Menolibrikul; E-book Reviews' Part Five

Am I going to manage two reviews once more? You betchya! As always, I supply the original download links but appreciating there are quite a few of my readers who may not wish to enrol at that website, I am happy to forward the PDF of the items reviewed on your email (or comment) request. These books are free, and I am certain the authors will be glad to have as wide a readership as possible!

This first one had me engaged from the very beginning. 

I will say upfront - and the author himself clarifies - that this product comes directly out of blog posting in April's A-Z challenge. There is no attempt to concatenate any concepts or perhaps curtail some of the work references, which just occasionally felt superfluous.

Did I care? I did not! Mr Moothedath has a most lyrical and conversational style to his writing that engages one and invites one in to sit with a cup of chai and perhaps a samosa or two and take a wide-angled view of some of the matters that affect life. I swear I could hear his voice...

Right away from "A", you know that here is someone who cares about others and who they are as people, not just their trimmings and social masks. By the time you get to "G", you have had several confirmations of your opinion of this new companion, as he expounds on the true meaning of 'greatness.' My heart ached a little and eyes welled somewhat as I read of the "I"ndia that could be... and admired how the author managed to tell us how this beloved country is failing just now without getting 'hissy and spitty', instead, showing us the potential unrealised. Though, when we get to "Q", we see a little more dynamism in criticism of the current situation. The discussion on "U"topia is both scholarly and has a practical eye out, concluding (rightly, as I see it) that such an improved society can only come about if all the individuals in that society are improving themselves. Finally, we reach the idea of "Z"en - and starting out by another look at the state of play in India just now and how un-Zen-like it is. 

The alphabet is negotiated really well - and yes, randomly, just as any conversation can meander around topics when a word or phrase triggers deeper thoughts. 

I was particularly taken with the letter "C", in which creativity and its importance to life are discussed. As you see from this screenshot, the author tackles that thorny subject of who and or what gets published, when and where. There is no question that an awful lot gets published (particularly on the Big A) that really ought never to have seen the light of day. I wholeheartedly applaud the notion that we all have something creative to offer, and it ought not to be quashed. However, publishing on social media does not necessarily equate to something being worthy of reaching a market involving the exchange of other folk's hard-earned. It certainly does provide the opportunity to see how one's work is received and perceived, and it is also true that most will dwindle away if the traffic indicates poor response. 

There are some, though, who have the boldness referred to in "B" to go ahead anyway. Perhaps it is an excess of egotism as referred to in "E". It is mostly fuelled by lots of their pals or peers patting them on the shoulder and giving encouragement - but no real critical feedback. I touched on this in last week's review. Just because one can publish does not necessarily mean one ought to - at least not at book-for-sale level. Not until a thorough going-over has been undertaken. The gulf between an edited and a proofread book and one that has not received such attention can be vast indeed.

This carnival organised by Blogchatter has a clear purpose of encouraging and supporting its participants in reaching the truly published goal. Thus, it behoves me as a reviewer to point out that, as much as I have very much enjoyed the content here, it does not constitute a 'book' as such. It most definitely has the potential to be, and I hope Mr Moothemath might consider engaging an editor and shaping this one up. Nevertheless, this is an item to savour. One chapter a day and then lots of pondering on the points. As it stands, it is a rather fine collection of essays from a humanitarian thinker - but even at that, there are some production issues, with occasional typos and some tracts of script changing appearance. For flow, I might have liked all the poetry items to have been appended, rather than within the body of the text - though this is quibbling, for as stated, the content is of great worth and most definitely worth one's time in the reading.

How does it differ from the publication LIFE, as reviewed recently? The two might appear, superficially, to have the same intent. However, the approach of each gentleman is quite different. There is a rawness (boldness?) in LIFE, one might say a cutting edge to the writing. In Random Thoughts, we have a much more anecdotal but no less erudite or learned quality. I put it to you that they are two sides of the same record, and it is worth playing both sides!!!

(You can download Random Thoughts on Random Words from Blogchatter.)

Now, for something completely different.

Story-telling - and good story-telling at that! I was immediately struck with the absence of some of the alphabet in this publication arising out of the A-Z. The author has not stated whether these existed originally - but anyway, the flow of the story is not greatly affected. However, occasionally one felt there was room for 'a bit more'. 

What kind of story? One for those who like character and scene-setting. There is a sense of the traditional generational tale about the writing and a revealing of the harsh realities that life can rain upon one - particularly in Indian society. Delightfully drawn personalities and situations to which one can relate (even if never experienced). I was grasped by some of the small moments that caused a lump in the throat. 

There is much to commend this tale. However, it does suffer a little from being 'episodic' - the missing 'letters', perhaps? There could be a little more filling out of the characters' backstories and what they each do when separated - currently, this is all a little 'hurried' and sketchy. 

I do so very much hope Harshita will now take it and polish it and put in all the linkages that a full story needs, for I think this has the makings of an excellent and sellable book. A bit of proofreading by a 'third eye' might also help, for just a few typographicals jarred - most notably the use of a full stop after "Miss." which is completely unrequired - but also inconsistent. As it stands though, it makes a most pleasant afternoon's read.

(You can download Xanadu from Blogchatter.)