Do you love reading books? Well, I do!

I am guessing that you are a book lover too; that’s why you chose to visit this post.

But would you believe me if I say, I didn’t read even a single book in 2020! Shocking, right?

Sometimes I doubt myself and my choices too. But what to do, the last year was itself quite unexpected, and it was throwing such challenges that I had to make some tough choices.

But the good part is that I don’t regret making those choices. The best one was between ‘Me time’ and ‘Family time.’ Of course, I chose family time because it kept me sane during the struggling days.

You may also read – Fun activities with Family!

My Reading Journey

Anyway, coming back to the love for books, I read a lot when I was a teenager. I loved going to the Diocesan Community Library (DCC library situated in the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church premises, New Delhi) with my mother. I remember I would always request the librarian to issue me an extra book since I was a regular visitor. And, she sometimes did!

That time my favorites were Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew books. During my college days, I became a fan of Dan Brown & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. Later, I skipped looking for Author names while picking up books and read randomly whatever came my way.

My reading habits changed when I entered a new phase of my life called motherhood. And, for the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed reading articles online. That means my focus and interest changed from reading mystery books to anything related to motherhood and parenting. Now I was reading books only while I was traveling!

Nemit’s favorite books

Then came the time when I introduced books to my son, Nemit. He got his first book (feel & touch animal book) when he was 2 months old. And, now he’s 5 and owns a bigger collection of books than mine. Well, I don’t mind that. But I do mind not having a reading habit I once had.

Love reading books? Need some motivation?

It’s not that I don’t read at all. I still read a lot but not enough books. And that’s why I decided to take up this reading challenge with Blogchatter. I resolve to read more this year!

‘I’m participating in the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter’.

I have set a goal of reading 10 books in 2021, I know it may not seem enough, but I want to keep the goal realistic & achievable. I am thinking of picking up 5 paperbacks from my collection and 5 ebooks from the Blogchatter Ebook Library.

If I can achieve my goal before the last quarter, I will gift myself some new books. Yay!!!

This is the kind of challenge I wanted for myself, flexible with no hard rules, just set a number, and you are good to go. If you, too, are looking for some motivation to get back to reading and a community to support you, then do join this challenge.

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How to take part in the #TBRchallenge?

Simple, follow the steps below.

Step 1 – Create your profile on the Blogchatter website, www.theblogchatter.com.

Step 2 – Now log in to your profile, you can find the reading challenge on your dashboard.

Step 3 – Set the goal by entering a numeric value for the books you want to read this year.

Step 4 – You can upload book covers once you are done reading a book.

That’s it!

I will be writing about the books I have chosen for this challenge in my next post of the #TBRchallenge.

So, how many books do you read in a year? Have you ever taken a reading challenge? If you have to recommend one book to someone which one would it be?

The post Do You Love reading books? Let’s join the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

To download the book for free, click here>> Travel India with a Toddler

Hello, lovely readers and my dear friends, I know this is a really late post. Although I’d posted about my ebook (Travel India with a Toddler) launch on social media in May, I couldn’t write a blog post about it. This journey from being a Stay at home mom (SAHM) to a Blogger and then an Author had been truly incredible for me and all the credit goes to my loyal readers and friends who made it possible. I am all because of you guys. Thank you for your love and constant support.

Today I am here to share my journey from being a mother to blogger to an author with you all. I hope it inspires more mothers to do something for themselves and use motherhood as their strength to achieve their goals.

In March this year, I wrote a post ‘My Journey from Mommy to Mommy Blogger’, where I shared how I got the motivation to start my blog. I have also mentioned about the parenting & blogging communities which are the major contributors in my journey. Do check out the post to read the first part of this journey.

From SAHM to Blogger to an Author in just 2 years.

It feels AWESOME!

Now, I’m pretty sure you’d like to know about the second part of this journey from a Blogger to an Author & how did that magic happen? So here it goes…

If you miss traveling after becoming a parent or if you hesitate to travel with your kids and if you want to know how to make traveling a fun family affair, then this book is for you. And for travelers, this book will be a sheer delight, I’m sure you will love reading our travel stories from the Andaman Islands, Kashmir, and Meghalaya.

Oh, and there are a lot of travel pics too.

Here’s presenting ‘Travel India with a Toddler’ my debut E-book for you all.

Everything you need to know about planning a trip to Andaman, Kashmir & Meghalaya with kids.

There’s a thrill…there’s fear…there’s adrenaline rush and there’s lots of fun. Come along with us & travel India with a toddler.

To download the book for free, click here>> Travel India with a Toddler

And now some behind the scenes. Before the launch of my ebook, only a handful of people knew that it was going to happen. And once it got launched, many people told me they never thought I was planning to write a book.

And I’ve been telling everyone that it was not planned, it just happened.

The story behind ‘Travel India with a Toddler’

This book happened because of Blogchatter and I want to give all the credit to them. They presented an amazing opportunity in the form of ‘A to Z challenge’ and ‘Ebook Carnival’ for their community of bloggers and like many others, I just took it. There was nothing to lose!

It all started with the New Year, we entered 2019 and I started writing down my plans for the year. Since we’ve traveled a lot in 2018, one of the things I wanted to focus on was putting our travel stories on my blog. A to Z challenge made it possible, it’s a blogging challenge where all the participants are required to write one blog post daily for 26 days except on Sundays.

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I knew if there is something I can write about without much effort, it has to be Travel & I chose Traveling with kids as my theme. Still, it was not easy to write 1 complete post with images every single day for a month especially if you are a mother.

Somehow I succeeded in completing the challenge and the next task was to decide whether to go ahead with the #BlogchatterEbook Carnival and convert those 26 posts into an E-book.

It took almost a week or more to make up my mind and give a thumbs up for another challenge. And I got only a week after that to bring a book out of those blog posts. I wanted to learn something new and the opportunity was sitting right in front of me.

So, becoming an author was never a dream neither it was a well-thought plan, it just happened.

The next thing I remember is this grand launch of my E-book by Blogchatter which made it all the more special.

 

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A post shared by Neha Sharma (@growing_with_nemit) on May 14, 2019 at 5:30am PDT

I am not an ambitious kind but I always like to try out new things. And I put my 100% into learning new stuff. My journey for the last 2 years is proof of that.

Another fun part after the book launch was getting all the lovely wishes from friends and family who never thought I had it in me. Next was getting some really wonderful reviews of my book by fellow bloggers/authors. You may read all the reviews here-

1- Book Review by Suhasini

This book is not a typical travel book which lists the places to cover and things to do in different places. It really covers how to plan your trip with both kids and elders in the family.  Having said that, don’t think that this book doesn’t have the places to see, it covers the places to visit in each trip and also the precautions to be taken while going to that place…

2- Book Review by Mayuri

Neha and Sumit Sharma travel the world with their toddler, Nemit. The fact that 3 year old Nemit started travelling when he was only 2 months old, and has travelled more than any adult I know has, for a 3 year old, makes you realise that his parents are doing something right. What is the secret Nemit’s parents hold? Have they cracked the formula of Travelling with a Toddler?…

3- Book Review by Charu

Neha’s Travel India With A Toddler is a book with a purpose. It is aimed to build her readers’ (mainly parents) confidence to travel more with their kids. A lot of parents (including me) find traveling with young kids difficult. But Neha’s book aims to redefine this age-old assumption and rather proves that if planned well with a positive mindset, vacation with young kids can be fun and most memorable…

4- Book Review by Pragnya

The book is for all parents who stopped traveling because of a baby. Or those who want to but are clueless about how. Book is downright practical and straight from experiences. The pictures are real, taken from the trips. Give a better idea of it’s actually possible to travel. Immense planning of the itinerary can be seen in the book…

To download the book for free, click here>> Travel India with a Toddler

I hope you enjoy reading the book and find our travel stories and tips helpful. Do share your feedback/review after reading. Also, please SUBSCRIBE to our blog to get direct updates in your mailbox.

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The post ‘Travel India with a Toddler’ (Debut E-book) – Mother to Blogger to Author appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hello everyone, let’s welcome July with a Book Review. The one I am reviewing today is a short Novel ‘Bhaunri’ written by Anukrti Upadhyay. This book is sent to me by Blogchatter to read and review as part of their Book Review Program. I was quite excited to receive my first paperback book to review on my blog though I was not very sure if I would like it or not. Also, this is the first book I’ve read from literary fiction which is not one of my favorite categories. But I must say it left me enthralled with the storyline which is not like any usual love story.

At many points, I felt like leaving the book due to too much of sad truth revolving around the characters. But that is also the thing which kept me pushing to read more and find out what happens next. The author made me fell in love with the brave protagonist and hate her in the next moment by her choice of actions. I finished reading it a few days ago but the bold character of Bhaunri is still lingering in my thoughts.

Book Title: Bhaunri

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Fourth Estate India

Author: Anukrti Upadhyay

Number of Pages: 140

About the Author

Anukrti Upadhyay has post-graduate degrees in Management and Literature, and a graduate degree in Law. She writes in both English and Hindi; Daura and Bhaunri are her first publications in English. She divides her time between Mumbai and Singapore.

Review: Bhaunri

This is the story of a young girl named Bhaunri who belongs to the desert clan of Gadolia Lohars. The story is set in an era when the nomads had started settling down in colonies in the Thar desert. The times when the child marriages were prevalent across the state of Rajasthan and daughters were married off for a bride-price.

But, Bhaunri’s parents were different, they refused the bride-price for their daughter. Her father was a nomadic blacksmith while her mother belonged to the tribe of Gujjars. Bhaunri has got most of her skills and character from her empowered mother. The initial chapters of the book tell the tale of how Bhaunri’s mother met her father against all odds.

The actual and intense part of the story begins when Bhaunri reaches her husband’s home. Everything that her mother had taught and everything which she believed in was tested with each passing day. She found herself drawn deeply and powerfully towards her handsome husband, Bheema. It was clear that she fell in love with her husband even before knowing him better.

I would describe Bheema as ‘Hulk’, the otherwise calm and withdrawn man who turns into a beast when he senses emotional stress. Anger, treachery, infidelity, are some of his other characteristics. But for Bhaunri, he was like the Sun God.

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What happens when Bhaunri finds out about her husband’s true character? How does she deal with her obsessive love and desire for him? There are always two sides of love, which side does she choose? You will have to read the book to find that out.

I really liked the way the whole story and the characters unwind and I could imagine each and every scene happening as if it’s real. The story is fast paced but some scenarios made me stop & think about the hardships of these women. Sometimes, it’s difficult to believe things which we have never experienced. The author’s writing style is natural and descriptive, I appreciate her efforts and in-depth research about the life of nomads and their practices. The use of typical Rajasthani words like ‘Beendani’, ‘lada’, ‘kako-sa’ add that depth to the whole storyline.

Conclusion

Overall, I found the novel interesting, if you are into literary fiction reading, you will definitely love it. For people looking for an escape from the daily grind, they may find it a bit intense. There’s a great possibility that the protagonist may stay in your mind even after you finish reading the book. Don’t worry, it will not haunt you!

I wish the author of Bhaunri all the very best for her new book. And, hope to read more of her work soon.

You may get your copy of this book from Amazon Link below!

Read this Author’s other book, Daura –

The post Bhaunri by Anukrti Upadhyay – Book Review appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Here presenting to you my 3rd Book Review and today I am going to tell you about Charu Sareen Gujjal’s ‘A to Z of Parenting Twins’. If you are expecting twins anytime soon or are already a parent of twins, then you should stick with this post till the end. If you are visiting my blog for the first time or after a very long time, here’s a quick update. I have added a new category on my blog for book reviews, do check it out for more book recommendations.

Hey guys, hope you all are doing well. I know I’ve been MIA here since last few weeks and it’s because I am planning to do a month-long Blog Train in June-July. Yes, you read it right! My blog is turning two so I thought why not plan a #BirthdayBlogTrain just like last year. The previous blog train was all about summers while this one will run under the theme ‘Monsoon’. The planning part is almost done and now we are prepping our train to embark on an amazing journey. Stay tuned as I will soon be sharing a blog with all the details! For now, let’s get started with the book review.

Book Title: A To Z of Parenting Twins

Genre: Parenting

Author: Charu Sareen Gujjal

Number of Pages: 58

About the Author

Charu Sareen Gujjal, is a former teacher and language trainer, turned into a writer and a passionate blogger. She actively writes about her parenting journey on her blog ‘The Mom Sagas’ where she records all her wonderful motherhood experiences and everyday sagas of raising twins.

Review: A To Z of Parenting Twins

Charu is a mom to three-year-old twins Aarav and Aarohi whom she lovingly calls A&A. In the words of the Author, ‘having twins is a one-of-its-kind experience. It is beautiful, joyful, rewarding but equally challenging and demanding’. And I can’t agree more with her. Although I’m not a twin parent, I can totally imagine what goes into parenting twins. It’s everything double! Double the struggles and double the fun.

As you can make up from the book title, A to Z of Parenting Twins, is about the author’s experience of raising twins. And, she has covered most of the common concerns and challenges faced by the parents of twins during the initial years. The best thing about the book is the value she has added in the form of tried and tested tips, tricks, and suggestions that could come handy for any twin parent in the moment of doubt and chaos.

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The book has 26 chapters and each chapter is linked to an alphabet and deals with different aspects of parenting twins. To add that touch of fun and make it more interesting, the author has also talked about the myths and unknown facts about twins. And, some hilarious questions people ask about twins to their parents. I could connect some of the myths to our old Bollywood movies and one that topped the charts is ‘Judwaa’.

If one twin cries, the other will cry too is a myth!

The author has tried to cover all the topics from breastfeeding to potty training to maintaining a schedule and time management with kids. She has also shared a list of essential gears for twins required in the first year. All in all, I would say, the book is comprehensive yet concise. It covers everything that a parent of twins wants to know to make their parenting journey smooth and stress-free.

There’s a chapter dedicated to a father’s perspective on raising twins where Charu has interviewed her husband to share his point of view on different aspects of parenting. I found it quite relevant to ask a father about what he thinks and feels about raising twins. Since the role of a father is as important especially if you are in a nuclear setup.

I didn’t find any cons in the book but I really missed the pictures. I am sure the related pictures would have added a little more charm to the book.

Conclusion

A to Z of Parenting Twins is a very well written and easy to understand comprehensive guide for twin parents. All the chapters are well planned and outlined with the right kind of information which comes directly from the author’s parenting experience. I would recommend this book to all the twin parents especially to expecting and new parents. I am sure you will find this book really beneficial with all the valuable takeaways it offers.

If you want to read this book, you can download your FREE copy (available for a limited time only) from #BlogchatterEbook Library.

Note: This book review has been written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program

The post A To Z of Parenting Twins by Charu Sareen Gujjal – Book Review appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hey guys, how’s the summer treating you? We are eagerly waiting for monsoons to arrive in the North & cool down the heat wave a bit. Today, I am going to review another book for you guys. This one is from the parenting category and a perfect one for art and craft lovers. This is Dr. Surbhi Prapanna’s ‘Creative Kids’. I have added a new category on my blog for book reviews, do check it out for more book recommendations.

Now that schools are closed and kids are creating havoc at home, I know you moms are finding it difficult to stay sane. Want to know how you can keep your kids engaged at home in a fun way? Learn A to Z of kids art, craft and DIY with ‘Creative Kids’. I am sure this book will take away all your woes and make your summers fun.

Book Title: Creative Kids

Genre: Parenting

Author: Dr. Surbhi Prapanna

Number of Pages: 81

Review: Creative Kids

‘Creative Kids’ is a collection of 26 easy art, craft, DIY and fun activities for kids. The best part about these activities is that these are simple & entertaining and can be prepared using easily available inexpensive home supplies. All the activities are designed by the author which she used to keep her kids creatively engaged at home. As per the author, these activities are suitable for kids 4-9 years old however I felt some activities can be done with toddlers too under supervision.

The author has very neatly explained each activity starting with the story behind that particular activity which adds the personal charm to the book. I really liked the tips, learnings, and benefits shared at the end of each activity. My personal favorites are the group activities to promote intellectual development in kids and patchwork & scrapbooking which can be enjoyed as family activities. She has also recommended some books to learn more about these activities which I found a great addition.

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I am really impressed by the way each chapter is outlined keeping in mind the interest of kids. The author has also suggested an interesting TV series for kids which is not just a source of entertainment but provides a great learning experience for both kids as well as adults.

Then there are some crafts which are totally inspired by nature and others which recycle and upcycle old things. These are some really thoughtful activities where kids get to learn some major life lessons while enjoying their craft work. The author has two daughters hence some of the activities are girl-oriented like preparing natural lip balm and hair care DIY masks. But I guess, even little boys would enjoy making these.

Conclusion

Creative Kids is a must have for all kids & parents who love DIY activities. You get to try some easy and fun art & craft activities without burning a hole in your pocket. The best part about the book is the author’s personal touch and the variety of topics which not only covers the activities but also talks about the intellectual and personality development of the kids. If you want to make your summer vacations cool, go grab your copy now!

I want to congratulate Author Dr. Surbhi Prapanna for publishing her first E-book and I wish her all the very best for her journey as an author.

About the Author

Dr. Surbhi Prapanna is a homeopathic therapist by profession and a writer and a blogger by passion. She has more than 4 years of professional writing experience and her work had been published on various prestigious online platforms like Momspresso.com, kidstoppress.com, cureJoy.com, and shivanaspirit.com.

I loved reading this book and would recommend it to all the parents. If you want to read this book, you can download your FREE copy (available for a limited time only) from #BlogchatterEbook Library.

Note: This book review has been written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program

The post Creative Kids by Dr. Surbhi Prapanna – Book Review appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hey guys, hope you all are doing well. I will be starting a new category on my blog for Book Reviews starting from this month. Today, I am going to review Dr. Manju Thakur’s ebook ‘Learning Through Journeying‘. Since this will be my first book review on my blog, I am quite excited about it. So, let’s get started!

First of all, I want to congratulate Author Dr. Manju Thakur for achieving a big milestone in her writing journey by publishing her first book. I have been following her blog since BlogchatterA2Z and some of her travel tales were so captivating that it kept me craving for more. The way she narrates her stories, you will know she’s a storyteller by heart. So, when I came to know that she will be publishing her first book based on her travel experiences I was quite excited to read it.

Book Title: Learning Through Journeying

Genre: Travel

Author: Dr. Manju Thakur

Number of Pages: 72

Review: Learning Through Journeying

‘Learning Through Journeying’ is a travelogue based on Author’s personal travel experiences with her parents, friends and her family. She calls her husband Mr. Coolhead and while reading her book you will know why he’s been given this name. From the cover of her book, I guessed the book will have travel stories from her visits to the hills as the Author likes to call herself a mountain girl. However, I was wrong in guessing that and was surprised to read her fascinating and gripping tales from every corner of the country.

I would like to mention that readers should not mistake ‘Learning Through Journeying’ to be a typical travel book. In fact, the focus of the book is on stories & learnings which are her real-life experiences and she narrates each of that excellently in her book. Having said that it doesn’t mean there are no place descriptions or itineraries. The author has presented the layout of each chapter skillfully which starts with a small description of the place, followed by the tale from that journey and ending with her learnings.

Here’s a snapshot of Learning from one of her journey’s. Can you guess which camping site she’s mentioning here?

As they say, storytellers take you along with their narration and you become a part of their story. The same happened to me. As soon as I began reading, I started imagining myself as part of her journey. If one chapter I pictured myself standing beside the author in knee-deep snow with bare feet and then jumping off the hill and sliding down the snow. Another chapter took me to a thick jungle in the Southern part of the country where the author was anxiously waiting for a ride to the city. Each story has its moment of wow and wonder. Oops…did I share the spoiler? Well, no because these are just a few of the many thrilling adventures that are in store for you.

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Conclusion

With the end of each chapter there comes some bonus learning from the journey which in fact are life’s greatest lessons. And one learns these lessons when they step out of their comfort zone. The author has beautifully related these lessons with her journey. You really can’t miss these words of wisdom from the author. Another great reminder that traveling is not just about exploring places, it’s more about exploring our own strengths and weaknesses.

One of my favorite learnings which I completely believe in –

In the words of the author, this book will inspire some of you to travel, to learn, and to make your own stories.

The reason that it took me more than 1 day to read this book is that I wanted to soak in the beauty of each and every place and the experience that the author has beautifully captured in her words.

About the Author

Dr. Manju Thakur aka Mann is a Doctorate in Animal Physiology. She is currently serving as Assistant Professor at College level in Himachal Pradesh. Having spent about eight years in this profession, to her, storytelling comes naturally.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to all the travel lovers. If you want to read this book, you can download your FREE copy (available for a limited time only) from #BlogchatterEbook Library.

Note: This book review has been written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program

The post Learning Through Journeying by Dr. Manju Thakur – Book Review appeared first on Growing With Nemit.