The Peerless The Uncommon Stories of Common Man by Ajay Gupte (Book Review)

 

The Peerless by Ajay Gupte is a short read. It consists of nine stories of different characters. I especially enjoy those kind of books which are easy to read and one can finish it off in a single setting. For working professionals, books like these are easy to review and also help us unwind in a short span of time. 

Each story is different from each other. As the plot starts unfolding, you start connecting to the characters in the story. 

It is a breezy read and who wouldn't want to connect to the characters who resembles to your life! 

Give a read to this book. It is available both in e-book and paperback format. 

The title & the book cover

It's a very simple book cover depicting a man walking. It does interpret that the stories belong to a common man. The title justifies to the number of stories given in the book as every common man's story is different and incomparable to others yet represents aptly. 

Rating 

3.5/5

The Everyday Hero Manifesto By Robin Sharma

 

The Everyday Hero is another masterpiece by well-known author Robin Sharma. As an author and a motivational coach, he does best. The Everyday Hero is a modern guide for everyday struggles. It inspires you as a person and guides you to improve yourself day by day. The brief examples of inspirational heroic people are  quite good to read and make note of them. 

I like his writing style as every chapter of his every book is full of inspirational quotes and this one is also no exception. 

The Book Title & Cover

The book title is apt as it inspires you to become a hero of your own life. The cover is simple and you definitely don't want to judge a book by its cover especially when it is written by Robin Sharma. 

Rating

4/5

Please do buy this book as it will be your holy book to lighten your path! 

Back Under By Udayan Mukerji Book Review

 

Title – Back Under 

Author – Udayan Mukerji

Genre – Fiction 

Publisher – AuthorHouse UK

No of pages – 213

 

Buy from Amazon  

 

Book Review 

Back Under by Udayan Mukerji gives you a feel of Sherlock Holmes as it is about Pinto, who is a middle-level officer in the ISA. The story revolves around Pinto and his staff. It is a good story to be finished in one sitting. The author has built up good suspense in the first few pages so that the story can move forward at a nice pace. 

 

Slowly and gradually, the story is nicely developed and moves forward and you start taking interest in it as more surprises start revealing. 

 

Fortunately, the story is maintained well throughout the book. The characters are well-developed. As a reader, you get to peek into Pinto’s personal and professional life. You get an impression of Pinto as a well-mannered, focused officer. He is also the kind of person whose life is well-balanced when it comes to his personal life. 

 

I do not want to give any spoilers and it's better for readers to know the story and discover suspense. 

 

Overall, a nice-paced story! 

 

Writing style 

The author’s writing style is evolved and nice. 

 

The book cover & The title 

The cover goes nicely with the theme and is suggestive. 

 

Rating 

3.5/5

 

 

Let Love Take Over By Tomson Robert (Book Review)

 

Title – Let Love Take Over  

Author – Tomson Robert 

Genre – Fiction 

Publisher – Srishti Publishers & Distributors LTD. 

Book Format – Paperback

No of pages – 176

This book is available on Amazon 

Prime characters – Josh, Susan, Tony, Ankita, Kavita, Josh’s grandpa, Mayur, 

 

Other characters – Naresh Shetty, Rajiv, Inspector Nayak 

 

Book Review 

Let Love Take Over is written by Dubai-based author Tomson Robert. It is his third book. The story is about love and real-life struggles. Joshua is the protagonist of this story who is struggling with his past. Joshua used to be a dare-devil teenager who used to stand up and fight against wrong things. His grandpa always encouraged him to show courage and keep faith but Josh loses his best friend in one of the nasty fights that he had in his teenage years.

 

From that day onwards, his past continues to haunt him even in his adult years. 

One day his wife Susan complains to him about the misbehavior of her boss but Josh is caught between his past and present. He does not support his wife in this rift and she loses her temper and calls him a coward. 

 

The story is completely inspired by Bollywood movies. The first few chapters reminded me of Tere Naam movie as Josh a teenager takes up a fight with a Shetty gang. In that fight, he loses his best friend as he gets beaten up by one of the gang members. I cannot imagine a teenager fighting with strong, hardcore gangsters in a book except that I have seen in movies. 

 

In the corporate world, when Susan gets molested by her boss and again in this case, Josh does not stand up for her. There have been a lot of real-life stories I have read, heard, and experienced. Such molestation cases often go unnoticed and unheard. Common people like us suffer from its consequences even after quitting the job. Again, the author’s story failed to convince me of the scenario. Josh tries to become a hero and then shows up at Naresh Shetty’s residence and fight with him and his bodyguards. This scenario reminded me of Singham movie. In short, the story is full of Bollywood spice and did not stir any interest in me. 

 

The only part of this story I enjoyed was the ancient story of David and Goliath. People who like stories with Bollywood spice might enjoy this book. 

Writing Style

The writing style is very simple and casual.

The Book Cover & The Title

The book cover is not attractive at all. It is simply an image of two people holding coffee cups. The title is okay-ish.

About Author

Tomson lives in Dubai with his wife Cini and their adorable daughter, Lea. He is a management consultant.

 

Name Place Animal Thing by Lux Narayan (Book Review)

 

Title – Name Place Animal Thing 

Author – Ux Narayan 

Genre – Self-help 

Publisher – Notionpress

Book Format – Paperback 

No of pages – 206

                                   

This book is available on Amazon 

 

 

Book review 

Name Place Animal Thing? The title itself made me nostalgic about my childhood, and so it was a good start. Name Place Animal Thing (NPAT) can be categorized into a self-help section as it does give an interesting array of theories on how to make one’s life curious and productive. 

 

As a reader, I would say skip the first three chapters and start discovering the life-guiding concept of NCPT. The book is short and easy to read and you are about to make some life-changing discovery especially if you are stuck in a competitive rut of life. Whether you’re in your late 40’s or you are simply confused about what to do with your mundane life, then this book is for you. 

 

Although I have read many self-help books, I was glad to learn some new concepts about bringing hope, positivity, and curiosity in life. This book renews your stale energy and rejuvenates with its guiding concepts. Self-help books usually have a direct approach to guide their readers. However, the author introduces all the concepts with four different characters namely Vin, Mary, Trey, and Cara. I never thought that a game like Name Place Animal Thing had a deep connection to our lives other than just being a game. 

 

Author hands over the responsibilities of explaining the concepts to his four key characters. Vin talks about how having hobbies in life keeps one’s life productive and interesting while Mary emphasizes the importance of slowness in life to balance body, brain, and breath. Trey explains the importance of near and narrow places to learn about surroundings and most importantly how to live in the moment. Cara explains that your name is not just an identity. It also gives away more information about you other than your profession and personal life.  

 

The book teaches you to be curious, passionate and has a mission in life. The best part of this book is I liked the way the concepts are simplified and interestingly told. I would recommend this book to those who are looking for ways to improve the quality of their life. 

 

Writing style 

The author’s writing style is very simple and easy to understand. 

 

The book title and the cover 

The book title completely justifies the theme of this book. The cover is not at all enticing enough but the title does the job. 

 

Is the book price reasonable? 

The book is overpriced as there are many self-help books in the market and they are usually under 200/- Rs. range. 

 

Rating 

3.5/5 

 

 

Forty Nine Shades Confused by Deepak Kaul (Book Review)

 

Title – Forty Nine Shades Confused

Author – Deepak Kaul  

Genre – Fiction 

Publisher – Amazon Kindle 

Book Format – E-book

No of pages – 52

This book is available on Amazon.

Review 

His seductive eyes were enough for me to ignite the desire in me. He slowly came to me and bound my hands with a rope and I lay helpless in the bed looking into his eyes. Then he opened a bottle of honey and started pouring it on my naked body. The whole activity seemed quite exciting to me. He kept the empty bottle aside and he came top on me to lick the dripping honey. His proximity to me just aroused me enough and just then… “Naina, where did you keep the bottle of honey?” Yes, that was Indian mother-in-law yelling from the kitchen and asking me where I kept the bottle of honey. That’s the reality of the BDSM lifestyle in India. 

 

Forty Nine Shades Confused is a tongue-in-cheek narrative that shows the stark reality of the BDSM lifestyle. In India, people live in small houses and there are married couples who don’t even have a separate bedroom to enjoy such intensive sexual activities. And that’s what the book is all about. This short book of 52 pages is inspired by the Hollywood movie – Fifty Shades of Grey. The lifestyle shown in the movie is not exactly a rosy picture for many young Indian men. 

 

The protagonist in this book is no sexy, dapper dude but an accountant by profession and his struggle to find a date is enormous. He fantasizes about BDSM culture and in reality, his experiences with women turn out to be nothing but a nightmare to remember for a lifetime. The author wants to give an idea to people who fantasize about BDSM and its ill effects if one does not understand the concept well. It can be harmful to the submissive especially if that submissive is a woman. 

 

Some scenarios explained in this book are quite hilarious. It’s a simple narrative to make people understand and practical aspects of it. Everybody cannot be Christian Grey to afford a yacht or a separate room to conduct sexual fantasies. The author armed with his witty writing style reveals the true colors of the BDSM lifestyle. That’s why he concludes his plot by saying that dating is not black or whites but rather shady and grey. 

 

Writing Style 

Plain and simple! I do not know why the author has used some Indian words like Dhobi, palak and I did not like it.

 

The title and the book cover. 

The title is apt. The book cover is neither enticing nor suggestive. 

Is the book price reasonable? 

The book comes in an e-book format and has only 52 pages. Again, I find it 150/- Rs. for a small book like this is expensive. 

 

Rating 

3.5/5

 

One time read for sure! 

 

The Accidental Accountant by Deepak Kaul (Book Review)

 

Title – The Accidental Accountant 

Author – Deepak Kaul  

Genre – Fiction

Book Format – E-book 

Publisher – Amazon Kindle 

No of pages – 96

This book is available on Amazon 

The Blurb

The Accidental Accountant is a short-fiction by Deepak Kaul. The protagonist in this fiction is Deb who has graduated from the Arts stream. He is very much confused about career options just like other pass-outs and thinking of doing an MBA. He tries his best to clear the MBA entrance exam but fails to do so. Dejected Deb is completely blank about his future but then his uncle advises him to go for CA. He applies at various CA firms and eventually gets selected at one of the CA firms. Little did he know that his decision would change his life forever. Does he become a successful CA or his life gets entangled more? Do give a read to this amazing short fiction. 

 

The Review 

The Accidental Accountant is a must-read fiction as it represents a working-class well. Deb, a recent graduate finds it hard to understand people and politics around him when he starts working in a CA firm. The author has yet again masterfully showcases the inner conflict of a working person who struggles to make his path in dirt which is full of ill-minded people and corrupted with politics. Deb’s experience with leaders like Prajay, Anthony, or Mukul matches with those who are office goers and everyday struggle to please their seniors with sincerity and hard work. Deb’s inner conflict with a lot of ‘What if’ situations let the readers remind their plight when they graduated from college and were beginning their professional lives. 

 

When you’re working with well-experienced people, your opinions are often clouded with self-doubts. And that’s what happens with Deb when he chooses to work in a CA firm despite his different background. The author beautifully showcases how the working class had to manage with people of different temperaments. When a junior like Deb tries to share his reasonable doubts with seniors, he not only gets sidelined but also gets an earful from the bosses. 

Deb’s inner conflict matches to every working professional as we often have self-doubts about ourselves especially working in a politically corrupted environment. Deb find himself surrounded with unfounded fears and sometimes he is caught in sticky situations because of lazy colleagues. Sometimes he doubts over his decision of working in a CA firm and sometimes he has self-doubts about everything. 

Reading this fiction personally gave me immense pleasure as I’ve had such experience in one of the firms in my professional life. I could relate my professional experiences with this fiction and that is what the author’s job is to write relatable experiences. And I must say Deepak Kaul has done a wonderful job with this fiction of 96 pages. 

 

I recommend this e-book to every professional out there. Some may get a different perspective from this and some may learn about different temperaments and people, especially those who are soon going to start their professional life. 

 

Writing style 

I know only a handful of authors who write stuff in real good creative English and one of them is Deepak Kaul. I hate when writers don’t use such rich language generously in their novels. However, Deepak has created his niche in writing English novels. Thankfully, his writing is rich, and does not write in plain English. 

 

The book cover & The Title 

The book cover does not represent the theme of the story. It is a very plain cover with no creative inputs. The title is okay-ish. 

 

Is the book price reasonable? 

The book comes in an e-book format and it has hardly 96 pages. I feel the book is a bit pricey as the publishing company did not have to bear the cost of printing. 

 

Rating 

4/5

 

Working professionals must read this fiction once for sure!