Caina by Joseph Albanese
Published by Mockingbird Lane Press on 05/07/2018
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 174
Goodreads

Caina is a dark comedy thriller, a light-hearted novel written by Joseph Albanese. The story revolves around two siblings who are born only a few minutes apart. One is highly successful, the other is attracted towards trouble. This opposite nature of two brothers seems like a yin yang situation is what this book about.

Lee Tolan attracts trouble wherever he goes. In debt to multiple gang members, Lee is given a second chance in life to pay back his dues. After not seeing his twin brother for more than a decade, Lee is forced to overcome this strange nature of their relationship only to find that Grant, his twin brother dead but leaves a fortune behind. Soon Lee realizes that to claim this fortune, he has to turn into his brother for the DEA and fight the mob cleverly and do save a little for himself. From this point starts a dark comical thriller of the chase, sympathy, friendship, and love. During these events, Lee learns a lot about his brother and his dark secrets.

The plot is well constructed due to the following reasons. There is a lot in the storyline going in 170 pages that keep the reader on the edge. With themes of dark comedy and crime, this novel is well suited to be read in a seating or two. The timing of the climax is on the mark. However, I did not see any subplot emerging from the shadows of the characters. A subplot could give a reader some breathing space and thinking time as to what will be the turning point. This book does not. As a reader, you keep following the series of events with a variety of characters.

The characterization in this novel is above par. Realistic enough to digest and well suited with the plot. I do like how novel starts and then from there the story builds up. The author does a great job of providing the background of the protagonist in the start. Though in between, I did lose interest due to same nature of events getting repeated. The multiple gang members due was not necessary in my opinion. One such occurrence could have been enough.

3.5! An entertaining read overall.

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Flaming Forties by Giri Sharma
Published by Notionpress on 16/10/2017
Genres: Fiction, Travel
Pages: 80
Format: eBook
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Goodreads

Giri Sharma’s latest novella Flaming Forties: A Journey Which Changed Their Lives has a lively theme with all the modern elements one can think of. The book is based in Mumbai, India, where four childhood friends dwell together on a journey. The story of these four friends is an interesting reflection of life.

The plot starts with the journey to Manali and Shimla from Mumbai. All of the friends are in their forties and happily married or recently widowed. They are meeting after a long time and haven’t been in contact for 28 years. The plot covers two themes simultaneously and succeeds in doing so. These two themes, friendship, and marriage are rarely seen together in one book. The storyline is eventful with some twists in between.

The characterization in the novel is above par and I think since the length of the novella is only 80 pages, there isn’t enough time given for the characters to mature to the highest possible extent. Third person narrative voice is used in this novella to describe the events. It is written with simplicity. A better editing or a little expansion of the plot could have done better though. This book did feel too short to read. The themes, the thing I most adore about this book could have then been reflected more in depth but that might not be the intention of the author.

Nonetheless, if you are looking to read something short and crisp, something that you can read in one sitting, this is for you. I will be looking forward to more and a bigger (in length) work from Giri Sharma, the author.

3 out of 5!

The book is available on various platforms:


Amazon.in (print edition) :

https://goo.gl/oTmRLC
FLIPCART ( print edition) : https://goo.gl/ppPxrh
Kindle (e-book) : https://goo.gl/ekBYt2
Google play (e-book) :https://goo.gl/XAqFBf
Apple i-Books- ( e book ) : https://goo.gl/NZMhEv
USA- Amazon Kindle: https://goo.gl/mXb3w
UK- Amazon Kindle: https://goo.gl/Mqdhda

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Do you want to become a better blogger? Or you struggling to even start one?

Being a blogger means more than just putting words into post. Everything matters when it comes to run a blog consistently. Things like a blog’s design, managing social media profiles, saving countless drafts and then scheduling them in manner as they fit your theme of the month or something like that. Lastly, do not forget about networking with authors and fellow bloggers.

It sounds overwhelming. It is OVERWHELMING

I am here to help. I have been writing this blog for about 5 years now and have monthly subscribers of more than 7.5k. I am currently writing for three blogs other than this and various different publications on Medium.com and I how hard it can be to find your audience. I have been managing countless social media accounts, and have gone through every phase in terms of blogging that you are going through. This is how I want to help you.

Below is a list of variety of posts that I have written over years and I continue to write that are going to help you not only kickstart in the world of blogging or your niche book blogging, but you will be a PRO in no time. You will be spending more time creating content for your own blog rather than breaking your head over things that are only worth one at a time. After reading them, you will have a workflow (probably custom) and you will utilise your time gracefully and productively.

Check out my latest post #bookblogging.
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So let’s begin…

Browse By Topic:

Book Blogging

• 5 Books you should read as a Book Blogger
• The Secret Life of a Book Blogger
• Social Media for Book Bloggers

Blogging

• How to be a Productive Blogger: Getting Things Done
• How To Hack Your Mornings So You Get Most Of Your Time
• Boost Your Blogging Confidence and Write That Post
• Things I have learned about Blogging

To read in depth of making of a book blogger and all general how-to’s you should check out my Ebook on Blogging: A Blogger’s Manifesto.

It is available on Amazon IN | Amazon US only for $ 0.99.

Stay tuned for Freebies coming for book bloggers next month  To get an update subscribe this blog in the right side bar.

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Check out my new ebook A Blogger’s Manifesto. 

A Blogger’s Manifesto is a short ebook (around 100 pages) about blogging written by a blogger. It covers the story of my book blog Confessions of a Readaholic and other essentials for an individual who is getting started with blogging or is a new blogger.

The book in detail covers:

• Starting a blog with zero followers
• Writing a compelling blog post
  
• Why Comments are essential part in blogging community
  
• How to reach your milestones with your blog
  
• Social Media and money making tips

Are you looking to #kickstart a #BookBlog?
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Since I am a book blogger, I have covered topics that are essential to know before if you are getting started or recently started in Book Blogging.

• Writing a Book review
  
• Blog Tours
  
• Getting an ARC
  
• Interviewing Authors

If this interests you, grab your copy now from Amazon IN | Amazon US only for $0.99.

Note: If the title is unavailable on the Amazon in your country, let me know, I will be happy to send you the copy. 
Everyone will get future updates for free, especially the second version which is coming out soon.

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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!

The post BOOK REVIEW: Entering StartupLand by Jeffrey Bussgang appeared first on Confessions of a Readaholic.

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

Buy this book from Amazon

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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

Buy this from Amazon

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The Aryabhata Clan by Sudipto Das
Published by Niyogi Books on 05/12/2017
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Historical
Pages: 476
Format: Paperback

The delightedness of reading a book depends on very few factors. One of them is how the plot unfolds in front of the reader and his mind. Afterall, every story has some of it. Without a storyline, a book or a novel is spineless. Sudipto Das’ latest work, The Aryabhata Clan is a great example of why storyline matters.

The Aryabhata Clan is the second novel in the series after Ekkos clan. The genesis of the plot is coupled with some facts based on author’s research of ancient India, some 1500 years ago. The storyline starts in the present day New Delhi and takes its reader back in time as it advances. The plot is as follows:

The Islamic State has spread its tentacles in India, penetrating stealthily into the academia, media, and politics. The mastermind is Shamsur Ali, a physicist from Bangladesh. To destabilize India, he wants to create a sort of apocalypse, which the 21-year-old Kubha must prevent at any cost, come what may. Much of the plot involves Kubha. The book is murder mystery at the top and that brings the element of thrill on the table.

The interesting thing about the plot of this book is the amount of research author would have gone through. He has touched not only history, but linguistic, paleontology, and politics. There is a good amount of illustrations that explain the concepts involved in this novel.

The writing style is good, mostly involves third person narrative. The characterization in the novel does try hard to cope with loads of information and to advance the storyline at the same time. This does make few parts feel like a drag, but without these characters, this novel would not have been intriguing to read. The length of the book is around 470 pages and I think it is perfect.

I appreciate the effort author has put in creating a world of his own. This is what I want to see to in Indian Fiction and I am being outspoken about it for years. The thrill along with in-depth research sounds like pre-The Lost Symbol Dan Brown?). I do think the writer did try to satisfy most of his readers but with complex structures, you cannot and that is okay with me.

4 out of 5

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She Walks, She Leads by Gunjan Jain
Published by Penguin on 27/07/2016
Genres: Nonfiction
Pages: 584
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads

She Walks, She Leads is the latest work of Gunjan Jain, an effort that closely and in-depth explores individual lives of twenty-six Indian Women, and their journey to success. The book covers these real-life personages of various fields such as business, art, entertainment etc. Notable modern day icons such as Nita Ambani, Sania Mirza, Parmeshwar Godrej, Indra Nooyi, etc.

Each chapter in that covers the biography of every individual will leave an impression on the reader. Each chapter explores how these icons started their journey and continue to rise. By the end of every chapter, there is questionnaire round. The author interviews a close family member, friend or spouse to get more insight out of their lives. These real-life tales are inspiring and motivating. The author covers every woman in this story from almost every angle.

The length of the book more than 550 pages and I’d recommend it that there is no need to read it in one go. The writing style is smooth, and expressive, and has a flow that will indulge any reader in the conversation. I compliment the author for her research work on every icon. This book is a modern day necessity and a delight to read.

4 out of 5

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Maps Are Lines We Draw by Allison Coffelt
Published by Lanternfish Press on 20/03/2018
Genres: Travel, Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography
Pages: 144
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Maps are Lines We Draw is Allison Coffelt’s travel memoir. The book that is actually a novella, deciphers the culture of Haiti. I picked this book because of the cover and the title mainly. They both compliment each other and is a good attraction. Little did I know of Allison’s writing style at that time.

The blurb of the book describes author’s visit to the beautiful island, where beautiful means beautiful for the people of Haiti, as she recalls in the starting pages of her memoir. She is accompanied by a local doctor Jean Gardy Marius is the founder of a public health organization OSAPO. She tries to explore the island itself and everything it constitutes of, the people, their culture, recalls in between which I found very helpful as I was unfamiliar with the tumultuous history. Along being the ordinary travel memoir, it also spotlights the reality in which how aid organizations are trying to help the local economy. This makes this book unique and interesting.

What more unique I found in this book is Allison, the author’s writing style. The way she spread words for the reader has lasting charm. It is because of her writing style I could not put this book down and had to read it in one go. In the end, it left me a feeling that I can best describe as a longing for a travel and weave my own memories.

4 out of 5

Check out my NEW Book for Bloggers and Book Bloggers

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