Chasing Black Gold: An Insider's Viewpoint

Press & Journal Article ( June 4, 2016 )

Hello Readers...

While growing up after watching a movies about people who have amass millions by being on the wrong side of the law, I always wondered what goes inside the minds of those people or what goes on in the lives of those people when they have settle their score with the law. I am quite sure, at some point you might also have wondered the same thing. I got the answer to my first question by reading "Chasing Black Gold" and today I am trying to answer my second question.

Few weeks back I posted the review of “Chasing Black Gold: An Incredible True Story of Fuel Smuggler in Africa” written by Robert stone. While talking to him he told me that he has a press article published by Press and Journal on June 4, 2016 where he was interviewed, where he reveals more aspects of his life which he has not mentioned in the book and while interacting more with him he told me that he was more than happy to share it with us. Before heading to that press article, I will surely recommend you to check out the detailed review of Chasing Black Gold. It will surely help you to get a better understanding of the entire story.

Here is the side of the story which is not written in the book and mentioned in the press article which I think you will find interesting:

"

“It was though, I don’t know how the children and I get through it. I’d just begun a new international venture in the oil industry but I had to abandon all that to be there for my kids. It was the only way. Then six years ago, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer. People tell you when you receive such news, it’s a wake-up call.”

He laughs, “Yeah, like I needed another wake-up call. First going to prison, then losing Linda and now cancer? I looked up at the skies and shouted, ‘Hey God. I’m AWAKE.”

He is now in remission has recently found love again, and decided the time is right to publish his life story. “Because I don’t want my children to think there was anything the least bit romantic in what I did. I don’t want them to get wrong ideas.

“So many people from my past have died; so many places that meant something to us have been destroyed. There were elements I had chosen not to remember – and I uncovered some painful truths during my research. But I’ve tried to be as true to the story as I can. There are bits in the book that I’m so ashamed of and can still make me cry. What I learned is that past mistakes can come back to haunt you and ruin your life. You need solid foundations to build legacy and if you don’t have them you will end up with nothing – like I have.”

"

I hope that answers the second question. Just in case you want to check the entire article, here is the link where you can read the entire press article,

Link to P&J article: Robert Stone's Interview

So that's it for today. Hope you have like today's post. If you have liked it do hit the like button and share it among your friends and do SUBSCRIBE to my blog to get such good posts coming right into your mail box. Stay tuned as lots of good content is going to come in the future.

Before taking you leave, I would like to wish HAPPY DIWALI AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN to everyone and do give lots of sweets to children's coming at your doorsteps and saying "Trick or Treat". I am quite sure, those children's just like me means it.

CIAO.

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One Indian Girl - Chetan Bhagat Review

Boook Cover Source: Goodreads

Hello Readers...

For quite a while, I was hearing a lot about this book from my friend and was getting mixed reactions about the book. So I decided to pick up the book and to see for myself where the book actually stands.

Here is a brief synopsis about the book before we start discussing the book in detail:

" Hi, I'm Radhika Mehta and I'm getting married this week. I work at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. Thank you for reading my story. However, let me warn you.

You may not like me too much. One, I make a lot of money. Two, I have an opinion on everything. Three, I have had a boyfriend before. OK, maybe two.

Now if all this was the case with a guy, one might be cool with it. But since I am a girl these three things I mentioned don't really make me too likable, do they?"



Lets start with the cover. The cover looks great and is an instant eye-catcher in my frank opinion. Kudos for the cover. Second thing what I like about the book is the theme of this book. The book is about the girl Radhika who pursues her dreams while trying to fit in the stereotypical Indian society. Third thing which I like is the characters, specially that of Radhika. A young, ambitious, intelligent girl who is not afraid of voicing her opinion in front of everyone. A big thumbs up to Chetan Bhagat for creating such a powerful and great character. I also the narration and how the story is being told. The story starts in the present times and takes you to the past for explaining the entire incident. Also I like the little conversations of Radhika with her "mini-me", that added much more persona and lively feel to the character.

Coming to the things which bothered me...

The most annoying thing about the book is the way the theme is portrayed. Don't get me wrong, I do love the theme of the book, but I really feel disappointed with how the theme is portrayed in front of the audience. Chetan Bhagat wanted to portray feminist ideologies but instead he portrayed pseudo-feminist ideologies. Chetan Bhagat just portrayed what the other so called feminist people are portraying these days. To give you an example, Radhika always used to complain about her looks and how people judge girls by their looks and how much she earns and while selecting a groom for herself, she rejected the people for the very same reason for being ugly and not earning enough. That is clearly being hypocrite and the thought which the present day so called feminists flaunts.

I would have loved to read this book more than once, if it had portrayed the true essence of feminism. Considering the kind of readership which Chetan Bhagat have, it was a perfect opportunity for him to promote true spirit of frminism.

Coming to the narration part, I felt Chetan Bhagat made this book way more dramatic than required making this story more of masal bollywood movie script rather than a novel. I do liked the first flashback section, however in the second flashback section I felt Chetan Bhagat made this much more cheesy and melodramatic story for my liking. This whole thing made the plot ridiculous.

Also the book was not properly concluded and felt the ending was rushed. I don't know why but I fell Chetan Bhagat always rushes while ending his books which is kind of turn off for me. It feels like the entire dinner was good but then the desert screws up, leaving a bad impression onto the people mind.

So to sum up, this book was seriously lacking and it felt like I was reading a masala bollywood script rather than reading a novel, though I won't watch that bollywood movie either. This book clearly is over-hyped and I seriously feel disappointed considering the popularity of Chetan Bhagat as an author in India. I won't recommend this book to anyone and if someone ask me whether they should but this book or not, then the answer will be a big NOOOOOOO!, To rate this book, I would rate this book 2.5 stars out of 5. Still if you don't believe me and want to judge the book after reading it yourself, here are the links to the amazon from where you can get the book.

India: One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

Outside India: One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

So, this is what I feel after reading this book. Do let me know in the comment section what do you feel about the book. Guys if you like this review, hit the like button below and if you don't, do vote it down and mention the reason in the comment section below as it will help me to get better and do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the reviews right into your mail box. To know more about Chetan Bhagat and his recent work you can visit his website: www.chetanbhagat.com

So until next time, this is me Sushant signing off. You guys have a great day.

CIAO

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All I Need Is You - Mukund Verma Review

(Book Cover Source: Goodreads)

Hello Readers...

Before heading onto the review with my impressions on the book, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the author of this book "Mukund Verma" for providing a copy of this book via goodreads.

Here is a brief synopsis of this book to quickly get you acquainted with the story:

"Love...the only thing you find happiness in, when you fall in it. Sometimes you don't choose it, rather it chooses you...and when you are chosen, you know what love means, you understand what true happiness is. But you don't plan it...actually you can't...it just happens...sometimes knowingly and sometimes just by chance. The same thing happened with a small town boy Mohit and a high class girl Pihu. They had never seen each other yet they fell in love. They never touched each other yet they couldn't be separated. The bubbly girl not just only brought happiness in life of introvert boy Mohit, she taught him true meaning of love. But destiny had some other plans. Mohit faced the choice of either leaving her behind or leaving his life behind. What would he choose? Would Mohit forget his promises what he made to his bubbly girl or will he show the meaning of true love and will set an example?"

Like it is mention in the synopsis, this is a story of Mohit and Pihu. How they start interacting with each other due to one wrong call and how their relationship evolve from there. Many people will say that it is just like any other story available out there and there is nothing new which the novel brings. Yes, this book brings the same concept which you might find in numerous other books, but unique thing about this book is the way the theme is conceptualized and the way the story is narrated.

The narration of the author Mukund Verma in this book is top notch. The tone which he has used for narrating felt familiar to me. The tone which you might find while talking to your friends. This is a pretty small thing, but this thing touched my heart and I really liked this the most of all the aspects in the book. Mukund Verma will take you on a story right from the beginning and you will feel connected with this story till the end. The narration and the way the story is simply like a poetry in motion. Given the fact that this book is just 170 odd pages long, I found it difficult to keep this book down and manage to complete the book in one sitting.

The characters feels real and I immediately felt connected to them. Been writing this review a day after completing this book, the characters are still fresh in my mind and I still feel connected to the story.

The only complain I have, can't actually called this a complain is that towards the end of the story, there were many ways in which the author could have ended this book and the author choose the one which he had in his mind, leaving the other possibilities unexplored. So, this thing left me curious as to what happen after the end with both of them. Like I said, can't actually complain as this is how Mukund Verma has conceptualized the end to be.

Also one suggestion for those who are going to give this book a try, I'll suggest that you please don't keep any preconceived notions about this book and compare it with the other love stories out there and read this story without taking out logical inferences, that way you will be able to enjoy this beautiful story in a more better way.

So to sum up the review, this one is a beautiful love story of two people who shared beautiful journey of their relationship. This is a beautiful book and you should surely read if you love reading romance and love stories. To rate this book, I will give this book 4 stars out of 5. I will surely recommend this book to my friends and family members. Here are the link to the amazon from where you can get your copy of this book.

India: All I Need Is You by Mukund Verma

Outside India: All I Need Is You by Mukund Verma

So, this is what I feel after reading this book. Do let me know in the comment section what do you feel about the book. Guys if you like this review, hit the like button below and if you don't, do vote it down and mention the reason in the comment section below as it will help me to get better and do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the reviews right into your mail box. Before taking you leave, I'll like to highlight a line from the synopsis which beautifully summarizes the entire theme of the book.

"Love...the only thing you find happiness in, when you fall in it. Sometimes you don't choose it, rather it chooses you..."
So until next time, this is me Sushant signing off. You guys have a great day.

CIAO.

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Longing - R.M.Gauthier Review

(Book Cover Source: Goodreads)

Hello Readers...

Being a reader who loves reading short stories and short novels, I was thinking of reviewing more short stories and short novels. So today I have come up with review of "Longing" written by "R.M.Gauthier".

Here is a brief synopsis of the book along with a quick video trailer for you to get better understanding about the story of this book.

" Longing is a story of a Special Forces Officer and a Business Tycoon becoming unlikely partners in their fight for justice and revenge.

Leroy Johnston, a Special Forces Officer, returns home from Afghanistan after serving 8 terrifying years, only to discover that his nightmares has not ended. After learning that his sister has been missing for months, Leroy sets out to find and bring her home. Meeting Landon Miller, a Business Tycoon and owner of an exclusive club exposes Leroy to a world of corruption that he had no idea even existed."




I know that a book should never be judged by its cover but can't contain myself from praising the cover of the book. I must say the cover looks fabulous and awesome. Now moving away from the aesthetics and coming to the technicalities of the book:

I really liked the story which the book is trying to portray. The story of a retired Special Forces Officer coming home and finding her sister missing for months seems pretty intense and interesting as well. However I will like to mention a problem to which I will talk about in the later part of the post. The author has created very relate able characters and I found myself immediately connecting with the characters.

Coming to the writing aspects of the book. Renee Gauthier has done an immensely great job in conceptualizing and narrating the story in a pretty short format. The story has its own twists and turns which will keep you interested and hooked up till you reach the end of the book, which most of the readers will be able to do in just one sitting. The thing that I loved about this book is the writers narration style. She is able to convey majority of the content in just few sentences. While reading this book, I actually felt like Renee Gauthier is narrating me the entire story right in front of me.

However, the thing that set me off was the end of the novel. I felt like I read the entire book and nothing happened in the end. To confirm that I didn't miss something in the middle, I read the entire book again and got the same feeling that the book actually doesn't have a end. I actually wish that this book is just like a prequel to the actual novel and I seriously hoped that this book gets converted into a complete novel as this story is full of suspense and twists.

So if asked to rate it, taking into consideration the entire book along with the the unusual end, I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. If the book had a proper end, I would have actually given this book 4.5 stars. I would surely recommend this book to all the suspense-thriller lovers. Here are the links to the amazon from where you can get your book.

India: Longing by R.M.Gauthier

Outside India: Longing by R.M.Gauthier

So, this is what I feel after reading this book. Do let me know in the comment section what do you feel about the book. Guys if you like this review, do hit the like button and share it among your fellow readers and if you don't, do mention the reason in the comment section below as it will help me to get better and do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the reviews right into your mail box. You can check more of Renne Gauthier stuff by heading onto here website: www.rmgauthier.com

So until next time, this is me Sushant signing off. You guys have a great day.

CIAO.


UPDATE

Today I got a message from Renee and guess what....what I was thinking is actually true. This book is actually a prequel to the book titled "Control" and is set for a November 10 release. I will surely try to get the actual book and will try to come up with the review as quickly as I can. So keep looking for this blog space for the complete and detailed review of "Control"  and lots of other great books. You can also SUBSCRIBE to my blog via mail to get the complete review right into your mail box when it comes out. Here is the cover and synopsis of the book "Control" before taking your leave.

"Can one night change everything?
After a night out with her best friend, Alexandria's world is turned upside down making her re-evaluate her entire life. Meeting Landon Miller, a powerful businessman and a owner of an exclusive club opens the door to the world she never new existed. But, what lies beneath his business suit is a dark domain of mystery and control that unlocks a world of crime and punishment."

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School Monitor - Alex Dunn Review

(Book Cover Source: Goodreads)

Hello Readers...

Today on the eve of Indie Author Day...I have a book written by an Indie Author "Alex Dunn". I would like to express my gratitude to Alex Dunn for providing a copy of this book for review. In case you haven't check her earlier book Crazy For Alice, check out the book here:

Review of Crazy For Alice by The Empty Pages

Here is a brief synopsis of the book before beginning with the actual review:

"Richard refuses to believe his socially awkward twin Chrissie has an unhealthy obsession with him. He's too busy making films and having fun with his best friends, but when the twins are sent to St.Bart's, the boarding school from Hell, Richard finds himself trapped in a real life psychological horror when he's framed for stealing, and on a mission to clear his name, discovers he's not the only actor in his family."

The thing what I like about this book the most is the concept of this book. This book has touched a sensitive topic of bullying in the school. It has clearly depicted to what an extent the bullies can go. Also this book showed that the best way to stop getting bullied is to bring the entire incident to the eyes of the people as there is no better punishment for the bullies other than facing social disgrace.

Coming to the characters of the books, the characters are well drafted and felt genuine to me. There are many characters present in the book and Alex Dunn has done a great job in creating each and every characters. I could immediately connect with the characters right from the start of the book.

Like I said earlier, I really liked the story of this book. Alex Dunn  has created a great story and you will surely connect and might even relate to in some instances. The story right away with the introduction of the central character and gets building up till the end with plot twists happening in the middle and in the end. The narration is top notch which will not be a surprise to you if you had read her earlier work. The transitioning between the chapters is super-smooth and you won't fell disconnected when shifting from one chapter to the other. Alex Dunn has made use of simple and easy vocabulary which will make it easier for you to stay connected to the story if English is not your primary language.

The only thing that bothered me was that the story became predictable after some instances. For eg. I could predict what was going to happen in few cases. But Yes, the end is something which caught me by surprise. Also few more twists in the plot would be nicer but yes there are enough plot twists in the book to keep you in to the story. Apart from these minor points, there are no much complains from my side.

So to sum up, I really liked the book. I would surely recommend this book to any one who love to read Young Adult novel. If asked to rate it, I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. So if you are thinking of buying this book, I will leave link to Amazon as well as to Smashwords, from where you can get your copy of this book. I can surely say that you will like this book.

Amazon:

India: School Monitor by Alex Dunn
Outside India: School Monitor by Alex Dunn

Smashwords: School Monitor by Alex Dunn

So, this is what I feel after reading this book. Do let me know in the comment section what do you feel about the book. Guys if you like this review, hit the like button below and if you don't, do vote it down and mention the reason in the comment section below as it will help me to get better and do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the reviews right into your mail box. To know more about Alex Dunn and her recent work you can visit her website: www.alexdunnauthor.com/

So until next time, this is me Sushant signing off. You guys have a great day.

CIAO.

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Chasing Black Gold - Robert Stone Review

(Book Cover Source: Goodreads)

Hello Readers...

I always wanted to know what will be life of those who creates millions in fortune by means of illegal trafficking and was wondering what challenges they and their loved ones would have to faced because of this. I was fortunate to find this book and I am really thankful to the author of this book Robert Stone for providing a copy of this book via goodreads. This is one book which I was excited to read since I came to know that I will be getting this book to read and was shipped to me.

This might be a bit lengthy review, so please bear with me on this. Lets quickly go through the synopsis and I will express my impressions immediately after that. Here is a brief synopsis of this book:

" In 1970, runaway 15 year old Robert Stone showed up in the Bahamas. Turning diver and pot smuggler in a Miami Vice world, he made a million before he was 18, then went legit as a pioneer saturation diver in the North Sea. At 30, after seeing friends die and surviving several close calls, he went to work for himself, mostly on the wrong side of the law: in the Niger Delta, where he conducted midnight oil deals with armed bandits; in the South China Seas, where he bribed the Vietnamese Navy and slipped away with $100 million worth of prime marijuana; and in the Arctic, where he unloaded the illicit cargo under the nose of the US Vice President. When his closest friend turned government informant, Stone was thrown into a Nigerian Jail. Stone bribed his way to freedom, and became the quarry in an international manhunt led by a U.S., Organised task force. After a couple of years on the run, he was arrested and jailed in Switzerland and sent to a Federal Penitentiary following extradition. This is a story about the power of money to draw a man into every-bolder adventures, to bribe his way to the very top of business and government, and, ultimately, to buy his freedom."

The first thing that caught my attention was the cover. The cover looks stunning and I am in love with the cover of this book. The cover of this book made me comeback to the book when I was not reading this book.

I really love the story of this book. The story of a boy who gets into fuel smuggling and made a fortune for himself and how he made peace with his life in the end. This story has everything you would need, right from the drama, suspense and the emotions. The story takes you through the journey of a man in an apt manner in just 320 pages. I couldn't ask for anymore than that.

And on top of such an interesting and attention catching story, Robert Stone has done a phenomenal job in narrating this entire story and keeping it to just 320 pages. He literally takes you on the world tour and explains and narrates the entire details of the happenings in his life in simple and easy English and I am damn sure you would immediately connect with the story of this man. I really loved the concept where Robert Stone has divided each chapter into the locations which makes it lot easier for the readers to stay with this book, as this book discussed situations in various locations and the transitioning between the chapters is good, I won't say it is super smooth but yes its good and you won't feel disconnected while transitioning between the chapters. Let me tell you this that the actual story of this book is much more interesting than what we can get from the synopsis of the book mentioned above. So if you liked the synopsis, you will sure as hell love the actual book.

Also the kind of attention Robert Stone has paid to the details of each and every incident is simply amazing. I actually felt like Robert Stone is narrating this entire story to me in person. That kind of impact this book had on me.

Coming to the points where I felt this book could have improved. I felt the beginning of the story was much more dramatic and interesting as compared to the end of this book. Given the fact that this is a true story, I actually can't complain much but still I felt the end could have been drafted a little better. Also if the emotional quotient was up slightly towards the end, this could have made the end of this book a little better.

So to sum up, if you want to read a story of a boy who left home with $50 in jeans and earns and builds an enormous wealth of $40 mn, where after 25 years later he is walking out of Lichtenstein jail to his home in Scotland with just $50 in hos pocket....this is the book you need to read. I will surely recommend this book to any one who want to read a great true story. If asked to rate it, I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. This book is worth the money you pay. Get your copy of this book right now. Here are the links to the Amazon for the same.

India: Chasing Black Gold by Robert Stone

Outside India: Chasing Black Gold by Robert Stone

So, this is what I feel after reading this book. Do let me know in the comment section what do you feel about the book. Guys if you like this review, do hit the like button and share it among your fellow readers and if you don't, do mention the reason in the comment section below as it will help me to get better and do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the reviews right into your mail box. Before taking your leave, here is a quote from Robert Stone himself:

"We are all self made although it's usually only the successful that tell you so."

So until next time, this is me Sushant signing off. You guys have a great day.

CIAO.

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