The Readdicts Monthly Giveaway #11 (November)- Anurag Anand Combo

Hey guys! Welcome to our Monthly Giveaway for the month of November. I cannot believe that 2016 is flying so fast and that in less than 2 months it'll be over. Where has the time gone?

Are you excited for this month's giveaway? Let's get to it!

So as the title suggests, for the month of November ONE winner will receive two books by Anurag Anand. Where the Rainbow Ends and Love on 3 Wheels. You can check out Sarika's reviews for both by clicking on the links to see if the books are something that might be of interest to you.

As usual, rules are simple: 

*The giveaway is open to residents of India only. 

*Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. 

*If the form doesn't load, go here. 

*Once a winner is picked, they will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond, or else we'll be compelled to pick another winner. 

Also, to make your work easier, here are all the links you will need: 

Janhvi on Instagram / Sarika on Instagram / The Readdicts on Twitter / The Readdicts on Facebook 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May the odds be ever in your favour!
Happy reading :)

Review- Love on 3 Wheels by Anurag Anand

Goodreads Summary:

What Happens When Love and Destiny Come to Loggerheads?
Love on 3 Wheels is a saga of love, lust, aspirations and trickery that unfolds over a period of three days, propelling those in its midst into an unmindful frenzy.
Sargam:
A young and ambitious girl misplaces a parcel purportedly containing a large amount of cash. This sets off a turn of events that are certain to leave their imprint on the lives of many.
Sharib Sheikh:
An auto rickshaw driver whose fault is that he fell in love with the wrong person at the wrong time.
Dr. Abhigyan Kukreti:
A prominent doctor who has more skeletons in his personal closet than a mid-size cemetery.
Ameena:
A simple village girl who, like Sharib, finds herself at the wrong end of love.
Junaid:
A swindler with his heart in the right place.

A Real Love Story that is bound to make your heart skip more than a beat! 

REVIEW:

Having previously read and thoroughly enjoyed Anurag Anand's Where the Rainbow Ends, I was really looking forward to reading Love on 3 Wheels, which turned out to be very interesting and enjoyable. 

The story of five very different people; in this book, we get into the heads of each of these characters from the point of view of the third person while at the same time, we follow the events that take place on December 28 and 29. The alternate character and story narration was well done. A narration like this can end up being confusing, but in Love on 3 Wheels, we get as much lead into the character as into the story itself, which was refreshing and riveting, because both were necessary to really understand everything. 

Speaking of the characters, we have Sargam, who is a decent and hardworking girl; Sharib, an auto driver who is very respectful; Abhigyan, doctor by profession who isn't what he appears to be; Ameena, who will do anything to get the man of her dreams fall for her like she has fallen for him; and finally Junaid, who will do anything- absolutely anything- for his mommy dearest. 

All the characters were developed and portrayed nicely. The best part was that each character was shown in such a way that it was both easy and difficult to both love and hate her/ him. Love on 3 Wheels interconnects the lives of these five characters in the most interesting way possible. Each of them is either at the right or wrong place at either the right or wrong time; it depends on perspective. 

Deep down, this book speaks about much more than just connecting threads. It takes up contemporary issues that makes one think if what happens with the characters is really what they deserve. It talks about karma and justice, making the story very meaningful. The only disappointment was what became of the character I was rooting for. While it did seem that some characters didn't get what they deserved, it all made sense nonetheless. 

Overall, hardly 160 pages long, Love on 3 Wheels is an entertaining, enjoyable and very interesting tale that intermingles the lives of five people and that was portrayed in a gripping way. 

*A copy of Anurag Anand's Love on 3 Wheels was provided by Srishti Publishers and Distributors in exchange for an honest review. We thank the publishing house and Anurag for the book! 

RATING: 

Author Interview- Anurag Anand (Birth of the Bastard Prince)

Hello, everyone! Today on the blog, we have with us a great Indian author. Please join us in welcoming Anurag Anand. *throws confetti* Anurag is the author of many books that you can take a look at over here, but he is here today to let our readers know about his latest release, Birth of the Bastard Prince. Without much ado, let's get on to the post I have for you. After getting to know the book and the author a little, we'll move on to the knowledgeble, interesting and fun interview we did with the author. Let's go then! 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Legendary courtesan Amrapali's life story is as enigmatic and extraordinary as her beauty and grace.Found abandoned under a mango tree as an infant, the twists and turns of fate led her to become the Nagarvadhu, the most sought-after yet morally reviled courtesan of the kingdom of Vaishali.In Birth of the Bastard Prince, the sequel to the riveting The Legend of Amrapali, Anurag Anand explores Amrapali's eventful life as the Nagarvadhu. He describes in thrilling detail the war between Vaishali and Magadha, in which Amrapali played a crucial role; traces her love affair with Bimbisara, the emperor of Magadha, and the birth of their son Vimala Kondanna; reveals the palace intrigues and conspiraciesthat led to Amrapali's tribulations; and finally explains how Amrapali found the solace and happiness he so desired.

Weaving together facts with fiction, written with a contemporary flavour, Birth of the Bastard Prince is an enchanting exploration of Amrapali's life as a courtesan and a mother, and her spiritual awakening in the Buddhist order.

BOOK LINKS: 

FLIPKART / AMAZON / INFIBEAM  

You can even watch the BOOK VIDEO. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anurag is a management professional who started his parellel career in writing at the age of 25 when he published his first non-fiction title, 'Pillars of Success'. After his second non-fiction title, he shifted to the fiction genre and since then he has authored several books including bestsellers like The Legend of Amrapali and The Quest for Nothing.

Anurag's works have been lauded for their realistic treatment of subjects and the life-like interplay between characters.

AUTHOR LINKS: 

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / EMAIL / WEBSITE

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 

Hi Anurag! Welcome to The Readdicts. It’s lovely to have you on our blog today and we hope you have a nice time answering our questions.

      1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Anurag: Thank you for having me on The Readdicts. And I must add that you guys are doing a fantastic job of promoting indigenous writing and authors. Keep up the great work!

As for me, I am a regular guy-next-door who loves spending time with friends and family, feels pressurized when demands at the workplace begin to mount, and is on the continuous lookout for an escape into a zone I can call my own. This is where writing fits in – it is the closest I have ever come to finding this zone of mine.

I am based in Gurgaon and am presently employed with a Cola major. Born in Patna (not all that long back, I like to believe), I have spent most of my life in school/ college hostels, forcibly mingling with people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, planets etc. It is the understanding of human nature and emotions I gathered during this phase of my life that forms the basis of my writing today.     

     2) Tell us about your book, Birth of the Bastard Prince, and its prequel, The Legend of Amrapali. Whilst we’re at this, let us know if readers need to read the first book before picking up the second.

Anurag: Not many of us are aware that the first democratic form of governance known to mankind was instutionalized in the ancient Indian kingdom of Vaishali. Amrapali – a girl of unknown parentage found abandoned under a mango tree – through a sequence of wicked manoeuvres was appointed the Nagarvadhu of this illustrious kingdom. It is a fictional life-account of this enchantress that has been traced in The Legend of Amrapali and Birth of the Bastard Prince.

While The Legend of Amrapali talks about the early years of her life – the machinations that went behind her appointment as the Nagarvadhu and the revenge she exacts from her tormentors – Birth of the Bastard Prince deals with the tribulations in the later part of Amrapali’s life, until she finds solace in the aegis of Gautama Buddha. Her love affair with Bimbisara, the emperor of the neighbouring kingdom of Magadh, the war between Magadh and Vaishali which history records as having lasted for about sixteen years, and a plethora of intriguing twists and turns make Birth of the Bastard Prince an interesting read for readers with diverse tastes.

Although Birth of the Bastard Prince has been positioned as a sequel to The Legend of Amrapali, it has been written in a manner to make it a stand-alone read. So, while as an author I would wish that my readers find time to read both the books, Birth of the Bastard Prince begins with a summary of the prequel that would not leave them grappling for context. 

      3) What kind of research went into writing your book?

Anurag: Quite frankly, majority of my research happened around the time I was writing The Legend of Amrapali. Once the prequel was ready, I already had the characters and settings I needed to take the story to its fruition, and this made the task much simpler.

However, while writing the Birth of the Bastard Prince I did have the privilege of visiting the present-day Vaishali in Bihar which still houses ancient ruins from the era that Amrapali’s story belongs to. From the Abhishek Pushkarini – the coronation tank used to anoint the newly appointed rulers of Vaishali and which now is a popular tourist destination – to the articles displayed in the nearby ASI Museum, it was a fascinating experience to say the least. I am sharing some pictures from this visit for your readers to get a glimpse into the glories of our past.

Toilet pan

Abhishek Pushkarni

     4) Tell us in a single sentence why readers should pick up your book.

Anurag: It is a perfect blend of facts and fiction that will not only entertain them, but also introduce them to a legendry character from the pages of history.  

    5) Do you plan on writing more books that will follow The Legend of Amrapali and Birth of the Bastard Prince?

Anurag: No, Amrapali’s story is complete with Birth of the Bastard Prince. My intention was to present her story in a crisp, entertaining and easily readable format, which I believe I have achieved with this book. The rest I shall leave for my readers to judge.

     6) I have read and really liked your book, Where the Rainbow Ends. It was a really touching and warm contemporary read. How do you switch between genres when writing? Additionally, which genre do you prefer to write?

Anurag: This is a tough one; it is like asking a parent to choose between two offsprings. However, there is a marked difference when it comes to dealing with the two genres. In case of contemporary fiction, once the plot and the story-outline are ready, the writing takes care of itself. Since I am more familiar with the social fabric of today, I am not required to evaluate every sentence in the context of the story’s setting. Historical fiction, on the other hand, requires a higher degree of concentration, focus and of course research.   

      7) What is the best part of being an author?

Anurag: The social recognition it brings about! After my first book was published, even those members of the extended family who I thought had written me off as a black sheep found reasons to connect with me. And this, to me, was my first win as an author.

      8) What is the worst part of being an author?

Anurag: The prevalent perception that writing books is but a key into the world of Swiss bank accounts, long yachts and expensive vacations! I wish it were so, but it is sadly not. And this one is for those friends who can’t stop taunting us (authors) about the supposed billions we make in royalties, and for those entrepreneurs who keep following-up over proposals quoting obnoxious sums to promote a book, each time a new title hits the stands. Guys, a reality check is in order!  

     9) Who are some of your favourite authors and what are some of your favourite books?

Anurag: I am a voracious reader with an appetite for almost anything between Chacha Chaudhary comics to complex textbooks of Physics. Well, almost!

However, some names that immediately come to mind are P G Wodehouse – there is no one who has dealt with humour as he has – John Green, George Orwell, Tagore and Alex Rutherford. Favourite titles, well, Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand, The Book Thief – Markus Zusak, Chowringhee – Shankar (translation by Arunava Sinha) etc. etc.

      10) If you could read only one book for the rest of your life, what book would you pick and why?

Birth of the Bastard Prince, because I do have a narcissistic streak in me!

We also have two fun rounds in store for you. The first one is called “Favourites”. All you have to do is, give us one favourite only. The second one is called “This or that” where you get to pick only one of the two choices we give you. Let’s get started. Brace yourself!

Favourites:

1) Favourite song? 

Anurag: O Ri Duniya  from the film Gulaal. A beautiful composition by Piyush Mishra.

2) Favourite movie? 

Anurag: Life is Beautiful – a film capable of melting even the sturdiest of hearts.

3) Favourite drink? 

Anurag: Coca-Cola (doesn’t hurt if it is spiked with Captain Morgan sometimes)

4) Favourite food? 

Anurag: All things sinful: pizzas, burgers, Mughlai, sweets and chocolates.

5) Favourite day of the week? 

Anurag: Saturday, as it leaves me hopeful of what is to follow. Sunday is simply too short a day.

This or that:

1) Tea or coffee? 

Anurag: Coffee (as long as it hasn’t been poured from a vending machine)

2) Coke or Pepsi? 

Anurag: Sheesh… why would you even ask that? Of course Coke! And by the way, P…. who??

3) Day or night? 

Anurag: Night… Days mean you need to leave your bed.

4) Beach or mountain? 

Anurag: Beaches… mountains mean simply too many clothes! I like to travel light… why, what else did you think?

5) Left or right? 

Anurag: Right… all that is ‘left’ thereafter is wrong!

Thank you so much for spending some time with us today, Anurag. We wish you lots of love, happiness and success in life.

Anurag: My pleasure!

That's all there is to it! I really hope you all liked this interview and that you're now looking forward to reading Anurag's books. We'd like to thank the author again for everything, and thank you, readers, for stopping by! 

Review- Where The Rainbow Ends by Anurag Anand

Goodreads Summary: 

Where The Rainbow Ends is a work of contemporary fiction based around four principal characters. In the words of Ken Ghosh, acclaimed Bollywood Director, “A refreshingly poignant plot that keeps its readers engrossed till the very end.”

Back cover blurb:

Even the most artistic of imaginings can sometimes seem callow in the face of truth. That which appears may not be and that which lies hidden might just be the stark, naked face of reality.

Rahul had everything going his way – a soaring career, a happy family and all else a man his age could yearn for. And then suddenly his life began to crumble all around him, disintegrating element after precious element, leaving him to watch in helpless horror.

Where had he gone wrong? Was there still hope for redemption, even a solitary ray that he could cling on to?

Avantika, a pretty, vivacious girl who had come into Rahul’s life by pure accident, literally, has suddenly gone missing. Just like that, without as much as a trace.

Where is Avantika? Will Rahul be able to find her? Is it her own past that has come back to consume her or is it something even more vicious and sinister?

Shalini, Rahul’s first love and a girl accustomed to leading life on her own terms. Hailing from a family that exerts considerable influence in the galleries of politics and power, she certainly has the wherewithal to impact a lot of things. Even lives.

Is Shalini fostering a grudge that could displace not one but many lives? Could she be the one behind Avantika’s mysterious disappearance?

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Where The Rainbow Ends by Anurag Anand from Srishti Publishers & Distributors in exchange for an honest review. We thank the publishing house for the book! 

Where The Rainbow Ends had been lying on my shelf since so long that I've really lost track of how long it's actually been since the time I first received it. I had heard that the book is good and I was looking forward to reading it but for some reason or the other, I kept putting it on hold. For me honestly, the book turned to be surprisingly and unexpectedly good. I used the two adverbs because there are very few books by Indian authors I find to be mature. This was definitely one of those. Of course, it wasn't the best book I've read or anything, but what is was, was really, really good. 

The book summary can possibly be quite deceiving as it paints a very typical picture from where things aren't all that hard to imagine and guess right. It's like anything around us that seems to be a small, tiny and minuscule thing but has more depth than we could have ever thought. Speaking about the story is quite difficult since going from the summary, it's difficult to make out what will count as spoilers and what won't. 

Where The Rainbow Ends is the story of Rahul, a really good guy who finds himself blindly trapped in love, suffers it's consequences and emerges as a role model who is super strong. In the course of time, he comes across Shalini and Avantika, two women who change his life forever and actually contribute in their own ways into making him who he becomes, in ways better or worse, is up to the reader to decide. For me, the story was predominantly about Avantika. She stood out throughout the second half of the book and she deserved all that role and space that was given to her. 

Where The Rainbow Ends has a very intriguing narrative technique that moves from present to past to present within a span of some 200 pages. While I did find a few minute errors here and there, the writing overall was very smooth and simple, which is always better. Author Anurag Anand has written a story that has a bit of drama, mystery, suspense and romance. It starts out as a cheerful recounting and keeps getting sadder and sadder which is how I like my stories which means I even liked this book. It was mature, sweet, believable and sensible. It was really good. 

RATING: