Quick Review - Life Is What You Make It

“LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT” is FLAWLESSLY INSPIRING

“LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT” is the second novel by “best selling” author Preeti Shenoy.  Set in early 80s, it is the story of Ankita Sharma – a young, good looking and talented girl. She completes her graduation from St. Agnes (Cochin), and manages to get into a premier MBA college in Bombay (yes not Mumbai, as the story is set in 80s.) Everything goes exceptionally right for her, as she explores her hidden talents and excels and progresses in whatever she does. But a few months later, she gets admitted to a mental health hospital.

“Life Is What You Make It” is the story of how Ankita touches the pinnacle of success, the events that lead to her descent, and how she takes control of her life, and comes out as a WINNER. Thus, proving that life is CERTAINLY what you make it. Preeti Shenoy is, by far, one of the best Indian writers I have read. Her impeccably strong hold on the language, her clarity of the story, and her way of expressing her thoughts are her biggest strengths. As a book, “Life is what you make it” is certainly one of the most well written books in the recent times. The story is well narrated, though it drags a little at certain points, but by the time you finish reading the book, you realise that your life is not that bad either. When the current Indian market is flooded with Love-BreakUp-HeartAche kind of ‘chiclit’ books, “Life Is What You Make It” comes as a fresh breather. Young writers (including myself) should take a cue from Preeti Shenoy, and realise that books can DO WELL, without writing too many slangs.

On the whole, Preeti Shonoy’s “Life Is What You Make It” is FLAWLESSLY INSPIRING. Readers of any age group can and should read this book, at least once. I give 4 stars out of 5, and thumbs up for Preeti Shenoy’s “Life Is What You Make It”.

Verdict: One of the best books in recent times. Flawlessly Written and Inspires to Live... Happily!

Quick Review : Accidentally in Love... With Him? Again?? by Nikita Singh

“ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE... WITH HIM? AGAIN??” is BOLD but NOT BEAUTIFUL

“ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE... WITH HIM? AGAIN??” is the second novel by “best selling” author Nikita Singh.  It’s the story of Chhavi Mukharjee, a struggling print model in Mumbai, who “accidentally” falls in love with Tushar Mehra, a photographer. “Accidentally” because, they had decided to be sex partners only (Friends with Benefits types... or No Strings Attached Types). So, the sex partners very predictably fall in love, and then the problem starts – Expectations, Long distance Relationships, Breakups etc.

As this is Nikita Singh’s second novel, so I am allowed to be a little strict. Firstly, I must applaud Nikita for choosing a bold subject, and scripting it very boldly. But here lies the problem. The story, which starts with a reference to sex, drags slowly, with almost each chapter mentioning about sex and love making. At one stage, the reader tends to feel, bored, and irritated also. It’s not wrong to write love making scenes in the books, in fact, they bring more reality to love stories. However emphasising only on sex makes a story very weak and boring. Too much of everything is bad, and this is one major drawback of this book. Too much of sex! This is the main reason, the story becomes weak, and you don’t feel sad when the characters are sad or happy when they are happy.

Another problem – Young Indian writers are too much (or blindly) following Chetan Bhagat’s style of writing. They don’t understand that, excessive usage of slangs, like ‘F#ck’ etc., makes literature very weak. Or, maybe, they are not writing literature at all. There were times, when people used to read novels, not only for a good story, but also to improve their language skills. But, unfortunately, most of the books written by modern authors do not help in any way. Such kind of literature is called “Fast Food Literature”, and it is also affecting the readership quality.

On the whole, Nikita Singh’s “Accidentally in Love... with him? Again?” is BOLD but NOT BEAUTIFUL. It may go well with the readers, who actually love the “F#ck” lingo and repeated sex scenes”, but the readers of authentic literature will feel a letdown. Just because of a bold attempt, I give 2 stars out of 5, for Nikita Singh’s “Accidentally in Love... with him? Again?”

Verdict: You won’t be disappointed, if this book is not there in your library.

Quick Review - ENTRAPPED by SNEHA KEDAR

ENTRAPPED is a Roller Coaster FUN RIDE

ENTRAPPED is a paranormal fantasy fiction novel by first time author Sneha Kedar. It’s the story of Myra Bose, a fairy but born to human parents. It’s a story about her life and adventures at Fae High (a High School for Faes and Fairies).  Without going into the details of the story line (which you can check at Flipkart.com and many other websites), and coming straight to the book review, I would like to applaud Sneha for her Vision and Imagination. She is a first time author, and she has done a commendable job by imagining all the characters, places and events mentioned in the book. The book, itself, is very easy to read, and quite intriguing. The book is fast paced, and every chapter ends leaving you curious to read the next one. This is one major quality, which I found missing in many other books.

On the “little” flip side, I felt that the pace of this book is too fast. Maybe, it was due to the publisher who may have forced the author to cut down the word-count. But, I personally felt that the events were moving too fast, specially the climax. Another thing which disappointed me, and I actually complain Sneha, for her usage of the word “B##bs”. It was used at only one place, but it destroyed the simplicity and innocence of the book, for a moment. A more aesthetic word would have been a better choice.

On the whole, Sneha Kedar’s Entrapped is a Roller Coaster FUN RIDE. People of all ages can read it, love it, and enjoy it. I give 3.5 stars out of 5, for Sneha Kedar’s Entrapped.

Verdict: It’s Fun. It’s Riveting. It’s a Roller Coster Ride. It’s Worth A Read.