Books | Business Upturn

From Colleen Hoover to Twisted Series: Books that are in hype in the bookstagram community

Dixita Hazarika — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 18:06:46 +0000

Bookstagram community, which is a community of the bibliophiles on Instagram, is all about sharing book reviews, aesthetic pictures of books, opinions on authors etc.

It’s a place where you will find books being hyped to such an extent that you will be forced to buy the books. That’s how much it influences you. Yes, even I, under the bookstagram influence end up buying books, which later on, for me doesn’t live up to the hype.

So, here are some of the books that are really really hyped by the bookstagram community.

Books by Collen Hoover

Hyped up books and no Collen Hoover? That can not happen. The bookstagram community hypes up the Collen Hoover books so much that if you haven’t read any of them, you will see with a surprised look ( yes, the community can get toxic sometimes). Two of her most hyped books include “It ends with us” (so obvious right) and also its sequel, ” It starts with us” (like Duh!)

A lot of the readers loved them while others didn’t. For me personally, these two books didn’t live up to the hype. Also in some of her books, trauma is kind of romanticized because of which they are a “no no” for me. But yes, there are people who enjoy reading them because it’s “fiction” but yeah, her books didn’t live up to the hype for me.

The Twisted Series

The Twisted Series, by Ana Huang is another book series which is really hyped by the community. The Twisted series have 4 books : Twisted Love, Twisted Games, Twisted Hate and Twisted Lies. The book tropes that you will find in this series are : grumpy×sunshine, enemies to lovers , brother’s best friend and fake dating.

Personally, this is one of my favourite romance book series. I mean there’s Alex Volkov, Josh Chen, Rhys Larsen and CHRISTIANN HARPERRR, I mean what’s not to like here right.

Men who burn down the world for their women and give ” Touch her and die vibes” yes that’s everyone’s fav trope and it makes it a 5 star read already. So yes, I feel this book series is definitely worth the hype.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I am pretty sure if you are a reader, you have got the news of ‘AGGTM’ coming on screen. Well, I would really suggest reading the books first. Trust me, you are going to get addicted to this series. A Female main character who solves a muder case as her school project which the police couldn’t, this series is also going to show the sides of Pip, you didn’t even imagine in your wildest dreams. So yes, you can surely give this series a try. For me, it did live up to the hype and is one of my fav series.

The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Ninth House is a dark academia vibe, fantasy book. It’s about a drop out student who can see ghosts and is now in a mysterious university holding a lot of secrets in its walls. This book is in my TBR and I guess I would be reading it towards the spooky season because of its vibe obviously. But yes, this book is all around bookstagram and one of the hyped books.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Riley Sager’s books are well known because of their thriller genre. This book is well known among the community who likes to read thriller. It is about a girl who takes a lift from a stranger from college to return to her home. Meanwhile there’s a serial killer around the campus killing people. And she during her journey starts worrying if she trusted the wrong person and if he might be a killer. So, if you love thriller, you can definitely check this book out.

So these were some of the books that the bookstagram/booktok community keeps talking about and you will most probably see these books in everyone’s profile. So do give them a try. Happy reading !

Sakal Publications releases two books Dilkhulas and Chef’s Diary by veteran journalist Pooja Samant

Smriti Jaisinghani — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 17:55:56 +0000

Sakal Publications, a well-known media house, has recently published two new genre books.

One is Dilkhulas, which focuses on the journey of some of the most-renowned Bollywood personalities including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shabana Azmi, Parikshit Sahani, Vidya Balan, Tapsee Pannu, Padmini Kolhapure, Kalpana Iyer, Anu Agarwal and Bisbeet Chatterjee. The beauty of this book is that it shows stars as their real self, without make-up and as normal people minus the stardom aura.

The second book is Chef’s Diary. This one is a chronicle of India’s who’s who chefs and their success stories. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Chef Ranvir Brar, Chef Vikas Khanna, Pankaj Bhadoriya, Nilesh Limaye, Prashant Sabne, Rishim Sachdeva, Shipra Khanna, Varun Inamdar, Sandeep Kad, Himanshu Taneja, Harpal Singh Sodhi, Parag Joglekar, Viraj Shenoy, Shantanu Gupte and others feature in this one.

Both the books have been authored by veteran journalist Pooja Samant, who has worked in journalism and the media industry for more than 35 years. The books are in Marathi. They are available on Amazon as well as in book stores.

Some of the most influential books to shape your life

Abhinay Talkhedkar — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:54:18 +0000

Books are the base of imagination and readers are the ones who love to delve into the world of imagination. Writers who are materially absent but, eternally present can be understood and experienced by reading there works. There are books that you should examine, there are books that your companions may suggest, and then there are must enjoy books that everyone has to browse at least once in their entire life. These must-read editions enable impression and discussion about the planet today, as well as bringing you up to date with the crucial fictional endeavours of the 20th century.

To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

This novel is the victor of the Pulitzer prize in 1961, For the last 50 years, To Kill a Mockingbird has been vital reading stuff. The book pursues

8-year-old Scout Finch, three years in her life, Jem, her brother, and Atticus, their father. Three years punctuated by the detention and eventual prosecution of a young black man condemned of assaulting a white woman. Although prohibited for several years because of its contentious story line during an erratic time in US history, the embargo was hoisted and the book is part of several schools curriculum.

1984- George Orwell

Orwell is famous for narrating subtext and speaking up against the disturbing discourse. He is known for his political novel which is often never recognised and presented as a political thing but, every word in that novel has been placed in a politically incorrect way as per the politicians and neutrally as per the citizens. Orwell’s portrayal of the totalitarian government bears stark similarity to various of the influential countries of the world today, and if we contemplate on the theme of that book then we come to know that although the year 1984 has come and gone, the indications of the book are as pertinent today as they eternally were.

The Lord of the Rings

An ultimate and classic creation of the 20th century, If we say that, Lord of the Rings must be explored then it will be an. understatement. The various elements that hold us and keep us engaged are the description done in a detailed manner and the tremendous style of storytelling. The book has prevailed as a bestseller for almost 60 years. If you haven’t noticed the films, you are fortunate to be competent to examine the book without the personalities already established, and if you haven’t watched the pictures, you are very fortuitous to be able to celebrate the book for the first time.

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count is an ingenious endeavour. Charting the fiction of Edmond Dantes and his deception, the book demonstrates his remarkable recovery as an impetus of retaliation, combatting for the decent fellows and avenging the guilty.

Book Thief

Nazi Germany is holding its breath in 1939. Death has never subsisted busier and will evolve occupied still. This book is wonderful and the tale it gives an account of is one that we should never disregard.

Alchemist- Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho struck a chord with readers in this story of life’s journey and listening to the cravings of your heart. He has gone on to create many similar works, but this classic is a must-read book. It charts the story of young Santiago as he searches the world for treasures and the many gurus which he comes across. Filled with valuable lessons, The Alchemist has to be on this list.

Books to read if you are not a reader and want to start reading everyday

Shivya Kumar — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 07:21:08 +0000

Reading books or novels is that one movement that assists you with getting away from the real world and drench yourself in another universe. The books we read assist us with understanding the world better and structure thoughts. What’s more, all things considered, some of them additionally give us cites that influence us such a lot that we get them inked.

Be that as it may, not we all foster our perusing propensity directly from adolescence and as grown-ups, we don’t have the foggiest idea where to begin. It tends to be a confounding arrangement due to the measure of books accessible yet you additionally need to realize where to begin so you can undoubtedly begin a relationship with books and support it as time passes by.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The story is described by Nick Carraway however it is basically about a strange rich man Jay Gatsby. Jay is a tycoon known for his luxurious gatherings however the most peculiar part is that he never goes to them. Basically, that is the thing that Nick finds while he is meeting his cousin sister Daisy and her significant other Tom. As the story unfurls, we find that Gatsby knew Daisy from previously. Be that as it may, when he at first met her, he wasn’t doing as such well monetarily and she was a regular rich young lady. However, he actually experienced passionate feelings for her and thus making an honest effort to make her fall head over heels. Be that as it may, the inquiry is, does he succeed? Does he, at last, get a response for his adoration?

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Everybody should get this book eventually with their tryst with perusing. The plot worries about the incomparable Indian epic Mahabharata, however, is told by as a matter of fact Draupadi. For quite a while, our antiquated writing has passed up a ladylike voice yet this retelling of the story through the point of view of Draupadi will make you take a gander at the story from an alternate perspective. Brought into the world from fire, Draupadi weds the five Pandava siblings while holding onto a mysterious love. She is regularly faulted for beginning a conflict that killed numerous however this is her story and you may simply see why she isn’t the one to fault. A new interpretation of an old story is an extraordinary method to light your advantage in perusing.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The novel is generally popular for its substance yet that is by and large what makes it a decent read. It leaves you with blended feelings for characters and you don’t understand anything is high contrast throughout everyday life. Humbert fell head over heels for a young lady called Annabel when he was youthful. In any case, she likewise bites the dust before long because of sickness. As a grown-up, Humbert fosters a sexual tendency for young ladies in their pubescence years, which means, young ladies, matured between 9 to 14. Before long his first marriage comes up short, Humbert weds a lady with a 12-year-old girl. Indeed, he will likely in the end keep the young lady near him. In any case, you’ll be shocked by the manner in which the situation develops. It is a book you just can’t hold down.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

We’ve all caught wind of this story and we as a whole know Alice yet indeed youngsters’ writing can give you a totally different point of view for a book when perused as a grown-up. The story starts when Alice sees a white hare wearing a petticoat. She chooses to follow it and then before you know it, she’s fallen into a bunny opening. There are animals she meets and encounters she assembles. With everything taken into account, the book when perused as a grown-up is by all accounts a similitude forever. Eventually, it is in every case great to keep your creative mind alive and to accept that we are in general somewhat distraught.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The clever arrangements with difficult issues like assault and racial imbalance however through the eyes of two children, Jean Finch and her more seasoned sibling Jeremy, who live with their bereaved dad Atticus, who turns out to be an attorney. Atticus is approached to guard an individual of colour blamed for assaulting a white lady. The entire town is against this yet Atticus chooses to shield the man and bring out equity. An account of outrageous mental fortitude and the dismal truth of racial disparity, this book shows you what to look like at individuals as people rather than the different shared limits.

Expectation you discover this rundown of books intriguing, and which elevate you’re in the enigmatic universe of books and facilitate your pinnacle interest in the realm of reading.

Anne Hathaway to play protagonist in the film adaptation of ‘The Idea of You’

Tushna Choksey — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 12:08:47 +0000

Oscar winner Anne Hathaway is all geared up the play the lead role in the film inspired by Robinne Lee’s novel “The Idea of You”.

The project is jointly being developed by Amazon Studios and Welle Entertainment.

Anne Hathaway will be playing the role of a 40 year old divorced mother. The story revolves around how a husband leaves his wife for a younger women and breaks his promise to his 15-year old daughter thus cancelling their Coachella trip. The divorced mother then picks up all the broken pieces and braves the crowd. The mother-daughter duo head right on to Coachella where the mother falls for the lead singer of hottest boy band.

The novel caught a second wind as a popular escapist read during the pandemic, and it was published in 2017 by St. Martin’s Griffin. Westfeldt’s credits include Kissing Jessica Stein, and Friends with Kids, latter of which marked her directing debut.

Previously, Hathaway has won an Oscar for the best supporting actress for 2012 movie ‘Les Miserables’.

Recently, she featured in HBO max’s heist comedy ‘Locked Down’ and Amazon’s anthology series ‘Solos’.

The actor will next star in Apple TV Plus’ miniseries ‘We Crashed’, based on the podcast ‘WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork’ by Wondery.

Lawsuit filed against Amazon for violating antitrust law in the US

Sarthak Yadav — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 09:49:31 +0000

Amazon the e-commerce giant has been charged with a lawsuit alleging that a deal between the company and book publishers has created higher prices on e-books.

As reported by The Verge, the lawsuit is filed by law firm Hagens Berman in a federal district court in New York. The allegation reads that the publishers pay high commissions and other costs to Amazon, which in turn increases the retail price of e-books sold on the platform. HarperCollins Publishers, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan are the five publishers which were part of the deal with Amazon.

The lawsuit further read that Amazon’s price is the price that publishers charge from other retailers as well, preventing other sellers from offering the e-books at lower prices.

The above mentioned five publishers account for 80 percent of books sold in the US. The lawsuit says that this arrangement is a “conspiracy to fix the retail price of e-books,” which it argues is a violation of antitrust law.

Last year, California and Washington state also launched probes into the anti-trust business practices of Amazon and it was already facing antitrust scrutiny from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as from the European Union.

Hussain Zaidi and Jaspinder Singh Kang’s Golden Pen: a new address for Indian crime writing

Karishma Jangid — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:37:06 +0000

Golden Pen, a partnership between best-selling author and former investigative journalist S. Hussain Zaidi and Jaspinder Singh Kang, global entrepreneur/film producer, is a versatile content creation resource in the crime & thriller genre, under the umbrella ‘Hussain Zaidi Presents’.

With the growing need for cutting edge content across various media, Golden Pen was started with the primary objective of ‘bringing high quality of crime noir and intriguing tales to varied audiences.’

Since its inception in 2018, Golden Pen has established itself as a specialized content provider having forged creatively rewarding partnerships with production houses for features and direct-to-digital films, web shows as well as audio content on the one hand and the formidable publishing house Westland, an Amazon Company on the other. Golden Pen has been identifying, screening, mentoring, nurturing and promoting writers, both known and new, in their endeavour to value the most important people in the content chain – the original creators, following its credo, ‘Writers First.’ In the very first year of its collaboration with Westland, an Amazon company, Golden Pen has committed to releasing several fiction and non-fiction books in the crime-thriller genre.

In the words of Hussain Zaidi, “This is a unique content creation collaboration intended to fill the void of the dearth of credible and authentic content in the industry. We aim to blaze a formidable trade of fabulous stories.”

Jaspinder Singh Kang, with over 25 years’ experience in corporates and media productions, is the marketing and commercial brain behind Golden Pen. Talking about the vision for the company Jaspinder said, “Since my corporate days I have firmly believed that partnerships are the foundation for any business. Golden Pen has also been all about strategic alliances – starting with a powerhouse of talent like Hussain Bhai to getting into the publishing space with Westland and co-production & co-development of AV projects with reputed Production Houses like Matchbox, Endemol Shine India and Sanjay Leela Bhansali and many more. Our writers, too, are regarded not just as a talent but as partners!”

With double-digit tie-ups in a short span of two years and one international project already under its belt, Golden Pen is looking at expanding into scripted and unscripted formats, aggressively forging its way forward to make its presence felt both in the Indian and global markets.

5 Books for beginners to build reading habit and enjoy classic novels simultaneously

News Desk — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 12:07:34 +0000

The biggest problem with building a reading habit is that we want to read the epic on the first day! Imagine asking a kid from kinder garden to solve 10th standard Maths. People don’t understand that building any habit requires small steps and consistently taking those small steps every day. Therefore, we need to take baby steps in beginning and start with some light reading. So, here’s a list of books for beginners to develop a strong reading habit.

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell: A perfect book for beginners to start with. It is a classic novella and a political satire by George Orwell. It is a microcosm of the political situation of its time but, don’t worry you won’t find boring history lessons in it. However, it is an interesting story of a farm where a rebellion is started by animals against humans. Unfortunately, they fail and Napolean, who is a pig (literally) becomes the dictator.

Page Count: 115 Approx.

2. The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway: One of the famous works of the Nobel Laureate Hemingway, ‘The Old Man And The Sea’ has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953. It revolves around Santiago, who is an old fisherman in Cuba and his struggle with a huge Marlin far away in the sea. Well, it is interesting than it sounds.

Page Count: 130 Approx.

3. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White: It is a children’s novel and you might have seen movies based on the book. Okay, it is a children’s novel but great for beginners. So, don’t let your ego come in between your growth. It is about a barn spider named Charlotte who tries to save a pig from being slaughtered.

Page Count: 190 Approx.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: You must have seen the 2013’s film adaption of the novel starring Leonardo DiCaprio. This novel is set in the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and is all about the American dream.

Page Count: 215 Approx.

5. Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan: A rather long novel than others in the list, Swami and Friends’ English is simple, which makes it a perfect fit for this list. This novel is the first novel of a trilogy and set in British India. The novel explores the colonial exploitation through the everyday stories of Swami.

Page Count: 460 Approx.

So, these were the 5 best books for beginners to help them build a reading habit with some classic novels too. You can try a little harder text after finishing reading or whenever you feel you’re ready.

All the best!

7 best selling novels that you must read

News Desk — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:22:28 +0000

“A novel is a direct impression of life.” – Henry James

Books have always been a part of our lives. We have been reading the tales of fiction and non-fiction ever since we were children. Books have been there in the loneliest of our times and proved to be a constant. Ever since the dawn of literature, different book and different tale tangled different emotions , such as, love, happiness, sadness, excitement, fear, etc.

Different genre of books have touched different corners of heart of millions of people around the world. even in the era of digital world, where majority of population is drowned in video games and online streaming, there are still some people who find their solace in the aroma of an old book, sniffing and reading it with a cup of chai.

To honor and glorify this art and creativity, we have curated a 7 step adventure. Step up and take a wild ride into the roots of imagination and mind.

Here are the best 7 novels that you must read-

TO KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD: the unforgettable novel of a childhood in sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into Academy Award-winning film, also a classic. Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird, unveils the most prominent human behavior. One must read this book to take a wild ride into the roots of human behavior

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of a series of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia. Among all the author’s books, it is also the most widely held in libraries. it was published on 16 October, 1950.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel of manners written by Jane Austen in 1813. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. Its humor lies in its honest depiction of manners, education, marriage, and money during the Regency era in Great Britain.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone by J. K. Rowling, the first book from the series of seven books. We all love Harry Potter and know of his journey and this is considered as one of the biggest young adult books of all time. Philosopher’s stone introduces us to the beloved Harry Potter, his friends Ron and Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, the wizarding School and Lord Voldemort. The book has been translated into 80 languages and has been made into an 8 part series films which has in total earned 7.7 billion dollars, the books in themselves have sold more than 500 million copies, all together.

THE LITTLE PRINCE: The Little Prince is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It was first published in English and French in the US by Reinal & Hitchcock in April 1943, and posthumously in France following the liberation of France as Saint-Exupery’s works had been banned by the Vichy Regime. it represents the free mind of children and their constant urge to ask questions. It is published in 300 languages and over 1.2 billions copies have been sold.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy book by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the world at some distant time in the past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien’s 1937 children’s book The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work.It is an epic fantasy novel that tells the story of a quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider. The opening lines to the readers read “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them”. It has converted the book into a multi-million dollar earning movie series with the same name.

DON QUIXOTE: The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, or just Don Quixote, is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. It was published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. A founding work of Western literature, it is often labeled “the first modern novel” and many authors consider it to be the best literary work ever written. the book has sold 500 million copies worldwide . The story follows Alonso Quijano, who proves that chivalry will in fact never die. Originally it was seen as a parody of the chivalric romances.

Welcome to the business of healing hearts – The breakup boot camps

News Desk — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 09:20:35 +0000

It is generally believed that time and age together are the two most powerful instruments for transformation. A hope that sorrow you might feel today will eventually heal itself with time and your age. Thus, it will make you wiser, thus, all of your life experiences, bitter or sweet, your soul will perhaps endure gracefully.

Heartbreak, is one such catalyst, perhaps a nightmare to most and a blessing to a few. Most of us seek asylum of various instruments to escape or to heal our wounds, many are successful too. However, there is a minute group of people amongst us, who aren’t in a mental, emotional or physical space to cope up with the reality and it hits them like a striking thunderbolt, time and again, over and over. We fail to recognize that it is a temporary state of mind and things will eventually fall into place, therefore, to combat depression in the contemporary times we have something emerging as the ‘breakup boot camps’.

These are basically spiritual engineering camps located in the heart of luxe lush natural surroundings, one such is in New York too, founded by Amy Chan. Amy has also published her book titled, ‘Breakup Bootcamp’, to further explain the entire process. Though this getaway therapy course is slightly on the higher side – weekend costs between $1,295 and $2,495. The programs are conducted by the various spiritual life coaches accompanied along with several Yoga meditative practices etc, the camp certainly rejuvenates its participants with a renewed zeal for life.

#breakupbootcamp #chicklit #bbc #authorlife #bookstagram pic.twitter.com/2EjJvmK7hH

— beth merlin (@bethmerlin80) December 6, 2019

Therefore, those who can’t burn the bridges and get over with it maybe you should give breakup boot camp a shot and share your experience with the rest of the public.