October Read-along: Book Nominees

Hello, Readers!
This month, we've come up with a poll for our "Non-Indian Book Of The Month"  so that you amazing bookworms can choose the book you'd like to snuggle up with in October.
*in a deep set voice*
Anddd the nominees are;

1. The Help, Kathryn Stockette                                           
Here's Niv's Pick for BOTM,

"In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't."

This book has been adapted into a movie, so gear up for another movie watch-along if this literary piece is chosen.


Add to Goodreads





2. We Need New Names, Noviolet Bulawayo
 To add to the diversity, we have included the underrated African literature.

"A remarkable literary debut -- shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize! The unflinching and powerful story of a young girl's journey out of Zimbabwe
and to America."

Picked By Shonazee.

Add to Goodreads





                                                                                                         
3. All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doer

For the lovers of Historic Fiction, here's Somdyuti's pick:

"WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II."

Add to Goodreads










4. The Glass Sentence (The Mapmaker's trilogy), S.E.Grove

Varsha has chosen this YA world where time and maps are disjointed all over the place. First Book of The Mapmakers trilogy,

"The Glass Sentence plunges readers into a time and place they will not want to leave, and introduces them to a heroine and hero they will take to their hearts. It is a remarkable debut."

Add to Goodreads










Choose wisely, Soldiers!

Click on the title to vote:

The Help
All the Light We Cannot See
We Need New Names
The Glass Sentence

You can vote for your FAV from 22nd Sept'15 to 29th sept'15.
The results will be announced on 30th, so stay tuned!

Release Day Blitz: The First Life Of Vikram Roy (Ruby Iyer Series) by Laxmi Hariharan + Giveaway

About the Book:

His family is being held to ransom by a deadly mastermind. 

Vikram never should have left his family, but when Vikram's father brings his half-brother Vishal home, life will never be the same. Vikram thinks things will be better now that he's gone. He's met the love of his life, his future looks bright and then everything is shattered. Now, his family's life is hanging in the balance, and only Vikram can do what needs to be done to save them. From the bestselling dystopian fiction author with over 200 reviews and ratings of her dystopia books across Goodreads, Amazon and other retailers. 

If you’re looking for books like Hunger Games, then this dystopia romance series, The Ruby Iyer Series is it.







Book Links:

Goodreads I Amazon

An exclusive excerpt and GIVEAWAY from The First Life of Vikram Roy

The Ruby Iyer Series—by Laxmi Hariharan

I hear the staccato of shots being fired, followed by yells and howls of pain. Then, the sound of something being smashed and everything goes quiet. The TV no longer chatters. I look to the open door. The recreation room is down at the end of the corridor. The sounds of shots get closer. Without giving myself a chance to think I make a run for the door slam it shut, lock it and it’s as if that’s a signal to the rest of the men to jump to their feet. Without a word, the ten of us scram to our bunks, pull on trousers and shoes.We get our hands on whatever weapon we can find. No guns, none of us have guns. So I grab my cricket bat. (As if that’s going to make a difference?)

 Around me the others too are grabbing cricket bats and hockey sticks. Neil grabs an iron rod. An iron rod? Where did he get that from?  We drop to the floor, crouch and wait. 

Should I hide under the bed? Nope, no way. Like, that is going to help. 

And then a crash as the door is broken down, hacked by what looks like an axe till it’s in pieces on the floor and through it step through two men. One holding a machine gun, the other wielding an axe which he drops to the floor and instead grabs the the gun slung over his back. They are both wearing balaclavas, so we can’t see their features. Of medium height, they are muscular and dressed all in black: Black jeans and sweatshirts, their hair covered by the hoods. Their backs are to the door. They point their guns at us, signalling to us to put our hands up. I hesitate, not looking around but sense that the others too are not sure what to do. The first gunman points his gun at the nearest recruit … a boy just out of his teens and shoots him in the head. 

There is a collective gasp from the room. A chill runs through me. Who are they? How did they break through the security measures of the force base? And then they are foolish enough to barge right into the heart of the training facilities of the force and shoot its cadets? Why? Why would they do that? The gunmen gesture to us and this time we follow their orders. We walk to the wall at the back of the bunkhouse and line up, hands on our heads, staring ahead.

An alarm rings out then. Finally! It’s been almost ten minutes since the shooting started. Still, the reinforcements should be here soon. Now all we need to do is keep these gun men distracted enough so they don’t kill us. As if reading my mind, the guy who’d shot the young recruit moves forward, his gun trained on us. I draw in a breath and hold it. The sweat trickles down my back. My heart is racing so fast I am sure if I look down I can see it leaping out of my chest. The gunman passes me, walks to the end of the line; then back to the middle where I am. 

"You have no idea what this is about do you?" He asks.

He sounds young, as if he is barely a man himself. And something in his voice … muffled as it is, it sounds familiar. A faint recollection  grabs the edge of my mind, And then I forget everything because he leans close to Neil who is next to me, and smashes the butt of his gun into his stomach. Neil falls to the ground, moaning, holding his middle. I firm up my stomach muscles. I know I am next, I must be. I want to squeeze my eyes shut, but don’t. The gunman leans to the other side, and shoots another man in the head. 

This chap collapses without a cry. What the fuck? I want to jump him right then, but that would be really stupid of me. I am not going to help anyone if I get killed will I? There are six of us left in the room now. One of the younger recruits lets out a sob, at which gunman no 2 holds his gun at him, so he shuts up immediately.

The gunman asks me, "Where are the plans?’

"What are you talking about?" I reply, trying to stay calm, struggling not to show how scared I am inside. 

He only grins and in response, and without taking his eyes off me, holds his gun up and I know what what he is going to do and I scream. "No!" But it’s too late. This time he’s shot two more guys in succession. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. These guys are desperate, or crazy or both. 

Besides me Neil stirs on the ground.  

The gunman takes a deep breathe, as if trying to calm himself and says, "Don’t pretend to be dumb. If you don’t get me the blue prints of the security arrangements being planned by the force for Bombay; the one that you and your team mates are being trained for, then all the rest of you die too."

Only six of us left now. Four young lives, gone just like that. I feel sick. What the fuck are these guys upto? And … and how do they know about the plans? This is top secret. The only reason I know about it, is because I’ve overheard the training officer speaking with the ACP about it on the phone last week. And only because I happened to be waiting outside his room then. And how does this gunman even know that I know the details?

Want to find out what
happens next? Click here

About the origins of Ruby Iyer:

Growing
up in Bombay, my daily commute to university was inevitably nightmarish. It's
just how public transport is here. The man behind you on the bus will brush up
against you. You know you are going to be felt up on a crowded train platform.
All you can do is accept it and get on. Or so you think. I did too, until, a
young photojournalist was raped in the centre of Bombay in broad daylight.  It made me furious. Nothing had changed in
this city in all these years. Then, I had a vision of this young girl who would
not back down; who would follow her instincts, stand up for herself regardless
of consequences.  Thus Ruby Iyer was
born. Make no mistake, Ruby’s her own person. She leads. I follow. You can
download the RUBY IYER DIARIES, the prequel novelette in the series free HERE

About The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer

2015 Readers' Favorite (Bronze) YA Action

 YA
Finalist 2015 IAN Book of the Year Award

Finalist 9th Annual Indie Excellence Awards

When
her best friend is kidnapped, Ruby will stop at nothing to rescue him. 



Criminals run the streets of Bombay. Jam-packed
with the worst degenerates. The city is a shell of the pride and joy it used to
be. Ruby knows something must be
done, but it isn’t until her best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr
Braganza that she knows that she and she alone must save city, save her best
friend, save the world from total destruction. Armed only with Vikram, a
cop-turned-rogue they are about to embark on a road they may never return from. If you’re looking for fast-paced books
like Hunger Games or dystopia fiction like Angelfall,
the Ruby Iyer series is perfect for you. 

DOING MY BIT

All SEPTEMBER earnings
from the RUBY IYER SERIES will be donated to SAVE THE CHILDREN: SUPPORT
CHILD REFUGEES OF SYRIA. All the RUBY IYER books with their brand new
covers, are on SALE all this month at 99p/c & Rs 69/49. Click HERE to buy them. 



YOU can also donate to SAVE THE
CHILDREN directly HERE 

About the Author:

She almost died. But when dystopia romance author Laxmi Hariharan had a near death experience, she was told to write. Laxmi is the creator of dystopian romance series, RUBY IYER SERIES (The MANY LIVES OF VIKRAM ROY - FINALIST Indie Excellence Awards, the bestselling The RUBY IYER DIARIES , The FIRST LIFE OF VIKRAM ROY, The SECOND LIFE OF RUBY IYER & VIKRAM ROY, PANKY's FIRST LIFE), and the Amazon bestselling, eLit Gold winner, The Destiny of Shaitan (Bombay Chronicles, 1). If you're looking for books like Divergent and Angelfall, you'll love the RUBY IYER SERIES.

Laxmi writes books similar to Hunger Games while listening to electronica & progressive rock, and downing innumerable cups of extra sweet ginger-chai. She is also an avid photographer of street art and believes she was a tree -- a redwood -- in her past life. London is where she creates. Bombay is what fires her imagination. 

Receive a free copy of THE RUBY IYER DIARIES when you sign up to her Newsletter 

GIVEAWAY

The First Life of Vikram Roy, The THIRD book in the RUBY IYER Series, launches this month. To celebrate the launch of the FIRST LIFE OF VIKRAM ROY I am giving away a $30 gift card. Winner will be drawn, Oct 1, 2015, and announced in my next newsletter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stardust Watch-Along Party

Hiiiii book people!

We've come up with a fun plan that we think you guys are going to LOVE!

As you might already know, we're reading two books this month-

1. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
2. Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

Stardust was adapted into a movie so it's quite obvious that we should watch it after reading the book, right?

How about watching it together?

Yes, a movie watch-along party is what we have on our mind.

Here's how it's going to work:

1. Read Stardust by September 26, 2015 (Saturday)

It's a quick 250-page read. If you have any troubles getting the book, send us an email and we'll do what we can to help you out.

2.Watch the movie, Saturday 

Time:
9PM IST
3:30PM GMT
11:30AM US Time

We'll live-tweet through the movie, You'll live tweet through it.
We'll gasp, drool, fangirl and have a helluva time.
Don't forget to use the hashtag #stardustwithff while tweeting.

3. Month end book (and movie) discussion of "Stardust" on September 27, 2015 (Sunday) on Goodreads and Instagram

Leave a comment if you're planning to join us.

If you have any questions, drop in an email or comment below :)

So, it's a date.

BOOK REVIEW : SCION OF IKSHAVKU

   

Title : Scion of Ikshvaku

Author : Amish Tripathi

Publisher : Westland Publication
Published on : May 13th 2015 

SYNOPSIS

Ram Rajya. The Perfect Land. But perfection has a price. He paid that price.

3400 BCE. INDIA
Ayodhya is weakened by divisions. A terrible war has taken its toll. The damage runs deep. The demon King of Lanka, Raavan, does not impose his rule on the defeated. He, instead, imposes his trade. Money is sucked out of the empire. The Sapt Sindhu people descend into poverty, despondency and corruption. They cry for a leader to lead them out of the morass. Little do they appreciate that the leader is among them. One whom they know. A tortured and ostracised prince. A prince they tried to break. A prince called Ram.
He loves his country, even when his countrymen torment him. He stands alone for the law. His band of brothers, his Sita, and he, against the darkness of chaos.
Will Ram rise above the taint that others heap on him? Will his love for Sita sustain him through his struggle? Will he defeat the demon Lord Raavan who destroyed his childhood? Will he fulfil the destiny of the Vishnu?

Begin an epic journey with Amish’s latest: the Ram Chandra Series.

REVIEW

Amish Tripathi, famous for his best-selling trilogy, the Shiva Trilogy, yet again takes your breath away with his astounding writing and stunning imagination. He writes stories that can leave you wanting for more. Only Amish can make you forget the difference between fiction and reality. And yet again, with Scion of Ikshvaku, we get an idea about the present India. 

Ram, lives in a society of corruption, where rules play no role in the socirty. Ram, a believer of rules, wish to change the society, but the journey to the perfect society as desired by him is far, far away. Every Indian can relate to this scenario, as India today, is somewhere at that point. Any crime can be forgotten through loopholes and corruption. Will we ever find the perfect society driven by rules and truth? That is answer we need to find. 

What I loved the best about the book is the way everything connects to the present society as well as the mythological times. I do not have words to describe the imagination used to write such an amazing story and only a true genius can weave words to blow your mind away. 

The characters are too amazing to ignore. Lord Ram and his wife Sita, are the perfect couple, who believes in the establishment and exercising the rules of the society. Nothing and nobody is higher than rules. 

Bharat and Lakshman, the much loved brothers of Ram, who are the most blessed souls and who can go to any lengths to protect their brother. 

Every other characters adds to the beauty of the story. 

All I want is the second book in the series! 

HAVE YOU READ SCION OF IKSHVAKU?

Book Review: Those Pricey Thakur Girls

Title: Those pricey Thakur Girls
Author: Anuja Chauhan
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers India
Publication Date: January 1st, 2013
Genre: Rom-com, Chick-Lit

I had very low expectations when I picked up this book, probably because my previous encounters with Indian authors haven't been very pleasant. But this book caught me by surprise. The cover says, "The only Indian writer of popular fiction really worth buying" ~ Mint. Damn right it is.

Set in the 80's this story revolves around Justice Laxmi Narayan Thakur and his 5 alphabetically named daughters,
Anjini, narcissist, flirt, married.
Binodini, who is constantly worried about her hissa in the family property, married.
Chandralekha, eloped on the eve of her wedding with a firangi, dukhti rag of Thakur, married.
D for Dabbu aka Debjani, our protagonist, who's stars have just started to shine brightly. Cheerleader of underdogs/losers, Protector of stray animals, who lands a job as an English newsreader on Desh Darpan, a govt funded channel. Not married, but of age.
And lastly, Eshwari, youngest, the popular girl at Modern school who knows her way around guys pretty well.

And then we have Dylan Singh Shekhawat, part-rajput, part-christian (Ladies, he is mine) passionate journalist who won't think twice about crossing the govt provided it's right
and for good. Very promising when it comes to the career but of "tarnished personal reputation" as the blurb quotes. Fearless in pursuit of truth and justice. He is obsessed with finding out the truth and people behind the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi which occurred after the assassination of Indira Gandhi - this happens to be our very intriguing subplot.

D for Dylan and D for dabbu's romance brews over kot-piece at evenings only to end up in mis-understandings. The pull-and-push of their relationship will have you screaming, get together already! If only it were that simple.

Chachiji (Wife Of Judge's brother) makes sure we're never out of laughs or drama. She brings the typical Indian Flavour to the book. Every character is full of life, you can't help but connect and absorb into their world, their feelings, their life.

Anuja Chauhan has done a great job of weaving this story, creating the nostalgia of 80's and the vocab that she used, OH MY GOD. This is the first line of the book - "On a still evening, early in April when bees buzz torpidly amidst black-eyed sunflowers and the scent of mango blossom is in the air.."
Each sentence is soo carefully and beautifully crafted, it's endearing.
This book is part hilarious, part serious, part relatable but 100% entertaining.
Full of indian melodrama and tadka. What I'd like to call a paisa wasool novel.

Recommended To: Those who love Bollywood Drama.
This book has a jump sequel, "The House That BJ Built" which released on May 2015.

Have you read Those Pricey Thakur Girls?