Book Review: The Magician: The Tarot Trilogy Book #1

 

Blurb

Fashion designer Sasha Kapoor always felt she’d missed out on love as she had an arranged marriage. And when her husband turns up at their 15th-anniversary party with a strange woman, she knows that her marriage is dying. With constant surprises and disasters to contend with, will Sasha ever get a chance at true love?


Shantha is much sought after for her tarot card readings on love, but can’t seem to help her own love life with a string of broken relationships behind her. Now, sparks are flying between her and a sexy bartender but will this relationship fizzle out too?


Young professionals Nilima and her husband are so besotted with each other, they give the word ‘soulmate’ a complex. Theirs is a match made in heaven…till tragedy strikes.


The Magician is a heart-warming story of these three dynamic women as they discover the meaning of true love through loss and longing.

Review 

The Magician – The Tarot Trilogy Book 1, is a debut novel by Sonia Rao. It's a story of three career-

oriented women: Sasha: an owner of a high-end boutique catering to the needs of reputed clients but 

in need of love and compassion from her better-half. Nilima: a young woman in a loving and devoted

 relationship but looking forward to starting a family. Shantha: professional tarot reader who is also

 looking for a loving relationship. The three of them are ambitious but want to find love and stability

in their relationships. 

Will they find it? 

This novel will take you on their journey as the author narrates their love, lust, flings, and longing

 along with their losses, sorrows, heartbreaks as they go through life's challenges. The tarot reader's

 prediction and it's meaning would keep me engrossed on how the plot would evolve, and the author 

did justice to the twists that she brought along, especially in Sasha's life. 

The title is apt, and the cover is intriguing as it brings out the many emotions of a woman. If you are

 looking for a quick, light-hearted contemporary read, do pick this up. 

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Book Review: More Unfairy Tales by T.F. Carthick

Blurb

A knight rescues a damsel in distress. They marry, the whole kingdom rejoices, and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.

Or at least that’s what Official sources say. But what tales do insiders tell? What secrets lie buried deep inside Davey Jones’ Locker?What, dear reader, about The Unfairy tales?

The stories the Knight-in-Shining-Armour and the Damsel-in-Distress have never wanted you to know. Tales which Fairyland had kept locked up in secret and thrown away the key. Until our rogue bard went back in time and ferreted out skeletons hidden within secret cupboards of desolate mansions.

Our fearless crusader of truth and justice brings to you the second volume of revelations from fairyland.

You will find five more unfairy tales hidden within the pages of this tiny tome, the sequel to Carthick’s Unfairy Tales. Stories of elves out to decipher the ways of men and dwarves seeking to reclaim their own histories. Of spurned witches and lost wolves. These stories are going to change everything you have ever believed about fairyland and give you a peek underneath the gossamer threads of glamour and magic peddled by the Fae.

Read an excerpt

My Review:

As a child, I loved reading fairy tales, and when I heard about T.F. Carthick unfairy tales; I 

was not only interested but also curious, especially since I missed reading his first book. 

The author has taken five fairy tales 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Beauty and the Beast
Red Riding Hood
Rapunzel
The Shoemaker and the elves.


And turned them around. The characters are the same, but their personalities have been 

twisted. 

I enjoyed the fresh perspective of the author's take on the above stories. The language is 

simple, and the stories are entertaining, mainly since childhood, I have been used to the 

same old storyline. 

This book is recommended not only for adults but also for young adults who would love a 

fresh take on the plot as these characters have been with us since we started school. 

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About the author

T F Carthick is a Bangalore-based writer and blogger who has been blogging since 2008. He is an avid reader of Children’s Fiction, Science-fiction and Fantasy. Enid Blyton, J K Rowling, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Neil Gaiman and Douglas Adams are some of his favorite authors. His paranormal thriller ‘Bellary’ was one of the three stories in the book Sirens Spell Danger, published in 2013. Six of his stories have featured in multi-author anthologies and literary magazines. He has written over 50 short stories, many of which can be read for free on www.karthikl.com.

He is an Engineer and MBA from India’s premier institutes IIT, Madras and IIM, Ahmedabad and currently works as an Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Consultant at one of the world’s leading Consulting Firms.

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Review of Metro Diaries-2 by Namrata

Metro Diaries - 2 is the second book of stories by Namrata. These are stories about the man and his relationship to the many aspects of life that make him trudge along day in and out. The author has personified the many characteristics that personify life thus, asking her readers to live and not just exist in this humdrum of every day.

This book consists of 20 unique stories, and each of them left a trail on my mind and heart. More so since none of them are fiction. They have either been told, heard stories thus, making me very intrigued on all that life has to offer while also making me grateful to have a so-called monotonous life.

Usually, her stories start by encompassing the surroundings and then it nosedives into the character's mind. That gives the reader a clarity and also makes her presence felt with the character that is undergoing a mental and physical change. The writing is crisp, and it made me envision it all thus, NOT allowing me to read these stories at a stretch. I took days to read and finish it. Blame it on the story teller and the kind of stories she had weaved based on what she had heard.

All the stories are unique, but there is a handful of them that I would like to bring it to the notice.
"Charlatan" a tale that had a unique twist to a philandering husband.
"Stain of Love" made me ponder over the definition of love and stain, which usually never go together. But the author contrived these words together effortlessly.
"Veil Thy Love" a one-of-a-kind take on a tale that symbolizes that "all" things existing have feelings!
"A Rare Sight" gives an insight into a love of a parent, and how he liberates himself from the agony.
"The Last Kiss" provides an insight into the kinds of love man is hungry upon.


Then, there were stories that were blunt, raw yet the truth that usually gets hidden in the urban lifestyle of thy man.
"The Plummet"
"Child is the father of the man."
"The Keepsake"


There were also a couple of stories that had a strange twist, and it brought a smile on my face since it ended with a noun that we all want to associate with (hope!), but alas! Get dejected.
"The Darkest Hour"
"Love V/s Hate"
"A Pinch of Love"

"Mou Athena" was a tale that made me hungry for more. I felt the author left the reader dangling :)

"Rags & Riches" was a beautiful tale and Dear Author I would like a novel shape up from this story. As a reader, I wanted more!

Metro Diaries - 2 is a collection of stories that will leave a lingering taste of many emotions in your mouth and make you ponder on the intelligence of man. How he molds himself when in need of affection, when betrayed, loved, in fear, and in denial. This book via the many stories will help uncover each of these emotions of humanity thus making it a recommended read.

Review: A Dog Eat Dog-Food World by Suresh Chandrasekaran

Interspersed with memorable lines, written in the author's trademark humorous style, this book is going to make you laugh, think, marvel and enjoy - all at the same time. -Radha Sawana This is one of the most humorous books I have read in recent times. I guess people who read Dilbert might have found some similarity in the cover design. The idea of the book is also similar - a corporate parody. ​ -Karthik ​ A Dog eat Dog food world is no run of the mill book, and for readers starved for genuine humor and satire—I would recommend it without a moment’s hesitation. ​ -Ramesh Grandhi WHAT IS THIS BOOK ALL ABOUT  A hilarious pseudo-history of marketing management, which explicitly denies resemblance to any actual history, and which will be horrified if some semblance be found. ‘A dog eat dog-food world’ is the story of a man who discovered that the path of life is strewn with treadmills and, if you get on one by mistake, you could keep running all your life to stay in the same place. The story of how just minding your own business can lead to unexpected consequences, guided by the ‘invisible hand’ of long dead economists. Anything you learn from the book – be it the basics of marketing management or a satirical view of Society – you do at your own risk. The tale only dogs the doings of Spike Fortune who only sought to feed dogs and Jerry Fortune who, being fortuneless, gets dragged helter-skelter by his uncle Spike’s careening pursuit of commercial success; Spike’s rival Tom Rich, who is unwillingly dragged into upstaging Spike and tries to do it by teasing the palates of cats, helped by the bumbling efforts of his nephew, Jasper Rich who would rather be chasing girls than chasing cats. My Review I wish I could just write a one liner here, "If you find today's marketing stunts hilarious yet witty, this book will be an excellent companion for you to mock at man's silly adventures." The book starts off on a note, "Who thought that a lot of money can be such a pain?"  There is sarcasm in his tone, and there is laughter in the little connections. The author has portrayed such hilarious moments in man's life, which we actually use for marketing and various tricks just to climb the ladder that brought out the ludicrous behavior of man.  Although I was snickering along, I could not connect with the characters and wish the author had spared a few words to define each of them since I as a reader was chortling away at their stupidity.  The line that stuck with me, "‘The difficulty with history is that you never know whether that is the way it really happened." Absolutely agree with it!  GRAB YOUR COPY ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fiction has been an addiction but the need to make a living took Suresh through Chemical Engineering and a PGDM at IIM-Bangalore and, from thence, to a long 16 year stint in the area of finance with specific expertise in fertilizer subsidies and a further two years as consulting expert in the same area. That, in his words, about sums up the boring part of his life, except for the people he was privileged to meet. Otherwise, he can be described as a mess of contradictions – a bookworm but avid trekker; alone but never lonely; enjoys solitude but loves company; lazy but a perfectionist, the litany is endless. Trekking, which side-tracked him from the writing for which he quit his job, is a major passion and he does, at least, one trek in the Himalayas every year in addition to numerous local treks. He reignited his passion for writing with a fairly popular blog www.jambudweepam.blogspot.in. The blog has been rated among the Top 5 humour blogs in India, twice in succession - in 2014 and 2015 - by BlogAdda, and has also been listed third among the Top Humour Blogs by Baggout. ​ ​He also has a short story published in a collection “Uff Ye Emotions” and has edited and written a novelette in an ebook anthology “Sirens spell danger” STALK HIM @

AN AUTOGRAPH FOR ANJALI – BOOK REVIEW

As for Arjun, he was like a refreshing breeze throughout the book. Fanning the flames when needed, becoming a whirlwind at some times, cooling down and soothing at other times.  The story was fast-paced, brisk and to the point, lingering just at the right moments while only scratching the surface at other moments.  -Devika Fernando  I liked that each chapter was one POV and reasonably short so that you felt that the story moved at a smart clip. The conflict felt real; the romance built up well - in fact, it went from 'nay' to 'yay' before I knew it and soon was scorching the pages! ​ -Reet Singh The characterization aided the authenticity of the story line. With almost realistic characters and an equally realistic story line with right amount of fiction infused, the book was that perfect read. -Shree Janani  WHAT IS THE BOOK ALL ABOUT Jayant Mathur is found murdered in his bed, shot at point-blank range with his own revolver. Though she’s extremely disturbed by his death, Jayant’s wife Anjali is way more upset about something else. Who stands to gain by killing the multi-millionaire businessman? Parth Bhardwaj is a friend and neighbour of the Mathurs. Parth is an author who goes by a pseudonym. He appears more than a friend to Anjali; while he’s also on good terms with her son Arjun who lives and studies in the UK. What role does he play in Anjali’s life? Jayant’s relatives are curious to know. Jayant’s brother-in-law Rana is convinced that Parth and Anjali are the murderers. But Inspector Phadke has his own doubts about this theory. In comes Samrat, the private detective who appears as quiet as a mouse. Will he be able to find the murderer? Will Anjali find happiness and peace? My Review An Autograph for Anjali starts off on such a note that it kept me hooked. The author penned a fragile yet strong woman who was moaning her husband, Jayant's death. The contrast in these adjectives made me flip the pages and wanted to know more about this lady who was sad yet exhibited a strange freedom that made me want to know more about her.

Anjali, the character blossomed gradually to the reader as the novel progressed. Her struggle in her marriage and within made me ponder on many issues that the women in society are till date juggling. The freedom to explore when the husband is at work, yet the inability to do so since she has been chained down by many restrictions by her better half made me suffocate thus, the feeling of empathy and compassion grew for this character. Also, the author kept the reader's attention by keeping the chapters small and precise. That was a blessing especially since suffering was in plenty and for a woman to see another woman go through it was torture!

Just as the darkness ends when a streak of light is visible, comes the character Parth. He picks up Anjali from the rambles since she was wandering around aimlessly trying to get love, attention from seekers passing by. Fortunately, his affection was genuine, and I wish the author had shown more of his emotional side rather than the physical attraction since that would have made a lasting relationship in the eyes of a reader. 

Anjali's depression seemed faux at times since it did not give me as a reader enough material to believe in it. 

Another loophole was the easy breezy solve of the murder mystery. I wish the author had given some twists and turns and kept the reader guessing!

Overall a light, easy breezy read, and what delighted me that Anjali had a happy ending, which made me believe once again that the Universe abides with the kind hearted people!

BUY @ Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk |  Amazon.com.au | Amazon.ca Notion Press | Flipkart | SapnaOnline | Bookadda | Infibeam | Paytm | ShopClues  ABOUT THE AUTHOR  In 2014, Sundari self-published The Malhotra Bride;  MEGHNA; The Runaway Bridegroom ; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters from India Box Set  and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories). ​2015 brought yet another opportunity. Readomania came forward to traditionally publish this book - The Madras Affair  - a mature romance set in Madras. An Autograph For Anjali , a romance with a touch of suspense, is also a self-published novel. Going a step further, the author has published the paperback version through Notion Press. STALK HER @

Review of A Thousand Unspoken words by Paulami Duttagupta

A Thousand Unspoken Words 

by 

Paulami Duttagupta

A Readomania Publications 

Blurb 

A hero, a person who displays great courage for the greater good, can also fall. But what happens to a fallen hero? A Thousand Unspoken Words is the unique journey of a hero who falls.

The champion of the underdogs, the writer who uses the nom de plume Musafir is famous in Kolkata. His incisive criticism of the injustices around him earn him many enemies but he holds his ideals above all else. Scathing attacks at his books and a night of hide and seek from political goons leads Musafir unto a path he never liked, faraway from his ideals. He runs away and chooses the comforts of money over the travails of following one’s ideals. The hero falls.

But Tilottama, passionate fan’s hopes don’t. When he comes back after many years, emotions, love and lust take charge and an affair brews. Will she bring back her hero? Will he rise again? Or will the thousand untold words, the many stories of the ideal writer be lost forever?

My Review

When a human's adoration for somebody becomes a reality, it's like a dream come true, and even if she is in the dungeon of problems she would see only the luscious bushes, music being hummed 24*7 and find everything so serene and beautiful around her. 

Such was a scenario with Tilottama (Love the name!)

She rescued a nobody one strange, eerie night and expressed her emotions, her keen interest to this person about a writer whose writing would give her goosebumps. Little did she realize that this nobody was a body who used to write under a pseudonym. Thus, started the journey of Tilottama on discovering herself amidst the confusion and realization when this individual comes back to town as a wealthy and famous writer who has a publicist and his book in the wraps of becoming a movie. His ideals are different to what Musafir used to pen upon. This individual Riddhiman aka Musafir, who would change from one personality to another with a wink of an eye, would attract Tilottama yet sometimes she would loathe him. These dual feelings towards him made her confused for a long time until love won over and they decided to marry. But, Riddhiman's character took over, and he portrayed the irresponsible, nonchalant son who deserted his family under distress when his dad passed away, and he followed the same when his mom was no more. 

The author has shown the two sides of this human beautifully. Musafir and Riddhiman same individual but such conflict personalities that not even his wife is not spared when he acts crazy. At first, she gives up on him, but then seeing him in a suicidal form, she sticks to him 24*7 and brings him out of this lunatic behavior while resisting to talk less and agreeing to his emotions most of the time. Gradually, this individual sets his priorities straight and finishes his commitments that Musafir had left unturned thus, allowing him to set free. 

The slow life of Calcutta was not a deterrent to the reader in me, as I savored even the visit of Tilottama's to the NGO. Her conversations with her Mashima were charming esp since she did not have a mother while growing up. I could relish the Darjaleeing Tea that Tilottama would prepare often. 

Two personalities same individual. This is a tale of a woman fallen over a particular trait that is no more. The question is:  Will she still persuade the person or be free from it all! 

The amount of emotions flowing made the reader engaged in the tale of a Thousand Unspoken Words, which could be translated as an unhurried, lazy novel with the kind of surroundings the author has portrayed, but the characters play a profound pivotal role thus, giving justice to the book. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Paulami DuttaGupta is a novelist and screen writer. She shuttles between Kolkata and Shillong. She has worked as a radio artist, copy writer, journalist and a television analyst at various stages of her life, having been associated with AIR Shillong, The Times of India—Guwahati Shillong Plus, ETV Bangla, The Shillong Times, Akash Bangla and Sony Aath.As an author, her short stories have appeared in various anthologies and literary magazines. A Thousand Unspoken Words is her fourth book. Paulami also writes on politics, social issues and cinema. Her articles have appeared in Swarajya, The Forthright and NElive.

Paulami is associated with cinema and her first film, Ri-Homeland of Uncertainty received the National Award for the Best Khasi Film. Her second film Onaatah—Of the Earth is at post production stage and will release in 2016. She is currently working on her third screenplay. A short film tentatively titled ‘Patjhar’ is also in the pipeline.

Paulami is a complete foodie and is almost obsessed with watching one film every day. She also loves reading—political and social commentaries are her favourite genre. Literature classics and books on cricket are also a part of her library, apart from a huge collection of romances. Jane Austen’s fictional character Mr. Darcy is her lifelong companion. She is an ardent fan of Rahul Dravid and has been following all news about him for almost twenty years now.

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