My Top 6 Picks of 2016 (The Empty Pages)

Hello Readers...

2016 is coming to an end. 2016 has been a great year for me...I finally made the decision to start my own blog and I feel really happy that I actually made that decision. This year I read around 38 books in total and looking back....there are actually few books which I really enjoyed reading and I thought I would share them with you people.

These are the 6 books which I really enjoyed reading and would be recommending which I feel you would love them too. I have tried to include books from all the genres into the list. So here are my top 6 books of 2016 in no particular order.

1. Dishonor Thy Wife - Belinda Austin

Dishonor Thy Wife is sensual psychological thriller written by Belinda Austin. This book has a very interesting story line and I felt in love with the book from the beginning itself. I have always enjoyed reading thriller novels and this book is a treat to read.

I have always enjoyed reading Belinda Austin's book whether that be Dishonor Thy Wife or the
Outcast Series, I have always enjoyed reading her books.

The thing I really enjoyed about Belinda Austin's book is that she allows the readers to have an intimate connection with the characters of the book. I have noted this aspect in both her books.

The characters, the story line and the narration....everything is top notch. To know more about the book, check out my detailed review of this book, Dishonor Thy Wife - Belinda Austin Review.

2. Chasing Black Gold - Robert Stone


Chasing Black Gold is a true story of Robert Stone. In this novel, Robert Stone has given details of his early life when he was smuggling fuel from Africa to the other parts of the world.

If you are just like me who always wondered what is actually happening in the smuggler's mind  when they were making those decisions, then you will love this book as much as I did.

I really enjoyed reading this book and interacting with Robert Stone has been really a nice experience. This book I feel is a must read for all non-fiction readers.

Yes, there were some instances in the book which bothered me, but when I look the book in the totality, this one is definitely a good read.

Here is the link to my complete review of this book, Chasing Black Gold - Robert Stone Review. Robert stone also shared a press interview with me which I did cover in the blog post which cover the aspect which were not covered in this book. Here is link to that blog post as well, Chasing Black Gold: An Insider's Viewpoint.

3. Control - R.M.Gauthier

Control is a great novel dealing with love, lust and obsession written by Renee Gauthier. This book actually belong to the series and this one is the first installment of the series.

I just love the writing and narration of Renee Gauthier. She knows how to grab the attention of the readers and I am quite sure, this book won't disappoint you in any aspect. The book is full of twists and turns which will surely keep you on the cliffhanger in regards to the story line.

Frankly speaking, whenever I think about this book I keep wondering what the story line would be in the next installment of the series titled Bound. Bound is expected to be released in January and I would surely try to review it once it is out. So stay tuned to the blog for the review.

Here is my complete review of Control, Control - R.M.Gauthier Review. Yes, I did forgot to mentioned that this is one of the three books which got rated 5 stars out of 5 from my side.

4. Colorful Notions - Mohit Goyal

Colorful Notions is a beautiful travel book written by Mohit Goyal. This is the first book in the road trippers series and I must say. this is a very interesting read for all the people who loves reading travel books.

Colorful Notions is one such book which will encourage you to pack your bags up and go out for a vacation with your friends or family. This book has covered all the major places in India and will surely generate interest in the minds of people who haven't visited India.

The best thing about the book is the casual vibe which you experienced while reading this book and that vibe does go along with the actual theme of the book.

I am quite sure, you won't regret spending every single minute reading this book. To know more about the book, head on to my complete review of the book, "Colorful Notions - Mohit Goyal Review.

5. Dating Down - Alex Dunn

Dating Down is a romance book written by Alex Dunn. I really enjoy reading every Alex Dunn book and have read almost all of her books except one which I will review shortly.

The best thing about Alex Dunn is her writing and narration. The kind of emphasis given to each and every character and their development in the story sequence is something which I love. Also, Alex Dunn gives special attention to all the details which makes all of her books very interesting read and this book is no exception.

The story line is fantastic, the characters are good and the narration and the writing is top notch, these things are something which I don't have to worry much about while reading Alex Dunn's book. She manages to pack all those things in a very concise package. This one is pretty interesting and full of drama which you should definitely read.

To know more about this book and rest of Alex Dunn's book check out my complete review here, "Dating Down - Alex Dunn Review. This is the second book book out of the three books which managed to secure 5 stars out of 5 from my side.

6. The Six Principles Of Enlightenment And Meaning Of Life - Russell Anthony Gibbs

This book by Russell Anthony Gibbs is one of the best books I have read and really liked a lot. This is one such book which I can read often and often without getting tired.

This is a one stop guide to all the spiritual concept which you might have read but the thing which makes this book unique is the way this book gives methods to implement all the principles mentioned in the book in our day to day life and that to in just 50 pages.

So if you are a person who loves reading spiritual and self help books then I will highly recommend you this book. This book is definitely one of the book which I keep on my reading shelf.

Here is my complete review of this book with all the details of the book, The Six Principles Of Enlightenment And Meaning Of Life - Russell Anthony Gibbs Review.

Since, you guys have been with me since the start and have bared with me for quite a long time, here is one more book which I feel is really interesting and something which I have not read lately.

7. From Stardust To Babylon - Amanda Bucan

Like I said earlier, this is one type of book which I haven't read for quite a long time.This is a true love story of the author Author Bucan and she portrays the concept of Love Beyond Death in a very interesting way. The book narrates chain of events which happened in a span of 14 years which Amanda Bucan personally experienced.

The best thing about the book is that it can't be categorized into any particular genre per se. The book starts as a love story and takes a turn as paranormal activities starts taking place and as the story progresses the book gets converted in spirituality.

So if you are a person who want to read a very different kind of book which has all these aspects, then this book is definitely for you. To know more about the specifics of the book, check out my complete review of From Stardust To Babylon - Amanda Bucan Review.

So, those are my personal favorites for this year. Let me know your favorite books of 2016 in the comment section below. If you have liked this post, then do hit the like button and share it among your friends and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE if you haven't to get all the new post right into you mail.

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

CIAO.

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Everyone Has A Story - Savi Sharma Review

Book Cover Source: Goodreads

Hello Readers...

Everyone has an interesting story to tell...its just that you have to look into them. Today we are going to review Everyone Has A Story which is the debut novel of Savi Sharma. This book gathered mixed reactions among the reading community and I wanted to see what this book is actually about. I liked the synopsis of this book and was really looking to read this book for quite a long time and today I finally have this book. So lets quickly get done with the synopsis and dive immediately into the review.

"

Everyone has a story.

Meera, a fledgling writer who is in search of a story that can touch millions of lives.

Vivaan, assistant branch manager at Citibank, who dreams of travelling the world.

Kabir, a cafe manager who desires something of his own. Nisha, the despondent cafe customer who keeps secrets of her own.

Everyone has their own story, but what happens when these four lives are woven together?

Pull up a chair in Kafe Kabir and watch them explore friendship and love, writing their own pages of life from the cosy cafe to the ends of the world.

"

The title of the book is surely captivating and given the fact that this book is being Amazon's Bestseller, it is quite natural for anyone to pick this book up, but before you actually do....hear me out.

The story line is pretty generic and you won't find anything new in the story. Girl meets boy who is pursuing a profession which he is not passionate about. They both meet each other and falls in love however the boy can't be in a relationship since he has some past grudges and can't get over them. One incident happens in the near future which forces him to reconsider his decision. Pretty generic story plot indeed. Now the only thing which could make this book good is a stellar narration and writing.

Before jumping to the narration and writing part, lets take a look at the characters in the story.The entire story revolves around two central characters, Meera and Vivaan. There are two more characters, Kabir and Nisha who are pretty much involved in the main story line and play a significant role in shaping the story of our two main protagonist. The thing which bothered me is that Savi Sharma have not given much details about the background of the characters and as the story progresses, it feels pretty difficult to stay with the story and the characters as you simply can't connect with the characters as all the characters feels strange and unknown to me while reading the story.

Coming to the narration part. Savi Sharma has narrated the story in the first person's perspective with constant shift between Meera and Vivaan's character. The transitions between the characters seems decent, neither too good neither too bad. The novel seems struggling in the way the story is written. All the chapters felt like individual pieces and they were completely disconnected for major part of the story. I won't deny at a certain point in the second half, this book did grab my attention with the story sequence however it didn't lasted for too long because of lack of connect with the characters. A little dive into the characters life and history would help the readers to get familiarize with the characters. The main character of Meera still feels unknown and strange to me even after completing the whole story.

Also this book did left many questions unanswered. This book kept playing guessing game continuously while I was trying to make sense of all the things. Yes, I agree this is Savi Sharma's debut book and she does deserve appreciation for beginning her writing endeavor, but still this book didn't do much a good in my frank opinion. It might be due to my high expectations. One thing I will do like to mention here that I felt really bad the way the community has reacted on the Amazon, where people kept bashing negatively about the author. It would be really great if they could point out the areas as well so that the author could work upon those in her next novel. I really appreciate Savi Sharms's effort but yes this book does feel like its been hyped a bit.

So to sum up, this book is way too much speculative for my liking. For me it was a one time read and I won't recommend this book. To rate this book,I would give this book 2.5 stars out of 5. Still if you want to give this book a try, here are links to the Amazon for the same.

Amazon India: Everyone Has A Story by Savi Sharma

Amazon US: Everyone Has A Story by Savi Sharma

So that's hit for today. If you have liked this review then do hit the like button and share it among with your friends. In case you have read this book and have a different perspective, do mention your views in the comment section. I will be more than happy to read them. In case you haven't SUBSCRIBE then do SUBSCRIBE to get all the new post right into you mail box.

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

CIAO.

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Colorful Notions - Mohit Goyal Review

Book Cover Source: Goodreads

Hello Readers...

If you are a person like me who likes to see new places and get engrossed in the scenic beauty of the nature often encountered while travelling, then you will be in delight as today we are reviewing Colorful Notions written by Mohit Goyal. Colorful Notions is a book where three young people go on a road trip across India and this book is a result of their encounters during their road trip.

Lets quickly go through the synopsis and jump straight to my impressions regarding the book.

"

Would you give up your high-paying job and comfortable personal life to drive ten thousand kilometers across India? Just for fun!

Three twenty-something dare to do just that! While the two guys take turns to drive, the girl gives voice-over as they record their entire journey on a handy-cam.

Ab, Sasha and Unnati are ordinary youngsters, rendered special by the feat they accomplish. As they recount their adventures, I crave to live their journey all the more. They look at each other with a glint in their eyes, as if refurbishing those memories, as they narrate their spooky time at Bhangarh Fort, strange escapades at Wagha Border and Sunderbans, car breakdowns, wild animals, near-death experience and highway robbers! It's nothing less than crazy.

I doubted if I'd ever have the gumption to create such experiences. So I did the next big thing - I penned a book about them, and their road trip.

Colorful Notions is a journey of three young hearts on the Indian terrain and into their inner recesses of their souls, giving a new perspective to relationships, love and life.

"

A big thanks to the author Mohit Goyal for providing a copy of this book via goodreads. I can't express the contentment I felt after completing this book. I was so used to reading the same type of books often and often that I badly wanted to read something different. Colorful Notions came as a savior. This book not only provided me with a much needed change but also inspired me to follow my passion.

Colorful Notions is a beautifully crafted and narrated book about the road trip which three young people take. This book gets everything correct which majority of the young people experience in the current time, right from defying our parents advice to hopping on to our own adventures. This book perfectly transcends the carefree nature of the youths and their passion towards their career. This book has everything which you can expect or rather I should say this book offers more than what you can expect from a travel book.

I just love all the three characters in the story. They are so simple yet they are very relatable to the youths of our generation. The best thing about the book is the narration which gives a very casual vibe synonymous to the casual nature of the current youths, While reading this book I felt like I am actually visiting all the places mentioned in the book. That kind of impact this book had on me. If you are never been on the road trip before then this book will surely motivate you to be on one.

In the present times it is often considered that the youths are ignorant towards the beauty of actual world and real relations whether it be with their parents, friends or their loved ones and they only care about their virtual presence and their virtual friends. However, that is not true at all. Yes, sometimes we do take relationships for granted but it is not like we are completely ignorant about them or we don't care at all. This book highlights that aspect very well. This book actually personifies the current youth with regards to their passion for their career and their relationships. Kudos to Mohit Goyal for writing such a fantastic book..

I liked this book because it feels much more relatable and the things mentioned in the book can happen in the actual world. However at two places, I felt like those things simply can't happen. The first one was when Abhay meets his mother and the second one was the interaction of Abhay and Shashank with the robbers. Yes I am nitpicking those incidents but I feel those things could have improved to give a much more realistic experience to the readers while reading these two incidents. However, I do like the way Mohit Goyal picked up the entire story immediately after these incidents and making the ending, my favorite part the most enjoyable part of the book.

So to sum up, I highly recommend this book to everyone and since the holiday season is coming up, this will be really a nice time to read this book and go on a vacation or a road trip with your friends or your loved ones. To rate this book, I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. I simply can't wait to get my hands on the next installment of the series. Here are the links to the Amazon where you can pick this beautiful book and have a really nice time.

Amazon India: Colorful Notions by Mohit Goyal

Amazon US: Colorful Notions by Mohit Goyal

So those are my impressions on Colorful Notions written by Mohit Goyal. Let me know what are your impressions on this book in the comment section below. If you have liked this post and want me to keep reviewing such good books then do hit the like button and share it among  your friends (You should always share good things with your friends :p). If you have gone on a trip somewhere where some memorable incidents happened just like in the book, then do share them in the comment section below. I would love to read them and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the new content right into your mail box.

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

CIAO.

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Strongman's Daughter - Madhuri Iyer Review

Book Cover Source: Goodreads

Hello Readers...

Today we are going to review Strongman's Daughter written by Madhuri Iyer. Madhuri Iyer is a best selling author based in Mumbai. Her earlier work Manhattan Mango has been well received among the reading community. Before beginning with the review of today's book Strongman's Daughter, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Finger Print Publication for providing a copy of this book for the review purpose via goodreads.

Here is a brief synopsis of the book to give you a gist of the story line:

"

When feisty twenty-one-year old Aditi Narvekar refuses to carry forward the legacy of her corrupt politician father, as hell breaks loose. The mighty Vithalrao Narvekar, Chief Minister of Goa, retaliates with fury. He fixes her up with the scion of a wealthy mining family, and sets the wedding date.

Rebellious and resourceful, Aditi tries to stay one step ahead of her wily parent. Along the way, she encounters the supercilious but sexy - Raj Dias, an activist who fights for a clean-and-green Goa. Although he dismisses Aditi as her father's daughter, she's determined to prove him wrong.

Goa becomes an epic battleground where the clean brigade takes on dirty politics. Aditi must confront her own father, but will Raj support her cause?

The Strongman's Daughter is a nail biting saga of a young girl's clash against her father, in a battle of love, money-lust and longing!

"

Lets start the review with the story and plot sequence itself. This is an very good story line and while reading this book, I was constantly feeling like I am reading some sort of bollywood movie  script where the protagonist of the story, i.e. Aditi Narvekar was frustrated and annoyed due to the lack of freedom which she has experienced during her childhood because of growing in very strict environment of her powerful father, the antagonist of the story, i.e Vithalrao Narvekar and her struggle from her tyrannic father's regime. I am quite sure you would love the story line too.

The characters in the story are very much relatable and I sort of connected immediately with characters. The character development of Vithalrao Narvekar right from the beginning is simply amazing. I really loved how his character is developed as the story progresses. The story keeps revolving around the few central characters. However there were couple of characters which I feel could have been used in a better way, for eg. the character of Steve.

The writing is top notch and the entire book is written in the first person's view, i.e in Aditi's perspective. The writing is pretty simple and Madhuri Iyer has use simple English with not too fancy vocabulary which I feel is very nice as more people could enjoy this book. Kudos to Madhuri Iyer for the writing part.

This book also highlights the cliched concepts of inheriting the fathers position in the political system which we often see in the Indian politics. The real life political references given in between the stories adds to the fun element. The second cliched concept which is being highlighted is the institution of marriage where the daughter is forcefully married to someone by the father for his professional benefits. This elements builds up an excitement level while reading this book.

However, not everything is nice about this book. This book clearly struggles in the narration department. The story starts around the New York memories of Aditi and goes on building into the actual story. However when the actual story was being narrated, I was completely clueless about Aditi's New York friends while Aditi keeps reminding me of them. Also at a point the story starts taking a complete fictional route and the activities which were taking place can only be seen in the typical bollywood movies. Remember earlier I mention that the story felt like a reading a bollywood script, I am quite sure many of you would feel the same. Also towards the end, the story becomes a disaster and left me clueless as to what was happening and why those things were happening. Clearly, the end was a disaster.

So to sum up the review, this book has really a nice story but a bad execution of the same. Surely this book could have been much...much better and actually has the potential of becoming an interesting read. To rate this book, I will give this book 2 stars out of 5. If you don't believe me and want to check out the book for yourself, here are the links to the Amazon from where you can get the book.

Amazon: Strongman's Daughter by Madhuri Iyer

So, that's it for today. If you have liked the review, do hit the like button and share among your reader friends. If you don't want to miss out on any reviews which will be posted in the future, then do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the new content right into your mail box. If there are any suggestions for me, then drop them in the comment section below. I make sure that I read each and every comment posted out there.

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

CIAO.

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The Myth Of Rational Market - Justin Fox Review

Book Cover Source: Goodreads

Hello Readers...

Ever wondered about Wall Street and how the market functions? Was the market behaving the same way few decades back? What is the history which led to the current beliefs of the market?...Then the book which we are reviewing today might be an answer to all your questions. So lets begin with the review of The Myth Of Rational Market: A History Of Risk, Reward And Delusion On Wall Street written by Justin Fox.

Lets start with the synopsis of the book:

"

Chronicling the rise and fall of the efficient market theory and the century-long making of the modern financial industry, Justin Fox's "The Myth Of The Rational Market" is as much an intellectual whodunit as a cultural history of the perils and possibilities of risk. The book brings to life the people and ideas that forged modern finance and investing, from the formative days of Wall Street through the Great Depression and into the financial calamity of today. It's a tale that features professors who made and lost fortunes, battled fiercely over ideas, beat the house in blackjack, wrote bestselling books, and played major roles on the world stage. It's also a tale of Wall Street's evolution, the power of the market to generate wealth and wreak havoc, and free market capitalism's war with itself.

The efficient market hypothesis--long part of academic folklore but codified in the 1960's at the University of Chicago--has evolved into a powerful myth. It has been the maker and loser of fortunes, the driver of trillions of dollars, the inspiration for index funds and vast new derivatives markets, and the guidepost for thousands of careers. The theory holds that the market is always right, and that the decisions of millions of rational investors, all acting on information to outsmarts one another, always provide the best judge of a stock's value. That myth is crumbling.

Celebrated journalist and columnist Fox introduces a new wave of economists and scholars who no longer teach that investors are rational or that the markets are always right. Many of them now agrees with Yale professor Robert Shiller that the efficient market theory "represents one of the most remarkable errors in the history of economic thought." Today the theory has given way to counter-intuitive hypotheses about human behavior, psychological models of decision making, and the irrationality of the markets. Investors overreact, under-react, and make irrational decisions based on imperfect data. In his landmark treatment of the history of the world's markets, Fox uncovers the new ideas that may come to drive the market in the century ahead.

"

My sole purpose of reading this book was to know more about the money making machine, i.e The Wall Street and I must say this book didn't disappoint me in that aspect. This book is a carefully crafted document about the rise and the fall of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EFH), since its beginning till the end. Even if you don't know about this Efficient Market Hypothesis, this book will surely foster your curiosity into the same.

This book is all about the people who were greatly responsible for developing the market and their views on the rational market. This book lists down series of event in a chronological fashion which happened in span of more than a century. Yes, you read it right, the century back history of the Wall Street and that too in just around 300 pages. Of all the financial books which I have read, I feel this book lists down all the events in a nice concise manner. This book is aimed at a normal person who is not aware about the market and aims to give her/him, the exposure to the ideas of the scholars of the market.

I am quite sure, you must have seen financial people working with fancy charts and big numbers and might worry that this book might contains such fancy chart which you might not be accustomed to, so let me tell you that this book doesn't contain any of those, but yes there is something which might bother you. I will come to this point in a while.

Justin Fox being a TIME magazine business journalist and Editorial Editor of Harvard Business Review Group, has written a pretty comprehensive history about the rational market hypothesis and how Financial Engineers viewed market in those days.This book highlights the rational market approach of the early Finance Engineers and their thirst to predict the market and stocks value on any given day. This book will definitely make you more interested in the financial market.

This book is a treat to read if you know few things about finance and market behavior. However, if you are a person who is completely unaware of the financial concepts and basic ideology, then you might find it difficult to understand the book completely and even might take more time than your regular book. This book does mentions few concepts which you will understand quickly if you have a little understanding of the financial concepts. Yes, this book indeed have explained those concepts, but knowing few basic things will surely cut down your reading time..

So to sum up, I really enjoyed reading this book and I will highly recommend this book to someone who wants to know about the history of the Efficient Market Hypothesis. I would have love if this book has toned down the financial concepts slightly to make it more easily understandable to the general audience, but no complaints from my side. To rate this, I will give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. Here are the links to the Amazon from where you buy the book.

Amazon India: Myth Of The Rational Market by Justin Fox

Amazon US: Myth Of The Rational Market by Justin Fox

So that't it for today. Hope you have liked this review. If you do then do hit the like button and share it around. In case you haven't SUBSCRIBE and don't want to miss reviews of more such good books, then do SUBSCRIBE to the blog to get all the new post right into your mail inbox. Any suggestions regarding my way of reviewing and would like see a change, then do mention them in the comment section below.

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

CIAO.

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