How would one explain the Kindle to Charlie Dickens…?

No wait; that’s a separate blogpost. Let’s get to know Charlie a little better first.

Charles Dickens: The name conjures up visions of plum pudding and Christmas punch, quaint coaching inns and cosy firesides, but also of orphaned and starving children, misers, murderers, and abusive schoolmasters. Dickens was 19th century London personified – he survived its mean streets as a child and, despite being largely self-educated, possessed the genius (that trademark leftie trait) to eventually become the greatest writer of his age.

Charlie was born on February 7, 1812, the son of a clerk at the Navy Pay Office. His father, John Dickens, continually living beyond his means, was imprisoned at the Marshalsea(a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark) in 1824 for failing to pay his debts.

A 12-year-old Charles was subsequently removed from school and sent to work at a boot-blacking factory – earning six shillings a week to help support the family. This experience cast a shadow over the clever, sensitive boy, and became a defining episode in Charlie’s life. (He would later lament, “How I could have been so easily cast away at such an age.”)

This childhood poverty and feelings of abandonment, although unknown to his readers until after his death, would be a heavy influence on Dickens‘ later views on social reform; and not least on the world he would create through his fiction.

Not surprisingly, Dickens’ characters are some of the most memorable in fiction.

Often these characters were based on people that he knew: Wilkins Micawber and William Dorrit (his father), Mrs. Nickleby (his mother). In a few instances Dickens based the character too closely on the original and got into trouble, as in the case of Harold Skimpole in Bleak House, based on Leigh Hunt, and Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield, based on his wife’s dwarf chiropodist.

Their names, too, are funkier than most. Characters such as Sweedlepipe, Honeythunder, Bumble, Pumblechook, and M’Choakumchild are recognizable as Dickensian even by those unfamiliar with the stories.

Charlie’s friend and biographer, John Forster, said that Dickens made “characters real existences, not by describing them but by letting them describe themselves.”  Characters such as Scrooge (miserly) and Pecksniff (hypocritically affecting benevolence) became defining terms in everyday vernacular.

Charlie would go on to write 15 major novels and countless short stories and articles before his death on June 9, 1870.

He wished to be buried, without fanfare, in a small cemetery in Rochester, but the Nation would not allow it. He was laid to rest in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey, the flowers from thousands of mourners overflowing the open grave.

Incidentally, among the more beautiful bouquets were many simple clusters of wildflowers, wrapped in rags.

More about him later, though; must get back to my very empowering ‘Five Point Someone’.

In the meantime, please feel free to buy/rent, and academically fondle thereafter, the following Dickensian Classics at INDIAreads;

1. A Christmas Carol: You know the tale, you’ve seen the movies, but if you haven’t read the book you’re missing half the story. Dickens‘ little tale of human redemption has a million versions out there; make sure you get the original at INDIAreads.

2. David Copperfield: Charlie’s eighth novel was a thinly disguised autobiography, with many of the story lines mirroring Dickens‘ own life. ”Dickens never stood so high in reputation as at the completion of Copperfield.” – John Forster, Dickens‘ friend and first biographer.

3. Great Expectations: Strongly autobiographical again; though not as openly as in David Copperfield. Charlie actually reread Copperfield before beginning Great Expectations – to avoid unintentional repetition. Called Dickens‘ darkest work by some, it was very well received by Victorian readers and remains one of his most popular works today. Many consider it his greatest use of plot, characterization, and style – and a masterpiece of literary work.

This Children’s Day celebrate the spirit of writing…share your thoughts and opinions and win prizes, not just for yourself but for your school as well!!!!

INDIAreads, the country’s premier Online Library cum Bookstore announces the ‘INDIAreads Inter-School Creative Writing Competition, 2011’.

The Contest:

To inculcate healthy reading and writing habits amongst students, and to pique their curiosity about the wonderful world of literature, INDIAreads is organizing a Creative Writing Competition among select schools in Noida. This contest will be held across 3 categories: Junior, Middlers and Senior. Two prizes will be announced in each category.

1.      1st Prize: Certificate of Merit plus One Year INDIAreads Membership worth Rs. 1,550 for the winning student; Books worth Rs. 10,000 for the School Library.
2.      2nd Prize: Certificate of Merit plus Six Month INDIAreads Membership worth Rs. 800 for the winning student, Books worth Rs. 5,000 for the School Library.

The candidates shall be judged by an eminent panel of judges comprising authors, prominent policy makers and book lovers.

The Categories:

Junior Writer: Classes VI-VIII
Topics:
The Festival I Enjoy Most
A Must Watch Television show
The One Person I would like to meet
My Favourite book

Middlers: Classes IX-X
Topics:
The Politician who Inspires me most
The Tech Company I adore
My favourite Historical Figure
This world would not be the same without…

The Professional: Classes XI-XII
Topics:
Price Rise: Global Crisis or Domestic Blunder
Anna Hazare: Boon or Bane of Indian Democracy
The Arab Spring: Dawn of a New Era?
Rewriting History: If I could change one event, it would be…

Contest Rules

Candidates may choose to write on any one of the topics in their category. Only one entry per candidate is permitted. However, there is no limit to the number of entries per school.
Entries may neither be less than 500 words nor exceed 3,000words. There can be only one entry per student.
Students need to submit original pieces of work. 
Registered INDIAreads users (Registration is free – http://www.indiareads.com/user/register) may submit their entries via email to m.mishra@indiareads.com; while others may post the same on the INDIAreads Blog as a comment to this post.
The last date for entries is 26th January 2012. Entries received after 10 pm on January 26th 2012 shall not be accepted.
Students should mention their Full name, Contact number, Email id, School name and class on their entries. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

We’re waiting!

New releases

1. Non Stop India – Mark Tully: Jugaar may loosely be translated as ‘muddling through’, or making
do. This quintessentially Indian ability has seen India through numerous crises which would have
easily dispirited a less resilient people—four wars, for instance. But while jugaar can be said to
have served India well in the past, it has a downside.

It has led to a dangerous complacency: the belief that since India has managed to ‘muddle through so many times before, there isn’t much need for a sense of urgency in tackling the problems it faces. In Non Stop India veteran journalist Mark Tully draws on his unmatched knowledge of India, garnered from thirty years of living in, and reporting from, the country to examine how this approach impacts her much-touted prospects of becoming an economic super-power. From Maoist conflicts to huge industrial houses; from the Tiger project to farmer suicides; from the Ramayana to the remote valleys of the north-east, Tully examines India’s myriad negotiations with modernity and her prospects for the nextcentury and beyond.

2. Get To The Top – The Ten Rules For Social Success by Suhel Seth: When it comes to getting
ahead in life, who we know is as important as what we do.How do you draw people to you?
Impress the powerful? Make an impact and extend your circle of acquaintances? Cultivate
influential friends?

Suhel Seth, a man who knows almost everyone there is to know in the country, brings you the
ultimate guide to social success. From the secret to throwing a successful party to the benefits
of befriending the less important half of a couple, he gives you canny advice and strategies to
become a successful networker.

Inspiring, provocative, and wise, Get to the Top is the ultimate book about wielding soft power.

About The Author :

Suhel Seth is the Managing Partner of Counselage India, the only strategic brand management
and marketing consultancy in the country advising chairpersons and CEOs on branding and
marketing.

His clients include R.K. Krishna Kumar of the House of Tata, S. Ramadorai of TCS, Analjit Singh of
Max Hospitals, Pawan Munjal of Hero Honda, Sanjiv Goenka of the RPG Group, and Prannoy Roy
of NDTV.

Suhel writes columns in The Financial Times, Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, and The Indian
Express on current affairs and has co-authored two books on Calcutta with Khushwant Singh and
R.K. Laxman.

3. Classic Saratchandra Volume I – By Saratchandra Chattopadhyay – Translated By Malobika Chaudhuri & Sunanda Krishnamurty: One of the greatest Indian novelists of the early twentieth century, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay is unputdownable even seven decades after his death. His canvas of human relationships is rooted in the everyday lives of families in turn-of-the-century Bengal. Saratchandra’s carefully crafted stories, brimming withemotion, and his sharply etched characters, are unforgettable. This omnibus that brings together eight of his novels in translation is a collection to be cherished.

Biraj Bou, Parineeta (A Married Woman), Palli Samaj (The Village Life), Arakkhaniya (The Unprotected), Srikanta, Devdas, Swami (Husband), Grihadaha (House of Cinders)

4. Secrets – by Ruskin Bond: This brilliant new collection of stories by one of India’s best-loved storytellers richly evokes Dehradun of the 1940s, with its quaint cinema halls and crumbling villas, its modest chaat-shops and ubiquitous tongas. But, as young Ruskin—the narrator in these interconnected tales—soon discovers, not all is as it seems in this sleepy town. Behind the tranquil facade, Dehra is home to a cast of colourful characters: from plucky old women to possible murderers.

‘The Canal’ is a joyful tribute to adolescent mischief and adult resolve, in which a group of roguish boys must face the consequences of antagonizing the much-feared Miss Gamla. ‘Over the Wall’ celebrates the resilience and hard-won dignity of a man ravaged by leprosy as he struggles to come to terms with his malady. The dashing young army captain in ‘At Green’s Hotel’ might be the perfect gentleman—or a murderer. And in ‘The Skeleton in the Cupboard’, an old scandal is revived following a chance discovery, leading to wholly unexpected results.

By turns charming and poignant, witty and exhilarating, Secrets is vintage Bond.

5. The Mahabharata Volume 4 – Translated by Bibek Debroy: The Mahabharata is one of the
greatest stories ever told. Though the basic plot is widely known, there is much more to the
epic than the dispute between Kouravas and Pandavas that led to the battle in Kurukshetra. It
has innumerable sub-plots that accommodate fascinating meanderings and digressions, and
it has rarely been translated in full, given its formidable length of 80,000 shlokas or couplets.
This magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation of the epic is based on the Critical Edition
compiled at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.

The fourth volume of the Mahabharata includes Virata Parva and almost all of Udyoga Parva. It
describes the Pandavas’ thirteenth year of exile which they spend in disguise in King Virata’s court.
When, during their stay, the Kouravas and Trigartas invade Matsya to rob Virata of his cattle, the
Pandavas defeat them in battle. With the period of banishment over, the Pandavas ask to be returned
their share of the kingdom. This is refused and Udyoga Parva recounts the preparations for the
inevitable war.

Every conceivable human emotion figures in the Mahabharata, the reason why the epic continues to
hold sway over our imagination. In this lucid, nuanced and confident translation, Bibek Debroy makes
the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers.

6. Lucknow Boy – A Memoir by Vinod Mehta: Sharp, insightful, shocking, delightful. In this
sparkling memoir, Vinod Mehta, India’s most independent, principled – and irreverent – editor
finally tells his own story.

And by any reckoning, it is an extraordinary story. Mehta grew up as an insouciant army brat from a Punjabi refugee family, in the syncretic culture of Lucknow of the 1950s—an experience that turned him into an unflagging ‘pseudo secularist’. Leaving home with a BA third class degree, he experimented with a string of jobs, including that of a factory hand in suburban Britain, before accepting an offer to edit Debonair, a journal best known for featuring naked women. With the eclecticism and flair that were to become his hallmark, he turned it into an intelligent, lively magazine, while managing to keep fans of its centrespreads happy. The next three decades saw Vinod Mehta becoming one of India’s most widely- read and influential editors, as he launched a number of successful new publications, from the now legendary Sunday Observer to the weekly newsmagazine, Outlook.

This remarkably candid memoir, with its ringside view of many of the major events of our times, brims over with wit, wisdom, scandal and gossip. Mehta recounts with zest how he was wooed and then summarily sacked by sundry media proprietors when their much-vaunted respect for editorial freedom broke down in the face of political pressures. There are riveting accounts of his encounters with personalities from the worlds of politics, business, films and the media. There are masterly pen portraits of personalities ranging from Shobhaa De to V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie and Sonia Gandhi. ( And ofcourse, Mehta’s dog Editor who now, like his master, gets quantities of fan and hate mail.) There are the stories behind the scoops Mehta has brought before a fascinated public, from the alleged mole in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet, to the cricket match-fixing scandal, to the Radia Tapes.

Embedded within these racy tales are thoughtful insights on Indian politics and society. There are valuable lessons, too, in Mehta’s inside stories of his successful media launches, in his tips for aspiring journalists, and in his struggles for editorial independence through his nearly four-decade-long tryst with Indian journalism.

COMING SOON

1. Diary of A Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney: The sixth book about the comic adventures
of Greg Heffley and family. The funniest books you’ll ever read!

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of. The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for
the holidays?

2. God Save the Dork – The Incredible International Adventures of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese by Sidin Vadukut: Maestro management consultant and strategy guru Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese has been dispatched to London to the Lederman account. Things in the mother country are not all tally-ho as Einstein must make do with convoluted remuneration, temperamental digestion and a comely coworker who revels in mixed signals—not to mention a bizarre conspiracy by museums all over the city to frustrate his every attempt to imbibe in high culture.

Things are not all that much better with his love life. Gouri insists that he go to Madame Tussaud’s and take a photo with the Shah Rukh Khan statue. But who will pay for the entry ticket? Gouri’s father is not the proprietor no? Then? Just when things look like they can’t get any worse, Lederman threatens to shut down the project. Panic ensues. Once again Dufresne Partners turns to their most resourceful, inventive, original, strategic, out-of-the-box-thinking employee.

‘India’s Dilbert.’    – DNA
‘Nothing else skewers corporate India’s assorted silliness so accurately. Or so funnily.’   —Outlook
‘Unputdownable.’   —The Hindu
‘[Dork] will have you in splits.’   —The Asian Age
‘Hysterically funny.’    – Hindustan Times

And finally, the results are here. We got tons of entries for this one. This was perhaps the most popular competition we had. Reading the entries was so much fun but in the process we also realised that it would be impossible for us to judge them – they were just too personal. But the number of prizes is limited so we hit on a solution. We selected our top 15 entries from the responses and passed it on to a panel of Blyton experts – five people in the 10-18 years age group who are avid Blyton fans. Since it is for them that Blyton wrote, we thought they would be the best judges.

So here are the entries that they selected. We asked them what made these special and they said that while all were great, these entries touched a chord within them – they either echoed their own Blyton experiences or were too “life altering” – their words not ours. Of course since some of their acquaintances might have participated in the contest they did not wish their identities to be disclosed immediately. “Give it a week, let the heat di down and then you can make us famous,” one of them quipped. So Thank you panelists and our lips are sealed till you say so!!!!

Sandhya: “If I think of my mind as a canvas, then Blyton filled it with colours. I am an adopted child. I lost my parents when I was 7 years old and lived in a big joint family. They were loving but very traditional. Everything I did had to be measured, according to everyone’s wishes. In a sense, I never had a life of my own. Don’t get me wrong, my childhood wasn’t sad or abused. I was loved but there were way too many restrictions and then there was my own fear of being thrown out. I used to hide my library books in my clothes and once everyone was asleep, slip into the bathroom and read. I read many books but the reason I will never forget enid blytons is because I lived vicariously through her characters. All the stunts I wanted to engage in, pranks I want to pull, dreams I wanted to dream were through her. Her books made my mundane existence bearable. They added sparkle and shine to my life. Everytime I wanted to do smthg that I could not I would imagine one of her characters doing it. Like I said, Blyton added colour to my life. She taught me to dream, imagine. My first illustrations were of her characters – of how I saw them in my mind’s eye. Today I illustrate children’s books. I think that is my Blyton legacy.

Kripa Asthana: Hello,
My name is Kripa Asthana. I study in class 5. I love enid blyton books because I got my pet because of them. I used to be afraid of animals, especially dogs. I thought they would bite me. I hated it when they barked. Krisabh, my elder brother always wanted a dog but my mother always said no because of my fear. On my birthday last May Krisabh gave me 3 Famous five novels. I loved Timmy. I realized dogs are lovely and good friends. so i asked my mom for a dog like Timmy for my birthday. Mom got me Bozo and I have never been afraid of him. I love him. He is my best friend.

Rajeev Jain: It took me a while to decide whether I wanted to participate in this contest. Why? You may ask. Well because Blytons aren’t exactly considered to be a guy’s thing. I mean boys are supposed to go for action, thrill and the works. When I was in school I used hide my Blytons. I never read them in class because I knew other boys would make fun of me. First off cool guys don’t read; only nerds do. And second, even if they read, they go for a artemis fowl or a dracula. But none of these books worked for me. There was something about the Blytons that struck a cord. At that time I would vehemently deny it but the fact is it wasn’t just the Famous Fives or the Faraway Trees or Noddys that I enjoyed. I even read (and loved) the more girly adventures at St Clare’s and Malory Towers. There was a time in class 6 when my friends discovered my weakness. For months I was the laughing stock of school. I was hurt, upset and confused and decided that Blytons were a bad influence. For 2 years I didn’t touch any. Then one day when I was packing for Boarding school, I found my old stack of books. A copy of Famous Five was peeping out. Did I read this? I asked myself. I began flipping pages to laugh at the kid that I used to be but soon I was engrossed in the novel. I stayed the day in my room and read 3 Blytons back to back and I felt happy. And that day I decided that liking a well written book didn’t make me any less cool. Blytons made me happy; they made me feel alive and naughty and excited. SO appearances be damned, I would read them.  And so I coolly packed my Blytons with me and put them in my bookcase in hostel. By the way my girl friend thought I was way too cool and sensitive and fun. “How many guys would understand the beauty of a Blyton?” she said. So yes, I love Enid Blytons and I might be 27 year old and an IT professional but I still pick them up at times.

Kashish Verma: I love Enid Blytons for their simplicity. I think her charm lies in the fact that she teaches you to enjoy the small things in life….to not live for those big glorious moments to be happy. I think that’s a lesson we have all forgotten in today’s world. We have become too materialistic. Being ambitious is not a bad thing, neither is earning money. But often we get so caught in this drive to be on the top that we forget to enjoy the little moments that lead up to it. Life is full tiny treasures – there are enough moments and things to cherish, one only has to see them. For me that is the joy of an Enid Blyton. She taught me how to smile. I am well into my middle age but even today when I am feeling low, I just pick up an Enid Blyton and by the end of it life seems less blue.

Ahalya: Enid Blyton was all I ever read while I was growing up. Now that I think about it, I did not actively seek out her books, but when I was let loose in the library, every title or book cover that caught my eye, just happened to be a book by Ms. Blyton. I remember finishing the last paper of my Class 4 exams and running all the way to the library. I picked up the Faraway Tree, and ran home to start reading. I still remember how much I laughed while reading that book. Her books are never violent, never silly. Her children have their faults, they are naughty, they are repentant, they may lie, they may hurt each other, but they all learn how to be honest and kind. It isn’t just the children, everyone learns something in her world. And Ms. Blyton could write for children of all ages! How did she do that! What a wonderful, patient, kind person she must have been. Yes, she is an inspiration.

Winners please send us your postal addresses and phone numbers. We will be mailing a list of 20 Blyton titles to you to pick your prize. Congratulationa and a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for your response.

Are you among the people who has grown up with or is growing up with Enid Blytons?

Have you experienced the magic of Blyton’s world? Have you been lost in the worlds atop the Faraway Tree or imagined yourself in Malory Towers or St Clare’s? Have the escapades of Famous Five or Secret Seven left you wishing for similar adventures?

Tell us why you love Enid Blyton and win your favourite Enid Blyton book.

Yes, share with us (and other Blyton fans) your favourite Enid Blyton book, character or even incident. Tell us about a prank or incident inspired by her works or simply tell us how she made a difference to your life (howsoever small or big). Write about your first experience with Enid Blyton or your kid’s first experience (if you are a parent). Look into your heart and let your imagination run wild.

The top 3 entries (judged by our Review Panel) will win a copy of one of Blyton’s classics. So hurry! Share your book love and win some great books

Contest Rules

No great rules. Too many restrictions always inspire rebellion as Blyton would show.

So in the true Blyton spirit, we have kept the rules very very simple. Just send you entries before midnight (IST) on March 20, 2011.

Make sure they are your own, not plagiarised. Remember it is the experience that counts; we are not testing your writing skills here.

You can use any medium to express your Blyton love. Colours, visuals, words. Let your imagination run wild.

If you are an INDIAreads employee (or family member of an INDIAreads employee) or on our Review panel (or family member of our review panel) you cannot participate in the contest. Everyone else can. Age no bar, sex no bar, profession no bar. Just makes sure you are staying within India.

You can leave your entries as comments to this post, paste them on the INDIAreads facebook page or simply send them via email to ls.puia@indiareads.com

Do send us your full name and email id.

Names of the winners will be announced on March 22, 2011. The winners will be sent a list of Blyton titles that they can choose from.

That’s it! Like we said, we are keeping it simple in the true Blyton spirit.

Here’s good news for Blyton fans. An archivist in Newcastle has discovered a hitherto unpublished 180 page manuscript of Mr Tumpy’s caravan, a fantasy novel by Enid Blyton. It is believed that the manuscript was a part of the collection auctioned by the family of Blyton’s eldest daughter last September.

The manuscript that tells the tales of a thinking, walking magic caravan is sure to excite Blyton fans the world over. It is available for viewing at the Seven Stories Bookstore in Newcastle.

Are you an Enid Blyton fan? Do you believe that Blyton changed your childhood or thinking? How and why? Share your favourite Blyton anecdote, novel or character with us and tells us why you are rooting for them. Top three entries will win an Enid Blyton each. Hurry, contest closes on March 20, 2011.

Winners will be announced on March 22, 2011. For details see, the INDIAreads Enid Blyton Contest.

Laughter is precious but what if there was a machine that would make everyone laugh – how precious would it be? Very, as little Jeffrey and Ben discovered. Working in a junk shop they found a machine that produced rip roaring jokes that sent everyone, including their temperamental neighbour, into splits.  And theirs is a story that will bring a smile on the faces of our young readers as well.

In The Joke Machine, McCall Smith does not preach. Nor does he get naughty and suggest pranks or deride elders. No, just by using his imagination he creates a book that will enthrall children with its imaginative plot, simple writing style and whacky illustrations. At the same time, Smith manages to convey some important messages. Messages about laughter, joy, and friendship. Messages about curiosity, about not giving up, about letting the children tinker about with machine parts. Messages which are delivered so simply that one does not even notice them. And at the end of the book, the reader gets up wishing that he or she too had a joke machine that would enable to him to laugh away life’s troubles and to fill the lives of those around him with joy.

A must read for children in the 5-10 age group.

Rent The Joke Machine by Alexander McCall from INDIAreads Online Book Rental Library cum Bookstore. Register Now!

CHARLES DICKENS

(7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870)

Source: charles-dickens.org

He was Victorian England’s most famous novelist; he gave us some of our most iconic characters and classic stories. He is the man who every child has read and heard of. Charles John Huffam Dickens.

Born in Portsmouth, Dickens had a relatively idyllic childhood till the time his father overspent and was sent to a debtor’s prison in London. While the rest of his family joined his father, Charles boarded first with an old family friend and then in the back attic at the home of an insolvent court agent. These early experiences and people can be found in many of Dickens novels. He started working 10 hour days at a warehouse pasting labels on shoe polish. The strenuous and cruel working conditions left a lasting impact on him. Even after his father was released from prison, Charles’ mom did not immediately remove him from the boot blacking factory and this perhaps was responsible for his “dissatisfied” attitude towards women. Glimpses of Charles’ early life, his feelings and hurt can be found in his most autobiographical novel, David Copperfield. After a brief schooling at the Wellington house Academy, Charles went on to become first  junior clerk at a law office and then a freelance reporter. In 1830 Charles met his first love Maria Beadnell (Dora of David Copperfield), but it came to naught as Maria’s parents sent her away to Paris.

In 1833, Dickens’ first story, A Dinner at Poplar Walk was published in the London periodical, Monthly Magazine. Gradually his novels began to appear and gain success. In 1836, he married Catherine Thomson Hogarth, the daughter of the editor of the Evening Chronicle and they had ten children. CHarles Dickens is known for raising issues of the working class through his writing and for his philanthropy. Dickens died of a heart attack and was buried at Poet’s corner in Westminster Abbey.

Some of his popular works include

A Tale of Two CIties

Great Expectations

A Christmas Carol

Buy/ Rent popular novels by Charles Dickens from INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore. Register Now!

LAURA INGALLS WILDER

(February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957)

The second of five children, Laura Ingalls Wilder is an American children’s author famous for the Little House series. This was based on her own childhood in a pioneer family. Laura was born in Wisconsin. In her early childhood, her father, Charles Ingalls settled on land not yet open for homesteading near Independence, Kansas–an experience that formed the basis of Ingalls’ novel Little House on the Prairie. Thereafter they moved through a number of places in Minnesota and Iowa till Charles accepted a railroad job in eastern Dakota Territory. He landed a homestead in DeSmet, South Dakota. It was here that Laura attended school, worked part-time jobs and met her future husband, homesteader Almanzo Wilder. Though she did not enjoy teaching, Laura took up her first teaching position shortly before her 16th birthday to help her family. At the age of 18, she marries Almanzo who was 10 years her senior. The first four years of her marriage was a period full of trials and the Wilders suffered many reverses. Laura was forced to work as a seamstress. In the meantime her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane had embarked on a career in writing and this inspired Laura. She submitted an article to the Missouri Ruralist and became a columnist and an editor.

There is much controversy re the Little House books. Some claim that Lane simply helped her mother by providing encouragement and publishing connections. Others maintain that it was Lane who converted and turned around Laura’s half baked autobiographical stories into the famous series. The truth till date remains obscure. What is however beyond doubt is the success and popularity of teh Little House Books.

Buy Rent the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder from INDIAreads Online Library cum Bookstore. Plans start at just Rs 150 per month.

FREEDOM is, “the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires”

- Bertrand Russell

Now time, traffic, access or price issues, will no longer be an obstacle to your reading desires!

This Independence Day, INDIAreads bring you the Freedom Offer: read anything, anywhere, anytime!

Just log on to INDIA’s fastest growing online LIBRARY and BOOKSTORE @ www.indiareads.com and get the books of your choice delivered to your doorstep at no extra cost!

Enjoy Mega discounts on all book purchases + free shipping!!!!*

And that’s not all, for every purchase above Rs 750 made before midnight August 20, 2010, you take home a best seller of your choice, absolutely free!

This INDEPENDENCE DAY, INDULGE your senses FREELY!!!

If your billed amount is Rs 750 or more, choose from the following freedom basket:**

Any Chetan Bhagat or Noddy title ***

Shop worth Rs 1500 or more and take home one of the following best sellers:**

Any AGATHA CHRISTIE title***

ANd if you have billed Rs 2500 or more, you can select from any of the following titles:**

Select any Sidney Sheldon title***

That’s not all, if you have space, time or price issues, then just join the INDIAReads Online Book Rental Library and rent the latest best sellers for just Rs 150 per month. There are no due dates, no late fees and no travel hassles!! The Books are delivered to your doorstep!

Activate your Library membership before August 20, 2010 and get a best seller from our freedom basket absolutely free!!! And yes, you choose the title!

If you have opted for a monthly membership, choose from:**

If you have opted for a Smart Plan (Six monthly), you can take any of the following title:**

If you have opted for the Bonanza Plan (annual Plan), select from:**

Paulo Coelho (Brida, Alchemist, Manual of the Warrior of Light), Nicholas Sparks (Bend in the Road, The Rescue)***

This INDEPENDENCE DAY, gift yourself and your loved ones the freedom to read anything, anywhere!!! Join the growing movement of booklovers across INDIA

“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.”

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

* Free shipping for purchases worth Rs 200 or more.

** The book covers and editons might differ from displayed images. For your free book, send an email to customercare@indiareads.com indicating your first three choice of books and order of preference. Please indicate at least 3 books to ensure availability and timely delivery.

*** Any title by this author will be sent to you.While we will try to accommodate your request of title, in case it is not available, we will send you any book by the author which is in stock.

Terms and Conditions:

a) Only valid for all purchases made and memberships activated till 11:59 pm, August 20, 2010

IST.

b) Only valid for new memberships (not for renewals)

c) To be eligible for the scheme, your one time billed amount has to be above Rs 750. You cannot club different transactions

d) Please send an email indicating at least 3 books of your preference in order of priority,

e) Please note that in case of Agatha Christie, Chetan Bhagat, Noddy books, Sidney Sheldon Paulo Coelho and Nicholas Sparks, any available title will be sent.

f) The cover image and editions of book may differ from the advertisement.

g) The free book can not be exchanged for cash or any other book from INDIAreads. It will be shipped along with the purchases or the first set of books (in case of  library membership).

h) Scheme valid on all payment options across India, except Cash on Delivery. Cash on Delivery allowed only in Delhi/NCR

i) This scheme can not be clubbed with any other promotional scheme.

If you have any queries, write to customercare@indiareads.com or call 011-43710618

A French aviator and writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery is best known for his best selling master piece: The Little Prince. On his 110th Birth anniversary, we bring together some of his Little passages filled with Great meaning!!!

“All grown ups were children once,
Although few of them remember it.”

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born.”

“If I were to command a general to turn into a seagull, and if the general did not obey, that would not be the general’s fault. It would be mine.”

“What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it.”

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.”

A chief is a man who assumes responsibility. He does not say “My men were beaten,” he says, “I was beaten.”

“I have no right, by anything I do or say, to demean a human being in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him; it is what he thinks of himself. To undermine a man’s self-respect is a sin.”