SECOND SPRING

About the Author:    Sandhya Jane

The Author’s style of writing can be termed not only as matured but extremely confident too. The Book is unique in the sense that the whole book has been written from two different points of views. One chapter has been written from the point of view of Avantika and the other one from Rohan, both the lead protagonists. Although this is a very difficult way of writing, but the author has pulled it off with such finesse that it seems very natural. While doing so, she has done full justice to the male point of view, and that too, without sounding judgemental or without taking sides of either of them.

Generally, when one tries to echo two different opinions on the same subject, repetitiveness cannot be ignored. However, the author has done a commendable job on that too.

About the book :       

The book is about Avantika’s journey through love and life. It has the elements of romance mixed with inner struggle. A very beautifully written book, which talks about giving second chances to oneself and deliberates upon the complexities of human relationships.

The Synopsis: 

Here is a woman, a complete control freak, a bossy character... A man with a carefree attitude .... Love blossoms between these two entirely different creatures...

Avantika, a successful investment banker, a single mother, who has a difficult past is struggling against her growing attraction for her charming colleague Rohan. She decides to tread cautiously where Rohan is concerned.

Rohan, an attractive, smart, aspiring investment banker, two ranks junior to her is a part of Avantika’s team. Even he struggles to gain the foothold in his career, while at the same time battling against his strong desire for Avantika.

They struggle ends when both give in, only to make way for a disastrous exit when Rohan chooses duty over love.  He goes on a guilt trip for breaking Avantika’s heart. On the other hand, Avantika finds solace in spirituality.

Will they ever be able to meet again? Will she accept him back in her life ever?

From the Reader’s point of view:    When I went through the blurb of the book, I thought that it would be yet another Boy meets Girl story; they meet; they fight; then they are unsure before reaching agreement, etc.. I was proved wrong by the author. The author was creative enough to allow Avantika to make decisions which were not only unique but far more sensible too.

Cover Page:   A beautiful cover page, but could have been better designed.

Overall Rating:          4.5/5

AN INTERVIEW SESSION WITH MR AJAY KUMAR PANDEY, AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLER "YOU ARE THE BEST WIFE"

Mr. Pandey is a humble and shy personality, and was initially reluctant to give an interview. Still, I would like to take the credit for my ability to pursue a case till I finally convinced him for this fantastic interview.

KM     Heartiest congratulations on the book. From an engineer to an author; how has the journey been?

AKP-Thanks for the wishes. The journey was tough, but nothing can be tougher than what I have already been through. I got a positive response from Srishti, after a year of my submission. But then I was inclined to release it on Bhavna’s birthday for which I have to wait for another year.

KM     These days, they say, if you have got admission in an Engineering College; you will soon become a Writer. How true, do you think isthis?

AKP- Yes, there are a few Engineers who have switched over to the field of writing (smiles). But, in my case, it was my own story. More so, the Engineering Colleges make you tough enough to face the realities of life. Some of the incidents are so hilarious, that they should reach out to all.

KM     What are the difficulties a person who starts writing for the first time faces? And what is your advice for those people?

AKP- First drafting is a wild and wonderful ride, full of discovery, dreams and promises. But at some point we have to settle down and make the book really work. One should approach their manuscript with sober objectivity and knowledge of the craft.

Start small. 300 words per day is plenty. Have an outline. Have a set time to work on your book every day. If you want to take a day or two off per week, schedule that as time off. Don’t just let the deadline pass. I always choose a unique place to write and will suggest the same.

KM    The book is a personal account of your life. How difficult was it for you to pen it down, since it has a tragic ending.

AKP- Initially it was not very difficult to write as I was writing my own journey, but I realized soon that I have to present the content in creative manner to trigger the interest of the readers. Then the struggle started, I read many books to know nuances of writing. And re-edited it dozens of times to present my draft for final editing. It took one and half years to share the final draft with the publisher.

KM     What was the purpose behind writing the book?

AKP- It is atribute to my wife Bhavna. It gives me immense satisfaction to see her alive in so many hearts. So I am more than happy.

KM     Did the book transform you? If yes, how?

AKP- Yes, you are right; it transformed me in many ways. I found a confident person inside me.It is not just a book for me. It is journey of my life, and after penning it down I feel myself emotionally stronger.

KM     What do you want the readers to 'take-away' from the book?

AKP-  The most important take away from the book I wish to highlight is “Life is a journey; we all are born and will die someday. Some celebrate their silver jubilees, some celebrate golden ones and some may score a century, but life cannot be evaluated on the basis of the number of years spent alive. The quality of life is what matters, not the quantity.” 

KM     Who is your inspiration and why?

AKP- My wife is my inspiration behind writing this book. I have never written if she wouldn’t be an inspiring soul. Now coming to my writing mentor and inspiration, I am big fan of Buddhadeva Bose and Khushwant Singh. I learnt the art of writing and also how to demonstrate emotions in limited words. I admire their characters which were real and close to common people.

KM     What more do you plan to do for the 'best wife'?

AKP- As I already mentioned that whatever will be the earnings from the book will be donated for good cause in life and if this book will reach the peak of success than I have a hidden plan which I don’t want to reveal now. I am confident that her journey would transform many lives. This is the best way to prove that she is the best wife.

KM     Do you wish to write more books? Why or why not?

AKP- I never had a thought to write even a short story but this book has given me a lot of appreciation and enthusiasm and my readers are definitely not leaving me with single book. So I will come back with something inspirational but currently nothing to share.

KM     What kind of books do you read?

AKP- I read love stories that have deep thought and message behind it.  I don’t prefer love stories with childish theme and forced intimate scenes. Sometimes I also like to read stories inspired from real life.

KM     And lastly, how does it feel to be on top of the bestselling fictions’ list and to be voted as the No. 1 book by the online magazine Salisonline.in?

AKP- Feels nice, that’s all I can say at this stage.

A GIRL WHO LOVED THE PIRATE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:    Kulpreet Yadav is a dynamic personality with wonderful writing skills. Andy Karan series is increasingly becoming my favourite thriller in this genre. Since I have met the author personally too, I could well imagine Kulpreet Yadav playing the part of Andy Karan himself in a movie based on the book. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Being an author myself, albeit in the genre of romance and relationships, I was so engrossed in the thriller that I had to finish it to the last before putting it down. Just when I was about to finish of my last chapter, a question remained with me, and I thought how could the writer of the calibre of Mr. Yadav, would leave it unanswered. But, there it was, in the Epilogue, which made the Epilogue different from the rest.

In his first book of the series, “Catching the Departed”, I had felt that the character of Monica was wasted. Being a lady, I felt bad for the character not having shaped up well. Besides, I felt that it was used too, unnecessarily portrayed as a sex object only. I had conveyed this to the author, and I can see the effect in his second book of the series.

ABOUT THE VIDEO:   On the launch of the book, the video was launched too, and I could actually feel the thrill that accompanied with the background score too.

Hey Dad! Meet my Mom

About the Author:    Sandeep Sharma and Leepi Agarwal

After going through the book, one gets a feeling that this is probably not the first book from the author. Reason is simple: wonderful usage of language and right quantity and quality of twists and turns. This can probably be explained by the fact that he is known reviewer. An absolutely different storyline, which could have been a risk, if not penned properly.  However, the author, does a commendable job.

About the book :    I would like to keep this book in the category of a Psychological Thriller. It kept me on tenterhooks as to what is going to come next, what turn is the story going to take next. Personally, I am scared of ghosts and never watch a ghost series too, but this book really did not scare me away, even when the protagonist could see his son, who could not be seen by anybody else. Probably, the ghost was too cute to be scared of.

From the Reader’s point of view:    As a reader, I could not keep the book down till I finished the last page. Generally, these days, a fiction is atleast 200 pages, but this one is only 157 pages, again compelling you to complete it at once. 

Negatives:       I felt that the story which otherwise went at full speed, took long in the flashback portion.            

The Storyline:            Puneet is a banker, who can see his future son. This future son tells his present father, that if the father delays in getting married, he may never be able to come into existence. Hence, the search or as they call it operation “Find Mom” begins.

Who is this boy? A ghost or somebody else? Do both of them together are able to find a wife for Puneet, to become future Mom to future son... too many futures I believe...., but finally leading to an interesting, and witty encounter of a man with his future son.

Publisher:       Gargi Publishers

As I said, it could have been a risky project, being of a different genre, so coming out with this book, the Publishers have actually shown that they are willing not only to give a chance to debut authors but to take risk as well.

Cover Page:   A beautiful cover page, justifying the book. Full marks for that.

Overall Rating:          4/5

YOU ARE THE BEST WIFE- a review

At the outset, I wish to caution that its a Tragic Story, so all those who do not appreciate Tragedies, this is not for you.

I definitely not like to see such movies, nor do I like to read such books, which have tragic endings. But, I really could not resist reading the book to the end as I knew it was a real story. And I must say, it was worth it. I really liked the way a fictitious ending is given in between, and wished that it should have been the real one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I believe that one can get to know a lot about the Author from his creation. Since, we know that its the true story of the author himself, I would say that he is a good human being and the best husband to Bhawna, the best wife. His creation, the Book “You are the best wife” is full of emotions. I felt as if I was watching a movie. In the book he has mentioned that Bhawna was the best wife, best daughter, best mausi, best sister and the best daughter in law. I, no doubt agree with the author but to add to that I felt that even the Author Pandeyji as he is fondly called, is the best husband, best son, best brother and may he soon become the best father to a daughter with the soul as special as Bhawna’s.

THE BOOK BLURB:         

A normal love story of a boy Ajay meeting a girl Bhawna; Ajay proposes, Bhawna accepts. But the story suddenly takes a different and the most unexpected route. A tumultuous turn where the boy is left shattered, but learns to pick up the broken pieces of his life.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

The book is an emotional journey, and talks about relationships. It is set in the Allahabad City and clearly brings to the fore the way the boy and girl cannot walk together on the streets, and the contrast is highlighted too when the story shifts to Pune. The story changes its course when Bhawna is infected with Dengue.

This reminds me of a small story on Dengue. http://abheekalp.blogspot.in/2015/11/dengue-season.html. I really could not resist pasting the URL of the same here.

PERSONAL OPINION:

Since this is the first book of the author, literary finesse is something which I was not looking for. I am also tempted to highlight the fact that although the Author did try to take good care of his wife, but the expertise of the Doctors in the high profile hospitals named by him should definitely come under a scanner. I actually had goose bumps while going through those chapters. 

The most important point worth a mention is the fact the way a last chapter has been written from Bhawna’s side. Not to mention that the way Shah Jahan made Mumtaz immortal with the creation of Taj Mahal in her memory, similarly Pandeyji made Bhawna immortal with this book.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHERS:

Sristhi Publishers is doing a good job, the way the book is being promoted. The proceeds from the book are going to a Charitable Trust. Hope they get a good collection.