Pages

Showing posts with label Book Showcase. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Showcase. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2022


 




Book - Dune (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Book 1 in Dune Series

Author - Frank Herbert

Country - United States

Language - English

Publisher - Ace Books

Genre - Science Fiction

Published - October 2019 (Originally Published in 1965)







This book is a masterpiece in the Sci-Fi fantasy genre and since its publication, it has always found a place on the best books list and loved this book as well not only for the story but also the gorgeous 40th Anniversary version I got. The dust jacket is a work of beauty and the book is also wonderful. The story is set on a desert planet where our hero and his family are sent. And then it covers the story from there and recently an adaptation was released last year and was received very well but that only told half of the story and the sequel is already in the works. 

I enjoyed the story but the truth is that you need to read at least the first four books in the series to get the complete saga of the Dune Messiah and then there are further books as well. There is a total of 8 books in the series and then there are other books set in the world or about the books. I would try to read at least the first 4 books and maybe the further books as well. These are the books in the series:

Dune (1965)

Dune Messiah (1969)

Children of Dune (1976)

God of Emperor of Dune (1981)

Heretics of Dune (1984)

Chapterhouse Dune (1985)

Hunters of Dune (2006) by Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson

Sandworms of Dune (2007) by Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson

I bought the book because I loved the edition and always wanted to read that but beyond the cover and the illustrations at the start and the end the book doesn't have any other illustrations in the book but at least the page quality is very good. This is an example of a special edition where publishers actually paid attention to make sure that the book is actually a collector's item and it's a beauty to be featured in the bookcases of each book reader who loves the fantasy and Sci-Fi genre.



Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Book Tour - A Barren Heart by Shilpa Suraj

~ Book Tour ~ 

A Barren Heart by Shilpa Suraj



About the Book:
When having it all isn’t enough…

Aman and Rhea seem to have the perfect marriage. They are madly in love - with each other, with their own careers and the home and life they are building in a quiet Mumbai suburb. 
Rhea is a successful interior designer with a thriving business while Aman is a commercial pilot who is at peace with his life, on the ground and in the skies! What could possibly be lacking in their picture-perfect marriage?

A baby. 

Like most women, thirty-plus Rhea Chakraborty wants to hold her own flesh and blood in her arms. And Aman too wants the same. 

Or does he? 

After another unexplained miscarriage that takes a severe emotional, physical, and psychological toll on them, Aman isn't sure if having a baby will complete them or destroy them. 
Suddenly, Rhea and Aman find the fabric of their stable marriage fraying beneath the strain of their failed conceptions. Where once they were a team with a common goal, they now find themselves on opposite sides with shifting goalposts. 

A Barren Heart is set in so-called modern India and is the story of the struggle of an affluent, educated couple who are still fighting the shackles of societal indoctrination and expectations and losing each other in the process.

Book Links:

Read an Excerpt from A Barren Heart


“Aman.”
He powered off his kindle at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t yet made peace with the concession he’d made this morning, but he knew it was the only way forward for them. As a couple. As a family.
“Amannnnn,” she yelled out again. He couldn’t miss the excitement in her voice.
“I’m in here,” he called out. She appeared in the doorway of their guest bedroom a second later. Her hair was a mess, her clothes damp which meant she’d gotten caught in the sudden downpour that had hit earlier that evening and she looked…incandescent. His heart throbbed the hurt a silent reminder of how much he loved this woman.
“You are not going to believe what happened today.” She launched herself into his arms. He caught her, the motion more reflexive than anything else. Setting her back, he looked at her glowing face. “What happened?”
“Sakshi Garewal, my client from hell recommended me to a friend of hers.”
It lightened his heart a bit to see her so excited about something as normal as a new project. It had been a very long while since she’d found joy in the simple parts of their life. “Congratulations,” he said.
“Guess who it is,” she squeezed his hand.
“Someone famous?” he smiled, her happiness was contagious. “Bollywood or cricket?”
“Bollywood with a bang.” She flopped back on the bed her arms spread out like she wanted to hug the room. “Amyra Sareen.”
“You’re joking!” A low whistle escaped him. “That is the big-time.”
“Yes, it is.” She pumped a fist in the air. “I’m going to be designing Amyra Sareen’s apartment. I’ve finally broken into the big league.”
“Congratulations,” he said, again. He was so proud of her. She’d worked her butt off to get to this point.
“We should celebrate.” Rhea shot up from her prone position. “Get ready. We’re going out to dinner. My treat.”
She was halfway to the door when she slowed. “Why are you in the guest bedroom?”
It had taken so long to penetrate. Curiously numb, he watched her as she turned to face him, a frown marring the smooth lines of her brow.
“Aman?”
“I just needed a little space.” The numbness was turning icy now that he had finally said the words.
“Space?” she repeated. “Space from me?” Confusion warred with anxiety as she took a step forward. Aman didn’t answer.
“If this is about the appointment with the doctor, we don’t have to go.”
“We do,” he said, gently but firmly.
“Why? It’s obvious you don’t want to go and I won’t force you.”
No, she wouldn’t. Not overtly. She wouldn’t realize it, but it would fester and she’d resent him. And it would kill him to see her love for him turn into something else. To see her turn into a bitter, frustrated shell of the vibrant, joyful woman he loved.
“We’ll go because you want to.” He stood up from the bed and moved towards her. “Set it up for tomorrow. I have a flight to Dubai scheduled day after.”
“No.” She shook her head, tears standing in her eyes, her earlier excitement leaching away. “I don’t want it enough to lose you.”
“You’re not losing me,” he said, his chest feeling like someone had tightened a vice around it. “I just needed a little space to clear my head.” And he couldn’t do that surrounded by her and her emotions all the time.
“I haven’t left home or you, Rhea. I’m right here. Just in another room for a couple of days. I need to think and I can’t do that clearly if we’re in each other’s faces.”
A single tear slipped out, trailing down her cheek. He cradled her face gently and wiped it away with his thumb. “Go get ready. We have to go out to celebrate.”
“I don’t feel like it anymore.” Rhea pulled back, looking lost and confused. “I think I need to clear my head too. I’m going for a walk.” She left before he could say another word. He heard the front door shut a minute later.
Be careful what you ask for, people often said. As Aman stood alone in the silent, darkening room, he realized that he had all the space he’d asked for, but he wasn’t sure he wanted it anymore.
He wanted to call her back. To bring back the excitement, the happiness she’d come home with. He wanted their life to go back to what it had been before this whole baby story began. He wanted his wife back. The wife who’d radiated joy, whose ambition had driven her to reach for the stars, whose love for him had been his anchor.
But he didn’t know how to turn back time. He didn’t know how to recapture that shiny bubble they’d lived in. He didn’t know how to go back to where they’d been before this whole baby story had taken over their life. So, he took the space he’d asked for and used it to think. To figure out where they went from here because they couldn’t go back to the past and the present was a ticking time bomb.


About Shilpa Suraj:


Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler, and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency, and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present-day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.




Shilpa on the Web:









Saturday, May 30, 2020

Book Release Day Blitz - A Barren Heart by Shilpa Suraj

~ Release Day Blitz ~ 

A Barren Heart by Shilpa Suraj


RELEASING TODAY!
Get Your Copy NOW!


When having it all isn’t enough…

Aman and Rhea seem to have the perfect marriage. They are madly in love - with each other, with their own careers and the home and life they are building in a quiet Mumbai suburb. 
Rhea is a successful interior designer with a thriving business while Aman is a commercial pilot who is at peace with his life, on the ground and in the skies! What could possibly be lacking in their picture-perfect marriage?

A baby. 

Like most women, thirty-plus Rhea Chakraborty wants to hold her own flesh and blood in her arms. And Aman too wants the same. 

Or does he? 

After another unexplained miscarriage that takes a severe emotional, physical, and psychological toll on them, Aman isn't sure if having a baby will complete them or destroy them. 
Suddenly, Rhea and Aman find the fabric of their stable marriage fraying beneath the strain of their failed conceptions. Where once they were a team with a common goal, they now find themselves on opposite sides with shifting goalposts. 

A Barren Heart is set in so-called modern India and is the story of the struggle of an affluent, educated couple who are still fighting the shackles of societal indoctrination and expectations and losing each other in the process.

RELEASING TODAY!
Get Your Copy NOW!


About Shilpa Suraj:


Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler, and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency, and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present-day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.



Shilpa on the Web:


Saturday, May 2, 2020

Book Blitz - Karma's Dilemma by Karma


~ Book Blitz ~
Karma's Dilemma
by Karma



About the Book:
Karma, a young man, knows very well who his soulmate is. Or so he thinks.

But, really, who is the one?

The posh Angela who he worships. Or is it Sana, the wild racer, who drives him crazy. Or is it Simi, the sensible psychologist, who puts him back together.

Or maybe there is no one for him because of Karma’s deeds in his all-consuming quest as he scours the world has broken so many rules that, one day, karma, the immortal and unrelenting collector of soul-debt, comes calling for Karma, the mortal, himself.

The novel demonstrates the lengths one is willing to go to, the rules one is willing to break and the soul-debt one is willing to accumulate in the quest for a soulmate. Truly, everything is fair in love, even if not in war.

Will Karma the mortal outwit karma the immortal? Or will karma wipe Karma away...

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon




Read some Snippets from Karma's Dilemma



~ Snippet 1 ~


That night, I had a dream based on a story in Hinduism. A gem of a boy, Prahlad, a favorite of the gods, had a demon for a father, Hiranyakashipu. One day, the gods had enough of the demon and dispatched God Vishnu to put an end to the demon. Legend has it that Vishnu, in his half-man and half-lion avatar, emerged from a pillar in the demon’s palace and, despite the good son’s pleas, disemboweled the demon. So, in my dream, Vishnu emerged from the wall just behind Father’s armchair. As soon as I saw Vishnu, I pointed towards Father and cried out: “There he is! Lingaraja, my father, the enemy of love. End him!” as Father trembled.

“Yes, but, first, where is the Amrutha (nectar)?” Vishnu asked me.

“Which Amrutha?”

“The Amrutha of Angela’s lips; the proof of your love.”

“I…I don’t have it. I mean, I didn’t complete the kiss.”

“What! Then, it is not your father, but you are the culprit. Karma, the coward, the true enemy of love, must die!” Vishnu roared and ripped open my stomach. I woke up with a cold sweat.


~ Snippet 2 ~


“How do I find Angela?”

“I will have to cast a spell to bring her back into your life; she won’t return otherwise.”

So saying, the psychic chanted some mantras for a few minutes, took out a fresh acupuncture needle from a sealed packet, pricked my right forefinger and drew blood to drip on a lamp-flame; it reminded me of the story I once read in school, where the devotee gives his blood to keep the lamp burning for his Goddess. The psychic held my finger over the frame, squeezing firmly, as drop after drop of my blood fell upon and fed the flame.

“Now wish for her, with all your heart.”

“Angela, my dearest, I wish for you more than anything in the world. I love you. Come to me!” I whispered and the lamp flame, fed by my own blood, seemed to burn brighter as I made my wish.

“It’s done,” he said, after some more chanting.

“Supposing that she does return, how will it go?”

“On that, I will be very frank. What I am doing goes against vidhi, the natural order of things; it’s risky. It’s even possible that you might very much regret her returning. But if you have that fear, you shouldn’t love.”




Download a copy on 2nd May!


About the Author:
Dear Readers,

Before I tell you more about myself, I want to answer a question that might arise in your mind. Given there are already so many writers (some might think too many), the question is: Why should I write at all?

Simply, I write because I was not allowed to write. Or read any book which had the word love in it. In my family, it was believed that reading about love lead to rebellion. I myself picked up the pen when my only child was six-months-old. At that time, I was without a job. I wrote because there was a lot that I wanted to tell my child, even if one day in the future, to make sense of this world. Writing also helped me keep hope alive, one page at a time, as I went from one fruitless interview to another.

As my child took the first steps, I reached a milestone of my own. I completed my first book; the story of a young man's quest to find answers to life's questions. A boutique publisher in Paris loved it and translated my work into French. I even found a job soon after.

I am choosing to write under a pen-name because I am at a stage in my life where I prefer and love anonymity. Once my child is older, I intend to write under my own name.

Many thanks for reading my post and I hope you enjoy reading my novels.

Happy Reading!
Karma



Saturday, August 18, 2018

Book Showcase - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Illustrated Edition) - J.K. Rowling & Jim Kay

J. K. Rowling gave us one of the most loved book series of all times in the shape of Harry Potter and the love and mania lives on. I have the complete set which was completed by collecting books from different parts. But now there are new Illustrated Editions of the Harry Potter Books, so enjoy




So far there Bloomsbury has released illustrated editions of the first three Harry Potter books and the Forth book will be published in 2019 which can't come soon enough. I am presenting the First book here, actual illustrations are for another post. Illustrations are by Jim Kay and they are wonderful just look at the cover. I would try to cover all three books in details.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Book Showcase - Little Women - Louisa May Alcott



I am currently reading this book on my mobile phone's e-Book reader as a project Gutenburg e-Book, so what better time than to introduce these awesome rubber covers. Like they say Old Wine in New Bottle and what a wine these classics are, If Reading be wine for mind then drink away,  Keep on Reading.

The book showcased is a special new version of the old classic - "Little Women" by "Louisa May Alcott"

There are other gorgeous classics in the new rubber covers and I would try to share all of them. Let's see how quickly I can achieve that.

Book Showcase - The Gene - Siddhartha Mukherjee


In this new series while reviews may be in short supplies for now I would also like to bring different books to people's notice so these posts for Book Showcase.

The First Book for the Showcase is The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee



Wikipedia

Search results