So this one's going to be about books. If literature is not your thing, maybe staring at this post might not be the best way to pass your time. But if you would like to try some day, suit yourself. I read fiction mostly. I tried non-fiction but never really got into it. Many have tried to make me read inspirational propoganda like A monk who sold his ferrari, you know the kind. Fortunately, I never gave in. So I will give you my favourite fiction works and let you decide.
Disclaimer: Just a list of novels I've read and suggest you to consider. I don't claim them to be the eternal classics that everyone's gotta read. Sure I will miss
somemost of the best ones that have been there, feel free to suggest some yourself below in the comments.
I can go and blabber about how good each one is but I am going to keep it short and simple. I will give some seemingly random extracts to givesome insight.
Let us get the classics off our back. In no particular order:
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
I read this one during the first year of my 11th class(Intermediate) on this phone. Yes, I was desperate to get away from all the constant slogging during JEE(Coaching) days. No wonder I got my glasses during class 12. It was my only source of entertainment and boy it was a pleasure.
This is undoubtedly a timeless classic. Any decent book reader worth his salt will have read this at some point of his life. The author deals with the conditions prevailing around 1930s and all the prejudice that the oppressed were subjected to. You have an unconvential hero in the form of Atticus Finch, a middle-aged lawyer and a widowed father of two kids. He stands up for human values inspite of the social stigmas that existed at that time. Couldn't be better explained:
The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience
One of the best things about the book is the POV(Point of View) of a kid - Scout Finch. We see the world in the book without any tinted glass that generally comes when dealing with a POV.
No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothin's wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks
One of the things that I liked the most is that it states how you should judge a man for himself, never on the word of others - through Boo. Definitely a book for everyone. The movie is also a must-watch. But as always first the book, then the reel.
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
I read this in my first semester at Kharagpur - buying it from the 2nd hand bookstore guy just by reading the description on the back.
A classic in its own sense, maybe not in a conventional way. It is a satirical work and deals with war. The book is disguised as a comedy as it raises some fundamental questions regarding war. We have a POV of Yossarain who doesn't see any point in fighting and wants to go home ( like Blackadder in Blackadder Goes Fourth). The catch itself:
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
We deal with his efforts to get away from the war and come to understand a bit about being a soldier. I had a great time reading this, this should be on the top of your to-read list.
Swami and Friends by R.K.Narayan
I bet many of you might have cringed seeing it in a list along side Catch-22 and To Kill a Mockingbird, but I consider this to be a worthwhile classic. I read this immediately after reading To Kill a Mocking Bird on my glorious phone. It is set in the suburban British India around 1920s IRC. Many might consider it to be a children's book. Trust me, you will not regret reading it. Even a reread once in a while is enticing. R.K.Narayan is one of the best writers this country has produced. We again have a POV of a 10 year old kid, Swami and revisit all that we had to deal with as a kid irrespective of the times we grew up in.
If he(Mani) were Swaminathan, he would have closed the whole incident at the beginning by hurling an ink-bottle, if nothing bigger was available, at the teacher
You will definitely have a sense of nostalgia reading this. It is a simple book and a delightful read.
So with the classics(in my opinion) out of the way, I will deal with some contemporary works that I have enjoyed.
The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth
This one was also a random buy from the 2nd hand book shop (before I got my luxurious phone, nexu5, I used to read physical books too, like a savage).
A cold war spy novel involving KGB and MI6, the Russian and the British agencies repectively. A pleasant surprise if you haven't read any thing of this kind yet. Involves lots of schemes, plots and subplots. The ending is as good as it gets. A must read if you are into cold war fiction. There is also a movie it seems, starring none other than Pierce Brosnan.
On Dan Brown's books
I have read Deception Point, Digital Fottress, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and Lost Symbol during my schooling days due to a mate shoving them down my throat. The first two books are written in a different style to the others. I have thoroughly enjoyed Da Vinci Code. Angels and Demons and it was a good read. And then when I finished Lost Symbol, it struck me. He has effectively published the same book three times. Don't get me wrong on this, I have nothing against Dan Brown. But if you take a step back and consider the three books, they have essentially the same plot flow. It took me three books to realise this and I passed Inferno when it came.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
I don't think I will read another Dan Brown book after what I've been through reading Lost Symbol. I am tired of reading the same stuff. It was like taking an amalgam of a Cryptography course and a Religious Histories course over and over. I would suggest you to read Da Vinci Code and Deception Point.
On Jeffrey Archer's books
Jeffrey Archer is the typical modern day author. He has been consistently producing best-sellers. His books are packed with suspense, humor and have what it makes you to turn pages. They might not be the most classiest works, but they sure are terrific entertainers. Kane and Abel is a blast.Prisoner of Birth is also a fantastic piece of work. Shall we tell the President is a typical Americanish novel. False Impression also deserves a mention. Man, I am running out of adjectives. I would suggest you to read both Kane and Abel and Prisoner of Birth. It can't get any better.
He also has written some amazing short-story collections. And Thereby Hangs a Tale,[To Cut a Long Story Short ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ToCutaLongStoryShort(book)), Cat O'Nine Tales and [A Twist in the Tale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATwistintheTale_(book)) all have gripping stories in between them. Some of them are inspired from his real life experiences. Make sure you read atleast one of them.
Clifton Chronicles
A series of seven books covering the lifetime of Arthur Clifton. 4 books have been released and the 5th is in the blocks, releasing on Feb 2015.
The first book Only Time will Tell is one of the best finctional works I have ever read. It made me rate Archer highly. It was quality. Trust me, no ragrets. It covers the time period between 1920 and the begining of Second World War. Set in Britain, it has great British elements
The English are the biggest snobs on earth Harry.
If this book isn't anywhere at the top of your to-read list, especially if you're into fiction, you don't interest me.
The 2nd book in the series, Sins of Your Father, is also a pretty good read. But the 3rd and 4th were nowhere near the 1st and the 2nd. Hope it will change with the 5th one.
A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM
This is really not my genre. I was never into fantasy. I didn't read any of Tolkien's works or Harry Potter. I haven't even seen the movies (OMG!!!) seriously. But I started watching Game Of Thrones during my 2nd year at Kharagpur. As I was discussing with it a friend, he commented on how the books provide great detail the show was missing out. I didn't really take it seriously and never gave it a try. But this guy's propoganda increasedexponentially over time with his hints of spoilers. I had finally decided to read the books in the summer. As I started my internship, my daily commute clocked around 90 minutes(to and fro). Around 15 minutes to wait for the city bus(if I was really unlucky) and around 30 minutes for the journey itself. So I started reading A Game of Thrones on my phone(upgraded to nexus, thanks to my bro) during the commute daily. Once I got into it, there was no way out. There were times I nearly missed my stop and didn't notice the bus arriving at the stop. I started reading it late night until 3 or 4 am as my work hours were flexible. So I finished the five books in two months. I would have to admit that I blazed through some parts. The Mereen arc irritated me to no end. I love Kelly C and her Dr.Agons but it was a really slow part of the books. Especially in the last book, A Dance with Dragons.
ASOIAF is the definition of epicness, not in the vastness of its world, but its characters(click on the link only if you are acquainted with the books/show). The world building that goes on into the books is amazing. You've gotto love this subreddit. The theories are excruciating. But the main theme of ASOIAF is not the fantasy. It's not about the dragons or the whitewalkers. It's about human nature. It's about the human heart in conflict with itself.This quote from GRRM himself sums up it perfectly:
Characters are what it’s all about for me. And always has been as a writer. In addition to fantasy I’ve written some horror, I’ve written some science fiction. There are people in some of those fields who feel that these are very, very different things; that science fiction and fantasy are like polar opposites. I’ve never believed that, I believe that they’re only different in their furniture. And they’re only different form other types of literature, mainstream literature, literary fiction, in the furnishings. It’s all about the people; it’s all about the characters. You know, William Faulkner in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech said ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.’ And ever since I heard that quote it’s sort of been my mantra. I don’t think it matters if you’re in a castle or if you’re in a spaceship or if you’re writing a perfectly mainstream novel about someone in contemporary life, you know, having difficulty with whatever. If you have the characters, if you bring the characters to life, you get that human heart in conflict with itself, you’ll have something worth reading – at least something I would like to read
It teaches you that the world ain't black and white. It's all grey. Another quote from GRRM
I admire Tolkien greatly. His books had enormous influence on me. And the trope that he sort of established—the idea of the Dark Lord and his Evil Minions—in the hands of lesser writers over the years and decades has not served the genre well. It has been beaten to death. The battle of good and evil is a great subject for any book and certainly for a fantasy book, but I think ultimately the battle between good and evil is weighed within the individual human heart and not necessarily between an army of people dressed in white and an army of people dressed in black. When I look at the world, I see that most real living breathing human beings are grey.
You would learn to learn love the characters. I will try to give a sneak peak through the quotes without revealing anything.
Stannins the Mannis about Lord Celtigar
Had I shown him the contents of my privy he would have called it admirable too
Tyrion
My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind...And a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge
Little Finger
You wear your honor like a suit of armor, Stark. You think it keeps you safe, but all it does is weigh you down and make it hard for you to move.
Maester Aemon
Love is the death of duty. If the day should ever come when your lord father was forced to choose between honor on the one hand and those he loves on the other, what would he do?
An exchange between two characters.
"His Grace is growing fond of you."
"I can tell. He only threatened to behead me twice."
I've saved the good stuff for you to read. I made sure not to include any spoilers. Start reading on a vacation as reading on working days can be pretty tiring as you can't stop.
John Dies at the End by David Wong.
All hail Korrok.
This is what I call an unclassic book. I discovered it while searching for a decent read on this fantastic subreddit. It is so bad that it's good. The writer has an unconvential style(or some would say it's bullshit) and it worked on me . It had an effect on my writing. I'm worried about the repurcussions as I am more inlcined to jot expletives than ever before. Might not be your cup of tea, but an avid reader should have had atleast one of this kind in his bag by now. It's basically utter crap. But the crapiness gets to the point that it's good. I had chuckled a lot while reading this - not smiled, chuckled. It was sort of a guilty pleasure. I don't remember too many books leaving a wide grin on my face. What got me was the style of writing - a different experience from all the above stated ones. Here is a peek which contains no foul language.
"Hello?"
"Dave? This is John. Your pimp says bring the heroin shipment tonight, or he'll be forced to stick you. Meet him where we buried the Korean whore. The one without the goatee."
That was code. It meant "Come to my place as soon as you can, it's important." Code, you know, in case the phone was bugged.
"John, it's three in the -"
"Oh and don't forget, tomorrow is the day we kill the president."
Click.
He was gone. The last part was code for, " Stope and pick me up some cigarettes on the way"
As long as it's code, it's ok right?
Ok that's it. This might have been the most lamest book listings you have seen, but atleast you have seen it. Thanks. As I said something about literature at the start, have some free poems[HD].
I am willing to bet that there might have been atleast one typo or a grammatical mistake hiding above somewhere. If you spot it, please sumbit a pull request if you're acquainted with github.
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