Tuesday 21 October 2014

God Is A Gamer - Book Review

Title: God Is A Gamer
Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publisher: Penguin Books India
ISBN: 9780143421399
Number of Pages: 310
Price: 299 [INR]
Genre: Thriller

Blurb on the Book:

What happens when you cross Gamer, Banker, Politician and Terrorist with virtual money?

From the bestselling author of 'If God was a Banker' comes the first ever bitcoin thriller. God is a Gamer is a world where money means nothing, martyrs are villians, predators are prey, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing is as it seems.

Moving from Washington's Congress to Delhi's finance ministry, the beaches of Goa to the corporate boardrooms of Mumbai, this is Ravi Subramanian's most gripping novel yet.

My Review:

The story starts with the cold blooded assassination of US senator Gillian Tan in Washington. Agent Adrian Scott of FBI is assigned this case and everyone including him clueless as to how the bulletproof car was blown up. Seemingly unrelated events start happening in different parts of the world. Virtual money called bitcoins are used for online transactions. An online company dealing with drugs and illegal activities is extensively using bitcoins to handle their business. FBI is clueless as to who are the owners of this company. A phishing scam in Mumbai leads to loss of crores of rupees to NYIB, the suicide of Malavika, the ex- CEO of NYIB all which seem unrelated in the beginning will start coinciding as the story progresses. 

Initially, it was a little hard for me to keep up with the proceedings. The story is slow paced but one has to understand the workings of financial organization to get a hang of what is going on. The author has provided the readers with enough details whenever necessary, so as to keep the readers engaged without letting them lose interest. Once the story reaches the second half, that is when it becomes even more thrilling. As the different events get connected and the FBI and CBI start connecting the dots, you just cannot put the book down.

When the culprit is announced by the agents in the end, it will leave you shocked because it is exactly what you wouldn't have expected. But even more shocking is the twist in the end; yes, there is one more twist in the end! Well, I can't say much without spoiling the suspense. All I can say is, go pick up the book and find out yourself! You will enjoy reading it.

Some of the lines from the book that I liked:

  • Success is not always measured in terms of dollars earned or turnover. It is measured in terms of the difference you have made to the people around you.
  • Even if you have to quit, it's important to quit on a high. That's when the world will respect you.
  • If you live, you get to fight your battle another day.
  • When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance.
  • Reputation has no insurance.
  • The problem with theorizing on the basis of incomplete facts is that we end up twisting the facts to suit the theory. We should be doing it the other way around.
All in all, the book is a great read. The narration and language are perfect. It will keep readers engaged till the end. I will recommend it for all mystery lovers.

My Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

Until the next review,
Keep Reading :)

Love,
Swathi :)

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Monday 13 October 2014

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

Until the next review,
Keep Reading :)

Love,


Swathi :)

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Sunday 5 October 2014

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


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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”.

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Until the next post,
Keep Smiling :)

Love,
Swathi :)

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