Trouble has a new name - Book Review

Title: Trouble has a new name

Author: Adite Banerjie

Publisher: Harlequin India Pvt. Ltd.

ISBN: 978-93-5106-513-5

Number of Pages: 187

Price: 150 [INR]

Genre: Romance

Blurb on the Book:

Will you pretend to be my fiance for the next few days?

Recently single model Rayna Dutt does not feel like flying to her friend's big fat Indian wedding. But she does - and when a mix-up with room allocation forces her to share a luxury villa on Emarald Isle with the gorgeous owner of the hotel Neel Arora, best man at the wedding, things begin to look up.

Until Rayna's ex turns up with a new girl on his arm!

Hitting the panic button, Rayna searches for a solution. Surely Neel wouldn't mind being her fake fiance...? In an instant the attraction theyshare is at fever-pitch, but when scandal comes calling Rayna soon finds herself in more trouble than she can handle!

My Review:

I was a fan of Adite's writing after I read her first book - The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal. So I naturally had great expectations from this book and I must say Adite didn't disappoint me.

The story begins with Rayna flying to Andaman Islands to attend her best friend's wedding despite her not so happy personal life. She didn't want to ditch Milee on her big day. And so on the way to the Islands, Rayna meets Neel, towards whom she feels an instant attraction. 

The story progresses with Rayna and Neel fighting this pull they feel towards each other while they try to maintain the facade of their fake relationship. The gossips of Agra group, Rayna's ex Sid attending the marriage with his new girl friend, the shoot on the Islands are all bits that spice up the story. Amidst all this, will Rayna and Neel ever realize their love for each other or will they just part ways after Milee's marriage? Read the book and find out. 

Adite has set up a perfect ambience for a romantic story - The exquisite Island, the Indian wedding, celebrities, the relatives, the media people and amidst all this are two people who love each other. I loved Adite's narration and her attention to details. She loves Bollywood a lot and her stories reflect this love.

All in all, the book makes a very good read. If you love Bollywood or if you love romantic stories, then I would suggest you go for this book.

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

PS: Linking this post to Write Tribe's Write a Review - Rediscovering Your Blogging Groove - Day 3

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

How to handle Stress?

       Stress has become a integral part of our life these days. People of every age group go through stress. Stress isn't a totally bad thing considering how some people can perform better under stress. But too much of anything is bad. Likewise too much of stress can lead to disaster. It fuels anger and in the heat of anger, we end up hurting our dear ones. Stress is the one to blame for this. 

      Though we can't avoid stress completely, there are things we can do to minimize the effects of this stress. Here are a few things that I do when I am stressed:

• Listen to music. Music is a remedy for everything. It is a magic that works wonders. Listening to something soothing will always calm you down.
• Look outside and enjoy the beauty of nature. The greenery, the little bird on the window sill or the dew drops, all these little things can divert your mind.
• Close your eyes and take deep breathes. It is said that when we take deep breathes, more oxygen is supplied to brain and this can help us relax.
• Talk to your favorite person, maybe a friend or your parents or your partner. Talk to anyone whose company you love. Talking to them can make you forget your worries and lift your mood like anything.
• Do something you love. It maybe writing or painting or even dancing. These things can break your stress and make you happy.
• Take a break! Whatever is stressing you, take a break from it and enjoy life's pleasures. Maybe go for a movie or take a nap. You will feel refreshed and ready to face the challenge again by next day.
• And if you have the patience, go for Yoga. It really helps a lot in improving our lifestyle and reducing stress.

      These are the few things that I do to handle stress at times. What are your ways of handling stress?

PS: Linking this post to Write Tribe's Answer A Question - Rediscovering your Blogging Groove - Day 2

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Different Types of Lecturers

       I had once written a post about the Different Types of Students in a Class. While there are so many types of students, there are also different types of lecturers that you come across in your college life. Some inspire you, some motivate you while some make you want to scream at the top of your voice! Trust me, I have seen the latter too! So here is a list of different types of lecturers you are sure to find in almost every college

1. The Role Model: 

      There is at least one lecturer like this that you come across in your life time. They inspire you to achieve something great in your life. Their teaching is secondary but the motivation they give, it is something that has the potential to change your life style. 

2. The Wise One:

      This is someone who is very knowledgeable. There is at least one wise lecturer in the whole college to whom every one else looks up to. They are the ultimate problem solvers for students and teachers alike. In case of any difficulty or complication, you know whom to contact. They are like the life line of the college.

3. The Morose One:

       Or popularly called 'Khadoos' by students these days. These are the kind of lecturers whom you definitely should avoid clashing with. They possess the supreme ability of turning your happiest day into a gloomy one. Just few minutes of talking with them can leave your spirits deflated for the rest of the day. They will leave you wanting to scream at everyone who talk to you that day. Compassion is something that is missing in their dictionary!

4. The Crush Worthy One:

      There are few lecturers whom students just love. No matter how they teach, students are always present in their classes. Students attend their class just to look at them for an hour without any disturbance. Such is their charm. Yes, there are some crush worthy lecturers like this.

5. Uneasy Person:

       They are the lecturers who know a lot but fail to express. They get tensed when they have to face a class room full of students and end up stammering and giving the impression that they know nothing. But if you ever contact them personally to get doubts solved, you will find that they know a lot.

6. Cocksure Person:

       They are the exact opposite of uneasy persons. They know little but they act like they know everything. Whatever they say becomes final; no doubts or questions what-so-ever are entertained. Asking a doubt to them in front of whole class is assured to get you a very lengthy assignment.

7. Cordial Person:

       There is always that lecturer who is very sweet towards students. Speaking to them will make you happy. They are like friends to students and they understand students' problems well. They are usually the junior lecturers who have just finished their degree and have entered the teaching profession.

8. Nosy Person: 

       Any gossip in the campus, these lecturers will be the first to know. Not only do they keep close eye on every details of students, but they find great pleasure in spreading this knowledge with other lecturers.

9. The Drilling Machine:

        There is always a lecturer whose class every student despise. Even the clock seems to be on hibernation during their class! Sleep is inevitable but you have no other option than to sit there and fight sleep because these are most commonly the Morose Ones! You just can't afford to be noted by them!

10. Irregular One:

       These are students' favorite lecturers. Students don't have to bunk their classes because they themselves are irregular and rarely engage classes. 

       These are some kind of lecturers that we commonly find. But in the end, no matter which category they belong to, they are our lecturers and we get to learn something from them. Maybe curricular or maybe some important lesson for life, they all teach us something. It is just our choice whether we will learn it or ignore it.

       Do you have any more types to add to this list? Let me know ;)

PS: To my lecturers who read this (in case!), this is purely a fictional post and any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental!! :D I am not to blame for the coincidence.

Linking this post to Write Tribe's Write a List - Rediscovering Your Blogging Groove - Day 1.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Lucifer's Lungi - Book Review

Title: Lucifer's Lungi 

Author: Nitin Sawant
Publisher: Fablery
ISBN: 978-81-928937-0-9
Number of Pages: 111
Price: 120 [INR]

Blurb on the Book:

An atheist city-slicker unleashed on a medieval holy village...

A simpleton village priest's boy who blindly worships and guards a pantheon of Gods and Their traditions...

Strange things happen when their worlds collide!

This is a tale of that turmoil on a lonely night in a jungle, when the ghosts you never knew till a few hours ago are let loose on the ghosts that you always carried within, unknowingly.

Welcome to the unholy clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods and demons. A clash that will test your convictions. A clash that will rabidly claw and unmask your subconscious, leaving you naked and paralyzed in front of your demons - in a climax that is as ambiguous as it is certain...

Welcome to the madness of 'Lucifer's Lungi'... where What-You-See-Is-NOT-What-You-Get...

My Review:

I was curious about the story line when I saw the title of the book. While it intrigued me, it gave away nothing about what it holds in store for the readers. It took me 2 hours to complete the book and I must say, it was a very satisfying read.

The protagonist of this book is a software professional who is bored with his mundane life. While trying ways to break free from the monotonous life, he develops a habit of going on weekend trips to new places and thus enjoying the break from his routine at office. On one such trips he ends up in a small village, where the stay becomes no less than an adventure.

While the modern world is embracing science and scientific reasons behind every phenomenon, there are still places where religious myths exist. They are so deep rooted in people's mind that even if you try to correct them, they will never accept the truth. 'Lucifer's Lungi' is about one such incident.

Though short, the story is packed with humor. I loved how the confusion of the protagonist is portrayed clearly, especially when the his mind struggles between accepting the modern thoughts and bracing the myths. It is rightly said that when fear clouds one's mind, their reasoning and judgement turn out weak. 

The narration is crisp and vivid. I felt like I was taking the journey with the protagonist through the jungle. I was experiencing his fears and his confusion. The story leaves you questioning the beliefs you have been believing in blindly all your life. Though the story gets a little boring in some places, the ending makes up for it. It was so gripping that I could feel the tension build up in me as the story was coming to an end. All in all an interesting read.

I'll end this review with my favorite quote from the book:

There's more to fear in the wild, than just wild animals. FEAR YOUR IMAGINATION!

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Buy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | FlipKart | 

Watch It 

Meet the Publisher 

Fablery Publications is a contemporary publishing start-up based in Bangalore. At Fablery, our focus is on bringing out books that are more in tune with the current reading habits. Our present portfolio includes a psycho-thriller novella “Lucifer’s Lungi”, two graphic novels “Subbu’s Code” and “Ka Kaa” to be launched at Bangalore Comic Con, along with a book adaptation of a National Award winning movie “Ri” and an anthology of historical fiction “Once Upon A Time”.

You can stalk Fablery@

               

                          


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Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

100 Happy Days - Day 61 to Day 70

       It is a surprise that when doing this challenge, I have practiced the art of finding something good even during the worst days. Here goes the next 10 days of the #100HappyDays challenge:

Day 61: Playing a game non stop, just for the fun of it.

Day 62: Group studies with friends during internals, where we do everything except studies.

Day 63: Signing Author-Publisher event for the anthology Mighty Thoughts.

Day 64: Getting selected for one more anthology - GOOFY, an anthology about Engineering life stories.

Day 65: Got hold of one more book - Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi.

Day 66: Cover page of Mighty Thoughts was finally revealed.

Day 67: Another voucher came from BlogAdda, which means more shopping!

Day 68: Bunking the JAVA class which was eating up all my evening time and enjoying the break.

Day 69: Making it to Round 2 of #CelebrateBlogging with my team Tandem Tensome.

Day 70: Finally a much deserved Sunday. After 3 weeks of sunday classes, finally here was a sunday when I didn't have to attend any classes.

       Hope you all are having an awesome day too.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Dear Parents - 30 Letter Series #3

       I am participating in 'Letter a Week' challenge hosted by Nibha and this week's letter is for Parents. Here it goes.

Dear Parents,

       I know I never have written any letter to you, unless the letter written in school notes for Letter writing exercise is considered. Apart from that, I never wrote any other letter and honestly the need never arrived as you people were always there, right with me. But today, I felt like writing to you. 

      I want to tell you both how much I love you. If I tried saying it aloud, I know you people will never get to hear it because I am poor at expressing my feelings in words. I know you will not be surprised; after all I got this habit from you. So here is a letter for you, to tell you all that I never told you.

       I want you to know that for me, you are the world's best parents. I consider myself luckiest to have got such sweet and loving parents. Who else would have had the patient to handle all my mood swings and tantrums with so much patience? You people were with me during my worst times, when no one else was. You rejoiced when I won and helped me up when I fell. You filled me with confidence and taught me to never give up. If I have achieved something in life today, it is all because of you people; because of your never ending faith and encouragement.

       You never said 'No' to whatever I wanted but you also made sure that I didn't take everything for granted. You taught me to value things and hard work. You brought me up like a princess, always seeing to it that I was happy. But when time came, you even taught me to tough and fight for what is right. It is because of this very lesson, today I have the confidence to pursue my goals.

       Despite all this, smiles weren't the only thing in our lives. I have erred at times and even had made you cry. I am so sorry for that ma and pa. I promise I will never do such things again. Even if I err by mistake, I know you will be there to correct me, maybe even scold a little. But I know whatever you do, you do it for my good. If there is someone whom I can trust blindly in this whole world, its you both. No matter what happens, I know you will never leave my side.

       No, I am not going to end this letter with a 'Thank-you-for-everything' because a mere Thank you is not going to be enough for all that you have done for me. I just want you to know that I love you and will always do. No matter how successful I become in life, you will still be my top priority and I will still be your little girl. I just hope that you will read this letter someday.

With loads and loads of love,

Swathi :)

Here is a pic taken on my 1st birthday :)

I really do hope someday they will read this letter. *Fingers Crossed*

PS: Linking this post to 30 Letter Series - Week 3. Do join in and have some fun writing letters.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

100 Happy Days - Day 41 to Day 60

       Here I am again with #100HappyDays post after a long time. Since I had so much pending, I am going to combine two posts and write about Day 41 to Day 60 together.

Day 41: Received a personalized letter from none other than Rani Mukherjee herself for my Mardaani!! Indeed it was an awesome moment for me.

Day 42: I don't know why, but Vodafone people felt so generous that they recharged my cell with free net pack. I wish they would do this every month :D

Day 43: Chocolates!! My friend's cousin had come from Dubai and thus we got some yummy chocolates to enjoy :)

Day 44: Received portable charger for being the runner up of the Mardaani contest. This contest brought so many surprises and happiness. Also received a track pant for being early bird.

Day 45: I was selected again for Writer's Ezine September issue :) This came as a total surprise as I had submitted the post 2 months ago and had forgot about it completely!

Day 46: It was festival time. Gauri festival is one that is celebrated with great devotion in our home. Had fun with the whole festival mood in home.

Day 47: Ganesha festival! One of the festivals that every one celebrates with zeal. Had fun in the evening as I went out to various temples to see the Ganapathi idols.

Day 48: How good it feels if college remains closed even after 2 days of holidays? It was awesome! I wish I could enjoy the holidays for a long time.

Day 49: Prepared Jamoon at home because felt like having some.

 

Day 50: It was friend's birthday and had awesome time as we went out for a party.

Day 51: I was ecstatic seeing my Author pic posted in FB. Yes, my story is selected for Mighty Thoughts - an anthology of 26 inspiring stories. 

Day 52: A poem I wrote was printed on the invitation for Fresher's Party. It was a proud moment.

Day 53: Going out for shopping is one of the best things. I had fun shopping for the party next day.

Day 54: Party!!!! It was time for the much awaited Fresher's Party. Finally we seniors gave a welcome to juniors and had an awesome party.

Day 55: Got free recharge as a part of Line's Free Recharge Event. This happened 4 times and I finally got 120/- in the end.

Day 56: Happiness is seeing a cute pic that makes you smile :)

Day 57: Got the books of Divergent series, thanks to the voucher I received from BlogAdda.

Day 58: The book I wanted to buy from a long time, 'The Fault in our Stars' was finally in my hands. Happiness :)

Day 59: What happens when lecturers step out of the lab letting us revise? Creativity starts flowing. This is what I did using the routers and firewalls of network lab.

Day 60: Happiness is being part of a good team. I am a part of Tandem Tensome in BlogAdda's #CelebrateBlogging contest.

      So, that was the story of Day 41 to Day 60 :) Feeling happy to have completed more than half of the challenge. Just 40 more days to go :)

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)