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jainandsdiary's Reviews (310)
Book: Born To Dream
Author: Harshvardhan Rao
Genre: Motivational Fiction
Pages: 181
Rating: 3/5
Born To Dream by author Harshvardhan Rao is a motivational fiction story of a boy named Arvind Ingle aka Aru. He is doing a master's in psychology and has come to Mussoorie to work as a canteen boy. Although he came from a small place, he aims high. There in Mussoorie, his path gets crossed with Brajesh Thakur, a successful businessman who is looking for his father's murderer; Ranjeet Singhania, owner of the Singhania industry a big name in the carpet business; Shukla, who works for Ranjit and, Pandit, a friend of Brajesh. His life takes twists and turns when their parts get crossed. To get to know more about it do give it a read.
I liked how the character of Arvind developed from starting of the book to the end and how he adopted himself as per his surroundings and still hasn't lost his identity and personality. The connection and the relationship between the characters in the book are shown gracefully and this is the thing that came out and touch me in this book. Also, the story gives a good reality check of how some public figures can be completely different and preachy in front of others while they are not following the same in the real life.
But as there was no timeline given in the story like when the story was set, it was difficult to interpret what is going on in the surrounding in the story as well as the characters' actions accordingly. Also, the character development could have been a little better. And as the main protagonist of the story is doing a master's in psychology, it was difficult for me to understand and make sense of his mindset and actions as it seems that he is not in master's but a bachelor's degree.
But the author has perfectly blended a pinch of mythology in the book which came out as a savior for me and make it a good, short one-time read for me.
Author: Harshvardhan Rao
Genre: Motivational Fiction
Pages: 181
Rating: 3/5
Born To Dream by author Harshvardhan Rao is a motivational fiction story of a boy named Arvind Ingle aka Aru. He is doing a master's in psychology and has come to Mussoorie to work as a canteen boy. Although he came from a small place, he aims high. There in Mussoorie, his path gets crossed with Brajesh Thakur, a successful businessman who is looking for his father's murderer; Ranjeet Singhania, owner of the Singhania industry a big name in the carpet business; Shukla, who works for Ranjit and, Pandit, a friend of Brajesh. His life takes twists and turns when their parts get crossed. To get to know more about it do give it a read.
I liked how the character of Arvind developed from starting of the book to the end and how he adopted himself as per his surroundings and still hasn't lost his identity and personality. The connection and the relationship between the characters in the book are shown gracefully and this is the thing that came out and touch me in this book. Also, the story gives a good reality check of how some public figures can be completely different and preachy in front of others while they are not following the same in the real life.
But as there was no timeline given in the story like when the story was set, it was difficult to interpret what is going on in the surrounding in the story as well as the characters' actions accordingly. Also, the character development could have been a little better. And as the main protagonist of the story is doing a master's in psychology, it was difficult for me to understand and make sense of his mindset and actions as it seems that he is not in master's but a bachelor's degree.
But the author has perfectly blended a pinch of mythology in the book which came out as a savior for me and make it a good, short one-time read for me.
Book: Scrabble Babble Rabble
Author: Bruno Beaches
Genre: Literature and Fiction
Edition: Ebook
Rating: 4.75/5
Scrabble Babble Rabble by Bruno Beaches is a story of four prison inmates - Liam, Kevin, Terry, and Denis, who got to know about each other through a game - Scrabble during their association time and got to know about each other through it. Mr. Blanchflower is an English teacher for the prisoners for those prisoners who are willing to take the classes. As Liam was weak in English, Mr. Blanchflower assigned Kevin to assist and help Liam in English classes. He advised them to play scrabble but with a twist, they have to a story associated with the words from the game in each round. This association time came as a rescue for all four of them, as it give them a little escape from the monotonous haunting prison life and something they can lookout for the next day. To know more about how their past life affects them in prison, get to know the insights of prison life and how people survive the politics and power game inside there, and how each of them being so distant and different from each other came together because of a game, read this book! It is worth it.
I loved this story and specially the concept of having the crossroads of stories through the game scrabble where all of the background stories of the protagonists emerge and give insights into their life while still having the individuality. How the author has portrayed the characters and did the character development really stood out very well for me and this is the thing that I loved the most. The very first chapter itself, which starts with the description of Mr. Blenchflower took away my heart and I knew this book is going to be something else and it didn't disappoint my expectations. Mr. Blenchflower was the teacher which we all want in our lives and was the one whom we always look out for as an ideal, as someone who inspires us (You can obviously read the first three chapters in the sample in the kindle edition and decide whether you want to read it or not because I know after reading it, you want to read the book
Author: Bruno Beaches
Genre: Literature and Fiction
Edition: Ebook
Rating: 4.75/5
Scrabble Babble Rabble by Bruno Beaches is a story of four prison inmates - Liam, Kevin, Terry, and Denis, who got to know about each other through a game - Scrabble during their association time and got to know about each other through it. Mr. Blanchflower is an English teacher for the prisoners for those prisoners who are willing to take the classes. As Liam was weak in English, Mr. Blanchflower assigned Kevin to assist and help Liam in English classes. He advised them to play scrabble but with a twist, they have to a story associated with the words from the game in each round. This association time came as a rescue for all four of them, as it give them a little escape from the monotonous haunting prison life and something they can lookout for the next day. To know more about how their past life affects them in prison, get to know the insights of prison life and how people survive the politics and power game inside there, and how each of them being so distant and different from each other came together because of a game, read this book! It is worth it.
I loved this story and specially the concept of having the crossroads of stories through the game scrabble where all of the background stories of the protagonists emerge and give insights into their life while still having the individuality. How the author has portrayed the characters and did the character development really stood out very well for me and this is the thing that I loved the most. The very first chapter itself, which starts with the description of Mr. Blenchflower took away my heart and I knew this book is going to be something else and it didn't disappoint my expectations. Mr. Blenchflower was the teacher which we all want in our lives and was the one whom we always look out for as an ideal, as someone who inspires us (You can obviously read the first three chapters in the sample in the kindle edition and decide whether you want to read it or not because I know after reading it, you want to read the book
Book: Solitude's Embrace
Poet: Anna Belmonte
Genre: Poetry/Musings
Pages: 208
Rating: 3.6/5
Solitude's Embrace by Anna Belmonte is a collection of some poems and musings divided into five parts: Wishful, Ambience, Femme, Serendipity, and Inventory. All the parts have their ups and downs which makes this book just like us, imperfectly perfect.
My favorite part of the book was Ambience. Some poems and musings in this part are really delightful and give food for thought. They are well-curated, written in free verse, and give the liberty to words and thoughts to fly freely.
Mostly there are musings in this book revolving around various topics like self-love, care, comfort, life, and freedom. They are very short but deep and make us think about them for a long time. Although most of them are written by addressing as "she", the feelings, emotions, and appeal were universal and this is what connects. Some of the musings here are on the romantic relationship as well but that can be applied to friendship and other social interactions as well.
Although there are some with which I don't feel personally connected and take insight from and that felt flat for me but overall it was a nice book, well-curated which gives enough food for thought and insights about life.
Poet: Anna Belmonte
Genre: Poetry/Musings
Pages: 208
Rating: 3.6/5
Solitude's Embrace by Anna Belmonte is a collection of some poems and musings divided into five parts: Wishful, Ambience, Femme, Serendipity, and Inventory. All the parts have their ups and downs which makes this book just like us, imperfectly perfect.
My favorite part of the book was Ambience. Some poems and musings in this part are really delightful and give food for thought. They are well-curated, written in free verse, and give the liberty to words and thoughts to fly freely.
Mostly there are musings in this book revolving around various topics like self-love, care, comfort, life, and freedom. They are very short but deep and make us think about them for a long time. Although most of them are written by addressing as "she", the feelings, emotions, and appeal were universal and this is what connects. Some of the musings here are on the romantic relationship as well but that can be applied to friendship and other social interactions as well.
Although there are some with which I don't feel personally connected and take insight from and that felt flat for me but overall it was a nice book, well-curated which gives enough food for thought and insights about life.
Book: The Legend Of Bahiriji-Naik: Raiders of Surat
Author: Shreyas Bhave
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 343
Rating: 4.8/5
The Legend Of Bahiriji-Naik: Raiders of Surat is the first book in the series by author Shreyas Bhave. It is historical fiction of around 343 pages. It is a story of Bahirji-Naik, the Guptachars(spies) of the Shri Shivaji Raje empire, who lead the Guptachar corps and now have their new apprentice, Shashidhwaj! The Swarajya is in danger, there are enemies everywhere, and the treasures of the empire are insufficient. And there is a way to get out of these problems: attack on Surat! But would be it that easy, when Surat comes under Mughal territory and is defended by Mughal Subedar Inayat Khan, with the trained troop of five thousand? To get to know, read the book! (I won't talk here much about the story as what it was about because I want to talk about how beautifully the author wrote it and so adding the synopsis in the end for you to get to know better what the story is about)
The author has selected a topic that is close and dear to many people and a lot of sentiments, emotions, values, and beliefs have been attached to that. Shri Shivaji Raje is ideal for many and so picking up the story of that era is a courageous step itself and doing justice to it was something for which the author should be acclaimed and appreciated. I love the way the author has done justice to it, and make it a delight to read for the one who already follow the era and journey of Shri Shivaji Raje or to the ones who want to follow or in interested in knowing about it.
The writing style of the author is very captivating, gripping, insightful, and intriguing which makes it a complete delight to read. The way the author introduced each character, followed by the great character development makes it a very engrossing and engaging book.
At the start of the story itself, the author has introduced each important character with the name and their position so that while reading, there would be no confusion, and it helped me a lot because I am someone who forgets the name of characters easily, so every time, when I am little confused, I just have had to visit that page only rather than going through the story again which helped me personally a lot while reading.
Written in easy language, turning a historical event into words with such ease, the book becomes beginner-friendly as well and will be cherished by the fan of historical fiction as well. Well, it would be classified as fiction because the author has used his imagination in filling up the loose pieces of the story and completing it, about which he already talked in the starting itself, making it clear as well as engaging for the readers from starting itself.
Although I would love to see more of Bahirji – Naik in the story, about how they work, who their confides are, the way they approach the things and keep it a secret along with the Shashidhwaj story, I know as well that the author cannot disclose everything in the first book of the series only, and so I am very excited to read the next book in the series as well.
As a person who follows Shri Shivaji Raje but has not read any literature or fiction around that era, it was a complete delight and pleasure to read this!
Synopsis:
Maratha Swarajya, 1663: The dream of a kingdom of the people envisioned by Raje Shivaji, is crumbling. There are enemies to the North, and to the South. The constant attacks have ravaged the Swarajya’s armies and depleted its treasury. The Mughal Subhedar Shaistekhan, sits encamped with his occupying army in the Maratha’s ancestral city – Pune. All hope seems lost.
Merely driving Shaistekhan out of Pune is not going to be enough. To survive, Raje must replenish the Swarajya’s treasuries and rebuild its armies. A hundred kos to the North lies the city of Surat, a hell-hole of corruption and guile, but rich with gold. An attack on Surat would solve all Raje’s problems. But Surat lies deep in Mughal territory, defended by Mughal Subhedar Inayat Khan, with a garrison of five thousand trained troops.
The Swarajya’s hope of survival now depends on a seemingly impossible mission. The brunt will be borne by the Guptachar corps, led by Bahirji-Naik, and their new apprentice, Shashidhwaj, a mere boy of sixteen, using everything they know, to achieve fatteh. Can the Guptachars lead Raje’s army to Surat, negotiating such a vast stretche of hostile Mughal territory? Can they devise a way to beat the defenders of the city? Above all, can the Maratha Swarajya prevail? Or will it be destroyed like the hundreds of others who dared stand against the mighty Mughal Empire?
Author: Shreyas Bhave
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 343
Rating: 4.8/5
The Legend Of Bahiriji-Naik: Raiders of Surat is the first book in the series by author Shreyas Bhave. It is historical fiction of around 343 pages. It is a story of Bahirji-Naik, the Guptachars(spies) of the Shri Shivaji Raje empire, who lead the Guptachar corps and now have their new apprentice, Shashidhwaj! The Swarajya is in danger, there are enemies everywhere, and the treasures of the empire are insufficient. And there is a way to get out of these problems: attack on Surat! But would be it that easy, when Surat comes under Mughal territory and is defended by Mughal Subedar Inayat Khan, with the trained troop of five thousand? To get to know, read the book! (I won't talk here much about the story as what it was about because I want to talk about how beautifully the author wrote it and so adding the synopsis in the end for you to get to know better what the story is about)
The author has selected a topic that is close and dear to many people and a lot of sentiments, emotions, values, and beliefs have been attached to that. Shri Shivaji Raje is ideal for many and so picking up the story of that era is a courageous step itself and doing justice to it was something for which the author should be acclaimed and appreciated. I love the way the author has done justice to it, and make it a delight to read for the one who already follow the era and journey of Shri Shivaji Raje or to the ones who want to follow or in interested in knowing about it.
The writing style of the author is very captivating, gripping, insightful, and intriguing which makes it a complete delight to read. The way the author introduced each character, followed by the great character development makes it a very engrossing and engaging book.
At the start of the story itself, the author has introduced each important character with the name and their position so that while reading, there would be no confusion, and it helped me a lot because I am someone who forgets the name of characters easily, so every time, when I am little confused, I just have had to visit that page only rather than going through the story again which helped me personally a lot while reading.
Written in easy language, turning a historical event into words with such ease, the book becomes beginner-friendly as well and will be cherished by the fan of historical fiction as well. Well, it would be classified as fiction because the author has used his imagination in filling up the loose pieces of the story and completing it, about which he already talked in the starting itself, making it clear as well as engaging for the readers from starting itself.
Although I would love to see more of Bahirji – Naik in the story, about how they work, who their confides are, the way they approach the things and keep it a secret along with the Shashidhwaj story, I know as well that the author cannot disclose everything in the first book of the series only, and so I am very excited to read the next book in the series as well.
As a person who follows Shri Shivaji Raje but has not read any literature or fiction around that era, it was a complete delight and pleasure to read this!
Synopsis:
Maratha Swarajya, 1663: The dream of a kingdom of the people envisioned by Raje Shivaji, is crumbling. There are enemies to the North, and to the South. The constant attacks have ravaged the Swarajya’s armies and depleted its treasury. The Mughal Subhedar Shaistekhan, sits encamped with his occupying army in the Maratha’s ancestral city – Pune. All hope seems lost.
Merely driving Shaistekhan out of Pune is not going to be enough. To survive, Raje must replenish the Swarajya’s treasuries and rebuild its armies. A hundred kos to the North lies the city of Surat, a hell-hole of corruption and guile, but rich with gold. An attack on Surat would solve all Raje’s problems. But Surat lies deep in Mughal territory, defended by Mughal Subhedar Inayat Khan, with a garrison of five thousand trained troops.
The Swarajya’s hope of survival now depends on a seemingly impossible mission. The brunt will be borne by the Guptachar corps, led by Bahirji-Naik, and their new apprentice, Shashidhwaj, a mere boy of sixteen, using everything they know, to achieve fatteh. Can the Guptachars lead Raje’s army to Surat, negotiating such a vast stretche of hostile Mughal territory? Can they devise a way to beat the defenders of the city? Above all, can the Maratha Swarajya prevail? Or will it be destroyed like the hundreds of others who dared stand against the mighty Mughal Empire?
