Review Diaries (The Heartfulness Way by Daaji with Joshua Pollock)

Before I say anything about the book I would like to say a few things about me, the kind of a person I am. I have always been very religious but with a twist, my Gods were not just mere deities (yes you heard it right, mere deities) but they are my family. My Ma and Baba and Twin and Friend. And the other thing is I normally take three days max to finish any book. But this one I took almost 5 days to finish, for I didn't just read it once or twice, I read it 4 times. And the more I read the more it made sense.
I am someone who has been doing yoga for a long time and have been asked questions like "How come you talk so much? Isn't meditation supposed to make you talk less?"
I could never quite make them understand that meditation isn't about being silent or having less enthusiasm about things, it's about finding peace. Reaching your happy place or as described in the book to reach a "balance".
It doesn't matter if I jump around in joy or if I sit still the whole day. Finding your original balance is the important part. It is even mentioned that there is no difference between an undistracted mind and a settled mind. They are indistinguishable.
And coming back to the reason why I read it so many times, the first time I finished reading it I felt a bit of peace, which made me go back to it again and again. My personal experience with this book has been amazing and I would suggest it to others as well. Specially to all those who have the notion of the "right" way to be "silent".
So I, Manali Dey, will give The Heartfulness Way a big 5.5 out of 5. And a big thank you to both Daaji and Joshua Pollock.

Review Diaries(Cheaters by Novoneel Chakraborty)

If you have ever judged a book by its cover, you would love Cheaters for it looks stunning or at least it looked freaking incredible to me(may be cause I have very partial to the color red) but the name kinda made me rethink my plan to read it. I mean it's called Cheaters for crying out loud. And I for one, who has always been a big fan of black and white and not at all a fan of the grey area, abso-freaking-lutely hate cheating. I think it's unfair, underhanded and amoral. But reading this book made me rethink my judgemental take on things.
Firstly, I am someone who used to hate short stories and this book had 9 of them. All of them interesting, mind bogglingly so and all of them are about different definitions of cheating.
Sometimes you don't get closure from a relationship and you imagine scenarios where you do finally meet the other person and dream of properly putting that relationship to rest after a last hurrah! *wink-wink*. While at other times you do end up meeting that old flame but correct words don't come out to express your correct feelings about that unexpected meeting.
Sometimes the "other woman" is not to blamed for existing and can end up being a savior in disguise, while there are times when conjuring up "other" people is just what the doctor ordered to give a certain faulty ego a mighty blow.
Being taken for granted sucks and so does being put up on a freaking pedestal. So if you break a few rules to make yourself feel good again and ultimately be the old version of you but this time around you are someone who has lived a different story, no one should get to judge you.
And most importantly using role play to spice things up who hasn't done it, am I right or am I right?
So I, Manali Dey, will give Cheaters by Novoneel Chakraborty a big 5 on 5 stars. And a huge thank you hug, for I feel like a changed being who doesn't judge people (much, I still hate liars). I have always believed that self-love is the best love, for if you can't love yourself , you don't stand a chance to love others with all your heart.
So, love is love and feel free to spread it all around.
Incidentally I realized every time I read a Novoneel book I use a hell lotta cuss words…
What's up with that,huh!

Poetry Diaries (How about a raincheck?)

How about a raincheck on that party you invited me to?
I know I said yes, but back then I didn't think things through.
How about a raincheck for my ridiculous break-up heartache ?
With someone I wasn't in a relationship, for I am a mere mistake.
How about a raincheck for all those compliments and pats that I missed out on,
And for years I thought I deserved only scorn.
How about a raincheck for that heads up I didn't get and thought I deserved,
For I was betting on a heart fully reserved.
How about a raincheck for being replaced by someone else,
Only to be taken for granted, kept aside and called in to take the second place.
How about I take a raincheck from all the voices in my head,
And take deep breath and knock them all dead!
So how about a raincheck?

Crush Diaries(How to get over you crush in 30 seconds flat)

Me- Dadi, I think I am crushing on someone, I think I might even be falling for him.
Dadi aka Kaustav Bhattacharya looks at me and says, Yes if you fall on someone then he is definitely getting crushed.
Me(hurt and outraged) DADI...👹👹👹
Dadi- Are come on, you know I am kidding. Tell me what happened?
Me- There's this guy I like....
Dadi- And his name is (__________)
{And Dadi finishes my sentence}
Me- Wait! What? Noo!
Dadi - Moving on.
Me- It's not him.
Dadi- Hmmmmm.
Me- Seriously ...
Dadi- Hmmmmm (along with a blank stare)
Me- Shit ...how did you know?
Dadi- I know nothing, cause you still haven't told me his name.
Me- Ahhaha... exactly.... So anyhu as I was saying...
Dadi- No.
Me- I think I like, wait what do you mean no?
Dadi- You don't have a crush
Me- Yes I do.
Dadi - No you don't.
Me- Yes
Dadi- No.
Me- Excuse me, I do.
Dadi- No and that's final.
Me- Really? Thanks I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
And that's how my big brother rids me from my silly-willy-so-not-a-crush.
Thanks Dadi.

(Poetry Diaries)What do I do? Part 1

I wonder what you will say if I grabbed on to you hand tight,
Will to stand there and listen to me without a fight?
Or will you shrug me off and pay me no heed,
Like you ignored every single last of my previous good deed.
Even if you stayed, which can happen only in a dream of mine.
I can already see you restless, waiting for me to finish my line.
A lot of words went through my mind, like wild horses run unbound,
Yet I stayed mum, I simply couldn't make a sound.
You have already moved on, the only thing that's stopping you now,
Is my hand holding on to you, otherwise you would have long ago said Ciao!
I have a question about this all, I say with all the awkwardness in the world.
You exclaim, Question? Logical or Rhetoric, you ask still stationed under my hold.
A little bit of both, I answer back.
And end it there for I know it's all losing cards in my stack.

Review Diaries ( Last Seychelles Flame by Medha Nagur)

Remember the song "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson?
That's the first thing that came to my mind after I finished reading this book.
Life throws curve balls at us time and again. But one simply doesn't roll over and play dead. You gotta fight back and fight to keep your dreams alive.
Like the protagonist does in this wonderfully warm book. For her life isn't a bed of roses, her parents would rather have married off than listen to her dreams, her ex(whom she is still not over) is an epic jerk and a text book loser(and whenever I saw him I felt like getting inside the book and punching him). Then we see office politics and crappy bosses(who remind you of that partial teacher in school who only ever favoured her favorite students irrespective of you being right). But ultimately everything comes down to how you handle it all. Adrija is you and me and any other girl who had to fight stereotypical blocks on our road to success.
Adrija fights tooth and nail against it, she stands strong against her mom's emotional blackmail and her father's verbal bullying, she tries to be professional and let her work do the talking all the while dealing with "principal" like egotistical boss and trying her best to deal with her blast from the past, 6feet rude-dude of an ex-boyfriend. And I am pretty sure if asked she will blame her teenage hormones for that particular mistake in her love life(later in the book she says so herself). And most importantly Om, artist-slash-goofball-slash-Jabber Jackson-slash-famous artist-slash-goofball-slash- rich cutie with a heart of gold-slash-knight in shinning armour.
And no one can mistake Adrija as a heartless person, she might be stubborn and opinionated and headstrong but she isn't someone who will hurt a fly. She will rather face the evil dragon, who is busy huffing scalding abuses and puffing rude nonsense than call out for her knight for he is busy with some work. She fights for her dreams, fails to do it, get beaten black and blue by life(both literally and metaphorically), she is seen breaking down and crying her eyes out and having nervous breakdowns but she always gets up.
That's the lesson one should learn from this book.
Life can be hard and tough and downright horrible to you but you shouldn't give up. Stand your ground and keep working on your dreams. They will come true.
So, I,Manali Dey will give 5 stars out of 5 to this book and a warm hug to the writer for this candy-like book.