Book Review: Sex and Power by Rita Banerji

Sex and Power by Rita Banerji

I would like to thank Author Kelli Sue Landon for helping me to get this book from Amazon. Find Kelli on one of these social media sites if you are a fan of murder mystery and thriller books. 

WordPress: https://kellisuelandon.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @kellisuelandon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelli-Sue-Landon-Author-128375177223550/

Her book review site: https://kellisbookreviews.wordpress.com/

I'm glad I read this book. So glad I did. I got to know about Rita Banerji sometime ago and wanted to grab a copy of her book through Amazon, which I couldn't, as the title was and I believe still is not available where I live. Kelli helped me to get the book via Kindle and gifted it to me. It had been on my Kindle device for about a year, if I'm not wrong. I don't read books on Kindle to be honest but finally decided to read it as I know it is worth getting a glimpse of the thoughts of Rita Banerji, an activist whose work largely revolves around women's rights in India. I like how she does extensive research to reveal cultural myths and the way religions both glorified and condoned human beings' sexuality. 

Rita's book will definitely shed some light on issues we thought were taboo. I particularly like how women were so much sexually empowered through religions. The Golden Era saw men and women emphasising 'romance' and 'love-making' where they respected each other. Rita also wrote very distinctly on the influence of religions and how 'sex and power' were viewed and handled differently according to their respective religious view point. 

Towards the end, I'm able to learn on how the present-day India is still struggling in promoting equality and how leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, whose preaching and practice on sexual stance had great disparities their own sexual. 

I would rate this book 10/10 and give it ten stars on Amazon, if I could. 

Check it out on https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Power-Defining-History-Societies/dp/0143064711

WordPress: sexandpower.wordpress.com


I welcome your thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback.

Review: Belonging by Sameem Ali

I finished reading two books in just two days. I made a review for "Daughters of Shame" written by Jasvinder Sanghera in my previous post and this one is for Belonging by Sameem Ali. 

Daughters of Shame and Belonging are two books about #forcedmarriages and coincidentally, these two books were written by Asian women whose parents hail from Pakistan and India. Jasvinder and Sameem's parents migrated to the Great Britain where the ladies were born. 

when I put down Jasvinder's book, I went to my shelf and picked this book up. As I started reading I realized that the story is somewhat similar and it took place also in Britain. Then I knew that forced marriages and honour killings are REAL and these horrible crimes are still happening today. I like the way the story is narrated in "Belonging". It is very engaging and believable. Sameem grew up in a children's home when she was young where life as a kid was beautiful for her and the rest of the kids. When she turned 7, her parents came to take her home and that's where the not-so-nice life started. 

She was basically treated like a slave, forced to do all the housework, forced to marry someone in Pakistan (one of her uncles had unsettled debts and to settle it off, Sameem was forced to marry one of his sons). She never knew what marriage, sex and pregnancy were at the age of thirteen but she was pregnant and had a child at the age of 14. 

Sameem was mistreated by her own family and it is really sad to know that the society still thinks that girls should not get proper sexual education. She never knew that women will go through menstruation and she was not even explained about it after attaining puberty. The society is cruel towards women as we are not even allowed to explore our own bodies and the way they work. We are not supposed to fully mature sexually because knowing what's happening to our bodies would educate us on how to protect ourselves and that would mean less control for men on women. What a shame!

This is an excerpt from the book that makes my stomach churn!

" Mother decided that she could fix the stutter by cutting the skin under my tongue, which she told me was pulling my tongue down in the wrong way. She shouted angrily at Hanif to help her, and the two of them laid me down on the kitchen floor, and told me to open my mouth. I was confused but did as I was told. In Mother's hand was a razor blade, the kind found in an old-fashioned razor. I stared at in horror. "

We have seen gradual improvements on racism, gay-lesbian rights, and many other issues plaguing our society but it's sad to know that we are still battling the war against sexism in 2014. It's sad to see Emma Watson being threatened online by some jerk who thinks he could leak her nude photos and humiliate her.

It's not just the UN ambassador's responsibilities to fight for justice. Let's spread awareness and make this place a better place for women and men. If we continue to portray men as rude, dominating and evil, when are we going to see the gentlemen around? 

 I welcome your thoughts and views ! Thank you for your feedback

Daughters of Shame: A Review

Daughters of Shame

If you have never read any books written by human’s rights advocate, you should add this book to your TBR list!

I have read the first book written by this author (Shame by Jasvinder Sanghera) and I must say that domestic violence and child marriage are REAL and the pain can be very tormenting even when the victims are no longer abused.

In her first book, she wrote about her childhood and how she managed to escape the forced marriage. I’ve learnt about the Asian community living in the UK through this book and how the girls face similar issues at home.

In this book, she had shared some of the women’s stories whom she is helping through the community-based organization in the U.K by the name of Karma Nirvana. Jasvinder is the founder of this community and she voices out for the victims of honour-based crimes in the U.K.

It is absolutely saddening to see so many women and men who have fallen victims to one of the most atrocious form of crime among the Asian community. Girls as young as twelve are sent back to their parents’ country (which is usually India and Pakistan) where they are forced to marry men twice their age. These girls were often abused and tortured; treated like slaves and their children suffer the consequences of not having educated parents to care for them.

Girls who go against their parents’ wish were often killed by their own families in the name of honour!

I applaud the work being done by Karma Nirvana and Jasvinder Sanghera as the U.K. has enforced the Forced Marriage Act to protect underage children and adults from forced marriages and honour-based crimes.

 I welcome your thoughts and views ! Thank you for your feedback

A Life Worth Living: A Review

A Life Worth Living

I was working on T.L Scott's book trailer for the past one week. It was a fun learning process as this time, I hired a voice over artist to provide voice over for the trailer. So you might want to watch the trailer and let me know what you think about it overall. I welcome your honest critique that is constructive!

I read his book before coming up with ideas for the trailer so I thought I would post my honest opinion on the book.

Note: This review is purely based on my opinion and my preference and taste when it comes to books. My thoughts and views may be entirely different from yours if you were to read the book. This review is written constructively so that the author of the book could find better inspiration and idea for his writing journey. 

A Life Worth Living's blurb :

Dave and Debbie are a typical middle class family. They work hard to provide for their two children. They have made sacrifices to provide a good home and a good life for each other and the children they love. Somewhere along the way to making a good life they have lost sight of each other.

When tragedy strikes they have to decide if they can make theirs a life worth living.

This is a story of love, loss, and ultimately redemption.

My review: 

I find this book interesting when I got to know a few things about this book. This book is about a man who is workaholic and finds himself spending too much time on his office work. Dave is a hardworking man who equally loves his family. But Debbie, his wife is getting frustrated about his workaholic ways. 

The story uncovers the fact or reality of life as it evolves. It is about the good and bad we face in life. The family faces numerous tragedies in this story. I like the story and the way Scott has planned about the suspense elements in his book. One of it was very shocking to me too when I was reading. If you like stories that is based on family bonding, sacrifices and loss of family members as well as the emotions behind these incidents, then you may like the story of this book. I find it easy to finish reading the book within one to two days. 

Some of the aspects that could have been improved in this book are the writing style, paraphrasing and narration.  

I thought it would have been better if the narration of the story sticks with the first person's point of view and specifically Dave. When Dave is away from home, the narration is being made from Debbie's point of view, so when the word "I .... " comes, I find it a little bit difficult to figure out who is telling the story this time round. There were also some sentences that need to use certain punctuation marks especially dialogues.

I saw a few repetitions in the book. I found sentences being repeated not word by word but they are actually telling the same thing. This can be distracting.

I also thought the blurb should be changed because it doesn't seem to be as enticing as the story.

These are purely based on my thoughts and I can be wrong. Another person may not find these aspects of the book giving issues to their reading experience. Different reviewers will find different thoughts on the book. 

so I suggest you to read the book and Scott is looking for reviewers, so if you are interested you can let me know and I will help you with that.


 I welcome your thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

The Book I Gave Up On

Seven Days One Summer

I think some of you may know that I went wild in excitement the last time the Big Bad Wolf came to the town where my university is situated. I bought quite a number of books. I am huge fan of non-fiction book and I usually buy anything that is related to the Middle East. Trying to recollect the fun I had that day, I went on on my own by bus as I was really not bothered to wait for anyone else to tag along. It was worth the hassle because good books were selling like hot cakes that day and I was really happy I went early. 

I carried a huge box I found at the side of the hall and started to pile it up with books and carrying it along from one section to another awkwardly. Just to have a change in my reading experience, I bought books from all genre and Seven Days One Summer was one of it. I thought of giving Young Adult genre a try. I picked this up a few days back before I go for my holidays but there is just something that didn't attract me well in this book. I feel the story is stale and the plot is very boring. You would be expecting a twist each time you turn the pages but it would end up disappointing you. At least that is what I honestly felt. There is just not much motivation about it that keeps you going.

The story is about a woman going for holiday with her son and husband. At the holiday spot, they meet their old friends with their spouses and kids. So it ended up like a group vacation where old friends meet. Jen is actually not happy with her husband Marcus and the way the relationship is going. She meets her old flame in that group and her attentions got diverted to that guy, Sam. 

Sam shows not much of prominent interest in Jen anyway. I really feel Jen is quite obnoxious in this story as she falls for another man too easily. The entire story so far was just about them having some argument, particularly between Tara and Jen and how these two women were possessive over Sam for no reason even though they are already married. On top of that, Alfie, Jen's kid is another irritating kid in this story who comes crying to his mother all the time. I can say that the author has made Alfie very annoying as he comes crying in between every twist in the story and the excitement of yours would fade off as the story hardly develops. 

I'm not sure if I would finish reading the book but I may read just to have the satisfaction having read the book and not wasting my effort buying it. Yeah, just for the sake of it. ;) I'm sorry but I really didn't enjoy it. What else can I say. 

 I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

What Happens To Ryan and Jade?

Modern Disciples Volume 2

Modern Disciples Volume 2 gets deep into the character development and this is differs the book from the first sequel. Jane is seem to be the hero that captures everyone's heart with her bold and outspoken attitude. This book features Jane slightly more than any other disciples, even Ryan. If you have read the volume 1, you will be wondering what will happen next to these disciples especially Ryan and Jane. In this book, the characters' emotions develop and Jane's love for Ryan unfolds.

The author has once again connected the reality with mythology very naturally. As Jane trails the man who may be in league with the Titans in Las Vegas, she was joined by a few other new disciples in this story. When Ryan gathers the group back together, Jane receives another mission from her mother unexpectedly. The group was divided into three and Jane and Ryan go to the dessert where the mobster's camp is. Monsters from Norse Mythology, from Dark Elves to Fire Giants, make an appearance in this story, as well as new gods and disciples.

For those of you who wants a story with good character and emotional development, this will be a good read. Whereas for those of you who prefer action-paced story and character where there is nothing much about emotion development, this book may seem a little bit lesser than the first. 

 I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

The Harbinger

The Harbinger

The Harbinger written by Christopher Huntingford is the first sequel to the other Harbinger Chronicles that will be following up soon. This story is based on kingdom adventure with Alexander Wolfield as the main character where the kingdom of Alveus is on the rise as it conquers the economic wealth. The story evolves as a rift between the king's sons develops. Apart from that, factions are also being formed in the countryside. Alexander faces challenges from his father as he became close and loyal to his ideals who points out the sins of the nobility and he soon finds his way out to leave the kingdom. 

The characters of the King's children are very captivating in this book, with each one of them being so different from one another. I enjoyed Sofia's character in this book as much as the main character. She is the only girl among the four brothers and also the twin sister to one of the boys. The third son Calimus' is the black sheep of the family I would say as he shames the family and kingdom with his character. These characters add the suspense element to the whole plot as the tension rises when friction builds among themselves. 

Christopher has an amazing website for his book that can be viewed at this link. His blog can be viewed at this tumblr website and like his Facebook page to get the updates regarding his book. You can pre-order the book now through his website or wait for the book the be available on Amazon on 9/1. 

About Christopher

Christopher Huntingford is a citizen of the world. He was born in the United States and raised on military bases across the Pacific Ocean. At one point he attended four schools in three years and ended up attending seven schools in a span of twelve years.

 

In the midst of his journeys he developed his creative side with his love of acting and a secondary love of writing. He went on to perform in high school and college plays and sketches, but left his love for a successful career in business management.

 

When his son Wyatt turned eight, Christopher promised to finish a story he had been musing on for a decade and publish it.

Slow Burn: Zero Day

Slow Burn: Zero Day

Bobby Adair has done a great job with his book Slow Burn: Zero Day. If you love stories about zombies or reading suspense and horror books, I bet this book is going to entice and keep you glued to the book. 

This book features Zed as the main character who is in the idea of approaching his mother for some money only to find out that his mother is dead. Very soon, Zed learns that his stepfather has got a zombie feast and deeply horrified Zed then kills his stepfather. He passes out for two days, wakes up and calls the cop who later arrests him. In the prison, Zed sees the world is in turmoil about the new flu strain that has been spreading across many continents and people live in fear of getting infected. 

Although Zed managed to kill his stepdad, he was actually bitten by him before he died. So Zed is considered a ''slow burn'' where he can later turn out to be infected or not which is the main suspense that drives the interest of readers till the last page of the book.  Zed comes out of the prison and finds his survival in the chaotic world where he defends himself from the zombies who are infected and faces challenges interacting with people who are not infected and runs away from Zed in fear. 

I thought Bobby has weaved this story very realistically with some sense of humor together with suspense, horror and thrilling elements. I bet you would feel the tense throughout the book as the eagerness to know what happens next keeps you hooked to the book. The characters are well drawn and well developed, and the main protagonists experience circumstances and develop a point of view not often seen in Zombie/Infected Apocalypse fiction. This book is available for free download at Amazon's link and at Smashwords. 

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Womens & Lemons: Your Time Is Now

Ever wondered what happens to your life when you, as a woman, hit the age of 50? How do you intend to live your life after 50 or even 40? Do you think you should slow down and live a life that is calmer and reserved? Janice L. Walker has a message for you and all the other women who think just like you as she proves you wrong with her book Womens & Lemons: Your Time Is Now. Yes, WOMENS, you read that right. Find out why when the book is out.

For the past 15 years, Janice L. Walker has conducted workshops and seminars for a variety of women’s groups. She is passionate about issues that involve women and believes that women do not truly appreciate themselves as they should, especially in their 50s. She encourages, affirms, motivates, and inspires women to be all that they can be, and accept nothing less than the best for themselves at this particular juncture in life.

I had an opportunity to read Janice's book before it is out this FALL 2013, and I feel Janice has incorporated her experience in this non-fiction work to help women start enjoying their lives. With the motto that 50 is really the new 30, I feel this book is a perfect read for our mothers who are getting old and living a dull life. It serves as a call for them to get out of their house, do what they are passionate about and achieve their dreams. 

While reading this book, I also thought it is essential for men to encourage their wives and mothers to live a joyful life by going out for vacation, participating in social events with their friends and continue exploring adventures at this age. I feel it is time for us to stop consuming too much of our mothers' lives. Women have sacrificed enough for their families during their younger days and Janice encourages them to start living for themselves. 

So, when life gives you lemon, squeeze the life out of that lemon and enjoy all that life has to offer you, which you so richly deserve!!

Womens and Lemons is coming out this fall and you can request to be notified on the release of the book by emailing to vipfalo@aol.com and you will get to choose one out of ten free posters of Womens and Lemons available when you get the book. 

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

Fifty Shades Unrevealed

Grey Is The Man and The Colour

Everyone was talking about this book back in May when we had a book fair by the Big Bad Wolf over here and I missed this book as it was sold out on the first day itself. I never intended to read this book but when Carmina, a friend from Glipho mentioned that the book has some other messages although it is all about sex somewhere from page 100 right till the end of the book.

I finished this book within 3 days. I am never a fan of erotic books. Romance yes, not erotic and all we got from this book was just sex and nothing else. There was no love making between Ana and Grey. It was just about hormones and sheer pleasure from sex without feelings, emotions or love. To make it worse, the relationship that Grey wanted from Ana was a BDSM relationship where Grey was in control as a dominant and I thought this doesn't add value to my reading experience. E.L James also used the word mutters and whispers excessively rendering dull conversations between Ana and Grey.

I gave the book 4/5 finally as I thought there were more to see beyond the erotic content that is not appealing. There was emotions between the two characters even though it was a dominant submissive relationship. This story explains the difference in feelings the male and female have on each other. Ana fell in love with this super-smart and good-looking guy and I thought even though they were sexually driven and attracted to each other, Ana had feelings for this guy and wants to have a normal and lasting relationship. On the contrary, all Grey had on mind was about sex and nothing else initially. I made a guess on how the story would end and I was right. ;) Grey actually liked Ana and he seemed to care for her a little bit more from how the story evolves. I liked the fact that these two people were actually having 'something' more than just sex between them, something that lies somewhere in between love and sex.

When Ana confesses that she is in love with Grey, he denies her feeling and she was left devastated. It shows the extent of emotions in a man and a woman. For Grey, the excitement is over as soon as he empties himself within the girl. Whereas Ana fooled herself thinking that Grey would fall for her. A typical men and women's story that reflects the real scenarios in the society. E.L James brought the reality into her characters and I think this worked very well and earned her all the 4 and 5 stars.

The story also shows how a woman could actually take charge of the relationship and how she plays a powerful submissive role to control her man. This message was beautifully captured by James' characters, Ana and Grey where Ana flirtatiously seduced her man and he went craving for her more and more. Fifty Shades also portrayed how possessiveness and being a control freak would negatively affect the woman and her emotions. Being naive is no good and Ana who was very reserved learned about men the hard way.

Fifty Shades unrevealed is the title for the post because I don't see all 50 shades of Grey here that suggests him being a complicated man or whatsoever. I don't even think he has 10 different shades of himself.

What do you think of the book? Tell us your views ;)

I welcome you thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

What Is True About True?

A True Gift

It was a casual day with me going through the internet, blogging and getting distracted from what I was supposed to be doing which is applying for jobs. I had and still having a good time having absolutely, I mean it, absolutely nothing to worry about at home. So there was this day I could still remember. I was going through a few blogs of authors and writers as they appear on my news feed on my Google + homepage. There is a huge network of authors over here with people like Alana, Adrianna and Vashti being so warm and welcoming. In fact, through these people and other friends on writers' community, I am getting to know awesome blogs and writers. So, I remember going through a new blog belonging to a whole new person, Melinda Field and the first thing I saw on her blog was about her book and I quickly learned that she is a writer. I left a comment on her blog as I found her book very intriguing and little did I know she would be mailing me soon about her book. I received this book together with her beautiful wisdom card a month ago and I had so much fun reading it. 

Something about Melinda that might catch your interest:

Melinda Field is an award winning writer/poet/playwright who lives in the mountains of Northern California. A version of her short story The Ledge, excerpted from True, was an award winner in the Lorian Hemingway International Short Story Competition. She has authored three sets of ​wisdom cards with photographic artist Lani Phillips, that were created to inspire and empower women of all ages on a daily basis. They are Wisdom of the Crone, Wonder of the Mother and The Journey. The cards can be viewed at www.wisewomenink.com. Melinda is currently working on a sequel to True.

She has been a wonderful support within a short period of time knowing her and I would like to thank her for amazing guidance. It really means a lot to me Melinda. :) You can read her blog at this link and her official page here

True, from my point of view, is a story told in the most natural and genuine way. It is highly relatable to our daily life, with the good and the bad coming together in the same journey of life. The book starts off with Caterina Ramos, being a stubborn child, forced to go to her grandmother's place after her mother has been sent to the prison for prostitution and drug abuse. Caterina goes to school nearby and there she sees a bunch of terrible boys who bullies her. Later, she becomes the victim of rape when these boys take advantage of her. Her grandmother Jenny passes away hearing this, and Emma, one of the horsewomen takes care of Cat while she continues her pregnancy.

The story evolves beautifully and peacefully emphasizing on the true friendship between these horsewomen and how they help each other to overcome life and death. Melinda is currently working on the second book and I can't wait to buy it next. Get her book at Amazon

I welcome your thoughts and views ! :D Thank you for your feedback

God Take Over: I Am Finished

God Take Over: I Am Finished

Difficult times in life can be very devastating. Some can cope with the hardship and come out of it to be a better person, whereas some get out of track, gets mislead and never come back to the journey he or she is supposed to be travelling on. What differs these two different group of people? What are the connection between tough times and spirituality and most importantly God?

The one who loses hope fast are the ones who never get their spiritual strength renewed. They seemed to be seeing more negativity in life more than the goodness it has to offer. With hatred in heart, they become someone they are not, from good to bad, disseminating the negative aura and vibes to everyone surrounding them. Life and negativity win them over. People who embraced success and faith in life are those who were able to see the bright side of difficulties. They had hope with the future. And the hope came in the form of God. 

God Take Over: I Am Finished. A Cry For Mercy When Suffering Seems Unfair is a book written by Christine Agada, based on her own life's trial and tribulations as she struggled in life, willingly and sometimes unwillingly submits to God's will. Catherine beautifully captures the message that if we choose to seek God's help and allow God to take control of our life, our faith would be restored and our souls will be revitalised. 

By applying the ultimate message in this book: where human senses, strength, power, abilities, knowledge, and intelligence end, God’s supremacy begins, one would realise the strength weakness has and turn it into a stepping stone for success and peace of mind. 

It is an inspirational, spiritual and personal growth book that would restore your relationship with man and God. For those who say God is Nowhere, this book would show you that God is Now Here and opens your eyes to faith, peace and spirituality, taking you one step closer to God.

Catherine's websites are http://www.ctkpublishing.net/ and http://www.cathyagada.com/ 

Her book can be purchased at http://www.createspace.com/4263363

Couch Potato Politics: Why America Is Screwed Up And Why It's Our Own Damn Fault

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Couch Potato Politics: Why America Is Screwed Up And Why It's Our Own Damn Fault

Couch Potato Politics: Why America Is Screwed Up And Why It's Our Own Damn Fault by Mark A. Prior

A Book Review

Before I start with my reviews on this book I read, I would want to say that EVERYONE, I mean every single person anywhere in the world would be able to relate to at least 70% of this book very much because what Mark discusses in his book concerns all of us. Why? Because every damn single government functions almost the similar way all around the world. So, this is just not for Americans. This is for all of us.

This is a very newly published non-fiction book. The author's motive in writing this book is to highlight the issues happening in America that is very destructible and how its very own people have been the reason behind it. Mark is not an economist or a guy with a political background. He is common as the rest of us. The book is written in a layman's language, one just needs to be able to read to understand what he is saying. It touches on a few very important issues concerning the situation in America in which everyone could relate to, agreeing, or disagreeing with what has been highlighted by him, but most of you would agree with what he has to say. Why?

I like the fact that he has touched on the media to begin with and how it has been highly monopolized by the business people and providing news that is heavily biased or with poor informative quality. He has gone in depth discussing how each media plays a bad role as a newsagent and finally comes to his conclusion of how ESPN provides news that is unbiased. On another hand, I loved the fact that he has brought forth on objectifying women in the news media where people are often swayed from listening to the information it is trying to disseminate. The fault comes back falling on the viewers as they choose to watch news that is misleading or purely basing on gossips. He has also clearly explained how the journalists were 'bought' by the media so easily that their journalistic value doesn't hold anymore. 

Another important issue concerning America that Mark has discussed which I highly second is the policy on Gun Control, the same old seasoned yet highly debatable issue of all time in American history. What is interesting is the fact that he has highlighted how the Gun Control Law is not going to stop people from committing crimes and killings. I personally feel the level of the discussion could have gone in-depth touching clearly how having the gun control law wouldn't make a change when the main underlying cause of the issue has not been tackled yet. The author could have taken the readers to the future portraying how the society would react when there is still gun-based violence happening with the Gun Control Law and how the government would be blamed still for not being able to arrest the situation. If gun violence should stop, then people like Adam Lanza should stop committing such crimes and the responsibility falls back on each and every citizen to know that the gun isn't for the purpose of murdering someone else. 

This book has also another element that makes it interesting which is the "People Worth Your Time" section featuring people who Mark finds interesting and inspiring. Overall, this book is a good read for everyone who has concern about the current situation in the country. A voice from people like you and made into a book.

What do you think about this post? I welcome your thoughts and views!

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Shame by Jasvinder Sanghera

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During the book sale by Big Bad Wolf, I managed to grab Shame for RM 8 the moment my eyes caught this book. While I took hours to shop for books going for sale at a ridiculously cheap price, I never hesitated or had a second thought to make up my mind on this one! I have seen this book a few years back when I visited a close friend's house where they had this book and I had an opportunity to flip through the book. I loved the theme the author was discussing in this book instantly and the image of the book cover got imprinted on my mind. 

So, when I saw this book selling at RM 8, I just couldn't resist. I bought it and I'm glad for the fact that I grabbed the chance to read this book. I am now in the very beginning stage of the book where the story unfolds about Jasvinder being forced to marry someone she barely knew at the age of 14. She flees away from home with the boy of her choice, who is from the lower caste, and Jasvinder was subjected to her family's curse. She was finally disowned by her family. I just couldn't believe how someone can be so mean to their own child who has chosen her own path of life and most importantly how strong beliefs and cultural restrictions could be so detrimental to society. 

I did some background study and found that Jasvinder is now an activist advocating women's rights especially those who are subjected to forced marriage. She is also the co-founder of Karma Nirvana. I am looking forward to reading her terrifying true story further as the story develops and reveals what happens next especially the family's reaction knowing that she is now someone successful. 

I have read the book. By the time I finish Chapter 1, I was getting chocked up with the extreme hostility in Jas' house. By the end of Chapter 2, I was completely hating the mother.

Shame has traveled from her little word in Derby to every corner of the world where this book made its debut. It is not about Jasvinder's embarrassment, it is about her family's! And about how the culture has made its people look ugly in the eye of a stranger. I believe, you, the one reading this, would feel so lucky being born and raised in a different culture. I could relate to her story so much because I have seen people living life such a way.

Jas' story would make your heart skip a beat, make you want to cry, and feel so bad deep inside for what has happened to her. Above all, Shame will open your eyes to the horror in some women's world. Jas' story has moved me so much and I feel like living in her shoes and experiencing her life which seems so real.

Read it!! It will change your perspective on cultures and people.

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The Island of Lote

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The Island Of Lote by Emily Kinney - A Book Review

Have you all watched Life of Pi? Well, honestly when I was reading this book, I was reminded of that movie. A wonderful movie that transports you into the world of that boy and makes you life in fantasy virtually! If you liked that movie I'm sure you would closely relate to this amazing book by Emily Kinney!

This book has what it takes to make yourself glued to it so much and finds yourself getting attached to the main character named Milo. I feel Emily has done a very great job in giving birth to this character. As I was reading about Emily, a young author, I found out that she dislike being ordinary and there is always this wanting within her to be different or extraordinary and I think that has been reflected greatly in her character by the name of Milo. 

So who is Milo? Milo is a young girl about 16 years who moves from one place to another following her parents who shifts places. Milo has a very attractive character. She is rebellious and stands firm for her opinion. In other words, she is assertive. You would fall in love with the character from the first paragraph of the first page itself. Here, Emily did a good job in narrating the story! Milo's life takes an unexpected shift when she accidentally says ''Yes", one word that changes her life dramatically. 

Another special feature of this book is the unexpected twists and the way the plot progresses. Milo undergoes several huge changes in her life that makes us the readers want to read more and more. The book incorporates romance with young adult fiction genre that relates fantasy closely to reality. A story of fantasy that isn't exaggerated and falls beautiful naturally. The Island of Lote is a newly published book that gains huge reviews on popular book stores like Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes and Noble. 

Emily Kinney is a young author from Maine, who has finally had her book published after many years of struggling. She is a great lover of books and storytelling in any form. You can get connected to her book through this links:

Goodreads

Facebook

Amazon

Offical Page

Freado

Barnes and Noble

Readwave

Googlebooks

For more reviews, check out fiverr.com/jasveena

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54 Simple Truths: How to Face the Challenges of Life

54 Simple Truths: How To Face the Challenges of Life by Michael Wash - A book review

"Where is happiness?", many people would ask. In this competitive and challenging world, life's hardship often takes a toll on us and pushes us into deep misery. We may have everything one could ever dream of having and yet still be in pursuit of happiness. Some finds happiness in money, some others in people they love. But all these doesn't last long.

Why? Because happiness can be found within yourself only!

Reading this book by Micheal Wash made me realise that life is not fair and we have got to live with it! It's an eye-opening read as it makes you think for yourself why human choose to stay in comfort zone forever and never admits to the fact that life is a blend of good and bad! Michael has clearly outlined his thoughts in his book on the negative sides of life and why we have to accept it with an open heart in order to move on. 

Read this book and you will know why making mistakes, falling out of love, facing the pain of death and being lost in life are completely normal and you will be able to let go of the heavy baggage of guilt you have been carrying with you all these while. It is a book that brings you to the state of contemplation whereby you will learn to accept yourself and forgive yourself for your own mistakes!

This book is a great self-help work that aids you in understanding your stance in life and it teaches you how to take the good with the bad, accepting the fact fully and looking at the brighter side in life. Discard the resentment and your life will flourish! 

Why 54?

The answer will be revealed in Mike’s next book. But if anyone can guess the right answer then you will get a free copy of a book of your choice from the 54 series. 

Michael Wash is a highly responsive consultant who has worked with complex environments. His pages can be found in the following links:

Official page for book

Amazon - get your copy now!

Mike Wash's official page

Barnes and Noble - alternative for Amazon

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The Millionaire Dropout: Fire your Boss. Do What You Love. Reclaim Your life !

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The Millionaire Dropout by Vince Stanzione: A Book Review 

Hate your job? You feel life is going monotonously with your 8-5 daily routine? Then this book is definitely a must-read for you. 

We all have gone through a point of crossroads in life where we decide between what we like and what rewards us most when it comes to choosing a career. I'm now at that point where I would be out of university and start working life. But guess what, not much of us do what we like. We somehow end up doing something that is believed to bring success and money all our lives that turn out to be false. Life becomes miserable and we start reflecting upon us on what defines success. 

Satisfaction comes when we do something out of our hearts. It is in fact one of the ways to cope with life's trials and tribulations. It gives you peacefulness. And satisfaction doesn't always come with the job you choose to do. 

It has been a good time reading this book which highlights the greatest insights of how one should take control of his/her life, make and save money! Very compelling self-empowerment work which gives you some sense of spirits and power upon completion of reading it. 

The author has broken his thoughts down into three parts; 1) Taking Control of Your Life 2) Making Money 3) Saving Money. It helps you to identify your hidden talents and ability as you progress through the book and gives excellent inputs on business, how to market your work, make money from it and the most compelling part is his guides on how to save money. 

I will say that The Millionaire Dropout is a must-read for all doing business and looking for motivation EVERYONE! Grab you copies at:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

The author of this book, Vince Stanzione is a UK born self-made multimillionaire. He is active in telecommunications, publishing, and financial trading. To read more about him and his book, get yourself directed to these pages:

The Millionaire Dropout

Blog

Official Page

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Women Behaving Badly by Alana Munro

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A book review on Women Behaving Badly by Alana Munro +Alana Munro

I am greatly attracted towards this book as it discusses some useful insights on women's attitude! Ever seen men sustaining their friendship better with other men? And women picking up some petty arguments among their group of girls and soon parting ways to become all time foes. We also often hear women complimenting each other is just an act to please each other when in reality they have a lot of things to be said behind their back! Men on the other hand, shrug any issues that are discomforting them which could possibly break friendships off with great ease!

This is the issue discussed in Alana Munro's compelling book. It provides great inside with some blatant truth on women's friendship and how women fail to empower each other in real life. I feel it's a great read for any woman who thinks women's friendship should be brought to the next level for betterment. It also serves as an eye-opening read for those advocating feminism and self-empowerment, as this book reveals what women need to do for themselves first before fighting for gender equality.

Reading this book will make you realise how traumatic and disastrous can one's life be due to women behaving badly and to what extent it could make an impact, often in the negative ways on our lives. I'm very excited as someone has chosen this rare issue to be made a book to create awareness among all ladies generally! Girls compete with each other, real women empower each other.

+Alana Munro is an author living in Australia and you can read more about her mind-blowing work by clicking on these links to her page:

AlanaMunroAuthor - the official page of Alana
Amazon link - purchase her book via Amazon
Facebook - Facebook link. Get connected!

Have a good read everyone!

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Three Cups Of Tea: A Man With Unbroken Promise

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        The announcement of book-sale at my university has kept me so excited of getting another book to read on. As a non-fiction book lover, I used to enjoy reading book that educates and exposes me to new cultures especially stories that revolves the lives of Middle-Eastern society. It makes you feel you are physically there, transporting your soul to their society and make you live their life! So, while I was browsing through the stacks of books, I found Three Cups of Tea. And I was able to quickly remember the book as it was one of the books I have seen before. With a glance through the summary at the back of the book, I decided to have it home. 

         I have read many stories from Middle East, but this one particularly is a proof for how kindness without prejudice and discrimination succeeded in winning the heart of villagers from different culture all together. If you are someone who can appreciate a book and it's story without caring much about the style of writing and some crap book reviews you may find over the internet, then this book is WORTH a read!! I'll tell you why!!

1. Education: Empowering Women, The Architecture of A Society 

           What happens in this book is basically, Greg Mortenson, a mountaineer who was helped by mountain villagers in Pakistan. In return, he made a promise to build schools for them to eradicate poverty and improving education level of their children. Greg believes that educating women is as important as educating the boys as educated women will be able to lift the society's status and shape the mind of the young ones. The villagers, who are Muslims, were convinced with his effort and started to enrol their girls to schools. I was astonished with the fact that one man with a will to bring about changes has out-powered the ability of a country's government. The responsibility to educate children lies solely on the government of a country and that's where all the funding and effort should come from. But, beyond that, Greg has inspired lives of many young girls with the opportunity to have a balanced education. Educating girls changes the world. 

2. Kindness Wins Over Hatred 

          We all are well aware of the issues between the West and the Middle-East. While the social stigma of  the West and the Middle East hating each other still strongly prevails, Greg has proven that the act of kindness to people from any society will win the hatred and prejudice that marred their vision towards the goodness in people of other race. Greg was strongly opposed by some of his fellow countrymen when the World Trade Center was attacked, viewing his aid to people in Pakistan as an act of betrayal to his country whereas some of them do realise the importance of educating people in Pakistan which will lead to change of perception towards the West. It was also beautifully portrayed in the book how Muslims were also against terrorism and judging a society based on some of its people is truly atrocious. 

3. A Promise Never Broken

        Keeping one's word to do a small favour is fine. But building schools for a society without funding, that's WOW! I think, little would the people of Korphe expected that Greg would finally return to make schools for their children. Many mountaineers would have came and left Korphe with empty promises but the act of a man living up to his word is really inspiring and on top of that, how the schools have changed the lives of girls are magnificent and an eye-opening story!! 

Of all the things we can do for women, empowering them with education tops them all as that's the weapon against gender discrimination. 

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