Releasing Soon: For a Brighter Bipolar Life by Guinnevere Clarke

About the Book

I wrote this book ´For a Brighter Bipolar Life´ for what I wished I knew from the very beginning of being diagnosed with type 1 bipolar disorder. When I first found out that I had bipolar, I tried to find out as much as I could about this type of mental illness since I knew nothing at all about it.


I wrote this book in the in the way I wanted to know in the beginning of this type journey. A lot of things that I wanted to know, I couldn’t find out anywhere. I just couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for. This book is what I was looking for before. This book is everything that I wanted to know. This is my blueprint now that I didn’t have before. I learned everything I know now from lessons learned along my way with this mental illness.

If You Were Me and Lived in … Portugal by Carole P. Roman: Book Review

If You Were Me and Lived in … Portugal  is among the children's book series by author Carole.  This series intends to educate children about cultures of several countries. The collection is ideal for children from pre-K to age eight. 

The book takes children for a quick tour to Portugal. As you can see, the book cover shows where exactly Portugal is in the world map. Another map on the first page gives a geographic outline of the country with its capital city, just for kids to identify; not a detailed one. And then a little about the country’s history; a little about the origin – all just a little for little children!

The Seller of Beliefs by Trishala D Shah: Book Review

The Seller of Beliefs is a narration of a young, dynamic girl about her visit to an unusual fair. The story begins with her reluctance to attend a two-day course, though she finally succumbs to her parents’ persuasion. As a part of her course, her teacher instructs to find, what she calls as, ‘essential ingredients’ and a ‘secret element’ from the fair. A guide is assigned to her who would take her around at the fair.

Now what’s so unusual about the fair? One enters it with no pennies and returns with nothing either. Instead a jar of Punyas is allotted to each. And for every joy ride or a game, an amount of the Punyas gets depleted. In other words, the fair is metaphorically depicted as the life of an individual which one enters with the punyas he carries at birth. The fair events are set as life-learning lessons which the girl is supposed to grasp with the help of the guide, whose character is subtly woven as a spiritual being.

Seedlings: Fables from the Forest by C D Baker: Book Review

Seedlings is the story of the trees! If we were one among the trees, how would our lives been? Seedlings will take your children to an imaginative life of the trees. Trees eat, drink, sleep and share as much as we do. They interact and make friendship with their fellow trees as well. They age and learn values just like we do.

Author Baker has brought out the essence of life’s greatest virtues in the form of five beautifully written fables from the forest. Each story emphasizes one of these:

Thankfulness Forgiveness Humility Helpfulness Kindness

And each story highlights a Biblical verse!

Your Love was all I had! by Kaushal Kumar Jha: Book Review

Yet another Indian Love Story!

Your Love was all I had! is a beautiful love story that happens in the busy city of Mumbai. Rahul lands on the city for his medical course. He meets Riya, chases her and they become friends. At one point when he knows he should propose his love to her, he does it and their romantic relationship begins. All goes well until oppositions shoot up from both families and may what happens at the end be a secret to the readers.

Sounds like the usual Indian movies? It is exactly! But not all movies leave the same impact, right? That’s where this book makes a difference. It brings out romance where it should, it brings out lust where it should and it brings out life where it should – all well-balanced! There’s a little tinge of just everything that revolves around young lads of this decade. They know quite well what is to be done with family, love and ambition. And our hero is one of that kinds!

Humanshastrra by Jatin Bharmani: Book Review

A good quick-read!

 

Humanshastrra is a kind-hearted book to re-kindle life’s forgotten good ways. The back cover was simple without a detailed text; significant topics addressed in the book were impressively highlighted, instead.

The book reminds us to watch our everyday thoughts and behaviours. Here’s a simple question the author keeps in front of the readers: 

When was the last time that you went out of your way, sacrificed your basic need and parted with it, for someone else, which may be greater than yours? (Page 17)

Order of the Dimensions by Irene Helenowski: Book Review

Order of the Dimensions is a Science fiction plot happening at several cities in the Unites States. The main character, Jane Kremowski, is a research student at the Physics laboratory of Madison State University in Wisconsin. One of their new inventions, the black box, has the ability to transport people to other parallel lives – what the author refers to as Dimensions. The villain character misuses the ability of the black box to attain the highest power in the world. And the plot continues with constant trap – escape struggles with the villian, leading to the expected end.

The concept of time travel was too impressive. Especially, it’s not a kind of travel to another one time. The characters travel to several dimensions every now and then. And in each dimension, their lives are almost similar with a few differences in the life events.

Me “N” Her – A Strange Feeling by Rikky Bhartia: Book Review

 The kind of love story that happens here and there, everywhere!

The story is of Harsh and Janvi. They meet as new joiners at office. Almost half the book is about how their association finds gradual changes as years pass by – from colleagues to friends to lovers to wedding talks to engagement. Sounds like the usual love story? Perhaps not! The plot maintains constant twists and turns throughout the book. And one would want to know ‘what next’ at every stage. The last few pages, especially, contain the most unexpected twist like the O’Henry short stories. Well, was wedding bells finally in their air? I am afraid, I cannot reveal the rest part of the book.

Absolutely, the present-day reality!

The book depicts 100% of the society that most young Indians have been living in, at least for the last five to ten years.

Reflections by Mukesh Mehta: Book Review

Reflections is a simple expression of the author’s thought process on day-to-day life experiences.

You sit on a rocking chair. Your mind could pick up the insights of this experience to introspect now or later. Wonder what experience can arise from sitting in a chair? Say, you might feel a sense of relaxation with the rocking movement. You might feel discomfort in getting up from the chair. An inquisitive mind could possibly create allegories of such experiences to real life situations. One of such minds is the author’s! 

Reflections is a small, quick-to-read book that can be a good travel companion. It could take from a few minutes to a couple of hours to complete the book, depending upon the readers’ speed of assimilation. The language is simple. The subject is simple. 

Marvels and Mysteries of the Mahabharata by Abhijit Basu: Book Review

A passion from the depth of one’s soul supported by years’ of study can only bring up such literary works. If Mahabharata is your all-time intriguing tale, this book is sure to add glory to your bookshelf!

Marvels and Mysteries of the Mahabharata (will refer to as MMM henceforth) is a genuine attempt to critically analyze a few of the prominent characters of the great epic – Vyasa, Krishna, Yudhishthira, Arjuna and Draupadi. It also sheds light on several enigmatic  episodes within the plot. The author, along with providing insights, engages his readers with his exemplary correlations of characters and incidents with Greek, Biblical, Islamic, Semitic and other ancient tales.

While there are 100s of books on Mahabharata, what’s so unique about MMM?

MMM gives us interesting revelations about the personalities of the main characters.We know Vyasa appears now and then throughout the epic.

AJAYA – Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan: Book Review

I congratulate the author for his brave endeavor. What he has envisaged beyond the story of Mahabharata through the same story deserves this country’s applause!

The first part of AJAYA – Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan is a must-read for all epic lovers. If you are a Mahabharata genius, you are sure to enjoy the familiar plot in a different perspective. It is as if the same story is directed with different screenplays by different directors. On the contrary, if you are a Mahabharata illiterate, as I was before touching the book, you are sure to get enlightened on the country’s greatest tale. It might not be the best pick to learn the truth of history, but for sure a great choice to take a walk through the myriads of characters and their most significant sagas that every Indian should know.

The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi: Book Review

Read book review of Immortals of Meluha here.

If you haven’t read 'The Immortals of Meluha' yet, then you are too early for this page. Immortals of Meluha was more than a fiction, more than a mythology and definitely more than a time-pass read. It’s last page left us all eager to know the consequences of Naga’s attempt to kidnap Sati.

Though there was a few months’ lapse in my starting with the second book, I had no memory problem in remembering the roles of the characters, what a vikarma meant and where exactly were the main characters on the then map of India. I didn’t have to search the pages of the first one even once. No, not because of my memory! If you’ve been affected by the thrill of the first book, you’ll know because of what.

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho: Book Review

Actually I wasn’t planning to buy another book within a short span but the 15% New year offer in Odyssey was irresistable. Probably a part of destiny’s tricks and magics? You see my third book of Mr.Coelho’s I can’t help writing this way ;) Am already a die-hard fan of his by now.

When two young lovers are reunited, they discover anew the truth of what lies in their hearts.  

This was the description I had read about this book before I had bought it. Well if you are not married yet and in particular still single, no wonder this subject shall allure you. And trust me this is a beautiful love story I’ve ever read!

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield: Book Review

If you are in a search towards your personal growth, your own evolution, but not sure of where to start from, I suggest you start from a book shop – and get hold of The Celestine Prophecy. It is a fiction about a manuscript which has 9 ancient insights and hidden from public reading due to political reasons. The main character takes on a journey to investigate the manuscript whereabouts in order to prevent it from being destroyed by the bad men. And on his way, he comes across the 9 insights and their detailed understanding by several people at several places. No doubt, along with the hero, the readers too get involved in the insights. And to know exactly what we mean by the insights, one has to read the book.

To give a glimpse of the insights, I mention here 2 of my favourite points from the book.

Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho: Book Review

In a book discussion forum, I had seen strong recommendations to get a hold of this book. I did not look into the book reviews, just to keep the beans safe before spilling out. And now I’ve already turned the last page of the book and could not but write on the writing of this great writer!!!

I feel Paulo Coelho shouldn’t be included among the other commercial writers of fiction, self-help, psychology and the like. If you’ve read at least one book of his, you would agree with me that not everyone can perceive his messages exactly as how he has projected them. That’s why I guess I hear mixed comments on his books – boring to some, interesting to some, confusing to some, inspiring to some. It actually demands an understanding level in the reader too to see what Mr.Coelho has seen.

Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon: Book Review

I’ve just put  this book down after turning over its last page. This is the first time  I’ve ever read a Sidney Sheldon and now I partly understand how some people become book-addicts!

Not exaggerating, it feels I’ve just come out of a strange fantasy world of manipulations to reality. Jamie, Margaret, Banda, Kate, David, Tony, Eve, Alexandra, George, John, Peter…….these characters are like known people in my real world now. I marvel  at what a book can do to its readers. And lo, what an author does to his readers!

Jamie - His vigour and sense of righteousnes! Except of what he did to Margaret. His character is all about how a man struggles to lift himself up in the ladder of success after being deceived so badly. I was too sad to have my dinner the day when I went through the pages of his premature death :( May be he should have learnt little of forgiveness.

The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi: Book Review

It was my childhood myth that Lord Shiva is a very busy and powerful God that He will not have time to heed to my prayers. So I refrained from having a connection with Him as a God. Not to exaggerate, this book has changed that stupidity of my bygone days. Now I feel He is as gentle and heeding as any of my other favourites.

Written by Amish Tripathi, this book is about Lord Shiva’s life as a human on Earth. Most of the characters are already familiar to us as they form our ancient mythology. Having mentioned Lord Shiva and mythology, it might give an impression of an old historical, religious and boring book. But that’s not the truth.

The immortals of Meluha  is unbelievably written to the interest of the present day readers. Lord Shiva often utters “Shit” and “Damn it” and Rishi Brahaspati conducts scientific experiments. So you can imagine the fun-filled mythology that is presented in this book.