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jainandsdiary's Reviews (310)
Book: A pinch of hope in a bowl of life
Author: Veena Sethuraman
Genre: Short story collection
Pages: 266
Rating: 5/5
A pinch of hope in a bowl of life is a short story collection by author Veena Sethuraman. I will just tell you in short what this book is about because I want to talk about the beauty of this book in detail.
These stories in this book are mainly focused on self-love, standing for ourselves, self-care, dealing with anger and stress, and getting over helplessness.
The stories in the book focus on mental health very effectively. When I was reading the first story itself, I felt like it is written by a professional. Because in many stories I have read earlier, the author represented mental health very badly but here I was glad that this casualty and bad representation was not the case here. And as I said that I felt that it is written by a professional, I asked the author about it and got to know that she is a psychotherapist. And it was such a pleasure to read books revolving around such problems by the professional itself. But it doesn't mean that the book or the story is boring or more informative and in facts formats. The stories were real. And that's its specialty.
The stories are set in different locations and so the stories don't get restricted or based on any particular location for particular people. It was such a beautiful experience to read the stories from different areas with their taste of locality.
Also, the addition of Hindi sentences in between and the Urdu Shayari were icing on the cake. But don't worry if you don't understand Hindi or Urdu because their English translation is also given there. So it was a win-win case. Also, the use of some words and language of the area where the stories are based was an appealing and engaging thing because due to them, the stories seem more authentic and not like only the location is changed but not the setting around it. So it was wondrous.
I am someone who likes and seeks books with a gorgeous covers. And it happens very rarely that I get attracted to the title before cover but it happens here! The title of the book is so unique and intriguing. It tells a story itself and that captured my attention. But it can't be declined that the cover is gorgeous too. Supriya Balasundaram has done an amazing job with the cover. And the illustrations at the starting of the story with some heart-touching lines were just mesmerizing. And one more thing that amazed me was the title of the stories. I have read many stories earlier where the author generally does not focus more on the title and they seem ordinary or just simple but not engaging but here the titles of the stories were stand out differently. And the author should be appreciated for it.
My last word about this book is that without any doubt, it is one of my favorite reads of this year snd this book will be with me for a long time and I am sure I will re-read it very soon!
The book is also beginner-friendly and even if you have had read many books, you will find it different from others. I will strongly recommend it to all.
Author: Veena Sethuraman
Genre: Short story collection
Pages: 266
Rating: 5/5
A pinch of hope in a bowl of life is a short story collection by author Veena Sethuraman. I will just tell you in short what this book is about because I want to talk about the beauty of this book in detail.
These stories in this book are mainly focused on self-love, standing for ourselves, self-care, dealing with anger and stress, and getting over helplessness.
The stories in the book focus on mental health very effectively. When I was reading the first story itself, I felt like it is written by a professional. Because in many stories I have read earlier, the author represented mental health very badly but here I was glad that this casualty and bad representation was not the case here. And as I said that I felt that it is written by a professional, I asked the author about it and got to know that she is a psychotherapist. And it was such a pleasure to read books revolving around such problems by the professional itself. But it doesn't mean that the book or the story is boring or more informative and in facts formats. The stories were real. And that's its specialty.
The stories are set in different locations and so the stories don't get restricted or based on any particular location for particular people. It was such a beautiful experience to read the stories from different areas with their taste of locality.
Also, the addition of Hindi sentences in between and the Urdu Shayari were icing on the cake. But don't worry if you don't understand Hindi or Urdu because their English translation is also given there. So it was a win-win case. Also, the use of some words and language of the area where the stories are based was an appealing and engaging thing because due to them, the stories seem more authentic and not like only the location is changed but not the setting around it. So it was wondrous.
I am someone who likes and seeks books with a gorgeous covers. And it happens very rarely that I get attracted to the title before cover but it happens here! The title of the book is so unique and intriguing. It tells a story itself and that captured my attention. But it can't be declined that the cover is gorgeous too. Supriya Balasundaram has done an amazing job with the cover. And the illustrations at the starting of the story with some heart-touching lines were just mesmerizing. And one more thing that amazed me was the title of the stories. I have read many stories earlier where the author generally does not focus more on the title and they seem ordinary or just simple but not engaging but here the titles of the stories were stand out differently. And the author should be appreciated for it.
My last word about this book is that without any doubt, it is one of my favorite reads of this year snd this book will be with me for a long time and I am sure I will re-read it very soon!
The book is also beginner-friendly and even if you have had read many books, you will find it different from others. I will strongly recommend it to all.
Book: The Wish
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.8/5
The Wish by Nicholas Sparks is contemporary romance fiction. The story revolves around the main protagonist Maggie and it keeps moving back and forth in the timeline.
Maggie was sixteen when she was pregnant. So she moved to a place far away from their house. And there she meets Bryce. The boy who taught her about photography. Now after around more than two decades after that incident, she is reciting the complete story once again, to Mark! Why? To get to know more about it, read the book!
It was my first Nicholas Spark's read. I have had heard so much about him that even though it was my first book by him, I have had high expectations. And reading his most recent book was more exciting and it didn't disappoint me.
The writing style of the author was commendable. It was so smooth, so fluent that it was a delight to me while reading. The transition between the timelines was so gentle and effortless.
The thing that attracted me to the story was its characters building. The characters impacted me more intensely with each passing page. The characters were so strong and well written that they will be with me forever. But one thing that I want to say is that my favorite character from the book was neither Maggie nor Bryce and not even Mark. I indeed loved all these three characters from the core of my heart but the character which impacted me deeply was Aunt Linda. She was calm, mature, and more importantly, knows how to behave as well as react in certain situations where being calm and mature was extremely rigid and painstaking.
The book was not a perfect five out of five for me because the story was predictable. But what worked for me was how the emotions were poured in the little sentences and little talks between heavy situations.
I will recommend this book to the ones who are looking for emotional contemporary romance fiction. Even if you are a beginner, you will enjoy it because of the easy but effective language and the perfect layout of the emotions.
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.8/5
The Wish by Nicholas Sparks is contemporary romance fiction. The story revolves around the main protagonist Maggie and it keeps moving back and forth in the timeline.
Maggie was sixteen when she was pregnant. So she moved to a place far away from their house. And there she meets Bryce. The boy who taught her about photography. Now after around more than two decades after that incident, she is reciting the complete story once again, to Mark! Why? To get to know more about it, read the book!
It was my first Nicholas Spark's read. I have had heard so much about him that even though it was my first book by him, I have had high expectations. And reading his most recent book was more exciting and it didn't disappoint me.
The writing style of the author was commendable. It was so smooth, so fluent that it was a delight to me while reading. The transition between the timelines was so gentle and effortless.
The thing that attracted me to the story was its characters building. The characters impacted me more intensely with each passing page. The characters were so strong and well written that they will be with me forever. But one thing that I want to say is that my favorite character from the book was neither Maggie nor Bryce and not even Mark. I indeed loved all these three characters from the core of my heart but the character which impacted me deeply was Aunt Linda. She was calm, mature, and more importantly, knows how to behave as well as react in certain situations where being calm and mature was extremely rigid and painstaking.
The book was not a perfect five out of five for me because the story was predictable. But what worked for me was how the emotions were poured in the little sentences and little talks between heavy situations.
I will recommend this book to the ones who are looking for emotional contemporary romance fiction. Even if you are a beginner, you will enjoy it because of the easy but effective language and the perfect layout of the emotions.
Book: Rajaraja Chola
Author: Raghavan Srinivasan
Genre: History of civilization and culture (with economic history)
Pages: 250
Rating: 3.75/5
Rajaraja Chola: Interplay between an imperial regime and productive forces of society by author Raghavan Srinivasan is a book that consists of facts and analyses about the history of the south Indian king, Rajaraja Chola, and his empire.
The author has presented the history in an as simple way as possible. The things that were happening in the time of Rajaraja Chola whether social, political, or economic is presented well here. Also, the difference between the Asoka and Rajaraja is given.
There are many maps and pictures given in the book to make the reading experience better and help to visualize the things that are written.
Also, it is observable that the author has done deep research in this field and subject and had a vast knowledge about it and he tried to spread this knowledge as much possible as he can.
For a beginner, this book might be a little difficult to read because even though the author had tried his best to bring the information in front of us in the simplest way possible, still the terminologies and names and things are a little difficult to read. Also, there is a lot of new information in the book and many sources and relations with them given, it is important to read them because without reading them, the reader will not be able to understand the things and context properly, so it will take time to read, that’s why it might be little difficult to read. But if you are someone who loves to know about history and want to read something new, you can check it out.
Author: Raghavan Srinivasan
Genre: History of civilization and culture (with economic history)
Pages: 250
Rating: 3.75/5
Rajaraja Chola: Interplay between an imperial regime and productive forces of society by author Raghavan Srinivasan is a book that consists of facts and analyses about the history of the south Indian king, Rajaraja Chola, and his empire.
The author has presented the history in an as simple way as possible. The things that were happening in the time of Rajaraja Chola whether social, political, or economic is presented well here. Also, the difference between the Asoka and Rajaraja is given.
There are many maps and pictures given in the book to make the reading experience better and help to visualize the things that are written.
Also, it is observable that the author has done deep research in this field and subject and had a vast knowledge about it and he tried to spread this knowledge as much possible as he can.
For a beginner, this book might be a little difficult to read because even though the author had tried his best to bring the information in front of us in the simplest way possible, still the terminologies and names and things are a little difficult to read. Also, there is a lot of new information in the book and many sources and relations with them given, it is important to read them because without reading them, the reader will not be able to understand the things and context properly, so it will take time to read, that’s why it might be little difficult to read. But if you are someone who loves to know about history and want to read something new, you can check it out.
Book: Towards the last wish
Author: Drishti Dasgupta
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 293
Rating: 4.65/5
Towards the last wish by Drishti Dasgupta is a contemporary fiction romance. The main protagonists of the story are Saksham, Aahana, and Aabir.
Saksham and Aahana are married and were living a happy life when suddenly Aahana was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, which is one of the forms of Dementia. HD(Huntington's Disease) causes deterioration in a person's physical, mental and emotional abilities, usually during their prime working years, and currently has no care. And when they got to know about it, their life changed. Aahana's condition becomes worse with each passing day. She started forgetting people around her. Even Saksham and her daughter Seher. But she did not forget the name of one person and it was her wish to meet that person - Aabir. But who was him and why she wants to meet him? And that's why this story is about TOWARDS THE LAST WISH. To read what happened next and why this happened, do read this book!
The storyline was mesmerizing and heartwarming. The transition between the timeline was smooth and enjoyable. The story was well crafted as well as presented.
As a debut book, it was completely stunning. Author Drishti Dasgupta surprised me with the beautiful writing style and more importantly, the character representation. I am someone who likes a book more because of the characters than the plot. It is not like the plot is not important for me, but if I compare, character leads. But here in this book, I got both of these perfectly. And the author should be appreciated for this.
Also, the cover of the book is so attractive, pleasing, and appealing that it constantly attracts attention.
I will recommend this book to all of those who are looking forward to reading something in the contemporary romance fiction genre, if you are an avid reader of this genre already, you may find the story predictable which I found but still you can give it a try for the beautiful writing style and character development. And if you are a beginner, then I will highly recommend this book to you. A perfect book to start your reading journey.
Author: Drishti Dasgupta
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 293
Rating: 4.65/5
Towards the last wish by Drishti Dasgupta is a contemporary fiction romance. The main protagonists of the story are Saksham, Aahana, and Aabir.
Saksham and Aahana are married and were living a happy life when suddenly Aahana was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, which is one of the forms of Dementia. HD(Huntington's Disease) causes deterioration in a person's physical, mental and emotional abilities, usually during their prime working years, and currently has no care. And when they got to know about it, their life changed. Aahana's condition becomes worse with each passing day. She started forgetting people around her. Even Saksham and her daughter Seher. But she did not forget the name of one person and it was her wish to meet that person - Aabir. But who was him and why she wants to meet him? And that's why this story is about TOWARDS THE LAST WISH. To read what happened next and why this happened, do read this book!
The storyline was mesmerizing and heartwarming. The transition between the timeline was smooth and enjoyable. The story was well crafted as well as presented.
As a debut book, it was completely stunning. Author Drishti Dasgupta surprised me with the beautiful writing style and more importantly, the character representation. I am someone who likes a book more because of the characters than the plot. It is not like the plot is not important for me, but if I compare, character leads. But here in this book, I got both of these perfectly. And the author should be appreciated for this.
Also, the cover of the book is so attractive, pleasing, and appealing that it constantly attracts attention.
I will recommend this book to all of those who are looking forward to reading something in the contemporary romance fiction genre, if you are an avid reader of this genre already, you may find the story predictable which I found but still you can give it a try for the beautiful writing style and character development. And if you are a beginner, then I will highly recommend this book to you. A perfect book to start your reading journey.
Book: The Girl I Meet That Night
Author: Zahir Chauhan
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 216
Rating: 3/5
The girl I Meet That Night by Zahir Chauhan is contemporary romance fiction. The main protagonists of the story are Kabir and Anamika.
Kabir, a boy who struggled a lot to achieve what he is today, is a successful person. Anamika, a girl who is exploring her life to find herself.
One day, they both meet and share their stories. But Anamika told her story on only one condition that they will never meet again. But life has some other things in their destiny. They meet again, but after that, Anamika suddenly disappeared and Kabir was devastated. What will happen to them after that? Will, they ever be able to meet again, or does destiny has some other things for their life. To read what happened with them, do read the story!
The story was good and enjoyable. It has some exciting moments in them which keeps the story interesting. The protagonists have a lot of potential in them and have their own breathtaking stories.
I liked the side stories that were presented in between the main story which eventually helped it to be continued. Also, the location of the story was well presented.
But the characters lack depth in their story as well as emotional part for me. I understand what they are going through but I don't feel connected with them. They have a lot of potential but they don't connect deeply.
Also, I found the plot and the setting of the story more fictional and less realistic. I understand it is a work of fiction and it is normal to represent things that the author has in mind, but I want to tell it so that the readers can understand my experience.
Also, the story was quite predictable for me. So overall, it was a good one-time read for me.
I will recommend this book to beginners who are looking forward to reading contemporary romance fiction. The language of the book was easy, so they will enjoy it. But to the ones who have already read a lot in this genre, they will find it predictable and cliche.
Author: Zahir Chauhan
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 216
Rating: 3/5
The girl I Meet That Night by Zahir Chauhan is contemporary romance fiction. The main protagonists of the story are Kabir and Anamika.
Kabir, a boy who struggled a lot to achieve what he is today, is a successful person. Anamika, a girl who is exploring her life to find herself.
One day, they both meet and share their stories. But Anamika told her story on only one condition that they will never meet again. But life has some other things in their destiny. They meet again, but after that, Anamika suddenly disappeared and Kabir was devastated. What will happen to them after that? Will, they ever be able to meet again, or does destiny has some other things for their life. To read what happened with them, do read the story!
The story was good and enjoyable. It has some exciting moments in them which keeps the story interesting. The protagonists have a lot of potential in them and have their own breathtaking stories.
I liked the side stories that were presented in between the main story which eventually helped it to be continued. Also, the location of the story was well presented.
But the characters lack depth in their story as well as emotional part for me. I understand what they are going through but I don't feel connected with them. They have a lot of potential but they don't connect deeply.
Also, I found the plot and the setting of the story more fictional and less realistic. I understand it is a work of fiction and it is normal to represent things that the author has in mind, but I want to tell it so that the readers can understand my experience.
Also, the story was quite predictable for me. So overall, it was a good one-time read for me.
I will recommend this book to beginners who are looking forward to reading contemporary romance fiction. The language of the book was easy, so they will enjoy it. But to the ones who have already read a lot in this genre, they will find it predictable and cliche.
