Book Review - Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

I have picked up this book from this year's book fair. My eyes went on this book and I knew I had to buy this book. I have read Paulo Coelho's work before and I have loved it so I was eager to know what this book contains.

Book Blurb

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for: youth and beauty, pleny of attractive boyfriends, a fulfilling job, and a loving family. Yet something is lacking in her life. Inside her is a void so deep that nothing could possibly ever fill it. So, on the morning of November 11, 1997, Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up.

Naturally Veronika is stunned when she does wake up at Villete, a local mental hospital, where the staff informs her that she has, in fact, partially succeeded in achieving her goal. While the overdose didn't kill Veronika immediately, the medication has damaged her heart so severely that she has only days to live.

The story follows Veronika through the intense week of self-discovery that ensues. To her surprise, Veronika finds herself drawn to the confinement of Villete and its patients, who, each in his or her individual way, reflect the heart of human experience. In the heightened state of life's final moments, Veronika discovers things she has never really allowed herself to feel before: hatred, fear, curiosity, love, and sexual awakening. She finds that every second of her existence is a choice between living and dying, and at the eleventh hour emerges more open to life than ever before.

Veronika is a beautiful, attractive girl, has a basic job and a comfortable living. She finds no excitement in her life and so she finally decides to end it but her attempt was foul. And she ends up in a mental hospital where she finds out that she has limited days to live. But the things that happen in that mental hospital changes her life and she ends up wanting to live again. If you want to find out what happened in that hospital you have to read the book.

I loved the character of Veronika and I have also found similarities between her and myself. Her character is written beautifully along with the characters of Zedka who was in the hospital for her depression, Mari who was there for her anxiety attacks but her illness has been long cured but she still choose to be in the mental hospital, and finally Eduard the schizophrenic and also Veronika's lover. The storyline for these characters is spellbound.

Although this book does start negatively and you may feel depressed reading the first few pages but I want to tell you that hold on it does get better in the end. Also if you are someone who likes to read peculiar love stories than this book might be it but by saying this that if you think that this book is some romance novel than no but it does feature peculiar romance towards the end. I don't think this book is for everyone, you'll either love it or hate it, in my opinion, I loved this book and I might even read it again in the future.

Some of my favorite lines from the book are below.

I want to continue being mad, living my life the way I dream it, and not the way other people want it to be.

The "mad" always believe in first impressions

Although she had always felt loved and protected, there had been one missing element that would have transformed that love into a blessing, she should have allowed herself to be a little madder. ( Favorite of them all)

Ratings

1. Cover : - 4/5
2. Content : - 4/5
3. Character : -4/5
4. Concept : - 4/5
5. Overall : - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book Review - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

"Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind" was a birthday gift from one of my dear friend and the best birthday gift I ever received too. I am so thankful that Jeyul Chalthanwala and Mihir Sutarwala gifted this book to me so special thanks to you.

Book Blurb

100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. 

How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come? 

In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come? 

Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future.

I am so dumbstruck by this book. I don't read nonfiction that often. Because I found it boring but not this book. I haven't got bored even for a second, with every page I read I get more and more curious about the next page and next chapter.

Sapiens - a brief history of humankind as the name suggests it does explain the events of history but the writing is such that you won't feel that you're reading a history book of school. If only I had this book in my school I would have paid much more attention in history class.

Everything, every event is explained and in a way and in terminology that can be understood by everyone. There are examples given in some places which makes things much easy to understand. At the end also it gives a bit glimpse of what might our future looks like.

I have completely enjoyed this book and it is indeed one of its kind. I think everyone should read this book at least once in their lifetime.

Ratings

1. Cover : - 4/5
2. Content : - 5/5
3. Concept : - 5/5
4. Overall : - 4.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book Review "Matsyagandha" by Pooja Gupta

Matsyagandha in my humble opinion has conventionally been depicted as a supportive character in popular media. To show her riding a gryphon dressed for battle, the tagline of “A story of a Princess. The rise of a queen” and to base an entire plot around her was enough to pique my interest.

Book Blurb

Long before the Rig Vedic period, many exotic and mystical tribes lived together. The royals of the Matsya clan, who once ruled over all, were now struggling to keep the unity between their Garuda, Yakshin, Naaga and Kimpurusha brothers. All the more, Matsyagandha, the Matsya Princess defies a sacred but a sexist custom to pursue be the first queen out of wedlock. As a result, she is challenged to prove her merit in each of these kingdoms to seek their approval.

Will this little mermaid be able to rise to become a queen without a man by her side?

"Matsyagandha" is a coming of age story of a female protagonist of the same name and her journey to prove herself in a traditional patriarchal society spinning from the events when she chooses to break her marriage.

The book is written in third person narrative. Pooja Gupta successfully captures the scenic beauty of an ancient world and makes it appear in front of your eyes. Every kingdom is described superbly. The chapters are short well placed, and connected. The use of simple language aids the story-line and keeps the readers engaged. 

The author makes use of creative liberty to reimagine the lesser known characters from Mahabharata with fish, snake, eagle and monkey like abilities. Matsyagandha stays in centre throughout the story and plays her part well. Her rebel and free spirit, innocence, self-doubt, never-giving-up attitude and her mermaid appearance flawlessly visualize with the plot. Sheshnaag as an antagonist is depicted superbly as well. The author makes good use of his misogyny and sadist nature to depict a similar society which according to some might relate to today’s world as well. Massendra as the rejected lover-prince place his part well but could had been given more depth.

The rest of the characters like Garuda, Queen Meenakshi are used aptly.

Personally I loved the recreated versions of few Mahabharata stories. However, it was the rushed ending to a well-paced plot that disappointed me the most. Being the first in the series, the ending could had been open making readers eagerly await next. The use of term “Out of wedlock” felt misplaced. But nevertheless the author makes the proper use of every character and incident, regulating the pace where need be, thereby keeping us mostly engaged in this fairy tale world.

Overall, Pooja Gupta starts off reasonably well for her 5-part saga and creates a lush world spanning the ocean, the forests and the sky.

My overall rating for this unique take on Mahabharata would be 3/5.

Overall Verdict:- Fresh outlook to an age old characters

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book Review - The Girl in My Dream by Uma Lalitha

I saw author Uma's message in my Goodreads DM that her book "The Girl in My Dream" was available for free just for a day. So I grabbed the copy. I had received my Amazon Kindle device just a week before that message, I wanted to read a book on the device, so "The Girl in My Dream" became my first Kindle Device Read. Frankly speaking, I was not aware of the book so it was a complete surprise for me.

Book Blurb

In the 1940s, famine swept Kunnuruthy town and a young boy named Jagan teamed up with the tribals and revolted against the British for the collection of taxes, but he got fatally injured in the end. In the present, Jagan is old and is running an orphanage and Maya, a young girl who arrives at his orphanage constantly dreams of a strange girl who leads her to a door through a secret tunnel. Maya finds that the girl's name was Nila and sixty years ago, the girl had lived at the same mansion which was now the orphanage. She was in love with Jagan and something terrible had happened to her, which Maya have to find out. Told in two-time lines, 1940s during the British rule in India and 2005, this book is about how the lives of the two girls are intertwined together and how Maya and her friends eventually discover the chilling dark secrets buried years ago.

"The Girl in My Dream" is the story of two girls Maya (2005) & Nila (the 1940s - British era) The story is written for a location/tribal town called Kunnuruthy. Maya's parents died when she was 3-4 years old. Her grandmother had raised her since then. But she also died and eventually Maya ended up in an orphanage called Amarnath Mansion. That orphanage had historical importance for local people. Later on, Maya came to know that the main trustee of the orphanage, Jagan, was somehow linked to Maya's strange dreams that she started getting after her Grandmother's death. One by one mystery started appearing in front of Maya, which was related to Nila. Maya felt that there was something between her dreams, Nila's life, and mansion. Read out the book to know how she unraveled things.

Uma has used simple language to keep readers stick to the book. There are multiple POVs but major ones are from Maya & Nila. In Maya's life apart from mystery, orphanage and related narration were provided. Their struggle was heart touching. Same way in Nila's part, famine impact was also equally emotional. Through the struggle of characters, Uma has shown that we are lucky to have plenty.

Though the book is a self-published, I found professional touch. I didn't find any major flow. Good points about the book

1. Characterization
2. Detailing of plot and places
3. Light read
4. Suspense and thrill
5. Unexpected and welcoming climax

Overall a worth reading book. Recommended for trips and vacation. Talking about ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Concept - 3.5/5
3. Characters - 3.75/5
4. Overall - 3.75/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book Review - Wake Up, Life is Calling by Preeti Shenoy

This is my second book by Preeti Shenoy. The first one I read was "Love a Little Stronger" that was a wonderful light read. I enjoyed the humor, emotion and feeling shared in those stories. And Preeti is one of the bestselling authors of India, so I didn't want to lose the chance to read the next book by her which was a sequel to "Life is What You Make It", again a national bestseller. I happily accepted the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Blurb

Ankita has fought a mental disorder, been through hell, and survived two suicide attempts. Now in Mumbai, surrounded by her loving and supportive parents, everything seems idyllic. She is not on medication. She is in a college she loves, studying her dream subject: Creative Writing. At last leading a ‘normal life’, she immerses herself in every bit of it.

Underneath the surface, however, there is trouble brewing. A book she discovers in her college library draws her in, consumes her and sends her into a terrifying darkness that twists and tears her apart. To make matters worse, a past boyfriend resurfaces, throwing her into further turmoil.

Can she escape her thoughts? Will Ankita survive the ordeal a second time around? What does life have in store for her?

Preeti Shenoy’s compelling sequel to the iconic bestseller Life is What You Make It chronicles the resilience of the human mind and the immense power of positive thinking. The gripping narrative demonstrates with gentle wisdom how by changing our thoughts, we can change our life itself.

"Wake Up, Life Is Calling" is a story of Ankita. She had troubled past. She recently came back from a mental asylum, she was admitted there due to Bipolar Disorder. Her parents were her biggest supporters. The story started when she joined the course of creative writing. She made 2 friends from her class and started living normally. Her phone-friend/school friend or I would say her long-distance boyfriend suddenly entered her life. She was annoyingly enjoying her life when something unexpected happened to her which brought back troubling memories back to her. The last third of the book shows her struggle from the phase.

Frankly speaking, I found the book is inline or may be inspired by "Veronika Decides to Die" by Paulo. Don't get angry with me but I was not able to finish "Veronika...". Somehow I was getting too many negative vibes from that book. Something like that happened to me when I was going through the phase of Ankita's struggle. The reason I sailed through was limited options and 15 hours journey. Also, Indian background helped me to go through. Once I was done through 2nd third, I was enjoying the book. And before I know, I reached the last section. Yes I finished the whole book in one day (6-7 hours)

My observations

1. Though the book is written with good intention and motivation in mind, for people in depression I would advise either finish the book (if you start) or skip it. If you leave it in low of Ankita's character you may get more depressed. 
2. The book is written for mature people with the proper thought process.
3. To make sure, the seriousness of the subject won't affect the reading pace, Preeti has used simple language and straight storytelling.
4. I haven't read part 1, if you want to read it first then do it. It will be helpful.
5. Nice and colorful cover design.
6. I didn't like Parul's behavior in the climax, the way she was portrayed in the beginning I thought she would be mature enough to support Ankita.

I know many people said good words about the book, I felt depressed (even though I was not depressed at all) while reading the book. And that's why I am not able to give more than 3.5

Talking about the ratings

1. Cover - 4.5/5
2. Concept - 3/5
3. Characters - 3/5
4. Overall - 3.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

7 steps to publish your books on Notion Press' Xpress Publishing Platform

We have been book blogging and reviewing for the last 3 years. We were really curious when we found 1 out of 2 debut Indian authors publishing with Notion Press. We wanted to know why so many authors prefer Notion Press over other self-publishing firms. Later on, while discussing with many of those authors we came to know about the service provided by Notion Press. They were really happy with Notion Press' fast service and they recommended it to their friends. But it seems Notion Press was not satisfied with their pace so they came up with a completely new platform which they are calling it "Xpress Publishing". 

Around three months back I received Notion Press promotional mail for "Xpress Publishing", I checked details of their service. I was impressed by the same. The platform has 7 steps to design your book, all you need is your content nothing else. I wanted to try out the platform, so I wrote 5 short stories and got ready to check how to move ahead. 

7 steps to publish your books on Xpress Publishing

1. Book Format - You can literary select each and every aspect of look & feel factor of the book. Format, Genre, Page Size, Color, Language, Cover, etc. Apart from English, Hindi & Tamil, they have recently started 7 more languages in beta mode for regional authors.
2. Title Information - Here you need to provide all the information that comes on the front & back cover. Like Title, Subtitle, Blurb, Author information, etc.
3. Interior Design - Here you have to upload the actual text of your book. They provide 3 options: Create Online - Where you can write and format your text on their platform. Upload Print - ready file - Here they provide word format to you. That can make your work easy to format content offline. Expert Design - This is a customized service to the paid user to bring completely professional output. Don't worry if you are technical savvy first two options can also give you professional look.
4. Cover Design - Just like Interior Design for cover design also they provide the same 3 options. 
5. Select Distribution - Here they provide an option to the author to select how they would like their book to channelize. They have "Only notion press" option and "all major platform" option. For "all major platform" they scrutinize your work and if you are eligible they will also provide ISBN free of cost to you.
6. Set Pricing - Based on the book you designed, they will give all the pricing information along with royalty you will get from a different platform. You can set price of your book.
7. Send for Review - This is a final step where you can visualize the complete book and send it for review. 

Check out the platform at Notion Press

Don't worry you don't need to write down above steps, they have provided much more details than I have given above. You will feel like someone is personally guiding you on how to create your book. At each step, you will get video references as well.

Overall I found it really helpful for a debut author. If you don't believe me, you can check the book I published in 1 hour on Notion Press. Just look at the cover, I have prepared the cover on their site. They provide all types of required resources readily available. Links of the book I published

Amazon - https://amzn.to/2WccASJ
Flipkart - http://fkrt.it/ZoyAf6uuuN
Notion Press - https://notionpress.com/read/i-don-t-like-it

Book Review - Revenants The Odyssey Home by Scott Kauffman

Once again we are back with another review which was postponed for more than 2 years now. During last year Diwali house cleaning, when I got 'Revenants: The Odyssey Home" by Scott Kauffman, I first checked how did the book ended up in our shelf. After going through emails, I found out that Vishnu had received this book almost 2 years back (March 2017) directly from author in exchange for an honest review, the book then transferred to me for review. So dear Scott we apologize for the delay. The culprit was not the book but circumstances, I was in the middle of exams & practicals when this book arrived, so it was shelved by my mother and I forgot about it.

Book Blurb

A grief-stricken candy-striper serving in a VA hospital following her brother's death in Viet Nam struggles to return home an anonymous veteran of the Great War against the skullduggery of a congressman who not only controls the hospital as part of his small-town fiefdom but knows the name of her veteran. A name if revealed would end his political ambitions and his fifty-year marriage. In its retelling of Odysseus' journey, Revenants casts a flickering candle upon the charon toll exacted not only from the families of those who fail to return home but of those who do. 

".Revenants will not fade quickly as less substantial novels do but will resonate in the reader's heart and mind for years to come."-Mark Spencer, Dean, School of Arts and Humanities, Professor of Creative Writing, Master of Fine Arts Program, University of Arkansas at Monticello. 

Coming to the book, it is the story of a family (rather a sister) of a war martyr. Her world was shattered when she heard the news about his brother's death in the Vietnam war. It took her time to get back to normal. She got a second chance as a nurse in a hospital. She met many war victims in the hospital, which had changed her perspective towards war victims. She decided to make a lifelong mission to improve the situation of such people. She also found a mysterious person admitted on the 9th floor, she took the task of locating his history and family. But things won't be as simple as she thought. Check the book to know more.

Most of the readers talked about the slow pace at the beginning of the book, but I felt that has created a platform for coming chapters. The author has wonderfully covered various aspects of war victims. Not just victims themselves but what happened to the people who they left behind. The mystery that was created around the hidden room and patient staying in that room, has bound normal (thriller) reader to this emotional journey. The main character of the story is Besty and she was portrayed nicely.

Overall a good read, one can give it a try if they want to read something new once in a while. Talking about ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Character - 4/5
3. Content - 3/5
4. Overall - 3.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon India & Amazon USA

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads