Elephants in the Room by Suraj Laxminarayanan
Published by The Write Place on 08/2018
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 600
Format: ARC
Goodreads

What is a better crime fiction novel where a crime revolves around not the detective who tries to fit pieces in a puzzle? A book that focuses on the crime, it’s after effects and the turmoil every individual involved goes through. Such is a book written by Suraj Laxminarayanan called Elephants in the Room.  

Set in Chennai this book is the debut of Suraj Laxminarayanan in the world of crime fiction. The plot revolves around a bank heist that leads to the story of three gangs coming face to face as the events in this book unfold. A group of friends plans a bank robbery which they think to be foolproof. They get into every detail and leave nothing out of their blueprint. It is kind of an Oceans’ 11 but here only 5 members are the mastermind behind it. They try to start their careers as robbers by mugging pedestrians to get hands-on experience. 

Things get interesting when another gang of robbers who have already established roots in the crime decides to rob the same bank on the same day with heavy weaponry. Bonds are developed among criminals but as they say, there is no honor among thieves, things get ugly.  

The storyline is a long one, written in more 590 pages, it intelligently unfolds every event and the reason behind the action taken which helps a reader like me to develop perspective. This also keeps it interesting until the end. The theme does not only revolves around the crime that is committed but every emotion exposure each character go through which leads to a thrilling drama that is lightened by occasional comic moments. 

I never expected this novel to be a thrilling one. The plot did sound interesting at the start and looking at the length of the book, I did wonder how the author will reach the conclusion of this tale which is full of twists and turns. He is imagination and construction of plot did exceed my expectations and so did his writing style. Written from a third person’s narrative there is not a single element I could find the can be said as a dragging one. He even provides insight into Chennai’s culture and its geography which I am nothing but unfamiliar. The characterization could have been better but I do not solely blame the author since there is a huge cast to manage.  

This book is an attraction for crime readers as it does not follow a traditional path of the subgenre but tries to redefine the perspective both of the reader and the writer because of its highly appreciable and well-organized plot.  

4 out of 5! 

The post BOOK REVIEW: Elephants in the Room by Suraj Laxminarayanan appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

One of the hardest thing about blogging is consistently writing and publish blog posts and for that, you have to keep coming up with the ideas. Often times, I find myself blank when thinking or writing a blog post that is not a book review. I haven’t posted a non-book in a while.

So I thought, I’d try to help others who might find themselves in the same situation as of me. Below in this post, I compile a list of 10 (ten) ideas for possible blog posts for a book blogger. It follows a pattern of ten days in which you have to consistently write. Does not matter that you post them one after the other, I do not want to interrupt your blogging schedule.

To complete this challenge all you have to do is for next at least draft these topics I mentioning. I do hope after going through the list, you will become a blog post idea generating machine.

Day One: [Book Haul/Currently Reading/Recently Read/Weekend Reading/Bookstagram #xxx]

Post pictures of your shelves, books, kindles or the one you are recently bought and cannot wait to read.

Day Two: Discuss a character

I love writing in-depth posts. I also love reading in-depth posts about characters. A character can be good or bad, twisted or naive and you can tell this reader by spotlighting one.

In past, I have written a few posts like this. One is an essay I wrote a few years back on one of my favorite Scottish detective John Rebus.

Day Three: Tell The Story Of How You Loved Reading Books

Everyone has a story about how they fell in love with reading books and I (as your audience) am waiting to hear about yours.

See my post on the same topic!

Day Four: Book Cover Likes and Dislikes

I wanted to do this for a long time. Book covers can be a great asset to lure readers. But I have seen covers that have put me off even though that book is worth reading.

Day Five: Writing About Film/TV adaption of your favorite book

Or the one you have read. If you start writing this post, it will never be focused on or about only one book. You can build up a series of posts.

Day Six: Book Lists that are tied to a seasons and Holidays

This type of post is read by everyone. We all need books to add to our TBR or read it on an upcoming weekend/holiday.

Day Seven: Analyze Your Reading Year

Even though it been only nine months this year, you can write a post about analyzing how your reading year is going through. If you are on Goodreads, you can do it easily. Go to ‘My Books’ and then in the left corner there click ‘Reading Stats’ under the section ‘Your Reading Activity’.

• My Goodreads year 2017
• My Reader Profile Analysis which I recently posted with the help of BookSirens.com (for free)

Day Eight: Write about at least one blogging lesson

Share your experiences about blogging. What are you doing to keep your audience interested? What has changed or you put a lot of effort into learning from the point you started blogging up to now. Inspire others and give suggestions or advice. I often find Book Bloggers creative in this area.

Day Nine: Post an Author Interview/Book Blogger Interview

If you haven’t posted yet, this is the time. To complete this challenge, you will have to interview in whatever way you find suitable and post it.

Day Ten: What Genres You Do Not Like To Read?

In my opinion, this particular post will be great for your audience to read. You pick some genres that you do not read and tell them why.

Do you think you can complete this challenge?

These are the ten ideas I have come up initially but feel free to add or replace a post idea or two while doing the challenge.

Here is some swag for you to post/re-suse or spread the word about this challenge.

The Complete 10 Day Checklist

Download as pdf: 10-day-book-blogging-challenge

WINNER BADGES

WHEN You have completed the challenge successfully you can even brag about it by displaying the following badge in the colour of your choice:

Three more colours. All badges – Download

NOTE If you decide to the challenge, please post the link of your posts or the complete challenge below in comments and I will compile those links and spread the word for you. Inspire others!

You got inspired by this post and now you want to start a book blog? Let me help you. You can check out my ebook on Book Blogging which has tons of insights on how to get started and continuing building your book blog. A Blogger’s Manifesto is available on Amazon IN and US.

The post Ten Day Book Blog Posts Challenge #1 appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

It’s the start of another week and I am currently reading The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, a book that is the blend of Greek Philosophy, Alderian Psychology and common sense (so far).

What are you reading?

The post #CurrentlyReading: The Courage to be Disliked appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Blurb

Pyjama Profit is a guide for millennials to get started with a self-sustained online freelance practice, while developing their skills needed to succeed. The book talks about in-demand online skills and the different paths one can take to become an expert in these fields. A stable income from freelancing in college was the bedrock that had allowed the authors to explore their ambitions further and get to where they are today. In the process, they’ve worked with many of their own batch mates, colleagues and friends to help them set up highly successful freelance careers.
The author duo decided to detail their story of what worked for them and how anyone in the country could thrive without being tied down to a full-time job. The authors feel the timing of the book is perfect because of the growing freelance economy and growing aspirations among millennials to find a job they love and not just something that pays their bills.

You can check more information about the book on Amazon.in.

Are you on Instagram?

It has been close to 6 months and I am getting hang of Instagram and use it as a bookstagram .

If you are on Instagram and like to share about each other’s books, leave your handler or link below in the comment and I will follow you.

The post Mini Book Haul Wednesday appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Age of Azmoq - The Valantian Imperium by Rajamayyoor Sharma
on 17/01/2018
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 479
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Reading a highly imaginative tale can go either way, the good or the bad. Out of the imagination comes the plot and the characters which form the complete story. The effort of the writer does not diminish itself, but these are the two main factors I look in every fantasy novel.

Age of Azmoq – The Valantian Imperium by Rajamayyoor Sharma is a fantasy novel. Azmoq is a rare metal found on the planet. It’s the ultimate source and symbol of real power, and the Valantian Imperium controls it all in Valantia. It is a tale that consists of magic and sorcery. and adventures that fill all 470 plus pages.

The storyline of the book is divided into forty-eight chapters. The quest begins when a youth living in the village of Villasboro, Devrath, the protagonist of our story is asked by his master to inquire about a stranger who is staying there for almost a year and a half. This quest then leads to further adventures such as the unveiling of the truths and secrets for the first time. I would not say the plot makes this novel exactly a page turner but yes, it is fast-paced.

There are subplots that consist twists and turns which both adds an advantage and a disadvantage to this novel. The advantage is that these subplots are intriguing and important. That is how a fantasy tale is told. The disadvantage is that sometimes it did get out of the track and was baffling.

The characterization is vast and it is hard to keep track of it. Though I guess it can be a challenge for the reader. The writing style is appreciable as the author has put a lot of effort in terms of that. I would not declare this book an absolute epic fantasy since it needs to improve few things I have mentioned. But yes, it is close to one and is a delight for the fans of fantasy.

3 out of 5

The post BOOK REVIEW: Age of Azmoq – The Valantian Imperium by Rajamayyoor Sharma appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

And receive awesome books to read.

If you are a book blogger/reader and want to receive free books and you live India, this is for you.

You can join the mailing list by filling out this form and do not worry, I won’t SPAM you. That’s my promise! From one reader to another.

You will receive emails only when there are books to giveaway available. There will be eligibility criteria mentioned for some giveaways, in the email.

If you want to host a Book Giveaway, contact me.

~ Find me on ~

BLOG |  GOODREADS |  TWITTER | FACEBOOK | MEDIUM

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Sequel to Maestra by Lisa Hilton, will keep you awake at night. If does not, coffee will help.

I enjoyed reading Southwick’s new book. More about it in a review coming up.

Bought two books written by Gary Vaynerchuk after consistently listening to his podcasts. He might sound overwhelming, but he knows what he is talking about.

As they said, Old is gold. I loved it from page 1!

This is an awesome book to read. I re-read it this month. You can check my review of it here.

What are some books you read in June?

~Find me on~

BLOG | GOODREADS | MEDIUM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

The post Bookish Tweets in June appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

My 2016 Reading Challenge hosted by Goodreads.com began with the start of this amazing year. This year, I challenged myself to read 150 books, incrementing the amount of books from last year’s challenge(2015) by 25. At first I wasn’t event sure that I’d be able to complete the challenge and then after doing a good start and reading a proper amount of books and then failing to find overcome the procrastination of not reading, I found myself in a fumbling three months back. I was behind in the challenge by almost a decade of books and was ready to give up. I am below par as not exceeding my limit of 150 books this year in contrast with the last year in which I exceeded by a good margin.

I know, you might say the “number” doesn’t matter. It does not to me, most of the times, but I must confess this “number” or the amount of books at a given time drives me to read more when I am either procrastinating or not fully utilising my time such as by visiting sites that put cute images of cats on display. Somehow this year, I have managed to escape that feeling of personal disappointment of not completing the challenge but I am looking forward to the next year and hopefully, reading more, and exploring more wonderful books.

What do you think? Should I increase the next year? Should I take it to 175? 

Are you taking the Goodreads challenge this year?

The post Goodreads Reading Challenge 2016 appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.