Ratings: 4⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction

Number of Pages: 100

Format: Paperback

Publication date: 1st January 2021

Publisher: Books that inspire

My little book of love, as the title says, is a small, almost hundred pages book, of original and heartfelt quotes by the best-selling author, Priya Kumar. It’s a revision of love and not only the kind of love between lovers but love for the Almighty, love for your parents, and close ones, love for your work, and for yourself. 

What I loved the most in the book is the cover illustration of the book. Just looking at it gives you a sense of calm. There are some cute doodles on all the pages of the book that make you smile as you flip the pages.

After each chapter, the author reaches out to the audience to allow them to pour out their thoughts and draw their emotions in the next two pages, which I felt was very unique as it’s not every day that you read a book that is incomplete without your words. 

The book in itself gave me a really positive vibe as I read it in between my breaks from work and studies. You can keep this book beside your bed, read a page or two whenever you feel like, and feel optimistic about your day and life. I’d recommend everyone to check this out once. 

About the Author

Priya Kumar is an Indian motivational speaker, corporate trainer, columnist, radio jockey, and author. She has authored nine books, out of which three are nonfiction and six are fiction. Her style of writing is very versatile, where she has authored four inspirational fiction books, she has penned a book of original quotes, written two biographies, and a nonfiction tale of her adventures with the shamans, in the Netherlands.

In recognition of her work, she has won a total of 13 International Awards, which includes the Eric Hoffer International Book Award and the Evergreen Medal, along with several National Accolades. In 2017, Priya Kumar won the Speaking Tree Good Karma Award, for the best inspirational author, in the country.

As a motivational speaker, she believes in a unique approach and a refreshing perspective. Her positivity, upbeat attitude, and undying spirit have made her one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the country. Her areas of expertise are corporate training, leadership, motivation, team-building, and personal breakthrough

Priya Kumar specializes in Fire Walking. She got her fire-walk certification from Sundoor and went on to assist Fire Walk instructors across the world before she introduced Fire Walking as a part of her Motivational Speaking agenda.

She has found that walking on fire is a great tool for transforming beliefs and instilling in people a renewed confidence, about handling challenges. It challenges past beliefs, where the person has learned that fire burns and now take it head-on, and walks on it, without as much as a sting.

Ratings: 4.2⭐
Genre: Fiction; Romance, LGBT
Number of Pages: 421
Format: eBook
Publication date: 19th May 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Summary

Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of America’s first female president, gets to meet his arch-nemesis, Prince Henry, in the Royal Wedding of his elder brother, Prince Phillip, in London. A fiasco in the wedding between the two causes a strain in the US-UK relations. To prevent it from becoming a full-blown media crisis, the two have to pretend to be friends. In the process, Alex and Henry actually become quite close friends and the friendship soon turns into romance as Alex realizes that he’s bisexual and Henry confesses being gay. But turns out their story won’t be as easy as you think as they have to reconcile this with their positions on the world stage while trying not to endanger Alex’s mother’s re-election. Will they have to make a sacrifice or will they make history?

Should I tell you that when we’re apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your waist, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake up in the morning, it feels like I’ve just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?

Personal Reviews

I don’t really read much of this genre but I picked this one up as I had got some good reviews about this. I happened to like this book a lot, especially how Casey has formed the plot and the characters. The protagonists, Alex and Henry are total sweethearts and I loved them. Even the minor characters are very likable! I loved the sibling relationships and cute pets in the Royal families. I fell in love with Casey’s way of writing. Some of the dialogues and scenes make you feel those butterflies in the stomach. The plot was smooth and predictable with a happy, satisfying ending that leaves you with a big smile on your face. All that being said, I do feel the book is a bit more hyped than it actually deserves, or maybe I think that way as I haven’t read much of this genre. However, if you’re looking for something a cute, cozy love story to read with a nice, happy ending, this one’s highly recommended.

About the Author

Casey McQuiston is an American author of romance novels, best known for their New York Times best-selling debut novel Red, White & Royal Blue. McQuiston was born on January 21st, 1991 and grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. They attended Louisiana State University and received a degree in journalism. Prior to publishing their first book, McQuiston waited tables, freelanced and worked extensively in magazine publishing. McQuiston previously lived in Fort Collins, Colorado but currently lives in New York City, New York with their poodle mix Pepper.

Ratings: 3.8⭐
Genre: Non-Fiction; Self Help
Number of Pages: 99
Format: Paperback
Publication date: 31st December 2020
Publisher: Flipping Pages

The Monk’s Secret: 99 pages to acquire the art of living a happy life, is the second book by Dr. Sheetal Nair, the next part of the “99 pages” self-help trilogy, the first one being The Midas Touch.
As mentioned in the “Statutory Warning”, there’s nothing original in this book, yet you will learn at least something new once you’ve finished reading it. There are four chapters with different subtopics. The four lessons that you can learn from this book will be- Try to understand how to make time your ally (Chapter Uno); Escape your own insecurities (Chapter Dos); Believe in your own skill sets & abilities (Chapter Tres); How to put yourself in the spotlight (Chapter Quattro).

The book has a perfect blend of modern-day spirituality, philosophy, and techniques that you can implement in your activities and learn the art of living a happy life.

The thing that I liked about the book is it has been improved from the Author’s previous work. While The Midas Touch had just theories, this one has tales on how various strategies and attitude has helped people from different walks of life. The author has also mentioned some of the methods used by him and his friends, colleagues, and Gurus to lead a contented life.

I loved the epilogue of the book the most as it concludes by saying that just merely reading the techniques is not enough, but you need to consistently apply them too. The book leaves you with an optimistic feeling, and since positivity is something we all have been craving for in this Pandemic, so I’d like to recommend this short read.

About the Author

• Dr Sheetal Nair is a Human Resource professional with more than a decade of experience in facilitating and training with organizations like Barclays, United Nations, Brentwood, GSFC, Fives Group et al.
• He holds a doctorate in Training and Development from North Central University, Arizona & is an MBA from Symbiosis International University. He also holds a Diploma in Corporate Law from IIM-Calcutta. He is a certified PFA counsellor from John Hopkins University, USA & has also learnt Comprehensive Teaching & Learning techniques from Harvard University. He is also a certified Lead Auditor of QMS certified by NBQP.

• He is an orator of repute and a trainer certified by NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) & Dale Carnegie Associates, USA.
• He has been a Guest Faculty & has conducted workshops at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (Pune), SIES (Mumbai), Parul University (Vadodara), Navrachana University (Vadodara), Gujarat Forensic Science University (Gandhinagar), Raksha Shakti University (Ahmedabad), ISBM (Kolkata) etc.
• He is currently the Corporate Head at DSS Group of Companies & is currently serving on the Board of Studies for School of Internal Security & Police Administration (Raksha Shakti University). He also held the additional charge as the Vice President of SSSDC
• He is an MC member of IIM Ahmedabad Alumni Association & the Vice Chairman of the Indian Society for Training & Development Vadodara Chapter; also, he is a National Joint Secretary of CAPSI. He is a member of the International Coach Federation & Quality Circle Forum of India.
• He is a published author having to his credit a National Bestseller “The Midas Touch” & also contributing in works ranging from anthologies in fiction to non-fiction books. Crumpled Voices, Frozen Emotions, The Seasons, Wait Till I Tell You, Unchained Melodies, Memories & Mirages to list a few of his other works.
• He is also a contributing author to Magazines like Entrepreneur India, Business World, People Matters, Outlook India etc.

Ratings: 4.5/5 ⭐
Genre: Fiction; Philosophy
Number of Pages: 341
Format: Paperback
Publication date: October 4, 2019
Publisher: Notion Press


Mystic Road Warrior by Medha Narwani is a perfect blend of spirituality, philosophy, metaphysicality and practicality in a 300-pages fiction novel!

SUMMARY

Lawrence Helix, the protagonist, a Caucasian man, and a RAF pilot leader is the sole survivor of an aerial dogfight over Germany, during World War I. The mystical intervention that happens to save his life draws him towards the age-old questions of Self, Consciousness and Infinity.

To quench his thirst for the knowledge about spirituality and that which is beyond the ordinary minds, Lawrence arrives in India, the religious land of infinite wisdom. He wanders all throughout the country, from Tamil Nadu to the Himalayas in search of the Guru, who will answer the questions in his restless mind. On his journey, he meets a bright and chirpy Indian boy, Mungia, who becomes his interpreter and comrade in this unending journey.

Who is a real Guru? What is the Self? How does one connect oneself to the universe when there are so many distractions in the world? Mystic Road Warrior answers to almost all the questions that arise in your mind about inner evolution and higher state of being.

“The unborn, the eternal, the indestructible, that which is beyond the material never dies.”

PERSONAL REVIEWS

Mystic Road Warrior is a book really close to my heart because this is the autographed copy of a book I ever got, thanks to Medha Ma’am. When one looks at the cover of the book, one might only wonder what’s inside but after reading it, I can say that the cover and the title are totally justified.

I love that the author has just not tried to preach on a lot of philosophy which might sound improbable to the readers but has weaved a beautiful story around it that touches the practicality as well. Various dialogues from the various Yogis and Gurus in the book reflects the ineffable knowledge of the author in the field of spirituality.

I love how the plot unfolds that’s makes you curious about what’s going to happen next. The handful of characters, around which the story revolves, are well developed and their background made me empathize with all of them, no matter what they did throughout the story. Even if you don’t want to read philosophy, you could pick this up as a piece of fiction and still like it. If you’re someone who’s a sucker for books on philosophy, spirituality and metaphysical, you’re in for a treat!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Medha Narwani is an ex-economist from the banking and finance sector in London. More than a decade ago, she made contact with yogis and masters in India, and was drawn to the mystical world of spirituality. To attain a deeper understanding of yoga, she studied Vedanta, mindfulness, yoga philosophy, and trained under a humble master in Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge). Mystic Road Warrior is her debut novel.

Ratings: 4/5 ⭐

Genre: Horror

Number of Pages: 340

Format: Paperback

Publication date: 31^st October, 2019

Publisher: Harper Collins India

“There are places where the past lingers, making shapes in the moonlight and blowing in the curtains even as the air goes suddenly still.”

K. Hari Kumar, India’s Most Haunted

India’s Most Haunted is a collection of fifty terrifying tales from various parts of India- some famous folklore like the legend of Bhangarh Fort and some unheard anecdotes.

This is the first book I tried from this genre and I’ve to admit I liked it. This being a collection of short stories, I could finish reading it very quickly- On Halloween’s eve. The stories are very much compelling and engaging because of the picturesque description by the author. These stories can make some really intriguing narratives when you’re out camping with buddies or chilling with cousins. I didn’t find all of them equally horrifying though, while some of them were really spine chilling, few of them simply made me yawn. Although, there are some stories which can lead to nightmares so tread lightly. I say this because some of the instances are of places that I’ve been to like those of Kolkata and Ranchi.

There is a gallery of six pages in the book featuring few of those haunted places it has talked about in the book, which makes it spookier. The language is very easy and lucid and the narration is pretty smooth so I can recommend this to every age group. If you’re looking something to read and chill on Halloween’s, I’d recommend this.

Ratings: 4.5/5⭐
Genre: Mystery; Thriller
Number of Pages: 105
Format: Kindle
Publication date: 1^st October 2020
Publisher: Flipping Pages

Summary

On the Day of Dashami, when the city of Kolkata would generally resonate with the sounds of “Asche bochor abar hobe”, is filled with shrieks and wails when a corpse is found inside the idol of Maa Durga, floating in the holy waters of the Ganga. The case becomes a matter of National interest, also owing to the fact that the elections were due in the following 60 hours. The Chief Minister promises to find out the culprit and provide justice to Maa Durga and all her Devotees within 48 hours.  The famous Red Road Carnival had to be suspended and CrPC Section 144 is implemented. This leads to a series of events that run parallel to the case and the investigation that initially might be confusing initially but everything becomes clearer as the story advances. Aahana, a bold, intelligent psychologist who often helps the Police with criminal profiles, was assigned the case in isolation by higher authorities when it was ascertained that the murder was being covered-up internally. What was the reason behind such a heinous crime? Will the CM and the officers be really be able to find the murderer in the next few hours? To know all of this, grab the book right away!

“A German physicist named Heisenberg, back in the year 1927, articulated the Uncertainty principle. He said that the exact speed and location of an object cannot simultaneously be determined. The concept resonates with the personality of human beings and their trueness to the things that affect them.”

Sameer Kumar, Murder Before Carnival, Page: 100

Personal Reviews

Well, well, I was very excited about this book since the Cover and Title reveal. The title in itself is very intriguing and any praise for the cover is less for it shows the bold female character along with the Yellow Taxi, a symbol of Kolkata.

Coming to the plot, it does start off simply but becomes twisted with all the political revelations within the Ministers, Media and the various officers. Some of the characters are really dank and I feel they all play some role be it big or small. Aahana is a strong female protagonist and I liked her character a lot, especially the way she does her research and handles the case. All the characters have grey nuances in them which is something I admire the Author for- the Character Sketch.

The language although simple, needs your presence of mind to grasp it.

I don’t want to give any spoilers but the end is a cliff-hanger which leaves the audience wanting for more. If you read the book thoroughly and understand it, you are bound to read it, hence, I’d recommend it to all the thriller- lovers.

About The Author

Sameer Kumar, 28, is currently pursuing his M.B.A. from I.I.M. Ranchi. He is a mechanical engineer with three years of experience as a Manager in Tata Steel. Murder Before Carnival is his second novel from his marsupium.

He treasures long walks and long rides on motorbikes. He is a dog-lover but fears cat.

However, ironically, he adores the song ‘Smelly Cat.’

Phoebe Buffay happens to be his favourite character from FRIENDS.

Reach out to him on Instagram: @wizardwrites

• What inspired you to write the book?

I was inspired by experiences and emotions from my past, all my trainings, interactions with corporates & people around me. All of my books contain personal parts of me while other parts I had to research. I can say though that like Echo, this book brings back my shared experiences to the readers.

• Names of the spiritual leaders that you look up to?

I am inspired by many & the best part is that I can compartmentalise each of these inspirations & draw out the best when I need it the most. But if you still insist then I would name Gautam Buddha as an everlasting inspiration to me & Sadhguru as someone who has moved me in recent times.

• Why you chose to write on this particular genre?

I have a confession to make: I love self-help books, not just any self-help book, though. If it tells me that yoga is the answer to all of my problems, it’s going in the trash (well, recycling). If it insists that a change in attitude is all it takes to change my life, it becomes a door stopper. And if it uses the words “vibrational” or “manifest” more than a couple times? I’m having a bonfire with it.

• If you had to tell the name of one favourite book on the same genre, which one would it be? 

Ikigai by Hector Garcia.

•Is it important for a writer to be a reader?

When I wrote this book, I wrote with myself as a role model reader of this book, I kept it short & crispy. The advice in this book is so thorough that I had to write a journal specifically for taking notes while I wrote the book since I wanted to keep it short in the book. By the end, I wanted the readers to be not just energized, either — I wanted them to be prepared to make some meaningful shifts in their life without going overboard. If I wouldn’t have been an avid reader, I would’ve never been able to get this perception.

• The tagline for “The Midas Touch” is “99 Pages To Acquire The Art Of Alchemy & Forge Champions”. Any specific reason for choosing ’99 pages’ and the metaphor of “the art of alchemy”?

The book basically is inspired by the legend of King Midas, so the idea was to equate the transformation of an individual into something that is nothing short of the value that gold holds & of course hence the metaphor “Art of Alchemy” since alchemy is defined as “The medieval forerunner of chemistry, concerned with the transmutation of matter, in particular with attempts to convert base metals into gold or find a universal elixir.”

And 99 pages because I feel that the attention span of an individual is drastically reducing & this means that people don’t like to read something too long & in order to ensure that the reader is captivated & holds onto the book I kept it short and at 99 pages. But this is only for the ebook, for the paperback it obviously shall turnout to more pages what with the fonts being bigger.

• What are some simple habits that one can/should inculcate in oneself to live a life with more positivity? Some examples from your own lifestyle.

Keep it simple. Wake up early, eat only to fill your stomach upto 70% & remember that Karmic balances matter so ensure that your Karmic P&L is properly adjusted.

• If you’re planning to work on your next book, what genre is it going to be?

Same as the earlier one, Self Help.

Ratings: 4.5/5⭐
Genre: Non Fiction; Self help, Philosophy
Number of Pages: 143
Format: Kindle
Publication date: 6th July 2020
Publisher: Hay House India

The bedside book of life is a beautiful book inside out. Filled with spirituality, philosophy and positivity, it is an impressive piece of work that can be read and savoured again and again. I’d say it is rightly titled as “the bedside book of life” as you can read this book before you start your day as well as prior to going to bed.

“In life, there are no failures. What we see as a failure is training for our success because if we never stop trying, we will surely succeed one day. We only fail when we stop trying.”

The chapters are short and precise to the topics that have been dealt with. I liked the narration the most as it is really soothing as well as motivating at the same time. The reference to some good quotes and passages from other famous books makes it an impressive read. The personal experiences of the author which have been mentioned in this book makes it all the more moving.

There were chapters which I found very relatable at a personal level and then there were chapters which got me thinking about the magical and highly sophisticated universe we live in.

Again, this is only for folks who read and like philosophy and spirituality related books else you might fall asleep reading.

If you ask me though, I’d highly recommend this book.

Ratings: 4.5/5⭐
Genre: Non-fiction; Self help
Number of Pages: 110
Format: Kindle
Publisher: Flipping Pages

The Midas Touch by Dr. Sheetal Nair is a small yet highly motivating book which deals with the art of alchemy and forging champions. It has an out-of-the-box perspective when talking about leadership, personality development, skill enhancement and growth in terms of knowledge and power. The book has 22 chapters, each of them consistently interesting with appropriate explanations and relevant quotes and real life and relatable instances.

The author has creatively mixed and comparatively studied the ancient culture and modern knowledge and has aesthetically used both Vedic and Greeko-Roman references.

The narration is engaging and moderately paced. The language is very lucid and easy to comprehend. I liked the fact that the author has passed on the wisdom in small and precise chunks, keeping in mind the attention span of the audience. This book is for everyone who wants to emerge as a hero/leader/champion in their lives and hence I’d definitely recommend this masterpiece to one and all.

“Do not seek for the “average” path but follow an inspiration, at least one in life in a given period of time, where you feel that you can express yourself.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Sheetal Nair holds doctorate in Training and Development from North Central University, Arizona & is an MBA from Symbiosis International University. He also holds Diploma in Corporate Law from IIM-Calcutta. He is a certified PFA counsellor from John Hopkins University, USA & has also learnt Comprehensive Teaching & Learning techniques from Harvard University.

He is an orator of repute and a trainer certified by NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) & Dale Carnegie Associates, USA.
He has been a Guest Faculty & has conducted workshops at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (Pune), SIES (Mumbai), Parul University (Vadodara), Navrachana University (Vadodara), Gujarat Forensic Science University (Gandhinagar), Raksha Shakti University (Ahmedabad), ISBM (Kolkata) etc.
He currently is the Corporate Head at DSS Group of Companies & is currently serving on the Board of Studies for School of Internal Security & Police Administration (Raksha Shakti University).

He’s a very positive, happy and humble soul.

Ratings: 4/5⭐
Genre: Fiction; Thriller: Cyber Crime
Number of Pages: 154
Format: Kindle
Publication date: 23rd June 2020
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd

SUMMARY

Gangs of Social Media deals with some real world issues in form of an engaging story. The whole nation of India is under a digital lockdown when all the services of Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are blocked for 12 hours because of a ransomware attack which holds all the data of people sharing fake news/information on these platforms as hostages and claims 1,00,000 INR in exchange, else the devices will be destroyed and all the data will be leaked publicly.
The National Cyber Crime Department, the National Head of Facebook and Twitter desperately try to find a solution, and the person behind the cyber attack. In the end, the culprit does confess his deed over a voice call and demands for a “Fake News Bill”. Although, he’s not caught but the lesson he teaches the public in a few hours now makes people think twice before sharing anything on social media.

PERSONAL REVIEWS

I like the book very much for the topic it deals with. Social Media and all the content which is circulated on it. While I’m a strong believer that Social Media has really allowed people to express themselves more freely than ever before, there has to be a check on fake news and propaganda that gets shared everyday just because it resonates with someone’s beliefs and ideology. Also, a lot of content that’s shared and posted causes a lot of negativity and biased opinions on religion, politics, systems and so on.
I liked the usage of local languages and references from Indian Television shows by the author which makes the plot and characters more relatable. The language is lucid and easy. The plot is simple but the plot twists makes the story more intriguing. It has a strong and appealing message to every age group and therefore, I feel everyone should give this a read.