Book Review - Eye of the Eagle

While I have enjoyed reading short stories for children by Shirsendu Mukhopadhyay, I have never read any of his thrillers. And so when Bee Books (the publisher) approached me to review this book. I decided to take it up as a chance to try out the thrillers by the author. I would like to clarify here that I cannot read Bengali fluently and the books I have read are all English translations.

Eloger Chokh (Eye of the Eagle)

The Characters…. 

Three Women and Bishan
Wife Shivangi, wife's friend Nandini and Jahnavi 

The turn of events...
Nandini is brutally murdered!
Shivangi is found in the bedroom, lying half naked and fatally injured.
All evidences are pointing at Bishan. But, is it that simple? 

And the truth…
Eye of the Eagle delves into the complications of relationships and world of complicated characters where mystery unfolds only through the eyes of Detective Shobor!

***

I found this to be a quick and good read. Very urban and revolving around complex relationships. The books had interesting characters and I particularly like detective Shobor’s characterisation. The suspense, although predictable, was well maintained till the end.

It is being made into a film too

You could buy the book here - http://amzn.to/2ak6A2d 

I am not promoting Paperboat, but I love them.

Me: Hey we forgot to taste the Paperboat guava drink. Let’s try it now.

SSM: Okay

We sip it

SSM: hmmm a bit like paaka pyara (ripe guava) na, with mirchi!?

Me: It is not. It is like kacha pakka peru (Not so raw not so ripe guava) with mirchi.

SSM: It is OKAY!

Me: It is OKAY with the first sip. Gets better as you keep sipping it. Try.

SSM: Yeah, you are right. It is good.

Me: Reminds me of the pink peru we used to it when we were kids. I don’t think they grow them anymore. Sigh.

SSM: (sipping) hmmm.

Me: Hey, check this out… you can actually suck it in while keeping your head straight. You don’t have to roll your head back to take a gulp. This is so cool!

SSM: How does that matter?

Me: Of course it matters. This is like the whole things is a huge straw. It is like magic.

SSM: Sigh, it is science.

Me: Oh, Shut up. This is the awesomest thing ever. (awesomest should be a word) I mean you could be reading a book and drinking this. But you don’t have to shift your glance away to take a sip. You can just read and suck at the same time. You don’t even have to pour it in a glass and use a straw anymore.

SSM: When do you ever use a glass and a straw to drink something while reading!?

Me: I don’t, but I could. And now I don’t have to. I have to tell the Paperboat guys about my wonderful realisation about their bottles. They should totally send me free drinks for bringing out this super USP for their product.

SSM: They do that anyway, weirdo!

Me: That’s true too. Yeah. But I love the Paperboat guys. 

***

In the meanwhile, check this awesome little short film that they have come out with. :)

Cover Reveal - Conspiracy at Meru

First look at: 
The Conspiracy at Meru (Vikramaditya Veergatha # 2)

Guardians of the Halahala (Vikramaditya Veergatha # 1) 
has a new look as well!

The deadly Halahala, the all-devouring poison churned from the depths of the White Lake by the devas and asuras, was swallowed by Shiva to save the universe from extinction.
But was the Halahala truly destroyed?
A small portion still remains – a weapon powerful enough to guarantee victory to whoever possesses it. And both asuras and devas, locked in battle for supremacy, will stop at nothing to claim it.
As the forces of Devaloka and Patala, led by Indra and Shukracharya, plot to possess the Halahala, Shiva turns to mankind to guard it from their murderous clutches. It is now up to Samrat Vikramaditya and his Council of Nine to quell the supernatural hordes – and prevent the universe from tumbling into chaos!
A sweeping tale of honour and courage in the face of infinite danger, greed and deceit, The Guardians of the Halahala is a fantastical journey into a time of myth and legend.

Goodreads * Amazon * Flipkart

Reviews for Guardians of the Halahala

The story is interknitted with action, brilliant storytelling, and insightful of mythological and legendary elements that get under your skin and challenge the way you perceive history, as only few of the talented authors can. ~ Shreya Ganguly @ The Notepad Reviews

I am intoxicated, drugged, and floating in a world that has come to conquer my senses since the last few days. The world of Vikramaditya. The world carved by author Shatrujeet Nath. ~ Amrit Sinha on Goodreads

The quality of writing is powerful and beautiful, almost surreal. ~ By Manish Mahajan on Amazon

In fact the only disappointing thing about this book was that the second part isn't ready yet. ~ Srikanth Sarathy on Amazon

About the Author

Door-to-door salesman, copywriter, business journalist & assistant editor at The Economic Times; Shatrujeet Nath was all this before he took to writing fiction full-time. He debuted with The Karachi Deception in 2013, followed by The Guardians of the Halahala and The Conspiracy at Meru, the first two books in the Vikramaditya Veergatha series. At present, he is writing volume three of the series. Shatrujeet lives in Mumbai, but spends much of his time in the fantasy worlds of his stories.

Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

Also by the Author;

(Click On the Cover for More Details)

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

Happiness

These guys literally sweep me off my feet. Well, okay, not literally. They would end up with a broken back if they did that. And that wouldn’t be nice because I will not get any more goodies from them. Oh. My. God. They have spoilt me and I don’t want the goodies to stop coming.

It is nothing but sheer joy when at the end of a tiring day the security guard rings your doorbell and hands you a brown paper package tied up with string. You just know that it has to be one of your favourite things inside.

And out comes a note that fills you with warmth and nostalgia along with a book. A favourite book. A book you lapped up when you were a kid and had been meaning to read again for years now.

Oh Happiness!

Thank you, Paper Boat people. Just don’t stop being awesome. Ever.

***

More about what they gave me here and here.

#CharacterInterview :: Meet Akriti & Zayn from When Our Worlds Collide by Aniesha Brahma

About the Book

Akriti has led a pretty much sheltered life. 
Zayn has been shuttled from city to city when he was growing up. 
She is comfortable watching her life from the sidelines. 
He wants to feel rooted to a place he can call ‘home’. 
They meet each other quite by chance. 
And both seize the chance to be someone they both need in their lives: 
For Zayn, it’s a 'Partner-In-Crime'. 
For Akriti, someone who just knows how to be there for her… 
When their worlds collide, 
It is not what either of them expected it to be. 
Zayn has a steady girlfriend. And Akriti has a crush on him. 
What happens when these two become friends? 
The biggest adventure of their lives? Or the road to heartbreak? 
What happens when two completely different people collide? 
Do they become friends? Or, is their friendship doomed from the start? 
'When Our Worlds Collide' is the story of two twenty- three-year olds, Who are finally growing up and finding their feet in the world. 
A tale of friendship and love, crushes and betrayals, messes and second chances, Marriage and divorce… and the elusive happily ever after! 

Book Links

Goodreads I Amazon

Character Interview: Akriti and Zayn

Tell us what When Our Worlds Collide is about?

Zayn: It’s about how I am the hot stud and this writer here falls head over heels in love with me.
Akriti: Grrr. Not at all. It is about a twenty three year old girl who is afraid to let anyone into her world. And then she meets  guy who forces her out of her shell…

What is the one thing that you love about yourselves?

Zayn: That I am smokin’ hot? No, jokes apart. I like how Zayn feels rootless because he was never allowed to settle down anywhere. I think a lot of children who have parents with transferable jobs would relate to that.
Akriti: I like the fact Akriti just pretends to be lost. She basically does not let anyone close to her because she knows the scars can be seen up close! She is so afraid of getting her heart broken, she plays it safe all the time.

What is your favorite book?

Akriti: It is hard to choose just one. I love reading.
Zayn: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Akriti: Being a success, I guess.
Zayn: Settled.

Do you think we would read more about Akriti and Zayn’s adventures?

Akriti: More like misadventures. I am not too sure about that.
Zayn: I doubt we’d make it to another novel or novella. But, we just might be featured in short stories. Just keep a lookout for it!

About the Author

Aniesha Brahma knew she wanted to be a writer since she was six years old. She was schooled in Dolna Day School and went on to pursue B.A., M.A., and M.Phil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur Univeristy. She currently lives in Kolkata, with her family and five pet cats. The Secret Proposal was her debut novel, followed by The Guitar Girl. She was a contributing author with her story The Difference, in the anthology: Voices, Old & New. When Our Worlds Collide is her third work of fiction, and first novella.

Stalk Links

Facebook Page * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Website * GoodReads

Giveaway

Prize 1: One really Lucky Indian Resident can win a Handmade Book Jacket made by Diptee Raut of DIP & DIY

  

As Diptee says, its ideal to ~ "Keep your books cozy and warm and away from prying eyes with this book cover. A classy way to carry your book to your favourite coffee shop/library/park for a quiet read."

Prize 2: One really Lucky Indian Resident can win a  Surprise gift from the Author 

Lets keep you guessing ;) Rest assured, it is going to be something pretty!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Tour Stops

How Paperboat added awesomeness to my Diwali

No, Paperboat has not asked me to write this post. But I will, because I love those guys.

So a long time ago, this is what happened. They sent me drinks to review. I enjoyed the drinks but forgot to review. Then they sent me a book - the lovely - Three men in a Boat. So I felt very warm and a little guilty and I reviewed them.

All this was a long time ago.

And now suddenly this arrived at my mail a week before Diwali and had me jumping with joy.



Happy box



A tin box loaded with awesomeness

The moment I opened the box, the awesome scent of the hay got me totally heady. The box contained two post cards, a magnet, two laddoos and two packs of their newest drink, Anar. Also a lovely letter.

The whole presentation was so festive and warm that it instantly took me to my childhood. I that is what their idea was - the tin box was supposed to make you nostalgic

Click on the picture to enlarge it and read those lovely words.

And the Anar drink. I havent had anything so delicious and refreshing for a long long time. The laddoos were yum too.

And the tin box. well that obviously has snuggled itself in my sewing shelf.

adding to my beautiful clutter

Thank you Paperboat guys. Thanks for adding that smile to my Diwali. :)

***

Read more about them here - http://paperboatdrinks.com/

Book Review - The Guitar Girl by Aniesha Bhrama

About the Book:

Sixteen year old Rhea Shah never thought that she would find herself falling for her brother’s best friend, Joy Fernandez, when they come home from college. Because she never thought that the dork who used to go to school with them would suddenly reinvent himself in college.

The only people she’s able to talk to about her absurd crush, are her best friends, Sophie and Arjav. Both of whom at first encourage, and then almost blackmail, Rhea to confess her feelings, which leaves the poor girl more muddled than ever!

Plagued with upcoming Board Examinations along with her friends’ suggestions, Rhea finds it difficult to concentrate, because she’s fallen for Joy, hook, line and sinker. In an attempt to vent to her feelings, she begins a blog, where she publishes all her songs and poems, dedicated to Joy, keeping her identity a secret.

But things do not go quite how she planned when a certain blogger named J. Fern begins to read her blog, and wishes to work with her…

Will Rhea ever confess her feelings to Joy? And will Joy find out the real identity of The Guitar Girl?

Book Links:

Amazon.com / Amazon.in / Goodreads

Book Review

The Guitar Girl is a story of Rhea Shah. Rhea Shah falls in love with her brother’s best friend, Joy and her only confidants about her crush are her best friends, Sophie and Arnav. The author has portrayed a beautiful friendship between the trios as they help each other sort out their lives

The book takes you to your pre- teen/teen days and makes you smile. Yes, definitely makes you smile. It is sure to remind you of your school time romances, crushes and heartbreaks.

You will love the book. The author has a brilliant style of writing and keeping you hooked on to the book. What is interesting about this book is that the entire book is narrated through Gtalk, Emails, Facebook chats, blogs, journal entries etc.

Go ahead and read the book. You will not regret it.

Meet the Characters of The Guitar Girl

Rhea Shah: 16-year-old Rhea Shah develops a crush on her brother, Robbie's, best friend, Joy Fernandez. She adopts the alias The Guitar Girl in a misguided way to keep a hold on her feelings. Rhea cares about her two best friends, Sophie and Arjav, although the latter knows how to push her buttons. She is pretty awful at hiding her feelings.

Joy Fernandez: 18-year-old Joy is Rhea's brother's best friend, as well as Arjav's cousin. He takes on Rhea as his student, teaching her how to play the guitar, unaware that she harbours feelings for him. He can be pretty dense at times - refusing to see what is really happening right in front of his eyes. He dates a rather crazy girl in college, Rosetta, who later becomes Robbie's girlfriend.

Sophie Ghosh: Rhea's best friend in school, who discovers her secret at the beginning of the novel and keeps encouraging her to confess to Joy about it. Initially united with Rhea on the front by finding Arjav, she begins liking him more than a friend. Both she and Arjav believe in meddling with 'destiny'. 

Robbie Shah: Rhea's older brother who has no idea has his sister has fallen for his best friend. He is too preoccupied with his band and his girlfriend, Rosetta, who Joy had dated before him. 

Arjav: Rhea's oldest friend, who knows her secret and wants her to tell Joy as well. He and Sophie like each other and likes to meddle with 'Fate'. 

About the Author:

Aniesha Brahma has loved writing since the age of six. She was schooled in Dolna Day School, and then pursued BA honors in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, where she went on to complete her MA in the same. Currently, she’s pursuing MPhil in Comparative Literature from the same place. Her hobbies include reading, writing, playing with her favorite pet, Pippo the cat, (and other kittens too), traveling and blogging.She has written innumerable short stories and poems, most of which can be found on her blog and in various magazines and newsletters. Her debut novel was, The Secret Proposal, published by General Press in September 2012. She won the Editor’s Pick for Romance genre in the IndiReads Second Short Story Competition, and her story The Difference, was subsequently published in the anthology, Voices, Old & New. She has interned with www.womanistan.com and www.zapondo.com, as their content writer. She has volunteered at Hope Foundation, Kolkata, teaching the children who attend the Chetla Lock Gate Coaching Center. Aniesha also had a brief stint as a writer for the Kolkata-based travel magazine, Touriosity.

Contact the Author:

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Tour Schedule

Book Review - The Puppeteers of Palem

The review:

I enjoy reading horror and I love a horror book that leaves me  in a cold sweat. The Puppeteers of Palem is one such book.

Horror, as we are aware is a very difficult genre to write, and the author, Sharath Komarraju has done a brilliant job with this book. He has a great narrating style and a strong grip on the language. He really makes you go through a real chilling experience. I loved the author's lucid writing. It really keeps you hooked on to this chilling book till the end.

The book goes back and forth between incidents 1984 and 2001 and yet, you do not feel lost. Rather the author has woven it so well that it makes you feel uneasy and unsettled. It is like a jigsaw puzzle that you will enjoy fitting in while being scared. It is very difficult to get the book out of your head while you are reading it. 

Though you will find a similarity with other horror tales that you would have heard/read (Hotel California kept playing in my mind most of the time while I was reading the book) But that is okay because the author does have his own ways of twisting the tale and giving you the perfect horror experience.

***

About the book – (Goodreads Summary)

The village of Rudrakshapalem awakens and tells her tale.

Five friends return to the village of their childhood to find that nothing seems to have changed and at the same time everything has. Whose voice is it that called them back and whose hand is it that now hunts them down, one by one?

Palem's grand old man, a Brahmin landlord, their childhood storyteller, makes one last ditch attempt to save his village from ruin at her hands. Will he succeed or will his past catch up with him and demand fair price?

Two boys, one blind and the other lame, skirt the village borders at the old Shivalayam, listening, staring. On their faces they wear smiles of contentment. They sleep well. They see happy dreams.

A TV reporter arrives to study the village, only to sink deeper into the mystery with each passing day. And hovering above all of these is the shadow of Lachi, who is believed to haunt the old Shivalayam on full moon nights. Some say she's consumed by lust, others call it madness, but all catch the red glint in her eye and the icy calm in her voice as she croons a sad, lonely song. The one thing she hungers for, that will satisfy her soul, is the fire that will burn Palem down to ashes.

The village of Rudrakshapalem awakens and tells her tale. Listen closely. It will chill you to the bone. 

Paper Boat - Drinks and memories - A review and more.

Have you heard of Paper Boat? They make drinks - nice, juicy, natural drinks.

Well a long long time ago I got an email from them to review their drinks. I usually do not agree to review products but their mail was full of wit and humour. It made me laugh and so, I agreed. They promised to send me drinks soon... but that did not happen.

Then many days later they sent another email - a witty, humourous one again - saying that there was a delay and they will be sending me the drinks soon. I agreed again and this time they did send me the drinks.

I had drinks; enjoyed them; even photographed them. But I forgot to review them. Yep. I really did mean to review them but I kept putting it off to another day till I forgot.

And then, last week, I got a package from Paper Boat. This.

Three men in a boat - the book and a lovely note with it

Damn them! Trust those guys to make me feel horribly guilty, about not having reviewed them, in such a lovely way... Brutal!

***

So here is the review.

I was impressed the way those cute little (not really little - 250 ml is not little) bottles were sent to me. In this lovely orange jute bag. (I use it to store legos now. I shall check if they can send in more -jute bags, not legos)

Cute bottles and the orange jute bag

There were six of them. Six amazing flavours:
Imli (a reminder of the times when I would climb tress sit atop and suck on them - the imlis)
Jaljeera (life saviour - always)
Jamun Kala Khatta (memories of slurrping on golas while walking back from school)
Golgappe ka paani ( :) )
Amras (Alphonsos and Bombay)
Aam panna (heaven and nothing less).

Ha, aren't you salivating already? Don't those names bring back those lovely memories of hot summer vacations playing outside all afternoon and getting back home to gulp some of that awesomeness.

Trust me I had that exact same feeling as I opened them and took that first sip. They were all awesome. They all had that traditional ghar ka swaad.

Literature, sure to make you nostalgic.

Read that? How could one not love them?

And my favourite would be the Aam Paana. These guys are a natural there. It's the first time that I have got close to tasting Aam paana the way my mother makes it. And she makes the best aam panna in the entire world! So there - THAT is a HUGE compliment!

Go Ahead and try them out. all of them, especially Aam panna. Try them to relive some best memories of your childhood.

Also they have great packaging and great literature there on it. So read whats written behind while you sip on your drink.

Believe me, these guys are good.

***

Thank you, Hector Beverages, for letting me try these amazing flavours from Paper Boat for free. And thanks a ton for the book. :)

Read more about them here - http://paperboatdrinks.com/

The Hunt for Kohinoor - A review.

About the book

Goodreads summary of ‘The Hunt for Kohinoor’ by Manreet  Sodhi Someshwar

A spine-chilling ninety-six hour hunt through the world’s most dangerous terrain where history collides with gunfire - will Mehrunisa get out of this one alive?

One morning on her way to work, Mehrunisa gets a call that will change her life forever. The truth about her missing father is at her fingertips - but it will take her on the most desperate chase of her lifetime.

A chase that will pit her against hardened Jihadis plotting the deadliest terror attack on India, that will test her mettle against history’s deep secrets, that will teach her that the price of love can mean bloodied hands ...

The Hunt for Kohinoor hurtles from from icy Kashmir to snow-clad Hindukush, from the sinister corridors of a military hospital to the warrens of Peshawar, even as the clock counts down to the impending catastrophe.

The Review


I am glad I took it up to review 'The Hunt for Kohinoor' by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar when Westland approached me to do it. I would have otherwise missed out on this fast paced, breath taking book.

The book has been a pleasure to read. The second book in the Mehrunisa trilogy (I need to read the first one) has been an enthralling one - an extremely well researched book indeed.

I liked the way the author has worked on creating the characters. They are very realistic. The chapters are nice, short and crisp. This makes it a pretty fast read. The language is simple and of decent standard. The book is breathtaking and the plot flows well.

Overall the book keeps you hooked on till the end.

Book Links:

AMAZON /  FACEBOOK / FLIPKART / GOODREADS