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Our Moon Has Blood Clots: The Exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits by Rahul Pandita
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rare are those books which hold you and vigorously shake the apathy out of you! In this fast world of materialistic ambitions and pleasures, we try to ignore pain; pain, which is dancing naked in streets, homes, offices and our eyes. We develop philosophies and mind-tricks to help us tackle the drudgery of day to day existence. We convince ourselves that we're happy and everything is OK. But then, somehow, somewhere, something slips through the cracks created due to our inherent empathy. In those cracks, We see glimpses of the barbarity, gratuity, and just blind cruelty of humans. It may leave us hopelessness and gloomy depression but some rise and stand. They fight, many times unsuccessfully and the next one takes the baton. There are undying hope and optimism in humans which separates us from animals and it can be a boon as well as a bane. We try to imagine and strive towards a better tomorrow.
This book proves that fact is stranger than fiction. I paused reading many times to digest the gory and devastating incidences that are depicted graphically in this book. It will reveal to you the other side of the Kashmir conflict, the one which is often ignored and suppressed. It will make you be thankful for all the privileges you have had that you didn't find special. It will make you stop whining about flimsy problems in daily life. It will make you thankful for living in your home and being alive.
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The Mountain Shadow by Gregory David Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read 'Shantaram' four years ago. It was an enlightening experience for me, in terms of literary beauty as well as philosophy. But four years is a long time in which your inclinations, beliefs, degrees of innocence change. With more than faint memories of 'Shantaram' I started this book and admired GDR's style of writing very much, but I got stuck and irritated at parts where he professes philosophy like it's the only right way of life and there could be no alternative theories. I agree that he has done a massive reading and research in the philosophical field, but I'm just not in that phase of accepting philosophies as the bible. So, due to that attitude, I couldn't fully enjoy the book.
But, that's just a small part. The whole book is written beautifully with very elegant prose. Sometimes, you have to reread a paragraph to fully understand it and sometimes you just have to accept that you won't be able to get it. Yes, it happens. There were more than one instances in the book when I wondered what this dude was smoking while writing this. It's maddeningly complex and beautiful. Some sentences are written in a very show-offy way but one could discount it as the author's harmless ego.
Overall, I'm glad I read this sequel and would recommend it to people who liked 'Shantaram'.
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On Hinduism by Wendy Doniger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading this book was a task! but a task I wanted to complete. A good non-fiction always makes you work extra hard. It challenges your views, gives you new perspectives and makes you realize that how shallow are the trumpet-beating-pseudo-specialists who exist in the society. When Doniger throws proofs after proofs for each theory she states, it isn't to prove you wrong but to make you see that more than one ways could exist to interpret ancient history and culture. I have always been skeptical and critical about fundamentalists, whichever religion/political party/cult they might be from. Accepting an established norm just numbs your thinking power and blinds you with rage against whoever tries to dispel your views. In my opinion, one should check everything he/she holds with such belief.
This book must have been hard work. After more than 40 years of research of Indian mythology/history, Doniger presents this book like a boss. It was worth putting this much effort in this book.
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Wind/Pinball: Two Novels by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Faith in Murakami reaffirmed again! It's Murakami's first novel/s and he's already at the top of his game. I expected some awkward new writer things which get better with more writing but no, he had figured out his style and genre from the beginning.
I noticed some things this time. After reading a number of Murakami novels, I realised that his central character is the same all throughout his works. They have very similar qualities. It's a male, slightly introvert, unexpressive, easy, not speaking unless needed, containing emotions inside kind of guy. That character seems very cool to me. Another spectacular thing about this protagonist is they're all starkly unambitious, with no big dreams and particular agenda for life. His novels always have a slightly depressing, devoid of novelty in life, zen-like undertone, which make them so addictive.
In this set of novels, there are two central characters i.e. the protagonist and the Rat (Yes! real name not mentioned). Two novels are set three years apart describing incidents in their lives. There is no such plot or a defining twist and turn in the book which is rare in a Murakami book (but again, first work), still, it's very readable and addictive. I was hooked to it from start to finish. Looking forward to reading all of his remaining works.
All hail Haruki Murakami!
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Watchmen by Alan Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The mothership of graphic novels, the one which set a new trend a new genre even, Watchmen is one of the most talked about books (yes, not just a graphic novel, considering its length). It introduced the world to the dark side of the Superhero universe, a very dark side. It features heroes which are blood-thirsty killers, sexual fiends, highly intelligent sociopaths and what not. The graphic element is bold, vividly colored and gets to you in some scenes. Alan Moore has done a maddeningly brilliant job with the writing, some monologs and conversations so deep and depressingly profound that you have to reread them.
I have been hooked nowadays to gritty, realistic, depressing, pessimistic and beautifully ugly (if I can say so) stories nowadays. It may be a phase in reading life or it could be me, finding my genre; we'll see. These stories work for me, because in a daily life, we put on a mask on our face, which is politically correct, empathetic, optimistic and cheerful, which is not a bad thing, we need that mask to survive the ordeal that life can be sometimes. That being said, we also need a mirror to show us what things really are, what we really are, deep inside and what darkness we contain within us. It's not to screw with our head but to have an understanding, a realistic expectation from life and in my opinion, to survive sorrow and bleakness that life offers us frequently; To see darkness in the eye and have a wisdom to know that this is normal, this is ok, this is LIFE.
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Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I remember Sarah Anderson's comic about reading a book so good that leaves you brooding for quite sometime. This book has given me that feeling. After hearing so much about GGM, I finally decided to pick up this beautiful edition. I have developed the habit of taking notes while reading which helps a lot while reviewing the book, which in this case I took way too many (says volumes about the book).
This is a story of Florentino Ariza, Fermina Daza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino with many other significant and memorable characters. It spans around more than fifty years with lot of love and heartbreaks. What I loved about this book is the depiction of people with heartbreaking sense of reality; with warts and all. After reading Jane Austen, this book is the polar opposite experience. GGM doesn't pull his punches, which by the way, hit in you in guts many times (lot of gory and revolting narratives). He has a cruel sense of humour which makes you feel guilty while laughing.
In this book, there is infidelity in surprisingly large amount or maybe it's always there but we don't see it; but it doesn't mean love isn't there. Maybe the most illustriously written part of this book is the depiction of ageing process in all its micro details which sometimes make you depressed, thinking about imminent future. One quirky thing written here is about smoking cigarettes with lit end inside the mouth, which I found one of those fun tricks/facts you take away from a novel.
There is no dearth of fantastic mono/dialogs in it like "It is life, more than death, that has no limits" and "My heart has more rooms than a whorehouse". I couldn't list them all or it would become a short story sized review. I want to sum up the review by adapting from one of the lines in this book - 'It is a meditation on life, love, old age and death.'
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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Classics! The old ones! They're always really tough to review; always so different style of writing than what I'm used to. This was no different. I liked the narration despite it being heavy with complex and long (which make you lose track really) sentences and outdated phrases like "they all looked their assent" (which means they all acknowledged), etc.
The plot will put Indian daily soaps to shame. So many twists and turns; so many WTH moments! The thing I didn't like though is the story was too simple (some pearls of wisdom were there) compared to today's stories, but it should be expected though I guess. What disappointed me the most was the typical happy ending. It just broke my heart, but hey, who am I to judge? These book are what they are. Some love them, some not so much!
All the classics I've read till date, especially before 20th century have simple story but profound prose, which to be frank can get repetitive and boring. If taken in an alternate sense though, it can be melancholic and enlightening (which I felt reading Dostoevsky but couldn't feel while reading Austen). Following are some points I felt necessary to note down while reading:
1. When and what do these people (especially women) do for day to day work? They're always having tea or chit-chatting or going for walks. They always get time to go and visit someone.
2. People give way too much importance to inheritance, money and hence, dowry while discussing marriages.
3. Austen tends to explain her characters where she needn't. Why one did, what he/she did; nothing is left for reader's imagination.
4. However passionate may the argument or dialog between people be, in that era, people always used civil language; how sad!
5. Old classics, this book included, use long sentences, consisting a lot of commas and semicolons. It makes one lose track of the sentence.
6. Both the instances of "friend-zoning" in this book are actually opposite compared to today's general scenario; men friend-zone ladies here, hence, reverse friend-zoning.
7. There were some creepy customs in 18th-19th century England, like exchanging lock of hairs as a symbol of love. Downright creepy!
So, that's all! Though I didn't love this book, it was definitely a very interesting read.
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If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yes, there are some books you've heard a lot of hype about but don't live upto your expectations. This was one of them. This doesn't mean that it's a bad book as I'm no one to pass judgements towards books. What I may not like can be love of someone else.
So, what I liked about this book is obviously the narration style. The reader is the protagonist in this novel. The writer takes us on a journey to read a book 'If on a Winter's Night a Traveller'. We buy the book but there seems to be a problem in the book and so we go to replace it, but it starts a series of events where we stumble upon many books (or rather only beginnings of books) but are never able to complete any one of them.
This book might have been a try by the author to provide source for his stories which never went beyond intriguing beginnings. He elaborately has enticed the reader in reading all these unfinished stories. It sometimes reminded me of Vonnegut's style and insane logic of 'Catch-22'. All this was very interesting but there were patches in the book where I couldn't get much interested fully. There was heavy usage of complex words and phrases which seemed slightly out of place for this novel.
Overall, I liked the novel but I can't say I loved it. Maybe in future, if I reread it, the result maybe different.
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The Beat Goes On by Ian Rankin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though this book took me one month to finish, it doesn't mean it was boring. It was a conscious decision to read this book of short stories one story at a time. My initial impression of this book was that these are tales of a less impressive Sherlock Holmes but I eventually understood that not every detective has to be compared with Holmes because Holmes, though a lamppost in crime fiction, isn't the sole approach for detective work.
Ian Rankin introduced me to DI John Rebus, brilliant, irascible and endlessly frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses (according to back-cover info). Rebus is a character which eventually grows on you and is much more relatable than hot shots like Holmes. A particular short story 'Sunday' tells us more about private life of Rebus which is dark, dull in a cool way and very unhealthy. His drinking is legendary according to Indian standards or even global standards for that matter. He has no problems gulping down a pint or two while he's on duty. He's also an habitual smoker and thinks about quitting many times without any success.
I like how Rankin keeps Rebus grounded. His cases are not extraordinary but which give us an impression of respectable genius of his case solving techniques. This book is a leisure read with no extra strain on the brain. I like that once in a while. It makes for a great bedside read.
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Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I came across this book through a reader community I'm part of and heard a lot of praise. I bought it at an online sale but it shifted to the back of my TBR bookshelf which has grown to inordinate proportions. One day, I was watching BOOKRIOT's video which encouraged reading books by authors of colour. So, I decided to make it a habit to read those books more frequently and picked up this book.
After completing this book in two days, I was mesmerised by the depth of this novel. Without writing directly, it deals with two-face nature of human beings; without us realizing it. Everyone in the protagonist's direct family has a double nature with only an ideal face shown to general public, who revere them. Protagonist's father, a much respected man in the community is a tyrant, violent man and a religious fanatic. He hits them and feels sorry too as he's doing it for the lord. It is heart wrenching to read the conflicts going on in the protagonist's mind. She understands that her father hitting them is wrong but she's convinced after going through so much religious propaganda since childhood that he is doing it for their betterment only. It was like a complicated, domestic case of 'Stockholm Syndrome'.
I am very impressed with Adichie and her able writing style. I will e following her work in future too. I recommend this story of domestic abuse, religious fanaticism, attraction of western culture, delicate relations, adolescent attractions, regional problems and hard decisions to everyone.
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Sometimes after reading a book, when you sit to write a review, you wonder what I can write so that it won’t belittle the greatness of that book. Something of that sort is happening to me after reading this one. Finishing this 240 something page book in almost one sitting, I am left with a cauldron-full of emotions. Childhood, innocence, magic, harsh realities, way of life and deep philosophies in simplest of sentences; that’s what this book is made of. Neil Gaiman is a wizard of words. This will be the third book of his that I read and every time I am left at loss of words when reviewing the book. Some sentences just steal your heart. At “You don’t pass or fail at being a person dear!” I was holding my kindle and trying not to overflow with emotions. Another sentence which shuts you up is “death happened to her. Death happens to all of us.”
This is not a children’s book even though it may seem so, not exclusively. It contains some creepy and disturbing stuff which one can’t explain to a child properly. It is to be read in childhood and understood in adulthood. That’s the best I could describe this book.
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Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's rare that I finish a book in a single day. I did it with this book. A writer who has written only two books is rare and that too half a century apart is even so! Harper Lee gives us an unexpected but very deserving sequel to her 'To kill a mockingbird' with Jean Louise of 26 years old as protagonist. Many things have changed in these years, some characters are gone, others are added to the narrative but the soul of this book is the same. You get the same feeling you had when you read 'To kill..'. The only necessary difference is you get to see this Maycomb county directly from an adult perspective as opposed to the case of 'To kill..' in which one had to interpret a child's observations. I loved this book; especially the climactic intellectual intercourse between Scout, Atticus Finch and Dr. Finch. Reading it in one sitting helped of course to stay with the characters. One can't help but get mesmerised by the dialogs and philosophies in this book.
"Every man's an island, Jean Louise, every man's a watchman, is his conscience."
"Our gods are remote from us, Jean Louise. They must never descend to human level."
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The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One thing is for sure; Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors from now on. This must be my first sci-fi/fantasy/comedy novel. First of all, I was floored by the level of imagination used in this book and hence I can only imagine how a person can write more than forty odd novels around the theme of a disc shaped world. A man and the man is Terry Pratchett in this case, has to be maddeningly brilliant to have written what is written in this book. I finished almost 3/4th of the book today and I was not a bit strained. It was so entertaining that I postponed my work for this. With a basic premise of a disc shaped world on top the backs of four elephants on top of a gigantic turtle, this book introduces us to the world of magic and madness with various heard and unheard of fantastical characters popping in from time to time. I'm hooked on the discworld and intend to finish the whole series as well as its various branches. A must read for everyone who loves imagination!
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Cobalt Blue by Sachin Kundalkar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I first heard about this book, I was surprised as well as ashamed of myself. The reason was that I heard about the English translation of the original Marathi (my mother tongue) 'Cobalt Blue'. I was little sad that I didn't know about this book which was published in 2006 until it was translated in English. So, I decided to read it in Marathi and ordered the book from 'Majestic Book Depot' in Mumbai, one of my favorite bookshops in Mumbai. 'Cobalt Blue' breaks the myth that "new-age and progressive books are not published in regional languages". This book very boldly discusses homo and bisexuality hidden in plain sights of our society and our incapability of accepting the freedom of choosing who you love. These so-called "different" people have to fight the battle with society and themselves every day. This story of Tanay, Anuja and their anonymous lover is very modern and fast paced. Many sentences are repeated for dramatic effect and they work.
There's still a long way to go for our society to open up towards freedom of sexuality but literature like this helps the movement. I need to increase my Marathi reading too as it contains gems like this book.
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Looking for Alaska by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It started with a kindle book which was on a freak sale; I didn't even like YA novels (so I thought) and it was an impulse buy (you know, when you buy books just because, you know!!) but boy, has this book opened my eyes! I had liked some YA movies like 'Perks of being a wallflower' and 'Me and Earl and the dying girl' but always thought YA books to be fodder for the inferior somehow. I couldn't be more wrong. This one created swirls of emotions I had always loved but current cynicism had forbidden. It is true that we grow bleaker and more cynical as we grow older but we are delusional as well. Books like these show you the softer side of life. Everyone has gone to school once upon a time and each one of us has had a crush on someone we thought was cute but not every crush ends up being 'happily forever', well, most of them don't. This book is an ode to those turbulent times of the journey from childhood to adulthood, first kisses (and blowjobs too!), that fluttery feeling in the heart, friendship, unbreakable bonds, introduction to vices of life, adolescent pain, breaking rules, love and most important of all, memories!
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Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First published in 1902, 'Typhoon' can be easily passed as pre-twentieth century literature. It's a short story depicting a ship experiencing a terribly destructive typhoon and coming out of it, but not without coming inch-close to death. As my previous experience has been, older classics are harder for me to read. They require patience and frequent visits to a dictionary. This was not an exception. It's a short story (I have a Penguin little black classics edition!) and even as I was pretty sure it would be over in a couple of hours but it took me three days to finish it. Though these classics test my patience sometimes but at the end, I'm almost always satisfied and content. This book shows the fight between the typhoon and 'Nan-Shan' ship's crew consisting Captain Macwhirr, Mr. Jukes and others. It's a story of hopelessness and finding hope through smallest of things; It's a story of the human will to survive. It's a must read for everybody.
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The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After persistent recommendation by my roommate, I started this book. I was a bit apprehensive after reading 'The Calcutta Chromosome', which was not entirely satisfying per say. Any doubts about the author have permanently been cleared after reading this book, though. Amitav Ghosh is without doubt one of the best Indian authors I have read till date. 'The Glass Palace' takes you through a journey of more than hundred years starting with Rajkumar and then endless characters join in. The special thing about these characters is that each of them has a story. You can relate to each of them and feel their emotions. The ending is the sweet-sour kind, one which fits exactly for this kind of book. Some of the quotes and philosophies bowled me over. The death of its characters pained me personally. I guess you can say the was worth it when it leaves you with a whirlwind of emotions. You have lived a great story, you have lived through so many lives, when you read a good book.
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The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery by Amitav Ghosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ok, this book is one of the most confusing books I ever read and most unpredictable too! I'm used to having definite thoughts about the plot of the book after it ends but when this book ended, I was left utterly clueless. I understood bits and parts of it but can't connect it completely even now. When I googled its reviews, I met with similar reactions and was then assured that I was not the only one. This book combines sci-fi, black magic, mystery, thriller, fantasy all in one and maybe is an overwhelming read for people like me. I get that it's any author's heart's desire to leave readers to conclude in their own way but the reader has to reach to a certain place from which there are few definite paths to follow. My opinion is that this book fails to take readers to that place. I'm hoping this book has a master plot still not known to the reader and I wish to ask Mr. Ghosh one day when I meet him, hopefully.
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The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
So, this book! I have rarely read classics which are more than 100 years old and this book was a culture shock for me. What a loquacious book! My exact feelings were why this man is spending 2,3 pages writing the stuff which could have been explained in one paragraph, but then I live in a different era and am brought up with modern literature. it was so different reading paragraphs after paragraphs and pages after pages reading conversations which (from my point of view) were not even important in the narrative; reading them was so tiring. Characters of this book are all very eccentric and uncommon as I can't imagine anyone of them being seen as normal in this generation. It was like experiencing a high energy play with a lot of verbosities.
Dostoyevsky certainly has mastery over words since this book is filled with so elegant sentences and philosophies that one can highlight half the book just for its beauty. Some conversations were eye-openers but some really were over the top. I'm left with mixed feelings about Russian authors as I had a similar experience with Maxim Gorky; but then, maybe it's the culture of a particular country and I am still not evolved yet in a literary sense to appreciate these fully. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more Dostoyevsky and other Russian authors.
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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I rarely read thrillers, but I had heard so much about this book and now a movie is coming out, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. This book consists of a very limited number of characters which is good for a newbie reader to understand. Author maintains the suspense till the end despite having so few characters. A particular thing I learned from this book is the protagonist need not be a strong, firm character. Author takes the worn out, drunk and (some may call it) a loser Rachel as the chief protagonist with equally important characters of Megan and Anna. All three characters are narrating the story and author being a lady, it feels more authentic and realistic to read all three women voices. Author has certainly played her strong points. Though the ending didn't match my expectation, it was already sky high, so no let down there. Although, me not being a staunch thrillers fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
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Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As Neil Gaiman says in the prologue of this book that he wanted to write an 'Alice in the wonderland' for adults and he has done it in a very compatible way. He takes us in two worlds; similar yet very different in many ways; London above and London below and also in each of these worlds belong, two protagonists, Richard and Door (yeah, an actual name of a girl). One is a regular chaotic, monotonous world that we live in and the other is the magical world of which we all dream of at some or the other point of time in our life. In Gaiman's fluid language I travelled through extraordinary lives of its characters. The best part of reading this book was listening to it in Neil Gaiman's voice in my mind (after having listened to so many interviews and talks of Neil), his dreamy voice was an added benefit for me. I'm a Gaiman fan through and through now.
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Em and The Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked this book up because I liked its cover and binding. I saw that it has won awards and title seemed interesting. This book was not at all what I had presumed; it's a tale of a nuclear family living in Mahim in 1bhk flat and the mother is mentally unstable. I could not find right words to describe this poignant story of Em, Big Hoom and their two children. How a son copes with his mother going from ups and downs of bipolar, schizophrenia, manic depressive states, how a love story starts just as a flirtatious gesture and goes on to become a great one, how a woman goes from eccentric to mad, how a husband keeps his calm and becomes a rock to his unstable wife. It's a story consisting of many stories and is made of real, hard-hitting emotions and practicality. Mr. Pinto, I can't even imagine how much of a soul you had to put in this story. Stories like these take something out of you, books like these change you. It did change me.
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1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Magnum Opus of my favourite author! How excited I was to start this book and how happy I am after reading it! This monster of a book was originally in three parts but was later converted into one book for readers' convenience. This book tells stories of Aomame and Tengo and how mere handholding at the age of ten set off events in a butterfly effect. This also contains parallel storylines of supporting characters. This book is for saturated Murakami lovers and they will truly savour it. It doesn't bore you a bit. As per my experience, Murakami books should not be read for the conclusion but for the enjoyment of its prose. Murakami books almost always end on a slightly happy note, and that doesn't break your heart. There are so many things that are constant in every Murakami novel, like cats and good music. I'm looking forward to reading all of Murakami's remaining novels.
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After reading Batman: Year One and The Killing Joke, which were short issues, this one was a proper novel and boy did it blow my mind. One of the best storylines I have read till date. Batman is old and tired and slower but he's still batman. This book gives batman a human touch it so needed. One of the best things I love about batman is that he's a human; a normal human with honed abilities and what better way to show that than he's also affected by aging as all of us. Still, the spirit remains, the fight remains. This one is one of the darkest batman comics I have read, besides the killing joke. End of the days, death, sorrow, rage, duty and fear! All hail batman!
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Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had heard a lot about this comic. After reading it, I am floored. This is not a Batman comic; it's a Joker comic. This comes very near to the quality of 'The Dark Knight' movie. Comics like these make us question the purpose of it all and makes a rational argument in favour of insanity. Joker is one of the most followed cult figures. In a comic book, you don't write everything down. Half the work is done by sketches and this book is by far one of the best in those terms.
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are books which feel like textbooks of philosophy and then there are books which you don't want to finish just because of the simplicity of its philosophy. This was one of the latter. The anachronistic storyline is very simple yet dark and it oozes the greatest and simplest philosophies of life. Milan Kundera is a master storyteller. Dealing with Czechoslovakia, communist regime, suppressed artists, physical attractions, love and loss, nudity and kitsch, the theory about human shit; this book hits all spot one wants. Totally worth all the hype it gets.
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The Dilbert Principle: A Cubicle's-Eye View of Bosses, Meetings, Management Fads & Other Workplace Afflictions by Scott Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a serious contender for the wittiest book I have ever read. I heard about Dilbert from my teacher. I had come across Dilbert before, but never gave it a serious thought. Now, with my newfound interest in comics, cartoons and graphic novels, I decided to give this book a try. It was one of the best reading discoveries. Scott Adams's writing is an example of sheer brilliance. As I'm pursuing MBA and this book deals with every anomaly there is in corporate life, I instantly got connected to it. Even though this book quotes a lot of corporate jargon, I'll recommend it to everyone who finds funny anomalies in everyday life.
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The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I started this book after hearing and reading so much about it. It was worth the praise it gets. a poignant saga of WW2 survivor and his relation with his sun. How a war messes you up and what you have to go through even in best case scenario i.e being alive. Loved its very raw sketches.
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Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is my third book of Mr Insane Vonnegut and he lives upto all the expectations. On every page, I wonder how he brings up these ideas which, for a normal guy, is a complete blabber. But when you really take your time to read and re-read his lines, you realize what a marvel this man is. It takes genius to make such a concoction of crazy ideas and put it down on paper in such a coherent way! And what a nihilistic ending to it! This man, along with Mr Murakami, are now my official favorite writers.
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The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A book this big takes you through a whirlwind of emotions. I started this book because of the Nobel-winning author and the fact that it was available in the library. It started with moderate pace and very happening storyline. I was immediately hooked. But after a certain stage, I had to put special efforts to read this book. The protagonist's pain and suffering were so intricately detailed that it was mentally exhausting. Kemal the protagonist's lament after his love, which in my opinion, tends to be borderline psychotic, was one of the saddest and most gruelling I have yet read. (Spoiler Alert) After the big middle chunk of the novel, it again becomes interesting, only to be faced with the death of his love. I was literally frustrated at that point. But as I experienced with Hemingway, Great authors have death as their big weapon in every love story they write. No great love story is without death I guess. Anyways, earlier I was going to give it a one or two stars, but with ending like that, it deserves one more star from my end. No judgment though. He's a great author and this rating just says about my experience.
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A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway My rating: 4 of 5 stars Why would you end it as you did Hemingway? It ripped my heart apart. The whole book was sweet things and innocent talk (apart from war details) and then it ends like a building coming down in an earthquake. I was engrossed in the book and I felt like I personally lost something. I understood what I was wondering while reading this book the whole time; What makes Hemingway such a great writer? What's so special about him? The book seemed a normal account of a war and a lovestory on sidelines. It was only after finishing I understood. He keeps you unaware of any tragedy which might be possible and then hits you with the most tragic, sad ending. No explanations given, no consolance offered. Though, I felt extremely sad at the end, I understood that grief is one of the strongest emotions and most effective in literature, I guess. All the greatest stories have tragic element and they are great beacause we relate to it som...
Games Indians Play: Why We Are the Way We Are by V. Raghunathan My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having studied game theory in my first term of MBA made this book an exciting read. V Raghunathan has done a quiet detailed research on the reasons of Indians breaking rules, though I must say, the author, at times takes a very defensive stance, about his views not being the only right view, which again is a sign of modesty as well as badgering off any possible controversies. I admired how he connected Gita with game theory. Any Indian can connect with the examples author has given in this book about rule-breaking that takes place publicly. I remembered times when I had broken rules very casually, not even feeling wrong about it. Author has kept the language very simple making numbers appear as minimally possible. Overall, this book, a concoction of logic, satire, irony, critic and traditions is an orgasmic read for any intellectual. View all my reviews