Category: Book review

Book Review – “Live Laugh Love” by Venice Rowe

Lancelot Quadras 1 Comment

Name of the book – Live Laugh Love – bytes

Author – Venice Rowe

Genre – Collection of Short Stories

About the book:

A book with 15 short stories that are written about love, life and laughter. As a person, at some point of time, you definitely went through a string of emotions. The author has mentioned such moments and shown the beauty of growing in life.

My review:

Stories where you wander off in your mind palace thinking of moments is my kind of a book. Here, the author has mentioned events, emotions and situations where you need to define if it’s worth an attempt, if it’s worth being your true self or fake it out or to try or give up. These situations are what almost everyone goes through at some point of time. Hence this brings in a lot of introspection for the reader.

The pace of the book:

The pace is slow. Yes, every story has a message and a deep meaning. As a reader, after almost every chapter, I used to introspect about what I have done in life at that moment and what could have been done to be better. Hence every chapter takes some time where the reader deep dives into his/her mind and relives those moments.

The writing style:

The writing style is very basic. I liked the simple use of words and also how the author has displayed her messages to the audience. Mind you, when you talk about situations in life, you need to be careful as you cannot direct anyone to do something. All you can do is show the way and it’s up to them if they want to walk on that path or keep following what they were doing initially.

What I liked in the Plot:

Live: The author mentions chapters on failing first in order to succeed and also to understand and accept your own self. I loved them the most.

Laugh: The author mentioned different types of walkers which is hilarious and also about the inheritance from her grandfather which has never stopped troubling her and finally her version of the famous song by Phoebe (from F.R.I.E.N.D.S) i.e. Smelly Cat.

Love: The emotions we go through in love is not just limited with our partner. It can also be with friends and every other relationship. How letting go is important and how friendship changes over the course of time.

My final assessment:

I loved the author’s way of segregating these emotions we go through in life. One only improvement I really wish in this book would be if she could have mentioned more instances about herself in the Life section. Every other story had something which the author shared from her life and it really brought a lot of perspective. Overall, a fantastic read.

You can download the eBook by CLICKING HERE

Dog, Yogi, Banyan Tree – Book Review 

Lancelot Quadras Leave a comment

Dog, Yogi, Banyan Tree!

 

Often, we meet so many people in life.

We go through so many situations.

There’s so much of learning and experience from those situations.

 

What do we do of all that?

There’s just two things to be done;

1) Keep those experiences to yourself

2) Share it with the world so they can grow.

The Author, Rajan Sankaran through his book “Dog, Yogi, Banyan Tree” has mentioned all of the stages of his life where the people/animals/trees gave him a learning and a purpose.

I believe the main purpose of life is how it’s pictured in the movie “Lucy”. It says that we have to pass on what has been learned to the next generation. Good or bad, whatever it is, sharing what was learned is considered as the most important purpose of our existence.

In the book there are 28 short stories which lays down like a map of the life of Rajan. He has mentioned how his parents left an impact on his upbringing. There’s stories about his professional career right from how the seed was sown to how the tree blossomed and he succeeded. There are stories where he has got a learning from a dog and also a cat.

In short, I too could relate a lot from reading these stories. I have met few people in my life. It is because of what I learned from them is what I am today. Like one guy who could not speak English properly was made fun of every day for almost 1 year in college. But he took it in stride. Today, it’s a bit better than what it was years back and he has grown into a good businessman. I feel proud looking at his positivity and never say never attitude. That’s what sometimes helps me take a call on a situation in front of me.

While I can write in detail about all these stories, it would not do any justice to you readers. It’s best that you read it yourself. Yes, you will definitely relate to few or most of the stories.

If you feel you need more stories and more learning, do visit www.dogyogibanyantree.com which is the page the author has setup as a community where everyone can come ahead and share their stories where they had an experience or a learning.

 

When Change Happens – Book Review

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If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit

 

Today I finished reading a book named “When Change Happens” by Lalit Jagtiani

The book in general is about Change management.

Change management is a process of aligning employees with the desired change in the organization. This concept is applicable not only in corporate lives but also in every other part of our life. Change is inevitable indeed.

Firstly, the book begins with the protagonist Matt who is bored with his work. The monotony is creeping up with him. He soon gets a call from his superior where he gets to know he will be part of a trained task force of 15 people who will be change agents in the organization. Their ulterior motive is to bring a change in the employees efficiency!

When I started reading this book, there was so much I could relate to it as I’m working too. Yes, change is necessary. It’s possible that you are good at you’re work or you’re lagging behind always. What’s worse is when you don’t know where you’re heading and what are you doing.

I must say that the author has done a fantastic job by linking this concept with a corporate executive kind of a character. That’s how people; old or young can relate to. They have been in his position once in their life. They can know what all happens in the organization right from appreciation to politics to promotions to back stabbing!

It’s that way I could finish this story in 2 reading sessions.

 

I’d earnestly request all of the professionals to definitely read this book as a concept like this needs to be highlighted a lot more often that it currently has.

The book embarks a journey of how most of our problems can be solved internally itself.

  • We don’t need to find reasons for low sales if we find out why our sales team is not motivated.
  • Also, we don’t need to find out why the company is not faring better against the competition if we cannot find out why the inter departments are fighting among themselves to get the best team award!
  • We don’t need to keep hiring people all the time if we can find out why are they leaving in the first place.

With a shared vision where both the employee and the organization benefit, there will only be success and growth! To change, we need to know why is it needed and what benefits can it get to the organization.

However, it’s easier said than done! There’s a lot of effort which will be needed to put in. Only changing your working style won’t help. Consistency is the key for success over the years.

In conclusion, we cannot do anything alone. We need to get through this together!

 

You can visit the website for the page – #WhenChangeHappens by clicking here – LINK

You can also purchase this book via Amazon by clicking here –  LINK

You are the best wife

You are the Best Wife – Book Review

Lancelot Quadras Leave a comment

You are the Best Wife – Ajay K Pandey.

Some books have stories that can have such a large impact that you’d be stuck with the story for a long time. This is one such story.

The book is wholly and solely about the love story of Ajay K Pandey and Bhavna Pradhan.

Ajay K Pandey has also written “Her last wish” too. Let’s get back to reviewing this epic love story. Here’s what you will find in “You are the best wife”.

The plot will include everything right from the,

1. First time they met.

2. First date.

3. Their time spent in college.

4. Post college/work stage.

5. Marriage.

6. Till the last breath.

I’ll give you a peek through this book which should give you an idea of what you must expect out of it. Then I’ll also add a bit of pro and cons too just to make it clear.

Synopsis of the book:

Ajay and Bhavna happen to meet in IERT where they both study. A few meetings, a lot of drama (which has to happen in a love story) does take place.

Then there’s love, which follows with trust and commitment issues. This stage almost will be such that you could either relate it to your love story or to a friend/relative who might have experienced this.

Both being from different castes creates a lot more drama. I won’t write much about the Marriage and post-marriage part because that’s where the story’s USP lies.

The people who are married would love to hear the fights which take place like it’s a daily chore.

Incidentally, when I was reading this book, my colleague who is married read a chapter with me where these two fights.

He laughed his ass off and said that the fights are the same everywhere. There are 2 endings given by the author; one with a happy ending for those who like it that way.

The other one is the truth which is for those who want to know the actual ending; raw and plain.

Pros of You are the Best Wife:

1. The book has a lot of cliche moments, funny and humorous takes.

2. He’s written the book in such a fashion that there will be many moments where you could relate a few moments to your own life.

3. The characters used are well explained, nothing felt out of line.

Cons of You are the Best Wife: 

1. I just found one shortcoming. The start of the book for almost until the first hundred pages couldn’t keep the grip and I almost did not have the want to read it. The inquisitiveness was almost dead. It picked up pace in the latter half at a drastic speed.

2. And this one’s just for the author. Ajay dude… you should have proposed way way way earlier than you did. But better late than never.

But if you would see it clearly, that can’t be actually considered a flaw because this is a real-life story. It’s displayed how the story took place.

We are so much full of drama that we need a huge dose of it in every book to satisfy that urge. However, if you have that urge maybe this book can disappoint you.

My overall suggestion would be that you give this book a read and it will leave you with a lot of emotions. I’m Proud of you Ajay. Well written. Thanks for sharing your story. 

You can buy this book from the links mentioned below. AmazonFlipkartKindle edition “This book review is a part of  The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours.

For details long on to http://thereaderscosmos.blogspot.in.

You can also read – Kofuku is the Best Japanese Restaurant in Mumbai

Book Review – There is Something About You

Lancelot Quadras

Hi Readers,

I got to read this book as part of Indiblogger’s book review program. I was intrigued by the title itself. But like they say, never judge a book by it’s cover. So, here’s my review for Yashodhara Lal’s – There’s Something About You.

FinalCoverSomethingAboutYou

Synopsis:

This book is about a girl Trishna fondly called as Trish. She’s 28, Unemployed, little overweight, single and just wants to be how she wants to be. Thus if you’re around her and trying to change her, then mister you surely are on the block list (if you know what i mean). After being unemployed, she gets a freelance job from the same company that fired her. To get back at them she writes the column in the most sarcastic way possible. Yes, the column becomes an instant hit and thus gets her a job. (Quite amazing how life can get, right?)

Here’s a gist of the characters in the book.

Trishna and her Family:

The story begins with the author giving us a gist of Trishna’s life. The who’s who in her life. Her parents, a friend, work, the city etc. Trish prefers working a lot which means she doesn’t prefer being home. For her it’s not a home sweet home kind of a thing. It’s more like a “Home sweet Hell”. She has her ever complaining mother who always has a say in anything Trish does. Her father is old, has lost major part of his memory but is the reason why Trish goes home everyday.

Friends:

This is the one section where she sucks the most. She just has one friend i.e. her neighbor Akanksha aka Akku. She is a good friend and always listens to Trish. She has a daughter Lisa fondly called as Leeez who feels her mother has no time for her.

Love:

Here’s one section which she hasn’t had any experience on. She has never believed in love and destiny. Then enters Sahil, the geeky  guy who feels he has a superpower. He can foresee something in your future if he touches your hand. (Yeah, he thinks he can do that)

Work:

There’s Nivedita and Zee who are a part of the editorial team that land Trish the freelance job. She hates both of them to the core and the feelings are mutual from the opposite side too.

What I liked:

The way the author could describe things, situations etc. Since the story is in Mumbai I could actually imagine every sequence. Yes, I could feel like almost watching everything unfold in front of me.

If you can make me imagine it so clearly then yes, you’re awesome.

The day to day problems that Trish faces often can be related to all us working professionals too. Yes we all somewhat go through a string of problems right from work issues, troubled relationships etc. I could relate to a lot of issues and thus i must say that the author has done her homework pretty well.

What i didn’t like:

I hate to write this part as I know how it feels when someone tells what they did not like in my posts. But these are my thoughts which i must share.

The only thing I did not like is the flow of the book. It wasn’t a well gripped one. I usually read a book and am done with it very soon. But this book took me a while. It lost the plot midway. The family drama and the love story somewhat just didn’t connect. I feel it had to be either one of them.

Conclusion:

All in all, I did enjoy reading this book. It had a lot of positives and some points to improve on. Every mumbaikar can relate to this book. They’d know the troubles and fortunes of staying in this city.

Hats off to the author for penning down this untypical story.

You can purchase this online on Flipkart by clicking HERE.

Find out more about the author by visiting her page HERE.