karina Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Books, books, books....can't have enough of them. So what have you read that is good enough to recommend? I read The Ruins a while ago ...very disappointing after the author's first book, A Simple Plan, which was outstanding. Now I'm in the middle of a fat book called Cairo Trilogy. Beautiful, expressive writing! In the beginning it looked too long, but you get hooked onto the characters like in Suitable Boy.
Lurker Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 A wonderful book about the forgotten Gandhi. Highly recommended for people interested in Indian history. xxx
Guest dada_rocks Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Yes this gentleman deserves more kudos than he has gotten so far, he has been more or less forgotten in pakistan for obvious reason and since he stayed behind in Pakistan so got forgotten even in India........ To turn war-monger pathans into proponents of non-violence, longevity of the transformation notwsithstanding, has to be one of the most difficult social-awakening feat.
Don Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 Pundits from pakistan and Indian summers by Johnny wright. Outstanding book the 1st one, great read if ur a huge indian cricket fan the 2nd one.
living Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 To turn war-monger pathans into proponents of non-violence' date=' longevity of the transformation notwsithstanding, has to be one of the most difficult social-awakening feat.[/quote'] :hysterical: :hysterical: though offensive :finger:
karina Posted September 6, 2007 Author Posted September 6, 2007 Indian summers by Johnny wright. great read if ur a huge indian cricket fan I was waiting for that book! Shall pick it up soon. :teeth_smile:
Don Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 its not a literary masterpiece though by any stretch of imagination, it has inside stuff which would intrest us (a arbitrary indian cricket fan) hence a great read.
karina Posted September 6, 2007 Author Posted September 6, 2007 There's another cricket book which is very funny and well written - balham to bollywood. written by one of the brit's in lagaan. I think the one who was the captain.
Lurker Posted September 6, 2007 Posted September 6, 2007 ^^ I have read the book. Pretty nice witty travellogue really.
Guest dada_rocks Posted September 7, 2007 Posted September 7, 2007 :hysterical: :hysterical: though offensive :finger: I don't know what are u on about he did make them buy into non-violence principle so much so the plebiscite in NWFP was very very close despite all the religious incitement by Jinnahs coteries........
Mandrake Posted September 7, 2007 Posted September 7, 2007 I am reading "Spook" by Mary Roach-a book about scientific research on afterlife...its pretty amusing too...here's a description of Indian traffic by the author :hysterical: "The traffic jam has dissolved,leaving our driver free to proceed in the manner he enjoys. This entails driving as fast as possible until the rear end of the car in front is practically in his mouth,then laying on the horn until the car pulls into the other lane. If the other car won't move over,he veers into the path of oncoming traffic-for sheer drama,an approaching semi truck is the best-and then back,at the last possible instant. Livestock and crater-sized potholes materialize from nowhere,prompting James Bond style swerwings and brakings.It's like living inside a video game. A bus blasts its horn and bullies us onto the shoulder @#$%&!!"
Lurker Posted September 7, 2007 Posted September 7, 2007 I don't know what are u on about he did make them buy into non-violence principle so much so the plebiscite in NWFP was very very close despite all the religious incitement by Jinnahs coteries........ It would be shameful to look at the non-violence of Ghaffar Khan and his pathan party(Khudai Khidmatgar) with a Jinnah spectacle. Ghaffar Khan was the person who turned around the majority of Pathans, if not all, from a path of violence towards peace. There is a lovely piece in the book I have mentioned where a frightened English Officer mentions - "The only thing worse than a violent Pathan is a non-violent Pathan". xx
feverpitch Posted September 8, 2007 Posted September 8, 2007 Try Karen Anand's : Muhammed -- A prophet for our times. Very well written and researched. I just finished it. Also read The Last Mughal [William Dalrymple], Collected ghost stories by MR James, and the first volume of the Complete short stories by Subodh Ghosh, published by Ananda and in Bengali.
karina Posted September 8, 2007 Author Posted September 8, 2007 Try Karen Anand's : Muhammed -- A prophet for our times. Very well written and researched. I just finished it. Also read The Last Mughal [William Dalrymple]' date= Collected ghost stories by MR James, and the first volume of the Complete short stories by Subodh Ghosh, published by Ananda and in Bengali. Karen Armstrong. I looked it up on Amazon and reviews were mixed - all the muslims were hailing her. It means she has tried not to offend them, so I wonder how authentic it will be? But I will read it if you think its worth it, it might provide a view of Islam we dont know.
karina Posted September 8, 2007 Author Posted September 8, 2007 Has anyone read 'The greatest salesman in the world'? One of those life changing books you can read in an hour. I read it yesterday and am going to reread today - powerful msgs you feel obliged to follow!
feverpitch Posted September 9, 2007 Posted September 9, 2007 Karen Armstrong. I looked it up on Amazon and reviews were mixed - all the muslims were hailing her. It means she has tried not to offend them' date=' so I wonder how authentic it will be? But I will read it if you think its worth it, it might provide a view of Islam we dont know.[/quote'] That's a remarkably cynical view. You seem to have decided before hand that only mossie-bashing stuff can be 'objective', or to use your word, 'authentic'. If you can, do sometimes take the pains to read up stuff and make your own judgment, willya?
karina Posted September 9, 2007 Author Posted September 9, 2007 That's a remarkably cynical view. You seem to have decided before hand that only mossie-bashing stuff can be 'objective'' date=' or to use your word, 'authentic'. If you can, do sometimes take the pains to read up stuff and make your own judgment, willya?[/quote'] Nah, I avoid mossie bashing stuff, thats another form of extremism.
Gambit Posted September 9, 2007 Posted September 9, 2007 Read 'Next' by Michael Crichton. Good blend of facts and fiction. It's about genetics and DNA manipulation. I am a big fan of MC but of late he has become a little preachy.
THX_1138 Posted September 9, 2007 Posted September 9, 2007 Read 'Next' by Michael Crichton. Good blend of facts and fiction. It's about genetics and DNA manipulation. I am a big fan of MC but of late he has become a little preachy. yeah i know. state of fear was utter drivel; prey was the last of the classic michael crichton. since then he seems to amulgamate his politics into his writting a bit too generously. none the less i read one of the books listed in the appendix of next and he has some merit to his "suggestions" that he listed in the end: remove the ability to patent genes. it seems rather absurd that if you discover what a gene does, patenting it permits you to full rights to any medical innovation harnessing that particular gene. its a bit like saying that if schrodinger came up with the wave equation and penned down the matter and wave attributes of light, he ought to be paid royalties for any appliance henceforth made which uses the physics of wave dynamics. anyways, i had started on The God Delusion by Richard Dawkings, sort of got distracted, will return to finish it later this week, i ll write a review if anyone gives a damn.
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