Unforeseen by Chandan Sen Gupta
Published by Notionpress on 23/03/2018
Genres: Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 340
Format: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

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Dystopia by Manoj Jain
Published by The Write Place Genres: Fiction
Pages: 146
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

With a peculiar cover Manoj Jain, this is his 5th book release. I have read some of his work in the past and has expressed my views accordingly. I am on a firm belief that writer Manoj Jain’s work is mostly targeted to the length of a novella, he is definitely trying to accomplish something there.

The storyline of his latest novel revolves around the peculiar nature of a child and their parents. The theme of this novella is everything related to a childhood. The pain of growing up, teenage angst, role identities, and parenting. A spirit is constantly present guiding these children and oversees their journey in the beautiful fantasy land of Shambala, a kingdom where children start their travels and are protected and taken care of.

These children continue their journey, skipping along the path till they reach a dark forbidding gate, which like some powerful vacuum sucks them inside and into the next kingdom of Dystopia. The plot starts around the reunion of five friends where they recall the past wounds and a memory to resolve why a young girl had to kill herself at the age of eighteen.

The writing style is up to the mark here. What I liked about this whole storyline is how the author has used the spirit of Dystopia as an expression that closely resembles a parent as an adult who guides a child during their from the young age to their teenage years and helps them to emerge as adults. As a reader, one can clearly observe the psychology from this end. Next, the thing I like about this novella is how Manoj Jain engages a reader like me in his twisting and turning of the storyline.

I read this book in one go and I am sure you will enjoy reading it to. If you are a parent, this might turn on an internal debate with your subconscious mind for the good or the bad but beware, that the message this novella wants to spread, must be taken seriously.

4 out of 5!

The post #BookReview: Dystopia by Manoj Jain appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Influencer by Brittany Hennessy
Published by Citadel on 31/07/2018
Genres: Nonfiction
Pages: 254
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads

Brittany Hennessy does a great job on writing a book about that targets Instagram as the platform to promote your work. Appropriately titled, Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media this book makes you understand the strategies behind the Insta-popularity/lifestyle.

As a blogger myself, I started Instagram very late. I do not think it is important to be on every platform personally if you are one man army but I do think Instagram is a great core source of Digital Marketing in the modern day world. After using it for seven months now, I find there are two kinds of people on it, the one with many followers and the one lesser followers. I am not taking spammers and shameless promoting agencies into account.

I find Instagram works differently from social media platforms such as Twitter which in my opinion is more diverse and flexible. On Instagram, people are there to spread the word out of their book, blog, product, service, etc. by using hashtags and lots of them. It is easy to engage the audience but to build one is, of course, a game of patience, some smart decisions and working hard to promote your content. Once you have gained enough audience or number of followers as what they call on it, you can start monetizing. There is no hard and fast rule monetization. I have seen people with a lesser number of followers (that means, only in few thousands) monetizing greatly. Thus, this is what the book is about.

Hennessy guides you from how to start at the lowest level that is having zero influencers. From creating content worth double tapping and using hashtags to get discovered, not getting banned and delivering is what makes an impact on your audience. With things live Instagram TV, I have seen people who used live streaming services like Twitch or YouTube are now using it. Why? The answer is simple. It works on mobile which is easy to use in terms of setup (all you need is the app) both for the influencer and audience member.

The book is well organized and offers man practical methods that if put in practice, Hennessy assures that it will bring results. I cannot say that if I agree or not with her, because not everything is for everyone but I do think some of the methods she has described are not long term. The book offers insights from a few beauty, fashion, lifestyle and photographers who are digital influencers. This is the most valuable part of this book I find since many of the stuff they say did not sound biased towards using one social media platform such as Instagram.

The writing style is good but since it is more of a how-to book, there is no proper paradigm to value it thoroughly. Even though this book is 250 pages long, I think it could have been shorter. Some of the content I find is irrelevant to the core idea of the book.

3 out of 5! For two reasons. One it concentrates on only one Social Media Platform, which is great, but I am not interested in it more than I am using it right now. Secondly, some of the content does sound like dragging elements just to fill in the pages, as I have mentioned this book could have been shorter. If you are getting started on Instagram or want to to know how it works, this book is for you.

If you are book blogger read this post on how to promote your Bookish Instagram Posts: 10 Bookish Hashtags to Follow on Instagram

The post #BookReview: Influencer by Brittany Hennessy 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.

Positive Eating: A guide to Everyday Health & Nutrition with easy to cook recipes on 2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Travel
Pages: 192
Format: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

Sports nutritionist Radhika Toshniwal has launched her book that tries to put emphasis on eating healthy. The book is titled, Positive Eating, A Guide to Everyday Health and Nutrition with Easy-to-Cook Recipes.

It does get clear from the title that book is full of recipes. The presentation of these recipes, however, is mind-blowing. I loved the artwork that comes along with every recipe turned into a dish. The content in the book presented is top notch, there is no doubt about that. I learned that some of the recipes are the result of unconventional combinations of ingredients which I found surprising. My favorite recipes were coffee related which are described at the end of the book.

Even though it is a nonfiction work, there is no voice or any other paradigm to judge this book. The author could have included a few words for some or every recipe or by putting more emphasis on the outcomes of eating healthy and how these recipes could be a start for someone who struggles with keeping their diet in control. The book unfolds these recipes to the reader or interested person but does not sell it and assumes the general idea of beneficial healthy eating which is okay but there are a ton of ways out there to eat well. The book certainly does not cover a large portion, nor it does explain how or why these recipes it contains.

3! If you are a foodie or a food blogger, a dietician or a nutritionist of your own, this book is for you. If you are curious enough about the unconventional ingredient combinations.

The post #BookReview: Positive Eating by Radhika Toshniwal appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

If you want to submit a book for a review please shoot me an email at amandeepmittal@live.com.

• If you just want to send me your book/ebook, you can. Hereby, I do not guarantee to offer book review or offer my opinion on it. This is free.
• If you want me to formally review your book, please note that I offer it as chargeable service.

Other services I provide on my book blog:

• Author Interview
• Book Spotlights
• Blog Tours
• Side-banner/Post-banner advertisement
• Social Media Post

Additionally if you are wondering about a book and would like my opinion just ask in the comment or again, shoot me an email! I’m happy to make recommendations. I’ve read a tons of books from a variety of genres.

If you want to get guaranteed multiple reviews/book promotions, Check out the Patreon page of this blog

Confessions of a Readaholic is live now for five years and I want it to continue this journey. I want to help more authors who are indie or new to the world of books by providing them services through this book blog. In five years, there have been many authors and teams who have become my clients and friends. Thus, to maintain this relationship and the transparency between us, I have decided to provide these services through a platform called Patreon.

You can support this blog by becoming different type of supporter and in return you get access to different services.

Please Note that Becoming a patreon does not guarantee positive book reviews by me. I will continue to review books with the same integrity and honesty as I always do.

WAIT!

This week on Saturday (Sep 22) I am coming up with a new challenge for Book Bloggers. It is called 10 Day Book Blog Post Challenge. Stay tuned for more information on this!

The post Need a book review + Patreon Page? appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

A Place Called Schugara by Joe English
on 20/03/2017
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 554
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Sometimes, when reading a book I often feel the characters it consists are the backbone. I do not know if you have encountered this feeling but I have. The storyline can be flawless but there is a lot that depends on the characters. These characters do not just fill up the pages but they tend to create their own illustration in our minds. For this kind of book, I do believe a writer needs to have a seamless ability to develop such characters and give them air to breathe in between the pages. A Place called Schugara by Joe English is one of that type of book.

The storyline is intriguing as it is based in Caribbean islands. It consists of three main characters: a factory owner from Ohio, an insurance investigator from New York and a bookseller from Chicago. Their fate is tied up together on a little island in the Caribbean. Each of them, offering a variety of background and have their own justification for reaching out on the island. One is after the materialistic missing treasure and another arrives to search for a missing person. Each of them discovers a different experience that is rightly justified by the overall novel. The plot covers all these different characters with a gap in between the timeline of their arrival. The main highlight of the plot is that each character brings on a subplot that adds to the major picture and from time it is unpredictable which is how a reader like is motivated to keep reading it.

The characterisation apart from the main cast is well organized and developed. Every character has its own role to play. The author uses dialogue formation well to switch between the different acts but also uses first-person narrative voice with Chicago bookseller. On reading it, I could say there are different styles of narration mixed to enhance the distinct voices of different characters. This is intriguing. The pace of the novel is steady and helps in moving with the plot. The book is 550 pages long so it also gives a lot of time for the main cast to develop to its fullest and at the same time for the reader to cope with them.

Apart from that, there are different themes that the author tries to address in this book. Themes such as drug wars and the scandal related to a Church clergy are the two highlights. The climax of the novel unfolds in more of a classic Russian literature style. Yes, I am referring to the likes of Dostoyevsky and Chekhov. The book is the result of a highly creative energy put in as the effort. I took my time to read it but I can say it was worth it.

5 out of 5! Recommended.

The post BOOK REVIEW: A Place Called Schugara by Joe English appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks by Nic De Castro, Nathan Pettijohn
Published by Lioncrest Publishing on 27/06/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 66
Format: eBook
Goodreads

In the world of hustle, we often forget how much time we lose instead of spending it in a useful manner. Time management is an actionable task if you run a startup or a micro business. If you are not managing your time wilfully, you are not only losing time but your energy too in performing mundane tasks. Think about the most mundane task you go through every day that unknowingly consumes a lot of time?

I am a remote worker and I spend a lot of my time reading and answering emails (not from my workmates). Emails in a modern world, consume a lot of our time. I often find myself reading emails on my laptop and if away from that, my mobile phone happily delivers them to me. Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks is a short book, mere 65 pages, about how to outsource these type of administrative tasks. It offers a system that if followed and maintained can add a lot of value to your time and save that energy. It is a tactical guide that might not interest everyone, but let me convince you to read it at least once.

Along with defining the situation by giving a real-life example of the major difference by managing these tasks on your own versus hire someone to manage your inbox, this book offers a variety of tools, mostly free. Written by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, both of them are startup owners. They describe by hiring a virtual assistant how they were able to add more value to their personal and work life.

This book even the so short is about implementing the strategies defined in it ASAP. That is the idea both the co-authors want to convey. The writing style is simple and to the point. The tools and systems defined are pragmatic. Two of those tools, I have started using them. However, I do feel this book could have been a longer and tackled other issues for a modern-day hustler. I would have loved to hear about how Nic’s and Nathan’s manage and tackle different situations in their startup world. That zen could have been more descriptive.

3.5 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Mastering Fear - A Navy SEAL's Guide by Brandon Webb, John David Mann
Published by Portfolio on 07/08/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship, Self Help
Pages: 256
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Best book I have read in 2018!

When I saw the cover of the book I knew I had to get my hands on it. The cover is unique and simple. A yellow background with a man representing a warrior type of a person on a horse killing a lion with a spear. Might sound mythological to some or hypothetical to others. It has a significance to the context of the book. I urge you whatever thought comes into your mind after grasping the cover image from both of your eyes, either try to remember it or write it down somewhere. You will be astonished by its significance.

Mastering Fear is a great title to start the book. It is not your typical self-help book if you read it carefully. The author of this book had experience in war zones of Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL where he learned a lot of things and developed a conscience for trusting himself in the situations where panic easily takes over a human mind. Brandon Webb, he is an accomplished author and has written many books before this one. Apart from being a Navy SEAL, he now runs a media business that is worth millions. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to understand the motive behind this book. To master the fear, the first step is to take a decision and I want you to take decide for yourself whether this book is for you or not.

Mastering Fear is not about facing a hostile gang of men or being in a war zone. It's about the battlefield in your mind.
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Think about it. Who is that person that you most spend time with? Talk to, care about or listen to? Yes, yourself! This book talks about you. It is based on you. There are stories of people who are have mastered their own fear of drowning in the water, heights or build their own life after getting bankrupt 2 or 3 times. But all are these realities of others who have faced panic in its face when the time came for them. Brandon Webb, the co-author of this book starts it in a storytelling way about his friend who is suffering from the fear of drowning for the last 35 years of his life. The only reason he is still suffering because he wants to learn to swim and has tried everything. Contacted every medal winner or coach but always failed. This how Brandon concludes this situation:

Mastering Fear is not about becoming physically stronger, or tougher, or more macho r more aggressive, or more stoic. It is about how to identify and change the conversation in your mind.
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I consider this a universal truth after hours of dwelling in works of ancient and modern day writers. The book focus on the self’s thought process and how to change it when the situation of an excruciating adrenaline rush comes where we often fail because we forget to give it a second thought right there, in that circumstance. This is the core of the book. Switching your thought process and understanding that fear is not something you should despise and can have your own way in life. Brandon points out that fear is a signpost, a gateway to the prize or the achievement or your success. It can be that secret weapon or the missing piece of puzzle right under your nose. To do so, Brandon divides the whole process into five interesting steps that are demonstrated with real-life anecdotes.

The writing style of the book is simple and easy to grasp. The book even though only 250 pages long is time-consuming. The chapters are short and consistent. Each follows the previous one, so I would not recommend skipping one for another. Its narrative style is catchy. Once you sit down and start reading it, it is hard to move away from it.

I would also like to say here that the context of the book is solely a pragmatic POV. Some readers might do not want to read it since it is written by a Navy SEAL or some only want to read it because it is written by a Navy SEAL and will have content on war zones, et cetera. You both are going to be disappointed. This book is about overcoming your fear even if you sit in a cubicle all day. It is about how to grow as a person and achieve what you always wanted to.

A must-read book for everyone.

5 out of 5!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Mastering Fear – A Navy SEAL’s Guide by Brandon Webb and John David Mann appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

Inkredia: The Luwan of Brida by Sarang Mahajan
Series: Inkredia #1
Published by Gloryburg on 28/05/2017
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 436
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Inkredia: Luwan of Brida is the first book in the series of four. Written by Sarang Mahajan, it is a fast-paced fantasy novel. Written in the fashion of tell-tale fantasy, this book takes the reader on an adventure that has knights, magic, mystery, and questions that need to be answered.

From start to finish, the plot revolves around the two characters of both siblings. One is a seventeen-year-old Luwan and his sister Meg who live in the mountain village of Brida. Both of them are orphans since there is a little reference for their father or any other relative. The book cover might not seem an attractive one but believe as I started reading it, I could not keep my hands off it. The storyline unfolds at an interesting point. Luwan is facing a penalty, probably one that includes his death as he fails to pay the tax for the first time. He makes a daring choice to flee from the village along with his sister in a world that is full of danger.

His embarkment of the journey nearly gets them killed. Evil assassins called Ghork Riders are chasing him. He possesses a mysterious book given by his mother that is magical in nature. In the form of riddles, the magical book guides Luwan outside of his village where he comes across a drunkard name Kiliarn who is a merchant by profession. Now, I can tell you all about Kiliarn in this review since I found him the most likable character in this book, but I do not want to spoil anything for you. All I can say this, Kiliarn agrees to take responsibility to travel with them to The City in exchange for some silver coins. It is a thrilling adventure until the destination arrives.

The plot is well constructed and organized. There is so much suspense that surrounds these characters which makes it hard to keep an eye off them. A reader who is fond of traditional fantasies will be indulged in this book. Another thing I want to mention that both the storyline and Sarang’s creation of the world of its own seems closer to Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings rather than modern fantasy writers.

There are not many characters revealed in this edition. The character of Kiliarn is my favorite so far. I am sure, I can expect more interesting characters like this in the rest of this series. The author has taken the time to introduce us to the main cast as well as let few others develop along the adventure. Written in third person narrative style, the overall writing style is just amazing and professional.

This book, even though is a start in the series of Inkredia, seems to have a strong foundation established. I managed to finish this book in two sittings. I will definitely be looking out for the next part. Fantasy lovers and fans of Lord of the Rings check this out. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended!

5 out of 5!

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