SWAMI AND FRIENDS by R.K. Narayan, Book Review

Swami And Friends by R.K. Narayan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first of the book, which contains the details of the edition, copyright owner and about publishers, I noticed this line:
First Published in 1935 by
Hamish Hamilton, London

1935! That's a very long time ago. In fact, this is the oldest book by an Indian author, I've read so far...

R. K. Narayan... Probably, the best author of all times. A classic Indian author. His imagination created a new city on the map of India - Malgudi. All his stories that place in Malgudi situated in the Madras presidency of South India...

It is story of a boy named Swami and his friends. The story does not follow a particular plot line. Over all, the story is fabulous. Very interesting and intriguing... This is more than a simple narrative of Swami's adventures - charming and entertaining as they are. by the delicate use of detail sympathetically observed, the establishes for us the child's world as the child himself sees it...

Hats off to him...

Swami is the Indian Tom Sawyer...

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TILL THE LAST BREATH by Durjoy Datta, Book Review

Till The Last Breath by Durjoy Datta
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Firstly, it is the best one could from Durjoy Datta. Maturest work by Durjoy Datta, so far...

At first, I was scared at the size of the font. It has got the tiniest font size I have ever read, the spacing was not beyond 1.0, too. To top everything else, it was 237 pages thick.

The story was so captivating that the pages just flew by.

The story deals with five characters - Arman Kashyup, Kajal Khurana, Pihu Malhotra, Dishyant Roy and Zarah Mirza. Though the whole book was of the third-person narration, every chapter is named from either of the five characters and the story is told from his point view with the third person narration - if you know what I mean.

Very exquisitely written... Best book I've read this season..


Best work of Durjoy Datta and many other best-selling Indian authors...

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A TWIST IN THE TALE by Jeffrey Archer, Book Review

A Twist in the Tale by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A twist in the tale.. too apt for the 12 stories in the book...

Very intriguing.. The suspense of the twist at the end of each story keeps you reading..

Very well written...

Above all, Archer's language is what interests me more than anything.. his selection and usage of simple words.. the way he describe things, simply... he is the best at it..

Twist at its limit...

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LOVE, LIFE AND LUST by Pritesh Bhosale, Book Review

Love, Life And Lust by Pritesh Bhosale
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am in a big dilemma whether to give a 2 or a 3 star rating.

First of all, I want to thrash the author. Seriously. He is such a ****. My three year old nephew speaks the better English than him!

On the very first page - acknowledgement page (i never read this page,by the way) - I was turning the page but stopped when I noticed this word. I guess not even Jesus Christ - or someone, who found the English language - will ever find out the meaning of that word, 'off course'. I ignored as a mere typing mistake. But then, it started and didnt end. There were on a average of 3 mistakes a line till the last page.

I was so outraged that I was ready to shoot the author down, for wasting my bucks.

It was hell trying to complete this book. (And ya, I have this irritating habit of not giving up books in the middle).

In some ways this book reminded me of my childhood days. When I in my second standard, we, everyone in my school, used to mistake bought and brought. The same mistake was repeated throughout the book.

I still wonder, how people like this make into publishing their book. Personally, I aspire to be a write and even send the proposals to many publishers. There isnt a reply till now. I was depressed. My book cant be any worse than this.

And I still wonder, what the editorial staff of the publishers were doing. Come on, editors edit the manuscript before publishing it right?

But at the end, the story seemed good. Maybe it is the narration which ruined everyone. I live it for you people to decide whether to read it or not...

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THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon, Book Review

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is unlike anything I have read, so far...

It had won many awards like WHITBREAD BOOK OF THE YEAR, GUARDIAN CHILDREN'S FICTION PRIZE, BOOK TRUST TEENAGE FICTION AWARD, etc. But the 'children' part troubled me a bit. I was not going to read a children's book. But there something, perhaps the name of the books, which provoked me to read it. So I started it and it was very hard to put the book down...

At first, this book gives the impression of a mystery story. But it is anything but mystery novel.

The novel doesn't follows a particular flow. The story is random and there is nothing particular to point out from the whole story, except for it is very informative. I mean to say it contains a lot of knowledge. The kid in the story is very weird, but the story is very interesting...

Dont mistake it to be a children's book. Entertains everyone, of every age group, equally...

Weird and interesting, at the same time...

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THREE MEN IN A BOAT by Jerome K. Jerome, Book Review

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Extremely humourous...

Like the name of the book suggests - three men in a boat (to say nothing of the dog) - it is the story of three men - or rather, crazy men - with a dog on a boat, in Thames. They flow along the river and there are many interest bits of fact and history of the towns along the river. The travel is only just a part of the story. The best part of the story is the recollections of the funny incident author experienced in his life...

Jerome is the most ridiculous, I've read, so far....

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AMSTERDAM by Ian McEwan, Book Review

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Picked up the immediately, when I read, 'WINNER OF THE 1998 BOOKER PRIZE,' on the cover page... Lately, I am in man bookers'..

Frankly, I didnt get most of the story.. Maybe its because of the language or maybe, its always the confusing and the books which dont make much sense win the prizes...

But there were quite a few incidents in the story, which gave me goosebumps... it is the incidents I liked in this book - as I didnt understand the story..

I dont literally mean that I didnt understand the story... I understood the story, but after completely reading it there was a question still lingering in my brain - "then what?" When I said I didnt understand the book, I meant that it didnt make much sense. At least, to me. Maybe thats the point. MAybe thats the reason it won the award.

Actually, this is not the first time with me. There were many movies - Inception, for one - which wonmany awards, but didnt make much sense to me... Critics tend to award things which doesnt make sense.. I'm convinced...

And yeah, I am still wondering what has Amsterdam do with the whole story. The last, tiny part of the story ends in Amsterdam. Thats it...

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MALGUDI STORIES by R.K. Narayan, Book Review

Malgudi Stories by R.K. Narayan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A collectiong of 10, exquistive Malgudi stories...

After reading the first story, I was left in bewidlerment. It was short and, I felt like, it ended abruptly. You know, there are no morals, no lessons, just a story with an abrupt end. That's all...

But as I read the other stories, as I got used of the no-moral, abrupt-ended stories, I started to like them. In fact, I started to love them. They are good, interesting and 'just' stories....

Read it.. Don't expect anything and you will enjoy them...

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NO DEADLINE FOR LOVE by Manasi Vaidya, Book Review

No Deadline for Love by Manasi Vaidya
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

No deadline for love.... No deadline for my boredom, when reading this book...

Absolute waste of time...

damn boring...

Too much about her - the lead character's - profeisson... come on, I dont give a damn for her profession... I am reading a book on some professional course..!

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ONE NIGHT @ THE CALL CENTER by Chetan Bhagat, Book Review

one night @ the call center by Chetan Bhagat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

heard very bad comments about the book. read only because of the author and his works - which I love.

And let me tell this, it is not bad.. Not bad compared to the other novels by Indian authors..

Amazingly humorous...

The description says something about God making a call and all.. But it is all bullshit.. God making the call is the least part of the story..

btw, i love how Chetan Bhagat starts in his prologue...

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SIDDHARTHA by Hermann Hesse, Book Review

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought the book is about Buddha. But I was totally wrong.

It was the story of a boy, named Siddhartha - like the title of the book - and how he reached his final goal - Nirvana...

Note: Not recommended to everyone. The book has an higher meaning and it confuses and bores you to no end, if you dont understand the basic concept of Enlightenment...

Hermann Hesse is a genius writer...

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THE WHITE TIGER by Aravind Adiga, Book Review

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Second of my Man Booker reads... But half as entertaining as the first one (Life of Pi).

The story was mostly about a guy named Balram, who belonges to the countryside of India- the Darkness, so called in the book. How he advanced in his life from a illiterate, dirty boy to a enterprenuer in Bangalore - the Light, so called in the book, too. But then, don't mistake it to be a guide on how to become an interprenuer in India. That part of the story is the least part. Mostly, the story is giving the vivid image of India. Or maybe, corrupt India to be precise...

It might be a great thing to read about corrupt India for the foreigner. Maybe, it could be true, too. But I, as an Indian, felt a bit uneasy when reading this. Is this what the real India? No! That is what the others like to believe it to be. Maybe, I could be wrong about it, but that is the real India...

No doubt, it made to the Man Booker. Everyone wants to read the dark side of India. Everyone wanted it and the author gave it.

And then, no offence. I too enjoyed reading it....

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THE CAVANSITE CONSPIRACY by Manjri Prabhu, Book Review

The Cavansite Conspiracy by Manjiri Prabhu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Long time since I read a thriller...

It was wonderful experience to read a thriller by an Indian author. It was a rare. But then, the writing was great and story was awesome...

The author didn't spare any nook and corner of thrilling. The tag line - 'A thrilling story of romance, suspense and betrayal' - couldn't be more apt.

The story starts with the theft of a rare cavansite, which was believed to, literally, enlighten its owner. Then the story turns thrillings. Then, again, the story turns exceptionally romantic. And then, it turns thrilling. The nail-biting finish could sweep anyone off their feet...

Good, thrilling and interesting read...

And by the way, I noticed a word, 'expecially', somewhere in the book........... :-D

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A THING BEYOND FOREVER by Novoneel Chakraborthy, Book Review

A Thing Beyond Forever by novoneel chakraborty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still read less acclaimed novels, so that I dont miss any gem like this one...

This guy, Novoneel, is a helluva guy. He has lot of things going on his minds. This book might even astound a saint.

For the writing, there were many grammatical flaws, but they hinder me in any way, not a single time. Mainly, it is the story of a girl, named Radhika Sharma, believe that, what the caption says, "The reward for every true love is not love". The story is damn touching.

After, when I was done reading the book, I felt like taking a stroll outside. And when I did it, I had this strange feelings. I dont know the root of the feeling but I felt a foot taller, when I was walking. Yeah, that was how I felt. It might sound weird - infact, very wierd. I have no clue what that feeling signifies, but that was how I trully felt.

Note: Before you read this book, I warn you, it might have a very moving effect on you. At least, it had such effect on me. And then, I dont prescribe the same effect on you because maybe its the situation I am in made me feel that effect. But it is not an ordinary novel for ordinary readers. It is well above many things. At the end, it might dump you in more confusion. As it has more questions than answers. The questions are above the existence. More enlightening.

Refreshing read. Or rather, enlightening read...

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KON-TIKI by Thor Heyerdahl, Book Review

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

230 pages full of adventure...

The starting few pages deal with the theory that Polynesians may have originated in South America. Many of the scientists claim that the expedition was impossible provided the absence of seafaring technology during those days, unlike now. So Thor Heyerdahl, the author, with a small crew take up the journey themselves.

It is just like the caption says, 'Across pacific on a raft'.

They - the six members - build a raft and cross, almost, 4300 nautical miles all the way from the coast of Peru to the South Sea islands, in 101 days!

The tale after they launch their raft off the coast of Peru, is full of adventure. 101 days at sea is no small span of time. There are many such incidents that took place during the journey, which were too hard to believe. But then, the 50 pages - in addition to the 230 pages - of illustrated pictures and snaps taken during the voyage, give enough proof.

By the way, I am not sure of the illustrated pages in other editions.

A treat to sea adventure lovers...

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ONLY TIME WILL TELL by Jeffery Archer, Book Review

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My first of Jeffery Archer's.

Best part of the novel was very boring. Maybe, I am not the one who liked Drama. But then, the plot and the narration was pretty new to me. Indeed, authors don't stop to surprise me.

There is a story of this book and a few characters in the story. The story is told in different character's point of view, till, at the end the reader doesnt have any doubt about the whole story. Every nook and corner is revealed. But it gets on the nerve to read the same story repeated more then thrice! It might be from different ponit of views, but seriously it is damn boring. There is a large part of the story when I felt like just giving up the books. If not for good ratings on Goodreads, I would've given up this book, long ago. And I don't regret it. Infact, I would've regretted if I would've given up the book, before I completed it.

The best part of the whole story is first part and the last part. Especially, the last part was more exciting than the whole book combined.

Can't wait to read get my hands on the second book - The sins of the father...

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TRAIN TO PAKISTAN by Khushwant Singh, Book Review

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a guy who always hared literature reads. They are so boring. That is what I thought till now. This is my second literature book. Surprisingly I liked this one too.

This novel pictures the life in a border village named Mano Majra - just a moment ago I found that it is a fictitious village. It portraits the life of people who live in a bubble surrounded by mobs of Muslims who hate Sikhs and mobs of Sikhs who hate Muslims, while in the village they had always lived together peacefully. In that village, Sikhs respected Muslims as their brothers. The storydates back during the Independence and partition of India - 1947. The story weaves in the way how the life in Mano Majra is effected by the partition and the events followed due to partition.

Like the last literature book I read, this one ends abruptly too. Maybe books of that genre tend to end like that.

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The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi, Book Review

The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Hindu - or rather, Indian - version of The Da Vinci Code...

After reading Dan brown's books, I always wanted to read a thriller dealing with Indian conspiracies and theories... And finally, got to read one.

I have read the other books by Ashwin Sanghi - Chanakya's Chant and The Rozabal Line. Liked both of them and this one exceeded my preconception about this book manifold.

At the start of reading this book, I was disappointed, it was more boring stuff, but then as book story crossed the 100th page mark, I was so intrigued that I didn't (read couldn't) put the book down. I read the book at every chance I got.

The story deals with many conspiracy theories. One of them claims Krishna to be just another person who was well-educated and intelligent. Other says that the drowned city of Atlantis is none other than the drowned city, created by Krishna, of Dwaraka - just off the coast of Gujarat. The book claims many more theories - or maybe, facts - which I am not sure of their factuality. It is very difficult to separate the facts from the conspiracies and fictions. I prefer believing that they are true.

Every chapter starts with a paragraph of Krishna's life, which was very helpful for a person who doesn't know much about Krishna, like me.

Indeed, Ashwin Sanghi is the Indian Dan Brown...

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THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST by Mohsin Hamid, Book Review

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know why, but there is something intriguing about the book. You won't be able to put it down until you complete reading it.

The authors never seem to surprise me. They every time come up with a new style of writing. The story starts like this...

'Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance?
Ah, I see I have alarmed you.
Do not be frightened by my beard.
I am a lover of America..."

The story continues like this through out the narration. You feel like, even when you are not, that you are with the author seated at a cafe in Lahore.

The story was good. In fact, a very well. But at the end the story ends abruptly. The end is left to our imagination. So it didn't serve the purpose I read stories (I read stories because they end)...

Worth a read and I am sure it is unputdownable...

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STICKEEN by John Muir, Book Review

Stickeen by John Muir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hardly takes 30-minutes to complete reading it. They are very few pages and to top that, there were even fewer words.

Actually, from the title of the book and the description, I was expecting a adventure by the author and a dog... It turns out to be just that.. but less adventurous and more disappointing.

John Muir, the author, is a scientific explorer (that's what I could make out from the story). One day, he walks out of the camp, to explore the nearby glacier, leaving behind his crew. A dog, named Stickeen, owned by one of the crew members, goes with him, even him refusing. The mere exploration of the glacier turns out into a struggle to get back to the camp, against the violent winds. The way return is a field of crevasses and the last 20-pages of the book deal with the disaster and the way they got back to the camp.

The most expected adventure and the dog part is not more than 20-pages in total.

It is over, before you can even realize it...!

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THAT THING CALLED LOVE by Tuhin A. Sinha, Book Review

That Thing Called Love by Tuhin A. Sinha
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Very confusing story... The picture that the plot gave away, it is the stories of five persons.. Or rather the stories of five different person's relationships..

In fact, five stories of people of a Metropolitan, in this case, Mumbai...

But it had just the story of Mayank (the lead) and just a few pages of stories of the other persons..

The narration was good, very vivid and clear...

Have been a big fan of literature, maybe thats the reason I was bored the entire length of the book.. In fact, the book was very similar to the Bollywood flick 'Life in a... Metro', which I did't pretty much, either...

At the end of the novel the novel, I felt like the story was incomplete.. In fact, I felt like the story ended pretty abruptly..

Look, the good thing about stories is that they end.. If not now, after a few pages they end.. but this book seems to end out in the nowhere...

Enjoyable for ppl who are seeking a change in the routine college love stories...

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THE JUNGLE BOOK by Rudyard Kipling, Book Review

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this expecting a continuous story of life of Mowgli, in the jungle...

I always wondered why the is named 'The jungle book'... I mean consider the stories of Tarzan - 'Tarzan of the apes', 'Return of Tarzan', 'The son of Tarzan' and so on.. I wondered why inst this book named something like 'Mowgli of the wolves' or 'The adventures of Mowgli' or so on..

After reading this book I got my answer.. The name - 'The jungle book' - suited it perfectly, because it is not the story of Mowgli, but a collection of short stories of different animals...

This book has, totally, seven stories - three of them deals with Mowgli, one deals with seals, one deals with mongoose, one deals with elephants and the last one with horses, elephants and other camp animals.

Every story is written so well, that I feel the incidents described in the stories are real life myths... To top all that, there are verses after every story, which just adds to the jungle-ness...

Well written and interesting...

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ToGetHer by Ishita Bhown, Book Review

ToGetHer by Ishita Bhown
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It is just a below average story.. A collection of incidents which is experience by anyone and everyone who have been to college... Nothing special about it.. Too boring.. Big font size... too less pages... very little stuff...

Over all a 'no-good' read...

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ON THE ROAD: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac, Book Review

On the Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On the Road: The Original Scroll... I just thought it was just the name of the book, the original version of the previously released book... But i didnt knew that the book was literally a 'scroll'... When I first came to know that the draft for this book was originally a 120-feet long, continuous, flow of words, I was flabbergasted...

This edition is of totally 408 pages to be exact and about 100 pages (102, to be precise) is just crap... you can also call it a 100-page review... introduction, history, crap, shit, etc etc...

Actually, I am not happy with the read... I was expecting something more adventurous and tripping, but this turns out to be a reference book to something called, 'Beat Generation'... I thought to understand the book, I need to learn a bit about the 'beat generation' and extracted few details from the net... But it confused me, further..

A thing I observed in this book is, the author, jack kerouac, is as frank as anything could be in the book... I felt like I was reading someone's personal diary...

The stories starts exactly on the 109th page... And from then on there is no end of parah.. In fact, the whole story continuous in a hude paragraph, stretching for about 300 pages!!! that is one point which bores you.. I couldnt read it for too long.. Most of the times, I fell asleep when I was reading..

Another minus point about the book is the book had so many names... I had to refer the previous pages when a name is mentioned... It is so diffficult to remember all those names..

The book is, actually, five books... There is no difference between the books except for the words written in bold, 'BOOK ONE' or 'BOOK TWO'.... the whole story didnt break its continuous flow not atleast once..

The best part of the book, excluding the boring parts is the adventure and tripping never stopped... In fact, the tripping was done at its fastest.. but it has its share of boring parts too..

So just think if you planning to pick this book up...

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NOTHING LASTS FOREVER: No Secret can Stay Buried.. by Vish Dhamija, Book Review

Nothing Lasts Forever: No Secret can Stay Buried.. by Vish Dhamija
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Lot of unwanted crap.. thats what I feel about the story..

The font is so small that, I think there are about 3000 words per page! damn, why do some authors want to prolong the story...

If the description of characters' attires are removed, the book would be reduced to half! So much crap.. Too much crap about retail banking and all, which I didnt understand a word...

Too many coincidences to call it a thriller...

I literally, ran through the pages.. too boring to be a thriller...

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TEA FOR TWO AND A PIECE OF CAKE by Preeti Shenoy, Book Review

Tea for two and a piece of cake by Preeti Shenoy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Preeti Shenoy is, officially, the first author I ever read and I was swept off my feet. Her second novel, Life is what you make it, was really a read, which I will never forget in my life. In fact, that book is the reason now I am addicted to reading...

This piece of work is a masterpiece. It is so well written. Every page hooks you to it. It could be a one-go, if you a good reader, unlike me. I enjoyed each every page of the story. It takes, for you, to only read the prologue to get you hooked.

The story is so unique to what I read now-a-days.

The prologue runs like this. Nisha is bathing her seven month old baby boy, Rohit. She gets a call from his husband, Samir. "Our eight years old marriage is over," he says over the call, which is the incident of the whole story.

The first half of the story deals pre-incident - how Nisha met Samir, how they fell in love - and the second half deals with the post-incident scene - how she copes up with the life...

A very good page turner...

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THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER by Mark Twain, Book Review

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Helluva read, it was.

I don't know what was running on my mind when I took an old, almost completely worn out book titled, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It was probably my great grandpa's. The look of the book itself had a mysterious mist around it - all worn out, eaten by ants and all.

It was that worn out look which tempted me to read it. If I didn't read this book, I reckon, would've my fate a million times. So wonderful a read it was !!

Samuel Clemens(Mark Twain), I love you, man.

Reading further into the story I noticed that a good part of Harry Potter was inspired from this story.

Very interest with a good deal of adventure. A page turner. Hooks you on till you complete it. And the drift follows..

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MY WAY IS THE HIGHWAY by Urvashi Gulia, Book Review

My Way Is the Highway by Urvashi Gulia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting one.. good read.. will hook you to it, until you complete it.. loved it... a bit girly.. but good, it is..

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A WALK IN THE WOODS by Bill Bryson, Book Review

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very good dose of humor...

If you are expecting to land up on Appalachian Trail (AT) someday, then dont forget to take alone this book, if you didnt already read it.

If you dont know anything about AT or if you dont know what to expect on AT, then you will have to read this book.

Actually, you get nothing from AT, thats what author claims too. Everyday is replica of the day before. And the next same will be same like today. You get up when is Sun is up, walk till sun down, camp and you get up again when the Sun is up. In between, you eat, you meet new people from around the world, and.... and........ and you cant expect anything else..

The more you read this book, the more you fall in love with AT. I dont know whether it is the AT or it the narration of the author which is tempting me land in AT.

There are many guides about the AT, but this book is just what you need. It has a bit of history, a bit about the trail, a bit about the people on the trail and a sample story, what else do you expect from a guide. In addition, it also had a good part of humor.

A good read, not a page turned, but an interesting one...

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DELAYED MONSOON by Chitralekha Paul, Book Review

Delayed Monsoon by Chitralekha Paul
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

very slow paced... too girly for me... that explains why it is on top... kinda different read for me.. but hats off to the author who wrote her first novel so exquisitely...

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DESERT SOLITAIRE by Edward Abbey, Book Review

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A deep poetic read...

It is a poetic book. It has humor. It has its share of adventure. It is one of the best of the books I have ever read...

Actually, for me, wilderness is divided into three.
1) The jungles, which I love the most
2) The cold regions, with lot of ice and snow, which I like to some extent and
3) The deserts, I hate them. They kill you with no mercy. You can die of thirst, you are die of dehydration, hyperthermia, sun burns, hunger, damn what-not.

So I always had a hating for the deserts, but this book just stirred my whole prospective towards the deserts. I feel a special kind of deja vu with the deserts now.

This is kind of a book which you, voluntarily, read very slow. Because you want to enjoy each and every word on the prose. I almost wept when I completed reading the book. You will be lost in the deserts, yourself, when reading this book. But when it comes to an end, it is a big disappointment.

I think the best review introduction that could be given to this book is the Introduction by the author, himself.

Go ahead and pick the book... You will be lost in the story...

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THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH by Leo Tolstoy, Book Review

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am not a kind of a guy who would read literature, but this is a helluva literature, I say.

I don't know anyone who writes so marvelously - actually marvelous doesn't just satisfy the exquisiteness of the writing - about the Death. This is my first of Leo Tolstoy's work and I looking forward to read others.

Actually, I know nothing about Tolstoy. All I knew was, his name was pretty familiar and he writes.

About this edition:
When I first received this book, I was disappointed. It was small and very thin. I wasn't expecting anything, but , surely, that was not what I was expecting. The story ends on the page 113. That will be a short read, I thought.

I started reading the book. It started with an introduction by Ronald Blythe. I read 4 pages. He was giving away the story before I even started reading it, so I was searching for the last page of the introduction. That is when, I found that introduction extends till the page 29!

I just skipped the introduction. I don't know why they print introductions before the story. The summaries are, actually, placed at the end, right?

The story was between page 31 and page 113, which means, considering the small size of the book, it is not going to take too long to complete. I completed in a couple of hours. After completing it, I am feeling so light. So Enlightened.

I think everyone should this book at least once..

Beautiful piece of literature...

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THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown, Book Review

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dan Brown... the best author as far as I know..

I don't know how can a man know so much about something...

Robert Langdon series.. The best thing about this series is, the former doesnt have anything to do with the latter one... They have their own stories, secrets and thrills to share..

The first one, Angels and demons, deals with the illuminati and vatican city..
The second one, The davinci code, deals with the Priory of Sion and race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe...
This one, the lost symbol, deals with the Freemasonry and the capital, Washington D.C.

Very thrilling, fast paced, interesting read...

I felt the last 50 pages made a good self-help guide.. over all, a good read!!

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I AM HEARTLESS: A Real Confession by Vinit K. Bansal, Book Review

I Am Heartless: A Real Confession by Vinit K. Bansal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story is worth a 4 star, but I gave it a 5 because the story was so related to me.. I could see me in Viren (the lead role of the story)...

There are no others to describe the story.. It is a definite read..

It is not possible to believe that this is the author's first book..

I am sure it will make you cry.. A heart gripping read...

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TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson, Book Review

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I usually dont like reading classics. But I enjoyed reading this one...

First of all, the language was not what I am used to. This is one of the reason I go with classics.. But it seemed so... hmm.... different.. The conversation seemed like the real talk of the uneducated, ruthless, seamen. Yeah, I have never heard a seamen talk, but if I can imagine he would like in the book..

Lots of twists and turns. And lots of paragraphs which I didnt get, still the story was interesting...

Worth a read..

"Ay ay, cap'n!"

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ROADS TO MUSSOORIE by Ruskin Bond, Book Review

Roads To Mussoorie by Ruskin Bond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book deserves a 3 and a half... Between 3 and a 4, i would choose a 4 for this book...

This is no travel book.. It is just a work of random recollections during the author's stay at the hill station - Mussoorie..

I always thought Mussoorie was in US of A.. :-/

This book makes a good companion during your boring phase of the life.. Quick read.. Narrated in a pretty humorously...

Worth a read...

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THE LOST STORY by Amit Goyal, Sudhanshu Gupta, Book Review

The Lost Story by Amit Goyal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The lost story... You will be lost in this story... Second half has a lot of unimaginable twists..

I have seen many books containing short stories, but this is the first I ever read... And I pretty much liked it..

This is story is pretty much the movie INCEPTION, which starred my favourite hero, Leonardo... Everything seems real and unreal at the same time, which seems real is not real and which seems unreal is not uneral, but the at end, real becomes unreal and unreal becomes real. Confused? That is the feeling I was left with after watching that movie - INCEPTION. But strangely, i kinda liked it.. It is the same with this story..

Actually, the plot is the most different I have ever known... There are two authors - Amit Goyal and Sudhanshu Gupta - for this book.. One author writes half of a story and the other completes the other half, never discussing the story in between... The story is very much interesting till the end..

Confusing part is the last chapter... The the rest of the story is interesting as any other good novel..

A one-go read...

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THE CONFESSION by John Grisham, Book Review

The Confession by John Grisham

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


My first Grisham's book..

A big let down. It was very boring.. A total waste of time.. Didnt feel like paying attention to the words... Just swept through the pages and gave up the book...



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THE LAST AMERICAN MAN by Elizabeth Gilbert, Book Review

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My expectation of the book from the description is 'a story of a guy who lived off the land'.



But its not just it. The title explains more than the description. Its about the 'American man'.



First of all, its a total distinct perspective of a real-american-man. American, to me, is a chubby guy with shorts, earphones plugged into his ears, rocking his head with the music, lot of extra fat on his body due to lot of junk food. I don't want to offend anyone, but its just my perspective.



But this book gave a whole new look at so called the-American-man. I pity where the current America is heading to.



This is the story of Eustace Conway. I just cant explain his character. He is so unpredictable, through out the book. First he is an Indian, leaving his house, living in a teepee, wearing buckskin "he builds, grows or kills" whatever he needs. And the next moment, he is an explorer and then a pioneer. At the end of everything he wants to be a farmer, wants to start a town on a thousand-acre Appalanchian Trail, which bought and named- "The Turtle Island".



The is so inspiring and interested. One of my best reads.



If you are, even a bit, adventuresome you should have to check this out for sure!!



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CANDY by Kevin Brooks, Book Review

Candy by Kevin Brooks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I got this book from a friend.. If he didnt give this book, I would have missed a fine read.



I have never heard of kevin brooks and this book set a very good impression of his in my mind...



Coming to the story.



It is story of a boy (mind it, he is not a man, he is a boy), Joe who meets a girl, Candy in London when he goes to visit a doctor. He immediately falls in love. The girl turns out to be a prostitute and a drug addict. This is the story of his struggle to get her out of the underworld - prostitution and drugs, facing lot of problems caused by her pimp, Iggy.



The best part of the story is, it is from the boy's (an ordinary boy's) point of view. Thats what makes it so special.



The narration was mind blowing. Its so new to me. When I am reading it, its like I am in his head. Like I am reading his thoughts. If that boy is confused (which is so often through out the story), the reader is confused too. A whole different way of conveying something.



Over all its a FINE READ..



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KEEP OFF THE GRASS by Karan Bajaj, Book Review

Keep Off The Grass by Karan Bajaj

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First of all, I first read Johnny Gone Down by this author... It was a very exciting roller coaster ride... The life at its best... So I took interest in this author and came across this book..



Actually, this book was not as interesting (for me) as the first one.. But still I have seen people rating this book more than the others... Maybe I not the usual kind.. I like JGD more than this one...



The plot:-



This is the story of a guy born to immigrant Indian parents, Samrat Ratan (the lead character), who is twenty five year old Yale graduate making half a million dollars a year as a hotshot investment banker on Wall Street. Any Indian is ready to die for his job. But not Samrat. He leaves his job and will go to India and gets enrolled in a B-school. He justifies his foolishness as he is in India in a search for "himself". This story is an account of the twists and turns in his 2 year stay in India.



My view:-



One thing I noticed in both books of Karan is they are more of connected to adventures and spirituality.



The story is very interesting minus the boring stuff. Actually it would have been a great read if the boring stuff like elaborating the investment banking details. Come on, there not many investment bankers or management students reading the novels. The story had been very interesting if it was fast paced, thats what I liked in JGD.



The end was fantastic. And overall the story was good, the novel is worth a read. Hats off to Samrat. Man you are one hell of a dude!!



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OLIVER'S STORY by Erich Segal, Book Review

Oliver's Story by Erich Segal

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First of all, I ask all the readers to complete erase the expectations you have on this book. This one is good the way it is. Don't, don't and don't even try to compare this one with the first one (Love Story).



Let me start with a praise for Erich Segal. He is a very rare story teller.



To be frank, the best thing about his books (atleast for me) is the lesser words density per page. I, being slow reader, can complete a page in about 30 seconds. Thats the good thing about the print.



About the story:

As far as for me, this is the perfect end any story like Love Story could ever have. I repeat once again, if you want to really appreciate this part of the story, dont expect any thing. You won't be liking this story if you compare with the first one.



The story revolves around the after-life of Oliver (the lead character), after losing his wife, Jenny, with whom he was deeply in love with. After two years of his lose, he is more single than anything. The time he spent with Jenny, together, was brief, but it was enough to last a lifetime. Now, after 2 years that incident, he wants to move on. He wants to get out of that darkness called loneliness.



This is his story to get rid of that loneliness and get back his life..







The moving and beautiful sequel to "Love Story" will capture your herat as only Erich Segal can.



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NEVER LET ME GO... by Sachin Garg, Book Review

Never Let Me Go... by Sachin Garg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Never let me go... Never read something like this..



It is probably, the second book in the samar series, first being 'It's first love...Just like the last one!'.. It is the story of twenty first year of Samar's (the lead character) life..



The very concept of documenting each year of his life is very unique (atleast for me)..



Coming to the story.. Man, getting a 5 outta 5 is like an oscar award to an movie.. I rarely give 5, but this one deserved it..



A story full of adventure, love, twists, thrills and what not.. This is the first book which I completed in one go.. You cant just put this book down until you complete reading it. It demands the attention it needed..



A book which you will be reading again and again..



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TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY by Faraaz Kazi, Book Review

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Faraaz Kazi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It is one the best Indian novels considering the ratings on GR....



I cant find words to describe the story.. The description of each and every minute details in excellent.. I felt as if I was there when it is taking place... Lovely story..



It was very slow paced and the last 20 pages were a roller coaster ride for me!!





A MUST MUST MUST READ!!



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ZERO PERCENTILE—2.0: Missed IIT Kissed Gurgaon by Neeraj Chhibba, Book Review

Zero Percentile—2.0: Missed IIT Kissed Gurgaon by Neeraj Chhibba

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Won a free copy of this book on goodreads.com...



First one was better..



This is mostly about software firms, codings and all, which mostly I didnt understand.



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THE MINE by Arnab Ray, Book Review

The Mine by Arnab Ray

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The cover and the description made me pick this book, thinking it is a horror story.. It was less a horror but a thriller, lot of gruesome blood then bizarre scenes.. Perfect for a bollywood movie.. Since this is my first scary novel, I liked it, but it is not even close to what I have expected.. Considering that this genre is not explored more in Indian fiction writing, it is a pretty decent stuff.. The ending was very predictable and lots of twists in one flow..



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ZERO PERCENTILE – Missed IIT Kissed Russia by Neeraj Chhibba, Book Review

Zero Percentile – Missed IIT Kissed Russia by Neeraj Chhibba

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I first read the the title of the book, I just ignored book thinking it is another college story.. And then, I came across this contest named "Register and win Zero Percentile 2.0" on goodreads.. I registered the contest knowing that I wont be winning it.. Come on, no one wins anything for free, isn't it?



One day, I received a book... Actually, I really won a free sopy of "Zero Percentile 2.0"..



Since I didnt read the first book, I ordered it and read it.. This is how I read this book.



First of all, I want to say this is no college love story.. This is more than that.. It is the story of a guy, named Pankaj (probably the hero), from an Indian lower middle class family.. The story starts from the hero's great-grand father to his grand father to his father to himself in the form of a sperm to himself in his mother's womb to himself in this world.. The story with lot of boring stuff, and the font size is really small which makes you very disinterested in the book... Like, there are many other books from Indian authors, whose font size is very big and the speacing between the lines are huge too, just to fill the pages.. Then after the first 40 pages, it gets interesting.. So interesting that you cant put the book down.. If you are not as bad reader as I am, you can complete this book in one go..



You will like it..



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Don't Ask Any Old Bloke for Directions: A Biker's Whimsical Journey Across India by P G Tenzing, Book Review

Don't Ask Any Old Bloke for Directions: A Biker's Whimsical Journey Across India by P G Tenzing

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book turned out to be very different from what I had expected..



Actually, I was expecting a hippie kind of a guy, on his enfield roaring all over the country living back dust.. Very adventurous stuff, with someone very rich to keep the flow of fuel into his bike.. But the story is completely a contrast to what I have expected.. After completing the book I released that it is some way or the other like the book named "Horn Ok Please - HOPping To Conclusions"..



The book contains the story of a rider -actually pretty old to do something like this- who gives up his IAS job and wants to experience everything which he missed in his youth.. It's not just a story with lot of wierd names of places -which most of the ppl are never heard of-, its the journey of the author across country, in search of his debts to repay from his karmic past... The perfect blend of humour and adventure is irresistable.. Must read!!



Very refreshing, entertaining, exciting and inspiring book!!







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IT'S FIRST LOVE ...JUST LIKE THE LAST ONE! by Sachin Garg, Book Review

It's first love...Just like the last one! by Sachin Garg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I dont know why, but I kinda started a liking towards this publications, Grapevine India...



Coming to the narrating, its one of the best I have read.. It is so vivid.. It is so clear.. It is in clear detail...



Coming to the story, its not one of the bests, but the few little details in the story is very amazing.. I completed this book in one go.. This is that kind of a book where it forces you to complete it in one go because you expect something very interesting will be coming, and at the end you close the book, thinking 'finally, the book is over'..



The story revolves around Sachin (probably, the hero)... Sachin, a tall, dark and a handsome, falls in love with a girl, Kanika, who joins his college as his junior.. The story goes on by how he gets to win that girl's love.. How he meets a dingy guy, Zaaeshan.. and so on.. The story is slow-paced but queit interesting..



Looking forward for the nxt book..



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THE DEV - D SYNDROME by Chandraprakash Mohata, Book Review

The Dev - D Syndrome. . . Bringing Emotional Attyachar To A Halt by Chandraprakash Mohata

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The title and the cover design of the book gave me a impression as it is the manuscript of "Dev D" movie... But it is nothing like that.. We can also call them complete contrasts..



I got it from a friend of mine.. He is not a reader. This is his first book (ofcourse, I meant his first novel) and it got addicted to reading.. This is not that amazing, but for a starter like him, it is very good..



Talking about the language, it is not very hi-fi, which is a plus for me.. I always wanted the language to be as simple as possible and this book is very good for the language..



The best thing about the book is not the story, its the twists... The story goes very slow and expressively, but all of a sudden at the end, you get blow after blow.. Thats the best part of the whole book...



Good for time pass..



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