Winners: Love and Lokpal giveaway

Another successful giveaway has come to an end and it's time to announce the names of the two lucky readers who have won a copy of Pooja Wanpal's Love and Lokpal. We also interviewed Pooja on the blog and that can be read here. 

The people who have won the book are...

Priyanka and Shree. 

Congratulations, people! 

Thank you to all participants and if you didn't win, we have a ten copies of The Homing Pigeons... (IN only) and two copies of The Other Side (IN & INT) giveaways going on so do stop by those! 

Author Interview + Giveaway (IN Only)- Love and Lokpal by Pooja Wanpal

Hello, guys! Today, we have author of Love and Lokpal, Pooja Wanpal on the blog for an Author Interview and a two copy giveaway. Without wasting much time, let's get onto the both the things after knowing a little about the book and the author. 

READ MY REVIEW OF LOVE AND LOKPAL

GOODREADS SUMMARY: 

Shlok Kulkarni, an architect by day and an Assassin's creed junkie by night is being bombarded with eligible girls by his matchmaking mama. In a bid to escape her and maybe check out a few hot girls while he’s at it, Shlok flees to Delhi, where a massive protest for the Lokpal Bill has been building up.

Kaveri Gokhale has been searching for a cause her whole life. When the winds of the Lokpal blow through the country, she eagerly catches the next train to Delhi to witness history.

When Shlok runs into Kaveri at Jantar Mantar, the sparks are undeniable. As their relationship blossoms, Kaveri discovers a dark secret that leaves her devastated . . . and endangers the fate of billion others. Will Shlok and Kaveri’s love wither or will it withstand the uncertainties of the corrupt politics? Can love truly conquer all ideologies?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Pooja Wanpal considers reading books the sole aim of her life. In addition to writing, she gives unsolicited advice to people and tries indefatigably to avoid her textbooks. She studies at Fergusson College, Pune and spends most of her time chatting with people over endless cups of coffee in the canteen. Owing to her almost unhealthy enthusiasm for politics, she was a part of the crowds that protested for the Lokpal Bill in 2011. The event left an indelible inspiration on her, and further conversations and debates about the movement culminated into this novel. She can be reached at her email. 

AUTHOR LINKS : BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / GOODREADS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 

Hi Pooja, welcome to The Readdicts! It's great to have you on our blog. 

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Twenty. Completely hooked on coffee. Essentially nocturnal. Reading, writing and listening to music come next to breathing in priorities. Pani Puris too are somewhere on the top too.

2) Tell us about your book, Love and Lokpal. 

'Love and Lokpal' is a love story set against the backdrop of the 2011 Lokpal Bill movement. It explores the relationship between Shlok and Kaveri, the protagonists, and their involvement with one of the biggest mass movement of the decade. 

3) How did the idea to write Love and Lokpal come up? 

My friend, Harsh Agarwal runs a literary agency, 'The Asylum'. While discussing the Lokpal Bill movement one day, the idea for the novel came along, and I decided to put the story on paper. 

4) Are any of your book characters based on people you know or are they completely based on your imagination?

People will be after me with pitchforks if I say yes. But well, I do draw inspiration from the people I see, but my characters are not based on a single person. They are an amalgamation of people I have met, things I have seen and felt. 

5) How interested are you in politics? Have you studied it and do you follow it on a regular basis? 

I am a fanatic, devoted to my daily ritual of reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee. I love reading about the political situation in India and around the world. This is one of the reasons why the Lokpal Bill featured so prominently in my novel. I had been a part of the Lokpal Bill movement, and it had left an indelible inspiration on my. 

I have also written about politics in India, both on my blog and on Blogcritics.

6) You are a student and your book is already published. How difficult or easy is it to maintain a balance between being a student and a writer? 

I haven't had much of a problem with it, honestly. I have been writing since I was 10 years old, and so it has always been a part of me. I do not find these two roles mutually exclusive - they're a part of who I am. Of course, I do have a lamentable tendency to leave aside my studies for writing, and vice versa. But on the whole, I manage. 

7) On a more personal level, give us a glimpse into a regular day of your life. 

I get up early, drag myself to college, attend a few lectures, hang out at the main circle or at the canteen - just the life of a normal Fergussonian, I guess. In my free time, I read books, haunt the local library, study Spanish, and on rare occasions, I study.   

8) I read that you are an avid reader. When you are not studying or reading or writing, what do you like to do? 

I like to watch cricket matches and hang out with my friends. 

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

I go through various phases during the year, so the answer to this question often changes. However, I absolutely love Oscar Wilde, George Orwell, Salman Rushdie, Ramchandra Guha, and Jane Austen. I also like reading novels by Julia Quinn. My favourite books include Pride and Prejudice, 1984, Last Song of Dusk, and Love in the time of Cholera. 

10) What's next in line for you? Future plans? 

An anthology, which I've contributed to, is set to hit the bookstores in December. 'Time's lost atlas' covers 11 most important events of the past decade, by leaving the reality behind, and taking a leap into fiction. 

We also have a fun this or that round lined up for you. All you have to do is select one choice from the following picks! 

1) Tea or coffee? Coffee. Always. (:P)

2) Sweet or salty? Sweet

3) Coke or Pepsi? Coke

4) This is an old one! Team Edward or Team Jacob? I prefer to stay out of the battle. I have never been a Twilight fan. 

5) In college... Main Circle or Kimaya? Main circle

6) Economics or politics? Economics

7) Novels or short stories? Novels

8) Black or White? Black

9) Day or night? Night

10) Beach or mountains? Mountains

Thank you so much for taking the time out to answer our questions and visit The Readdicts, Pooja. We wish you all the very best in life and happy writing! 

GIVEAWAY: 

Enter below to win one of two copies of the book! 

Giveaway rules are simple: 

*The giveaway is open only to INDIA residents. 

*Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. 

*Once the winners are picked, they will be emailed and announced here on the blog as well after which they will have 48 hours to respond or else we'll be compelled to pick other winners. 

*The book will be sent by the author. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, all! 

Once again, I'd like to thank Pooja for stopping by and for the generous giveaway. And thank you too, readers, for stopping by! 

Review- Love and Lokpal by Pooja Wanpal

Goodreads Summary:

Shlok Kulkarni, an architect by day and an Assassin's creed junkie by night is being bombarded with eligible girls by his matchmaking mama. In a bid to escape her and maybe check out a few hot girls while he’s at it, Shlok flees to Delhi, where a massive protest for the Lokpal Bill has been building up.

Kaveri Gokhale has been searching for a cause her whole life. When the winds of the Lokpal blow through the country, she eagerly catches the next train to Delhi to witness history.

When Shlok runs into Kaveri at Jantar Mantar, the sparks are undeniable. As their relationship blossoms, Kaveri discovers a dark secret that leaves her devastated . . . and endangers the fate of billion others. Will Shlok and Kaveri’s love wither or will it withstand the uncertainties of the corrupt politics? Can love truly conquer all ideologies?

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Love and Lokpal from author Pooja Wanpal in exchange for an honest review. We thank Pooja for the book! 

Having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Political Science as my majors, any story that has anything to do with politics automatically interests me and it's for this sheer interest that I decided to give Love and Lokpal a try when author Pooja Wanpal contacted us about her debut book. The book wasn't great or anything but then, it wasn't bad either- it was just good enough to keep me engaged. 
Love and Lokpal is set in my own city, Pune and the female protagonist, Kaveri is studying in her final year in my own college, Fergusson College and her majors is Political Science. That's a lot I have in common with her, but that's all I have in common with her. Kaveri was quite a kick ass MC and obviously she wasn't perfect. What I liked most about her was how real she seemed. 
In fact, because it was so easy for me to relate to the whole set up of Love and Lokpal, it seemed very real to me. It took me back to my college days and although I avoid doing it, I enjoyed going back there. I could obviously picture my city and my college really well and even though it sounds fun, sometimes as a reader, I want a book to take me to a place I haven't been. Nonetheless, like I said, it took me back to the carefree, invincible, fun and full of knowledge college days. 
Love and Lokpal has the Anti- Corruption or Lokpal Bill scenario or situation as it's backdrop. The whole story revolves around the huge Anna Hazare movement backed by a large mass demonstration that were and still are fighting against corruption. Kaveri and her college mates are asked to join the protests by a young politician, Tejasrao Patil who even sponsors various student trips to Delhi for the event. 

At the same time, an NGO worker Asha decides to go to Delhi to join in the movement and show her support with her colleagues, one of whom is the male protagonist and Kaveri's love interest, Shlok. He was a really good guy and I felt that he and Kaveri made for a cute couple. But the best was Shlok's relationship with his sister Prarthana- it was so silly and sweet. 
As a story, Love and Lokpal isn't anything different but it sure is quite good. I did find many editorials errors and the writing seemed a little rushed and confused to me. While both Kaveri's and Shlok's points of views are expressed, they aren't exactly alternating and some things were described in the past, while others in the present, which left me wondering what was going on. 
Overall, Love and Lokpal was a good and enjoyable read. Author Pooja Wanpal has written a realistic and cute story that handles an important issue well and that's easy to relate to. 

RATING: