TOP TEN BOOKS RATED BY ME IN 2014!!!

1179th BLOG POST -->>

   This has not been a very good year for me in terms of reading. In fact, this has not been a good year in any terms. :| As every year, I feel that I should mention the top rated books by me. The list does not have any thing to do with the year in which the book has been published. It's just that I got my hands upon them in 2014. Out of 65 novels that I read this year, few books which I am recommending are below.

TOP 10 BOOKS

1. The One You Cannot Have by Preeti Shenoy- 4.9* (WestLand)

Aman once thought he had found love. His relationship with Shruti could only be the substance of dreams. Yet the dream lay shattered when Shruti told him they were done. Distraught, Aman left India in hopes of drowning his love in his career. Shruti moved on, marrying Rishabh. Returning to India to start anew, Aman finds Anjali and discovers he is beginning to have feelings for her. But his heart still speaks to him of his feelings for Shruti, and the love he lost. A story of heart-wrenching unrequited love, complicated relationships and realization that love lost is forever and truly lost.

2. Losing My Religion by Vishwas Mudgal- 4.75* (FingerPrint)

Have you ever thought about leaving your job and home to discover the country? This is exactly what Rishi Rai, a gamer and entrepreneur does when his company goes bankrupt. In the company of an American hippie, Alex, Rishi does it all from getting high in the Malana Valley to building a shack on the Om Beach. During this journey of his, Rishi meets Kyra, a young enigmatic gamer. There's more to Kyra than just her bewitching personality. Losing My Religion is gripping, exciting and racy.

3. I too had a Dream by Verghese Kurien- 4.75* (Roli Books)

Dr. Verghese Kurien has made immense contribution to the formation and running of milk cooperatives across the country. As he is the architect of ‘Operation Flood’ which is the largest dairy programme in the world, Dr. Kurien has made India one of the largest milk producers in the world. In the book I Too Had a Dream, Dr. Kurien has penned down about his life, his contribution to the dairy industry of the country and much more about his multifaceted personality. 

4. Mistress of the Throne by Ruchir Gupta- 4.75* (Srishti)

1631, the Empress of India Mumtaz Mahal has died. Yet, rather than anoint one of his several other wives to take her place as Empress of India, Mughal King Shah Jahan anoints his seventeen-year-old daughter Jahanara as the next Queen of India. Bearing an almost identical resemblance to her mother, Jahanara is the first ever daughter of a sitting Mughal King to be anointed queen. She is reluctant to accept this title, but does so in hopes of averting the storm approaching her family and Mughal India. Her younger siblings harbor extreme personalities from a liberal multiculturalist (who views religion as an agent of evil) to an orthodox Muslim (who views razing non-Muslim buildings as divine will). Meanwhile, Jahanara struggles to come to terms with her own dark reality as the daughter of a sitting King, she is forbidden to marry. Thus, while she lives in the shadow of her parents unflinching love story, she is devastated by the harsh reality that she is forbidden to share such a romance with another. Mistress of the Throne narrates the powerful story of one of Indias most opulent and turbulent times through the eyes of an unsuspecting character - a Muslim queen. It uses actual historical figures to illuminate the complexity of an era that has often been called Indias Golden Age.

5. Burning Sapphires by Suresh Goswami- 4.75* (Partridge)

Story about one woman who, despite all the odds in life, takes on the responsibility and leads the entire community toward a progressive solution and revives the injured spirits and minds of Kashmiris. A seven-year-old girl, Ghulab Sahib, living in Machail, is unaware of life and its complications. The Machail village, 9,500 feet above sea level, in Kashmir, India, is surrounded by high mountains, thick deodar forests and attractive meadows that are fully covered with thick snow for most of the year, except in the summer months. Living her childhood in this most spectacular village, she doesnt know that destiny is going to disrupt her peaceful life and propel her through a maze of grueling fateful events. But these fateful events do not destroy herinstead, a woman of great knowledge, substance, experience and unparalleled strength emerges in the being of Shahzadi Ghulab Sahib, who takes charge of millions of Kashmiri Muslims trapped in the terror-stricken Valley of Kashmir along with 500,000 internally displaced Kashmiri pandits living as refugees in their own country and bails them out, leading them toward a life of contentment, dignity and pride.

6. Manhattan Mango by Madhuri Iyer- 4.5* (FingerPrint)

Three 20-something achievers from Mumbai become New Yorkers. The lives of Shri, Shanks, and Neel zips through ups and downs like a fierce rollercoaster. Neel is a successful guy, with a weakness for scotch and women. Shri is a good son, a banker, who contains a secret within that he means to take to his grave. Shanks is a techie, who falls for a wrong girl. The three hold on to each other to preserve sanity, with a brotherhood that holds them together. This tale of friends in Manhattan is like the city’s swift transit express subway line. You won’t want any stops in between!

7. Sorry, You're Not My Type by Sudeep Nagarkar- 4.5* (RandomHouse)

Vikrant, Anamika and Yuvi meet as a consequence of the final auditions for Rajhan’s College band. A perfectionist, a free spirit and a die-hard music lover, they are worlds apart in contrast but become close friends. When Aditya enters their lives, their perception of the values of love, life and friendship changes forever.

8. Private India by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson- 4.5* (RandomHouse)

When a series of seemingly unconnected murders rock the city of Mumbai with the macabre rituals and artefacts found around the corpses, Private India, a leading investigation agency takes the case. Santosh Wagh, the head of the organization, has only one mission. He needs to stop the killers before they strike again. However, in a city of over 13 million people, he finds that the clock is ticking too fast. He finds himself pitted against underworld dons and a Godman who isn't what he seems. However, the worst is yet to come and Private India itself may be threatened with a revelation that could destroy the entire organization.

9. Rules of the Game by Sumit Chowdhury- 4.5* (Bloomsbury)

A multi-faceted leader, Sumit Chowdhury speaks to readers about treating career like a game, and inventing their own rules to win at any cost. A brand-ambassador of ideas, he shows readers how they can build an ideal career and how they can rise to the top of the ladder through careful planning and deliberation. He teaches them from his vast experience as a mentor and trainer at several start-up companies, and shows how they can translate their career goals and rise up as great players at the game.

10. Embers of Light and the Sacred Secret by Abhishek Gupta- 4.5* (Konark)

The lives of five humans: a Brazilian street fighter, an American cop, a Chinese karate instructor, a Russian environmentalist and an Indian ad maker are changed forever when a bizarre Y-shaped mark appears in the sky, terrifying a hidden alien race on Earth. At the same time, in New York City, a geek finds his life turn upside down when a not-so-ordinary angel shows up in it. What ensues when their lives and stories intertwine rocks their realities forever, pitting them against both heaven and hell. For they chose light, they had to fight all, even God.

            And the other books which I rated above 4* out of 5 but, unfortunately, couldn't make it into Top 10 are:-

The Treasure of Kafur by Aroon Raman- 4.3* (Pan MacMillan)

God is a Gamer by Ravi Subramanian- 4.25* (Penguin)

Secrets and Second chances by Anita Shirodkar- 4.25* (Rupa)

Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas 4.25* (Jaico)

         I will come up with new book reviews next year again. Till then, you can buy all these books and start your reading journey of 2015 :-)

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!