Karan Johar brings life to Immortals Of Meluha

We are sure many of you have read the book “Immortals of Meluha”. But soon you shall see Karan Johar bring LIFE to the book. 

Karan Johar's Dharma Productions has landed the film rights of Amish Tripathi's best-selling debut novel, The Immortals of Meluha. An insider says, "Karan credits the buying to the CEO of Dharma Productions, Apurva Mehta, who had been negotiating for the book rights for months."

Amish Tripathi was on the lookout for a producer to adapt his book.  There were herds of producers who spoke to Amish to attain the film rights. But finally Amish chose Karan.

That search has now ended. A happy Amish says, "I believe that my books are a result of Lord Shiva's blessings. He is a God who excites intense passions. If one wants to tell His story, it can only be done with intense passion and commitment. And that is what I saw in Dharma Productions towards The Immortals of Meluha. I believe that my book is in very safe hands with Karan and his team."

Karan Johar has been a happy soul since he got the rights. He says, "I was blown away with the world of Meluha and riveted by Amish's creation of it. I think the book lends itself beautifully for celluloid and we are very excited to promote Amish's labor of love effectively."

We all are waiting for this film to release. But who do you think will do justice to the roles of Lord Shiva and Parvati? Who would you like to see on the big screen? Share your views below J

For those who haven’t read the book, can rent ‘The Immortals Of Meluha’ at www.librarywala.com. Till then have a great week ahead J

An evening with Ravi Subramanian

We spent an evening with Ravi Subramanian. A great conversation struck where we talked about his career as a writer, thoughts about the banking industry, suggestions to upcoming writers and lots more! Bringing to you PART 1 of the story right here -

About Ravi

Ravi Subramanian, Author of The Banking Trilogy is a banker turned author. He has worked with various multinational banks for over 18 years (Citibank, ANZ Grindlays Bank and HSBC). He always wished to be a writer and the organizational politics and exposure with global banks provided him with a great opportunity to do so. Ravi has made a distinct mark as an author into 'Banking Fiction' - a genre that very few authors have been able to excel at. 

Ravi's first book 'If God was a Banker' was a bestselling novel followed by his recent success with 'The Incredible Banker'! His books are fast paced and easy to read for people from all industry and not just the banking sector.

You can read Ravi's 4 books at www.librarywala.com

We shall be coming up with Part 2 and Part 3 of the video soon! Watch out for them as Ravi comments the first time ever on his upcoming books and talks about his inspiration in writing 'The Incredible Banker'. 

So, this weekend, take out 4 hours and give his book a shot. You can write to us about your thoughts on our work at librarywalablogs@gmail.com.

Till then, signing off with this quote from the author!

"If people think of a banking story, they need to think of me. That's when I would count myself as a successful author", Ravi says.

Best Regards,

Team Librarywala

Happy New Year 2012 – FREE BOOKMARKS! Why?

Ever wondered how Bookmarks came into being? It is intimately connected with the development of the book itself. Though the earliest bookmarks date from the medieval ages, it is obvious that even in ancient times - when papyrus scrolls were the reading matter of choice - bookmarks must have been used to mark a reader's place on the scrolls that could be 40 meters or more in length.

Some of the oldest bookmarks were found in medieval monasteries and among them are clip-on type bookmarks made of vellum. Therefore it is easy to imagine that this type was also used to mark place on the papyrus scrolls in ancient Egypt. 

However, if you are still using those wooden sticks, crumpled receipts, old catalog cards, and ripped parking tickets as bookmarks, then it’s time to get yourself some real bookmarks.

Our cute mascot can now give you company while you read your favorite books! Get free bookmarks from Librarywala.com in various colors and with beautiful quotations for FREE. Just send your address at librarywala.facebook@gmail.com and we shall courier them to you!

Make the best of 2012 and have a ‘Read-a-thon’ year!

Please Note – Free bookmarks are available for all Members and Non-Members. Offer valid for Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore residents only. Last date is 7^th January. 

Top 10 books of 2011

As the year comes to an end, here’s a list of the most read books in 2011 at Librarywala.com. 

1. Revolution 2020

  A story about childhood friends Gopal, Raghav and Aarti who struggle to find success and love in Varanasi. However, it isn't easy to achieve this in an unfair society that rewards the corrupt. As Gopal gives in to the system, and Raghav fights it, who will win? From the bestselling author of Five Point Someone, one night @ the call center, The Three Mistakes of My Life and 2 States, comes another gripping tale from the heartland of India. Are you ready for the revolution? 

2. The Incredible Banker

 "The Incredible Banker", a tale of corporate politics, deceit, relationships, frauds and money laundering releases raises some interesting and some worrying aspects of living life the foreign bank way. A crucial question, to answer which the reader will have to navigate his way through this 300 page blockbuster, is - What does the embedded "Red" in "The Incredible Banker" signify?. Read the book to un ravel the mystery.

3. Cold Steel

An epic corporate battle that sent shockwaves through the political corridors of Europe, strained the world's financial markets, enriched 30 hedge funds, and permanently transformed the global steel industry — is meticulously detailed in Cold Steel, the riveting story of dueling titans of the business world.

4. The Toyota Way

The Toyota Way is the first book for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.

5. What would you do to save the world?

"What Would You Do to Save the World?" is a delightfully entertaining first novel which reveals the dust behind the diamonds, the tears behind the plastic smiles, and dishes the dirt on what really goes on behind the scenes of a beauty pageant.

6. Happionaire's Cash The Crash

What Shahrukh Khan can teach you about investing? How to detect a crash before it comes. Future Investment Opportunities? Why you never have to be unemployed? Here’s a book on How to benefit from crashes, slowdowns and recessions.

7. Shopaholic & Sister

Sophie Kinsella has conquered the hearts of millions with her New York Times bestselling Shopaholic novels, which feature the irresistible one-woman shopping phenomenon Becky Bloomwood. Read more to know the twist and turns of the story.

8. The Great Mutual Fund Trap

Convinced that your star mutual fund manager will help you beat the market? Eager to hear the latest stock picking advice on CNBC? FORGET ABOUT IT! "The "Great Mutual Fund Trap shows that the average mutual fund consistently underperforms the market, and that strategies for picking "above-average funds -- everything from past performance to expert rankings -- are useless.  This book is the best pick for those interested in the share market. 

9. Interpreter of Maladies 

In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through India to their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession. Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant. She is an important and powerful new voice.”

10. The Google Story

A Pulitzer Prize winner from the Washington Post whose beat includes Google, Vise and co-author Malseed (who worked with him on The Bureau and the Mole) tells the tale of how two doctoral students built the little search engine.

Those who still haven’t read any of these books can RENT them at www.librarywala.com. 

Happy Holidays and Wishing you a great “read – a – thon year 2012”. 

-Team Librarywala.com

10 great ways to inculcate reading habits

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” — W. Somerset Maugham

Somewhere after “lose weight”, “stop procrastinating”, and “fall in love”, “read more” is one of the top goals that many people set for themselves. And rightly so: A good book can be hugely satisfying, can teach you about things beyond your daily horizons, and can create characters so vivid you feel as if you really know them.

If reading is a habit you’d like to get into, there are a number of ways to cultivate it.

First, realize that reading is highly enjoyable, if you have a good book. If you have a lousy book (or an extremely difficult one) and you are forcing yourself through it, it will seem like a chore. If this happens for several days in a row, consider abandoning the book and finding one that you’ll really love.

Other than that, try these tips to cultivate a lifetime reading habit:

• Set a high goal. Tell yourself that you want to read 50 books this year (or some other number like that). Then set about trying to accomplish it. Just be sure you’re still enjoying the reading though — don’t make it a rushed chore.

• Always carry a book. Wherever you go, take a book with you. The book can stay with you in the car, travel to office with you or everywhere you go. If there is a time when you have to wait (like at a doctor’s appointment or a delayed meeting/train or air travel), whip out your book and read. Great way to pass the time!

•   Set times. You should have a few set times during every day when you’ll read for at least 5-10 minutes. These are times that you will read no matter what — triggers that happen each day. For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast and lunch (and even dinner if you eat alone). And if you also read every time you’re sitting on the can, and when you go to bed, you now have four times a day when you read for 10 minutes each — or 40 minutes a day. That’s a great start, and by itself would be an excellent daily reading habit. But there’s more you can do.

• Make a list. Keep a list of all the great books you want to read. You can keep this in your journal, in a pocket notebook, on your personal home page, wherever. Be sure to add to it whenever you hear about a good book, online or in person. Keep a running list, and cross out the ones you read. Tech trick: create a Gmail account for your book list, and email the address every time you hear about a good book. Now your inbox will be your reading list. When you’ve read a book, file it under “Done”. If you want, you can even reply to the message (to the same address) with notes about the book, and those will be in the same conversation thread, so now your Gmail account is your reading log too.

• Find a quiet place. Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair (don’t lay down unless you’re going to sleep) and curl up with a good book without interruptions. There should be no television or computer near the chair to minimize distractions, and no music or noisy family members/roommates. If you don’t have a place like this, create one.

• Read to your kid. If you have children, you must, must read to them. Creating the reading habit in your kids is the best way to ensure they’ll be readers when they grow up … and it will help them to be successful in life as well. Find some great children’s books from www.librarywala.com and read to them. At the same time, you’re developing the reading habit in yourself … and spending some quality time with your child as well.

• Read fun and compelling books. Find books that really grip you and keep you going. Even if they aren’t literary masterpieces, they make you want to read — and that’s the goal here. After you have cultivated the reading habit, you can move on to more difficult stuff, but for now, go for the fun, gripping stuff. Stephen King, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Nora Roberts, Sue Grafton, Dan Brown … all those popular authors are popular for a reason — they tell great stories. Other stuff you might like: Vonnegut, William Gibson, Douglas Adams, Nick Hornby, Trevanian, Ann Patchett, Terry Pratchett, Terry McMillan, F. Scott Fitzgerald. All excellent storytellers.

•  Make it pleasurable. Make your reading time your favorite time of day. Have some good tea or coffee while you read, or another kind of treat. Get into a comfortable chair with a good blanket. Read during sunrise or sunset, or at the beach.

• Blog it. One of the best ways to form a habit is to put it on your blog. If you don’t have one, create one. It’s free. Have your family go there and give you book suggestions and comment on the ones you’re reading. It keeps you accountable for your goals. You can always share your blogs with us on www.librarywalablogs.blogspot.com 

• Have a reading hour or reading day. If you turn off the TV or Internet in the evening, you could.

Adopted by: www.lifehack.org

Librarywala Super Saver offer!

Hi Reader, 

We hope you are doing great and are enjoying your days reading some lovely books. Our main aim of starting  Librarywala.com was to reach out to each and every household and spread the love for reading. Due to time and space constraints, reading takes a back seat in our ultra-modern life. 

But with Librarywala.com's, free delivery and pick up service, as well as 'Rent-Read-Return' concept, this hindrance gets completely removed. And you enjoy convenient reading sitting right at home! 

To reach out to a lot more book lovers, we have come up with a special Super Saver offer, wherein, registering with us can fetch you waivers on Registration Fees, Security deposit as well as on monthly rental plans as much as Rs. 1000! Isn't that superb?

So, just call us at:

Mumbai and Pune - +91-24175646/47/48 

Bangalore - +91-80-41440033

And take home your Librarywala membership! 

Shakespearean Glossary