khaleed hoseini's earlier classic THE KITE RUNNER they took as a movie.
Remember the Bond film QUANTUM OF SOLACE, same guy's movie.
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khaleed hoseini's earlier classic THE KITE RUNNER they took as a movie.
Remember the Bond film QUANTUM OF SOLACE, same guy's movie.
Victorian romance mystery
DEANNA RAYBOURN 's LADY JULIA series is very attractive.
You love spending time with Lady Julia and her siblings, very beautiful time period, interesting, peculiar characters, captivating mystery and romance too.
Though the author writes in detail for you to understand the characters, nice updates to catch up with them, it will be helpful for you to read from the book 1 of the series.
Very entertaining series in a Victorian period. You love it.
http://deannaraybourn.com/series.html
vinatha.
Magnificent historical fiction with the back drop of India.
Check out
THE SANDALWOOD TREE by ELLE NEWMARK.
Stunning work set during the turbulent Partition time (1947)
(Evie & Martin with their son, Martin's withdrawal after his return from the world war 2, his combat fatigue, Evie's loneliness and her struggles to save her crumbling marriage, his reluctant to confide in Evie, Evie as a wonderful mom, her love for her son)
And
The historical Sepoy Rebellion (1857).
(Evie found some letters hidden behind the bricks in the wall of her bungalow that depict the life of two Victorian women, Felicity & Adela, lived in the house, 90 years before Evie's family. From the sound of the letters, Felicity lived in this bungalow, Adela had written from England. Adela was a lesbian in a time when lesbianism was disapproved, Adela’s great love for Felicity, Felicity’s love for India)
Amazing job by the author on India's poverty and its beauty. Sights and smells of India, Evie's perspective on India, portrayal of Simla, vivid imagery on glittering bazar, clothing, temples, food, heat, crowds, colonial buildings, houses, very captivating story on love, longing, forgiveness, hidden letters, the secrets. Interesting glimpse of two important, unrest, bloodshed periods in Indian history.
Author’s website.
http://www.ellenewmark.com/book.php
The novel starts with the quote
“Death steals everything but our stories…..”
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The author passed away after the book got published. What an accidental quote! :(
http://web.signonsandiego.com/news/2...l-novelist/?ap
Terrific work!
Pick it up, if you can….. Relish it.
Vinatha.
Chetan Bhagat's Revolution 2020 - Slightly better than ON@CC worst than the other three novels. Chetanji please change your pattern, its boring boss. Why that story tellers in your novels are always mediocre, self centered guys? Gopal and Aarti characters are very much inconsistent. Hope you come up with a different and better theme next time with a neat and unique presentation.
mmm....
Have you read THRITY UMRIGAR?
http://www.umrigar.com/
She is a good author.
She expresses in a beautiful way. The Weight of Heaven, if you haven't, please try to read.
Irresistible novel set in rural India.
Her website posts a new novel by Jan 2012. :)
vinatha.
1st Two books of the SHIVA TRILOGY: Immortals of Meluha & The Secret of the Nagas.
If you are a fan of Hindu Mythology and/or Tamil Cinema then you will completely enjoy this set. I certainly need such books bc everytime I finish a book which is intense the next one has to be a pure entertainer. Whenever I fail to do this a gap between books fall. So for me this one was fantastic. Couple of my friends who are Hindu Mythology enthusiasts found it very insightful too. Though it is predictable the way it is paced makes you keep going.
Revolution 2020
Kinda liked it..
http://covers.openlibrary.org/w/id/475456-L.jpg
Good one :thumbsup:
I read some amazing books for the past week.
The sound of Language by AMULYA MALLADI is a sweet, simple, emotional, hopeful and positive novel.
It's about an Afghan woman's horrible experiences (the author will not make you cry... don't worry), her new life and experiences in Denmark where she immigrates.
She learns to speak Danish, started to work with a Danish man who is a bee keeper.
Experiences of language barriers, prejudices, marvelous friendship between Gunnar and Raihana, detailed and fascinating honey making job routines, Afghan people's culture and their life as refugees in a European nation is wonderful to read.
Sweet novel from AMULYA MALLADI.
You fall in love with Raihana and Gunnar, their friendship.
http://www.amulyamalladi.com/
************************************************** *****
http://petergeye.com/
SAFE FROM THE SEA - PETER GEYE
poetic novel set in the landscape of northern Minnesota.
Very atmospheric and aesthetic writing about father & son's story, their family bond, story of shipwreck on The Great Lakes, Noah(son)'s relationship with his wife Natalie, their infertility issues, vivid details about the surroundings. BEAUTIFUL WORK .
Peter Geye steals my heart with his evocative writing.:musicsmile:
vinatha.
Novel about passion, love, abuse, romance, abandonment, resentment, search, longing, hot sex scenes, glamour, fashion, a journalist's investigation and more.. All end well in SINS OF THE MOTHER by TARA HYLAND.
http://www.tarahyland.com/
Description from the book
From the poverty of postwar England and Ireland to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's golden age, a beautiful, sweeping family drama that illustrates the bonds between a mother and daughter can never be broken.
Attachment 744
I love it.
Novel is about Franny , a fun loving, free spirited girl from a small, farm community, Ireland. (Country cork-1946).
She just wants to escape from the poverty of her home .
She passionately in love with Sean-a laborer works in her father's land.
Sean is a free spirit, unconcerned by social conventions.
He likes to travel, goes around wherever there is work.
When Sean discovers she is pregnant with his child, he abandons her.
Franny runs away from her parent's place, gives birth to a little girl Cara.
Initial years, Franny got the support from a good hearted Annie for boarding in the city-London, raising Cara with her children.
Franny works as a nightclub performer.
Franny is talented and beautiful, she dreams of working in Hollywood.
Does she get a good break?
What will she do with her little girl Cara?
Does Franny ever return to her parents?
I absolutely love this novel.
Novel offers a wide range of settings and atmospheres.
I love Franny during her teen years, later I hated her for her choices to pursue her dream job.
Relationships are wonderfully portrayed in this historical fiction with a beautiful glimpse into golden era of Hollywood.
Franny becomes successful in her show biz, marries millionaire Maximillian Stanhope. She wants to tell him about Cara but couldn't find a right time.
Franny's daughter Cara is a strong little girl endures all the troubles life thrown at her, turned into a successful journalist who just wants to know about her mother's fate.
When Franny decides to leave Cara with her mom at her small farm cottage, Cara hated her life with grumpy granny.
She longs for her mother's return and hopes someday, her mom will come and get her.
But all she gets are empty promises from her mom.
When granny died, the authorities take her to an orphanage, her life gets miserable and she escapes from the place.
She eventually finds her way back to Annie from her childhood days.
Cara becomes a journalist. When she learns about her mom's tragic death, she wants to know more.
As she investigates, she finds the hidden truth.
SIZZLING WORK INDEED.
vinatha.
God of small things - Brilliance - the characters, analogies, presentation, description - wow! :clap: :clap:
Hypocrisy, backstabbing, love, caste, religion, molesting child etc.. were expressed so well without any compromise.
Half of the story was said in a view point of kids, certain sequence were truly mind blowing. A.Roy took 4 years to complete this novel. A classic and must read if you did not.
just finished reading 'The Palace of Illusions' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. these are two splendid books and incidentally both are women centric.
I starsted reading it. no doubt about Orwell's genius but i a have not been able to finish the book. felt it a little slow. may be i'll pick it up some time later. need some motivation.
mein kampf.
lived with his highness.....
Finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown last night. Loved it tremendously. This is the 3rd novel I read by this author- the 1st being Davinci Code & the 2nd Angels and Demons.. I like this better! Amazing narrative skills, lucid style of continuing different threads of the story with cinematic thrill ans sustained suspense. I never expected Zacary could be.....let me not break the suspense for those who have not read it yet!
I was very impressed by the Masonic and Noetic ideas described- can relate my own inclinations to them. Happy to see the connection -commonness- in all ancient beliefs and practices. Got educated about the magical squares and a lot more interesting matters of science and spirituality. Strangely surprised to read the importance of number 33. Recalled our family tradition in olden days to gift Rs.6 to a newborn baby: 'aaRu aaRaay perugum' was the belief. The number 6 is supposed to have the magical, auspicious potential to grow as a flowing fertile river.
Washington city's history and its architecture were eye-openers to me who has learnt only the purely political history of America in my school syllabus which included a separate paper on American history. I verified with my kids who have visited the capital/Capitol about its ancient architecture model!
A great author to read and get enlightened by! Shall try to read his other works also.
I read regularly.
I stopped posting the titles last couple of months.:-D
Thought I post few Young adult reads I enjoyed as much as my son while helping him for his comprehension for the past month. (world war 2, Japanese invasion, Burma, India's history etc...all coming!):)
4 titles from my son's reading list !:)
SMALL ACTS OF AMAZING COURAGE-GLORIA WHELAN
The back drop of India's struggle to Independence & a young girl with strong personality, passion and awareness make this short novel a delightful read.
Story set in India, during World War.
Young English girl Rosalind grew up in India unlike other British families who sent their children back to England while they were stationed in India on duty.
Rosalind spent lot of time with her Indian friend Isha, picked up Hindi, was roaming around the Bazaar, though her father hated her habits.
Her father insisted on her English behaviors, wanted her not to hang around with local janta. He really wanted to send her back to England, but her mom begged to keep her with them, they already lost their son.
Of course eventually, her father made the decision to send her back to England.
Her friend Isha was married to an older man who was supporting Gandhi movement.
She also met a young man in her mom's lady's club, Max Nelson who was serving under her father. He was interested in Indian freedom & his mom ran an orphanage.
Rosalind was very intrigued by his talks on Gandhi and freedom movements.
Thus the story of Rosalind developed in SMALL ACTS OF AMAZING COURAGE by the author.
Then she was sent to England to live with her aunts.
Rest of the story was about how she helped her oppressed aunt’s wish to see India.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
WATERSHIP DOWN – RICHARD ADAMS
It is a classic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ELEPHANT RUN – ROLAND SMITH
It is a historical adventure set in Burma during their Japanese invasion. Pace is fantastic .
I have seen him reading Roland smith’s novels with great interest always.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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ஒரு மாறுதலுக்கு அவன்கிட்டே இருந்து titles போட்டேன்!
Adults will love them too!:-D
vinatha.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vWvO8znN5...0/12155648.jpg
Memories of a middle aged man of his first girlfriend and his best friend, Adrian.
Why did his GF's mother bequeath him 500 pounds and Adrian's diary?
A compulsive read :thumbsup:
Chinaman - the legend of Pradeep Mathew by Shehan Karunatilaka. Fantabulous !! :clap:
Happy that the book won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2011. Well deserving !
Thanks to Prabhu for recommending :)
Liked very much "காலா...அருகே வாடா''- a short story by Krishna Davinci published in the last issue of the weekly, Ananda Vikatan. Packed with very correct facts and information. An eye-opener to many on many matters! With positive message about healthcare methods available to us.
Started on "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by 'The Kite Runner' fame Khaled Hosseini.
I was reading 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' coz I'm an uptight prick. But technically it wasn't the latest as I got OUTed!
http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content...kidplayboy.jpg
Great literature. I'd not let anyone tell otherwise.
jus finished 'The wise man's fear' by Patrick Rothfuss,book 2 of the kingkiller Chronicles. terrific read, but there will be another interminably long wait for book 3 :(
still plodding through Orhan Pamuk's 'snow' can never seem to finish it though ....
Finished 'The Sense Of An Ending', the latest Booker Prize winner. Tiny, seemingly simple, elegantly written. For a book of such length, Barnes manages achieve excellent depth to the people and incidents. He talks mostly about Time and Memories - the things which I love to read about - and I almost loved every view he proposes about them. The end of the novel is yet to sink in - this is one of those books where the end didn't matter to me even though it is a twist - asI had already started liking this book. A very satisfying read.
Done with "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Shall wait until Sridhar finishes.
Finished it. :clap: Must read and a classic!
Mariam made my heart so heavy. The character was excellently described as an innocent girl earlier, kallanalum kanavan and bit possessive wife later.Short happiness due to Laila and Azira and finally accepting the blunder for the better life of others. Mariam is more painful than Hassan :clap:
I am unable to imagine a life of so many incidents, so many heart throbbing episodes. Khaled has splendidly mixed the political events occurred in Afghanistan of past three decades with the personal life’s of two Afghan ladies, how it affected and damaged them so badly. It also shattered the chauvinism and Taliban policies in name of Islam.
I loved all the characters, Rasheed was so sneaky and cunning. Laila was clever and bold. I loved the climax, her decisions. :clap:
Roshan – You would be able to connect relatively well as you are living there.
The initial chapters were not very engrossing to me compared to The Kite Runner (Kite Runner takes off from the very first chapter). But after a certain point it was unputdownable. I finished the 2nd half in one go on Friday. I liked the way he narrates the political events that happened in Afghanistan from early 1960s. He covers 4 decades and it is not an easy task given the complexity. In his previous book Kite Runner he mostly touched on Taliban and their atrocities but this time it was about all parties/groups who had impacted on Afghanistan, her people and their lives, especially the lives of women. From what ever I have heard and read about Afghanistan, I should say that he maintained a very good balance with his views and did not spare any one this time.
Coming to the story, as in the his previous book, the flow was amazing. Simple words, simple language yet powerful. He has very well narrated the status of women who suffer in the hands of a never changing patriarcal society of Afghanistan and if you had noticed he makes it very clear the Taliban type of oppression of women in certain regions of Afghanistan existed long before Taliban took over in mid 90s. Taliban made things worse by legalising all sort of discrimination and violence against women. They did not even spare Kabul, which was otherwise a place where women did enjoy ceratain degree of autonomy.
In his previous book main characters were a mixture of Pashtun and Hazara ethnicities and a story set exclusively in the world of men, and this time it is Pashtun and Tajik in th world of women. Since I've been here for more than 2 years now, to some extent I can understand the way of thinking, the ideologies of those ethnic groups and their views about each other and most imporatantly the patriarcal views and ideologies of men :evil: In the book he elegantly captures those aspects and I could easily relate things.
Mariam, Laila, Nana - every character is a realistic potrayal of Afghan women and thousands of real life examples of such characters still exist in Afghanistan, especially in the Southern and Eastern part. I also liked Laila's mother character Fariba and the father Hakim. The narration of Fariba's moods and as to how it keeps swinging to both extremes was quite realistic, given her situation.
Ending was as good as the ending of the Kite Runner. It left me with a heavy heart. Mariyam, Laila, Nana, Fariba, Hakim, Rasheed, Tariq, Jaleel Khan, Mullah Faziullah - Khalid Hossein once again proves that he is a master when it comes to characterisation. Every single character leaves a mark in the end.
An honest tribute to the oppressed women of Afghanistan ! :bow:
PS: In my point of view, Taliban or no Taliban, the suffering of women in Afghanistan will never end. "Oppression" is in the blood of Afghan men, no matter they are litterate or not. Any policy they implement is primarily based on women. For them everything should start with putting down women.
Posting this news as it is related to the theme of the novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns"
Quote:
Afghan schoolgirls 'poisoned by Taliban'
Toxic powder used to contaminate air in girls' classrooms, leaving scores of students unconscious in Takhar province.
Central & South Asia
Afghan schoolgirls 'poisoned by Taliban'
Toxic powder used to contaminate air in girls' classrooms, leaving scores of students unconscious in Takhar province.
Last Modified: 24 May 2012 08:05
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Since 2001, three million school-aged girls have returned to school [GALLO/GETTY]
More than 120 schoolgirls and three teachers have been poisoned in the second attack in as many months in Afghanistan blamed on conservative radicals in the country's north, Afghan police and education officials have said.
The attack occurred on Wednesday in Takhar province where police said the Taliban, who are opposed to education of women and girls, had used an unidentified toxic powder to contaminate the air in classrooms, leaving scores of students unconscious.
Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said the Taliban appear intent on closing schools ahead of a 2014 withdrawal by foreign combat troops.
From the perspective of one neighbourhood in Herat
"A part of their Al Farooq spring offensive operation is ... to close schools. By poisoning girls they want to create fear. They try to make families not send their children to school," NDS spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Education said last week that 550 schools in 11 provinces where the Taliban have strong support had been closed down.
Last month, 150 schoolgirls were poisoned in the Takhar province after they drank contaminated water.
Since 2001, when the Taliban were toppled from power by US-backed Afghan forces, three million school-aged girls have returned to school.
Women were previously banned from work and education under Taliban rule.
There are still periodic attacks against students, teachers and school buildings, usually in the more conservative south and east of the country, where the Taliban draws most of its support
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2...931671453.html
This is how those hooligans advocate Religion !
Finished reading 'Micro', the last novel by Michael Crichton completed by Richard Preston. I feel shell-shocked! Really a terrifying thriller. My awe about science and technology has immensely augmented. I shiver at the horrors that unfolded in the novel holding ominous forecasts about the future of our world and its countries.Two characters rightly say in the end:"...with technology, once a thing is invented, it never gets un-invented.....Killer bots and micro-drones are here to stay. People will die in terrible new ways. Terrible wars will be fought with this technology. The world will never be the same." What a ghastly prediction! The black pronouncement sends a chill down the spine. Sounds stunningly true.
Another passage that found full agreement in the novel is the thoughts in the mind of one of the characters described: "These Americans played with fire. Hydrogen bombs, megapower lasers, killer drones, shrunken micro-people...Americans were demon-raisers. Americans awakened technological demons they couldn't control, yet they to enjoy the power."
An interesting travelogue on the dangerous beauty of Hawaii- loved it tremendously being the hard-core armchair traveller that I am.
Strangely my mind recalled Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. A vague connection found there!? Perhaps that political satire showed futuristic knowledge of technology unknowingly!!!
Roshan - I was thinking like how the author is going to end this. Any normal muslim women from Afghanistan would have stayed in Pakistan considering it as the safe zone especially if they had such a dreadful past. But author likes them to come out of the shell and be bold like Laila (Her episode of visiting the hostel alone to see her daughter :notworthy:) :thumbsup: Not sure if this book was published in Afghan, but must read by all Afghan ladies.
Books is available in Afghanistan. An Afghan colleague of mine (who is farily liberal and anti-Taliban) had read it but when I asked for his opinion he said it's good but exaggerated :lol: (that's the typical reply you would get from an Afghan man, however modern and liberal he is). Anyway, the real life stories I've heard from some of other male colleagues are far more worser than what is described in the book. And the above news I've posted is a proof that their way of thinking would never change.
Many people returned back to Afghanistan after NATO invasion expecting some positive changes. Certain thinks changed like reopening of schools, universities and hospitals for women, women seeking employment, not wearing burqa, et al. But these changes were largely limited to few urban areas. Irrespective of all criticisms and reservations I have for the US led NATO invasion, I should accept the fact that it created some space for women, though the NATO invasion could hardly bring any changes to the lives and life styles of people in Taliban dominated areas, especially in the south and east. And there are plenty of signs, for another civil war and a Pakistan backed Taliban regime after the withdrawal of NATO by end of 2013. Even if Talibans dont take over, Karzai will go to any extent to please Pakistan and Taliban in order for him to remain in power. Afghanistan is far beyond redemption.
Before i go to sleep - A very good engaging thriller though the plot sounds familiar
If I could tell you - By Somya Bhattacharya....A book based on a series of letters written by a father to his 8 year old girl. Was a really good read, considering how the whole theme was handled. In a lot of places the author digresses but does it in a manner where the reader's attention or interest is not lost. Fairly autobiographical as the the protagonist is a writer too, but laced with a tinge of fiction...
Bought theses two books yesterday and they are my next reads..
Taliban - Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (By Ahmed Rashid)
Getting away with Murder - The real story behind American Taliban and what the US government had to hide (by John Walker Lindh)