Book Review: 'The Bestseller She Wrote' by Ravi Subramanian

Indian authors have always been a topic of hot debate. Readers love to hate them and yet their sales speak a different truth all together. Keeping this an underlying subtext, Ravi Subramanian begins his latest thriller cum romance drama ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’. I started reading the book like almost every book reader does - judging a book by its cover. It’s beautiful, elegant and invites you in to delve into the story.

We begin with Aditya Kapoor - a banker with a very successful career as the Director of Branch Banking of National Bank, who is also a bestselling author of 4 thrillers. You can’t help but make a comparison with the author who is also a banker and a bestselling author of 4 novels. This alluring start to the novel gives a feeling of a true story being told as you constantly keep questioning yourself, maybe this fact is true from the author’ life or that one or this one. I liked this as it kept me guessing about the facts spread throughout the book.

Moving to the premise, we meet the 2 key protagonists to the story in the first few pages of the book. One is Aditya, the other is the smart, eccentric and bold Shreya Kaushik - a management graduate from IIM Bengaluru.

Their story begins with a heated debate and then we see the wildly successful author get smitten by the young and wildly ambitious Shreya.

Even though Aditya is married to Maya, a saint of a woman who left her promising career to boost Aditya’s, and has a kid, it doesn’t bother him to enter into an adulterous relationship with Shreya. As you keep reading, you slowly see Shreya’s real character coming out. We then get to know what Shreya is really capable of and Aditya realizing the real impact of his decisions.

What follows is a series of events straight out of Aditya’s nightmare as he starts to lose everything that he has so carefully built over the years. I liked the climax as to how it all came together, but was disappointed by a few character quirks and too much story being told in the end.

The book has an interesting start, but throughout the novel there are some chapters that have no overall impact on the story. I strictly believe that every line written in a story should affect it in one way or another. But in the book you read some stuff that’s just there for the sake of being there. This treatment to the story tends to reduce the overall immersion into the book.

However, I liked the pace along with a couple of interesting characters that include Aditya’s wife Maya and his close friend Sanjay.

After having read only one book by the author - The Bankster - I have to say, this was a better read in regard with story and character.

You can pick it up if you need a quick read and like romantic drama with a backdrop of a thriller.

I wanted to rate the book 4 starts but will take half a point away as there were some really badly written lines like ‘Then why is your face looking like a roasted brinjal?’

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Book Details:

Author: Ravi Subramanian

Genre: Fiction; Romance; Thriller.

Publisher: Westland

Binding: Paperback

Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 978-9385152382 , ISBN-10: 9385152386

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Drive, Design and Connect - My Bangalore

Living in Madikeri, a small hill station nestled in the heart of Kodagu district in Karnataka, I used to always hear the stories and vivid tales my friends and relatives used to share about Bangalore.  

“Oh, you have to experience the street food of Bangalore”

“The parties never end in Bangalore”

“There is a spirit of excitement that runs within the city”

Each statement like this made me imagine a Bangalore that was spectacular; that was a mystery; a place where there would be freedom; joy; and endless possibilities. And that is what made me choose it as a destination where I would begin my career.

Design: The first few days when I came to the city, I was awed by the sheer number of vehicles here. Everywhere I looked I would see people zip around the roads screaming and yelling; sometimes for good; sometimes for bad. But no matter where I went, the city was designed in such a way that I never felt like I would get lost. Everywhere I went; the places I shopped; where I lived; where I worked; they all felt like they were meticulously planned; designed to thrive. Every new road I ventured to was like a mystery I unraveled. I never felt alone.

Drive: The most impactful thing about Bangalore is the people that live here. Everyone here is driven by a sense of purpose. Their determination and passion towards the things they love seeps into you. Every time you interact with people like these you can’t stop but share their excitement. The city known as the Silicon Valley of India is like a shining star of achievement and purpose. You see 1000’s of startups everyday driven by a will to change things for the better. You see people come together from different parts of the nation and different parts of life to create something so creative and so amazing that you feel proud to be part of the city that has delivered such a change. You feel driven by such a change.

Connect: One of the things that have always attracted me to the Bangalore is the way you can connect with one another. The infrastructure and internet… oh the internet. Being a dial up kid of the 90’s and getting to experience the connectivity of Broadband and experiencing speeds of up to 100 MBPS is like living a dream. I am amazed at how we can connect to anyone from around the world in just seconds. With the power to connect to anyone, anytime, I am now able to talk, create content and work in such a manner that was previously impossible. The city has changed way we connect with each other.

This city has taught me to be brave. This city has helped me discover a new me; the real me. This city has made all my dreams come true. I love you Bangalore. With all my heart and soul, I love you.  

Check out madeofgreat.tatamotors.com to know how the latest Tata Zica can make you love your city even more. 

Image Credits: hourdose.com, headstart.in

Sooji ke Laddoo - A quick, tasty and healthy treat

Being from South India has its advantages. You get to experience a variety of food dishes combined from so many different sources that when you taste the end product you’re usually surprised that how all of these things came together to make this tasty treat. When I got to know about the Sugar Free Dessert Challenge, I was excited to make something which my mom used to make whenever we felt like eating something sweet but also healthy. So here is the recipe to make Sooji ke Laddoos. 

Ingredients

250 gms Sooji

50 gms Sugar Free Natura (Add more if required)

½ Cup Dry Coconut Powder

¼ Cup Cut Badam Pieces

¼ Cup Dry Dates Pieces

¼ Cup Kishmish

1 Cup Warm Milk

Method to Prepare:

Start by pouring the Sooji in a non stick Kadhai

Lightly stir the Sooji on a medium flame for 15- 20 mins. (Don’t let it reach a golden brown color as it will make the Sooji hard).  Take the Sooji off the flame and pour it into a large bowl.


Now add all the ingredients (Coconut powder, badam pieces, dry dates, kishmish, sugar free natura) except the milk and mix them well. Make sure that you add the ingredients when the Sooji is warm.

Now add the milk to the mixture and start making laddoos in your hands.

Place them on a plate and add Kishmish on top for garnishing (If required). Your quick, healthy and delicious Sooji laddoos are now ready for consumption.

Total Preparation Time: 30 mins

I had a lot of fun making the dish and everyone in our family enjoyed it after dinner. Hope your family does to.

You too can make your favorite dishes substituting sugar with Sugar Free Natura and enjoy your favorite treat without the worry of added calories. Visit http://sugarfree-india.com/ for more info.

How I discovered the meaning of Real Togetherness by watering plants with my parents

It always so happens that when we are kids, especially teenagers, we feel invincible. We want to do a hundred different things. We want to indulge in new experiences every day. But whenever that thing or experience comes from our parents, we feel we are forced to do it. We feel it’s a chore. I too was just the same in my teenage years.

Everything that my parents made me do it I felt it was a burden. I felt everything they suggested was an activity designed to suck all the fun out of my joyous life. But little did I know that I’d miss those very moments later in life; little did I know that it would be those very moments that would help me realize what ‘Real Togetherness’ is all about.

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday afternoon and my parents were busy working in their backyard garden. They had bought this new type of rose plant that they were busy planting and I was busy listening to music and just lazing around on the bed inside the house. They kept on calling me, but with my headphones on I didn’t hear a word they said. It was more than 2 hours later when my dad, covered in mud, came to me and slowly slid my earphones away and said “I’m all done. You have to water the plants now.”

I felt that anger that teenagers feel – anger for no reason. I was about to say I won’t do it when my dad just walked out of the room. I ran towards him to protest when he just held up his hand and said “You can argue after you water the plants.”

Muttering under my breath I picked up the pipe and started watering. As I began I lost count of how many plants I watered. We had a huge garden filled with guava trees, flowers and ferns of different variety and more than 40 pots filled with different species of plants. As I watered them, I felt relaxed and calm. I noticed how my anger had slid away and I actually enjoyed the activity.

In my enthusiasm I was watering a little more than necessary for some plants. My dad noticed the same and came near me and showed me how to moderate the water flow.

It seems like such a small thing but after that day I took up to watering the plants every morning. My mom and dad would notice me doing it and would give me a smile that would just brighten up my day. I felt connected with them in that moment and it brought us together where we shared conversations and created memories everyday that hold special to this very day. Nature truly has a way of bringing people together and no matter how much technology advances ahead and tries to bring us closer, it can never bring us that calm and peace that nature provides us with everyday.

Thinking about that moment makes me feel like I should start growing a garden again. And with Kissan India’s effort to send tomato seeds to anyone who wants it, I feel I shouldn’t wait anymore. It would be fun talking to my parents and sharing those fond memories while we bite into juicy red tomatoes grown from our very own hands. Ah….nature! You are truly phenomenal at bringing people together. In short, Real Togetherness for me is all about conversations and creating memories with my parents while growing plants together in our backyard garden.

You too can order seeds online and discover how nature can bring people together. Log onto http://www.kissanpur.com/ Also check out this cool video from Kissanpur that showcases what discovering Real Togetherness is all about. 

LG NEXUS 5X - The Android Champion is back to sway us with its charm and performance

When it was launched way back in 2012, the LG NEXUS changed the way we look at mobile phones. It wasn’t just a Smartphone; it was a flagship; a reason of envy; a gadget unlike any other. With time we’ve seen better devices, but none has come close to achieve the charm which the first Nexus device had. But that changed on September 2015 when LG NEXUS 5X was announced.

The LG NEXUS 5X brings back the charm which the initial LG NEXUS devices promised, only this time the package comes along with the heart of a dragon – the Snapdragon 808 processor.

With the advent of Smartphone’s we’ve begun to speak in the language of pictures. Our expressions speak louder than words. The saying ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ has never been more true than today. This is the reason why I feel that it’s important that every special moment I share with my family and friends needs to be captured perfectly. And that’s where I feel LG NEXUS 5X’s 12.3 MP, 1.55μm pixel camera makes all the difference.

I mean look at those pictures captured on the phone's camera. They’re beautiful; amazing; simply stunning.

And its gets better as you can even capture videos in 4K with this Smartphone. How incredibly awesome is that! I mean to have the ability to capture everything in Ultra HD quality with a Smartphone…. The world doesn’t get better than this.

A good Smartphone is all about the performance it can deliver. And it all depends upon the battery it packs in. The LG NEXUS 5X comes with a powerful 2700 mAh Battery which is powered through a USB Type-C port for super fast charging.

In the modern world where everything moves at a lightning fast speed, it’s only fair that you have a phone that keeps up with it. The LG NEXUS 5X's USB Type-C charger is amazing in so many ways as you don’t have to figure out which way to plug it in. Why? because it’s reversible. And when I say its fast, I mean it. You can get four hours of charge after only ten minutes of charging. Yeah; it’s that fast!

And finally there’s one more thing about the LG NEXUS 5X that I love a lot – Fingerprint security through Nexus Imprint. With LG NEXUS 5X now featuring a fingerprint sensor, I can be sure that my data is secure every time. I can even authorize payments much faster than ever before and all it will take is just a touch of my finger on my Smartphone screen, and i'm done. The LG NEXUS 5X is not just a smartphone; it’s a gift from LG and Google that keeps on giving.

Looking at all these revolutionary features, you have to admit - the #ChampIsBack. Check out Smartphones other awesome features here: LG NEXUS 5X

“I am participating in #ChampIsBack activity at BlogAdda.com.”

Photo Courtesy: Nexus Image Gallery Image 1

                           Nexus Image Gallery Image 2