Marital Advice to My Grandson, Joel by Peter Davidson - Book Review

Book Name- Marital Advice to My Grandson, Joel

Author- Peter Davidson

Blurb-

When my grandson, Joel, got engaged, I decided to jot down a few words of marital wisdom for him, based on my vast experience as a husband. Then I thought, why share this wisdom with only one person when I can share it with the whole world. So, I started a blog, listing new marital advice every week. As the popularity of the blog grew, people suggested that the material should be turned into a book and, well, here it is!

Sure, much of the advice is off-the-wall and wacky, but it’s also an upbeat, humorous look at married life that any engaged or married person can relate to and will find insightful and fun to read. Even unmarried people can enjoy the book and, who knows, it might convince some of you to take the plunge, or perhaps confirm your belief that being single is a blessing.

Advice to Joel, and to any man, includes: make sure that you buy a roll of electrical tape before you volunteer to do the vacuuming–and why, how to deal with your wife’s steely-eyed, clinched-jaw scowl, known as “The Look,” how to answer your wife’s questions such as, “Does this dress make my ass look big?,” the warning that your mouth will get you into a whole lot more trouble than your Willy ever will, and how to create the world’s most powerful anniversary card for your wife. 

Virtually all of the material in the book is presented in the form of upbeat stories, scenarios, and examples. This is not the type of advice that you’ll find in a textbook on marriage or in a book on marital relations written by some psychiatrist. This is the real stuff for real people.

Review-

Marital Advice to My Grandson, Joel - the title of this book has a really personal touch to it. It seems more like personal account and that is the reason why you feel so connected to the book.

The cover is aptly designed. It provides you a quick glimpse of what the book could be all about. The blurb also says a lot about the book which makes you interested in the book. It is presented in a conversing manner... like the author is speaking to his grandson in person. I liked the simple way it is written.

Coming to the book, it is divided into small chapters. The chapters are really short and hence, can be read quickly. The author puts forward his advices straight...without any twists. He doesn't beat around the bush and comes straight to the point. This is what I loved about this book. This book isn't something like those which tell you a lengthy tale before actually telling the main point.

The author has personalised each chapter with a small encounter of his life. He has presented it in a cutest way possible which will make you say 'Aww...this is so cute.' They say experience is a great teacher. And I believe it is rightly proved in this book.

I was little skeptical about reading this book as it is written by a foreign author. I was wondering whether I would buy the concept.. whether I would understand the culture and way of living. But, this book proved me all wrong. Women and men all over the world are same. It is only the style of living that varies across geographical regions.

The language is simple. You will feel like you're listening to the author giving advices to his grandson, Joel. The narration is perfect. The chapters are rightly placed. However, I was disappointed with the book length. I wanted it to go on.

If I write about the advices that the author has written for Joel, this review will be termed a spoiler. The book is a pleasant read. It makes you face the reality. You can term it as a perfect relationship mentor.

I rate it with 4.5/5 stars.

You can buy your copies of this amazing book on Amazon.

The Wild Cat by Taanya Sarma – Book Review

Book Name – The Wild Cat

Authoress – Taanya Sarma

Publisher – Invincible Publishers

Blurb –

Based on true events, this erotic thriller novel tells the tale of a young, naive woman named Tanya who enters the online dating and chat world. Her first foray into this digital realm initially proves to be bland and disappointing; however, sex, suspense, power struggles and attempted murder soon unfold. These unwelcome adventures interfere with her business and her sanity as she aspires to live up to her deceased parent's standards. A conman named Sam ensnares Aaron, a handsome investment banker, into his ploy and uses him as a pawn to lure women into doing things they normally wouldn't do. Sam then exposes their personal information as well as their images, sometimes in the act of cyber sex, and posts them on a very successful porn website that he owns. Tanya's encounter with these two men evolves into a long, winding road, with each turn bringing irreparable changes in her life. Enraged by the deceit and the unconscionable behavior of these men, Tanya turns whistleblower and vows to assist the FBI in shutting down the dating app and porn site - and she won't stop until the perverted perpetrators are behind bars. She never relents, but ultimately laments, "I never thought that I would have to give up my life to remain alive."


Story in a nutshell –

I am an introvert. And hence, I feel that we introverts find social media extremely amusing. We get to meet new people, make friends and come out of our shell. (These are my perceptions.) The protagonist, Taanya is amused by an online dating site and willingly signs up for it. She makes friends and realizes that she has been trapped in the social media web. She learns about the dirty games and about the founders of this dating site. Her life is at stake. Does she get out of the trap? Is she successful at punishing the wrongdoer?

Review –

They say you should never judge a book by its cover. But when the cover is so intriguing, I guess judging the book is allowed. Isn’t it? (:P) The Wild Cat is an engaging read. It is indeed a page turner.

We live in the age of internet. Social media is used by a majority of people. With the invent of social media, cyber crimes increased. We do hear stories about cyber crimes in news and in print media. This novel throws light on one such cyber crime – pornography. The story has been well crafted and the plot is perfect. The manner in which the events have been placed in the story is excellent. The pace of the story is fast. I believe that is how the pace of web 2.0 is! It’s fast and changes in the blink of an eye.

The characters aren’t many. They are portrayed so well that you will think of them to be real at some point in the story. You will draw a vivid picture of the characters in your minds. Every bad person was, once upon a time, a good human being. You will learn this when you read about the history of the characters.

The story has been narrated well. The lucid language and the great narration makes a perfect combo.

The story will confuse you a bit towards the end. But it is worth all the time you invest in it. I believe that this story has the great potential of being turned into a movie. I wouldn’t be surprised to find it on a movie screen.

I rate:

Cover – 4/5

Characters – 4/5

Story – 4/5

My overall rating for The Wild Cat is 4/5 stars. 

 

You can book your copies on Amazon.

For the sake of love by Anamika Mishra – Book Review

Book Name – For the sake of love

Authoress – Anamika Mishra

Publisher – Westland

Price – Rs. 199

Blurb –

Young, pretty and successful, Twisha Khanna has it all. She works hard and has no time for frivolities like love. After all, being the creative head of a happening travel magazine is no joke.

So when she travels to Shimla on an assignment, the last thing on Twisha’s mind is love. But then, life has other plans. On finding a stack of old love letters that speak of an unrequited romance, Twisha is convinced that she must find the man who wrote these letters and help him.

Along the way, she meets spoilt rich boy Alex, who is everything she would NOT want in a man. As the two try to reunite the old lovers mentioned in the letters, they are hardly aware that how they feel about love and life is going to change forever…

Story in a nutshell –

A successful career, a couple of true friends is what Twisha’s life is all about. Love is the last thing on her mind. Not that she despises love, she just feels that it is not worth her time. Twisha goes to Shimla for her work assignment and happens to bump into some old letters.

Twisha mocks the letters initially but gets glued to them once she starts reading them. She decides to get in touch with the writer and complete his incomplete love story. She and her friend Bobby, sets on their path on finding David, the person who wrote those letters for the love of his life, Jasmine.

She meets Alex, David’s grandson who is nothing but a rich, spoilt guy. Is Twisha successful at completing David’s love story? Does Twisha change her notion about love? Is she successful at finding the love of her life?

Review –

‘For the sake of love’ is a plain and simple love story. There are no cheesy lines, no unexpected twists and turns. And that is what makes it one of the kind, a unique love story.

The cover is a simple one and conveys a faint idea about what the story would be like. I did not find it very catchy. As the saying goes ‘Never judge a book by its cover’, I too did not judge it.

The story has been plotted well and thoughtfully. The pace of the story is neither too fast nor to slow. It keeps you hooked on to it. The flow of the events in the story has been done well. You will not feel lost at any point of time. The chapters are perfectly placed. The language is simple and lucid. The first person narration of this story will surely make an incredible impact on your minds. The engaging narration will keep you hooked on to this story. I found it very similar to the movie “Letters to Juliet”. And maybe that is one of the reasons why, I could predict few incidents from this story.

This story gives you many lessons about love.

• True love doesn’t demand anything, it only gives.
• Love can never be defined, it can only be expressed.
• Love is selfless.
• No time is a great time when it comes to love.

For the sake of love is a simple love story which will show you how beautiful love can be.

I rate-

Cover: 3/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Story: 3.5/5

My overall rating for this book is 3.5/5 stars. 

 

You can buy your copies of this amazing love story on Amazon.