So Long, see you tomorrow – Maxwell
Disgrace – Coetzee
The heart of the matter – Greene
12 Red Herrings – Archer
Case of exploding mangoes – Haneef
The dare – Boyne
That long silence – Deshpande
A night in london – Abbas
Noon – Taseer
Gambler – Doestovsky
Songs of achilles – Miller
Heat and dust – Jhabvala
After a long time it was time for testing our (Devang, Roka and yours truly) endurance. Chembra (trek in Kerala) was tough for me. Sinhgad proved moderate but enjoyable what with numerous small huts at regular interval where one can rest and have lime juice and Taak etc. Not carrying a cap was a mistake as most of the ascent occurred during mid-day. Flying fox (valley crossing over rope) was new for us. At INR 100 it was very cheap but there was no security measure. Lunch (Jhunka Bhakri, Kanda bhajji etc.) after you reach the top is amazingly simple yet delicious. After lunch we rested under cool shade of a tree for about 30 min. After that we began our descent. Descent is always tougher than the ascent as is written in Jeff Archer’s Paths of Glory. After all, George Mallory died during descent from Mount Everest (controversial though).
While coming down we found some people climbing up with telescope and other gears to spend the night on top of the hill. Wow! The very idea of lying down under the starlit sky and locating different constellations with no urban noise in the background – what would i not give to be part of such a setting! Not to forget waking up to birds’ chirping and first rays of the sun. Some day.
Currently reading this wonderful book by Madeline Miller. My library was kind enough to accept my request for this book and order it. Have read first 20 pages or so but i’m loving it. I must admit that i’ve the image of brad pitt in my mind while i read about Achilles. Currently the book talks about the miseries of Patroclus – who after accidently killing a boy is exiled from his father’s kingdom. More on this later.
14-Dec-2011
The flow is good. One can go on reading the tales of growing up of these two characters Achilles and Patroclus with the mention of divine intervention thrown here and there. It appears as if Madeline has written the book in her own time. There is no urgency. Nothing is fast paced.
Currently reading Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Gambler, Bobok, A Nasty Story. Have been wanting to read his The Brothers Karamazov for a long time. But it would need time – lots of time.
I think this is a good way of reading. Read few books of one genre then move to another. This way one can avoid a feeling of staleness which results due to reading one type of writings/author esp Indian fiction.
This time i’ll try to write a little bit more about this book so that this blog does not remain merely informative.
6 Dec 2011
Finished reading The Gambler. One thing that distinguishes a classic from rest of them is its pace. Slow, relaxed almost like a beautiful sunset . And it is these classics which make you fall in love with the beautiful work of words.
Coming back to the book, it’s a reflection of Dostoyevsky’s passionate involvement with roulette. You win, you continue to win but yet you don’t go away till you have lost it all. The girl lets you express your love for her, she remains indifferent to it but still she insists that you talk about it – nothing is more pitiful than this.
Currently readind Aatish Taseer’s Noon. While in college, i had a chance to read Stranger to history by the same author. He is the son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and assassinated Pakistan Governor Salman Taseer. Partition, Old Delhi, Hindu-Muslim and other such sentiments keep unfolding through out the book.
It set me thinking at a place. I have read good number of books. Have i read many of them to be able to tell that i have read them? Similar line of thought for my education.
p.s. Read an interview of this writer here.
11-11-11
Finished reading it. Didn’t like it at all. For the better part of the book, he talks about his life in Delhi. Then, we are taken to PbQ where he talks about troubles that are there in his brother’s life. It might as well be called his autobiography.
25 Oct 2011
Currently reading ‘A night in London’ by Sajjad Zaheer. With due regard to the translator Hashmi, i feel a translator could never do justice to the writer.
29 Oct 2011
Finished reading it. Not a great read. May be i would enjoy the original version (in Urdu). However, it was one of its kind in terms of timing (India under British), language chosen (Urdu unlike writers like Mulk Raj Anand) etc.
The book has an abrupt ending (so does this blog).
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What leads to innovation?
Do you realise what kind of competitors you’re pitted against?
You might have read lots of theory, many brands but, remember there is only one brand and that is you.
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Hope everyone likes it.
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Few images:
