September Reads

New look, new month, new beginnings!Life of a book reviewer is always full of excitement. Starting from what to read next to what happens next in that book - the thrill is never ending. So, I thought of sharing that excitement with you as well. 

Sharing a glimpse of some of the beautiful reads that adorn my shelf this month:

Book Review: Another's Child by Einat Danon

Introduction

• ISBN:  978-1545558089
• Genre: Fiction
• Publishers: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
  
• Price (Kindle Version): $3.99/-  ( I got the book for review from the b00k r3vi3ws)

One morning, Yael and Arik Katz are startled by a surprise inheritance: Noa, the ten-year-old daughter of Canadian friends with whom they had made a long-forgotten will-exchange agreement, is delivered to their doorstep with no warning. Why did her parents decide that she should grow up with acquaintances rather than family? How do you raise a girl you do not even know?

Secrets and lies are revealed and everything starts to get complicated

Noa does not find her place in Israel. Yael takes her back to Toronto to look for a more suitable adoptive home. The search reveals answers to questions that have not even been asked about parenthood, marital relations, love, one’s home, and the fragility of life.

Can life ever be the same again?

As Yael delves into Noa’s past to better understand her, she discovers some unflattering things about her own partner and that the connection between her family and Noa is deeper than it had seemed. These shocking revelations leave Yael with a serious dilemma about her own family relationships.

Behind the Book

Source: Amazon.com

Book Review:Canvas of a Mind by Purba Chakraborty

Introduction

• ISBN: 9789386487223
• Genre: Fiction/Thriller / Mystery
• Publishers: BecomeShakespeare.com
  
• Price (Kindle Version): Rs. 165/-  ( I got the book for review from the author)

What lies within?Akashi lives with her younger sister, Ipsha in Kalimpong, a remote hill station. Their tranquil life turns upside down with the arrival of a stranger in the town, who stalks Ipsha desperately. He tries to lure her by sending love notes and playing a haunting tune on his harmonica, without revealing his identity and showing his face. As Ipsha gets bewitched by him, Akashi tries to protect her from the creepy stalker. She tries to solve the mystery of the stranger and gets shocked by certain revelations.

Meanwhile, she realizes that her sister has been deceiving her at every turn of the road.Why is Ipsha deceiving Akashi? And, what does the stranger exactly want from the two sisters? Will Akashi be able to save her sister from the darkness she is walking into? Or will she be shattered, knowing certain things about her sister that she had no idea about?Taut with suspense, "Canvas of a Mind" will take you on a riveting ride. Are you eager to know what lies within?

Behind the Book

Source: Goodreads.com

Book Review: The Light Between the Shadows by Tsukiko Spark

Introduction

• ISBN: 9781547161669
• Genre: Fiction/Erotica/ Suspense
• Publishers: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
  
• Price : Rs. 957/-  ( I got the book for review from b00k r3vi3ws)

Ben Brattler lives the good life at the top of the world!Ben Brattler, 29, is a handsome athlete who regularly practices Aikido (Japanese martial art). He lives the good life: lavish parties, fancy restaurants, and a dream job in his father's advertising company. The world is his oyster; nobody can resist him. Beautiful women fall at his feet, and he switches them and his personal assistants constantly.

But somebody close to him has had enough of his wild behavior...Just when Ben is scrambling to finish a work project so he can leave for a lengthy vacation, someone close to him decides to make a profound change in his behavior using a dubious, non-conventional therapeutic process. Ben wakes up in a strange place with his mind foggy, hands bound behind his back, legs cuffed, eyes blind-folded, and wearing only his Aikido pants.

Who could have done this to him?Ben goes crazy trying to figure out how he could have ended up this way. Who did this? His good friend, Fred, who wants him to learn to start making better choices? His father finally trying to discipline him? His mythical ex-girlfriend, Tina, who wants to rekindle their relationship? Somebody more sinister with ulterior motives?


Behind the Book

Source: Goodreads.com

Cover Reveal: Awaken by Ashok Banker

Ashok Banker is considered one of the finest authors in India who has been credited as the pioneer of Indian Crime fiction in English. His latest book Awaken is a trilogy in fantasy genre with a girl as superhero. Set in India the story looks very promising. Releasing on 1st September, here's a sneak peek into what's in store!

Book Review: Roller Coaster in Tehran by Y. I. LATZ

Introduction

• ASIN: B0748DNV6B
• Genre: Fiction/ Thriller
• Publishers: Amazon
  
• Price (Kindle Edition): Rs. 75/-  ( I got the book for review from b00k r3vi3ws)

Imagine being sent to spy on your country’s worst enemy!

Dr. Amalia Tavori is a mother of three and an expert rollercoaster engineer with a short fuse and an insatiable appetite for adventure. She is forced to join the Israeli Mossad to save her husband from economic collapse. Amalia is sent under false identity to Tehran, the capital of Israel’s worst enemy, to help the Iranians build a grandiose amusement park.
Every day could be Amalia’s last!

Roller Coaster in Tehran reveals an intimate picture of the exceedingly dangerous daily life of an Israeli spy in Tehran. Amalia knows no boundaries and has no shame. She fools both her enemies and her operators from the Mossad, working out of her own deep inner convictions.
Can Amalia complete her mission without losing her life?

When a grave disaster befalls her family in Israel, it becomes even more difficult for her to perform her secret mission. This book redefines the concepts of loyalty, betrayal, enemies, and compassion. The image of an ordinary woman emerges – one who yearns for true love but who has been forced to become larger than life itself. She is prepared to sacrifice herself for her country, but not to sacrifice her life for an existence without love.

Behind the Book

Source: Goodreads.com

Book Review: On India by Khushwant Singh

Introduction

• ISBN: 978-812-914-8469
• Genre: Non-Fiction
• Publishers: Rupa Publications
  
• Price: Rs. 195/-  ( I got the book for review from the publisher)

Khushwant Singh was convinced that India is a great country. He believed that we are the world’s largest democracy and our people, including women, enjoy a measure of political freedom unknown to any other developing country of the world.

On India is a selection of Singh’s best writings on the country. The selection of articles in this book spans a wide range of topics: The four metropolises, including the seven reasons why Khushwant Singh loves Delhi, recollections of the Partition, the seasons, holy men, etiquette, rise of the far Right and corruption, among others. The book ends on a happy note with some of the author's favourite jokes.

Khushwant Singh’s on India will help us understand India better.

Behind the Book

Source: Goodreads.com

Book Review: I Quit! Now What? by Zarreen Khan

Introduction

• ISBN: 978-93-8150-6974
• Genre: Fiction
• Publishers: Amaryllis
  
• Price: Rs. 350/-  ( I got the book for review from the publisher)

Nimisha is exhausted. Of endless weekdays, working weekends, making presentations, working with complicated Excel sheets, handling a boss with time-management issues and the general politics of the workplace. Sigh! After eight years of this life, her only personal insight is that she's terribly unambitious and constantly struggling to be an average performer in the competitive corporate world.

When a colleague flashes the glint of a golden sabbatical she catapults into it headfirst. After all, one has to find one's calling at some point in one's life.

So will the sabbatical miraculously change her life forever? Or will she go rushing back to her pocket money-generating job?

Behind the Book

Source: Goodreads.com

Book Review: Yama’s Lieutenant and the Stone Witch by Anuja Chandramouli

Introduction

• ISBN: 9780143428503
• Genre: Fiction / Mythology
• Publishers: Penguin Random House
  
• Price: Rs. 299/-  ( I got the book for review from the author)

As Yama's Lieutenant, Agni Prakash, has diligently been tracking down demons and spirits that threaten peace on earth and dispatching them to his lord's thousand hells. Danger is a constant in his job, but this time an apocalypse threatens his entire world. Agni must go up against a terrifying sorceress-adept in the ancient art of stone magic-and her bestial army of demoniacal creatures who used to be humans before they were transformed into willing killing machines. The witch has a nightmarish vision for a new world that involves large scale culling of the humans-and it falls to Agni to stop her.

He must find the Samayakalas, the mysterious keepers of time and reset the clock before all life is destroyed. However, any contact with the Samayakalas is forbidden to mortal and immortal alike and those who flout the ancient decree risk incurring punishment far worse than death. The price asked of him is an impossible one, but Yama's Lieutenant does not have a choice. Enlisting the help of old friends, he must submit to being borne across an ocean of death and destruction to find the Samayakalas before darkness engulfs them all.  


Behind the Book

Source Goodreads.com

Book Review: White Noise by Shruti Upadhaya

Introduction

• ISBN: 978-9380925615
• Genre: Fiction / Thriller
• Publishers: Bee Books
  
• Price: Rs. 150/-  ( I got the book for review from the publisher)

“There is another city right under our city and it comes up only when you and I are together. Only you and I know about it and only you and I get to experience it. It keeps itself hidden from the rest of the world. And that is where I live.” He said

“And what happens when you’re not with me?” She asked.

“I evaporate.” He smiled.


"Laced with the unimaginable and yet the possible, White Noise makes for a compelling read." - SUHEL SETH

Behind the Book

Source: Amazon.in

Book Review: The Double-X Factor - 99 Stories of Incredible Women from India by Pratap Nair

Introduction

• ISBN: 9788184959932
• Genre: Non-fiction / Inspirational
• Publishers: Jaico Publishing House
  
• Price: Rs. 350/-  ( I got the book for review from the publisher)

99 stories of incredible women from India.

Featuring Zia Mody, Chanda Kochhar, Mary Kom, Neerja Bhanot, Anita Dongre and others

99 daughters of India who dared to be different

From Rani Lakshmibai and Indira Gandhi to Chanda Kocchar and Mary Kom, The Double-X Factor explores the lives and times of 99 exceptional achievers who challenged the gender barrier and rose to fame.

Indian history is replete with instances of women’s valour, fortitude, courage, self-sacrifice and leadership in times of crisis. Some of them have turned into folklore and many of them have been immortalized in movies. Most of all, these women have left a great and indelible impact on several generations. Be it politics, arts, entertainment, sports or business, they carved a niche in every sphere that was once considered a male domain. Today, they have become role models to a nation of 1.34 billion, of which almost half is female.

Behind the Book

Source: Amazon.in