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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