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Society 6

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Interview Shobhit Mishra

INTERVIEW WITH BOOK REVIEWER SHOBHIT MISHRA

   

Name: Shobhit Mishra

Age: 23

Occupation: Final Year Mechanical Engineering Student And Book Reviewer( Blogging At House Of Review)

Website: www.houseofreview.com

Favourite Books: Goals By Brian Tracy,How To Win And Influence Friends By Dale Carnegie, Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe, Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert T Kiyosaki, Only The Time Will Tell By Jeffrey Archer, Treasure Island By R.L Stevenson, Think And Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill And No Man’s Land By David Baldacci.

At what age did you start reading?

My reading journey did not actually begin with a novel. My childhood days were mostly spent on comics of superheroes like Superman, Batman, The Incredible Hulk And Spiderman.I remember the day when I took my first comics at the age of 6 from my grandfather’s old bag. It was Adventures Of Tintin “The Broken Ear”. Just after a reading a few pages, I got intrigued by the content and pictures of the characters and read it until the very end and from that day onwards ,my love for reading began to grow deeper.I started collecting more and more comics from the local store, read them throughout the day after my school time was over..This is how the habit of reading came into my life.

What was the first book you read? 

I got my first novel when I was 10 years old and it’s still there with me in my drawer,”Famous Five:Five On A Secret Trail” By Enid Blyton.I still remember the scene from this book when the guys go out to camping and how something mysterious draws their attention to an unsolved puzzle…In those days,Enid Blyton was my source of entertainment and I preferred that over television and video games that my school friends were very fond of.

Which genres do you like and why? 

I am a person who loves action, creativity and imagination.

So when it comes to reading books,I prefer to read thriller/crime fiction, science fiction and motivational books.

Are you a fast reader or do you slowly devour the book?

When it comes to reading,I look for the key element that defines a whole book.I always try to dig deep down, read the same page one more time in order to develop an image of the whole plot described by the words, which is why whenever I read a book ,I always like to take a snail’s pace to cover the entire book.

Do you see visuals when you read, almost like in a movie?

Yes..I tend to imagine the whole plot inside my mind by turning the words into thoughts and connecting them to get a picture.I especially love to visualize the moments whenever there is a sudden turn of events mentioned with a paragraph or a few lines and this particularly happens when I read crime fiction.

Which criteria do you use for your reviews?

When it comes to reviewing the books,I do that with my partner ,who reads books genres of his choice.I take his help when it comes to drafting and we both do it together.My blog (Me and My Co Partner) at the blog keep it very simple by sharing our own personal experiences after reading a book.We define it to through three sections.What We Liked,What According To Us Is Not Very Attractive and Conclusion with Ratings….

Have you ever been tempted to write something yourself?

I have an ARTICLE SECTION in the blog and at the moment I look forward to write different types of articles that cover a variety of subjects.As far as where the books are concerned, currently I am residing on reviewing them only.In the field of writing a book or a novel, right now I have no major plans.

What inspires you? 

My inspiration comes from observation and continuous learning.Whenever I read a book,I learn at least one thing new irrespective of what genre I read.I write down the take aways in my personal diary.One of the things I before reviewing overtime is that I look at cover of the book too.That is where the role of observation comes into play.Along with each review,I put a special background picture that defines the theme of the whole book.

Who is your favourite author?

Brian Tracy.

Are you looking for diversity in a book?

It depends on what type of book I am reading. When I am reading a fiction novels, almost all the books are written around a single plot while non fictions have every chapter having a new concept detailed.I find this especially in the motivational books.

Are you a picky reader? 

I prefer reading the genres I like to read, but when it comes to reviewing books out of my zone of preference ,I am fine with it and enjoy working on different kinds of author assignments.

Do you think that you have a more open perspective of the world if you read a lot?

Books are a great teacher no doubt.Also you learn the art of imagination and creativity when you read a lot.One important thing that I would like to highlight here is that the practical world is and will always differ in some aspect from the lessons that we get from the books.That is just like the contradiction that arises between theory and practicality, but we should always have the spirit to explore untouched boundaries and areas.This is where books help us by acting as a catalyst that fosters the foundation of critical thinking

Do you like critical books? For example books which critisize a political system?

Sometimes only, but not very often.It is because opinions of people differ.We all will have different answers which are influenced by views on things like religion, caste system, traditions to even a single question on such matters.

I have read a few personal finance books by best selling authors and I have seen criticizing each other on the things like savings, mortgage etc.One author highlights the benefits of taking a mortgage while the other calls it a burden, which is why such books I usually do not prefer reading again and again..

Do you sometimes look for a hidden meaning or poetry between the lines of a book? 

Well yes.Haha..I always search for every meaningful and significant element of the book while I am reading..

Do you prefer books by female or by male authors?

I am the one who judges by what any author wrote being a book reviewer.In the world of authors and writers ,gender is not of much significance I believe.It is actually their work that defines them.

Do you sometimes cheat and read the ending first? 

No.It is because I have empathy for all the authors and I welcome them all on my blog with their novels .It takes a lot of hard work, patience to write a book ,whether it’s the first time you are writing or for several years, which is why I begin from the introduction and go through the whole book.

How do you feel about how Western books reflect different cultures? Do they stereotype too much? 

The circumstances, traditions and customs in western countries are different from the place where I live no doubt on that.There are many autobiographies of great people like Martin Luther King Jr.,where you will find how he stood up against racial segregation.

I have read a few books based on true experiences, where the conditions in their areas have been highlighted and in some way they have been criticized.For example, I am recently read a book in which the author has described about the child abuse in the United States and how children are falling prey to drug addiction and bullying which is a major issue in the country.

Personally I am not in favor of stereotypes related to religions, castes and other such practices which are being followed anywhere across the world.After all, we all are human beings.

Do you have many friends who read? 

There are many friends in my company who love to read, but they stick to genres Indian romance and adult only.My best friend though, who is my co partner and the co-founder of the blog House Of Review is an open minded person and has been reading along with me since our childhood days.We used to share novels, comics and posters with each other.Those days still remain in my memory.I still remember the day, he and I together paid for a book at the local shop for the “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth” By Jules Verne.That was 11 years ago however..Haha..Since then he has been my best reader buddy.

Are you part of a book club? Do you think that book clubs are a good idea? 

I follow clubs Facebook(Book Nifflers,Intentional Writers) and I believe that they are great way to share your opinions on the books you have read with others.In fact at these clubs, reviewers like me meet many new and veteran authors.They tell us about their writing experience, novels they have written, their own inspirations and we in turn help them reach more readers.

Why did you decide to review books and how do you decide which ones to review?

I have been reading for 14 years straight now.Throughout the years I have come across so many books which taught me several different things too.

There are thousands of good books that I have come across which have good language, great lessons for life and most entertaining plots, but many people are not aware of them.There are many authors who people never heard of before, but their books have great content to read. Everyday so many new authors bud and some of them have got such amazing stories, but due to many reasons it fails to reach out readers worldwide..

Also as times have changed, so has our lives.Earlier we did not have social media, online gaming etc.In those days ,the habit of reading was more popular among, even if they chose to read comics..But now with the advent of such new platforms which are essential , our younger generation especially spends more time on such activities ,which I believe are not so beneficiary either.

These thoughts gave me an idea of reaching out to people with the help of book reviews for revealing the unexplored world of reading to the readers out there and introducing this beautiful world to the audience who have not yet seen it.

And House Of Review was born..A place where the people of the reader and author universe connect with the help of reviews..That is how I turned my passion into a platform of social interaction, knowledge and entertainment..

It is something which is very close to my heart..I enjoy every second of it when I write reviews.I talk with readers and authors both, take their feedbacks which help me know more about how they feel and connect them with the help of this platform.

My mission is to help thousands of authors and influence millions of readers across the globe with my reviews and as my site grows further I will provide much more to read rather than reviews, offer services related to reading, reviewing and buying products..These projects are currently under experimentation phase and I and my partner are working them out…

Reviewing books needs planning.We keep the assignments that we get from authors separate from the books we read after buying them..The author assignments are given a higher priority and a definite time is set to give the review on the site which we decide upon talking with authors…

With all this I would like to thank Barbara for this interview.I grateful to her for this opportunity to share my views with the people..