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Life is lived in moments; all of us know this. But how many occasions can you really think of when the moment stayed, the feeling remained intact, forever? Well, scientifically speaking, the subconscious mind does register these things ans stores them for us to get access to them at anytime we need. So isn’t it a good practice to let your conscious mind send reinforcing signals to the subconscious mind consistently? The book I read recently emphasizes this concept in a simple way and gives you some practical suggestions to make that happen. “The Law of Attraction and Limiting Beliefs Simplified” by Mario Meigo is a must read.
Though I believe that all the self-help and inspirational books in the world are based on the concepts we already are aware of, yet when someone puts it all in words, based on their own experiences, it really helps to relate to the concept. It also helps in finding inspiration through other people’s experiences, since we ask ourselves, “If this person can do it, why can’t I?”
I would also add some things from my experience. Those moments that give you immense happiness, should be relived time and again so that they get etched in your memory. Write them down somewhere, even if you don’t want to share them. When some time, you are not having your way, it will help you feel good by reading about the moment that brought joy. Some things might seem trivial but make you feel wonderful, do not let those moments pass away, celebrate them. Intensify them, if you can. These will serve as your counselor when no one else is around.
Remember this – the moments that matter most are when you can look at what you achieved and say, “It was really worth it!”
The second book in the Shiva Trilogy is even more predictable than the first. As soon as the author introduced a new character or event, I knew how it would fit in the plot in the end. It was disappointing for me to read through pages after pages knowing what was going to happen next. I kept reading thinking perhaps my guess would be wrong somewhere but it was correct till the very end! And all the while I wondered how the characters in the story could not see what I could. I mean, any author writes a story through the characters and this one was not believable at all.
It seems there is the need inside the author to assert that every person/character is good, but might be doing something bad because of the situation. That was very implausible. Why is the author scared to label any character having a dark side; why does everyone has to turn out good? And most importantly, why is the Lord not able to see the many hints around him telling him about it. Even though a mortal, Shiva could at least be portrayed as intelligent and having more common sense than the other mortals. I understand when the protagonist is a negative character, but I personally do not like stories where the hero is dumb and can’t even see the obvious.
This book seems like a documentary about the civilizations that existed in that era. I would expect more feelings in such a plot, if the author’s intentions were to convince the readers about his theory. But perhaps, that was not the intent. This book seemed more likely to have been written for commercialization than anything else. I think it lacks the passion that goes into writing. I have read so many not-so-popular authors portraying more obsession in their seemingly unrealistic stories. When I read those, I can see the writer’s point of view and many a times I even agree to that to some extent. With this book, it was more like “OK, that was what I expected but it still doesn’t convince me!” To be honest, I have not read that much about Lord Shiva also. So it would have been easier to persuade me, but that doesn’t happen. Now, I am wondering if I will read the next book in the trilogy. Perhaps I will, to ascertain that the idea I have about the book is correct or not :-). I am almost sure what the story would be about.
My husband confessed to me that he wouldn’t have read any of these books had it not been marketed as Lord Shiva’s story. According to him, the only selling point of the books is their covers and I agree that the covers of both the books are quite impressive. But the credit does not go to the story in that case. But that’s the thing about a series. If you manage to impress readers even a little bit (by right marketing) by the first book in the series, you are sure most of them will read the subsequent books, even if only to satisfy their curiosity as to how it all would end. People like me who cannot leave a story (book or movie) in the middle without completing it, would definitely read the whole trilogy, even if we are disappointed in the end. But then, I am not waiting eagerly for the last book, I might even try to get my hands on a free copy :-). But there would be a section of the readers who will like the whole series. As one of my friends said she liked the book because of her life situations, because she wanted to escape reality. So yes, though all the books in the trilogy might not become national bestsellers, they have definitely been able to establish a market for the author and his future works. Hence, the commercial success part is taken care of anyway. Personally, I feel the authors who promote beforehand that they are writing a series are obviously trying to build a market even before they write! So I am anyways least impressed by such writers but if the work turns out to be good, I have no complaints!
To conclude, the Shiva Trilogy did not impress me at all, it was not able to touch any chord, more so the second book. As my husband summed it up, “The first part at least had a story!”
This is one of the most recent books I read. And, it has left me feeling confused about it. There are things I liked about the book and there are things I thought were not to my liking (or perhaps expectations).
As soon as I lay my hands on a book, I build my expectations right away by reading its cover text, the reviews contained inside the book and the preface. Yes, I am one of those readers who literally read the book cover to cover, not missing even the acknowledgements. In my opinion, those things are as much part of a book as is the story. So, anyways, I expected this book to be a ‘fresh new’ idea and since it is a national bestseller, I expected it to fulfill my expectations of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t (on that front). But there are many good things about the book. The idea, as such, might not be unique and new, but the story in itself is good. I liked the style of writing, the way that the author builds up events perhaps knowing that many readers will already be familiar with some aspects of the story. I especially liked the way the author has built upon some slogans (eg. “Har Har Mahadev“) that I have known for many years, yet never really thought about the story behind their coming into existence. I admired the simplicity and ingenuity of some such ideas.
But there are things that were disappointing and simply unbelievable. First, this book might tell a good story but doesn’t manage to convince you to see that side of the story. By the end of the book, you are not nodding and thinking “perhaps, that is how it happened”. Rather, you are thinking, “OK, well told but where is the shock element that I had so expected?” Perhaps the reason behind lack of surprise element in the book is the fact that if you know about Hindu mythology, you are surely aware that the Gods were not born as Gods. They lived as mortals, as avatars, and came to be regarded as Gods because of their deeds. Perhaps, it could also be the fact that this particular concept has already been discussed (consider the song “mathura nagarpati” from the movie “Raincoat“).
Then, there is this weird predictability around the concept and the story doesn’t stay in your mind for too long. For me, that’s not impressive. If I can’t think over and over about a book for at least a week, that means I was not drawn into it. This one is clearly predictable and has nothing to do with changing your mind about something or even making you see another side of a situation. Though I have not read much about Lord Shiva much, and I know Hindu mythology already propagates the idea of the Gods as being lived as mortals in our world, I still don’t identify with the way that the character of Shiva develops.
The thing I disliked most about this book was – the winning battle strategies seem to have been taken directly from the movie ‘300’. Oh yes, I could visualize the whole scene in the book by going back to what I have already seen in that movie! Now, the author might have made a minor changes to it, but it was a total spoiler for me. Just when I started thinking that it was still a creative piece of work, I found myself highly disappointed!
All in all, it is a good read in itself i.e. if you ignore the fact that it is based on Lord Shiva’s life and if you can look beyond the battle scenes. As I mentioned before, it is a good story. It might not be convincing and great; but for people like me who simply love to read, it is worth reading. And, it is a national bestseller.
Manisha 