Hello dear bookish friends and welcome to the WEEKEND!! It’s Saturday. Time to take things down a gear and look forward to spending some quality time in a good book. What’s that you say? You don’t have a good book on the go at the moment? Well, you’ve come to the right place as it’s day 19 of #R3COMM3ND3D2022 and we’ve got lots of brilliant books just for you!

Joining me to talk about all things #R3COMM3ND3D2022 today is a fabulous blogger who I absolutely insist you follow if you don’t already, it’s the brilliant Namrata Ganti of redpillows blog. Namrata’s blog is a must read for all book lovers so make sure you check it out!

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2022? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors, book bloggers, reviewers and bookstagrammers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2022. To make things interesting there are a couple of teeny, tiny rules; 1) the book must have FIRST been published in 2022 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. I like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉

Here are the three books Namrata recommends…

Warlord of Ayodhya: Rebellion by Shatrujeet Nath
This book was my most anticipated read at the beginning of the year and it is definitely a favourite! Everyone knows of the epic Ramayana, but how many of us actually stopped to think about the other people and the lives of the Ayodhyan’s during Ram’s 14 year exile? How many of us stopped to think about Bharat and his struggles to rule in the absence of his brother? Well, Shatrujeet Nath thought of this! He imagined how the life of Bharat could have been as he took over the rule of the kingdom and thus this series was born.

This series seeks to bring out a little known side of the story with characters who were never in focus and who now have a chance to have their story told! Shatrujeet Nath is indeed a master storyteller and a genius to create and write this story. In my opinion, this book and all books by the author are a must read!
Namrata’s Review of Warlord of Ayodhya: Rebellion

Shut the Lights by Smita Bhattacharya
Smita takes everyday incidents or current situations and turns them into a complete story, replete with strong characters and an entertaining plot with twists that you don’t see coming.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book set during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as the feelings of the characters and their reactions to a lot of the situations mirrored our own during the first lockdown of the pandemic. The book is relatable in this sense and full of mystery with well developed characters who could be anyone around us. I strongly recommend this book for those who enjoy reading non-formulaic domestic noir suspense as mentioned in the blurb.
Namrata’s Review of Shut the Lights

 The Freedom Manifesto: 7 Rules to Live the Life of Your Calling by Karan Bajaj
I do not usually read or recommend books in the self-help category, but this book indeed made the exception list. The book draws on the author’s personal experiences as the basis for explaining several simple steps to transform your life. The author raises many valid questions which I realized that I have thought of but never focused on specifically. This approach and the way the book is written kept me reading until the end.
Namrata’s Review of The Freedom Manifesto

Thanks so much, Namrata, Three brilliant books which all look and sound absolutely fascinating!

About Namrata Ganti:
I am an avid reader who enjoys talking about books and reviewing them as much as reading! I am a book hoarder and have more books than I can read at a time and thus have an ever growing TBR pile!

Namrata’s Blog and Social Media Links:
| redpillows blog | Twitter @redpillows91 | Facebook |

Sadly submissions for #R3COMM3D3D2022 are now closed. Shortly after the last post I will be inviting you to attend the virtual after-show party, which should be fun. We’ll get to gaze upon the marvellous and majestic beauty of 2022’s books and also crown 2022’s winner, if we have one (they’re all winners, right?). Until then stay tuned as we have lots more bookish gorgeousness heading your way throughout November.