The Emperor of All Maladies

Writer: Siddhartha Mukherjee

Genre: Non Fiction

No words to describe this marathon of a book! I took almost 2 months to finish it albeit the time frame is owing to my personal laziness :) But seriously it’s amazing to read an oncologist first hand.

The book is an epic about one of the most dreaded diseases - cancer. The first instances of cancer, the radical surgery procedures, the research that goes into identifying the causes, the palliative medicine, etc. almost everything related to the disease is covered in the book. It could well be reference guide for the medical fraternity (or so I think).

One wonders with so much statistics and information what is it that makes the book interesting. It’s the path that cancer cure has taken! From radical surgeries to regimens to palliative medicine....it explores the world of oncology like no one else. And this is precisely where it scores. Many of my friends kept the book down mid-way but for me every time I picked it up, it seemed to tell me something new that invoked a surprise. For example, that there was an advertisement which read - 'More doctors smoke Camel'  in the 1960s  advocating safe use of cigarettes took me by surprise .The last tobacco ad was aired only on Jan 1, 1971 which made me realize that this dreaded disease was not even linked to the biggest carcinogen till 1960's. Things like these were a sure page turner.

The book is huge and there is a fifty-fifty chance that normal readers would like it but if you want to try something unusual it’s worth a try!    

The Litigators

Writer: John Grisham
Genre: Fiction


Finley & Figg is an old firm that earns its revenues in petty accidents and divorce cases. The partners, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg , along with their secretary-cum-receptionist-cum-administrator, Rochelle make up the firm. David Zinc, an associate with a big law firm gets suddenly tired of his boring and monotonous career and decides to switch. However he ends up with Finley and Fig which is not exactly a great career move.

Together they try to increase their revenues until Wally hooks up some clients for a mass tort appeal. Wally is convinced that Krayoxx, a cholesterol lowering drug from the Varrick labs is the cause for heart attacks in many people and joins the bandwagon of lawyers who decide to sue Varrick labs. Reluctantly,  Oscar and David are pulled in too. However, in court all hell breaks loose as it is identified that the drug is actually safe and the partners with absolutely no courtroom experience are to argue the case themselves. All the other big firms in the case have mysteriously disappeared.

Oscar gets a medical condition and Wally turns to the bottle as Davis is left to fend for himself in the Varrick case. He does a decent job and draws his share of blood on one of Varrick's top notch executives. However as expected, they lose the case.

Another case on which David had silently been working, gains momentum as he realizes that he has another corporation under his scanner. But this time, he has all the facts and figures correct and this makes him win the case in an out-of court settlement. The book ends with Finley and Fig moving out of legal practice and David starting his own independent and satisfying career.

No high points in the book. Seems to be just another routine writing from one of my favourites! Skip the book.

The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvati

Writer: Michel Danino
Genre: Non Fiction

The Triveni Sangam in Allahabad is a confluence of 3 rivers - Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. Can someone please look at the map and identify those 3 rivers. Well, of these three rivers, Saraswati is invisible and is said to flow underground and join the other two rivers from below. Typical mythological references one would say! Is it so really? Why does it always take a non- Indian to dish out some amazing facts of our country?

A great book that dissects the history of the so called 'invisible' Saraswati river. A book with a lot of cross references and insight into various civilizations that flourished in the Indian sub continent! Towards the end one actually understands what lends the invisibility aura to this mystical river who seems to have passed most of her characteristics to the Ganges.

A great book for my collection!

One of the best reviews that propelled me to read this book can be found here.

The secret of the Nagas

Writer: Amish Tripathi
Genre: Fiction

The first book saw Shiva defeating the evil Chandrawanshis. And when that was done he realized that Suryawanshis and Chandrawanshis are just two different people or rather two different ways of lives. So who is the evil?

This book talks about Shiva deciding to vanquish the Nagas because they are evil. Evil, because they are deformed humans who are bearing the sins of their past life! But there is more to this vengeance - it was a Naga who killed his dear friend, Brahaspati. Just when Shiva is sure about evil - the Nagas, there is a change of plan by the almighty for his love, and now his wife, Sati is related to a Naga. And related in what way!

Shiva along with his trusted lieutenants decide to enter the forbidden Naga kingdom. And more surprises await him en route. As there seem to be no distinction between friends and foes, Shiva questions himself about what's good and what's exactly evil?

The second book of the trilogy is a fast read and the last lines of "to be continued" almost kills the curious reader. Well! no choice but to wait for the third and final part of the trilogy.

Immortals of Meluha

Writer: Amish Tripathi
Genre: Fiction

Shiva, the chieftain of the Guna tribe has an offer from the Meluhans to leave his native land and migrate to Meluha - a near perfect place. Tired of the constant wars Shiva and his tribe migrate to Meluha, the land of Suryanwanshis who are the descendants of Lord Ram.

The Meluhan kingdom is a near perfect place and on their first night stay at Sringar his tribe is affected by some kind of viral fever.Ayurvati, the doctor treats them with Somras and the treatment results in Shiva's neck turning into a blue color. The effect is dramatic and the Meluhan's declare him as the saviour they were all waiting for - the Neelkanth. Shiva travels to the capital to meet king Daksha who pleads with him to save the Meluhans. The Saraswati, which is the major ingredient for their Somras is drying up. The Meluhans know that their arch rivals, Chandrawanshi's are behind the river's fate. The Chandravanshi's have also taken the Nagas help to perpetuate terrorist attacks in the kingdom of Meluha.

Shiva ends up acknowledging being the Meluhan's saviour when he realizes that for marrying his love, Sati, he has to abolish certain laws which he can do only when revered as the Neelkanth. And so Shiva becomes the Neelkanth! When his friend, Brahaspati, is killed in a terrorist attack, Shiva decides to wage a war on the Chandrawanshis to avenge his friend’s death. The Meluhan's fight a fierce war and overpower the Chandrawanshis. When the Chandrawanshi king sees Shiva, he tells him that the Chandrawanshis have the same fable of a Neelkanth saving them. The dumbfounded Shiva is lost! He visits the old temple in the kingdom for answers and just then Sati is attacked by a Naga.

So ends the first book of the Trilogy.

Probably a first attempt by an Indian writer to humanize the gods albeit in a non-controversial way! It's a one-time read and my favorite part in the book is when the protagonist searches for answers about good and evil. More than the story I think I liked the attempt of putting the Indian scriptures and mythology in a story that's contemporary and a little less revered.

The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Writer: R. L. Stevenson
Genre: Fiction/Classic

I have always admired the likes of Dickens, Dumas, etc. They had imagination that knew no limits. They were so ahead of times and their works seem to have resonance in all ages!

This is a book that every person with love for imagination should read. Its fiction at its best! The duality of human nature, long before people knew about split personalities and schizophrenia forms the crux of the book and the mysterious twists by the author lends it an amazing aura.

Note: The next lines could be a spoiler in case you would want to discover this classic yourself.

Utterson, a lawyer is worried about the will his friend, Henry Jekyll has given him. The will transfers all his property to a certain Mr. Hyde in case of death or disappearance of Jekyll. The lawyer smells mischief and is of the opinion that Hyde as forced Jekyll into making the will. He decides to meet Mr.Hyde after a hideous description given to him by his cousin. The confrontation with Mr. Edward Hyde confirms his suspicion and he agrees with the general public opinion that Mr. Hyde is indeed a rude and hideous man.

Soon Mr. Hyde is embroiled in a controversial murder of an MP and this causes the lawyer to speak to his friend. Jekyll promises him that Hyde would no longer be entertained by him. The promise is kept and soon the episode of the murder and Mr. Hyde, both fade into oblivion. Dr.Jekyll becomes the old cheerful man and Utterson is very happy about it. Just as things begin to stay normal Jekyll becomes a recluse and refuses to meet anyone outside. Utterson is worried but cannot really do anything about it. To make matters worse, a common friend of Jekyll and Utterson , Dr. Lanyon, dies suddenly and it is revealed that he was privy to some information regarding Dr. Jekyll.

Soon afterward, Jekyll’s butler, Mr Poole, visits Utterson in a state of desperation and explains that Jekyll has secluded himself in his laboratory for several weeks, and that now the voice that comes from the room sounds nothing like the doctor’s. After reaching the doctor's house and after much deliberation, they broke open his lab door only to find Mr. Hyde dead inside. They also find a letter for Mr Utterson.

The letter explains that Dr.Jekyll had found a way to change his personality and convert himself into Hyde who was a conscience free human and nothing like the mild-mannered Jekyll. At first the transformation delights the doctor but later it becomes an inseparable part of him as he seems to transform without even taking the medicine that he discovered. It is one of these transformations that their common friend Lanyon had witnessed and had hence died of utter shock and depression. Towards the end, when Jekyll was almost always transformed to Hyde without consent, were the days when Jekyll had chosen to become a recluse! In the end, he commits suicide because anyways after being permanently transformed to Hyde he would have been executed for the murder of the MP. Thus, ends the book.

Little wonder that more than a century later this books still mesmerizes its readers. Grab a copy, it's worth it!

Chanakya's Chant

Writer: Ashwin Sanghvi
Genre: Fiction


The book narrates two stories in parallel. One story is about the erudite Chanakya, whose wily political strategies make Chandrupgta Mayurya the emperor of a united Bharath. In parallel and in today times, is the story of Pandit Gangadhar Mishra, who with his political acumen makes Chandini Gupta as the prime minister of India.

I personally enjoyed the Chanakya era more. However I cannot help but be disappointed in the way the writer has used known quotes and phrases and attributed them to Chanakya. No, it isn't plagiarism as he duly mentions his sources but when you have to say something about the age old Chanakya it just doesn’t make sense for Chanakya to mouth someone else's phrases. After all he is the author of Arthashastra!

It's strictly the story of Chanakya and his protégée that made me finish the book because otherwise the book has no other USP.

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron lady

Genre: Biography
Writer: John Campbell

The second part of John Campbell's biography is definitely more interesting than the first part. And yeah, I found the protogonist's character more lively here than in the first part.
As expected, the Falkland's war made for an interesting read...probably my favourite part in the book.Her 11 year old reign as the Prime Minister makes a real good read and it is stacked with so many dates and numbers that it becomes almost impossible for me to remember all of them. 

The book, a huge volume is worth its weight, but for people who can handle biographies ;)


p.s. I can't help but remember an old article comparing Tony Blair to Thatcher....well after reading the book I think the article made sense







 

The Clicking of Cuthbert

Writer: P G Wodehouse
Genre: Fiction / Humour


A quick read before I start the Thatcher biography volume 2.

The book is a collection of ten short golf stories narrated by the oldest member. Each story is centered around golf, but don't let that deter you. You need not know the nuances of the game to understand the book.  All you need is some spare time to absorb the sweet stories.

A lovely book but I prefer his Jeeves stories more ;)

Margaret Thatcher - The grocer's daughter

Genre: Biography
Writer: John Campbell

The first woman prime minister of England has garnered a lot of attention all her life. This book which is the first part of her biography captures her life en route to becoming the prime minister.

Her childhood is described in an uninteresting fashion and her life at Oxford seems to be never ending. By the end of the book I had a feeling that she achieved everything just by chance, which obviously can't be the case. But in spite of such a narrative I found the character pretty intriguing more so because she seemed to be non-deterrent during her worst crisis. Her personal life is touched upon a little. But that has always been a topic of contention for long now.

It's a HUGE book and consists of mostly dates and statistics. The EQ is missing which makes it a very dull read. I mean I usually find biographies interesting but this one took efforts to finish. And to imagine I have to complete another volume. I wonder if her autobiography would have been more interesting. Anyone who has read that please do drop in a comment. For others I suggest to skip this one.