The Last Attractor of Chaos by Abhinav Singh
Published by Notionpress on 04/2018
Genres: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 332
Format: eBook
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If you get a chance to read a Spy novel written by an Indian writer you to read it. It is a like once in a blue moon material that gets out in the market.

The plot starts with a married couple. Ashwin Rathore is killed in a well-planned murder that gets wrong. The murderer was after his wife Shruti Rathore who is a retired R&AW agent. This is just a start of this thrilling storyline as the wife gets arrested by the Intelligence Bureau on the charge of stealing a strategic weapon and killing her associate. Unaware of her wife’s past, and after his death Ashwin meets a strange consciousness appearing in the form of a guide in his afterlife. Both of them try to save Shruti’s life as Ashwin himself tries to fight a dilemma of protecting his wife or choosing what is right to do.

The plot covers an interesting theme and there is a lot from a philosophical point of view on the death and afterlife. I was surprised by this as I expected it to be a traditional spy novel. However, the inclusion of this law of nature as the primary theme of the novel did make things interesting. With glimpses of mysterious nature of characters, this novel has a good pace, and the setting of the novel which includes an Intelligence Agency of India is something altogether new out there for the reader to pick this up.

The characterization is bold but more significant within the plot. They are like a molecule in the shell of the storyline and without it, they won’t exist. The use of sob plot was not much of an intriguing point from me but I think it copes well in the end. The writing style is crisp and lucid. It does help to turn the page at a faster rate. There are many twists and turns that made not to put down this book. A glimpse of realism is there which is what Indian readers are after these days.

Overall, this book is recommended for the sole reason that there aren’t many Spy novels written in India or by Indian writers. Another point that I can add is that this book is highly entertaining due to the way it reaches the climax of the story.

5 out of 5!

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Sherlock's World: Fan Fiction and the Reimagining of BBC's Sherlock by Ann K. McClellan
Published by University Of Iowa Press on 15/11/2018
Genres: Nonfiction
Pages: 286
Format: ARC, eBook
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Sherlock series by BBC set in contemporary London has one of the most mixed bag reviews I have ever heard from fans and non-fans of the original Sherlock Holmes books. Sherlock Holmes is still popular after making his first appearance in the print 130 years ago. It is one of the most fan-fictionalized characters. No other character from the literary world has been written about than Sherlock Holmes. So what makes Sherlock’s fanfic so popular?

Ann McClellan tries to answer this question in her latest book which consists of a series of essays. She tries to answer, even after 130 years of Sherlock Holmes, why are people so attracted to it? Sherlock’s fanfic does not end at the BBC’s remaking that stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson and created by one Mark Gattis and Steven Moffat. After reading this book, it does seem that Sherlock as a series is a mere portion of the fandom. The more aggressive and a larger portion is available on the internet where the world of Sherlock is constantly rebuilt. It explores different characters, genres, settings, fictitious realities.

I was shocked to see people often think of Sherlock as a sex symbol and there is a huge collection of fanfic all over the internet that likes to talk about it. Heck, many fans even have re-imagined their wildest dreams of performing a relationship between Dr. Watson and the detective himself. Most essays are written in third person narrative. I do feel this book could have been a bit short. It is a perfect read for someone looking to write or explore Sherlockians world deeply but if you just want to be in the awe of the literary character, this book is not for you.

3.5 out of 5!

What is your fantasy about Sherlock Holmes? Or do you like the classic/original cast and do not want to fiddle with it since it is mind-boggling…?

The post BOOK REVIEW: Sherlock’s World: Fan Fiction and the Reimagining of BBC’s Sherlock by Ann K. McClellan 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
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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!

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Pennies to Power by Tom Graneau
on 30/04/18
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 340
Format: ARC, eBook
Goodreads

Netgalley is a good platform to browse for upcoming books. If you get lucky, you will get the chance to read an ARC of a book you wish too. I also think it is one of the biggest platforms to search for indie authors. Recently, I got my hands on Tom Graneau’s new book, Pennies to Power: How to use your 20’s to Gain Financial Independence for Life.

For those of you who do not know, Tom is an advocate for working independently. At least to generate an income for your own efforts instead of working for others and fulfilling their dreams. In this book, he tries to provide pragmatic patterns and suggestions. He intakes 7 cultural barriers that are adhering most people from earn money outside their monthly paycheck life. There is no harm in that, but doing what you love and earning for yourself instead of paying to the banks to clear of your loans, is the motivation behind this book. Pennies to power gives the example of the American financial situation. It is full of researched anecdotes and diagrams. The author shows how temptations lead debt that looms for the rest of their lives. This forces one to think and live in a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle.

Pennies to Power tries to educate young ones about what financial situations they might lead into if there are no proper steps taken early in their lives. Tom believes that an individual’s 20s are the best time to start. Even though this book is targeted at people of a certain age group. The author claims that it can be useful for someone in their late twenties, I feel otherwise. I think the right audience for this book is for the age group of 18 to 22. They might feel more empowered and find it useful.

The writing style is not an attractive one. Even though it is a work of non-fiction, I felt it could have been better. The language is easy to understand and the book justifies the theme it revolves around: money.

3 out of 5!

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Pages: 160 Pages, Kindle Edition

Published: September 7th 2017 by Bloomsbury Academic

Cover Rating: 5/5

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Bloomsbury Academic Press has released a series of “Object Lessons” over the last few years that are books on items that have less significance these days or have lost their charm in time but some of us might experience the same amount of nostalgia about many of these “objects” whenever we see one of them.

This is my first reading in the Object Lessons series and it’s about the famously known device that ran on batteries for decades until in the previous decade replaced by the iPod. Yes, I am talking about the Walkman or some prefer to call it a personal stereo. Written by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, Personal Stereo is all about the handheld device that ran a cassette tape, with play, pause and forward and backward buttons. Starting from the post World War II Japan where one can find the origins of this device as well as the famous Sony Outlook that changed the public outlook and access towards music forever.

Rebecca’s study starts from Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita both who co-founded Sony Corporation along with the history of their famous product, Walkman. Along with the nostalgia that comes from the reminding oneself of dear past activities or objects that one could relate to, a reader can feel it with the writer. She goes on to discuss the cultural points that make this handheld device unique and acceptable over various part of the world for decades whereas the employees of Sony Corporation at the time of the Walkman’s origin felt to be absurd and a crazy idea that would lead to failure, a belief that did not share similar outcome in reality.

Author’s descriptive manner implying the nature and working of the device and her own experience with it, certainly indulges the reader deeply with the context. She takes the reader through the rise and fall of Sony and the era of cassette tapes. It’s a quick read and for someone who has been the owner of such a device will feel the essence of the fond memories of wearing up a set of foamy headphones.

4 out of 5!

Have you used one of these before? Do you still own one?

Note: I received this book from the publisher but that doesn’t mean my review is breaking any reviewing rules.

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Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Published by HarperBusiness on 30/01/2018
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Entrepreneurship
Pages: 228
Format: eBook
Goodreads

If you show up with that energy, and intensity every single day, good things are going to happen. #CRUSHINGIT
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Pages: 232, Kindle Edition

Published: October 2017,  by Harvard Business Review Press

Cover Rating: 4/5

We see startups everywhere. Being a part of the fastest growing economy the word startup is now on the mouth of everyone. Some have their own definitions of it, but as Jeffrey Bussgang mentions it is hard to define the word startup in mere words. To help reader understand the concept and those aspiring to work for startups will definitely get some help by reading this book.

Entering StartupLand: An Essential Guide to Finding Right Job is pragmatic approach to various career options or job profiles and responsibilities that are available almost in every startup. This includes product management, business development, marketing, growth and sales. To help one figure out what to expect when someone joins a startup there are insights from Jeffrey’s own life as he started his career with Open Market that was once a startup in 1997.

The book divides in eight chapters and begins with introduction to the startup culture and then discuss various but essential job profiles. Within the context, Jeffrey has made an effort to clarify and get his readers familiar with terms like Scrum and Agile working methodology. This I feel, is good for the reader to know some of the main buzzwords and make an effort to understand if they are new or not familiar with the context.

Having worked myself in one startup, I will say there are times when you dwell in uncertainty. Be ready for that. You may have to handle multiple responsibilities. Jeffrey has differentiated the two organisational paradigms, what a stable corporate life is and how it is different from the startup.

Since it is a nonfiction work, I don’t have much to write about the narrative voice. The book is written in an expressive and clear language. I do strongly feel that the author could have make an effort to explore the possibility of other skills that are common with startup culture.

If you want to get familiar with this term and its scions then this book is a great starting point. Perfect target audience are students in colleges and universities, and also recommended to someone looking for a job or career change.

4 out of 5!

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Pages: 224, Kindle Edition

Published: 2014 by The Rebel Within Us

Cover Rating: 5/5

I read a lot of business books these days and many a times I come across success stories of various entrepreneurs. But few of them talk about or share their story and how they got started from scratch. Jason Surfrapp’s Creativity for Sale: How I Made $1,000,000 Wearing T-Shirts and How You Can Turn Your Passion Into Profit, Too is a one of those few people.

Successful entrepreneur Jason Surfrapp (formerly Jason Headsetsdotcom and Jason Sadler) shares his hard-earned advice on how to use out of the box thinking to turn passions into profits. Creativity For Sale is the story of how Jason took a crazy idea (IWearYourShirt) and turned it into social media marketing empire that generated over $1M in revenue in just a few short years.

The content of the book is sharp, fresh (even to his date) and contain some pragmatic advice and tips from the entrepreneur himself. He offers specific examples from his own life, a touch to reality, how built and produced a creativity in the world of business.  These suggestions or anecdotes from his life are timeless lessons that young entrepreneur can learn start to identify at a early stage in the careers. There is enough emphasis on the why one should focus on their destination and have that locus to stick till one accomplishes his goals.

I recommend this book to any creative fellow who wants start a business today. Great source of motivation and inspiring story at the same time.

4 out of 5

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Pages: 221, Kindle Edition

Published: 2016, Bloomsbury

Cover Rating: 5/5

Nominated for The Man Booker’s Prize in 2016, Hot Milk by Deborah Levy has been siting on my virtual shelf for over a year. I thought, before this year ends I should give it a go.

With an interesting cover, the plot revolves around Sofia, a twenty five year old anthropologist, born to a British mother and a Greek father. She believes she has spent much of her life trying to solve the mystery of her mother’s unexplainable illness. She is frustrated by her mother’s constant complains and travels with her to the coast of souther Spain to see a famous consultant in the hope that he might be able to cure her mother’s unpredictable limb paralysis. With doctor’s strange methods, Sofia track while tracking down her mother’s symptoms in an attempt to solve this msytery of her pain but along this journey that, she discovers her own desires, her sexual personality and coming on terms with herself.

The storyline starts flat but as it moves forward it becomes interesting and enjoyable. It might take some readers to adjust with the plot but let me tell you this is one of the books where plot is secondary. This I realised after I was done with almost half of the book. The characters are the mai point of this book. These characters are always thinking and feeling. They develop on their own, some of them instantly and are interesting personalities. Whenever the author shifts focus from our protagonist I observed how intelligent the other characters in ths novel are.

Moreover, one gets to see the transformation of some characters as the plot move forward. The writing style has a pace with it and I highly enjoyed the narrative. The writer has clearly captured the strangeness of a mother who demands attention from her child who is an adult. The element of this type complexity is explored through out the novel. The landscape described in the book is limited but I think it has high impact both on the readers of the book and the overall characterisation.

I enjoyed reading Deborah Levy’s work. She is now one of the those authors on my list that I have to explore and read their other published works. This book can be finished in a day as I managed to read. Something different, not your usual contemporary fiction.

4 out of 5

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