If there is a book that every bookaholic must read, it is this, it is this, it is this.

84, Charing Cross Road – a weird name for a book, don’t you think? I would probably have never picked it up if I was browsing at a bookstore or a library. But this one was recomended by a very dear friend so I rented it out (the perks of working at a library!!!).  After the first two pages I began to seriously question my friend’s taste in books. I mean what would you think if you were to read two letters – one from a customer to a nondescript bookstore asking for cheap, second hand copies of books and the second, the bookstore’s very proper (read British) reply. How exciting or inspiring could it be? I was tempted to call my friend and ask her if this was some kind of a sick joke. You have a bookstore cum library, so there read this. But before blasting her off, I decided to go through a few more pages. And boy, was I rewarded. By page 5 my faith in my friend had been restored. By page or shall I say, letter 7, I was hooked. For the next hour or so I kept reading the correspondence between a quirky American book lover and a small, antiquarian book shop located at 84, Charing Cross Road, London.  Not once did I stop smiling. The book is a sheer delight. Of course, I must apologize for using the word antiquarian here, lest the author – who in case you are wondering is the woman who wrote the letters – takes offense. She categorically stateson page 1 itself that the term scares her.

Yes at first glance, 84, Charing Cross Road is just a collection of letters between a buyer and a seller, but those letters have so much spirit, so much humour and so much warmth in them. They portray a series of beautiful relationships formed between people across the Atlantic who had never met one another and who had only one thing in common -books. Who says books provide fodder only for the mind? They enrich the heart and the soul too. And the letters which start out as straight jacket formal notes that one learns to write in English classes, soon become chronicles of friendship and compassion; a treasury of good natured banter. By the end of the 97 page book you feel as if you know the author, Helene (with an ‘e’ as she points out) really well and you can’t help wanting to meet her to experience her wit and warmth first hand. Who after all sends eggs, ham and even nylons to the families of the bookstore she is buying from, when she herself is on a shoestring budget?

Helene’s letters are a delight – the way she waxes eloquent everytime she receives a good book and blows up Frank Doel, the man who is responsible for procuring her books at Marks and Cohen, whenever there is a delay is hilarious. There’s not much more to say about the book, except that you have to read it to believe it. This is no great piece of literature, just a book straight from a booklover’s heart. A word of appreciation for the editors. They have lett the letters be as is. No grammar checks, no effort to ensure that all’s well with the punctuation. And despite the fact that I get irritated every time I come across a grammatical error in a book, not once did I get cross with Helene or her publishers. By withholding their red pens they have retained the spontaneity of the letters; their very real, very tangible feel. Who, after all, wants to read “perfect” error free letters? Especially letters where you are holding a conversation with the writer, hearing, not reading every word.

Oh and before I wrap this review up, I must confess that I was lucky, the copy available in the INDIAreads library had not just 84 Charing Cross Road but also what can be termed as its sequel, “The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.” If there was one dream that Helene had, one that crept up time and again in her letters, it was a wish to visit England and Marks and Cohen. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is none other than Helene herself and the book is her diary, a blow by blow account of her visit to the land of her dreams for the release of 84 Charing Cross Road. Once again Helene’s candour, her uncensored observations and effusive notes have you smiling all the way. And you realize once again, just how many friends a book can win you.

A definite must read.

Rent/Purchase 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff from INDIAreads Online Book Store cum Library. Register Now.

** P.S for those of you wondering at the verbose and absolutely informal tone of this review, you have to read the book. There is no way that one can do a critical, formal review of this one!

The review of the latest book on Mahatma Gandhi has caused a huge uproar when it hit newspapers in US and UK. The book titled “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India”, is written by Pulitzer winner Joseph Lelyveld. According to the reviews the book goes on to say that Gandhi was racist and bisexual. A German Jewish body builder named Hermann Kallenbachh has been referred to as his lover. However the author has denied having made any of the remarks in his books. Some Gandhi experts who have read his work have also stood by him and maintained that the reviewer got it all wrong. Meanwhile protests and opinions from all corners have started collecting in cyber space. Just like any controversy around great leaders, this too has the potential to rake up book sales. We have not flipped through the book, so we do not have an opinion on this one. If you do, please tell us

Buy/Rent books on Mahatma Gandhi from INDIAreads-online bookstore cum library. Register now.

You may be interested in reading more on Brand Gandhi

Cameron Dokey’s Wild Orchid is the retelling of the Ballad of Mulan, the story of a young Chinese girl who disguises herself as a boy and goes to battle to save her aged father from conscription. The original ballad is believed to have first been sung in the fourth century.  In Wild Orchid Dokey successfully fleshes out the original ballad and adds romance to Mulan’s story. This book is part of the Once upon a time series brought out by Simon and Schuster. The series itself is a very interesting idea wherein old fairy tales and fables from across the world are retold with a new spin. These books provide you with a rare opportunity to look at tales from your childhood from a new perspective.

But back to Wild Orchid. The novel is named after the main protagonist.  Mu-lan in Chinese means Wild Orchid, or so the author tells us. The daughter of China’s greatest general, Mulan does not meet her father till a little before her 14th birthday.  Her mother died giving birth to her and this broke her father’s heart. So while he was busy fighting the Huns for China, young Mulan grew up into China’s most unconventional girl. Yes, she could sew and embroider like all dutiful girls (though she hated the later),  but she could also climb trees, read, write, ride a horse, shoot with a bow and arrow and fence with a sword. In other words, she could do what most Chinese lads could – and in most cases much better than them – thanks to her childhood friend Li Po.  Mulan’s carefree life changes when her father returns home after a battle injury. Soon China is under attack from the Huns again and every Chinese family has to send a man to fight. To save her father, 14 year old Mulan steals his battle horse and rides into the war where she meets the youngest Chinese prince. Together they endeavor to save China.

Wild Orchid is Mulan’s story and Dokey brings out her character beautifully. Her writing is simple and her characters real. Through her pen the reader experiences the heart ache of a child craving her father’s love, the confusion of a young girl when a stepmom is thrust upon her, the rebellion of a spirited lass determined to learn all that a boy could and the yearning of an individual to just be herself and follow her heart. The friendship between Mulan and Li Po is depicted beautifully. Dokey spends considerable time taking the reader through Mulan’s childhood. Thus she ensures that the reader understands every action and nuance of this fiercely loyal and brave girl. This is not a war story though one cannot be blamed for thinking thus initially. After all, the story begins by saying that it is the story of the girl who saved China. Yes, there is a war, one in which Mulan proves her mettle but the battle only takes up a few pages as does Mulan’s love story. In fact at times, the reader can’t help but feel that the author should have spent a little more time in developing the love story. Also at times, Mulan’s constant awareness of her being different gets annoying.

Does the Wild Orchid do justice to the original ballad? That is difficult to say. However it is highly recommended for those looking for a simple, light hearted and warm story.

Rent the Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey from INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore. Register Now! Plans start @ just Rs 150 per month. Free doorstep delivery & pick up!

I have never read the Mahabharata but as a kid I religiously watched B.R. Chopra’s version of the epic on telly. The one character that fascinated me was Draupadi, and it wasn’t just because of the five hubbies. While not as common as polygamy, polyandry has been the norm in many societies, specially ones where life is a constant struggle, aka Ladakh. No, what always intrigued me was how does it feel to be “responsible” for causing a battle that killed millions; to know that history will always remember and malign one. The soap did not pay much attention to this aspect. So I wondered about it for a while and then gradually forgot about Draupadi. That was till I started reading The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This is, as the book cover states, “Panchaali’s Mahabharat,” and the Palace being referred to is none other than her palace of Indraprastha which became the catalyst for the great war.

Buy rent The Palace of Illusions and other books by author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni from INDIAreads Online Library and Bookstore. Plans start at just Rs 150 per month. Register Now!

First there was Count Dracula. Then came Edward Cullen, the vampire threat throb who has become the new age “romantic hero.” And now we have Zoey Redbird, a sixteen year old half Cherokee girl who is on her way to becoming the world’s most powerful vamp. Of course in Joey’s world, humans and vampyres co-exist and do so almost peacefully. Any human can be “marked” by a vampyre (yes this isn’t a typo) tracker and chosen to join the ranks of the undead. It requires no vampyre bite, no motive. Only leads to the marked teenager being labelled as a freak by “ordinary” humans. But hey, there are no crosses that are embedded into their hearts to finish them off. The process of transformation to a creature with a blood lust  is painful but not at all akin to Bella’s transformation in Twilight. No, becoming a vampyre is a long drawn process. And in this book, the mother daughter duo of P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast try to make the reader see things from the point of view of a human who suddenly finds herself craving for her ex-boyfriend’s blood. Disgust, horror, denial, shame and yet an almost insatiable all consuming desire for blood.

The House of Night series provides a different take on the Vampyre world. And Marked being the first book of the series explains it as a matriarchal society led by a female Goddess. The men vampires are useful only as consorts and in some cases, protectors. The vampyres summon their powers from the elements of nature- wind, fire, water, land and spirit. Any human who has been marked has to undergo rigourous training at the House of Night, a school that grooms young vampyres and teaches them, alongside history, sociology, spanish, activities like fencing, equestrian training (or in layman’s terms, horse riding), karate, drama, tae-kwan-do. Only good old geometry is missing from the syllabus. And yes, the world’s greatest artists, musicians, actors and actresses are all vampyres. So they are not just hateful, spiteful, blood sucking creatures. They are beautiful, talented ex humans who have developed special powers and the blood that they drink is from donors. Of course there are the “evil” vampyres who crave and drink human blood, but Marked has little of them. This novel is just providing the setting for a new world and so the action is minimal.

The series warns that it is not suitable for young readers under age 16. Perhaps it is due to the fact that there is a little more gore in it that in the Twilight series. Also there are references to carnal pleasures. And yet Marked is a novel written for teenagers. The language is colloquial, the vocabulary akin to that of any American collegiate. Zoey is full of slang. The book is not as well written as the Twilight series and you definitely don’t experience Zoey’s emotions like you experience Bella’s. Yet, the totally different vampyre society that it creates is intriguing. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in novelty and pace. If you are a vampyre novel fan or are looking for a fun fantasy read, pick it up. But don’t go around looking for romance, at leats not in Marked. Yes, there is a “hero” and yes there is some element of attraction between the main protagonist and him, but that is not the undercurrent of the book. This is no vampyre romance novel and Erik Night, the male vampyre-in-the-making is no Edward Cullen.

Rent/ Buy Marked and other House of Night novels from INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore.

“I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant, and ancient for a quarter miler whose son now says, “Dad, I just can’t run the quarter with you anymore unless I bring something to read.”

Fifty is a nice number for the states in the Union or for a national speed limit, but it was not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me. Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age, but now Bill Cosby, Junior is stuck with these elevated digits and everything they mean.”

Thus begins Bill Cosby’s second book which he wrote when he hit the half century mark. Our parents are already there. Someday we will get there too; maybe some of us are already there. The time when birthdays are no longer happy events; when the number of candles on the cake begin to weigh it down; when every morning we look at the mirror in horror, desperately trying to hide that strand of white hair, or the wrinkles on the forehead.

Ageing is not easy. After having lived life to the fullest, after having experienced the speed, the momentum, to slow down is not easy. And yet, it is inevitable. All of us will age. And while we can continue to remain “young at heart” and “remarkably fit for our age,” we will invariably not be able to  do as many things as we did previously.But there is no need to despair. It’s natural and Cosby helps us realize this by taking up the everyday annoyances of growing old and laughing at them in his own flamboyant style.  The sagging love handles, the inability tie your own laces, fading memory, declining eyesight,  receding hairline, poor digestion, Cosby shares them all and laces each irritant with a healthy dose of humour.

Written in a chatty, colloquial style, the book is easy to read and relate to. The worries and anxieties described by Cosby are all too real. For those approaching or already past their fifties, Time Flies may well be a tool of acceptance; of learning to laugh at themselves and live with the inconveniences brought on by time. And for those who still happen to be “young,” it might provide a better understanding of what their parents and elders go through. Yet, many a times, one can’t help feeling that Cosby is exaggerating. Often one is tempted to shake him up and say, “Seriously dude, fifty isn’t that old and you definitely don’t go bonkers at that age.” The other thing that jars a little is the overly long introduction by Poussaint. It is way too preachy to be in sync with the rest of the book because for all his grumblings not once does Cosby turn prescriptive. Pouissant, on the other hand, is full of advise and observations which baffle. For instance, he takes President Reagen’s re-election into the White House at the age of seventy three, as a mark of turning attitudes towards the elderly. Seriously? Then we Indians must be really good at respecting our elderly because seventy seems to be the average age of our leaders.

These aberrations aside, Time Flies is a light read that you will probably finish in just one sitting. Pick it up if you are looking for a healthy dose of the All American humour.

Buy, Rent Time Flies and other books by Bill Cosby from INDIAreads Online Book Rental Library cum Bookstore. Membership plans begin @ just Rs 150 per month. Join Now!

Last week we reviewed The Immortals of Meluha by Amish; the same book that has been topping the fiction best sellers lists in India ever since it’s release. It’s success caught many by surprise, because it was published not by  Penguin, Harper, Hachette, Random House or Rupa, but by the booksellers, Bahrisons. So today we take a closer look at the novel : what is it about this fictionalised interpretation of Shiva’s life that has appealed to the hearts and minds of Indian readers?

Faith has always been a best seller. And when faith fuses with fiction to bring to life Gods which are revered by millions, fireworks are no surprise. It happened with the “Jesus was a man, a husband, a father” Da Vinci Code. And now the same is happening with The Immortals of Meluha that tells the story of Shiva the man, who legend made into a God. For some, it is just the freshness of the plot (or relative freshness as critics cite the Da Vinci code “inspiration”) that blends elements of history and mythology with action, adventure and religion. For others it is a desire to relook at some mythological and religious sayings. Agnostics are drawn to it by hope; believers pick it up so that they can dismiss its blasphemous contentions. A few housewives confessed that they just wanted to see what the “human avtaar” of their Gods would be like . An elderly reader explained that a plot set in the context of his beliefs and religion was more appealing – “I can relate to it, understand it.” And a college student at the billing counter offered, ” I just want to see what the hooplah is all about!” Varied reasons, and yet they meshed together to make the 35 year old MBA from IIM Kolkata an instant celebrity.

The charm of  The Da Vinci Code was in the seamless fusion of “believed” fact and fiction. Where did reality end and story begin, where did legend end and creativity begin – it was impossible to tell.  The book did carry some important messages – respect for the feminine and the need for faith (or as some would say the power of faith), but these were lost in the intricacy of the plot and in its intrigue.

This however, is not the case with The Immortals of Meluha. Not surprisingly, while the plot and premise of the book have been much talked about, little has been said about it’s literary merit, about it’s consciously “modern” writing style that is completely at odds with the age and era it seeks to create for the reader. Many a times, it seems as if the author has juxtaposed modern day concepts on an ancient society. Disconcerting yes, but forgivable because once you rid yourself of your expectations from the plot, you discover nuances that hold great import for today’s world. For instance, after leading the “good” Suryavnshis to victory against the “evil” Chandravanshis, Shiva discovers his error. The Chandravanshis were not evil, not “terrorists” as the Suryavanshis and he himself had believed; only different. Just like the Asuras who were cast as “evil” by the Devas in their own texts (a reference to the bias of history – it always reflects the beliefs of those who pen it) . The “war against evil”, the Dharmayudh in which millions were killed were thus never battles of the righteous. They were battles between two different belief systems, two lifestyles, both of which were essential to maintain the balance in this world, to complete the world. The warriors and civilians who lost their lives were not martyrs who gave up their life for the “greater good” but unfortunate victims of the lack of understanding between two cultures that refused to engage with, and hence to understand each other.

The last few chapters of the book hold important lessons. Shiva was repeatedly plagued by doubts about the “evilness” of the Chandravanshis but at every stage he silenced his conscience by stating, “but they are evil and so this is justified.” Perhaps just like us when we view the “war against terror,” when we label innocent women and children as “collateral damage,” when we refuse to even understand the “other” because we are convinced that they are evil determined to destroy our way of life. But if the great God, the Mahadev could err, can’t we? If he could accept that he was “wrong”, can’t we? The important question, as an enlightened Pandit told a visibly shaken Shiva was not “Who is evil?” but “What is evil?” The job of a leader, of a God is not to destroy evil, but to identify it, recognise it.

Let us take another instance. Many readers going through the book will, like Shiva, believe the Meluhan society to be almost perfect. (Some though will find problems. But more on those later- in a separate post maybe) They will commend the great Suryavanshi king Daksha on the humaneness of his vision – not to destroy the Chandrvanshis but to offer them a chance to embrace the better quality of life offered by Meluhan society; to enter a society where the rich and poor are almost treated equally, where everyone lives by the law, where there are no beggars. And yet, in the end, they like Shiva will discover that no way of life is perfect; that each has its own strengths and weaknesses. What ails our world today, what causes strife and what has been the source of strife throughout history is the “Daksha syndrome.” The belief that our way of life – be it religion, political or economic system –  is “the way of life” and the persistent attempt to make everyone embrace it.

They say what we seek is what we see. Perhaps, I am so caught up in the politics of our world that I find references to it in a fictionalised mythological story. But to me, the Immortals of Meluha is a political commentary with messages for our world and a hope that since they flow from the Mahadev himself, they will find greater acceptance. Be it the interpretation of Shiva’s battle cry – Har Har Mahadev  as Every man a Mahadev or the valour of Sati who fights her own battles – every passage is rich in meaning and yet, open to interpretation. Therein lies the strength of this book.

Rent, Purchase best selling novel the Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi from INDIAreads Online Book rental Library and Bookstore