Win Author Signed Copies of To B.E or Not To B.E by Dipen Ambalia.

Win an Author Signed copy of  the latest satire on Engineering Colleges and Life by Dipen Ambalia, author of the best selling  book L.O.S.E.R.

How to Win Author Signed Copy-

1.Tell us the craziest moments you faced in your life as a student.

2. Post your reply in the Comment section below the question. Multiple answers are allowed.

3. Sign-in using FBconnect and Like our MSP Books page to participate in the contest.

4. Five Lucky winners will receive Landmark vouchers worth INR 1,000 each.

Contest Starts – May 8, 2013

Contest Ends – May 25, 2013

Other Terms & Conditions -

• - Participants can post multiple answers and each answer will be considered as one entry.
• - Lucky winner will be selected at random from the entries we receive before the end date of the contest.
• - Author Signed copies will be dispatched to any Indian address provided by winner.

So what are you waiting for! PARTICIPATE NOW

This is the review of Life Of a Software EngineeR by Dipen Ambalia. Life Of a Software Engineer is the first book we at MySmartPrice have personally found an interest in and are promoting through this blog. The book caught our attention thanks to its unique and indeed catchy title. The book has a special connection to us  as most of us at MySmartPrice are/ have been software engineers at some point of time or the other.This Book is definitely a unique comical take on the Indian Software Industry

Loser

Details about Life Of a Software EngineeR by Dipen Ambalia

Name of the Book: Life Of a Software EngineeR
Author: Dipen Ambalia
Price:Rs 90( as on March 08) For updated price check Price of Life Of a Software EngineeR
MRP:Rs 150

Review of Life Of a Software EngineeR

Dipen Ambalia is a software engineer by profession. Having literally passed through the whole Software Development Life Cycle with a career in every sector of Information technology in India from Development and Production Support to Pre-sales and Business Analyst, he has been there and done it all. Here’s a more detailed interview of the author. Dipen has explored his 8.5 years of Software career to come up with this little rib tickling read for all Software engineers and IT enthusiasts.

What kind of life does a Software engineer have? What are some of the common terms used in Software industry? What is the difference between onsite and offsite?  Is it just a myth that Software engineers are the most eligible bachelors in town? What exactly happens in a typical “IT meeting”? Ever wonder what the origin of Outsourcing and Power Point Presentations were? Dipen Ambalia busts a few myths, a few egos and takes no prisoners in this rib tickling satire on the Indian IT sector. If you are a software engineer, you will find yourself looking back and laughing nostalgically, if you happen to be a Project Manager or higher in an IT sector, you would probably launch a Fatwa against this blasphemous writing. If you are a father of an engineering student on the brink of an IT career, you may shake your head in regret. There is definitely something for everyone in this book.

Life of a Software Engineer is a narrative of sorts by the author from his own experiences. Most of the chapters whiz by fast like a typical Sitcom or stand up routine, leaving you laughing, smiling and nodding appreciatively of the small nuances of a software engineer’s life. A few notable chapters in the book include, “The Origin of the Software World” in which the author compares the birth of Outsourcing to the Discovery of America by Columbus or “The Deewar- Those Who have been Onsite and Offsite” that takes a comical look at the differences between people who have been onsite and offsite or the unspoken truth that “Google is God!” in the world of software.

Dipen Ambalia has made some of the most matter of fact events and daily routines look extremely comical. There is ample use of exaggeration in the writing and this has definitely added to the allure of the book. The book doesn’t get preachy or biased in any way, neither does it pretend to be the ultimate bible for all software engineers. In this lies the true charm of the book. The book is a easy and light read with very common language and liberal use of popular references. Such as the reference to popular Hindi news channels sensationalizing nonsensical news such as Aliens liking Himesh Reshammiya or the reference to Rakhi Sawant etc.

The book definitely looks at times like the collection of random musings of a frustrated software engineer and in it lies the true power of the book. There is no character for you to love, it could just about be anyone who has a career in India’s top IT companies. Living their 9-5 (+ overtime) life in cubicles and attending Con calls and sweating through  Appraisals or praying for Onsite. The only draw back the book may face is its too blunt at times or pushes to the point of trying to be funny at times. There are chapters that just draw at max a smile. Like a good jovial person who has a few bad jokes, we may of course overlook the few “jokes” that just don’t hit the spot after all “Bhaavnaon ko Samjho”.  Thankfully though, these troughs are less and far between for an otherwise enjoyable book.

To conlude this review of Life Of a Software Engineer I would say, this is a definite must read for all those who are related to the Indian Software Industry. Fortunately for the author, that’s pretty much the entire nation. If you have a job in IT, if your husband has it ( which maybe unlikely if you go by what the author writes) or if your child is entering the hallowed grounds of India’s many engineering colleges, Uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors everyone can relate to the candid posts of this frustrated software engineer. Dare I say there may appear a  few Stand up routines and Sitcoms that are spun of from one of the 22 chapters in this book .

This is the review of The Mine by Arnab Ray. The Mine is perhaps our first encounter with a horror book written by an Indian Author. The book is the first psychological horror novel we have come across and we must say this blew our minds. The book definitely deserves a read through by all the horror lovers among our wonderful users of MySmartPrice.

Details about The Mine by Arnab Ray

Name of the Book: The Mine
Author :Arnab Ray
Price:Rs 127( as on March 01) For updated price check Price of The Mine
MRP:Rs 195

Review of The Mine by Arnab Ray

Arnab Ray or The Great bong as he is known in the blogging community has been popular for his work as a humorous writer and blogger through his famous blog greatbong.net. His first book May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss was a riproaring comedy, while The Mine takes you along a more darker journey. Expect ghastly images, ghostly memories and the resounding truth that your past shall always catch up with you.

When a secret government project/mining expedition somewhere in the heartland of Rajasthan runs into operational difficulties, 5 experts are called into make enquiries. Each told one part of the puzzle and each asked to enquire one aspect. But when the discoveries they make come together, they find themselves in the middle of a truly diabolical plot. Are they pawns in a military experiment, are they at the judging table of the Devil or are they simply dreaming up the punishments of their sins?

The Mine takes you through the arduous journey of 6 people who are fighting from the inevitable end to their lives of crime. Six individuals of high personal stature with a successful professional life and a deep, dark secret that they would rather not tell anyone else. They have lead their lives in glory and high prestige in the eyes of the world denying the sins they have committed but now their pasts have finally caught up with them. The Mine will test the virtue of Samar Bose, Dr Akshay More, Dr Preeti Singh, Dr Anjali Menon along with her little daughter Anya and Dr Karan Rathore and make them pay for their sins.

Arnab Ray takes you through a roller coaster ride with several plot twists and truly bone chilling visuals. The stories and the sins of each character may seem repulsive for the weak hearted but at no point do they seem unnatural or impossible. The book engages the reader right from its prologue to its rather shocking epilogue. The book makes for an exciting trip for the fresh readers into the world of Horror Stories.Our only difficulty with this book is the truly explicit use of gory images and use of strong language almost at intermittent intervals. While this book is definitely aimed at a mature reader , the use could definitely prevent some of the novice readers from being exposed to a wonderful concept. The characters in the book are well framed and one does empathize with a few for a while. In particular, a reader cannot help but root for the main protagonist Samar Bose. The book does take a fairly expansive look at the backgrounds of the individual characters without getting into boring lengths and the best part is the sheer possibilities hidden within each plot twist and scene. Reader can easily visualize the dark dingy corridors of The Mine. If you are one of the gamers, you may find this book to take you back to some popular games like Bioshock and Doom3. There is certainly something for everyone in this book.

To conlude this review of The Mine I would say, this is a definite must read for those brought up on a steady diet of Alfred Hitchcock and some of the modern Horror movies. I could see the potential of a great horror movie in the making with some very popular stars in the lead roles. The story of the 5 experts may reflect sins that even common men may commit in their lives, while there are no lessons to be learnt from this book as such, one does get the feeling the book leaves a lasting impression in our minds. The most important lesson being “The greatest evil lies deep inside.”

This  is the review of  The Secret of the Nagas  by Amish Tripathi. We have found ourselves picking up truly wonderful books by Indian Authors in recent times.After falling in love with  Chanakya’s chant we have managed to be blown away by The Secret of the Nagas. The book is so good that I wanted to share my views with all wonderful users of MySmartPrice.

Details about The Secret of the Nagas

Name of the Book:The Secret of the Nagas

Author: Amish Tripathi

Price: Rs. 177 (as on June 01) For updated price check Price of The Secrets of the Nagas MRP: Rs. 295.0

Review of The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi

This is a time for sequels for everything. Most authors strive to back a best seller with sequels, often beating the original concept to dust . But, The Secret of the Nagas totally took me by surprise. Though being a sequel it’s as refreshing as the first one. The book starts exactly where its predecessor left off making The Immortals of Meluha a prerequisite for this book. Amish Tripathi has to be credited for coming out with a novel idea through these books.

Unlike a hazy chap from the first book, Shiva is a now a confident man, happily married to Sati, living in a land where weed flourishes. The magnanimous characters feel familiar, like the ones we had heard in the bed time grandma’s stories. The Shiva in this book has shifted his focus on the Naga clan, responsible for the death of his friend Brahaspati. The Nagas are all humans with the physical deformities who have been abandoned by their family because the law demands Nagas be exiled. The mystery behind the Nagas takes him to the land of brangas and further deep in the Dandak forest. The race between good and evil is still on, the boundaries between them, however, have become very smudgy.

This review of Chankya’s Chant by Aswini Sanghi is the first book review done by MySmartPrice. While we had reviewed a few online stores, we have not been able to review any books due to lack of time. However recently I was on a small vacation and got a chance to go through Chanakya’s chant. The book is so good that I wanted to share my views with all wonderful users of MySmartPrice.

Details about Chanakya’s Chant

Name of the Book: Chankya’s Chant

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

MRP: Rs. 195.0

Price: Rs. 135 (as on June 01) For updated price check Price of Chankya’s chant

Review of Chanakya’s Chant by Ashwin Sanghi

The first thought that came to my mind after reading the book is the movie Rang de Basanti. Similar to the movie, the book has two parallel tracks running in parallel. On one track the author describes the story of Chanakya or Kautilya, one of the most famous characters of history known as  Chandragupta Maurya’s mentor. He single handedly planned and executed the death of Dhanand, the most powerful emperor of his time, to take revenge for the killing of his father. Chanakya’s chant goes deeper into the childhood of Chanakya and his journey to become Kautilya.

The other track of the story takes the reader to the present day. Pandit Gangasagar Mishra draws inspirations from Chanakya to ensure that his protégé Chandini Gupta becomes the Prime Minister of India. Pandit Mishra seems to have taken Chanakya’s advice that the end justifies the means to heart. Nothing can stop him from achieving his ultimate goal. Similar to Chanakya, Pandit Gupta makes use of saam, daam, dand, bhed to accomplish his goals.

Mr sanghi has managed to write a well researched book in a manner that will keep the reader engaged till the end. What I liked the most about the story is that turns of events in the story were quite unpredictable. The book is written in a simple style and there are lots of sharp and witty observations by both Chanakya and Pandit Gupta.

On the negative side, the book is a little too verbose at places and the writer could have kept the number of pages to a lower number by doing away with some gory descriptions. There is a fair bit of profanity in the book as well.

To conclude the Chankya’s chant review, I will suggest to try this book especially if you take interest in history and/or politics. It is a good weekend read as well. This is the first book review done by us. Please let us know what you think of our review of Chankya’s chant. BTW if you are planning to buy the book then find out the best price of Chanakya’s chant.