Sita

Writer: Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik
Genre: Mythology/Fiction

We all have been bought up with our staple dose of mythology. Its only if we choose to re-listen/ re-read can we realize that our stories/scriptures are not really as simple or black and white as they have been presented to us. Well, I am already in that mode and hence this book!

The book however did not really dwell into the topics that I was looking for. In essence, it was just the Ramayana that we all know of. But, there were some amazing thoughts and lines presented which I thought I should jot down.

Some fab lines For Sita:

- Lanka desired her submission. Ayodhya demanded her innocence.
- She was an independent goddess who made Ram the dependable God.

And some other gems:

- Humans curse to defend their imagination of themselves. This imagined notion of who we are, and how others are supposed to see us, is called aham. Aham constantly seeks validation from the external world.
- The point of the yagna is to outgrow fear, not indulge it.
- Rules cannot be used to compel people to car. It will only amplify fear. the whole purpose of sanskriti is to outgrow fear so that we do not feel the need to grab, control or dominate.
- In nature, to get you have to give. There is no charity. There is no exploitation, neither selfishness nor selflessness. One grows by helping others grow. Is that not the perfect society?
- Speaking sanskrit does not make anyone a brahmin. Expanding the mind does.
- God is not an external trophy to be possessed; God is an internal human potential to be realized.

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit

Writer: P.G. Wodehouse
Genre: Fiction/Comedy

Wooster has decided to keep a moustache which has upset Jeeves but the adamant Wooster is in no mood to relent. Impressed by his moustache and a few unfavorable circumstances he finds himself engaged to Florence Craye. Obviously Florence's ex wants Wooster's blood because he believes poor Bertie Wooster to be the reason for his split with Florence.

Amidst all this drama, Wooster also has to help Aunt Dahlia to sell her magazine to the Trotters who have kept a dangerous condition for the sale - Aunt Dahlia has to part with her most prized possession - her French cook, Anatole.

As Jeeves steps in for his master and his aunt to sort out the mess they always end up in, the book makes you smile right till the end.

For a Wodehouse fan, I always wish life could have such cute problems that end in such a sweet fashion ;)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Writer: Agatha Christie
Genre: Fiction/Thriller

This book is considered Agatha Christie's masterpiece. I couldn't agree more. I had read the book as a kiddo and remember loving it. After so many years the thriller managed to hook me.

In Kings Abbot the death of Mrs.Ferrars is seen as suicide by some and just plain accident by some. However soon Mr.Ackroyd is also killed and before his death he had revealed some secrets to the narrator of the book Dr.Sheppard. The famous detective, Mr.Poirot soon begins the investigation of the case whose prime suspect is Ackroyd's stepson Ralph Paton.

This was one of the early books where the climax is different; I mean at least according to those times. Indeed a beautiful thriller that deserves a place in your book shelf.

The Devotion of Suspect X

Writer: Keigo Higashino
Genre: Fiction

Man! it’s been quite some time since I read such a beautiful thriller.  A seemingly normal book turns into a gem as the story culminates.....Uff!! I wish I could just really explain what the climax did to me.

Yasuko is a single mother to her daughter Misato and lives quietly as a neighbor to a genius mathematician, Ishigami.  Life is pretty normal until her ex-husband comes to her and is murdered in a fit of rage. The mathematician decides to help the mother-daughter duo to get rid of the body and prepares them for all the questioning afterwards.


That’s pretty much what the story is. Yup! The murder is committed right in the first few pages and the whole book is about the Ishigami's efforts to hoodwink the police. But the climax is breathtakingly fabulous.

Grab a copy and reach till the end even if you find the story too ordinary. I am sure thriller and fiction readers will go berserk!

Salvation of a Saint

Writer: Keigo Higashino
Genre: Fiction

Yoshitaka is murdered by poisoning in his own house and the prime suspects are his soon-to-be-divorced-wife Ayane and his girfriend Hiromi.
The police are running around in circles trying to establish the source of the poison and are helped by the genius professor Yukawa.
However no amount of brilliance can see through the deceit and planning that the murder has evoked. When the jigsaw pieces finally fit you let out a gasp.

Its more on the lines of Shawshank Redemption and if you have enjoyed the movie you will know what I am trying to convey when I say its slow book but brilliant.


 

A Game of Thrones

Writer: George R. R. Martin
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

The first book in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series.

The sections of the book and hence the story can be divided into 3 parts

1) In the Seven Kingdoms:
The kingdom is ruled by  Robert Baratheon who wants his friend and Lord of Winterfall, Eddard Stark to become his main man. As Eddard or Ned leaves to adhere to the king's request his trueborn children - Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon also get divided with the boys staying back at Winterfall with their mother Catelyn Stark and the girls - Sansa and Arya follow their father. But just before they leave, Bran meets with an accident and is left comatose. However the king's party eventually leave and this movement becomes the basis of big changes throughout the
kingdom.

2) The wall:
The wall shields the seven kingdoms from the north and Ned's bastard son Jon Snow joins 'The Black' (a group of men who defend the wall) after his father leaves with the king.

3) In the east:
Viserys Targaryen and  Daenerys, the prince and the princess of seven kingdom before Robert took over the throne are living an exile and Viserys dreams to become the king after killing Robert. To fulfill his dreams he marries his sister to Khal Drogo who promises him an army.

It’s too difficult to narrate the story but the twists and turns of the book are just too good. What seems to be the most important character at one instance turns dead within a few pages and you are left gaping for 'What next'.
If fantasy books excite you, this one is a must read.

Spoiler:
By the end of the book, Robert, Viserys and Ned are dead. Rob is named the king of the north and Joff takes Robert's place as the king of the whole realm. Jamie Lannister is in Rob's custody, and Sansa is in Cersei's custody. Arya is moving north with strangers after escaping Cersei and Joff's men.

Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince

Writer: Anuja Chandramouli
Genre: History


Absolutely nothing new in the book. Its the same story of the Pandavas and their struggle. I expected a different perspective or a new point of view but I got the same stories.

So my take is to skip it!