Dissection of thoughts and words

The Litigators

2011-12-07T15:01:00.000+05:30

Writer: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction

Finley & Figg is an old firm that earns its revenues in petty accidents and divorce cases. The partners, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg , along with their secretary-cum-receptionist-cum-administrator, Rochelle make up the firm. David Zinc, an associate with a big law firm gets suddenly tired of his boring and monotonous career and decides to switch. However he ends up with Finley and Fig which is not exactly a great career move.

Together they try to increase their revenues until Wally hooks up some clients for a mass tort appeal. Wally is convinced that Krayoxx, a cholesterol lowering drug from the Varrick labs is the cause for heart attacks in many people and joins the bandwagon of lawyers who decide to sue Varrick labs. Reluctantly, Oscar and David are pulled in too. However, in court all hell breaks loose as it is identified that the drug is actually safe and the partners with absolutely no courtroom experience are to argue the case themselves. All the other big firms in the case have mysteriously disappeared.

Oscar gets a medical condition and Wally turns to the bottle as Davis is left to fend for himself in the Varrick case. He does a decent job and draws his share of blood on one of Varrick's top notch executives. However as expected, they lose the case.

Another case on which David had silently been working, gains momentum as he realizes that he has another corporation under his scanner. But this time, he has all the facts and figures correct and this makes him win the case in an out-of court settlement. The book ends with Finley and Fig moving out of legal practice and David starting his own independent and satisfying career.

No high points in the book. Seems to be just another routine writing from one of my favourites! Skip the book.

The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvati

2011-11-17T10:30:00.002+05:30

Writer: Michel Danino
Genre: Non Fiction

The Triveni Sangam in Allahabad is a confluence of 3 rivers - Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. Can someone please look at the map and identify those 3 rivers. Well, of these three rivers, Saraswati is invisible and is said to flow underground and join the other two rivers from below. Typical mythological references one would say! Is it so really? Why does it always take a non- Indian to dish out some amazing facts of our country?

A great book that dissects the history of the so called 'invisible' Saraswati river. A book with a lot of cross references and insight into various civilizations that flourished in the Indian sub continent! Towards the end one actually understands what lends the invisibility aura to this mystical river who seems to have passed most of her characteristics to the Ganges.

A great book for my collection!

One of the best reviews that propelled me to read this book can be found here.

The secret of the Nagas

2011-11-08T15:05:00.001+05:30

Writer: Amish Tripathi
Genre: Fiction

The first book saw Shiva defeating the evil Chandrawanshis. And when that was done he realized that Suryawanshis and Chandrawanshis are just two different people or rather two different ways of lives. So who is the evil?

This book talks about Shiva deciding to vanquish the Nagas because they are evil. Evil, because they are deformed humans who are bearing the sins of their past life! But there is more to this vengeance - it was a Naga who killed his dear friend, Brahaspati. Just when Shiva is sure about evil - the Nagas, there is a change of plan by the almighty for his love, and now his wife, Sati is related to a Naga. And related in what way!

Shiva along with his trusted lieutenants decide to enter the forbidden Naga kingdom. And more surprises await him en route. As there seem to be no distinction between friends and foes, Shiva questions himself about what's good and what's exactly evil?

The second book of the trilogy is a fast read and the last lines of "to be continued" almost kills the curious reader. Well! no choice but to wait for the third and final part of the trilogy.

Immortals of Meluha

2011-11-08T13:55:00.002+05:30

Writer: Amish Tripathi
Genre: Fiction

Shiva, the chieftain of the Guna tribe has an offer from the Meluhans to leave his native land and migrate to Meluha - a near perfect place. Tired of the constant wars Shiva and his tribe migrate to Meluha, the land of Suryanwanshis who are the descendants of Lord Ram.

The Meluhan kingdom is a near perfect place and on their first night stay at Sringar his tribe is affected by some kind of viral fever.Ayurvati, the doctor treats them with Somras and the treatment results in Shiva's neck turning into a blue color. The effect is dramatic and the Meluhan's declare him as the saviour they were all waiting for - the Neelkanth. Shiva travels to the capital to meet king Daksha who pleads with him to save the Meluhans. The Saraswati, which is the major ingredient for their Somras is drying up. The Meluhans know that their arch rivals, Chandrawanshi's are behind the river's fate. The Chandravanshi's have also taken the Nagas help to perpetuate terrorist attacks in the kingdom of Meluha.

Shiva ends up acknowledging being the Meluhan's saviour when he realizes that for marrying his love, Sati, he has to abolish certain laws which he can do only when revered as the Neelkanth. And so Shiva becomes the Neelkanth! When his friend, Brahaspati, is killed in a terrorist attack, Shiva decides to wage a war on the Chandrawanshis to avenge his friend’s death. The Meluhan's fight a fierce war and overpower the Chandrawanshis. When the Chandrawanshi king sees Shiva, he tells him that the Chandrawanshis have the same fable of a Neelkanth saving them. The dumbfounded Shiva is lost! He visits the old temple in the kingdom for answers and just then Sati is attacked by a Naga.

So ends the first book of the Trilogy.

Probably a first attempt by an Indian writer to humanize the gods albeit in a non-controversial way! It's a one-time read and my favorite part in the book is when the protagonist searches for answers about good and evil. More than the story I think I liked the attempt of putting the Indian scriptures and mythology in a story that's contemporary and a little less revered.

The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000+05:30

Writer: R. L. Stevenson
Genre: Fiction/Classic

I have always admired the likes of Dickens, Dumas, etc. They had imagination that knew no limits. They were so ahead of times and their works seem to have resonance in all ages!

This is a book that every person with love for imagination should read. Its fiction at its best! The duality of human nature, long before people knew about split personalities and schizophrenia forms the crux of the book and the mysterious twists by the author lends it an amazing aura.

Note: The next lines could be a spoiler in case you would want to discover this classic yourself.

Utterson, a lawyer is worried about the will his friend, Henry Jekyll has given him. The will transfers all his property to a certain Mr. Hyde in case of death or disappearance of Jekyll. The lawyer smells mischief and is of the opinion that Hyde as forced Jekyll into making the will. He decides to meet Mr.Hyde after a hideous description given to him by his cousin. The confrontation with Mr. Edward Hyde confirms his suspicion and he agrees with the general public opinion that Mr. Hyde is indeed a rude and hideous man.

Soon Mr. Hyde is embroiled in a controversial murder of an MP and this causes the lawyer to speak to his friend. Jekyll promises him that Hyde would no longer be entertained by him. The promise is kept and soon the episode of the murder and Mr. Hyde, both fade into oblivion. Dr.Jekyll becomes the old cheerful man and Utterson is very happy about it. Just as things begin to stay normal Jekyll becomes a recluse and refuses to meet anyone outside. Utterson is worried but cannot really do anything about it. To make matters worse, a common friend of Jekyll and Utterson , Dr. Lanyon, dies suddenly and it is revealed that he was privy to some information regarding Dr. Jekyll.

Soon afterward, Jekyll’s butler, Mr Poole, visits Utterson in a state of desperation and explains that Jekyll has secluded himself in his laboratory for several weeks, and that now the voice that comes from the room sounds nothing like the doctor’s. After reaching the doctor's house and after much deliberation, they broke open his lab door only to find Mr. Hyde dead inside. They also find a letter for Mr Utterson.

The letter explains that Dr.Jekyll had found a way to change his personality and convert himself into Hyde who was a conscience free human and nothing like the mild-mannered Jekyll. At first the transformation delights the doctor but later it becomes an inseparable part of him as he seems to transform without even taking the medicine that he discovered. It is one of these transformations that their common friend Lanyon had witnessed and had hence died of utter shock and depression. Towards the end, when Jekyll was almost always transformed to Hyde without consent, were the days when Jekyll had chosen to become a recluse! In the end, he commits suicide because anyways after being permanently transformed to Hyde he would have been executed for the murder of the MP. Thus, ends the book.

Little wonder that more than a century later this books still mesmerizes its readers. Grab a copy, it's worth it!

Chanakya's Chant

2011-09-20T11:46:00.000+05:30

Writer: Ashwin Sanghvi
Genre: Fiction

The book narrates two stories in parallel. One story is about the erudite Chanakya, whose wily political strategies make Chandrupgta Mayurya the emperor of a united Bharath. In parallel and in today times, is the story of Pandit Gangadhar Mishra, who with his political acumen makes Chandini Gupta as the prime minister of India.

I personally enjoyed the Chanakya era more. However I cannot help but be disappointed in the way the writer has used known quotes and phrases and attributed them to Chanakya. No, it isn't plagiarism as he duly mentions his sources but when you have to say something about the age old Chanakya it just doesn’t make sense for Chanakya to mouth someone else's phrases. After all he is the author of Arthashastra!

It's strictly the story of Chanakya and his protégée that made me finish the book because otherwise the book has no other USP.

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron lady

2011-08-19T10:21:00.000+05:30

Genre: Biography
Writer: John Campbell

The second part of John Campbell's biography is definitely more interesting than the first part. And yeah, I found the protogonist's character more lively here than in the first part.
As expected, the Falkland's war made for an interesting read...probably my favourite part in the book.Her 11 year old reign as the Prime Minister makes a real good read and it is stacked with so many dates and numbers that it becomes almost impossible for me to remember all of them.

The book, a huge volume is worth its weight, but for people who can handle biographies ;)

p.s. I can't help but remember an old article comparing Tony Blair to Thatcher....well after reading the book I think the article made sense

The Clicking of Cuthbert

2011-08-08T10:53:00.000+05:30

Writer: P G Wodehouse
Genre: Fiction / Humour

A quick read before I start the Thatcher biography volume 2.

The book is a collection of ten short golf stories narrated by the oldest member. Each story is centered around golf, but don't let that deter you. You need not know the nuances of the game to understand the book. All you need is some spare time to absorb the sweet stories.

A lovely book but I prefer his Jeeves stories more ;)

Margaret Thatcher - The grocer's daughter

2011-07-18T22:25:00.001+05:30

Genre: Biography
Writer: John Campbell

The first woman prime minister of England has garnered a lot of attention all her life. This book which is the first part of her biography captures her life en route to becoming the prime minister.

Her childhood is described in an uninteresting fashion and her life at Oxford seems to be never ending. By the end of the book I had a feeling that she achieved everything just by chance, which obviously can't be the case. But in spite of such a narrative I found the character pretty intriguing more so because she seemed to be non-deterrent during her worst crisis. Her personal life is touched upon a little. But that has always been a topic of contention for long now.

It's a HUGE book and consists of mostly dates and statistics. The EQ is missing which makes it a very dull read. I mean I usually find biographies interesting but this one took efforts to finish. And to imagine I have to complete another volume. I wonder if her autobiography would have been more interesting. Anyone who has read that please do drop in a comment. For others I suggest to skip this one.

The Design of Everyday Things

2011-05-20T16:30:00.000+05:30

Writer: Donald Norman
Genre: Cognitive Science

Why do most of the people (that includes me) walk into a cold room and increase the thermostat's temperature to the maximum with the expectation that the room would get heated quickly? We all have a mental model of the thermostat which makes us believe that doing so would heat the room faster than setting the temperature to a lesser but expected value. How many times have you fumbled with the faucets in washrooms wondering if to push them, turn them or just keep your hand under one? And what about those doors? Push them, pull them or slide them! Everyday scenarios, everyday frustrations, aren’t they?

Norman uses such simple and to-the-point use cases to explain the importance of design. The design of everyday things (DOET) previously called 'The Psychology of everyday things (POET)' is an interesting read especially because most of the explanations are so simple that you wonder why you didn’t think of it. My favourite is the gas burner one.....I have a 4 burner stove at home and it never occurred to me that the design could be simplified to match an easier mental model.

Lovely read and a review from Amazon best sums it - It could forever change how you experience and interact with your physical surroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design, and raise your expectations about how things should be designed.

A personal copy is highly recommended.

A Sparrow Falls

2011-05-03T14:34:00.000+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith

Genre: Fiction

The French war sees Sean Courtney in action again but this time he is a General. He befriends a young sniper named Mark Anders and immediately takes a liking to him.

After the war, Mark Anders comes home to find his grandfather dead and his property usurped by Dirk Courtney. He doubts if his grandfather actually dies while hunting as has been portrayed to him.

When he is attacked by unknown men he knows that there are people (read Dirk Courtney) who would like to stop him from seeking the truth. Mark, however decides to continue and soon becomes Sean Courtney's assistant. They together try to stop Dirk's plan of constructing a dam which will destroy the natural habitat of many living beings.

Sean loses the election to Dirk and finds himself helpless against his own son. Mark finds a way to trap Dirk but when Dirk comes to know of the trap he kills Sean and Ruth before being killed himself by Mark. The romance between Mark and Sean's daughter, Storm is predictable and ends up being boring (well atleast for me!)

That finishes the first sequence in the Courtney novels. Personally the sequence didn’t live up to the expectations but can still be lapped by Smith fans.

The Sound of Thunder

2011-04-23T21:17:00.000+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith

Genre: Fiction

Sean Courtney has decided to return from wilderness into civilization, but his ideas go for a toss when Boers wage a war against the whites and Sean is caught right in the middle of the war. He however decides to pursue his path and go home to Ladyburg. On his way he meets a woman named Ruth and falls for her. However she leaves him and returns to her husband, but destiny are to bring them together.

After dropping of Dirk to the safety of his mother he joins the war as a soldier and this time his path crosses again with his brother- turned- foe, Garrick. Garry is no mood to relent and Sean's efforts of reconciliation falls on deaf ears. However, owing to his courage he soon becomes a popular soldier and a dear friend to Saul, Ruth's husband. Saul dies in action and soon the war ends. Sean marries Ruth and gets her home and starts his own business at Ladyburg. His war heroics have gained him enough fame and fortune and he soon turns his eyes towards politics. Michael, his first born , however raised by Garry, soon becomes enchanted with his Uncle Sean and decides to work for him. Just when he thinks he has everything a man would ask for, his son, Dirk decides to leave him because he has become too jealous for his father.

The book ends once again on a sad note with Dirk leaving his father. However Sean has been accepted by Garrick and the brothers look forward to a better life.

It's a little difficult to explain my fascination with the Courtney books. However after this second book in the First Courtney sequence, I think of all his characters....Monsoon and Tom Courtney still are the best....Sean comes in at the second place only. One more book to go to finish this first sequence ;)

When the Lion Feeds

2011-04-13T10:25:00.001+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

Sean and Garrick Courtney are twin brothers but they couldn't be more different. Sean is the proverbial trouble maker while Garry always seems to follow Sean. On a childhood expedition Sean accidently shoots Garrick in the leg owing to which is leg is amputated. The memory of the event haunts Sean throughout the book. The kids grow up and are soon enlisted to join a war. Both of them survive the war but lose their brotherly love for each other all thanks to Garry's new wife Anna.

Sean embarks on a wild journey to wilderness and manages to strike rich with a gold mine in Johannesburg . Just when he thought he was powerful enough, he loses all his fortune to a stupid move in the exchange. Again he decides to leave the place and travel somewhere else taking with him his loyal friend Duff and his Zulu servants. He loses Duff to a disease and marries a Boer woman, Katrina who gives birth to Dirk.
The book ends in melancholy after Katrina commits suicide for reasons unknown to Sean. He again sets off to wilderness to handle the excruciating pain.

The Upside of Irrationality

2011-03-29T10:16:00.000+05:30

Writer: Dan Ariely
Genre: Human Behaviour

I did not have anything else to read and this one was the only available book at home. I had not liked the genre but the synopsis told me it could be a good read. I started it with vengeance almost kept it down and then picked up again with vigour.

Dan Ariely explores the most common human traits like revenge, vindictiveness, anger, adaptation, empathy, etc. thru experiments and states before us why, at times, irrational behaviour can be helpful for humans. One of my favourite examples in the book is about Thomas Edison turning a blind eye to his associate, Tesla's discovery of AC (Alternate Current) just because he had discovered DC(Direct Current). The writer calls this syndrome as 'not-invented-here' bias which I think most of us suffer from. There are many such anecdotes that make the book a lively read.

Great books to catch up with even for first timers but you need to be a little patient in the beginning lest you keep it down like I almost did ;)

The Emerging Mind

2011-02-25T10:37:00.001+05:30

Writer: Vilayanur Ramachandran
Genre: Non Fiction / Science

What would you call a person who sees some numbers colored always? And what about someone who cannot see [although he has perfect vision] anything to his left? What about someone who starts laughing when in pain?
The answer to all the above from a commoner would be - Mad!

After a disastrous fiction book, an absolute wow book that had me hooked. How does our brain work? I am sure each one of us has had that question many a times. That reason alone is enough for people to pick up this book. And yes, not to forget that the writer has written the book in a style that will endear it to readers who may have no background in science. It’s just pure pleasure to understand his explanations even after subtracting the technical aspects.

The writer picks some famous mental disorders like Phantom Limbs, color-graphemic synesthesia(seeing colored numbers) and explains them in a very tactful manner. He uses all the terminologies but yet keeps the explanation easy enough for people who would like to just understand the reason behind the disorder. The book is filled with such disorders and their explanations in a very lucid fashion.

Grab the book; you won't regret even a single page!

Oh Shit Not Again!

2011-02-13T21:47:00.000+05:30

Writer: Mandar Kokate
Genre: Fiction

Skip it!

Its Not About The Bike: My journey Back to Life

2011-02-11T18:55:00.001+05:30

Writer: Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins

Genre: Autobiography

Do a Google search on Lance Armstrong and you will know why everyone should read this book. Armstrong's determination is so human that you get inspired too.

Winning world famous cycling championships Armstrong was all set for the Grand Slam of cycling races - the Tour De France when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and a brain tumour. He underwent chemo, brain surgery and returned back to win the 1999 Tour De France. The media suggested that his chemo was probably acting as a doping agent in his win. The man however has silenced all his critics because he has won the Tour de France each year from 1999 to 2005, which in itself is a record.

The book covers this journey in an extremely inspirational and human way. He has no qualms in accepting his aggressiveness before being diagnosed and neither is he ashamed to admit that he was scared and almost quit cycling. his almost fatherless childhood is stated in a matter-of-fact manner and that’s something that I really liked.

It’s fabulous and an uncomplicated read. Grab a copy whenever you feel down, this book sure motivates you to keep trying harder

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

2011-01-24T19:50:00.000+05:30

Writer: Robert Pirsig

Genre: Philosophy

Do not let the genre be a turn off! A fabulous book that I caught hold of after a long long time. By the way it has got nothing to do either with Zen or motorcycle maintenance as such, but maintenance of motorcycles seems to serve as a good analogy for the author for explaining his point of view.

The book is a first person narration of a motorcycle journey of the author with his son, Chris and family friends from Minnesota to California. The book jumps between 2 characters - the author in his present state and a state in which he identifies himself as Phaedrus. Phaedrus, a rhetoric teacher and becomes engaged in identifying what is it that makes something better than something else. In short, he wants to define Quality. His pursuit of Quality drives him insane and the mental asylum changes his personality completely.

It’s almost impossible to explain the contents of this book without sounding insane yourself. It is class apart and you have to read it, understand it and accept it to understand its beauty. But yes, it’s not an easy read. You need patience and my idea is that if you love the book in the first 100 pages you will read it till the end or else keep it down immediately.

This one is going to be on my favourite list!

Some excellent quotes from the book:

"The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling."

"When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called a Religion."

"For every fact there is an infinity of hypotheses. "

Q:"Is it hard?

A: 'Not if you have the right attitudes. Its having the right attitudes thats hard."

..................and my personal favourite

"The law of gravity and gravity itself did not exist before Isaac Newton."

...and what that means is that that law of gravity exists nowhere except in people's heads! It 's a ghost!"

Mind has no matter or energy but they cant escape its predominance over everything they do. Logic exists in the mind. Numbers exist only in the mind. I don't get upset when scientists say that ghosts exist in the mind. Science is in your mind too, it s just that that doesn’t make it bad. Or ghosts either."

Laws of nature are human inventions, like ghosts. Law of logic, of mathematics are also human inventions, like ghosts."

Conversations with myself

2010-12-28T09:38:00.000+05:30

Writer: Nelson Mandela

Genre: Collection of Letters, etc.

Picked up this book by mistake and was too stupid as to not verify its contents. I was actually scouting for his autobiography and bought this instead. It’s a collection of letters, conversations, and written notes from the man himself - Nelson Mandela. Much of the data is from the days when he was imprisoned at Robin Island.

Decent read but not exciting enough and yeah the price is a little too steep for its contents! My take, skip it.

Money for Nothing

2010-12-20T15:00:00.000+05:30

Writer: P G Wodehouse
Genre: Classic/ Humour/Fiction

Another perfect one from the master himself! I am thoroughly enjoying my second stint with Wodehouse and I intend to read his entire collection again. During times when the going is not good, Wodehouse is the man for you. Someone who can seriously make you smile with those smart one liners and comic but simple situations.

Lester Carmody and his old pal, Col. Wyvern are no longer on talking terms because of a silly feud and this has given poor Johnnie sleepless nights. Why? Because he, Lester's nephew, is in love with Pat, Wyvern's daughter. He proposes her but Pat can never accept Johnnie as a lover because he is not the dashing kinds. When the American millionaire, Molloy and his daughter pay a visit to Mr. Carmody there is more to them than what meets the eye.
Mr. Molloy's daughter seems to be interested in Johnnie and this makes Pat jealous.

All hell breaks loose when the Molloy's along with Lester Carmody and the local fitness man, Dr. Twist fake a burglary of the Carmody's ancestral heirloom. Johnnie decides to investigate and ends up as a prisoner at Twist's health resort.

How he manages the situation and finally wins Pat's heart makes for some real good reading.

The story is uncomplicated and carries a Wodehouse stamp all along. A must read for British English lovers and pick it up if you need some smiles as you turn the pages.

Much Obliged Jeeves

2010-10-29T11:47:00.000+05:30

Writer: P G Wodehouse
Genre: Fiction/ Humour

Bertie Wooster, on insistence of his aunt Dahlia decides to help an old chum, Ginger Winship, in winning the House of Commons by-election. However, when he reaches Brinkley he is in for surprises. Florence Craye, his ex-fiancé is now engaged to Ginger. Spode and Madeline are in Brinkley too to help Ginger.

Bertie's butler, Jeeves who is a member of Junior Ganymede club tells him about a book that exists in his club where every employee writes about his employer. He also explains that book consists of some explosive material for Ginger. Unfortunately the book has been stolen by Bingley and he threatens to expose Ginger's past.

A simple situation and a fabulous British English narration. It’s a classic Wodehouse, something that’s short, sweet and extremely humorous. Go for it!

The Burning Shore

2010-10-09T16:55:00.001+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

The first book in the Courtney 2 series, it concentrates on Centaine de Thiry.

The first part is a boring love story between Centaine and Michael Courtney. Micheal dies in air crash on the day of the wedding and Sean Courtney sends off Centaine and her nurse, Anna to Africa. They are to be welcomed by Garry, Michael’s father. However the ship they are travelling is torpedoed and Centaine is shipwrecked.

The next section is how Centaine survives against all odds in hostile environments and is the best part of the book. After almost giving up hope, Centaine meets and is adopted by an old Bushmen couple who teach her all the tricks to survive in the dangerous terrain. Her child, Michael Shasa Courtney is born in this wilderness and just when she has given up hope of meeting people of her own kinds she encounters them.

Lothar De La Ray, an outlaw has traded Centaine's safe delivery in return for a free pardon with Garry. He manages to save Centaine when she is being mauled by a lion and saves Cenatine and her son. He finally delivers Centaine and Shasa to the Courtneys but not before having a tumultuous affair with Centaine. Centaine breaks away when she realizes that Lothar had killed her Bushman grandparents. Centaine is happily welcomed into the Courtney family.

The book ends in Centaine delivering Manfred De La Ray and handing him over to Lothar. She has also uncovered a diamond mine owing to her wild travels and it would make her the richest woman in the world.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

2010-10-01T10:52:00.001+05:30

Writer: Stieg Larsson

Genre: Fiction

The last book in the Millennium Trilogy and probably slower than the other two but its climax worth reading.

Salander is admitted to Sahlgrenska Hospital with bullets in her brain, hip, and shoulder and the man who discovered her is none other than Millenium's reporter - Mikael Blomkvist. Alexander Zalachenko is also admitted with an axe wound in his head, a wound caused by his daughter - Lisbeth Salander, when she tried to kill him.

The real story is what Blomkvist knows but the Swedish media are delighted when Salander is captured. After all, she was wanted for 3 murders! But suddenly Zalachenko is murdered and Salander's allies realize that the war is still on. There are people who would go to any length to protect the real secret. And they are the people who are in control.

Annika Giannini, Blomkvist lawyer sister decides to fight the case for Salander. It will be long fight but armed with Salander's hand written biography she finally puts the whole truth in the courtroom to the amazement of everyone and manages to acquit Salander of every single charge.

The book ends with Salander having the final showdown with her half brother Ronald Niedermann but this time she uses a clever ploy to eliminate him without involving herself showing that she has finally managed to re-enter the society she was so carefully thrown out of.

The 3 books are a fiction reader's delight and if you buy, buy the whole set at once.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

2010-10-01T10:51:00.002+05:30

Writer: Stieg Larsson
Genre: Fiction

The second book in the Millennium Trilogy, this book focuses more on Lisbeth Salander unlike the first one.
Salander has walked out of Blomkvist's life for reasons unknown to him and he tries to get in touch with her but in vain.

Dag Svensson has done a lot of research on the topic of sex trafficking and he wants Millennium magazine to publish the story. His girlfriend, Mia Johansson is writing her thesis on the same topic and together they are a threat to many. However, with the enlisted support of Blomkvist and Erika Berger they carry on their work which is currently focusing and has reached a dead end on a man who is simply called Zalachenko or Zala.

Suddenly Dag and Mia are murdered as also is Nils Bjurman, Lisbeth's guradian. To complicate matters it is Lisbeth Salander whom the police believe is guilty and are having a difficulty tracking down.

Blomkvist does not believe and is determined to get the truth; however there is onw problem - Salander has vanished. With help from Armansky - Slander's previous boss, Palmgren- Salander's previous guardian and a few police officers he uncovers a shocking story. He also realizes he has to stop Salander from carrying out the final attack all alone.

Fabulous narration and a climax that will make you lap up the sequel immediately.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-09-24T16:48:00.000+05:30

Writer: Stieg Larsson
Genre: Fiction

Mikael Blomkvist has lost a libel suit against billionaire Wennerström and is facing a jail term. He is professionally beaten and decides to step down from his magazine - Millennium, as a board of director. At around the same time he gets a freelance assignment from the ex-CEO of Vanger Enterprises, Henrik Vanger. The case involves tracing disappearance and possibly murder of Henrik's great-niece Harriet some 40 years earlier. Blomkvist agrees because Henrik has lured him with the offer of Wennerström's head on a plate after the stipulated time.

Blomkvist moves to Hedeby and starts the work on his book of Vanger Family history wherein he is actually tying to solve Harriet's disappearance. What seems to be a cold case at one point of time soon turns into mad hunt for probably a serial killer who has been working without remorse for decades. And in this work he gets the help from Lisbeth Salander, a freaky introverted but talented computer hacker.

Together they uncover one of the deadliest secrets of their time and solve the Vanger case. Also Blomkvist, with Salander's help manages to finally blow the lid off Wennerström affairs, thereby having his vengeance towrads the end of the book.

I feel the title of the book is misleading because its more about Blomkvist than about Salander but the first book in the Millennium Trilogy is riveting enough to make you reach for the next one.

The Blind Watchmaker

2010-09-09T11:03:00.005+05:30

Writer: Richard Dawkins
Genre: Non Fiction/Evolutionary Biology(to be precise)

Is the complexity of a human body reason enough to believe in the existence of the supreme? Richard Dawkins thinks otherwise and he has used arguments in favour of Darwin's theory of evolution to explain his point of view. He reiterates on the Theory of Natural selection as the reason why we are what we are!

My favourite argument in the book is something that goes like this - To explain the origin of the DNA machine by invoking a supernatural designer is to explain precisely nothing, for it leaves unexplained the origin of the designer. You have to say something like 'God was always there', and if you allow yourself that kind of lazy way out, you might as well just say 'DNA was always there' or 'Life was always there' and be done with it.

How do you refute this? My answer to that is, probably it is easier for normal humans to digest the fact that there exists a supernatural being (who always exists and is not be questioned) and then lead lives than understand evolution and theory of natural selection as the reason to existence. Right now my mind is caught in two worlds because I am a believer who can never convince anyone apart from me why I believe in god.

It’s a heavy book and you need lots of patience to sit through his grinding examples and explanations. A strict no for casual readers and highly recommended for people who want to tread the path of some unusual reading.

I personally like God Delusion more though.

Indira Gandhi

2010-08-17T12:29:00.000+05:30

Writer: Pupul Jayakar
Genre: Biography

Finally I managed to get hold of a great biography for one of the India's most astute woman politician. Thanks to mom, a great reader herself, who lent me the book that she had borrowed from her friend. Reading thru' the book I realized I need to own it. Indira Gandhi, after all, has been one of the most enigmatic personalities I have always checked out. Alright back to the book!

The first part of the book - Indu's growing up years are an absolute treat. Such a normal childhood. A girl with innumerable problems - inferiority complex, shy, reserved and complete lack of confidence. But her father had told her that she has a bigger tryst with destiny than just being his daughter. Motilal Nehru's initial pomp, his later acceptance of the Mahatma's austerity are described very well. You also get a dekko into the conflicts between her mother and the Nehrus. Kamala Nehru was probably a misfit in the Nehru clan. The author has also mentioned Indu's frequent stand - offs with her aunt, Vijayalaksmi Pandit

The 1966 devaluation of rupee, nationalization of banks are the highlights of the next section. But the most important event which probably gave her the much deserved respect in the political arena was the 1971 war where 'Bangladesh' was born. Indira's visit to US just before the war is such a fantastic narration. The meeting with Nixon and Kissigner is one of the best reads here;)

The next section is probably what she is maximum criticized for - Emergency rule. 1975 - 1977 when the country was under Emergency rule Indira outlines her 20 point program which was hailed by many. Its important to note that many prominent personalities like Vinoba Bhave, Mother Teresa, Khushwant Singh and Ratan Tata were in favour of emergency and called it the period when the indian exchequer recovered. Ratan Tata had however regretted the support later. This section also shows how Sanjay Gandhi heavily maneuvered Indira. This section deserves a special mention because its captures the state of turmoil in a very lengthy and non preachy manner.

The last section(s) deal with Sanajay Gandhi's death and her face off with his wife - Maneka Gandhi. There is a big disappointment in the way 'Operation Blue Star' is covered. There aren't really any details. After all this was the event that cost Indira her life.

Overall, the book is very well written and a great read for biography enthusiasts! Yeah not to mention that just reading Indira Gandhi's life story saps up your energy, imagine she lived all of that!

A lovely Beethoven line used in the book -
I will take fate by the throat,it will not bend me completely to its will

Indira Gandhi: A Biography

Hungry as the sea

2010-08-05T22:30:00.000+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

My best bet when I am down. Nothing beats reading a Wilbur Smith novel with all the trials and turbulations that the lead character faces, yet s/he fights back and emerges victorious. Typical morale boosting drama...alright I am biased but I really can't help it ;)

About the book, Nicholas Berg, the czar of Christie Marine corporation is outwitted from the empire that he created and cherished. Robbed of his lifetime dream and his family he is almost a broken man when he takes command of what is left of his empire - 'Warlock' and another ship.

However he takes all his chances and rescues the trapped 'Golden Adventurer'. He wins the big bet on his life from the man he most detests, Duncan Alexander, the man who robbed him of his fortune, wife and son. The reward in rescuing 'Golden Adventurer' gives him some breathing space and also introduces him To Samantha Silver, the young girl whom he rescued on Adventurer. As he steps into his new world, happily with Samantha, happenings in the old world pull him back and he again has to face his former wife who now is a changed woman. Also, Duncan has played heavily with Christie Marines stakes and embarks on a dangerous voyage that threatens to kill his son and destroy what he loves the most - the beloved oceans! He has no choice but to stop him and in the saga probably destroy everything that he has recreated.

The first quarter of the book his fabulous, till Nick rescues the 'Golden Adventurer'. Remaining parts are predictable but yet adorable for a stupid fiction fan like me.

Pick it! It has all the drama associated with Wilbur Smith's books - the seas, the passion and the untamed human spirit.

Connect the dots

2010-07-27T22:08:00.001+05:30

Writer: Rashmi Bansal
Genre: Non Fiction

This one is a real quick book with short chapters on people who have made unordinary career choices. Not all of them were sure of what they wanted, many simply went with the flow but each one of them stuck thru the hard times and came out with colors that they wanted.

Crossword book shop, Reva electric car, dosa plaza are some of my favorite stories. The USP of the book is that since the chapters are so independent of each other you can comfortably complete the book without really bothering to complete it one shot.
Quick one when you do not have the time to stay connected on one long book!

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish: The Inspiring stories of 25 IIM Ahmedabad graduates who chose to tread a path of their own making

Theodore Boone

2010-06-14T11:08:00.002+05:30

Writer: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction

John Grisham attempts to enter the youth market by creating a kid lawyer who knows more about law than adult lawyers do. Theodore Boon as the only son of two attorneys tries his hands at law even at the young age of 13. He helps his friend April when her parents’ divorce, rescues a cute colleague's dog from the pound and advises a kid when his brother is caught with drugs. All of this is fine until he gets caught in the biggest murder trial where the convict is about the walk free for lack of proof. But Theodore not only has proof, he has a witness too! The witness, an illegal immigrant refuses to go to the cops and does not even trust Theodore completely.
How does this 13 year old manage such a big issue?

Interesting read if read from the teenage point of view. You need not know law to understand for Grisham explains most of the adventures that the book takes you through. Not sure of the public reception through! My rating would be an average.

Johnny Gone Down

2010-05-13T15:24:00.000+05:30

Writer: Karan Bajaj
Genre: Fiction

The second book from Karan Bajaj is a whirlwind tour and you would not keep it down for its extremely fast paced. And yeah, he keeps it real short, which is an added advantage.

Nikhil Arya and Sam are bosom buddies who have just graduated from MIT. On Sam's insistence they decide to vacation in Cambodia without realizing what they were getting into. The vacation turns sour as the government is overthrown by rebels and the country fights a civil war where Nikhil is almost killed. He manages to escape to the Thai border and tries to find peace in a monastery. But there is not a still point for our protagonist; he becomes a successful Brazilian businessman (reader drug peddler) and decides to settle done with a model. Something changes again and he is again on a run, this time to America. Sharing a room for the homeless he ends up creating a successful networking site before his daemons find him again. He ends up where he started - India!

Nikhil's journey is mind boggling and though I thought that the climax wasn’t really exciting as much as his journey I must say the end was definitely good. Nikhil's roller coaster ride is fun to read and I like this book better then the author's first one :)

Little Women

2010-05-13T15:23:00.000+05:30

Writer: Louisa Alcott
Genre: Children's book/Classic

Go ahead and tease me if you want but I still like reading children's books and from the past many days I wanted to read an English classic. What better book than Little women!

The story of the March family has been told and retold for years but yet manages to keep new and old readers glued. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are sisters who lead a poor but happy life along with their mother and maid Hannah. Mr. March is away, fighting a war. The girls soon become close friends with their neighbor Laurie and the fivesome have a blast in spite of their economic differences. They fight with each other but realize that they can’t leave without each other; they crib about their poverty but learn that there are many other things that matter more than money. Repeated plot, did you say? Yeah it is, but it started here and the simplicity of the narration is probably very enticing.

Said to be the author's biography where Jo is modeled against herself, Alcott manages to create a beautiful portrait thru her writing.

And yeah, this book is just the first part. The second part is named 'Good Wives' and is set in the teenage years of the girls.

Wings of Fire

2010-04-19T19:02:00.002+05:30

Writer: A P J Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari
Genre: Autobiography

What happens when a former president of the world's largest democracy and a rocket scientist decides to pen down his life for us? We sit down in rapt attention and absorb every word and syllable that he lets out. A small book and an engaging one too!

The book starts with the life of Mr.Kalam as a child in Rameswaram. The characters in this section are some of my personal favourites because they seem so ordinary, as exactly as our neighbors and relatives. How this young lad from a small town village finds inspiration and takes on the space science program in the country can captivate every person to finish the book in one sitting. The space program spear headed by Vikram Sarabhai and carried forward by Prof. Dhawan has some great narrative and you personally miss being in the era when the country was indigenously making waves loud enough to let everyone notice.

The poems, lines that the writer uses in between the chapters are so very apt! Beautiful and long forgotten pieces most of them were :)

I am left wondering why I hadn’t read the book before. It’s a great book, especially for someone like me who as a kid would religiously follow the test fire of every missile from Sriharikota aired on Doordarshan.

p.s. Somehow this book also reminded me that I need to hunt down some un/official biography of Vikram Sarabhai. Any pointers would be appreciated

Update: Some poetic excerpts from the book -

For all your days prepare
And meet them ever alike
When you are the anvil, bear-
When you are the hammer, strike.

----------------------------------

Don't worry and fret, fainthearted,
The chances have just begun,
For the best jobs haven't been started,
The best work hasn't been done.

Eat Pray Love

2010-04-16T17:56:00.000+05:30

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert
Genre: Memoir/Autobiography

When Liz realizes that her life is going in a downward direction she decides to embark on a journey to get back her equilibrium. Her journey takes her to the places she always wanted to visit - Italy, India and Indonesia. She leaves her life in New York and uses the advance that she received to write a book to sponsor her trip.

I presume that an introduction like that is enough to garner your interest in this book. Reading a friend's copy, midway I decided I should be having my own and hence I bought a copy. Must say I am not repenting it. There is something familiar about the way the author narrates. They are everyday situations that each one of us encounters and we all know how to handle them. We just enjoy reading someone else's crisis probably.

My favourite part of the book is her stay in Italy and yeah I slept through the India part. Must say that I agree with the critics.....there is much more to my country than spiritualism yaar!

A great read because it's so much real. No dramas here ;)

p.s. It has already been converted to a motion picture of the same name starring Julia Roberts

Ford County

2010-03-24T18:41:00.000+05:30

Writer: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories

A quick book from Grisham which consists of 7 short stories set in Mississippi. Lacks the page turning, complex plots attributes that most of his books have. Simple and straight - that’s how all the stories are. At times the simplicity and no-fiction kind of feeling irks you but after the book is done you probably think you have read something from everyday life.

Good book but non Grisham readers can skip it.

Heidi

2010-03-15T19:00:00.003+05:30

Writer: Johanna Spyri
Genre: Fiction, Classic, Children's book

Probably the best known book in Swiss literature, it still remains my personal favourite after I got its abridged version as a prize in my 5th standard. My teacher, Ms. Elizabeth's personal line on the first page of the book is another reason why I still hold the book extremely close.

Alright, back to the story! I wonder if classifying this book as a children's novel makes sense. You can read this well past your childhood, probably even when you are into your ripe old age. The story haS been made re-made a thousand times in Bollywood and Hollywood.

Heidi is an orphan raised by her aunt. When her Aunt Dete can no longer take care of her because of her job she drops Heidi to her grandfather's place. Her grandfather is a rough old man who is against odds with the villagers and stays up in the mountains. Heidi however manages to penetrate his heart and lives a delightful life with her friend Peter. As she is enjoying her stay, in comes Aunt Dete again and whisks her off to Frankfurt as a companion for a disabled and wealthy girl, Clara.

The stay in Frankfurt is the second part of the book. Heidi enjoys being with Clara who is also very kind to her. But the strict disciplinarian housekeeper Ms.Rottenmeier disapproves of her village ways. Heidi ends up throwing the well managed household into peals of laughter and chaos with her innocent acts, much to the dismay of Rottenmeier. But Heidi misses her life with her grandfather and Peter and becomes homesick. She is soon sent back home owing to her failing health.

Back home, Heidi manages to convince her anti social grandfather to visit the local church and thus gets him on talking terms with many of the village folks. She also teaches Peter to read and write. Clara soon joins them for a stay. Peter gets jealous of Clara and pushes her wheelchair down the mountain. Without her wheelchair and owing to a better clean climate Clara manages to start walking. And that’s how this beautiful novel ends.

I think I managed to put the whole plot, usually I don’t do it but this time I couldn’t resist. The story may be boring for many because as I said it has been narrated a million times thru different mediums but believe me the book is a classic. A must have in your collection

The Appeal

2010-03-10T18:07:00.001+05:30

Writer: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction

Back to my fiction reads ;) I had stopped reading Grisham after a few recent misadventures and I guess i ended up skipping his most interesting book in recent years.

When Mary Grace and Wes win a verdict against Krane chemicals for wrongful dumping toxic wastes in Bowmore, they have won a second life because they have lost everything in a trial that has taken up years. However, Krane's owner Carl Trudeau won’t give up without a fight. He hires extra elements to rig the Supreme Court election to elect a justice. Whether or not he succeeds is what the the book is all about. The climax is pragmatic and probably very well written.

One of my favourite writers, Grisham keeps the book interesting enough with his writing style. In his elements completely ‘The Appeal’ makes you forget you are reading a fiction novel. At times, you start wondering about the election process and if it really makes sense.

With another book to go I would yet again reach a state where I have read every single book written by an author. Grisham is probably the only one who has managed that first with me :)

Outliers

2010-03-04T10:27:00.001+05:30

Writer: Malcolm Gladwell
Genre: Non Fiction

Another top notch book from Gladwell, where he tries and brings before us the factors that contribute in making somebody famous.
What’s common between Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Jobs apart from the fact that they created millions with computers? How much of a person's IQ really matters in making him a celebrity. Ever heard of Christopher Langdan! He is the man with an IQ that ranges between 192 - 200...even Einstein didn’t have that much, then why doesn’t that name ring a bell in our ears?

Compelling questions and a strong statistical analysis to get the answers. Outliers does more than make you think. It shakes a lot of faithfully adhered concepts.

On a personal note, the book was so overwhelming that I had to compulsorily google 'Gladwell Criticism' to let my mind think about the other side of the coin!

Must in your collection but again heavy on statistics. Read the first 5 pages, if it entices you (I am sure it would) buy it :)

Blink

2010-01-06T17:57:00.001+05:30

Writer: Malcolm Gladwell
Genre: Non Fiction

The writer probably needs no introduction but it was not so for me. I picked up the book after reading the first paragraph at a friend's place . Yeah, it was effective enough to compel me to buy it!

The book describes the ability of our sub conscious mind. Although we all presume that we do things according to our consciousness, the sub conscious mind plays a big role in our spontaneous decisions, conflicts and even prejudices. The author terms this as 'thin slicing'. So in short, even the most spontaneous response is actually an organized and planned one. That’s the reason some people are so good with their guess work because they are good at thin slicing. That’s also the reason when given too much of information we generally lose our intuitive self and run around in circles often taking the wrong decision whereas less information could have been processed better and accurately by us. The author points out that better judgment can be executed from simplicity and frugality of information, rather than the more common belief that greater information is needed.

There are citations of various techniques, experiments used all over the world to help us understand the thin slicing. The ability of the sub conscious mind is very strong and it can be trained to help us in being a better judge of a seemingly hopeless situation is the note that the book ends on.

The book is a heavy read in spite of being tiny with respect to the number of pages. It requires some amount of patience to go through all the examples provided and yet keep on turning the pages. However, its definitely a great read. Hope to catch his other best sellers - Tipping Point and Outliers soon!

The Lost Symbol

2009-12-04T08:22:00.001+05:30

Writer: Dan Brown
Genre: Fiction

Ok, Angels & Daemons and Da Vinci Code were great but that’s because it was the first time (at least for me) somebody ventured into the lost world of symbols, ambigrams, secret sects,etc. Too much of anything is definitely boring!

In the Lost Symbol, you have Robert Langdon again, trying to avert a national crisis and at the same time help his friend Peter Solomon, a very prominent freemason. The setting, however, is Washington D.C. The book then essentially is running around all of the US capitol uncovering hidden symbols and secret rooms with a lot of symbology thrown here and there. The freemasonry ideas are distributed all over and Noetic Science makes its presence felt. As with his many books he again tries to bridge the gap between religion and science saying they are essentially one but have lost their meaning as humans progressed.

The book is huge and someone who hasn’t read brown would lap it up because the chase around Washington with all the secrets is fun. The problem is - I have done all that already! His previous books were the same. To add to woes the climax is not so riveting either.

No harm in reading it but do not expect something spectacular. It is same in-line as his famous two books.

Anthem

2009-12-04T08:19:00.000+05:30

Writer: Ayn Rand
Genre: Fiction

The efforts I took to buy an original copy of this book were fruitful. Ayn Rand with her individualistic philosophy yet again! This time however, the book is just 100 pages long. Yeah, considering her epics like Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged this one is way too small but it can still hold you perplexed till the last page. If you are a hopeless fan of Rand that is!

Set in some dark age where mankind exists with its irrationality and collectivism you can’t help but notice the plural pronouns used as the book begins. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist is asked to be street sweeper by the World Council although he himself is more inclined towards becoming a scholar because of his undying curiosity. He, however, accepts the council’s decision and does his job religiously before he stumbles upon a tunnel left over from what the author terms as 'Unmentionable Times'. The discovery changes his course of life as he takes out time everyday to get into the tunnel, read scripts left behind and eventually rediscover electricity. He is soon caught and imprisoned for his transgression. He escapes and decides to submit his findings to the Word Council of Scholars with the hope that they will understand its importance.

The council however rejects his findings saying that they disrupt the equilibrium of their world. Disillusioned Equality 7-2521 runs into a forest where no man has been before and stays there and devours the manuscripts and ideas that he comes across in a house left back from the ‘Unmentionable Times'. He is joined by Liberty 5-3000 who is his love interest and understands his ideas and principles. The book ends as the protagonist rechristens himself as ‘Prometheus’ and discovers the meaning and usage of singular pronouns.

It’s crisp and talks of the same philosophy that her other classics spoke. For Rand fans, you need it in your collection definitely!

The classic line from the book –
"I need no warrant for being and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction."

2 States

2009-10-28T23:57:00.002+05:30

Genre: Fiction
Writer: Chetan Bhagat

Finally the author has come up with something that will ring a bell with all Indians. The cultural differences in a our single country is so huge that we could write volumes about it. If you have a nice sense of humour you could put some laughter in those volumes too.

That's the USP of this book. Its witty and sarcastic, something that is very difficult to achieve when you are writing a book. The story about Krish Malhotra who falls for his IIMA classmate Ananya Swamintahan is probably the story that could be enacted anywhere. Punjabis vs Madrasis - there is no dearth of humour. How this couple finally get the two sides of the nation on a single platform is what the book is all about. That is all that exists to the story. The climax is too predictable and almost ruined my read but I will still recommend this book for the remaining part. The conversations are hilarious and more so because they are day-to-day conversations. We always hear those remarks around us. Some get offended, some take it with a pinch of salt.

Chetan Bhagat has got his statistics right, the book is a very small one and costs much less than most of the books in this genre. So people who don't usually read would lap it up too. I, personally, have never liked anything apart from 'Five Point Someone' but this one is good. Its an Indian writer showing us a mirror and teaching us to laugh at our idiosyncrasies......have a good laugh!

Maximum City

2009-10-28T23:52:00.001+05:30

Genre: Non-Fiction / Narrative (tell me if there is better genre)
Writer: Suketu Mehta

A lovely book with some great narration. The writer talks to the set of people who essentially make up what we call the city of Mumbai.

One section of the book deals with the gangsters and mumbai police. Interviews and point of views is what makes up this section. The coldness with which people kill and the brutality of their everyday life perhaps numbs your senses so much that you wish they had a more personal aspect to the killings than just money. But that would be a filmy expectation I guess! There are some big shots names that aren't probably changed because we all know about them.

There is a section dedicated to the dance bars of Mumbai. The character of Monalisa, a bar dancer, is probably a very interesting one because of the various layers of her personality. The trans gender Honey is another well etched character.

The section where Mehta talks to the Shiv sainiks and its supremo is another one that probably had me hooked but yeah I would rather not go by a someone else's account of some person.

How can you talk about Mumbai without talking about Bollywood? There goes another section with some interesting anecdotes. Personally, I think this section is comparatively dry when compared with others because the personalities in this section are too predictable and already well dissected thru' the newspapers and media. I didn't want to know anything more about them ;)

Finally, spirituality comes into a picture as a very wealthy businessman decides to take Sanyas along with his family. This section is another good read.

If you think with so much information clubbed together this book would be boring, its not so! Somehow, the writer has captured Mumbai as she would have liked to be captured......lively! The first person narration, the characters being spoken to as if they were his everyday friends, anecdotes being shared - some of them what we have probably read in newspapers, all of these things make this book fabulous. The writer must have had the time of his life talking and interviewing all these people and getting to know their perspective on life, death, money and love.

Grab a copy, you should have it in your shelves....Its that good :)

The God Delusion

2009-07-20T11:18:00.001+05:30

Writer: Richard Dawkins
Genre: Non-Fiction

Anything that comes from Dawkins does not need an introduction, does it? The British biologist comes up with some hard-hitting questions for people with religious affinities. He focuses directly on a wider range of arguments used for and against belief in the existence of God(s).

If you are a religious fanatic skip it. You need an open mind to understand the rationale behind his non acceptance of god. I read the whole book, liked many parts in it but it did not turn me into an atheist. He has criticized religion only because it seems to be the major contributor to conflicts everywhere. All he asks for is people to be able to question beliefs that have been handed over to them by century old traditions. Come to see it have we all not chosen our religion because our parents made us do it. I mean nowhere in the world is a kids religion determined by his/her own beliefs. As I said there are many things that get you thinking.

But just reading an atheist does not make you an atheist. Atleast i feel so! If you believe your faith why are you so scared of people scrutinizing or questioning it? Humans cannot exist without faith..... Some believe in god, some in nature, some in human mind.....but the bottom line is you have to believe in something. Probably I would not be able to state arguments for my faith the way Dawkins does against it. But what the heck? Someday probably I will if not today!

It’s a great book with real good arguments. Read it if you know you can digest it, don’t run asking for the writer's head. Faith that runs scared on questioning is no faith at all :)

Check also: The blind watchmaker

If tomorrow comes

2009-07-07T10:38:00.002+05:30

Author: Sidney Sheldon
Genre: Fiction

My favourite Sidney book after Rage of Angels (I probably like only these two).Tracy Whitney, a character I love almost as much as I love Jennifer Parker. No feminism here....just some fantastic storytelling and ideologies that you identify with.

All set to marry her wealthy and famous boyfriend Tracy doesn’t have any issues in life. Just as she is thinking that life couldn’t get better there comes a phone call informing her of her mother's suicide. Before she knows Tracy is caught in a web of lies and betrayals and lands up in prison.

Probably her jail trauma is the best part of the book. She is broken and almost gives up but a momentary thought that it’s no fault of hers makes her accept life and she chooses to live it her way. That’s when the book turns around as she plans and executes an amazing revenge against those who betrayed her. That completes half of the book.

The final part takes you on a whirlwind tour of some daring and brilliant robberies committed by Tracy sometimes together with Jeff. Read the chess plot carefully and you will admire Sheldon's ingenuity :) That what started for survival now has Tracy hooked and she loves it. But there are people who must stop her before she makes a fool of the entire system. This is a predictable part but yet has amazing humour and probably the optimist in me likes the part and the climax too.

This one is a must for your collection. It’s just amazing story telling with well defined characterizations!

Update: There is another Sidney book that I love - Tell Me your dreams (This time I am sure I adore only 3 of his books ;) )

The English August

2009-05-30T17:59:00.000+05:30

Writer: Upamanyu Chatterjee
Genre: Fiction

Agastya Sen, a half Bengali, half Goan IAS is posted to a small hinterland called 'Madna' for his one year training. Coming from Delhi and Calcutta, the place turns out to be quite a shocker for our English thinking Agastya. The fact that Agastya is lost and wants to understand his purpose in life does not help and his life seems to be all about marijuana, Marcus Aurelius.

Thats the entire plot of the book. And if you think there is no story you are right! But this book has some great satire and sarcasm. The punches are many and you just need to be a connoisseur of words to appreciate them.

Recommended for some nicely written punches!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2009-05-12T19:55:00.001+05:30

Writer: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Fiction

The writer's second book after the extremely popular - 'The Kite Runner'. If the later was about the relationship between a father and a son, this one is about mother-daughter kind of relationship.

The story chronicles Afghanistan from the time women were working as university lecturers, doctors till date when you don’t see the female species without the burqa. It covers the soviet war, mujahideen war, Taliban war - almost everything and you are left wondering (like in Chetan Bhagat's 3 mistakes)...is that a little too much? It almost becomes a Manmohan Desai movie plot.

The two protagonists in the book are Mariam and Laila.
Maraim, Jalil's illegitimate daughter is completely besotted by him and doesn’t believe her mother that he is just trying to 'play' a good dad. Circumstances suddenly change as her mother dies, and she is married off to a much older man, Rasheed. Life goes on in the same disappointed way for her as she cannot give Rasheed a boy.

Laila is very much younger to Mariam and is her neighbour. Laila has a whining mom who doesn’t get out of the bed because her sons have gone to fight the holy war, a father who is university professor and teaches Laila that education is the most important thing in her life and a childhood friend Tariq who is the epicenter of her existence.

As the war in Afghanistan deteriorates, Tariq leaves for Pakistan and Laila becomes Rasheed's second wife and bears him a daughter and a son. Her equation with Mariam moves from extreme hatred to gradual acceptance and finally to that of extreme daughterly love. Towards the end Laila renites with Tariq, and Mariam is publicly executed for a crime she doesn’t repent.

I am sure this small synopsis must have reiterated the fact that it looks like a Manmohan Desai's film plot....but if you really read the book, you get an insight into the Afghanistan that’s falling into pieces. How life must have changed for the common man and how he must be wanting to get back his good old country - that’s the bottom line of the book. And that’s exactly where it scores! I may have not liked the plot but I could somehow relate to the writer and his protagonists going thru’ the phases of what would have once been a wonderful country.

The USP of the book - every 4 pages there is a twist and you have to turn the pages to fulfill your curiosity but still it’s not a classic. It’s a good book but a notch lower than the writer's first book. Read it, it’s not difficult to interpret, quite an everyday writing style and a decent one

Rage

2009-04-28T18:50:00.002+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

Hmmmm!!!! The safest bet when I am confused about what to read next is to pick up a Courtney book from Smith.

Rage is next in line after 'Power of the Sword'.

The book begins with the half brothers Sasha Courtney and Manfred De La Rey pitched against each other in the political arena. Sasha who is married to Tara, has 4 kids (Sean, Michael, Garrick, Isabella) while Mafred is married to Heidi and has a son named Lothar De La Ray (He has daughters too...but they aren’t covered at all). Soon Manfred and Sasha join hands when Shasa Courtney is lured to his side with the one bait the Shasa cannot resist - A Ministerial post and the promise and power the position will bring. But the ploitical unrest in Africa is boiling and along with Moses Gama there are new leaders who have emerged - the most prominent being Mandela.

Manfred and Sasha together face a lot of heat from the rebels and unknown to each other become formidable pals although Sasha is not aware of why their destinies are so intertwined - not until the end. The story has Tara being seduced by Gama to spy on her own husband and she eventually causes the death of her own father before being packed off to England by Sasha. She even bears a son for Moses named Benjamin Africa. Sean is sent to remote Africa to avoid an arrest warrant against him. Micheal leaves the family tradition and becomes a reporter for the black cause. Garrick however carries the Courtney tradition. Isabella falls for Lothar who has himself gained a reputation as the tough cop.

The books end on a not so happy note where Sasha gets to know the truth about the 'White Sword' and before he could do anything with the information Manfred plays the trump card and reveals that he infact is his half brother. Confirmed by Centaine they both decide to part ways and give away the power that they both cherish. Manfred dies in his country home and Sasha moves to England as the ambassador for South Africa. Moses Gama is killed by his own people because he betrayed them against a death sentence and there are new people choose to take a different path to revolution.

Its one of the gems in the Courtney series and unless you are a Courtney and smith fan I don’t think you would have heard of it. Although its a part of a chain it doesn’t matter if you have read the predecessor or not. The narrative is fast paced and compelling as with every book in the series. Africa is the centre piece and it’s something that you won’t keep down once you start it.

Inheritance of Loss

2009-04-06T13:30:00.000+05:30

Writer: Kiran Desai (won a booker for this one)
Genre: Fiction

My second booker read the first being Roy's - God of Small Things. Things havent changed and I sincerely think I am just not the booker kinds. I am a hopeless fiction fan and although I do not entertain melodrama I dislike those touchy kinds too. If you keep talking about emotions all the while I can’t bear it. Ok! Let me get back to the book

Set in Kalimpong, a hill station in the Himalayan foothills this book is primarily a story of 3 people. One - a retired judge, Jemubhai Patel; second – his grand daughter Sai and third – Patel’s cook’s son, Biju.

The judge is a quite fellow staying with his cook when suddenly he is entrusted with the responsibility of his grand daughter who comes to stay with him after her parents demise in an accident. Sai, as she is called is not exactly welcomed into the household but manages to become a part of their existence. The judge’s cook has a son named Biju who is in America and is managing to meet ends and his letters are the only hope for the cook.

The book talks about these 3 people in a forward and reverse manner. The judge’s story is a flashback, how he was sent to England so that he would become an ICS and help his community. He however turns out to be more British and upon his return is unable to adjust his living to the standards of his family. He eventually ends up leaving all of them including his wife and is happy with his lone existence.

The cook has managed to send his son abroad to America with the hope of a bright future but Biju is completely at loss in the USA. He tries hard to cope with the pressures of an illegal immigrant and always misses his homeland. This is is the only section of the book that made sense to me.

Sai, meanwhile starts a love affair with her Maths tutor Gyan who is also member of the rebel group demanding an independent state for Gorkhas. The ego clashes between Gyan and Sai was the best part of the entire book.

The book, like many others has a snail’s pace and I think the last 200 pages are where the stories build up. Maybe it’s just that I am not yet able to understand these type of books. If you are a terrific reader with versatility being your USP try this one out. First timers and leisure readers skip this one…..this one is probably for the veterans.

The Associate

2009-03-05T22:05:00.000+05:30

Author: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction

Just when I thought my fav writer could not give me a book that I would not be able to keep down, he came up with a pretty decent one.

The Asociate is Grisham's latest book and is yet again on what he writes best about - law! The plot revolves around a final year law year student who has planned his life after law school. But just when he thought that everything would end as he wanted, the past catches up and takes him on a roller coaster ride ,albeit unwillingly. He dodges the thin line between the two sides of law with efforts for he knows that a small mistake would put him on the other side of law with no escape.

The book has a great pace but it has a lacklustre climax. It is practical but I always expect stories to have a definite end. This one doesnt and thats the place where it disappointed me. Again its nowhere near Firm or Partner but then if you like his writings you would not find it that bad.

Non grisham fans skip it, others go ahead! Its better than many of his recent books

Catcher in the Rye

2009-02-22T22:10:00.001+05:30

Author: J.D.Salinger
Genre: Fiction

Did you know that this book had quite a controversial launch? It had been banned and disliked for many years because it was considered corny by many. And today its a considered a masterpiece!

It is a rebellious account of a guy named Holden who is thrown out of his latest school and is just own his way to his house to confront his parents. Thats precisely how long this book is! Yet it covers his insecurities, his teenage angst, his dislike of anything that is phony and his 'sick' state as he likes to call it. The book ends on a weird note too with no happy or sad ending. Its abrupt and thats exactly what is its USP.

Its a different book altogether and I am glad to have read it. The book definitely deserves the 'masterpiece' tag that it has got!!!!

A Time to Die

2009-02-15T22:18:00.003+05:30

Writer: Wilbur smith
Genre: Fiction

One of the books in the second sequence Courtney series. The story is about Sean Courtney Jnr. and Claudia. Type the name of the book and you will get the details. I mean I didnt like it , so in no mood to review it. It got boring with time and I have an unspoken rule of never ever leaving a book halfway, only that made me finish it.

Although the courtney series it didnt have the adventure spirit that could captivate me. But no issues, it wont stop me from lapping his other books. I Plan to finish every courtney book written by Smith :D

Joker in the pack

2008-12-09T21:18:00.003+05:30

Autors: Ritesh Sharma, Neeraj Pahlajani
Genre: Fiction

What is it with these IIT, IIM folks? Everyday, somebody or the other seems to be writing a book. This is the 3rd one that I read (5 point someone, keep off the grass being the others).

The story of Shekhar Verma, a brilliant chap who gets into the IIM just because the IT bubble has burst and MBA seems to be the only alternative to a high profile, jet-setting job.Yeah! thats how easy it is for him to clear CAT and get calls from 3(?) IIMs. The book then covers his cliched schedule and cliched self doubt at being in one of India's premier institutes.

The book is great in terms of a one time read. I especially like the middle class nuances put forth by the authors. Being a small book, it wouldnt take much efforts to finish it off in one read.My rating though is an average :)

Tough Choices

2008-12-04T21:21:00.002+05:30

Writer: Carly Fiorina
Genre: Autobiography

When an Ex-CEO has to say something it is but natural for people to sit down and listen. And thats what you do with this book. As Carly traverses thru' AT&T, Lucent and HP, she takes us along a ride into the the corporate culture. How she overcomes the gender bias, the prejudices associated with being a woman at the top post, the book is a good read.

I dont know, but I expected more form the book. She seems to have concentrated more on her business strategies than on her (which I would have preferred). I mean I was seriously impressed when she became the HP CEO and hence the inquisitiveness to know more about this lady remains :) I had read every written article when she was sacked, read all the untowards comments directed at her and I thought she has carried herself well....I guess she must have learnt it already, being a woman at a top post but, she was good.

Again as usual, I did not form an opinion about anything because its the author's point of view. If you want some inspiring stuff, this one is for you but dont take it up if you arent fond of autobiographies.

Keep off the grass

2008-09-21T22:21:00.001+05:30

Writer: Karan Bajaj
Genre: Fiction

An investment banker in manhattan who decides to pursue his MBA in IIM Banglore! A typically confused immigrant who tries to identify his existence and wants to battle his daemons in his own way, by smoking marijuana that is!

If you had liked Five Point someone, chances are you will find this book quite similar. It’s a good read, no doubt but it isn’t exceptional. I mean Chetan Bhagat has already started the trend and Karan Bajaj seems to be following it. But the trajectory journey of Samrat will surely be liked by many. Since it’s a small book, its quite a fast read. Grab a copy but not with too much expectations.

Mrutunjay

2008-09-21T22:15:00.000+05:30

Writer: Shivaji Samant
Genre: Fiction/Classical

If you like the character of Karna in Mahabharata, this book is for you. Translated into more than 5 languages the book tells the story of Karna as he battles destiny humanely.
I do not think there is anything that I could write about the story. Everything about it is known to everyone. So I will just stick to the style of writing.

I read the book in Marathi, and the lucidity in the book had me hooked. The narrative is exemplary and the era is built up in an amazing manner. The book is divided into sub sections and each sub section is dedicated to a central character in Mahabharata. The character takes the story forward in the first person kind of narrative. Possibly the first time that I read this kind of narration! If you know how to read Marathi I would suggest you to pick up the Marathi version rather than any other language.

I am just happy to have it in my collection.

The Ployester Prince

2008-07-29T05:58:00.002+05:30

Writer: Hamish McDonald
Genre: Biography

The book is a fabulous collection of statistics as India tried to establish herself in the post independence era. The controversial rise of Dhirubhai Ambani and his Reliance industries forms the crux of the book. The book covers his meteoric rise from the small village of Chorwad to the spunky office at Nariman Point.

Being a biography, as usual I read it with a detached sense of belonging for I usually never form an opinion or comment on a second person's view about a third person :)

Read the book, do not let tthe statistics scare you. The book has some big names like Ramanth Goenka, Gurumurthy, Rajiv Gandhi, Pranab mukherjee, etc being mentioned quite often. You will really find it quite accurate if you manage to google the facts. A good read whatsoever

Mahashweta

2008-07-29T05:57:00.001+05:30

Writer: Sudha Murthy
Genre: Fiction

Many years ago there was this Marathi serial that used to be telecast on Doordarshan titled ‘Mahashweta’. It had the lovely Aishwarya Narkar playing the lead and she had hooked me to this serial. As it happens with all the serials, it got boring with time and I stopped watching it. Later I came to know that it was based on some book and that search lead me to buy this book. Now, let me clarify that it was actually based on a Marathi novel by Sumati Kshetramade (which I would lap up soon).

Anyways, reasons apart, this is a small book and deals with much of the bias set in the society against luekodermic people. Anupama, a beautiful and talented small village girl gets married to the extremely handsome Dr. Anand in what one would call a Cinderella like wedding. Everything seems to be just perfect for the couple when all of a sudden Anupama’s world crashes as she is diagnosed with luekoderma, a skin ailment which completely disfigures her and mars her beauty.

As she deals with her family, the society and more importantly with herself, identifying her strengths and giving up her weaknesses for a calm and composed existence is what the book is all about.

Definitely a good buy if you want a quick read.

The Ugly Duckling

2008-06-26T06:44:00.001+05:30

Writer: Amita Mukherjee
Genre: Fiction

A complete I-Me-Myself book which narrates the story of Mia Makarand, an Interpreter in France. As she copes with everyday problems and tries to become more practical and social, it dawns upon her that nothing is more important in life than self-respect.

No drama, no climaxes, it is just an everyday account of a woman’s life. Don’t think anyone would enjoy it but I appreciated it for the exact reason. No frills and fancies is its USP for a big-time drama and chase sequences fan like me ;)

Rage of Angels

2008-03-12T06:31:00.000+05:30

Writer: Sidney Sheldon
Genre: Fiction

A Sheldon book that I re-read a few days back! I have read almost all his books and I always thank him for introducing me the fiction genre. Previous to him I had read Danielle Steel and I thought I would never touch a fiction again.

The story revolves around the female protagonist Jennifer Parker and her complicated but determined life. The book begins when she is set up by the tactful Mafia to deliver a dead canary to a terrified witness which almost leads to her disbarment but falls sort of evidence when there is an honest enquiry conducted by Adam Warners. After that life takes a dramatic turn for Parker as she copes with the after effects and decides to succeed in life.

It’s the only Sidney book with a ‘not-so-happy’ but practical ending. I know one thing, I have loved this book and when I recently bought it I lapped it up in a single day. Sidney never gave me a strong, confident and vivacious female protagonist as Parker till he etched Tracy Whitney in ‘If tomorrow comes’. But this book still remains one of his most fantastic writings. Even critics would not argue otherwise!!!!

The Blue Horizon

2008-02-13T06:14:00.001+05:30

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

Next in line with Monsoon, The Blue horizon is the story of the second generation Courtney’s as they explore the wild Africa and deal with their own destinies.

Tom and Sarah’s son Jim Courtney and Mansur and Yasimini’s son Mansur are the central characters and the book is essentially about them with some flashbacks about their respective parents.

The African wilderness is as usual well captured and you will not mind reading the book even if you haven’t read its prequel.

It’s a typical Smith book and you will like it if you have like his style of writing, I do ;)
And if you haven’t read a single one yet, time to grab a copy

p.s. I have read many Smith books but this blog came into existence much later and I decided not to include any old ‘reads’ here

Raja Shiv Chatrapati

2008-01-17T10:19:00.001+05:30

Raja Shiv Chatrapati - Babasaheb Purandare
Language - Marathi
Genre - Classics

My brother once told me that history would be fun but for the dates. Although I do not completely agree with him, I don’t disagree either. I remember my school days where history was the most boring subject and I never ever touched a History book once I left school.

But soon I picked up many history books and have been savouring them till date. Tracing the lives of Hitler, Mussolini, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Churchill, and Thatcher has been one of my favourite pastimes. Near home I love reading about the Mughal dynasty, the Rajputs as along with Raja Ravi Verma.

Raja Shiv Chatrapati is a book written by Babasaheb Purandare; about the famous maratha warrior Shivaji Bhosale. A one man’s fight for independence! A one man’s trust in his culture and god! The story of a man who taught us the difference between slavery and loyalty!!!

The book traces the life of Shivaji and also Maharashtra (right from the time Ram stepped onto the land then known as Danadkaranya). Some of the most noticing and my favourite events in Chatrapati’s life include –

1) Battle of Pratapgad – Slaining of the great Bijapur warrior , Afzal khan.

2) Battle of Panhalgad/Pavankhind - Routing of Bijapur forces led by Siddhi Johar. Shivaji actually ran away from Panhalgad to Vishalgad right under his nose leaving the Johar red in face

3) Lal Mahal Attack – The daring attack on Lal mahal where Auranzeb’s uncle Shaistakhan had been living. Shivaji cut of his 3 fingers and he escaped death only because of the darkness.

4) Fleeing from Auranzeb’s captivity – He mocked the Mughals when he fled from Auranzeb’s captivity in a fruit basket. Daringly hilarious ;)

If you want to know more about this great warrior check out the wiki page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivaji

The book is a classic and will be on the shelves for a long time to come. Babasaheb Purandare has done a thorough research and leaves no doubt about the sincerity of his efforts. I hope someone translates the book into English so that it gets a wider audience.

Here’s a paragraph I got from some link –

Shivaji was religious, he wasn’t fanatic. He was strong, he wasn’t violent. He was adventurous, he wasn’t careless. He was a businessman, he wasn’t aimless. He was dreamer, but he also had strength to bring those dreams to reality. He was never a collector of paintings or art, he didn’t have any poets in his court. His contemporaries were ignoring draught, poverty, English invasion and were busy erecting monuments. Shivaji could not ignore these things, he neither had time nor money to build Temples or Ghats or hospitals. It was said at the time that since he did neither of the above, there wouldn’t have place in the heaven for him. But taking care of people as whole is any King’s first obligation. For that he has to fight, compete, rise to the occasion, make concessions at times, make some promises and break some promises. These are king’s duties. One that satisfies these duties gets well wishes from his people and that is what opens the doors of heaven for him. A King does not have personal love/hate, honor/dishonor.

Playing For Pizza

2008-01-17T10:10:00.000+05:30

Playing for Pizza – John Grisham
Fiction

The latest book by Grisham is a decent one and definitely not in the league of Firm or Partner. It does not have the ‘I-need-to-finish-this-today’ kind of plot nor does it have the high voltage chase sequences which I have adored in his oldies.

The book sets its own pace and you have to be patient in the beginning. But if you have liked Grisham and have been his reader for quite some time you can trust him as he leads you to the inner world of Rick Dockery, a NFL quarterback.

The book begins with the nadir Rick has bought his career into and how he is nicknamed “The Greatest Goat ever” after he takes real efforts to lose a winning game. Ridiculed and humiliated, he packs his bag and moves to Italy where the game is played for Pizzas. The story then moves as Rick places his life together and plays for the enjoyment of the game and comes to terms with being satisfied in Life.

Read through it as it strikes a chord with our lives. It’s no different although not each one of us plays football ;). It’s slow but it is definitely not boring once you get a hang of it.

Recommended for all Grisham fans but I am waiting for a fast paced book Mr.Grisham
I hope your next book “The Appeal” is what I have been waiting for….

Alchemist

2007-11-22T06:07:00.000+05:30

Alchemist
Writer:Paul Cohelo
Genre: Management/Inspirational

"When you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."That line made me read this book and I ended up re-reading it so many times. I have had many friends who disliked the book because they thought it was too preachy. I dont disagree with them and I would suggest you read it yourself to decide if you like it or not. Dont let anyone else's opinion be a turn on/off for you.

It's a story about a boy names Santiago who dreams of some treasure hidden near the pyramids. The boy who is a simple shepherd overcomes so many difficulties and fear to reach his destination. Yeah!!! thats how simple the story is. But the book has a fabulous collection of quotes, a few of which I jot down here.

- If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work towards getting it.

- Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

- The world’s greatest lie is that: “At a certain point in our lives, we lose control oh what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.”

- You see the world in terms of what you would like to see happen, not what actually does.- Whoever believes in dreams knows how to interpret them.

- Is Wine prohibited? It’s not what enters men’s mouth that’s evil, it’s what comes out of their mouths that is.

- Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.

- There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.

- When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
There are many more but these are my personal favourites.

Grab a copy, read it and I hope you enjoy it!!!!

My experiments with truth - M.K.Gandhi

2007-09-01T23:46:00.000+05:30

A completely wrong book to dissect because for this book I think the saying -" To each his own" would hold completely true.

But I loved this book and I loved the honesty that goes into the book. It takes courage to write something like that when you are labelled as the 'Man of the century', the 'Father of the nation', etc.

I am not a Gandhi follower nor am I a firm believer in non violence and I am sure many from my generation aren't either. But I also believe it takes too much of courage to follow it :)
I had read a book where the author asks a twenty someone to name the biggest gift of the previous century and he surprisingly answered 'Non-Violence'.

My only suggestion about the book - Read it, to comment about it. Whatever your idea/notions about the man the book is about, read it to understand the human part of the man the world idolizes.

Book Review - Shantaram

2007-07-24T23:05:00.001+05:30

Writer - Gregory David Roberts

Just started reading this book and the initial reaction is euphoric. The pace is just right and so is the writing. Not the ideal time to review the book but I'll just jot down some of the fantastic lines that i have read so far.

1) Civilization after all is defined by what we forbid, more than what we permit.

2) The truth is a bully we all pretend to like.

3) Most loves are like that Your heart starts to feel like an over-crowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect, and your independence. After a while you start throwing people out.

4) What we call cowardice is often just another name for being taken by surprise and courage is seldom any better than simply being well prepared.

5) The facts of life are very simple. In the beginning we feared everything - animals, the weather, the trees, the night sky - everything except each other.

The book is full of so many other beuatiful one liners.

Now that i have finished reading the book i am going to reccommend this book to anyone who bothers to listen to my opinion. Its a great book with the length and the writer's obsession into detailing being the only hindrances. But you can skip that enjoy the book right till the last page. Believe me, there is something or the other going on even till the last page.

Grab a copy folks........you wont regret it.

Update:

Some more quotes as I re-read the book

Fate always gives you two choices, the one you should take, and the one you do.
Some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again.
The sane man is simply a better liar than an insane man.
Happiness is a myth, which was invented to make us buy things.
The difference between news and gossip-News tells you what people did, gossip tells you how much they enjoyed it.
If fate doesn't make you laugh, then you don't get the joke.
One of the ironies of courage, and the reason why we prize it so highly, is that we find it easier to be brave for someone else than we do for ourselves alone.
Luck is what happens to you when fate gets tired of waiting
Sometimes the lion must roar, just to remind the horse of his fear.
A politician is someone who promises you a bridge, even when there is no river.

Introduction

2007-07-24T22:50:00.000+05:30

This is an old idea taking shape after lots of procrastination, but the eternal optimist in me asks me to be just thankful, for making this blog.

The title of this blog says it all. I am an avid reader and time and again I end up writing reviews about many books and/or articles in my other blogs. The whole purpose of this blog is to keep a track of my readings (and hopefully writings which have taken a backseat in the past years) and review the thought process of the writer and not just his/her words. The two when applied in the correct proportion are a deadly combination and not many are good at it.

I have traveled the reading lane on a fast pace, all thanks to tons of friends around who are avid readers themselves and I have regretted not picking up the reading habit in the early stages of my life.

I hereby declare that every review/comment that i would write here is a complete personal opinion and i don't mind bouquets/brickbats till everyone keeps up decent comments.

So here i go.........