line spacing, broad margins, even the slowest reader on the planet can finish this book in no time.

Not everyone wants to be enlightened by how she struggles as a mother, her baby wants to use her hello kitty potty seat in FLIGHT, or that she gets captured by paparazzi often, or that her son has got a girlfriend at eleven or the MIL jokes with her female friends or how much the family travels abroad in FLIGHTS.

Nevertheless, coming to some good points, the book is humorous, you smile and laugh from time to time and feel light when reading it. This is a quick read and hence, it may help you to overcome reader's block, if any. The sarcasm and composition of sentences is quirky.

My rating for this book is 2.5 on 5 and I recommend it to those who are are willing to pass their time on a train journey or a flight.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: Band, Baaja, Boys

This a book by author Rachna Singh is a light hearted comedy.

The plot is set in Allahabad. And hence, the humour. Rachna singh has brought up the core and basic aspects of the residents as her characters and translated that into humour. The characters are relatable and very usual.

The story is about Binny Bajpai - 20 year old daughter of hosiery shop owner Brajesh Bajpai and homemaker Kumud Bajpai. Binny is busy making boyfriends and spending her father's money as the only child. Meanwhile, Kumud and Brajesh are keen on getting the best groom for her from the available options. They are juggling between readily available Mr. Chaubey's son and sparsely available Mr. Dubey's son. Raja is the one sided lover of the heartthrob Binny. Rahul is Binny's lover and a politician's spoiled son. This hullabaloo gives you chuckles and giggles throughout, keeps you gripped to what happens next. (I want to control myself from being a spoiler by providing the details).

Rachna brings alive her characters who are easily identifiable and close to real life, no exaggeration. Use of Hinglish is quite funny.

If you are looking for a deep story and a witty plot, this one is not for you. It is predictable at times but a cute filmy tale. But if you are looking for a stress buster and a lot of laughter this is your cup of tea.

I applaud the observation and comic interpretation of fellow Indians (esp. from Allahabad) by the author especially when she herself was swinging between life and death (cancer treatment). It's easy to make people cry, but difficult to make them laugh, and that's what Rachna has excelled at.

I rate the book 3 on 5 and recommend it to those who want to go over a quick and light read combined with doses of fun.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner, an international Bestseller, came to me as a birthday gift, and it is like none other. It is authored by Khaled Hosseni and is his debut novel. I read the 10th anniversary edition, little late indeed!

Khaled Hosseni is an Afghanistan born author, settled in the United States.

Still running my hands on the embossed letters of the book cover, which read "The Kite Runner", my mind riding back on the intelligent portrayal of the grim realities of the contemporary Afghanistan. I am assuming that this story is largely inspired from reality and has something to do with author's real life incidences. If not, I would call it exemplary and intense imagination.

The plot is set in Afghanistan, Pakistan and some in America. It is about two children -Amir and Hassan who are grow up together. Then it turns towards the brutalities of French and Taliban. Amir comes back to Pakistan and then Afghanistan only to find extremities in the country. There are a lot of twists and turns, a lot of thrill and suspense on what shall happen forth. You can hardly predict a subsequent incidence. You keep getting surprised throughout. You will feel as if you are soaked in the agony and pain of the characters. You can feel yourself to be present there and witnessing the incidences. The story telling is excellent. Minute details are covered well. Characters come in and go and come back in when you are anticipating them the least.

It's difficult to put the book down even when you are half asleep. Exactly when you feel that you can predict what is happening next, a twist pops in.

I wonder how I could take so much time to finish this book and still never get bored of it. It kept me hooked to itself, at the end of every chapter I had been tempted to read another one.

Some interesting lines from the book-
"For you, a thousand times over."

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

"...attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."

"Every woman needed a husband, even if he did silence the song in her."
This book is for those who are fond of beautifully tragic fiction . However, it's not just about that. But yes, there is nothing HAPPY in this. You may feel gloomy at times. It might feel lengthy since a lot of details are covered, which could have been omitted.

I rate it 4 on 5 and recommend for all the fiction lovers who like surprises at all the stages and ready to read a not so happy-go-lucky plot.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: The Calling

This is a book authored by Priya Kumar, an internationally acclaimed author and a motivational speaker. I am thankful to Priya Kumar's team for sending me a review copy.

This book is about Arjun who has a wrecked personal and professional life. While he is on the verge of getting divorced, Arjun took a trip to the Himalayas to reach Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage on insistence of a sadhu. That is when he had a fantasized journey leading him to find his true calling, and hence, a respite from the ruined relationship.

The book reminds me of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, which was also based on the theme of self-actualization during a trip to Himalayas. With distinct way of story telling and conveying the message in an unusual style, Priya Kumar uses her imagination in an amazing manner to pen down the plot.

It consists of light hearted spirituality, a whole lot of contemporary world's life lessons and a pinch of comedy. Its an unconventional style of sharing the message of finding one's calling. Flawlessly narrated, never before heard kind of plot, carved out of marvelous imagination is what the author does with this 160 pager book!

However, a couple of things could have been different. One of them is, at places, certain points are elongated which could have otherwise been crisp and short. Secondly, the happy ending only comprises of the change that Arjun's personal life undergoes, but nothing on the professional front.

My rating for this book is 3.5 on 5.

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book. I am not paid for writing this review.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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