Book Review: Live-in with a ghost

Book: Live-in with a Ghost

Author: Kritika Sharma

Published: Half Baked Beans

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Pages: 150

Price: 199 INR

Blurb: Jia & Jai have a unique love story where she is human and he is a ghost. They meet during an out-of-body experience after an accident. Although from different worlds, she is simple middle-class journalist and he is a rich playboy, they fall in love instantly. During the adventure of their relation they both go through various exciting events which include tears, laughter, love and even fighting-off goons. Throughout their relation, the only thing Jia fears is what if he wakes up and forgets her. And in the end of the story he does wake up but if he remembers her is yet to be known...

My Rating: 3.75/5

My Review:

There are some books that can take you to a totally different world. You find a way to escape from your problems and chores whenever you bury your nose in such books. Well, Live-in with a Ghost is one such book that can provide you a delightful mini-break.

Let me tell in the beginning that this book is not exactly a ghost story. So don't expect any amount of horror or spine-chilling thrill in it. That doesn't mean that the book is not interesting. In fact, it is one of the most fast-paced, gripping and unique love stories that I have read in recent times.

The story begins with Jia, a journalist who goes into coma after a road accident. During that time, her soul gets out of her body and wanders in the passages of the hospital till she meets a fellow soul, Jai. Jia learns that Jai has been in coma for a long time and his soul is wandering in this way since then. Jia finds Jai extremely attractive and they become friends soon. 

However, owing to Jia's good luck, she gets out of the coma the next day. After waking up, she can see the ghost (spirit) of Jai everywhere. She freaks out on discovering that Jai is a ghost, but Jai reminds her of their out-of-body meeting when she was in coma. From then on, Jai starts living with Jia and a love story starts blooming between the human and the ghost. Only Jia can see, hear and touch Jai, no body else. Jai can see and hear everyone, but can touch only Jia.

The characters of Jia and Jai are beautifully sketched. Both of them are so adorable that readers cannot help but love their unique love story. Apart from some good amount of romance, there is also some great doses of humor at regular intervals in the book. The moment when Jai protects Jia when Vivaan, his playboy friend tries to woo her is wonderfully written. The moments when Jia talks to Jai and people around her think something is wrong, is absolutely hilarious. Overall, the book is a very entertaining read.

On the flip side, there are many editing errors in the book which can hamper the pace of reading. I also felt that the ending was a bit rushed. The epilogue could have been a little longer. 

Apart from these few points, there is no drawback in the book. I had a wonderful time reading it. Kritika has written a very unique, fantasy romance novel that has two very endearing characters, Jia and Jai. This book can be a great stress buster.

Recommended to anyone who wants to read a light-hearted, unique romance novel!

Buy the book here!

                    

Book Review: You are the best wife

Book: You are the best wife

Author: Ajay K Pandey

Publisher: Srishti Publishers

Pages: 240

Price: 175 INR

Blurb: This is a true inspiring story of the author and his struggle with life. He struggled in almost every part of his life, but when his life seemed to be falling in place, his beloved wife left him halfway and her last word, ‘You are the best husband.’ gave him the strength to live with. He decided to pull off all her unaccomplished duties and made it a target to thrive for the rest of his life.

Told with frankness and doses of humor this heartwarming tale of a boy and a girl who never gave up on their love in face of the many blows that life deals them ends on a bittersweet and poignant note as Ajay comes to terms with the biggest lesson life has to offer.

‘You are best wife.’ is Author’s story—a story of how he lost his wife, his nerve-wracking and unimaginably terrifying journey through denial, resentment, and depression to, finally, acceptance and forgiveness.

My Rating: 3/5

My Review:

Since it is the true love story of the author, I really have the utmost respect for the author's emotions with which he has penned down the book, in the memory of his loving wife, Bhavna. So, I will try to overlook the drawbacks as much as possible. 

The book starts from the point when the author gets admitted in an engineering college, meets Bhavna and falls in love with her. We get to know their love story that goes through several ups and downs, the way they get married and finally the tragic death of Bhavna that shatters Ajay completely.

The best thing about the book is definitely Bhavna. Her character, her words and her loving nature definitely touched my heart. The positive outlook towards life that Bhavna had will surely inspire plenty of souls. She taught Ajay that life is not about the amount of breaths we take, but the number of moments that take our breath away. She had no regrets in living a short life because she believed that she had spent countless happy moments on the earth with her loved ones.

Here are some beautiful words that Bhavna tells Ajay:

"There are two kinds of personalities. There are those who have everything and still complain as if they have nothing. And there are those who lose everything and act like life has given them everything. Sometimes both these personalities exist in the same soul. Kill the first one, I love the second."

It is Bhavna's beautiful nature that inspired Ajay to find his happiness in helping others after she passed away. It is due to to the same reason that Ajay had written this book, in the memory of Bhavna. In short, Bhavna made Ajay a stronger, a wiser and a better human being in all aspects. That is after all the beauty and magic of love, isn't it?

Now, talking about the story, there is nothing new. The description of the ragging in college can remind readers of Five Point Someone and the part where Bhavna and Ajay were trying hard to convince their family for the inter-caste marriage can remind readers of 2 States. Moreover, the first part of the book contains plenty of Hindi slangs that were not really necessary. 

Had the book been a little more concise and the editing a bit sharper, the book could have been much better. 

If the readers view the book as the journal of the author's life, it will seem to be a nice reading experience. The emotions with which the book is written are authentic and honest. Despite the drawbacks in the writing and the monotony in the story, it is Bhavna's beautiful nature and the author's love for his wife that will linger behind.

Buy the book here!

Book Review: Ananya: A Bittersweet Journey

Book: Ananya: a bittersweet journey

Author: Shilpa Gupta

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Genre: Fiction (Young Adult Fiction/Contemporary Fiction)

Pages: 208

Price: 195 INR

Blurb: Meet Ananya Sharma, not your regular, teenage girl-next-door. Sure, she loves hanging out with her friends and engaging in whispered confidences at sleepovers, but when it comes to boys, she has competition on her mind rather than romance. 
At school, she is passionate about math and the sciences, 
and completely focussed on cracking the IIT entrance exams. 
But when distraction enters her life in the form of the handsome and charming Rohit, Ananya discovers love, longing and betrayal, all at once. Finding herself pregnant at the age of seventeen, she learns that the world is a very different place once you are on its wrong side. The discovery of the fault lines in 
her parents’ relationship—which until then had seemed perfect to her—further breaks her.

Will Ananya be able to reverse the downward spiral that her life has plunged into and find meaning once again?

My Rating: 3.75/5

My Review: 

Honestly speaking, when I started reading Ananya, I was not completely hooked to the book because the initial chapters mostly contained the daily incidents of a class 11 girl, like her studies, her friends, her teachers and her crush. However, as I gradually turned the pages, I was completely surprised. The book not only picked up momentum, but also touched my heart. This is one book that became better and better with every page. I was slightly sad when the book ended because by that time, I formed a kind of connection with the protagonist of the book, Ananya Sharma.

The book is divided into 3 parts: #1: Incy wincy spider climbed up the water spout. 

                                                     #2: Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

                                                     #3: Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

In the first part, the author has introduced us to Ananya and her more than perfect life. She is a topper who is aspiring to crack the IIT. She has a wonderful group of friends and is a pampered child of her parents. Her best friend, Moh's brother, Rohit is interested in her and Ananya also has a crush for him. Everything seems rosy in the first part of the book. Although I felt that the pace was slow in the first part, but there were many things that reminded me of my high school days such as the sleepovers and group studies. 

It is the second part when the book becomes an absolute page turner. When Rohit crumples Ananya's trust and leaves her to face the brutal realities of the world, you cannot help but feel sorry for her. The way all her dreams and aspirations tumble down because of trusting the wrong person is poignantly depicted by the author. The author has beautifully described the scars of Ananya, that were not only physical, but also psychological. Shilpa has done an outstanding job in giving life to Ananya. She totally wore the skin of Ananya while penning down this book.

It's said that what happens, happens for a greater good. A tragedy in the life of Ananya made her realize the true calling of her heart, apart from making her wiser and stronger. The third part of the book is like a soothing balm to the heart where Ananya finds light at the end of the dark tunnel. The character of Karuna, psychologist of Ananya is so beautifully sketched that she seems to be the fairy godmother of Ananya. 

The language and narration of the book is beautiful. There were a few editing errors, which can be overlooked. I just wish that the first part of the book was a little more interesting.

However,being a woman, the journey of Ananya touched the innermost chords of my heart. I could feel her agony, her loss and her triumph. 

A very heart touching book which deals with a sensitive subject! Recommended especially to teenage girls and women in their twenties. 

Buy the book here!

Book Review: Postcards from Memory

Book: Postcards From Memory

Author: Samir Satam

Publisher: First Step Publishing

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 132

Price: 180 INR

Blurb: Every moment that passes is not coming back. Yes, there might be moments in future, like the one you just experienced. But it's not going to be the same again. The one that was, was one like itself. It cannot be replaced. It's gone... Long gone... Dissolved in this crazy tasting, highly intoxicating drink of life. In an attempt to capture these bits and pieces that keep dissolving to give their distinct flavors to this colorful cocktail, I end up scribbling on my pad. This book is a bouquet of such moments that started with my mindless scribbling and ended up in verses. Sweet, Bitter, Sour, Sublime... Each piece has a taste of its own.

My Rating: 3.5/5

My Review: 

There is a beautiful poetic touch to the title of the book "Postcards from Memory". As poets, we all try to capture moments and preserve them in our poems so that we can look back at them again and again. So in this book, the poet has tried to capture the most memorable and savory moments of his life in a delicate way.

The book is divided into ten sections: Idle Morning| Temptations | Love, lies and a little nostalgia | Ramblings | A point of view | Stolen Moments | Lost Moments | Longing | One for the road | Flirting with Death

I especially loved the poems under the section Idle Morning, Temptations, A point of View, Flirting with Death and Longing. The observation skills of the poet are definitely worth applauding because he has written about everything under the sun. His emotional quotient and simplicity are the added plus points that make this book a soothing read. 

You can find poems on coffee and cakes that will literally make you hungry. There are poems on serious subjects such as global warming and honor killing that will make you think. You will also get to read beautiful, emotional poems on love, life, self-discovery and death.

The language used in the poems is simple and lucid. Therefore, no one will find any difficulty in comprehending the meaning of the poems. There are crisp, short poems as well as longer ones.

Here is a short poem from the collection under the section Longing that can give you an idea of the depth and simplicity of the poet.

Embroidered on her mind is a calm face,

Un-weaving its threads, she weeps in pain,

Nicks, 

Cuts,

Twists,

Pulls at stitches on the surface,

Until the face is completely erased,

Leaving back a faint trace,

Like the violence of an incomplete poem on a poet's page... 

However, on the flip side, there are quite a few poems in the book that could have been much better. There are some incessant long poems that aren't impactful or touching. 

Overall, the book is a mixed bag comprising some very good poems and some average poems. 

If you are fond of poetry, you can go for this book. The wide range of poems will give you a nice reading experience.

Buy the book here!

Book Review: A Little Chorus Of Love

Book: A Little Chorus of Love

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Short Story

Compilers: Preethi Venugopala| Anmol Rawat| Tina Basu| Soumyaa Verma

Format: Kindle

Publisher: Anmol Rawat

Pages: 276

Price: 49 INR

Blurb: What is love? The question brews a million different answers. Love is not an entity. It is an emotion that embraces several hues and shades within. 'A Little Chorus of Love – Love through Ages' simply follows the same idea and assembles 24 different writers portraying love in a form they acknowledge the best. 

Immerse yourself into the most powerful emotion with 24 different stories set in different time periods and feel your heart beat for that one special person in your life.

My Rating: 4.5/5

My Review: 

"A Little Chorus of Love" is a bouquet of 24 love stories that will surely mesmerize you and warm your heart. The recent anthologies that I have read usually consist of few very good stories and some average stories. Most of the time, it is a mixed bag of good and not-so-good stories. However, this book is different. I cannot pinpoint even a single story and say that it did not touch my heart.

Yes, all the stories in the book are delightfully beautiful and refreshing. Kudos to the compilers of the book for providing readers with such a wonderful collection of love stories. 

The love stories are of various flavors and therefore, you won't get bored to read the stories one after another. The book starts with Magic of Mask which is a love story of a magician and the ending of it brought tears to my eyes. There are some love stories in the book during the pre-independence era, such as Love through ages and My Red Knight that are beautifully written. 

In the story Timeless love, the author has perfectly depicted how love is stronger than death. In this story, the wife feels the presence of her husband even after years of her husband's death. The story The Recap will warm your heart as you will read the love letters of childhood sweethearts who have spent a lifetime together.I'm all yours is another story about childhood sweethearts and I think it is the sweetest story of this collection. 

There are also some wonderful twilight love stories in the book such as About Time and Beyond Eternity that shows that there is no perfect age for love. There are also some tragic love stories in the book which can make your heart a little heavy. The Eternal Wait is a tragic story where the man doesn't even have an idea about where his beloved is, and yet he keeps waiting for her, year after year with unconditional patience and love. A journey of choice has a tragic ending, but the story will surely touch the innermost chords of your heart. Que Sera Sera, The Partition of Love and Perhaps we could have been also have somber endings. 

I wanna grow old with you has many twists and turns and although it seems that the story will end on a sad note, it has a beautiful, surprising and happy ending. I felt that this is the most romantic story of this collection. When you are by my side is a very soulful story that compels you to think beyond the physical. Prerna is a very different story which has a heartwarming ending. 

All the stories of the book have a unique flavor and that's what makes this book so beautiful. In some stories, the narration is exceptionally beautiful whereas in a few stories, the narration could have been better.

I would like to congratulate all the authors of the book for penning such beautiful, heartwarming love stories. My favorite stories of this collection are I wanna grow old with you, When you are by my side, My Red Knight, The Eternal Wait, Timeless Love and Magic of Mask.

If you are a romantic at heart, then buy a copy of the book right away and let yourself drown in the magic of love once again, 

Recommended to anyone who is fond of love stories. 

Download the book here

November Reads!

I visited my Goodreads profile yesterday and saw that I still have 11 books to read this year to complete my 2015 Reading Challenge of 41 books.

Since I was busy working on my own books, I could not find time to read, especially during September and October. So I have a lot of reading to do before the year ends.

Right now, I am reading 3 books: a fiction, a non-fiction and an anthology of short stories.

The fiction I am reading is John Green's debut novel, "Looking for Alaska" which is a young adult fiction and after completing 150 pages, I am getting a strong feel that this book will shatter my heart into pieces, like John Green's "The Fault in our stars". Dear Mr. Green, why do you need to make your readers cry every time?

The non-fiction that I am reading is Elizabeth Gilbert's "Big Magic~ Creative Living beyond fear" which is about how to live a fulfilling creative life. I have just started reading this book yesterday, but after reading a couple of pages, I can bet that this book is going to hugely inspire me,

The anthology I am currently reading is "A Little Chorus of Love" (Kindle Edition) which is a collection of 24 heart warming love stories. This book is a review copy, unlike the other two books. The best thing about reading this book is that I am getting to read the work of many of my blogger friends.

So, my November started with these 3 beautiful books, which I would be reviewing soon here, in Purba's Library :)

Eat, Pray, Love~ one woman's search for everything!

My best friend gifted me this book on my birthday this year and when I started reading it, I realized that I have earned a new friend, Elizabeth Gilbert. So, I read the book at a slow pace because I was not willing to bid adieu to my friend so early. And when I was not reading it, I used to think about Elizabeth's journey.

Eat, Pray, Love is an autobiography or a travelogue of a woman in her mid thirties, who suffers a horrible divorce which is followed by a heart shattering breakup. Lost and devastated, Elizabeth embarks on a journey to find herself and to seek God. She travels to Italy, India and Indonesia after her publisher makes a deal with her that she has to write a blockbuster book on her journey.

As you leaf through the pages, you get to discover yourself along with Gilbert. You get to understand God along with Gilbert. You get to value your life in a more passionate way, along with Gilbert. The book is not only about the author's self-discovery. It is also your chance to rediscover yourself.

I would suggest especially every woman to read this book. It truly holds the secret of life.

Here's sharing 10 beautiful quotes from this book, that has resonated deeply with me:

1. "Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.” 


2. “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control.” 


3. “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life."


4. “To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced
life.” 

5. “There’s a crack (or cracks) in everyone…that’s how the light of God gets in.” 

6. "Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship - a play between divine grace and willful self-effort.” 

7. “Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come to you and clean away dirty energy.” 

8. “We don't realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.” 

9. “You’re wishing’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.” 


10. “Deep grief sometimes is almost like a specific location, a coordinate on a map of time. When you are standing in that forest of sorrow, you cannot imagine that you could ever find your way to a better place. But if someone can assure you that they themselves have stood in that same place, and now have moved on, sometimes this will bring hope” 


I cannot rate this book, probably because it is so very special to me. When I have started considering the author of the book my dear friend, I hope you can understand how special it is to me. 

Planning to watch the movie "Eat, pray, love" in the weekend! 

You can buy the book here