SAHANA STRIKE

"Love is not the absence of logic but logic examined and recalculated - heated and curved to fit inside the contours of the heart"

Sometimes when you read a book, you don’t really form an opinion, you just read because you want to read. You don’t assess how you’re feeling and this book did that to me. I can’t begin to explain how amazing and cleverly crafted this book was. It wasn’t your average contemporary book full of cliches like an awkward girl who falls in love with this totally dream guy with a really obvious twist. I absolutely loathe those kinds of books.

This book was REALISTIC. It wasn’t about finding McDreamy but about dealing with tough situations, it's about finding yourself and embracing your flaws. It's about feeling vulnerable and confused and finding your own way out before jumping into a man’s arms. I love how Tamara beautifully intertwines a very raw sensitive topic into the story. I'm glad she is raising awareness about things that most people don’t like talking about.

If you plan on reading this book then get ready to swoon your bum off. Lucas is the complete package, he’s a man’s man. He can kick some ass, work multiple jobs, excels at academics, draws like an angel (and looks like one too), cooks you a great dinner, he’s super protective and wins you over with his oh so sweet lovin’. 

This book is unputdownable, if you haven’t ordered one yet, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR??! Go get one! This story is just spine-tinglingly delicious. It will leave you sheepishly giddy with nostalgic butterflies. 5 fabulous stars for this gem of a book! 

“Creativity is a renewable resource. Challenge yourself every day. Be as creative as you like, as often as you want, because you can never run out. Experience and curiosity drive us to make unexpected, offbeat connections. It is these nonlinear steps that often lead to the greatest work”

The easiest 5 stars I’ve given in my life. Biz Stone, Genius. I will never forget him because he lived life with so much style and courage. He leads his life by simply trusting his gut. Me and you would have literally killed to get some of the opportunities that this man was blessed with but if it didn’t feel right, he just walked away. Google offering him a decent job, Mark Zuckerberg offering him half a billion dollars for a company that he casually created on a hackathon.

Biz was a man like no other, he put people and causes above profits. He believed in making his own opportunities and was not put down during some of the hard phases in his life. He stuck to what he believed in till the very end which made him the best candidate for success. He went on dropping out of college to painstakingly horrifyingly poor to stutteringly rich in an instant.

If you are addicted to Twitter and you’re looking for a memoir/self-help/philanthropic book then this one is for you. Listen to the story of how Twitter was born directly from the co-founder. This book is full of little trinkets of wisdom. This isn’t a story of how rich he got or how smart he was, this was a stripped down, raw human story. The story of a man, who wasn’t sucked in by fame or fortune but simply did things that felt right to him and eventually possessed the power to change the world as we now know it. 

Thank you, Biz for teaching me a lesson that I’ll take to my grave.

“Constraint inspires creativity”

Who is Randy Pausch and what was his story?

Randy was a professor in Carnegie Mellon and was given an opportunity to give the last lecture. It was a lecture that was given by professors to impart their wisdom and talk as if it was the last time they will ever speak, which unfortunately in his case took on a literal meaning, he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and was given only months to live.

Randy's last lecture was not just a book but it was 206 pages of versatile lessons that could be applied in a variety of situations that we face on a day to day basis. There is something for everyone in this book. These words highlight Randy's personality in a beautiful way. You don't seem to remember that this is a dying man trying to leave a quick legacy for his kids, no. You see a man who is so full of passion who is willing to give it his all in order to achieve his dreams. A man who doesn't let go of his optimism no matter how bad things get. 

The book is something that may seem awfully monotonous and boring if you try and read it in one stretch. In order to truly learn from this book, I would suggest that you take a day off after each section so that you can let the words slowly sink in. This book will encourage you to live life to the fullest. It will remind us how precious life really is. It will leave you in tears as you see a dying man say his last words with a smile.

Even as he lived the last few months of his life, I know that Randy was truly alive. 

If you go out and ask people what makes them happy you would probably get a billion different answers. Most of the people would probably say that money would make them happy for some it must be finding "the one"..... yes I agree these are the  things that will certainly help you find happiness but here are a list of things that I think will have a positive effect on your life. I certainly don't know what exactly the key to happiness is, perhaps I am not wise enough but these are my personal thoughts and I hope they help you out.

1) BE CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR BODY

One of the biggest issues among people is the way they look. Body image is of the most important factor that a person is judged on in this current society.So, if you weigh 200 pounds and you want to wear a mini skirt, go for it sistah because life is too short to be brought down by insensitive, insecure narcissistic, pathetic and straight up ass faced jerks. You do what you want to do. You wear whatever makes you feel confident and sexy and beautiful. Don't be someone else's beautiful.

2) DON'T HAVE ANY EXPECTATIONS

This one is important. Lets face it, we live in a world where everyone is for themselves in other words "survival of the fittest" everyone is too busy pushing someone down and trying to stand on top of them (literally) in a world like this how can you expect things from people and actually believe that it will work out well. Obviously there are exceptions but generally you end up getting hurt. Personally I feel that expectations are the source of every problem. Getting rid of expectations is no easy task. There is no way of completely getting rid of them, but you can reduce them with practice and with a constant reminder to yourself that expecting something is the most foolish thing you can do.

3) BE REALISTIC

Dreams are not supposed to be "realistic" heck! Thats why they are called as dreams. But in order to reach your crazy dreams you must have to hit a couple of mini goals. They are like stepping stones to your ultimate destination. Now while setting these goals you must keep in mind of all the various factors and then determine a goal which pushes your boundaries a little but yet something that you know you can achieve. Be realistic from today in ALL your choices. Try to understand the various outcomes and see what you can do with the available resources and only then make a goal for yourself.

4) BE POSITIVE

Being happy when something goes wrong is almost next to impossible. We are human at the end of the day and generally we tend to dwell on our problems and it takes a lot of mental and physical effort to stay happy. Being positive is a lesson that I had to learn very late in life. It didn't come naturally to me but eventually I got there. Being positive is nothing but reenforcing some hope into your system. Some people are naturally gifted with the ability to cling onto hope and some like me, don't. But the best thing about being a human is, things like this can be developed with practice and some patience.

5) WORK HARD

You have to work hard for things to happen in your life. There is this one quote that I live by from the TV show, House M.D and it is "Time changes everything. That's what people say. It's not true. Doing things changes things. Not doing things leaves things exactly as they were." If you want results you need to kick your own ass and get moving. Yes, it is going to be brutal. Actual blood, sweat and tears may be involved and there will be days where you lose hope and nothing goes your way. There will be people who cheat on you and tell you that you are crazy and force you to quit, and chances are you may even consider it for a second. Yes, life is going to give you the finger each time you make a move but you get back up. You need to realize that you have no other choice. 

6) FOCUS ON THE DETAILS

It's all in the details! Ask a girl about her dream wedding, she would have it all figured out from the color of the napkin rings to the uniform of the waiters. Now thats what the general public lack to do in their daily life. When we are drowning in our problems and we know that we got stuck in some sort of a downward spiral, We can still have those little moments that would add up to something big. Like seeing your kids smile and happy and how they come and give you a hug in the morning or how beautiful the flowers. The true essence of life are in the details. 

7) CHANGE THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

This is something that is very obvious but at the same time its something that I have to remind you all about. You can never be happy if you are stuck with negative people who suck the soul out of you. You need to take care of yourself before you take care of others so its essential that you be happy before you try and share that. A change in atmosphere is sometimes the only solution. Happiness is your birth right don't let anyone take it away from you. 

8) TAKE A BREAK

In this generation two hands are simply not enough, I doubt even four would suffice. We live in a time where we need to multitask all the time! Kids, school, work, gym, shopping, cooking, cleaning.. and the list is endless. When you can't hear yourself in your own head then its time you take a good break. Now when I say a break I don’t necessarily mean a vacation in the Bahamas. It could be one day dedicated for yourself where you can do whatever pleases you or even take just thirty minutes off and walk around and get some fresh air.I don't care what it is, Just take a damn break!

9) DON'T BE AFRAID

Often fear stands in our way of happiness. I don't know why, but whenever I talk to people they are always afraid of something and it tends to get in the way. Sometimes its the fear of commitment or the fear of confronting someone or fear of doing something that challenges them. Don't be afraid of change! Change is good! It means you are not the same person you were a decade back, Its a sign showing you how far you have progressed. When you are scared of something it means its the perfect opportunity to expand your mental horizon. Fear gives you power and strength even though it feels like the opposite of what I just said. Everything new always stirs up some fear in us but we shouldn't let that stop us. We should let that drive us forward and convert that into productive energy. 

10) DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER

Never let anyone push you around! Don't let people trick you and manipulate you. People like that would often tell you that you can't do something they keep saying "no!". Maybe you have a new idea and you reach out for help and people say "No!" You shouldn't let that get to you.We as human beings get manipulated by our close family and friends all the time. When someone close to you says that you can't do something and you are wasting your time over nothing, you tend to believe them and thats the point where you break and give up. So the key here for happiness is, When someone says "No, You can't do that!". Look at them straight in the eye and tell them that they are wrong and you will find a way to make it work no matter what it takes.Trust me. It will change you for the better.

“Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.”

I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.This book is simply devastatingly delightful. There were parts that made me cringe because of the overplayed cliches but overall the book was pretty great. I picked up this book because I was in the mood for something sad and I wanted to cleanse myself by shedding some tears over an emotionally gripping story that everyone I know promised would help me achieve, but it didn’t.

 I wish Mia mourned and experienced that unfathomable pain that you get by losing someone you love, but she didn’t. She was so distant from all the suffering and so was I, which didn’t make a difference to my reading experience. I didn’t particularly fall in love with Adam either but his words was the one thing that hit me hard. I just wish there was more spice and more feelings involved. Passion, thats right! That’s the word I was looking for! More passion, Mia darling! 

If you’re a sucker for teenage romance intertwined with a thrilling dilemma then this is the book for you. It starts out to be sweet and innocent and when you’re not looking it locks your heart in a poisoned frankensteiner (seriously, google it). It’s a good book to read on a rainy day. 

“If you stay, I'll do whatever you want. I'll quit the band, go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I'll do that, too. I was talking to Liz and she said maybe coming back to your old life would be too painful, that maybe it'd be easier for you to erase us. And that would suck, but I'd do it. I can lose you like that if I don't lose you today. I'll let you go. If you stay.”

So If you didn’t know what this book is about here is a little run down for you. 

The book follows a seventeen year old girl named Mare Barrow who happens to live in a world thats divided by blood- Red and Silver. The Reds are the commoners who are forced to do all of dirty work while the Silvers are the ones with superpowers who, you guessed it, are treated like royals.

Mare gets a job in the Silver Palace where a series of events leads her to discover that in spite of being a Red she has a power of her own which naturally makes the situation a little complicated.

Mare is forced to hide her true identity behind a mask and has been thrown into this dangerous game of power and love.

   

         “Anyone can betray anyone” oh you don’t say?! 

Mare Barrow has some serious problems. She isn’t brave she is just whinny and down right annoying. She’s that friend who yells “VAGINA!” when you’re on a phone call with your mum, seriously Mare, can you shut up for a minute? Thanks.

This book is one giant mashup of every single YA series that you’ve read. It has the essence of Hunger Games, Divergent, The Lunar Chronicles, Game of Thrones, X-men and I’m not going to lie, there were parts that even reminded me of 1984 and a tiny bit of Twilight. 

The world building was not very impressive and the plot was incredibly predictable.This book doesn’t really have a lot of romance and the love triangle sorta turned into a love square(Seriously, WTF?). Some parts of the story moved too quickly which didn’t give me enough time to fall in love with the male leads. The story bombards you with well timed cliches and if you are into that then this is the book for you. 

I certainly didn’t hate the Red Queen, there were parts of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed. If i read this book when I was 12, I would be freaking out too. But with all the hype that this book had garnered I couldn’t help feel disappointed. That being said, I’d like to give this book two and a half donuts out of five. Mmmm donuts.