Happy Birthday, Robert Ludlum!

5 things one might like to know about him:

1. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated between 290 million and 500 million, across 33 languages and 40 countries.

2. Before he started writing thrillers, he had been a United States Marine, a theatrical actor, and producer.

3. Ludlum’s novels were often inspired by conspiracy theories. I must confess I haven’t read any of the ones that are… The Matarese Circle, The Holcroft Covenant etc.

4. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.

5. Ludlum used the same fixed titling pattern of  The [Proper Noun] [Noun] for most of his books. Subsequent to his death, books written by other authors have carried the phrase Robert LudlumTM on their covers, thus asserting the name Robert Ludlum as a trademark.

(Information courtesy: Wikipedia)

Happy Birthday, Gabriel García Márquez!

One from last year…

5 things about one of my favourite authors:

1. He is known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America.

2. Won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature, and is the earliest remaining living recipient.

3. He practically invented ‘magic realism’, a genre where magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment. It was probably a result of being in close touch with his grandmother. This is undoubtedly my favourite genre of fiction.

4. He began his career as a journalist while studying law at the National University of Colombia. Needless to say, both journalism and law went for a toss later!

5. Solitude and melancholy are two emotions that you will feel deeply if you read any of his works. So deeply, that they will stir out of your depths, out of those years of repressed feelings, that you may have let dust gather upon…

Happy Birthday, Gabriel García Márquez!

5 things about one of my favourite authors:

1. He is known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America

2. Won the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature, and is the earliest remaining living recipient.

3. He practically have the masses ‘magic realism’, a genre where magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment. It was probably a result of being in close touch with his grandmother. This is undoubtedly my favourite genre of fiction.

4. He began his career as a journalist while studying law at the National University of Colombia. Needless to say, both journalism and law went for a toss later!

5. Solitude and melancholy are two emotions that you will feel deeply if you read any of his works. So deeply, that they will stir out of your depths, out of those years of repressed feelings, that you may have let dust gather upon…

Happy Birthday, Jules Verne!

Another one of my ABSOLUTE favourites. Things about him worth knowing

1. According to Wikipedia, he is the second most translated author in the world (after Agatha Christie). I’m wondering if they counted Tolkien or Madam Rowling

2. He is called the Father of Science Fiction. You’ll know if you’ve read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Journey to the Centre of the Earth

3. He studied law! Lawyer author, wow!

4. Unlike a lot of other very brilliant writers of his time, Verne made it big. And rich! Apparently, he had enough money to buy a ship and sail around Europe!

5. Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery and it was inspired by him.

I’ll have him as a lawyer, thank you 😉

Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens!

As part of coursework, I had to read David Copperfield when I was 11. Thus began a relationship with Dickens, an author with whom I could instantly connect and understand. When I was 15, I had to do Great Expectations, again, coursework. By then, I had read pretty much all of the famous stuff he had ever written, and I couldn’t be more excited! I have seldom had to read anything else so many times, they did give us tough questions, but every read I have enjoyed.

Dickens had a poor childhood, he led the life of a workhouse mongrel, faced harsh truths about life and debt too early, but from those experiences were born amazing characters, Estella and Fagin, Agnes and Miss Havisham, Uriah Heep and Magwitch.

This is the list that I haven’t read. But I’m sure our paths shall keep crossing.

1. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club
2. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
3. The Old Curiosity Shop
4. Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of ‘Eighty
5. A Christmas Carol
6. The Chimes
7. The Cricket on the Hearth
8. The Battle of Life
9. The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain
10. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit
11. Dombey and Son
12. Bleak House
13. Little Dorrit
14. Our Mutual Friend
15. The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Have you read any of them? What do you think?

Knots and Crosses …a review

It’s been ages since I read a detective novel, literally! I can’t remember the last time I read one! Anyway, so I was told that Ian Rankin’s books were all set in Edinburgh and I thought that should be fun to read! It so was. It is so much fun reading about the good guy chasing the bad guy along the road you walked down last evening 😛

It makes you see your own city in a different light, in a way that makes you understand that crime happens around us, every single day. The last time I felt that way was when I was living in Calcutta and reading Satyajit Ray. Anyway, so, usual plot, series of murders, messed up cop, love interest, nothing special. I do think that that’s because this was Ian’s first book and I am sure that he must have gotten better with time.

But what made it good was that it was all Edinburgh, Scottish dialects and all!

Quote: Edinburgh is a schizophrenic city. Beneath its ancient cobbles, courtyards and stairwells there is resident darkness.

This city, town really, has dingy dark alleys and slippery cobbled streets that lead to the belly. It has tunnels with clammy damp walls and bile yellow gas lights at the end. Whenever I have walked down, I have felt transported to a bloody past, a gory past. It is so much easier to see public hangings, hear those screams. Yes, I suppose, Edinburgh is a schizophrenic city.

Lamia …a review

Lamia was a queen of Libya, whom Zeus loved. Hera turned her into a monster and murdered their children. Or, alternatively, she killed Lamia’s children and the grief turned her into a monster. Lamia was cursed with the inability to close her eyes so that she would always obsess over the image of her dead children. Zeus gave her the gift to be able to take her eyes out to rest, and then put them back in. Lamia was envious of other mothers and ate their children. ~Wikipedia

Now, about the book with the same name. It is by a less known author called Tristan Travis. I happened to borrow it from a friend and read it ten years ago. I loved it! A couple of years ago, I began looking for it again, and I couldn’t find it anywhere! I happened to mention it to D, he was SO sweet and sent it to me as a birthday present this year. It was even hardback!

It is very hard to believe that this is the authors first book. The writing is intense, the language clear, and the flow, unstoppable. The pace never falters and the legend of Lamia is turned into a modern day tale. A city cop, Valjohn, is on the trail of a serial killer, who murders his male victims and sexually mutilates them. Things go smoothly until he gets caught up so badly that his very life is in danger from someone/something he has no control over.

The narrative is replete with slangs and adult incidents, some scenes are very graphic, but since I read it at 13, I guess most of you can take it. K however, one her way to the loo at night, couldn’t contain her nerves on seeing the cover of my copy, and promptly turned it over 🙂
Well, each  one to his own, I guess. But this book is a must read if mythology and psychopathic killers are your thing; they certainly are mine!

Look at her hair closely!

 

 

My Sister’s Keeper … a review

This novel is written by American author Jodi Picoult. The genre, for me, is the regular Stephen King, Danielle Steel, Sidney Sheldon kind. However, this is the only book by the author that I have read and I admit, it did make my train journey very interesting. The book tells the story of 13 year old Anna, who sues her parents for medical emancipation. This is because Anna was conceived as a match for her sister Kate, who has some form of leukemia. When Anna’s umbilical cord cells are used, Kate heals.

A few years later, when Kate relapses, Anna is used for organ and stem cell donation whenever Kate needs it, as she is the only match. There are twists and turns in the novel; why Anna sues her parents, what is the real deal between her lawyer Campbell and court-appointed Julia etc. The girls have a brother too, Jesse, but his character is present in more of a supporting role.

My feelings after having read the book was mostly shock (I have watched the movie too and the endings differ completely). I thought that the base of the plot was marvelous, how does one come up with stuff like this! I loved Sara, the mother and the torture her character endures. She herself is a lawyer; imagine being sued by your teenage daughter! That too when you other daughter is battling for her life and needs a kidney… it is a good light read. And in the process, one can reflect on relationships, what is abuse, where are lines drawn, and what is right?

Quote: “Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”