About the Book:
‘I think people are afraid to dream because they don’t want to be disappointed,’ she told the Belgian guy . . .
But what if there was a way to co-create our dreams with the universe? And what if the universe responded to us in a tangible way?
At the tender age of seventeen, Baisakhi left her home to pursue higher studies abroad. Since then, she has dwelled in different continents―from Asia to Europe to Africa to South America to North and Central America―studying life through myriad mirrors of reality. She has lived with local families―eating their food, adopting their lifestyles, contributing to their economy, negotiating extreme realities and belief systems, and navigating diverse traditions and religions for several years to answer life’s most pertinent questions. Coming from a conservative family in India, she had to overcome all limitations to fly!
This book narrates the magical adventures and marvellous encounters of an ordinary girl who believes in extraordinary possibilities as she traverses the globe to fulfil her destiny. Life Is Abracadabra is peppered with true anecdotes of hope and faith, of meaningful coincidences and miracles that will make you perceive life from an altogether new dimension. It is about noticing the signs and synchronicities strewn on our paths and acting on them. Because when we do, life will be on our side too.
My Thoughts:
This review has been a long time coming!
I am so glad to have gotten the chance to read this book and join the author as she narrates some of her adventures and mis adventures, all the while maintaining hope and having faith in her dreams.
This book gives us glimpses into the author’s life as she navigates almost impossible situations, makes new friends, faces adverse conditions and comes out stronger in the end. This is a story of resilience, facing the impossible and strength, exploring new countries and learning life lessons along with new cultures.
I loved reading this book, even though some parts of it just scared me. The author’s experiences are unique (though it is possible that many have faced similar situations, but have not been able to talk about it). This book is a conversation starter, a chance for people to know that they are not alone, but also to know that the proverb “try and try until you succeed” actually works.
Without sounding as though she is preaching, Baisakhi shows us that there is indeed magic in the world. If there’s one thing I learnt from all this, it is that there is goodness in friendship and sometimes even strangers can become family (a kind of found family). Baisakhi’s journey is one to know about, one to learn from and I believe that though each person’s take away may differ, one thing will remain common, and that is the agreement that Life is indeed Abracadabra!
About the Book:
What if you meet the love of your life, but he’s already lost the love of his?
Raven is pure sunshine. Really. She even wakes up early enough to greet it. As a triathlon coach and kindergarten teacher, her life looks perfect. She’s thriving, except for her daddy issues and a string of commitment-phobic ex-boyfriends, of course.
Briggs is a sexy CEO. He’s also grieving the loss of his late wife with zero intentions of ever moving on, despite his work suffering. So when Briggs is threatened with a leave of absence, he hires Raven to prove that he’s working on himself. But training for a triathlon is no small feat, and neither is denying his attraction to his peppy coach. They’re opposites in every way, and she deserves more than a grumpy widower, but damn it if he can’t stay away from her sunshine—and she can’t stop her racing heart.
Blending the genres of contemporary sports romance, women’s literary fiction, and romantic comedy, Beautiful Shattering is a swoon-worthy read about second chances, forgiveness, and inner-strength.
My Thoughts:
I have enjoyed reading the books written together by authors Nina Walker and M.F. Lorson under the pen name Grace Costello in the past. Therefore choosing to read Beautiful Shattering was an easy decision to make.
Beautiful Shattering, as the name suggests, or even as the reader comes to know later, is a story of forgiveness and healing. Raven is sunny and bright, full of life and truly a different character than those I’ve encountered in the past. There’s a strength in her that shone beyond her other qualities and her determination to help the people whom she trained was something to behold. Briggs was the opposite, but underneath all his brusque exterior is someone hurting and dealing with self-hate. He refused to move on or forward in life as a punishment to himself, thinking he deserved it.
The authors handled the feeling of loss, learning to forgive oneself and even acceptance very well and in a way that helps even the reader to understand and perhaps relate to it. It is beautifully handled and the way the other characters come together to help each other as well as Briggs to find his way is wonderful. Though the plot is relatable, the characters bring life to the story and make it remarkable. What I liked most is how the authors brough out the different ways of healing and dealing with trauma. They also showed us, through the interactions and experiences of the characters that it is ok to not be ok and also to seek help not just from family but also from a professional.
With so many different messages coming together, this is at the base of it, a story of two people who fall in love and find their way to each other through acceptance, healing and a whole lot of patience. I enjoyed reading Raven and Briggs’ story and I cannot wait to see what the authors, Nina Walker and M.F. Lorson, write next!
About the Book:
In Unemployable, How I Hired Myself Alysia Silberg shares her incredible journey from a childhood math and science prodigy in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a successful venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. It all began with a pair of pretty pink roller skates and a small business selling old suits on the street. Alysia’s story is one of pain, perseverance, love, romance, and the pursuit of the “American Dream.” Through a gripping memoir and a practical guide, she offers valuable insights into overcoming challenges, achieving financial freedom, and finding purpose. As Alysia invites you to put on your roller skates and join her on this extraordinary journey, you will be inspired to change your life for the better and embark on your own path to personal and financial growth.
Author’s Bio:
Alysia Silberg was born to blaze trails. As the daughter of a Hollywood makeup artist who worked with screen legends like Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, and Marlon Brando, Alysia was a math and science prodigy from an early age. At just 11 years old, she started her first business, an import-export agency, cultivating her entrepreneurial instincts. Today, as CEO & General Partner of Street Global, Alysia is a leading venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, mentoring tech startups and helping them go public. She gained recognition for her groundbreaking online radio show, Global Fireside Chats, which united industry titans from around the world to share insights on our rapidly evolving world during its operation. A UN Women Empower Women Global Champion and international board director with sovereign wealth fund experience, Alysia’s first book, Unemployable, How I Hired Myself is both a gripping memoir detailing her life story and a practical guide to achieving financial freedom.
My Thoughts:
In Unemployable: How I Hired Myself by Alysia Silberg, the author is candid about her experiences and how she found her way to forging her own path to achieve her goals. Through her journey, she seeks to share with us some of the lessons she learnt as she navigated various challenges time and time again. Even in the face of adversity, she persevered and pushed the boundaries to reach her goals.
Alysia’s journey is truly inspirational and there’s something to take away from each chapter in her memoir. Reading this memoir feels as though Alysia is having a conversation with the reader, narrating her experiences and pulling us right in along with her. What stayed with me the most was her determination to turn even the worst situation into a learning experience or an opportunity and to never give up.
Alysia takes us from Johannesburg to the United States as she describes her relationship with her father, her mother and other people who had an impact on her life. She gives us a glimpse into how each person shaped who she has become today whether by their actions or words or even as a result of the decisions she took as a consequence of the above. Another aspect that I enjoyed is how she brought her vision, passion and learning to people and helped others to realize their visions.
I’ll leave you all with some lines from Alysia which are an inspiration to me:
“Home isn’t the place where you live. Home is where you find the courage, and the heart, and the brain, to carry on with your journey. Follow the path of your desire, blaze your own trail, and someday, somewhere over the rainbow, your dreams, too, will come true!”
About the Book:
What if reality was a carefully crafted illusion, and every truth you thought you knew was a mirage?
Get ready to experience a roller coaster of emotions. Just when you think you have it figured out, the unexpected will leap at you from a page, leaving you stunned and breathless. A daughter waiting for her father to return from war… An artist struggling to create a masterpiece… A scientist having her own definition of a better world… A friend who loves without being loved back…
A man who has eyes only for another woman on his wedding night…
Twisted Tales and Turns is a captivating collection of short stories where nothing is as it seems.
Are you prepared for the buried truths and shocking revelations that lurk beneath the surface?
Wow! This is a well-written collection of short stories that prove to be a quick read. While writing short stories is no easy feat, author Smita makes it seem so simple and easy. I do not usually read a lot of short stories because I know that it is not easy to convey everything in just a few pages. But, I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to explore Smita’s book: Twisted Tales and Turns.
The set of stories I most enjoyed were grouped under Out of this World. Even though I am not exactly a fan of the mythical or ghosts, these stories brought out much more than that in terms of emotions. The feelings of loss, love and togetherness are all felt and these reverberate through the reader. I also enjoyed the stories under Love comes in all Hues. In some ways I could see that the author has drawn inspiration from so many sources including her life and the stories each touch the reader in different ways.
I am not sure that I connected with some of the other stories as much, but overall, I truly loved the experience of reading this book and I definitely recommend it to all those who enjoy a quick and meaningful read. Each story is so well-written that the author conveys the message in a way that stays with the reader even after finishing the book.
About the Book:
Renata is a determined woman: she’s left her abusive fiancé, Damien, moved back to her hometown, and is determined to be the writer she once was and that she’d promised her father she would be before he died. To accomplish this, she’s signed up for a writing conference out of town and gotten a new job at a local café with the friendly Fern, upbeat Caroline, and observant Chad, who welcome her into their friendship group.
Things become complicated, however, when Renata discovers that Chad returns her affection and they begin dating, even as she weaves in lies about her past. As their relationship develops, and she gets closer to finding the words that used to come so freely to her, Renata realizes she can’t continue to let Chad believe things that aren’t true, even if that means the end of their relationship. Despite her concerns, however, coming clean only creates a stronger bond between them.
But that bond will be tested when Damien returns unexpectedly, determined that Renata will leave Chad for him. Will Chad and Renata be able to weather the ways in which Damien’s appearance shakes the foundations of their life together? Or will echoes of Renata’s past irreparably damage their future?
My Thoughts:
I am grateful to NetGalley, Josha Publishing and author Katherine Turner for approving my request to read the eARC of this book.
Trigger warnings: physical and sexual violence in a domestic setting.
This is a story of survival, learning to love yourself and standing up for yourself. Renata has finally moved out of an abusive relationship and is determined to start over in the town where she grew up and has fond memories with her father. On her own, she is focused on trying to get back into the career she loved while finding a job to support herself. The people she meets along the way add to her journey of healing and provide an understanding and loving circle.
I fell in love with the characters, one by one, as they were introduced. This story is very character centric and the connections between the characters and their bonds drive this story forward. The story will take the reader on an emotional journey as we unravel everything Renata has dealt with, how the past is affecting her present, how she sees herself and how she works towards healing herself. Everything Renata has been through will resonate with the reader, but I believe that her journey after shows her strength and determination, proving that she is not a victim but a survivor.
This was indeed an emotional read for me, but I enjoyed every page and every moment spent with the characters. Caroline was a delight and I loved how she drew Renata out of her shell, supporting her but being quite candid in her opinions and advice. The best part of this story is the bond among the characters and the found family that Renata gains as a result. This is the best support she has and it helps to build her back up. Her second chance at love also adds to the story and is pivotal to helping her find herself. Chad is a wonderful character and indeed someone we would love to read about.
The style of writing ensures that the reader is hooked and invested in Renata’s journey. There is also a lot to learn from this journey and some messages for the reader that are delivered in a simple manner through the character interactions and journey. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and the way in which it was written and strongly recommend it to all who enjoy a good romance read!
About the Book:
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NBCC John Leonard Prize Finalist
Indie Bestseller
“This is a book people will be talking about forever.” —Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed
“Ford’s wrenchingly brilliant memoir is truly a classic in the making. The writing is so richly observed and so suffused with love and yearning that I kept forgetting to breathe while reading it.” —John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author
One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the looming absence of her incarcerated father.
Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley C. Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: he’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates. When the relationship turns sour, he assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her family, Ashley desperately searches for meaning in the chaos. Then, her grandmother reveals the truth about her father’s incarceration . . . and Ashley’s entire world is turned upside down.
Somebody’s Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana with a family fragmented by incarceration, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she embarks on a powerful journey to find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.
My Thoughts:
I read this book due to a recommendation from a friend. I did not know what to expect but this story and the writing blew me away. I had not heard of the author or the person before this and so did not know what to expect before reading the book. The synopsis gave me some idea, but honestly it does not even begin to scratch the surface of what is to come.
Author Ashley Ford has written a powerful memoir as her debut novel about her life and experiences while growing up in the 80s and 90s in a poor Black family. Her father was incarcerated and she talks about her journey as she navigates this along with the broken pieces of her family.
The author is candid and courageous as she talks about her experiences, trauma and how everything shaped her. She talks about her difficult relationship with her mother, her feelings towards her father’s incarceration and the support she received from some wonderful people like her grandmother. This journey is one which will gut you and question how the world works, but it is real and something that we should take note of. She focuses on how her feelings changed, how she processed things (though not in a lot of detail) and how she tried to find trust and love in a new relationships and finally how she processed the truth behind her father’s incarceration.
I truly appreciate how difficult it must have been for the author to pen this book and having said that, I admit that it is quite well written. For someone who spends most of her time in the world of fiction, I found this book to be moving and I think that it is worth reading. It has some trigger warnings of rape and abuse among others so I would recommend readers to take note of this before reading the book.
Do you look forward to wake up each morning ready to face a new day and new challenges? Or does the fear of failure keep you from reaching your true potential? Do you feel you are stuck in life and not progressing? Do you want to leave your comfort zone, but are not sure how to do it? Only when you are clear about what you want to achieve in your life and your goals can you work toward it. In his book, “ART OF SELF-MAXIMIZATION” the author, Dr. Sanjeevv Khanna, gives you the recipe to live a fulfilling life. This book will help you identify the areas in your life where you need to make a change to realize your true potential. Reading this book will help you… Discover what you are passionate about Visualize your life goals Live a balanced and full life Get back the joy of living Dr. Sanjeevv Khanna, a renowned Ikigai, Life, Relationship & Leadership Coach, has provided the blueprint to successful living in this book. It is sure to help anyone looking to maximize their life experiences and come out of the daily rut. Read this book to learn the important hacks to manifest your desires and attain success. Book Links:
Amazon.in * Amazon.com The universe controls our actions. Have you ever been told this? Have you not heard people talking about the sheer significance of luck in one’s life? The answer is categorically affirmative. You often come across people blaming their luck for not getting a job or a good score or for being yelled at by a superior, and the list goes on and on. Why don’t you take a minute and ponder upon the concept of luck? Think about Rajesh, a young man, who is just out of college and is looking for a job. A year passes by, and Rajesh has miserably failed in his attempts to secure a job. Now, whenever he is asked about being unemployed, he blames his luck. The truth is, Rajesh only applied for the jobs that his connections referred him to. Although this is a good way of job hunting, Rajesh had neither updated his resume nor enhanced his professional skills. He assumed his luck would put things in place somehow. Let me tell you this. The recipe for success is 99 percent hard work and 1 percent luck. Look around you. The world is brimming with opportunities. The ones who have succeeded grabbed those chances and worked really hard to accomplish their goals. This is the story of all successful people. We all want to succeed, and we all know that it is easier said than done. One can dream, but turning your dreams into reality is the actual task at hand. We are aware of many rags to riches real-life stories. Consider Narayan Murthy, Indira Nooyi, Karsanbhai Patel, Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth, or even late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; none of them were born with a golden spoon. How did they reach their current stature? Well, simple. All of them were open to opportunities, and they worked hard. They explored the path to board a purpose-driven life. Go ahead and look up a few stories yourself. And then, ask yourself this: What makes them who they are? How are they so ahead of the pack? You need some crucial elements to fill your life with a purpose. Have you heard of consistent behavior? A consistent behavior motivates you, lets you overcome hurdles, and helps you move closer to your focus. As you adhere to consistent behavior, you dig an option to change the conditions in the surrounding environment. Anyone who lives a life filled with purpose instills consistent behavior in their outer and inner circles. The next crucial element is to be psychologically resilient. You need to be flexible and make adjustments wherever necessary to meet your goal, no matter what obstacles and demands you might face. By avoiding adversities and managing the environment dynamically, both physical and psychological, you can reduce your problems, especially if your life does not have a purpose. Additionally, having a purpose in life enables you to effectively allocate available resources like energy and time. These resources allow you to pursue the purpose. Other actions with zero worth are kept to the least. Besides, the resources they could have used up are redirected to purpose-driven actions. Such components are deemed important elements to pursue a life filled with purpose. In their absence, it’s almost impossible to find and achieve one’s life purpose.
About the Author:
Dr. Sanjeevv Khanna is India’s 1st Licensed IKIGAI coach and also he is ICF & NLP Certified Life Coach. Dr. Sanjeevv Khanna is also Founder & CEO of Academy for Self Maximization, Director – CBO, Startup Lanes Strategic Partner & Executive Director – Noble Manhattan Ltd., U.K. Global Leader – Artemes, Mentor of Change -ATAL, Niti Aayog. He is also the author of Ikigai is Ikigai & Art of Self-Maximisation.Author on the Web:
Twitter * Facebook * Instagram
About the Book:
In 2019, Karan Bajaj quit his job as Discovery India’s head to start WhiteHat Jr with the mission of making every kid a creator in this world. At the time, everyone thought Karan was reckless to give up a high-flying corporate career at the age of forty, but eighteen months later, WhiteHat Jr was acquired by BYJU’s for $300 million. On the surface, it was one of the fastest startup-to-exit journeys in India, but the seeds of this were planted a decade ago when Karan first decided to create his own set of life rules.
In The Freedom Manifesto, Karan, for the first time, reveals these secrets to help you transform your life. Unconventional, practical and no-nonsense, these seven rules will help you prioritize what matters most, radically transform your mindset from an employee to an owner, create a daily routine to end self-doubt and negativity and break the shackles of conformity to design a life of your calling. These rules will set you free, not just financially, but also help to reveal your best self.
My Thoughts:
The Freedom Manifesto is insightful and gripping in a way that I did not expect. I generally do not read non-fiction and especially books of self-help or self-improvement (not yet anyway!). However, this book is indeed a stepping stone for me, inspiring me to consider reading more books out of my comfort zone ( usually fiction) and to explore new avenues and genres.
The book draws on the author’s personal experiences as the basis for explaining several simple steps to transform your life. Karan doesn’t just talk to us about his successes but highlights his failures and the lessons he learnt from them. He is open, accepting of his decisions (both the ones that worked and those that did not), precise and clear in his thinking and critical of himself in a way that draws the reader in, igniting sparks of interest in following his journey. Through this journey, we also read about steps that we can follow to help ourselves, questions to ask to help introspect and suggestions on what to do after we have thought of the answers. I found the style of writing and presentation to be quite unique and this is what captured my attention. The book and writing are personal but written in a way that anyone can understand or relate to and this is something I quite enjoyed.
In conclusion, I truly enjoyed reading this book even though some of the formulas went over my head. This is something I would have to truly look into at some point. In general, I realized that a lot of the questions that Karan raises or suggests that we ask ourselves are ones which I have thought of but never focused on specifically. The point which sticks with me is what to do with the answers once have them and how to prioritize things which are important to us. All this makes this book worth reading!
About the Book:
After Renee Winters discovers her parents lying dead in California’s Redwood Forest in what appears to be a strange double murder, her grandfather sends her off to Gottfried Academy in Maine, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, “crude sciences,” and Latin: the Language of the Dead. It’s here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student to whom she feels inexplicably drawn.
As they get to know each other better, Dante can’t seem to control his attraction either, and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. Dangerous because Dante is hiding a frightening secret. A secret so terrible, it has him fearing for Renee’s life.
Dante’s not the only one with secrets, though. Turns out Gottfried Academy has a few of its own… Like, how come students keep disappearing? Why are the prefect-like Monitors creeping around campus during the night? And what exactly are the Headmistress and Professors really up to? Renee is determined to find out why.
Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking listen, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.
My Thoughts:
I came across this book by chance and decided to give it a try! I was pleasantly surprised and quite happy that I liked it. At first I was not very clear on what was happening, but as the story progressed, it was easier to understand.
Dead Beautiful follows Renee Winters as she deals with the death of her parents, having to suddenly live with her grandfather, moving to a new school and trying to understand the weirdness of the place. Gottfried Academy has quite a few secrets to which only some are privy including Renee’s grandfather as she eventually finds out.
I found the concept and plot to be intriguing and a pleasant change from only reading vampire and/or werewolf based fantasy fiction novels. There’s romance, friendship that lasts and a whole lot of secrets and mysteries to uncover. The first is the truth behind Renee’s parents’ deaths. Another mystery is the death of a student at Gottfried previously that is eerily similar to how Renee’s parents died. Of course we also have to find out the truth behind Dante, gorgeous as he may be!
The characters are pretty standard and well crafted, but not everyone is as they seem. I think this is what made it more interesting. Each character is unique. I also enjoyed reading about Renee’s relationship with her grandfather and how it evolves.
I enjoyed the book and the twists at the end. I honestly did not see it coming and I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
About the Book:
From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a tale of love, loss—and one last extraordinary dance.
Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories.
London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all. Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance. But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice, and when she’s brought to her knees by a daring undercover mission with the French Resistance, only her sister knows the secret weighing heavily on Molly’s heart.
Now, lying in her hospital bed, Molly can’t escape the memories of what she lost all those years ago. But she is not as alone as she thinks.
Will she be able to find peace—and finally understand that what seemed to be an ordinary life was anything but?
My Thoughts:
Amanda Prowse brings to us yet another powerful story of first love, loss, war and the endurance of a woman through all of this. This is a story that brings out all the emotions and one of the few books that made me shed a few tears.
Molly’s story starts off in the 1940s in London and goes on until 2019, as she lies in the hospital thinking back to her life. We follow her as she experiences her first love, the loss of her love, her efforts to contribute to the war effort, her experiences with different people and in the midst of the war. In all this, she gives birth to a wonderful baby boy, born out of wedlock and shunned by her mother. With no other choice, Molly requests her sister and brother-in-law to care for her baby while she earns enough money to support herself.
As time passes, Molly becomes a wonderful aunt to her son, who never learns of the truth, but loves her as much as any child could love a mother. Carrying the weight of her decisions, the separation from her son and the horrors of the war, Molly, a very very strong woman faces a life filled with so many secrets. She perseveres on, working for a living whether it is playing her part in the war efforts or supporting herself after the war ends.
The bond Molly shares with her sister is a strong one and something that is great to read about. The strength, support and even jealousy all come together showing us a glimpse into each of their thoughts and in the end how they are there for each other. This is a wonderful example of what family is all about and the bonds that siblings share. The author brings to us the irony of the whole situation under the guise of the character having lived “an ordinary life”!
Amanda Prowse’s writing is powerful and will draw the reader in from page one. There is no stopping until the reader gets to the bottom of it all, finds out all the secrets and how the story ends. This book will stay with me for a long time and I highly recommend it to all fiction lovers out there. The book cannot be put into any one genre, it encompasses so many and in the end is just worth it!