Nothing lasts for eternity. We all find it difficult to digest this fact. We hardly realise that we are all born with a reason and making a significant mark before leaving this world is deeply meaningful. During my school days, I used to intently read books like The Mystery at St.Lucy's by Vernon Thomas, The Gem of Nehora etc. I still want to find these books somehow and wish to keep them forever as they bring back cherished memories of my life as a student in the convent. This book has become another prized possession of mine. I have never understood or tried to scrutinize the selflessness of a nun or a social worker. It's a herculean task for us to take care of our daily chores, let alone others. This has to be indubitably an inbred quality and it cannot be attained by vigorous training or procedures. I have read and heard certain not-so-good things about Mother Teresa. As an atheist and a rationalist, I have always looked for a reason to question the authenticity of s...

An unsuspecting tale of two media moguls ruthlessly competing with each other to prove their fortitude in what is called, "The Fourth Estate" a.k.a world of Publishing and Printing. This book, according to me, is logically and in writing connected from the first Chapter to the last, making itself a downright work of Genius. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, leaving the readers desirous to quickly check out the next page. The whole point of all this is to show how human greediness has grown in leaps and bounds. It's more like feeding the fire. The more you get, the more you want. Invariably, one can never get enough of power and money. For a person like me, who never knew the underlying practices and procedures that happen behind the corporate scene of Syndicate, this novel indoctrinates them all in a hierarchical fashion involving specialized supporting characters like the Chairman, CEO, Chief Accountant, Chief Editor, Attorney, Secretory etc. Competition is pe...

"Face the Fire" was one of the trilogies written by Ms. Roberts which I had read a couple of years back. Since then my interests started spreading towards the romantic genre too. The provocative fact is that you get easily turned on while tasting romance through reading. It kind of leaves you behind with a sensuous overflow of feelings that makes you want to curl up with the book until the upshot is gone. The Giambelli-Macmillan vineyards make a superlative set-up for a compelling tale filled with charming love scenes and often incalculable turn of events. The passion keeps building up page by page between the characters which unassumingly wants us to see more chemistry and action.  From the unfolding stage to the maturing stage of relationships between two individuals, the cycle of love has been beautifully made analogous to the process of Winemaking. On the whole, "The Villa" leaves us wasted, utterly, lusciously wasted by the euphoric words.

Although I was abruptly disappointed thinking, "What?! That's it?!" when the novel ended, it wasn't quite genuine because there was an unrepentant feeling of not wanting it to end. Every line is written with a gripping context and an absolute suspense. For the first time in my life, the events in this book were able to be viewed as screenplays in my dreams. I wouldn't call it a nightmare though. A good book would always lure its readers into its world and manage to keep them there for a long time or till they find an equally qualified one. I'm glad I had a similar experience with "Echo Park". Completely unanticipated twists in the story track, the possibility of varied guesses, the pattern in which a Sleuth's mind works and calculates the probabilities of occurrences of events and the alignment of suspects to those events are all the strong forces that had made up a strong plot for the novel. This has also made me turn over the pages to the ...

Dear Anne,                   I wouldn't have felt like writing to you after reading your diary if you had been alive while it was getting published, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Your absence has certainly added value to the things you have written. Ironically it was "Mein Kampf" that was my first choice. Hitler's complex composition baffled me and of which I had to pause reading the book.  There can be very many explanations to justify vengeance in this world but pain is universal. It is understood by all living beings. The catastrophic incidents that followed the discovery of you and your family members from the secret annexe were unimaginable and merciless. As a young girl, the thoughts that you were gifted with were enough to give us a vivid picture of the misery of seclusion. It was an anticipated ending yet you made us feel the value of our lives. You have shown us how irreparably inhuman we have become.  I have los...

           This is the story of a girl who had the same kind of life as mine except that she is "big" and I am "small". An inferiority complex is a very dangerous and irrevocable impression that can be created by parents on their children. There are certain inconsiderate opinions and treatments that affect those children and become their lifelong baggage to be carried.  Skin colour, facial features, and size are the factors involved. To rub salt in the wound, there are abrasive reminders every single day about the disappointments of the child.          There is no about the maternal and paternal love but how deep is it in comparison to the other things that they are fond of or if there is another kid born with all their expectations gratified, then the former one becomes the tester cake or the sidekick. We've all been on that boat when sibling rivalry takes its toll on our emotions.      ...

The transition was like this. God-fearing, Pessimistic, Pragmatic to Atheistic, Pessimistic and Schizophrenic. I have changed a lot over the years with respect to the times and situations. Whatever the universe was going to propound, I considered it and believed in it. This novel made me think about the feminine side of the unknown. For the first time in my life, I had to reflect upon my thoughts on something I did not believe in in terms of its very existence.  Paulo Coelho's books are not for reading; they are for teleporting us across space and distance like a magic carpet. His expressions of thoughts have always been vivid. On that note, I can say this book speaks volumes about any girl's thoughts. It makes the readers feel what she goes through at the very moment. The interconnectedness that each chapter has borne with our personal experiences is an enchanted feeling. "Love is God".It is omnipotent, hidden inside each one of us. Some become discoverers of ...

How can the Jackal be destroyed?! Sorry for the spoiler alert but this just doesn't imprint any contentment. Mr.Forsyth knows how to make his readers crave shocking surprises. The plot gradually diverts our attention solely towards the Jackal's unknown motives and cleverly makes us take his side as the events progress which also leaves the readers wholly disappointed at the very expected cliched ending. I could even feel the slight seething rage every time the Police forces blew the Jackal's cover off.       The transient change of the dramatic personae is astounding. There is an unprecedented guessing in the investigation methodologies of the detectives and SDC members. How humongous is a task like identifying the infiltration in a crowd filled with an unknown population of France?!. Each step must be calculative and gingerly. Keeping things discreet from the press works about as well as having a cat in a bag. It must be a herculean...

This truly made me understand and enjoy the pleasure of "Light reading".    Greg's life is as funny, boring, exciting, disappointing and filled with expectations as any Tom, Dick and Harry's childhood would have been. The ultimate fun while reading the pages in Greg's diary, pops up when we try to relate the narration with those little doodles, drawn adding the element of humour in it. Stupidity is beauty. At times, yes. The world has been a place where stupidity is in demand and gets paid off well if it's used in the right way to please and make people smile. Kids have a natural way of being funny unwittingly. Life becomes so careless and sad memories quickly fade away with time if we all wait optimistically for a change. Insolence is the trend. Attitude is the topic of the town. Welcome to the world of "The New Generations".

I honestly don't want this to sound detrimental to the author's work. It was a real challenge for me to recreate Mr.Conrad's words as scenes and happenings. Only a few books have given me that tough task. It was a complete breakthrough for my reading experience because for once, I didn't feel like giving up on this book. This book, I should state, has definitely offered me the pleasure of knowing the marine ambience, Asians, fleets, ships and the jargon associated with the latter. Comprehensively, it was a good read with some odd doldrums here and there.