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Category: Book Review

Figmented Reality- Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A word about the author first, Zuko a.k.a. Siddarth Sabari is a blogger and writer based in Chennai, Born in Mumbai he spent his growing years schooling in Mumbai and later in Chennai.
He was diagnosed with Dyslexia at an early age and found it difficult to follow language, but despite his limitations and the support of his mother he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in the year 2013 as Mechanical Engineer specialising in Energy. He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by the K.L.University,Vijaywada.
He worked for a couple of years in a Public Limited Company before joining his father’s business in Chennai.


Figmented Reality is a psychological book which forces the reader to analyse answers to certain fundamental questions in our lives.
The protagonist is a boy who at a very young age is sexually abused by an elderly woman. He is unable to get over the pleasure he derives from that one sexual encounter so much so that it engulfs him completely.
The encounter leads him to ways of self attaining methods of sexual pleasure.
As he grows up he is always on the look out for elderly women to satisfy himself but fails and in the process he offends women his age as the only thing he seeks from them is sex.
He is generally perceived as a pervert and avoided.
He goes deep into the dark world of drugs and constant state of wanting sex which he is unable to get.
Then enters Veena, a mother of two, and he falls for her head over heels to the point of obsession.
But his mind has so degenerated by this time that all lines between a figment of imagination and reality have blurred.
The author has really woven a brilliant narrative taking us through the dark dingy world of addiction and hallucinations.
The climax of the book is most unexpected and shocking.
A must read, I just enjoyed reading my copy, you go grab your copy now!!!!

Available on Amazon for Rs 150

My Rating 4/5

Book Review- The Coffee and The Cola

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A word about the author first,Kapil Muzumdar comes from the world of advertising and branding having been in the trade for over twenty five years crafting stories for brands,celebrities and corporate icons. He loves studying human behaviour and profiling people,mostly along psychographic outlines.
Presently he works as a creative philosopher and is often invited to speak at educational institutions and corporates.
He is deeply fascinated by women and the complexity of their nature.
The Coffee and The Cola is his first book.

The author relates to two kind of women whose traits he compares to Coffee and Cola. Two very different types of women.

The story revolves around the main protagonist Rahul and his tryst with these two women with diametrically opposite traits, The Coffee and The Cola as the author sees them.

It is the journey of love which Rahul goes through first with Radha and in a small detour with Nora.
Two women of diverse personalities which leave Rahul confused with the reality check; Who should he choose between the two for a life partner. The way author has characterised his leads is commendable. You can easily relate to Rahul who faces a confusion of choosing the one over second as we lot of times see in real life as well. The women leads are both portrayed very interestingly. The book has a dose of romance with reality thrown in beautifully. Some twists and turns keep you engrossed and curious all through

Will Rahul be able to decide? Will he really get what he wants or Will he lose it all? Grab a copy now and find out for yourself. I just loved reading my personally signed copy 🙂 As the author puts it: An Ordinary Narrative Built Around an Extraordinary Premise.

Available on Amazon for Rs. 199/- for paperback.

My Rating: 4/5

Selfienomics- Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A word about the Author, Revant, for me a very unusual name;don’t know what it means and the name itself amused me.
Revant is a Certified Health Coach and a Graduate of New York University, Stern School of Business.
He is based in Kolkata and this is his first book.

Selfienomics as the name suggests is about the economics of oneself. The book in a very light humorous way tackles the very serious issue of ignored Self Improvement.

The book is full of humorous lines trying to teach you many serious aspects of your personal life.

Sample this for an example :To quit smoking is the easiest thing in the world.I have done it a 1000 times.

The author has made the process of self improvement which one tends to find boring in umpteen other books in the category look like a very simple fun filled journey. Its seldom we want to read books on self improvement, one because we all think we are perfect as it is, second those books sound too preaching types which end up being boring to the core, but trust me this one is different. It doesn’t preach you, it rather makes you familiar with the aspects of life that we don’t bother enough about but again in a lighter way. Because of humour being the front end of the book, it doesn’t loose its momentum till the very end.


The book really really has a sensible, practical and as I keep mentioning , a hilarious outlook on how to make money, get the most out of your job, broaden your network as also enjoy your family and give back to the society and really enjoy doing so.

A real fun book on the serious issues we face in our day to day life and to enhance the quality of life we are living.

A ‘Mast Must’ read.

Grab your copy now and I assure you it will be difficult for you to put it down.

Happy,Hilarious Reading. Go for it.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Available on Amazon for Rs 209/-

Should I Hate or Love- Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A word about the author first, Kisnaa is a 24 year old born and brought up in Delhi. An engineer by profession having done his B.Tech from a renowned college of Delhi/NCR is currently pursuing his M.Tech from MD University. He started writing poetry at the age of 14. Writing is his passion apart from his interest in cricket, movies and traveling.


Should I hate or Love, as claimed by the author, is based on a true story.
After reading the book, and if it is a true story; a very filmy one at that, I feel that whatever our Hindi films depict however audacious it may be seems plausible. Though hard to digest for me.
The book is beautifully penned with some really lovely poems interspersed artistically in the script just as we have songs in movies.
It is the story of the main protagonist Aayan and his journey of love from the adolescent years to his coming of age.
The whole gamut of emotions from his adolescent love to his pining for his love when circumstances force them to stay far from each other to his reverential love have been very well woven into the book.
Does Aayan get his true love or not.Does his unconditional love bear fruit? Grab a copy for yourself and enjoy this beautiful journey of love. Happy reading.

Available on Amazon for Rs 175/-

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Tall Order by Kapil Pathare-Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A word about the Author first.

Kapil Pathare (Director – Maxwell Industries Ltd.) was a young and dynamic leader introduced to the Board ofvDirectors, of this VIP Group Company.He impressed the whole company with his situational leadership style, spot decision making abilities and asan effective communicator of management decisions. With his innovative marketing strategies and a global vision he has taken the Company to being the leader in the inner wear sector. He earlier wrote a book Cricket to Corporate in 2014 which was launched by India’s Ex- wicket keeper Kiran More, who said “Cricket is not just a game,but a field where corporate strategies are planned and executed live”
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Now about the book, Tall Order

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It is a compilation of Ten of the Star Indian Cricketers of the Golden Era of Indian Cricket.
Each of these stars namely: Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh And M S Dhoni, brought laurels to India in their own unique ways.
The book is a humble tribute to these demigods of Indian Cricket.
The book takes you through the trials and turbulations of each from the budding start of their careers to the sad end of the careers of some of these greats.
I on the personal front feel, the book could have been made more interesting with a few personal anecdotes or not commonly known features about these greats.
All in all a commendable effort and a treat for cricket lovers.
Buy your copy and enjoy.

Available on Amazon for Rs 200 for a paperback

My Rating: 3.5/5

Kashmir 90- Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A word about the Author first, Vineet started his journey from Dehradun having done his schooling there before moving to Bangalore for his engineering from B.M.S.College. Having completed his engineering he joined the Corporate World and since then has been working at various locations in India n Abroad. He completed Executive Program in Business Management from IIMC and is also a PMP certified professional. He is presently settled in Mumbai and is working in the field of Project Management. This is his second book having written,Vinu, I am getting married earlier and working on his third book titled Twin Trouble.
Apart from writing fiction, Vineet Mishra has other hobbies including his passion for riding.
He is also a proud HOG (Harley Davidson Owner) and enjoys long rides.

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Now about the book Kashmir 90 ,as the name suggests it relates to that horrific period in our modern history which is really a shame on our country.
The book traces the the journey of its main protagonist Shiv Pandit, a Kashmiri Pandit who lives a carefree life in the Jannat of our country Kashmir.
His life from the age of 18,living in a well to do family, loved by all and popular among his friends to the devastation. He and the family go through that darkest of dark periods forms the crux of this book.
The book has been beautifully written and the life n journey of Shiv Pandit unfolds in a simple but riveting manner.
The life in College with friends, the faint sensibility of finding love to the kindness and love of the family to losing it all in a sweeping series of events that follow the unrest and subsequent exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.
How he goes through all the losses and almost losing his sanity to again joining the mainstream of the society with some semblance of success with the one regret of losing his college crush/love Maya.
Does Shiv manage to find Maya? Makes for a fascinating read. Highly recommended.
Go grab your copy and feel the trauma of the in numerous people who went through this sad ordeal of being outcaste from your own land n people.

My Rating 4/5

Available on Amazon for Rs. 225 for paperback.

Every Gift Matters- Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A few words about Carrie Morgridge, the author of this really magnificent book, Every Gift Matters.

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She is the Vice President of the Morgridge Family Foundation and diligently alongside her husband working for the past fifteen years to put the foundation’s funds to their ultimate use, spark innovation and generate transformation. She graduated summa cum laude from International Academy of Design and Technology, thus giving her a cutting edge on design innovation. She is an aggressive athlete having finished nine ironman competitions. She and her husband split their time between Colorado and Florida.

The Foundation has taken up leadership funding in various projects with Non profits at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, National Jewish Health, Mile High United Way to name a few.
She conceptualised and founded the Student Support Foundation creating philanthropy clubs to teach students how best to deal with financial gifts and put them to optimum use.
She also founded the Share Fair Nation, a notional event designed to train thousands of teachers in integrating technology to teach.
Recipient of the distinguished Frances Wisebart Jacobs Woman of the Year in 2010 from Mile High United Way.

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Now about the book,to be honest I thought it would be a drag continuing about philanthropy vis a vis donations, donations and more donation stories. But what a pleasant surprise the book is really engaging and truly captures the spirit and character of its author. Gives us great insight into her humble stumbling beginning into philanthropy to her real capturing of the essence of philanthropy, as she says no gift is too small and if you work at it you can really make your $1 gift the power of $3.

Absolutely superb acumen ably assisted by her various acquaintances turned friends and the ever present support of her husband John.
An enchanting read which really gives you an indepth knowledge of how to go about putting your donation to good use.
Philanthropy is not just about writing a cheque and feel that you have done your bit.
No it is much much more than that as Carrie so beautifully illustrates with numerous big and small anecdotes.
Philanthropy is a responsibility where by giving you make sure your money is put to its right use and brings about a change in the lives of many.
An absolute must read book for everyone.
Kudos to Carrie for sharing her experiences and showing how to keep learning from your mistakes and keep going.

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You can log on to http://morgridgefamilyfoundation.org to know more about the foundation and Carrie.

The book is available on Amazon for Rs 1325/- for hardcover and Kindle version is available for Rs 66/-

Super Women- Book Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Super Women is a compilation of inspiring stories of 20 women entrepreneurs.The author is Prachi Garg,a Mirandian and an inspiration herself.She is co-founder of Ghoomophiro.com and Anmoluphar. An alumni of Great Lake Institue of Management, she is a passionate writer and fond of traveling. In many ways she herself is an entrepreneur and a successful one at that and a great role model for women.

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Super women brings to light the stories of twenty women entrepreneurs who have by their sheer hard work and will to succeed have found the right balance in their personal and professional lives, managing to hold fort on both fronts with equal dedication and love.

These women have foraged into a vast range of services like extending support to acid attack victims to providing free skin care solutions; online retail of lingerie, handmade bags and fashion accessories.
They have also found a niche in providing eco friendly utility products; some awe inspiring quirky merchandise; another very inspiring service has been to empower folk artists and showcase their art to the world to providing clinical assistance those suffering from depression and allied problems; image consulting to house hunting, arty solutions, to innovative marketing and corporate communication; from creating happy readers to making religious ceremonies simpler.
These super women have opened doors to some yet unexplored avenues.

The author very beautifully traces the journey of these women from their baby steps to finally realising their dreams and in the process providing us with various services.

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Kudos to these super women and Prachi, a super woman herself for bringing together this inspirational book.
Grab a copy and live the lives of these super women. A salute to Women Power.

Available on Amzon- Price Rs 123/-

Book Review-Suhani by Turia

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Suhani is a book by Indian author Turia based in Mumbai. She is a publicist by profession. An avid reader, she is fond of traveling, day dreaming and writing poetry in her free time. Day dreaming is a new one for me. Before I go on to the book I was more curious about the name Turia and ventured to find out about the meaning of the name. Turia they say is a Tahiti name meaning the name of a princess. Other descriptions say Turia is someone very capable and in control of life which Turia sure seems to be.
Let me start with giving you an extract from this beautifully penned book:

The Sadhu looked into the eyes of the pilgrim who had travelled from far to meet him.Such powerful eyes thought the pilgrim

The Sadhu must have read that in his eyes.

The Sadhu smiled and thought,In your eyes I can see the lives you have lived,the journeys you have made,the people you have loved and those you have lost,the tales you told and those that you didn’t,do not look into my eyes,for in your eyes I see the stories you have lived,when I see you they become part of me……..

“Everyone is part of the same story”,thought the Sadhu……after all life is a story……told and retold so many times,in so many worlds and so many lives.

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This to me really forms the essence of this book.
The book traces the story of Suhani a tea vendor on the ghats of Ganges in the holy city of Benares who goes through the most unholy of experiences while growing up as on orphan,the repeated sexual abuse by her Uncle.
The quite dignity with which she still carries herself while pursuing her love for Abstract paintings is just commendable.Her limitations and despair come through beautifully.
One day her life takes a huge turn with the advent of Kabir and his undying selfless love for Suhani.
From hereon very skillfully the author brings about the love between the two and the courage Suhani is able to bring to surface because of Kabir.
How she embarks on a new journey bringing forth the all new Suhani is for you to find out.
What I liked is the undercurrent of true,undying,unwavering love between the two protagonists.

Highly recommended. Go grab your copy.

Available on Amazon- Price Rs 510(paperback)

Book Review: When Arya Fell Through The Fault

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra

This is a book by Reenita Malhotra Hora who is an award winning broadcast journalist,Ayurveda clinician and author of books on Ayurveda and Finance.
Operation Mom:How I Got my Mother a Life and Man her debut fiction novel has been widely acclaimed and recognized as a must-read young adult book written by an Indian author.

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When Arya Fell Through The Fault is her second release in this genre.Reenita anchors a popular morning programme on Hongkong’s RTHK Radio 3.Her weekend storytelling show,Asian Threads won her a Gold Trophy at the New York festivals International Radio Programmes Awards.

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A native of Mumbai,she currently lives in Hongkong with her family.
The book essentially is the growing up tale of a twelve year old Arya a “Brownie” from San Francisco who is continuously ridiculed by his schoolmates be it for his color to his ethnic traditional food.
The boy has been brought up at home on traditional,fascinating and magical mythological stories by his ever cheerful Mom more precisely the Ramayan.
It is a tale of a typical child who is ridiculed by one and all and his endeavor by any means to get rid of the Brownie image by any means
His frustrations and trials and turbulations are aptly described.
In the eagerness to be accepted by others he takes to the path of evil despite his mothers stern warnings.
It so happens that he becomes the cause of a severe accident which leaves his mother in a state of coma.
The one thing Arya holds on to dearly is his mothers copy of the Ramayana.
From hereon the author very cleverly juxtaposes the young Aryas fight against evil through the characters of the Ramayana.
Does good prevail over evil,Is Arya able to save her Mom while fighting his own demons makes for a very interesting read.
Grab a copy and get ready to be transported to the glorious era of Ramayana.
Fascinating Read.
Highly recommended.

Available on Amazon

Price: Rs 125/-

Rating: 4/5 stars

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