Reader's Lounge

Back on the Reading spree

2011-11-11T00:15:00.003-06:00

OK. Its not really reading spree but from one book in six months I have gotten to one book in a month. Often its been Georgette Heyer books which I have missed before or reading them again.

Whats my excuse? I am traveling a lot these days! Which should explain the GH books. The second excuse I have is having discovered Flipkart and Infibeam (which is good for used books) one feels like buying books a lot.

So plan is to start reviewing booking I have read in the past year or so.

Here is my list for now in no particular order and, if anyone happens to drop by this blog I will take suggestions on other reads.

Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaleed Hosseini

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier

Hungry Hill by Daphne Du Maurier

White Banners by Lloyd C. Douglas *still reading this!

in time for the movie release

2008-12-18T11:08:00.003-06:00

I haven't been reading much lately, other than a few math papers. Looking forward to the winter break to maybe catch up with some reading. I wish there was a netfilx for books. Maybe there is and I just don't know it.

Anyway, a visit to the movies a month ago reminded me what I had been reading last summer. Now a serious reader would not be proud of it, partly because of the whole bridget jones exaggerated style of writing. But inspite of all the arguments against the Shopaholic series, it was the perfect companion for the amount of air travelling I was doing. Me and my parents made the best of their visit by going to all possible ends of this country in a month. In the process I got hooked to Rebecca Bloomwood.

The books especially I think the "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and "Shopaholic and the baby" were hilarious.
There something to be said for the outrageous escapades of Becky, her passion for shopping and the scrapes she gets into. Sophie Kinsella manages to get the comical circumstances right at least in the first few books. Just the concept is worth something, and I definitely recommend the first of the series.
I think the movie clips picked up a few funny moments from the book. But if bridget jones diary was anything to go by, the movie will only just end up making the character look lot more ridiculous than she needs to be.

I guess, if you were looking for a bunch of feel good books to read, then start reading this series now, before the movie spoils it for you.

Saw the movie.. It was nothing like the novel..and if you have seen the movie..don't let it put you off reading the book. The movie was just one big farce. Taking bits and pieces of all the different books and making it into something random!

Let's get graphic!

2007-10-02T07:34:00.000-05:00

After my instant love affair with Mma.Ramotswe and my self-proclaimed submission to Pottermania, I have a new fascination. The nice thing with fictitious characters is that you can fall in love with as many as you like and the others never mind. Of course, that's hardly news to me, having had a long list of imaginary paramours.

* Violins interlude while we trip down memory lane *

Heading the list of my early obsessions is Fredrick Algernon Trotville a.k.a. Fatty of the Five-findouters. And soon after, almost as naturally as the transition to adolescence came the deeply fascinating Jupiter Jones of The Three Investigators. Ah...I've always had a thing for intelligent men...and apparently it was a taste acquired very early in life. If either of these characters had been real, I would have been their best buddy-girl friend.

There was a brief liason with Howard Roark (but that's so predictable for any teenage girl who loves books, isn't it? A sort of rite of passage into the world of thinking). I neatly bypassed Holden Caulfield and when we did meet, I was faintly disgusted with his teenage tantrums.

For awhile I was also taken in by the P.G.Wodehouse cast with a special fondness for Lord Elmsworth and a not-so-secret crush on Psmith. For awhile, I was even a member of a group where everyone took on the name of one character. I was holding out for Madeline "The stars are God's daisy chain"Bassett but since that was already taken, I settled instead for the formidable Lady Constance Keeble (more appropriate for me, wouldn't you think?)

And most recently I've been enchanted by the worlds of Milan Kundera and Alexander McCall.

* End of interlude *

I've been hearing about graphic novels for a fair bit now. At the Landmark sale (still on), I bumped into fellow-blogger Vijay and a friend of his. Friend in question (also blogger whose link I've forgotten) had a pile of what I recognized as graphic novels. I picked it up and opened it (much to his dismay we think, judging from the expression on his face) only to be confronted with...errm...let's just say I quickly shut it and said,

So that's why they call it a graphic novel!?!

A short discussion ensued and he ended up picking out one for me to try out. So after all this long-winding talk, this is a thank you to him for introducing me to another great reading experience. The volume I bought that day was the first part of the Fables series called Fables: Legends in Exile. I read it through the night and over the next couple of weekends, I've managed to collect a few more in the series. I'm now missing a few in between but quite firmly entrenched in the plot and engrossed in the lives of Snow, Bigby, Boy Blue, Flycatcher, Charming and the others.

And yes, fellow-bloggers who have recently been made aware of this new fascination of mine, I do read comics!! (Bloody expensive ones, may I add?) But then what else were Asterix and Tintin? These are their more recent forays into our reading.

As a part of the same drive, I also chanced on another book called De: Tales by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. Brilliant is all I can call it. You know the best kind of stories are the ones you can't figure out why you like and you have to keep going back to, to try and understand. This is one of them.

Here then to my new loves....bookstore, here I come!

Prejudice and religon

2007-09-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is ( I feel like saying yet another book) written with the background of September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

The book is a narrated by Changez to an American tourist in Pakistan, about discovering love, freedom and more in America. Changez goes on to explain how the tragedy of September 11th, eventually led back to his return to Pakistan.

The whole narrative is in the form of a conversation, wherein the responses of the tourist are expressed as interepreted by Changez. The book is gripping from the very begininning.

Changez describes his love for Erica and his frustrations on not being able to take the place of memories of her late childhood love. His job at Underwood Samson brings him much pleasure and glory.
The transition of both his love life and work place envoirnment in the aftermath of the tragedy brings about the twist in the story. The sweet paced, happy love story slowly turns into a chilling thriller.

In all its a quick read and leaves you thinking.. what each of his characters symbolize and how they tell you a new tale now (in a similar vein to Life of Pi but only in that respect).

Kabul and beyond

2007-07-05T01:09:00.000-05:00

I saw this movie recently, ok to be honest a few months back called "The Kabul Express".
The movie was really shot in Afghanistan, and for the first time I saw pictures of this country which has been a neighbour yet some far out name in my mind for so long.

The scenary is incredible, the raw beauty just overpowers every scene. Now, this was beyond my imagination, or would have been if I had not read the Kite Runner just a few days before that. The images fit the pictures painted in the book of war torn
Afghanistan after the overthrow of the Taliban regime.

Khaleed Hosseni tells a tale of a young boy and his Hazara servant boy. Its this boy's journey from before Taliban, to the aftermath of Taliban regime. The book is a page turner. The whole story is bound by the relationship of Amir and Hassan, their desire to win the Kite flying competetion.

KH blends drama and the reality of the period beuatifully. The description of Kabul that was and has become after the power struggles are written pictursquely from the eyes of Amir as a boy and Amir as the grown up man returning home after several years.

In all the book is must read. In fact, I should thank Janani for first putting up a book review for this one on her blog.

Aunts arn't Gentlemen

2007-02-22T22:27:00.000-06:00

Its hard to write a review (or whatever it is I do on this blog) about well acclaimed novelists.
I cannot tell you anything you haven't read already I suppose.

I had a phase when I read every P.G. Wodehouse I could lay my hands on. Unlike most people I beleive I prefer Blandings Castle Series to Jeeves and Wooster.

I am almost afraid to say that I had forgotten how well these books have been written. Or I have never maybe really appreciated the nuances of his writing. There is humor in every thing, the plot, every sentence, even how the sentences are structured. Be it the brave face of the butler or the description of a man in the living with a painting in hanging on his neck, its hard to immitate, or for me to explain the hilarity of the situation.

Perhaps the statement I wanted to make is that if you are fond of reading, perhaps you should pick up Aunt's Arn't Gentlemen or Pigs have Wings next time you are in a bookstore. Then we can share our marvel at the beautiful writing!

A bibliophile's guide to Mumbai

2007-01-31T09:23:00.000-06:00

Cross-posted here.
Much as I love this city, the one thing I have to admit it doesn't satisfy is my raging craving for books. Mumbai isn't a booklover's city. There aren't nearly as many people in this place that love books.

Still I can see the winds of change blowing over the Island. J.K.Rowling may not have added to fine literature but she did bring an entire generation of children back to books. And some adults as well, judging by the number of Harry Potters I've seen being toted around to bus-stops, on train journeys, coffee shops and what-nots.

Getting on the blogsphere has added considerably to my list of 'people who know books in Mumbai'. Yeah, yeah...I'm a complusive list-keeper and its been irritating me for far too long that this list was so woefully inadequate. Thanks now to the darling of narcissicistic opininated babblers like me...the blogsphere has put me in touch with several others who read.

Over these years of nosing around for good reads, I think I've developed a kind of sense as well as my favorite hunts across the city. So here's a list of the places I love because they cater to the one vice I admit to.

Landmark: Heading my list is this huuuuuggggge bookshop in the heart of Andheri West. You may wonder what a bookshop of this magnitude is doing, bang in the middle of "I'm so duuuuhhhh, but I'm beautiful, yeah" land. Oh well, they knew what they were doing alright....Landmark is getting a lot of recognition....confirmed 'townies' are have been seen slumming it down in the 'burbs' on the pretext of visiting this bookstore!!

Landmark has two things going for it: A great collection and staff that really do know books. They're friendly without being intrusive and always willing to assist, no matter how ludicrous the query. I was super-impressed to see that their categories included Humour, Classics, Science Fiction and Modern Fiction....all of which are usually clubbed together in certain other wannabe bookshops.

Oxford: I discovered this place rather late, inconveniently located as it is, at the other end of town. I haven't really been to Oxford that many times but the few times I've seen it lead me to say that this is probably the second-best place for books in the city. I won't wax eloquent on its interiors, the coffee shop and the multitudnous collection of books. Suffice to say, this is one other place that has a good collection and friendly staff that actually know their books. What more does a good bookshop need?

Strand: Ah, the original BOOKSHOP in Mumbai. Of course you've all heard of it. Now, confession time as I reveal that I've never actually set foot in the place. *Cringe cringe*. I don't know why, I've been attending their annual sales most years....but I just haven't actually been to the shop. Everyone tells me its the grandest book-place in Mumbai and I've chosen to believe them. Okay, now you can slap me for not having been there.

Nalanda: This is the bookshop in the Taj hotel lobby. Its small (well not in size but in terms of how many books they could have stuffed in there) but it has a reasonable collection. In the absence of Landmark and Oxford, this is where I used to buy my original, 'good' books.

If you are a real book-lover, you won't be averse to untidy piles of papers, books stacked haphazardly from floor to ceiling and a general musty smell. In fact if you're like me you'll probably learn to associate those sensations with hidden treasures and grow to love it. Here then are some of Mumbai's secret hideaways for a bibliophile.

The new & second-hand bookshop: The jewel of my collection of book-troves in this city, I actually have a nice little story to tell about this one. I discovered this place, entirely by mistake. One rainy, depressing afternoon, I was wandering about town, close to St.Xaviers' college. I trundled down the filthy little lane that's across the signal from the college's road (its the lane on the right of Furtado & sons, who are the place to visit if you want to pick up a musical instrument). I don't know quite why I was there and alone of all things, getting soaked in the rain but I know I was looking for a bookshop. Ahem...so I'm slightly mad sometimes....to go looking for a bookshop in a random corner of the city. But you know what...I actually found it! A few mucky steps down that road, on the left, hidden away so you almost miss it is a little doorway with a dusty magazine rack (you know the kind that swirls around and is used to stack tourist guides in hotels and airports?). When you see that, you'll be standing at the entrance to the New and Second-hand bookstore. Can I be corny and sing a line?

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave....

That's how I felt when I left the shop that day. Incidently this first visit there, I spent over 2 hours in the shop. Imagine a dusty, high-ceiling room stacked ceiling to floor with books, pillars too...except they aren't pillars, they're more stacks of books. Turn the corner and try to keep from screaming if you see a little old man at the desk. That's the person who'll make your bill and he's very nice. I usually pick up a bookmark at the shop that I buy a book in and in this place I picked two of the nondescript paper strips stamped with the shop's name. This man looked at me for a minute and then suddenly spread out a whole lot of bookmarks on the table. I've never seen bookmarks like these...there was one in leather, one with a hand-painted Krishna and several other masterpieces. I looked at him ruefully and said "They're lovely. But I've spent all my money. I'll come back next time for them, will you save them for me?" He smiled and said, "They're for you. I can recognize a book-lover when I see one and I know these will be appreciated." Yes, sir, I have. I've actually never used a single one of them, they're just too precious a gift. And a lovely memory of a stranger who reached out to a fellow booklover, even if she was a muddy-toed, vagrant-like teenager.

Granth: This is another Horizon-like shop furthur north. The first Granth was set up in a mall in Malad.....umm, I don't remember the name, cue me someone? I'll update it as soon as I find out (didn't want to hold the post till then but I have to mention it). Granth is another of those shops that delighted the suburban bibliophile in the late 90s, insofar used to making the trip to TOWN to buy books. I've been there only a few times and their collection, while compact is diverse enough to hold interest. They've expanded now and have another store in Juhu. I've been to this new place only once and while it doesn't compare with Landmark and Oxford, its definitely worth a dekko.

Horizon: Now this isn't a dusty, musty old shop, its just a tiny (and I mean REALLY tiny) nook that stores books. Horizon's charm comes from the fact that it is a book-oasis bang in the middle of a busy, bustling vegetable market and stone's throw away from the noise & bustle of the railway line.

Get off Vileparle station (Western line) and come out of on the west side. This spills you out onto a madly busy road and straight ahead, the sights and smells of the sabzi-mandi will greet you. Take a sharp turn to your left and look for a roadside magazine stall across the road (next to the corner restaurant and veggie-seller). If you have sharp eyes, you'll spot a nicely paved path leading in from next to the mag-seller. Go down there and on your left you'll spot Horizon. Step up and step into the wonderful world of book-browsing. The owners are wonderfully emphatic of penniless students and generally broke people who love books. If you like looking, they won't mind your being there...there's even a comfortable little stool for you to perch on...tiny, in keeping with the size of the place. If you know me in person, do tell the owner....some of our conversations date back 10 years.

Bookworm: Another one in the same genre as Horizon except this one is right at the start of Lokhandwala market (closest to Andheri station, Western line. Also very close to Infinity mall, Fame Ad labs and Lakshmi Industrial Estate). I don't find the owner of this place as friendly as Horizon but well, maybe he just is a quiet type and after all he and I don't go back 10 years. However, the people who run this place are well-informed about books and will be able to procure a copy of whatever you want if you don't have it. Incidently they're probably losing business to Landmark these days so they might have some good offers available. The last I heard there was a 25% off on all books....which is great, I say.

If you aren't averse to reading books that have already been thumbed through by other people, you're advised to check out the second-hand book-sellers across the city as well. Raddiwala is the local lingo for junkyard guy and some of these guys stock books that have been out of circulation for years. There's a raddiwala at almost every corner of Mumbai and you'll do well to discover your own personal recycler. Some places that I've noticed:

Irla bridge: I bet most people don't even know where Irla is. Well, Irla is the narrow stretch connecting Andheri and Vileparle west. There's a huge, smelly gutter and the road goes over it and hence....you guessed it, its called Irla bridge. Start walking down from Shoppers' Stop, crossing a Barista on the way. Just before you reach the nulla, on the same side of the road, you'll find a raddi-walla.....old newspaper bundles on the floor, back issues of Cosmopolitan, India Today, Business World and Debonair clipped neatly with clothes-clips. If you don't already know, that's the standard uniform of any second-hand bookshop. This guy has a fantastic collection that's constantly being replenished. Watch it with his attitude though. At the risk of sounding extremely bigoted, you might swing some great deals here if you speak Gujarati and end up paying more (with a few disdainful looks thrown your way) if you don't. If you're willing to live with that, check it out, his collection is good. And oh, throw an insult his way for me (I've had a few arguments with him...). Or if you speak Gujarati, please do me a return-favour for this tip and get me good bargains. :-)

Andheri station: Come out of the second most maddening railway station in Mumbai (after Dadar) and catch your breath. Cross the road and look around for the telltale stacks of books. Did I miss something? Oh yes, I didn't tell you east or west (Ain't I soooo Bambaiyya?). Hmm, that's because you'll find a bookseller on either side of the track. The one on the east is a little way to the left of the station exit and across the road, right outside the bunch of shops. The one on the west sits on the pavement of S.V.Road, next to those two corridors full of shops.

Parel/Elphinstone Road railway bridge: Are we starting to sound familiar now? Ah, yes, the Mumbail Railway network seems to be running through my post with the same frequency as it does through the city. Well, I like most true Mumbaikers (so there, townies!) spend a fair bit of time on the train line so my addas are to be found on and around it. Coming back, some people know that the Western and Central railway lines cross at Dadar station. Well, did you know that this connection continues one station furthur south? Parel station on the Central line and Elphinstone station on the Western line are the siamese twins of the Mumbai rail network, connected as they are by one narrow bridge. You can even hear the announcements for one line, on the other platform. Well, what's the significance of that bit of trivia? The fact that there's a damn good bookseller perched on that bridge up there. There're usually two of them, grown-up street kid-like with all the characteristic street-smartness and Mumbaiker warmth. They're also surprisingly well informed where books are concerned and will be able to hand you just the right books if you ask for say...a Booker winner or perhaps, a volume on hypnosis. The 'shop' is just a sheet of cloth with books laid out neatly but the collection is big enough to merit a second glance. Please note here that some of the books are reprinted copies of the more expensive publications. Okay that spells PIRACY for a lot of people, so if you have an issue with that, you've been forewarned.

Flora fountain: As a book-lover in Mumbai, it is probably vital for me to make a mention of this road close to Churchgate station. True, this used to be the Mecca for us a few years back. However with all the shops getting frequently cleared away and a lot of little 'konas' sprouting up in the other parts of the city, Flora just doesn't do it anymore. Ah...allow me to reminisce for a moment about the times when I was a penniless student and I'd spend 3 hours walking down this road and spending my hard-saved pocket money on books. I think the total I must have spent at a time on books would have been 800 bucks (top top absolute tops) but I'd go home with bulging bags of cookery books (for mum), a sci-fi (for dad), mystery, self-help, thrillers (for me) and bestsellers (for all of us). Those were the days....and somehow these days when I can walk into a brightly lit, snazzy store and snap up a load of brand-new books on my credit card....it just doesn't feel the same. Okay, end of nostalgia trip. Sniff snifff.

You will notice I haven't made any mention of a certain other well-known chain that's spread its tentacles across the city. They don't have a particularly impressive collection and if their owner actually reads all the books he recommends, then its no wonder the place is run so badly. Their staff doesn't appear to know anything about books and worse still, they're openly rude and unhelpful. It is a sheer insult to a book-lovers' intelligence to try and have a conversation with them. If I'm venomous its because I'm appalled by the lack of good service (or books) and what's more, I now have several alternatives. So chuck the yellow-and-black guys and go out and find some real book-treasure-troves!

These then are the secrets of my bibliophile self, lovingly compiled from my lifelong love affair with books. I'll be delighted to hear from you, if you have anything to add to these. The post will be updated with due credit to the tip-giver. Happy book-browsing!

Courtroom drama

2006-10-05T17:01:00.000-05:00

I suppose a lot of people must have read John Grisham at some point or the other or definitely see some of them in movie format. Its all about courts, juries, lawyers and of course the criminals.

At one point I was a huge fan of his books, I grew out of them or so I believed. For a long time I had this thick book called " Rainmaker" lying around. Eventually got around to reading it and I loved it..in fact, I liked it much better than any of his books.

The human element in the book is very strong. Sure, eventually the hero is always a rookie lawyer against a huge corporation trying to fight for the rights of his client. The good thing about the book is he could be any normal person who is good at his job. Someone with a conscience, eventually having to make a choice..of what is right and the wrong. (The movie by the same name doesn't quite dwell on that.) The other characters in the storyline are well sketched and they all have their shades of black and white.

What was so different about this book was its ending, Somehow it just fitted with the underlying tone of the book. Regardless of whether you are John Grisham fan or not this is a must read!

A Friendly Post

2006-09-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a review of Michael Crichtons book, by a friendly blogger or should I say a blogger friend? or even a friend who blogs?
Anyway..Check it out!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2006-08-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

Who says science fiction has to be serious? Here's a book that keeps you in splits all through. It amuses, it amazes...no wonder the 'Guide' has a cult-following of its own! Welcome to 'The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy", a book that you should never leave home without....after all you may return, to find home as you know it, has been demolished as a result of a bureaucratic error.

Imagine this: A story that starts with the Earth getting blown up to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Think of a set of characters that literally and figuratively are from another planet(s) altogether. And the dialogues and wickedly hilarious descriptions...there is a group out there on the internet that discusses their favorite lines from this series. Some of my favorites:

Zaphod Beeblebrox (President of the galaxy) described by the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon VI as "The best bang since the big one"! This is a book that describes home as we know it as "an insignificant blue-green planet found in the far outer regions of the galaxy, whose inhabitants are so primitive that they still think that digital watches are amazing." So hold onto to your towel, grab a Pan-galactic gargle blaster (which when drunk feels like having your skull smashed by a gold brick with a lemon wrapped around it) and hitch a ride on this crazy series.

Oh yes, it is a series. The first four books (The Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy + The Restaurant at the end of the universe + Life, the Universe and everything + So long and thanks for all the fish) is available together as "A trilogy in four parts". The fifth book, called "Mostly Harmless" was published a few years ago. Personally I think the first two are absolute collecters' items. The rest of them you'll anyway end up reading as a Guide fan.

From suicide to growing up...

2006-07-28T15:27:00.000-05:00

...Nick Hornby write about it all :) I have to admit, this writer has found a fan in me. As of now I
have read (almost) three of his books ( he only has written four) and i definitely liked two of them, and thought the third one was ok.

I reviewed one before. Inspite of my mixed opinions on that one, I checked out " The Long way down".
Its a tale of four people who meet on the roof of "Toppers House " on New Year's Eve. Maureen,Jess, Martin and JJ have all decided to end their lives at that particular moment, for various reasons.
Its not a miraculous story of how they find love and will to live. In fact, at the end of three months they are not really all that much better into sorting their lifes out. Like Jess says if you expect two of them to fall in love at the end of the story, then you should know its not that kind of a story!

Its actually a very straight forward tale of the screwed up lives of these four people. Their common bond being that they all wanted to end their lives. And in their own strange ways they are helping each other out. How they do this is for you to find out, by reading the book.

The book is in first person, so its each of them relating their story in pieces. In some ways its like an interview, of a band as JJ might put it.

The other book is About a Boy. I had seen this movie and liked it. And of course the book is even better. Quite honestly I am about two thirds into the book but I just had to say out loud that this is fun. The book is the tale of a thirty something Will and a 11 only Marcus. Will has never worked in his life and never filled in the shoes of responsible adult. Which makes him the person Marcus can speak to. Since Will knows all about "Kirk O Bane" (as Marcus will tell you) and fashion. The book then is about a boy, two of them really. There is a thin layer of humor all througout making it into a tough one to put down.

Maximum city

2006-07-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

First, let me introduce myself. I was invited by the great Ligne to this blog. I have been blogging on the fringes of blogspot for more than 2 years. Mostly for self amusement and venting. I like to read and once in a while like to talk about what I read. So, let me start off by linking to a review of Maximum city by Suketu Mehta on my other blog. This review was written last year, much before the tragedy that struck on the Tuesday of this week. Still, I wish to dedicate this first post to the city I love the most and its people.

Trial and Error

2006-07-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

I know this blog was supposed to be mostly about books which I had a positive reaction to. But I felt this urge to write about a few books I read recently.

"The adventures of the salsa goddess" by Jonas Hornak is about the difficult task of a successful 40 something single woman getting married. Its funny in parts and may be a good travel companion. I guess its on the lines of Sex in the City or Bridget Jones Diary. If you want a book to read on the bus, there you have it!

"Mail" by Mamewe Medwed is about a woman with a crush on her mailman. She is a Harvard graduate and he has never been to college. Its a simple tale of class issues. The lure for me was I was living in Boston (Somerville actually) at that time and it had a very girl next door feel to it. The conincidence was there is character called Jack Barnes in it.
And I happened to be reading Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also rises at that point.

Which brings me to Hemingway. I have to admit, I have no idea what the book was about. I dont meant I dont understand his English but I have no idea what he was trying to say. The main character in " Mail" mentions something about Jack Barnes having a war wound. I seem to have missed that fact while reading the book. Lady Brett is hardly your everyday heroine. It was not clear to me why she cannot be with Jack! If you guys have read it,then please I would love some feedback on this book.

Moral Blues

2006-07-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

I know this blog was supposed to be a venue for to talk about books we like. But I have to talk about this book " How to be good " by Nick Hornby because I need to know if anyone has read it.

I have tried convincing my friends to read it so I could talk to them about it. But I have a feeling it may not work as well. The title does give an impression of a self-help book. In fact, its a lesson on what such a self-help book might do!

The book is perhaps about a dysfunctional family. Really it could be any normal couple. A couple who over the years have forgotten why they got married in the first place and are bound together by their children. A family where the woman is the bread earner and is supporting her husband's not so rewarding career as a writer.

What do you do if the man, you have slowly starting to resent, because of his rants on the world, this anger towards everything good and bad suddenly turns over a new leaf? What if he is suddenly the epitome of all the goodness in the world. Wants to set the whole world right.
What if all this goodness becomes so disgusting and irrational that you want your angry unhappy husband back? What if you are failing at every role you are playing at the same..the role of a doctor, the wife, the children and you are not winning any moral points?

What is morality really? Is being good natured moral? Can we even really stand people who are always good natured and happy and smiling. Who talk about giving awya their wealth to the poor? About making friends with all those people they have been bad to?
Are we moral only to please ourselves? To score some points to balance the "bad"things we do?

I have to tell you that this book was hard to read..because it was so plainly normal and realistic that it was put off :(

But it still did make me think and ponder. So isnt that what a good book is about? The one that makes you question? Of course with all the goodness in the book..you might start wondering about that question too!

PS: So if you have read it..lemme know what you thought of it!

A small part of Africa

2006-06-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world of Mma Ramotswe and J B Matakoni. Mma Ramotswe is the first lady detective and for some time has been running the only detective agence in Gaborone.
J B Matakoni a car mechanic and has a better understanding of engines than people.
In fact, he is a man truly in love with car engines and the working of the beautiful machinary. He claims that how a man (or a woman ) treats there car tells a lot about their personality.

Mma Ramotswe is ably assisted by Mma Matuski who had the honour of graduating from her Secretarial college with 97%. The agency helps woman find their missing husbands, famil ies trace their missing children, businesmen from decieving employees, fathers from being to restrictive on their children. Any problem you might have, you can come to No. 1 Ladies Detective agency and expect a warm welcome and cup of bush tea!

Alexander McCall has written heart warming and truly enjoyable pieces of fiction. Stop by your nearest bookstore/library to check out these tiny books of fun and wisdom..all in the old Botswana way!

The Little Prince

2006-05-05T07:37:00.000-05:00

Do you know someone who doesn't like books? Don't we all? I like to think that such people just haven't met the right books as yet. And, oh, what a pleasure it is to introduce someone to the wonder of reading!

In all these years of reading, there is one book I can is 'right' for anybody, any age, any place at any time of their life. Some of us studied the first chapter of this book in school and may remember it. If you liked it then, don't waste a minute...it is every bit as promising as it sounded then! And if it didn't touch you...well, you just have to read the entire book to know what I mean. The Little Prince is one of those experiences.

The Little Prince - Antonie St.Exupery

Not that it will take any time. The Little Prince is a slim volume that an average reader can finish in a couple of hours at the very most. Set in an indeterminate time frame, this is a simple story of a man who meets an extraordinary little boy who is a prince on his very own tiny planet. Some of the conversations are hilarious, some of them soul-searching. At a glance it would seem to be a children's storybook but don't be fooled by the simplistic language. There is a wealth of meaning in the anecdotes of pet volcanoes, monster trees and sunsets. The Little Prince comes across as a precocious kid with an infuriating curiosity and black-and-white logic that only someone very young possesses. However he recounts his adventures with a semi-detached, childish glee. You'll have to be made of rock to not be moved by the ending. It is a short, sweet, complete story.

I found the ebook here but I'd still suggest buying the book. It isn't expensive and it is definitely a collector's item.

Siddhartha

2006-04-27T16:41:00.000-05:00

"He was aware of a great happiness mounting within him.

Where does it come from, he asked himself? What is the reason for this feeling of happiness? Does it arise from my good long sleep which has done me so good? Or from the word Om which I pronounced? Or because I have run away, because my flight is accomplished, because I am at last free again and stand like a child beneath the sky?"

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a brilliant classic about the search for wisdom by a young Brahmin boy who lived during the time of the great Buddha. After running away from his home, he wants to become an ascetic but is unsatisfied with mere thinking, meditation and the expiation of material weath. The rest of the book is the story of his journey to search for the missing element that would make him at peace with himself.

The utter passion in which the book is soaked is a great inspiration. I turn to this book in times of despair or boredom. When confusion runs rampant, Siddhartha speaks through words with clarity, whispers wisdom that is always relevant to any predicament.

Sometimes, all that a man needs to feel happy and content is to sit with the best of his friends or with his loving parents - without speaking a word, without wishing to move, strong, quiet and absolutely certain. Most of my moments of great pleasure were times when silence seems to permeate the room (or the phone line), when you know the thoughts of the other person, and when you love them utterly without needing to speak a word, when you do not want to walk away from the moment but etch that memory in your volatile mind to preserve it, to treasure it and recollect it, long past the day when you have last spoken to each other. And reading this book offers a sense of contentment, hope and love that is just like that. An absolutely superlative book, this one.

Dear Readers,

This would be the last review I write on this blog for a while. The reasons are aplenty, but inconsequential and hence, I shall not bore you with them. I was invited to this blog by ligne after she created it in mid-2005. Ligne being my friend and neighbor from the past, at champaign. Perhaps, we shared a common love for reading. Perhaps, she just needed some company to write. After the initial tussle over the background color on the page (I hated the color; She loved it), I had to overcome my laziness and the thesis writing hassle to post my first review. And what a joy it was!

Despite the fact that our tastes were very different and sometimes, we bickered over whose taste was better (of course, mine always is :)), this blog has flourished thanks to readers like you, who have taken the time to read our opinions, and in some cases, search for the books and read them too! Your comments and opinions will be acutely missed by yours truly.

Much love,
Bala

Search in secret India

2006-04-26T22:32:00.000-05:00

I suppose everyone goes through a phase in life when they wonder what they are doing on this planet. It happens when your basic needs have been met, when you start integrating yourself into the world and watching people both better and worse than your current state. When these differences cannot be deciphered using a logical thought process, and you start attempting an explanation of these inequities without according a random status to them.

At this point, people either profess complete faith in a supernatural power and abandon any further quests once and for all, or begin to look for knowledge by rummaging through the experiences of other people.

I had my share about three years ago. With wonderful company provided by unrelenting solitude and a couple of unfailing and faithful friends - each a thousand miles away - to help refine my thoughts, I started reading books on spirituality. I read the Gita and understood clarity from the profusion of generality, I read Ayn Rand and the wretched pain of understanding extremes made me feel sick (twice while reading Fountainhead. Never finished it... Atlas Shrugged was a no problem.), I read the teachings of a Buddhist monk, C. T. Shen, and never felt completely satisfied - it was too complex and too diffuse, I read Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha and felt a wave of happiness, I read Vivekananda and Ramakrishna, and Ramana and felt likewise - but the questions still persisted, like faithful saints on a singular path of meditation. I never read Nietzsche or any of the other great western philosophers, although I did try reading Descartes and gave up in utter peril - it was mind blowingly complicated or atleast, my mind was not mature enough to appreciate what he wrote.

It was then that I realized the possibility that no single system might have all the answers to the myriad number of questions that flow in a never-ending fountain within a contemplative mind. Further, each of these systems is the distilled version of the experiences of many people over a thousand years. How could I possibly understand the systems without going through the experiences first?! So, I began to read about the experiences of people who have bravely and with great love, undertaken this journey towards the understanding of themselves and the world around them (The purists amongst you would point out that there is no dichotomy between a self and the world around the self. Now, that, dear reader, is opening up a whole new debate in itself!)

I thought, perhaps their experiences would tell me the truth as it is. Is there God? Is it possible to stay in a state of eternal bliss? Is magic real? Are Yogis and Sidhdhars real? What would a saint do? What does he seek? Is he ever successful or are the stories we hear, merely made up stories? What is the purpose of my life? Is Karma merely a concept that makes people believe that their life is not wasteful or is Karma a true concept? Why is pain an uncertain feeling - a feeling that we do not wish to keep? Is the "I" in me even justified in feeling pain or is it simply an illusion ("maya" as they like to call it) that should be abandoned? These are some of the questions I sought to answer. I took on the stance of an open-skeptic and "guilty until proven otherwise" was the sieve I would use to pick the wheat from the chaff.

Basically, I was armed with two books. Both written by westerners - a brit and an american. One was a seeker since his early days and remained one until his death, while the other became a seeker in his mid-thirties, was a fine reporter and did a wonderful job of collecting fringe experiences in America that straddle eastern and western belief systems. The first book was titled "Search in secret India" and was authored by Paul Brunton. The second, "What really matters" was written by Tony Schwartz. I loved both these books. Now, I will tell you a bit about the first and you can tell me about the second whenever you get around to reading it. :)

Search for secret India is a book written by a Brit explorer about his experiences during his stay in India in the late 19th century. Attracted by the fables and the mysticism that drifted from this fascinating land, he arrives in India by ship, stays for an extended duration and seeks out holy men and has many experiences with them. His experiences are wonderful as is his style of writing. Amongst others, he meets Hindu holy men in the presence of whom he feels an extraordinary sense of contentment, a Muslim holy woman who talks about his future accurately, saints in the himalayas that can brave the cold without a problem, and a yogi who can stop his heart at will, stay without a pulse for a few minutes and restart his heart slowly, as if it is merely a machine under his command! It made a wonderful read three years ago and instilled in me a great deal of respect for India and the Indian way of thinking. While I could rave about the book and give you more snippets, perhaps its better to not say anything, for the journey is even better when the suspense is kept till the end! Happy reading!

Phantoms in the Brain

2006-04-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

The standard operating procedure in the field of medicine is to study the average: what medicine helps the most number of people? How should a surgery be performed to help the greatest number survive? What diseases should be cured to save the largest number of people?

But, Vilayanur Ramachandran points out (correctly) that very interesting insights can be obtained into the operation of a human mind by studying, not the ordinary and the average, but the extra-ordinary. In the field of psychology, this is not new. Afterall, kids and grown-ups do get attracted to wierdos!

His contributions arise from his scientific investigations of how our thoughts and our hormones are connected. It is not quite drab as I make it sound, as VR takes us on a fascinating and often brilliant journey to understand the origins of phantom limbs, laughing disorders and even the origin of the concept of a "God" through the interactions between the various glands embedded deep inside our brains. Infact, you could read the book, Phantoms in the Brain, simply for his superlative explanation of how each person's devotion to God could infact be the result of various hormones working in tandem with each other rather than any social conditioning (of course, the social conditioning might feedback on the glands that produce these hormones too.)

If you are the kinds that is curious about the hows and whys of how humans think, the mechanisms of our own perception, have spent hours analyzing and are proud of this strange habit of enjoying your own thought process, then, this book will provide enough raw materials for a few more days of happy thinking. Highly recommended and cleverly written!

Travels

2006-04-19T02:53:00.000-05:00

I bet there are many fans of Michael Crichton amongst you readers -- you are charmed by his style of story telling, his genius to weave scientific facts with a fictitious storyline and perhaps, by his charming looks. But do you know that he was a doctor and gave up his profession so that he could write full time?! Or that he never got any writing offers for a long time, lived in hollywood with pimps and drug addicts for a while before he made it?!

As for me, I get excited by his many remarkable qualities: his infinite curiosity, his patience, openness to new ideas and new adventures, and his perseverance to seek rational solutions under seemingly irrational circumstances.

His book - Travels - chronicles his adventures thus far. He talks about diving with sharks and being swept away by a rushing tide, about his experience with psychics in london in a club that counted amongst its members the good ol' Arthur Conan Doyle, then talks about his trips to the mountains in the karakorams, his movie making episodes in Ireland and Britain, amonst a dozen other real-life exploratory trips. I was piqued by the descriptions of his experiences with reiki, talking with cacti and some other fringe experiences. It is fascinating when an otherwise scientific person tells you that he could infact see yellow and pink lines emanating out of another person's body!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves such stories and also to people that are curious about psychics, extra-sensory perceptionists, mind-readers and phenomena like Reiki. Fabulously entertaining and if you are looking to add some spice into your otherwise dull existence, this is the book to read next!

Quit India Movement

2006-04-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

There are several Indian authors who have made it big. Some who are really NRIs..others who are not native Indians but write about India a lot.

I really haven't tried reading too many. But I came across this book by RK Narayan at a second hand book store here. The " Waiting for the Mahatma" was a wonderful read.
The style of writing is plain and to the point. In fact, the simplistic nature of the book made is very enjoyable for me.

Waiting for the Mahatma is one man's journey influenced by the changes happening around him. Caught willingly/unwillingly into the flow of the movement of freedom struggle. Perhaps the motives and even actions are questionable. But the situation is all very real. In a way the book is a by-standers account of the freedom struggle. And in a way its nothing to with love for the nation, but love for a woman and the influence of a leader.

The end was kind of disappointing for me. Possibly because it was not hard to anticipate. But regardless of that, the book makes a good read. I have read excerpts from several of RK Narayan's novels I liked this one the best. Other than Swami and his friends. The intention though is to eventually find and read rest of his book :)

PS-title is just to reflect the period of the book.

Illusions: The adventures of a reluctant Messiah

2006-04-15T11:20:00.000-05:00

I read this book when I was 17 and it changed my life. I know a book should never replace your thinking but there are some statements that you hear once and everything you ever thought is
transformed forever. This book is full of statements like that.

At a story level, this is about the writer's encounter with a modern-day spiritual guru, a Buddha or Christ dropping into the twentieth century in a sparkling new biplane. Yes, Bach is an aviator first and a writer second, so be prepared for long descriptions and titbits about flying and aircrafts. The metaphors work well though. The verbal bantering between the two of them is light enough to make the book an interesting read and profound enough to give you something to think about every time you read it.

Oddly enough this isn't his most popular book. Johnathon Livingston Seagull (also a fantastic book) is perhaps better-loved and more widely read. This could be because the ideas that Bach propounds are set in a more fantasy setting which makes it seem like you are reading a semi-fairytale. Illusions, on the other hand gives you a something chilling, sometimes ecstatic feeling when you read and wonder...could this be true?

Illusions is full of quotable quotes. My favorite one is

The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy.
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.

For a curiosity factor, this is also probably the only book ever, to end with a comma. Possibly the best thing about this book is that it talks about deep ideas, about life, love, the world, frienship and all such things we all ponder about. And it does it in a light-hearted, 'enjoy yourself while at it' kind of way. Read the book, you're really missing something if you haven't.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

2006-04-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

I found this book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, in the New York Times Bestseller list and browsed through the first few pages in amazon. It sure caught my fascination... So I drive to the library and borrow it, to read over a weekend.

The book was on 18 other bestseller lists too including Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Washinton Post. You would think that as an impressive achievement but I beg to differ.

The book is about USA's hegemony over other nations by using economic tools. The loans that US extends to developing nations (for example Indonesia) through world bank, USAID and other such organizations are marketed by arguing that their long-term benefits far outweigh the interests paid by these nations. The prick is in the calculation of the long-term benefits for these countries, which is where economic hitmen (they are basically consultants) come into the picture. By cleverly manipulating numbers, extending unrefusable benefits to the ruling families and more such insidous means, they force the acceptance of their loan terms and guarantees. Inevitably, those numbers are wrong or hide sinister details about the final cost-benefit analysis. Thus, the countries default on the loans 10-15 years after they receive them. Once defaulted, the country is held hostage by the US for UN votes and are forced to serve as pawns in their foreign policies.

We all knew this at one-level or another. It is the reconformation provided in the form of a first person account that makes this book interesting. It actually makes a not-so-bad read but I had problems with the fact that the author confuses his emotions with cold logic. He would suddenly write about how he cried about all the non-sense that goes on in the world one day and the very next page, he would proudly describe how he conned some royal family into accepting a multi-billion dollar loan for the "benefit of their country". This is ok, except for the fact that it diverts attention from the message he is trying to convey and becomes a pathetic attempt to justify what he has done all his life.

He also tries hard to portray himself as a nice guy who is tormented by thoughts of right and wrong, but when he had the opportunity to quit, he did not and continued to be an economic hit man for another 2-3 decades. This hypocrisy makes the book very annoying to read at times.

The very many contradictions (probably the result of editors modifying his book to make it more juicy) and the confusion of facts with emotions make this book painful at times. But mostly, it is a stunning exposition of how a degenerate capitalistic economy is ruining this world. And this analysis of a fundamental system we swear by everyday is what makes this book worth reading. The realization that the votes I cast are not what run this world, but its the oil that I pump into my car that does it (through the tedious machine of corporatocracy), is alone worth sitting through some painful lectures. If you are not well aware of politics (like me), you would be surprised about how much of South American politics is influenced by the US. And then, you would start understanding the dirty details in the recent skirmishes between Hugo Chavez and some oil companies in Venezuela. And this wisdom alone makes this book a worthy but painful read (in more than one way).

Mixed Feelings

2006-03-27T21:19:00.001-06:00

Finally I collect my thoughts and decide to write about Life of Pi. I have been thinking about the book for as long as I took to read it.

The book really has three parts, all three can be read seperately perhaps. The begining is interesting in itself. The concept of child's facination with religions is new (and maybe unique). I loved that bit.

The second part is his journey across the Atlantic in the boat with animals. Engaging, but I got grossed out several times. That I kept coming back to the book all the same bodes well. Yann Martel takes great care in describing his characters, and everything that happens in the book.

The last part is what has made me dread writing this :( The book needed an explaination, and the end provides you with the same. But I didn't think what it might be, and I was to say shocked.
Shocked, for the book is too real and scary when one looks back at it.

Its a tale of a man's persevarance, and a tale of survival. How a man can go to extremes in order to stay alive.

In all, I think the book was enticing and disgusting at the same time. If you ask me, I will tell you to read it but with caution. Perhaps I am reading too much into it..
and yet its so well written that its hard to ignore the mute points.

Chiller!

2006-01-27T19:20:00.000-06:00

I should have written this post long ago. If we are talking about fiction, this is by far the best thriller I have ever read. Its not just the penmanship of Daphne Du Maurier, its the plot of Rebecca which is awesome.

I can rave and rave more about this book. It was made into a movie by one of the great directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. And the movie is just icing off the storyline.

Rebecca is a about a ghost, a ghost which lives through the memories of everyone she knew as a living person. The narration is all in first person, which makes it wonderful setting for the story. A lonely young women, marries a very silent and mysterious Maxim de Winter, in hope of a better life. The young bride is confronted by his past, his dead wife Rebecca. No matter how hard she tries, it seems difficult to outshine the beautiful and smart Rebbeca.

How she confronts the ghost of Rebecca and stumbles upon a sinster secret is for you to find out yourself. The climax is written very well and you will not stop reading once you get halfway through the book.

This is by far the best one Daphne Du Maurier has written. Several other authors have tried to immitate the storyline I believe. There is also a hindi movie based on the book Kohra starring Biswajeet. Anyway, enjoy the chilling tale.. !

Real scare!!

2006-01-16T00:01:00.000-06:00

In 1984, I had been in primary school for a year now. World was at the very least amazing :) 20 years later I read George Orwell's book 1984 and my world spuns around. Of course the book is in anticipation of 1984 ( result of cold war). What scares me most about this book is that its not so impossible to come true.

It all started with my friend sending me ebook versions of George Orwell's books. First was Animal Farm. The second was 1984 and the third I forget. Now my friend is reading this then I should tell him, that it was slightly disappointing for a birthday present :) Reading books online is not fun at all. So I took a print out of Animal farm which was the shortest one. Read it on my flight to India. It made a good read. I vaguely remember it as being disillusioning.
It turned out that this book 1984 turned up at my aunt's place (who lives very close to our place) right then. Just for fun I have to tell you that books keep disappearing and reappearing at my and my aunt's place periodically. This is what ensues when you have several relatives and no on eot keep track of the books being borrowed :)
Anyway, before I go on I have to thank my friend for making me aware of George Orwell. THe name being familiar I took the book home (thus becoming a part of the relatives who borrow books without letting anyone know :) ).

The book itself is everything disturbing. I fail to remember if the ending was positive or not. But the thought that the government can control my thoughts is scary. Somehow I think they already manage to swing the majority thought process one way or the other. And do have a great influence on the public opinion. But to think that someone could monitor exactly what I am writing and thinking is worse than a horror movie.

I imagine supposed great men/women mislead by the belief that their opinions are sacred and the only way to control the bad in the world is by uniform rule. By making sure that nobody can think bad thoughts. Of course the word bad by itself can stand for different things.

So if you want a real life horror, go ahead read this book. I am not much of a brave soul. I refuse to watch scary movies, complaint of nightmares. George Orwell puts it down subtly. It takes a while for the reality of the book to sink in. You will have to read it to believe it!

Diary??

2006-01-07T01:46:00.000-06:00

I wasn't planning to write a post based on these books. I didn't think I could sell Bridget Jones Diary and sequel Edge of Reason to anyone.

First of all, my apologies to anyone who has seen the movie and have been put off by the dumb show. For what it is worth I liked the movie because of Mark Darcy (alias Colin Firth). But if I think about it seriously, the movie is exactly what would happen if somebody read your diary and took pieces out of it and displayed it to the whole world. The heroine comes out looking extremely stupid and silly, and very lucky indeed that this good guy is in love with her!

True, when I read the first book, my opinion of who Bridget Jones stands for didn't improve by too much. Shes extremely silly and self centered in a way. You don't get into the grove till you get to the sequel, partly cause it takes that long for the characters to take shape. BJD and EOR are the story of single people, who have spent best of their lives analysing and over analyising their relationships to the point of no return. They have scrutinised, qualified and stamped every possible reaction as being of a certain type!

Mark Darcy, a newly widowed man falling in love with Bridget Jones is something which happens only in novels. Bridget Jones inspite of deficiencies is a true friend, loyal and helpful. And amazingly has a very childish way of looking at the world inspite of the self-help books. BJ claims that self-help books are a religon. Perhaps they are, I have never read any. But its interesting as MD analyses her, completely surrounded with her single friends who demand attention, and dissecting all her relationships leaving him no space.

I recommend it solely to get a taste of a singleton's life, exaggerated perhaps, but still a witty look. Who knows what lessons of life maybe in store for you :)

The Great Train Robbery

2005-12-31T20:09:00.000-06:00

"In 1854, Alfred Noble was just beginning his career ; the Swedish chemist would not discover dynamite for another decade... Thus, in the nineteenth century, any decently constructed metal safe represented a genuine barrier to theft".
-Michael Crichton, The Great Train Robbery.

It was also the time when the grandparents of orville and wilbur wright were still sucking their thumbs, draped in their victorian clothes, wondering about their next delicious dose of gripewater. Jackhammers and cranes were yet to invented, electronics was slowly beginning to show a flicker of hope, and electronic commerce was confined to dismal works of science fiction.

In the absence of any better means of transportation and transaction, money was physically moved from one place to another in heavy safes inside steam engined trains. It was impossible to move them from their steel safes, let alone dreaming of a steal from moving trains. It was also impossible to pick the safe's perfect locks, cut them open or break the doors. Thus, it was considered safe enough to transport millions of pounds in large, heavy safes from London to Europe to feed the British troops in the Crimean war. All that was required was to protect the safes from being opened enroute, and the smart bankers accomplished this by building perfect locks with multiple keys (stored in multiple locations). Every good locksmith was, thus, denied the simple pleasures of his profession.

The only way of robbing the money was to locate all of the keys, make discrete copies and do the snatch as the train moved. This is easier said than done, especially when the keys hang around the necks of the bank managers, who would rather have your throat than part with their money.

A robbery following this elaborate tactic of stealing the keys is precisely what Mr. Edward Pierce along with his accomplices managed to do in 1855. It stunned the English who had assumed all along that their stash was impenetrable. Railways fell from the high pedestal it was on. It was the first such meticulously planned robbery - a trail blazer. The nature of the job was so upscale that the robbery elicits a sense of incredulous admiration, even today.

The logical nature of this complex and brilliantly executed plan makes a compelling read. Crichton has put together the entire book from court records of this case and the confessions of the captured thieves. Thus, the story is based on true events. After reading this book, you will know more about the English society than the Brits and understand progress in a way you never thought you could. But the best part is, despite the flux of information, Crichton manages to keep it exciting throughout. To cut a long story short, it is an excellent book, especially since it sates the inherent curiosity in every one of us, to plunge into the depths of a criminal mind.

Curious Minds

2005-11-23T23:47:00.000-06:00

This little feller was in class VI when the story starts - tempestuous, enthusiastic, curious, a devil for his mom to deal with.

That sweaty afternoon, he was perched on the storage shelf (paranai) of his room, suspended near the roof, with a less-than-minimum-length shorts and an undershirt (banian) covered with sand from the recent game of push-me-off-the-mound, hair riddled with cobwebs and eyes eagerly searching for ancestorial treasures from the past, banished to the dark confines of the paranai by the wise-women in his household. The war with the annoyingly hyperactive silverfish was finally won as he dug out a tattered biographic compilation of Edison, Bell, Morse and a long list of other brilliant inventors. The pages were brown and about to break apart but the book itself begged to be devoured on sight. Compliance was prompt. The next year, he built a fountain for his garden, a model crane to remove iron filings from sand (Mittal, beware!) and a model winch to carry his workers to the mines...

I still remember this book 15 years later. It was uttely fascinating then, as it is now, and inspired me on a geeky path of wanting to peer into the unknown. "Curious minds", a similar book, is a collection of short autobiographical essays by various scientists (including David Buss, Robert Sapolsky, Murray Gell-Mann, Freeman Dyson and V. S. Ramachandran) - physists, sociologists, primatologists and neuroscientists among others. Each of them writes about childhood influences that prodded them on the path they have followed since. Most of them are colorful, some raunchy, some very honest and modest but all of them wonderfully inspiring. Ultimately, it is clear that providing the right and stimulating atmosphere for children (without demanding excessive performance or placing unreasonable burdens upon them) is essential to nurture their curiosity. A good environment fosters creativity and ultimately, the kids end up being happy. This is all simple and almost trivial but it is surprising, how few people figure it out and put it into practice. Prime examples being countries like Korea, India, and China, where little kids spent most of their time awake, thrust upon anvils and hammered with science, mathematics and arts into their asphyxiated and unresponsive brains. Perhaps, we are merely creating large, living, moving RAM assemblies instead of developing humans. And most certainly, it is not making anyone happier... Read this book and you will change your mind about pushing your kids into such brutal and destructive paths.

In summary, Curious minds is a perfectly good book that will brighten your days. But works only if you happen to be curious.

Drama in Real Life?

2005-11-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

Arthur Hailey was one of the first of big ( big here probably just stands for well known) authors that I started reading. And as was my habit then, I read a whole lot of Arthur Hailey books, till I got Overloaded literallly and otherwise. Other than that one book which I hated, I would recommend all his books.

I suppose Airport, Hotel are pretty well known books. The amusing thing is that even though there are so many things happening to so many different people at the same time, which often sounds far fetched or dramatic. For instance, very recently Bombay Airport had a situation similar to the airport manager (?) in Aiport. One of the planes wandered off the runway and got stuck with its tail or some part sticking out into the runway, making the runway unusable. And thus begins Arthur Hailey's Airport! Its possible the Bombay Airport incident didn't ensue more drama from the book. But it does put these books more into "maybe some of this can happen to " zone :)

His books are definetly fast paced in terms of things happening and interesting with much drama. Of course too keep all the characters straight its good not to leave the book alone for too long.

Some small incidents kind of stay in my memory. There was this (one of several) story lines in Strong Medicine (?) about a young girl and guy romance. Its all very happy, they want to get married until the girl looses her legs (either due to an accident or some illness, I forget!). The young man very much in love with her, wants to go ahead with the marraige just as planned. The girl on the other hand is worried that he doesn't really understand what it might mean to live with a physically handicapped wife. So she tells him, that he should take a week away from her; imagine what his future with her would be like and whether he really wants to do this.

So, the young man goes home, imagines all sorts of difficulties ahead. Whereas the girl over the week things about how much this guy is in love with her and that she is being silly with pushing her away. You can imagine the irony when he comes back to see her to tell her that she is right, he cannot handle it!

For weeks after reading this I wondered if its possible that they really would have managed alright if the guy hadn't gone home and imagined his future away? After all our imagination can go places where real life rarely does! So was she stupid to have done that? Did they loose what was going to be a perfectly nice happy twosome?

Guess, it doesn't matter it is just a story after all. But, one wonders how far is drama from reality after all?

Life from a Child's Perspective : Part II

2005-11-15T21:03:00.000-06:00

The whole process of a child transforming into adulthood is strange. The way I see it it make a black and white picture coloured. And suddenly everything becomes more complicated.
We spend our childhood thinking how smart we will be when we get older. Dream about the things we will be able to do when we grow up without ever realizing what the future really holds in store for us.
The Pact is one of the many stories where an 8 year old boy narrates the story. Its a simple tale of a family going to through rough times. The advantage of narrating it from a child's point of view is that the story is straightforward and simple. Possibly a reason why so many authors (well not really that many!) choose this style.
The story revolves around Mike and his newly acquired very shy friend who has recently moved into the neighbourhood. The problems adults are going to through is very subtle yet not lacking in impact.
Its amazing that one forgets what a big responsibility bringing up a child is. And what an effect a parent who has lost his self confidence and taken to drinking can have on a child!
The book is a about friendship, a much confusing life that adults lead and the turmoil that they throw they unsuspecting children into. Its funny, heartwarming at times and tragic at others. In all its a page turner.
Its written as a part of Minnesota Voices Project by Walter J Roers .

I came across the book at the public library quite accidently. I should warn you that it is bound to touch your heart and give rise to disturbing questions of the ever fading line between the right and the wrong!

In Praise of Slowness

2005-11-12T17:52:00.000-06:00

My paternal family carries the choicest of genes - but not the ones marked for laziness. But it seems to be dormant in me or so I claim: Grandma cooks an entire meal in one hour even before the roosters wake up to announce dawn, Father finishes up his office work before noon and lazes around during the rest of the day. When questioned, he claims to "think" and Sister tries to outrun him by walking way ahead of her rather smart class. Their task completed and nothing else to do, I get mocked for being "slow". I used to vigorously argue and tried hard to espouse the virtues of slowness. It all turned out to be unintentionally comic but now I have an international bestseller to back me up in the war against these fast people! And oddly enough, I discovered this book as I was rapidly advancing towards my concourse in O'hare to catch a flight back to Champaign...

Carl Honore's book "In Praise of Slowness" explores the cult of speed that produces mindless machines out of humans: racing all the time to cram more into life than they were designed to handle. The book argues that Fast food, fast trains, fast healing, fast track careers and even quickies have taken the pleasure out of the activity and placed the focus on completion. Instead of rejuvenating the mind, the activities of seeking food, work and sex work in reverse and produce a strain. We dread to cook and eat, dread to 'travel to work' when we should, in a happy world, enjoy each of these activities. Arguing for slowing down, he cites numerous examples of situations where slow and not speed has produced benefitting results and therein lies the crux of this work.

A good book to read with many interesting sections, like the ones on Medicine: Doctors and Patience and Children: Raising an unhurried child. Interestingly, some villages and small towns in Italy have adopted this policy of not working for more than 6 hours a day. While the efficacy of this mode is very debatable in the context of global competition, it is still worthy to remember that people wish to spend their time in the company of friends and lovers instead of staring at a computer monitor for the better part of their waking lives, in an attempt to reach the unrealistic expectations of a greedy society. There is also a chapter devoted to sex titled, "Sex: a lover with a slow hand" that a miniscule population of the readership might be interested in. Should I mention that I had absolutely no interest whatsover in this chapter, although some of the thoughts expressed sounded sensible.

I read this book a couple of months back and started writing this piece soon after. Needless to say, in finishing it prompty, I have taken the author's advice to heart!

Tales from Indian Epics

2005-11-03T10:54:00.000-06:00

At a time when folk music wafted slowly across the fertile plains of India, when birds and bees sucked delicious nectar from the rainbow of flowers on the shores of gigantic rivers, when men and women had plenty of food and clothes, when treasures of pearls, sapphire, and gold were found in abundance, when just and strong kings ruled over people with kindness and compassion, and women were treated with love and respect, talented poets and charming storytellers walked across India creating intricate tales upon the laps of which Indian mythology flourished. The stories have been passed on from grandparents to grandchildren for a thousand years, teaching them the path of right and wrong, the virtues of Dharma and the simple joys of contentment.

From the only copy of a handetched, palm-leaf manuscript of the Bhagawata by one of his ancestors, Holalkere Chandrasekhar composes the book "Tales from Indian Epics". The book starts with the story of how Valmiki's outburst of grief, upon seeing a hunter's arrow piece the heart of a male crane in the midst of passionate love, morphs into a verse in the meter of a Sloka, a four-line poem, with each line containing eight syllables of equal weight.

The book then starts its spectacular ride through high mountains covered with snow, dark caves illuminated by the red glow from the eyes of serpants with hundred heads, through the antechambers of palaces carved out of sandalwood, across mighty oceans and swift rivers, to magical worlds with trecherous demons and resplendent heros, across vigorous wars between mighty kings and through lands of tranquil peace. Stories of angry Ganga countered by the strength of Siva (He balances her furious force by letting her fall on his head first); of Prahalad's devotion to Vishnu despite his Asura lineage; of the love between Pururavas, the King of Hasti, and his beautiful and devoted wife Urvashi; the anger of Durvasa and Krishna's clever ploys; the hilariously stupid acts of Bhasmasura; the tricks of dwarf Vamana and the integrity of King Bali; the churning of the ocean of milk and many, many more stories transport the reader to a different world, on a neverending journey that is pleasantly exciting right through the last page.

While a perfunctory read will amuse, excite and make your day, an indepth read will lead you to question the meaning of Dharma and beckon deep philosophical thoughts to be slowly ruminated upon. Overall, this book is a wonderful read any time of the day, especially if you have little kids roaming around the house searching for mischief. For a brief while, you can captivate them with stories of flying Garudas and slithering Sheshas, watch their gaping mouths and sparkling eyes in amusement and let the old couple next door catch their first morsels of daytime silence in years!

Beating the blues : feel good books

2005-10-29T23:32:00.000-05:00

Feeling low? Tired of reality? Welcome to the world of Regency ( I had wrongly written Victorian here before!) Romance. I looked up the meaning of romance in dictionary and one of the meanings was "a medieval tale based on legend, chivalric love and adventure, or the supernatural".
Romance novels by Georgette Heyer are exactly that minus the supernatural.

Wait! Don't you stop reading thinking that its probably the usual trash about boy meets girl, some misunderstandings happen, get sorted out after much confusion and they live happily ever-after. Sure her novels have some of that but thats not what its about.

Georgette Heyer can be exteremely witty. Her characters especially her heroines are always the spirited kind, a little different from the rest. Her heroines cut a dash in the High Society (as she might put it) inspite of themselves. The love angle is a part of the story and its always they lived happily ever-after.

But before we get to that, there are several escapades from the normal (that is if you thought going to balls, trying to get married or make your uncle buy your way into the Hussar regiment was normal)
several balls, some invitations to the palace, a conversation with the Prince (often the shockingly flirtatious, sometimes gaudy kinds), perhaps a hot exchange with a money lender, a landlord and more.

Its my escapade to the fantastic world where people worry about which horses to buy, which carraige befits a woman, which dress to wear to the next ball, being direct at the cost of being social outcasts, becoming a dandy, learning Mr.Blummer's carvat styles....

I recommend you to give "The Black Sheep" a shot to start off with and get addicted!

PS:Have to warn you that Georgette Heyer also writes suspense novels which I have never read, so have no opinion on them!

Odds and Ends

2005-10-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

Just the discussion that got started at the Moo Diaries, I was reminded of all the short stories I have read in school. I really do not know of any short story books.
Let me correct that, I do know several different authors who have written short stories
Jeffery Archer and RK Narayan but I will save another blog post for them.
But I do not of any books which compile the stories I read at school. We used to have a
this supplementary text books (sometimes titled Read for pleasure!) which gave a good peek into the world of meaningful fiction.
After all its important to talk about those stories which influenced me as a child.

So here is a post dedicated them, few authors I can recall, few I cannot, but all stories that stay imprinted in my memory forever.

I think we had several short ones by O' Henry in our textbook. The one I remember most clearly was The Last Leaf (also cause we did a play based on the story as a part of our English class). Its a simple, touching story which reminds me yet again how life and death is so very often just a matter of belief, faith!

Then there was this about a sniper (my memory fails here as I cannot remember if it was prose or poem) who lies in wait for his enemy. He has to kill to live.... only to find the man he killed is his own brother separated from him by the civil war !!

There were a few by Saki ( H.H.Munro). The one I remember was a ghost story, which fasicnated me so much that I had read it
off my brother's textbook way before when he was reading it in his class. For someone who is has always been scared of dark and ghosts it was a quite horrifying!

Then we had a piece from the play by George Bernard Shaw, the lesson was titled 'Dont call out or Ill Shoot' except that wasn't the plays name. A few or my classmates performed the whole play putting it into more context . Online search tells me the play was titled Arms and the Man. Its a simple tale of love and concealed identities.

The google search also reminds me that I read Pygmalion which of course was made into a Broadway play and then a movie ( My Fair lady. Again a classic.

(to be continued as and when I remember more)

Life from a Child's Perspective: Part I

2005-10-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

It is interesting to view the world without the prejudices that life has endowed upon us on our way here. Who else can tell it better than a child? A life of a five/six year old revolves around much simpler things. Its very black or white for them. And those letters have no racial connotation in the young minds.

Imagination at such a young age is at its highest intensity. I still remember
(and this way ages ago ) me and my friends had decided that this old unoccupied shed was inhabited by an old witch. I can still imagine her. We used to stay away from it. Turned out a few years later (when I went and looked at it) it was just a dumpster of some kind. But so what? The whole idea that a witch could live there made the whole place so much more interesting.

"To Kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee is life from a child's perspective. It won the Pultizer award (I think) and was made into a movie too (Gregory Peck stars in it!) The movie does do some justice to the book. Still the book is one of its kind (or maybe not since I have titled this post as part I!)

The book is narrated by the daughter of Atticus Finch who is a lawyer. Set in early 1900s when the racial discrimination was still at large, Atticus is to defend a black man from being convicted of rape. The story itself is however completely from viewpoint of and (as a article reminds me) encompasses three summers in Jean Finch's life.

The narration makes the story a combination of fact and hoardes of imagination !!! If anyone is curious about the title of the book, a mocking bird is a harmless creature, so who would want to kill it?

Public School Education

2005-10-19T18:48:00.000-05:00

I have had this wonderful impression of Public School system in the US. Somehow poverty or dropping out of school didn't seem to be a part of it. And then I saw a couple of movies to change my mind about that. Namely Sir with love (which is originally a book!) and Dangerous Minds. As stories go they are typical: about good and bad and how much difference an individual with a strong willpower can make. Its mostly about an idealist teacher ending up at a public schools where children are from poor families. There are pressing issues of survival which do not include going to school. There are kids who get into drugs, there is teenage motherhood, there are kids turning into crime...

That completely describes the book " Up the Down Staircase" by
Bel Kaufmann. The book is not unique in the story it tries to tell. But unique in how subtle it all is. The whole book is a collection of a bunch of letters, notes to teachers, notes between teachers, instructions etc. All these simple scraps of paper come together to tell you a tale. An example of strange rules is how people are not supposed to climb up the "down" staircase! You would think that stairs going up would come down too, but try telling that to the school board.
Its about a teenager who falls in love with her English teacher only to have her love letter returned with her grammer corrected. I would like to tell you it will make you laugh. Except its tragic. Its tragic that its so hard to get past the red tape. Its tragic that more often than not you are as helpless as everyone else.
At the end of day all the effort makes you stop one young life from dropping out of school meanwhile loosing several inspite of your best efforts.
But its about it all being worth it for that one young life into which you have brought the hope to find a better future!!!

Ode to Ellen

2005-10-15T01:11:00.000-05:00

I am not sure I can really claim a prose to be an ode (I am starting to wonder what it means!). In anycase this peice written a while ago was inspired by the book " The funny thing is..." by Ellen Degeneres. It was my advert for her book, it maybe inadequate. But it is an honest attempt and worth one read ( HA! thats the first time I am trying put my work forward!

"Broken heart?? Get over it!!!
One rainy day I look out my window and ponder. (Its not really raining today .. in fact its sunny.. but pondering goes better with rainy days...)
And people pondering on rainy days usually ponder about
people who broke their heart. I know I do!! ( you could try to do it too next
time it rains.. its more fun than watching TV!)

In any case this time when I was doing this I realised that I would be an expert on advicing other people about how to go about mending their hearts.
First and foremost, ( and,I know this from FRIENDS and friends) if it
was a bad breakup go pick up that big jumbo tub of icecream you have in your fridge. (I am sure your neighbour is bound to have some if
you dont..)
You have to eat out of the big tub, no point in being
hygenic and taking some out on a separate bowl!
Next you can reflect on all your heartbreaker's bad qualities. Or if you are a software professional come up with a game which as his/her picture on it and you earn points by shooting at it. If C++ is Greek or Latin to you, you may put up the picture on ur dart board (again your neighbour
might be useful here). In fact, I advice this to improve your dart throwing skills...!!

That will pretty much occupy your mind till bed time. Now
comes the tough part. You are actually by now are tired of coming up with the bad qualities and are actually thinking about the good times you and your true (not so true anymore ) love had.. STOP!!!
Under no circumstance should you do that. Think about all
the bad things you told your friends about your ex-love. All the complaints you used to make!
Finally after much exhaustion of thinking about all this,
you fall asleep... Day one completed succesfully!!!"

Aishwarya, Gurinder Chadda and Jane Austen

2005-10-11T21:51:00.000-05:00

What do the above three have in common? Aishwarya tried to act in a movie which Gurinder Chadda tried to make (she did complete it and even release it and I honoured her by watching it!) which was at best a joke on the book by Jane Austen.

I am talking about Pride and Prejudice. Let me just forget the movie and talk about the novel here. The first time I read the book, ( and I really have to describe this!) it was a hard bound black book (borrowed!) with golden border on it. The book starts off with this line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

The book is about 18th century England and all the people in the novel seem to be worried only about getting married. That would sum up the first impressions on reading the summary, etc.

Sure, the book is about that. But it is also about Pride and Prejudice, as the title predicts. Its about reservedness which projects as pride. Pride which lets this pretence to be carried out. Prejudice against the proud ensues. But in the end you realise that you have to be proud yourself to cause prejudice.

If I am speaking in riddles or talking utter nonsense, it is cause I am trying to summarize the novel without giving it away. Its really an age old love story (so there is nothing to give away ) and there is nothing exciting about the story by itself. Jane Austen however with her great penwomanship brings out her characters well.

Currently my post here is as bad as Gurinderji's movie (no offence meant!). What can I say but that you have to read the book to say what I am trying to say better!!!

Horse Racing

2005-10-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

As a teenager I had these phases where I would read all books by a certain author available at our local library. The collection at the library was not huge enough to deter me; at the same time good enough to keep me occupied for weeks. One such author was Dick Francis . I talk about him now cause I recently read his book Bonecrack! It was mostly to check if I would still like these books. And obviously if am writing this blog, I loved the book.

DF writes mysteries/thrillers surrounded by horses and horse racing.
I believe I enjoyed the movie Seabiscuit a whole lot more due to this exposure to the fortunes/misfortunes of people involved in this business. His main hero is usually a jockey, a stable owner, or someone somehow involved in the whole business. I guess they are all men, pretty average when it comes to being able to beat people up, so they always get beaten up bad by the thugs. But they are all smart and can play with their lives to save what they have worked for.

You would think that after a while the same kind of scenario would be boring. Well, I don't know about you but I have never been bored reading a book by DF. Which is why I recommend you start with Bonecrack! I should warn you that this is no book for the weak heart, bones do crack and blood spills over in abundance. It is all about how much your imagination can take :)

Autism

2005-07-23T02:57:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start off writing about the book I read most recently (about six months ago !) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a (red) book (with the picture of a inverted dog on the cover) by Mark Haddon. I came across it about a year ago when I was browsing through New-York Times Bestseller lists for fiction. It had good reviews and one day (and you know when that was ) I bought it as my travel companion.

Have to tell you that one has to get across the first chapter to cross the realm of a juvenile (probably too gory for that actually) fiction. The rest of the book had me engaged all the way.
Its written in first person. You have to understand how difficult it is to write a story in first person, without reverting to incidents where the person in context is not present. The beautiful thing about the book ( and I am not exaggerating here) is that the story unfolds the way it would if you had been the character in question. In particular, if you had been a 15 year old autistic boy living with his father. And yet does a sufficient sketch of all of the characters mentioned.

The book in the end left me a with a feeling of having peeked into somebody's life. It told me that sometimes right and wrong are relative.
Its all about the context!

A book when you enjoy it, is like a work of art and you see new angles to it everytime you read it. This blog will probably induce me to read it again. I did buy the book you know!

Perhaps I might come back and add more lines here then.