Books and me

Book Review: The Palace of Illusions

2011-08-01T00:02:00.005+05:30

Here we go another book of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, though I saw the author of the book after picking the book up because, to be truthful I was attracted by the cover and the description of the book.

From my childhood days the stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata were always coming back to me be it in the form of movies, or tales by my mother or grandmother or books to a most extent.In all these sources the Mahabharata was always said as the life of the Pandavas and Kauravas.So why am I saying this about this book, there is one line on the cover that caught my attention in this book "PANCHAALI'S MAHABHARAT".
The Mahabharata is as much as Panchaali's as much and in fact in my opinion more that either the Kauravas or the Pandavas.As rightly said in this book by the author (although indirectly through the sage Vyasa) Mahabharata is nothing but events caused by the three mistakes or rather shall we say three choices made by draupadhi at different times in her life.
Another interesting aspect to this book is that the author writes it as the narration by draupadhi, which enabled here to describe the Mahabharata from a interesting and hitherto ignored angle 'Panchaali's'.Credit here must be given to the author for remaining true to the facts albeit trying something different.She starts of the story with the birth of draupadhi and her brother Dhristadyumma but not directly, instead as a story told by her nanny to draupadhi.This allowed the author to capture the thoughts of draupadhi and also give an idea of the reason behind the birth of these siblings.
From being born of the sacrificial fire (thus her beautiful name 'Yajnaseni', though the author doesn't use it, preferring 'Panchali'), to her strange, lonely childhood, her tricky marriage to five men with a persecution problem and a control freak mother, her own, lovely home at last, and then the unbelievable traumas that follow that nobody should have to go through.Having her home, freedom and honor gambled away, almost stripped in public, her terrible life of hiding, servitude, evading assault and finally, the grim justice of war and a lonely death falling off a mountain track.
Credit must also be give for the effort put when etching out the different characters, their complex persona's, egos and much more importantly their connection with draupathi.There is also mention of the hitherto unknown characters (to most readers) in the Mahabharata like Sikhandi, Duryodhana's wife etc, these characters might have been heard of but were always limited to the most important role they fulfill in Mahabharata.Also extreme care has been taken in dealing with the more popular ones and their relationship with draupadhi like Bheeshma and more importantly Krishna.
There is nothing much in the story that one does not know but for a few interesting or shall I say creations by the author, like who loves draupti the most.Also while reading a few chapters I got the feeling that I had read something exactly similar but not in English but some regional language (mostly Telugu though...)and the author had exactly translated word to word.But saying that we can also ignore it as this is an epic that most have grown up listening to and maybe if we too sit down to tell it in our words we are bound to be influenced albeit unknowingly by many of them who tried to tell the tale before us.
But as a final word on the book would say that this falls into the category of books when after reading I have no specific opinion as such, but lets just say it was something I got to read, this maybe not so with others but again that was just what I felt on completing the book , even now about a year and half after I read the book.

Rededicating and new decisions

2010-10-10T23:28:00.001+05:30

Its been a while since I have written here. This was not because I had stopped reading but just that I lost the inspiration in writing. I have had a few friends of mine requesting me to write again and then suddenly in one such a talk with an old friend I suddenly had my inspiration back.Yes let me start but this time in a more dedicated and time bound manner in what I plan to do.I will be trying to write a minimum of three blog entries per month.Also I will also be working more passionately on my other blog (http://techno-helper.blogspot.com), though concentrating more on my experiences with open source software usage and development in such environments.

Book review: The Mistress of Spices

2010-05-10T14:35:00.001+05:30

Here is another first time book though quite some time back.This is one such book that has a effect on you when you first look at it, keeps up the effect after you have started reading it but fails to finish off properly.

In The Mistress of Spices, Chitra Divakaruni weaves an enchanting tale of mystery, human nature and risk punctuated by aromatic sorcery. Some may find it difficult reading at first. The unusual sentence structure requires us to slow down. Quickly the lyrical prose becomes a delight to savor like a meal so tasty we hope it never ends.
Tilo (short for Tilotamma), Mistress of Spices, at her fragrant shop in Oakland can see into your heart and determine just what spice is needed to fulfill your desires.She has taken a vow, given her life to the spices residing in a tired, old body hurtled into this modern world only to help others. By obeying the rules, the spices will speak to her. As the story unfolds, the rules need to be broken and we can understand. Or, at other times, Tilo finds herself struggling because she wants to break the rules and again we understand.
Each chapter in the book is the story of a spice --- turmeric, cinnamon, chili, fennel, peppercorn and so may more --- and of the people that consume it.Divakaruni introduces to some of the many people who come in distress or to share their happiness with the helpful old spice lady and delves a little into the backgrounds of the characters, so they come out as realistic and understandable.
For instance, the character of Ahuja's wife, Lalita. We are told of her feeling cheated when the man she weds turns out to be balding and pot-bellied. An unhappy married life follows. She does not want to hurt her parents and jeopardize her younger sisters' marriages by leaving him, so tries to legitimize his abuse and her suffering by blaming her initial unacceptance of him.
Then there is Jagjit, the shy frightened boy transformed to Jag by the endless hostility and abuse he has to bear for his accent and turban. He hits the road with a yearning for the power of the steel blade and gun. But the boy who dreamed of his grandmother's kheti has the desire to start a new life over as he promises Tilo. And Haroun, the cab-driver who fled Dal lake where generations of his family had rowed shikaras for tourists. He lands in America as a illegal immigrant, but he looks forward to riches and happiness in this land.
Not all of the characters are underdogs though. The three generations of the Banerjee family are in a war over their values, only to realise that their love and understanding for each other can overcome every barrier. Unfortunately the book went downhill thereafter. The dire portents all fizzled out -- what happened was far less grim than what one had been led to expect.How Tile copes with her wanning heart towards the sufferings her customers, her blossoming love and the wrath of the spices forms the remaining of the story.
After all this I would say that the book was a disappointment after the initial appeal it gave.An interesting read if you want something out of the ordinary with a hint of good poetic verses, but you might find it slowing you down at a few places owing to the complex sentences and back and forth movement of the story

Book review: The Sari shop

2009-12-06T19:24:00.003+05:30

This first attempt book by Rupa Bhajwa revolves around a lowly shop assistant Ramchand at Sevak Sari House in Amritsar through whom the author tries to depict the harsh realities of the society that we live in using the protagonist first as a silent observer in the first part and then the shows him crumbling down under the multitude of emotions that engulf him bringing him to a state of complete disarray.At the same time captures the very essence of Amritsar with all its gossip, its alleys, its busy bazaars, its dhabas, mannerisms and its petty rivalries among the rich and bored women.

From her opening description of the raucous awakening of a small neighborhood, she presents the reader with the kinds of homely details which make identification with her characters possible.Her descriptions of the Sari House employees and their business, of the saris themselves and how they are shown to customers, of the social lives of the women who come to the shop, and of the long hours of work for the assistants, such as Ramchand, all give vitality to the novel.
Through flashbacks, the reader learns that Ramchand's life until he was six was filled with the love of his parents and the excitement of being in their small shop, but when they were both killed in a bus accident, he was sent to live with his grandmother and then his uncle, who appropriated his mother's jewelry for his wife, the assets of his father's shop, and later his grandmother's property. When Ramchand was fifteen, his uncle decided he'd had enough education, and sent him away to the city to earn his way and live alone in an unfurnished room where he is condemned to a life of ennui and drudgery and far from the education he craves so much.. The lives of some of the other assistants have followed similar patterns, leaving them just as vulnerable as Ramchand is to the whims of their bosses and customers.
But all this changes suddenly when he is dispatched to the rich, English-speaking Kapoor household to deliver saris and fabrics for the daughter’s trousseau. Seeing them converse in English, Ramchand’s passion gets re-kindled and he buys himself a second-hand grammar book, an Oxford Dictionary, a fresh pair of socks and a bar of Lifebuoy soap. These four things, he is convinced, will give him the kind of life he has wanted since childhood.
Focusing on individual characters, Bajwa draws the reader into their lives and makes the reader empathize with them. She keeps the scope small and intimate, the story a microcosm of life. When through Kamala , a young woman married to Chander, who, like Ramchand, is another assistant at the sari house, she is able to project the lives of women who are most victimized when their husbands lose their jobs or offend their bosses through Rina kapoor, the daughter of the wealthiest man in Amritsar, who is planning her wedding, a love marriage, and buying saris from Sevak Sari House she portrays the modern,independent and vibrant woman. When the lives of Rina, Ramchand, Kamala, and Chander intersect in a shocking climax, lives are forever changed.
Though Kamla is an especially pathetic example of the victimization of women, we also see that Rina Kapoor is also, in some ways, a victim of her economic situation, as are the women for whom shopping for saris is the primary activity of their day. Only a few women here are seeking independent lives or have any outlet for their intellectual energy, one of them an English professor at a local college and the other a woman who becomes an author, but these lives are possible only because of their economic privilege—women like Kamla have no such options unless they marry men who own shops, as Ramchand's parents did.
Although the stunning ending is melodramatic and Ramchand's change of character may not be completely realistic, Bajwa creates a story which moves effectively from its quiet beginning, as she establishes the characters and their backgrounds, into a compelling story of characters whose lives overlap, whether they want them to or not. Often darkly humorous, the story has considerable charm, despite the final, traumatic ending, since Ramchand himself inspires empathy. Intimate and thoughtful in its depiction of the various social strata which make up the community, the novel is more understated—less sensational and less political--than some of the more panoramic epics which have come from India in the past decade. More in the style of R. K. Narayan or Anita Desai

The start of the craze for comics

2009-11-02T11:57:00.004+05:30

Comics now this is one thing I should say has always been an integral part of my life, even today you would find me enjoying the comics in the same manner as I did the first time.Ahh that feel I get its just what should I say just exhilarating.The first time I laid my hands on one was perhaps the reason for this or rather maybe it is just that love I have for books .

Now coming to the first time comic that I read I clearly remember was in Bangalore about a year after my love with books started.I was for the summer vacation at my grandparents place where they were subscribed at a library in Kormangala area 'The Classic Library'. My aunt took me the first day so I could get something to read and entering the 20 x 20 place the first feel was "WOW!! Heaven on earth".I had the same feeling I had the first time I visited the library at school but only this time the difference was that these were comics.I was just in no position to decide which was better form the other, so guess what I did? Got a book of all the different comics that were there :D, a pretty obvious solution that came to my mind.Only that my aunt stated that since they were allowed two books and she was getting one for herself I could just choose on.(Bah foolish people why can't they just sacrifice for once, here I was a young kid struggling with the sudden flood of choices presented and on top of that I had to choose one..... grrrrrr.).My feeling was the same as in you are taken to a wonderful confectionery starving and stated that choose just one piece.(One piece my foot I am here to finish off the place and I need to choose one pitiful piece!!!) I then did the next best thing that came to my mind.... beg her...... "Please please pinni let me at least take three...." and no she does not budge,"or at least two... can't you please not take a book for today" but no she did not want to miss reading that magazine that she had picked as it was the latest issue and she might not get it until a couple of days.(Stupid people is a magazine stupid weekly important or a comic just no idea how stupidly they prioritize things.....).

Not being able to get her to change her mind I set myself to picking one but then I had the best idea of all for the evening... what if sit here and finish as many as I can, brilliant eh? (that's how I am....:D), but then I get the ultimatum "Finish choosing one fast we are getting late for dinner"(DINNER DINNER is that so important can't she just skip out dinner for one night....ohh how cruel and ruthless is this world to a simple kid like me....). Those words from her just jolted me back to the stark reality and started thinking what do I decide and got to the conclusion the bigger the better and ran about to find the biggest comic I could lay my hands on and found a lot containing the "TINTIN's and ASTERIX series", these were by far the biggest books I could spot, But there were tens of these "Which do I choose now?". Then I hear the shout from my aunt "Choose one fast now we are getting late".

Unable to decide one and bear the suffering that I neglected the other wonderful books I closed my eyes and picked one and it was 'TINTIN AND THE CRYSTAL BALLS'.Accepting the fact that I was destined to just this I handed the book to my aunt and as soon as I came out of the shop I wanted to open and started to read it but no, I have to wait until I reach home and that too after we get some shopping done.(Bah how miserable are people just a few minutes back she was talking of dinner and now shopping).But the next sentence from her just made me jump "we will pick a nice movie that we can watch after going home".(Now this is what I called irony I have a wonderful book for the night but then what do I do about the movie... as though it was a exam and I had to finish both before sleeping... me and my thinking :)).

to be continued......

General help to fellow booklovers

2009-10-04T20:42:00.002+05:30

How do you feel when you go out to a bookstore with the idea of procuring yourself a nice read but then, are unable to choose one so easily? I for one do get this feeling most of the times I visit the bookstore mainly due to two reasons

Your local store keeps just the authors that are hot and popular
You really don't know much about the other authors.

So in order to help myself out I sometimes go to the store not to buy anything but to just get to look at the different authors, and then if I am captivated by a particular authors style I make a mental note of that and the next time I am in for buying a book I try to choose one of such authors I have in mind. If I like the way that the author portraits his skills I go in for a few more books of his.

To facilitate fellow readers and book lovers I plan to write a few articles about the authors I have been able to read; those with whom I fell in love with and also those that I was not so comfortable with; because every reader like every author does not have the same feel for things nor do they look at things in the same way.

I sincerely hope that this might be of some help and if there is any particular author that one of you are impressed with please do post about them so that I can write up a post that might be helpful to the others (and get my hands onto a book of that author if I did not do so ;)).

Also if any of you want some good authors in a particular genre please feel free to let me know I will surely suggest some.

Book review: The lost symbol

2009-09-29T15:43:00.003+05:30

Finally was able to finish reading the latest and most awaited book from Dan Brown, "THE LOST SYMBOL"This book is written in a typical 'Brown style' with all the twists, thrills, and gripping narration that the authoris famous for, that said though thsi is no Davinci Code, with moments where the story seems to run away(like in the chapters preceding the climax) and at some places it really drags(the last couple especially).
The basic plot:
This is showcased as the third adventure of the famous symbolist Robert Langdon who is brought to the US Capital of Washington DC to deliver a lecture on request of his mentor and friend Peter Solomon receives a shock and the evets that are churned out as a result of it forms the basic plot of the book.

Whats interesting?:
The first feel of the book though is that its intriguing and the author very deftly and cleverly keeps the reader on his toes anxious to know what the next part would be (although doing so overly made it drag at quite a few places ). This added with the mysteries of the free masonry makes this a really good read; esp if you are the kind that really loves fast paced mysteries.There is also instances when cryptic clues are presented to the characters that the user is made to feel that he is also part of the plot as you instinctively try to solve it before reading what the characters do.

What not so interesting?:
Frankly speaking there is nothing in the story, I mean this is not something different from the previous books Davinci Code and to that matter Angels and demons. The plot lies on the same lines of a secret and active society during our fore fathers time which is now set into turmoil which Langdon is the only one capable of averting. This added to the slightly larger volume of 509 pages and multitude of sub plots makes the book slightly confusing if you tend to read it in short bursts.After all this and the gripping narration of the author you feel let down in the end and the last couple of chapters although intended to try and get the user a hang over things were a really drag. If you have read you would understand what I mean here.The gory details though intruging could have been avoided to make it a more clean read.

Finally:
A book that you might want to read but to really enjoy forget the fact that it was from a author who has written famous and good books earlier because reading it easier on a clean slate.That said I would not say it is not a good book only a book that has not much in variety that you generally would expect from a author and definitely definitely below the Davinci Code and the Angels and Demons.

Book review: My Cousin Rachel

2008-09-14T22:05:00.006+05:30

This is something you would find different from what you experience with the other books that are read generally.In fact I too came across this by an accident and then ended up reading this.From the first page you are taken with ease away from the hustle and bustle of the urbane life to the village and that too at a time when communication was still not as advanced as now, can't say a Victorian story but gives you a similar feeling

Coming to the story this is about Philip Ashley who although orphaned at an early age is brought up by his older cousin Ambrose who at the time happens to be his only close relative living.Ambrose takes a liking for the boy and starts bringing him up as his own son, his heir in a world that consisted of none but the two and a firm liking of the house they grew up in until; when Ambrose in order to recuperate from his rheumatic problem and also to collect plants for his garden meets a charming lady and ends up marrying her which unfortunately was a fiasco in simple terms.His only communication to his young protege was through letters which in the begin were full of fun an enthusiasm soon start turning sad and also stating the failing of his health.Hearing this young Philip arrives at Florence only to learn of his cousin-guardian's sudden death and that his wife out of grief had left the place for good leaving behind nothing but Ambrose's hat.
Later when Philip's cousin Rachel turns up in England and despite the initial anger and ill feeling Philip cannot help but be attracted to the small, delicate, mysterious, sophisticated lady.... his cousin Rachel.The story from here takes twists and turns with young Philip in a turmoil about how actually did his cousin meet with his untimely death as one mask is exposed there lies beneath another mask of deceit and this is not limited just to his cousin Rachel but also the Ashleys who are the closest to Philip in England after his deceased cousin and also a ghostly beggar figure whom Philip meets during his short visit to Florence and which keeps haunting back through out the book.
In short this is an interesting and griping story worth reading because the style of the writer, the way in which she shows subtle signs to the reader depicting the state of mind in which the character is there by capturing their interest time and again and the way in which she deals with each character so differently and naturally as though the reader gets the feeling that this is something of a record of what had actually happend.

THE FIRST BOOK

2008-09-05T21:44:00.001+05:30

You should have seen me that day I came from the library it was as if I had found something that has been amiss for a long while, it was a feeling I never experienced to the effect I had that on that first visit or subsequently when I started reading the book on the way home in my school bus.

The book started with the description of the characters and to my utmost surprise it was the story about a bunch of kids and a dog and one of the kid's family owning an island ['Oh so islands can also be purchased!!! I wonder if they have shops like we have for selling islands abroad...an how much would one cost?'].

The story was interesting through and to me it was you know like finding a pleasure that I had never ever known existed or could be achieved by the mere reading of the book.I was so obsessed with the book that any min spare like the breaks in between classes or a free hour which I would have otherwise indulged in chitchatting with my friends was now entirely devoted to the reading of the book.this even continued when I traveled to or from school the only thing I cared was 'THE BOOK'.Even at home to the utter surprise of my mother I finished my homework in record speed and then ...... back to the book

I was so engrossed in the story so enthralled by the way it twisted this way then that way an the kids running after treasure boxes their feeling when they see that there are people behind 'their treasure', I started imagining myself as the characters.I used to stop reading suddenly and then start dreaming of me doing what 'that character' did.[Something that I say that I still have sometimes when I am really engrossed in a book]

Thinking about it now I was not even sure I understood the whole thing but I did finish the book and that too by Saturday that week and then it started the feeling like you have.... I mean the one you get when you just finished a whole box of sweets and then you see another box[Ohh... sweets and books what a useless comparison but what to do these are the two things I really love :) and they are the first things that came to my mind], I mean forget the sweets, I was simply MISSING READING A BOOK. Strange though it may sound but I really have felt it for the first time and has been there with me ever since I just can't stay long without reading a book.

I started looking longingly at every person who held a book in my class I wanted something to read and guess what I did.... I simply read my whole English textbook so that I could while my time until 'THE TUESDAY

There that was my first experience at reading a novel I started with the thought of summarizing the book but lost track and ended up telling about myself.... will be posting sooner :)

The first experience...

2008-08-21T14:48:00.002+05:30
I clearly remember that day in my fourth standard when we were handed out our schedules[or Time tables as we used to call] there was a period each week for a library,[wow a whole period for the library... and I will be allowed to 'THE LIBRARY'] that was which exited me and also angry cause that was a Wednesday my library period was on a Tuesday["could they not have handed this yesterday....Bah! hopeless management"], anyways finally it was "THE TUESDAY" and my first step into the place and I immediately fell in love with it. I really could not say it was just love but awe at the thought that a single room could hold so many treasures and I was allowed into it[wow..... that simply made it so wonderful]. Then I saw her such a wonderful smile with which she wished us in.... and said that she would be calling us one by one and we could come and select a book off the shelves from which we were allowed off.The calling stated and it was in an alphabetical order[why the hell did my name start with an 'S' :( so many before me so many books gone.... will there be at least one for me.. and why were these fools taking so much time can't they hurry.....] Finally me and the smile on my face the moment I reached the place that would be the best moments in my life [there were quite a good number of books left though..... :)] and then started the crazy feeling [just one book... what will she do with all these cant she give me at least 3... or just 2...NO she says only one book....Huh!!!], every book looked so tempting so different so very interesting and the funniest part was I did not know even a single name... not even one and I started pulling out one book after another with both the librarian and the kid behind me looking me like when will I move from there.... finally I settled for a one titled "ENID BLYTON'S FIVE ON A TREASURE ISLAND"[wow a treasure island that should be interesting......] and when I finally made it to her still looking back at the shelf maybe I should take that red book there or that nice hard bound one.... will this be nice who knows I don't even know the who wrote this... and then she said "nice book you selected..."[she was the best she said that the book I selected was a nice one I am really great... look at all those fools I call friends who went in for the red book or the bound book but I went for 'This book' which she called nice.. :D] and then at the end of the class until when I was just looking at my book or telling off everybody who would hear that she praised me for selecting 'this' book [HA HA HA so wonderful of me... I am the best... the greatest] It was only when she started talking to us that I broke of my dream like state[fervently hoping she would say to the whole lot that I choose a really really really good book and everyone should learn from me.....] and she ,not like I was hoping simply said that the library was open in the lunch hours if any one of us wanted to come in and read something and the end of the class for us...[What bloody insanity was this... outright injustice just one hour a week for the library just one...] but then it was done nothing more I could and silently walked out of the library sad but all the way smiling and pulling my friends and proudly saying that I got this wonderful book that had so wonderful story that you know it had magic, and whatever I knew that my friends would say a 'WOW' at.. my book had it all nothing in their books.... [hehehe I was really a big bragger since childhood ;) I had not even read a page of the book and I stated telling about its greatness] But the whole day I was silently stealing glances trying to read but again... scare where I would be punished by my other teachers. Even so my favorite maths teacher did catch me and lo... to my surprise she says "library book eh.. let me see? good one you got there but read it in your free time or at home not in the class put it inside or I will take it away"[wow even my maths teacher says this is a nice book I really am the greatest.... YAHOOOO] that's it I was on cloud nine for the rest of her class and even volunteered to carry her books to the staff-room after the class just cause she said my book was nice.... NEXT: About the first book

The Begining of an everlasting love....

2008-08-20T20:27:00.000+05:30

Fascination for books that was with me since very young in my life. Books,books and more books that was all I started dreaming about when I was first allowed to my school library in my fourth standard and that has held until to day [although I did have patches where my books were just related to my subject :( ] and will surely stay. I had a strange habit in the early school days, we had a rule in our school that every student be given a book for a week after which he may exchange or request for the same book.... this was the beginning of the problem for me as my bus travel to school took close to 45 min each trip and the book I borrowed finished in 3 to 4 days leaving me without one for the remaining week, so what I did was started searching for all those who did not read books in my class and make at least one tag along with me to the library so that he could borrow a book which I could read subsequently[clever of me ehh...]. Maybe this habit of mine made more book lovers like me, no idea but I sure did enjoy the books I found and any one wanted me to summarize a book that was game because I simply loved that.......and perhaps one of the major reasons for me to start this blog coming soon my first book