Half Of A Yellow Sun

After reading Chimamanda's Purple Hibiscus I have been on the look out for her second book. And it is as brilliant and as realistic as the first one. Ugwu, Olanna, Odenigbo, Kainene and Richard do not get out of your head for a long time. It is not for leisure reading though. It shows the dark side of human nature at its starkest.

Picasso's War

At a time when one feels helpless that nothing one does will make a difference to the world, this book is the much needed truth. It makes you want to believe. It will tell you to be very very afraid of the violence and deceit the people of the world are capable of. But mostly it is the story of one man's belief, that will make you think, try a little harder and more than anything else, believe.

'Indian Summer' in winter

History that you will not read in Indian textbooks. I for one feel very vindicated on account of Gandhi but am not sure of the glorified Nehru legacy. An intimate look at the Raj, Independence and Partition. The romance between Nehru and Edwina didn't bother me and doesn't skew the narrative either.

After a long time...

Gosh, it has been 7 months since did an update here!!!!! But I have read many books, attempted many several more and happily forgotten about them. Partly because of paucity of time and mostly because, I hardly read anything that moved me (either way) to write about it.

The Hungry Tide (Amithav Ghosh) was different. I was in awe, I was terrified, I was moved, I was educated, I rediscovered the beauty of the written word all over again.

5 on 5 I'd say

Maximum City. Bombay lost & found

I didn't know it was shortlisted for Pulitzer! I didn't like it! I couldn't even read beyond the first chapter. It is one of those NRI trying to find his / her roots and hating everything about the country but rediscovers patriotism anyways type of book. And the author rambles all along!

Very Blah i found it

The Magic Mountain

One should never attempt to read a classic by borrowing from a library. It is too expensive. I realised I couldn't finish it on time so I returned it. I am going to buy this book.

Nightfall

I am not big on Sci-fi / disaster awaits the world kind of books, but this I liked. The story of a planet with no nightfall is fascinating. But the fear they feel about it something I couldn't relate to. Particularly the part about stars. I mean how can you be scared of the? Go crazy at the sight of those sparklers in the sky?

The book has 3 parts, one - leading up to the night fall - brilliant! two - nightfall itself - Fascinating! three - was post nightfall, I didn't enjoy that so much. It felt very cliche. I suppose in 1990 it wasn't so but with so many paranoid hollywood films...

But overall I liked it.