That's In My Library!

Robert Langdon is back... And how! The Lost Symbol is the third adventure in the symbologist’s life  (after Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code ) that involves art, architecture, history, science and religion. This book is pretty similar to his previous books. It has a similar plot, structure, and theme; only this time it takes place in Washington D.C. and involves the Freemasons and quite a bit of Noetic Sciences. Langdon is called to Washington at a friend's request, only to find him missing, and spends the rest of the book chasing clues throughout the city trying to outwit a new villain who is seemingly as smart as he is. I enjoy all Dan Brown books. While I'm not a huge fan, I do like the fantastical idea that there exists a huge conspiracy out there that only a few people know about. His writing could use some work, and he's not exactly crafting great literature, but his stories are pretty suspenseful and high on content, which do enough to cover up

This was my first by Robert Goddard. And this mystery thriller took me by a fine surprise. The prologue itself has such a huge impact that you want to read the whole book! It's a summer’s day in 1981. The protagonist, David Umber, sees a two-year-old girl being abducted during a picnic and her older sister knocked down and killed by the abductor’s van. That leaves the nanny and the girls' brother standing there. The story starts over 20 years later. Umber has had married the nanny who, however, was never able to get over the incident and committed apparent suicide. A retired detective, CI Sharp, originally on the case, seeks Umber out in Prague and convinces him to assist in investigating the truth of the incident, even though there was already a confessor in jail. Soon after, he is murdered too. As their efforts proceed, many new things come into the picture and a theory arises that David's wife also was murdered. In the process of the two men solving the mystery

Ruskin Bond has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He is the one who introduced me to reading, and inspired me to write! He is a very important factor as to why my love for books developed. His books were the first to take me to those corners of my mind where I'd never been before (or maybe Enid Blyton was the first, but he has definitely influenced me more!). Ruskin Bond writes simple stories; stories that people living in cities can only imagine, stories that make us relive our childhoods and enjoy the memories of the simpler times. Ruskin Bond's Children's Omnibus is a compilation of such short stories and novellas. I have read and re-read these stories countless times. The stories range from innocent happenings in the Indian village life to some more witty ones. Though I like almost all of them, my favourites would be The Blue Umbrella (which has also come out as a movie), Angry River and The Road to the Bazaar. Sometimes you just need to belie

The legend of Shiva, the Destroyer God according to Hindu mythology, is a very fertile ground for authors to adapt and weave magic tales of adventure from. Amish Tripathi in his Shiva trilogy aspires to do that. The Immortals of Meluha is first of the three. This book is based on the belief that actions, deeds and karma are the only determining factors to metamorphose an ordinary man to a God-like figure or one whom legends make God! Amish, in his book, attempts to humanize the Hindu infinite 'Mahadev', The God of Gods and the Destroyer of Evil, with a refreshing take on mythology, but wavers in the process.   Shiva's life, that he depicts, is credible in some parts and amateurish in others. It will definitely appeal to those who have no knowledge about mythology, but not to those who are acquainted with some facts about Shiva. The story is set in Meluha, a near perfect land, around where the Indus Valley civilization existed. Shiva, a young tribal from Tibe

Before reading this book, I had a few apprehensions. I usually read Hercule Poirot's short stories and was a little sceptical that a novel might turn out to be a drag and boring; but thankfully, it's none of that. It is classic Agatha Christie (the Queen of Mystery) with an excellent murder mystery only she could have written. Poirot is semi-retired, only willing to take cases that interest him. And then he gets his wish! Alice Ascher is killed in Andover, Betty Barnard dies in Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke is found dead in Churston. Hercule Poirot receives a letter in advance of each murder, telling him where to expect the crime to take place. The great detective must unravel the clues and try to stop the killer before further lives are claimed. There were a lot of things to like in this story. The little Belgian man, with his funny moustaches and the queer dialogues, was obviously a big delight. The characters, their personalities and their reactions to the

INDIA 2014 -Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India Publication Division’s India 2014 is a comprehensive book with information about every policy initiative of our government. It is a comprehensive digest of our country’s progress in various fields, a giant yearbook with over a thousand pages and over thirty chapters of national interest in all areas of development like economics, sports, environment, science and technology, art and culture, health and defence. India 2014 is a reference annual published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It is an oft-prescribed reference book for civil service and other exams aspirants, as it attempts to condense and present the current Indian situation from a bureaucratic point of view. The reliability of data is assured as it is published by the government itself. It is filled with charts, tables and lists with data from the latest census and socio-e

The Alchemist is one of the more beautifully written books of our times. Though the book was originally written in Portugese, the translation in English still manages to bring out the essence of the original story and its message. It is a simple story of a young shepherd who follows his dreams of treasure and encounters many experiences and people, learning wisdom and life lessons along the way. Santiago is a shepherd boy who lives in Spain leading an ordinary life. He is simple and innocent, but craves for excitment and adventure. Believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, he starts on his journey to discover the treasure he believes is hidden in the Pyramids of Egypt. The book follows this journey, the people he meets, the dreams he has, the omens he encounters, and the nature he speaks to. Paulo Coelho’s work is a delight to read. All the things mentioned in the book are that we can relate to, things that we've either forgotten about or simply dismissed as childhoo

The Testament   is a classic John Grisham novel. It involves a hard-pressed lawyer, an action-packed pursuit, a lot of money and the highest issues at stake. One of the richest men in the world, Troy Phelan, writes the expected heirs (his six children by three failed marriages) out of his will and leaves everything to Rachel, an illegitimate daughter no one knew about, and jumps to a spectacular death. The wrinkle is that Rachel, a missionary in a remote part of Brazil, is totally out of touch with the outside world except for two phone calls a year. So Josh Stafford, Troy's long-time lawyer, sends Nate O'Riely, an associate, on a mission to find Rachel. Nate is fresh out of drug rehab for the fourth time, and is yet to come to terms with the wreck his life has become, a failed marriage and kids he doesn't stay in touch with, federal charges that jeopardize his law practice, along with little hope of true sobriety and recovery. Josh sees this little trip as a ch

As I start the review of this book, I need to mention that I'm going to be biased on this one. I deeply respect the writer and have immense love for all his works, albeit understandably. Even before I'd gotten down to reading this book, I'd heard so much about it. That rose my expectations quite a lot, but there was also a fear that it might not lead up to the hype. However, the poems are beautiful; according to me, you need to read it more than once to actually take in all that he has to offer. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), by Rabindranath Tagore, is a collection of poems written on varying subjects like hope, solitude, empowerment and prayer.  It was originally written in Bengali and translated in English by Tagore himself. His poems may have a complex subject, but his writing is noble and pleasing. There is simplicity, romanticism, philosophy, depth, morality and sublime imagery in the texts. The lines are subtle and comforting, and that will refresh your spiritu

It is a known fact that Jeffrey Archer can write suspense novels. Hence, it comes as no surprise when False Impression comfortably falls under the genre. Full of suspense, mystery, thrill, a bit of romance and humour, it is definitely a book worth reading. This novel is exceptionally well written, the language is clear, the plot is concise, and the characters are well developed. This book takes off with the 9/11 incident. A young, successful spotter, Anna, is fired from her job by her boss, Bryce Fenston, the owner of Fenston Finances, whose offices are in the Twin Towers. She finds out that Fenston is an experienced con artist, and is deceiving Lady Victoria in order to possess one of the most valuable Van Gogh paintings in the world. This takes place right before the two airplanes crash into the towers, sending the entire tower into frenzy. Anna escapes off radar, and determined to serve justice, forms a plan to stop Fenston and help Victoria. Along with plenty of friends t

Stephen W. Hawking is most probably one of the most brilliant minds of our time. He is perhaps the world’s most widely known physicist, partially because of people's amazement that a man who is so severely disabled by motor neuron disease can be such a brilliant scientist, but also due to the way he presents his facts about Cosmology to the world. ‘A Brief History of Time ’   is a very readable explanation of complicated physics. In this, Stephen Hawking has tried to make the readers understand the origin of the Universe, and the actual physics of the Universe. In the process, he explains many laws of physics, always giving a quick background of how these theories came to be. The explanations are simple and easy to understand. In fact, they are so good that readers with a background in Physics will likely find their understanding of the concepts increase, and others would develop an interest in the world’s oldest, and perhaps the most intriguing, science. Hawking'

Before I start, I would like to point out that I'm not a huge fan of chick-lit. So, I don't really remember why I picked up this book to read. Probably I was getting bored that day and this was the closest thing. Anyhow, I'm pretty glad I picked it up. This book has all the elements a fun light comedy should have. A great plot and amazing humour, and not the one where you smile or think 'that's funny', but the one where you snort and choke and literally roll on the floor laughing. Emma Corrigan, the lead, isn't a twit, but she does have a tendency to fall into awkward situations, mostly because her insecurities rule her personal roost. There are a few unrealistic but predictable coincidences, like the person Emma tells all her secrets to turns out to be her boss and the fact that he actually hears the drunken ramblings of a fellow passenger on an airplane. But her funny secrets, and her reactions in equally funny situations, make you want to read the

Dr. Brian Weiss is a real life psychiatrist, who recounts in this book the dialogues of one of his patients at his therapy sessions. Though it claims on the cover that it is a true story, there are some implausible and erroneous things mentioned in the conversations. But overall, it is a fun and interesting, even mind boggling to an extent, reading and suitable for all age groups. The story is about a young woman, Catherine, who goes to a  therapist, Dr. Brian Weiss, to get help with her anxiety and phobia problems. The therapist (from whose point of view the book is told) then hypnotizes her to find the source of her phobias, and the woman starts telling him accurate details about her past lives. Although it does sound weird at first, it can change the way you see and think about life, especially through the messages from the 'Masters'. However, one thing to be noted here is that you have to read such books with an open mind, but also with a critical one. You can

The retelling of the greatest epic of India ‘The Mahabharata’ is not new. Many have written and rewritten about the valour and the bravery of the Gods, Demi-gods, Kings, Princes, Warriors and other noblemen. But never has it been humanized and seen through the eyes of a young girl who grew up without a mother, who unknowingly fell in love with one man but was forced to marry five others, the princess who lived as a servant, the queen who watched her family fall apart around her. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Draupadi is passionate, outspoken, defiant and self confident; refusing to believe that her identity was to be bound by the men in her life. Draupadi, or Panchali (as she preferred to be called) has always been seen as a negative character. She is regarded as being a kritya, a woman brought forth into the world to destroy, the ill-fated one who was the cause of the ruin of a whole clan. However, Divakaruni portrays Panchali as a powerful and independent woman, an equal

‘Sons of Fortune’ is another one of Jeffrey Archer's trademark style - story of the entire life of two people spanning many decades. Nevertheless, in the same trademark style, he once again manages to enthrall his readers. The story revolves around Nat Cartwright and Fletcher Davenport, twins who were separated at birth under the most unusual circumstances. Unbeknown to each other's existence, both men take their separate paths. Nat belongs to a middle class family, serves in Vietnam, and then goes into banking. Fletcher, on the other hand, goes to a very wealthy family, studies at Yale and becomes a criminal defence lawyer. But as expected, their paths cross! They meet at various instances, throughout their lives. However, it is almost towards the end of the book when they realize they’re actually twins and mutually decide to keep it a secret. Though the story is very similar to his previous novels, I don’t necessarily see that as a negative. The plot is as ab

Some memories live deep in the soul, indelible and dangerous, waiting to be resurrected.... Blood Memory is a dark, disturbing, passionate and horrific novel of sexual child abuse, violence, killing, suicide, depression, and mystery. This was my first Greg Iles, and I’m yet to read another one of his; but it is definitely because of this book. This is perhaps one of the best books written by a male author from a female protagonist’s point of view. Catherine Ferry is a 31 year old forensic specialist, who on a case that appears to be a string of serial killings, starts getting panic attacks. Plus, there is also the case of her father’s brutal death that plays in her mind. In her quest for the truth, she opens the door to a disturbing family history that puts her at both physical and emotional risk, and eventually leads her to an unexpected serial killer. It is an engrossing book, a fast read, and might even end up being a startling fast read. Within the frame of en

This review was originally published at Miranda 2012 (the 2012 edition of the annual magazine of Miranda House). "This way of life had endured for centuries, but it would not last forever. It constituted defiance to certain concepts, which the world was beginning to associate with civilization itself. Concepts such as statehood, citizenship, undivided loyalty to one state; settled life as opposed to nomadic life, and the writ of the state as opposed to tribal discipline." The Wandering Falcon, debut novel of 80-year old Jamil Ahmad, is a short novel which gives us an insight into the lives of the nomadic people of the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, a region otherwise only associated with bombs and guns. It gives an inside picture of the harsh beauty of the place and its honour-bound tribes through the story of Tor Baz, or the Wandering Falcon, a boy who is orphaned at the age of 5 when his parents are killed in front of his eyes. Using just n

Chetan Bhagat is apparently the most widely read Indian English author. But I can assure you it is not because of his literary genius. And it's definitely not the amazing storyline of his books. I guess the reason is probably it makes for easy reading, and also the continuous mention of IIT and IIM. 2 States falls in this category as well. Yes, it was definitely better than his previous works like One Night at the Call Centre and 3 Mistakes of My Life, but far far away from 5 star material. The lack of imagination, and also the point that this is the kind of writing that has made him a best selling author result in Chetan Bhagat not even making an effort to write something a little more, say, responsible. 2 States is loosely based on Bhagat's real life and also a sequel to his first book Five Point Someone. It follows the life of two students in IIM Ahmedabad, Krish Arora and Ananya Swaminathan. They fall in love in college and have a nice time. But the problem arise

Sidney Sheldon is an amazing author. The downside of reading too much of his work is that you start expecting a lot of surprising twists in the plot. Fortunately, Morning, Noon and Night does not disappoint its readers in that respect. The fact that it is coupled with a stunning story line is another great plus. The book revolves around a wealthy and influential family, the Stanfords. When the father, Harry Stanford, a ruthless billionaire,  is found drowned off the coast of Corsica, his three legitimate children, Tyler, Kendall and Woody, gather at Rose Hill, the Stanford Estate in Boston.  Harry had been cruel as a father, and had mercilessly bullied his kids, who ultimately wanted nothing to do with him or with each other and had gone their separate ways.  Tyler had become a state judge, Kendall a highly recgonized fashion designer and Woody a nine-hole polo player. However, each of the Stanford children had their own personal issues as well. When they learn of his death,

This is one of my earliest reads. It was in my early teens when I’d considered myself ready for serious novels and this was the book recommended to me by a lot of people. And now I can actually understand why! Although it is not my personal Jeffrey Archer favourite, it definitely is among the top few. The best part of the book according to me is the fact that though it is comparatively voluminous, it does not for one moment feel repetitive. There is so much story crammed in those 550 odd pages that it easily maintains its pace throughout. Even though, obviously, I couldn’t relate to the storyline, being born much after the book came out and in a totally different part of the world, there is a sense of realness in the story. The plot, the circumstances and the consequences appear to be completely plausible. The diversity captured by the book is clear in the very first instance when Jeffrey Archer starts with the birth of two kids, one the son of a rich and powerful bank