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Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Cabin Fever) by Jeff Kinney

Sneha Sharma — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0000

>Book : Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Cabin Fever)

Author : Jeff Kinney

Published : 16th November 2011

ISBN : 9780141341880

Publisher : Penguin Books Ltd

Language : English

Category : Juvenile Fiction

Yeah, finally I got my hands on this lovely series by Jeff Kinney. The sad part is that I read the last book first rather than reading in line. However, the book is a masterpiece. It’s cute, simple, connects with you at some level and brings back all those good, not so good and bad middle school life memories. Geff who is a simple and cute middle school student is the poster boy of my school life! I wonder how did Jeff spy on my childhood and come up with this book but then I am sure there are many like me who would wonder the same. By the looks of it you might think that it is a book meant for kids and it surely is. It is for all the kids that live deep inside us so stay put for I am here to take you through this interesting book as I saw it.

It is November in Geff’s life and he is not happy about it. After all there is too much pressure involved in holiday season! As rightly put by Geff, mistakes are fine through out the year but any mistake during the Christmas-Thanksgiving period and you have to stress about gifts from Santa. Santa, being Santa rewards only good children. Thinking about this and other embarrassing events that always happen with Geff during holiday season will remind you of all your mistakes due to which you were labelled as the naughty one. Errrr I was always that naughty bad girl throughout my childhood. From weird rituals to old practices, sibling issues to parent stereotypes poor Geff is burdened by all. In addition to the holiday season, Geff discusses his middle school problems, weird play time practices, unique and irritating best friend woes, school and compound bullies, deepest fears with his diary.

We all must have cheated with our gifts some time or other and hence when Geff does the same, I don’t judge him at all! In fact, I feel like telling him its okay kiddo your parents might have done the same! Oh and you must read about his weird craze about some of his toys and computer games, I am sure it will remind you of your current addictions with twitter or other online websites.

Geff tries hard to be a good kid this November but poor guy that he is unknowingly lands up in trouble big time! The school property is damaged and somehow Geff lands up as the prime suspect even though the poor guys is innocent, I mean kind off. In a surprise chain of events that include blizzard, being trapped indoors, coming face to face with old habits and some weird antics by family, Geff gets stuck inside for holidays!

It is a lovable read. Simple and sweet with cute illustrations and fonts. The book takes you away from your current tensions making you laugh, worry and think about this cute kid’s middle school problems which were once the major problems in all of our lives. Hilarious must read. Pick up a copy today!

Rating : 4/5

This review is also posted here : Journey Called Me…

>The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi

admin — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:33:00 +0000

‘The Secrets of the Nagas’, by Amish proceeds from the trail left in the ‘The Immortals of Meluha’. At the conclusion in Meluha, Sati was abducted by the surreptitious Naga warrior and the central crux of this subsequent book is Shiva’s mission to catch the chasing evil, while lifting the shadowy shroud of the Naga. He also has to avenge the slaying of his beloved associate Brahaspati, who considered him as his brother.

Shiva chooses to visit the Ram temple at Ayodhya while struggling to understand if the Chandravanshis are indeed as evil as the Suryavanshis make them out to be. Near the Ram temple, he sees an assassin waiting behind a tree following Sati, who quickly escapes in a horse on getting spotted. Shiva’s quest to discern the unrequited obscurities lead him to the Naga queen and the Lord of the People in the surreptitiously shielded deep jungles of Panchvati, the land of Nagas, after stopovers in Swadweep, Kashi and Branga.

The book keeps on moving forward and a lot of queries that the reader has in mind will be revealed along with surprises and some sub plots brought to their coherent inference within this volume and finishes with a fine twist. The protagonists of the first book have come near to being rogues while the so called evils have become champions and have become the reliable associates.

In contrast to the uncertain bucolic tribal Shiva of the first book, Shiva here is much more self-confident, having taken the role of being a protector comfortably. The journey of each mythical personality related to Shiva is well developed and have been presented in a totally coherent style.

Shiva gets to comprehend and study the essential dichotomy of existence, the need of both good and evil, the concurrence of male and female part in the creation and much more. The author has plaited the philosophy of the immoral and virtuousness gracefully with a concoction of adventure and excitement. The combat sequences have been well described with where you can virtually envision each sequence.

Amish is a good storyteller with an eye for detail which bonds with the reader and an exceptionally engaging elegance in writing with perfect lucidity on his feelings. The writer has done a admirable job by exquisitely reconstructing legends and tales about Shiva and his ‘ganas’ giving them life in this book, with an intriguing tale while making it very interesting, inspite of parallel story lines.

The reader would already be used to the language by now. The story is a fast paced mythical thriller with a dash of wit, action, passion, intrigues, conspiracies and subplots. The writer has a firm control on the flow of the book with the narrative intensely impelling and astonishing to the reader.

This incredible sequel is certainly a must read. Even if you you’re not a great aficionado of mythology and don’t even know who Shiva is, you can still relish the story and if you do have indepth knowledge of the folklore surrounding Shiva, you will marvel at the way the countless legends come together in this saga.

>Bombay Duck is a Fish by Kanika Dhillon

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:11:00 +0000

‘Bombay Duck is a Fish’ by Kanika Dhillon, described in a first person narrative is the story of a small town Amritsar girl, Neki Brar who moves to Mumbai, foregoing her creamy job in an MNC to pursue her golden dream of becoming one of the top filmmakers of bollywood.

But as life would have it, when Neki finally make it as an Assistant Director in bollywood, albeit with ease due to the recommendation of one of her room-mates, little does she suspect that one day she will be contemplating leaping off the terrace, while browsing through her diary ‘Nano’ which bears the harsh testimony of her everyday adventures at home, with her three roommates and the fight for supremacy on the sets of bollywood.

From here on the journey unfolds of her daily trysts with the other members in the crew comprising of five other assistant directors. She is confronted with the competition among the line producer, the junior artists, foreigners, but in the middle of every disaster that happens on the sets, it all finally comes down to her. Too add to the drama in her life, Neki also ends up falling in love with Ranvir Khanna, the second lead actor, which complicates her life further.

Amidst the cut-throat competition to be on the top, she has to work hard to have her way up among the other assistant directors and struggle every inch to understand the ground rules there, but it is the approval of the director which makes her strive for the best. And to unravel the entire mystery of the life of Neki and finally what happens in the terrace, you have to leaf through the entire story to know it.

The author paints a vivid picture of the film studios to the bungalows of the superstars and the simple reality that constant determination and the will to succeed will ultimately decide your fate in life. The book is about a trial or the struggle through which any bollywood aspirant goes through where he or she has to keep adapting everyday until you make it so big that you’re a household name.

The novel delves beyond the glamorous world of bollywood and the best part is even in the darkness, the touch of satire and the easy pace of narration keeps the reader hooked till the very end. The author shows the inside story and behind the scene episodes of bollywood to readers where in a crew even a junior member sometimes can yield more power than an experienced veteran just because the profession demands so.

The book simply flows on with numerous interesting real-life situations and the cocktail of love, betrayal, ambition, jealousy and tragedy making it a perfect pot-boiler like any bollywood action movie.

It’s a kind of mini hand-guide of the way to the top without any sugar coating for young bollywood aspirants. Overall the book is well narrated and the characterization is very good. The writing is quite light and impressive and will keep you glued till the very end.

>2 States- Chetan Bhagat

admin — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 05:02:00 +0000

I am no die hard fan of Chetan Bhagat. Sure, I have read all his books and have found them entertaining. I have identified with many events of Five Point Someone and recommended his books to many friends. But his books did not have the raw resonance of say, Jhumpa Lahiri. That is before he came out with his latest offering, 2 States, the story of my marriage. This is undoubtedly his best till date. The simple and sweet boy meets girl love story has been presented in a wonderfully innovative and refreshing manner. The cultural and linguistic divide between the two families (yes, the boy is Punjab da puttar while the girl is a Tam bam, no less.) has been brought out in a manner which is humorous as well as poignant. Bhagat manages to put across his point with remarkable candor without being preachy. The best part of the book is that the sense of fun never goes away. Some Tamils and Punjabis may be a bit miffed at the mild dose of sarcasm directed at them but as Bhagat says you only make digs at people you care for. I don’t really know how much of the book is autobiographical but the situations seem real enough. The book is an easy read (which is the USP of all Bhagat works anyway) but the underlying message is not lost. The book is priced at a reasonable Rs.95.00( available at a further 50% discount on Flipkart, just don’t ask me about the economical feasability) and has already sold over 4 lakh copies making it a bigger hit than all his other works. And now it is being made into a major motion picture by none other than the Badshah of Bollywood, Sharukh Khan. My recommendation- Go for it and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Man, Woman and Child by Erich Segal

Roshmi — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:01:00 +0000

This one came after the classic ‘Love Story‘ and the tepid ‘Oliver’s Story‘… and went on to become an international bestseller and a major motion picture.

Every book of Erich Segal is a delightful read and this one is no different. It explores the relationship between as the title suggests, ‘man and woman’, ‘woman and child’ and ‘child and man’. The only thing is that the child is not ‘theirs’, but is the result of ‘his’ affair with ‘another’ woman on a business tour. The novel details the lives of Robert and Sheila Beckwith and their daughters Jessica and Paula.

In the shape of this novel, comes yet another unforgettable story of love… penned by the master storyteller Erich Segal. The drama of a father and the son he never knew… and a marriage that must stand the greatest test of all. Robert (Bob) and Sheila Beckwith had everything, rewarding careers, two wonderful daughters (though Robert sometimes wishes for a son), and a perfect marriage. Well, almost perfect. For what Sheila didn’t know was that Robert had once been unfaithful – only once, ten years ago during a business trip to France. He had an accident and then had an affair with the doctor (Nicole Guerin) who treated him. What Robert didn’t know was that his brief affair had produced a son. Now a tragic accident – and one fateful phone call – will change Robert and Sheila’s life… forever.

This is the story of a man in a dilemma… of keeping his family intact and happy and on the other hand, his love for a son who was born out of an affair a long time ago. The story is very simple… it is about how a family accepts a child as ‘their’ own… more importantly how Sheila, the ‘heroine’ accepts the child. Perhaps this novel is supposed to draw sympathy and understanding for human weaknesses.

Plot synopsis: Robert is contacted one day by a friend in France, who tells him that Nicole, a woman with whom Robert had had an affair years ago, has died – and Jean-Claude, the son Robert never knew he had… is now an orphan. That evening, Robert explains the situation to Sheila, and they agree to take in Jean-Claude for the summer holidays. However, they also agree to keep Jean-Claude’s true identity a secret. Once Jean-Claude arrives at their home, their daughters Jessica and Paula take to the little boy in a big way. However, the boy – Jean-Claude – keeps his distance while trying to cope with his situation and the loss of his mother – his only parent.

Later that summer, Sheila (a journalist) is tempted by the possibility of an affair with an author she has been interviewing. At the same time, Jessica and Paula discover Jean-Claude’s true identity, through Davey Ackerman, Robert’s friend Bernie Ackerman’s son. They are extremely shocked and hurt, and refuse to speak to their parents.

As the Beckwiths are bringing Jean-Claude to the airport to return to France, he suddenly falls ill and is hospitalized. After the surgery, during which the Beckwiths become closer again, he makes a full recovery. He agrees to return to France, but will return to visit them at each holiday.

The protagonist, Robert, seems very real… and imparts the feelings of a man torn between his family and his son quite admirably. Every emotion is depicted very nicely and the ending is as true as it can be. What is more important about this book is the way it shows the relationships developing and breaking between people because of one ‘incident’… or rather a single ‘indiscretion’. For example, we have the protagonist, Robert… who cannot let go of his son, and then there is Sheila… who just doesn’t seem to forgive her husband for his ‘mistake’. The story unfolds beautifully and ends with Sheila eventually coming to terms with the child, and the child finally winning her love and approval.

I am also fond of this Erich Segal classic as it inspired Shekhar Kapur’s first directorial venture, the much acclaimed 1983 Hindi film ‘Masoom‘ starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Supriya Pathak and Saeed Jaffrey, as well as child actors Jugal Hansraj and Urmila Matondkar. Tanuja too appears in a small role. It is a bittersweet yet captivating story of how a happy family goes through turbulent times because of a ‘mistake’ committed by one of the family members, and the repercussions of bad decisions made by people who are in a sense, essentially good. ‘Masoom’ is a wonderful; touching film loved by many. It is a masterpiece by ace filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and has achieved the status of an evergreen hit film in India.

The actors portray their characters with such knowledge and ability that you feel as if you are watching the real day-to-day lives and incidents of a family. The basic theme of this film to me seems to be, “the power of love”. DK’s love for Rahul battles against his love for the rest of his family. And it is Indu’s love for D.K., and her eventual love and respect for Rahul, that keeps the family from being torn apart. It is a film about strength, about having the strength to love someone no matter what they have done. Shabana Azmi’s “Indu” is both fragile but incredibly strong and dignified. Naseerudin Shah plays “D.K.” with such courage, but also shows his weak side… convincingly. The beauty of the movie is that it is like an onion… it has layers and layers of meaning. Each time you watch the movie, yet another layer opens.

The film’s title, ‘Masoom’, means ‘innocent’, and there are a number of innocent victims of DK’s transgression, not least the boy Rahul himself, who only wants to be loved, to be part of the family, and to find his father. All the three child actors performed admirably, especially young Jugal Hansraj as Rahul. He was simply angelic. Urmila Matondkar who played the role of Pinky (the elder daughter of DK and Indu) grew up to be an acclaimed actress… in Bollywood. Aradhana essayed the role of the younger daughter (Minni). Not much is known of her though. No matter where she is or what she does/has done; we all have her face etched in our memories as the cute little girl from ‘Masoom’.

‘Masoom’ is about beauty in simplicity. The raw emotions and the innocent charm have a rare quality of freshness that is seldom seen these days. Every lyric had been well thought out, well placed and of course melodious. No wonder, the magic of the movie still works… with such a good script and such impeccable performances from the very versatile and brilliant Naseeruddin Shah and the legendary Shabana Azmi. In this film, both vied for equal honors.

‘Masoom’ also features a handful of nice and hummable songs by the late music maestro, Rahul Dev Burman. The song, ‘Lakdi ki kathi‘ from this film was very popular too. My particular favourite is the one sung by Dr. Anup Ghoshal, ‘Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi, Heiraan Hoon Mein‘. A classic song with touching lyrics:

Jeene ke liye socha hi nahi, dard sambhalne honge
Muskurain toh, muskurane ke karz utaarne honge
Muskuraoon kabhi to laagta hai
Jaise honthon pe karz rakhaa hai.

Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi, heiraan hoon mein…
Ohhh heiraan hoon mein…
Tere masoom sawalon se pareshan hoon mein,
Ohhh pareshan hoon mein…

Aaj agar bhar aayi hai, boondein baras jaayegi
Kal kya pata inke liye aakhen taras jayegi
Ohhh, jaane kahan gum huwa, kahan khoya
Ek aansu chhupake rakhkha tha…

Sheer magic! Hats off to the poet, lyricist and filmmaker par excellence, Gulzar Saab.

Details of the book: Man, Woman and Child: Erich Segal, pp 224, Paperback, Bantam, ISBN-10: 9780553562354, ISBN-13: 978-0553562354, ASIN: 0553562355.

Photograph: The book jacket cover of Erich Segal’s Man, Woman and Child. Pic courtesy: link.

Reviewed by: Roshmi Sinha (cross posted from here).

>Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 03:42:00 +0000

The Unaccustomed Earth is a collection of eight short stories where Lahiri explores the cultural issues and differences between the American born second generation Indians and their parents, who migrated to the U.S. in the 70′s-80′s.

The first five stories are independant and the last three are about the same two people,Hema and Koushik.The best part is that each story is long enough and makes sure that the readers bond well with each of the characters.

Lahiri’s writing is just brilliant and I was effortlessly dragged into each of the stories. I have a feeling that I’ve lived with each of the characters, watched them closely as the story unfolded. I eventually got too involved that I was disappointed when each story came to an end. It was such an amazing experience to read this book! I was left wanting to hear more.

You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. ~Paul Sweeney

That’s exactly how I felt with each of the stories! I keep the review short as the only thing I have to say is, if you still haven’t read The Unaccustomed Earth, make sure you pick it up fast.

Crossposted here.

>Stay Hungry Stay foolish by Rashmi Bansal

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:29:00 +0000

We all look for stories that inspire don’t we? Rashmi Bansal has picked 25 such success stories of entrepreneurs from Indian Institute of Management Ahemdabad (or IIMA), India’s premier Business School, and written this book.

The book is divided into 3 sections

* The Believers: IIM-A graduates who took the plunge straight out of IIM-A
* The Opportunists: Who saw an opportunity and capitalized on it
* The Alternate Vision: Social Entrepreneurs who cared about things beyond money

Some excerpts of what I loved

Naukri.com’s Sanjeev Bikhchandani :
Success came along the way, but even through the days he ran a tiny business out of the servant’s quarter, Sanjeev was happy. And that’s what makes it such a
fascinating story.

Fountainhead school’s Vardan Kabra
Vardan shifted to Surat, a city which lacks good schools but where there is growing demand for quality education. And paying capacity is not an issue. However the first six months were a major low period. “I had no clue as to what I was doing and where I was heading…”

My Review

Its a really smart of choice of name, inspired by the unforgettable speech by Steve Jobs in Stanford. However, if your expecting some sharp analysis and insights from what led to these success stories, you may be in for some disappointment. The insights do come from pearls shared by the interviewees based on their individual experiences. The stories themselves are both inspiring and easy to relate to. The author has interviewed them and cited to very interesting anecdotes in active voice – which makes the text really readable. My favorite story was of Renuka Sugar Mills, of how an age old industry was reformed by a new age entrepreneur. I also love the Makemytrip.com story, for the sheer audacity of the founders.

If your enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, then pick up this book and remember its just a wonderful story book.

>Deception Point by Dan Brown

admin — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 03:06:00 +0000

Summary:

Deception Point is another fast-paced thriller from Dan Brown, the man behind The Da Vinci Code.The United States of America is facing another Presidential election with two contrasting personalities – one President Zach Herney: A man of strong principles & a strong supporter of NASA and two Senator Sedgewick Sexton – a master of the political game with powerful friends.

Senator Sexton raises the funding of NASA as the main issue in his campaigning, as all of the recent NASA missions had been failures. On the other hand PODS, a NASA satellite, locates a meteorite buried deep under the Milne Ice Shelf, situated in an Arctic island. NASA scientists find out that this meteorite contains fossils of well-developed life forms – bugs.

As this proves beyond doubt that life exists elsewhere in the universe, it is going to be a turning point in the history of science.

The President invites four civilian scientists and the intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton to validate this NASA claim to give it high authenticity in front of the cynics. All of them hail the discovery as genuine and revolutionary. A festive atmosphere sets among the scientists gathered in the arctic island. The President is preparing to announce this startling discovery to the world in live media telecast.

However, someone spots a small discrepancy in the excavation site which leads to murder. Two of the scientists get murdered and Rachel Sexton, the beautiful and intelligent daughter of Senator Sexton, is fleeing for her life along with two scientists. Who is behind the killer-squad chasing them? What is wrong with the meteorite? Will Rachel ever find out the truth?

My Review:

Its another fast paced & thrilling novel for sure. There are some hitches with the novel – your are bound to know who is the villain after a few chapters. The narration is sometimes cryptic and exercises your brain muscles to visualize every scene – to the point that after a while, I gave up and started to concentrate only on how the characters are finding out the truth.

Bottom-line – do I recommend the Deception Point?

Of course! It is much better than Digital Fortress and is a good page-turner. No, don’t compare it with Dan Brown’s religious thrillers, but its standalone a very engrossing read.

Here’s another interesting video review of the book !

Love Story by Erich Segal

Roshmi — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:07:00 +0000

“Remember the Roses” is a magnificent love story and one of my all time favourite short story with a touch of romance, along with that excellent Erich Segal classic: “Love Story”. I have read its sequel too… “Oliver’s Story”… but it does not come close to “Love Story”… my personal opinion, entirely.

Not just a story – “Love Story” is an experience. It shows us the amazing power of love. This 120 page short novel made me laugh many times during the reading, and when I finished it, I had tears in my eyes. This book is a work of art, a masterpiece of literature… it has not lost its power to move its readers. The first Sentence: “What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. The Beatles. And me.” That first line summarizes this phenomenal bestseller and enduring classic. There is also the memorable line: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. Spoken twice in this novel/book, once by Jennifer when Oliver is about to apologize to her for his anger. The second time, said by Oliver… to his father when Mr. Barrett (his father) says, “I’m sorry” after hearing of Jennifer’s death… at the hospital.

The storyline: “Love Story” is romantic and funny, yet a tragic story, that nearly 40 years ago had an entire generation in love and in tears… and still do. It is the story of 2 young college grads, whose love was stronger then any of the tests life threw at them. Oliver Barrett IV: a Harvard jock and a (very) rich scion or heir to the Barrett fortune and legacy. Jennifer Cavilleri: a working-class, quick-witted daughter of a Cranston, Rhode Island baker, with not much money, but lots of love. Oliver (Ollie) was expected to follow in his father’s huge footsteps, while Jennifer (Jenny), a music major studying at Radcliffe College was to go on and study in Paris. Both come from very different worlds… opposites in nearly every way. But when they met, Oliver and Jenny immediately attract… the sparks flew, and we get involved with them as their love grows deep and strong. The story of Jenny and Ollie is a realistic story of two young people who come from two separate worlds and are joined together in the most unlikely of ways.

Upon graduation from college, the two decide to marry against the wishes of Oliver’s father, who thereupon severs all ties with his son. Without his father’s financial support, the couple struggles to pay Oliver’s way through Harvard Law School… with Jenny working as a private school teacher. Graduating third in his class, Oliver gets several job offers and takes up a position at a respectable New York law firm. Jenny promises to follow Oliver anywhere on the East Coast. The couple moves to New York City, excited to spend more time together… rather than in working and studying… as it was previously. With Oliver’s new income, the pair of 24-year-olds decide to have a child. It is from then onwards, that there are several unexpected twists and turns… that make us smile and breaks our heart too. After failing (i.e., after Jenny fails to conceive), they consult a medical specialist, who after repeated tests, informs Oliver that Jenny is ill and will soon die. Oliver then tries again. While this is not stated explicitly, Jenny appears to be suffering from leukemia.

As instructed by his doctor, Oliver attempts to live a “normal life” without telling Jenny of her condition. Jenny nevertheless discovers her ailment after confronting her doctor about her recent illness. With their days together numbered, Jenny begins (a costly) cancer therapy, and Oliver soon becomes unable to afford the multiplying hospital expenses. Desperate, he seeks financial relief from his father. Instead of telling his father what the money is truly for, Oliver misleads him. From her hospital bed, Jenny speaks with her father about funeral arrangements, and then asks for Oliver. She tells him to avoid blaming himself, and asks him to embrace her tightly before she dies. When Mr. Barrett realizes that Jenny is ill and that his son borrowed the money for her, he immediately sets out for New York. By the time he reaches the hospital, Jenny is dead. Mr. Barrett apologizes to his son, who replies with something Jenny had once told him: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”… before breaking down in his arms.

Jenny’s character wins your heart as she unsuccessfully tries to thaw the relations between Oliver and his father, the way she spurs Oliver on (in law school studies, his hockey games) and so many more moments. The story is unique because of its many beautiful moments like Oliver’s marriage proposal, Jenny’s simplicity in thoughts, their supposedly do-it-yourself-wedding, etc. Jenny’s final words are a simple, “Thanks, Ollie”. Although the reader knows beforehand that Jenny is going to die, you somehow get so involved in the plot that you don’t want her to leave Ollie… ever. The ending of the book is so simple and stark that many, including myself have had to reread the chapter to enforce the ending of the story. This story will provide imagery and wisdom, through the lessons of the characters, for many hours of inner contemplation.

There is a “Gift of the Magi” moment in this story: Oliver turns his back on his family and fortune to marry Jenny. Jenny gives up her dreams of Paris and being a musician. But to each other, there is nothing as important as the other in their lives. When life throws them a tragic turn, they find solace in each other arms, and the reader cannot help but feel their pain and their deep love as well. Here is a love that will linger in your heart now and forever.

Details of the book: Love Story: Erich Segal, pp 144, Paperback, Harper Paperbacks, ISBN: 9780060748098.

Photograph: The cover of Erich Segal’s classic “Love Story”. Pic courtesy link.

Reviewed by: Roshmi Sinha (cross posted from here).

>The diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 03:13:00 +0000

I’ve always been meaning to read “The diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank right from my school days.I remember hearing about it for the first time in the European history class.Finally after many years, I got to read the book, thanks to a dear friend who presented it on my birthday.

Before I start writing about this book, I must confess that I did have some preconceived notions of what this would be like. Given the fact that it was set during the world war and mindful of the tortures that the jews have had to go through, I did expect a lot of gloomy moments through out the book.

Though the starting words were,

I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.

the book started on a happy note where Anne describes her birthday presents including Kitty, a doll to whom she addresses all the diary entries. The next few days, we get to read about her jewish school, some of her friends and also about her parents Otto Frank,Edith Frank and her elder sister Margot Frank.As we move on, we learn why her family is forced to hide in the secret annexe with another jewish family (Mr Van Daan’s). We are exposed to the nazi’s atrocites too but what fascinated me the most was Anne’s level of maturity and her optimism.Can you believe that a 13 year old girl amidst chaos and dangers writing something like this?

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

“I have often been downcast, but never in despair; I regard our hiding as a dangerous adventure, romantic and interesting at the same time. In my diary I treat all the privations as amusing. I have made up my mind now to lead a different life from other girls and, later on, different from ordinary housewives. My start has been so very full of interest, and that is the sole reason why I have to laugh at the humorous side of the most dangerous moments”

This certainly can’t be childish innocence.At an young age, Anne’s seems to have understood and experienced so many things that even elderly people sometimes fail to understand.

Anne loved her father and always went up to him for comfort and care. On the other hand, she wrote of how much ‘unattached’ she is to her mother. Anne cheerfully explains Mrs Van Daan’s activities, which keeps the readers lively too. This book saw me in tears many times especially when she describes the dark sides of her living. I constantly felt the yearning to comfort her so much, to make things better for her and to hope that she will have the future to live happily.

Throughout the diary Anne remains so incredibly optimistic and hopeful and it hurts so much to know that things didn’t go as she wanted to. Some of her lines are amazing and exceptional .No wonder this book is in the list of Le Monde’s 100 books of the century . I strongly recommend this book for everyone, for it makes us realise the gift of life.

Crossposted here

R K Narayan’s ‘Malgudi Days’ – My Reflections

Roshmi — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 06:36:00 +0000

I guess blogging came about when folks moved away from their ‘Dear Diary’ moments onto the web. I wish Anne Frank had lived to see this day.

I read somewhere that if you own a blog, it better be something special. I have also read that if one is not putting up something useful or interesting, they are not blogging, they are ‘blagging’. Needless to say, I have no intention of doing the latter! Who would want to read about boring and sub-standard stuff? Not me, for sure. I feel that’s a criminal misuse of sacred space.

But, this being my blog post, I will write about things/events/situations that affected me.

I want to write about ‘Malgudi Days’ today.

In 2008, Sir Jeffrey Archer, the well-known English novelist, playwright and short story writer was on a trip to India to promote his latest book ‘A Prisoner of Birth’. During one of his interactions with the press and public, he mentioned about his regret for not having read R.K. Narayan’s works before. I am sure he must be doing everything within his powers to get himself acquainted with the same, including the classic ‘Malgudi Days’.

The ‘creator’ of ‘Malgudi Days’ – R. K. Narayan (October 10, 1906 – May 13, 2001) shortened from Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami at the behest of Graham Greene, was one of the best-known and widely read Indo-English writers. He created the imaginary town of Malgudi, located on the banks of the river Sarayu and surrounded by the Mempi Hills, where realistic characters in a typically Indian setting lived amid unpredictable events. These characters have proved to be timeless. ‘Malgudi Days’ was my introduction to R.K. Narayan… and I love this classic author! I really enjoyed this collection… they are the kind of stories that will stay with you for several days after reading them.

There is a saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its movie’ or for that matter, serial, if I may say so. ‘Malgudi Days’ proved to be an exception. The serial was directed by the late Kannada actor/director, Shankar Nag in 1987, and was shot entirely near Agumbe in Shimoga district of Karnataka. Who can forget the famous ‘Ta na na tana na na naaaaaaaa’… the title song/melody (by L. Vaidyanathan) of the serial? It was as popular, if not more, than the stories dramatized by the serials themselves. One could almost feel the aroma of the lyrics!

Here is the link to this evergreen song: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=bEq0tC3djcg&feature=related

Although television had arrived in India in the 1950′s, albeit in its black and white avatar, it wasn’t a mass media due to its high cost, logistics and other technical issues. The Government of India undertook several steps to popularize the medium. The 1970s and 1980s saw a boom in television programming. The Ministry of I & B – Government of India… invited independent producers and directors to shoot TV serials on a regular basis. ‘Hum log’, ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Neem ka ped’, ‘Waghle ki duniya’, ‘Mungerilal ke haseen sapne’, ‘Nukkad’, ‘Karamchand Jasoos’, ‘Byomkesh Bakshi’, ‘Office Office’, etc., were some of the memorable serials of this era. These serials have eluded the calls of father time. ‘Malgudi Days’ was also one such TV serial which left an indelible mark on the Indian television scenario.

The stories revolve around the protagonist, ten-year old Swaminathan. ‘Swami’… to his friends and family. Swami portrays the growing pangs of a boy who despises school, as he makes excuses and roams around Malgudi with his friends, playing cricket and day dreaming along the way. Swami’s father works in a government office (of the British Raj era) and his mother is a housewife. At home, Swami shares his adventures with his aged granny, who lovingly addresses him as ‘Chamy’. Swami also has two close friends – the hotheaded Mani and the son of the Police Superintendent, Rajam – a cocky, brash, rich kid. Master Manjunath enacted Swami’s character while the sketches for the serial were done by R.K. Narayan’s younger brother and acclaimed cartoonist, R.K. Laxman. There were about 39 episodes in all. ‘Swami and Friends’, ‘Vendor of Sweets’, ‘The Undelivered Mail’, ‘A Hero’, ‘The Hoard’, ‘Leela’s Friend’, to name a few. No one has captured the essence of rural India like R.K. Narayan and ‘Malgudi Days’ is a glittering example. Each story stands out for its simplicity, innocence and Indian ness. A must and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The TV series of the same name… has done complete justice to the original book.

Following is the link to these episodes for everyone who would love to relive their happy childhood and keep it for posterity: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xvU95eXLk

‘Malgudi Days’ has been an integral part of my growing up years. I still remember the excitement and the scramble to grab vantage spots in front of the television every time the serial came on air. As they say… ‘Old is gold’. Does that mean ‘New is silver’ or ‘new is bronze’ or ‘new is brass’ or ‘new is carbon?’… Hmmm. Food for thought. What say?

After the liberalization of the economy, with the advent of the cable TV, we were flooded with channels and thought we would be spoilt for choice! Since a mere DD telecasted so many good nay great serials, not to forget the two mythological epics ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’… we were about to see several high quality ones from every channel, each vying for the viewers attention.

Or so we thought. And were quickly brought down to terra firma, left to reminisce about the past glories of television serials. ‘Quality’ and ‘Quantity’ do not go hand-in-hand any more. Sadly.

How a village was transformed into R.K. Narayan’s fabled town: Early in the 1980s, director Shankar Nag handed John Devraj a sheet of paper. It was the script for Malgudi Days, based on R.K. Narayan’s stories set in a fictional town in Karnataka. From the words on that page, Devraj, a sculptor, musician, art director and town planner, was asked to create Malgudi in Agumbe, a village in the Western Ghats, roughly 400km from Bangalore, with a population of about 180 families.

Devraj began to fabricate carts, statues, trains, avenues, shops and temples. “I had to conceptualize everything from scratch,” he says. “I had to then make everything by hand-often working 20 hours a day.” Twenty-one years after Doordarshan took it off the air, Devraj’s handiwork is now available for viewing in Big Home Video’s two-volume DVD pack… as well as complete VCD set. Go grab them! What are you waiting for?

The task of building Malgudi was made even more daunting by Agumbe’s isolation and by Nag’s obsession with detail, note Devraj and several members of the crew. Production controller Jagadish Malnad recalls how one bright day, when everything was in place for a shot, a cloud suddenly floated in front of the sun. “Shankar motioned to me and asked me to move the cloud,” he says.

Nag, who was killed in a car accident near Bangalore in September 1990 at the age of 36, invested loads of energy and enterprise into imagining the minutiae of life in Malgudi. “Nothing you see on screen was a result of an accident or chance,” says Arundhati Nag, his wife, who also acted in the series. “He went about things with precision. He once asked Malnad to bring in a donkey (accompanied by its master) from Theerthahalli, 20km from Agumbe.”

Arundhati says the cast practically lived in the village “in fits and starts” over the three years it took to make the serial. “Agumbe was not accustomed to film crews, so they just let us into their homes,” she says. “The village became such a huge part of our lives that my daughter Kavya, who was a year old, went to school there.”

Like most of Narayan’s works, Malgudi Days is woven with ordinary concerns: the financial worries of a goat-herder, the glee with which a long-awaited letter is received. Nag was intent on preserving Narayan’s vision, says Ashok Mandanna, who played the role of a postman in the episode ‘The Missing Mail’. “We made the serial at a time when it was possible to take over an entire village and transform it into a fictitious place,” says Mandanna. “The logistics and cost of such an enterprise now would prevent people from remaking it.”

Arundhati agrees with Mandanna. “If Shankar were to make it today, I don’t know if he would try it,” she says. “I don’t think you can recreate what he did in 1987.” That became obvious when director Kavita Lankesh remade the series in 2006. Those episodes, which are also included in this package, lacked the full original cast and were shot in a bustling Agumbe that was twice removed from the sleepy village of Nag’s time. No wonder they failed to impress audiences when they aired on Doordarshan.

Here are some excellent captures from Agumbe… almost 25 years after Malgudi Days was shot… courtesy Photographer Aniruddha Chowdhury (link).

Details of the book: Malgudi Days: R K Narayan, pp 246, Paperback, Indian thought publications/Penguin Classics. Flipkart (link)

Photograph: A caricature of people seated at the foot of a statue of a man. Two birds are hovering above the statue, a bicycle is parked at its side, a cow is roaming by near it, and a bus is seen in the backdrop. The people at the foot of the statue include a street vendor, an old man and two others; they are engaged in conversation. Pic courtesy link.

Reviewed by: Roshmi Sinha (cross posted from here. Some info courtesy link).

>Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

admin — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:17:00 +0000

Rating:

Summary:

When the United States National Security Agency’s code-breaking machine (TRANSLTR) encounters a new and complex code—Digital Fortress—that it cannot break, Commander Trevor Strathmore calls in Susan Fletcher, their head cryptographer to crack it. She discovers that it was written by Ensei Tankado, a former NSA employee who became displeased with the NSA’s intrusion into people’s private lives.

What she discovers has the power to create the largest devastation in the history of U.S. intelligence. Betrayed by all and pitted against an ever-quickening clock, Fletcher finds herself battling to save the country she calls home… because when Digital Fortress goes live, every secret in the history of the United States goes public.

Review:

As usual, Dan Brown is brilliant and thorough! Your imagination is captured right at the start and it just explodes from there, until it got to the point where you just can’t put it down. Like in all his other books, Dan Brown includes interesting facts about random things, history, and the government. One drawback is that some aspects were guessable. For instance, the final part of finding the key to the Digital Fortess, was too simple. A reader can easily guess the answer. Even the villian was revealed quite early, but Dan Brown still managed to keep the thrill alive till the end!

Read it!

>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Jyoti Babel — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:48:00 +0000

What is better than sinking into a cosy blanket with an interesting novel on cold wintry days? Well, I believe nothing like that ! I finished reading another interesting novel, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’. By the name of it, I was under an impression that some magic and occult practises might be involved in the story. But, I was wrong.

“ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson is a sensational thrilling and a complex crime novel that deals largely with a murder mystery, financial fraud, sexual abuse of women and the darker aspects of the life of the privileged echelon in the society. This is the author’s first novel of his ‘Millennium Trilogy’. Stieg Larsson was a Swedish Journalist and one of the world’s leading experts on anti democratic, right wing extremist and Nazi Organisations. He had died unexpectedly in 2004 soon after delivering the manuscripts for three crime novels – The Millennium Trilogy to his publisher. All of them have been posthumous best sellers and have been made into movies.

The novel story has roughly 3 plots of story entwining intricately and culminating into a spelling binding saga. The story starts with the octogenarian industrialist – Henrik Vanger, head of Vanger Corporation – currently run by his great nephew Martin Vanger, receiving a frame of pressed flowers on his 82nd birthday. It had been a ritual receiving them for the past 40 years on his birthday. He had received it from his grand daughter ‘Harriet’ for the first time. The later year Harriet had disappeared mysterious without a trace and all the following years he had received the frame of pressed flowers from some anonymous sender. It intrigued him and tormented him. He had spent his life trying to discover what had happened to Harriet and was obsessed with it. He believed someone in the family had murdered her.

In the second plot, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, partner in the publishing firm, ‘Millennium’ loses a libel case against Billionaire Industrialist, Hans Erik Wennerstrom. Mikael is sentenced to 3 months jail and fined with a huge penalty. Faced with prison sentence and a professional disgrace he chooses to take a break in his career and decides to resign from the magazines board. His decision is met with resistance from his other partner-Erika Berger, his long time friend, confidant and occasional lover. Dismissing all disapproval, he stands by his own decision which he thinks is good for him and for the magazine’s survival.

The third plot is about, Lisbeth Salander- the girl with the dragon tattoo, who is a security specialist at Milton Security. She is an ingenious hacker and uses her skills in her assignments at Milton Security. She has a disturbed past and that has followed her all her life. She is introvert, has a bad temper and keeps her life largely to herself. She is given the assignment to dig into Mikael Blomvist’s life by Vanger’s long time friend and faithful lawyer, Frode.

Mikael is summoned by Vanger to his house in Hedeby. Very inquisitively, he visits him and is offered a rather unusual assignment. Vanger asks him to officially write a book on Vanger family but his real assignment would be to dig into Harriet’s case and possibly find out what happened to her in a year time. He promised him a huge financial reward and a solid evidence against Wennerstorm that would help him fight back in the court. Mikael agrees to do the task.

Mikael delves deep into the Vanger’s past to uncover the truth behind the Harriet’s disappearance. He begins analyzing the information compiled by Henrik Vanger for over 40 years. He carries both real and official assignments simultaneously. The Vanger family is one large family with lots of relations and Mikael also find it hard to remember who is who for the first few days. After months of futile hard work, Mikael makes some advancement and finally sees a ray of hope. At this stage he requires a research assistant to help him. Frode suggests Salander’s name and eventually she is involved in the investigation.

They make some serious progress in the investigation to find out that there is someone who does not want the past to be revealed. Facing all deterrence, they continue to find out one of the most dark secret of the Vanger family and the mystery into Harriet’s disappearance in a very dramatic way. Finally, he cracks the Harriet’s mystery only to find out that Henrik’s promise of a solid evidence against Wennerstorm had been mostly a bluff to lure him take this assignment. On top of that Henrik requests him not to publish the dark secrets of his family, he has come to know out of Harriet’s case investigation. As a journalist, he is in a great dilemma and gives in to it.

Lisbeth comes up with the idea of helping with evidence against Wennerstorm and together they work out a plan to expose Wennerstorm and save Millennium from collapsing.

The story in the novel after Harriet’s case breakthrough becomes monotonous. The author in his childhood had been witness of child abuse and sexual assault and that has a lot of influence in the story line. The story offers a very ugly view of human nature and in particular how Swedish men treat Swedish women. The actual title of this novel in Swedish was’ Men who hate women’, which to me seems more apt rather than this one. Most of the part of the novel had been about Harriet and the title does not seem to do justice to the content of the story. The character of Mikael also seem to fall for any woman in its way. May be the writer is trying to portray another Swedish man. Overall, the story begins on an exciting and high note, carries it to a considerable length and then suddenly becomes boring and loses its charm.

Still, it is an interesting novel with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing and varied characters. Can surely give it a read.

This review was also posted in Pages.

>Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

LindyLou Mac — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:48:00 +0000

Review by LindyLouMac

I have been avoiding this book for a long time simply because I so often find that books that have been hyped up are a big disappointment. However hearing that it has recently been released as a film made me decide that I really should read it if I was going to want to see the film. It is my policy to always try and read a book first, so I have my own visual pictures when I am reading and not those of the film. Well having now read ‘Eat, Pray Love’ I am not sure I will even bother with the film, as the book has neither inspired nor excited me as it seems to have done many people. On the other hand I did not hate it as other reviewers seem to have done, especially those that have been in similar life situations, struggling with heartbreak and divorce, but not able to run away from it all, which let’s face it is exactly what Elizabeth Gilbert was able to do by travelling to Italy, India and Indonesia.

I am left now feeling rather indifferent unable to either rave or rant, recommend or not, so will have to come down to saying it was OK as there was enough of interest, just about to keep me reading. It started well as I liked the introduction that Elizabeth Gilbert gives the reader as to how she divided the book up. As the book was about her efforts to find balance in her life she decided to structure it like a japa mala, a string of beads used to count mantras (Sanskrit prayers) in sets of 108 repetitions. The number 108 is considered in Eastern philosophy circles to be an auspicious number as it is a three digit multiple of three, its digits add up to nine, also a multiple of three. The number three also represents balance according to the Holy Trinity, so dividing the book into three was easy for the three countries Italy, India and Indonesia. Then dividing the book into 108 different chapters, with 36 in each section was also auspicious to the authoress as she wrote the book during her thirty sixth year.

I thought this all sounded very clever and a good way to write up her experiences, it certainly worked for the section set in Italy as Elizabeth leaves her unhappiness behind her in the USA and sets off to find this so called balance she is looking for by first seeking pleasure in Rome, mainly in the food, EAT. This first section was in retrospect for me the best section as one felt she was moving forward with lots of adventures ahead of her, although living in Italy myself it also struck me that it did tend towards being somewhat stereotypical. After four months in Italy Elizabeth moves on to an Ashram in India to find her spirituality, PRAY. I honestly found this section a bit of a chore to read, I think this was where maybe the 36 chapters were too many, there is only so much one can write about yoga, meditation and chanting after all, as interesting as those thoughts initially were. I was also disappointed to learn very little about India outside the Ashram as she became so intensely involved in finding herself that planned travelling never materialised. The final third of the year was spent in Indonesia, Bali in fact which was more interesting, although again maybe a little spun out to fulfil her chapters quota. It is here she finds LOVE despite not having set out to do so, having decided previously that she was going to be celibate for a year. In terms of learning some new facts this was also the best section as I felt I learnt a little about Balinese society.

Elizabeth does tend to come over at times as just another egocentric young woman with a rather dramatic view on the emotional upheaval of her life, of which the only solution was to travel east for spiritual enlightenment. I said it is an ok read and yes it is but I am somewhat cynical about her journey and resulting book, since discovering that Elizabeth Gilbert was apparently commissioned and paid in advance to write this book. Lucky lady but did it mean she was thinking of the end result and possible future film rights rather than writing from her heart?

More information and a video trailer can be found on LindyLouMac’s Book Reviews